Good Things Come in Pairs!

One of our most popular items is the "Summer Tea Set" It is a tin tea set that comes packaged in a cute blue suitcase. Regular price: $26.99 Special until December 13th, 2 for $40.00.

Act quickly we only have 4 left in stock!! It will come wrapped in cellphane with matching ribbons.

Robin

Free Grandma Rocks Coloring Book

Grandma would like to offer a free coloring book with the purchase of a Grandma Rocks CD. Just purchase a Grandma Rocks CD from Grandma's Shoppe and we'll send a free coloring book with it! It's that simple! No codes, tweets, or comments needed. It's our way of saying thank you for being such wonderful customers and friends of Grandma's Shoppe.

To listen to clips of our CD log on to http://www.grandmarocksthehouse.com/

We appreciate your business.

Please e-mail with comments, questions and suggestions!

Robin

grandma@grandmasshoppe.com

Offer ends December 5th 12:00 AM

Board Book Photo Albums

Grandma's Shoppe newest item, the"Take Your Pix" Board Book Photo Albums! When our children were little, we loved reading board books to them. They were easy to carry around, didn't fall apart, and allowed little fingers to easily turn the pages. The Take Your Pix Board Book Photo Albums are photo albums that are all of this and more. They are sturdy, easy to use and perfect for children. A photo slides easily into each page and the pages have a notch on the side making turning the pages simple.The albums come in white, pink and blue. The white albums provide a perfect "canvas" for decorating with stickers and markers. They make a perfect gift for a grandparent. Because they are so sturdy, a grandparent can easily take it with them to show off their grandchildren!The albums are also practical for a child with special needs. Very often a child is comforted by carrying around photos of their family members, or may communicate with the use of photographs. The pink, blue, and yellow albums have the words My First Album written on the top. (Perfect for a baby shower gift!)What makes these albums extra special? They are the creation of a Mom-Preneur!Robin

Reporting For Duty, A Day at the White House

The White House in Washington, D.C., is not your ordinary house. It has 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, 147 windows, and three elevators. In this picture book for children, Barkley, a Secret Service dog, provides a fun-filled tour through the White House.

Filled with coloring and drawing activities, Reporting for Duty,written by H.K. Gilbert, not only helps children learn important histroical information, but provides a fun reading experience with Barkley the Secret Service dog as your guide! Great for the classroom!

ages 5-9

$9.95

Grandma loves Reporting for Duty! It's an interactive book that adults will enjoy as well as their children. A perfect read aloud, for school teachers as well.

Robin

What's a Fairy Gram?

Grandma and I are very excited to be carrying Fairy Grams. A Fairy Gram is a gorgeous fairy outfit that is beautifully packaged and delivered directly to your home!

Each Fairy Gram consists of:

A Fairy Tutu, Fairy Wings, Fairy Ribbon Wand,Fairy Halo, and Fairy Butterfly Clips!
Each tutu is aproximately 12 inches long and has a 12 inch waist which can stretch up to 28 inches. The expandable waist allows our tutus to fit ages 1-8.

Fairy Wings – Each set of wings is approximately 17 × 12 inches. Our rainbow wings are slightly smaller at14 × 12 inches.
Fairy Ribbon Wand – Each Fairy-Gram contains a fairy wand to match the color of your chosen Fairy outfit. Each wand is approximately 12 inches long.
Fairy Halo – Each Fairy-Gram contains a fairy halo to match the color of your chosen Fairy outfit. Each fairy halo has an adjustable head size.
Butterfly Clips – Each Fairy-Gram comes with 2 small butterflies clips.

Order your fairy gram now...perfect for Halloween!

-Robin

Let's Get Ready!

Grandma's Shoppe is now carrying the award winning books, Let's Get Ready For Kindergarten, (Spanish and English), and Let's Get Ready For First Grade.

Grandma and I fell in love with the books the minute they arrived at our doorstep. As a parent, I knew how important it was to get my children ready for kindergarten and first grade. I spent time reading and playing educational games with them. I wish the "Let's Get Ready Series" was available because my kids would have loved it!

The "Let's Get Ready For Kindergarten!" book covers a range of topics including;the alphabet, shapes, reading exercises, color recognition, learning left from right, numbers, seasons, opposites, parts of the body and more.

"Let's Get Ready For First Grade!" contains simple grammar, contractions, compound words, math problems, telling time and other relevant topics.

Your child will love the fact that the books are made for writing in with an erasable marker. They are encouraged to write in each book.

Thank you Linda Desimowich and Stacey Kannenberg for creating such wonderful books and tools for both children and their parents. 10% of all profits from book sales will be donated to literacy programs!

Learning is fun!

Robin

"Pure Chocolate Enchantment!"

October Special!

Free Shipping on Fairytale Brownies!

"Pure Chocolate enchantment is as close as your first bite!"

How does this sound?...

"A luscious combination of pure ingredients - rich, dark Callebaut Belgian chocolate blended with pure creamery butter and farm fresh eggs. certified kosher and free of trans fats,

hydrogenated oils, preservatives and artificial colors."

That's the description of the most amazing brownies you'll ever taste! Fairytale Brownies!

Fairytale Brownies are beautifully packaged , they are the perfect gift to give for birthdays, to say thank you, welcoming a new baby, and more. Need a spooktacular gift for a college student? The Halloween Magic Morsels consists of two dozen assorted bite-size Magic Morsels wrapped in a Halloween band. Includes 6 each of Original, Caramel, Chocolate Chip and Walnut 1.5” x 1.5” Magic Morsels.

