"I simply can't understand, Why swimsuits are in such demand. They're soggy and damp, Bind like a clamp, And hold about three pounds of sand!" D.R. Benson

Over the past few months several people have asked what goes into making decisions about the styles – and the brands - we choose to represent at DressMeDaddy.com. As with all decisions, there are many factors that we weigh when on buying trips. In the Chicago market I have a very sharp lady - Martha Swibes - who advises us on trends and color forecasts. She can assist with those fashion questions because she works deep inside the industry every day. That type of information is invaluable, because let’s face it having the right look in fashion is crucial. We all need - not just kids -clothing that makes us look and feel great. Important too is clothing that is comfortable, durable, easy to wear, and will continue to look good and perform for more than just one season. Especially in kids clothing, we look for breathable, soft, durable fabrics, because as you as a parent know with kids comfort is king. Itchy, stiff, too tight at the neck or armholes, hard to snap or button, all of these clothing issues will usually encourage a child to take off the item immediately, or whine and complain. Neither of these responses are fun, for either the child or the parent, especially in highly public places. Every parent I know has one or two stories they could share.

Another thing we look for when evaluating a brand or collection is the attitude behind the kids clothing. If we are going to represent it, we need to know what type of corporate citizen that company is, and what message they are sending through our children who are wearing their clothing. Desigual is a great case in point, and we carry up to size 6 in both girls and boys clothing collections. Designed in Spain, Desigual’s tag line is “It’s not the Same” and it’s just a great message for all of us. Originally born in Switzerland, Thomas Meyer envisioned a future where people dressed in a way and in clothing that generated positive feelings. He wanted to dress people, not just bodies, and actively searched for ways to incorporate positive messages in the clothing lines. Meyer started Desigual in 1984, and now has stores throughout the world. The clothing has become known throughout the world to emanate positivism, commitment, tolerance, constant improvement, innovation and fun. The clothes are comfortable, sturdily made and durably finished. This - all this - is what we demand before we represent a clothing line. To us, it's much more than just a pretty dress or comfortable outfit for a special party or event. We strive for beautiful, well made clothing with a conscience. Desigual gives us all that and more.

 “I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.” - Anna Quindlen

My daughter and I are reading a really neat book, part two of a book by Chris Van Allsburg.  The original book The Mysteries of Harris Burdick tells the tale of an author who entered a children’s book publisher's office, with fourteen drawings in hand.  Each one was accompanied by a caption, and the publisher was fascinated.  He asked the author to bring in the stories, and the author said he would return with them the next morning.  He never returned.  The Mysteries of Harris Burdick is these drawings, and their captions.  Now this second book The Chronicles of Harris Burdick tells the tales behind the pictures by noted authors such as Lois Lowry and Stephen King.  The introduction is even written by Lemony Snicket, the pen name created by American author Daniel Handler, who wrote the Unfortunate Series of Events books. 

 The cleverness of these books is outstanding (and so are most of their websites), and as a parent reading to my child, I so appreciate it.  There are many wonderful books out there (see our Read To Me Daddy page, and let us know your favorites) but when there is something completely different than anything we’ve read before I like to pass it along.  Another fun read is Flotsam by David Weisner.  It’s a picture book without words about fantastic life under the seas, so your child can make up the story to accompany them.

As a parent too, watching some of these kid’s books series phenomena’s like Harry Potter and Hunger Games that have so encouraged kids to read is so exciting. I’m looking forward to reading them when it’s appropriate, those too both seem to be written with sensitivity to the parent behind the child.  Rereading favorite books again and again is certainly fine, but it’s so much more fun when I enjoy them as much as she does.  Thanks Van Allsburg, Weisner, Rowling, Suzanne Collins, and all the rest of the authors out there. Your books have become some of our best friends, keep up the good work.       

“Miracles happen to those who believe in them.”  Bernard Berenson

It’s kind of gray and gloomy in Michigan right now, and it is hard to believe two weeks ago my family and I were conch diving in the crystal turquoise waters of the Caribbean.  If you’ve never done that, it was amazing.  We day tripped from the resort we were staying at, and dove just south of a conch farm, looking for those who escaped and (unfortunately for them) were free to hunt.  Diving down into the water - too deep for my daughter, who snorkeled on the surface while I looked for something alive to capture - it was truly exhilarating.  I caught three, and then later that day they cooked them up fresh for us.  The taste was of the sea, and was a fine finale to a wonderful day.  The shells came home with us, a souvenir of our time there. 

Finding sea shells on the shore was a great opportunity to talk with my daughter about our incredible undersea world.  We found whole sand dollars, washed up in the surf, an intact treasure for us in its amazing fragility.  It’s some kind of a miracle that so many shells arrive whole, intact, and not crushed into nothing ness by the inexorable and never ending journey of the waves from the depths of the sea to the shore.  Bernard Berenson said miracles happen to those who believe in them, and seeing these dollars who had survived was a very small miracle for the two of us.  We also were able to talk about the legend of the sand dollar.  It’s so cool, there is a great link here for you if you haven’t read it. http://legendofthesanddollar.com/

The first of our kids clothing in boys and girls spring collections have begun to arrive, and it’s a reminder that spring is coming.  For those of us who live in states where the seasons change dramatically, the countdown by some to the next season has begun.  We finally did get some snow – and those of us who ski were really excited – but spring arrives in on March 20, 62 days from now.  Seeing the Biscotti by Kate Mack swimwear ( a brand new collection for us!) arrive at DressMeDaddy.com in bright pink is exciting during this gloomy time of overcast skies, and is a reminder that soon the weather changes, because life goes on in a cycle that never ends, just repeats.  That too is a miracle.

