Dealing with the sensitive Bean.



Today we share with you a testimonial we received from a formerly frustrated and heartbroken Mama. We have heard quite a few similar stories about PB customers with Beans who spent everyday uncomfortable in their own skin due to hypersensitivity and who have now overcome those tactile sensitivity issues with the help of our quality clothing. 

We love hearing these inspiring stories of how Peekaboo Beans is helping Beans everywhere! Feel free to always share your stories with us because we LOVE to hear from all of you! Check out the testimonial below from the mother of a previously uncomfortable Bean. Can you relate?.. 


When I imagined having a little girl I thought about how fun it would be to dress her up in cute clothing. I mean, what little girl shouldn't be allowed to wear a frilly top and a cute pair of jeans?! Mine. 

Ever since my daughter was old enough to communicate I have spent countless hours straightening seams, lining up socks, tearing out tags, and ripping off buttons all in an effort to ease her discomfort. We realized that she suffers from hypersensitivity or tactile defensiveness, which makes her everyday life uncomfortable. Just the act of getting dressed for school in the morning took up to an hour and always included lots of tears and frustration from both of us.

Recently, we replaced all of her clothes with Peekaboo Beans and now she knows that everything in her closet is comfortable and getting dressed is a lot less stressful for both of us. Now the only struggle we have in the morning is how to get our underwear to be comfortable. But, as soon as Peekaboo Beans makes underwear…   

- submitted to Peekaboo Beans by a now happy Mama Bean! 









Shop our FUNdamentals collection On-Vine at Peekaboo Beans HERE












Playful Halloween countdown crafting

The official Halloween count down is on for our Beans! If your little ones at home have been counting down the "sleeps" until the trick or treating arrives then I'm sure you know how much excitement there is in the air as each sleep passes. In order to get through the countdown until Halloween night finally arrives, we have compiled our favourite Halloween crafts that you and your Beans can create for some playful moments while the anticipation lingers. 


Find all the links to these original craft ideas on the Peekaboo Beans Halloween Pinterest Board HERE




And from the Peekaboo Beans vault... here is a cute little coloring page for you!


Download your printable Halloween Lilah Bean coloring page HERE

What to do with all that CANDY?

I was asked this week to write about “What to do With Your Halloween Candy.” 
My answer: “umm… how about, eat it??” 
As I looked around the room of this amazingly wonderful new generation of working, multitasking, gluten free, vegan, organic, bean loving, hand sanitizarama mamas, I suddenly felt like that was perhaps the wrong answer….(insert cricket sounds).
I realize that I’m starting to sound like my mom:  “Well, back in my days, we ate our Halloween candy.”  Although, hers was more of a different context: “Well honey, we used to walk up hill to school in the snow, both ways, in the snow – with no shoes.”
In my search for someone to side with my logic, a fellow candy lover directed me to a recent post on the Scary Mama blog: 
Back in the day, we ate ourselves senseless and gorged on things like Butterfingers, ghost-shaped marshmallows, candy corn, and a plethora of other treats derived from processed goodness. That’s right –– I said processed!  Do you want to know how I plan on spending Halloween? I’m kickin’ it old school. I’m going to coach my kids on the ABC’s of a good Halloween. A) Always trick or treat where the rich people live (duh). B) Binge (and binge and binge again). C) Coconut is for chumps. We’re going to target the houses that give out the Costco candy (that’s right, the whole effing candy bar!). Raisins on Halloween will cause a Zombie apocalypse. True story.
I had a good giggle at that. 

However, if you don’t mind risking the “Zombie Apocalypse,” here is what the world wide web says are the top 10 things to do with your Halloween Candy:
Send it to the troops. There are several organizations that let you donate your leftover Halloween candy to the troops. This is a special treat for the troops and can even help them in handing candy out to locals to build trusting relationships.
 
Donate it. You can donate your leftover Halloween candy to a local nursing home or women’s shelter or food bank. This is something worthwhile that you and your children can do to help others while also getting those sweets out of the house.
 
Bake with it. There are so many recipes that can be found online for leftover Halloween candy; some of our favorites include Butterfinger Cake, Tootsie Roll surprise cupcakes and cookies topped with M&Ms.
 
Bring it to the office. Your coworkers will love the extra treats, and the sugar rush will make everyone that much more productive.

Stuff a Piñata with it. Whether you are having a party or just for an afternoon of fun, you can stuff a piñata with your leftover Halloween candy and let the excitement commence.

