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I (heart) Zulily! Everyday, every week and every year you find different and adorable, cute, trendy, stylish and eco friendly clothes, bedding, linens, toys, baby stuff, bath and body, cosmetics, furniture, decor, figurines and man stuff (basically anything and everything) for up to 70% off of retail! (And you know I like 70% off of retail! Who doesn't?!) It's like going to your favorite store everyday and they've restocked it (and change the decor) with all new items you simply adore. And this week is no different. Nor the week after that(!). Just check out the awesome things Zulily has to offer: Huggies Good Nights & Pull Ups on Sale
I apparently forgotten what it was like to have babies and toddlers. There is such a huge age difference between my seven year old son and 11 month old daughter, I totally forgot what life is really like when you a baby in the house. The constant diaper changing, bottle cleanings, packing a diaper bag that would help anyone survive the apocalypse, and ofcourse the constant outfit changes. My dear sweet baby girl goes through more outfits on a daily basis than Katie Perry during her concerts. My baby girl is a diva! On top of the many wardrobe changes, she seemingly outgrows new clothes in a matter of weeks. Having babies is expensive!
To keep up with her uncontrollable growth spurts I am constantly on the look out for new clothes (at a reasonable price). I am currently coveting Tea Collection. My dear readers, Tea Collection rocks. They have the cutest outfits for baby girl AND they have adorable clothes for my football playing, rough and tumble seven year old son! (Tea Collection sizes run from infant to 12) Please don't tell my son I described his clothes as adorable, by the way. What makes Tea Collection unique is they scour the globe for new styles, textiles and patterns to deliver you and the kids in your life quality, (The Tea Collection clothing I have purchased for my children have withstood football practice, tumbling in the grass, countless washings, Earths Best strained everything, rolling, wild sleeping, tugging, jumping, pulling, teething, drooling, falling, crawling, first clumsy steps and the dryer...beautifully), adorable (there's that word again) and stylish clothes. On top of the stylish clothes, Tea Collection also practices ethical sourcing and actively donates to The Global Fund for Children. You know I am a sucker for ethics and corporate responsibility (and you should be too).
Here are just some of the many adorable (I need to invest in a thesaurus) pieces I have found:
Isn't it...handsome? There we go! My son can live with that adjective. Go to TeaCollection.com now to view all their handsome and adorable pieces now! As an added bonus, as you know, nothing better than spreading love (and savings!) to friends and family...and that is just what
TeaCollection is doing! For just two days only (4/22 and 4/23) you can receive
20%off everything on Tea Collection during their Friends & Family Sale.
Take advantage of the sale and pick up twirly dresses, colorful Tees and sweet
baby items for summer. Also check out Tea's new sporty selection of swimsuits
for your little water bug. Feel free to tell your friends and family, because
there is always enough TeaCollection love to go around.
My son is a right brain thinker. He excels in music, art, and literature. If I ever need him to memorize something, we could drill it and flash card it until he is blue in the face...and while some of it sticks, it's never a permanent memory. However, if we create a song or if we create pictures full of vibrant colors with his multiplication tables, he picks it up instantly.
Unfortunately, with our educational system (and he is in a private school, mind you) not designed for independent right brained thinkers, many children get frustrated and lack motivation. The great teachers (bless their hearts) with all their efforts still can not go against the system that employs them. I have realized (long before he was born) that most of his education would be up to me and my husband. While I was fully aware of this, I admit I have become complacent. Yes, private school forces you to become this crazy "Tiger Mother", (even when your inner hippie is trying to rebel with every fiber of your being) and you find yourself in an endless sea of flashcards and 2nd grade homework that is more time consuming than your junior thesis...and in between the fog of math drills...you realize, I am forcing my child to be a sheep...a non independent thinker. Furthermore, this is not the way he learns and forcing him into this box is just causing him (and I) to be frustrated and weary.
