Children's Place Uniform Shorts, a Review

I picked up another pair of girls school uniform shorts at the Children's Place outlet in the spring. The regular retail price is $14.95, but you can frequently find them on sale.  Because they are 98% cotton, they are softer than some of the other brands we've tried. However, being cotton they do not look crisp and neat straight out of the dryer. They look better ironed.  They are available in khaki and navy in girls sizes 4-14.  The waist is adjustable.  They come with a cute ribbon belt. My daughter is still too young to manage it on her own, so she hasn't used it. It would be a great for older girls.

The other day helping my daughter with a quick change to head to an after school activity, she expressed frustration with the button on these shorts. As a first grader, she can manage smaller buttons without assistance, but seems to prefer bottoms with the 'hook and slide' closures.

We now have a few pair of these shorts and they all have held up well to frequent wearings and washings. The color has held up well and they seem to get softer after each time through the laundry.  I used to iron them each week for her, but these days I'm too busy blogging to iron these days. ;)

Enter the KiteReaders' Kid Friendly Tablet Accessories Giveaway

KiteReaders is thrilled to host and sponsor a Tablet Accessories Giveaway! We have an amazing selection of some of the most popular kid-friendly accessories available for your tablets out in the market today! We all know how difficult it can be to maintain your tablet when you have a young child who always wants to use it. Whether you want to protect your tablet with a kid-friendly case, use a handy stylus instead of your fingers to touch the screen, or simply accessorize your tablet with some awesome headphones, we’ve got you covered!

When you enter the giveaway, not only will you have the chance to win one of these highly coveted prizes, but you will also be able to immediately download one of our award winning titles…for FREE! Simply enter the giveaway below and read more to learn all about our 20+ amazing prizes!

Prizes Include:

Gumdrop Kindle Fire Case (Valued at $49.99): 1 Winner
If you’re looking for the most rugged, durable yet ultimately affordable Kindle Fire protection, you found it in the Drop Tech Series Kindle Fire Case. Shock Absorption, drop protection, extreme ruggedness and hard-core readiness for all adventures, the Drop Tech Series Kindle Fire case specifically conforms to the shape of the Kindle Fire and offers multiple layers of protection. This transformer case features a unique, snap-on integrated screen for maximum protection. 

iPad Smart Cover (Valued at $39.99): 2 Winners
Snap the Smart Cover into place and it wakes up, stands up, and brightens up your iPad. It magnetically aligns for a perfect fit. It wakes and sleeps your iPad on open and close. It’s a handy stand for reading, watching, and typing. And it’s a way to make your iPad as personal on the outside as it is on the inside. 

iGuy iPad Case (Valued at $39.95): 2 Winners

Say hi to iGuy. He’s fun, free-standing and kid-friendly. Designed to fit all full-size iPads – even the new iPad 4! 

Fisher Price Kindle Fire Kid-Tough Apptivity Case (Valued at $29.99): 2 Winners

With a Kid-Tough rubberized casing and a clear film over the screen to protect against drips and sticky fingers, the next time your child asks to play with your Kindle Fire, you’ll be much more likely to say “sure”! 

Griffin Technology Cinema Seat (Valued at $24.99): 2 Winners

CinemaSeat turns your iPad into the perfect in-car entertainment system. CinemaSeat’s wide, adjustable strap routes around your car seat’s headrest to perfectly position your iPad for backseat riders. Without sacrificing access to Multi-Touch display, controls or headphone jack, CinemaSeat lets them watch video, listen to music, play games and more. CinemaSeat gives your riders the best seats in the house. Or car. 

KaZoo MyPhones (Valued at $19.99): 2 Winners

KaZoo MyPhones have built-in-volume-limiting circuitry that keeps the sound pressure down to levels recommended as safe for young ears. Exposure to excessive levels of sound is more than a nuisance. It’s a health issue, especially for children. KaZoo MyPhones use a built-in, always-on sound-control circuit to cap peak volume levels at 85 decibels. That’s the maximum level recommended by many auditory health organizations in the U.S. and abroad. And, of course, KaZoo are kid-friendly with fun animal designs and durably constructed. 

