Local Treat (No Tricks!)

Halloween is here and perhaps some of you have left the kids' costume thing until the last minute, or maybe you've got a picky pal who is flat out refusing to wear the Bumble Bee costume you picked up weeks ago. Whatever your situation, there is an amazing resource in Schenectady that offers locally designed and produced kids' costumes, and its going to blow your mind. I bet you're thinking of the Costumer....wrong!!! Not that the Costumer doesn't rock, it does but Beastly Buddies (www.beastlybuddies.com) specializes in kids dress up outfits and Halloween costumes. Run by Ann Teekle, BB has been in business for over 23 years and offers an amazing selection of well made outfits that will delight your kid, and hold up for years to come.

So, if you're in the market for some last-minute costume goodness, stop by Anne's factory store at 301 Nott Street, 3rd Floor in Schenectady. Hours are: Thursday or Friday fro 3:30 to 6:30, Saturday 10-3 or Halloween day from 12-3. Costumes are in the neighborhood of $20-30, and made of quality materials that will last well beyond All Hallow's Eve. Boo!

Handy

I have been obsessed with fingerless gloves in all forms since my days in NYC, where I always needed fingers free to pull out a metrocard, dial my prehistoric cel phone or turn the pages of a book while waiting for the bus. They've come a long way from the hobo-esque ragwool version with the fingers cut off (although those work just fine too) and my latest obsession are the ones without any real fingers at all, save for the thumb. So toasty and practical, perfect for re-zipping a kid's jacket, fetching keys from a pocket or tying a shoe. I've seen wonderful styles in cashmere and wool on Etsy, and just found these fleece-lined babies in the Sundance catalog, which I love all the more because they come in black.

On the Run

I must interrupt my normal shopping yammering to talk about style on the run and show you these very cool and funny running shirts that my friends at Run Like a Mother are producing. I am so far from a running badass (you can't really be a badass at 10 minutes a mile) but I will be attempting to run a 15k race next month (9.3 miles). This will be the longest distance I've run since the last time I ran this race, 13 years ago, long before children and other hefty responsibilities, and I will be wearing this shirt, proudly (although my boobs won't look quite as good as the model's). If you run, or know any badass mother runners, check out the book and the shirts. They're really pretty sweet.

File Under: Hell No

They're baaaaaacckk. Stirrup pants. As if they weren't bad enough the first time around. Even worse, one of the style sites that I actually like is actually recommending them, because they stay nice and tucked in to boots of all heights. That is so far from a good enough reason to resurrect this awful trend - you know the one that everyone swore would never come back because it was so heinous the first time around?

So, what's a girl to do instead about the whole tuckage issue? For starters, only tuck pants that are super fitted, dare I say skinny, or else you'll end up looking like a pirate. Another idea - how about mitten clips for your pants? Really! These are a much more reasonable solution, and can be used on all of your pants... and then you can actually take your boots (and your stirrups) off without looking like a complete fool.

Best of the Best

I have a love-hate relationship with Babble -- the parenting site/blog/etc that has, in the past, projected an uber-sanctimonious vibe, and taken itself a bit too seriously. That said, every so often they offer some decent content, and a few good ideas. Falling squarely into the latter category is their recent 50 Best Design Blogs for Moms. Its a great list broken down into gear blogs, home blogs, and my personal favorite - mom and kids style blogs. Most of which are new to me with the exception of the ever wonderful and always helpful LA Stylist Mom (props!). If you're in a rut - whether its what to get your progeny/crew for an upcoming birthday or how to get your groove back, at least as far as your wardrobe is concerned, take a look, you might be pleasantly surprised.