.

This is not just a tot trend, this is a trend all around and I would be happy if anyone of these came in my size. Ponchos have always been a favorite for tots because they look like capes and what little kid doesn't dream of being a super hero? Ponchos actually do a very good job of keeping them warm and the bonus is, when unbuttoned it becomes a convenient blanket for when they fall asleep. These are the most adorable of the bunch but look for similar styles that are sure to crop up at The Gap and the likes.

The Gucci Knit Poncho ($295) is beautifully knitted with varied cable details. This style does not have openings for the arms so if your tot is active you can keep the bottom buttons open. At Saks Fifth Avenue
.

Burberry's Cabled Poncho ($235) gives you the option of sticking out the arms or not. The pockets have buttons for versatile wear. The looser fit might not be as chic but for a tot function is key. At Saks Fifth Avenue.

My favorite of the bunch is a whole coat and then some. The Anne Kurris Mouse Cape ($150) comes with a faux fur trimmed hood and super cute mouse design on the pockets. This has got to be the best thing ever made for a tot! And the price is the best of the bunch. This is a truly unique design that will be cherished forever, imagine all the great pictures of your tot in this! She will not soon forget this and either will you. At Barneys New York.

I'm in France on a family vacation and boy would this have come in handy!! There is the 12 hour plane ride followed by hours on end of driving around Provence looking at amazing sites but I can do without the whining in between the villages, Roman ruins and the Popes' palaces. The travel case attaches to the headrest of the seat in front of you on planes and cars. You do have to excuse yourself while you borrow a sliver of the headrest of the person in front of you, which doesn't really bother them and I'm sure they will appreciate the quiet that's sure the ensue soon after. For multiple viewers, the straps can be extended so it reaches across 2 seats making it right in the middle for everyone's enjoyment. It fits a DVD player or a 10" notebook computer. If you have a case for your iPad it will also fit in there although I worry about the stability. There is an outer compartment to hold DVD's and cords. Great for home use, too, for $29.99 it sure beats getting an entertainment system installed in your car for thousands of dollars! And you have the option to NOT have it in there. At Amazon.

Now your tot will not leave his backpack again! His Lego pieces and dinosaur figures will stay safely on him no matter what. Well, I'm not sure how functional the backpack really is, but it will hold at least a few small items. This is such an original idea! I like that the designer fully committed to this concept by showing the shoulder straps in the front as well. Just make sure you check the pack before you throw it in the wash! At Zandino on sale for $31.99 - $33.99, depending on size. Limited sizes left.

I had a Lexus LX70, I bought it in anticipation of kids before I was even married! It was such a good car, my kids and the rest of my family were very well protected in it (my mom got in an accident and only surface damage was done, to her and the car!). But after 11 years the car needed to retire and I began a long and comprehensive research for the next family car. Safety was my biggest concern, with convenience being a distant second, but in the end, I got the best of both with the Audi Q7.

MY REQUIREMENTS

My requirements were, as I said, safety (high crash test rating, plentiful of airbags, rear crash protection), ability to seat 7, 3rd row with Latch, rear camera (little kids in school parking lot means a lot of stress when backing out), budget of $50,000 (which is what prevented me from getting another Lexus LX70), and Bluetooth connection (which is actually a safety measure!). Check out the video of the crash test, it's quite impressive and gives me peace of mind.

CONS

Believe it or not, vanity was not what kept me from a minivan. For convenience, there is nothing like it. But the rear crash rating did not meet my standards so it was crossed off my list of cars. I wish the Q7 has all the nifty features designed for parents like the snack compartment above the glove compartment, the storage below the floor, the concave trunk space for extra storage, and the biggest draw of the minivan - getting to the third row from between the second row captain seats. In fact, the ability to go from the passenger seat all the way to the third row while in motion is HUGE especially if you have young tots.

THE THIRD ROW

The Q7 is great for my stage of parenthood, just past toddlers. They are more independent and my 6 year old is in a booster and is able to buckle the seat belt by herself. This is important because the third row is not very accessible so when I put her back there, she needs to know how to buckle herself in. The third row is also very tight, at least for adults. The second row folds back to reach the third row, but the space created is very small (see photos of my 6 year old sitting in the back and getting out, on jump page). There is a true foot well but it's short, as is the leg room. It is not an option for adults and is not a good option for those who need the third row on a daily basis. I just need it for playdates and extended family while they're in town. But the greatest feature about the third row is - there are LATCHES! The latches are placed closer together than normal so my CLEK with the rigid Latch does not work. There are not many cars with Latch in the third row.

WHAT I LOVE

Other than the safety ratings and the fact that the third row has Latches, there are so many things I love about this car. It drives like a dream. I am a BMW girl and I'm not saying this drives like a BMW but it is German engineered so it has the tight steering and control. The supercharged engine makes the full size feel like a roadster. It is only a V6 but it has serious zip when you hit the gas, it rambles up mountains like nothing and speeds up without the slightest effort.

