From the Sidelines

More reasons to let kids be kids

    During the holiday seasons, do you lament that your kids loves the boxes more than the toys inside? Don't!
    In this essay at Frog Design Laura Sergent Richardson explains why play and imagination are important resources for kids to develop and adults to have.  My kids love to build with Legos and Lincoln Logs how about yours?

Gwen Stefani’s boys show off their style in World Tour Shirt

You know a celeb has style when they dress their kids in Wes & Willy t-shirts. Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale show off theirs at Thanksgiving.  Sporting the World Tour long sleeve tee, Gwen and Gavin’s boys Kingston and Zuma are on their way to a turkey dinner in one of the coolest t-shirts available this fall. See all the pics at CelebrityBabyScoop.com.

CoolMomPicks.com Reviews Red 21 Boys

    One of our favorite review sites here at Red21 HQ is CoolMomPicks.com and has been a while.  So when they offered to do a review of Red21Boys, Momma J nearly fell out of her chair with excitement.

    So here's the review.  Like it, love it, or hate it, tells us what you think and then hop over to Cool Mom Picks and let them know.

Red21Boys.com - The motherlode of cool boys clothes

Twelve Tips to a Fun and Safe Halloween

    My kids love Halloween.  They can’t wait to transform themselves into princesses and goblins so they can wander the neighborhood trolling for candy.  It’s also one of my favorite holidays, but, as a parent, there is always some anxiety about little kids, costumes, and candy.  Are they warm enough, is it a safe to go out?  So, if you’re like me, here’s a list of tips to answer these questions and make this night fun.

• Haunting the House
  • Kids love to get in the decorating action and it is a great idea to let them.  Just make sure that if you are stringing up lights or other electrical decorations, that their cords are in good condition and you are not overloading any sockets.
  • It’s always a special treat for kids to light the jack o’ lanterns.  It’s safest and least stressful to use electric substitutes or glow sticks instead of candles.
  • Picking out their costumes is the first treat of the season.  Try to steer your kids toward bright costumes, but if they’ve gone with a darker one, use reflective tape so they are more visible at night.
  • I try to choose make-up to masks whenever possible.  If we are using make-up, I have my kids draw out what they want their make-up to look like for Halloween and follow their sketch as best as I can.
  • Give each little ghost its own glow stick or flashlight. They can make spooky faces and shadows while hunting for candy and be seen by traffic.
• On the Prowl
  • If trick or treating with small children, make sure they have adult supervision and stay in large groups.  There is always safety in numbers. 
  • Plan your route, meeting location, length of tick or treating, and what to do if separated. Tell your little monsters to avoid alleys and shortcuts, and not to accept rides with anyone. 
  • Visit well-lit homes with decorations, in familiar neighborhoods.  If you have to walk too far or there are too few houses in your neighborhood, consider having a party instead.
  • Make sure your little ghosts follow all the rules for pedestrian traffic (cross at lights, use crosswalks, etc.) and watch for cars.
  • Remind your goblins to stay on sidewalks, and not to cut through yards.  Even vampires respect other’s property.
• The Sugar Score
  • Always say thank you (even if the dentist is giving out toothbrushes).
  • Parents must check candy before consuming for damaged, unwrapped items.  Although tampering doesn’t happen often, it does happen.

T-Shirt Trivia

            We all have them.  Worn in and frayed edge tees that we beat around the house on a Saturday morning in.  Plain white crewneck, a v-neck with a sports or band logo, everyone has a fav.  We all have them and kids love them.  Mine in particular love to throw on their favorite sports tees and head out for pick up games in the park.  Kids wear them everyday, but do you know when the t-shirt began?  Here are a few tid-bits of  trivia on the beloved tee.

• Developed from cutting the one-piece undergarment “union suit” of the 19^th century into a top and bottom.
• Became popular with the U.S. Navy during the Spanish American War
• Gained popularity during World War II with American soldiers in Europe clothed in traditional undergarments whose European counterparts wearing much more comfortable in lighter t-shirts
• Get their name (you guessed it) from its shape
• Although part of casual wear post World War II, it was Marlon Brando who elevated the tee to popular fashion
• The first screen printed shirts appeared in the 1950’s

 

Do you have a long-lived and loved tee?  Do you have a favorite shirt that you just can’t part with (or some one else’s you can’t get rid of)?  Share your story here, we would love to hear from you!

The Design's in the Details (Part 3): Embellishments

    In the first two posts in this series, I talked about the quality and comfort of fabric and the detail and durability screen prints.  Embellishments are another aspect of high quality children’s clothing.  They are used to decorate and enhance any garment. Although “embellishment” is commonly used to refer to gems, studs, or rhinestones, I use it here to refer to an appliqué, patch, or any addition to the clothing that makes it stand out from the rest.  Here are a few examples of clothes that Red 21 Boys/Pink 21 Girls carry with embellishments that make the piece pop and your child show off his style. 

