Okay blog fans, in case you are not on our email list (ahem, which I totally recommend, go ahead add yourself here.) I wanted to be sure you all knew how to save 20% in the next 24 hours at Chi Chi Bean. Yes, darlings, you can save 20% off everything including sale for your little darlings. Just enter “memorial” at checkout. Expires May 31st at Midnight so click to it! Many of you know these coupons, if you will, are few and far between so enjoy. Be sure to check out all of your favorites from Pink Chicken, Twirls & Twigs, Jaxxwear, Feather Baby, and Little Twig. Have a boy wonder in your life, then do check out our new fav, Original Penguin!
Archive for May, 2009
Special Deal Alert…
Saturday, May 30th, 2009Behavior Modification 101
Thursday, May 28th, 2009Behavior modification, it could have been a course in college if you were a psych major but let’s apply it to what we really know. Its really just a fancy term for bribing our children into doing what we want. Sometimes its a lollipop after a vaccination to halt the screeching. Sometimes its bargaining to get them to eat their veggies. It works for a while and then, well, we have to up the ante. Most recently I have been outsmarted by my tenacious three year old and had to devise a new system. Enter the Lakeshore Learning Store. Its a chain, gasp, but this mecca to teachers and parents alike helped me find a fabulous chart with reusable stickers! Aptly named the “good for me” reward chart this little beauty was part one of my plan to tame this tazamanian devil aka my daughter. Lucky for me darling Ava was more than thrilled to help write her own rules! (I had to pinch myself, this was going to work!) After writing our rules and drawing in some little graphics as the poor darling can’t read yet, I explained how she could earn things she wanted. Such as, this charming little pot of strawberry lip gloss that came in a cupcake shaped container that grandma had slipped my way or the prima ballerina kit by the Little Experience from Chi Chi Bean that Ava was dying for. We started small with teaching her to earn 5, then 7 and finally 11 stars for the most prized gift so far, the enchanted castle kit from the Little Experience. Sure it helps when mom has a store but honestly it was more about finding things she was excited about earning, so do whatever your kid is thrilled with. A pack of gum, new pencils, a water slide, etc.
It took her about a week until she could earn all 11 stars in one day to receive the castle but Ava was motivated and some gentle reminders helped her stay on track. Its awfully sweet to see the sense of pride she has taken in earning these rewards. Most importantly, the power struggle to tame her behavior has definitely eased.
And as an added bonus the enchanted castle kit from the Little Experience captured Ava’s attention for hours. Here are a few shots of her working on her castle kit. It was fun to reward her and have a calm child to do this project with. It’s these little wins we parents live for. Thanks Ava.
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- Enchanted Castle Kit – the big prize!
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- look at how focused she is…
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- sorting and counting…
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- popping the wooden castle pieces out with care.
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- easy to read picture directions…
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- love how she works so diligently…
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- she thought these dragon wings were so funny…
Memorial Day Memories…
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009I hope everyone enjoyed a nice holiday weekend. Sure is nice to have an extra day! Darling Ava and I were lucky enough to escape down to Raleigh to visit dear friends. Such good friends that it almost feels wrong to call them that because in our hearts, they really are family. Henry, you set off the flood gates upon Em and I!
Here’s a funny thing about Raleigh. Its REALLY a big city! What’s strange is that I am from “the” big city, none other than New York. I mean, truly, Raleigh is huge and spread out!
While there my dearest friend Emilee took some amazing photographs of my daughter. She is so talented and barely realizes it. I was so blown away at her work that I just have to share it here. It was really a gift more special to me than she probably realizes. As a busy entrepreneur and mom I barely have time to eat a proper meal some days let alone take good pictures. Thank you Emilee for not only creating some wonderful memories but capturing them. Take a peak at these few shots! She is working on a new website and of course I will let you all know when its live. In the meantime, feel free to comment away on her work here and you can check out her blog too.
This IS the magic of childhood captured!
This was a whole magical series...
Kindred spirits
She is great at capturing children's personalities..
She's tired of the photos but this is so my daughter!
