It is hard to believe that we are only days away from June and the middle of the year and harder still to believe that my Finny has now officially become a toddler. Much like every other mother I shed a small tear and lamented about where time goes but not without a large celebration to mark this momentous moment in my little mans life. In the pursuit of the perfect day we held a cowboy extravaganza that let's face it required more planning and organisation than our wedding! As with a wedding things never quite work out the way that you plan and this was evident when the mini cowboy started vomitting less than twelve hours before the arrival of his cowboy pals. The icing of the cake ceased and the party was cancelled.

As is often the case with babies and illness he made a miraculous recovery at 2.00am in the morning and used our bed as his own private amusement park! Needless to say the show went on, a wonderful time was had by all and Wil enthusiastically woke the following morning to advise me that today was in fact his birthday and he would like a giraffe party - if anybody has a clue what goes on at a giraffe party I welcome all information hehehehehehe.

May has also seen a hive of activity for the site with the introduction of the Birthday Club.  If you haven't signed up your little monkey/s yet then please do - we would love to help them celebrate their birthday with a personalised card and gift each year.

What's new? It would be remiss of me to not include all fabulous new finds in  this blog so here goes -

Fairydust Design - As the saying goes it takes a village to raise a child and after my most recent experience I now believe that same village may need to assist with party planning! It is with this in mind that I share with you one of my secret weapons.

When I started looking for invitations for Fin's party I struggled to find anything that was cowboy related or attractive - that was until Toni from Fairydust Design came along. Toni created exquisite invites for Fin's birthday along with noodles boxes for the kids to take home and thank you cards to send after the event. I sent out Fin's invites and was inundated with calls about where people could get them - in some cases they even forgot to RSVP they were so sidetracked by the invites!

I am very happy to report that you can now order Toni's fabulous birthday invites, birth announcements, baby shower invites, noodle boxes and thank you cards from Monkey Caboose. Toni has created some exclusive designs just for us and can also create your very own invite if you have a particular theme in mind. The quality is exceptional and believe me they make quite the impression on family and friends!

David Fussenegger - We have a fantastic new range of pram and cot blankets due to arrive this week from the David Fussenegger range. I have tried my best to accomodate all tastes with this tempting lot of luxurious and fun blankets for your baby or toddler and can highly recommend them as they have always been my blanket of choice for both of my boys due to their style and durability.

Under the Nile - In our quest to bring you all things eco friendly and fabulous we have sourced some delightful clothing and accessories from Under the Nile that are due to arrive this week. This range is certified 100% organic, beatifully designed and made and features some fantastic natural toys filled with organic cotton in the form of your little ones favourite fruit and vegies.

Alimrose Designs - Always adorable the Alimrose collection has something for everybody and this month we have extended our range to include Pirates, Bunnies and Mice. These toys and bibs make the perfect gift and we have created some fabulous new gift cases for this very purpose. I warn you though they are all so cute you may find yourself keeping them for your own little monkey!

There is plenty more coming so stay tuned and happy shopping!

Casey

In the name of research and all things Caboose I found myself at the Toy Hobby and Nursery Fair on Monday or more aptly heaven for anybody small or young at heart. The fair showcases thousands of new and exciting products with over 200 exhibitors and I now understand the potential implications of taking either one of my sons to a toy shop in the near future! I must warn you that the dazzling array of tempting toys on display may mean parting with some hard earned cash but from what I have seen it may well be worth it.

So what did we find for you whilst we were there?

Le Toy Van

Established in the UK in 1995 Le Toy Van has developed an exciting collection of unique wooden toys based on traditional concepts. What caught my attention about this fantastic label is the attention to detail and quality of the toys. Not only are they aesthetically pleasing but they are also highly functional and provide a fantastic base for your child's imaginative play time.

All of the lovely products below will arrive in store next week so be quick to order as I am sure that they will not last long.

 

 

I am off now but if you have not already checked out our Autumn sale specials then it is worth the effort as a lot of the products have significant discounts.

