“Clothes make the man … naked people have little or no influence on society” – said Mark Twain. Don’t you feel it an unfair statement if assigned to an infant or even a toddler? Having been endowed with that special gift of God, the sight of these infants in their ‘natural outfits’, do fill the eye of the beholder with instinctive parental joy and a spurt of bubbling energy that acts as an elixir to life’s journey through the family setup. Add to this the Trendy Babylegs, Toddler T Shirts(Tees), Funny Baby Snapsuits, Rocking Cool Onesies, Pajamas and Loungewear, Hats, Mittens and Booties, Bibs and Burps, Bottoms and Shorts, Baby gowns - and the list just goes on and on, while you lighten up your hearts with joy as your child adorns your imagination, attitude and mood. With the growing popularity of e-business, several online infant malls have been launched that provide customers with baby starter guides and infant size charts that facilitate an easy to use and helpful way to buy the best infant clothes and baby care products from the comfort and convenience of one’s own home or office. Order tracking, rush delivery options, a 30-day return policy, credit card acceptance and shipping method preferences that include free shipping are some of the positive features that several online purchase offers.

Infant clothes have now gone a step further with the introduction of Organic Baby Clothes and Baby Products. These product manufacturers believe the importance of understanding the circumstances under which their products are made and offer products that are made by companies who utilize Fair Trade and Sweat–Shop Free environments. Another special creation in this category is the baby’s newborn wardrobe using soybean protein fiber that features modern baby layettes made from eco-friendly soybean fiber that is conscientious and green. It uses renewable natural resources as the raw material for the infant clothes and uses the leftover pulp from tofu, soymilk and other soy products. These are indications of a small but sure step towards a greener and healthier lifestyle promised for our children as well as for an improved global community in the future.

Functional apparel and soft baby clothes are no longer boring. Whether your baby is a wild child, a rocker, a biker baby or just has a sense of humor - you’ll find that companies are not only offering products that are made from high-quality cotton and are machine washable, but also with those that can be vied as fashion statements. They entice you to give your baby a head start in the world of cool and unique fashion with clothing that highlights individuality, excites, shocks and entertains your guest apart from alerting you to watch your baby become the coolest kid in your neighborhood, sporting the new retro look.

When decorating a room in your home, a very important component to the design is the window treatment. Often people leave that to last, or don’t even think of it until everything else is completed. Very often lately room designs seem to forget window treatment altogether, leaving the windows bare and often stark looking. If you have a great view, or if the room orientation is such that you don’t have to worry about glare or excessive sunlight, this can be a design statement in itself. Everything else in the room stands out in contrast, perhaps because we’ve become so accustomed to drapes and shades that we unconsciously miss whatever they add to a room.

Every year a whole raft of new window treatments appears for decorators and home owners and choosing from a large array of materials and styles can be bewildering. Blinds come in many types and styles, from very simple, old fashioned ones of wood or metal to elaborate widths and finishes for every color scheme as well as style blinds. Plantation shutters are attractive and versatile, they traditionally have a countrified look which is relaxed and casual, while being very versatile. The heavy look of the shutters gives a solid feel to the room and they can be opened or partially opened to permit light shutters. The country feel of bare wood is completely changed when the same shutters are made of other materials and painted or stained a clear white ora matching shade to complement the color scheme of the room.

Roman shades are another choice that is becoming so popular that it doesn’t just say “decorator” any more. The fabric can be moved in such a way as to admit light where you might want it, or to admit light higher up on the window while still allowing privacy roman shades. The wooden window frame is allowed to keep all of its elegance, while attractive styles and patterns of fabrics blend or contrast with the colors of the wall. Shades that cover the whole window in one piece or also cover the window and frame soften the room as nicely as drapes and curtains, and they can match or contrast with the room colors shades. A lot of choices are available here, too.

The practicality of venetian blinds is a boon to decorators, be they professional or amateur. They are so simple to install, they control the amount of light so beautifully and they can blend and/or contrast with the tones in the room or with the contrasting woodwork. Hand adjusting them is easy and it is nice to be able to have bright sunshine flowing in during the day and yet be able to close for total privacy at night. They can be used along with drapes and/or curtains and are very helpful to ensure privacy. Some people even like to adjust them at different times during the day so they can enjoy the light that fits their mood.

I was struck by the lovely name when May introduced herself to me at a civic meeting a few years ago.  Making get acquainted conversation, I discovered that she was a big truck driver!  May had a peaches and cream complexion, shoulder length blonde hair and she wore dangly earrings and a pink and white running suit.  “What kind of loads do you carry?” I asked surprised at the choice of occupation of this delicate looking lady.  She told me she was a log truck driver and that her job was to go to remote logging sites in the mountains, where the loggers would load up her trailer, and she would drive out through wet, muddy, windy dirt roads with her mammoth load and deliver the logs to the sawmill.  Logging is a dirty, rough business and loggers are as tough as they come, so I was wondering if it bothered her to be in this milieu.  Surprisingly, she didn’t consider that her job was any different from anything else a woman might do to earn a living!  She was on friendly terms with the rough and tumble loggers and they didn’t seem to think it was unusual either.

We see more and more women driving big rigs these days, so much so that no one thinks much about it any more.  Women can be seen doing other jobs once thought to be specific male occupations.  They climb telephone poles to repair the lines, they operate snow removal equipment, earth movers, and supervise construction crews.  Surprisingly, I have seen very little discussion about this.  It seems to be generally accepted.  Now there are even army and navy recruiting ads that urge parents of the sons AND daughters to encourage their offspring to sign up to go to war.  Recently I heard that the daughter of a friend was attending a large, well respected university.  Was she studying Nursing? Medicine?  Home Ec?  No, of course not.  She was going for a Masters Degree in Automotive Engineering!

There are many ramifications to gender equality in the working world (that is, all of the world outside of homemaking and child rearing).  Strange that the United States is  behind many other countries in this respect.  Latin America has a culture of respect for the role of wife and mother even greater than that in the US.  But this is a changing society.  It doesn’t help if we don’t like that fact and dig in our heels to hang on to the old way of living.  But perhaps it pays to be flexible.  Who knows – the current confusion could get sorted out and lead to a much better society in the long run.