National Tooth Fairy Day!

Did you know that this week we celebrate National Tooth Fairy Day! Yes, apparently this is a National Tooth Fairy and there is BIG news out of Fairyland!

According the Chicago Tribune, the average gift left for kids who lost a tooth was up 15% last year, $2.10 in 2011 to $2.42 in 2012 according to the Original Tooth Fairy Poll--sponsored by Delta Dental.

The most common gift was $1, received by 51% of those surveyed.
Additionally, the poll found that the Tooth Fairy visits 90% of homes with children who lost a tooth and that in 46% of homes the first tooth a child lost commanded more more money than subsequent teeth.

We think a great way to tell the Tooth Fairy that there is a tooth under your child's pillow, is of course, our brand new cotton candy scented Tooth Fairy Spray!

It comes with a hint of magic glitter and a mini-fairytale you can share with your child!

It's a great way to celebrate the MAGIC of the Tooth Fairy! (MSRP: $7.99/2oz bottle)
Have a Happily Ever After!

http://fairytalewishesinc.com

Freddy's Fairytale Find--The Monkey Mat!

I am so excited to share this "Find" for you! Spring is on my mind! With the warmer weather will come lots of outside fun. 


At the ABC kids expo this past October, I met two great gals Christie and Courtney whose booth was right across the aisle from us. Besides being two fantastic gals, they came up with a fabulous product that every household just needs to have--The Monkey Mat! 

• It is made out of the ultra durable parachute material and comes in lots of fun colors.
• It has weighted corners so it won't blow away. 
• It has tags to hook your kids toys or your keys or anything else you want to keep put.
• It is machine washable
• It is nice and big so everyone can sit on it.
• It fits in this super small pouch so just keep it in your car or stroller or purse!
• Makes a great gift for ANYONE!!!

Go to www.monkeymat.com and get yourself one--or two!

Freddy's Friday Find!!

Even though there is snow on the ground and it is the end of January, I can't help but let my mind linger  to Springtime in Chicago where the temperature hovers at about 40 degrees and my kids start playing baseball and softball OUTSIDE!!!!

I was watching the Today Show this morning and I saw a must get item for the spring baseball/softball (or if you are a soccer parent) watching season. 

It is called the Poler Napsack!
It's genius right!! What you don't see is that there are armholes that you can unzip and zip back up to keep nice and toasty. It is waterproof on the outside so when it is 40 degrees AND raining you can keep nice and toasty while you watch your kid round third base on their way to homebase. 

So get ready Springtime! I will brave the elements and get myself a Poler Napsack to tackle the cold and be the Superfan I always knew I could be.

It will set you back about $130 bucks and you can find it at www.polerstuff.com

TGIF!

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

This past winter break I had the good fortune to travel to Acapulco, Mexico with my two kids. My husband was home "minding the store" and little did I know that we were about to embark on a very adventurous day.

Traveling to Mexico from Chicago in the middle of December is considered an adventure by default. My parents have a house in Acapulco and I have been traveling there since I was a kid and I have to say the last 20 years I haven't had so much as a delayed flight. 

I was about to make up for lost time. Our flight from Chicago was delayed into Mexico City where we were to catch our plane to paradise. Not so fast said the Airline Gods. My kids--total troopers, ran to be the first in line to clear customs and miraculously our luggage was cruising off the baggage carousel.

Lugging their duffels through the maze of the Mexico City Airport we managed to find the train to the other terminal. Quickly trying to check in at one of those auto kiosks--it spits something out at me in Spanish and my 13 year old daughter needs to translate for me. It appears we are too late to check in automatically and we have to see the "Agent". Apparently she was a "secret" agent and I didn't have the password. We have 40 minutes until the flight leaves and she tells me in broken English "Flight is closed".

What do you mean Flight is closed???? In the U.S. 40 minutes to catch a flight is a lifetime. Apparently they do things differently in Mexico. I ask to speak to El Heffe (the big boss). I bat my eyelashes and beg him to let me on the flight--It sucks to get old. The eyelash trick no longer works and he won't let us on the plane despite my begging and pleading and tells me "All flights to Acapulco today are full".

The kids and I are hang our heads and go back to American Airlines and ask them to book us on the next flight to Acapulco. The woman behind the counter very nicely says, "We can get you on a flight at 10:25 tomorrow evening? WHAT????? I thought no one wanted to go to Acapulco anymore???? I tell her I am traveling alone with my children--is there anything she can do? She tells me she can give me a a hotel voucher for the night and she is not even supposed to do that.

Now, I have two choices. 
1. I can have a nervous breakdown in the middle of the airport in front of the watchful eyes of my children.
2. I can put a smile on my face and say "Kids--we are on an adventure!" I chose this option. Even when my 10 year old son got all teary and screamed--"Mom we are going to DIE IN THIS AIRPORT"
I said to him very matter of factly--"This is how you make memories" 

I turned on my cellphone (at $1million dollars a minute) and phoned up the King of getting me out of sticky situations--My dad. He was on it!!!! My husband--not so happy. 

