5 Minutes with Playhouse Disney's Imagination Movers and CD Giveaway

On a bright, crisp Easter Monday morning, Capitol Moms spent a few minutes chatting with the funny and quite cool guys, Scott, Dave, Smitty and former Silver Spring local, Rich from the Imagination Movers, the world's first alternative rock band for pre-schoolers, currently playing on Playhouse Disney.

How'd y'all get started? Well, we've been together in one way or another for the last decade. A couple of us went to high school together, our wives are friends, between the 4 of us there are 8 kids, though most of them belong to Rich. We came up with the idea after Captain Kangeroo and the like left this world -- we realized that all the programming for kids were cartoons. We wanted to do something fun, that got kids up and moving we started there.

Has it been a smooth road thus far? It's been a long road. After we came up with the idea and some of the music, we played local sites and pitched the idea for a short show to Louisiana Public Broadcasting -- they loved it but couldn't sponsor to a new show and the people from Disney came out to come have a listen. It was a good match, but then Hurricane Katrina hit and our lives turned upside down. Three of us were standing in line for food stamps and trying to re-create our lives. It was nuts, but Disney came back around and the Writer's Strike hit and now we are wrapping up shooting new shows for the fall.

Oh cool a new show for the Fall, what else is coming up for the Imagination Movers? We've got a new CD - Juice Box Heroes (we've been listening to it for a few days now and it has all your favorites from Playhouse Disney including my Z's favorite Farm)

How do y'all balance band life and fatherhood? We are Daddies and Husbands first then a band -- but after being around these guys for so long -- they are family too. You learn alot about each other, but it works. Dave notes that it helps to make sure to spend time with your kids, either playing outside, singing together,

I love it and to wrap things up, what are some of the products that y'all love to use with your kids? Rich, a proud papa of 4 with one more on the way, loves his Baby Bjorn and swears by the Pack'N'Play. Dave has older kids, right now, they make their Wii, a family sport - racing to the finish line, and Scott says Boudreaux's Butt Paste (we swear by this one in our house too!)is the best.

To enter our GIVEAWAY for a copy of the Juice Box Heroes, simply sign-up for our newsletter and it automatically enters you for the April 4th giveaway. If you can't wait, it is available at www.imaginationmovers.com or in our Amazon store.

To hear samples and watch videos of the their family favorites, click here

Our Kids: "Your Link to Family Fun"

DC Mamas:
I wanted to share some information about a great resource to have on your "favorites" - Our Kids DC.

Here's a little information from founder Amy Miller:

"Our-Kids was founded in 1999 as a resource to help Washington DC parents and caregivers find activities and resources quickly and easily. We strive to be your one stop source for family-friendly information - We do the research – so you don’t have to!

Our Kids prides itself on being Your Link to Family Fun.TM We highlight activities that are fun for children and places that are "parent friendly". We focus on family-tested places, events and activities that can help you plan your day, regardless of what interests your kids might have or what ages they are. You'll find everything organized by category with all the info you need right at your fingertips. Find local support groups, local children's theatre and much more.

Our Kids also has a comprehensive member only area. As an Our Kids member you have access to:

· All events where you can search and narrow your search by event type, cost, and age group.
· A members area providing access to promotions, events, saved events and more.
· A weekly newsletter that displays a list of calendar of events, local theater listings and more.
· Bookmark capabilities so you can save events that interest you for later.
· Promotions, discounts, and giveaways.

Many people find that advanced screening tickets and other giveaways more than cover the modest annual membership of $26.00 per year - just 50 cents a week.

See what other Our Kids Readers have to say!


Special Discount for CM Readers: Receive $2 off of the annual membership rate with the code "CMM"

Lust List: ToyWatch's Rose Gold Collection

Every girl has a lust list, a list of beautiful wants, pleasures you might say, that bring a smile to her lips with the just a mere thought. I usually keep my list private, with occasional hints dropped to my hubby, but this time, I thought I would share.