A couple of years ago out for cocktails in a new friend’s home after a strategic planning  meeting in Traverse City Michigan, I was surprised to see she had 10 cats and four dogs – along with other assorted animals – living with her.  She had rescued these animals, and was working to place them in loving homes.  One of the dogs – Lucy – caught my attention, and I caught hers. She was really cute - part Miniature Pinscher and part Manchester Terrier – but I initially said no to taking her to my home.  Traveling quite a bit for work, I didn’t think I would be able to give her the care she would need. My co-worker Daidre (who was also at the party) offered to take Lucy overnight when needed, and that clinched it.  She has added so many good things to our household its hard now to imagine life without her. 

She helps put in place a nice routine for me and my daughter, and Lucy is a great companion.  We have had so many laughs with her; one time in particular was hysterical.  We had taken her out on our boat, and were headed into shore for some beach and dune time.  After carefully loading everything on an inner tube – cooler, blankets, and towels - I set Lucy on top and pushed everything towards shore.   Evidently the tube was a bit overloaded, because the front edge dipped into the water, and Lucy launched forward.  She sailed through the air and landed with a splash.  She had her life jacket on, and simply paddled her way to dry land, but it took the rest of us a minute to recover. That vision of her airborne still cracks me up! 

“The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.” Samuel Butler, Notebooks, 1912

         Lucy-and Lucy with my daughter

If you have any interest in adopting a pet, I’d totally recommend it. The American Humane Association is a great place to start. The American Kennel Club also has some great information, there is even a test that you can take to help you identify what breed of dog might be a great fit for your family.

“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” Will Rogers

It happened last week.  A customer wanted to buy from one of our kid's clothing lines.  She placed her order for a

pair of gray Skeemos in the size she needed it in, and we were out of stock.  Even though our inventory showed one

pair left, with dismay we found there were none in the box in the stockroom.  This is the first time that we had

ever had this happen, but that didn’t make it any easier to let her know we couldn’t fill her order.  We are

still a fairly new store, and have been lucky in that things work the way we expect them to most of the time.  This

situation stopped us in our tracks, and made us recheck and reconfirm everything, and that’s a good thing.

Thankfully too, the woman placing the order understood our dilemma, and we were able to address the situation. 

Feedback - hers and yours too - helps us to move forward in growing our website, even when it is addresses

this kind of a situation. We also appreciate it when someone takes the time to suggest a new collection we

might want to add, or maybe a category of clothing.  We take those suggestions seriously when we go to market

to buy.  We also value input from people who visit the website but don't make a purchase.  We also are grateful for

questions, about sizing or the material content or the colors or washing instructions. All of these things help us to

help you shop fast, so you can play more.  That sounds simple, but that’s our goal at DressMeDaddy.com.              

This past Christmas Morning a very special child in Colorado donated 50 American Girl dolls to other girls at the Children’s Hospital. Her story is simple, yet profound.  Last year six year old Tenley Hollman saved enough money - $100 dollars - to purchase her own doll, but a challenge from her Dad Ross encouraged her to donate it.  He promised to match her donation, and that first Christmas they raised enough money to donate 42 dolls.  This year - with help from other donations made to her website - she brought 50 dolls to Children’s Hospital.  Her motivation was straightforward.  In her young voice she explained,  "I want the other girls at Children's Hospital to be happy."  We just wanted to pass on her amazing story to you. 

“There is no better exercise for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.”

John Andrew Holmes, Jr.

www.tenleyhollman.com/

http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-sixyearold-donates-50-dolls-to-sick-children-20111225,0,2876607.story 

"Television has changed a child from an irresistible force to an immovable object" Author Unknown

Are you looking for some things to do with the kids this week that are cheap, easy and really fun?  Look no further! Turn off the electronics and take time with your kids before the frenzy that we all call Christmas hits this coming weekend.

1) How about a Christmas Puzzle? Write down when you start and finish, and who puts in the final piece, and make this an annual tradition.

2) make play dough.  Create something fabulous, and then destry it.  That's almost more fun.

Edible Playdough Recipe

 Ingredients:
3 teaspoons of Cream of Tartar
1 cup of flour
1 cup of water
1 package of Kool-Aid Mix (any flavor of unsweetened)
1 tablespoon of cooking oil
1/2 cup of salt

Mix dry ingredients in a large/medium pan. Add water and oil. Stir over medium heat until it looks like dough. Whatever the color of Kool Aid used should be the end result. This takes about 8 minutes.

www.playdoughrecipe.com

3)  Photograph your home, up close and personal.  Everybody gets 10 shots, but you don’t want them to be obvious.  What about one of the ornaments on the tree, but just a part of it. How about the knobs on the stove, from a side angle?  It’s a treasure hunt, and of course you must have prizes for who figures out the most shots.

