Cookie's Kids Solves Your School Uniform Problems

When I registered Noah for Kindergarten, I found out that he has to wear a school uniform.  Wearing a uniform is no big deal because a lot of schools have switched to it for different reasons. When I was in school it was a huge deal if your school had a uniform policy, mine never did. I started looking for polo shirts and shorts because after all we do live in Florida and it isn’t that cold here.  When I started shopping I had no idea that it would turn in to a quest. I went to seven stores to find bits and pieces of uniforms. I wanted to have five complete uniforms so I wouldn’t have to laundry in the middle of the week unless I absolutely had to.  I went to all the children’s stores, department stores, and big box stores and they were pretty much wiped clean.  We live in a huge school district and while not all the schools require a uniform a lot of them are.  We even had family members and went out of state and looked there. We were finally able to find enough shirts and some shorts for Noah. It was definitely a stressful experience for me because I didn’t want him to get in trouble for being out of dress code. I thought about calling the school and asking but I figured they would either offer to give me old uniforms, which someone else could really need or send me to a store I had already been to. It wasn’t their job to find me uniforms. My poor friends had to listen to me whine about the uniform situation.  I was lost and his size was really hard to find. They either had small stuff or like 10/12 sizes.  I didn’t want to get him white polo shirts because he would mess them up like the first week.  He does have art class and he has come home with paint on him. 

  

I was so relieved to have the clothes crisis solved and then about a month ago I noticed his powdered blue polo shirts were starting to look worn. The school year is half over and well, he is six and his shirts were definitely starting to need replaced. They weren’t ragged or full of holes but I dreaded starting this process again.  I had kind of been looking thinking they might have some in his size later in the year, I guess those other kindergarten parents are in need of new uniforms too. Then something happened, I learned about Cookie’s Kids.  If only I had known about Cookie’s Kids in August there would have been no stress.  Cookie’s Kids specializes in school uniforms and other kid’s clothing. They have any style you could want. They have many different brands, big brand names.  They also have long sleeve polo shirts, which was something I really wanted for Noah on the cooler days.  Cookie’s Kids also has a bunch of different colors. 

Here is the story behind Cookie's Kids:

In 1972, a young man named Cookie and his brother Marvin went into business together. They rented a 1600 square foot store in Jamaica, Queens, fixed it up, bought inventory and Summer and Fall, and opened a day after Thanksgiving with a full stock of holiday toys. The toys were a success and they put the extra money toward buying children's clothing for the next season. When that did well,they bought more clothing. The business was on it's way. As, he brothers Cookie, Marvin and Sonny, who had come in as a third partner in the business, began to open new stores in new locations, inventory expanded. Besides the latest fashions, our customers wanted shoes, toys, backpacks and accessories and we were prepared to deliver. By the late 1990's there were six superstores throughout the NYC area, and though they previously had different names, by that time they were all named Cookie's Kids. Also in the late '90s came an important addition to Cookie's Kids' inventory: school uniforms. It was the steady success in uniform sales that paved the way for founding CookiesKids.com in 2007, which originally sold uniforms and soon after the entire Cookie's Kids Inventory. 

I was amazed at the prices. I love a good bargain and their clothes are so inexpensive. They don’t have the department store mark up. I was so impressed with ordering. It was really easy to find what I wanted.  I didn’t have any trouble checking out and it was a breeze. The shipping is only $5.95. I hate when I am shopping online and the shipping is the same price or more than what I am ordering.  I am sure you are wondering what I ordered.  I ordered 2 powder blue polo shirts, 1 long sleeve navy polo shirt and 1 long sleeve powder blue polo shirt. I got all of that including shipping for 29 dollars. They have great sale prices too. If you sign up for the newsletter, you can learn about the sales and special coupon codes. Right now you could possibly win an iPad by just receiving their emails. I will continue to use Cookie's Kids to purchase uniforms  for the rest of Noah's elementary school days. 

