Goodbye to Little Window Shoppe
May 18, 2009 by Emily · 62 Comments
My Dearest Window Shoppe Readers and Friends,
This post has taken me over a month to write - partly because this is my last post on this blog. I am so sad to announce that as of today, Little Window Shoppe is closing for good.
The decision was not taken lightly and was really hard to make, but a combination of factors came together that brought me to this post…very much wanting to spend more time with my family (I have a very busy two year old who needs more mommy-time), 
getting ready for baby #2 in November (I’ve been out sick for two months! But it’s totally worth it as we’re so excited to have a new baby come to our family), and finally getting ready for a move to a new state with my family this Summer (my hubby is starting a new job).
{Photo source: Wilson Library Reserve}
I have learned so much from blogging at Little Window Shoppe and will be forever grateful for the kind friends I have made and the amazing experiences that I have had here!! Thank you so much for taking time to make Little Window shoppe a part of your lives and for being such a fantastic community. And also, thank you for all of the nice emails and inquiries about how we are doing.
Before I say goodbye for good, I want to thank a few people who helped me along the way:
First and foremost, my husband Scott. He is an incredibly supportive husband and friend and was the first person to listen to my every idea and concern throughout my blogging adventures. He has also been Superman at my house and has cooked, cleaned, taken care of our two year old and helped me out while I was sick over the last seven weeks! I couldn’t ask for a better man in my life and I love him so much!!
I also wanted to thank Holly of Tutus and Turtles. She is so cool and listened and talked to me for hours on the phone as I worked out how I would end my Window Shoppe blogging days. Her blog has been an inspiration to me from the beginning and I think that her blog ideas rock!!
Finally, I wanted to thank each of the writers and contributors for Little Window Shoppe. Each of them had creative and beautiful ideas to share and I’m so grateful and honored that they wanted to be part of this blog with me. They have become some of my dearest friends and were the best group of writers a blog ever had! They even sent me tulips when I was sick (just about made me cry, I felt so loved).
Please visit each of their blogs to keep up with their cool ideas!
- Vanessa - her blog: I Never Grew Up
- Lauren - her blog: Supermom Central
- Michelle - her shoppe: Sweet Mady’s Paper
- Michaelle - her blog: Monkeys Momma
- Cassie - her shoppe: Madison Envy
- Kelly - her blog: Albany Mommy
Also, I wanted to leave you with a few additional recommendations of blogs I love - in case you are looking for new places to subscribe:
- www.simplemom.net - this is my absolute favorite blog to follow…it has the best family tips and ideas that make sense, the ideas are easy to follow and I just can’t get enough of its coolness.
- www.howaboutorange.blogspot.com - artsy, tons of crafts, diy ideas, printouts, and the best time-wasters ever.
- www.thepioneerwoman.com - recipes, photoshop tutorials, photography 101, down-to-earth life.
- www.makeandtakes.com - the coolest (and most creative) kids crafts ever!
- www.metropolitanmama.net - and for all you contest lovers, this Metro Mama has excellent giveaways all of the time - and she writes helpful articles with tips for parents. Love it.
There are so many more…but I think this is a great start.
If you want to stay in touch with me, you can follow me at a few sites:
- www.emilyjune.com (I’ll still be designing blogs and websites - starting again this fall).
- I’m also going to be checking in and updating my facebook page and my family blog regularly. They will have weekly updates of my family life and the cool fun things we are doing.
**If you want to stay in touch with me at my family blog or on facebook, just email me or leave a comment letting me know and I’ll send you the links.**
Thank you again for making this the best blogging experience I have ever had!!
Always,
Emily
Tips for Mixing Up Lunches and Snacks
September 24, 2008 by Emily · 10 Comments
Introducing Nicole the Editor for Momtrends, she wrote a great post for Little Window Shoppe with very helpful tips for mixing and matching lunches and snacks for your kids throughout the year. I’m really excited to share her ideas with you today, thanks Nicole!
Can you imagine fixing more than one hundred peanut butter and jelly sandwiches this year? Neither can I. Packing school lunches can be mind numbingly dull. So to mix things up this year, I’m taking a Bento Box approach.
Here’s the idea. It’s all about mixing and matching and using colorful small containers. On Sunday after shopping I enlist my junior chef to help fill up the containers. Then each morning she can grab four containers (one from each group) plus a dip and stash them in her lunch box. This saves Moms from scrambling each a.m. for a fruit, protein, carb, veggie, and dip.
Kids too young for school? This method works for toddlers too–organize your snacks for the week to find a few extra minutes in the day for mom.
