Happy 8th Birthday Psychobaby!

I can hardly believe it, Psychobaby is celebrating eight wonderful years on May 3rd!
It has been the best time of my life! I have met some awesome people from three to six feet tall, deepened friendships and learned a whole heck of a lot about juggling my super cool store and my super cool family. I am grateful to all that have been a part of our journey to bring the nation cool, crazy kids' stuff! I'm looking forward to many more years to come and many more friendships along the way! ~Marlo

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Royal Wedding Mania!

It's Royal Wedding Mania, people around the world are counting down the days until they can watch Prince William wed his lovely lady. I spent all morning looking at the bizarre things people are doing to honor this affair. Once or twice in a lifetime, these ultimate Royal wedding fanatics get their day of celebration and let me tell you, their preparations are slightly charming...and slightly terrifying, like the pizza shown below.

source: my royal wedding

Will I be up at 4am, chugging coffee, to watch this Royal affair take place? I'll leave that question to the magic eight ball.

As a little lady, I never wanted to be a princess (I was more of a 'Hulk Hogan' sort of gal). Nowadays, I am the first person at the door when fluffy sparkly tutus arrive, hoping maybe one mistakenly got ordered in a 23T rather than a 2T. Alas, I am sitting in my office chair un-tutued but more than excited to create an ultimate princess guide for your future Royal.

Shop our collection of prince and princess gifts

New Rock and Roll Varsity Tees

The newest design from the Psychobaby Custom Shop is sure to please future jocks and band geeks alike! (Remember, just because he's playing snare drums and she's playing trumpet NOW, doesn't mean they won't be rocking Madison Square Garden someday.)

Who needs a jacket when you can get your varsity letters early? The red and white one is my personal favorite, but I had a wear a uniform at my high school, so I NEVER got to look this cool.

So Pretty in Punk!

These new arrivals for your little lady from Micro Me totally rock! Your Punk Rock Princess has tons of new styles to choose from to make her the most stylish kid on the block. She can stay cool in more ways than one with these striped tunic dresses and rock and roll graphic tanks.

My favorite has to be the Red and Black Striped Bubble Romper - stylish and appropriately adorable for running or crawling around at the park on a hot summer day! They don't call it a "romper" for nothing.

Cool spring time crafts made from household materials

It's hard to believe that with Google and the App store, there are still be some good ol' fashioned homemade tricks that outdo even the best robots.

Now that spring has arrived and you can allow your spawn to be outside for longer than 20 minutes without freezing to death, it's a great time to find some new fun ways to re-use materials around your house for a spring fling in your yard.

I left out some of my old spring favorites, which included setting the live trap to catch beavers without my parents permission and leaned towards an urban and safety friendly version.

Bubble Wrap Hopscotch

source and directions: Givers Log

How cool is this? Why throw away your old bubble wrap when you can make it into loud, fun hopscotch mats? It's super light to send as a DIY gift as well. Follow the link below the picture for directions.

Bubble Refill Station
source: Come Together Kids

I have only experienced this while babysitting, but let me tell you, when you have a glass of Sangria and your nails are drying you don't want to hear "I am out of bubbles!" "Fill these again!" or "Help I got bubbles in my eyes trying to pour it and it burns!" This bubble refill machine give kids the independence to refill at their own will while you relax with a great read.

Springtime Scavenger Huntvia: I Am Momma Hear Me Roar

Who doesn't like a good scavenger hunt. Take advantage of the sunshine and all of the new life that comes with spring weather with this scavenger hunt. Print off the hunt-list for the carton by following the link under the photo and begin!

Earth Day: Make It Easy To Be Green!

Kermit the Frog's wise words "It ain't easy being green." may have been true when they were first uttered by the popular Muppet way back in 1970, but nowadays being green is as easy as changing a light bulb! (In fact, one of the ways IS changing your light bulbs...)


Today is the 41st anniversary of Earth Day, and as adults we are trying our hardest to keep this planet clean, or basically reverse all the bad stuff we did to it...remember the 80s? We need to be kind to Mother Earth in order for the next generation to enjoy her sunsets and green park spaces well into the future. It's never too early to teach your children about recycling and energy conservation, even if they don't quite know what it means yet.


