MAMA | BABY – Plum Joyful

Babyccino Shop up Los Angeles!

PlumJoyful — Fri, 21 Apr 2017 04:43:13 +0000

It’s that time again! If you are looking for the best kids clothing, accessories and toys, then you have to come to the Babyccino Shop up event this Sunday April 23 and Monday April 24 at The Springs in downtown! Held once a year in Los Angeles, they feature some of the best children’s lines sourced from all around the world. I went last year and blogged about it HERE and HERE. It was an amazing event and I scored such amazing pieces that my little one is still wearing many of them a year later even though she is SO much bigger. For example, the GREATEST pair of drop crotch patterned pants from Over + Over, have become our new favorite pair of shorts! Or the awesome jumper from Mabo Kids, has become an equally awesome pair of elastic waist drop crotch pants. I know, it’s hard to picture, but here is the jumper from last year to help you visualize. See what I mean? Anyway, I really truly found some of my favorite pieces at this one of a kind shopping event. There will also be fun activities for the kiddo’s and delicious treats from The Springs kitchen. The […]

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Playroom inspiration that is both non-toxic and stylish

PlumJoyful — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 06:19:23 +0000

The little Plum is growing so fast, and her little nursery can no longer contain her and her wild toddler ways. She needs more space to play and let loose. It’s time for a proper playroom that is dedicated to her and her alone where she can let her little freak flag fly. The problem is that our space is limited, and the only area of our home that would work is our dining room. We barely used our dining room anyway, so as sad as I am to see it go, it’s clearly a better use of the space. The only issue is that our dining room is one of the first things you see when you walk into our home. So the challenge has become creating a playroom that is functional, fun and whimsical for our daughter, while still maintaining some semblance of style that is in keeping with the rest of the house. All that and it has to be non-toxic and healthy. It’s been a tougher challenge than I expected it to be. I am in the process of creating the room and thought I would share the things on my inspiration board. When it’s done I will […]

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Breastmilk benefits : The original superfood

PlumJoyful — Mon, 08 Aug 2016 07:05:03 +0000

Let me start this off by saying that breastfeeding is a very personal decision. Some women will, some women won’t. It’s ALL ok. Some women can’t because of physical reasons, some because of socioeconomic reasons, some for logistical reasons, some for emotional/psychological reasons, some for medical reasons. It doesn’t matter. What’s right for the mama is right for the baby. Period. We have to stop shaming and judging other mom’s for their choices and support each other! Formula has come a LONG way since the days when I was a baby and it was essentially just watered down skim milk with added lactose and a few vitamins. Over the years it has been refined and looks closer to breast milk than it did in the 70’s and 80’s. That being said, this past week was National Breastfeeding Week, and I felt that a shout out to nature’s original superfood was in order. While we now have many options to feed our babies in a healthy manner, breast milk will always be the best way. I don’t say this to make anyone feel badly about their choices (and I sincerely hope that it doesn’t), but it is the simple truth. Breastmilk, […]

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Mother’s Day Gift Guide

PlumJoyful — Thu, 05 May 2016 07:09:22 +0000

Things have been very busy over here at Casa Plum, so I apologize for the fact that this gift guide is rather late, but I assure you that the shipping on these awesome gifts can be expedited to get to you in time for Mama’s day! Now that I’m a mama I have a new found love and respect for this beautiful day. I have a real appreciation for my own mother now that I have a daughter, and I want to let her know how truly grateful I am for her and all that she sacrificed for me. I now truly know just how much she loves me, and I probably owe her an apology for the decade between 12 and 22. At the very least I hope some of these awesome gifts will atone for my teenage years. I want all mama’s to feel pampered and appreciated on this special day so this guide was created with that in mind. 1. Muriel Brandolini Beach Mattress– I love the beach with all my heart. I’m a Cali girl through and through. But sometimes laying on the sand can be uncomfortable after a while. I especially find this to be true […]

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Favorite brands + shops from Babyccino Shop Up

PlumJoyful — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 17:23:07 +0000

The Babyccino Shop Up was this past weekend and it was awesome! I found a bunch of new brands and stores that are in perfect line with the Plum Joyful philosophy of a healthy, vibrant and stylish life. Here is a recap of the wonderful event for those of you who didn’t make it out, and some of my new favorite things for baby. First off the event was held at the spectacular Lombardi House, both in their amazing barn and around the grounds. They had amazing refreshments for everyone in the family. Moon Juice for mama, Incredible Acai breakfast bowls from Amaze Bowls for Papa, and Sprinkles cupcakes for baby Plum ( I didn’t let her have one, but she was perfectly happy with the Organic Guava banana fruit pouch from Happy Baby that they were also giving out). Not to mention a Coolhaus Ice cream truck. Once we were well fueled it was time to shop. Here are the brands/shops that I loved the most and couldn’t get enough of. Kalon Kalon is the company that makes our crib which I absolutely love. It has been a favorite of mine for a while now, and they have these […]

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Babyccino Kids Shop up event in Los Angeles!

