Fashion, Kickstarter

Flip Critts – the comfort of sandals and the security of normal shoes!

Critts shoes

Have you had shoe wars with your child? This 11 year old took his shoe frustrations to the drawing board until he came up with his perfect shoe! These are Flip Critts “Critts”. Carter, who’s nickname is Critt as in the shoe name, needed flip flops that were comfortable but a sandal that also protected his toes. Sone shoes do that, but they left his feet (same with myself from my experience) sweaty and with blisters. Take off the back and you have a flip flop with a croc-style protection at the toes. These are Critts!

child shoe maker

Now, not only are Critts that perfect cross between the comfort of sandals and the security of normal shoes, they made them fun! With over 200 combinations of colors/designs you can get one for the toddler to Mom and Dad too! The one’s I am featuring are red champagne flutes. The design cut outs double as breathing holes. Choosing your design and color combination makes buying these shoes so much fun!

crits design

Critts Comfort

Flip Critts uses Vibram Soles that are considered one of the best outsoles in the world and have always been at the forefront of sole technology. You can climb, hike or just walk comfortably all day in these. The grip allows this and the environmentally Conscious Sweetfoam™ is its midsole that protects the foot from feeling hard or sharp objects.

This leaves the footbed! Memory foam molds to the body in response to pressure. This makes sure that the shoe can support your feet against impact and evenly distributes body weight. I challenge you to find a blister after your day in Critts.

flip critts

How to buy this brand new shoe?

Visit Flip Critts on Kickstarter (they met their goal in 45 minutes)! Because we know and would have assumed anyway that this shoe would be a hit, you get the deal that Kickstarter campaigns offer.

Head to Flip Critts Kickstarter page and click that green Back this Product button. Choose your Pledge Reward and once the campaign ends you will pick your design/color and product will arrive at launch- around November 2020. With this Kickstarter campaign you can get a pair of Critts that will retail at $65 for $40! This campaign will save you so don’t wait. This campaign ends July 19, 2020. They should be to you in time for the Holidays! Visit Critts today!

Children's Books, Parenting

Children’s Books about Culture, Differences, Standing Up for Others

Children's Books about Culture, Differences, Standing Up for Others

Children’s Books about Culture, Differences, Standing Up for Others are topics we need to share with our children…yesterday! Talking with kids about cultural awareness and using their voice is tough. We want to talk in a way they understand or they don’t retain what they hear and remember some points down the road if it was too much, too little or even too informative. Perhaps we can leave the conversation starters to Authors, many of which are Teachers, Counselors and Speakers that know how to guide us in these conversations within stories and illustrations.

Books are the greatest tools we have as parents to teach subjects and topics with our children and these titles below, specifically, help us start the conversation about culture, differences and even when and how to use our voice to stand up for others.

I have reviewed many books and I have reached out to the Publishers and Authors I know to help me put such a list together. I didn’t want to wait until these books make it to me and communication can happen between myself and publishers so I started my list below with books you have already seen me discuss but now I bring them forward again.

I will update this list EVERY time I come across a title within this topic that I feel will help you start these important conversations. Make sure you follow my socials (buttons are in my header) and bookmark this page so you are updated when I suggest a new title. I will announce for you every time a new title is added.

I will work hard to find the books that you need to have the conversations of being a kind human to all! If you like this list, be sure to hit the Rating button at the end of this post! Some affiliate links may be within.

Now at over 20 titles….

Guion the Lion

Topic: Appreciating differences and embracing others’ ideas

Author: Rebecca Wilson Macsovits, Mom of a son with Down Syndrome

Buy Now


The Big Buna Bash

Topic: Inspire cultural pride in kids who might feel that they don’t fit in because of their differences.  

Author: Sara C. Arnold, immigrated to Israel in 1981, and teaches English in Jerusalem.

Buy Now


PJ Library Books

Topic: Access to books about Jewish Culture/Holidays

Author: Various within the Jewish culture

Buy/Access Now


Get Up, Stand Up

Topic: A message of empowerment and unity, also anti-bullying

Author: Cedella Marley, daughter of Bob Marley, Musician-more books like this at the link below!

Buy Now


We Are Power: How Nonviolent Activism Changes the World

Topic: For Teens. An inspiring call to action, a reminder that true power ultimately rests in our hands. 

