Friday, September 10, 2010

“8 Smart Rules for Buying Kids Clothes - Associated Content” plus 3 more

“8 Smart Rules for Buying Kids Clothes - Associated Content” plus 3 more

8 Smart Rules for Buying Kids Clothes - Associated Content

Posted: 10 Sep 2010 06:42 AM PDT

1. Make a list:
Leave the aspirin at home by making a list before you head out to the mall. Write down what the kids need and their sizes. Stick to this list and don't stray from it.
2. Window Shop:

A week before you start buying school clothes, have the kids "window shop" online at some of their favorite stores. Once that is done search compassion shops to see who has the best deal. Check on Sundays for fliers that have sales going on or check your favorite shopping blogs. Finding a sale is the key to saving money.
3. Avoid the crowds:
Instead of planning the school shopping trip on a Saturday then make it on a weeknight after dinner. Choose one or two nights during the week such as a Wednesday or Thursday night. The benefits will be that you avoid the larger crowds and you can have the "get in and get out" attitude because you know that the mall will be closing soon.
4. Learn to compromise: This one isn't the simplest rule to follow. Kids get their fashion inspiration from celebrities but let's face it, the styles that the celebs wear are not always school appropriate. Teach kids what is acceptable for school and what is not. When your daughter holds up that sequined top you will be able to tell her yes but it is not to be worn for school. You got to meet them half way on some stuff or you will have a fight on your hands.
5. Shop for the essentials first:
Kids are a fickle bunch of people. They may like the clothes they have picked out until school starts; and then they come home with a list of must-haves because of peer pressure. Avoid these situations by only getting the essential clothes first. Once they come home with their must have list write it down, along with their sizes, and get them when you see sales on your own. Remember that if you do buy everything all at once, keep the tags on the clothes and keep all of the receipts. This is just in case they do have second thoughts about the clothes.
6. Pre-shop and save:
Before heading out to the mall, have the kids go through their closets and sell their old clothes for cash. This is so they will be able to help pay for their new clothes.
Instead of heading straight to the mall, head over to a consignment shop. Consignment shops are not like thrift stores because they are more selective on the clothes that they receive. Plus some of them cater to the kids and teen only. This could save you big money. They usually have their prices set at reasonable prices.
7. Get rewarded: Ask about frequent buyer cards at the stores that you visit the most. This will help you to earn future savings or discounts with every purchase.
8. Shop where kids can be kids: Shop at a place where a kid can get excited about shopping because you really can shop for clothes where the clothes are school appropriate but does not break the bank. Check out some of the sources where the kids can be kids: The Children's Place, JcPenney, L.L. Bean. These are just some of the resources that helps you shop for sales.

Shopping for school clothes does not have to be one major headache. In fact, it can be a rewarding experience for both you and your kids. These rules should help you cut down on some of the stress. It really depends on the person and where they shop at for their kids school clothes.

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Meth Can Make You Lose Your Kids - Associated Content

Posted: 10 Sep 2010 10:45 AM PDT

Methamphetamine, or meth, is a highly addictive drug that has destroyed countless lives. Many people know about the physical affects that meth can cause: how it can seem to quickly age a person and leave sores on his
 or her face. It is also well known that meth is a difficult addiction to break, and that people can become addicted after the first use. Meth can also make a parent lose their children. I recently learned of a meth user who will probably lose her children because of her addiction. I will call her Sue (all names in this story have been changed).

Homeless

Sue, addicted to meth, was unable to afford the rent to her modest home. Both her and her family were evicted and had to live in their car. They were receiving food from kind neighbors who didn't want to see her kids starve.

Sue decided that she wanted to get clean. She asked a complete stranger, Ella, if she would take care of her children while she was in rehab. The only thing that Sue knew about Ella was that she went to church. Ella decided to help.

The Kids

When the kids arrived at Ella's house, their hair was matted. It hadn't been brushed in days. It is doubtful that they had been eating on a regular basis; Top Ramen seemed like a treat to them. They had flip flops and the clothes on their back. Although Ella had few resources of her own, she decided to find clothes for them.

Sue's Chances of Getting Her Kids Back

Child Protective Services became involved in this case. Sue's children remain in Ella's care, as there are no other family members that have the means or desire to care for them. Although Sue seemed determined to get off meth when she initially lost her home, she is no longer in rehab. In order to get her kids back, she will have to fulfill several conditions, including getting clean, getting a job, and obtaining a place for her and her kids to stay. If she is unable to do this, she will permanently lose rights to her kids, and her children could be adopted by someone else.

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How to Get Your Kids to School - New York Times Blogs

Posted: 10 Sep 2010 10:38 AM PDT

School is back in session. And depending where you live, you've had days or weeks to get back in the routine. Which means you are probably still foundering around every morning trying to get out the door, right?

