I really want to be a good example for my little buddy. I want to buy responsibly—like little or no plastic toys, especially ones that are motorized in some way and have no way of opening to replace the battery mechanism. So many things involved with baby/child rearing can be extremely wasteful (disposable diapering to name a big one). I was at the Toys r us/Babies r us mega store monstrosity the other day and I broke down and bought some pjs for my little guy. At the checkout counter the clerk asked if I wanted the plastic hangers (I’m so used to places like Kissui that re-use their hangers) and I said no because really, who hangs up pjs? I inquired if they recycled the hangers or sent them back to the manufacturer and he said “I dunno…we trash them?” and then looked a little sheepish at his own apathetic ignorance and said, “Oh, we must recycle them or something.” I thought that it was probably more likely to be “or something” and I proceeded to have a flash vision of our landfills with heaps and heaps of these cheap hangers that no one wants to reuse because honestly they aren’t pretty or practical for personal use. I then told him I didn’t need a bag and he looked at me like I was messing with his autopilot programming.

Although there are still many places that look at you funny if you say “I don’t need a bag for that,” or “I brought my own bag”, it’s definitely becoming more hip to be green. I’m always excited when I see people using cloth bags (and not just at Trader Joe’s)—even if that’s the only “green” thing they do, it shows that they care enough to make an effort, because it does take effort to change our habits and remember to bring those cloth bags along. And if you’re a multitasking mom (which all moms are of course) then more power to you if you’re also trying to do the “R” thing.

To help in your mission of doing the “R” thing, Kissui is now offering a variety of reusable tote bags!

Mention the blog and take 15% off!

It seems a little early to post this, but I want everyone to have lots of advance warning! Swap Shop 3 has been scheduled for October 11th. The main idea is the same, but I am making a few basic changes to the set up. Here’s how it will work:

-Starting now, up until the day before the event, you will drop off your swap shop items to the store. At that time all of your boxes/bags or whatever you bring them in will be tagged with your name and phone number.

-The day of the swap shop, show up to Kissui at 5:30 to sign in, and receive your voucher showing how many items you originally brought. We will have some special sales going for that night only…

-At 6:00 the Swap Shop begins!

If you are wondering why we are changing the structure this time around, it’s simple. In the past, the people that have come at the very beginning or end of the swap have had so much less selection. It is really during the middle hours that there is lots to choose from. It has also been a little difficult having you separate your own items, I mean really, isn’t it better if you just show up and all the work is done for you? Of course! This will allow everyone the chance to see everything, and grab some great items. I am so excited!

If you have any questions please call us at 909.307.9500 or send me an email hello@shopkissui.com

Every few months or so DenM Gallery puts together an awesome art show featuring local artists.  I am impressed every single time.  The theme of this show is “Political Forest” and will feature 5 artists.  With no boundaries, each artist will be able to express his views on the current political climate.  I look forward to seeing the world through the eyes of an artist, I find the little details so intriguing.  Each show warrants a party, allowing us the chance to purchase some of these one of a kind works of art.  I managed to sneak a peek at some of the art, you are going to want these…  The show is September 6th from 5-8pm.  Hope to see you there-

Also worth a mention is the store itself.  If you haven’t been in, you really should take a look!  DenM offers one stop shopping for jeans with their huge selection.  They also have great tops and accessories to go with.  You might also like to know that their prices are below other retailers (even Nordstroms).  I don’t see why you would go anywhere else.

For more information, call DenM at 909.792.9600, or stop in 18 E State St.

We’re past the bad teething days/nights but now we’re in the no poop days/nights/weeks. We started solids about 3 weeks ago – my husband and I were very excited. To date we’ve had carrots, peas, pears, apples and sweet potatoes spit at us and we’ve been happy to be the losers in a food fight with our son. That is, until he stopped pooping in protest of us changing his diet.

My son has a “delicate stomach” to quote one of his doctors. When he was about 3 months old his doctor did an x-ray on his tummy to see if they could figure out where some of his problems lie; the x-ray looked as if I poured dish soap down his throat, added water and shook him up. I was amazed – I didn’t realize that an x-ray could show how gassy he was; it would’ve been so cool if it wasn’t inside my baby. We tried Mylicon drops, two different gas/reflux medications, we kept him sitting upright for 30 minutes after he ate (so much fun at 2:00 am!), I modified my diet to the extreme. We even stuck a Vaseline swabbed q-tip up his bum once or twice a day to help him learn to “relax” his muscle and go to the bathroom. Obviously, we were willing to do anything so that he’d be a little more comfortable. I hate his “hurting” cry. We were so excited to be past that yucky stage and into the “normal” pooping stage of his life.

Last week he didn’t poop for 5 days. We called the doctor on the 3^rd day without poop and were told to give him 4 oz of apple juice a day. We tried that, nothing happened. On the 5^th day we tried again. Nothing happened so we gave him more apple juice, then it ALL happened! We went through 4 diapers in less than 5 minutes. We thought we were in the clear until he didn’t poop on Friday, Saturday or Sunday again. This time they told us to give him 2 oz apple juice and 2 oz prune juice. About 1 hour later he exploded and I do mean exploded. It was a huge puddle on the base of his exersaucer, it was on the bottom of his feet, in between his toes and on his legs but he was so happy that we were happy to clean up the mess. We’re ready to try solid food again tonight; actually, we’re not ready but his doctor told us not to stop so here we go again. I’m hoping that this isn’t an ongoing problem but at least he likes apple juice so I guess it could be worse.

I’m not sure why I feel other people might be interested in my son’s bathroom problems. Someday, when puberty hits, he will be mortified that his bowel movements were chronicled for the world to read. I just figure that if you’re getting this blog that you’ve either gone through something similar or you’re going to go through something similar and I always find it helpful to know that we’re not the only ones obsessed with everything that our little one does, even when he poops (or doesn’t).

I have been waiting….finally!  We got our first shipment of PPB bags!!  The brand new Fall styles are here, and they are beautiful!  We have a few of the traditional style brocade fabric, chenille (my favorite, reminds me of upholstery..) and glazed.  Glazed is amazing, you can simply wipe off the outside, very easy to maintain.

I have also picked up some  and inexpensive tote bags, great for groceries and quick trips around.  Hope to see you soon!