Back to School Tees…on the Cheap

...back to school tees - on the cheap. Check out what we made today using fabric pens and these really fun "doodle-pop" embellishments at Michaels.

http://www.michaels.com/art/online/displayArticle?articleNum=as0293

So simple - yet so cute.

The bright colored embelishments were actually iron-on embroidered art doodles.  I just used one white, and one black fabric pen and added some of the backfround designs.  (Swirls, stars, hearts, little buildings...honestly - anyone can do it!)

They also have some "flocked" matching iron ons that you can use to add detail (see the octopus photo).

Everything, including the transfers, tees, and pens cost me less than $20!

Click the link above for more information...and don't forget to grab your online Michaels coupon!

Not a Fan: Old Navy Little Girls’ Jeans

Today was back to school shopping day.  Let me start by saying that I was *thrilled with the deals!  $10.00 Jeans at Old Navy...$10-$12.00 Jeans at Kohls.   I felt like I hit a gold mine.

I bought 4 pairs of girls Jeans at Kohls - and three more pairs at Old Navy for a total of $$65.00  I felt like I'd hit the jackpot.

...and then - fitting time.

I unloaded my bags and had my six year old daughter try on her jeans.  The first pair (from Kohls) was from the "Jumping Beans" line.  One of my all time favorites.

Cute, stylish...yet still "childish" - elastic waistband...cute detailing including little "heart" pockets.  Perfect.  I spent $7.00 - cha-ching!

Next, we tried the "SO" Kohls brand jeans 2 for $22.00.  Again, cute...simple - adjustable waistband...again - perfect.

Finally, the Old Navy brand jeans.  I bought one "boot cut" pair, and another "flare leg" in size 6.

....Not a fan.  My six year old daughter literally had to "jump" up and down to get the jeans to her waist.  If that wasn't horrifying enough...they were skin tight on the thighs and extremely low-waisted.

...I am not a prude (by any stretch of the imagination)  - but why in the world would a little girl need to "hop" into her jeans?  ....and why so tight?  My daughter is average-sized (a little slim) and these jeans were tighter than tight around the thighs and bottom...and "low-rise" enough that if she bent over to pick up a crayon...her bottom would be showing.

Do we really need to "show-off" the figures of little girls? Do they even have a figure yet?

Mind you, I am a huge fan of Old Navy for myself - but I will no longer be shopping there for anything but graphic tees for my little girl.

I just don't get it...

Mom Review: Bleach Baths for Eczema…Do they Work?

My daughter has severe eczema.  So severe that she referred to herself as "polka-dotted" when someone commented on her tan. "Boy are you tan..."..."no, I'm just polka-dotted".  Thankfully, she's only six and the "polka-dots" caused by dry skin are still somewhat funny to her...

Lately her condition has worsened and it is no longer funny to either of us.  While I had hoped that the humidity of summer would improve the problem it has aggravated it.  (I am suspect that the 3X daily dose of sunscreen or seasonal allergies is making it worse).

I've tried just about everything to treat her eczema - from slathering on Hydrocortisone creams to trying the "as seen on TV" skin care remedies and while her condition improves somewhat (off and on) nothing has eliminated it.   During my monthly search for the "next best thing" I came across numerous websites that suggested adding a small amount of bleach to a child's bath water will help treat eczema.  Yes - bleach. Like many of you reading this, my initial reaction was, "are you kidding me?". Why would I put bleach in my child's bath water?   So I continued to search and realized that the bleach treatment was actually featured in numerous reputable magazines and websites including Time, WebMD, and ABC News.com.

From Time Magazine....

When treating children for chronic eczema, pediatricians may want to look in the laundry room, according to a new study published this week in the journal Pediatrics. The study reports that adding a small amount of household bleach to a child's bathwater can dramatically reduce the itching, rashes and discomfort caused by eczema.

The treatment sounds harsh, but the findings confirm what many pediatric dermatologists have seen anecdotally for years. The theory is that the antimicrobial properties of bleach help relieve symptoms of eczema not by acting directly on that skin condition, but by improving children's skin infections of staph bacteria — a common co-occurrence that exacerbates the irritating symptoms of eczema.

Last year  my husband (who also suffers from eczema) nearly wound up in the hospital after contracting a severe MRSA (anti-biotic resistant) strain of staph infection, therefore, I've been especially concerned about my daughter's condition.   While the "bleach bath" treatment sounds harsh, there is nothing worse than watching a loved one suffer from a staph infection and not knowing what antibiotics (or even *if* antibiotics) will help.

