Category: big kids

Pinterest President’s Day Activities

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Like many grade-schoolers, my Trans-Kindergartner has off today for Presidents’ Day. Today was one of the few days off that didn’t get taken away because of snow/Sandy make up days. With that said, we plan to do a few activities in honor of our Presidents.

Even though he’s come home telling me stories about our presidents every day for the past few weeks, I have to really wonder if my 5-year-old is actually absorbing the lessons he’s being taught. And because I’m big on enrichment activities at home to continue the conversations started at school, I love referring to PInterest. Like so many others, Pinterest is an invaluable resource for non-teacher parents. So, while many of you are pinning recipes and fabulous crafts, (I do that too), I’m usually pinning grade-appropriate lessons for my kids.

So here are just a few President’s Day activities that I have bookmarked for our day today.

This is a link to a collection of President’s Day activities.  I like that it includes past presidents like Washington and Lincoln, but it also includes an activity featuring our current presidents.  I haven’t seen too many of those, which, to me, makes it worth the $5.00 fee. Source: Teacher’s Notebook

Source: teachersnotebook.com via Jen on Pinterest

This is a fun-looking sight reading book, but this features Washington, making it timely for today’s holiday.  The word, “he” looks like the main word, so it’s perfect for early readers.  This activity book is $.90.  Source:  Teachers Pay Teachers via Maria Manore.

Source: teacherspayteachers.com via Jen on Pinterest

This will be the main activity for us while the baby naps later today.  Biggie is all about these mini books because he gets to color, cut and construct.  Best part? It’s free, well other than the ink and supplies.  Thank you, Ready, Set Read for this wonderful, free resource!

Are we following each other on Pinterest? Find me at jenrab on Pinterest!

Back to School with The Children’s Place: Mom Knows Best

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Ready or not, here it comes!  As summer starts to wind down, the back to school frenzy begins…just like that.  All summer however, I’ve been checking out the latest and greatest in back to school trends.  I’ve seen a lot of looks ranging from retro, classic and edgy.  But of everything that’s new for the season, the best look we’ve found, ultimately, is the one that lets kids be kids.

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A brand that gets it right by offering a myriad of styles while remaining age-appropriate and affordable is The Children’s Place.  And so, when TCP, one of my favorite retailers, asked me to take part in a back to school promo that involved styling Biggie, it was a no-brainer.

TheChildrensPlacecollage

As I studied their back to school lookbook, I couldn’t help but get nostalgic about The Children’s Place.  I remember my mom perusing the racks when shopping for our back to school outfits.  And so, being tasked to style my soon-to-be school age son for a promo for TCP, I must admit, it was supremely surreal, considering I wore their clothes as a kid and a vast majority of my childrens’ basics are from this same brand.

Back to school looks for everyone

The back to school looks, as I mentioned, seem to assuage all tastes, shapes and kid sizes.  The girls’ pieces, though strikingly pink, retro and sparkly, also offer classic and more subdued styles as well.  As a mama of boys, I usually have tunnel vision for the more rugged and edgy styles. The Children’s Place tasked me with styling my boy for some back to school looks.  They gave me about a $150 price range to work with, which was more than enough to pick and create many looks.

I had a fun time picking out styles that I thought suited Biggie.  He’s an outspoken four-year old, and one who just happens to have a penchant for clothes.  It doesn’t matter what it is, this kid loves clothes.  He’s obsessed with cool pjs, wearing sporty clothes for playing outside and even, getting “fancy” when we go out.  This could be my doing, but hey, you can’t fault a boy who appreciates being well-dressed.

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The pieces I chose were a mix of preppy and classic, with navy blue as the dominant hue.  I try to buy timeless and durable clothes that would potentially be in style and in great shape four years later for baby bro.  I like to layer because the weather in northern Jersey is very unpredictable in the fall and because he’s a boy. Hello, ketchup on the top shirt.  Thank goodness for that undershirt! As for accessories, I went with items that Biggie loves: a skateboard bookbag since he loves skateboarding; a striped tie because they make him feel “fancy”; and classic navy sneakers.  The sneakers, by the way? They look like they’re regular laces, but they’re not! They’re actually elastic, which makes them easy to slip-on–perfect for kids who can’t tie their shoes yet!

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I love the way his looks came together!  Biggie was such a great sport, considering it was 80 degrees on the day I took these pictures, and according to Biggie, he had “too many clothes on,” yet he still managed to cheese it for every photo!  We shot these pictures at this tiny red school house in Florham Park, NJ, as suggested from a friend.
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Getting him all dressed for this mini photo shoot got me all excited and anxious for the first day of school!  Do you guys like this time of year as much as I do?  What sort of clothes do you buy?

