The beginning of Fall always brings a sad feeling to me. The long sunny days are gone, sooner than later it gets cold and then the sweater, the jacket and all of that paraphernalia on my shoulders... Just "not" a happy thing!!
However, I have to admit, this Fall has been one of the prettiest ever... The colors around are breathtaking. Yellow, orange, red and brown have taken over the Hudson Valley and I cannot get enough of so much beauty...
Last weekend, the temperature was still comfortable enough to venture out and go apple picking... Camera in one hand and my two girls on the other, we took a trip to Lawrence Farms Orchards in Newburgh. Just an hour away from New York City, this place is awesome, so much fun for kids and grown-ups too. It feels like the biggest celebration of Fall is going on there.
From the moment you get out of the car, that repressed country ego inside, seems to possess you and you just want to get muddy, dirty, "hands-on" and pick some apples, pumpkins or whatever vegetable your mind can think of.Armed with a wooden wagon, the little ones loved the ride along rows of apple trees and pumpkin patches, as they stuffed themselves with a zillion grapes of all kind and colors. Once the "farming fever" wore off, my girls discovered Lawrence Farms Little Village, a super cute little town, reminiscent of an old-fashioned New England Farm Town. A fantastic playground, perfect for children to let their imagination fly. Nothing is misssing there, the church, the firehouse, the post office, the jail... So much pretend play around, you could make a movie right there!!
A horse-drawn carriage ride and a visit to the farm's Country Store made a good ending to this adventure. I definitely, had fun picking fruits and vegetables, but "no way" I will get into making jellies and preserves. No worries though, that store is packed with all kind of homemade "yummy" goodies, cooking books and crafts.
Lawrence Farms Orchards is having apple picking until November 8th. Later on, they switch to their Christmas schedule, which sounds fun too... Really, when your nerves are fed up with the city and your whole self is about to explode, take a ride North... It's amazing how the world changes, only 50 miles away.
A few days ago, I had to come up with some treat for my daughter's birthday party at school. Something easy to carry, not messy and as she requested "something different, not a typical goody bag".
The "party" stores were out of the scope then, so I decided to land at Michael's, where I usually get so inspired, I could buy the whole store. As usual, my imagination flew away and before I reached the register, everything went back to the shelves. In reality, the projects that my mind creates are totally different from the ones my hands can make... Let's make it clear... I'm not that crafty, I'm not an artist and I don't have time to try.
So, once more Michael's made my imagination work. This time on something that I was able to put together and finish.... Yaaay!! M&M's tin boxes filled with colorful crinkle paper, a wind up Halloween monster, a mini chocolate bar and of course, lots of M&M's.
Kids were overjoyed with their treat and even the teachers complimented my colorful idea. In a minute, I set up a table with twenty of these tin boxes and added cupcakes topped with frosting in M&M's colors. Instead of the big "m", my cupcakes had a big "n" as for Naomi, my daughter's name... The table looked "great".
With Halloween around the corner and so many activities to prepare, I just thought this idea could be a good one to share, especially for the littlest ones. It is easier and safer to hand them a tin with everything inside, rather than having them pick from a bowl. And... you know what was great also? The price, each tin box was a dollar, each toy was a dollar too. Add a bag of mini chocolate bars, a bag of M&M's and "listo"... Ready to have fun!!
School is approaching fast and moms are going crazy trying to grab some cool, cute outfits for their little ones... Going back to the classroom "in style", becomes an obsession and let's face it, in this economy, even a headache... The shoes, the matching clothes, the backpack, the lunchbox, so many things to buy and there you are, venturing around with your squeezed wallet.
Well, this is the perfect time to head over SuperMom Central and put your good luck and best wishes to work. Our friend and Super Mom Lauren Horsley has teamed up with some awesome stores, including Chittypulga, and is hosting a "Stylin' for School" week until August 16Th.
Hurry up, click on the button below and follow the instructions to participate and win a $50 Gift Certificate from Chittypulga, outfits, school supplies and many other goodies.