PlumJoyful — Thu, 31 Mar 2016 18:50:06 +0000

I am a big fan of Babyccino Kids. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Babyccino Kids, it is an amazing online one stop shop for all things kid related. From their incredibly curated group of web shops for everything from clothing to decor, to an amazing and informative blog covering parenting, travel, food and fashion. It is run by a fabulous international group of women and mothers. The Shop up is an event that they put on where you can actually go and find all of these amazing brands from all over the world under one roof. Instead of the usual online experience, we get to have the old school analog version of shopping, and there is food, crafts, live music and fun activities for families. The event is hosted by Pop Productions, and will be at the amazing Lombardi House in Hollywood on Apr 10 from 12-6 and Apr 11 from 10-5. They have hosted successful shop up’s in London and New York, and this is the first time it is coming to Los Angeles! Some of the brands that will be included are some of my absolute favorites. Brands like Kalon, who make my crib and I featured […]

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Helping our children keep an open heart in a scary world

PlumJoyful — Wed, 23 Mar 2016 08:23:34 +0000

I have a 15 month old daughter and this is not the world I wanted her to inherit. I don’t know how to explain something as awful as what happened in Brussels. Not that I have to right now, she’s only a baby, but one day I will and I dread that day. A few days ago on a trip to buy her some shoes, she walked right up to a little two year old girl whom she never met and wrapped her arms around her in a big hug. Just last night I watched her naked little body march proudly up to the mirror to admire her belly. She pointed out her belly, eyes and nose, then promptly said I love you and gave her reflection a kiss. Her heart is open. Wide open. It’s the most spectacular thing to see in the world. The fact that I recognize how wonderful it is must point to the fact that once upon a time I was like that to. We all were. We come into this world from some unseen place as a force of love, open, willing, alive, and somewhere along the way we begin to build walls around […]

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Natural deodorants that actually work!

PlumJoyful — Fri, 26 Feb 2016 08:00:37 +0000

There is so much compelling evidence to support switching to a natural deodorant that I think most people would, IF they knew which ones actually work. I tried switching to a natural deodorant as far back as junior high school when my sister brought home this cool looking giant crystal that purported to keep odor away as well as any of the antiperspirants and deodorants that you could find at the local drugstore. Admittedly at the time I was less interested in its health benefits and more interested in the fact that it looked badass when I whipped it out of my toiletries bag at sleepovers. Suffice it to say it did not work nearly as well as Secret did, but it did work for days when I didn’t do a lot of sweating. The novelty eventually wore off and I went back to the tried and true chemical filled antiperspirants. It wasn’t worth risking being crammed in the back of a VW Jetta next to my biggest crush and potentially smelling like Chipotle because the flop sweat was a flowin. I forgot all about natural deodorants until my crusade for better health began in my mid twenties. It […]

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Non toxic Nursery: Part Three

PlumJoyful — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 08:00:40 +0000

If you haven’t read PART ONE and PART TWO, on the non toxic nursery, you might want to start there. Now that we have a beautiful, clean and healthy nursery set up, let’s look at all of the accessories that go into this space. Creating a space like this is pointless if your going to be cleaning with traditional toxic products, or filling the space with plastic toys from China that contain BPA and phthalates. Here is a list of additional things to consider in order to keep your baby’s space fresh and clean, while also being kinder to this awesome planet. 1.The first thing I would recommend doing, especially if you have carpeting or are allergy prone, would be to invest in a really good air filter. The one I recommended in PART ONE is considered the very best, and will keep your baby’s room free of allergens as well as VOC’s like formaldehyde. However, the IQ Air is very expensive and rather large, so another more affordable option would be the AUSTIN AIR. I love this one because it’s effective and it’s a nice small compact size for smaller nurseries like ours. This would actually be my first […]

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Shoes: why you should check them at the door

PlumJoyful — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 08:00:29 +0000

There are many ways to reduce toxins in the home, and one of the easiest and most comfortable ways is to leave your shoes at the door. Other cultures practice this habit regularly as a way to respect the home and treat it as a sanctuary. I personally love to be barefoot. Some might find it a bit to hippy dippy, but here are three very compelling reasons to adopt this habit. 1. Bacteria and Virus on the bottom of shoes Studies have shown that we track in any number of harmful substances on our shoes including viruses and bacteria such as C Difficile and E Coli (YUCK!). 2. Shoes track in Pesticides Equally as worrisome, are pesticides that we track in on the soles of our shoes. HERE is a study that shows levels of a certain pesticide called 2,4D, tracked into a home on shoes, exceeds that of residue on non-organic produce, ultimately negating all that healthy organic produce your buying for your family. Many other herbicides and pesticides were found inside the home. Children are far more susceptible to the effect of these pesticides because they spend so much time close to the ground. These chemicals have […]

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