Check it

As part of their Mom Knows Best back to school campaign, Biggie will be featured on TCP’s FB page!  If you feel so inclined be sure to vote for us and the styles I chose!  I’ll be sure to link when it goes up.

Learning to Swim as Part of the SwimWays Swim Team

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

SWSSBadgeFinalWith summer just a few weeks away (yay!) and just in time for National Learn to Swim Day on May 19, I’m so excited to announce that we made the SwimWays Swim Team. This is another fun ambassadorship that will allow us to give you the scoop on great kid gear.

So, this summer, both kids will be learning how to swim with SwimWays gear onhand.  The big kid will be learning with SwimWays Swim Step 3 and the babe will be floating along with Swim Step 1. The SwimWays’ Swim Step program is a three-step approach that include swim-training aids to help parents teach kids to swim at home.

Raising Water Babies

I spent endless summer days in our family’s swimming pool and then, as I got older, I lived it up at the beach.  Growing up in a beach town, my summer days were routinely spent in the water, from sunrise to sunset. So, now that I’m a parent I hope to enrich my kids’ summers with the same love for the water.

Jack karate chopping the ocean waves in Va. Beach

We live in a lake community now, so swimming at the “beach” aka our lake, fills our summer days.  Even though the Big Kid has the basics of swimming down, he doesn’t officially know how to swim yet.  That said, I cant wait to help him learn the fundamentals of swimming and how to stay safe in the water.

And now that we have the baby, the wee one can’t be forgotten.  Baby will be along for the ride on our swimming adventures, where we’ll nurture his activity in the water with Level 1 Swim Steps.

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Celebrate National Learn to Swim Day

It’s going to be a fun summer, and I can’t wait for our beach days and teaching the boys how to swim with the help of SwimWays.  Speaking of which, to help usher in those summer days full of swimming, SwimWays created National Learn to Swim Day to help raise awareness about the importance of teaching kids to swim.  On that end, SwimWays is hosting the first annual National Learn to Swim Day Event at the Greenbrier Family YMCA in Chesapeake, Va from 1-3 pm. The event will not only be a grand opening of the YMCA’s outdoor pool for the summer, but it’s also a way to celebrate National Learn to Swim Day.  The event is open to members and non-members and will feature fun activities and goodies.  If you’re not in the Hampton Roads area, you can still enjoy National Learn to Swim Day by visiting a community pool or simply enrolling the kids in swim lessons!

Facts and Tips

Here are some staggering facts that SwimWays passed along:

·         According to the Red Cross, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1  to 14 years old.
·         Statistics show that children ages 1 to 4 drown most often in home swimming pools.
·         Children were often out of sight less than 5 minutes and under the care of one or both parents at the time of many home pool drownings.

For more resources on pool safety, tips and products for teaching the kids to swim, be sure to check out SwimWays’ TeachMetoSwim.com website.

Yo Gabba Gabba Goodies: New Bedding, DVD and more

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

There’s lots of good stuff on the horizon that our fellow Gabba fans will appreciate.  Not only has DJ Lance and the crew taken over our tvs, toy box and tunes, but now, they’re helping the kids get cozy for bedtime.

A range of reasonably-priced, super cool  YGG bedding in now available at Walmart.  The Yo Gabba Gabba bedding that’s sure to be a hit with tune-loving tots includes a 4-piece toddler bedding set, a variety of blankets and some cool Pillow Pals.
We received a cool toddler blanket, just in time for a recent bug and bout with a double ear infection and then newborn congestion and cold. (ugh!)  Needless to say, this cuddly blanket has been a comforting sidekick over the past few days.  My 4yo has been clutching it day and night, and I don’t blame him.  It’s so soft, warm and because of its smaller size, it’s totally portable.  Even though it’s toddler-sized, it still does the trick for my tall guy.

Super Spies on DVD

And speaking of Yo Gabba Gabba goodness, there’s a new dvd that also recently hit the shelves.  The hilarious Jason Bateman guest stars as a spy in the new four episode of Yo Gabba Gabba!, “Super Spies,” which debuted on DVD on April 17.  Yo Gabba Gabba Super Spies is full of adventure and the usual Gabba fun, but with a quirky musical spy recovery mission mixed in.  It’s been the perfect complement for our quarantined sick days as of late.

