v 4 issue 5: Fabulous Finds

From a fabulous parenting skills program to the solution to unruly hair, this issue is packed with fabulous finds hand picked by our staff.

Cover by Amy Hall







1 A gentle tee is united with the ferociousness of a lion through outstanding artwork and imagination. Recycleatee.com offers this and many other fantastic organic tees printed with environmentally safe dyes...and they all rock. When your child outgrown his shirt recycle it and receive a 25% store credit. Only $18 for all kids organic tees, Now that is Fabulous!

2 Does unruly, frizzy hair have you in a tizzy? Mop Top has the cure! Dry, frizzy, or unruly hair can be tamed with haircare products which restore moisture and manageability using only natural humectants and conditioning botanicals. Thanks to the sea and the bees, Mop Top is able to create shampoo, daily/deep/leave-in conditioners, detangler, and anti-frizz gel that gets the job done without the yucky stuff. Email: orders[at]moptophair.com with KTW20 and 20% will be deducted from your order total.

3 Em Tanner has had another great idea… A bring along dry erase grocery getter clipboard with a meal planner on the back. Save time and money when you bring along a grocery list and stick to it! Enter code: TOTTRENDS for 20% off all purchases.

4 Through the help of the Calmer Parenting CEHP (Calmer, Easier, Happier Parenting) program, parents and children can put an end to the nagging and complaining and form a relationship based on listening and cooperation. Noël Janis-Norton, founder and director of The New Learning Centre in London, is a learning and behavior specialist with more than 40 years’ experience helping parents and teachers on both sides of the Atlantic. She has put together a wonderful assortment of problem solving CDs &/or DVDs to teach parents the skills to decrease stress and increase cooperation @ home. Purchases 5-CD Skills Set, get 50% off any other Topic CD or DVD

5 Inspire young girls to send a handwritten note with the simply gorgeous artwork of She's Got Papers. The Shine On set includes 6 heavyweight notecards along with envelopes. All cards are blank on the inside so girls can "say it the write way"...as the company persuasively suggests. Enter code: KTW20 for the 20% off purchases.

6 What's for dinner? Planning meals ahead of time means one trip to the supermarket and no racking your brain for an answer to the dinner-hour question. Stop by Em Tanner Designs for this customized magnetic meal planner for your fridge. Enter code: TOTTRENDS for 20% off all purchases.

7 Grow & Gobble Edible Seed Sprout Kit by HSP Nature Toys is a fun way to teach your child about “raw” live food through science and nature. Your child will plant seeds and watch them grow into sprouts within 2 to 7 days. The kit includes recipes, science projects and multi-tiered sprouting trays that lets your child grow different bean simultaneously.


Halloween Safety Tips
Ghouls and goblins will take over the night. But even scary creatures need to be safe and celebrate Halloween right. Halloween's greatest hazards aren't vampires and villains, but falls, costume mishaps and automobile collisions. The Red Cross wants your family to have a safe Halloween so we're providing these tips, the lucky 13:

1 Map out the route that you plan to roam, so adults are assured you will find your way home!

2 From the bravest of superheroes to the noblest of knights, everyone should remember to bring their flashlights!

3 If you visit a house where a stranger resides, accept treats at the door and, please, don't go inside.

4 When you get ready to put on your disguise, use face paint instead of masks, which will cover your eyes.

5 Always remember, before you embark, to wear light-colored clothing to be seen in the dark! (And remember to use reflective tape, even on bikes, skateboards and brooms!)

6 Whether you walk, slither or sneak, do it on the sidewalks and not in the street.

7 As you roam through the neighborhood collecting your treats, please look both ways before crossing the street! (And cross from the corner!)

8 Wigs, capes and costumes are flammable attire, so avoid open flames to prevent a fire!

9 Use a glow stick instead of a candle so your jack-o-lantern isn't a safety gamble!

10 You may fly on a broom or a space ship from Mars, but please be on the lookout for drivers in cars! (And don't hide between parked vehicles).

11 Monsters and zombies should stay off the lawn, and only visit homes with their porch lights turned on!

12 You may be dressed as a werewolf, a cat or a frog, but be cautious around strange animals, especially dogs.

13 Have a grown-up inspect your candy when you're done trick-or-treating to remove open packages and choking hazards before eating.

Thank you to the American Red Cross for providing these Halloween safety tips, Copyright 2007, all rights reserved. www.RedCross.org


Homemade Halloween Treats
Kids love Halloween because this is the only time they really get to enjoy sweets. Traditionally, treats for Halloween consisted of store bought candy corns, and other assorted Halloween favorites. Dunking for apples was a favorite in our day. Today, there are more creative ideas available than ever before.

Baking is a tradition on Halloween, and aside from the cookies and cupcakes, there are other recipes which can be used to make the occasion even more special.

Instead of regular cookies how about ghost cookies? Using your favorite cookie recipe, you can shape the cookies into little ghosts. Your kids can decorate them with different color icing, or use M&M’s right after they are taken out of the oven.

Here is a great recipe for brownies shaped into ghosts. Make the brownies as you normally would, then before they cool, cut a ghost shape using a paring knife or ghost cookie cutter. Then melt white chocolate and using a piping bag, make the outline of the ghost on the brownie. After it has cooled you can pipe in the eyes and mouths, using any color frosting you choose.

If you’d like to make bat cakes, simply follow the steps to make a chocolate cake. Place the prepared ingredients onto a baking sheet. When the cake is finished, you can cut out bats with a paring knife. Set them aside to cool. Melt some dark chocolate and pipe in their eyes and noses. In fact, you can use dark chocolate to make the bat wings and attach them to either side of the bat cakes. Your kids will be in chocolate heaven!

Halloween is a time of costume making and preparing special treats. It’s the one time of the year in which kids are allowed to not only help in making treats, but consuming them as well. Whatever treats you prepare on Halloween will be handed down to your kids, and their kids. So have a great time and enjoy the day with your family on the “sweetest” day of the year.