Oh and don't worry, you can purchase an assortment of brownies for yourself, Grandma will never tell!!

Please feel free to e-mail us if you have any questions! We love to getting to know our customers!

grandma@grandmasshoppe.com
-Robin

Grandma Rocks CD Give-A-Way!

For those that have kept up with my blogs, I'm constantly searching for fun blogs. As I've mentioned, when I'm asked to follow someone on Twitter I always click to find out more about the individual. I look at their websites and blogs. It's amazing how many wonderful mom's I've met this way.

My latest find is a blog called "Potamus Prefers" Shannon the creator of this blog is a SAHM mom of two toddler boys born 366 days apart. She enjoys writing, taking photographs, spending time with her husband, two boys and two dogs. The name of this review blog came from her oldests nickname. He is her "little Finleypotamus", which has now been shortened to Potamus!

Shannon just reviewed our Children's CD, Grandma Rocks. Along with the review, she filmed her children dancing to the music. (Very cute!)

Shannon wrote: "Looking for a fun CD of music that not only your kids will enjoy dancing to, but that won't assault your ears? How about one you might just enjoy yourself when the kids are napping (I won't tell anyone you listen to kids music while their napping if you don't... it's our secret).

"Grandma Rocks includes 13 songs. My favorites are "Oh Baby" and "Are We There Yet?". The boys seems to really enjoy those as well."

She continues, "In addition, late last year they launched Grandma's Shoppe . Take a look. They have so many wonderful things, from creative items to personalized items to scribble pads. They have so many things that would make a great Christmas present."

Visit Potamus Prefers and enter to win a Grandma Rocks Children's CD.

Thanks Shannon!

Robin

Why Parents Love Our Scribble Pads!

When I was a child my parents used to take my brother and I to a museum and give us each a pad of paper and a pencil. We would walk around the museum until we found the perfect painting to draw. We would sit in front of it and draw our interpretation of the painting or simply draw whatever inspired us. Sitting and drawing in this environment was such fun.

It is so important for children to express themselves through drawing and writing. Our Scribble Pads can be ordered with blank paper throughout the pad or with paper that has an area for a drawing on top of the page and lined paper beneath it for the child to write on.

I can't even imagine how excited I would have been to have had a Scribble Pad with my name on it and a really cool design. Our Scribble Pads include FREE personalization! Just choose a design from our "Design Choices", and add your child's name, it's that simple!

Parents love our scribble pads because they are laminated and easy to clean, encourage creativity, have a wonderful personalized cover and are one of a kind! Oh, did I mention that a mom-preneur created our pads. Mom's know our customers best!

20% off until September 30th!

Regularly $9.00 each

Now: $7.20 each

Happy Monday!

Robin

Why We Love Our Journals!

Grandma's Shoppe is always on the look-out for products that are special ,a little different and not something that you'll see elsewhere. That's why we fell in love with these journals.

Each journal has a custom design on the cover. We have a design area where you can pick the design that you love. It's a unique canvas iron-on that has been sealed with a waterproof process. The designs are all created by an artist and not "clip art" The covers have been custom sewn to fit a standard composition notebook. This means, when you've finished writing, drawing and doodling in your notebook and all of the pages are used up... you can remove the cover, spot clean it with a damp cloth and put the cover onto another composition book. (The kind that CVS and Target sell!)

Personalization is Free! Take a look at our most popular designs. Whether you or your child are interested in monsters, flowers, fairies, trucks or a simple first letter of your name, we've got you covered.

Oh, and what makes this journal extra special? It's the creation of a mom. It's actually the work of a mother and daughter team. At Grandma's Shoppe, we love working with Mom Preneurs. Their products are well thought out, and well, you know how mom's are...they put a lot of love into everything they do!

Our Journals are regularly $14.00 but we are running a 20% off special though September 30th.

They are now only $11.20. (a perfect price for birthday gifts, and it's not too early to start thinking about the holidays)

We recommend our journals for all ages!

Happy Friday!

Robin

20% off Our Most Popular Journals, Scribble Pads and Workbooks!

The kids are back in school so what better time to celebrate with a special Back to School Sale! Grandma has decided to offer 20% off our most popular Back to School Journals, Workbooks, and Scibble Pads. All of these items are located in our Writer's Workshop section and are created by mom-preneurs...they know our customer best!

Take a look:
Journals Reg. Price: $14.00 Special Price: $11.20
Scribble Pads Reg. Price $9.00 Special Price: $7.20
I can Write My Name Workbook Reg. Price: $16.99 Special Price: $13.59

Offer ends: September 30th.
Enjoy-
Robin

Mom-Preneurs Unite!

Grandma's Shoppe is so excited about our new look. We've been busy improving our site and have added lots of amazing products. We take pride in our selection of vendors and work hard to offer a unique merchandise assortment that will appeal to all ages. Many of our vendors are "Mom-Preneurs"

Leah, a fellow member of The Mom Entrepreneur Group contacted Grandma's Shoppe to show us her latest products. We fell in love with them! Color My Party is a personalized coloring book that is customized with your child's name and age. It's filled with activities and each page has a letter of the child's name so that they can learn how to write their name..educational and fun!

I Can Write My Name Workbook is a fun and educational way to teach children how to write their names. Your child will be excited to see their name spelled out in our custom workbook. Each re-usable page is laminated and features your child's name one letter at a time. Practice pages include the full alphabet with both upper and lower case letters. Use dry erase marker (included) or trace with finger.



