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!

Bundle of Joy Diaper Bank

Did you know that food stamps can't be used to buy diapers? And most daycare facilities require parents to provide diapers for their kids? When low-income parents are forced to make tough decisions clean diapers can often be something that is sacrificed, forcing them to re-use soiled diapers. Clean diapers is a basic right that all children should have. It is an essential need for a child's physical and mental health. The simple act of clean diapers can change a child's life.

Bundle of Joy (www.bundleofjoydiaperbank.org) is working hard to give low-income parents in Chicago more options. 100% of all donations to Bundle of Joy go toward the purchase of diapers. BOJ provides pantries, church organizations, city services centers, daycare centers, and other parenting groups with diapers in some of Chicago's poorest neighborhoods. Last month 35,000 diapers were delivered to 14 agencies around the city.

Psychobaby Chicago is proud to be an official drop off spot for Bundle of Joy. If you find yourself with an extra pack of unopened diapers or think of a needy baby when your purchasing your next round, please bring them by! As a token of our gratitude, Psychobaby will give you $5.00 in Crazy Cash to be used toward your next purchase!

3 Ways to Wear an Appaman Suit

There are times in a young man's life when he needs a suit. Easter Sunday with the family, being the ring bearer, recitals, first dances and maybe even a first date! Appaman comes through for these days in a big way with their amazing Mod Suit. But this outfit is waaay too cool to leave hanging in a closet the rest of the time! So what do you do?

Whatever suits you!

Mix and match this super-sharp grey ensemble with different tops and bottoms to create a look that is totally hip, totally you, and totally suits your rockin' little dude!

Pair these pieces with the Appaman Mod Suit to create the following looks:

Hipster Casual: Appaman Plaid Button Up
Suited for Success: Rowdy Sprout Pink Floyd Tee, Appaman Straight Leg Jean
Comfy 'n' Sporty: Psychobaby Custom Black Rockstar Hoodie, Psychobaby Chick Magnet Tee

BTW - Check out how you can take any guy and make him 110% cuter by putting him in a suit!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Photos courtesy of Buzzfeed.com, Retna, Ecumen.org, Starpulse.com, Esquire.com, Wallpaperstag.com, CelebrityClothingLine.com

25% off all puzzles through Tuesday!

Blur the lines between learning and fun with with our wide selection of unique puzzles for babies and kids! Puzzles are a great way to help your little one develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. They'll love our selection of brightly colored numbers and shapes, whimsically designed ballerinas, cars and dinos!

Peace, Love and Happy, Little Hippie Gifts!

Your little noodle dancers will let their freak flags fly with these far out picks at psychedelic Psychobaby! For the latest groovy arrivals, take a trip on the new Hippie Highway straight to psychobabyonline.com.

Clockwise from the left:  Psychobaby Brand, Daisy Dress, Psychobaby Brand, Tie Dye Guitar Tee, Rowdy Sprout, Grateful Dead Dress, Rowdy Sprout, Grateful Dead Tee,  Psychobaby Brand Springtime Tulip Tee.
View all of our Hippie Gifts for kids and remember to always have a grateful day!

Mary Macaroni at the Beat Kitchen

 This lady is one good time! If she can capture the love and attention of my rowdy six year old, I'm convinced yours will be a piece of cake!
Over the years, I've had the luxury of working along side of Miss Macaroni at many outdoor festivals, concerts and events. I love, no I envy, her energy! Every event I have seen her perform at is full of upbeat energy, patience (required when your audience is under four feet tall!), originality and fun! Did I mention this lady can make a mean balloon animal? HUGE crowd pleaser!     
Are you looking for some indoor fun this Sunday with your kiddo?  Head over to the Beat Kitchen for a yummy brunch followed by a little magic show!

Mary Macaroni at Beat Kitchen

Sunday, March 27th at 12:00

2100 W. Belmont

(773) 281.4444

Tickets are $5 at the door

Book your child's next party with Mary! Visit www.marymacaroni.com

~ Marlo

Latest New Arrivals at Psychobaby

The weatherman promises the warm weather will stick! Oh boy, are we ever ready!
Psychobaby has hand picked the latest and greatest from our favorite brands like Appaman, Ouch, Chaser tees, Sourpuss, Rowdy Sprout and more! Meet our Brands and see all the new cool, crazy kids' stuff arriving daily just in time to shed those winter blues.
See what new designs our Fans are crazy about from the Psychobaby Brand and the newest additions to our Psychobaby Custom Shop. Personalized Gifts have never been this rockin' and with a super quick turn around time! Your cool, crazy creation will leave our Design Center within three days!

15% off just for walking into Psychobaby? Cool!

What's with all the buzz about Foursquare?
*Check-in to your favorite venues.
*See what your FRIENDS are buzzing about not just random strangers.
*Earn virtual prizes ( I'm still working hard for the Douchebag Badge! I have no idea how to get it but I think it's hilarious!).
*The coolest businesses, like Psychobaby, show our gratitude for your business with special deals.

This months Psychobaby Foursquare special is:
Save 15% off your entire purchase simply by checking in! Show your check-in on your smart phone to one of our cool, crazy team members and you've just unlocked Psychobaby's deal! A cool, simple way to save. It's what they call a win, win!
Oh, and don't forget to leave a tip when you check-in to your venues. Sometimes I find them really helpful when I'm trying to decide between pancakes and an omelet.

For those of you that might want a full explanation of Foursquare, view this short video below.


Let us know how you use Foursquare and what special you'd like to see next at Psychobaby.

Little Miss Ann & The Candy Band at Beat Kitchen!

