With the 2008 Summer Olympics beginning next week, now is the perfect time to teach your kids all about the cherished tradition, the history of the games and all the fun sports they may not already know about. You could even find Beijing on a world map together, look up kid-friendly articles about the Olympics in National Geographic Kids or create some homemade flags and streamers to wave while you watch the games at home.

To really get in the spirit of the games, throw a Summer Olympics Party! You can easily transform these patriotic summer party invitations to reflect your Olympic theme. Then, set up fun relay races for kids and parents alike, and hand out ribbons and homemade medals to all the participants. Head over to the park and try pairing classic games like three-legged races, marshmallow eating contests and limbo with traditional track and field contests like the long jump, a Frisbee shot put toss and a team relay race.

By highlighting the fun of Olympic sports, the history of the games and the amazing way that athletes from all over the world come together for one spectacular event, you might just inspire your little ones to run, jump or shot put for the stars!

Meet Ethan - Our adorable baby of the week!

• Ethan’s favorite book is “The Wheels on the Bus”
• His favorite song is “Itsy Bitsy Spider”
• His favorite toys are his Thomas Train Set and Elmo
  
• He loves to sing with his baby guitar
• And, his mommy loves Tiny Prints holiday cards, birth announcements and birthday invitations

To submit your baby’s photos for our adorable baby feature, email blog@tinyprints.com.

I recently discovered Romp in a blog post by Tiny Prints designer Oh Joy! and I fell in love! Romp is an online store that was founded on the idea of offering toys that stand the test of time. Today, the store also features a line of home decor items for adults.

We love Romp’s bold colors & fun animal motifs. If you are inspired by any of the images below, you may also like some of our birth announcements and birthday invitations from DwellStudio and MiGi Style.

Taking a picture of your pet can be difficult. Here are a few tricks and ideas on how to get the best shot of your furry friend.

1. Be prepared and patient. It might be hard at first, but keep persevering. The good thing about digital cameras is that you can take several shots, and the more you take, the more you’ll be able to choose from later. Bring treats and toys to help get your pet’s attention.

2. Take the shot from their eye level. You might have to sit or lie down to take the photo from their eye level, but the beautiful photos you’ll get will be worth it.

3. Let them be the center of attention. Photos look better when they are filled with only your pet. Get close to your dog or cat, or use the zoom function on your camera to let them fill the frame.

4. Minimize red eye. I always have this problem when photographing my bunny or my dog. To prevent red eye from happening, use natural light or turn off the flash function on your camera.

5. For more information, check out, “Learn How to Take Great Photos of Your Dog” by Sarah Dawn. For a video on how to get them in the right position see, “How to Take Your Dog’s Picture” by Eric Letendre.

After you’ve got the best shot, show it off with one of these adorable Photo Dog Announcements from Tiny Prints.

Some friends of mine recently had Liam, an adorable little baby boy. With bright blond hair and big blue eyes, he was born a Southern California surfer dude–and his dad can’t wait for the day he picks up a board for the first time! In preparation for that day, Liam’s parents have a closet full of cute onesies sporting their favorite surf, skate and rock logos, like these from Trendy Tadpole, The Retro Baby and Little Ruler.

If you spent every summer of your adolescence catching waves, grinding rails or rocking out with your garage band, this is your chance to pass the good times on to your little one. These rock, surf and skate-inspired designs will give your new baby a radical little sense of style. Rock on, little dudes and dudettes!

Giving birth means not only getting a new baby and gifts for the newborn, but also a little something for the new mommy. Kind of like how you got each other gifts on your wedding day, “push presents” are small tokens for a new mother’s hard work of “pushing through labor.” An article entitled, “‘Push presents’ catch on as a reward for having a baby” discusses this rapidly growing trend, revealing that 38% of new mothers have received one. Even sites such as Parents.com have their own top ten list of Push Presents–number 4 being this lovely Lullaby Swivel Glider from Pottery Barn Kids.

Also known as “baby bauble, ” push gifts traditionally tend to be jewelry, but a lot of people (especially the husbands) have mixed reactions to this new custom. While some husbands happily give in to this trend to express their appreciation and understanding for what their wives have gone through, others feel that these gifts are unnecessary and costly.

An alternative offered by a New York Times article called, “A Bundle of Joy Isn’t Enough?” is to hold back on expensive jewelry and instead offer more help as a father, or to hire someone to help.

What do YOU think?

Prepare to banish white walls and dreary drapes! Decor8, the super chic blog full of stunning interior design inspiration, relaunched this week with brand new features and a charming new look. If you’ve never checked out this delightful design website before, now is the time to get creative in your home with these stylish tips and tricks.

In addition to the adorable new look, the site has an amazing new blogroll, a list of cute shops organized by location and an amazing “Faves” section with every kind of design inspiration you could ask for. Here are just a few of the site’s founder Holly Becker’s favorite rooms to get your creativity flowing!

Maternity clothes used to be as sloppy and bulky as a potato bag, but nowadays there are a lot of designers creating maternity wear that will make any pregnant woman feel modern, hip and stylish. Here are a few gorgeous designer styles that I love: Girasole Silk Dress from BabyStyle, Target Swing Top by Liz Lange, tie front cardigan from A Pea in the Pod, and Merino Open Jacket Sweater and Bubble Top by Japanese Weekend.

And after you’ve found the perfect outfit, why not show it off with one of Tiny Prints’ sweet and equally stylish Pregnancy Announcements and Story Cards?

With answers, bargains and even celebrity dish, BabyCenter offers the ABCs of being a mom or dad. But the site’s advice goes far beyond the basics–these writers offer tips for everything from getting pregnant to dealing with a nine year old child. They even offer a “For You” section that has advice on maintaining balance in your grown-up relationships, finding healthy recipes and tips for traveling with kids.

I heard about baby center through a friend whose spunky and adorable little girl has recently learned the word “No!” and isn’t afraid to use it. This stylish mom loves their email newsletters, which use information about her daughter that she stored on the site to send email alerts that are specific to her stage of development. Like the Tiny Prints email newsletter, the site offers tips and bargains, along with advice on hot topics like how to handle biting, a timeline of when she should start using utensils and an ongoing list of the number of words she should understand. One recent email announced, “You have one year, two weeks, four days and seven hours left of the terrible twos!”

I also love their ultra-friendly celebrity parent column, FameBaby. It’s all the fun of celebrity gossip presented in a family friendly way. Last week they highlighted Maggie Gyllenhaal as the “Haute Mommy” of the week for her stellar style and devotion to her one year-old daughter, Ramona.

This site is a great resource for parents, whether you are looking for a little celebrity dish, trying out some healthy family recipes or just wondering when your little tot can handle a fork and spoon on their own!

There are so many cool things you can get for kids these days. One new idea I love is creating your own personalized children’s book. Your child can be a first mate on a ship or a sprite in a forest–either way they’ll be star characters in their own book. All you need to do is upload their photos. Check out flattenme.com for more information.

I See Me! is another company that does fun personalized gifts such as books, puzzles and plates. Kids love to feel extra special, and these unique gifts are sure to do the trick. They may even be perfect for the big kids in your life as well.