Angie also contacted us to show us her "Diaper Cupcakes".

Each single layer diaper cupcakes are made of seven premium Pampers Swaddler Diapers,baby shampoo, baby lotion, brush and comb set, a washcloth, and a plush gender-matched teddy bear rattle. Diaper cupcakes are wrapped in a burp cloth with ribbon and presented on a decorative scalloped platter trimmed in lace. Diaper cupcakes are available in boy, girl or neutral.

More new products are being added weekly!

Robin

Left Handers Day!

I was very surprised to learn that Thursday, August 13, is Left-Handers Day. I had no idea that there was a day dedicated to left handers. The celebration began in 1992 by a support club called The Left-Handers Club!



Approximately 10% of the population is left handed. There are many famous left handers including, Prince William, Marilyn Monroe, Leonardo da Vinci, Jimi Hendrix, Martina Navratilova and Nicole Kidman. The members of The Left Handers club voted Barack Obama The Left Hander Of The Year 2008!

Our oldest daughter is a lefty. When she started playing softball we were never sure whether or not she needed a mitt for her left or right hand. It turned out that she needed a lefty mitt but who knew...she wasn't able to catch with either hand. It wasn't until she got older that we figured it out! She kicked stronger with her right leg in soccer and with bowling, well she still isn't sure if she bowls with her left or right hand, seems she's not very good either way!

I showed her some of the lefty websites this morning after announcing how excited I was that there was a day dedicated to left handers. We've purchased special scissors and notebooks for her in the past. I have a feeling that some of the kitchen items may be very helpful to her. Especially the measuring cups. I'll have to do some more research!

When I asked her if she felt that there were products that she's have difficulty with, she mentioned that the one thing that she always had trouble with was opening her locker in school. She said she couldn't open the lock easily. She also mentioned that most of her friends could open it and then hook it back on the hook. This was impossible for her to do!
If you're interested in checking out some left products check out the Left Hand Zone
Our daughter has been blessed with all of the qualities that lefties are said to possess, she's creative, artistic and imaginative.


To all of my friends that are left handed, Happy Left Handers Day!
Robin

Just Plain Folks Music Awards Are In!!

Grandma’s Shoppe is excited to announce that our Children’s CD, “Grandma Rocks” has been nominated for Best Children’s Album by the 2009 Just Plain Folks Music Awards! 42,000 albums were submitted in the largest music awards of any kind in world history.

"The Just Plain Folks Music Awards were started in 1999 as a simple way to recognize the best music submitted by members. JPF Founder Brian Austin Whitney felt the music made by the "other 98%" of the music world often ignored by the mainstream televised music awards shows deserved its own recognition...Just Plain Folks is a community of over 51,500 Songwriters, Recording Artists and Music Industry Professionals — and host to the world's largest independent music awards. Our organization was created to provide a network of cooperation and inclusion for musicians.— membership is free!"

In recognition of this amazing honor we'd like to offer free shipping on our Grandma Rocks CD! Please log on to our Grandma Rocks site to listen to clips of the songs.In order to receive the free shipping. Please purchase the CD at Grandma's Shoppe. (scroll down). Shipping will be reimbursed after the order is completed. (must be ordered by itself)

Grandma does Rock!
Robin

Grandma Rocks CD Give-A-Way

Grandma's Shoppe is running a Grandma Rocks CD Give-A-Way with Mama's Money Saver Blog. It ends July 6th. Cher is a stay at home mom with two boys and started Mama's Money Saver Blog so that she could express her thoughts, ideas, and opinions. Her blog is filled with reviews, give-a-ways, special offers, and interesting articles. Cher loves to follow blogs! Take a look at some of her favorites.

Thanks Cher for including Grandma's Shoppe in your blog. Can't wait to see who wins the Grandma Rocks CD Give-A-Way!
Robin

Free Advertising for Mom-Preneurs

In my search for the "perfect blog" I came across a blogger that is helping mom-preneurs and their businesses.

I belong to a wonderful group called, The Mom Entrepreneur Support Group. It is an interactive group that allows mom entrepreneur members to network with one another and share their stories and advice for balancing motherhood and running a company. (Membership is free)

While reading an e-mail from one of the members of The Mom Entrepreneur, I came across an e-mail from Abbey Fatica. She asked if any members would like to be a part of her new blog, Living My MoMent. Abbey mentioned that she wanted to help mom's with their businesses by offering free advertising on her blog.

Her idea was , "to be an advocate for those MoMs earning a living by being their own boss and by keeping up with the demands of Motherhood. I will also have a blog that will give my thoughts on living in our country today and how my family is surviving the downward turn that our economy has taken and the sacrifices that this mom has to make"

I contacted Abbey and sent her the required information. Grandma's Shoppe is now featured on Living My MoMent. Living My MoMent is filled with daily MoM tips to make your life easier, MoMbiz specials, MoM Give-a-ways, and recommended MoM books.

Abbey's husband John helped create a beautifully designed, and well organized blog. If you are a mom entrepreneur and would like to be featured on Living My MoMent, please contact Abbey
Thank you Abbey for your wonderful blog. Grandma's Shoppe is looking forward to keeping up with your new adventure.
Robin

The Importance of Writing

Grandma’s Shoppe understands the importance of writing, the article “How to Help a Young Child Begin to Write”, discusses fun ways to engage your child in writing; write with sidewalk chalk or a bucket of water and a paintbrush to create letters on the sidewalk. Encourage your child to write a story on paper and read it back to you.

