Accio, teddy bear! Build-A-Bear, in partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, announced a magical collection that includes a Harry Potter bear and Wizarding World-inspired clothing and accessories. Launching exclusively online on Sept. 2, and available in stores later this fall, this is the first time that Harry Potter plush is being offered by Build-A-Bear Workshop.
“We are thrilled to be bringing the magic of the Wizarding World to Build-A-Bear Workshop,” said Jennifer Kretchmar, Chief Digital & Merchandising Officer. “Harry Potter fans are sure to be spell-bound by the Harry Potter bear, house robes and Hogwarts uniforms, and bear-sized wands – and more magical clothing and accessories to come. This enchanting collection is perfect for all ages!”
Embark on adventures with your very own Harry Potter-inspired bear, complete with golden paws, the official Harry Potter logo, and Hogwarts crest. Dress your bear in its Hogwarts house with themed robes featuring the house colors and crests of Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. Complete the look with a matching house scarf.
Your furry friend will look just like a Hogwarts student in Hogwarts uniform pants or skirt with a golden Hogwarts logo. Accessorize the look with a woven sweater and striped tie in house colors.
Complete your furry friend’s Wizarding World look with a wand. Available in black or brown, a plush wand wrist accessory attaches to your furry friend’s paw.
Are you ready for some football? NFL Kickoff is a highly anticipated event that signifies the change of seasons and sprint toward the holidays. Now Tostitos is helping fans be homegate heroes by bringing the roar of the stadium home during a time when fans truly miss the joy of tailgates, crowded bars and rowdy stadiums.
Frito-Lay North America is rolling out its 2020 NFL Kickoff campaigns, anchored by a star-studded TV commercial creatively themed “‘Twas the Night Before Kickoff,” relating the sense of wonder and excitement of the night before Christmas from the original iconic poem to the night before NFL Kickoff. Picture Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski in pajamas giddy with glee. The portfolio campaign leads Frito-Lay’s return to NFL Kickoff that also includes programming from Tostitos, the Official Chip & Dip of the NFL.
“There’s something magical about NFL Kickoff that truly evokes this sense of excitement and anticipation — it’s a time when fans can set their hopes and dreams for their team,” said Rachel Ferdinando, SVP and CMO, Frito-Lay North America. “This year, the return of the NFL matters more than ever. America is looking for a sense of normalcy, and the return of one of the country’s largest cultural events is sure to provide that joy. Our campaign is meant to tap into the excitement and anticipation kickoff provides and evoke some of the same magical feelings we have during the holiday season.”
Frito-Lay is rolling out its 2020 NFL Kickoff campaigns, anchored by a star-studded TV commercial, “’Twas the Night Before Kickoff,” relating the sense of wonder and excitement of the night before Christmas to the night before NFL Kickoff. The hilarious commercial features NFL pros and legends, including Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski — both starring in their first commercial in a Tampa Bay uniform — Tony Romo, Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Katie Sowers and Marshawn Lynch.
Directed by renowned director Peter Berg, it will air during the NFL season kick off game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans on Sept. 10 on NBC.
Tostitos is also releasing limited-edition, custom FanTrack bags – a first-of-its-kind technological innovation – that feature chip-activated motion sensors and built-in speakers that automatically play fans’ favorite chants with every bowl of Tostitos poured.
To celebrate the launch of the innovative FanTrack bags, Tostitos is partnering with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott to share his tips for hosting the ultimate NFL homegate. “Football is returning at a time when fans and players need it most, and I’m thrilled to partner with Tostitos to make this season feel as normal and exhilarating as possible,” said Prescott.
The bags are available in 10 unique team designs with coordinating iconic sounds: Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
They’ll be available to hundreds of fans nationwide via a Twitter giveaway. To score a bag, fans can enter to win by tweeting @Tostitos using #HomegateHeroEntry and tagging their favorite FanTrack bag NFL team.
For the first time in nearly 20 years, the Girl Scouts uniform has been redesigned. The new official Girl Scout uniforms for Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors is available now. Key components include a new vest, sash and 18 pieces suitable for girls in grades six to 12.
FIT students Nidhi Bhasin, Jenny Feng and Melissa Posner were selected to create this exciting new line for Girl Scouts.