The Little Experience…
Monday, May 18th, 2009
The Little Experience Monster Finger Puppet Kit
Every parent knows that we do this job for the times when darling child says, “I love you” in an unprompted moment because on any given day we face more than a few challenges. “I want goldfish for breakfast!” was the battle cry of my darling 3 year old this morning before the survival fluid aka coffee had even hit my lips. For those days when the rainman keeps us inside for what seems like an eternity and the electronic babysitter aka TV can only entertain them for so long it can be difficult for even the best parent not to become a loathsome shrew. Enter The Little Experience, eco-friendly activity kits for kids. These creative, intelligent and thought provoking craft kits provide hours of imaginative play and teach problem solving skills. Everything about them is well thought out right down to the reusable packaging. The little experience gets the creative juices going, breeds artisitc development and builds hand/eye coordination all with a little price tag of $7.50 to $15. So stock up for those rainy days and birthdays, like the good shrew mama you are.
The obsession starts young….
Saturday, May 16th, 2009
Sweet Shoes Metallic Hot Pink Mary Janes
There are a few things women love more than shoes. And this love affair was portrayed perfectly by none other than Ms. Carrie Bradshaw. How Carrie, the infamous columnist from the Sex in the City series, could afford the weekly obsession with Jimmy Choo is a mystery only she and her bank account can properly account for. However, I strongly suspect that an obsession, a love affair really, this deep could have only begun in her youth. Sarah Jessica Parker, who played Ms. Bradshaw for all those years, now has twin daughters on the way! So while the press clamors for the first photos I’ll make a shameless pitch right here to say that these two little darlings should sport these amazing shoes from Sweet Shoes! Imagine strolling through Central Park in these baby must haves. Not only are they handcrafted in supple leather but Sweet Shoes, are oh so chic and durable. Sweet Shoes Metallic Mary Janes boast sassy metallic color of hot pink (!), gold, silver and orange. Comfortable construction of supple leather, padded soles finished with rubber dotted treads. All this at the fractional price of $30, now that is style we can all attain. Love it.
Mother’s day gifts for you….
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009
Brass Hussy Filigree Ring $10
Okay so maybe you received an amazing gift from your kids or your darling husband….in which case you should skip this next post. However, if you think Mother’s Day should increase its frequency to keep us invested on those days when darling child tells you to “shut it” then click on over here. Grosgrain, is a cheeky little blog and right now they are hosting tons of giveaways of different things all the time. I love, love, love her latest giveaway pick from The Brass Hussy. How can one resist such a funny name? Okay let’s say you are not lady luck and don’t win the raffle, do check out the Brass Hussy shop. Treat your hardworking mama self to one of these rather fabulous little baubles on Etsy, her amazing treats are priced from $10 to $30, now that’s a guilt free gift anyday. And the blog well, at the very least its a good read for a little “me” time. Go ahead, treat yourself, you deserve it!
When playing hooky…
Monday, May 11th, 2009
Underwater Safari Fish at Norwalk Aquarium
Yummy Gelato at Chocopologie
I recommend dodging out of work on a Monday afternoon and hitting the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, Connecticut. Today, I fetched the wee one from school and drove up to the aquarium to see the African Penguin exhibit. It was nothing short of a fabulous afternoon. For starters, the museum was almost all to ourselves with the exception of about two school class trips, so we were able to see all the exhibits and never feel overrun by tweens. I can’t say enough good things about the Maritime Aquarium – it’s managable in size, has great interactive exhibits (imagine petting stingrays!) and it’s charming Norwalk. It did not not take much convincing for my darling daughter to agree to walk over to Chocopologie. Think fabulous French chocolate shop as in the movie “chocolat”, watch them make the delicacies as you sit at a rustic old farm table. Oh so chic and simply delish. We had the chocolate gelato, which was so decadent it felt like eating velvety chocolate fudge. No complaints!
Oots! Lunchbox chosen for the June O List in Oprah Magazine
Thursday, May 7th, 2009
Oots! Lunchbox Deluxe
We just heard from Arian, the fabulous creator of Made by Oots!, of the upcoming feature in O Magazine. The June issue of the O List will feature the Lunchboxes from Made by Oots! Listen up Ms. Oprah, we are big fans of these super cool lunchboxes and we are delighted that you agree. And for all you Oprah fans out there just type “oprah” in the coupon section at check out and save 10%. Its never been easier to be chic & green.
The Oots lunchbox comes in two versions. The original and the deluxe. The deluxe features five BPA free, dishwasher safe food containers.
The Oots Lunchboxes are available in Blue, Orange or Green. Let’s do lunch in style. Visit Chi Chi Bean for all the details.