http://www.mommyq.com MommyQ

My wonderful friend, MissFitness, shared a funny story with me a few weeks ago. She was sunning and funning on a boat on Lake Travis during a holiday weekend, so the lake was packed with people. She spotted a very pretty girl in a metallic bikini with perfectly fixed hair, gorgeous make-up and so on. Yet this stylish gal was sporting some unusual kicks.

She was wearing a pair of Ankle Boot Sandals. Yes, now the hip, fashion-forward shoe is an open sandal/boot. That means your ankles can be warm and snuggly, yet your feet and toes are free to wiggle and roam. And what makes them even worse is the ridiculous price tag. No, just because half of the boot is missing does not lower the cost. I couldn’t find the exact style that girl was wearing, which is a bad indication. If you don’t  know which words to use to Google a pair of shoes, they are unsavory shoes to say the least. Scary!

They even come in a few different forms, so you can wear them out on the town. Steve Madden has a pair (pictured above) and of course the upper echelon of footwear, like Christian Louboutin, makes them too. (Pictured below.) For $1,700 you can look like Pocahontas at a rave or part of the Lion King cast. Ah, fashion designers. What will you be serving up next?

Okay, enough of my fashion posts. I’ll get back to what I know – babies and motherhood. Promise!

I was watching the All-Star Game last night and taking note of President Obama’s first pitch. The toss was fine, but something was amiss. Was it his jacket? Well, I was ticked it wasn’t a Yankee jacket, but that wasn’t it. The hair? No, that looked nice. It was his goofy, non-designer jeans! Wait a second. I thought he was ultra-stylish? What’s with the dorky denim choice?

Maybe he was going for comfort or maybe he just wanted to look like one of the guys. No matter what the reason was, it was a huge fashion faux pas. Let’s face it, we all know expensive designer jeans are the new ‘cool guy’ uniform. And my gal Sarah Palin would have never walked out in dowdy mom jeans! I’m not sure which brand he was casually sporting – Levi’s, Wrangler, Lee, Canyon River Blues from Sears – all I can say is, “yikes!” This guy needs to Bluefly!

What Obama needs is a slim fit with a slight flair. By no means does he need a skinny jean though! He should be slipping into a pair of True Religion, PRPS, 7 for All Mankind or at the very least, Diesel. Hopefully his press folks will hear enough negative buzz that they will whisk him off to Nordstrom for a pair of medium blue faded bootcuts posthaste!

Every so often a title from the” Eat This, Not That” e-newsletter catches my eye. Today I saw the Best and Worst Drive-Thru Kids’ Meals 2009, so I just had to give it a click. And guess who the winner is?

The WORST Kid’s Meal, according to ETNT sources, is the Burger King’s Kids Double Cheeseburger Meal with small fries and a Coke. I knew that creepy king was up to no good! It has a whopping 1,100 calories, 52g of fat and 1,870 mg of sodium. Yummy. It has 18g more of fat than the same meal at McDonald’s.*

Speaking of bad for you, the Worst Kids’ Meal in America can be found at Uno Chicago Grill. It’s the Kid’s Kombo with fries and it boasts 1,250 calories, 79g of fat and 2,850 mg of sodium. Hello nutritionally bankrupt tastiness.

Did you know the worst PB&J is at Atlanta Bread Company? They put this American classic (and MommyQ’s most favorite indulgence) on French bread  to create a 550 calorie sandwich. Do yourself a favor and just keep making it at home. Do not fancify the PB&J.

*Obviously, you can also choose to skip the fries, get a milk or juice  instead of Coke and order a regular hamburger instead of the double. I’m not really knocking BK. In fact, in May 2009 they announced some seriously big steps towards making kids meals more nutritious. Read it here.

Do some meal investigating for yourself at Eat This, Not That.