Grandma’s Shoppe is offering a 15% discount on our journals, and scribble pads. Each can be personalized with a child's name and fun design. Offer expires July 31.

Amount will be reimbursed after the purchase has been made. (not including shipping)

-Get your pens and pads out and start creating!
Robin

Buddhi Wear's Amazing Sale

I just became aware of this amazing offer and wanted to let you know about it!

Buddi Wear is having a huge Sale

30% off!

Don't forget that Father's Day is around the corner.
Stock up on gifts for yourself or others. Eco-friendly apparel for those that enjoy yoga, pilates, fitness, energy healing/reiki, the environment, and all things positive
Want to wear the softest most comfortable clothes on the planet?
www.BuddhiWear.com
30 % Off YOUR ENTIRE COUPON CODE "MEMORIAL"
A tree is planted for every garment sold!
BuddhiWear offers a line of fun and fashionable organic clothing for women, men, children, and babies.

www.BuddhiWear.com
Coupon valid on new purchases only. NOT valid on prior purchases, exchanges, or returns. Coupon is valid on new in-stock retail sales purchases only.

The Truth About OCD

Often a family realizes that their child isn't acting the same. Something just doesn't seem right. Perhaps they are having difficulty sleeping or having trouble getting up in the morning to go to school. Maybe a task that used to be simple has become very time consuming and stressful.

Some of these changes may be subtle and almost unnoticeable yet others may be very distinct. Most young children and teens won't discuss the problems that they are experiencing. They may not even be aware of what's happening and why they are having difficulty doing things that were simple just a few weeks or days ago.

My teenage daughter Lauren, wrote, edited, and produced a video called The Truth About OCD. It highlights some situations that your child or someone that you know may be going through.

In the documentary, teenage actors reveal events that are making their lives difficult. A therapist that specializes in OCD and anxiety disorders also comments throughout the film.

This film has a lot of helpful and hopeful information in it.

Please leave a comment for Lauren, she'd love to hear from you!
If you'd like to post these videos on your blog just e-mail us.
The Truth About OCD Part One
The Truth About OCD Part Two

Robin

There's no Sweeter Way to Celebrate a Holiday!

The Quest For The Perfect Blog

I found a great blog called "Let's Bake Cookies, Your Cookie and Baking Decorating Source ". For those that love to bake or aspire to become a great baker, take a look at this blog. It has lots of recipes, photographs and "how to explanations and videos" It's also filled with fun cookie trivia such as, What is a cookie and where did it come from?, Oreo cookie trivia, Cookie Monster info. and more.

Darlene provides Grandma's Shoppe with the most beautiful and delicious cookies. A lot of love go into every single cookie that Darlene bakes.

This Mother's Day we surprised our children's Grandma's with Darlene's floral cookie bouquet. Wow were they surprised when they opened the floral box and instead of flowers it was filled with the most gorgeous cookies they had ever seen. Yes, too pretty to eat but they did break down and eat them..amazing!!

My dad took the cookies out of the floral box and did what he does best...photographed them!

Looking for a special shape or theme? Email us at grandma@grandmasshoppe.com.

Robin

"Michael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist"

Last night the T.V. special, "Adventures of an Incurable Optimist" aired on ABC. Michael J. Fox talked to people from all over the world about "the nature of optimism" and talks about his ongoing battle with Parkinson's Disease.
What an encouraging and upbeat special. It's a must see!
This special aired for an hour. We follow Fox as he meets a variety of doctors who discuss the traits involved in being an optimist.Michael J. Fox says that the past 10 years have been his best years. One of his special achievements is The Michael J. Fox Foundation and all of the money and research that has occured over the past years.
During the special he spoke with Lance Armstrong.Lance Armstrong overcame cancer and started the "Livestrong" campaign. The yellow bracelets with "Livestrong" embossed on it was inspired by his struggle with cancer. He then met with Bonnie Hunt at Wrigley Field where he discusses individuals passions for the sport of baseball and there non-ending support of teams even if they haven't YET made it to the World-Series! He then traveled to the Himalayan nation of Bhutan where there main priority is happiness! The photographers were seen taking pictures of families and friends participating in events together, all smiling, giggling and very happy! It was inspirational to watch. He mentioned that even though he was hiking he didn't seem to need as much medication as usual. It had to do with happiness and feeling optimisitic. Having a mom with Parkinson's I know how stress can affect her tremor!
It was amazing watching Fox golf with Bill Murray. With very obvious tremors he continued to hit the golf ball. It was even a struggle for him to walk the golf course. "I'm a terrible golfer! But it's just so much fun to get out there,", maybe summing up his feel-good message when he adds, "Optimism isn't about hoping for the end result. I'm content to enjoy the hope, without needing to be assured of the outcome."
"Fox was qoted as saying, "I just need to express myself, because that's what I do. It's the only way I can live my life: to embrace the possibilities, instead of fear the realities.
"We've been scared for a while," he says. "Before the economy, it was the war and terrorism. And we reacted fearfully at first. But I think we're trying something new, now: It's not about duct-taping yourself inside your house. It's about opening your windows and seeing what's out there.
"In my own way, I'm cheerleading that."
Take a look at the ABC website to look at a clip of the special. Hopefully it will be shown in it's entirety on their website.
As you may know, Fox is also a best-selling author. His first book, Lucky Man, was published in 2002. A new memoir of the last eight years, Always Looking UpI'm also looking forward to reading his new book.
I'm looking forward to reading his new book!
Smiling and laughing,
Robin

Free Shipping on Grandma Rocks CD

In honor of Steals and Deals travel theme month of May, Steals and Deals is offering a Grandma Rocks CD Give-A-Way! Our song, "Are We There Yet" fit perfectly into their theme! It is a fun song for both adults and children. Click on the car to hear a clip of the song.