Right now on my list is ToyWatch's Rose Gold Collection, particular the Rose Gold White, though the Rose Gold Brown and the Mother of Pearl Chrono Pink would make lovely additions to my wrist wardrobe as well. I love the Rose Gold bezel, the crisp, clean look of the watch, not too fussy in a cool brown and black color scheme.

It's temporarily out of stock, so for now, this one must stay on the lust list. Ummm, yummy. To see my other faves from ToyWatch, visit ToyWatch.

Capturing a memory with Jessica Photo

Everyone wants to capture those special moments in life, the birth of a new addition, those "happy birthday to me"s and the milestone markers of your family through the years. To help capture your moments, I want to share a great resource with local moms, Jessica Photo, portraits and photos by DC area favorite, Jessica Christian.

Her work is beautiful, realistic, professional and memorable. Jessica also offers a unique service for her clients, Display Consultation, to help with the "What to do with these photos now?" -- she contracts the services of an interior designer to offer personal style assistance to help her clients get the most out of their portraits and their own personal space. It is a service that her clients appreciate and rave about.


A couple samples are pictured above, but for a more extensive preview, visit her site, www.jessicaphoto.com

Calling all Playhouse Disney Fans: Imagination Movers at the White House Easter Roll on Monday and Healthy Eating Help with BunnyTown

Playhouse Disney's hit alternative band for pre-schoolers, The Imagination Movers will be performing at the White House Easter Egg Roll this Monday (3/24) at 8:25 am and 11:30 am on the Easter Bonnet stage on the South Lawn. Imagination Movers have also released a new CD, Juice Box Heroes (too cute!), available at Disney Music.


Need a little help, encouraging a picky eater -- try a little help from Bunnytown's Healthy Food Pageant airing on Monday, 3/24, to see a clip, click here. Bunnytown is hopping into their new daily 10am timeslot. My Z loves rockin' out to the bunnies and learns little lessons about play, gets up and moving and drags Mommy and Daddy along.

Five Minutes with Rock'N'Tot co-founder Liz Weirshousky

Capitol Moms sat down with Bethesda mom and Rock'N'Tot co-founder Liz Weirshousky to get the scoop on the latest hit tot dance party to come to Washington, DC and to chat about how she balances work, motherhood and some of her momma faves.

So give us the scoop on Rock'N'Tot, what was your inspiration? Well there are lots of family dance parties around the country, but looked into them and decided that we wanted to do something a little different and do it our way. We made some awesome connections. We wanted to highlight the hard working, motivated parent-owned companies and give them a place to shine. With RNT, we can do just that.

What is your absolute favorite thing about RNT? Watching my daughter dance and the giveaways - (At this weekend's event, there will be over 50)

How do you balance work and motherhood? I make sure that I have special time with my daughter. I do the nightly bath, we use it as a time, to sing and laugh, dance and bond in a great way. I bring my daughter along as often as possible -- she even helped with the club scouting with us.

What are your three favorite products: Dwink boxes - drink box holders that prevent the "squeeze", Chapstick -- it entertains her time and time again, my NapPak - a great pillow rollpack.

Your top tip for New Mommas: "Follow your gut." You know your baby, listen to advice, but trust your own instincts.


The next event is on Saturday, March 22 at Ultra Bar, 911 F Street, NW and tickets for all walkers are $15.

Great looks for dressing with ease, found with Tory Burch

Yesterday, Capitol Moms went scouting out for some great luxe products for Mommy and Baby. While out, I caught the Tory Burch Spring and Resort Collection fashion show and found a several pieces that I can't wait to share.

Since I have recently had a beautiful little boy, yes, I am a little biased, I've got my anteanae out for styles that have an ease about them, not too body conscious, but with great color and a little glamour to help a new momma get her groove back.

One of my favorites of her line are the tunics, particularly the Tory Tunic. It comes in a variety of colors, my favorites are the nautically inspired navy linen trimmed in a crisp white and the punchy pink print on cotton voile that just screams, "Welcome to the I'land, Mon". Pair it with a great pair of jeans or a pair of flowy linen pants and metalic sandals and you're good to go.

