Summer is Almost Here... and You Know What That Means!

Longer days, sunshine, warmer temps, sandals...

They can only mean one thing - that summer will soon be here!

And with all of the craziness of summer, it's going to take every ounce of organization to keep on top of your kids and their schedules. So take this opportunity to strike a few things off your to-do list. If your child is going to camp {day or overnight}, let us help your kids' stuff stay out of the lost-and-never-found pile by labeling their items with our exclusive {and FREE!} Found-it™code. We've recently added new designs, including Hungry Caterpillar™ and Brown Bear™ from The World of Eric Carle™, as well as skateboarders, birds and more. There are designs for every age group, so you're sure to find something you love. And, for those children with food allergies, we have a full line-up of allergy designs (shown below) as well as multi-line Allergy Labels (for more lengthy text/instructions) to help keep them safe.

Our Allergy Label Designs

And, if you're wondering how our products perform, take a peek at what these Mom bloggers have said recently about our products...

Laurie from Emily Reviews
http://www.emilyreviews.com/2013/01/olivers-labels-review-giveaway-213.html

Jennifer from It's An Itchy Little World
http://itchylittleworld.com/2013/01/29/olivers-labels-review-giveaway/

Rosey from Mail 4 Rosey
http://www.mail4rosey.com/2013/01/olivers-labels-review-and-giveaway.html


We're looking forward to a wonderful summer of sharing fun ideas and tips with you on our social media pages and sponsoring fantastic giveaways with some amazing bloggers, so stay tuned! And, to stay in the loop, be sure to connect with us here and on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest!

Tips for Navigating the Holidays with Food Allergies

There are exactly 32 days until the start of Hanukkah and 50 days until Christmas.  (I know, it caught us by surprise too!)

With the holiday season approaching, it can be tricky to navigate the sea of get-togethers, pot-lucks and wine-and-cheese events when you’ve got food allergies. So, we’ve put together a list of tips to help those with food allergies enjoy the season a bit more.

1. If you’re going to a pot-luck make an all-in-one dish, such as a casserole, that can stand alone as your meal in case there are no other viable options. ¹


2. Talk to the hostess in advance and tell her you’d be happy to bring place cards for the various dishes. Hand them out to the guests as they arrive and ask them to write their name and the name of their dish, so it’s easy to identify on the food table. This will go a long way in helping you determine what’s safe and, if you’re still not sure about the ingredients, you can at least track down the cook to ask. ²  Bonus: it encourages mingling amongst guests and if you love that rice pilaf that Mary brought, you can give her your raves personally… or, better yet, ask for the recipe!


3. If you’ve got little kids that will be attending a get-together with you, ask your hostess in advance if there will be any bowls of nuts, chocolates, etc (depending on your child’s particular allergy) within arm’s reach. If so, ask if they could be placed higher up. If you’ve got older children, walk around the food area with them and discuss what are safe foods and what should be avoided. ³


4. Bring a special, yet safe, holiday treat with you so that there is always something festive for your child to enjoy. ³


5. Label food that you bring to events so that it is clear what is in it. Our Date Labels work well in this instance; simply write the ingredients on it (ie. “No nuts, dairy or gluten”), then wash it off when you’re done. We also carry Allergy labels that are pre-printed with multiple lines of custom text, outlining your child’s allergy information.

Do you have any tips for enjoying the holidays with food allergies? If so, we’d love to hear them!

Wishing you and your family a fun, festive and safe holiday season!
___________________________________________________________________________

¹ http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/blog/whole-story/food-allergies-holidays

² http://practicalkatie.com/2011/11/21/childhood-food-allergies-tips-for-holiday-parties/

³ http://www.thebloomsburgdaily.com/2011/12/06/food-allergies-holidays-non-pecan-pie/

The Whirlwind

I don't know about you, but this time of year is such a whirlwind for parents... and for Oliver's Labels! Not only is it back-to-school time for the little (and not-so-little) ones, but it's one of our busiest times of year here at Oliver's Labels HQ.

Picture Santa's elves in the workshop at the North Pole, working away like busy bees to ensure no child is without a toy on the big day. Well, that's kind of what it's like here - only without the festive music and crazy costumes! From the moment your order is placed, our team is hard at work ensuring it arrives on time and looking great. From the technical team who makes sure the website is up and running at all times (and who have made the ordering process as easy as can be), to the production department who checks each product and ships it out in a flash, there is a lot of love and hard work that goes into each order. We also can't forget our amazing customer service department who does a great job responding to all of our customers' inquiries via phone, live internet chat and email. Without each important cog in our wheel, so to speak, orders couldn't be processed in such a speedy manner.

