Sleep Tight.

Okay, now for my sweet dreams. Here's what I'm wishing for...a new bed. And this one from C&B will do just fine.

Baby Gifts.

I recently found what I think is a fantastic baby shower gift. These awesome charms from Little Jules, featured at Cool Mom Picks.

They sent me one with the Hurricane's name and birth info on it, and I get compliments on it all the time. All the time.

It's so great (and rare) to find something so sentimentastic and stylish at the same time. Check it. And if you're in the baby shower mood, check this one out.

Sweet Dreams

Even though the Hurricane is still in a crib, I'm already dreaming about what his room will look like very soon. And Desire to Inspire has some sweet ideas.

Mod Mints

In the immortal words of Farmer Ted,

"Fresh breath is a priority in my life."


And so is good design.

Check out these fantastic Mint Tins from The Succulent Wife.

Hey Fadiddle Diddle

There are lots of reasons to like blogging. Another of mine involves finding excellent things other bloggers create, make, produce, sell, etc. Here's one of my favorites. Fadiddle. Where they make creative onesies and kids tees with thread and talent. Check it.

Lemon + Lemon = Love

I'm almost sure the best part of our brunch this weekend was a fantastic lemon cake with lemon icing made from this Williams-Sonoma mix. It was the easiest baking experience ever. And worth the extra investment.

Friday Find: Mother's Day

Cool Mom Picks has all you need for Mother's Day ideas. Right here in their Mother's Day Gift Guide. And I'm not just saying that because I write for them. I'm saying it because there are a lot of really cool things in one place. So it's easy.


In fact, since I actually think everyday is mother's day, I bought a bunch of new-mom gifts and shower gifts from there.

Because I like to shop in my pajamas.

Modern Art

On Blog con Queso, we're talking about art. Melissa Pfeiffer lets her artistic voice be heard through ModernSeed, a company she created to offer a straighforward source for modern children's design that spanned all categories. Their products are varied and include the above Blu Dot Buttercup rocker. The site is kind of like a kid friendly modern art collection. Check it.

Boca Beth is Muy Bueno. (I learned that on Boca Beth)

I recently raised my hand high when the good people of Parent Bloggers Network asked for those interested in looking into the Spanish language program, Boca Beth. Because we're all working to learn languages around here. You see, we are now a bilingual household. Which is really cool, as long as you’re bilingual. Which I’m not. Yet. So sure, I was hoping the Hurricane would like this program, which includes coloring books, dvds, cds, a puppet and maraca, created by mom and educator Beth Butler. But also, because my brain is older and less malleable than some others in our house, I figured I could use as much help as possible.

So we tried it out.

Here's the part where I wish our 18-month-old Hurricane could write this review. Because he would probably pontificate with a Spanish punch. He’d also no doubt tell you how he completely dug the Boca Beth I Like Animals/Me Gustan Animales DVD. Porque es realmente bueno. And because the kid really likes to dance, and sing, and watch other kids dance and sing. And that’s what’s going on during the first 23 minutes of this thing. That, and lots of animal footage. And this is all happening while Beth teaches the audience around 200 words and 85 phrases featuring animals from the neighborhood to the Serengeti.

The next 25 or so minutes show a Boca Beth classroom semicircle gathering of kids and parents talking and singing in Spanish. This is the point I though we’d lose him. You see, the Hurricane is not really that patient of a TV watcher. In fact, he's rarely interested any actual TV, and only loves a few Baby Einsteins. So I figured he’d get bored pretty quickly with the semicircle still cam. But oh how I was wrong. This was his very favorite part. He absolutely loved watching Beth, the puppet Boca, and the kids sing in Spanish.

It’s a cool idea, and here’s my favorite part about it…my son loved it. Loved it. The graphics aren’t Disney quality, and I might rather watch Grey’s Anatomy, but my favorite kid, well he was entranced. As someone who is learning English and Spanish at the same time, he absolutely lit up hearing them spoken together…back to back…connected…and I think he actually started to connect some concepts. For instance, we’ve been working on the “What does the cow/dog/cat/lion/pig/dinosaur/monster say?” game for weeks. And I think we’ve mastered cow. And maybe dog. But after watching the “What does the lion say/ ¿Qué dice el león?” portion of the program, he got it. Maybe it was actually seeing the lion. Or maybe it was because we now know how to ask that in Spanish. But something clicked. And now he rooooowwwwwllllllssss like a mad man.

So overall, I would say the Boca Beth program was a big hit in our household.

The Hurricane is connecting the languages with animals. And we're learning too. For instance, now I know how to sing the “No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed” song in Spanish. And this can be handy. For instance, remember how we talked about songs that get stuck in your head? Well, the next time that pesky Justin Timberlake song barges into my cranium, I’ll just think…” No más monos que saltan en la cama.” And viola! Replaced. No more JT for days.

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And now my friends, it's giveaway time. Leave a comment here and a Hurricane chosen winner gets a Boca Beth song CD (worth $15) in the mail. Whoohoo! And leave a comment at the Parent Bloggers Network and you could win a Boca Beth prize package (worth $45). Good luck. Or as the Hurricane says, buena suerte!