Hey, don't forget!! Before you head over to SuperMom Central, walk around Chittypulga and select your favorite items. Let us know in your comments what you would get with a $50 Gift Certificate from our boutique.... Want some inspiration? How about some trendy Toddler Backpacks from Four Peas at 50% OFF or Eeboo Color Pencil Boxes and Sketchbooks at 30% OFF? Need more? Well, don't miss our End-of-Summer Super Sale. Visit our "Dress them Up" department and have fun choosing among so many gorgeous outfits from Tea Collection, Zutano, Jaffa, LunaLuna, shoes from Pazitos and more at 30 to 50% OFF.... Best of luck you all!!
Summer is in full force and there is nothing cuter than looking at little girls around, showing off the season's fashion with their swing dresses, twirly skirts, big hair bows and trendy sandals...
Oooh!! ...Light fabrics with colorful prints and comfy lines? They just make us wish the same styles were also made in moms' sizes.
Add an Asian touch to those dresses and now you can picture yourself strolling the streets of Tokyo or Shanghai with your little princess... Luckily, you don't have to travel that far to get such creative designs... The fortune cookie says: You can get it all with RedFish Kids Clothing!! Little girls' dresses with a modern Asian influence...
Meticulous attention to details, RedFish Kids dresses are not only beautiful, but also versatile and designed to last long. They are made of pre-washed and pre-shrunk, 100% cotton. Best of all, these dresses adapt to any season and your child will never outgrow them... How is that? Well, take a dress like the one in the picture, the Mandarin Swing Dress in New World, and have your girl wear it by itself during spring and summer. Fall-winter come around, add a long sleeve tee with a pair of leggings underneath and the result is awesome...
Talking about never outgrowing these dresses, designer Lorraine Kitsos, the brain behind RedFish Kids and also a mother of two, decided to create clothes knowing firsthand, what moms need from their children clothing. So, she made it easy and came up with outfits like the Swing Dress in Asian Dolls print, a dress that turns into a smock when it gets too short. Match it with a pair of jeans or trousers and it will still look great.. never small. 
...One of our favorite dresses from RedFish Kids, the Mandarin Swing Dress in Old World. A great outfit with vibrant colors, perfect for a birthday celebration during the summer and a very appropriate design for the holidays, matched with long sleeves and leggings underneath .. Just gorgeous!!
Are you loving RedFish Kids as much as we do?? Take advantage then... Chittypulga, is offering a 10% OFF on any RedFish Kids item until July 31st. Enter code CHITTY10 at the top of your shopping basket and also get Free Ground Shipping on any order over $100.
Last Tuesday, instead of my usual routine ...work,work work!! I gave myself a day off from Chittypulga and joined my big daughter on a field trip to The Bronx Zoo... It was one of those glorious days in New York City, perfect weather, sunny, no humidity, no traffic... What else could we ask for? I took my little daughter too and stroller in hand, followed a crowd of loud first graders, gossipy moms and vigilant teachers on our zoo-venture.
Whether you live in NYC or are coming over for a visit, The Bronx Zoo is an obligatory stop. While impossible to walk the whole park in one day with so many kids and stops, it was just fantastic to spend quality time in selected areas. Our favorite ones, Madagascar and the Butterfly Garden. 
Both of my daughters were fascinated recognizing some of the movie characters on real animals at the Madagascar area. It is amazing how this parade of exotic lemurs, fossas, crocodiles and geckos live in a zoo, but a perfect replica of their natural environment. Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world and it is also home to rare and endangered animals found nowhere else on Earth.... Particularly, I had never seen most of them!!
Walking among screaming kids, trying unsuccessfully to keep a conversation going, we stumbled upon the Congo Gorilla Forest and... wow!! Didn't those monkeys look like us? We spent a long time hypnotized by the family-bound gorillas and their lifestyle... Mothers feeding their babies, daddies taking a nap, groups just chilling in the middle of their artificial forest while chewing some celery... Ahhhh!! The peaceful life!!
Perfect for a Zoo-venture ending, "The Butterfly Garden". A huge green-house with a Feng-Shui touch (I wish I had one like that in my backyard). All of a sudden, we were surrounded by monarch butterflies and colorful flowers, sprayed by refreshing mists of water and just to soothe my soul, a gorgeous pond with koi fish dancing in the water... Hmmm! For a moment I forgot this one was my daughter's school trip and let my mind fly to paradise... Nice!!