This is an excert from Steals and Deals Review:

Let me introduce you to Grandma's Shoppe. This shop was created by a daughter and mother and has "unique and practical items". I had the opportunity to sample one of their CD's, Grandma Rocks CD. It has swing to rap! I played it in my van for my kids and my 9 year old stopped what he was doing and started to laugh and said, "this is funny!" I too thought it was a fun CD. I appreciated the wide variety and thought the rapping was great!

Fun Fact:Read here to see how an Emmy award winner was involved!
Buy it':$12.99 at GrandmasShoppe.com

Win It:*Comment at Steals and Deals and tell tem what you like at Grandma's Shoppe!
This giveaway ends on 5/14/09.

ONE MORE BONUS!! FREE Shipping on the purchase of our Grandma Rocks CD. Purchase a Grandma Rocks CD in the month of May and write Steals and Deals in the comment section we'll reimburse the shipping after the purchase has been made (must be ordered by itself!!)

Happy May!
Robin

Is Mother's Day a Hallmark Holiday?

The Quest for the Perfect Blog

According to Wikipedia, "The modern Mother's Day holiday was created by Anna Jarvis as a day for each family to honor its mother and it's now celebrated on various days in many places around the world.This holiday is relatively modern, being created at the start of the 20th century,"

"In 1912, Anna Jarvis trademarked the phrases "second Sunday in May" and "Mother's Day", and created the Mother's Day International Association..."She was specific about the location of the apostrophe; it was to be a singular possessive, for each family to honour their mother,

not a plural possessive"commemorating all mothers in the world"

For some reason I always felt that Mother's Day was an invented Hallmark Holiday. Everytime there's another holiday my husband always remarks that it must be a marketing ploy created by Hallmark Cards, They must have needed another reason to sell cards!

I'm glad to see it is a real and deserving holiday. I always appreciate a reason to spend time with our family. It makes us slow down and appeciate each other. We usually spend the day with my parents. Most of the time is centered around eating and socializing.

I came upon a blog called, Briefcase Diva. It is written by Kelli Cllaypool and explores the joys of being a mom. Kelli has three children and can't imagine life without her children. ( I can relate to this completely!)

"The last 21-years have gone by so fast since I brought home my first babygirl.... I’m not supermom and I’ve certainly made mistakes along the way, however I’ve enjoyed every trial and error along the way. Plus, all three of my kids have turned out to be pretty good, so I’ve must have done something right."

She contiunes to discuss fun things to do with your children.
Every Mother’s Day, have a picture taken with your kids
Do something special with you and kids
Bake something together
Watch movies together

She ends with: "The best part of being is a mom are the hugs and the “I love you’s” for no particular reason other than just being Mom!"
Kelli, I totally agree,
Robin
http://www.grandmasshoppe.com/

Celebrate Mother's Day with Grandma's Shoppe

Pillbox $9.99

Mom Made That Give-A-Way Results

This Mother's Day Grandma's Shoppe has been busy! We've teamed up with some of our favorite blogs to help them make their Mother's Day Contests fun and successful. Mom Made That just ran a fun give-a-way and it was a huge success.

We donated a cute Grandma Rocks onesie t-shirt. The lucky winner is Leslie from Georgia.
Congratulations Leslie!!
Robin

Painter Mommy Teams up with Grandma's Shoppe for Another Great- Mother’s Day Giveaway

Giveaway Rules:
(Be sure to follow the rules!)
Main Rule - Go visit http://www.grandmasshoppe.com/ and let Painter Mommy know what your favorite item is from the store and why.

Here are several ways that you can earn extra entries, Leave a separate comment for each one.
1. Email 3 friends about this giveaway and comment about who you sent it to.
2. Subscribe to this blog (right sidebar)
3. Add my Button to your sidebar.? Here’s the code: (go to Painter Mommy for Code)
4. Go to my Nursery Murals and More Blog and subscribe via email (upper left sidebar) and come back here and comment that you did.
5. Twitter about the giveaway (copy & paste) @PainterMommy is giving away a matching T’s set for mom and baby from @grandmasshoppe http://tinyurl.com/ce2cha Comment to win! Pls RT

To receive a 10% discount on your purchase, enter “Painter Mommy” in a comment when you place your order and you will receive a 10% reimbursement after you place your order (not including shipping).

This giveaway ends: Wednesday, May 2nd

GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY!! And Happy Mother’s Day!

Grandma Rocks CD Review and Give-A-Way

Grammy Janet's Place reviewed our Grandma Rocks CD and is offering one as a give-a-way~

ENDS: 5/7
Open: US
One winner will win a Grandma Rocks CD!!


HOW TO ENTER: Visit Grandma's Shoppe and let Grammy Janet know what item is your favorite. You may enter once a day by doing this, but please pick a different item each time.Additional Entries:Make a new comment post for each additional entry.

