“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” ~~ Confucius

 

UPDATE:  Montclair Kids joined with www.baristanet.com and is now Barista Kids!  Check us out at www.baristakids.com

Awhile ago, I posted about finding the site www.montclairkids.com that Kristen Kemp started and how great it.  I’m so excited to announce that I am now a contributor! 

“Procastination is the thief of time.” ~~ Joseph Heller

On Monday, February 2, our Winter Sale ends!  Quick….start shopping!

“The young prince and the princess, who was not quite a real princess – but very nearly a real princess – married and lived happily ever after.” ~~ Brenda Williams

The New York Times ran an article about picture books and numbers, featuring none other than The Real Princess!

“For the slightly older child, “The Real Princess: A Mathemagical Tale” ought to prove a beguiling mix of number lore and fairy tale. The plot elements will be familiar: three princes looking for brides, a king with three bags of gold and a queen with nine magic peas. But running through Brenda Williams’s story is a riot of numerical coincidences, some turning on the curious fact that if you take various multiples of nine (18, 27, 36, 45 etc.) and add up the digits (1+8, 2+7, 3+6, 4+5), you always get nine back again. This is the kind of hidden pattern that children delight in discovering. And if some of the artsier parents fail to get it, they’ll at least smile at Sophie Fatus’s illustrations, which have a little of Marc Chagall  in them, and a little of Joan Miro.”

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” ~~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“Every time I think of you, smile for a while.” ~~ Dan Zanes

 

I’m not ashamed to admit it, as a grown woman, I am a huge Dan Zanes fan… oh, and my daughters like him too.  Dan Zanes’ music is real music.  He covers American Folk music, rock songs, multi-cultural jams and does it in a way that makes everyone happy, from babies to grown ups.  When my oldest daughter Kyla was 15 months-old, we took her to see him at Symphony Space in NYC and the smile on her face is a memory I will keep with me forever.  We have now seen him eight times and just purchased tickets for the Wellmont show on March 1st.  I am thrilled that Dan Zanes and Friends will be doing a show at The Wellmont Theatre, Montclair’s newest music venue.  They will donate all the proceeds to Montclair Community Pre-K.  Purchase your tickets here. 

Why I am I writing about Dan Zanes on my Barefoot Books blog?  Dan Zanes and Barefoot Books share core values: inspiring creativity, celebrating diversity, giving back, building a community…  They are a perfect fit and is , perhaps, why I feel so strongly for this company and his music.

 

“Being frugal does not mean being cheap!” ~~ Catherine Pulsifer

 

The state of our economy has scared me.  We are in bad shape and I fear it will get worse before it gets better.  I have been making changes in order to save money.  An extra bonus is that many of the things are also very good for our environment, so not only am I helping my family, I’m helping the earth.  Here is my personal list of money saving ideas: (Please share any others you have!):

1) I stopped buying single-serve products.  They are wasteful and expensive.  Instead of juice boxes, I bought my daughters their own reusable drink containers and pour the drinks in when needed.  Buying the largest size is more economical.

2)  When I cook, we either are sure to eat all the leftovers, or I freeze some immediately and have another dinner when needed.

3) I use dishrags and microfiber cleaning cloths instead of paper towels.  I used to spend a fortune on paper towels, using at least a roll a day.  I still buy them, but now I go through one roll a week. 

4)  I use coupons all the time.  You would be surprised how many coupons you can print online. I get the Sunday paper for more.  I save $30 a week on average with just coupons.  I know what your thinking…. if you use coupons, you can’t buy what you want.  This is very untrue.  We are a 95% organic household, so I am very picky about what I purchase, but the coupons are out there.

5) I joined an online book trade: www.bookins.com .  Here you can swap books and pay only the cost of shipping $4.99. 

6) I love my local children’s consignment shop Milk Money on Church Street.  I can sell my daughters outgrown clothing, toys, baby gear, etc.. and find some great deals.  My favorite purchase was an Exersaucer that ended up only costing me $.75 after my store credit.

7) I have changed every light bulb with a eco-friendly one and am saving on our monthly bill.

 I bought a dozen reusable shopping bags and get $.5 credit for each one every time I shop at our supermarket.

I hope you find these ideas helpful.  If you want to share your personal ways that are saving you money, please post them in the comments.

“Whoever said money can’t buy happiness simply didn’t know where to go shopping.” ~~ Bo Derek

Click on the banner above to shop Barefoot Book Montclair’s incredible Winter Sale!  Up to 80% off!

Remember this December, that love weighs more than gold! ~~Josephine Dodge Daskam Bacon

Happy Holidays from Barefoot Books Montclair!

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” ~~ Dr. Seuss

As we get closer to the holidays, our economic recession is a constant reminder of families in need this year.  I’ll be honest, most of my life when I thought of Christmas, I thought of all the wonderful gifts I would receive and give.  This year, I can’t help thinking of all the families who are doing without…without presents, clothing and the saddest of all – food.  The Human Needs Pantry in Montclair provides over 2,000 bags of groceries a MONTH to residents in need and the number of people in need keeps growing.  We must help to stop the growing number of families who can’t put food on their tables.  This holiday season our family has made donating to local food pantries our Christmas priority, because after all, that is what the true meaning of Christmas is all about.

If you want to help out Montclair families in need, visit these websites  for more information:

The Human Needs Pantry –  http://www.humanneedsfoodpantry.org

Toni’s Kitchen – http://www.toniskitchen.org/

“Today’s opportunities erase yesterday’s failures.” ~~ Gene Brown

16th Annual Art & Craft Show to Benefit HOMECorp

I had an event last night that was not as successful as I had hoped it would be.  The turnout was bad and I didn’t make many sales.  However, I did meet a woman who loved Barefoot ’s books and we talked a lot about this great company and beautiful books.  This morning, she called me and asked me to participate in an event on Saturday and Sunday that will benefit HOMECorp. 

HOMECorp a community-based non-profit organization, formed in 1988 by concerned residents and religious institutions in Montclair, New Jersey to improve and develop housing in Montclair. Its mission is to provide safe, permanently affordable housing in Montclair and to promote neighborhood development. As an organization, HOMECorp seeks to strengthen the community foundation by assisting families who are largely disenfranchised from the robust housing market in Montclair. 

I am so thrilled to be able to participate and help out this amazing organization!

The annual Holiday Arts and Crafts Show to benefit HOMECorp of Montclair, the local organization that supports affordable housing in town, will be held on Sat., Dec. 6 and Sun., Dec. 7 .   Art and crafts handmade by local artists and artisans includes jewelry, ceramics, stained glass, photography, painting, silk scarves, knitted clothing, floral and holiday wreaths, handbags, ornaments and more.

The event will take place at the home of Hilary Shank-Kuhl:

Kuhl Designs
106 South Fullerton Ave.
Montclair, NJ Essex 07042

11:00am – 5:00pm