Bhasin said, “We drew inspiration from the Girl Scout archives as well as current trends! The main focus was on styles that fit all body types and satisfy different style preferences. ‘Everyday fashion’ and comfort were also important considerations for us during the design process. Ultimately, we want girls to feel proud to wear their Girl Scout uniform and apparel everywhere they go.”
The new collection is made up of interchangeable items including full-zip hoodies, crewneck tees, skater dresses, jogger pants and trefoil-branded baseball caps. The items range in price from $10 to $49 and are available in sizes up to 3XL.
Posner said, “We felt the Girl Scout uniform and other affiliated clothing needed to reflect more of the trends of the current time. The girls we talked with wanted more modern and functional clothing they can wear to Girl Scout and non-Girl Scout activities that can be easily styled formally and casually. With these points in mind, we elevated existing garments and created new pieces that reflected their requests, like incorporating pockets into the sash and introducing a denim jacket.”
Barbie is known for celebrating extraordinary women and inspiring girls to reach their goals. Barbie is celebrating U.S. soccer star, Alex Morgan as part of their ongoing Role Model Series. The series shines a light on empowering women who have broken boundaries and reminds young girls they can be anything.
The Alex Morgan Barbie Doll is created in the soccer phenom’s likeness, complete with a full red, white and blue uniform and jersey with her name printed on the back, while her red cleats and iconic pink headband finish her winning look. The doll is shown wearing Alex’s iconic jersey number #13, while the outfit is inspired by real-life uniforms she has worn in the past.
To recreate Alex’s on-field moments, the collectible doll is fully posable and comes with a pint-sized soccer ball. The doll is currently available on Barbie.com for $29.99.
This little pony ain’t ‘fraid of no ghost. The highly anticipated My Little Pony X Ghostbusters figure is now available for pre-order. Ghostbusting Plasmane combines a retro My Little Pony figure wearing the iconic Ghostbusters uniform.
When “Manehattan” is overrun by ghosts Plasmane comes to the rescue. This pony has unique deco, colors and Cutie Mark inspired by the original Ghostbusters team. The 4.5 inch figure comes in collectors’ packaging and is ready for display, much to the delight of My Little Pony or Ghostbusters fans.
The figure ships this fall and will be on shelves at major retailers Jan. 2021.
I have been a Mother for 2.5 years now. It really does require complete patience. Being a Mother is the most unselfish thing I have ever done in my life. I am constantly thinking of someone else. Not just someone else. Someone who kind of resembles me!
Before Samantha was born, Peyton and I would take naps when we wanted, stayed out until we got tired, and didn’t have to feed anyone but ourselves. I had gotten pretty used to just taking care of only one person. I was great at it. I had ME down to a T! After Peyton and I got married and after loads of discussion and prayer we decided we wanted to do something mind-blowing. We desired a baby. We felt good about our decision and went forward with design. The day I found out I was with a child was a day I will never forget. In two minutes time I was a transformed lady. Was I really ready to feed, bathe, and comfort a tiny human 24 hours a day? Good thing you have 9 months to organize yourself, Catherine. Get going.
And I did. I read the books. I watched the birthing videos. I cried after watching the birthing videos. I found a doctor I liked and visited her routinely. I ate good foods. (And too much ice cream). I did prenatal yoga. I packed my hospital bag 2 months before I needed to. I typed up a birth plan. I downloaded an app that timed contractions. I worried. I cried. I was ecstatic and prepared.
Or so I thought…labor was a mind trip. The thoughts running through my mind were comparable to that of a schizophrenic. “This is incredible.” “I am doing this.” “Why did I do this?” “I want to go back.” “That hurts.” “That feels good.” “I am a freaking rockstar right now.” “I want to die.” Why, oh why, don’t people tell you these things? Labor is outrageous, stunning, ridiculous, delightful and downright natural. I remember (vividly) Peyton running around calmly asking the Doctor questions only an engineer would think to ask. What are the advantages of breaking her water? How many heartbeats a minute are we at? At what level are the contractions? What are our alternatives at this moment? Is that instrument there for a precaution or application? I literally thought my Husband was going to excuse himself to the restroom and come back in full doctor uniform. He had done his coursework and he was set! In all honesty, the birth was faster than we anticipated. I didn’t even have time to think about turning back before she was lying on my chest. I am pretty sure I wouldn’t have been able to turn back, anyways. Fast-forward to the next few days, which are extremely tough to remember. What I DO recall was that there were many diapers, cries (not just Samantha’s) numerous smiles and nights where Peyton and I just stood looking at this petite screaming human thinking, what the heck do we do here?!
