v 5 issue 31: Spring Shopping Guide

It's here! Our new Spring Shopping Guide of 2010 is up and it is loaded with exclusive discount codes for our readers.


Cover by Melissa Jean










1 Stop by EM Tanner Designs for personalized gear that is sure to please and create an impression with fun funky and original designs that many have tried to emulate but none can match! Be sure to check back often for her seasonal products that always bring a smile. Enter code: TOTTRENDS for 20% off your purchases.

2 Bellarisa Designs is beautiful, comfortable, and fashionable flower hair accessories and more for infants, toddlers, and girls. Every product is handcrafted in the United States using the highest quality fabric and embellishments. Enter code: TTW10OFF for $10.00 off entire order.

3 Sassy Baby Boutique is known for her trendy style and playful, unique designs. These adorable dresses are perfect for every day fun or a spring/summer party. With gorgeous bright fabrics and attention to detail these collections are just right for the warmer days ahead. Enter code: ttw20 in comment box for 20% off your purchases.

4 For those who love funky, eye-catching jewelry, you'll love Allura Marie. The artist Jodanna Cook has been designing and creating jewelry since she was a little girl. Enjoy her many jewelry designs using materials like sterling silver, semi-precious gemstones, Venetian glass, and Swarovski crystals. These collections are phenomenal...and sure to draw attention! Enter code: TOTTRENDWKLY for 15% off your purchases.

Click here to shop our Spring Shopping Guide


Shopping Guide Cover
Be sure to check out all our wonderful shops for gifts, great designer clothing, fabulous boutiques and even a little something for Mom. Click on covers to start shopping. Don't forget to use shop coupon codes for exclusive discounts.

Products above (clockwise): Jogakbo Sundress by Tea Collection , 42 Piece Puzzle in a box, Petunia Pickle Bottom at Layla Grayce, Winter Kate by Nicole Richie

v 5 issue 30: Boys will be boys

Calling all boys and girls too. We have selected some of our favorite items that your boys will be proud to own. Plus: Author Max Elliot Anderson shares his action-adventure books and the story behind why he became an author.


Cover by Brittany Stover








1 iStyle Originals has taken on the task of gearing up little ones for the iGeneration. Onesies, snapshirts, and bibs are available for those who rock, burp, nap... Sizes start as small as 6-12 months for short sleeves, and bibs are one size fits all. Mention Tot Trends in instruction box when placing an order to receive a Free baby bib.

2 The mini kickboard, with it's award-winning design, is constructed with 3 wheels for greater stability and driver control. Two polyurethane wheels in front help with the "lean and steer" of the scooter and provide a smooth, quiet ride. Perfect for young scooters of 3-5 years.

3 T-Rex is safely transported from the Jurassic Period into modern times on the Dinosaur Treasure Tee from Aardvark. A petite-sized version of the most feared carnivore is safely trapped inside a clear plastic bubble and placed upon an olive green tee with a great prehistoric background.

4 Vintage soft & lightweight, the King Bee Tee crowns the mightiest of tots with a rank of superiority. Two capitalized and boldly stated words have the ability to transform even a drone into royal-tee. Originated at Southern Brand Co. where a big YEE-HAW goes into every stitch! Enter code: TOT15 for 15% discount thru 3/31/10.

5 New from Deux Par Deux for the Spring of 2010 is the Coeur de Rockeur Shirt & Pants Set. Rugged and sturdy like the boys who wear them, each set comes with coordinated pants and a tri-colored short sleeve tee with guitar graphics. Available at mylildarlingsboutique.com. Enter code: TTWFREE for free shipping.

6 Huddy Buddy is a full-service, kid-friendly & convenient clothing store for boys (& girls...but we're talking about the boys today!). Like most boys, the Huddy Buddy Fuel Co. is ALWAYS full of gas and this tee markets that quality perfectly. Enter code: TOTS15 for 15% off your purchase.

7 A playful primate hangs around for good times on the Monkey Around Tee from Hatchling. The green, 100% organic cotton tee is available in sizes 2T-6T. Machine washable and oh-so-soft. Enter code: TTW20 for 20% off your purchases.

8 With over 2 hours of fixing fun, The Best of Bob the Builder DVD gets down & dirty digging up some of the greatest episodes of HIT Entertainment's ongoing classic. A great choice for new & old fans alike. Includes the extended episode, When Bob Became a Builder which delves into the history of Bob and the Can Do Crew.


This weeks mom tips:

Time Saving Tip: One of the easiest ways to start managing your time is to get a planner. This can be a paper planner or an electronic one. The key is to find one that fits your lifestyle and your personality. If you buy one that you don’t like, you won’t want to use it very much, and that defeats the whole purpose.

