Wee Hairy Beasties Concert Photos!

Beat the Heat In Style!

A few of our fave ways to beat the heat in the summer are: iced tea, cool colored sunglasses, the beach front here in Chicago and the obligatory summer dress! Now that's for us - what we love to keep our baby gals cool and refreshed are onesie outfits like the new one from Glamajama! Perfect because the ruffled tushy makes this one-piece a two-piece, this onesie will give her cool style at the park when the weather is hot! Let us know what other summer tips you have that help keep the temp down with your kids!

Backpocket Wisdom - Fun with Tony the Tiger!

We just got Great new Gifts from Kellogg's and we thought, in honor of Tony the Tiger, we'd lay down three fun Tiger facts for the kiddies! If your lil one loves Big cats and you have a fun Tiger fact to share, be sure to send in those comments!

1. Tony the Tiger, Frosted Flakes' spokesanimal, competed against a dog and a few other kittens to win his post in 1952. His trademark phrase? "They're Grrreat!"®

2. Tigers are the Biggest of all Big Cats!

3. Three fun sporty Tigers are: Tiger Woods, who just won the US Open!, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Detroit Tigers!

-posted by Kristina

Great Gift Idea For Twins

In honor of Gemini, I thought it would be super fun to explore our Top Five Gifts for Twins, from the traditional matchy-matchy to corresponding gifts of fun. Each works well alone or paired with other Great Gifts so you can have double the fun!





1. Since it is an Ugly Dolls month on our blog, check out Bop N Beep, an Ugly Doll with two sides of fun and two different color schemes that make for a large amount of fun for lil ones! ($11-51)












2. PsychoBaby is bringing a new definition to the term "twin set" with their boy and girl sets that come already ready for the party! ($36)







3. Inky Dink's Tees answers the question "Do you want fries with that?" by giving you a cheeseburger, fries or a cola to choose from for a Fast (food) Gift! ($27/each)













4. Punk it up with Me in Mind skull booties in black/pink and black/white for those rock n roll twins! ($26)













5. Grab Mom a Skip Hop Double Duo for her jaunts out- she'll thank you when she has her hands free for her coffee! ($82)






-posted by Kristina

Lady Lavona's Astrology

Your little Gemini loves the world of ideas and needs plenty of mental stimulation. Freedom is the key to keeping Gemini happy, and the secret is to keep your lil one safe and yet unconfined! Your little one will enjoy long walks and will take notice of every detail from the cars in the street to the clouds in the sky while saying hello to every passerby! Gemini is quite the social butterfly, possesses the "gift of gab" and will most likely talk your ear off while s/he shares all their new ideas! Never mind that old myth about Gemini having two personalities. If his "evil" twin arrives, it is usually just a sign of over stimulation. It is very important for Gemini to have equal parts activity and quiet time. They will enjoy hours of imaginative play, reading books and are sure to love watching movies-- anything to refuel their bright and inventive minds!




Gift Ideas for the Twin: Puzzles, Books and Learning Games, Art Supplies, Outdoor Toys
Stones: Lapis Lazuli and Agate
Essential Oils: Lavender, Clary Sage

We've graduated to the Big School!

Meow, right? This falls (again!) into the 'cat'egory (sorry, couldn't help myself!) of Cool Stuff We'd Wear (except our feet aren't small enough!) Just wanted to let y'all know that Vans are back! There's Big Style in the Big School, which comes in Olive, Black Swirly Hearts, a Satin Leopard and Pink! We love 'em for their classic deck shoe style and "Just Like Mommy and Daddy" factor, but also for the ease of Velcro when you need to get out the door and enjoy the weather!
We see a lot of parent child matchy, especially in our Shoe Department- is there any hip coordination in your closet? Let us know what style favorites (or habits, you tag cutter-outer!) you and your kids share!


The Big School is available in baby and toddler sizes (ie when you're still doing the lacing) and go great with a cool tee or rock n roll dress to make a Great Gift!

Check out the Big School Vans here!

Don't miss your chance at Uglydolls 6 foot Ox raffle!