ADDED: It seems that if you leave a comment here, you're also registered to potentially win the Boca Beth prize package. Yay you.

And the Winner Is.....NAMONA. You completely won. Email me at helloqueso at gmail dot com, and I'll send the CD your way. Ole!

Citrus Champagne Vinegar

This citrus champagne vinegar from O Olive Oil is freaking fantastic.

I purchased it to flavor up this salad.
And wow.

(I just happened to run across it at my local grocery store.
But you can also buy it online here or here.)

I Love This Dress.

Anthropologie has some fantastic dresses this spring.

Absolutely great.

And I'm completely digging this one.

But what do you think...

...is it more awesome 70s retro, or more Mrs. Roper?

Be honest.

Notes from the Underbelly

Hilarious.

If you didn't see the premier, catch it next Wednesday.

Wry Baby Wry

Wry Baby has created the stuff you wish you'd thought of.

Because it's funny.

The Best Spread.

It just doesn't get any better than Lemon Curd on toast. It's well known to be the happiest breakfast in the universe. Go ahead. Try to find a happier breakfast. You won't.

And as far as I'm concerned, the best curds around come from Harvey Nichols, Tiptree and Edinburg Preserves (pictured above).

I get my favorites here at the British Isles store in Htown. It's lemontastic.

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And speaking of lemontastic, and other great things Great Britain, I don't know if you noticed. But some lovely person called Mark from Pink Milk dot co dot uk left a message in the last post with a great offer.

Any Queso reader can get 10% off any Pink Milk online order by simply using the code 'conQueso' before the end of the month.

It's a great offer, and it completely works. So I bought the lunchbox.

Yay Mark! Yay Pink Milk!

Friday Find: Pink Milk is My Favourite and My Best.

A few weeks ago, the ultimate AlphaMom, Isabel, introduced me to Pink Milk dot co dot uk. The Web's dedicated Charlie and Lola shop. And because Isabel loves Charlie and Lola (and because she has the most fantastic site featuring the best writers around), well, I'm absolutely completely keen on both her and Pink Milk. Check it out. You won't be disappointed. Honestly and promisely.

Mother's Day Isn't That Far Away.

So thank the goodness that Amy Bengston is out there
to make all our Mother's Day Dreams come true.

Kick Ass Sea Glass

I'm a little bit into slash obsessed with sea glass right now.

And dbO Home has some fantastic pieces.

Huggies Overnights + Giveaway = Love

So the good people at PBN asked if I’d review a pack or two of Huggies Overnights. The wonder diapers that take away all your problems. Or something. And so I said, heck yeah, sure, duh, bring it.

Because I know a thing or two about diapers.

I’ve been a nappy expert ever since I changed the first diaper of my life, at age 34.5.

That’s right.

But I’ve made up for lost time. Especially when you consider that over the last 18 months, I’ve changed approximately 2,750 diapers. Give or take. Give more than take.

However, I’d never changed a Huggie. You see, we’ve been a strictly Pampers family ever since the Hurricane was born. Correction, ever since someone gave me about 20 packs of diapers at a baby shower. And we just stayed with them. Mainly because I was lazy. And because they worked. Well, mostly. But not at night. At all.

What is it about the nighttime that makes it the righttime to pee your little infant brains out? I’m not sure. And chalk it up to good hydration and/or a small bladder, but our little dude could squirt it out after dark. And bless his heart, he’d wake up wet. Really wet.

So I looked forward to seeing if these things could stand up to my Category 5 Hurricane.

The day I got them in the mail I went to lunch with a longtime, incredibly pragmatic, low-key friend, and I randomly mentioned the Huggies review I’d be doing. And. She. Freaked. She freaked, and she flipped, and she raved. And she said that "Oh my gosh, they're the most AMAZING diapers ever, ever, ever; and hey, also, I drive 156* miles out of my way to get these diapers because they are the only ones that don't leak, and they're the very best in all the land. The very best I say! The best!"

So, I tore open the package with high expectations. They had to fit. They had to be comfortable (or seemingly so), and they had to keep him dry.

And I wasn't disappointed.

First of all, you don't have to drive 156* miles to get them. And also they fit, they looked comfy, and these bad boys aren’t letting anything through. Thirty successful straight nights of complete dryness. And on the very first Huggies morning, the Hurricane woke up dry, happy, and singing. I swear. Singing. And sure, I’m not positive that the singing had anything to do with the nappies, but it was cute.

Also, we're giving a pack of Huggies Overnights away. Leave a comment, and you'll be in the Hurricane drawing. Comments will be open until Wednesday at midnight. Good luck!

COURTNEY a mother of five under five...you won! And really, how appropriate is that. Email me and I'll send them your way. Yay you.

*Also, she's completely lying. She doesn't really drive 156 miles to get them. If she does, she's nuts, because I've seen them at a few places within a few miles of my house. Also, you can totally get them here, and they'll deliver them to your door. I'm just saying.