What to pack for Camp this Summer!

It's SUMMER!!!! School is out and parents everywhere have started to pack for Summer Camp!

I know that during this time--my dining room turns into a spare bedroom and looks like a tornado went through it.

Fortunately, camps are great about providing lists about the required items to bring  but what about the stuff that is NOT on the list. 

I have some great suggestions for you to include in your child's duffle bag!

•  Pre-adressed enveloppes  
• This will help your child remember who to drop a note while they are away.

• Soft egg crate mattress topper
• This helps make your child's bunk a lot more comfortable. Those mattresses can get a bit lumpy.

• Box of Dryer Sheets
• Believe it or not these are a natural mosquito deterrent. If you have your child stick a couple in their pillow case and under their sheet, it should really help keep the pesty mosqutios away.

• Catch all Plastic Box
• For extra batteries, stamps, pens and pencils, ponytail holders--ya know--to catch it all.

• A letter from you and a small wrapped gift
• It is so much fun to have a letter from mom and dad and maybe a fun book (I recommend Jemma Hartman by Brenda Aronson Ferber. Great book about camp)

• A package of the game Jax!!!
• I used to spend HOURS playing this game at camp.

• Fairytale Wishes Happy Camper Spray!
• This is a must have for your camper who might suffer from a bit of homesickness. The sweet smelling grape magic potion really and truly helps keeps your child from homesickness! Some camps even keep it on hand. if you can't find it at a store order it at www.fairytalewishesinc.com. There is a store locator on our website.
  

Do you have anything else that you send with your kids to camp that is not on the Camp List?

Freddy's Friday Find--Cast Medic Designs

Happy Friday Everyone! 

I am so lucky! I say this because besides being a wife, mama, and all things Fairytale Wishes-- I get to co-host a weekly radio show with my good friend Dhana Cohen (www.toginet.com/shows/believeinyourfairytale). We love it! We get to meet the coolest people and find out about lots of amazing products, often created by dynamic fabulous women.

Recently, I came across one such woman and her product. Cast Medic Designs is the brainchild of Christina Daves, mompreneur and now a friend of mine.

A couple of years ago, I decided I wanted to become a runner. "Not so fast!" said the running Gods. The universe sent me a big ol' signal and decided my dreams of being runner were not going to come true. I landed myself in a big ugly black boot with a stress fracture for 8 weeks right in the middle of sun dress summer!

Where was Cast Medics??????? Not invented quite yet. But, had it been around, I sure would have dressed up that big ugly boot. This is pure genius. An inexpensive way to make a stressful, frustrating situation just a little bit prettier and easier to bare. 

Check out a couple of my favorite designs:

Okay, all you Spring Breakers heading off to the Rocky Mountains. If you see a Suzy Chapstick sitting at the bottom of the mountain drinking her hot chocolate toddy with a big black boot on--tell her our secret. Dress that boot up with fabulous design from Cast Medic Designs.

Freddy's Friday Fairytale Find--The Art of Notewriting

When I was younger, before email or computers even existed I used to love when I came home from school and there was a letter for me. The anticipation of who it might be from and why were they writing to me... To invite me to a party, to thank me for something, to just let me know how they were doing.
When I went away to summer camp, I used to live for the mail delivery. What was going on with everyone at home -- how were they faring without my presence.

Still to this day, I still love getting handwritten notes--perhaps even more because it has become a lost art. I love sitting down to write someone a note as well. It feels warmer and more personal than shooting off an email. I even incorporated personalized notes from Freddy, the magic FTW frog with every online order. The kids just LOVE getting a note just for them.

I have insisted that my children learn how to write thoughtful thank you notes as well.
Recently, I learned that friend of mine, Sarah Pasquesi, a fellow hockey mom started a notecard business  (SolsiP Designs). She gave me a whole set "just because". She had no idea I would even write about them on my weekly blog. 


They are beautiful and personalized with my name on it. I just love them. they will be my favorite gift to give this year for birthdays, hostess gifts, or' just because' gifts. They are so reasonably priced as well.

Check out her Etsy page and when you are pondering for a wonderful gift, maybe you will just think of SolsiP Designs SolsiP Designs

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.