Felix TwoHands Stand (Valued at $19.99): 2 Winners

When you want to use your NOOK hands-free, this ingenious accessory is the perfect solution. Made of sturdy molded plastic, it opens with a gentle squeeze and securely grips the edges of your NOOK, while the base rests on a flat surface to form a sturdy stand. The spring mechanism is both strong and flexible, so the Felix will hold your NOOK in either landscape or portrait mode; when closed, it’s only 7″ long, so it will easily slip into a pocket or bag. Add in the sleek, distinctive look – enhanced by a “felix” logo script printed in silver – and this is truly a must-have item for every NOOK owner.

Crayola Color Studio iMarker (Valued at $15.99): 2 Winners

iMarker is the key to unlock limitless discovery and play on your iPad. It’s a digital marker, crayon, pencil and paint brush that interacts with the Crayola ColorStudio HD app to create all your favorite Crayola colors on the iPad’s Multi-Touch display. As you color, animated characters, music, sound and visual effects bring scenes to life, and surprises await on every page.

Marware UpSurge Speaker (Valued at $9.99): 2 Winners

The Marware UpSurge Mini Speaker delivers crisp, distortion-free sound from virtually any media player device. The UpSurge travels with you wherever you go, providing rechargeable, long-lasting audio enhancement in the palm of your hand. Its compact design twists and extends when in use for enhanced bass and sound quality. The UpSurge Mini Speaker is the perfect solution for your portable audio needs, whether you’re watching a movie, listening to music or playing a video game. 

KiteReaders Stylus (Valued at $5.99): All Winners!

The KiteReaders Stylus is the perfect accessory to use on any of your touch devices! With a pen on one end and a stylus on the other, this stylus is a great tool to have in your pocket or bag at all times! 

Giveaway Rules: 

US Residents, 18 years and up only. 1 entrant per household. Winners will be picked randomly through the Rafflecopter entry form. Winners will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. All winning entries are verified. 

KiteReaders is a multi-award winning digital publisher of children’s books. With over 100 titles and 30 best sellers across Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iBooks, KiteReaders aims to provide quality content for children and their families and increase literacy around the world. Visit KiteReaders at http://kitereaders.com and like them on Facebook at http://facebook.com/kitereaders!

Back to School Supplies

As a Mom sending my first child off to elementary school for the first time, I was surprised to learn that I was expected to provide a rather lengthy list of school supplies from a list provided by the school.  Other Moms told me that this is the way it is done these days.  The schools no longer provide basic supplies for the classroom, so parents are asked and expected to shop for these items.  The intent is to make sure all students have the supplies they need, regardless of their families financial situation.  And like uniforms, it takes the emphasis off the design and brand of the item.  No need for a fancy “Traper Keeper” when a simple pocket folder works just as well.

Our school provided the list on a flyer in our school registration materials.  It contained lists of different items for each grade. I've heard that teachers get to provide input on what should be included on the list for each grade.  It was understood that the supplies we provided are managed by the teacher to distribute to the students as needed.  This makes sense especially with younger students. 

The supplies from the list that I purchased for my daughter’s Kindergarten year filled two large shopping totes.  They included expected items such as crayons, pencil and scissors.  But it also included any items I wasn't expecting such as paper towels, paper plates, and plastic zipper bags.  I recall that it cost me quite a bit to purchase everything.  I recall that it was nearly $80. Some items specified a certain brand of item while others didn't.  I was unsure if it was okay to substitute a store brand.  I couldn't find some items in the size or quantity indicated, such as a 3 boxes of 16 color crayons.  I could only find boxes with 24 colors.  Would that be okay?