I remember my sons first day of kindergarten. He was freshly dressed in his school uniform and was excited to go. We walked him into class (me, my husband and my mother in law. Yes, the first day of kindergarten is a big event in our family) and watched him for a moment while class started. My son was so excited, all the other students were fidgeting and staring into space, but not my son. He was at full attention, with his hands folded on his desk, hanging on to his teachers every word. Slowly as the days and weeks passed, he went from loving to do his homework and going to school to absolutely loathing homework (he still wanted to go to school to play with his friends, however).
"With all this pondering and trying to find fun (fun for me too!) and educational activities, I was delighted to find Kiwi Crate. Every month Kiwi Crate sends a crate with fun activities for children ranging in age from 3 - 8 years old. Each month, subscribers receive boxes filled with fun and engaging kids' projects. Each box includes plenty of materials and inspiration for 2-3 projects in arts & crafts, science activities or imaginative play. Previous crate themes include Dinosaurs, Gardening, Colors, Space and more. Kiwi Crate projects are designed to encourage discovery, exploration and expression. Each project is designed by moms, reviewed by child development experts, and, of course, tested by kids. Every month is a new adventure and opportunity to do fun and creative things with my children."
The wonderful thing about Kiwi Crate is every month you have a new activity crate with each one geared toward another subject to explore. Here are some of the crates available:
Wild Safari
Overview
Create your own stamps to decorate safari animals. Play a round of safari bingo and build an off-road jeep that actually rolls!
Everything needed, from materials to illustrated directions, is included, along with bonus online content specially created for this crate.
All the materials are included to create:
Safari Animals
Make your own stamps to decorate animals. Hide them and send a friend on a safari bingo hunt.
Off-Road Jeep
Everything you need to build your very own safari jeep that actually rolls!
Animal Drawing Booklet
Learn more about your safari animals with an explorer booklet. Plus, create a savanna scene from your crate.
Space Hero
Overview
Up, up and away! Explore outer space in your very own hero cape and mask, and create a special flying ball for a game of comet catch.
Capes are 25" long with a 16" velcro-closure neck circumference.
All the materials are included to create:
Hero Cape
Customize your very own cape with sticky felt shapes.
Hero Mask
Complete your disguise and decorate a mask with metallic markers.
Comet Catch
With bright fabric and ribbons, make a special ball for a game of comet catch .
Secret Agent
Overview
Go on a secret agent mission! Gather your gadgets and disguises to discover clues and solve a mystery.
All the materials are included to create:
Periscope
Build your own periscope to hide, seek, and spy.
Disguise Kit
Create your own secret disguises and play pretend.
UV Light Pen Kit
Use this special pen to write and decode secret messages
And there are many many more crates and themes to choose from! Every month my child will do fun activities designed around themes that are interesting to him. Furthermore, besides peaking his interest in the arts, each activity works on a specific cognitive skill such as problem solving and critical thinking. These activity crates also will help build upon some of the things he is learning in school in a fun and imaginative way. With Kiwi Crate you can choose to buy one crate (or a few) or sign up for their monthly subscription and get a fun filled activity crate to your door every month.
For more information visit Kiwi Crate here: http://www.kiwicrate.com/. Now Kiwi Crate isn't just for the right brain thinker. The activities and projects are designed for all kids left or right, and designed to spark their inner creativity and imagination, while educating them. My BFF homeschools her little ones and subscribed to the monthly subscription. She says it really adds to her curriculum and helps them stay engaged. Furthermore Kiwi Crate, has been recently
featured in InStyle, Parenting Magazine, and US Weekly. Kiwi Crate has also
been awarded Dr. Toy 100 Best Children’s Products of 2012, Parent’s Choice Gold
Award, and an Oppenheim Gold Seal Best Toy Award. Kiwi Crate is already a
celebrity favorite, and is sure to delight the little ones in your life!