So I'm giving it a try and will post the results (after a few weeks) here.  She had her first bath tonight and so far, so good!    I used 1/4 cup of bleach in our full tub.   Her hair is the same color...her skin is the same color...and she didn't seem bothered by the smell.  (She actually liked it..."it smells like a pool in here".  Oh...and the tub is bright white and looks AWESOME. 

I'm planning to give her a 10 minute bleach bath nightly followed by a slathering of Aveeno oatmeal lotion (recommended by our neighborhood pharmacist).  Bookmark this post and I will share my review in a few weeks.

(This is just my personal opinion and review - please consult your pediatrician or dermatologist before trying this treatment).

Mom Review: Castle Bounce House

I am writing this while listening to my children hop, jump and squeal.  It's a little distracting...but I can't complain.

I recently purchased a Castle Inflatable Bounce House w/ Slide (12' x 9') from Amazon.com and thought I would share my thoughts with you about this product.

We used it for the first time during our Father's Day BBQ.  My kids (5 & 6 and my *almost* seven year old nephew) played in it for at least an hour.  I used it again at my daughter's birthday party one week later.  All of the children (ages 3-7) had a great time.  The only downfall...they had to take turns because it is only large enough to hold 3-4 children at a time safely.

While I was afraid I would only use the bounce house for big events - my children have been using it at least twice per week.  On rainy days - we bring it indoors and on warmer days they pull it under the shade trees.

Set up for the bounce house is simple. In fact, my 6 year old daughter is able to drag it out of our backyard shed, plug it in and start it up.  It is also fairly light and easy to maneuver.  Just the other day I set it up in our basement when I wanted the kids to get some rainy-day exercise.

What I love most about this particular bounce house is that my children also use it as a playhouse.  They've draped blankets over the top to turn it into a "movie theater" and have loaded it full of stuffed animals to create an "animal hospital".

Overall, I am thrilled with this purchase.  I bought it for $249 at Amazon.com and have since seen lower prices on the internet.  It has been well worth the cost during the summer months and I expect that during the cold winter months it will be a great addition to the basement play area!

Note to Fellow Soccer Moms…the Coolest Blackberry / Iphone App…ever!

Let me start my saying that I am a complete computer geek.  I love technology.  I would not be able to survive without my laptop.  I shop, schedule playdates, plan my meals, search for.....(well...everything), work, & teach my kids with the help of my simple & somewhat vintage (two year old) Toshiba laptop.

I took a step forward in the technology department today by purchasing my very first Blackberry (or "crackberry") cell phone.  Within moments of ripping open the box I started searching for applications (shopping lists, calendars, to-do lists) etc.

Carrying around a cute little phone (mine is cherry red) certainly beats lugging around a 17 inch dinosaur laptop.

One of the first "apps" I downloaded (thanks to a variety of positive online reviews) was "Vlingo" which allows you to add tasks, send e-mails, & search the web using voice prompts.

Okay...where do I start with the coolness?  A moment ago (when I was feeling sarcastic) I held the side key of my Blackberry and said, "note to self...get it together".  Later, I held the key and said, "tasks".  Whaddya know....my list of "to-do's" popped up.

(get it together)  (tee hee...)

(send a retirement card to mom)

(send invites to Jenna's birthday party)

....you can also search the web using simple voice prompts like....

(coffee shops in Billings Montana) and "wa-la" a list (via Google or Yahoo) of coffee shops.  Seriously...how cool is that?

Oh..and if you are a facebooker...or twitter'er - you can update your status by pushing a button and telling people what you are doing...in my case "rambling via blog". 

....anyway - needed to share since my blog is all about "simplicity" and I probably saved 30 minutes of tap-tap-tapping texts, searches, etc...using the application vs. my teeny-weeny phone keyboard (and fat fingers).

Mom Review: Too Cold to Play Outside? Try Wii Outdoor Challenge

I live in Montana and we are smack-dab in the middle of the coldest winter I've ever experienced here normally Montana is fairly mild...(mind you, I grew up in Minnesota so my definition of mild may be a bit skewed).

We had a weeklong stretch where the kids literally could not go outside due to frigid temps.  They were getting stir-crazy...and so was I.

That's what motivated me to purchase a Wii and Active Life Outdoor Challenge for Christmas - and since the weather didn't break...we opened it up early.