When you find a planner that you enjoy, create a regular schedule. If you are a creative type, you may balk at this suggestion, but you will find that living with a schedule can allow you to have more free time.

You can break your schedule down in any way that makes sense to you. You may want to group tasks by day or even by week. Just as long as you find time to get it all done. As you are scheduling your time, don’t forget to schedule some time for yourself.

When you schedule your tasks, it is important to prioritize them. This way, you’ll know what activities are the most important and you’ll know what things you need to work on first.




Health tip: Earache Home Remedies
Earaches are common among adults and children. They are most likely caused by too much wax forming in the ear, or an infection. In either case there are earache home remedies you can use to alleviate the pain and irritation caused by this common condition.

- Apply a lightly warmed heating pad to the ear, and take aspirin.
- Keep infected ears dry and clean; wipe away any discharge with cotton.
- Never use Q-tips to remove ear wax.
- Warm up some baby oil and place a few drops in the ear.
- For wax build up, place a few drops of mineral oil into the ear. Then use an ear bulb implement to withdraw the wax.
- Hydrogen Peroxide has also been effective in ridding wax in the ear quite efficiently.

While earaches can be very painful for children, it is always best to visit your pediatrician to determine the cause of the earache and the method of treatment. For adults, the same holds true although you can try the treatments above. If there is no relief, the condition may be serious enough to warrant a visit to your doctor.

Depending upon whether the cause of your earache is an infection or wax buildup, you can be assured your doctor has the tools available to relieve your pain, and will most likely prescribe antibiotics or ear drops if necessary. Keep in mind, the time to become concerned is when the middle and inner ear is affected, causing you loss of hearing or signs of acute infection. In either case, earache home remedies may be applied in the short term.


Books For Boys...And Girls

Author Max Elliot Anderson
shares his action-adventure and mystery books written especially for boys and the story behind why he became an author.


I grew up hating to read. In a family of seven children, I wasn't especially pushed to read, so I never formed good reading habits. This was ironic because my father has published over 70 books. A number of these were written for children.

A few years ago I decided to look into some of the reasons for my lack of interest in reading. My findings lead me to begin writing action-adventure and mystery books, for readers 8 - 13, that I would have liked as a child. My books are highly visual, with lots of humor, dialog, and plenty of heart-pounding action. My purpose was to craft books that would excite the interest of reluctant readers, especially boys.


After a detailed study into why I didn't like to read, and looking at books that were written for children, I set out to write the kind of stories I would have read when I was a child.

During my study, I discovered books with large blocks of copy, making it easy for a reluctant reader to lose his place on the page. Books tended to be produced on a brown shade of paper with small type. A reluctant boy reader is not going to be interested in endless sections of detail and description. He wants something happening on every page, fast action, and humor.

My books are larger than most, the paper is bright white, and the type is larger. Sentences and paragraphs are short, the books contain a lot of dialog and humor, along with heart-pounding action and adventure. Most chapters end in a cliffhanger, nearly forcing the reader to start the next chapter.

The first seven books are Newspaper Caper, Terror at Wolf Lake, North Woods Poachers, Mountain Cabin Mystery, Big Rig Rustlers, Secret of Abbott's Cave, and Legend of the White Wolf. Each book takes place in a different part of the country with different characters, settings, and plots.

Readers and reviewers have likened my books to The Hardy Boys, modern day Tom Sawyer & Huck Finn, Nancy Drew, Star Wars, Tom Swift, Scooby-Doo, Lemony Snicket, and adventure author Jack London. These will soon be republished by a new publisher. And a new series, The Sam Austin Mystery & Adventure Series is in the works. The first three manuscripts have been completed.

Remember, readers are the leaders others follow.

v 5 issue 29: Make Mine Chocolate

This weeks issue is packed with yummy rich brown fashion, accessories and gifts. Be sure to check out our delicious chocolate recipes.



Cover by Kelly Smith







1 A dimpled minky fabric of white is partnered with brown plush on the reverse side to create the Fuzzy Wuzzy- a blanket of outstanding softness. Fuzzy is the king size version of luxury, but the Cuddlebug- with pint-sized proportions & all the softness of Fuzzy- intends to help out with burping duties until it is time to take on a more important challenge...becoming a tag-along version of it's cohort. Available at bouncingfrogs.com. Enter code: MMB210 for 15% off all purchases.