... Of course, my daughters could not leave without pulling my arms and pushing my bottom into the Zoo shop, even for just three minutes... However, I must admit the Bronx Zoo Shop could have kept me in for a lot longer than a few minutes... The store is filled with stuffed characters based on the real animals living at the Zoo. Cute baby gorillas and bears with their little cards attached and a short bio of themselves.. Smart, graceful, educational and reasonably priced.
It was really awesome to take a day off in the middle of the week and enjoy life, kids, friends, nature... Whether you work for somebody or just for yourself, take a day off for no other reason than wanting to have fun... It feels sooooo good!!
The outdoors is screaming our names and it is time to start putting together those cute summer outfits for our little ones... Chittypulga has it all for your pumpkin, twirly dresses, tees, tanks, shorts, sandals, canvas shoes from your favorite designers and... guess what? This is the perfect time to grab a bunch of those items kept in your "wish list" and get the best deal. Check the
"New Arrivals" and get 25% OFF any item from Tea Collection, Zutano, Hub Cap and Pazitos, or visit the "Dress them Up" department for savings up to 50% OFF.
...Want more? Sure, you do!! Chittypulga is offering the following coupon code SPRINGFUN, so you can get an extra 10% OFF on your order of $100 or more. Good till this Sunday, May 8th at midnight EST... So, hurry up and don't miss the goodies!!
Heeeeyy!! and while you are shopping for your mini-me, don't forget Mother's Day is coming up!! Catch two birds in one shot and get that present for the expectant mom, sister, best friend or even yourself. Chittypulga has gathered a small selection of shower gifts for the modern Mom-to-Be. Diaper bags and changing kits from Fleurville, MamaMio wonderful pregnancy care products, photo albums and frames from Molly West, baby organizers and...well, why don't you click and see for yourself? Save up to 40% OFF...Grrreat!!
One more goodie!! Ground Shipping is FREE when you fill up your basket with $100 worth of merchandise.... And if you have never been to Chittypulga, head over and join our e-mail list to get an e-coupon for $10 OFF of your first purchase.
When I think of my two pregnancies and the excessive amount of presents we received at each shower, I really feel overwhelmed. For about two months after delivery, the postman would keep knocking at the door with boxes and boxes of gifts for these babies, who didn't even have enough days to wear everything on time. Now, they are 6 and 3 years old... and, what do we have left, out of all of those gifts?
Honestly, the only thing that still survives every closet cleaning is a pair of very simple, but super smooth wooden rattles with their names on. My girls loved them, had a lot of fun chewing them, banging them and now, they are a beautiful keepsake to remind us of their babyhood forever...
These days, handmade, wooden, baby rattles have got to an even higher level of beauty with Little Alouette!!
Modern versions of wooden rattles with bunnies, elephants or hippo silhouettes are coming out of this fun company based in Ohio. At Little Alouette, each finished piece is slightly different, every rattle is made by hand using local maple wood, sanded until it is as smooth as silk, coated with certified organic seed oil, filled with beans for a shaky-shaky sound and infused with love ... What else should we look for? This is the ohhh-soooo-cute!! perfect gift for your next baby shower...
If the baby stage is over and you are looking for an eco-friendly wooden toy for your mini one, Little Alouette also has a small line of basic toys. Animal figures, keys and blocks, wonderful to grasp and let your child's imagination fly away, so far away, that maybe you will be able to enjoy a "latte" in peace, without the usual interruptions!! ...hope, hope!!
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The beginning of Fall always brings a sad feeling to me. The long sunny days are gone, sooner than later it gets cold and then the sweater, the jacket and all of that paraphernalia on my shoulders... Just "not" a happy thing!!
Last weekend, the temperature was still comfortable enough to venture out and go apple picking... Camera in one hand and my two girls on the other, we took a trip to Lawrence Farms Orchards in Newburgh. Just an hour away from New York City, this place is awesome, so much fun for kids and grown-ups too. It feels like the biggest celebration of Fall is going on there.
A horse-drawn carriage ride and a visit to the farm's Country Store made a good ending to this adventure. I definitely, had fun picking fruits and vegetables, but "no way" I will get into making jellies and preserves. No worries though, that store is packed with all kind of homemade "yummy" goodies, cooking books and crafts.