I’ll try my best to ease everyone back into the Back to School chaos. Let’s start with something small like these friendly Clip-On Crochet Coin Purses. These brightly colored finds are great for clipping on a backpack. Not sure how much you buy with change….when I was in elementary school you could buy a pack of three chocolate chip cookies for 5 cents.

Anyway, the purses come in a kitty, butterfly, flower and heart. Makes a cute birthday gift or gift add-on. Retails for $10 at Hanna Andersson.

This weekend MommyQ attended the 3rd Annual White Party at Green Pastures. The event was hosted by LifeWorks Professionals and Executives (LEAP) to benefit LifeWorks, a wonderful organization that provides services and support to homeless and runaway youth. Let me summarize the fundraiser in one word – heavenly!

I have dined at Green Pastures before and could not believe the transformation. The Victorian estate, full of antiques and fine china, no longer boasted that cozy Southern appeal. It was now a white wonderland with an unmistakable LA vibe, an impressive guest list and substantial swank.

The amount of time and creativity it took to pull off such an event is mind-boggling. From the beautifully lit trees that greeted you in the parking lot to the amazing floral arrangements and chic cabanas, every detail was flawless. David Kurio, what you do with flowers is unbelievable! This was also my first White Party, which is all-white-themed, and that alone was just incredible. To see hundreds of people gathered in one place wearing the same color is a pretty impressive thing all by itself. Fresh, fabulous and fun.

You can visit Austin360 for photos by clicking here. Find out why you should be supporting LEAP and LifeWorks!

Photo from Austin American-Statesman

I get soooo carried away with baby girl clothes that I often forget about the cute clothes for boys. Not trying to overlook the special little guys in our lives. Boys deserve to be dressed in hip duds too.

MommyQ really likes the new mix-and-match goodies from Gymboree. It must be hard to come up with original themes for boy clothes beyond puppy dogs, plaid and pirates. Look at this new ‘Stunt Man’ line. In theory, its’ pretty cool. In reality, I don’t think any mom wants her kid to be a stunt man. So let’s just focus on the cool, shall we?

Gymboree does the hard work for you by giving you an entire outfit. This guys is sporting the Vroom Motorcycle Tee, Motorcycle Camo Pants and the yellow Motorcycle Hoodie. You can see the entire collection here. It’s worth a peek!

Looking for something quirky, youthful and special for your little girl’s big B-Day celebration? How about this colorful Retro Party Dress handmade by liliputians in NYC. It’s swirly and twirly and features different retro prints.

The dress has a shirred and self-ruffled neckline with short sleeves. Sleeves and empire waist are accented with red ric rac trim. Zig-zaggy ribbon detail at bodice seam. Oh, did I mention the full skirt that’s perfect for birthday twirling? You can find it in sizes from 12 mos up to 8 years at Craftsbury Kids.

If you’re shopping for baby gear in Austin, TX, you MUST check out BabyEarth. In addition to an online store, BabyEarth has a physical store in Round Rock near the outlets and it’s far superior to the competition. Why? You can test drive strollers from brands like Orbit, Stokke, Maclaren and Quinny and you can see all types of car seats to determine the best one for your needs. They have diaper bags, crib bedding, nursery furniture and the list goes on.

This store lives up to its name because you will also find a huge selection of eco-friendly and organic baby items. From wooden toys to cloth diapers to glass baby bottles, BabyEarth has the newest, most innovative products in the market. You won’t find most of these products at the other baby stores in town.  And if you do, you will only find a limited selection.

I personally love this store because the salespeople are knowledgeable about every single product they sell. Unlike other stores where they can’t answer simple questions, the folks at BabyEarth know their stuff. This is especially helpful when you’re a first time mom and feel overwhelmed by all of the options. Last year, a salesperson at BabyEarth introduced my husband and I to the Joovy Caboose and it was the perfect solution for us. I have since bought tons of items from BabyEarth and have been consistently impressed by the price, quality and customer service.

If you haven’t been to BabyEarth, you need to check it out. Seriously! You won’t be disappointed.