It was an instant hit with my kids (a four year old boy...and five year old girl).  The loved the jump-roping, log-jumping, outdoor trampoline & mine cart race.  I was literally giddy as I watched them run in place, jump and swing their arms & sweat!

We love the game so much that we spend each afternoon doing a family workout.  I do a 20 minute running, hurdle & jumping routine while the kids run in place & jump beside me.  After that, they challenge one another in a variety of games while I clean the house.

Pinch me.  I have a clean house...I am getting a quick workout...and I have exhausted kids at the end of the day.

Here is a promotional video for the game.  I would love to hear your thoughts on the game if you have it (comments section)...and if not - give it a try!  Trust me, it is well worth the $59.00 price tag!

New T-Shirt & Profile Card Designs Available at My Zazzle Store

I just finished creating a bunch of brand new t-shirt designs for babies & big kids.  Check them out at my Zazzle store. 

My Mom Rocks (or uncle, aunt, big brother, etc..) by traci_designs
Design Custom Tee Shirts On Zazzle
See other Youth School Academics T-Shirts

Loving This! Safety Tats – Adorable Identification Tattoos for your Child

I literally found this website a few hours after scraping a Fourth of July flag tattoo off of my daughter's arm.  The darn thing stayed on for three days!

Now, I am having one of those...slap the forehead - why didn't I think of that?  - moments.  (I think I have a permanent forehead bruised from all of the brilliant things *other* moms have thought of).

Anyway - this one is one of the brilliant-ist by far.   =)

I used to be a social worker and spent much of my summer retrieving young children who wandered from home or who got lost at a park or carnival.

It never failed...even the children who probably rehearsed their name and phone numbers with a parent over...and over...got cases of stage fright.

What's your name?  "um - I don't know".

What's your mommy's name?  "um - mommy".

Where do you live?  "In a blue house".

We always found the rightful owners to the wayward children...however, it is nice not to spare a moment (or a trip to the police station) while looking for a parent.

I am buying a few "tats" as we speak.  They are stinkin' cute, plus - they last over a week.  (If they are anything like the flag tattoo - they'd probably last until the child hits jr. high).

Check it out!

Fresh, Modern & Fun – Skinny Mini Playdate, Business or Mommy Calling Cards

I spent Memorial Day hanging out with adults. Yes - *just* adults. It was wonderful. We ate a little, drank a little...and of course, we talked about our kids. =)

I was especially excited to meet a fellow artist....I am a graphic designer - and she paints.  "Ooohhh you are a *real* artist, I squealed...teach me!"

So - we exchanged numbers. She gave me a beautiful business card complete with her website, contact information and a lovely painting on the front whereas I scrambled to find a piece of napkin that wasn't soaked in BBQ sauce to write my number on.

As a result of my embarrassing first playdate impression...I decided to create my own "mommy card" if you will.

These are small enough to fit in your pocket (about the size of a lipstick)...and large enough to add all of the pertinent information. The come with a cute little dispenser too. I am going to use the first one...but I thought I'd create a few others just for fun. These have a fun backside too....

Enjoy!

Glubble.com – Safe and Fun Website Browsing for Kids

I am not sure if this is a good thing or not, but my kiddos like the computer as much as I do.  My four year old daughter loves online drawing sites and coloring pages and my son is a big fan of "Handy Manny".

While I love to let them play educational and creative games on the internet, I am always afraid that they will run into a site that I don't want them to see.  Not to mention all of the annoying little pop-up ads that seem to be strategically placed for accidental clicks.

I found this site Glubble.com a few months ago and was reminded of it the other day when my son was having a hard time navigating between two sites he loves to play on.   It is a Firefox add-on (meaning you can only use it if you also use the Firefox browser...which I also highly recommend).  Once you install it you create "tabs" for each of your children and small icons called "glubbles" with many of the most popular children's educational and game websites.

What I love most about the site is that it keeps my children from exploring elsewhere on the internet because everything else is password protected by the parent. 

You can also customize the homepage for each of your children.  I filled my daughter's site with Polly Pockets, Girl Scouts  and American Girl type sites while my son gets Bob the Builder and Lego games.  You can also choose age-appropriate sites.

I almost purchased the Fisher Price Easy Link Launchpad for my kids but I wasn't anxious to have yet another toy piled on top of my laptop, desktop, printer, and drawing software.  This has been a much better option for so many reasons.  (Did I mention that it is free too)?

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