Author: Todd Hasak-Lowy, a professor of creative writing and literature at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Buy Now


The Backpack

Topic: Treating others how we wish to be treated. It’s what’s on the inside, not judging the outside

Author: Lindsay C Barry, a  Momtrepreneur

Buy Now


We’re Different, We’re the Same

Topic: It’s a classic, but a favorite! help teach toddlers and the adults in their lives that everyone is the same on the inside

Author: Bobbi Kates, a writer for Sesame Street books

Buy Now


The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story

Topic: Immigration and teaching others to be more open-minded.

Author: Aya Khalil, freelance journalist and educator who  immigrated to the U.S. from Egypt

Buy Now


Ten Little Bears

Topic: spirited book that celebrates Native American traditions as it teaches young children to count from one to ten. Chronicle Books

Author: Virginia Grossman, a resident of Washington State

Buy Now


What Can A Citizen Do?

Topic: This is a book about what citizenship—good citizenship—means to you, and to us all Chronicle Books

Author: Dave Eggers, the cofounder of: Voice of Witness, an oral-history series focused on human rights….

Buy Now


The Quickest Kid in Clarksville

Topic: Gentle tribute to the legend of the pathbreaking African-American sprinter Wilma Rudolph, Chronicle Books

Author: Pat Zietlow Miller, New York Times bestselling of BE KIND, children’s Author

Buy Now


The Other Half of Happy

Topic: For Tweens, realistic view of the struggles and insecurities—as well as the beauty—that comes from being bicultural. Chronicle Books

Author: Rebecca Balcarcel, received the Jane Kenyon Poetry Prize, and her work has appeared in journals 

Buy Now


This Is How We Do It

Topic: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from around the World

Author: Matt Lamothe, Illustrator and Animator from Chicago

Buy Now


Hats of Faith

Topic: inspires understanding and celebrates our culturally diverse modern world.

Author: Medeia Cohan, a gallery curator and an entrepreneur

Buy Now


Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns

Topic: captures the world of Islam, celebrating its beauty and traditions for even the youngest readers. Chronicle Books

Author: Hena Khan, a Pakistani-American who enjoys writing about her culture

Buy Now


Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker

Topic: portrait for young people of the passionate performer and civil rights advocate Josephine Baker, the woman who worked her way from the slums of St. Louis to the grandest stages in the world. 

Author: Patricia Hruby Powell, won a Sibert Honor for Nonfiction, a Coretta Scott King Honor, and five starred reviews. She lives in Illinois.

Buy Now


One is a Pinata

Topic: One of this Author’s Latino culture-inspired children’s books.

Author: John Parra,  award-winning illustrator, designer, teacher, and fine art painter. His children’s books have earned numerous awards

Buy Now


Papa Do You Love Me?

Topic: captures the universal love between a father and child. Set in Africa and featuring the Maasai culture

Author: Barbara M Joosse, visited schools in Kenya and Uganda in 1997, and the Maasai and their tenderness toward their children planted a seed in her heart that grew into the idea for this book.

Buy Now


Round is a Mooncake: A Book of Shapes

Topic: cleverly uses a concept book to celebrate Chinese culture

Author: Roseanne Thong, taught English in many places: California, Guatemala, Vietnam and Hong Kong.

Buy Now


Peace, Baby!

Topic: A frustrating day may feel overwhelming, but everyone wins with Peace, Baby!

Author: Linda Ashman, her children’s books have been named to the “best of the year” lists of the New York Times, Parenting Magazine, and more

Buy Now


Soldier For Equality

Topic: incredible story of one man’s fight for Mexican-American civil rights, from award-winning picture book 

Author: Duncan Tonatiuh, born in Mexico City and grew up in San Miguel de Allende. His books have received many awards over the years. 

Buy Now


All Are Welcome

Topic: welcoming picture book that celebrates diversity and gives encouragement and support to all kids

Author: Alexander Penfold, author, illustrator, and animator. Over the years she’s done everything from animating special effects for Universal Television and the Discovery Channel 

Buy Now


The Promise For Change

Topic: For Tweens, fourteen year old Jo Ann Allen was one of twelve African-American students who broke the color barrier and integrated Clinton High School in Tennessee in 1956

Author: Debbie Levy, bachelor’s degree in government and foreign affairs from the University of Virginia, and a law degree and master’s degree in world politics from the University of Michigan. 

Buy Now


The Moment of Lift

Topic: For Teens, How empowering women changes the world, New York Times Bestseller

Author: Melinda Gates, philanthropist, businesswoman, and global advocate for women and girls.