2 On the outside, you get a rich mocha fabric spruced up with pink polka-dots, ribbons, and a personalization of your choice. On the inside, you'll find 100 acid-free magnetic pages for arranging pictures anyway you like. The album pages are clipped to a 3 ring binder, so extra pages can be added as needed. Available at thetrendybebe.com in both a small & large sized photo album. Enter code: Gift for 20% off your entire purchase.

3 Antique gold tulle and gold glimmer tulle are fashioned into a fabulous double layered tutu with chocolate and caramel pom-poms surprisingly placed between the layers. Topped off with a large satin bow, the Christina tutu is ready for any special occasion. Available at Cutie Pa Tutus for $39.99. Enter code: tottrends for $5 off all tutus and capes.

4 Woobie Wear offers a wide assortment of hats and headbands in toasty tans and cocoa browns... Dabbled throughout the collections, shoppers will find tasty treats to satisfy any craving for fashionable headgear. All headbands & hats receive their flirty flair through added flowers and bows which can be ordered in any color combination.

5 Plan on adding a little sweetness to a tot's wardrobe with silky soft pull-on pants made of a bamboo/organic cotton blend in chocolate brown. The boy's pants are accented with a contrasting blue stitch and the girls get a ruffled hem with a contrasting band of rose. Adorable! Green Sproutlets. Free 3-pack bamboo washcloths with purchases of $50 and more.

6 Indulge baby with a gift from Bubele. Slip off the sage ribbon and chocolate tissue wrap to unveil an adorable set decorated in browns, stripes, and blue dots. The set comes with striped lounge pants, a polka-dotted long sleeve shirt, and a double knotted stocking hat. All items are made of quality combed cotton and coordinate nicely. Enter code: TTWLOVE for 15% off your entire purchase.

7 Orazio is a versatile and useful orangutan found @ Cupcakes & Caterpillars. Besides being a soft squishy friend, Orazio has a secret pillow hidden on the inside and a detachable blanket stored in his tummy. Perfect for traveling! Enter code: sweet for 20% off all purchases.

8 Jakes are a pair of deep chocolate Nubuck leather uppers securely fastened to Flex-the unique fit system of Pedipeds. These Flex shoes come with an extra 2mm insole which slips into the shoe creating a custom fit for your child's foot. When the shoes get snug, simply take out the extra insole for extended wear. Not only are these shoes smart and fashionable, they cradle feet in flexibility, cushion heels, and slide on quick...but certainly don't look like ordinary velcro sneakers!


Chocolate Recipes
Peanut Chocolate Buckeyes

Ingredients:
1 cup of creamy peanut butter
1 cup of softened, real butter
1 full pound of confectioner's sugar
2 1/2 cups rice cereal finely crushed
3/4 cup finely ground, unsalted peanuts

Dipping sauce:
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon butter

Directions:
Blend peanut butter, butter and sugar together until a paste forms. Add cereal and nuts. Roll into small balls; set on wax paper or a cookie sheet. When dough balls are made, melt butter and chocolate chips in a double boiler. Blend until smooth. Carefully dip each cookie into the chocolate mix, leaving a part of the cookie uncovered. Cool on a plate or cookie sheet.


Simple Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 cup chocolate wafer cookies, finely crushed
2 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Cake:
24 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup melted semi-sweet chocolate
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3 large eggs
Fresh whipped cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend all ingredients for crust; spread onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes or until slightly crispy.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. While crust cools, mix cream cheese, sugar and the extracts until well blended. Add eggs; blend until well mixed. Slowly pour chocolate into batter and mix until color is smooth. Pour batter into springform pan and make sure to smooth out top. Bake for 10 minutes; reduce temperature to 250 degrees. Bake for 35 minutes longer. When done, remove edge from rim of springform pan and cool. Serve with fresh whipped cream and chocolate garnishes.


America loves chocolate!
Humanity's love affair with chocolate dates back to ancient times. From chips and bars to hot, frothy drinks and ice cream, there is no denying America's long-lasting love affair with chocolate. The International Cocoa Organization reports that Americans and Europeans are the world's biggest chocolate consumers. The industry itself is so big that chocolate is often referred to in measures of tons rather than ounces or pounds.

What Goes Into Making Chocolate
Chocoholics might not take the time to pause and wonder exactly how it is this miraculous creation is made. If they did, they'd probably be surprised at how much work actually goes into creating their favorite confection. The fact of the matter is there is a great deal more to making fine chocolate than picking a cacao bean and cooking it. From the actual bean selection right down to the creation of different varieties, expert touches are required to ensure the highest quality, most flavorful chocolate creation. Going from Point A to Point B takes a very special touch if perfection is desired.

