Who Wore It Best - The July Fourth Dress

My daughter Kay is a big fan of hand-me-downs, which is perfect since I'm a big fan of her wearing them as much as possible.

This year Kay wore big sister Magpie's dress on July Fourth, so of course, I need to pose the question... who wore it best?

Magpie is on the left and Kay is on the right if you want to weigh-in with your pick US Weekly style in the comments.

Next up, I want to recreate this photo of my son and me which was taken two years ago on July Fourth.

It's been my Facebook icon ever since, but I think two years may be the limit of its shelf life.

 

Hope everyone had a Happy July Fourth!

It's the 100th day of school!

Do your kids celebrate the 100th day of school?

Mine do, and for the first few years I went insane (or more accurately pin-sane) trying to figure out the most clever project ever for my kid to commemorate the 100th day of school in a totally unique and memorable way.

Now, I just let them do what they want. For my daughter Kay this meant decorating 100 in 10 rows of 10.

Perfect.

Happy 100th day, Kay!

For plenty - possibly even too many - 100th day ideas, visit my 100th Day board on Pinterest.

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: JoShu Tees, Kids Books and More

I write a lot of stuff for other websites, though I usually forget to share the links over here.

Here's what I wrote last week:

JoShu Tees: A New Line of Modern Graphic Tees for Babies and Kids - Fab 100% cotton tees for kids and babies from a New Jersey mom and designer.

Awesome Summertime Activities - A round-up of fun activities to do with kids that are also filled with lots of (secret) educational value. Shhhh.

A Perfectly Good Rainy Day at the Shore - I hope you never need this advice, but if you're at the beach with kids and it rains, this might help.

Children's Books for Ages 4-8 - I reviewed two fabulous books for kids, both by beloved children's authors. Penny and Her Doll by Kevin Henkes, and Ava's Poppy by Marcus Pfister. I highly recommend them both.

Toy Time: Toys for Kids - Toys covered here are a great magnetic robot set from Mudpuppy that is perfect for travel, and a grow-your-own windowsill terrarium. So really, something for everyone.

Have a great week!

GapKids Holding Shine On Family Events Saturdays in August

This post is sponsored by GapKids. Check out all the fun Shine On activities at your nearest Gap store. For event dates and locations, visit Gap’s Facebook page and join the conversation on Twitter with hashtag #ShineOn.

Looking for something fun to do with the kids? Saturdays in August, GapKids is hosting Shine On events at stores across the country. At these events kids will be able to unleash their inner artist when they participate in special art projects created by Merrilee Liddiard of Mer Mag.

Shine On projects are inspired by the GapKids and babyGap fall collection, which features a new 1969 denim - Jewel Box Skinnies for girls (an update of the new skinny jean in bright stretchy denim) and Action Stretch Denim for boys (denim made to move and play).

Projects include creating geometric canvas art with paint and tape and make-your-own journals.

To catch some of the Shine On spirit, just watch this video from GapKids & babyGap and then get ready to get your own Shine On with your kids!



Here in New York City, Shine On events are being held the next three Saturdays at three different locations in Manhattan:

Saturday, August 11
Make Geometric Art
10am-1pm
GapKids @ 54th & 5th 680 Fifth Ave
New York, NY 10019

Saturday, August 18
Create Your Own Journal
10am-1pm
GapKids @ 85th & 3rd 1511 Third Ave
New York, NY 10028

Saturday, August 25
Make an Animal Character Badge
10am-1pm
GapKids @ 17th & 5th 122 Fifth Ave.
New York, NY 10011

And if you're not in the New York City area, there are lots more Shine On activities in other cities including Philadelphia, Dallas and Boston. You can check out the full list of Shine On locations here.


I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

In Honor of BlogHer: A Little Glimpse of NYC

With the BlogHer conference here any minute, it's all the talk in Blogger-ville.

As it's my first BlogHer, I don't have much to say about the conference itself.

But New York City, I could talk about my favorite city all day long.

Instead, however, I'll just post this photo I snapped on a recent stroll around Manhattan.

Charming, aren't they?

And yet, those tees are exactly what's so great about New York City. You never know what you're gonna get.

And sometimes... you're gonna get profanity on baby onesies.

I'm linking this up to Finding the Funny, come join the weekly linky fun at My Lifeand Kids and Kelley's Break Room.

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.

JoShu Launches New Line of Baby and Toddler Tees

Looking for a cool tee for your baby or toddler, or for a gift? JoShu tees are a brand-new line of baby and toddler tees by a New Jersey mom and designer.

The tees are currently available in three fun graphic designs, all which are good for both boys and girls.

Paper Airplane:

Pollito Chicken:

and Osone, which I love for both for it's vibrant design and it's eco-friendly message:

JoShu tees are available in 12 month and 2T sizes ($14.99) and are printed on 100% cotton Rabbit Skins tees - which if you don't know them, are the most comfy tees ever.

To learn more, visit JoShu on Facebook and on Twitter.

JoShu tees can be purchased online, from Etsy as well as via your mobile device.

So buy a tee and support a mom-owned business and an artist, as well as the idea that we shouldn't all just be wearing the same t-shirt from the Gap.

We received a Pollito Chicken tee for review, and my toddler son loves it. All opinions are my own.