Parenting Children

This is my favorite Thanksgiving craft for kids. All you will need is a few sheets of colored construction paper, ribbon or thread and branches from a tree.
Collect some small branches from around your neighborhood that will fit into one of your vases.

Next cut out of help you children cut out leaves from the construction paper big enough to write on, about 5 inches.

Have your children write what they are thankful for on each leaf.
Then punch a hole in the leaf and string ribbon through.

Hang on the branch.

This will make a great centerpiece for Thanksgiving dinner and I am sure all of their relatives will love to see how thankful your children are. Then you can save each leaf set for next year and add onto it, or save it in a dated bag and keep in a memory box.

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Now that I am pregnant again I scrambled to find my maternity clothes. Most of my clothes are still way to big for me to fit in and I have a lot of work clothes, because at night I would just put on some comfy pajamas. I tried the rubber band around the button trick for my pre-pregnancy pants and I still fit into many of my shirts. The problem is now that I am showing faster then when I was pregnant the first time, some of my regular shirts are too short in the front because of my ever expanding belly.

Blush has taken care of that problem. Blush has topless undershirts to save your belly and your pocketbook. These undershirts add a layered look to any shirt you have without the extra bulk. They come in fourteen different colors or patterns and are $15.00 each. Less the what a maternity tee will cost you. These will also help on those days where you cannot button your pre-pregnancy jeans but are not ready for maternity jeans yet. Nobody will know your buttons are open with this layered look.

I also love the idea of wearing this undershirt while nursing. No more cold air on your belly and back or exposing yourself any more then you have to.

I am ordering mine today! Best yet, Blush has given a 20% off coupon to all parentingourchildren.com readers! Use coupon code: justfortheladies and remember this coupon is good for one month. Go ahead order one for yourself, as a shower gift or for anyone (they have non maternity undershirts too!).

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When Lara from Hatleynature.com emailed me to see about reviewing their products, I didn’t hesitate. After checking out their website, and I was hooked. I loved the humor they had and more importantly, I loved their clothing. Plus I was always looking for a children’s retailer that had clothes that were well made, run true to size and comfortable, somthing you think would be easy to find, but it is not.

They generously sent me a pair of pajamas for each of my children and I felt like I was a kid at Christmas. I couldn’t wait for them to arrive to check them out. We received the glow in the dark PJ rex dinosaur pajamas and the nature rocks pajama set. The first thing I noticed about them was how soft they were! They were generously sized and did not shrink at all during the washing. My children LOVED them (who wouldn’t love pjs that glow in the dark?) and wanted to wear them that evening, even if the temperature wasn’t perfect for long sleeve pajamas.

I am now hooked on hatleynature.com and will be ordering some long sleeve shirts for myself. They have adult clothing, infants, organic tees, children and accessories like adorable rain boots with cute animals on them and my newest favorite, tote bags.

Also, for the entire month of October, Hatley is donating 20% of it’s online sales to Breast Cancer Research! That is fantastic, I love supporting companies that give back and are involved in charities that I care about. They are also featured in the October issue of O magazine. Go check them out and get “clothes to nature”.

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We ordered Chinese food the other night for the family. My kids wanted to use chopsticks for the first time. I wasn’t excited to show them how to use them because I knew it was difficult and it would frustrate them.

Yesterday I came across these chopstick kids. They attach to the supplied melamine chopsticks or your own chopsticks. They help small fingers maneuver the chopsticks and keep them in line. They are soft, washable and food safe. At $6.00 each for the boy or girl kid, it is not for the occasional Chinese food eater, or maybe it is.

It is a cute idea either way and anything that helps my kids not get frustrated and cry at the dinner table, is worth it for me.

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These adorable lunch bags are too cute and hard to pass up when they are on sale!
Take your pick from a giraffe, pig, cow or horse and are $12.99 at Pottery Barn.
Do you think I can get away with carrying one?

lunch bags, kids, school supplies, back to school

Are you still with me on the back to school supplies? Ok good because there is a lot more things that I love for back to school. It almost makes me want to send my kids this year.

Have you been seeing Sigg water bottle everywhere like I am? They are a cool way for you to keep yourself or your kids hydrated without adding to the plastic water bottle population at the recycling plant. Sigg also makes a great backpack for kids. It has a great design, cool colors and has easy to use velcro flaps. Kids will also love the secret pocket that leads straight to the water bottle compartment!

Remember trapper keepers? That was a must have when I was in school, now they have binders that are way cooler. Check out this Meade Five Star Sound 1.5 Binder.
You can listen to your favorite tunes through the binder! it works with any MP3 player, portable DVD player or laptop. It has storage for MP3 player, cell phone, pens/pencils, and more. It comes in a bunch of different color combinations and at $29.99 it won’t break your bank.
Lets just hope they get some school work done.
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My daughter loves to draw, color or do any sort of arts & crafts, she takes after her father that way. L likes to color but there is a limit to his “creative” time.

These lap desks would be perfect for them. Great for the car, to do homework, sick days in bed or meals. It is the only one I have seen with a holder for pens or markers. Easy to clean and at $25.00 it will not break the bank. Great gift idea for kids!