1. Subscribe to Grandma's Mailing List here - 2 extra entries, leave two comments
2. .Subscribe to Grammy Janet's Blog by feed or email
3. Grab Grammy Janet's button and post it on your blog, please post the link
4. Blog about this giveaway and post the link
5. Send a tweet to Twitter (include the link in your comment) - can be done daily
6. Follow Grammy Janet's Blog. Please make sure that you leave a working email address.I f you post anonymous, please remember that you must leave an email. Grammy Janet will use Randomizer.org to select the winner and will notify you by email. The winner must claim prize within 3 days.

Good Luck!!
Robin

The Quest for the Perfect Blog

Administrative Professionals Day is April 22, 2009. It used to be known as Secretary's Day. According to Wikipedia, it is observed on the Wednesday of the last full week of April. This "holiday' was created to honor secretaries and encourage individuals to consider working in this field. The first holiday recognizing the importance of Administrative Assistants goes back to the year 1952.

I decided to sift through my unorganized "saved blogs' on my favorites page. Not an easy task! My goal, find a fun blog that is created by an Administrative Assistant. After scrolling up and down on my favorites, I came across a blog that is both humorous and rich in content.

"Laughing All the Way to Work: A Survival Blog for Today's Administrative Assistant" is written by Patricia Robb. She has been an Administrative Assistant for approximately 30 years and recently was promoted to an Executive Assistant position.(She's also a grandmother!)

Patricia's blog gives useful suggestions that administrative assistants can use throughout their work day. Her articles also apply to everyday work experiences and employees working in different job capacities will also be able relate to this blog.

In her article,"Keep your Inbox running on Empty", she discusses ways to create folders and a few sub folders of incoming e-mails in order to organize incoming e-mail. For instance, she has a folder designated for her bosses e-mails so she can keep them all together.

The articles have amusing titles such as, When working isn't fun" Ho hum, ho hum, it's off to work I go and How to get Office Fat fast. They are easy to read and offer lots of great advice.

Please acknowledge your administrative professionals with a gift or card. Feel free to e-mail grandma@grandmasshoppe.com and we'll help you put together a special gift or gift basket.

Robin

The Quest for the Perfect Blog

I have extensive files of saved, unread blogs that I can't wait to look at. Yes, I'm a fan of Twitter and at times find myself lost in Twitterland. I enjoy reading conversations and continue to click on each person to check out their blog or website before I decide if I want to follow them. (Feel free to follow me at Grandma's Shoppe). Since I'm not able to read all of the saved blogs immediately, I start "collecting" them! That of course has led to my huge assortment of blogs waiting to be read.

Not only am I a fan of twitter but I also read HARO reports, religiously, three times a day. I recently responded to a query sent from Rena at the Soul Salon. She is starting a blog called "What's Right With Kids Today". She asked individuals to write her and give examples of how our children are helping out others and making a difference in the world.

Rena explained that there are too many negative stories circulating in the press about children and not enough positive articles. When she googled What's Right with Kids Today, she found only a handful of uplifting stories relating to the accomplishments of children. This became a turning point for Rena and she at that moment decided that she would become a child advocate, supporting children and inspiring them to do positive acts of kindness. This blog will spotlight kids 0-21 years of age who have great stories to share.

"Kids are awesome. They are full of surprises, great ideas, amazing energy, big hearts

and the best thing---The desire to have fun. We could all take a lesson from kids on how

not to take ourselves so seriously much of the time and have more fun"

I submitted two stories for her inspirational blog. She loved my submissions and will be posting our personal stories shortly. I'll keep you posted and tell you when they are running. E-mail Rena with your stories at rena@mysoulsalon.com.

Another exciting find this week was Grammy Janet's Place, a blog, written by a grandmother, filled with articles, product reviews, give-a-ways, coupon specials, and inspiring stories. As the owner of an online boutique called Grandma's Shoppe we always love connecting with Grandmothers!

Obviously an animal lover, Janet's most recent article is about Going Orange for Animals.

"This year, the ASPCA’s inviting animal lovers across the country to spend the month of April ‘Going Orange for Animals’ to raise awareness for ‘Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ month. From creating grassroots fundraising events to getting the buildings in your

town to light up orange, the possibilities are endless!"

Please visit Grammy Janet's Place. Janet is going to run a review and give-a-way of our "Grandma Rocks CD".(make sure your volume on the computer is up!) We'll keep you posted with the details.

The question remains, is there a perfect blog? In order to have a "perfect" blog one needs to know exactly what a blog is. I decided to consult with one of the most trusted sources I know, the Webster Dictionary I looked up the definition of blog:

blog
Pronunciation:
\ˈblȯg, ˈbläg\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
short for Weblog
Date:
1999
: a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer ; also : the contents of such a site
— blog·ger noun
— blog·ging noun

With that infomation in hand, I decided to research, "What makes a good blog post"? I traveled over to 43 folders for some answers. An article written by Merlin Mann describes in a list form all of the qualities needed for a "good blog".

"Good blogs have a voice, Good blogs reflect focused obsessions, Good blog posts are made of paragraphs, Good “non-post” blogs have style and curation, Good blogs are weird,

Good blogs make you want to start your own blog".

Click on the above link for complete descriptions and additonal information. It's a very detailed and an informative article.

Lots to think about. My journey for the perfect blog continues...I look forward to hearing what your favorite blogs are. Have you found the Perfect Blog?

Happy blogging, Happy Passover and Happy Easter,

Robin

Grandma's Weekly Specials

10% off all purchases for the Month of April!

Grandmas' Shoppe supports the Parkinson's Unity Walk. We would like to offer a special 10% discount on all purchases from now through - April 30th. We will reimburse the amount after the purchase has been made(not including shipping). We will then donate that amount to The Parkinson's Unity Walk.