The days turned into weeks and little by little I was getting the hang of it. I was as surprised as anyone when I realized the difference between a hunger cry versus a tired cry. One day I put an extra pair of clothes in the diaper bag. That was also a day where she decided to have a major blowout. Coincidence? I think not. That’s noble training, right there.
The thing is, Samantha was teaching me things I had never learned in any of my college courses. I felt almost as if she were giving me the lengthiest, toughest final exam of my life. I don’t think I am going to get straight A’s. But, when I rock this pint-size sweetie to sleep and she smiles up at me with her pudgy cheeks, I realize I am completely passing this test.
Hi, i'm Cat! We live in Orlando, Florida where my husband works for Mickey Mouse (no, really). We have two kids, Samantha (5) & Preston (2). I suffer from a chronic illness called Short Bowel Syndrome. My ramblings are dedicated to travel adventures, nap time confessions and my medical journey. Cheers!
Even though the elevator so often seems to skip the 13th floor, you’re in luck today: we’ve found 13 cool and not-at-all freaky facts about the number 13. Scroll down for the dish.
1. The fear of the number 13 is called triksideskaphobia (trick-suh-desk-uh-foe-be-uh).
2. Many famous athletes have found great luck wearing the number 13 on their uniform including Wilt Chamberlain, Alex Rodriguez and Pavel Datsyuk.
3. There is are two Friday the 13ths this year (2017), one in January and one in October.
4. There are 13 baked goods in a baker’s dozen. (One for the baker to test!)
5. In Italy, 13 is considered a very lucky number. The expression fare tredici (“to do 13”) means hit the jackpot.
6. 13 is a prime number.
7. The Olsen Twins were born on Fri., June 13, 1986; Steve Buscemi was born on Fri., Dec. 13, 1957 and Julia Louis-Dreyfus was born on Fri., Jan. 13, 1961. 8. In a standard 52-card deck of cards there are four suits of 13.
9. There were 13 original colonies of the United States.
10. Because of the 13 original colonies, the first US flag had 13 stripes and 13 white stars.
There are 13 stars on the Great Seal of the United States.
To have a Friday the 13th occur, the month in which it occurs must begin on a Sunday.
Let’s get right to it: Our kids need us to stop being so productive in our parenting so that they can learn how to be productive in their own lives. Let’s run through what a typical day might look like for a “productive” parent.
In the morning the productive parent wakes the child up. The productive parent makes the breakfast. Goes back in to wake their sleeping beauty again. Packs the lunch. Throws in the laundry. Cleans up after breakfast. Reminds Johnny to take his washed and folded PE uniform and his library book that is due.Off to school, he goes.
Good thing he has a cell phone to text Mom when he realizes she forgot to remind him to bring his math book. And because the productive parent wouldn’t want him to be without what he needs, she runs it to school. And the scenario goes on….
Is it possible that our productive parenting is hindering our children from becoming productive adults?
Our goal as parents is to (hopefully) raise a confident, responsible and independent adult who can capably live in the real world one day without us. It’s time to recognize if we are stealing opportunities from our child to grow into the productive person they are meant to be.
Here are five reasons I’m trying to be a less productive parent in 2018—and why other parents should join me in my efforts.
1. Our kids don’t know how to fail.
We can’t stand to watch our offspring face disappointment and hardship so we do all we can to keep our babies from feeling discomfort. We know that failure doesn’t feel good and we want our children happy, so we shield and protect them from anything that may make them feel uncomfortable. But as adults, we have mistakingly forgotten that failure is a necessary part of life. How will we ever know when we’ve truly succeeded if we’ve never been allowed to fail?
Most of our parents didn’t pick up the pieces when things fell apart for us. We learned how to do that ourselves. Why then aren’t we allowing our children the same space to learn and grow from negative experiences?
