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Fads in names may come and go, but trends are destined to stick around for a while. Here are some of the trends that are influencing the names that parents are bestowing on their babies.

The Last Shall Be First

Here’s one for the guys: Almost one-quarter of today’s 100 most popular boy baby names are common last names. That’s about twice the rate seen in 1980s. Many of these last-names-first are longtime favorites like Thomas, Alexander, and Charles. But the trend is bringing many less traditional names to the front of the line, including Connor, Tyler, Logan, Dylan, and Jackson.

Top Tip: Looking for something different, yet familiar? Check out the last names listed in the white pages of your phone book.

What’s Old is New

Give credit to Jane Austen for the upsurge in popularity of Emma, the second most-dubbed name for girls in 2006. But there are plenty of other names with the patina of age. The trend is especially common for girls, and includes names like Abigail, Victoria, Olivia, Hannah, Alexandra, Claire, and Grace.

Top Tip: Scout out popular fiction from the Revolution onward to find names with a place in history.

Welcome to Hollywoodland

Celebrities have always been a popular source of baby names, and not just stars: The name Truman peaked in 1945 at No. 249 in the hit parade. But with today’s Hollywood-gossip drenched society, its no surprise that Tinsel Town has produced a bumper crop of baby names. Among the top 100: Angelina, Jennifer, Sofia, Faith, Nicole, Mariah, Jada, Ethan, and Aiden.

Top Tip: Avoid names that are too closely associated with a single celebrity. Think of those little girls who will grow up hoping they were named after Paris, France.

From Foreign Shores

Names with a distinctive ethnic or cultural lilt are emigrating into the lists of popular names for both boys and girls. Caitlin — in all its glorious incarnations — is probably the most popular name for girls. Among the most common ethnic and foreign names are Isabella, Ethan, Chloe, Hailey, Gabriel, Mackenzie, and Alexandra.

Top Tip: Rent a few foreign films from places that intrigue you and mine them for baby name possibilities.

Places and Things

At one time, you needed a name dictionary to decipher the meaning of a name. For many of today’s top monikers, no translation is needed. Baby Madison might be named after the city or our fourth President, but either way there’s no danger that her name means “lover of wheat” or a similar obscure origin. Among these places and things names are: Grace, Savannah, Angel, Trinity, Faith, and Brooklyn.

Top Tip: Anyone for a game of State Capitals? Hmmm…Pierre, Montgomery, Phoenix, Dover, Denver, Helena….

For more baby naming articles click here

The other day a girlfriend mentioned that she made homemade playdough for her two year old daughter. My mom was the queen of homemade play recipes. Growing up we had a lot of fun with basic household pantry ingredients.

Check out the Nature Moms Blog for a few great recipes to try with your little ones.

Make Your Own Bubbles

1 qt water
8 tbs glycerin, can be purchased at drug stores
6-8 tbs Ivory dish soap
Mix all ingredients together and use outdoors with bubble blowers.

Natural and Safe Finger Paint

1/3 cup soap flakes melted with 1/2 cup boiling water

1 cup cornstarch

1/3 cup cold water

A few drops juice dyes (combine a 1/4 cup of the colored food like beets, blueberries, or raspberries with 2 cups water, simmer for an hour. Cool, strain, and use as coloring).

RICE FLOUR PLAY DOUGH
from the Lisa Lewis book “Special Diets for Special Kids”.

1/2 c. white rice flour
1/2 c. corn starch
1/2 c. salt
2 t. cream of tartar
1 c. water
1 t. cooking oil

Cook all ingredients over low heat until you can form a ball. When cool, store in zipper plastic bag.

Yesterday morning was music filled! Our first class had a great turnout. Thanks to all of you that joined us. We sang, hummed, danced, played with instruments and enjoyed spending time with the little ones. We hope that you had as much fun as we did. There are still openings for the Saturday Music Together class here at Olive and Bean. It starts September 13th and is every Saturday morning at 10 a.m for ten weeks. For more information or to sign up for classes call Melanie at 702.838.4751.

I am so happy to announce that we’ve opened our first little shop in cyberspace ! We have gotten so many requests already for an online shop. We are starting small and plan to grow into a full e-store that offers a full selection of fabulous handpicked Olive and Bean products.

We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express and Paypal. All of the online payments, including credit cards, are securely processed through Paypal. A Paypal account is not required to purchase through our site.

Click Here to Start Shopping!