Patches and Screens: One of the things I love to see on kids’ clothes is the use of different textures.  The Pitching Ace T-Shirt by Wes and Willy is one that uses this combination and does it well.  What really makes this crewneck design jump out is not just the patches, but the complimentary colors on the screen printing and stitching as well.  Take away any one of these, and the design loses something.  

   

    Contrasting Stitching: Whether it is the hem of a pair of denim or an appliqué on a long sleeve tee, contrasting stitching makes the difference between an ordinary extraordinary design.  You can find contrasting stitching on many styles by Wes and Willy who has won numerous awards for their boy’s line. The bright orange stitching on the navy peace sign on this fall’s Peace 2 in 1 Raglan makes the appliqué jump off the heather background.      

    Contrasting stitching and the paring of patches and screens are just a few of the many ways designers of kids’ clothes make their styles stand out from the crowd.  If you have a good example of an embellishment let me know.  I’d love to share it with the Red 21 community.

Beat the Heat with Cool Summer Fun

      As we reach the hottest months, it is a challenge to keep our kids active and outside.  With a little bit of creativity, you can keep summertime safe and fun, even in this heat. 

Here are a few ideas to help keep your kids cool in the heat.

• High Quality H2O!  Drink lots of water!  Don’t wait until you’re thirsty.  By that time, you are already dehydrated.
• Freeze it!  Keep frozen treats on hand.  These may be as simple as throwing some grapes into the freezer and as easy as filling an ice cube tray with fruit juice and Popsicle sticks.  No matter what you make, if it’s frozen, your kids will love it!  Just Kids Recipes has 49 Frozen Treat Recipes if you need some new ideas.

• Plan for the heat!  Wear light and loose-fitting clothing.  Natural fabrics such as cotton and linen as well as light colors help keep the heat off your body.  You can always check out the tees and tanks at Red 21 Boys and Pink 21 Girls for some great summer tops and shorts.
• Just add water!  Frequent trips to a water park, pool, or lake can be a fun experience for kids.  Not only will they get some great exercise, and have loads of fun, but they will stay cool in the process.  If you can’t get to the pool or beach regularly, kids love the sprinkler!  I get my kids into their swimsuits, add some water balloons or water guns and they are happy for hours!  I love the crazy games they make up while they are out in the wading pool.

 

Feel free to share any summertime activities that your family enjoys!  Pictures, stories, fun games...we love to hear from you!

Need some Summer Fun? Just Look Outdoors (Pt 2)

    Last post, I talked a little about some summer activities that you can do with your kids, in particular camping.  I hope the few ideas that I posted about the planning and packing steps in preparing for a trip.  This post I’ll focus on the meals and activities that you can do while you are out of doors.     

 

Meals

            Planning and making meals while camping is another great opportunity to educate your children and get them involved in the trip.  Have them help you make the meal plan, but make each meal simple. Hot dogs, hamburgers, and hobo pies are easy to cook and clean up.  You can find some great tin foil recipes at Family Travel and other great food ideas at camprecipies.com. If your kids are at a good age, let them cook or help cook their own food and definitely, definitely let them help clean.  Campsite chores like cleaning, collecting fire wood, or filling water jugs can be exciting for little ones. Plus, it gives us parents a little more down time.  Finally, don’t forget the snacks.  The outdoors has a funny way of making kids have huge appetites.  Make them easy to put together and familiar.  A child’s tolerance will be pushed on their first camping trip you want them to be as well fed as possible. 

 

Activities

            A camping trip should be as fun and memorable as possible.  Allowing your children to pick a few of the available activities will keep them active as well as involved.  Keeping a video, audio, or written journal of the trip is a fun activity and will help them get ready for the next by replaying their favorite moments.  Disposable cameras are a great way for little one’s to help capture the memories.  They can snap all the pictures they want of the things that were important to them.  Now, if you are a crafty parent, collages are another way for kids to make memories.  Take paper, glue, scissors, and crayons and let them pick leaves and pine cones to add or keep in a memory box.  Whatever you plan, make sure you have alternatives or back up plans.  Unforeseen interruptions such as weather or broken gear can torpedo all excitement and no back up can sink them.  Check with your campground.  Most parks will have a list of activities in the area, some will have kid friendly ones organized for you.

