Find this blog over at http://www.themamamaven.com!

We’re going to Wordpress soon and the URL will be www.themamamaven.com. Stay tuned my lovelies. In the meantime you can find me at longislandmamas.com as the head mama!

Love, Nancy

Have you checked out Longislandmamas.com yet? I’m the editor over there and you’ll find guides on parks, beaches and fun things to do with your kids! 

Disney Baby just introduced their Disney Cuddly Bodysuit line. We love it for several reasons. The biggest reason is that it grows with your baby, with two rows of snaps, one under the other — because we know that babies usually grow longer, rather than wider. We also liked that it easily fits over baby’s head and the two rows of snaps in the bottom area were reinforced and strong. While it comes in standard white cotton rib, it also comes in other textiles - drop needle (sets of 5 lines), and pointelle (a delicate cotton made with a pattern of tiny openings).

But what really rocked our world was the patterns and colors. During your baby’s first (and most likely second year), bodysuits are worn constantly, why not pick something that’s going to be cute and comfy? Disney’s taken their popular characters, such as Winnie the Pooh, Monsters Inc., Cars, Lion King, 101 Dalmations, and Mickey Mouse and created fun designs and prints. White and Solid colors are also available. A single bodysuit retails for $7.99 and you can also get them on Amazon.com right now in 3- packs (of the white ones) for $14.99 and 5-packs (of the white ones) for $24.99. The rest of the Disney Cuddly Bodysuit Collection (with the prints and solids) launches on Amazon.com later this month.

Haddad Brands is holding a focus group next Friday May 20^th from 2:30-4:30 in NYC. They are  looking for children ages 7-11 along with their parents to come and participate (gift bags, will be provided to all children that attend) in the focus group. We are looking for girls and boys who are into the Nike 6.0 sports (surfboarding, skateboarding, snowboarding, etc). Email jamiem@haddad.com if you are interested.

Spring has sprung and it’s time to get moving. For our health and for our kids’ health - did you know around 25 million kids in the U.S. are diagnosed with obesity or are at risk? Weight Watchers and Alliance for a Healthier Generation are challenging Americans to walk their first 5K with their 3^rd Annual Walk-It Challenge on May 22. If you’ve never done a 5K (you can walk or run), don’t worry, there’s a complete training plan available for Weight Watchers members. If you aren’t a Weight Watchers member, there are great 5K training plans out there (my friend Jenny recommends Couch to 5K). And get your kids involved. My 5 1/2 year old, Ben, is going to walk with me on race day, which for me is on June 5th. I plan to train by taking the baby out in Bumbleride’s Indie Stroller (thank you to Bumbleride for lending it to me).

Weight Watchers will donate $100,000 to Alliance for a Healthier Generation. For more info on the Alliance, please click here. How can you get involved: Participate in one of the more than 50 official Weight Watchers 5K walks being held across the country or go to Active.com or find your local Road Runners Group to find a 5K near you. Walk with your families at local trails on the weekends. I’ll be checking in over the next few weeks on how training is going for me. Follow me on twitter as @Nancy_Horn. Disclosure; I’m an official Weight Watchers Walk-it Ambassador and was given a kit with a water bottle, pedometer, socks and a 3 month membership to Weight Watchers for my time involvement.

Recently, I went down to Palm Beach, Florida to check out the new Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet, and absolutely fell in love with it! What a awesome ride! Check me out in the passenger seat, with Tiffany (@bellastone) of Manolith.com and Twirlit.com. The Murano Cross Cabriolet is so different - It’s the first all-wheel drive crossover convertible, part SUV and part convertible. Since I drive a Toyota Camry, I loved being up higher (it’s exactly like an SUV in that way). It’s got loads of room for 4 passengers — which made me think of the interior of the convertibles my father owned when he was single (back in the late 1950’s up to the mid 60’s). It’s got a large trunk space, but keep in mind, you aren’t going to get as much in it as the Murano (but more than a regular convertible). If you are going on a trip, you’ll be able to get tons of luggage in. It’s got a real back seat, which a regular convertible made these days barely has. If you have young kids like I do, you’re probably not going to buy this car (a double Maclaren umbrella stroller will fit, but not a wider stroller like a Mountain Buggy Double) — but when they are older (like tween and teen years), it’s something I would love to get!

While I’m not an expert on cars and have no clue about torque or horsepower (you can find all that info here at Nissan’s official site), I know that I loved driving it — and you will too! Thank you to Nissan for providing this test drive opportunity in sunny Palm Beach Florida. The opinions expressed are solely my own and I can highly recommend this vehicle.

Powerhouses Vera Sweeney and Audrey McClelland had their second successful Getting Gorgeous Event in NYC this past weekend. I loved their event because it was about women — yes, we may be mothers and wives — getting to speak one to one with brands and getting some pampering in. Degree for Women sponsored the event and top companies were there like Weight Watchers (who I’ve worked with before at Mommies With Style), Hanes (love their ankle socks), Simply Orange (nectar of the gods), Miraclebody, Shopafrolic, Bj’s Wholesale, Tide to Go, Goody Hair, and many more.

Abbie of Hair Room Service fixed my limp locks. She was awesome!

Make up Artist Renee did the Smokey Eye on me (though I’ll never replicate it).

And the highlight of my day was hanging out in Amy Tara Koch’s Bump it Up Lounge. Amy’s the go-to woman for Pregnancy Chic (and styled me when I was 7 months pregnant last June). She had amazing cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes. And then I discovered Belli! Love them — they’ve got amazing skincare for pregnant and new mamas, that’s safe for use (no questionable or harmful ingredients — read more here about Belli).

Leapfrog has just entered the App arena with their first App, Scout’s ABC Garden ($3.99).  

The customizing option was cool, but I wasn’t happy that they didn’t have my 3 year old  daughter Allegra’s name and the nicknames were silly (Peanut, Superstar, Munchkin…none of which I ever call her). Since you can have up to 3 child profiles on the app (which I liked), I just did my oldest son Benjamin’s name. Next, you pick their favorite color, food and animal. Then you choose the challenge level. When you get into the App, the directions were clear and my son loved that Scout said his name. When you are playing the games, for example in the Planting Game- the kids have to shake the app and then tap the gophers (which was great for hand-eye coordination). Hint — have a screen protector on your device (because your child will be constantly touching the screen).  We like it the app was fun and filled with learning.  

Find it on iTunes.

I was lucky enough to attend the red carpet (seriously) launch of the Bugaboo Donkey at giggle’s Soho location last night. I’ve watched enough videos of the mono to duo stroller, so I kind of knew what to expect. High function, fashionable and smart, the Donkey didn’t disappoint. But it was better touching it! I wasn’t content to gaze, I wanted to play with this $1600 ride! Was it as good as the hype?

In Mono Mode

In a word, yes! It’s expensive, but for city parents who may not own a car and will use it through two or more children… it’s going to get lots of use, is pretty easy to keep neat and still have resale value at the end. And the push is divine. Skylar loved it and I had the 5 point harness adjusted to fit him in about a minute (it was so easy). He loved sitting upright (probably because we still keep him in the Cameleon Bassinet). It looked great..and I loved seeing a 1 piece fold from Bugaboo. Now to find the $$$ to get one.

In Duo Mode

My red headed baby boy made WNBC NY’s coverage of the Donkey and called it the “Mercedes of Strollers” - go here to watch the clip. Want one? I’d suggest calling giggle to get on the already full waiting list. Disclosure: As much as I’d love it, giggle or Bugaboo did not let me go home with the Donkey.