My husband and I hate baby blue. We are allergic to boys’ clothes with dogs, cars or trucks. I think we gave away at least six baby blue teddy bears that were given to us as gifts. So buying clothes for a baby boy has been a challenge. It’s also become something of an obsession for me. An all-consuming, expensive passion if you ask my husband. So if you find yourself in the same situation, I have one word for you:  Zutano. Check out their website or Facebook fan page.

Zutano is a line of children’s clothing created up in Vermont by a husband/wife team.  The wife is a graphic designer and comes up with the most delightful prints.  Big, bold, colorful and fun.  Twice a year, they release a new set of prints that all coordinate with one another.  It’s like Garanimals, only much, much cooler.

In his Celery Dot footies and bib (with matching food!)

I can’t buy enough of them. And since my not-so-little munchkin keeps doubling his weight on me, I have to keep buying the next size up (sometimes before he got a chance to wear the current size).  Alas, Zutano does not sell their baby line on their website.  Here’s my two cents on where to buy them:

• Best visual tools to help you mix-and-match the prints:  BabySuperMall
• Nicest customer service, good selection, but doesn’t have the most recent prints: Bambino Mountain.  (Navigation is also a bit clunky but prices are good.)
• Best selection: ComfyKids.
• Best sales: Mary Olive Kids (but low inventory)
• You can also find them at local children’s boutiques. Search Zutano’s site for a store near you.

Some of my favorite prints: Elephant Parade (mixes great with chocolate stripes and chocolate dot, orange, brown or pool solids); Bugs (out of print but I still find it occasionally); Cabana Stripe; and Celery Dot.

OK, how sick is this? I actually have all the prints memorized.  They make cute stuff for girls, too.  The cotton is soft and washes well.  If you have a friend who delivers early, they have a great line for preemies called Itzy Bitzy.  Their cotton booties stay on way better than any socks I’ve found.

If you decide to buy some and want help with sizes, shoot me an email and I’ll be happy to tell you what I’ve learned about how the sizes run.

My lil guy dressed in Elephant Parade footies.

In Cabana Stripe overalls, Big Dot Chocolate socks and Toy Chest bib

One of my predictions for the recession/depression that we’re in is that people will start talking smart again. (All evidence to the contrary by that awkwardly worded sentence, but hear me out.) Serious times call for serious people and all that. This is not a trend I think will take hold quickly, but one that will seep into the outer reaches of your social circles. I think your smart friends are going to whip out their S.A.T. vocabularies and you will hear a different level of language. Some of this is due to the President and his thoughtful way with the English language. And some of it is due to the serious nature of our times. Glib is out. Smart is in.

From Ruthie: Note to self: 745 calories per serving . . . I’m just saying.

But he makes me laugh. When we dated, he worried that he wasn’t deep enough for me. And I did think I wanted a guy I could have long philosophical conversations with. But I’d dated a few of those and you know what? They were kind of boring. Now I’m not saying all deep guys are boring. Just the ones I met.

My husband made me laugh, got me out of my head, was (and is) kind and consistent. His moral compass was strong and sure. (Some of those philosophical guys can shift based on what side of the moral argument suits them in the moment.)  If I need to go way, way deep on a subject, I have a dozen girlfriends on speed dial I can ring up.

Besides, my hubby’s a lot deeper than he gives himself credit for.

I once got a Very Important Job with a Big Broadcast Company. They were moving me from little ‘ol Louisville, Kentucky, to a much bigger market. I was thrilled and thought I’d thank the boss with a cool gift. I got him a personalized Louisville Slugger baseball bat with a note that said “Now You’ve Got a Louisville Slugger on Your Team.”

In retrospect, the note was obnoxious but the gift was cool. I’ve since bought the junior sized ones for baseball-loving nephews. It’s a great gift for the sports guys in your life, and I like it as a corporate gift, too.

Note: this was one of my first posts on the blog and it still cracks me up to watch this video. Since a lot of you are cooking today, I thought it might be appropriate. Think how much easier your life would be if only you had . . . the Slap Chop!

I was joking around about the Snuggie with a client the other day and he asked if we’d seen the Slap Chop. I had not, but give me 10 seconds and I’ll find it on the web, I told him. So here’s what I’ve learned. The Slap Chop will slap your troubles away. It will make you skinny. You can have chopped up ham, pickles and a boiled egg for an instant breakfast (yummy?). You can slap your nuts.

Just watch.

Speaking of the Snuggie . . . find out how you can host your own Snuggie pub crawl (seriously).