Kiwi
Crate offers a range of subscription levels, all shipped for free:
I have a deep dark secret...I am a totally awesome hermit. Seriously. I work online (most of the time), take classes online, most of my friends are scattered across the country so I contact them online, yada yada yada. Since I have decided to be a blogger, my online blogger community is full of these awesome women (and men) who seemingly live life to the fullest. Cocktail parties, dinner parties, galas, fashion events, traveling, sky diving, hunting, canning their own foods, growing their own foods, concerts...you name it, these bloggers do it! While I am a hermit...*sigh* Furthermore, since I have classified myself as a fashion and beauty blogger, most of the events I get invited to are definitely a no kids allowed venue. The hubby owns a retail store and is constantly working...and now my mother has moved away, so I no longer have reliable, trustworthy sitters! So getting out, is a pain and half...if not utterly impossible at times. So in my quest to stretch myself and get out of the house (!) I have been looking for events and activities, that are kid friendly AND are interesting to me. (Sometimes kid friendly equals adult boring. Yeah, I said it.) Luckily I live in Washington, DC. There are so many events, concerts, museums, art galleries, marches, rallies, parks and activities (some events are free) happening at all times in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) the possibilities are endless. In addition to the activities, I found many charity organizations that are looking for volunteers and a light bulb went off. While the kids and I will hit the museums and parks in abundance, I thought volunteering would be a great way for me to meet people as well as instilling an attitude of community service in my children.
There are an abundance of activities you and your children (young children as well) can volunteer for. Many organizations are in desperate need of help and welcome little ones. The trick is to do your research and check the age requirements. The first resource I stumbled across is Big Hearted Families (http://www.bigheartedfamilies.org/). Big Hearted Families has a wealth of information and ideas of ways your family can give back. From volunteering with the elderly, to writing letters to soldiers, to fundraising, to adopting a pet, Big Hearted Families gives you a ton of practical low cost and free ideas to get you started. From the website: "Big-Hearted Families offers simple, fun and engaging activities for your family to live generously. Some projects are short and simple while others are more involved. Some take planning, while others require spontaneity. There are ideas to suit every family’s style." (Big Hearted Families, 2012)
The next resource is Volunteer Match (http://www.volunteermatch.org). Volunteer Match is a wonderful resource which provides specific information about which organizations need help and which ages are accepted. From their
website: "VolunteerMatch strengthens communities by making it easier for good people and good causes to connect. The organization offers a variety of online services to support a community of non-profit, volunteer and business leaders committed to civic engagement. Our popular service welcomes millions of visitors a year and has become the preferred internet recruiting tool for more than 97,000 non-profit organizations." (Volunteer Match, 2014)
Pretty awesome, right? As far as me and my crew of little ones, we have chosen 4 activities to volunteer for. The first is, we are volunteering at Birmingham Green, a local senior living facility. We will be matched with an elder and visit with them about twice a month. We'll talk, laugh, play games and have fun together. The process to get started is fairly simple, I filled out my volunteer form, we have to submit to a background check, then we go for orientation and then we get started!
Volunteering with the elderly was my top pick. How we treat our elders in this country is atrocious and I hope when I am up in age that people will respect me (for making it that far!) and hopefully understand I am still a viable force with a wealth of information. Furthermore, "combining children and these elderly people will not only benefit the children, but the elderly as well. Research has shown that these elderly people become more interested in others, get more exercise, fall less, and feel happier and more loved after spending time with children. Their loved ones have said that they seem more engaged and less isolated. This same research showed that these children will usually have higher social development scores, fewer behavioral problems, and enhanced perceptions of older adults. Also, children who have been involved in programs with the elderly have been proven to have a better vocabulary as well as better reading skills." (Shoemaker, 2011) I hope we get paired with an elder who has a wicked sense of humor and tells good stories! Then we have two similar projects we're volunteering for and are environmentally oriented. We are participating in the Route 1/Prince William Parkway Annual Cleanup Event, where we will pick up litter and trash and the Earth Day at Upton Hill Regional Park where we will be mulching and pulling up invasive weeds.