Last week I introduced you to Victor (Spuds) Crawford, a writer/substitute teacher/single Dad of six children/former military man. Spuds likes lists. Periodically over the next few weeks he has agreed to share some of his lists here on Motherlode. Today's offering is a "List for School Day Mornings." There are two variations on this theme. The standard version, and the one for cold or rainy days. First the standard one. Then come back later today for the inclement weather modifications.

BACK TO SCHOOL CHECKLISTS
By Spuds Crawford

1) EVERYDAY LISTS

Before we get to the checklist, we need to talk about laundry. Without a laundry system in place, there isn't a checklist in the world that can help you with the daily school grind! This is how we do laundry: Each Child has their specific evening to do laundry. At this time they will wash, dry and, as needed, iron seven outfits which they will wear for the week. I will do the remainder of their laundry.

The notion of planning seven outfits in advance is a challenge for my daughters. Apparently, there is a time limit for how long an outfit can remain "groovy" (my kids hate when I say "groovy." So I say it often and in front of their friends.) For this reason I have had to allow for a certain amount of flexibility with the young ladies of the family.

For the boys, though, this method is ideal… maybe even perfect! The only requirements I have for the finished outfits for the boys is that pants/shorts must match the shirt and there must be a pair of socks and underwear shoved into the pockets of the pants when they are laid out the night before, increasing the likelihood that they will wear clean socks and underwear everyday.

I know for a fact that Calvin, my 8-year-old has pulled his clean pair of underwear out of his pocket at school at least twice. This just goes to show that while my method of trying to train the boys to change their underwear daily is easy, it doesn't necessarily make it fool-proof.

A corollary subject to laundry, is weather. Matthew, my 11-year-old son, is the designated Weather Man. Josh, now 15, retired from the Weather Man post last year and Matthew has been doing a great job of updating the weather forecasts on the whiteboard in the kitchen on a daily basis. We always have a general idea of what to expect at least four days in advance and this helps with our clothing plans.

Now, onto the lists.

• 0500: Wake up and stare at myself in the mirror until I come into focus.

• 0510: Do stretching in the garage. I also have to set the alarm on my phone for 0520, at this point. I have fallen asleep on the floor of the garage before, while lying back to stretch my thighs. It's not fun waking up on the floor of the garage at 0800 with the neighbor's cat snuggled up under your arm.  It actually happened TWICE. Try explaining that story to the attendance office!

• 0520: Jog. Well… it's more of a limp, then a stagger then, after my knees have warmed up, I do actually have a rather good looking jogging form.

• 0550: Water/Feed the dogs. (Water self, too.) And jump in the shower. Like my kids I have my clothes for the week on my hangar so I can usually shower and dress by 0600.

• 0600: Wake up the kids! This is usually tough for the first week of school, as they are all out of the early morning habit. I've found that my old whistle comes in handy for those "difficult" mornings. You laugh, but it works. Ooooh! The girls HATE my whistle! The mere sight of my whistle seems to anger them. My 8-year-old, Ramona, actually grabbed my whistle off the counter during an especially "difficult" morning, ran to the back deck and, with a running start, threw my whistle into the pool. It was difficult not to laugh.

• While the kids begin their "zombie walks" upstairs, I run downstairs and pull both of the electric griddles out of the cupboard so that they can start pre-heating. Mix the pancake batter, cut the ham, and grab the eggs and cheese from the fridge.

• 0610: Re-wake up the children who have fallen back asleep. (Periodic time reminders need to be performed even for those who have remained awake, as the children have no concept of time in the morning… unless they are running late… which, if this is the case, you should be prepared for general mayhem and crying.)

• 0630: Breakfast. Everyone eats, everyone cleans… house rules.

• 0645: The two older boys depart in my beloved "Man Truck" for school. I, of course, am relegated to driving the mini-van. (There is nothing manly about a mini-van… except me, of course. I even tried playing some Motorhead one morning after I dropped the kids off but the song "Born To Raise Hell" came out as "Born to Enjoy an Evening Mixer With Some Live Music".)

• 0655: It's go time…"Combat Seating!" Yes, I have a posted seating chart for the mini-van. The seating chart prevents any "Shotgun'ing" of the preferred seats. The children sit in the seats in the order which they will exit the van for school. It just makes sense and it precludes any last minute arguments.

• 0715: Drop the twins off at their school. Remind Calvin to check his pockets for underwear before he leaves the van. (The two underwear incidents at school were very traumatic.)

• 0735: Drop the two Tweens off at the middle school.

• 0800: Grab a Diet Coke from Sonic (Because they have the best ice)

• 0815: Arrive home. Re-Clean the kitchen and pick up the items which broke loose or fell from the children as they wandered about the house.

• 0900: Put in a load of laundry (Even with the kids washing their own weekly outfits I still have to do at least 3 loads of laundry per day so I don't fall so far behind I won't be able to catch back up again.)

