Archive | October, 2014

Fabulous Styles From RUUM American Kid’s Wear and Clarks On The Runway at petitePARADE NYC 2014 #RUUMrunway

29 Oct

RUUM American Kid’s Wear recently opened a store in TriBeCa.  When my youngest took notice to the outfits in the store window as we passed by, she immediately had to go in.  She picked out nearly the entire store, because she LOVED all the gorgeous styles that were displayed.  We walked out with her favorite dress, which she wants to wear almost every day. When I was asked to attend petitePARADE’s 7th (bi-annual) fashion show, featuring RUUM American Kid’s Wear, I asked my girls if they wanted to go.   Their eyes lit up and they started picking out their outfits (even though it was a week away).  My youngest picked her favorite RUUM dress and my oldest picked a dress by Isobella & Chloe. 20141028-234903-85743827.jpg On October 19, the girls put on their outfits they and we headed to Bath House Studios on the Lower East Side. They took their seats, waited for the lights to dim and the show to start.  Out first was RUUM American Kid’s Wear, showcasing their Holiday looks for the upcoming season.  There were so many gorgeous styles for girls. Faux fur, dresses for a princess, stylish knit sweaters, and just enough sparkle and shimmer my little girls loved.  Below are some of our favorite looks from RUUM on the runway:

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We love the gold and the shimmer. Perfect for sisters who love to dress alike (like my girls). Love the subtle differences.

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Beautiful! And love the two styles together for sisters. Perfect for Holiday gatherings or for New Years Eve.

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Love this look for everyday wear. It has all the sparkle my girls love yetlooks comfy and cozy for chilly winter days ahead.

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Tristan and Tyler walk the runway in these trendy looks for boys this winter.

Tristan and Tyler walk the runway in these trendy looks for boys this winter.

Up next was Clarks shoes, previewing their kids line for Spring 2015.  The mini-models hit the runway with tons of energy, showcasing all you can do in comfortable Clarks shoes.  The stylish tots to tweens danced,  took the dog for a walk, and did back walk overs down the runway. Here are some looks you will see from Clarks this Spring: petitePARADE / Kids Fashion Week, NYC October 2014 - Day 2 petitePARADE / Kids Fashion Week, NYC October 2014 - Day 2 petitePARADE / Kids Fashion Week, NYC October 2014 - Day 2 petitePARADE / Kids Fashion Week, NYC October 2014 - Day 2 petitePARADE / Kids Fashion Week, NYC October 2014 - Day 2 petitePARADE / Kids Fashion Week, NYC October 2014 - Day 2 My girls had an amazing time watching the kids walk the runway.  They are ready to skip a play date with friends to have a play date with mom to shop for new shoes and  their Holiday outfits.

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. I received a gift bag for attending the event.  All opinions expressed are my own.  Thank you to The Bromley Group for sharing your images.  I attended the event on behalf of my friend, Brianne from Stroller in the City.

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Sunday Funday: Crafting with Green Kid Crafts & GIVEAWAY To Get A Start on Holiday Gifts

26 Oct

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My oldest daughter could sit and do crafts for hours. She was so excited when she received a Green Kid Crafts Discovery Box in the mail.  Green Kid Crafts is a green company that provides creative and educational activities to do with kids through an eco-friendly Subscription Service, Craft Boxes, Birthday Activities, STEM Science Kits, Creativity Kits. Each box has a few activities enclosed with instructions and the materials you need to put together the activity.

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Developed by teachers, crafty moms and STEM experts (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) to support key developmental skills for kids ages 3-10, each Discovery Box celebrates creativity with craft projects and activates thinking, questioning, inquiring, and original creation as we guide children through fun science experiments. The recent Discovery Box we received was Weather Science. The Weather Science Box includes materials to create a Weather Station, a Cloud Finder, and a Wind Sock.

Image from Green Kid Crafts

Image from Green Kid Crafts

Weather Station:  A fun activity that gets a lot of use.  Since making it, my daughter checks the weather and sets her weather station to show the weather of the day.  We talk about what clothes we can wear for the weather

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Wind Sock: Living in an apartment makes using the wind sock challenging but we were able to hang it on our roof terrace to watch it in action and see which direction the wind is blowing.

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Cloud Finder:  Take the cloud finder with you on a walk through the park and see what types of clouds you can find.  A fun learning experience to do together as a family.