Use it for stocking stuffers or gifts. You can purchase holiday themed bags at your local craft store and fill them with your leftover Halloween candy. Most candy will still be good to eat in December.
 
Use it for candy-themed crafts. If you do not want to eat your Halloween candy but don’t want to throw it away either, you can use it to create wonderful candy-themed crafts, such as Tootsie Roll wreaths or candy corn picture frames. These handmade crafts make perfect holiday gifts.
 
Freeze it for later. Most candy freezes well. You can freeze candy in small plastic bags to use for baking or special treats later. You can organize your candy before you freeze it by type, color or your child’s favorites. You can even use your thawed out candy to decorate a gingerbread house in the winter.
 
Use it for party decorations. . You can save your leftover Halloween candy to be used for party decorations. You can create a candy buffet or simply put your candy out in decorative bowls. Your guests will love it.
 
Use it for teacher’s gifts. At holiday time most people are searching for something to give to their child’s teachers. You can have your child help you package up your leftover Halloween candy in handmade bags or boxes to make the perfect gift.
 Have a safe and playful Halloween! 


"Grand-Parenting" as a Verb



"Nobody can do for a child what a Grandparent can do. Grandparents sort f sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children.." - Author Unknown

"The best babysitter, of course, is your child's Grandparents. You feel completely comfortable entrusting your children to them for long periods; which is why many Grandparents move to Florida." - Dave Barry

"No, Nana's okay Sweetie. I'm just resting my eyes." - Grandma Bean

Some random musings after spending four days with two little girl Grand-Beans:

Every life has a rhythm. One of the joys of my life is that I know and understand the rhythms of my little Grand-Beans. I love that I know how they move through their lives, how they take up their space, what they need to hear and how to comfort them when they are sad. What a privilege that is. Just as Daddies do not "babysit" their own children, I do not believe Grand-parents babysit either. Grand-parenting to me is a verb. It is an action. I had a loving, involved Grandmother, my children had a loving, involved Grandmother and I will make sure my Grandchildren have a loving, involved Grandmother. Having said that, here is a recent conversation between me and my Babiest Bean.

Colbie: (Sitting in DQ eating an ice cream cone) "You know Nana, when I was a little girl, I justwanted my mommy mommy mommy. But now, I'm really starting to like you." (I'm pretty much liking you too, Baby Girl!)

Here in a nutshell is the difference between me as a Mom and me as a Nana...

Bean: Why do I have to __________? (Fill in the Blank)
Me as Nana: Explain, Explain, Explain.....Explain again. Re-explain.

Bean: Why do I have to ___________?
Me as Mom: Shut up, because I said so.

The hardest part of caring for two little girls was all the schlepping around that has to be done. Pick up, drop off here, pick up there and drop someone else off somewhere else. Pick them all up and on to the next activity. Remember to pack dance stuff, drumsticks, songbooks. When will we eat, and oh yes, by the way, who has time to cook what we eat? My friend said it reminded her of an old math problem. If Cailin goes by car to drum lessons from point A at 40 mp and Colbie goes by train to Kinderjazz from point B at 45 mph, how many minutes does it take for Nana to crash and burn?

Grandpa's can help too but before you get too excited about their involvement here are two exchanges demonstrating in a nutshell, the difference between Grandpa's and Nana's.

Nana: Okay, we have to pick up Child A and drop her off at dance. Then go back and pick up Child B and drop her off at dance. Then leave Child B in the company of Child A and go pick up Child C. Then come back and pick up A and B, then drop C off at home, then get dinner and get Child A ready for tutoring.

Grandpa: Um, wait what?

Nana: (Collapsing on couch after schlepping the children to and from all their activities, making chocolate chip pancakes for dinner, cleaning up and getting them ready for bed.) BOY am I TIRED!

Grandpa: (Coming in from golf course and grabbing a beer.) BOY am I TIRED!

Anyway, here is a wee list I made up of things to make for a successful extended playdate with the Grand Beans:

Shop for food and stock up on things that the children will actually eat. As much as you believe that children should eat what's put in front of them, when you are in charge of keeping them alive for 4 days, now is not the time to stand on principal or make a point. So if all they will eat is chicken nuggets, Nana's famous hot buns, fries, chocolate chip pancakes and celery with peanut butter, then that's what you give them.