Our Uglydolls Ox has arrived, and he is huge and the epitome of cuteness! Enter our raffle to win his winking-and-smilin' self, but be warned: He always "has to steal some kisses from you" especially of the chocolate variety! Don't miss your chance to be the only family on your city block with a Giant Ox- he's the definition of a conversation piece! For more fun, be sure to check out our interview with David Horvath, the creator of Uglydolls, below!

To enter email your email to contest@psychobaby.net w/Uglydolls in the subject! Unfortunately, we can only accept entries from the lower 48 States at this time. The raffle closes on 6/30/08. Good luck!

Cool, Crazy Person - David Horvath, creator of Uglydolls!

We love the motley crew that are the Ugly Dolls! Full of life, quirks and individuality, each Ugly Doll speaks to the hearts and minds of the kids that come into our store! A favorite cool baby shower gift because the polar fleece is all sewn on, touchable, soft and interesting for lil ones and a collector's items for the bigger kids, Ugly Dolls rule the roost! We are thrilled to have Plunko and Babo's Bird joining the diverse array of Ugly Doll characters, and to present David Horvath, the creator of Ugly Dolls answering our 6 Psycho questions.

A brief history before we begin:

"From the creative minds of two love struck artists David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim emerge the Uglydoll family! What started as a drawing of a playful orange character known as Wage has turned into a whole new world of fun! In 2001, when David's soon to be wife and creative partner Sun-Min had to return to Korea, he sent her many "I miss you" letters with his little Wage character drawn at the bottom.

Sun-Min sewed Wage into a push doll and sent him to David as a surprise gift. David asked Sun-Min to sew a couple more for a store in Los Angeles and they sold out in one day! A very excited Sun-Min sewed many more and those sold just as fast! Sun-Min and David then began to pull more characters from the Uglyverse, a universe where UGLY meant unique and special, to translate into plush Uglydolls. They both met again at their very first Uglydoll Toy Fair booth (a small 6x6 booth made of felt and wood) in New York, where they would go on to win Toy Of The Year 4 years later!"

And now, 6 Psycho Questions with David Horvath!

1. What is the coolest thing that has ever happened to you?
December 2001, I opened an EMS delivery package from Sun-Min in Korea thinking I would find another Ultraman monster or robot (those are great too though) to find WAGE, the very first hand sewn Uglydoll. My first response was "woah wait this guy is very familiar."...then it hit me, this was the guy from my letters to her!

2. What is the craziest fashion statement you have ever made?
Make-it-yourself pink, yellow and blue Nikes while wearing clothes from Brooks Brothers. I know, nothing too nutty but I am a stay home and make the things you go out and do kind
of guy.

3. What is your favorite book?
MINE! I mean ours. But I also love the WAR OF ART by Steven Pressfield. I have yet to procrastinate about anything since reading that one 7 years ago.

4. What toy can you not live without?
The first Wage Sun-Min made for me. But it is a lot more than a toy to me. It's one of several characters from a world which is very much alive to both Sun-Min and I.

5. If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
We all have many super powers, so not sure what you mean. Ah, but do you mean which one would I actually believe in enough to use? The power to help others realize that they are super powerful. That, and my chocolate detector power.

6. Who is the coolest parent you know (ties between your own Mom and Dad are totally understandable!)
Alita Friedman, our director of all things at the Uglydoll office, is the coolest parent I know.
Every time I call her out of the office, she's always either doing something for her kids or watching her kids do the fun things she brought them around to do.



posted by Kristina____________________________________________________________________________________________

Wicker Park Kids' Karnival June 8th

Looking for something cool to do? On Sunday, June 8th, the Wicker Park Advisory Council is throwing their annual Kids' Karnival, full of fun in the sun for the kids! With bouncy houses, face painting and other fun (as well as the opening of the Farmers' Market) families are sure to have a smashing time!

Kids' Karnival, 1425 N. Damen, Chicago, IL 60622, 9am-3pm
For more info on the Karnival and upcoming neighborhood events, go to www.ourwickerpark.org

Alex Toys A Hit With Little Hands!

Check out Alex's cool selection of art and bath toys for baby and kids, including the expansion of their Little Hands line (including Tissue Art and a Very Busy Box) which is perfect for the 2 and up set! Our new faves are the Baggy Bunch (left), where kids use the included materials to craft their own puppets. One set is "Guys" and the other "Gals" but we say, grab 'em both and have your mermaid fight a fire or have a cowboy themed ballet recital! All sets make for Great Gifts and super play date fun!