You can start today with these 10 easy tips to help stop global warming from TIME for Kids:

1. Change a light
Replace a regular bulb with a more energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulb.

2. Drive less
Walk, bike, use public transportation like a subway, bus or even car pool. Talk to your parents about considering a hybrid, or alternative fuel vehicle. And keep your tires inflated properly. It can improve gas mileage by more than 3%.

3. Recycle more
Think before you throw away trash. Recycle instead. Cut down on how much you throw in the trash, which ultimately ends up in a landfill. And be sure to take e-waste, like computers, cell phones and hazardous waste to a special recycling facility.

4. Avoid products with a lot of packaging
When it comes to your shopping habits, consider buying products that are better for the environment or that are made from recycled materials, and have less or no packaging. And when it comes to food, support local farmers markets.

5. Use less hot water
It takes a lot of energy to heat water. Install a low flowing shower head and wash a full load of clothes in cold or warm water.

6. Adjust your thermostat
Moving your thermostat down 2 degrees in winter and up 2 degrees in summer can save a lot of energy. And ask your parents if your local utility company offers alternative power. If so, consider switching.

7. Plant a tree
A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.

8. Turn off electronic devices
Simply turning off your TV, DVD player, stereo, and unplugging your iPod and cell phone charger when not in use, will save you thousands of pounds of CO2 a year.

9. Spread the word
Talk to your friends, family and school teachers. Teach them what you've learned and make your house and school as green as possible. Think of ways to raise awareness & educate others; create fund-raisers in your local community to make a change.

10. Go Green
Work to make these changes in your daily life so it becomes second nature.

So on this Earth Day, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle...because Muppets know best.

Source: http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/specials/articles/0,28285,1601933,00.html

Rainbows, Cupcakes and Baseballs! Oh my!

Our New Arrivals from Jannuzzi are full of bright bold colors that will lift your spirits even on a gloomy spring day! Jannuzzi always seems to find the perfect balance between sweet, funky and practical!
I am crazy for the new Winged Heart Tank Dress! I have three awesome, scruffy little boys but if I had a girl this line would be dangerous!
Check out my favorite picks this week!
-Marlo

DIY growth keepsakes!

 source: Flickr

Luckily enough, I work in a place that suggests I go browse the internet to find cool stuff. Sometimes they find me with tears rolling down my face watching a kitten play with a duck on Youtube, but most of the time I am cruising down the vast highway of mom blogs. Am I a mom myself? No. I actually don't know any babies, but if I did, I guarentee they would have more DIY stuff than Martha Stewart fanmail from good ole Auntie Amy.
I do my best to round up the stuff that makes my ovaries flutter with hopes of one day bearing spawn of my own (I'm 23, so the duration of this feeling averages .00435 seconds). My mission is to find awesome stuff hidden in the creative crevices of the internet.

Today, I found some super creative ideas for documenting your childs age in a beautiful and wall worthy way. Get your screwdrivers handy (I mean the tool!) and start creating in-between those late night feedings.

- Amy K

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This is an absolutely adorable way to visually document your spawns first year in the world. The same effect could be created using magnetic fridge letters.

 source: famille summerbelle

After staring at this for a second, I decided that it was incredibly awesome. If my mom were to make this for me it would filled with very tattered ruby slippers. I'm going to go ahead and suggest that you Febreez the shoes thoroughly in case it happens to open years later!

source: real simple

Jeepers Peepers, Happy Easters!

I have never been a Peeps fan.

It's always the same situation, year after year. I stumble out of bed late at night trying to appease a springtime sugar craving only to find post Easter Peeps littering my snack lacking pantry. After 1am, these stale Peeps are extremely persuasive. Half asleep I am eluded to think that "maybe this year they changed" or "what if I am missing out like those 22 years I was under the impression watermelon tasted awful" and I give them another shot. Each year I fall for the same Peep's tricks and am fooled blindly by these foul fowl.

This year is different thanks to two little words: Peeps Smores.

source: Eclectic Recipes

This Sunday the microwave will be littered with blue dye #4 after I cook an entire hen house worth of these corn syrup soaked creatures.

