So the holiday season has ended, whew, tiring but fun!  I love giving gifts and seeing if I got it right.  The challenge is trying to think of fun gifts that will be long-lasting, and that they won’t tire of after a few weeks.  I thought that I would share the winners from this holiday season.  The gifts that brought the biggest smiles from the kids in my life.   The first is Buckyballs.  These are tiny, strong magnets that have occupied many hours of fun in my house.  Definitely a choking hazard so I wouldn’t recommend them for kids under 5.  My kids also got Spooner Boards which are cool balance boards for twirling and tricks.  We are especially excited to see the fun we can have with them in the snow.  If it ever snows this winter!

Workbooks were another gift this year.  My 9 yr old likes these scrabble sticker workbooks.  Finally, I entered Justice at the mall for the first time. Tons of stuff, but my big find were these cozy fleece blanket/pillow sets that my girls loved.  Anyway, I know your shopping is done too, but thought I would share in case you want to stock up for birthday gifts now that everything is on sale!

One of my kids had a birthday yesterday, and I was struck by what makes birthdays special.  At night before bed, she gave me a huge hug and said “this was such a great birthday”!  As I walked out of her room, I reflected on her day.  It consisted of opening a few small gifts, getting phone calls from friends and family, and singing over a home-made(and slightly dry cake).  Aside from that she had her normal day of school, shuttling her brother to basketball practice/spending an hour driving in the car, and going to her own basketball practice.  Actually the day had an extremely hectic pace and the family didn’t eat until 7:45.  At bedtime, however, she wasn’t thinking about the chaos.  She felt the specialness of her day.  Her class singing to her. Getting her much prized new inexpensive watch- she finally doesn’t have to look up to see the time.  Her family having dinner together, despite the late hour.  The phone ringing just for her.  It was her special day no matter what she did, and she loved every minute.

It’s amazing how fast time goes by, feels like it was just summer and here comes Halloween!  Watching the leaves change, pulling out cozy sweaters and cute boots, I love the change of seasons.  Halloween costumes are consuming the conversations in our office as we figure out how to outfit our kids.  While we don’t have any Halloween themed belts, I often wonder if people incorporate our belt styles into their Halloween costumes.  Do you??  Perhaps with your rock star, princess, fire fighter, dinosaur, or handy fix-it guy?  If so, we would love to see pictures on our Facebook page.  Stay tuned this week for a Halloween Facebook Contest!

Good luck with your costumes!

We are so excited to be able to offer custom monogrammed belts for schools.  Belts can be monogrammed with school logos or school names and are a great addition to school uniforms!  School organizations can sell them at their school stores or can do a school fundraiser.  Check out these belts that were ordered by schools in North Carolina and Louisiana.   We also offer a discount for bulk ordering!

Summer always surprises me.  I know it’s coming and the school year is winding down, but I can never quite believe it.  Then, before I can blink, it’s here and catches me off guard.  I usually have mixed feelings as I am a fan of structure, especially for my kids.  As they grow up, however, I am trying to welcome summer a bit more and enjoy their excitement at the freedom that summer brings.  The slower pace, change of activities, fun sounds of splashing in pools, perhaps a few more minutes of sleep in the morning.  Unreal that another year has gone by!

Our new Spring styles have arrived!  We are excited to finally have the new Butterfly Belt and Tool Belt in stock.  It takes a lot of planning to create our new styles, and we love getting the finished product and seeing how customers react.  We have had a great response to these new styles so far so please check them out!

What an exciting week!  Myself Belts are featured in Us Weekly in their Buzzz-o-Meter section which features celebrity favorites that have Buzz!  This is such a fun thrill as we may have been known to peruse such publications on occasion…

The section mentions Myself Belts’ celebrity fans such as Madonna’s daughter Mercy and Coco Arquette.   We also recently received notes from Denise Richards and Tori Spelling with their praise for Myself Belts!

Check out the new issue with Miley Cyrus and her Dad on the cover!

Myself Belts featured in Us Weekly

We had so much fun in New York City last week seeing current stores that offer Myself Belts and meeting new ones!  Lots of traffic, and many new stores opening…a good sign for the economy!  Here is a photo of our booth! 

Is there a boutique in your area that should be selling Myself Belts?  Email us the name of your favorite store at sales@myselfbelts.com!

We are so proud of Myself Belts founder Talia Goldfarb for being selected to serve on the panel of the 2011 women’s conference panel which is being held today in St. Louis!   Way to go, Talia!!

It’s time for our annual photo contest- hurray!! For a chance to win a Myself Belt of your choice, email a photo of your child wearing a Myself Belt to customerservice@myselfbelts.com or post on our facebook page!  On 1/31, we will randomly pick a winner! We can’t wait to see your adorable kids proudly wearing their Myself Belts!! Images emailed may be used for marketing purposes on our website and facebook page.