Your child’s clean room…

 Is it a daily struggle to keep your child’s room clean?  Whenever I start seeing a constant mess in my child’s room I usually see that they have accumulated too much stuff!  (It is that way in my own house also!). 

Keeping a room clean is so much easier when we weed out and ’share’ what we no longer need.  My kids have a sharing box and whatever we decide we don’t need goes in that box. Whenever they have a guest they pick something from the sharing box for that guest to take home as a special treat.  Our guest is thrilled, my girls experience the joy of giving and it keeps their rooms cleaner!

 –Jackie Stonas

Isn’t this shirt awesome??  We LOVE this!

Designed with bling that spells Pre-School Rocks!

Getting out the door in the morning…

I was standing with a mom at the Kindergarten door yesterday and she was looking frazzled.  I became her listening ear for a moment as she mentioned that it was just so hard to get out the door on time with her kids and that each morning feels like chaos. 

I can relate.  Our mornings were exactly like that until we came up with a routine.  Getting 3 girls anywhere with a specific time deadline can be tough!  Especially if mommy and daddy are headed straight to work also!

We sat down one day and “spelled out” exactly what the expectations were in the morning.  Then we stuck to it!  We don’t make any changes!  The mornings are now like a well-oiled machine and we get to school with CLEAN clothes on, BOTH shoes on, hair that is COMBED, backpacks FOUND and smiles on our faces.  I LOVE our routine!

Maybe something like this can make your day flow smoother…

–Jackie Stonas

Put it in writing…

When I was little my dad worked away from home during the week and was only home on weekends.  He would leave really early on Monday mornings before we were awake and there was always a note on the table to each of us written on the back of an old business card.  I mention the “business card” part just to let you know the size.  These were short and sweet but we LOVED them!

My mom also put a note in our lunch box EVERY single day.  She used blank recipe cards and usually had a sticker on one side and a simple note on the other like “be kind today”, or “you were so helpful at supper last night”, etc.  This was very simple but we LOVED them! 

I was cleaning the garage the other day and I came across the box where I saved these - YES - I STILL HAVE THEM!  I sat on the garage floor with tears rolling down my cheeks reading little notes from my mom and dad and I felt like a little girl again for just a moment.

I always felt very loved by my parents while growing up - not a moment that I questioned where I fit in their hearts.  I think maybe these notes had something to do with that.

If you get a moment - write your child a note.  I think they will love it!

–Jackie Stonas

We think that these are about the coolest boots ever!  Brought to you by L’Amour Shoes - these Zebra boots will be the “HOT” item for the fall!

L’amour Shoes usually run a full size small so be sure to buy up a size .

L’Amour Shoes also brings us great shoes every season to be sure to check out our full selection.

·       Give your kids the gift of feeling good about themselves.  Teach them how to do chores.  In their book Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood Jim Fay and Charles Fay, PhD simplify it into one equation:  “Struggle + Encouragement from others + Accomplishments = Healthy self-concept.”  Start asking your children to help as soon as they can walk.  At that age, they can dust, practice folding washrags, or rinse a cup.  Don’t worry about quality.  Encourage them.  Say thank you and please.  Give hugs and kisses.  Let them watch you do odd jobs.  Do whatever you can to equate chores with feeling good.  If you put the joy back into chores, not only will you encourage your child to do chores, but you might discover you have more fun, too.

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Baby Nay Leopard has arrived and WOW!  This is just gorgeous for your little one!

Soft tknits with leopard print bathed in soft pinks and edged in browns.

 Your baby will be the cutest thing in town and your girl will be the trendy one at school in her new Baby Nay Leopard outfit!

This collection starts with the blankets, bibs and beanies and moves up into jean skirts, leggings edged in lace and shirred peasant tops and dresses!

Baby Nay Leopard is sure to have a piece just for you so check out our complete collection today!

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Give your children the gift of self-confidence. 
Don’t criticize them and let them figure things out for themselves, say Jim Fay and Charles Fay PhD in Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood.  “Parents who find faults . . .” who “do everything for their children,” and who “don’t allow their children to experience the joy of independent success,” will cause them to have low self-concepts.  On the other hand, parents who “offer empathy, understanding, and unconditional love,” who “allow their children to struggle and solve their own problems,” and who “encourage their children to succeed through personal thinking and learning will cause their children to have high self-concepts.”  All parents want their children to feel good about themselves.  Allowing them to solve their own problems and to love them while they are figuring them out is the secret to success. 

Tights from ROOM SEVEN have arrived!  IF you aren’t familiar with Room Seven and their quality then you are in for a sweet surprise!

Heavy duty tights with fitted feet. These colors match back perfectly to the Room Seven fall collections.

Room Seven is designed by the daughter of the original owners/designers of Oilily.  You can really see the European look in the collection pieces.

Being a new brand - but with the Oilily roots they have escaped some of the issues new brands have to face so you can be sure that you are getting a quality color fast product that is so stylish your girl will be envied!

These tights also pair back nicely with a jean jumper or khaki skirt!

Don’t be afraid to mix and match them with various dresses and skirts from Room Seven! You can’t go wrong with using the same tights for several outfits - or make your outfit more versitile by choosing several pairs of tights that will go with it.

With Labor Day fast approaching and the opportunity to spend EXTRA family time…make the most of it!

Whether it is boating or camping or cooking or shopping…be sure your family knows how loved they all are! 

Take a moment to remind your kids why you “labor”.  They will appreciate you more also!

Be safe!