This is one of those things that seem so simple and obvious, yet no one else has thought of it. The Sugarbooger feeding collection is your basic melamine bowls, plates and cups but the sippy cups and the bowls have a very smart feature. The sippy cup has an easy top meant for teaching your tot to transition to regular cups - and the cup is a regular cup when the top is off! So now you won't have a cabinet full of sippy cups when they no longer use them!! And the bowl - hello, when has your tot ever finished a meal? This keeps their food kinda fresh while covered until they are ready to graze some more. This is also a great way to prepare food in advance and keep it in the fridge especially for things like fruit. And obviously for leftovers (which dad finishes when he gets home!). The designs are super cute and they are dishwasher safe, without cracking after prolonged use!! Non-toxic, BPA-free, PVC-free and lead free. Covered bowl is $17.87 , ABC Sippy Cups are $9.83 , and Matryoshka Doll Cups are $10.32 .

Strictly milk and water is not cutting it at my house anymore. Now that my tots are bigger, they have discovered that other people are drinking different things, specifically, soda. I don't even like to give juice to my tots because of all the refined sugar and my pediatric dentist specifically sites apple juice as promoting cavities. Yes, I cave and they have learned to love Coke and Sprite but I refuse to stock these items at home. So what's a mom to do? Thanks to my favorite vegetarian restaurant (which I'm NOT!), I learned to make a soft drink that is so incredibly delicious and absolutely healthy!! In fact, my variation is even healthier because I use honey instead of agave nectar. There is debate as to the goodness of agave nectar, but from what I read, it is so processed that the actual chemistry of the agave has been changed during the production so it is in fact higher in fructose than honey, 90% to be exact.

My recipe could not be easier.

1 bottle of club soda
1 lemon
1 lime
1 orange (or any combination of 2 fruits but I like to include orange because it adds natural sweetness)
2 tbsp of honey (or to taste)

Serves 4

Spoon honey in a pitcher, add the club soda and squeeze the juice of all the fruit. Stir and serve. If you have a Citrus Squeezer this should take you all of 5 minutes. A great treat for the whole family and is only 80 good calories per serving, mostly from the honey. I'm sure you have these ingredients readily available so make it right away!

We didn't make tweens the way they do now. I was an awkward tween, still growing out of my tomboy stage and not quite grasping the idea of being a girly girl (and I'm still not a girly girl!!). My memories of those years are mostly of really embarrassingly bad fashion and fortunately for posterity's sake, we didn't have digital cameras at the ready to document all the epic fashion fails. But tweens these days are way sophisticated!! Their choices as are vast as adults' and the styles are very similar as well. What, no dungarees? They are actually way ahead of the curve so the current look of blousy tops was on the radar long ago. As with the colorblock look. Ella Girl has their pulse on what is up with this age group and not only am I loving it, I am taking note for my own wardrobe!! Chiffon Print Top $68 and Colorblocked Knit Dress $62, at Saks Fifth Avenue.

With cuteness and style to spare, now you will also be spared of major change with this amazing The Mini Social sale on this cool Australian brand. I love everything and can pretty much order all of it, I have nieces and nephews and birthday presents to buy so this is a great opportunity for me to stock up!

Sydney frill top-watermelon dress is $26.

Moscow track suit set is $55.

Antarctica hoodie is $36.

Brisbane jeans are $36.

Start shopping at The Mini Social.

Joe Fresh, a Canadian clothing and accessories line from Toronto, features a kids' collection of cool styles at incredible prices that will launch in the U.S. in October! Their first store will be in Bridgewater, NJ and opens on October 13th. There are more than a few fabulous pieces for boys especially (I'm always looking out for Tina!).

I'm in love with the fleece cardigan with its big buttons and pockets, and the herringbone tweed vest sporting a stand-up collar and snaps. The quality is great and the look is expensive - but the prices are not! The hipster knee-patch jeans (and those are some knee patches!) for just $16 look like you bought them at Barneys for ten times that! And the graphic tee is just a graphic tee, but it's cute and only $8! Joe Fresh has it all, and it certainly doesn't break the bank. Be on the lookout to give your boy a fresh fall update.

Fleece Cardigan at Joe Fresh for $16.

Knee Patch Jean at Joe Fresh for $16.

Tweed Vest at Joe Fresh for $29.

Graphic Tee at Joe Fresh for $8.

The same inventor of the clever Trunki Ride On Suitcase has now come up with the most ingenious invention to hit the car booster seat market ever. (Unfortunately, it is not yet available in the U.S., but more on that later).

The Trunki BoostApack is a booster and backpack all in one. The hardshell is a seat that also doubles as backpack storage. The straps of the backpack sit neatly and discreetly under the seat when in booster mode; unzip the top to reveal the seat, and fold out the armrests where the seat belt loops under. What a great idea! No more forgoing the booster just because of the extra hassle (especially since more and more states are making it a law for kids under 8 years old or 4 feet 9 inches tall to sit in a booster seat.

The BoostApack is ideal for all those situations other than the perfect day (which is never): it's great to use in your second car, grandparents' car, car pools, play dates - you get the idea! And since tots always carry a backpack anyway, having the booster readily available is a bonus right from the heavens! But, like I said, it is not available in the U.S., and trust me, I tried ordering from all the UK sites.

The Boostapack is £44.99 which is around $73; but the one company that will deliver to me costs $326 for shipping! So, that's not an option. I will update when it is available in US.