I love cake, you love cake. Pretty much anyone who lives, breathes and possesses tastebuds loves cake. And when you have such an extraordinary event like the welcoming a new baby into your life, you want to celebrate the moment with not with one of those plain sheet cakes but with a really fancy schmany unforgettable baked delight.

At my own baby shower, we opted for a Swedish Princess cake. A green fondant covered rounded oval that featured cream and strawberry jam layers. Our cake wasn’t embellished with any kind of baby, rubber duckie or wooden block images on it. It was just simple, sweet and best of all, delicious.

There are oodles of cake options out there for a baby shower. There’s the extreme – like the baby shaped confection that just reeks of cannibalism or the ultrasound cake, which is just bizarre. But you can get a “this is a baby shower” statement cake in a attractive, attention getting and memorable without the refrains of “I’ll have a piece with your unborn child’s foot.” Unless they’re in pea pod form like the one above, but that was is just too cute not to include. Here are 6 six of the best shower cake designs that look as if they’d be not just a feast for the eyes but would satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth.

(the Pea Pod cake above was by Designer Cakes By April here).

Pink Cake Box in New Jessey makes really stunning cakes, so stunning that I had to include three of them in this round up…yeah, they’re that good. Here is their fancy Hermes Handbag as diaper bag cake.

This traditional yet still modern and stunning cake is by Berliosca Cake Boutique in Vancouver, BC. Lovely.

This one by Pink Cake Box is evidently for the shopaholic mom-to-be with its’ mini renderings of Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale shopping bags. But ya gotta love the carefree leg kick.

Instead of using the human form for this shower cake, Pink Cake Box went with the blue bird hovering over her nest of eggs. Very sweet.

And this one is apparently easy enough for the home baker to accomplish. The baby block cakes are featured on Martha Stewart’s Living website where you can get a instructions on making these yourself. Check it out here.

My best friend just had a baby. Now I’m on the constant hunt for cool, itty-bitty rompers to gift her. In the spirit of summer, I found three to love right now.

Old Skool Bike: Nothing says summer better than a long bike ride through the neighborhood. A black-lined banana-seat bike is printed on a white romper fit for a boy or girl. The collar, arms and legs are trimmed in black for a baseball tee/vintage-cool look. If all little eyes are on your baby at the play-date, don’t be surprised–the black and white contrast, coupled with the simple bike design is visibly stimulating to developing eyes. $26, Babywit.com

Big Wave Surfer: Dressed in this romper, your baby boy will be hanging ten for sure! This 100% cotton onesie features a baby in footed jammies sucking on a pacifier and sporting a so-cool teddy bear backpack. Foam-trimmed waves curl overhead as he charges the shore, probably to eat sand then cry about it! $17.95, theretrobaby.com

Ooh la la Mama Baby Luau: All she’s missing is a grass skirt (and virgin Pina Colada), but no worries, she’ll be cooler (in every sense) without it. The white romper features a collage of black and white orchids, protea flowers and tuberoses, with a few hot pink buds that pop and provide just enough sassy color. $38, sandboxcouture.com

As a mom to an almost three-year-old, we sure do eat a lot of ice cream in our house. Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, chocolate chip mint, peach–I serve up scoops and seconds dotted with sprinkles almost every night now that summer is in full swing. To make dessert extra special for my little guy, just like I collect coffee mugs for my java fix–I started shopping around for special ice cream bowls. Here are three I can’t wait to eat out of:

• Melamine Scoops Bowl: The white round bowl holds 20 oz of the good stuff. The sugar-cone and blue, green and orange scoops design is topped off with a pink cherry. As sweet as ice cream, the graphic looks like something your kiddo drew! $12, etsy.com
  

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• Waffle Cone Bowl: Looks like it sounds–delicious. This bowl is shaped like a golden waffle cup. The ridge is lined with dark brown, drippy chocolate. Choose from orange, blue, green or yellow centers–but go ahead and mix-and-match when it comes to filling these bowls up with real scoops! $6, surlatable.com

• Cute Brutes Ice Cream Bowl & Spoon: This clear bowl sits on black and white spotted cow legs and is mooing for you to fill it up with some ice cream. Bonus: It comes with a quirky cow spoon that your tot will love to self-feed with. On-sale now for $4.99, famousfoods.com

There are books that you will never forget. Books that through countless readings seamlessly become part of your genetic makeup. Books that impress, inspire and influence the mind.  And some of the most important tomes of our lives just happen to be the picture books or novelettes of our childhood. Not pieces by  Satre, Camus or Hesse but rather Dahl, Scarry and Sendak.  Just the mention of these timeless classics instantly brings back memories to young and old alike.

