Pumpkin Patch!

                               Loving these adorable pumpkin tees! 

     

Who knew?

Who knew that coconut oil kills dental bacteria and there are many reason to use it instead of toothpaste or at least along with toothpaste.

With all the scares over being antibiotic resistant and the health problems and

diseases that chemicals can promote you might want to look into using coconut oil as an alternative. Just a few of the chemicals found in toothpastes scare me, like triclosan and fluoride! Coconut oil helps maintain a normal balance in your mouth, a healthy environment, so to speak and does it while it keeps bacterial to a minimum.

If you don't like the idea of brushing with coconut oil, use it as a mouth wash. They say swishing through your teeth several times a week can help keep tartar down and help keep bacteria low. 

We all have heard how coconut oil is good for our hair, skin, helps with dark circles under the eyes, toenail fungus and can help with our diets. Nature is always the best way to go if you have a choice.....so, why not? I know I am going to start using it as a mouth wash for sure!

Tactile-Kinesthetic Learning & Children

There tends to be two kind of learners in our society, auditory and tactile-kinesthetic. An auditory child tends to learn through listening and a tactile-kinesthetic child learns from doing. Auditory children are usually good writers and story tellers; tactile-kinesthetic children usually have good eye hand coordination and are usually agile. I think, as a parent, you should tap into both and expose them as much as possible to both auditory and tactile learning.

While it is great to have auditory skills, it is just as important to have tactile-kinesthetic skills. Tactile-kinesthetic learners are "doers". This type of learning takes place when a child moves around, using their bodies to increase understanding. Children that are tactile learners usually do better in chemistry (experiments), athletics, drama, music and possess good eye-hand coordination. A child that seems to by hyper active in a classroom may simply need more movement within the classroom; a good thing to remember if you have a child classified as such. Ask if the teacher uses tactile learning in their classroom, it makes a difference! A classrooms with different learning stations really helps a child that needs movement to learn.

Here are some great ideas for early tactile-kinesthetic learning at home I found from fellow bloggers. Under each photo is a link to their site so you can explore the world of tactile-kinesthetic learning.

Letter Writing from Head to Toe - using the whole body to trace a letter from the 

child's head to their toes:

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Alphabet Rocks - collect rocks, put letters on them and use them to form words. 

My grandsons will love this one!

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Sensory Alphabet - use rice, macaroni, sand for feeling / coffee, spices for smell.

This was one of my favorites when teaching pre-school.

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Letter/Number Scavenger Hunts! - This is such a great idea! Teaching letter and numbers through a scavenger hunt. Have the child find the letters/numbers then match them; I absolutely love the idea of using the upper and lower case matching for the more advanced pre-schooler.

Hide the letters and give hints where they are:

Then have the child match them up.

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Kids love anything that is gooey! Alphabet Goo is the best. Water beads can be found on e-bay and Amazon. Mix them up, have the child find a certain letter, wash them off, dry them and use the letters to spell their name or sight words.

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Pomegranate Seed Harvesting

Did you know that pomegranates are a super food fruit? Did you know that it is thought the pomegranate tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden, not the apple?  It is said that King Tut was buried with them; in hopes of re-birth. They have been dated back as far as 3,000 BC, and are mentioned throughout the Bible. History has linked pomegranates to health and fertility. They are in supplements, hair products, lotions and potions! The fruit is found in ice creams, baked goods, sauces and the seeds are great sprinkled on salads. There are so many uses of this ancient fruit. You know there is something to be said about a fruit that has a crown!

I have always loved pomegranates. As a little girl, I would just pick them from the tree/bush, peel them back and suck the juice~never realizing all the natural health benefits they contained. They are chocked full of vitamin C, potassium, fiber and three types of polyphenols, potent antioxidants.

Now that I am older I appreciate them a little more! I try to eat a couple of tablespoons of seeds everyday. It has been said that as little as a 1/4 cup a day can improve heart health, cancer and aging, I like that! Pomegranates are about the size of an orange and the heavier the fruit the better. They are readily available in the fall, but can be found year round in some health food stores in the Houston area, as well as Fiesta Grocery Stores. 

It takes a little effort to seed pomegranates and it can be messy. I was watching Dr. Oz a couple of weeks ago with a guest doctor that was promoting all the benefits of this ancient fruit and did a segment on the cultivating the seeds that I found fascinating, because it was so easy. I have Googled and searched the web for the segment to share, but had no luck, so I am going to attempt to show you an easy way to get the seeds out without splattering your kitchen with the staining juices!

