Planning for Summer Fun!

Before we know it, school is out and summer kicks into high gear. With so many demands on families these days, summer is the perfect time to de-stress with family activities that are all about FUN! Get out those family calendars and book some weekends or days off with an eye to ensuring that your family participates in as many fun summer activities as possible.

- A casual backyard BBQ no matter how simple is a fabulous way for adults to get some much needed social time together while the children play and enjoy unscheduled fun!

- Day trips to Theme Parks – These are always memorable and very popular with little kids, bigger kids and Adult kids! To make the most of your day (and it will be a full day!) requires good planning and smart packing so that you don’t waste valuable time buying things like sunscreen, water etc. Consider stocking up on our Safety Wristbands -an excellent tool for theme parks or water parks.

- Camping – ambitious but SO worth the effort. Quality time in a natural environment without the interruptions of electronics. Campfires, hiking, swimming... a wonderfully simple but memorable experience your kids will love!

- Poolside – perfect for keeping cool on extra hot days. Some days it’s just too hot to move! Make sure to have well fitting life jackets if necessary and don’t forget those fun ‘squirty’ toys too!

- Picnic in the park! On a quiet day, pack a picnic and walk or ride to a local park for an outdoor lunch. Enjoy looking at clouds – what animals can you find?

Check out our Outdoor Activities Guide for more detailed tips and some great links. Have some tips of your own? Leave a comment below or leave your suggestions here! Summer can be fleeting, so get planning and have fun!

The rhythm of the weekend…

Happy Friday everyone! As we approach the weekend and the upcoming long weekends, we pause to reflect on the rhythm of our lives.

Whether you are a busy SAHM (Stay-at-home-Mom – or Dad), working outside the home or something in-between, there is a rhythm to our week. Wikipedia suggests that “The workweek and weekend are those complementary parts of the week devoted to labor and rest respectively.”

As parents, we sometimes wonder when the labor will end and the rest time will begin… we all have shopping, laundry, cooking, cleaning, yard work and more to do! With so much to “do” it’s easy to lose sight of the need to just “be”.

We hope that our labels and tags can help keep your family organized so that there is more time to just “be”. Such is the rhythm of life (and the weekends).

“The rhythm of the weekend, with its birth, its planned gaieties, and its announced end, followed the rhythm of life… “ (F. Scott Fitzgerald)

Yours Warmly,
Deborah Miller, Customer Support Manager
and from all of us here at Oliver's Labels

Let’s Play!

June is just around the corner... and that means summer is coming fast!
Over the next few weeks, we’ll explore a few topics related to keeping those busy little bodies in our homes active and engaged in a healthy dose of outdoor activities this summer. Today, we’re exploring the enticing world of kids’ sports.

Introducing kids to sports is an exciting time. For your child, participating in a sport helps build confidence and encourages teamwork and camaraderie. For parents, not only is it really fun to watch your child participate, it also provides a great opportunity for you to be supportive and encouraging. But it’s extremely important to keep these early experiences positive. Just like learning to walk or run or read, children develop in their own way and at their own speed. Celebrate their individual achievements and avoid any comparisons to what other kids can or cannot do. Also avoid the somewhat common pitfall of pushing one particular sport on your child, but rather let them try as many as they are interested in until they find something they are truly excited about. You also don’t need to sign up for anything super-structured or expensive. Invest in a small soccer ball, baseball glove and bat and head to the park. Enlist other families to join you while you’re there.

Not sure where to start? Visit the Summer Sports section of our Summer Guide for a list of suggested sports and our own rating system to help you identify some good choices that would suit your child.

Most importantly, have fun!

Ahhhh… The Great Outdoors!

Spring is in high gear! For those who live in seasonal climates, this time of year brings a welcome change to our ‘play’ schedules. We are more than happy to get our kids outside for much needed fresh air and exercise, but like any transition, there are challenges as we move our kids from the playroom to the playground.

In addition to taking proper care to limit sun exposure, many of us Mom’s and Dad’s are on high alert for all sorts of potential hazards that the playground holds. What is the condition of the equipment? Is it age appropriate? Are all the adults being responsible for their own children or is there an unsupervised ‘big’ kid running around terrorizing the little ones? Socially, are my kids finding it easy to play with others? Are dog-owners following the park leash rules? Why is my child so comfortable running so far away from me? How do I keep my sanity and enjoy these outings when all I can think about is my child’s safety? We’ve all been there – the endless sea of parental concern.

Though there’s not much we can do to alleviate all worry, many of our products can serve as a ‘second line of defence’ especially for those with very young or non-verbal children. Our Safety Wristbands are a great tool for outings to parks, attractions or other crowded venues where every parent’s greatest fear is losing sight of their child. Outdoor play and excursions are also conducive to less structured meal or snack times, and an increased incidence of ‘shared snacks’ – something which can be problematic for children with serious food allergies. For these kids, vigilant use of Allergy Labels and Tags on all their possessions and clothing gives parents extra assurance that their child won’t accidentally be placed at risk.

Do you have some good suggestions for keeping your child safe outdoors? We’d love to hear from you. In the meantime, get your picnics packed and your water bottles filled (and labelled!). We’ll see you at the park!

Livie– new to the Oliver’s Labels team.

On Mothers and Grandmothers

We love our customers and the causes they love. Ricki Horowitz raised money and helped the Stephen Lewis Foundation campaign for Aids Grandmothers in Johannesburg and Swaziland. AIDS has left millions of children orphaned. Without hesitation or complaint, Africa’s grandmothers have stepped in to care for them.

We are always proud to contribute to the causes our customers believe in. Check out how Ricki is raising funds for the cause. Then check out how you can raise funds for your favorite cause with Oliver’s Labels.

This week, we honor our mothers and grandmothers at Oliver’s Labels. And, in celebration from now until Mother’s Day, get 15% off our entire site!

Yours Warmly,
Deborah Miller, Customer Support Manager
and from all of us here at Oliver's Labels

Get 15% off the entire site!

Now you can make sure your kids’ stuff finds it’s way home for even less!
With 15 % off our entire site and our exclusive Found-it™ Tracking System, you can buy our high quality labels and tags and keep your children’s stuff out of the lost-and-found forever!

Yours Warmly,
Deborah Miller, Customer Support Manager
and all of us here at Oliver's Labels