Pat the Bunny, I am Bunny and the Fancy Nancy are just a few of the titles my daughter and I have read again, again and yet again. Although as she gets older, we probably won’t read them as often…if ever, they will always have a place in our hearts.

Artist Jane Mount has captured important titles of the kid set in her portrait series called the Ideal Bookshelf. Along with depictions of the spines of cookbooks and novels, the most eye catching and sentimental are her children’s books spine portraits. The piece Ideal Bookshelf 1, JMM features the artist’s own personal favorite children’s titles, ones that are beloved by my daughter and I as well. Madeline, Olivia, Richard Scarry’s What Do People Do All Day and of course Goodnight Moon, are among those that are included. Perfect for framing, these prints are sweet, sentimental and a perfect way to honor storytime of today or yesterday.

You can pick them up here, they are all limited editions, for $20 for a 8” x 10”, $50 for a 11” x 14”, and $200 for the 16” x 20” editions.

P’kolino’s new toys are classic toys with a fun surprise. The Nesting Birds fit inside each other like traditional nesting dolls, but they also rock and balance alone and inside each other. At the center of the owls is a treat – an egg with a colored stripe from each owl.

Plump is a funny little dude that toddlers create themselves from different colored rings and felt shapes. Not just another stacking toy, Plump allows toddlers to use their imagination and design endless configurations.

The new puzzles are unlike traditional puzzles because there isn’t one way of putting the shapes together. Toddlers can create their very own robot using the simple shapes with vibrant colors. The puzzle is also available as a colorful, friendly bug.

Promoting individuality and creative thinking, P’kolino’s new toys offers toddlers the opportunity to use their imagination, problem solve, learn about sizes and shapes and strengthen fine motor skills. With contemporary colors and natural wood, these beautiful toys are a delight. Truth be told, I would be happy to use them to decorate my daughter’s room, but they are a blast to play with, too. Let’s go play!

Once in a while something so incredibly simple and small makes me swoon. Like the first baby tooth my son brought me, complete with his new crooked smile.  I get giddy over brightly colored toothpicks and brand new crayons with pointy ends. Yes, simplicity is fun. When I discovered these retrolicious, fabric covered, boutique buttons, I fell in love in a big way.

These little gems are perfect for sewing, scrapbooking and add pizazz to an infinite amount of craft projects. They are handmade by Etsy seller, aimoobaroo, from high-quality Japanese import fabric. These delicate, playful buttons feature shank/loop backs. From cupcakes to frogs to patterns and dolls. Go ahead, start drooling now. The best part is a pack retails for $6. What fun!

My three-year-old had her first nightmare recently and it was about monsters. Now, every night she calls me back with, “Mommy? No monsters?” “No, monsters, Charlotte. Good night!”(Repeat the same question and answer many times.) So, I have been on the hunt for friendly monsters to calm her anxiety at bedtime.

Monsieur Tse Tse is a French monster with a smile that stretches from ear to ear and an even bigger heart. Loveable for toddlers and, since he’s made from organic cotton with embroidered eyes, Monsieur is ideal for the youngest tots. This happy guy is 10” and almost resembles a pillow. Monsier Tse Tse is handmade in Montreal by Petites Mains, who donates 10% of their profits to UNICEF. He comes in a beautiful cardboard house illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault, an illustrator from Quebec.

I can imagine my little girl snuggling him all night and her monster nightmares turning into dreams of Monsieur Tse Tse. Yes, I can hear it now. “Good night, Charlotte. Good night, Monsieur Tse Tse!” and silence. Beautiful, silence!