• 1100: Lunch break

• 1200: Do the scheduled house cleaning for the day. (That's a whole separate set of lists.) This is also when I prepare and package the snacks for the kids to eat in the van for the ride home. I do this because they are always starving and I'd rather them not whine the whole way home about how hungry they are, then arrive at the house and destroy the kitchen in their quest for food. Plus, it really peeves the SAHM's when their children want to ride home with us because we have treats. (GRIN)

• 1400: Leave the house in the mini-van for the infamous Car Rider Line at the elementary school.

1420: Arrive at the elementary school. I like to arrive early so that I can be one of the first vehicles in line.

• 1500: Arrive at the middle school for the second car line.

• 1540: Arrive back at the house, clean out the garbage from the snacks, and make sure the kids remember to get their backpacks out of the van and shut the doors. (Why do kids not shut car doors?)

• The kids leave their backpacks on the dining room table where I review their agendas, sign paperwork and insert the, always requested, envelopes with money for the various "things" at school. The kids generally have free time.

• 1630: Start making dinner

• 1700: Kids sit at the table and do their homework while I finish dinner.

• 1730: Dinner/Clean-up

• 1830: Dance class on Monday. Boy Scouts on Tuesday. Church Youth Meetings on Wednesday. Girl Scouts and Karate on alternating Thursdays. High school football games on Friday. Or, if we happen to not have any activities we watch TV together or play X-Box.

• 2000: Start the showers.

• 2030: Peanut-butter-and-jelly snacks in the kitchen. This is also when we update the whiteboard in the kitchen.

• 2100: Read with the kids

• 2130: Lights out. This is also when I grab a laundry basket and walk around the house picking up shoes, underwear, socks and towels. I also let the dogs out to do their "thing".

• 2200: I do my writing or work on bills

• 0100: Bedtime for Dad (That is if I haven't already fallen asleep while sitting straight up in my desk chair holding down a key on the laptop. I've actually woken up at 3 a.m. with over 250 pages of one letter typed repeatedly.)

• 0500: "Here we go again…"

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Redfish Kids Clothing Layers on Unique Recipes for Back to School Fall Fashions - PRWeb

Posted: 10 Sep 2010 02:10 AM PDT

Vancouver, BC (PRWEB) September 10, 2010

Redfish Kids Clothing Inc., Vancouver, BC-based designer of vibrant, easy to wear kids clothes, continues to offer unique and playful combinations that create an ingenious prescription for this year's back to school and fall fashion styles. Crisp architectural lines give Redfish Kids Clothing its signature style yet the focus on comfortable, at ease pieces is constant throughout the line.

Citing a "courageous vision" faithfully adhered to since the brand's 2005 launch, Co-founder, Lorraine Kitsos, says, "Redfish Kids Clothing is a tribute to boldness, courage and an active, creative life. Our line was born from our desire to create clothing with "heart" - we are locally manufactured, 100% sweatshop free and strongly committed to quality materials, local craftsmanship and zero in house waste.

Designed for versatility and freedom of movement the simple lines of Redfish Kids Clothing are easily layered and worn together and while kids of all ages gravitate towards the strong colors and patterns of Redfish Kids Clothing's line, the young fashion company has also attracted a devoted following among celebrity moms, boasting testimonials from Jennifer Beals, Diana Krall, Sarah McLachlan and more.

"Our line celebrates the courageousness of children in both life and fashion! says Redfish Kids co-founder, Kristy Brinkley. "We tap into the courageous and playful spirit of our kids using strong patterns and expressive colors in our designs. We love to see kids express their individuality! There is nothing better than to see one child wearing our Party Dress, Garden Jacket and ballet flats while another marries the same dress with Karate Jeans, long sleeve black t-shirt and Converse tennies - to us that is true style - both look amazing because both are authentic!"

For creating back to school style, Kitsos and Brinkley suggest easy layering basics as the cornerstone for a good wardrobe. "With a solid foundation to build on- it's easy to pull in statement pieces - THIS is where the interpretation of 'fashion' gets fun and where we often see real style emerge in our young clients. We love to watch them grow into their own look and get more confident over time - more than anything –it is that kind of style that really makes our clothes shine!"

www.redfishkidsclothing.com/blog or visit us on Facebook

Redfish Kids Clothing

The cultural fusion of styles in the Redfish line has spurred strong growth in North American markets as well as contributing to an increasingly international audience. Redfish Kids Clothing is available online and can now be found in boutiques throughout North America and in more than a dozen countries worldwide. Please contact us with inquiries about Redfish Kids Clothing.

"The philosophy that fuels Redfish Kids Clothing is courage - courage to express individuality, courage to live with a strong confident voice, courage to experience life with gusto! The clothing we create is a celebration of the everyday courage of our children and their unlimited potential to shape the future of their world."

Media Contacts: Kristy Brinkley at 604.808.2690 or redfishkidsclothing(at)gmail(dot)com
For further information www.redfishkidsclothing.com
Photos & Interviews Available Upon Request

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