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The best part of back to school is buying new clothes. My sister and I would go shopping every labor day with my Mom for back to school clothes. Of course, the first day of school outfit was the most important, usually a fall outfit and you would be sweating by 12pm and maybe even have a blister on your foot for your new shoes.

How about some smart clothing for your smart kids. Mindcandyclothing.com has great shirts with some bling for your child.
Let everyone know how smart they are.

My little girl loves Lelli Kelly shoes. They are gorgeous and most popular with the sandbox set. My son and my nephew loves geox sneakers. They come in a huge array of colors and styles.

Check out sandboxthreads.com for cool t shirt for toddlers and beyond. Let your child’s friends know is he a peace lover or an organic fiend.

I love these microfleece 1/2 zip pullovers from Lands End. They are warm for those cold mornings waiting for the bus but easy for kids to tie around their waist when it is warm in the afternoons. It comes in a ton of colors and is so soft.

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Do you have a child that is entering the first day of preschool or kindergarten? They want a backpack like the big kids they see going to school but you do not really need a big one because all they are transporting to and from school is usually papers.

This knitted backpack is perfect for them! It is 10″ x 12″ and is made from thick cotton fiber. It comes in a frog, ladybug, bunny or lion and is $39.99. I think it is adorable and after all this garbage with recalls on products made in China, I think it is great to get something handmade from a country like Peru using the fair trade ethics.

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I am trying to get my kids to drink more water. As it is, their “juice” is 90% water and 10% juice. When we go to a restaurant I still water down their juice and if they ever get a sip before I can water it down, their eyes go as wide as saucers. “So this is what juice really tastes like”, I am sure they say to themselves.

I love water and I drink it every day, all day. My kids would rather drink juice, of course, but I was encouraged that those days would be over when the nice ladies of Hint sent me some water to try.

Voted best flavored water by Health magazine, hint is a water that is different from everything else you have tried. It has no sugar, no preservatives, no artificial sweeteners and zero calories. What could be better?
It just has a nice, natural, slight flavor to the water that your body needs and loves.

If you are looking for something different to drink for you or your family that is healthy, hint is perfect. Don’t see hint at a store near you? Don’t worry you can even buy it online!
Try all the great flavors, but my favorite is pomegranate-tangerine.

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Looking for something for your Dad or your husband for Father’s Day besides a tie?
You came to the right site, I have a gift giving list for any father in your life.

For the 9 to 5 Dad

For the grilling pro

For the convertible owning dad

For the new Dad

For the grandad

For the dad that loves the gym
For the outdoor dad

For the stay at home dad

For the lover of football

For the dad that loves tats but isn’t that committed

For the beer loving dad

For the hip dad

For the music lover

For the dad who likes to tape his daughter’s dance recitals

What are your gift ideas for your dad/husband/grandfather for Father’s day?

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I never knew that the true art of being a good mom was all in the ability to live with your child’s repetitiveness. We all know that kids love to watch the same movies over and over, play the same games over and over and listen to the same old CDs over and over again.

I have found children’s music that will not make you puke, I swear.
I heart these cds by Elizabeth Mitchell. They are for your budding hippy or for the parent who is even the slightest “granola”. Beautiful timeless songs, and wonderfully done.
Ms. Mitchell’s CDs will be on full rotation in my home for a long time to come and nobody will puke.

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I agree with many parents when I say, some of the music that is made for children makes me want to beat my head against the wall. My parents didn’t like children’s music when my sister and I were growing up so I listened to what my parents did, Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles, Carly Simon, Fleetwood Mac and many (many!) others. I feel the same way, and when my kids and I first saw Dan Zanes singing about a “House Party” on Noggin, I thought we may have found the answer to our music dilemma in this house. Who was this crazy haired, bright suit wearing man?

I had the amazing opportunity to speak with Dan and ask him a few questions I, along with some other parents, would like to know about him.

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Men, listen up I am going to give you great ideas for your wife or mother for Mother’s Day.
I am going to save you from the walk of shame when you are asked what you got your wife for mothers day and your reply is “Nothing, she is not my mother.”

By the way, that response will get you in bigger trouble then any gift can get you out of.

Here are some suggestions for every type of Mom* on your list:
For the hip, cool mom.

For the chocolate lover

For the romantic.

For the Mom who works outside the home

For the new mom

For the Mom of an artist

For the mom who lunches with friends.

For a grandma

For the tea lover

For the foodie

For the nature lover

For the mom who needs a break. Badly.

For the mommyblogger

I can’t stress this enough, DO NOT underestimate a nice, thoughtful card, a day off from cooking, cleaning and watching kids and anything that comes in a little blue box.

*If anyone is interested, I would love anything on this list.

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As a mother of a four year old girl who swears she is a princess, I am always on the look out for some new ideas for her. She has enough dress up costumes adn accesories for all the little girls in New Jersey, she has the princess dolls, movies and toys.

What is next? The pink princess cookbook. Filled with (surprise!) pink things to make and enjoy for your next tea party of princess themed birthday party.

My daughter will love it!

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