More YGG Goodness

And for even more Gabba-related coolness, in case you missed it, co-creator Scott Schultz was the keynote speaker at Kindiefest last weekend.  The musical mecca of the coolest kid music, Kindiefest celebrates the best of the best in the kid indie musical scene.  There was tons of great coverage, but I particularly loved my friend, Amy at Media Macaroni’s take on things.  I’m so sad I missed Kindiefest yet again, but Amy’s recap of Schultz’s Keynote underscored my love for YGG AND made me feel like I was really there.

And just a little more Gabba goodness, I recently had the unique opportunity to interview the other co-creator of YGG, Christian Jacobs.  I love interviewing fascinating people involved in the baby and kid space, but when I get to connect to inspiring creatives like Jacobs, that’s when I truly geek out.  We chatted about the awesomeness that is The Aquabats, the show that’s been squatting on our DVR and reinventing our Saturday mornings.  If you’re a Gabba fan or a fan of punk, or just a fan of quirky shows, tune to The Aquabats on The Hub at 11am on Saturday mornings.  It’s wacky and weird, but oh so funny.  I’ll post that interview soon!

The Children’s Place Spring Styles for Babies to Big Kids

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

With Easter and Passover right around the corner, bulky winter gear is thankfully being replaced with snazzy Spring outfits for the kids.

The Children’s Place, one of my longtime favorites for staples and dress clothes, has a great Spring line up filled with classic styles with plenty of details. This season has styles for everyone, from girls, boys, tots to babies.

We were invited to shop at TCP a few weeks ago to check out the latest offerings first-hand.  With a big boy and a newborn to shop for, my biggest dilemma was deciding which items to take home.  I have a weakness when it comes to shopping for kid’s clothes, which attributes to kids’ overflowing dressers and closets. We had a friend take family portraits shortly thereafter, which gave us a great reason to take the kids’ new clothes from TCP for a spin.

Boys clothes aside, TCP had the most beautiful dresses and outfits for girls, too.  Admittedly, I’m not a head-to-toe pink fan for girls, so I was glad to see that TCP had dresses beyond shades of pink. Most dresses and tops were adorned with bling or some other eye catching details. My favorites were the classic white and black dresses. But most importantly, TCP gets it right with age-appropriate silhouettes for girls.

From Baby to Big Boy

For my own kids, I was excited to find dressy clothes for both boys in one spot.  I haven’t been shopping for two kids that long, but based on my experiences as a kid, I was anticipating having to shop at multiple stores to accommodate different sizes and tastes.  At TCP, we found plenty of jolly roger, pirate-influenced clothes, something my four-year-old is crazy about.  He quickly snactched up some khaki shorts, a tie and collared shirt, all bearing small skull and cross bones details.  I also grabbed some undies, a t-shirt and a nice dress shirt for the big kid, all items that have been getting great wear thus far.  The dress shirt, I noticed, is a different quality from other dress shirts we’ve bought from TCP.  This plaid shirt that looks much like “daddy’s work shirts,” is classic, but soft to the touch.

For the baby, I stocked up on portrait-worthy dress clothes, perfect for Easter Sunday.  A Southern girl through and through, I always love dressing my boys in seersucker.  I was excited to find baby pants and a matching hat, all in seersucker.  I also picked up a dress shirt with anchor details and a few pairs of jammies for the babe.

Be sure to check out their latest in spring and summer clothes!  And before you go shopping, make sure you Google for coupons.  TCP seems to always have good coupons out there.

Full disclosure: We were provided a gift card to The Children’s Place as part of media shop day.  As always, all opinions on NKT are my own.

Ralph Lauren Gang: Meet the Class of 2012

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

With Spring now in full bloom, it’s time to update the kids’ closets with warm weather clothes.  I’m always excited when we can finally replace the monochromatic shades of winter with a more colorful palette, full of weather-appropriate goodies.  And with Spring comes all the fun new fashion lineups, including those for the most fashionable kids!  Designers like Ralph Lauren have a penchant for outfitting the entire family with classic, yet versatile pieces, and that goes for the 2012 RL Gang Spring line.

Photo Credit: Momtrends

The line, which is out now, features classic pieces synonomous with Ralph Lauren’s Americana influence, and mixes it up with some edgy, girly or preppy flair.  Like many of the kids who wear these pieces, RL Gang reflects this diverse spectrum.  Whether it’s the tattered jeans, ruffled details or classic stripes that suits your kid, the expansive and super cute 2012 RL Gang Spring collection has it covered.