Happy Passover and Happy Easter

Robin

The Quest for the Perfect Blog

The quest for the perfect blog. Is there such a thing? Originally when I started searching for the "perfect" blog I was hoping to find a blog filled with everything that interests me. I had no idea how many blogs were out there in cyberspace.

Some blogs have wonderful articles that are business related,others teach how to blog, many talk about the advantages of using twitter,twitter etiquette, some mention colleges, others keep us up to date on the latest fashions and make-up.

How would I find the right blog/s for me. I began my journey by looking at each person's blog on twitter before I would decide to click on the follow button. I then realized that the person I was following was hard to find so I began saving lots of blogs onto my favorites in hopes of reading each blog when I had time.

At the same time I began checking out blogs that were attached to retail websites. Again,clicking and saving. Because many blogger's list their favorite blogs on their blog I began clicking on their button and traveling over to another blog. Again saving these blogs onto my favorites.

With mouse in hand, I've begun clicking onto all of my saved blogs. The mouse acts as my GPS and directs me to information about the writer,their passions, the focus of the blog, photographs,and personal stories. Each week I hope to organize my saved treasures and will share the results on Grandma's Blog.

I mentioned that blogs often talk about twitter and how effective twitter can be in meeting interesting people, possibly connecting for business purposes, or supporting someone in need. If you're unfamiliar with Twitter. It's a service that allows friends, co-workers,and businesses to communicate with each other through quick one line responses. IE. What should I make for dinner tonight?

I enjoy going on to Twitter to tell about Grandma's Shoppes latest updates and to tweet about our specials and new products. I also enjoy keeping up with all of the conversations that are going on at the same time.

Yesterday "The Adventures of Kitchen Girl" sent out a tweet requesting donations for a Mother's Day gift basket.She wanted to put together a fun basket filled with gifts for mom and offer it as a give-a-way around Mother's Day.

I contacted Jo and told her about Grandma's Shoppe. We decided that a fun give-a-way for her gift basket would be our I Love Grandma Bear.

I'd been on the lookout for a blog filled with great recipes, simple instructions and beautiful photos"The Adventures of Kitchen Girl"was exactly that.

Jo is a featured publisher with foodbuzz.com and has had many recipes published in several newspapers in conjunction with blogburst.com.

On the right side of the blog is a listing of Jo's favorite food blogs. By looking at the length of the list I will no longer have the excuse that I don't know what to make for dinner!

By scrolling down and looking on the right side of the blog, all of the recipes are listed so that you can easily find a recipe for sandwiches, seafood, soup, beverages, etc. Along with the recipes are a listing of all of the give-a-ways.

Take a look at The Adventures of kitchen World and tell us what you think.


I'll tell you when our give-a-way is up and running.

Happy blogging!
Robin

Grandma's Weekly Specials

THE 15th PARKINSON'S UNITY WALK WILL TAKE PLACE IN
CENTRAL PARK, NY on SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2009


The Parkinson's Unity Walk is the largest grass roots event raising Parkinson's awareness and funds to find a cure for Parkinson's Disease. 100% of all donations raised goes directly to Parkinson's Research.

Our family attends the Parkinson's Unity Walk each year in Central Park New York City.Our team is The Turtle Gang. We wear a yellow t-shirt that has a picture of a turtle crossing the finish line of a race leaving the hare behind. Our slogan is Hare Today, Cure Tomorrow.

If you live in the New York area we would love you to join our team and help us find a cure for Parkinson's Disease. You can find us at:The Turtle Gang

This week Grandmas' Shoppe would like to offer a special 10% discount on any purchase made on our website from March 31st-April 26th. We will reimburse the amount after the purchase has been made (not including shipping). We will then donate that amount to The Parkinson's Unity Walk.

Hope you can join us!
Robin

Wednesday Blog Recommendation

Vanessa lives in New Jersey with her husband and three children. She maintains three different blogs, Chefdruck Writes, Chefdruck Reviews, and Chefdruck Musings and freelances for a variety of blogs including Traveling Mom, Savvy Source, and Jersey Bites.

Chefdruck Musings keeps readers up to date on her latest outting with her 3 children, movie and television show reviews, and every Tuesday she offers a delicious recipe in her "Chefdruck's Tasty Tuesday" column. Each recipe includes simple instructions and photographs. I appreciate the photographs as I'm not a great cook and I like to see that my recipe is progressing the way it should!!

This week Vanessa visited the new Fairway Market that just opened in Paramus, New Jersey. This is the first Fairway to open in our area and being a fellow New Jersyean, I can't wait to visit. Like Vanessa I often shop at the Fairway in New York City.

Being a book lover.Vanessa has created Chefdruck Writes. A blog dedicated to indepth book reviews. At times I'm not sure what my next read should be and I've found this a perfect blog to search out my next book.

Vanessa contacted Grandma's Shoppe and asked if she could review one of our products. After looking at her blog it was an easy decision. Of course we would love to be included on such a fun, warm, and informative blog. Chefdruck Reviews, "Saturday Giveaway", featured a review of our Grandma Rocks CD in February. Check out her current review and giveaway.

Take a look at Chefdruck's blogs and tell me what you think!

Robin

Grandma's Weekly Specials

Sweet Treats for Spring!