Buy Now


More added soon…

In the meantime, please share this with others and hit the rating button below so Google will too!

Books Reviews, Children's Books, Giveaway

Celebrate Historical Women in Legends from Mom’s Closet Book Tour- Giveaway

Historical Women - Legends from Mom's Closet

Open up that dress up trunk and become inspired with Sasha as she puts down her books she read about remarkable historical women of the past and becomes them! The fancy hats and dresses, the role modeling of styles from women like Audrey Hepburn and Billie Holiday. This is the girliest of girl books for daughter and Mom written by Sasha herself! She just became her own inspirational woman (visit her website here)!

About the book – Tribute to Historical Women

In Legends from Mom’s Closet, 10-year-old Sasha Olsen documents how she
spent a rainy summer indoors using her creativity and imagination. After
reading a stack of books about women like Frida Kahlo, Audrey Hepburn and Billie Holiday, Sasha’s imagination ran wild and she ended up in her mom’s closet picking through her clothes and her grandmother’s vintage pieces to dress up like all the female legends she had been reading about. Complete with photos of the looks she created and tips for other young girls on how they, too, can emulate these iconic women, Legends from Mom’s Closet will inspire readers to delve into the lives of truly remarkable women from the past to learn a thing or two about what it means to be legendary in today’s world.

About the Author

Sasha Olsen is a 10-year-old author, environmental activist, ballroom dancer, bookworm, pianist, and enjoys anything artistic. She always finds new hobbies and things to do, which usually ends up in her trying to juggle everything. She lives with her family in Bal Harbour, Florida, where she also spearheads the conservation movement “I Want My Ocean Back.” Legends From Mom’s Closet is her first book.

Want to buy the book right now? This is so fun and when your daughter needs some fun insight into known historical women this book is for them. Find it on Amazon:

book giveaway

Want to win a copy of this book, Legend’s From Mom’s Closet? Enter to win below if you are 16+ and live in the US! Good luck!

Uncategorized

Easy Gluten Free Cheese Crisps Recipe using Folios Cheese Wraps

Gluten Free Cheese Crisps Recipe

I surely have been more adventurous in the kitchen now that I am stuck home. However, what I am finding is many recipes I have been making are one’s I should have been using all along. Some are so quick and easy and to think I was buying pre-made versions with less healthy ingredients.

For example, I now make my own tortilla chips with low carb tortillas and I also make my own cheese crisps for salads and wraps using Folios (gluten free and dairy free) cheese wraps. I’ll share this Gluten Free Cheese Crisps Recipe with you.

Cut Cheese wrap

For this recipe I used the cheddar Folios cheese wraps. With my tween who is lactose sensitive, finding cheddar that is dairy free and actually tastes good has been a huge benefit. With this recipe I can make and store cheese crisps we use to pair with salads and also use in wraps instead of shredded cheese because cheese crisps add a yummy crunch. You can even use these wraps as the wrap itself!

Folios cheddar cheese wraps

Gluten Free Cheese Crisps Recipe

To start you need to preheat the oven to 375. The heating instructions are on the back of the package so I just follow that and they came out great. You need a flat cookie sheet and the wraps already come with their own parchment paper you will want to use as a barrier between the cheese and the baking sheet for grease and celiac safety reasons.

cheese folios

I use a pizza cutter to turn each wrap into 8 triangles. I also separate the cheese from the parchment paper then lay back down. This loosen the cheese a bit so when it bakes you aren’t trying to peel it off in stubborn spots where it can stick. There is enough oil that releases that this step isn’t crucial, just something I do.

baked cheese

I make my cuts before I bake and you may have to separate a tad as they tend to bake together if you did not separate them. I left some unseparated above to show you why I start by spacing them out a tad before I put them in the oven.

Once you cut these wraps into 8 triangles and separate a bit just bake for 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. You can store them in an airtight container. They will keep 5-7 days but in my home they don’t last through day 2!

recipe for cheese crisps

About Folios Cheese Wraps

Folios™ are keto-approved, lightly baked sheets of cheese that can be wrapped, stuffed, rolled, melted, crisped and baked. They are made of 100% all-natural cheese that are lactose and gluten-free, made without  wheat,  starch, fillers or added sugar and are only 1g of carbs.

They can be found in a 10-count pack at Costco and all other retailers nationwide in a 4-count pack. To purchase online go to:  https://www.supermarketitaly.com/folios/. Also find these at Walmart and other retailers such as Amazon.

recipe

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