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Why We Love Green Kid Crafts:

  • It’s always fun for the kids to receive a surprise package especially when it’s addressed to them.
  • It’s a hands-on learning experience.
  • My oldest was able to complete most of the activities on her how but we had fun working together on the wind sock.
  • So many great learning boxes and activities to choose from. Check out my other post about the Around The World II Discovery Box.
  • It’s the perfect gift for the Holidays and Birthdays or just to surprise your little one.
  • Keeps kids busy on a rainy day or a day that you are hanging at home.
  • Don’t throw away the box when you are finished, we love reusing them for another craft.  My oldest daughter made a “Haunted” display for Halloween!

20141026-205447-75287825.jpg The Holidays will be here before you know it.  Check out the Green Kid Crafts Stocking Stuffers and Holiday boxes. GIVEAWAY: Get a head start on your Holiday gifts and ENTER to win a Green Kid Craft Discovery Box of Your Choice for your little one.  Click the ENTER link for all entry options. Giveaway ends 12:00 am on November 17, 2014!  Good luck and thank you for entering! Disclaimer: I received a Discovery Box for review and a Discovery Box to giveaway to a reader.  All opinions and photos are my own unless otherwise noted.  Information in italics are from Green Kid Crafts.

Spooky Snacks & Crafts For Halloween

21 Oct

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My girls couldn’t be more excited for Halloween.  This year we were unable to get our decorations from where we store them so we have been busy making our own to decorate the house.  While we decorate it’s always fun to have Halloween Themed snacks (these could also be a fun afternoon craft activity with food).  Below are some of the activities we have done together and snacks you can make for your halloween play dates, parties or bake sales:

Spider Hands with Web: A simple activity you can do with almost anything you have in your house.  Have your child trace both hands on black construction paper or use computer paper and have them color in their hands after traced.  Cut out hands and glue together.  Have your child make the eyes or you can use google eyes if you have any available.  On a piece of white paper, draw a web and then cut it out. Hang somewhere around the house.

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Creatology Foam Pumpkin Kit:  This kit is available at Michaels.  It’s perfect for making signs and Halloween pictures to hang around the house.  It comes with foam stickers for eyes, ears, nose, black cats, and spiders as well as google eyes to glue on.   We also made a Halloween mobile out of them by punching holes in the stems and hanging them from a hanger.  (use can also punch holes in the hand spiders mentioned above and hang them as well on the mobile).

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The Sparkly Pumpkin:  The easiest craft to keep busy.  All you need is miniture pumpkins and crayola glitter glue. To give it a little spooky touch, add rubber rats or spiders.  A great decoration for around the house.

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GoGoSqueez-enstein: I made these for a snack when my girls came home from school one day.  I made one on the computer and the other I made with construction paper, glitter glue and a black marker.  My oldest thought they were so cute, she went and made a bunch to bring to her friends Halloween party.

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There Was A Little Girl Who Swallowed A Spider:  My girls love the series There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed….A Fly, A Bat and so on.  The other day I made these snacks for a Halloween craft play date.  We started joking around about The Little Girls Who Swallowed a Spider.  These snacks are simple to make.  All you need are brownie bites from Whole Foods (note that they are made in a facility that also processes peanuts and tree nuts).  UTZ Halloween Pretzels, edible Eyes, and Wilton Gel Writers.  Break the wings off the pretzel bats and push them into the Brownie to make the legs,

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The Haunted House : We made this house last year and will continue making haunted houses with some of our favorite halloween candy.  See my previous post to see how you can make them.

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Happy Decorating and Crafting this Halloween!

 

 

 

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Sending Love & Cheer This Holiday Season With Minted (GIVEAWAY)

11 Oct

I love receiving Holiday cards from friends and family.  At the end of the season we create a Holiday book with all the beautiful cards we receive.  I also love sending cards but every year I wait until the last-minute to do my Holiday cards.  This year I got a head start, thanks to a photo session with Big Apple Portraits (review coming soon). Now that I have photos, choosing my favorite picture and then finding the right card is my biggest challenge (see below for Minted Giveaway)

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Minted.com is one of my favorite sites for cards, invitations and even art. I love the variety and the gorgeous designs to choose from, especially for the Holidays. This  year I have teamed up with Minted for a $50 giveaway to use towards your Holiday cards (or anything outside of art work).  All you need to do is help me choose the design for my Holiday card this year. I have chosen some of my favorite designs below:

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Bright Snowflake Spirits

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Winter Brush Foil-pressed Card

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Merry Typography Foil-pressed Card

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Snow Flurry

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Snowy Love and Joy

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Just Dotty

You will need to leave a comment with your favorite picture and card design.  Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway
to be eligible to win and for more entry possibilities.  A random winner will be selected.  Good Luck, can’t wait to see your favorite!