Two words: Dollar Stores. Make use of them often. A trip to the Dollar Store counts as an activity all unto itself.

Make sure your own house is in order. It may seem counter-productive to clean before they come over, but you will be glad you did. Make sure your laundry is caught up, the fridge is stocked and you will feel better if you can actually remember the last time your bathroom was cleaned.

You might want to bone up on your Barbie conversations. You will have to play Barbie's 3,477 times over the time you are together. If the only thing you can think of for Barbie to say is "Lets go shopping Mommy," that's not going to work in my circles. Have a Rolodex filled with Barbie-speak, like, "Mommy, Lets go see the Matisse exhibition at the Art Gallery in New York," and "Mommy, I'm thinking about dumping Ken." Also, practice putting those !%%@#! little shoes on those tiny little feet.

Work out, strength train, Hydrate hydrate hydrate. Ride a bike to Whistler while listening to the theme from Rocky. Twice. Run a marathon. Whatever it takes. You will need to be in the best shape of your life.



PIN it to WIN it!


To celebrate the launch of our latest collection, Hugs + Kisses, we are hosting a PIN it to WIN it Contest on Pinterest! Just get your PIN on and be entered to WIN a $150 in Peekaboo Beans Play Money!! You can use your bean dollars to purchase any of the new items from our new winter collection, or whatever else PB you like!!

So here's how to enter:

  1. Follow Peekaboo Beans on Pinterest HERE
  2. Create a new "Hugs + Kisses" board and PIN all your favourite PB Fall & Winter PB items to your board.
  3. With each PIN use hashtag #pbhugsandkisses in order to be entered to WIN.  

Contest Rules: 
No purchase necessary. Contest closes October 24th at 8pm PST. Winner will be announced and contacted on October 25th. Contest is NOT open to Peekaboo Beans Play Stylists or staff.  

Happy Pinning!


Happy BEANiversary to us!

What happened in 2005:
  • (Bird Flu) H5N1 strain of Avian Flu claims more lives in Indonesia and other countries around the globe;
  • Microsoft releases the Xbox 360 gaming console in North America;
  • Hurricane Katrina devastates much of the U.S. Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle, killing thousands and costing over $100 billion in damages;
  • Apple announces iTunes 5;
  • Canada becomes the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, after the bill C-38 received its Royal Assent;
  • Steve Nash becomes the first Canadian player to win the NBA MVP Award;
  • Wayne Gretzky is appointed executive director of Team Canada for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy;
  • Michael Jackson found not guilty on all 10 counts during his child molestation trial;
  • After a lockout, which wiped out the entire 2004-05 NHL Season, NHL hockey returns to play; and
  • Peekaboo Beans was born.
Not from some Ivy League scholars, smoking cigars and discussing what the latest apparel trends are for children; or by a multinational "fast fashion" company looking to expand their market...

It was all started by a Mom. A Mom who wanted something better and questioned the fundamental needs of children starting with what they wear everyday.

From the spare room of my sister in law's house, to the basement of my home. From a small little warehouse, to our corporate "Playground" today.

Our vision and mission has never wavered:  "Let Kids Play".  Play is the work of childhood.

Play is becoming a lost art.  We must stand up and ensure our children play - for the future. 

Thank you does not measure up to what I want you to know about how I feel about your dedication to Peekaboo Beans.  Thank you is something quick off the tongue that seems appropriate to say.  But it doesn't say enough - for you are helping this little Canadian company ensure we make our mark on the world:
  • By being a stand for a product that won't hit the landfill because it is made better;
  • By being a stand for ethical manufacturing processes;
  • By being a stand for a workforce where Moms can be celebrated and embraced in our "family first" culture;
  • By being a stand for play. The simple elegant practice of learning and growing without strings attached. 
Peekaboo Beans is what children ask for by name.  Children do not have filters; they can't tell you a lie.  They can only share what is pure and necessary. Beans make them feel good and happy. 

So, here we are. We make clothes so children can play. 
  
The choice to be an entrepreneur is not the easy path in life, but even just one happy bean in the world is the fuel that drives us forward everyday.  Let there be a land of happy beans sprouting up everywhere so they can play and we can smile. 
  
Playfully and gratefully yours, 

Life is good.


Here at Peekaboo Beans we know and believe that life IS good. We are constantly surrounded by amazing people and enjoy the benefits of humor, support, encouragement, accomplishments, hard work and... PLAY!  