In our house we read about six books a night. Some may peg this to my almost-three-year-old son, JD’s, attempt to prolong bedtime. I admit, though, I love reading to him–especially when there’s learning involved. Animal Soup, a flap book, by Todd H. Doodler is currently on the menu and it’s delicious and chock full of animals, colors and giggle-worthy text and art. It will no doubt demand a second helping–I mean reading. Pages are splashed with bright and bubbly graphics and questions that will get your toddlers thinking and talking. Page one asks: “What would I be if I had wings to fly?” and is accompanied by a supporting image of a blue bird. The next page wonders: “But walked very slowly instead?” and shows a big-eyed turtle with a vivid yellow belly. That page has a sturdy pull-up flap that your toddler can manage. It reveals a new page with text that reads: “Bird + Turtle = Birdle.” The art is silly–a blue bird wearing a turtle shell.

The rest of the book features the same structure and will quiz your kiddo on animals, colors and no doubt serve up big laughs when the animals are coupled together to create a flamonkey, squale and croctopus in…Animal Soup, $8.79, amazon.com

Burgers on the grill. Cold beer. Sun hats, swim diapers and sunscreen. Lazy days by the pool. (Or if you have youngsters like me, exhausting hours chasing your wild toddlers around the pool.) Ready or not, summer is almost in full swing.

I remember when I was a kid, one of the best parts about summertime was the 4th of July. We had a big family picnic and always got to see a stunning firework display. We also got to wear outrageously tacky red, white and blue outfits. Why? Because back in those days the tackier you looked, the more patriotic you appeared! When I was in college, the most patriotic attire one could wear was an American flag bikini. Times have changed and might I add, whew.

Take a look at these five goodies and capture the spirit of the 4th of July in sensational style:

Check out the adorable Liberty Romper for baby girl. Retails for $38 at Chasing Fireflies.

This Peppermint Seersucker Dress for toddlers & little girls is breezy, bright & fun. Retails for $64 at Chasing Fireflies and ships on 6/12.

Grab a pair of patriotic Star Swim Trunks for your stylish guy. Retails for $30 at Chasing Fireflies.

Forget the flag motif this year. She’ll be parade-ready in this sweet Ric Rac Tiered Dress for babies & toddlers. Retails for $23 at Gymboree.

Baby girl will be comfy and cool in this Madras Bloomer Set from Ralph Lauren. Retails for $35 at Ralph Lauren.

My 16-month-old is getting over his first stomach virus (and, naturally, so is the rest of the house), which has been both heart wrenching and time-consuming — what with all the cuddles and kisses and vomit cleaning. Apart from the standard stomach virus staples — toast, Pedialyte and a mega-dose of love — there are a few things I was glad to have (and wish I had) on hand to make his tummy feel less ouchie. Because, apart from the essentials, sometimes sick kids just need a smile.

Ice packs are a non-negotiable toddler must-have for much more than fever reduction. (I can’t even count the number of bloody lips and goose-egged heads since he became mobile.) While any cold object will do the trick, we love the “I’M OK!” cold pack (and first-aid kit) from Mini First Aid. Even though I wanted to get him the way-cooler pirate pack, he smiles and blows kisses to the “bea!” (Shown above.) Girls might go gaga for the pink princess pack, as well.

See more picks after the jump.

We all know sick kids should get more fluids during a stomach virus — or any sickness, really — which isn’t always an easy feat. Enter a solution: These connectable DIY Drink Strawz from Think Geek are an ingenious way to ensure sick kids suck down fluids. You can even build a contraption that drinks from two (or more) cups at once. (Where were these in college, right?) If that doesn’t get them to drink up, nothing will.

Because sometimes kids need a little soothing warmth, the warm insert in this Sleepy Soothing Sheep from Haba is a comforting friend for stomach aches. I remember seeing this little guy at the Toy Fair a few months back and being enamored with its softness.

This washable Color Me Elephant from Zid Zid Kids will be the perfect antidote to bed-rest boredom once my son is old enough to flex his creative muscles. And then when he’s done with his creation, he’ll have a special sick-time friend to keep him company. Or, for the time being, I could use my crafty ways to decorate and personalize the elephant for his very own Get Well lovie.

What do you think? Share what makes your sick kids smile!