Peeps S’mores for Easter

Ingredients

• peeps
• hershey’s chocolate squares
• graham crackers

Method
Place graham crackers, chocolate and a peep as shown in first picture. Zap in the microwave until soft. (Or place under broiler.) Top with another graham cracker square.

Oh and while we are at awesome Easter stuff, check out this tip from Parent Hacks.

via: Parent Hacks

No more tie dyed kitchen floors and counters, muffin tins make for an easy dying and drying event. Parents think of everything!

-Amy K

Bunny Bash

I woke up to snow today, chances are if you are a Chicagoian, you did too. We all know the feeling of seeing snow this late in the season and immediately getting that barfy feeling. Luckily I got to come to work, where the heat was blasted and all of my lovely co-workers and I shared laughs about how much fun yesterday's Bunny Bash was at Psychobaby!

I perked up my 'what the heck is this weather blues' by creating a video with the photos from yesterday at our Easter egg hunt and photo session with the bunny!

I openly admit that I was one of those 'DON'T PUT ME NEAR ANYTHING RESEMBLING A PERSON IN A CHARACTER SUIT OR I WILL HYPERVENTILATE" children.  My family photos are filled with my golden child sister, tear free smiling on Santa's lap, coupled with a child (me) who's red velvet dress is pulled up over her head, underwear completely exposed, who's arms are blurry from failing while screaming. As I embodied that 'working over the holidays' Sears portrait studio employee yesterday, I shot some photos for future first date embarrassment with pride knowing that I finally could be near the bunny without panicking (and one day, your kid will too!)

-Amy K

Oh Chicago!

We spoke too soon! We decided to make a video thanking our great city of Chicago for giving us warm weather last weekend. Here we are a week later, ready to post our entry and it is snowing outside. Perhaps we can coax out another sunshiny day with this ode to the Windy City.

Psychobaby is celebrating our love for Chicago with a new "city line" with a bunch of new designs that show off our love for Chicago. Wear your pizza pride in a Deep Dish tee, show off your Chi spirit at North Ave beach with a Chicago Kid shirt and maybe make your way to the top of the Sears...er, Willis Tower in a Chicago Skyline one piece (and hope that a giant t-rex doesn't join you!)


Here comes the sun....hopefully!

Inspired by Design Sponge!

I spent my Friday morning, cup of coffee in hand, meandering through Design Sponge. If you are not familiar with Design Sponge, it is where I find all my decorating inspiration, including DIY helpers. This DIY project is so cute, it makes me want to start combing the alleys for thrown out entertainment centers and deliver new play kitchens to every kid on the block. I'll let you know if I become the summer Santa of toy kitchens, but until then check this out and start cooking a little project in your garage!

Have a great weekend!

Amy K

 source:  design sponge

 Once you get it built, check these Melissa and Doug sweet treats from Psychobaby to keep your teddy bear's stomach happy. 

  

Wooden Bake and Serve Brownies       

 Bake & Decorate Cupcake Set

Ice Cream Parlor Set

Slice and Bake Cookie Set

The Real Reason Easter Rocks...

I've always considered Easter one of the better holidays, right up there with Valentines Day & Halloween - all holidays in which CANDY plays a big part! I hate ham with a passion, so Easter dinner was never too fun. Especially at our house, where I had to have at least three bites of everything on my plate... regardless of how disgusting it was! The thing that made up for the horror of that ham supper was the CANDY! There is nothing better than waking up to a basket full of the good stuff... jellybeans in every color (give the black ones away to the weirdos who like them, ew!), chocolate eggs, chocolate bunnies, who cares as long as it's made of sugar!

Let's hope your little girls AND boys are made of sugar & spice & everything nice, but even if they're acting like snakes, snails, and puppy-dog tails, you can still dress them up like the sweet little angels they actually are!