And I also love this dress. It comes in an easy silk jersey that pack well, shows a little of that fabulous new momma cleavage, and has great detailing that will draw all attention away form any remnants of a baby bump. Tory Burch Resort 2008 Martin Halter


Locally available at Neiman Marcus or at www.toryburch.com

Pictures courtesy of Tory Burch.com

See Kai Run: Entertaining Footwear Fashion

Today, we received a great pair of shoes by See Kai Run. And I don't say "great" lightly. I have a picky, two year old that has developed her own ideas on what fashionable means. She is also a very tall girl with size 8 1/2 feet. I have bought several pairs of shoes which have sat in the shoe basket, unworn and in practically pristine condition due to the battle it takes to get them on her feet.

I thought I would let her open the box and see how things went from there. A cute celery green box with a red wagon lid appeared. When Z muttered an immediate "Mine!", I knew things were going well. When she saw the buttery soft, poppy orange leather sandals, she kicked off her fuzzy slippers and held out a foot for me to put the shoe on.

Absolutely, adorable right down to the fabulous fun, loving crossword etched-soles. She's got traction - perfect for dancing around the room, the soft soles aren't heavy and she's got plenty of wiggle room -- no swished up toes and three hours later she's still got them on.

See Kai Run's shoes are loved by local mamas and celebs alike. Shop locally at The Purple Goose or to see more styles and shop online and enjoy free shipping at www.SeeKaiRun.com

Love DC Baby?

If you are one of the many area moms that loves DC Baby, one of the great resource guides for the area, but find that your edition is a little out of date. Sarah has put the second edition up for e-book on her site.

It is a great deal, available for download at www.dc-baby.com for $11. The paperback edition will be out in the Fall.

Giveaway for Newsletter Subscribers: A Signed Copy of CityBabyDC

One lucky Capitol Moms Reader will receive a signed copy of the latest resource for DC Moms: City Baby D.C.: The Ultimate Guide for DC Metro Parents from Pregnancy to Preschool by Holly Morse Caldwell.

I spent Saturday afternoon scouring the pages, reading about places I've been and places I plan to go. Holly has written a well organized, easy read that is a must for any DC area mom (she covers the Northern VA and Metro Maryland areas very well too.) It will definetly stay on my keeper shelf, if not in the diaper bag.

To enter for the free, SIGNED copy, just sign up for our Capitol Moms Quick Bites Newsletter in the box just above the "LINKS" to the right. The drawing will be held on March 29th, 2008.

But if you can't wait, you can order from AMAZON at www.amazon.com

Featured in the Washington Post story about busy parent solutions

Thank you to the Washington Post and writer Annys Shinn for featuring Capitol Moms founder Teia Collier in today's article A Coach at the Crib and A Consultant at the Potty as a part of the series Parenting Inc.

The article discusses services for busy and otherwise harried parents like sleep and lactation consultants, a potty trainer and Teia Collier as the personal shopper.

She is quoted as saying "Everything requires research, you try lots of products and find you've wasted your money. I do the research, and I find it."

To view the Washington Post article, visit www.washingtonpost.com

To learn more about the service mentioned in the article and others from the Motherhood Resource Service, visit www.capitolmoms.org/motherhood.html

PBS Kids' SuperWhy and the Super Readers

Ok, my Z loves books, Dora, her toy Rabbit and SuperWhy! My husband loves books and so do I, I guess that is why we have books in various baskets, bookshelves, under desks and in stacks around the house.

I also grew up on the original educational kids station, PBS; in the classic tradition of Seasame Street comes the new kid on the block, SuperWhy. SuperWhy! is an adorable 30 minute cartoon that encourages kids to solve problems by "finding their super story answer", spell, read, all while learning to be a good friend. There are four friends that travel in and out of books in Storybook Village learning lessons and how to spell along the way.

My daughter loves getting to go on a Reading Adventure and ends up singing her ABC's. I have to admit that I like it too and find myself singing along.

To learn more or watch an episode, visit http://pbskids.org/superwhy/

To Stay In the Loop and Connected... sign-up for our Newsletter

Don't forget to sign up for The Capitol Moms Quick Bites Newsletter.