To get you started, here’s some tips from each category:
| Fruit (this is the easy one) | Carbs |
| blueberries grapes apple slices or applesauce strawberries, raspberries |
popcorn pretzels whole wheat bagel chips mini pitas |
| Protein | Veggie |
| hard-boiled eggs rolled lunch meats cheese ground turkey or beef |
Green peppers tomatoes, celery bib lettuce (great for roll-ups) broccoli spears |
| Dips | |
| salsa hummus yogurt |
With all these on hand you can simply fill small containers and get your kids involved in packing and selecting the snacks. The fun part is storing the snacks in colorful containers. Here are my picks:
Eco-Friendly Bento box set $26.95
Rubbermaid 44 pc. Set $24.99
Tupperware has awesome items like the Lunch n’ Things Container $7.48
And I love the idea of keeping lunch green by putting sending all these reusable items off to school (just be sure to label everything). To take the adorable lunch one step further toss in a fabkins cloth napkin to be clean and green.
iLunchBox
September 11, 2008 by Emily · 2 Comments
Before you read about this awesome iLunchBox site, I just wanted to mention that the Peek-a-boo ($70) Contest ends tomorrow (Friday) and only has about 25 entries!! Your chances of winning (whether for yourself or a friend are really great!! So, if you haven’t already entered, you can right HERE).
Now onto iLunchBox - Do you pack a lunch for yourself or your kids? We are dedicated lunch-packers at my house. My husband is a health teacher and I think he has ”Super-Size Me“ memorized, so we don’t eat lunch at the cafeteria as much as we used to.
If you are a lunch-packer too, I think you’ll like this site! It is a resource center and portal of information for parents and caregivers dedicated to the pursuit of a healthier lunch for school aged children. It combines recipes and menu ideas with a focus on nutrition, lunch and portability as well as tips and tricks to make lunch easier.
Lilybella - A Noteable Giveaway
August 29, 2008 by Emily · 84 Comments
Lilybella, isn’t that such pretty name? Behind this pretty name is a savvy boutique that specializes in “funk-tional” oilcloth products for kids and moms. Oilcloth is a waterproof, wipe-clean fabric that is great for kids, while being fashionable at the same time.
Have you ever left a little love note on a napkin for your kids when they go to school? Or did your family do that for you? “Good Luck on Your Test Today Sweetie!” “Mom and Dad Love You Lots” or ”Hugs and Kisses.” If this is something you enjoy doing, then you will like this little gadget. I am happy to introduce to you Lilybella Boutique’s Chalkcloth pencil case! It is made using two “kid-proof”, oilcloth fabrics of your choice, and includes a chalkcloth strip on the front, so that you can leave any little note you want your children to read when they are at school.
Win It:
One lucky Window Shoppe reader will win this sweet Chalkcloth Pencil Case and a matching coin purse too.
Simply visit Lilybella Boutique, leave a comment or send an email to contest@littlewindowshoppe.com and answer this quick little question: Does Lilybella Boutique sell Party Packs? The winner will be chosen at random on Monday September 8th and will be announced here, so be sure to check back to see if you’re the winner.
Want to enter more Little Window Shoppe Giveaways? Check out this Giveaway/Contest link to see what you can win this week.
Contest Closed *CONGRATULATIONS TO JANICE G. SHE IS THE RANDOMLY CHOSEN WINNER FOR THIS CONTEST! CONGRATS JANICE! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED - PLEASE STOP BY AGAIN AS THERE ARE NEW CONTESTS EACH WEEK!*
For Little Citizens of the World
August 7, 2008 by Emily · 4 Comments
In the midst of scouring over back to school fashion, I stumbled upon Tea. A collection of globally inspired apparel made especially for children. I was taken with the warm colors of their new Fall Indigo Collection (inspired by Japanese Nature). The modern touch to these new arrivals will make any kid look crisp, fresh and ready for school.
Easy “Back to School” Planning
August 5, 2008 by Emily · 5 Comments
It’s that time to start thinking about “Back to School” items again! The only thing that comes to mind right now is…”Already? Really? Wow, Summer is going by too fast!” We moms (and dads too), we’re pretty tired, I mean laundry alone from vacationing is enough to make anyone exhausted. So, this year, instead of rounding up all the little ones into the car for the annual back to school shopping trip, visit EZ School Supplies. The name says it all, it’s easy, convenient and with just a few clicks you can have all the name brand supplies your children need sent right to your doorstep!
I myself have been VERY IMPRESSED! My husband and I both have careers in education and we have been planning and thinking about going back to school lately too. Luckily, gathering all the items we needed through EZ School Supplies was fast, simple and made it one less thing for us to worry about. All of the school supplies we would ever need were there too, it was a serious stress reliever! This is also the perfect solution if you are a last-minute shopper.
EZ School Supplies also wants to help you or your school save a little $ too. In the event that your school has posted a supply list on this site, EZ can honor the 10% discount to you or they can give the 10% donation back to your school. Your shopping really can make a difference here.
Sweet Discount:
Take 10% off your EZ School purchase with promotional code: EZMB050
Lunchbox Days
July 29, 2008 by Emily · 9 Comments
Just feast your eyes on these whimsical lunchboxes from Sweet Mady’s Paper! Did you have a lunchbox growing up? I remember walking to school with my lunchbox in hand - they seem to bring out the school-kid days in all of us, don’t you think? They are lead-free, food safe and go way beyond the cafeteria. These custom-made, personalized boxes are great for holding more than lunch, there are endless possibilities when paired with your child’s imagination. Priced at $34.
Sweet Mady’s Paper is a paper studio specializing in invitations, sweet announcements and stationery too! Their paper is stylish yet classic and they love to create custom designs just for you.
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