4)  Play Secret Santa to a couple of neighbors.  Put together a bag of goodies (cookies, maybe an ornament, some small white elephant gifts that are cool but you have no use for anymore, a great novel or book you’ll never read again), put a big red bow on it and put it on their doorstep.  Dress in black, ring the bell and run like crazy. 

5)  Hunt for decorations for the Christmas table.  Head outside and find some pinecones, cut some pine branches, maybe some withered apples from an orchard where you like to take a walk. 

6)  Photocopy off a selection of Christmas songs you enjoy, and go caroling. If neighbors aren’t close, call a retirement home or hospital and offer to come in and entertain for a few moments. Or just go all spontaneous and carol mob without warning.

7)  Drawing portraits is always fun. Get out the paper and a black sharpie, and take a picture of the family pet, or, maybe your tree. Realism isn’t necessary; it’s much more fun to capture the spirit.

8)  Baking is always wonderful, but who has the time?  You do, when there are small hands to help.

9)  Feed the birds. Put peanut butter on pine cones, roll them in bird seed, and then hang with twine. You can build a birdhouse using recycled materials too; there are great instructions on this link:

 www.kaboose.com

10) How about learning a new skill?  Knitting, paint by numbers, and yoga poses are all fun.

All of us at DressMeDaddy.com wish you a wonderful week with your children, and a joyous holiday. 

Merry Christmas!

The other night three Dads and I took our daughters - 6 in all - to see the Nutcracker Ballet.  We didn’t attempt both dinner and theater, because with the young ages of some of the girls it would be too long of a night for them.  We ordered in Chinese food, which might seem an interesting choice to accompany the score by Tchaikovsky, but it worked.  It was a wonderful evening, and the girls looked just beautiful all dressed up in their party dresses and outfits.  There are so many things we try to squeeze into this season - as many of you do too – so it is a very busy time.  For me and my daughter though, it is important that we carve out time to just be still together.  We both need that, but it isn’t easy to do.  To make a conscious effort to say no, to plan the time to stay in and be quiet, takes effort.  There are a slew of people who would say that it isn’t how much time – quantity- you spend with your child, but that it is the quality that is important.  I’d have to disagree with that statement.  It’s both. 

“Childhood is a short season” -Helen Hayes

Just for fun I attached this link because I spotted it online.  “How to Spend Quality Time with Your Child.” See what you think. 

http://www.ehow.com/how_2118272_spend-quality-time-child.html

If you haven’t caught the PNC Christmas Price Index for “The Twelve days of Christmas” and you are curious as to how much would it be for all those birds, golden rings, and ladies dancing, check out their website.  They have a great video you can watch with your kids that shows how to calculate the costs, and its just kind of fun to see it all unfold.  This year’s cost for all those items?  For the first time ever in the 28 years PNC has been calculating it, it’s over $100,000, coming in at $101,119.84.

http://content.pncmc.com/live/pnc/microsite/CPI/2011/index.html

This year we put a spin on “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” for our holiday promotion, and it won’t cost anywhere near $100,000. We’re calling it the

 12 days and 12 ways of Christmas Fabulous Kids Clothing Spectacular

and each day we’ll feature different specials and gifts with purchase - just beautiful clothing at amazing prices, with gifts of books, chocolate, and glitz and glamour, for your special boy or girl.  We’ve also included some great holiday quotes, and since several of our clothing lines are designed outside the United States we also included a bit of information about global celebrations.

http://www.dressmedaddy.com/pages/12-days-and-12-ways-of-christmas-fabulous-kids-clothing-spectacular

Happy Holidays to you and yours, we hope it’s memorable and peaceful, and filled with laughter. 

"Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect." - Oren Arnold

I like to cook, even more so when it’s with my daughter.  It’s a great bonding time for sure, but it is also a good opportunity to sneak in a few teachable moments.  When we have guests we make a sweet breakfast cornbread with a secret ingredient (sometimes vanilla, sometimes almond and yes we make them guess), and measuring everything is a very visible way to show her fractions. That cup of flour and the ¾ cup of corn meal called for in the recipe show how quarters make up the whole cup.  It was an “aha moment” when she realized that four quarters – 25 cents - add up to a dollar too. That’s very exciting math stuff when you are five and a half.  This past week of Thanksgiving we really got our hands messy, trying out pumpkin pie for the first time. Talk about a huge opportunity!  We tried making the pie from the Libby’s canned pumpkin (sorry pumpkin purists) and then from the Eagle Sweetened Condensed Milk can but it wasn’t quite what we had in mind.  We ended up modifying both recipes and then created our own.  My daughter is young, but I didn't think it was too early to begin talking how sometimes in life you need to deviate from the road map and blaze your own way when things aren’t working for you.  Thankfully the lesson was positively reinforced when the pies were given rave reviews. Whew!

"Try to discover

the road to success

And you'll seek but never find,

But blaze your own path

And the road to success

Will trail right behind." - Robert Brault