What do babyGap, Peter Rabbit, Books and Me Have in Common?

Just a few days ago babyGap announced it's new Peter Rabbit collection, which was created in partnership with Beatrix Potter, featuring "our favorite mischievous rabbit re-imagined for the next generation."

To celebrate the launch of the Peter Rabbit line, babyGap is partnering with Milk & Bookies, a non-profit whose sole purpose is to celebrate the love of reading and to help kids get books into the hands of other kids. There will be multiple events at babyGap locations where participants can donate books for local Boys & Girls Clubs.

So there you have the connection between BabyGap, Peter Rabbit and books.

Where do I come in? Here:

Yes, that's right on Saturday, January 26, at 11:00am there will be a fabulous and fun event at the Paramus babyGap (Garden State Plaza mall) where I'll be reading the instant classic The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit by Emma Thompson in my best Joisey British accent.

 

If you're here in scenic New Jersey, I'd love for you to join us in celebrating books, bunnies and baby clothes.



And if you're elsewhere, click here for the full list of events taking place nationwide.

I am not being compensated for this post or for my participation. I am receiving an advance copy of the book.

Rookie USA Grand Opening with Carmelo Anthony this Friday, October 12

I'm a huge fan of the Rookie USA store on the Upper West Side, and so I couldn't be happier to be sharing the news that they are having their Grand Opening celebration this Friday, October 12.

In addition to a full day of giveaways, raffles and prizes as well as a live D.J., there will also be the chance to meet Carmelo Anthony from 5-6pm.

Yes, THE Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks. To receive a wristband to meet Carmelo Anthony, just be one of the first 200 people to make a Jordan/Melo purchase on Friday. Please note: you will not be able to join the autograph line without a wristband, and no outside product is allowed.

To learn more about the great athletic apparel and shoes available at Rookie USA, check out photos of the store here and just some of the great brands like Nike and Levis you'll find at Rookie USA here.

To keep up with all the happenings at Rookie USA, follow them on Twitter @RookieUSA and via the hashtag #RookieUSA, and like them on Facebook /RookieUSA.

Rookie USA is located at 808 Columbus Avenue @99th Street.

Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been
compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Rookie USA #CBias #SocialFabric. All opinions are my own.

Rookie USA Now Open in NYC - and a Giveaway Too!

Everyone knows that New York City is a shopper's dream, but despite all the stores there aren't that many places to buy cool athletic clothes and shoes for kids. But now there is, with the new Rookie USA store that just opened up at 808 Columbus Avenue (at 99th Street). It's part of a fantastic new complex of stores - Columbus Square - which also includes Whole Foods, Duane Reade and HomeGoods.

I went shopping at Rookie USA with my seven-year-old daughter Kay. She's an athletic kid who loves gymnastics, ice skating, softball and swimming, but she's also a young fashionista and very, very picky about what she wears. Kay loved everything in the store, from the collection of Nike sports tee sand shorts in bright, fun clothes to the display of Converse shoes in all the colors of the rainbow.

Kay chose a few items to try on, and we both thought the hipster-rustic changing rooms with the cool retro Locker Rooms sign added another great touch to the overall shopping experience.

Kay finally narrowed it down to a choice of two tees:

After a bit of thought, she decided on this tee:

It captured all her loves - purple and glow-in-the dark. You can't tell in the photo but it really does glow in the dark!

And, because we both knew what was good for us, we didn't arrive home empty-handed for her older sister sister. We got Magpie, age 8, cool purple Levi's from their colored denim line.

When we checked-out I found out the jeans were actually on sale for 20% off, which was a nice surprise. And we got to take the new clothes home in this sweet Rookie USA bag:

The store is a great modern space to shop, has a huge selection and friendly staff, and we'll definitely be back for shoes and other gear. Just look at this selection of sneakers!

Back home, Kay and Magpie put their new clothes to the test in our front yard...

... cartwheels, check!

 

... wheelbarrow, check!

 

 



... happy kids with new clothes, double-check!

To learn more, follow Rookie on Twitter @RookieUSA (or via the hashtag #RookieUSA), like them on Facebook, or visit them online at RookieUSA.com. While you're there, sign-up for email, and receive a $20 gift card to use for your first in-store purchase.

To see more photos from my mother-daughter trip to Rookie USA, check out my Google+ Album.

Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been
compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Rookie USA #CBias #SocialFabric

Win a Rookie USA gift card! The first five people to leave a comment on this post are automatic winners, so leave something witty (or not so witty) and you can go shopping at Rookie USA!

Other Stuff I Wrote Last Week: Back to School Shoes, Books and a Last Hurrah of Summer

This week I'm shifting from summer to fall. The kids are back to school on Thursday, and while I'll miss the sun and the fun, I feel like it's time.

I wrote about our trip to Six Flags Hurricane Harbor for BaristaKids.com, and while it wasn't the best day out ever, it was pretty fun.

For back to school, I covered See Kai Run, maker of great kids shoes. Here's my son modeling his pair from (gasp!) last season:

And here are some of the hipster styles from See Kai Run for this fall:

I also shared three of my favorite books about the first day of school. 

Marco Goes to School, by the hilarious Roz Chas, has particularly grown on me over the last 1,816 times I've read it to my enthralled son:

Next up, getting my own three kids back to school.

What are you doing this week?

Great Back to School Looks with Cookie's Kids

My daughters go back to school in a few weeks - I can hardly believe that summer is almost over, not to mention that come fall there will be a full-fledged 2nd-grader and 4th-grader in my house.

Time flies.

With school around the corner, we've started looking at what clothes still fit from last year, and what new things they'll need for the year ahead.

I was thrilled to join a program with Collective Bias to do some back to school shopping at CookiesKids.com to find some great pieces for my daughters.

The Cookie's Kids website has lots of options both for "regular" school clothes - what my kids wear to school - and school uniforms if that's what your kids need for the school year.

I went straight to the section labeled "Girl's Dept." which is easy to navigate by choices like tops, bottoms and shoes. Each item has easy drop-down boxes to see size and color availability.

For my daughter, Magpie - age 8 and soon-to-be fourth grader I picked out an orange and gray striped tee shirt (orange is her favorite color) for $8.99 and comfy gray leggings ($5.99) that will be perfect for days she has gym class.

For my almost-second grader, Kay, who likes fancier garb, I found a ruffly shirt that suited her fashion sensibilities while still being practical enough for school. The layer top ($7.99) came in a choice of black, purple or fuchsia, and after some deliberation I went for her favorite shade, fuchsia.

When the Cookie's Kids package arrived, I showed my kids their new clothes and both girls were delighted. (Phew.)

I wonder how many more years I'll have the fun of picking out clothes for my girls as a surprise, and having them love there new things.

I'm guessing not too many, but hopefully a few more before the real teen years are here.

On Polyvore (my new addiction) I had a lot of fun putting together their new kids clothes from Cookie's Kids in a kids fashion collection - I can see creating a lot more of these in the future!

Happy Back to School everyone, here's to a great year!

Where do you like to shop for back to school clothes? What is your kid's style?

You can see more photos from my shopping experience at CookiesKids.com in my Google+ album here. You can also like Cookie's Kids on Facebook, follow them on Twitter @CookieKids or via the hashtag #CookiesKids.

A little background about Cookie's Kids - now in its 40th year!

In 1972, a young man named Cookie and his brother Marvin went into business together. They rented a 1600 square foot store in Jamaica, Queens, fixed it up, bought inventory and Summer and Fall, and opened a day after Thanksgiving with a full stock of holiday toys. The toys were a success and they put the extra money toward buying children's clothing for the next season. When that did well, they bought more clothing. The business was on it's way.

As the brothers Cookie, Marvin and Sonny, who had come in as a third partner in the business, began to open new stores in new locations, inventory expanded. Besides the latest fashions, our customers wanted shoes, toys, backpacks and accessories and we were prepared to deliver.

By the late 1990's there were six superstores throughout the NYC area, and though they previously had different names, by that time they were all named Cookie's Kids. Also in the late '90s came an important addition to Cookie's Kids' inventory: school uniforms. It was the steady success in uniform sales that paved the way for founding CookiesKids.com in 2007, which originally sold uniforms and soon after the entire Cookie's Kids Inventory.

Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and CookiesKids.com. #CBias #SocialFabric



Ariat, the U.S. Equestrian Team and the Olympics

A few months ago, I had the chance to see the latest from Ariat at a press preview they held in NYC. Ariat is a company rooted in providing apparel and footwear for the top equestrian athletes, but which also has plenty of offerings for "regular folks," too.

