Do you remember that Tracy Bonham song? Well, it has nothing to do with what we're talking about here. We are so happy to announce that our Mother's Day Gift Guide for 2011 is out! Nine awesome gifts for our favorite moms. Check out the top nine ways to treat your mother, mother (or friend, friend or grandmother, grandmother or yourself, yourself) this Mother's Day.

In the five years since we launched THE FAMILY GROOVE, we've seen the parenting industry grow to epic proportions. It's been scrutinized, analyzed, categorized, fetishized, storied, fabled, dressed up, knocked down, revitalized, (very well) capitalized and made into an actual institution—much like what happened to the concept of childhood  in the '50s. One of the coolest things that's come out of all of this (well, you know, other than the rise of THE FAMLY GROOVE, if we do say so ourselves) is the slow but steady greening of said parenting industry-cum-institution. For a while all that was green defaulted into the hands of the upper middle/upper class folks (back when there was an upper middle class) because it was so dang expensive. But slowly yet surely, green gear and goodies for all have made their way into the marketplace, thanks to savvy companies like My Little Green Shop, amongst others. My Little Green Shop nails where green is going in its tagline: An Affordable Eco-Friendly Lifestyle Boutique. Here, the eco-chic shop's owner Lili Meier talks about the business borne of  a desire to style her own life with safe, non-toxic items for her family. THE FAMILY GROOVE: Why did you start your business? Lili Meier: I always wanted my own business but for years I didn’t know what kind of business I’d really enjoy. After having my first baby, I knew I wanted to have a business that offered parents the kinds of products that I wanted to buy for my own little one, namely safe, non-toxic items that are less harmful to the environment than what’s generally on the market. TFG: Tell us about the name. LM: My Little Green Shop conveys what we offer: products that are eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable (ie organic clothing, tons of BPA and phthalate-free products, etc). We’re always expanding our inventory though, so I kind of wish the name were “My Big Green Shop.” TFG: What makes My Little Green Shop stand out? LM: A few things. We look for the cutest, most modern and stylish eco-friendly products and we are constantly adding new inventory, so we offer hundreds of items. We try to find locally made products as much as possible and we also offer fair trade products. What’s important to us is what’s in the products we carry and how environmentally sustainable the manufacturing process is of what we carry. Our facebook page and blog, My Little Green Blog, offer regular giveaways and lots of informative health and parenting articles. We offer customer loyalty Reward Points, which translate into savings for our customers. Finally, with proceeds we regularly donate to charities. TFG: What's your proudest moment as a business owner? LM: Part of our business plan is to regularly give to charities in order to give back to our community and as a way to teach our children to be socially responsible. Our hope is that they’ll realize how fortunate they are and that they’ll want to help out those less fortunate. In December last year we donated 5 percent of proceeds to our local Food Bank Society. Explaining that to our little son and having him personally hand the check to the food bank representative were very proud moments for me. TFG: What's new for the season? LM: In the next few weeks, we’re getting in lots new items: gorgeous bamboo nursing covers, BPA-free dish sets for kids, organic herbal bath and body products for moms and babies, sweet ponchos for little girls, new lunch sacks, and new rain coat styles. For more from My Little Green Shop, go to www.mylittlegreenshop.com.  

Hip mom, kid and baby go-to gift site Elisewear.com is saling away this week. Get 25% off their selection of high style diaper bags and layette (in stock only) with code elise25. The sale ends on December 3, so get gifting now!