Cool New Wall Art for Baby's Nursery from Jeeto!

Someone's in the kitchen with Dinah, and Jeeto is gracing the walls of the bedroom! Jeeto's modern silk screened prints are must-haves in baby's nursery, and are "grown up" enough to delight through childhood without seeming "baby-ish!" We have just added new prints to our Jeeto collection, including the Train triptych (left), an elegant Deer, and a cutie Cupcake among other faves that are sure to dress your little one's room up in modern style!

Our Carlton Cow on Babble's Best!

Moooove over, rocking horses- there's a new cow in town! Go to the online world's hippest mag for parents, Babble and check out our Carlton the Cow rocker from Charm Co. which has been proclaimed one of Babble's top five rocking "horses" and makes for a cool baby shower gift or one year old birthday present!

Check out the entire Charm Co collection of plush rockers for your lil one!

Brick and Mortar Buzz!

Whew! This week has been super spring-like, and so the Buzz around our store is all about cool, crazy tees and clothes for kids! Our Psychobaby Angel onesie in baby and dress in kids has all the girls feeling heavenly, and the boys are all rockin' out to Kaos' KISS tee! The hot shoe is definitely Converse' s skull slip-on, and folks are pairing it with Cotton Caboodle separates as well as pretty dresses! In the Toy Department, mini Automoblox and the new Kellogg No-Bake Cooking sets are are all the rage, and Pinkalicious and No No Yes Yes are the most popular page-turners! We do have to admit, though, that the winner this week is, for sure, our Psychobaby give away balloons, which have the kids floating on air with happiness!

Best thank you ever for a balloon by a small child: "I love you!"
The group that has everyone dancin' today: Hall and Oates
Most likely to get a laugh from a group: Safe Baby Pregnancy Tips

Brick and Mortar Buzz--- Birthday Bookreading!

Check out the fun at our store front's book reading, which was the kick off to our birthday celebration! Our goodie bags this year were canvas shoppers, perfect for jaunts to the grocery store or park and of course, visits to Psychobaby!!! The most popular gifts this week were new outdoor toys, Sourpuss Tees and Kaos, the Psychobaby tee of the week was Mom (yay Moms!!!) and the most common phrase around our spinning wheel of fun was, "Come on 50!!!" We'd like to thank Nili for kicking our birthday off with some cool reads, and we'd like to say thanks to all of you for making our first 5 years the absolute in cool and crazy!!!

p45 Gift Card Give Away!

For ladies in Chicago, the name p45 has meant style and elegance since it opened its doors in 1997. Now, thanks to p45.com, the nation can experience the same joys! p45's style has always been based on supporting emerging designers who have not yet been "seen" on the fashion scene, and we are thrilled that we have a $50 p45 online gift card to give away in honor of our birthday celebration! Be sure to check out featured jewelry designer Winifred Grace, view Chicago superstar Lara Miller's pieces and the modern style of Breed! Enter the p45 raffle, and join them in their love of the artistry of wardrobe!








The p45 Gift Card Raffle runs from 5/5-5/31, 2008. To enter, send your email address to us at contest@psychobaby.net with "elegance, please!" as your subject. We're sorry, but at this time, we can only accept entrants from the lower 48 States. Please note that by entering the raffle, you will automatically be signed up for our weekly newsletter, full of cool, crazy kids' stuff.

posted by Kristina_____________________________________

Shop Shebang Give Away!

Ladies, to your left is the Forty Nine Square Miles Big Mouth Hobo, which we are sure you could travel with for years. In honor of our birthday, the lovelies at shopshebang.com (trust us, just go ahead and bookmark that puppy right now!) have given us a $50 online gift certificate to raffle off in style!
Shebang's motto is "stay original. stay accessorized," and we could not agree more because a good accessory brightens your whole look instantaneously! Great bags and jewelry always fit, especially Shebang's collection, which merges the newest trends you need on the immediate with classic style that will last for years to come. Owner Jen has a sweet, sweet eye for detail, carrying established brands such as Hayden-Harnett and Alexis Bittar as well as introducing emerging designers such as Foley and Corrina and the fabulous Forty Nine Square Miles (check out the Back Stabber (looove!- it's made every one of our wish lists!!!). If you are feeling blue due to those spring showers, enter the shopshebang online gift card raffle, 'cause a brighter day is only a handbag (or two, or three!!!!) away!