We were on vacation during the back to school orientation night where you could stop by to meet the teacher and drop off school supplies.  We instead took ours on the first day of school.  The shopping totes I used to carry the items in were sent home in my daughter’s book bag.  So I never heard if the substitutions were okay.

This year’s list for first grade was much shorter and not as expensive.  I got my supplies in July as soon as they hit the shelves.  The week prior to school, we got a note from the classroom Mom who had spoken to the teacher.  We were advised to label certain items because our first graders would be responsible for some of their own supplies this year.  They would be expected to keep them in a pencil box in their desks.  Since I had already purchased our supplies, everything I had purchased was basic.  No cute character on the folder or pencil box.  My daughter seemed very happy with the simple clear pencil box that would now be hers, but I wondered if some of the other kids would have some supplies that reflected their personalities or interests. 

So, since we have all just been through the experience of purchasing school supplies from the school’s list, what do you think?

•  Do you sometimes substitute a similar item because you can’t find the specific item requested?
• Do you buy some store brand items?  Even when a certain brand is specified?
•  How does this process change as kids get order and take on more responsibilities for their own things?
•  Do you think the school is asking for too much or that the amount of supplies requested, and the cost to us, is excessive?

(Photo used with permission from Microsoft Press: Credit)

Meijer: Retail Round Up Series

Miejer is a hypermarket chain with both groceries and department store merchandise headquartered in Walker, Michigan.  They have over 200 locations mostly in Michigan and Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. They carry French Toast brand items, Classroom Uniforms brand items, a handful of Dickies brand items and boys shoes by Deer Stag. For purposes of this review, I'll highlight mostly the Classroom Uniforms brand, as French Toast items will be covered in their own post.

To browse the uniform items on their website, navigate under Clothing & Jewlery, then Kids Clothing & Shoes, where you'll then find a category for School Uniforms.

The Classroom Uniform items for girls includes four different styles of skorts, four different styles of pants, two styles of shorts, and two styles of jumpers.   They carry girls polos in both short and long sleeve in a wide variety of colors.  The boys items include two styles of pants and shorts.  The brand then includes unisex tops including short and long sleeve polos, cardigan sweaters, a sweater vest, fleece zip up jacket.

The Dickies brand items include several styles of boys shorts and pants, as well as polos in a wide variety of colors.  The girls items are limited to a faux wrap skort, shorts and flare pants in girls and junior sizes.

There is a nice selection of Deer Stag brand shoes for boys that would be appropriate with a school uniform.

Meijer offers two free shipping options..  It is free to ship to a store and pick up your items.  Also many items (as noted on the site) will ship to your free standard delivery.  Items purchased in the store can be returned to a store within 30 days.  Items purchased online can be returned free within 30 days from within the lower 48 states by using their special return label.

Video Pick: The case for a School Uniform Dress Code

This quality video by French Toast School Wear makes the case for a school uniform dress code and addresses criticism of restricting individuality.

Related Posts: 

French Toast Dollars in Uniform Fundraiser Program 

School Uniforms at French Toast - Retail Round Up Series

Back to School Pictures and What She Wore

Over the past few weeks, I've enjoyed seeing pictures on my Facebook news feed of my friends kids on their first day of the new school year.  Last night, there was a huge flurry of Back to School pictures as the last of our kids head back after the Labor Day holiday. Back in my day, I don't recall posing for the obligatory first day of school pic, except for Kindergarten.  In today's digital age of digital cameras and smart phone with access to Facebook, Intragram and Flickr, we are capturing and sharing these moments with family and friends in real time.

So in the spirit of the fashion blogs out there, I decided to share my daughter's back to school picture so we can chat about "what she wore".