The first and perhaps the most important step in making chocolate is the actual bean selection itself. If the bean chosen isn't of high quality, the end result will be a less than desirable chocolate. For this reason, many fine chocolate makers take great pains to select their beans personally.

Once a master chocolate chef, or chocolatier, selects the beans, they are then fermented and roasted. The roasting can have a big impact on the finished flavor, but the next steps are even more important. After the roasting, the chocolate creation process involves actually grinding the beans. During the grinding, the liquid from the beans is mostly removed. Known as cacao liquor, this fluid is turned into the actual chocolate.

To create the end product from chocolate liquor, sugar must go into the mix. Once this is done, a grinding process takes place again. This helps ensure that a gritty, grainy taste doesn't result. Following the grinding, chocolate makers move on to a step that is known as conching. This involves a combination of heating and further grinding. This step can take place over a few hours or for more than a day. It is at this point that chocolate begins to take on the form that most chocoholics love.

After chocolate has been properly conched, the chocolate maker then works the last few steps of the process. This can involve adding the ingredients for milk chocolate, dark or more. Depending on the type of chocolate desired, the final touches might include decorative shaping, filling or even frosting.

There is a great deal more to creating chocolate than many lovers even realize. From the bean to the finished confection, an expert touch is necessary at every step in the process.

v 5 issue 28: Happy Valentine

Celebrate Valentine's Day with unique and fun gifts for your little ones. Plus...reunite with your true love and "Recapture the Romance."

Cover by Shannon Lott










1 The heart and PAW emblem is one of many signature prints from Lucky Puppy. Our choice for the month of February is the Heart PAW shirt with a dark pink PAW printed onto a long-sleeved heather grey thermal shirt of exceptional quality. Please note, 15% of each online purchase is donated to the Paws and Learn Humane Education Center. Enter code: TT15 for 15% purchases.

2 Genny and Jane creatively intertwine red and pink grosgrain ribbons into the shape of love. The Woven Heart Ribbon Sculpture Clip gets a grip from a partially lined alligator clip and is made to fit either the right side or left side of the hair. Email gennyandjane[at]gmail.com with code: TTW Friends for 15% off purchases.

3 Based upon real animals from around the globe, YooHoo & Friends live in the virtual world of Yootopia-where you can play games & have tons of fun with your new furry friend. The Pink YooHoo is a lemur with large lovable eyes, a pink heart, and a very special surprise...when you squeeze his tummy he lets out a big smooching sound. Available at Auroragift.com

4 Who needs candy for Valentine's Day! The very thought of the Heart Moccasin from Nowali warms the heart with sensations of comfy & cozy toes...and this coziness lasts way longer than a box of chocolate. These adorable knitted mocs have no-slip leather soles and are available in shades of red or pink. Enter code: TOTTRENDS for free shipping thru 2/21/10.

5 The Valentine socks from Trumpette are full of L-O-V-E. Little lovebird's piggies will stay toasty in these fiery red stockings decorated with enough hugs and kisses to get them way beyond the day. Fit sizes 0-12 months. Available at Myprincesscloset.com

6 Look dazzling and festive in these hearts shaped Pink Amethyst gemstone earrings. Check out Alluramarie’s full Valentine’s Day Collection as well as her other fabulous jewelry in a wide range of styles you're sure to love. Three's A Crowd Earrings are on sale now $12.50. Enter code: TOTWKLY for 15% all purchases.

7 Pass on some love (and an updated picture!) with gorgeous boutique quality portrait cards this Valentine's Day. Mango Ink stands apart from the big companies by providing real life designers to work diligently on all orders-perfecting color coordinations and fonts for true customer satisfaction. Dozens of predesigned cards are currently available for all occasions, but be sure to stay tuned for the addition of some amazing new thank you cards. Need these in a hurry... Enter code: TOTLOVE for free 2nd day air shipping on orders $50 or more thru 2/28/10.

8 The Ooh La La Couture Hot Pink Floral Denim Skirt Set is one of those great finds which lasts through the seasons. The set includes a denim skirt with floral print ruffles and a heart print tank. Match it up with the available bolero and leggings to keep warm during the chilly seasons, but don't put it away for the summer...this is sure to be a favorite all year long. Available at Everythingbuttheprincess.com. Enter code TTWFree for Free shipping.


Our Interview with the owner of Woobie Wear
Q: What was the inspiration behind Woobie Wear?
My daughter, Lauren Jessica, who is now turning six in April, is my inspiration. She models my line and loves to have her hair done! I also do photography, so we spend a lot of time together at photo shoots too.