We can't think of a better way to celebrate Spring than with custom decorated sugar cookies. Grandma's Shoppe is now carrying beautifully decorated sugar cookies. We're offering an Easter Gift Box and Delux Spring Favors. These cookies are so beautiful that they can be used as a table decoration and make perfect party favors.

W'ere offering a spring special!!

10% off of our scrumptious sugar cookies from March 22- March 29.

The discount will be refunded back after the purchase has been made.

(off of retail price not including shipping).

HAPPY SPRING!

Robin

Wednesday Blog Recommendation

Last week I started sharing and writing about some of my favorite blogs. I enjoy searching out blogs that I find interesting and only subscribe to those that I feel will be fun to read and offer pertinate information and advice. I talked about the blog entitled, Thrifty & Chic Mom. I decided to try the endhilada recipe on the blog and loved the way they came out. My teenage kids loved them too! (This is unusual for my two teenage daughters to both like the same recipe!)

Another blog that I have come to love is Retail Minded. The philosophy behind Retail Minded is to support the small business owners. Whether you are a wholesaler or retailer, there is information on this blog that is very up to date and informative. Nicole Leinbach Reyhle founded Retail Minded in 2007. She has a strong background in both retail and wholesale.


She features articles about wholesalers, online retail stores, along with information on pricing, inventory, merchandising, and this week she has an article entitled: Going "Green" In Your Store Space & Initiatives.

As a retailer I find her articles timely, informative and quick to read; which is important to me due to my crazy schedule.

Leave a comment and tell me what you think!

Wednesday Blog Recommendations

Reading Blogs has opened up a whole new world for me. When Meg, our web designer, asked if we'd like to have a blog as a part of our website we said sure. Not really knowing what a blog really was.

I started asking our vendors to share their favorite blogs with me. I began reading the blogs and found out that each had it's own special niche. Whether it offered special coupons, free merchandise, insight into family events, and other fascinating information. There was a blog for everyone.

Which blogs would be right for me? My children are teenagers now so the blogs offering baby advice might not be a good fit. I started surfing the Internet determined to find blogs that offered something that would spark my interest. Perhaps recipes, coupons, or business advice. One that I could relate to and enjoy reading.

To date I have found many that I'm enjoying and I've started to subscribe to my favorite blogs. I find myself looking forward to the updates that arrive in my e-mail.

Every Wednesday I will share a blog with you that I'm enjoying. Please feel free to submit your favorites.

Today's Blog Recommendation is Thrifty & Chic Mom Living Life Spending Less. This blog is written by Ellen, a young stay at home mom with two children. Her philosophy is to live life to its fullest while staying on a budget. It contains, weekly deals at stores, coupons, yummy recipes, lots of fun give-a-ways and family updates. I find it well organized and easy to navigate.

Tonight I'm going to try the Chicken Enchilada recipe. (scroll to bottom of page)
I'll tell you how it comes out!!

Robin

Opportunities for Stay At Home Moms!

When my children were little I started a craft business called Creative Crafts. I taught arts and crafts classes to children ages 4-11. Each 6 week session we explored many craft techniques including: making collages, black and white, color studies, faux painting,book making, we even baked and created"food art". I then hired other moms to teach sewing classes and sketching classes for the older children.

During the summer my mom and I held a music and art camp and incorporated reading, art and music into our daily activities. Of course birthday parties followed and I had a venue where I held parties.

This business was great because my children could take the classes and as they got older they became my "paid" helpers!

At Grandma's Shoppe we have many talented artists that are mom-preneurs. They juggle their daily schedule around to "make it work". They must create and market their products while raising a family...

One of our mom - preneurs, Kristie, created "Scribble Pad's" A perfect place for a child to write and illustrate their stories. Writing has become such an important part of our children's education. These pads are a perfect spot to write poems, stories, songs, or just draw a picture. Take them to a museum and copy a work of art!!

If you're interested in starting a craft business please feel free to contact me for more information!

Who Knew Bibs Could Be So Stylish?

Free Shipping on our Bibs

from January 26-31st

I will reimburse the shipping amount after the purchase is made!

Bibs must be ordered by themselves. Other items must be on their own order.

Inspired by her toddler's messy eating habits, Jamie put her love of sewing to use and created easy-to-clean, yet stylish bibs. Prominant magazines such as american baby, babytalk, and Parents have featured these inovative handmade bibs.

Rusty is modeling one of the styles! You can see how it is clear!

Free Shipping!!

Did you know that approximately 8 million people purchase Valentine's Day gifts for themselves? Wow, how great is that! Whether you're purchasing a gift for yourself or someone else please check out our new specials.



We're offering free shipping (scroll to bottom of page after clicking on link)on our two beautiful soap sets. Each gift set is only $12.95! That includes shipping!!




Beautiful pink hearts floating in a clear bar of berry-scented glycerin soap. Packaged in a pink heart-shaped box, just perfect for your valentine



Two sparkling berry-scented hearts packaged in a lovely sheer white organza bag.

Two perfect ways to say I Love You!

-Grandma's Shoppe


For the young and young at heart

Another Valentine's Day Gift Idea: Photo Albums and Brag Books

Create a gift that will be personal, and meaningful by filling a photo album or brag book with special photographs. We all love to look at photographs that bring back fun memories and capture special moments.

These albums can be personalized with a name or saying. Take a look at all of the additional colors and designs they are available in. You can also customize each album with a font of your choice. ($8.00 each)

Other cute albums include:($7.95 each).

Baby Pop Up Album

-Robin

Gifts That Deliver a Great Big Hug!