Leanne, Author at Rave & Review

Zutano Introduces ZUTANOBLUE at Target NYC event

Baby clothing sure has come a long way in the past 20 years. When I was a tot, there was pastel pink or blue or, if you didn’t know whether you were expecting a boy or girl, you got muted yellow and green. But now baby clothing comes in every color of the rainbow and in styles I can’t help but swoon over.

It would be hard to pinpoint exactly when the switch to fashionably fun children’s wear happened, but my guess it was right around the time Zutano hit the market and turned the pastel baby clothing market on its head. Just look at some of these adorable goodies from their collection. Feel free to swoon, I’ll wait.

Almost makes me want another little one. Almost.

Thanks to the combined efforts of Momtrends and Project Nursery, I recently spent some time with the wonderful people behind the Zutano brand at BlogHer and was amazed at how nice and personable they all are.

We met up at the famous FAO Schwarz in NYC and had a delicious catered dinner from Tacombi. While we ate, we learned a little bit about the company, why it started, and what its vision was – in the beginning and looking forward. We even got to see the Zutano bicycle that founder Michael Belenky used to hand-deliver orders from all over the city.

CountryOutfitter Vintage Corral Boots in the City

When I first found CountryOutfitter through my friend Farrah over at The Three Under, the first thing I did was look for cowboy boots for the kiddos. Even though they both already have cowboy boots, I was mostly looking for the next size up and loving all the various styles for kids that you just … Read more

I Found My Perfect Fit: Lee Jeans Style Party

Who out there isn’t familiar with Lee Jeans? Since 1889 they have been creating denim for both working in and playing in, and to this day they are still one of the first brands people think of when they think jeans. From my early childhood in the 80s to the resurgence of Buddy Lee {above} … Read more

New Barbie Apparel Line Available at Kmart {Our Barbie Fashion Show}

Recently Barbie has become a very big deal at our house. Maybe this is because many of my old Barbie’s are making their way from Nana’s house or maybe it’s because the charm and ageless allure of Barbie is one that appeals to nearly every little girl. But, whatever the reason, I’m thrilled that Barbie … Read more

HABAusa.com Makes Shopping Easier Than Ever {HABA Doll and Horse}

Because of how much my kiddos thirst for knowledge, I strive to make each new toy that comes into our house a learning opportunity. Whether it be empathy and understanding or science and problem solving, I find myself turning to HABA toys again and again. With heirloom quality toys that capture the true essence of … Read more

5 New Disney Releases on Blu-ray: Mice, Dogs, Cats, Tigger, and History – Oh My!

My family has a long tradition with Disney movies. Always the first to see them in the theatres, then snatching them up as soon as they were released for home viewing, we’ve watched and enjoyed them all. Having amassed a huge collection of Disney movies myself on VHS, they were basically the only reason I still owned a VCR in the early 2000s, and why I held out from going to DVD for so long.

But, then when Blu-ray was introduced a few years ago, I knew I couldn’t wait any longer to upgrade some of those old VHS tapes that were virtually unwatchable after years of kids handling them. Not only was it time to trash the VHS, it was time to get a better film format that wouldn’t break down with wear and show its age.

And, I think I made a great choice on when to start my upgrade process because the quality of Blu-ray is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Rewatching old movies restored in Blu-ray quality is like watching them for the first time ever with all the color and vibrancy of the original drawings.

I have been eagerly awaiting the release of all of my favorites on Blu-ray and making a point to collect them all while I can to replace their worn out VHS. I was thrilled when I heard the announcement that 5 titles would be released on August 21st and even more excited when I heard that 3 of them were ones that I had loved growing up.

On August 21st, 5 new movies are finally going to be viewed in high definition Blu-ray: THE RESCUERS: 35th Anniversary Ed & THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER – 2 Movie Collection, THE ARISTOCATS: Special Edition, LADY AND THE TRAMP II: Scamp's Adventure – Special Edition, POCAHONTAS & POCAHONTAS II: Journey to a New World – 2 Movie Collection and THE TIGGER MOVIE: Bounce-a-RRRific Special Edition.

As you can see, there's a little something for everyone in the new Blu-ray releases. Which are you most excited about?

Back to school with Lands’ End and Momtrends NYC event

Recently, I went back to school with 200+ bloggers while at BlogHer. While we did load buses, take class pictures, and get report cards, this was a very different kind of school than you’re used to. For one, this school was co-run by two of our favorite brands, Lands' End and Momtrends, and passing grades meant you got an adorable backpack to take home.

As usual, I got straight As. But this time I can give some credit to the instructors who all did a wonderful job of teaching their “course” and for their very, very lax grading system that seemed to be mostly based off of attendance.

Eddie Bauer Introduces New Perfect Fit Denim

I have a love/hate relationship with jeans. On one hand they are awesome – they go with everything, you can dress them up or down, and they are so comfortable. But, on the other hand, finding that perfect jean fit sometimes seems impossible. When Eddie Bauer invited me to check out their new Perfect Fit … Read more

Fresh Produce Clothing for All Seasons {Review}

As someone that travels frequently, I’m always searching for tips while packing to maximize each piece of clothing I bring. A long time ago someone very wise give me the tip to stick to a specific color scheme so everything can mix and match once you get there. Unfortunately for me, my travel pieces are … Read more

The Lorax on DVD and Blu-ray Combo Pack

A few months ago I read the book Dr Seuss' The Lorax for the first time to my daughter. She had all sorts of questions about why this happened or that happened in Thneedville and was really taken with the story, so when her grandma invited her to the movie one afternoon she was elated. … Read more