Lastly, we are volunteering at the DC Diaper Bank! From the Volunteer Match web site: "Come help us in the warehouse! Volunteering is family friendly and all are welcome whether it’s for one hour or four. We’ll be sorting and packing diapers and even little hands can help with that (or just play in the play area!). Our Volunteer Dates are a great way to starting talking about giving back and community in a very tangible way that kids can relate to well." (Volunteer Match, 2014) Having an 11 month old, I understand what it is like to need diapers! And at around $10 bucks a pack, it gets expensive quickly. Since they are kid friendly and will allow me to strap Chloe to my back while Alex helps bundle packages, I think this is a great way for all of us to help. This is my totally awesome way to A) get out of the house, meet people, and live life with my children B) Inspire my kids to be compassionate and civic minded and C) give back to the community! If you are feeling like an awesome hermit and want to make some changes, see what you can do around your neck of the woods. It's a great way to create a social life, get active and actually do something productive! Happy Volunteering!
Big Hearted Families. (2012). Welcome to Big
Hearted Families. Retrieved from Big Hearted Families:
http://www.bigheartedfamilies.org/
Shoemaker, A. (2011, November 5). Volunteering
With the Elderly: How Your Child Could Benefit From This Experience. Retrieved
from Can Do Street Blog:
http://candostreet.com/blog-parents/2011/11/volunteering-with-the-elderly-how-your-child-could-benefit-from-this-experience/
Volunteer Match. (2014). About Us. Retrieved
from VolunteerMatch.org: http://www.volunteermatch.org/about/
adidas
has over 670 products discounted up to 50% off right now! They have amazing
deals for guys, gals and your little ones too! Don't forget, adidas
is also the main sponsor of the World Cup this year in Brazil, so their gear is
very trendy right now. But enough about soccer, here are some of the popular
sellers right now: (click on the image to check them out at adidas.com)
As always Happy Shopping! **The links in this post are affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link.
On a side note: I am getting a little crazy with these "blah blah x blah blah" posts. The funny thing is, it is so much easier to come up with a title when you add the "x" to it...and most people, no matter I.Q level, seem to get what your post is about...hmmmmm. I'll try to come up with wittier titles...eventually.
Anyway, as most of you know, this year I am focusing on becoming a better person. A better mother, wife, relative, friend...blogger...getting in shape...well, you get it. One of the most important improvements is becoming a better mother. I don't know about you but at times I get lost in diaper changes, feedings, homework, football practice, cleaning, dishes, and work to really set aside some time to do meaningful activities with my children. I ponder, when I get a moment to think-that is, what lasting memories will my children have of our times together? Am I laying the proper foundation for them to not only enjoy family time with us, but with their future children and spouses? I don't have the answers, however, I am trying to build family traditions and spend quality time everyday. With all this pondering and trying to find fun (fun for me too!) and educational activities, I was delighted to find Kiwi Crate. Every month Kiwi Crate sends a crate with fun activities for children ranging in age from 3 - 8 years old. Each month, subscribers receive boxes filled with fun and engaging kids' projects. Each box includes plenty of materials and inspiration for 2-3 projects in arts & crafts, science activities or imaginative play. Previous crate themes include Dinosaurs, Gardening, Colors, Space and more. Kiwi Crate projects are designed to encourage discovery, exploration and expression. Each project is designed by moms, reviewed by child development experts, and, of course, tested by kids. Every month is a new adventure and opportunity to do fun and creative things with my children.
Kiwi Crate has a few different options for ordering. Subscriptions can be ordered month-to-month ($19.95 per month) or annually ($220). You can also purchase just one crate! Kiwi Crate also makes a great gift for birthdays or holidays. Also, additional materials can be purchased for siblings!
I am ordering my first box on Friday, so when it's received, I will do a follow up! If you are interested in Kiwi Crate for your kids or as a gift for your grandkids, friends kids nieces and nephews, click here www.kiwicrate.com! By the way, March
is National Crafting Month and to get YOU inspired, Kiwi Crate is
teaming up with Highlights Magazine and YoYo.com to offer your kid(s) a dream
craft room!
Celebrate with us and Kiwi Crate this month and enter your family into a
giveaway of a lifetime!
As always, do good and happy shopping!
PS: This post contains affiliate links from which I will receive a small compensation. With that said, I fully stand by my sincere review and am subscribing for my children. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at info[at]iheartretailtherapy.com You can connect with me on:
