SHOPS WE LOVE: FRESHLY PICKED SHOES FOR SPRING!

You may know Freshly Picked for their adorable baby moccasins and for gracing the feet of many celebrity kids, but did you know that they now have hard sole toddler shoes too?

flowers in kids brown suede shoes

Now that Kaia and Noelle are in school, Xavier and I head out for nature walks regularly. For this walk, I thought I'd let him take his new big boy moccasins for a try. Perfect for Spring (and summer and autumn too!), I love that the design of the hard sole shoes are made for a toddler who loves to slip on their own shoes! The lace-up look is super cute but the practicality of slip ons is ideal for my independent four year old.

nature walk
toddler shoes from Freshly Picked
treasures from nature
Xavier showing nature's treasures

When I asked Xavier what he thought of his new shoes, he said "really comfy", which is probably the best review you can get. Comfortable, practical and cute is a definite win for my mom life these days.

sides of Freshly Picked hard sole shoes

I love these new grown up moccs for my big boy, and you can choose from a wide selections of patterns and colours at Freshly Picked. Xavier is wearing the Next Step shoes in Weathered Brown.

*This post was created in collaboration with Freshly Picked. Photos and opinions are all my own.

GIVEAWAY {WITH FRESHLY PICKED}

Freshly Picked Moccasins

It's GIVEAWAY time!!!

Sweet baby feet (and toddlers too) deserve cute shoes like the rest of us! You know I love sharing small shops and although this one is no longer small, Freshly Picked sure started that way! I am SO excited to be doing a GIVEAWAY with this brand.

We are giving away one pair of moccasins (colour and size of your choice)!

Here is how to enter:

1. Follow both @freshlypicked and @winterdaisykids on Instagram
2. Like the giveaway photo posted on Instagram and tag your friends

That's it! Giveaway ends Friday March 3rd at midnight PST.  Winner will be announced Sunday by 6pm MST. Giveaway open to US followers only (sorry Canadian friends, another giveaway coming next month that will be just for you)!

Good luck!

TEN OF THE CUTEST NIGHT LIGHTS

If you've ever had a child who is afraid of the dark, you'll understand how important a night light can be for helping calm a fearful little one back into the lull of a night of sleep (for them and you!).

There are SO many functional options, even ones you can pick up at your nearest hardware store, but if you are looking for functional AND cute lights, here are 10 of my favourite super sweet night lights for any boy or girl to fall asleep with.

Interior Designer Melissa Barling of Winter Daisy Interiors picks nightlights for children's rooms

EYE SAFETY FOR THE HOLIDAYS

little girl in rayban sunglasses

Winter has arrived and with it, the snow! It has been such a fun week watching the magic of the winter holiday season unfold in the eyes of the kids and I can't wait to head up to the local mountains for more snowy, bright fun. While it is so nice to finally see the sun, it's important to remember to keep our little ones' eyes safe when we're heading outdoors and participating in winter activities. I've partnered with Image Optometry to share some key tips to maintaining children's eye safety whether you are heading for a snowy vacation over Christmas or jetting off to Maui!

packing for sunny vacation kids
packing for the snow

Key tips for keeping little eyes safe in the sun and snow:

  • wear protective eye gear when participating in sports or outdoor activities
  • tell children to never look directly at the sun
  • have eyes examined regularly (Image recommends 6 months, 3 years and annually after that) to ensure any problems are picked up quickly
  • set a good example through wearing your own protective eye gear
  • encourage children to wash hands thoroughly before touching their eyes
  • supervise children when using sharp objects, such as ski poles (to ensure injury to the eyes)
girl wearing children's raybans
Mama and daughter with sunglasses

Image Optometry offers in store eye exams locally here in Vancouver or if you are looking for sunglasses for you and your little ones, you can find affordable sunglasses through 38dollarglasses.com

rayban sunglasses for kids

Image is offering a free pair of Vancouver Canucks hockey tickets when you book two appointments on the same date and at the same time...

Happy Holiday season friends!!

SUBSCRIPTIONS AS GIFTS {FOR THE KIDS}

Little Passports subscription box
The Story Box subscription for kids

When you live in Vancouver (the world's most expensive city real estate wise), parents are living in smaller and smaller spaces with their kids. You'll see many of my room designs are small spaces, given I have clients that live in condos or parts of houses with their kids. We are fortunate to live in a house right in the city, but it is still small so we have had to work at helping steer grandparents and friends to keep gifts for the kids small...or better yet, a subscription!

Subscription based gifts are one of my favourite because the gift continues long past the holidays and it makes you think of the person who gave it to you each month it arrives. Kaia and Noelle were given a magazine subscription for their last year and it has been so much fun thinking of our friends when the magazine comes through the door each month.

So...if you are looking for a gift that is a little different or something for kids who live in a small space OR you just want to make sure you are remembered each month (ha!), here are some fun subscription based gifts for the kids.

1. Little Passports: Little Passports is a service that sends a monthly box to your kids filled with items to explore the world. I wrote an entire post on this subscription service earlier in the year and to this day, I still recommend it to friends. It is the subscription that got our kids the most excited each time it arrived and they just loved learning about different parts of the world and I loved sharing stories about where we've traveled. We chose the Early Explorers box and it was perfect for our kids aged between 3-5 years. Right now they have a sale for 15% off with code JOLLY15.

2. Green Kid Crafts: A subscription of 'discovery boxes', Green Kid Crafts is designed by teachers and Moms to provide fun and learning into convenient packages. There is a big selection of boxes to choose from covering animals, crafts and science. This one is sure to be a hit and give you some time on Christmas Day to actually relax. Order by December 7th to ensure your box will arrive by Christmas!

3. The Story Box: Anyone who knows me as a Mom knows how passionate I am about reading to kids. We have more books than I should probably disclose and our kids all LOVE reading them. The Story Box subscription is another one that we've tried (and loved!) and I give it two thumbs up for a gift idea. Still only shipping to US, this one delivers monthly books to kids in a wonderful way. The books are carefully selected by a speech pathologist, who is also a Mom. It comes with a parent guide to give parents ideas while reading the books with their kids as well as a little activity to try that again ties back to the book. Use code READ for $5 off your first order. 

4. Pipsticks: What could be more fun than a delivery of stickers every month!? Starting at $9.95 a month, Pipsticks is a monthly subscription of stickers that you can have delivered anywhere in the United States (free shipping) or nearly anywhere in the world (shipping charges apply)! Super cute concept started by a sticker-obsessed Mom. Use code OMG10 for 10% off first month of any subscription.

5. Bramble Box: Bramble Boxes are themed kits that encourage kids to investigate, create, discover and imagine through science, math, art and more! Declared to provide hours of fun, the boxes provide hands-on, open-ended materials to provoke thought, discussion and inspire imagination and role play. Shipping in US is free and to Canada only $8.95!

I'd love to know what you think. Have you tried any of these? Any other key subscriptions for kids that I've missed? 

Have you visited our 'Holiday Shop' yet? Click here to go straight there!