What you will need:

• Ripe pomegranates
• Cutting board
• Sharp knife (I use serrated)
• Bowl
• Spoon & Strainer
• Baggies

Choose ripe pomegranates if you can. You may have to allow them to ripen a bit once you get them home because they are picked rather early to keep them from bruising in transit. No worries! The can be kept for up to  2 months in your fridge.

Take your pomegranate and cut horizontally; then into quarters

They will look something like this:

Fill a bowl with cool water

Let the quartered rest in the cool water for a couple of minutes

Once it rests, the arils (seeds) will separate easier from the membrane 

 ~ do this with each quarter

The membrane will float to the top of the bowl while the seeds sink to the bottom, making it easy to spoon out the unwanted membranes

Strain your seeds and label your bag for the freezer

  

I use snack bags. Spoon about 3-4 tablespoons in each bag. Pop in the freezer and you will have fresh frozen seed to eat everyday  ~ Enjoy!

Monograms & Appliqués for Spring!

I love to design, and one way I express my designs is through appliquéing and monogramming children's clothing! Scroll through the designs below to see the world of beaucoup baby & kids for spring & summer!

Coordinating Sibling outfits. T-shirt with anchor appliqué matches anchor appliquéd JonJon

Custom shoulder tie gingham dress with shoulder ties! A little shabby chic oversized bow to match.

 

Custom appliquéd monogrammed t-shirts made to match Personalized Story Books

Vintage Look - Custom tops & bloomers with matching oversized shabby chic bows

Coordinating twin onesies an lovies (tactile baby blankets)

Gingham JonJon monogrammed ~ Love this on little boys!

Babies of Grace gowns ~ So sweet

Coordinating Sets ~ Onesie, diaper cover & bib

Appliquéd t-shirts ~ Many to choose from ~ This one is the Circle Monogram

Coordinating tops & bottoms ~ Tank top appliquéd & rouched with a coordinating bow and skirt to match

Coordinating head bands to match outfits

More sibling sets! Number appliqués with monograms ~ Very fresh for spring

Coordinating cotton short sets for little girls ~ Appliquéd whale & monogrammed

Ruffled skirt that ties in back with big bow

Adorable shoulder tie dress appliquéd & monogrammed ~ Summer at its best!

Appliquéd crab on cotton tee ~ Great for coordinating with books as a gift 

(book in background)

Appliquéd caterpillar on onesie or tee ~ wraps around to back of onesie or tee

This dino is peeking up from the pack of the shirt! 

Coordinating backpacks and lunch or snack boxes monogrammed

Storybook Time

I have always loved the idea of making a t-shirt with a storybook character appliqué and the child's name embroidered on it! The Polka Dot Monkeys now carries a line of personalized storybooks that incorporates the name of the child. I am so in love with the idea of a book and coordinating t-shirt that are both personalized. This is so great for the preschool/kindergarten age child! It jumps starts the child's imagination when they actually see their name in print.

Reading is a skill that is highly valued in our society and a source for advancement. When you and your child read together you are weaving a successful lifelong understanding of the audial and visual written word allowing for correct and productive speech advancement that is associ-ated with the written word and pictures. It has been proven that reading to babies helps develop speech patterns.

Stimulating imagination is also key in a child's advancement. Our personalized books allow the child to put themselves in the story as a participating character and the coordianating t-shirts allow for them to connect even more to the story. Involvement is everything with the stirring of a little ones imagination. Have fun.....live a little through the imagination of your child! Personalized books range in price from $19.95 to 34.95 (soft and hard back books are available), personalized t-shirts range from $24-29 (depending on number of appliqués).

b b & k New Fall Designs

I have been trying to settle down enough to get my ideas sketched and I have done it! Sorry it really sketchy ;) I am excited about my new fall fabrics coming in. Baby whale corduroy in solids and prints, chevron, polka dots and many more coordinating fabrics. 

The ideas I have for this fall are custom ties for little guys as well as "tie t's"(with the tie attached to a t-shirt)! I just love a sassy tie with a pique polo shirt kind of half pulled up! Very sharp! I cannot wait to make some gray chevron and argyle vests for the little tykes, either! Lots of great fabrics heading my way to make little tie shirts also. I am teaming up with a lady that may be making the comfy baby whale cord cargo pants for babies and toddlers like I sell in the gingham! YEA!

For baby & toddler girls it is all about the palazzo look! I just love it! I have designed a one piece romper with palazzo legs and big ruffles at the bottom as well as a pillowcase & peasant palazzo jumpsuit! I have been working on the A-line dress and I have finally come up with a flattering design, not too long or too a-lineish (is that a word?).  The romper, a-line dress and pillowcase palazzo jumpsuit will all be cute with short sleeve tops or turtlenecks!