Candylicious by psychobaby featuring blue shoes

Top
$41 - psychobabyonline.com

Top
$39 - psychobabyonline.com

T shirt
$21 - psychobabyonline.com

T shirt
$17 - psychobabyonline.com

Search - Appaman Chili Cargo Shorts
$39 - psychobabyonline.com

Search - Ouch Turquoise Ruffle Skort
$39 - psychobabyonline.com

Legging
$27 - psychobabyonline.com

Zebra shoes
$20 - psychobabyonline.com

Blue shoes
$16 - psychobabyonline.com

Search - Appaman Clover Surf Short
$37 - psychobabyonline.com

And for when eating your Peeps plain is just not enough anymore...

http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/04/10-things-to-do-with-peeps-slideshow.html

Bouncing Cats at the Chicago International Music and Movies Festival.

I had a great opportunity to spend the last year and a half working in northern Uganda, an area that has experienced over two decades of civil war lead by brutal rebels, mostly targeting children. This Saturday the film 'Bouncing Cats',which features the progress Breakdance Project Uganda has made with war affected children in Uganda, will be screening at the Chicago International Music and Movies Festival.
I highly encourage you to go see this inspiring film and experience the beautiful things people are doing with kids around the world. I have been fortunate enough to see this incredible project on the ground by attended some of their performances and weekly lessons they hold  for expats to help pay their school fees.


Watch the trailer below and purchase tickets here


Bouncing Cats Trailer from Bouncing Cats on Vimeo.

"Bouncing Cats is the inspiring story of one man's attempt to create a better life for the children of Uganda using the unlikely tool of hip-hop with a focus on b-boy culture and breakdance. In 2006, Abraham "Abramz" Tekya, a Ugandan b-boy and A.I.D.S. oprhan created Breakdance Project Uganda (B.P.U.). The dream was to establish a free workshop that would empower, rehabilitate and heal the community by teaching youth about b-boy culture" 

What: Bouncing Cats
Where: Wicker Park Art Center, 2215 W. North Ave.
When: Saturday, April 16th, 5:00pm

-Amy K

Amy met the Boogers at Beat Kitchen!

Our Psychobaby team member, Amy, had a great time at the Boogers concert yesterday at Beat Kitchen! She arrived back at Psychobaby singing Peanut Butter and Jelly ALL DAY long! Lol! "The concert was packed full of hip families and kids all bouncing around in a mini mosh pit!" We're glad you liked it too Amy!!
P.S. Amy loved the tater tots at Beat Kitchen!

Free Photos with the Easter Bunny!

Avoid the Mall! Hop on over to Psychobaby for a Free photo with the Easter Bunny!
Psychobaby is also hosting  an Easter egg  hunt starting at 11 am! Hidden inside the eggs are yummy treats and prizes including free tees, discounts and a grand prize gift card of $50! We hope you can make it!

Check-In for Your Choice of Psychobaby Tees!

We appreciate our cool, crazy customers! To prove it, Psychobaby is rewarding them just for walking in the door! Check-in on your smartphone via Foursquare or Facebook and choose between 10 of our coolest Psychobaby designs and we'll print it for you on a tee for FREE!

Rockin' New Arrivals from Sourpuss

Ever season I breathlessly await the arrival of Sourpuss Clothing's new designs. This season blew me away! I am crazy for their new prints, the addition of new body styles and bands. Bravo Sourpuss! This seasons line has instantly jumped to the top of our charts!
~Marlo

Looks for your princess to rock in her castle

This little lady still loves pink and skirts that twirl but add a studded belt, some cool edgy skulls and funky bold patterns and you've got today's version of a princess, a Punk Princess!

Clockwise from the left:
Rockabye Baby Ramones CD, Sourpuss 3-pack of Rocker Socks, Sourpuss Pink Star Leggings, Ouch Tutu Skirt, Sourpuss Zebra Diaper Bag, Sourpuss pink Studded Belt, Sourpuss Pink Pixie Skirt, and Sourpuss Striped, Pinned Ramones tee. See more featured gift ideas for your Punk Princess!

Has anyone seen the Easter Bunny's Golden Eggs?

The Easter Bunny dropped in at Psychobaby early and asked us to give away four Golden Eggs filled with a Psychobaby Gift Card! He will choose four online shoppers at random and drop in a shiny surprise along with your cool, crazy purchase. Thanks Mr. (or Miss) Bunny! Hop over and see our New Arrivals for your little bunny!