- Paulo is wearing “Take Flight” from Le Top’s 2010 Fall/Winter collection.
When you schedule playdates in advanced, you hope the weather will be warm enough so you can meet up with your child’s friends at the park. I like meeting at a playground because it gives Paulo a chance to run around and burn off energy so that he naps well in the afternoon. Since we can’t always rely on the weatherman’s forecast, my Mommy friends and I always have a back-up place to meet in case it’s raining or if it’s too cold. That place is our local Barnes & Noble. Unfortunately, this is the back-up plan for everyone else, too. But that’s okay. It works out somehow.
Our bookstore has a train table in the children’s book section. They have a few trains for the kids to play with, and it’s cute (and sometimes not-so-cute) to see them learn how to share. Parents are also allowed to pick up a book from the shelves and read to their children. They have a little table and a few chairs, or you can even sit on the floor with your child on your lap and spend a quiet moment entertaining them with a story or two. Once a week, our bookstore has Story Time. The kids sit around the stage area while one of the staff members reads to the children. At the end of Story Time, they provide a small snack. Best part of Barnes & Noble? They have a Starbucks so I can order a grande soy caramel macchiato with whipped cream and enjoy drinking it while Paulo plays at the train table. Bliss!
My cousin, Joslyn, is getting ready to have Baby #2 (a girl, Haven Bella) soon and this weekend, we are holding her baby shower! Since I work at a baby and kids clothing company, it’s no secret that most of my baby shower gifts are going to be our gorgeous baby clothes from 
I have come across a lot of these online, but was never sure exactly how they did it. So the other night, I YouTube’d it, and sure enough there was a cheesy – though resourceful – How-To video. I bought the diapers, the ribbon, the jewels, the rubber bands, and the pins (my variation from double-stick tape), and went to work. I had to roll the diapers slightly differently than the video explained because the cute “character scene” on the front was turning my white cake into a blue one. All in all it took about 45 minutes to roll 92 diapers (size 1 & 2) and assemble them in the cake layers; about 30 minutes to put the ribbons and the jewels on; and 5 seconds to lay the shoes on the top as the cake topper.
Le Top blog 