My favorites include the girl’s white blazer with pink detail and the boy’s dark denim paired with classic Polo stripes.

Because our entire family loves Ralph Lauren, I’ve mentioned RL Gang in the past; in fact, I posted about last year’s Spring debut. So, it was quite a treat to be invited to this year’s RL Gang Spring launch and video preview at Bloomingdale’s. The RL Gang Spring event was hosted by my friend, Nicole Feliciano of Momtrends, whom, I’m sure you know, is a style maven and fixture in the fashion front.

This was my first blog-related outing with both baby and big kid in tow, so it was quite fitting to preview this Spring line firsthand and meet some of the beautiful kids who comprise the RL Gang Class of 2012.  The precocious little girl, dubbed Willow and epitomizes Bohemian chic, approached the baby and me and made small talk.  I’m imagine she’s about four or five, and asked if she could carry the baby.  Even though I politely declined, I got a little chuckle out of it.

The big kid, who waxes poetic about being a movie star/model/rock star one day, enjoyed all the fun treats and rubbing elbows with his “peers” at the RL Gang Spring event; he even has his Flipbook to show for it.  To boot, one of the local tv news outlets, WPIX, was on hand to cover the event.  The boys and I made a super quick cameo at the very end!

Be sure to check out the Spring RL Gang and the adorable Class of 2012 online.

DVF for babyGap and Gap Kids in Stores Today

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

The day is finally here:  DVF for Gap Kids and BabyGap has officially launched.  It’s the day that many fashionista mommas, their mini fashionistas and Diane von Furstenburg fans alike have been anticipating.  Ok, so, the line has been seen online for weeks, and even hit Gap’s online site earlier this week, but today’s the day where we can pick up mini-wrap dresses for the smallest stylish set in-store.

The DVF for Gap Kids line ranges from $20-$85 and includes cute spring pieces such as rompers, dresses, leggings and assorted accessories.  DVF for Gap Kids features bold, whimsical prints in silhouettes that DVF fans already know and love. The adorable line for girls was created exclusively by designer Diane Von Furstenburg for Baby Gap and Gap Kids and is expected to be a hot seller. So, if you’re hoping to pick up a fun spring dress for your own budding fashionista, run, don’t walk, to your local Baby Gap or Gap Kids!

According to tweets that I’ve seen from my blogging pals who cover fashion, it looks like the line is a big hit, as expected.  Though I can’t see myself stocking my kid’s closet with $75 dresses that they’ll quickly grow out of, how can you resist an outfit or two when they’re this cute!  I love that they’re modern prints with classic appeal and age-appropriate pieces.  That romper (which as of this posting, I can’t find on the site,) that dress (same for this one pictured) and the bathing suits are so gift-worthy! Hello, cuteness! Thank goodness I don’t have any girls, otherwise I’d be even MORE broke! Ok, Gap, so what designer collaboration are we doing for the boys?

Judging from the fact that some pieces are already sold out online, from what I’ve seen, DVF for babyGap and Gap Kids lives up to the hype.  But as a sidenote (and as a mom to boys I would’ve never thought about this,) I’ve seen a few bloggers who have mentioned that the wrap dresses with attached shorts for toddlers may be confusing for the potty training set. Nevertheless, it sounds like DVF for Gap Kids is so popular, that these adorable dresses won’t be on the racks that long.

DVF for Gap Kids is available in stores and online now.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Through his quirky rhymes and colorful characters, for generations, Theodor Geisel–best known as Dr. Seuss–has urged us to climb mountains, hop on pop and speak for the trees. And today, the world celebrates what would have been the beloved author and illustrator’s 108th birthday.

Cat in the Hat Birthday

Kids of all ages have been celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday this week with enthusiastic celebrations, including nationwide reading campaigns. Although Seuss may have lent his creativity to other fields before flourishing with children’s books, his legacy continues to live on—so much so, not only have his books been reprinted over and over, but his characters have come to life on the big screen, stories have been turned into board games and his rhymes are the subject of an amusement park!

Above all the hoopla that Dr. Seuss’ stories have generated over the years, his messages still ring true all these years later. And if we were to remember anything he said, perhaps the most important message Dr. Seuss shared was this:

“You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child.”

For a few minutes or hours today, be sure to pick up a few books and read to the kids!

Just a few of our personal favorite Dr. Seuss titles are: Yertle the Turtle, Horton Hears a Who and Cat in the Hat.  You can’t go wrong with classics like these!