My daughter picked out her own outfit for the first day of school.  She likes this picture because she was pretending to be walking, but was actually posing for this picture. My little supermodel. ;)

Disclosure – Affiliate Links in Use 

Thanks for supporting Uniform Mom

© 2013 Rene Shonerd

Shirt
Izod Peter Pan Collar Shirt (JCPenney)

Skirt with Bike Shorts underneath
Lands' End Little Girls' Slim Solid A-line Skirt - Classic Navy
French Toast Bike Shorts

Shoes
Stride Rite Molly
These are their mary jane style from 2 years back. I picked them up on clearance in a half size larger than she was wearing at the time at my local outlet last school year. (This year's version is called the Claire.)

Socks
French Toast Cotton-Blend Cuff Socks

Backpack and Lunchbox
This is one of last year's styles we bought at Lands' End in the summer of 2012.  It is still in great shape, so she'll use it again this year. (Lands' End has all new, redesigned, best backpacks in class. Find the right backpack and lunchbox for any size kid -- shop today. Plus, receive free shipping on your orders over $50.)

Inviting Guest Posts on Uniform Mom #Blogger Op

Uniform Mom invites other bloggers, writers and parents to submit a guest post.  Because I'm a Mom of a young girl in a public school with a uniform dress code, my direct experiences with clothing items are within that limited  scope.  While I welcome input from all, I especially am interested in receiving guest posts from other perspectives such as parents of boys or parents with kids at parochial schools.  Below are a few ideas of the types of posts that will work well on Uniform Mom:

"What S/He Wore Today" posts

With a wink and a nod to the "what I wore today' fashion blogs, I recently did this post which included one of my daughter's back to school pictures and listed the items in her outfit.  It is already one of my most popular posts, so I'd like to solicit enough similar posts to begin a weekly series with these posts.  So one idea would be to submit a picture of your kid(s) in one of their school uniform outfits with narrative including the brand and title of each article of clothing in the outfit (preferably with links to those items online).  You can retain the copyright of image, an appropriate caption and alt tag will be included, and grant use of the photo to Uniform Mom with that single post and it's promotion.

Wardrobe Review

A second type of guest post is a wardrobe review (example post here and here).  In this type of post, you share your story on your child's school uniform wardrobe.  Below are a list of questions to give you an idea what could be included:

• Tell us a bit about your kid(s) such as age or grade, gender, and give us an idea where you live (town, state or region).
• Tell us about the school's uniform policy or uniform dress code. 
• What's in the closet? How many of each type of item? 
• Do you have a uniform shopping strategy? 
• Does your child have clothing preferences (IE - My daughter won't wear a jumper.) or issues (IE - My son blows out the knees on all his pants.) that you work with or around?
• Do you have brand preferences? And if so, why?

Product Review

I'd also welcome reviews of school uniform clothing and accessories (plenty of examples). As mentioned above, I especially need assistance covering boy's clothing items and parochial school type uniforms and brands. If you receive complimentary or discounted clothing items or other compensation for purposes of the review, it must be disclosed in the post.   

I am not interested in hosting guest reviews of other types of products or services at this time.

Uniform Exchange Program

If you manage a uniform exchange program at your local school or in your community, we'd love to have you share information about how the exchange is organized and manged by the PTA, PTO or other organization. Here are a few examples. 

The Details, Scheduling and Contact Information

A brief introduction of the guest blogger will be included at the top of the all guest posts. If you are a fellow blogger, we can include reference to your blog with a link.  You may include photos.  Quality personal photos are fine and you can reserve your copyright, if you choose, and grant use of the photo with that single post and it's promotion.  If you use a photo from another source, please include the link to the royalty free source or proof of ownership or rights to use the photo. I reserve the rights to add affiliate links to your posts and any commission generated from those links.

If you would like to submit a guest post, please contact me  and mention the type of post you'd like to submit.  If you have an idea for a different type of post than those mentioned above, by all means, lets chat.  I'll review the schedule and look to pencil it into the editorial calendar on a future date that works for both of us.  My email is navyplaid@comcast.net.  Please include "guest post" in the subject line.

Thanks, I look forward to working with you.