Shebang raffle runs from 5/4-5/31, 2008. To enter our raffle for a $50 gift card to shopshebang.com, please send your email address to contact@psychobaby.net with "stay accessorized" as the subject. We're sorry, but at this time, we can only accept entrants from the lower 48 States. Please note that when you enter the raffle, you will automatically be signed up for our weekly newsletter, full of fun info on our cool, crazy kids' stuff! Good luck!

posted by Kristina___________________________________________________________________

Cool Shoes Giveaway!!!

City Soles has been bringing Chicago Mamas and Papas funky footwear since 1991! Just a mention of City Soles in our storefront brings lots of talk about what new sexy date night heels/cool boots/wedge sandals/new cool Dad shoes/shoes that make you feel pretty because you are super preggers and don't fit into anything were just spotted in City Soles' windows and need to be gotten now! Owner Scott Starbuck found his calling picking the most interesting, arty, funky and provocative shoes on the market, and I can speak for all of Psychobaby when I say we're really glad he did! Our feet (and entire outfits) are thrilled with his selection of Chie Mihara, Yin (two faves around our store!), Costume National, Cydwoq , Camper and a host of others that literally will have you frothing in a "shoes, glorious shoes!!!" type frenzy upon first glance!
We are super excited City Soles is celebrating our birthday with us and you with their $75 gift card, redeemable on their site, www.citysoles.com! To enter the City Soles Giveaway, send an email to contest@psychobaby.net and be sure to write "I need cool shoes!" in the subject and your email address in the body because if you've got the feet, they've got the cool shoes!



City Soles raffle runs through 5/31. We're sorry, but we can only accept entrants from the lower 48 States. Please note that all raffle entrants will automatically receive our weekly newsletter, full of updates on our cool, crazy kids' stuff. Good luck to ya!


posted by Kristina_______________________________________________________________________

Rockabye Baby Gift Box Giveaway!!!

Do you remember those pre-baby evenings spent at a rock club, beer in hand, listening to the sounds of your new favorite band? Well, if the most rockin' thing now is your Dutalier, the sounds you listen to are howls coming out of your angel, and that bottle you hold is full of milk, you should spend some time with Rockabye Baby's Lullaby Renditions of your favorite bands!
The awesome people at Baby Rock Records are helping us celebrate our 5th birthday in the most rockin' way possible with their cool Gift Box, full of CD's from their line that are sure to have you reminiscing while your babe sleeps soundly. All wrapped up in style (with a safety pin closure, of course) this Gift Box is sure to be "Mother's Little Helper!" Included inside are Lullaby renditions of: Bob Marley, Metallica, the Ramones, the Beatles, U2, Pink Floyd, Green Day, and Led Zeppelin.

To enter the raffle for this Rock n Roll Legend Gift Box, email contest@psychobaby.net
Write "I Need Sleep!" as your subject, and leave your return email address in the body of the email!

The Rockabye Baby Raffle will run from 5/1-5/31. Sorry, but at this time, we can only accept entries from the lower 48 states! Please note, by entering our raffle you will be subscribed to our weekly newsletter full of cool, crazy kids' stuff!

posted by Kristina______________________________________________________________________

Psychobaby of the Month Winner!

Psychobaby Brand Birthday Giveaway!!!

To kick off our birthday, we are raffling off 5 Psychobaby Brand t-shirts of your choice! Whether you have a Chick Magnet, a Sir Poopsalot or a Punk, you're little one'll be stylin' in your new cool tees!

Check out your cool baby and kids Psychobaby tee choices!

To enter the raffle, email contest@psychobaby.net and write Psychobaby tees in the subject!

Entries accepted 5/1-5/31. Sorry, but at this time, we can only accept entries from the lower 48 states! Please note, by entering our raffle you will be subscribed to our weekly newsletter

full of cool, crazy kids' stuff!