Q: What obstacles (if any) did you face along the way & how did you overcome them?
There are basically two main obstacles that I've encountered. First, learning how to run a full-time business, while maintaining balance in my family life; it is a challenge every day. I force myself to stop working and hug my kids as often as I can! Second, we grew tremendously from 2008-2009; therefore, keeping up with the product demand was a challenge; fortunately, I was able to connect the growth of my business to a great social mission by partnering with St. Coletta's of Illinois Foundation, a local non-profit agency that helps provide people with disabilities meaningful employment. You can read details on my website under Community Involvement.

Q: How do you manage juggling being mom/wife/entrepreneur?
It's never easy, but you adapt. I'm lucky to have a very supportive husband who believes in me and this business and helps out whenever he can...at the same time, I have a wonderful babysitter who lives across the street to care for my 19 month old son, Andrew. I also work at night when the kids go to bed, while my daughter is at Kindergarten and the while baby is napping! (and having a Blackberry helps too!)

Q: What is your greatest success professionally?
My greatest success so far was my line being picked up by Von Maur, a major department store here in the Midwest. When I took Lauren to the store, she was so excited and we introduced ourselves to the sales people, they loved meeting us and seeing Lauren in person since she is on all the hang tags!

Q: What is unique or special about your business that gives it an edge over your competitors?
Woobie Wear is unique in that we pride ourselves on not only providing a top quality, fashionable product; but we work hand in hand with our community, as I mention above, and we donate to several charities. Also, I designed our hats exclusive for Woobie Wear and they are all hand made with sequin trim around the bottom.

Q: Tell us about your donations and involvement for children battling cancer.
My brother-in-law is a Pediatric Oncologist who started his work out of medical school with the Dana Farber clinic in Cambridge, Massachusetts. During his time there, he was heavily involved in their fundraising programs and my husband and I always donated in support of their events. As I launched my business, it occurred to me that another way to support these wonderful organizations was to donate my product directly to the children with the hopes of brightening their day. As I began to do this, I received a wonderful response and immediately had to do more, so I began to find local hospitals and foundations I could donate to. It's a very moving and emotional experience when you see the impact on the families and their children and words can't express how good it makes you feel. This past Christmas holiday, my International Sales Rep for Japan, who also does my PR, donated our hats to a children's hospital in Tokyo, which was the first time anything like that had been done. Woobie Wear always welcomes any special requests or sponsorships for charities.

Lisa Blackman, is the Designer/Owner of Woobie Wear, Inc. Reach her by email at woobiewear@comcast.net View her website at Woobiewear.com




Recapture the Romance
Remember the thrill when you first fell in love? Hearing your spouse’s voice on the phone would send tingles up your spine. When you embraced, all was well with your word. And when the two of you daydreamed about your future together, it seemed anything was possible.

The wonderful, heady feeling of being in love is part physiology, part psychology, and total bliss. While it is no substitute for the more mature, long-term love that follows, it is certainly a great beginning, and great place to revisit at any point in a marriage. Here are some ideas for bringing back the thrill of those early days, and cultivating it in the present.

Indulge the senses. Sensuality isn’t just about sex. It is a romantic experience in its own right, one that the human body is designed to experience.

Ever wonder why we associate things like red roses, candlelight and moonlight, wine and chocolate, and silky fabrics with romance? It is because the senses are a gateway to our emotions. They are also a short-cut to long-forgotten memories and experiences that we associate with them.

Plan an evening of sensuous pleasure, making sure there is an element to entice each of the sense. Prepare foods and beverages that appeal to both eye and palate. Play music that soothes you. Enjoy candlelight, roses, and chocolate – they are more than just a cliché! Pamper yourself and your spouse with physical comfort – warm baths, scented lotions, the fresh smell of clean linen.

And don’t forget the delicious sensation of falling asleep in each other’s arms. Too often, busy couples find themselves on different schedules. After an evening of pleasing the senses, make it a point to surrender to the haven of slumber together.

Have a night of music the two of you enjoyed while dating. The idea is to recreate that period in time, and music is a powerful facilitator. There are two ways to do it. One is to go to a concert by this artist and enjoy reminiscing about your shared history. On a budget (or in the event that the artist is no longer performing), you can play CDs or watch a concert on DVD. To expand on the theme, wear your favorite outfits that are reminiscent of that era. Prepare foods that you both indulged in. Bring out your photo album or saved love letters, and revel in the memories of the “good old days.”

Take a walk. What is more romantic than seeing a couple out for a stroll, holding hands in companionable silence? Such a simple pleasure can easily become a habit, and a regular opportunity to share thoughts about your day when the two of you reunite each evening.