We hope your children had a wonderful first day back to school and want to thank you for letting us be a part of this special time, each and every year. We are constantly striving to offer products that you will find useful, so check out our newest additions - Room-eez™ Growth Charts (U.S. / CAN) and new Allergy Labels.

Feedback is important to us, so if you have any suggestions for new products or just want to say Hi, please email us at social (at) oliverslabels (dot) com.

My first "Back-to-School"

Since my oldest child started school last year, I've been thinking a lot about what this very first "back-to-school" will mean. Let's face it, the train has left the proverbial station and has embarked on an 18-year journey, making the fact that she's growing up all too real.  I wonder if my Mom felt the same.

As a kid, I remember back to school season fondly. Well, the shopping for school supplies and clothes was fun, but the end of summer... not so much.  I remember the last week of August being bittersweet. I wanted summer to go on forever, but I also really missed seeing my friends every day. I hope my daughter feels the same. There's an amazing sense of renewal at back-to-school season that is exciting. A new grade to conquer; new friends to make; old friends to reconnect with.

And, while it's exciting for kids, it can also be a lot of work for parents. My to-do list is already crammed with tasks to prepare for the first week back. I'm not always the most organized person, but I am off to a good start. I have already started a list of items to purchase - some that need replacing or upgrading from last year (I don't think the weeny backpack will cut it in SK!), a few new outfits for her ever-growing body, and of course, our newest tradition that was started this same time last year... letting her pick out new labels. I thought we would have enough to last two years, but I've just about run out of every type - especially shoe and Stick-eez clothing labels, which are always the first to go in our house.

And so the back-to-school countdown begins. Here are some of my tips for a successful - and stress-free - season.

1. Take a wardrobe inventory
Spend an hour or so going through your child's clothing and have them try on anything that looks like it might not fit, come the fall. Make a list of what's needed and start shopping now to ensure size availability. Don't forget to check your child's shoes to see if they fit! Many a parent has been caught off guard when junior puts on last season's running shoes only to find he's grown out of them over the summer.

2. Buy school supplies sparingly
Call your child's school and ask if they have a suggested list of supplies for their grade/class (some do). If so, this will help keep unneeded purchases to a minimum. If not, stick to purchasing the basics for the first day back; here's a great list to get you started. School supplies aren't cheap, so save your money - anything that's still needed can be bought later.

3. Check coupon / deal websites before you shop
Sites like Retailmenot.com and Couponchief.com are a wealth of coupon codes and promotional offers, so don't forget to check them before heading out to shop. If you're not familiar with how they work, it's simple - type in the store name that you'll be visiting, hit "enter" and the website will list any available coupons (or online promo codes) for it. Better yet, do as much shopping as possible online and save your sanity!  

4. Label everything
When I say everything, I mean everything! ;) There is no end to the number of things kids can lose... from pencil crayons and scissors to hoodies and shoes, it's a wonder anything is left at the end of the year. With over 40 designs and 17 fonts to choose from, there's something for everyone. My daughter, in particular, loves the fact that she can customize each kind of label and tag in her package with a different design and font - no other company has such a wide range of customization options. For kids with allergies, our wide range of Allergy Labels, Tags and Safety Wristbands are an excellent way of alerting your child's teachers to his or her allergy/ies, especially the first few weeks of being in a new class.

When ordering, don't forget our exclusive, optional (and FREE!) Found-it™ system - a must-have to help your kids' lost items get returned.  If you need assistance placing an order or simply have a question that isn't answered on our website FAQ, our wonderful customer service team is available by email (info@oliverslabels.com), phone (1-800-398-2060) or online chat (button is on right side of website), so let us know if we can be of assistance! Or, if you're on Twitter, feel free to tweet us!

Happy back-to-school shopping!

Wordless Wednesday

Thanks to our fan Bonnie who sent in this cute pic of her son with his labelled cup!

If you'd like to see your child featured on our blog, send us a pic to social (at) oliverslabels (dot) com. We'll send you a $10 gift card toward our products as our way of saying 'thanks'!

(One submission per household, please!)