Cat-in-the-Hat-a-thon

I talk a big game about reading to the kids and making sure you disconnect as much as possible, but the truth is, I’m a big advocate not only for reading and writing, but for learning all together.  I love that our kids have the option of supplementing their lessons with intuitive games online, interactive apps, as well as educational programming.  And since we’re talking about Dr. Seuss, the Cat in the Hat which airs on PBS Kids, is no exception.

I love how the show has an emphasis on science and exploring creativity.  Sally and Nick, no doubt, are fun role models for curiosity and exploration; and that Cat, well, he’s knows a lot about that!  And today, in honor of Dr. Seuss birthday PBS is celebrating wit a Cat in the Hat a thon on PBS Kids.  So, after you read your favorite books, be sure to check it out!

I’m so honored to be chosen as one of this year’s PBS Kids VIPs.  This group is a collection of parent bloggers and social media enthusiasts like me who are just as passionate about learning and quality children’s programming.  So, stay tuned for all the PBS Kids-related goodies.

Giveaway

I’ve got two fun Cat in the Hat prize packs from PBS Kids up for grabs!  It contains a Cat in the Hat Book based on the series, a dvd of episodes from the show and a $25 credit to the PBS Kid’s stores!  Just comment below or send me an email to tell me about YOU and YOUR kids’ favorite Dr. Seuss book.  Extra credit: share on the NKT page about how your kids celebrated Dr. Seuss’s birthday.

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P.S.

For those that have been wondering where I’ve been…I had a baby last month! I’ll spare you the “I was so sick song and dance,” but poor baby was/is a little sick. (Knock on wood) It’s nothing major for now, but it’s been enough to keep this momma down and out. I’m slowly but surely getting back into the groove of things. So, please bear with me as I swat out the cobwebs and get things up and running again.  It’s awesome to see you here! Thanks for hanging out.

So here’s baby boy #2’s debut on NKT: internets, meet Joshua Ellis! At just a month old, not surprisingly, he’s a fan of Dr. Seuss and books in general :)

Joshy Dr. Seuss

Harajuku Mini for Target Debuts in November

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Target’s become synonymus for partnering with a myriad of cutting edge designers to provide accessible, affordable, yet fabulous collections to the masses.  And kiddie fashion is no exception.

Announced earlier this year, rocker turned designer and fashion icon, Gwen Stefani, partnered with Target for her upcoming collection for kids, Harajuku Mini.  The collection, inspired by Stefani’s penchant for Japanese street-style, touts an eclectic, edgy, yet practical appeal for babies, tots and Tweens.  I love that this collection is edgy, yet not over the top.

The Harajuku Mini for Target lookbook hit the internet last week, but I just got around to checking it all out myself.  The collection is expected to hit stores next month and will feature cute items such as accessories, biker jackets, dresses, onesies and outfits that are totally Holiday worthy. While the animal print and plaid dresses for Tweens are cute, they don’t completely blow me away.  The baby items, little girl outfits (where the pink and black color scheme dominates ) and the boy clothes are super cute.  My faves are pieces that would be perfect for my guy and the new one on the way; at just $20 for both the Mayhem sweatshirt for boys and tuxedo onesie for baby!  And of course, the pilot case for myself!

I never hopped on board the Missoni madness from earlier this fall, but I’ll be the first to incite a little panic for Harajuku-Mini.  The clothes are THAT cute.  Expect the best of the Harajuku Mini line to go quick in stores!

Ranging from $4 to $30, the entire collection will be in stores November 13.  Check out more of my faves from the Harajuku Mini lookbook.

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IIHS: 31 Booster Seats are Best Bets

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released a report yesterday that revealed “half of children’s car booster seats can’t ensure a proper fit with all safety belts.”

In their report, the IIHS identified seats that were Best Bets, as well as pinpointed specific boosters that parents should avoid. Booster seats, which are for children who have outgrown forward-facing child restraints, should elevate a child and route the lap and shoulder belts while providing a secure fit.

Out of 62 tested boosters, 31 seats made the IIHS’ Best Bets and five make the cut for Good Bets.

Britax Frontier 85 SICT

NKT fave, Britax, was mentioned several times on the list, as well as Clek, Chicco and Graco, just to name a few.  One brand that received great reviews, and I’m intrigued about, is Harmony.  Anyone have this brand?

If you’re shopping for booster seats, be sure to check out IIHS’ report.  See below for the 2011 Booster Evaluation Results.

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