Happy Halloween to all!   I know many parents are trying to make sure everything is perfect for their children’s big night out !  We are doing the same and trying to enjoy every last detail !  

But today, I also want to wish a special Happy Halloween to a little boy named Ben (he’s the monkey to the right)!  I want to share with you his story and why it is such a special day. 

Here’s the story as told by his family’s friend, Kare:

“My dearest friend Kim and her husband Dave gave birth to their first little boy, Ben on Sept 19th, 2007. At 3 days old a nurse practitioner suspected that he might have a rare genetic disorder named Menkes Disease. On Halloween, 2007, it was confirmed by Doctors at NIH that baby Ben did in fact have Menkes and he was immediately put on an experimental treatment to prevent the horrible effects of this disorder. Most Menkes children are only diagnosed after the seizures begin at around 3-6 months. Ben was lucky to have been dignosed early, but he was still only given about a 66% chance of making it to his 2nd birthday. Read More…

Posted under Charities, Random Thoughts

If you are moving, or just traveling, you might want to check out Walk Score to see how “walkable” the neighborhood is. Just type in the address and see how it ranks for “walkability” and also receive a list of the stores, coffee shops, pharmacies and other spots within walking distance.  

When we travel, we love to find hotels that have lots of restaurants and coffee shops in walking distance. This is a great resource for that.  For instance, click here to see the “walkability” of the Crowne Plaza in St Louis (considered “very walkable”). 

And with the cost of gas, why not factor in walkability when picking your next home?

Posted under Tech

We love Vincent shoes!  My son is very particular about his shoes –they must feel perfect or they are not going on his feet.  So, I was thrilled when he loved the new shoes from Vincent! He chose the Roger but as you can tell, there are many other choices as well !

The shoes are designed by two Swedes, who have been in various areas of the fashion world, Patrick at H&M and Thomas as an international model, so not only are they comfortable, but they look great as well!

Vincent Shoes by LenasNotebook

Posted under Kids Clothes, Polyvores

I have always found the Little MissMatched items so fun and so cute!   I just came across this new argyle-like design for their knee highs and love them even more!  I think they make a great gift for young girls, but also would be so fun to wear under tall boots this season !  Use code OCTSOX20 for 20% off socks in October!

I also love the idea of the Election Day change purse to get children in the spirit — it is all about “Change” right?  

Mismatched by LenasNotebook

Posted under Kid Gifts, Kids Clothes, Polyvores

After seeing the post on Stem about an Election Party, I so want to have one (or go to one — someone invite me!)  Look at all her great ideas (below).  I especially love the Lumi-loons balloons and the Election Topics cards.  Ok, so who’s hosting? 

check out Stem for so many fun ideas!

Posted under Holidays, Parties

Just a quick reminder. . . before you buy anything online, always check to see if you can  find a coupon code that will give you a discount for the site.  I recently bought something from two different sites and was able to find a discount online for both.  Just google the name of the site and “coupon code” and you never know what you will find!

You can check out CouponCode.com and RetailMeNot.com for examples, but I would do a search as there are many such sites with codes.

Posted under Random Thoughts, Tech, Uncategorized

I love the idea/solution put forth in The Happiness Project to the never-ending question of what to do with our kids’ stuff.

This article specifically deals with what to do with the cute invitations you make/select every year for their birthdays; family invites for parties they attend; class photos, etc. Gretchen’s solution is a file box (make it a cute one, I say) with each year labeled.  Here’s a part of the article: 

“Then I had a fantastic idea. File boxes. . . . . I fitted [both my daughters] out with a pack of files. I labeled the first file “Baby” and put in some baby memorabilia – birth announcement, invitation to the first birthday. Then I made a folder for each year of school. I only include a few samples of schoolwork, because I want to limit these files to special items. When the girls are older, I’ll include report cards, school programs, and the like.

I get a little thrill every time I see these boxes. They’re such a great solution to a problem: now it’s easy to put these mementos away; the boxes are very compact and organized; they’ll make great keepsakes for the girls when they’re older. How fun, when you’re fifty years old, to be able to look back at the birthday invitation you sent out when you turned seven!” quote from The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin. 

If you think you might do this check out these file boxes and folders from Semikolon and also some cute ones from Target!

I’d love to hear your ideas for storing such keepsakes!

Posted under Home

Somehow I missed this in the news, but I think it’s great! What a great way to draw attention to the cause of breast cancer research.    

According to the White House website: “The north side of the the White House turned pink on the evening of Oct. 7, 2008 to raise awareness about breast cancer. The unique view of the North Portico and the side of the house facing Lafayette Park was in observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer awareness is a cause Mrs. Laura Bush has worked on around the world. The World Health Organization estimates that each year more than 1.2 million people worldwide are diagnosed with it and breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death for women. White House photo by Grant Miller” 

Posted under Charities, Random Thoughts

Check out this one minute movie, The Years are Short, by Gretchen Rubin, the writer of the blog, The Happiness Project.  

I just found this blog and I really enjoy it.

This movie is great.

Posted under Random Thoughts

Fall Totes for $100 or Less by LenasNotebook

Here are few of our favorite handbags for this Fall.  Click on any one to get the details.  

As we found, Piperlime has many great finds for under $100, as does Jane Marvel.  LeSportsac is a fun place to find fun casual bags for Fall and Target has the new Anya Hindmarch collection — so chic!  

Which one will you buy? Which one should I? Email me at lena@lenasnotebook.com. 

Posted under Fashion, Mom Gifts, Polyvores