We are proud to stock safe and durable toys for babies and toddlers. Our wood blocks, cars, pullalongs and rattles are made responsibly with safe finishes and will last child after child. We have cloth teethers that ease sore gums and can be machine washed.

When shopping for a new toy, here is a list of points to consider:

Shopping for Toys Checklist

* Can something we already have be used as a toy? An empty box or set of stainless steel bowls can provide hours of happy play.
* Is the toy re-useable? Can it be added-to, creating new interest? For example, doll houses and building sets get repeated use, and adding one small accessory at a time can bring much joy.
* Will it last for several generations? Again, the doll house or building set are welcome hand-me-downs.
* Read labels carefully, looking for assurances that paints and finishes are non-toxic.
* Is this an antique or imported toy, which might be finished with toxic leaded paint?
* When in doubt, smell it! Toxic softeners in plastics can give them that “new smell.” Strong fragrances and perfumes can provoke allergies or asthma.
* Did it harm the environment or people to produce this toy? For example, is it made of PVC plastic?
* How is the toy packaged? A huge box and lots of plastic wrap for a very small toy is unnecessary waste.
* Can we get this toy, or something like it, made locally, avoiding the pollution and fuel waste of shipping?

Purchasing and Using Plastics
Be a Smart Shopper

Avoid plastic altogether:

* Buy and store food in glass, ceramic or metal containers, as most plastic types have been reported to leak chemicals into food.
* Use cloth grocery bags.
* Choose fresh, frozen and dried foods over those that are canned. (Metal cans are lined with plastic.)
* Purchase toys made from natural materials. Avoid toys and teethers made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and baby bottles made of polycarbonate plastic. These plastics contain particularly harmful chemicals.
* Instead of buying water in plastic bottles, test your tap water and use an appropriate water filter if necessary.
* Avoid vinyl and fake leather (PVC) products.
* Do not buy cosmetics that contain phthalates (a harmful plasticizer) or fragrances (which often contain phthalates), especially nail polish, perfumes, lipstick and hairspray.

If buying plastic:

* Look for the recycling code (#1-7) on plastic bottles. If unlabeled, call the manufacturer to ask about the plastic used.
* Buy recyclable (#1 PETE and #2 HDPE) and least toxic (#1 PETE, #2 HDPE, #4 LDPE, and #5 PP). Try to avoid #3 PVC, #6 PS, and #7 polycarbonate.
* Choose the least-packaged option; for instance, buy in bulk.

Get Rid Of The Old, Bring In The New

* Recycle or discard plastic bottles and food storage containers that are worn, scratched, or cannot be identified. Replace these at regular intervals (every 6 months).

Protect Your Children

* Avoid dental sealants, which may contain the hormone-disrupting chemical bisphenol-A, for children’s baby teeth.

Know Your Way Around The Kitchen

* Do not heat plastics, especially if they contain fatty foods. Heating fatty food in plastics can cause greater leaching.
* Microwave in glass or ceramic only. Do not use plastic wraps.
* Do not use plastic cutlery and dinnerware.
* If using plastic storage containers, make sure hot food items have cooled before placing them in the container.

Little Ones Welcome at Olive and Bean
April 21, 2008
Olive & Bean, a home and baby boutique, is getting ready to welcome you and your little ones to a wonderfully unique shopping experience. With doors open for business in July, Olive & Bean will carry designer baby and toddler clothing, USA and European made toys, sustainable children’s furniture, pure botanical skincare for all ages, and luxurious bedding and bath textiles for babies and adults.
The store interior is going to be fresh and modern, and Olive & Bean’s “little bean” collection includes only the most stylish, healthy and innovative products available, from fun, bright bedding, furniture and decor to modern play clothes, toys, baby skincare and more.
Kids are welcome, and encouraged to come along! Olive & Bean plans to host story-times, music sing-a-longs, and more.
Owner, Alina Anderson, reveals that this isn’’t the stuff you’’ll find everywhere else. She states “”We search high and low to discover the most stylish and most ooh and ahh-inducing products on the planet.”

“When you start to dream outside the box, even the most loving, well meaning people in your life will barrage you with all the reasons you should stop, turn on your heels and run, back to the safety and security of the known and familiar. When you are ready to really move forward, this type of reaction will not wound you, phase you, anger you or dissuade you. When you are ready, nothing will be able to hold you back any longer…you will soar.” Read more…