It was great meeting all the cool gals from the Candy Band and hearing them play their rockin music for the first time!We thank them for making the trip all the way from Detroit and hope they come again soon.
It warms my heart every time to watch the kids reaction to Little Miss Ann's music! They just love her! Ann's upbeat music instantly ignites the room! She is probably the nicest person I have ever met and her sweetness comes right through in her music.
For the remaining schedule, visit Kids' Shows Chicago on their Facebook Page.

Other Cities are Green with Envy!

photo courtesy of tympanogram.com

In celebration of one of Chicago's favorite holidays, Psychobaby's design team has launched a line of hilarious Irish themed tees for babies and toddlers. Without question, Mommy + Daddy + green beer = me, is a fan favorite! 

Here's a peek at how Chicago turns it's river green. What's in the green concoction? No idea! It's apparently top secret!

City tees and more for your future world traveler

Whether you're from Chicago or Boise, we've got your special city covered!
The newest additions to the Psychobaby Brand family are, our Roaring Dino tee (happens to be my son's favorite) and a customizable I Heart Your City tee. Both launched straight to the top of our best selling charts within a week! 
Since our beloved city is Chicago, we've added an expanding line of Chi-town tees, bibs and diaper covers.  The Chicago flag diaper cover was just featured on the February cover of Time Out Chicago Kids!
Stay tuned, our design team is working hard to expand to a city near you!
Where do you live? Please comment if you want us to include your city in our next creative round.
Check out our latest and greatest for your future world traveler!
~Marlo

Your favorite baby wraps from Sozo are back in stock!

Keep your baby snug as a bug with these whimsical baby wraps and bunting sets from Sozo. These are a top requested gift for the cool baby shower you are headed to. We guarantee you will inspire the most genuine giggles from the gals. They will be relieved not to have to fake an oooh over another silver rattle or diapers! 

Instore Exclusive: 20% Off Ouch Clothing!

Ouch! has the right idea!  Frilly skirts, bright cozy capris, and tees and tanks that look good enough to eat (seriously, they're photo-realistic!)  Stop in at our brick & mortar to check out all the styles and receive 20% off all your Ouch items through March 14th!  

Chicago...Meet The Candy Band!

Detroit's Punk Rock mamas, the Candy Band, are coming to Chi-Town! This fiery foursome has been bringing down the house in Detroit since 2003 and we're thrilled to have them back here in Chicago. They've also rocked Chicago at Lollapalooza multiple times and we're psyched to see them at the Beat Kitchen this coming Sunday.
Expect anything but the ordinary from these ladies! You will find original songs and nursery classics with a cool punk rock twist.
Now add Chicago's beloved Little Miss Ann and you've got one rockin' show!
See this dynamic double billing this Sunday, March 13th. from 12:00 - 1:00 at the Beat Kitchen.

Kit Kat tells us a little about herself and this awesome band.
1. When did you know you wanted to create music as a career?

Our guitar player has been a musician forever, and the rest of us were all music lovers or dabblers. When the band started, we were all stay-at-home moms and that was our focus.  We met at the local YWCA and got sucked into the Candy Band.

2. Why did you choose to make music with a children's theme over doing adult music?

Almond Joy, our guitarist, had played in rock bands, but quit when she started her family because being at the bar until 2a.m. was not going to work anymore.  She noticed that a lot of the kids' music out there is mellow and acoustic, so she wanted to create something that rocked for kids - a really energetic, distorted guitar sound.

The great thing about it has been that we can always take our kids with us to practices and gigs.  There are downsides to that, though.  It was chaos when they were younger.  We would have to stop practices to change diapers or fish silverware out of the toilet. They quickly figured out that we couldn't hear what the hell they were doing while we were practicing! 

3. All kids are embarrassed of their parents. Would you say your kids' are more or less so, because of your chosen profession? 

 They all think it's cool, even my 16 year old.  They got to come to Lollapalooza and hang out backstage with us, so that definitely impressed them. 

4. Have your creative choices and leanings rubbed off on your kids' and in what ways?

We've got 9 kids, and several of them play the piano.  Plus we have a viola player, a bass player, a drummer,a guitarist, and some great singers.  They've done some backup vocals on our albums.  

5. What current music are you listening to right now?

 A little bit of everything - Eminem, Black Keys, System of a Down, Arcade Fire, Muse, Gorillaz

As Detroiters we are mourning the breakup of the White Stripes - they're definitely a favorite.

Who is in your rockin' crew?
Skittles - vocals

Almond Joy - guitar
Kit Kat - bass
Starburst - drums
Our kids are known as the Junior Mints, and our husbands, of course, the Paydays.

Beat Kitchen

2100 W. Belmont
Chicago, IL 60618

Tickets: $7.00

All ages

Pre-order  tickets here

For more information about upcoming shows, visit Kids' Shows Chicago's Facebook Page 

You'll Geek Out Over Our New Social Media Tees!

Psychobaby's exclusive new collection of Social Media bibs and baby tees are sure to make you lol! Feel free to tweet, retweet, show some Likes or join in the conversation and tell us what you think! You can view the entire collection in Featured New Arrivals.

Top picks for your lil' Punk

They're young, they're loud and they're snotty! They are Psychobabies! 
We are having an internal giggle that one of springs hottest trends is Punk! When you are a mom, punk is never out of fashion! Have a look at our top picks for the awesome anti duck and bunny crowd.
See more of  Springs Punk trends for babies and kids --->

In-Store Promotion: Earn Crazy Cash as You Shop!

Who doesn't like to earn free money just for shopping? With each $25 you spend you receive $5 in Crazy Cash to spend on your next purchase! This offer is a brick-and-mortar exclusive from 3/1/11 - 3/7/11 and you can use your Crazy Cash the whole month of March!