So this Thanksgiving we want to share with you our personal THANK YOUS straight from the mouths of our playful team members of the Peekaboo Beans Playground (our head office... of course!)

Here is what some of them are thank for... 

The oppurtunity to be a Mom

My family (this one came up a lot!!)
My daughters birth parents
My community and neighbourhood
My Peekaboo Beans family
My children
My family's health
Spouse who puts up with me (haha!)
Smiles on my bean's faces
A warm place to sleep
Coffee (of course!)
My hubby's sense of humor
My friends
Animals
The ability to travel (good one)
Italian food (and wine perhaps?)
That I do something I'm passionate about every day at work
Cats
That everyone in my life is supportive of my goals
A family who cares for me
A roof over my head
My awesome job! 
Access to clean water and delicious food
Being able to do what I love every day
My amazing son
The support, love and companionship I get from my husband
My childhood friends
Chocolate
My health
The beautiful city I call home
Sunshine
Pumpkin pie (an absolute fave!)
The ability to be active
Open fields and crunchy leaves
My daughters
Fleece pants
My friends who REALLY care
Chocolate (again)
Laughter
Hugs from my kids
To live so close to nature
My raincoat
Watching my children sleep so soundly
To have LOVE in my life
An incredible passionate and gorgeous boss!

From our Peekaboo Beans family to yours... Happy Thanksgiving. We hope you enjoy many lovely, playful moments this upcoming weekend.






Why not get your Beans involved this with giving THANKS and showing them how Life is Good! Download our free "Today I am thankful for..." printable and have your Beans fill it out. This is such a wonderful way to reflect on all those special things, moments and people that we are so thankful for in our daily lives.


Click HERE to download and print our THANKFUL printable.


Name that feeling.


"When the student is ready, the teacher will appear." - Buddha

"I have no more love in my heart." - Colbie Costa

"Feeling?  What feeling?" - Grandma Bean

The other day, my Grand-Bean Colbie was upset about something that happened that she thought was very unfair.  When her Mom went to talk to her about it, she said to her Mom, "I have no more love in my heart."  Dramatic, perhaps, but so impressive that this tiny little girl could tell you exactly what she was feeling.  I have felt no love in my heart many times in my life, but I didn't have a name to put on it.  It got me to thinking that even 4-year olds have something to teach me about "Naming that Feeling." I do think women of my generation tend to have more difficulty identifying our emotions.  We were raised in a more "Stiff Upper Lip, Never Let Them See You Sweat" kind of way.  Most families of my generation didn't talk about our family issues, under the assumption that if you don't acknowledge the problems, they don't really exist.  Or maybe we just didn't have the words to identify the problem in the same way children do today. Later I went into a profession where a stiff upper lip was essentially required.  You could not fall apart in front of people who were injured or gravely ill.  In those days there were no Post-Traumatic debriefings.......you just sucked it up, and then swallowed Valium until you were comatose.  This was obviously not a perfect system.  As a 19 year old student nurse, with no life experience, I did my rotation in Labor and Delivery.  One night a seasoned maternity nurse came into the room where I was working, carrying a package, which she handed to me.  What she had given to me with no explanation, I quickly realized, was a small stillborn baby.  As I stood there, trying to process this, she told me, without emotion, to go weigh the tiny tyke.....apparently something that was required for medical records. That was the first of countless times over the years that I swallowed down my emotions and like Nike says" just did it".

  

When I was working in Emergency, we had a little chart at the triage desk that we used to help children identify their level of pain....from a neutral face to a smiley face to a crying face; it showed the gamut of emotions.  I realized that all my life I needed a version of this chart in my head because sometimes it took me days or weeks to figure out what I was feeling.

Recently, I found out on Facebook that there had been a surprise birthday party for a close family member, to which everyone, except me, had been invited.  I consulted the little chart in my head and it still took me one week to establish that what I was feeling was HURT.  Hurt feelings!!!  What a concept.  This in spite of the fact that everyone I told this story to said the same thing: "You must have been really hurt!" 

I've written before that I believe that everyone in our lives has something to teach us.  For me, those "Everyone's" happen to be the children in my life.  Cailin has taught me to be brave....and now Colbie has taught me how to put a name to the face.  Maybe I can soon get rid of that chart in my head.  Today, though, I know for sure that I have a TON of love in my heart.  Thank you Baby Girl!

xoxo,