Here are just some of the fantastic boots. I pretty much want them all.

When the London Games began, I was reminded of Ariat because they are the official apparel supplier and partner of the United States Equestrian Federation, and Ariat outfitted the U.S. Olympic Equestrian team with official team gear including the cap, jacket and polo pictured here:

And, for the rest of us who aren't Olympic equestrians, there is a retail-line inspired by the Olympic designs (all are available online at Ariat.com):

　
　
So far, medals in the equestrian events have been awarded to athletes from Germany, Great Britain and Sweden.  I'll be watching to see if Team USA will be added to the medal count this week - view the full schedule here.

I was not compensated for this post. I just love the intersection of the Olympics and fashion. And I've always loved riding apparel - you can blame that on my Virginia roots.
　

Rookie USA: Great Clothing from Head to Toe for My Little Rookie

There's a new kids clothing store Rookie USA, and it's coming soon to New York City.

I'm thrilled to be working with Collective Bias to spread the word about Rookie USA, which will feature "kids' favorite brands, head to toe."

As part of the #RookieUSA campaign, my daughter Kay received a package of clothes from Rookie USA, which included incredible brands like Levi's, Converse and Nike.

Kay loves sports, and gym is her favorite thing about school.While she has always participated in a lot of sports from tennis to ice skating, it wasn't until this spring that she played her first team sport, softball.

Here she is on the last day of the softball season, wearing her participation medal with pride and enjoying her little brother's admiration of it.

However, even though Kay is very active, she also cares a lot about what she wears so I was interested to see what she would think of clothes that she didn't pick out herself, since she has been choosing her clothes and getting dressed by herself since she was a toddler.

I'm happy to be able to say that Kay was a big fan of all the clothing, but she especially loved this outfit - a Nike 6.0 tank top and Levi's Skimmer Shorts. It's a great summer outfit, but I think it's also perfect for back-to-school for those still-warm fall days.

These sports shorts from Nike 6.0 were also a hit with Kay, as was the pink tee from Converse.

These Levi's jeans and tee were another fantastic outfit, and will be ideal for school and the fall weather.

Makes you want to get some clothes for your Rookie, doesn't it?

The bad news is that Rookie USA isn't open yet.

But... the good news is you can go to the Rookie USA homepage at RookieUSA.com, and sign up to receive a free $20 gift card that is good for your first in-store purchase. Just enter your email address and choose a password of at least eight characters, click "join" and you're done.

Welcome to the neighborhood, Rookie USA. My little Rookie and I can't wait to go shopping.

For more photos of the clothes from Rookie USA, please visit my Google+ photo album.

To learn more about Rookie USA, follow them on Twitter @RookieUSA and via the hashtag #RookieUSA. You can also like them on Facebook.

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Rookie USA. #CBias #SocialFabric

As always, all opinions are my own.

Before we all get too pro JC Penney....

How quickly we forget...

Remember these tee shirts? And the controversy?

In case you don't remember, JC Penney was selling tees that said "I'm too pretty to do homework so my brother has to do it for me." After a big online uproar and threats of boycotts, Penney's pulled the tees.

So when I was reading today everyone's pleas to please shop at Penney's this weekend, I decided to see if that was something I really would like to do.

Uh, no.

And this is why:

And the boys don't get much better treatment:

I know everyone draws the line at what is objectionable and objectifying to put on a child's tee shirt, so I understand not all of you reading this will think these phrases and slogans are all so terrible.

And while I wouldn't boycott Penney's over these shirts, I certainly wouldn't rush out to shop there this weekend, either.

The New York International Gift Fair: Stuff Big Duck Duckie Would Like Edition

There was a lot of cute duck stuff at the New York International Gift Fair. I wish Big Duckie could've been there herself to see it all, but alas she was not.  Below are a few of my favorites:

Duck baby hat ($16), wooden duck toy ($32), and duck step stool ($90) from Manny and Simon.

Rubber Duck (made of natural rubber) $12.95 from Rich Frog.

I also have picks from the New York International Gift Fair for eco-friendly, innovative and for kids who love cars.

And, you can see my picks for 10 Great Finds from the New York International Gift Fair at BaristaKids.com.