Before I knew it--like 2 hours later, we were in a big black Suburban with Oscar and his lovely wife who drove like 120 miles an hour to get us to paradise. My husband texting me every 10 minutes hoping the banditos hadn't stopped us and confused us for the drug lords they were looking for and my parents calling me every 20 minutes to "just check in". 

4 hours later we had finally arrived in paradise. My mom hugging me so tight I couldn't breathe and says to me "How were you so calm???" I answered her (again with my kids watching) "There is always a solution to the problem--I knew we would get here eventually!" 

Parenting lesson! Your kids may not listen to you but they are ALWAYS watching you. Choose to show your kids how to be resourceful and calm and find the good in a sticky situation. How will they learn what to do when something goes wrong if everything always goes right.

Freddy's Friday Fairytale Wishes Find

We are going to start to a regular Friday post from the magical Fairytale Wishes Frog Freddy!

Freddy's Fairytale Find of the Week:

When I was little girl, I always dreamed of being flower girl. It is such an important role in a wedding and it is one step closer to magical day when I would get married. Sadly, I never had the opportunity. All of my cousins were my age and my aunts were already married.

My daughter, on the other hand got to be a flower girl in my sister in laws wedding not to long ago. Imagine if Flower Girl World was around when she got to be a flower girl. There are books and notebooks and celebration kits. Everything you ever wanted to know or dream about being a flower girl.

A book from Flower Girl world is such a great way to ask the special little girls in your life to play such an important role in your wedding. www.flowergirlworld.com has everything you need to know from tips for parents of the flower girl, hair ideas, tips for brides and all of the wonderful stories about the flower girl characters in the books. 

My daughter would have identified with Poppy because she is a redhead with freckles just like her. Each flower girl has their own personality and style. What a great idea!

Check them all out! 
Happy Thanksgiving to all! All of us at Fairytale Wishes wish you a Gobbly Good Turkey Day!

Creatively Caring!

I have a dear friend who started out as a client of Fairytale Wishes. Her name is Gail Heraty and she owns an online children's boutique: Grow with Love Boutique

Gail is one of the best women I have ever known. Not because she loves Fairytale Wishes and promotes us any way she she can:), but because she goes out of her way to help any and everybody she can-- just because it makes her feel so good!

Her kindness is contagious and I believe I am a better person for just knowing her. Yesterday is the perfect example of what Gail does on a regular basis. She was attending an event at a local venue here in the suburbs of Chicago called Nibbles Play Cafe and invited me to attend with her. There were a group of moms there that were having a fundraiser for the most adorable little girl named Mia who has a brain tumor.

This group of Moms have formed a non-profit organization called Creative Caring that plan events that involve their young children doing activities that benefit all kinds of charities. The idea, from what I could tell, is that they take an ordinary play date and turn it into an extraordinary experience for their kids that makes doing things for others part of the fabric of who they are going to be as adults. Yesterday, the kids were helping to make activity boxes for kids that are stuck in bed at the children's hospital here in Chicago. Amazing right? If we could all teach our children what these moms are teaching their kids, the world at large would be a much better place.

Gail donates merchandise from her boutique to this organization regularly. Yesterday, I got to meet this extraordinary little girl with such a long road ahead of her. Does she know that there are so many people out there that want to do something to help her? I can't tell you how much pure joy I got from seeing the look on little Mia's face as I gave her very own set of "magic" Fairytale Wishes sprays. It is why I do what I do! If my little company can bring a little magic to every child it is worth all of the hard work I do to get it out there.

The world needs more Gail Heratys and more moms like those who started Creatively Caring! I felt honored and privileged to be a very small part of yesterday! Little Mia, you are in my thoughts and prayers and I wish you a full speedy recovery and a Happily Ever After!

Are we Overwired????

On my radio show this week, Dhana and I had Dr. Camille Preston on our show and we talked to her about her book Rewired: How to Work Smarter, Live Better, and be Purposefully Productive in an Overwired World.

We were especially interested in this topic because we both often find ourselves on our computer with our other technology beeping for attention nearby. What kind of example does this set for our children who are already pre-disposed to be techno-junkies. 

There are strategies that Dr. Preston talked about which made so much sense and in fact will make us more productive and more communicative. But the trick is to actually implement them into our lives so we do set a good example for our children.

My office is in my home. It can be a very unproductive environment. The laundry, the dishes, the unmade beds, dinner, the dog--can all be distractions in making for a productive day. Dr. Preston says that our brains are productive in 60-90 minute increments and then one needs to STOP and take a break. Check emails, return phone calls, fold the laundry. But in that 60-90 minutes, turn off your phone, your email etc. In essence,  all outside distractions and your day will be more productive. 

Today is my first day! My email is off, my phone is turned to mute and my Ipad is in the other room and I am attempting to conquer my list! 

I have been trying to write my blog for weeks and I finally got to it! Step 1 accomplished. If you would like to hear the podcast from the show here is the link: http://toginet.com/podcasts/believeinyourfairytale/BelieveInYourFairytaleLIVE_2012-10-30.mp3?type=podpage

Tonight, I challenge you to turn everything off at the dinner table. No phones, No Tv's, No computers. Instead tune in to your family. See what happens!