About Minted: Minted crowd-sources design and art from a global community of independent designers, then sells their best designs as fine products such as stationery, wall art, and décor for the home, holidays, and occasions.  For more information visit www.minted.com!

Disclaimer: I will receive a credit to minted.com for this post.  All opinions expressed.  A big thank you to Big Apple Portraits for the beautiful photos of my girls and thank you to Minted for your support.  Images of all the card designs and information in italics came from Minted.com

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How I Got My Daughter To Try Zucchini and Zucchini Noodle Dishes I Love

8 Oct

 

I never thought I would be able to get my girls to eat zucchini.  Not long ago my mom gave me a Veggetti™ Spiral Vegetable Cutter. It’s been the best gift.  It turns Veggies into thick or thin “spaghetti” noodles.  I use it almost every day for lunch and dinner, mostly with Zucchini. One day my youngest, who won’t touch zucchini when its cut into chips or sticks, saw me eating the Zucchini Noodles. She loved zucchini noodles. She prefers the simple version with olive oil, garlic, salt and a little parmesan cheese or in vodka sauce.

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Below are some of my favorite creations that I put together using simple ingredients:

Simple; with olive oil, salt, garlic. Topped with parmesan cheese.

Simple; with olive oil, salt, garlic. Topped with parmesan cheese.

 

Sautee noodles with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, red onion, adding tomatoes at the end. Top with feta cheese.

Sautee noodles with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, red onion, adding tomatoes at the end. Top with feta cheese.

Sautee with chile olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, red pepper, adding heirloom tomatoes a few minutes later. Top with goat cheese.

Sautee with chile olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, red pepper, and carrots. Add heirloom tomatoes a few minutes later. Top with goat cheese.

Zucchini Noodles topped with Whole Foods pre-made Eggplant Balls that were simmered in Cucina Antica Vodka sauce. One of my favorites.

Zucchini Noodles topped with Whole Foods pre-made Eggplant Balls that were simmered in Cucina Antica Vodka sauce. One of my favorites.

Sautee Zucchini Noodles with salt, pepper, olive oil, crushed red pepper. Heat two Whole Foods ready-made Turkey Balls and mix in. Top with parmesan cheese.

Sautee Zucchini Noodles with salt, pepper, olive oil, crushed red pepper. Heat two Whole Foods ready-made Turkey Balls and mix in. Top with parmesan cheese.

 

Cook Pancetta and roast butternut squash first. Cook Zucchini Noodles. Add pancetta and butternut squash, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and garlic. Top with goat cheese.

Cook Pancetta and roast butternut squash first. Cook Zucchini Noodles. Add pancetta and butternut squash, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and garlic. Top with goat cheese.

 

 Veggetti™ is available at Bed, Bath, & Beyond for $14.99.  It is top rack, dishwasher safe

Disclaimer:  I did not receive compensation for this post.  I am not a professional chef by any means but I love mixing simple ingredients together to come up with something delicious.  I also love to share products that help my girls eat more vegetables.  I’m still working getting my oldest to try them because I know she will like them if she does.

 

 

 

 

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Fun (FOOD) Friday: Under the Sea

3 Oct

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I should be talking about Halloween and pumpkins but my girls can’t stop reminiscing about their summer trip to  Magic Kingdom.  The highlights of course, meeting the princesses.  A new attraction from our last visit a few years ago was Ariel’s Grotto.  It was simply amazing for them to go “Under the Sea” and meet their favorite Mermaid.  For dinner the next night, I decided to do something a little fun with their food.  I made a mermaid (or Ariel) themed dinner, not as beautiful as the “real” Ariel but it was fun and exciting for the girls.

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It was simple to make.  For the…

Head: I got ready made Turkey meatballs from whole foods and heated them up. I then cut eyes and a mouth

Hair: I made spaghetti with Vodka sauce.  I placed the spaghetti around the head so that it looked like hair.

Shells: I used two Driscoll’s Strawberries.

Tail: I sliced up kiwi and placed it on the plate to look like a tail.

Arms: I used two carrots.

Fish: I had S’More Goldfish and took the chocolate fish out and placed them on the plate for an “Under the Sea” look.

The next time I make our Mermaid meal, I will use cooked spinach for seaweed or broccoli for “under water” plant life.

 

Does your child love mermaids as much as my girls do?  Here a few activities you can do to continue your “Under the Sea” themed evening:

 

Happy Friday!

Disclaimer: All images, ideas and opinions expressedare my own.   I was not compensated for this post.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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