2. Our kids don’t know how to problem solve.
Recently I interviewed several university deans, professors, teachers and employers about the differences between young adults today compared to past generations. They unanimously said that adolescents don’t know how to solve problems for themselves.
Who’s to blame for this? Siri and Alexa get my vote—but so do parents. No matter who’s to blame, we as parents have to be adamant about giving our child the confidence and space to figure out solutions for themselves. Only then will they get to experience the consequences that follow their decisions—good and bad. How can we begin to empower our children to make choices for themselves instead of them relying on us or technology to do the work for them?
3. Our kids don’t know how to fend for themselves.
My viral post on the “8 Things You Should Stop Doing For Your Child” touched on how we need to purposely raise an adult instead of big kids who leave our home clueless instead of capable.
It’s up to us parents to let our child become productive instead of us continuously producing for them. It is the rare child who is going to ask to wake themselves up, do their own laundry, make their own breakfast, fill out their own paperwork and the list goes on. Children of all ages like having things done for them, so you are going to have to take the lead in teaching them what they need to know.
As parents, we must strive to balance nurturing our child and teaching them life skills. Don’t mistake doing everything for your teen as love. Sometimes the most loving thing you can do for your child is to say no to bringing that forgotten item to them at school.
4. Our kids don’t know how to be face-to-face with another human.
We must carve out space in our child’s life for them to be with people of all ages in person without a screen to hide behind. The group of professionals I interviewed agreed that young adults are very unsure of themselves in social settings today. They don’t know how to look another person in the eye or how to have casual, yet meaningful conversation face-to-face. It’s up to us as parents to create opportunities for our children to develop lifelong relationship and communication skills which are not going to happen by using Snapchat.
5. Our kids don’t know how to wait for anything.
I blame the brilliance of Amazon and their uber-productive shopping experience. Why wait for anything anymore when you know you can quickly click a few buttons on this website and have your desire in hand tomorrow? What can possibly be wrong with that? The concept of waiting for something you want or need is lost on the younger generation, thanks to Amazon. It’s up to us to teach our children how to wait. To wait for items that they want. To wait in lines. To wait to do things that aren’t appropriate for their age yet.
With our over-productive parenting, we are creating a generation of kids who is afraid to fail, unable to problem solve, unwilling to help around the house, uncomfortable in the presence of other humans and who don’t want to wait for a thing.
Parents, we must purposely be a bit more unproductive this year so that our children can become the productive people that they are meant to be.
Amy is the author of the book Parent on Purpose: A Courageous Approach to Raising Children in a Complicated World. Her work can be found at www.amycarney.com. She and her retired NHL playing husband, Keith, are raising 18-year-old triplet sons, a 16-year-old daughter, and a recently adopted 13-year-old son.
School uniforms can be a blessing, especially when you’re shopping for clothes or getting kids dressed in the morning. But when a uniform is your only choice and you have special needs, getting ready for school is a lot more challenging. Land’s End new adaptive school uniform collection makes getting dressed inclusive for all students.
The Land’s End Kids Adaptive Clothing line features shirts, tops, shorts, and pants which look just like the same uniforms the company already carries, but with new innovative features, like rip and grip closures and sensory-friendly seams.
Instead of buttons and zippers, the tops and bottoms in the collection feature magnetic closures made with MagnaReady technology and rip & grip closures making it much easier to manage taking clothing on and off. They also have magnets at the leg openings of Land’s End chino pants so they can easily be worn over leg and foot braces.
All of the items in the collection also feature either heat transfer or satin tags plus smooth, clean-finished seams and waistbands to eliminate any potential irritants for those with sensory issues.
You can shop the entire collection at Land’s End online here.
This week in parenting: the wise musings of three-year-olds, the honesty of four-year-olds and lessons in Spinal Tap. If you’re looking for some funny takes on everyday parenting moments, then keep reading for our roundup of hilarious tweets for the week.
1. Yes, yes you have.
Not the usual note your kid brings back from the orthodontist.. He wasn’t familiar with the hip tunes at the office so the orthodontist sent this home to me .. Have I failed as a rock n’roll dad ..? pic.twitter.com/N4uvRGnwtw
And for my next trick I'll turn my kids into starving, dehydrated philosophers who also need to pee a lot, by simply using these two magical words, "It's bedtime."
