West Seattle Family Zone
Rave and Review - Sweet Pea Mobile Beauty
Sweet Pea Mobility Beauty brings pampering services right to your door. There’s no question moms need breaks. I think our future, empty nest selves would probably remind us that these are the precious times with our kids. We know the job of being a mom is tough. We’ll survive these sleepless nights and sometimes monotonous days. When you’re in this season of being a mom - we need breaks! They are healthy and important for keeping our sanity. Tell me, have you been able to close the bathroom door lately without someone needing you? Don’t even think about sitting down or picking up the phone to call a friend. How about a spa day? We can always dream!
Enter the brilliant mom, JoAnn Ollila, who has recently launched Sweet Pea Mobile Beauty, a full service pampering business. Just imagine a team of talented professionals coming to your home or gathering to pamper YOU. No rushing around, the spa comes to you! Picture your very own fairy godmother and team working for you. JoAnn and her team are professional and very good at what they do.
Sweet Pea offers a wide variety of services - manicures, pedicures, makeup, lashes, massages, and hair blowouts. Hopscotch brand nail polish is used for kids – safe and nontoxic. The children spa parties are a huge hit and JoAnn has a full line-up of upcoming little girl birthday parties. For grown-ups, Sweet Pea parties are popular too! Invite the girls over for a party. There are packages for baby showers, bridal parties, and for no occasion at all, just bringing friends together to relax. I invited a few friends over and served wine and snacks. We helped each other decide on nail polish color – a chance to be a little bold and fun while others kept it safe with neutral and soft colors. The Sweet Pea team went right to work and we enjoyed manicures and pedicures. What a relaxing, fun way to hang out with friends. This was hands down the easiest and most relaxing party I have ever had.
From start to finish, Sweet Pea is amazing. Booking your party is easy on the Sweet Pea website. Customer service is outstanding. You will truly feel like a queen for a day.
Be sure to check out Sweet Pea’s website: http://www.sweetpeapedicures.com/. JoAnn often posts specials and you can find a 20% off new client coupon on the West Seattle Macaroni Kid website. JoAnn is in the process of rebranding her company and website – stay tuned for some very exciting changes! You can also Like the Sweet Pea Facebook page Sweet Pea https://www.facebook.com/SPPedicures?fref=ts
JoAnn is the owner of Sweet Pea Mobile Beauty. She was inspired to bring beauty services to moms when she was pregnant with her daughter Sofia. She has partnered with a talented health and wellness coach and together they deliver a holistic suite of beauty services to moms and daughters throughout the Seattle area.
Do you have product or service you would like to suggest for a Rave and Review? Email Jackie@westseattlefamilyzone.com.
Books make excellent gifts! West Seattle book expert, Sue Winter, is back as a guest blogger sharing great gift ideas for this holiday season.
This holiday season choose books that will delight the kids in your life! Books can open the imagination, teach new skills, and provide hours of entertainment.
A great place to start is with books that match a subject with the child’s interests. But what if you aren’t sure what floats a kid’s boat? Activity books are superb all-purpose gifts. Search and spot books are fun for kids of almost any age, parents often find them entertaining too! Coloring books, sticker books, and how-to books are a welcome addition to any child’s library. And good bedtime reading is appreciated at any age.
Listed below are a few titles sure to please. Click on the image or the title for more information. Search over 1000 more at www.SueSellsUsborne.com .
Ages 0-2
Baby’s Bedtime Storybook A beautiful board book full of very short stories to share with little children at the end of the day. $17.99
Ages 2-5
Pull-back Busy Bug Book Watch as the bug whizzes around the tracks in this delightful interactive book. Wind up the bug by pulling it backward, place it on the tracks and watch it wiggle around the garden. This is so fun! $24.99
Ted & Friends, with CD Featuring 12 stories in the Ted & Friends Series, children delight in the antics of Ted the Bear, Sam the Sheep, Toad, Pig, and more. Included is a read-along CD, perfect for car trips or quiet time at home. $19.99
Ages 6-9
See Inside Recycling & Trash What happens to your trash after you throw it away?