Quick tidbits, highlights from the blog, coupon codes, happening events and fun extras to help you enjoy the journey through motherhood and celebrate the perks a bit more.

The sign-up box is just above the "Links" to the right.

Sol Loves - Lillebaby's Eurotote - Bringing Home Preemie Extra

Bringing Home Preemie is our 5 part suppplement of products and services that I have come to love and use regularly with my own now just over 8lb. "preemie".



My little one loves to be wrapped up tight, swaddled and all cozy warm. I, personally, love products that multi-task to fulfill several duties beautifully. Lillebaby's Eurotote does just that.

It is a light-weight, multi-weather cradle carrier, rather similar to a moses basket-minus the basket, a bunting bag, travel mat and fits right into our car seat and stroller without disturbing Sollie. He loves it; you simply place your baby in the center, snuggle them all tight and then carry the bag with two easily adjustable straps.

It is a nice alternative to our sling; it's washable and it's just as easy for my tall 6'5'' hubby as it is for me to use. The Eurotote also comes in a variety of colors for fashionable mixing and matching.

To purchase online, visit Scandinavian Child's website, http://www.scichild.com/where_to_buy.cfm

Capitol Moms Visits: The Purple Goose - Great Local Find

Last week, in conjunction with the Washington Post series, ParentingInc, Capitol Moms visited Del Ray's The Purple Goose for the first time to shop for couple of our Motherhood Resource Service Clients.

It was a fabulous visit. We were looking for a special present for one of our clients and found the most adorable finds from adorable tutus to a wide selection of See Kai Run shoes, Robeez, pretty girl dresses, "Bring Me Home" outfits for boys and girls and unique accessories.

The Mom and Daughter Duo that own the store make shopping so much fun and have offerings in a variety of prices; I'm pretty sure that you find something for any little girl.

Visit them online at http://www.thepurplegoose.com or in Del Ray at 2005 Mt. Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22301

To learn more about becoming a Motherhood Resource Service client, visit http://www.capitolmoms.org/Motherhood.html

Bringing Home Preemie - The Goods, Pt.1

Almost three months ago, I gave birth to a beautiful, little boy, Solomon, ten weeks early. After a month and a day in the NICU, he came home and the real fun began. There's nothing like a two year old and a newborn preemie under the roof to make life interesting... and even more amazing.

Here is a list of some of the products that we love and use with Sollie most everyday.

1) Peanut Shell Sling in Black Micro-fleece He loves to be all snuggled up and close to my chest in this fabulous sling. I used Peanut Shell's with my first and now with my second, I love them even more. I recommend Peanut Shell's to all of clients that are requesting ideas on baby carrying. I love the smooth, strechy fabric and the versatility of black. We will be ordering one in a spring/summer color soon.

Picture from and shop at Peanut Shell's site www.goo-ga.com

2) Soothie pacifer and bottles
While in the NICU, he was started on the Soothie pacifiers. They come in various colors, but they are soft, one piece pacis made of hospital-grade silicone and are notoriously hard to find, but we found after three trips, newly stocked at our local Target and at Diapers.com. Just this week, we started trying the bottles after depleting our hospital stash and after going several rounds, un-successfully, with expensive other brands. He seems to love them -- we'll give it another week and do a follow-up review on the bottles.

Picture from and shop at www.diapers.com or at www.Target.com for bottles and paci

Parenting Inc.: Washington Post's Series on the Costs of Parenting

Washington Post writer and fellow mom Annys Shin has started a three part series on the costs of parenting. This week's issue is on Non-toxic Toys and the price of buying peace of mind.

She touches on the costs and issues associated with organic mattresses, lead-laden toys, cloth diapers, BPA-free bottles and the like. With the explosion of green products and the numerous recalls this is a debate that parents will probably continue to have.

To read the article, click the link below.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/29/AR2008022903658.html

It all leaves me with a question, how much would I or you pay for peace of mind?

The next issue focuses on Services, like Capitol Moms Motherhood Resource Service, that are designed to aid busy parents.