School is Open: Moms Crossing

Finally....the summer is over and the kids are back in school.    Moms of school aged children can now shop in peace, actually try on clothes in the dressing room and avoid spending extra money on each little thing the kids ask for along the way.

Yes.  I took the summer off from blogging.  Not intentionally.  It wasn't until mid-to-late July that I realized I had fallen out of the habit and then decided, just wait til September.    Well it took me until Sept 20th to write my first blog but I have two amazing places to share.    What is so time consuming is the writing part.   Taking the photos is easy.   So I am going to upload photos and captions when I am short on time, so I do not get out of the rhythm of blogging.

First two blogs back:  Paper Source in Eastchester and Imagine Candy in Scarsdale.

Happy Back to School Shopping, Moms.  :-)

Small Room Decorating Magazine-- July 2012

Best Baby Gift for Any Price Range : Angel Dear

I love buying baby gifts.   One item I buy every baby that is born is an Angel Dear blanket.   I got a pink bunny blanket when my daughter was born and after many laundry cycles, near misses/lost and founds, we still have it.    When I found out my next child was going to be a boy, the first item I bought was the Angel Dear monkey blanket.  

Since then, the company has expanded their product line and started to offer different variations of Angel Dear blankets.   I am going to share 3 of them.   

The first is the regular blanket, that can be bought for $11-$14.  I usually buy 3-4 at a time on diapers.com and have them as small gifts for people or as an add on gift for someone.     Then there is the "pair and a spare" package that contains 3 of the same item.  Of course, with kids and blankies, you need to have multiples in case they lose them (even though kids KNOW the difference, somehow!)   The package of 3 costs $35 on diapers.com. ($49 or more and you get free shipping, FYI)

Then there is my new favorite, which I just bought.   The 4 piece set.  The pillow, blanket, little blanket and rattle.    What I neglected to mention was how soft these blankets are.  They are similar to a cashmere material.   Very soothing for a baby.  Both of my kids, great sleepers, used them at 3-4 months of age, to cover their eyes when they went to sleep.  Maybe older than that....I forget.  But my point is, I always put them down awake and they self soothed, and used these blankies to cuddle up with and help them fall asleep.   My little guy, who is now 2, was thrilled to see the large monkey blanket the other day.  He is used to the small one.   He screamed, "monkey!" and hugged that blankie so tight.   I thought, I must blog about these Angel Dear blankies!  

(They also make clothes and blankets and many other gift items-- check out the website for more information.) 

A perfect gift because it comes in different packaging and pricing-- so if there's a girl at your doctors office that you want a little something for.....or a friend who you have to go to a shower for and you want to do a theme basket, you can get these items, plus clothing or toys and wrap it in a cellophane basket and it makes an adorable gift.   

The website:

Angel Dear

Fashion Find: At 7/11 (Yes...you read that right!)

So, my daughter and I drive by 7/11 often and she asks me if she can buy a slurpee.  (She reads the sign in the window, has never been inside a 7/11 somehow and sees that the picture is of a pink beverage.)    I can usually tell her that the parking is a problem but she is persistent and I promised her "when school gets out."

Well, school is out and she took me up on my promise.  Today was Slurpee Day.  We parked and walked to 7/11 and I filled a small cup with a cherry slurpee.  She did not like it.    Filled a small cup up with Blue Raspberry and she said she liked it but only drank half of it before saying she was done.    Hopefully there will not be any return visits to 7/11 any time soon.

As I was paying for the 2 slurpees (the wasted cherry one and her blue raspberry one) I noticed on the counter these watches!!   I asked how much they were and the cashier pointed to the sign/label that said, $7.99.

Only Emma could find a fashion item at a 7/11.     A variety of colors available.
I bought pink, of course.  :-)

Here is a link to the watches.....to buy them wholesale, in bulk, they are cheaper but I guess 7/11 has to make a dime on them somewhere!    

Gelee Watches

Retail Therapy: Emma's Trip to Charming Charlie

Will be a very brief blog....Just a photo album of the cutest little goodies I bought last week at Charming Charlie in Ridge Hill.  It is a little accessory shop sectioned off by color.  So if you are all about coral this season, you can find everything coral.    

THE color this year seems to be coral; That's why I use it as an example...and thats why I bought what I bought.  See below:  

Pashmina:  $15 

$10.99 flip flops.

Pocket mirrors  $4.50-$5.00

Cute "dress" maybe for a tween...I might use as a swimsuit coverup.

$14.99 on sale

Forget the price....sorry!  

Oops-- This little H&M hairbrush snuck into this album.   $5 

Tunic blouse on sale for $14.99

Another pair of jeweled flip flops  $15 or so

In my old age, I am becoming sun-phobic!   Hats were $19.99 each, I think.  

Ask Emma Business Cards

I treated myself recently to some business cards.  :-)
(I think they are also now called "contact cards" or my least favorite term, "mommy cards.")

My favorite paper/stationery/card site, Tiny Prints was running a special for Facebook members.  $20 for 50 cards.   How could I pass them up?   I have spent $20 more foolishly than this!  

I was giving one to the owner of a restaurant that I plan to blog about in the next week or so  (Park 143 in Bronxville.....amazing, btw) and my husband asked me what I was giving him.   I said, "My business card."

His reply:  "You have business cards??"

Yes I do.   Here it is:

Teacher Gift Idea

Loved this so much that I borrowed it (cut and pasted it) and want to give credit to the link that I borrowed it from

http://www.domestically-speaking.com/2010/05/m-ms-teacher-appreciation-gift.html

M & M’S TEACHER APPRECIATION GIFT

May 3, 2010 By Maryann @ Domestically Speaking 40 Comments

This week is teacher appreciation week.   Tomorrow my kiddos will take these easy to make gifts to their teachers.

I used mason jars, the same as I used for my Pottery Barn Candleholders.

Filled them with M&M’s… plain & peanut

Printed out this cute M&M poem…

Glued it to some cardstock to frame it out…

Hole punched around the edges & then weaved the twine through the holes & attached the poem with some twine to the jar.

I traced the lid on some leftover vellum paper to make a cute top.

Easy-peasy ~ CUTE and Yummy gift!

Here’s the poem (in case you want to copy, paste & use)

Green is for the inspiration you give me each day.

Blue is for your patience in showing me the way.

Orange is for your warmth and caring style.

Yellow is for the way you always make me smile.

Red is for my life that you have touched this year.

You’re a very special teacher just like this jar, that’s clear.

You place knowledge in our children’s hands

and melt into their hearts and lives forever.

You’re a "Magnificent" & "Marvelous" teacher

Thank you for being my M&M.