           

Above all, camping can be perfect learning experience for your children.  In this day and age of electronics and big cities, a quiet and calm weekend in the woods can teach kids much about themselves and their surroundings.  Taking time to teach your kids safety -identifying poison ivy and sumac for example- and respect for the outdoors is a great place to start.  Remember to take only memories and leave only footprints.  While there might be no one around for miles, there is no one and nothing around for miles. Teach them to keep within eyesight, for the little ones, and earshot for the bigger kids.  This will help them from getting lost.  If they find themselves lost, teach them to find a tree and stay put.  If they keep a back or fanny pack with them, make sure a whistle is inside along with a small first aid kit.  They should know that three blows is the standard signal for “Help!”

            Don’t forget to check out all the rugged shirts and cargos at Red21Boys by Wes &Willy and feel free to share any ideas for camping or any other outdoor activities. We love to hear from you!

How Do You Celebrate Memorial Day?

Fire up the grill and load up the family camper, Memorial Day kicks off summer.  Schools are out, businesses are closed, and the public parks, lakes, and pools are officially open. Everyone rushes to enjoy the first long weekend of the season beneath the summer sun.  Although, swimming, camping, and barbecues are the now the norm for Memorial Day, this celebration had a much more poignant beginning.

            After the Civil War ended in 1865, many communities during the reconstruction began to honor and establish memorials to those who had lost their lives during the war.  Charleston, South Carolina claims to have held the first event to remember the Civil War fallen.  In that “city of the dead”, freed slaves gathered at the old Washington Race Course.  Used as a prison camp by the Confederate Army, many Union soldiers were buried there in mass graves.  The freed slaves exhumed and reburied the bodies and on the following day held a somber procession to honor them. Up north, on May 5, 1866, Waterloo, NY observed the first Decoration Day with flowers and other decorations placed on the graves and memorials of Union soldiers.  Through the efforts of General John A. Logan, Decoration Day was celebrated nationally on May 30^th.  After World War I, the scope of Decoration Day was expanded to include the fallen of all wars. Finally, in 1968, Decoration Day name was officially changed and its date was solidified as the last Monday of May in the Uniform Holidays Bill.

            So while we enjoy picnics and bar-b-cues with our friends and families, we should all take a moment to remember those who have served and lost their lives protecting our freedoms.  Here are a few other ways that we can celebrate and commemorate Memorial Day.

• Visiting cemeteries and memorials.
• Observe the national moment of remembrance at 3:00 p.m.
• Fly the American Flag half staff in honor of the dead.
• Donate to the Veterans of Foreign Wars by purchasing poppies from them.
• Attend one of the many concerts and celebrations that are held in communities across the country.  (the most well known of these is at Arlington National Cemetery and televised by PBS)

Let us know how you plan to celebrate Memorial Day.  We want to hear about the barbecue disasters, the “fun” setting up the tent and of course, anything special you did to honor our fallen heroes.  We love to hear your stories!

Where the Screens Aren't So Plain - The Devil’s in the Details (Pt 2)

    Every kid loves a great printed tee.  Whether it’s a skull and crossbones, baseball glove, or their favorite superhero, they love to wear cool screen prints. Now, since screen printing has become less and less expensive, almost anyone can set up a screen print shop and sell their shirts locally or online.

A few blogs ago, I wrote about the weight and comfort of fabric in high-quality children’s clothing in comparison to cheaper clothes that you find at some of the major department stores.  While fabric is the backbone of any good piece of kids’ clothes, the quality of the print is also where there is big difference between brands.

When I was growing up, I remember Fruit of the Loom’s Underoos.  These were the boy’s briefs and undershirt in the colors of their favorite superhero with his emblem screened across the shirt.  There was Superman, Batman, and even Aquaman (although I don’t think he was too popular).  The problem always was, however, that after a few months of wear and wash, the logos faded, cracked, and began to peel away from the shirt.  Soon, instead of having the Man of Steel’s insignia on your chest, you went to bed in red and baby blue undies – not very tough.

  While most screen prints today are not nearly this fragile, you can see and feel the difference from a brand like Wes and Willy and a lesser one.  Wes and Willy uses screen printing ink that outlasts the constant wear and wash - if you can peel it off him long enough to wash it - of any boy.  I have yet to see any instance of a screened tee that has faded before a child has outgrown it.  Not only are they durable, but the vivid colors they come up with for their prints show that the Wes and Willy artists put time into their designs.  Combine that with the texture of the prints and it’s not surprising that my sons’ favorite shirts are from their line.

So next time you are in the boys section of a department store, pull out a few graphic tees and look at them side by side.  Compare the weight of the fabric, the density of the ink, and brightness of the colors.  Above all, ask yourself or your son (if you can manage to get him to go clothes shopping) is it a cool print that he will want to wear?  Take the best of these and see how they stack up to a tee you picked up at Red 21 Boys.  I bet you’ll be surprised at the difference in quality you get with Wes and Willy.

Feel free to share your thoughts here about your shopping experiences- your disappointments and big wins; your favorites and your kids’ favorites.