The New York International Gift Fair: The Eco-Awesome Edition

This is my third, and penultimate, post about the Gift Fair, covering just a few of the many eco-awesome products I saw there.

A few of my eco-awesome favorites:

Modern Twist – I love just about everything from this company that makes“eco-chic products for a sustainable planet." All their products are 100% recyclable and reusable, and have terrific modern design. They have BPA and chemical free Kidz Placemats ($17) that are made from food-grade silicone so they won’t tear or crease. These placemats are also available as a Kidz Box ($26) which also includes markers kids can use to color (and re-color) their mats. There are also great placemats for us adults ($13-$18).

Photo from Modern Twist

Artterro - These eco-friendly art kits are perfect for crafty kids. Each kit contain the supplies for a project such as collage jewelry or art dolls, and are designed to be open-ended and encourage kids to use their imaginations. When you're done, the box from the kit becomes the frame to display your creation. Made in the USA of all natural materials.

Woolly Boo - This NJ-based company makes gorgeous bedding and sleep sacks, all from organic wool and cotton and all made in the USA in conjunction with farmers and weavers who are committed to sustainable practices and fair trade. New this year is the All-in-One Nap Mat, perfect for kids to use at preschool, day care or when traveling.

Tomorrow I'll be back with a final Gift Fair update, which of course will be all things Duck in honor of Big Duckie.

You can also see my picks for 10 Great Finds from the New York International Gift Fair at BaristaKids.com.

The New York International Gift Fair: The "Why Didn't I Think of That?" Edition

This was my second time at the New York International Gift Fair, and I was just as enthralled and inspired by the truly ingenious things I saw this time as last time. Which is why this update is about all the things that made me say, "Why Didn't I think of that?"

My Blue Bumbershoot Stroller Umbrella - Two clever urban moms came-up with this idea for a hands-free umbrella that clamps onto the handle of the stroller so that the person pushing the pusher doesn't get caught in the rain. With today's strollers providing every possible amenity from couture fabrics to latte holders, it's nice that a company has finally considered the so-called stroller chauffeurs and found a way for them to transport their charges while staying protected from the elements.

Mudpuppy Puzzles in a Pouch - These 12 piece puzzles for ages 2+ feature nice sturdy construction just right for toddler hands as well as fun, yet non-commercial, prints. But that's not the best part: the puzzles come in a reusable plastic storage pouch. Which makes perfect sense, because puzzle boxes just don't work. The puzzle boxes get crushed and torn, and my uptight ways force me to tape the box sides back together, not to mention bag the puzzle pieces so they don't go missing. But a puzzle pouch, so simple and yet so life-changing. The pouch is a perfect solution for travel, too.

International Arrivals Color Appeel Crayons - My kids need these crayons. Instead of sharpening the crayon (or whining for your mom to do it right now because you need that exact color for your masterpiece), you just pull a string to peel and reveal more crayon and "sharpen" it that way. The set of 12 brightly patterned pencils come in a cool carrying case to make clean-up easy, at least theoretically.

Merritt USA Kids Little Dipper Plates - My kids are all about dipping any food at any time, and I know they can't be the only ones. These cute plates have a dipper built right into the center, and they're made out of melamine so while the kids can't break them, I can still wash them in the dishwasher.

Why didn't I think of that.

You can also see my picks for 10 Great Finds from the New York International Gift Fair at BaristaKids.com.

The New York International Gift Fair: The Cool Car Stuff Edition

I had a great day at the New York International Gift Fair, and while I pretty much was just scouring the place for duck photo-ops, I somehow managed to also see a lot of amazing products and to meet a lot of incredible people, many who were the company founders.

I'll be back to share all of these finds with you - from eco-friendly art kits to baby blankets that help orphaned kids, but today I'm getting started by sharing some of the fantastic car toys, which of course I want to get all of for my car-obsessed toddler.

I love this European Car Case from kidSTYLE:

I can just see Ziggy filling the case with his toy cars and pulling it around the house happy as can be.

Manny & Simon had gorgeous Made in the USA heirloom wooden cars:

And I love the idea of getting Ziggy the matching tee so he can coordinate with his car:

Tomorrow I'll be back with some more great things I saw at the show, or at least a collection of duck-themed gift photos.

You can see my picks for 10 Great Finds from the New York International Gift Fair at BaristaKids.com.