Take it from me; check out Cookie’s Kids for all your uniform needs. Bookmark it. You have enough stress with your child starting school; their uniforms should be a breeze and with Cookie’s Kids relax and breathe and save all your tears for the first day of school. Cookie’s Kids have 7 stores in the NYC area in Bronx, Brooklyn and Jamaica as well as online.

Please check out my Google + Story for more photos

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and CookiesKids.com #CBias #SocialFabric All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Connect 2 Happiness with GaiamTV in 2013

I want to share with you what happiness means to me. It means spending time with my family and friends. Even if I can’t physically be with them, just talking to them makes me happy. My happy place would probably be the beach on a hot day with my son watching him play in the sand or us in the water.  I haven’t always been the most positive person in the past but I am really trying to think happy thoughts. A good way to help me remember to be happy is to use tools to encourage myself to watch videos and learn from others. There is a service called GaiamTV that you can stream videos that encourage you on your path to happiness and health.  Gaiam TV is the first streaming video subscription service designed to reach those interested in health and happiness. With over 2,000 titles, Gaiam TV is like Netflix for the mind, body and spirit!

 Gaiam has started The Connect 2 Happiness Challenge. It is January and the start of a new year. You can make 2013 the best year by participating in the GaiamTV challenge. I watched the video Happy For No Reason and it taught me that I can be happy without having a reason I don’t have to have something happen to be happy. A lot of times we look to other things to make us happy, a raise at work, getting something new but really you can just be and be happy.  I think that I can find happiness in any situation and that it is my attitude that really controls my happiness and that I am control of it. I definitely feel that this will help enrich my life and I will start making sometime to practice what I learn. I will also share these exercises with friends and family. 

GaiamTV’s $9.95 per month subscription fee allows subscribers to stream unlimited content. The subscription to GaiamTV is no strings attached; there is no commitment, and members can cancel at anytime. GaiamTV offers a free 10-day trial. ­Gaiam TV’s entire library of thought provoking movies, top documentary films and fitness videos is available anytime, anywhere.  Streaming capabilities for Gaiam TV include personal computers, iPads and smartphones.

I would love for you to sign up for the GaiamTV Connect 2 Happiness Challenge and check out GaiamTV

This post is sponsored by GaiamTV. My thoughts and opinions are my own. 

iTrace iPad App Review

 Now that Noah is in school he has to write a lot more. His handwriting isn't the best but it is legible.  He is only six but handwriting is something he needs to practice. He knows all of his letters and how to read but he hasn't mastered how tall to make a lowercase t. Sometimes he forgets how long the lowercase p is. He needs to have a way to practice more. I have him write it on paper. If he does it wrong I ask him to try again.  He is always in a hurry so I think that has something to do with it.  I am having him slow down and make sure he is making the letters the proper size. 

He loves to spend time using technology. I think that with the educational apps that in moderation he can use them as a learning tool.  It doesn't replace traditional learning but it can supplement it. A great app called iTrace came out yesterday. It is definitely the answer for us. It teaches Noah about letters and how big they are supposed to be. I am sure it will help him and let him have fun at the same time. I used to teach at a Montessori school  and I know that when a child learns letters they trace them a couple times. They also write them in sand a couple times. It is kind of the same concept but a lot less messy. 

Here is some information about iTrace from the developer:

iTrace Features
- 600+ different rewards
- 50 animated objects
- Supports multiple players
- Saves the entire history of each child's progress
- Supports multiple methods of writing the same letters
- A simple switch adjusts the entire system for left-handed kids
 

Not only does iTrace teach your child how to write letters. It also teaches your child to write words. There is a really cool option where your child can write their name and include their picture. You could do this for other members of your family. It would be a great tool to teach your child how to spell and write different names. iTrace also teaches your child how to write sentences. They do it a few times in a row to help them remember. I love that there is a left handed system. I am left handed and I know how much trouble lefty kids can have in a right hand world.  Practice makes perfect. It also has great graphics  and teaching tools so your child will learn maybe without realizing it. 

I am confident that with iTrace and some practice that Noah will improve his handwriting skills a lot. 

iTrace is available on the iPad for $3.99. You can find it in iTunes here.

For more information please visit the iTrace website.