Enjoy your day

Casey :)

I am sure I am not alone when lamenting over the number of times that I have watched Jup-jup steal something from an unsuspecting Kathleen/Sun and wonder why she just doesn't get it. You can imagine my delight when during a recent business dinner I found myself sitting across from a lady considered royalty in our house - Sarah Boot. For those mums out there who have watched enough episodes of Hi 5 the name may well be familiar. Sarah was one of the original writers on Hi 5 and is responsible for many of the tunes you no doubt find yourself singing throughout the course of the day or that seem to stick in your mind as you are trying to go to sleep at night! Sarah is also responsible for the charming and fun filled stories at story time that have no doubt occupied little minds and given many mums respite.

 

I have no doubt that Sarah may have regretted telling me about her work on Hi 5 as my barrage of questions continued to flow but I did manage to get to the bottom of the Jup-jup/Kathleen/Sun situation. It would seem that our little people like to think they know something we don't and as long as that is the case Jup-jup will continue to fleece an unsuspecting and oblivious Kathleen/Sun to our children's delight and our chargrin! A big thank you to Sarah for the half hours of sanity that her writing has given me and many other mums and for the songs that despite myself I can't help but sing and secretly enjoy.

 

On to Caboose matters and I am delighted to let you know that the Mill and Mia winter collection has arrived in store and I am loving it! The detail and quality of this label is evident in everything they create and I am considering borrowing somebody else's daughter for the day just to dress her up in the dresses and coats from this season's range. Not that the boys have missed out they have an equally delectable selection to choose from featuring lots of stripes and embroidery. You can view the range now in store.

 

We have plenty of new labels on the way so will keep you posted in the meantime we hope you have a wonderful Easter and enjoy the break.

 

Casey

Well Christmas has come and gone for another year and I have only just managed to find a home for the contents of Toy's R Us that has been given to Wil and Fin! It is amazing how much you can fit into a cupboard with a ladder and some determination. We also celebrated Wil's 2nd birthday on the 4th January and inherited a new family member by the name of Moby Jones. Comfortable swimming in his regulation size bowl he came courtesy of Aunty Mooah and has proven a real hit - the very fact that he did not require $50 worth of batteries has pleased me no end.

 

Given that Summer will soon be coming to an end we are having a sale and discounting all of your favourite designer brands including Mill and Mia, Monster Baby, Bholu, Oobi Baby and Blink Designs. Our first ever Monkey Caboose end of Summer sale starts on the 1st February and we will continue to offer free express postage, free gift wrapping and a free gift for all orders $50 and over.

 

We have some great new puzzles from Djeco just added to the store as well as some gorgeous finger puppets and a puppet theatre from the Manhattan Toy Company that will bring out the actor and actress in your family. Dirty Laundry has arrived and is selling out fast so don’t miss this opportunity to pick up something unique and funky for the little person in your life.

 

Enjoy the Australia Day weekend.

 

Casey

Well we are another week closer to Christmas and my son Wil is obsessed with the idea that Santa will be bringing him a trampoline. So much so that when visiting Santa at a recent Christmas party, Wil, when prompted happily told him that a trampoline was what he required for Christmas. Santa obligingly told him he would see if he was good etc and Wil proceeded to stand in front of him continuing to simply say trampoline. It was then that Paul and I realised that we should have prepared him for that fact that it was not Christmas yet and that the trampoline would be coming in a few weeks not when requested at the said function! I guess these things are not evident when you are 22 months old!

 

This month we are celebrating with some fantastic Christmas bonuses for our happy customers. During December the postage is on us, we are gift wrapping your delights free of charge and even throwing in a free gift for all orders $50 and over. We are thrilled to also announce the arrival of Dirty Laundry due to arrive mid-December. This funky Canadian brand will have your baby or toddler standing out from the crowd this Summer for all the right reasons.

 

Also look out for Little Joey Organics mid-December. This Australian range of organic skin and hair care products for babies and children will have your little one leaping for the bath. With scents such as Bush Fuchsia and Billy Goat Plum, this 100% chemical free range is sourced only from nature, particuarly the Australian Bush.

 

Happy shopping, Casey

 

Please excuse us while we settle in and post some news!

 

Be sure to check out the Summer ranges from Mill and Mia, Little Red by Mr Wolf and Oobi Baby as well as some unique pieces from Blink Designs, Twisted Twee and Lark.

 

We have added some gorgeous French labels including L'Epicerie des Bidules, baby spoons that will give you wings from Stilic Force, Meresines range of luxurious bodysuits and Coco Boheme's beautifully designed blackboards.