Open this book and lift the flaps to find out. Follow trash on a journey through a gigantic sorting machine and all kinds of recycling processes, and see how it can be turned into new and useful things. $13.99
Big Book of Things to Spot Crammed with thousands of things to find, count and talk about, this bright and busy picture book provides hours of puzzle-solving fun. There are rainforest animals to search for, a bustling market town to explore, a castle feast to enjoy, and much, much more! $12.99
Illustrated Fairy Tales Open these pages and enter an enchanted realm of proud emperors, pretty princesses, helpful fairies and magical animals… This charming collection contains ten classic fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen and others. These stories include: Sleeping Beauty, The Emperor and the Nightingale, Beauty and the Beast, The Dragon Painter, The Frog Prince, The Elves and the Shoemaker, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, The Swan Princess and The Emperor's New Clothes. $19.99
Ages 9 & Up
Conspiracy 365This series of 13 books combine into a heart-pounding thriller that even reluctant readers won’t want to put down. Hurled into a life on the run, a 15-year-old fugitive is isolated and alone. Hunted by the law and ruthless criminals, Cal must somehow uncover the truth about his father’s mysterious death and a history-changing secret. Who can he turn to, who can he trust, when the whole world seems to want him dead? The clock is ticking and any second could be his last. $10.99
Big Book of Things to Draw This inspiring book is packed full of creative ideas for anyone who wants to draw. The simple step-by-step instructions show how to draw animals, building, people and cartoons, and give tips on shading and perspective. $16.99
Sue Winter
West Seattle Book Expert
Sue Winter is an Usborne Books & More independent consultant and a West Seattle mom. Visit her online bookstore at www.SueSellsUsborne.com.
Don't miss the big Book Black Friday Sale! Save up to 50% on a terrific selection of titles!!Online from November 25th through the 28th at www.SueSellsUsborne.com
We're thrilled to have Sue Winter, one of the best book experts in West Seattle, share her insights for helping preschoolers love reading!
Lay the foundation for your child's success: Read Aloud
Did you know that one of the best predictors of a child’s success in school is the amount of read-aloud time he has experienced before even entering school? And that reading aloud fosters tools for success that go way beyond the ability to read? In fact, some of the most profound benefits of read-aloud time have nothing to do with written words. When you read to your kids, you help them build listening skills, increase their attention span, and practice concentration. Since most instruction in preschool and kindergarten is in verbal form, kids with the most practice and proficiency in listening and concentration have the best chance for success. In fact, studies show that this advantage continues throughout a student’s entire school career.
So how can you keep your child interested in reading time and foster these valuable skills? Here are a few ideas to try, and some book suggestions too.
Rhyming or alliteration – Stories with rhymes or repetition give your child the chance to practice identifying sounds. Ask your child to guess the next word or think up a new sentence to rhyme or add to the story.
Sally & Dave: A Slug Story by Felice Arena (2008, Kane/Miller) is a fun alliterative tale with a silly style. Sally is a sleek, slim and simply stunning slug… And she knows it. She can't resist reminding her neighbor, Dave, that he's just a common fat slug who spends his time sitting on his slimy slug bottom. But when Sally’s life is at stake, Dave steps in and saves the day. Will Sally and Dave slide off into the sunset, or will the sparrow stay their story?
Humor – Small children love when characters can’t get things quite right. These stories give kids a chance to practice their observation skills and can also challenge their perspective on the world. Plus they’re just plain fun.
In No! That’s Wrong! by Zhaohua Ji and Cui Xu (2008, Kane/Miller), a serendipitous breeze starts off a playful journey which begs the seemingly simple question, "When is a hat, not a hat?" (and “when are underpants not underpants?”) Simple and repetitive text make this a great laugh-out-loud silly read-aloud.
Recordings - When you just can’t read another story today or want an alternative to the DVD player, try a book on CD. Dramatic voices and sound effects make these recordings fun and give your child the chance to read along while the narrator tells the story.
The Complete Book of Farmyard Tales with CD by Heather Amery (Usborne) is a collection of favorite tales starring illustrator Stephen Cartwright’s beloved farm animals. Young children love the amusing stories of Mrs. Boot, the farmer, her children Poppy and Sam, and their animals, Rusty the dog, Curly the pig and Woolly the sheep. Narrated by a British actor, the CD is great for in the car or quiet time at home.
Sue Winter is an independent Usborne Books & More bookseller and a West Seattle mom. You can join her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SueSellsUsborne . Shop online for the above books plus over 1000 more titles at www.SueSellsUsborne.com .
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