Favorite Way To Fix the Travel DVD Dilemma!

Ok Moms ~ New "Stylish" way to fix the DVD Travel Dilemma! Favorite Product ~ Carolina Pad & Paper Co's JACKIE Laptop Case and Whimsical Flower Binder! (www.jackiemcfee.com) See photos (and read further) to check out a fabulous way to travel with your kids' DVD player AND their DVD's in one super cool case / binder any girl (young, tween AND teen) would be excited to carry around!

The Problem? How many of you are tired of asking your kids to bring their favorite DVDs in the car for a road trip only to find AFTER you are on the road that half of the cases they brought didn't contain an actual DVD? The problem is that the way DVD cases are designed, we have to actually OPEN the case to see if our kids put the DVD back where it beloged after the last time we viewed it. With my kids, the chances of this happening are slim to never.

Our other travel DVD issue is that our family has an 8 year old, 5 year old, & a toddler. My 8 year old can not be subjected to toddler appropriate shows for an 8 hour road trip to grandma's. The only solution was to lend her my portable DVD player to use in the back seat so she can watch "Mary Kate & Ashley" instead of our beloved purple dinosaur friend.

The Solution? A fashionable way for my 8 year old to travel with BOTH her favorite DVD's and the DVD player in ONE portable solution!

How'd We Do It?
1. Purchased the JACKIE (www.jackiemcfee.com) Laptop Case (with handles AND a detachable shoulder strap) at Wal-Mart for $19.99 + tax. (you can also shop Caroina Pad online at www.carolinapad.com where they currently have FREE shipping on orders of $30 or more!)

2. Purchased the JACKIE Accessories case in coordinating pattern to keep the cords contained in the laptop case (optional as the case does have a pocket for the laptop case & a separate section where you can store the cords.)

3. Purchased the Whimsical Flower 3 ring binder in matching color scheme for $4 at Wal-Mart.

4. Purchased Office Max Brand 3-hole punched clear CD / DVD sleeves.

5. Had my daughter select her favorite DVD's that she wants to keep for "travel" purposes and she put them in the sleeves.

6. Put DVD Cord, DVD Player, & New DVD Binder in the laptop case for easy travel!

The Result?
A Fabulous Way to have DVD's ready for "on the go!"
No more headache when it comes to "missing" DVDs because we have eliminated the DVD cases - less bulk too!
No more "where's my DVD cord!" when we arrive at Grandma's!
Less headache ~ Easier Travel ~ Economical Solution!

The "Bedtime Boogie" .... Seriously???

Mommy "Data" Tip of the day ~ Be Sure to Document your "Bedtime Routine."

The Bedtime Boogie...Seriously?! Ok ~ It may not seem like a normal bedtime routine, but it happens to work for my 2 year old ... the "Mo-Nado... aka ... Molly Tornado."

To get her ready for bed, we turn on the music and have a little "bogie time" in our PJs before bed (see photo). My babysitters used to hink I was crazy .... who in their right mind would get a toddler "all excited" and "revved up" right before putting them to bed? It just happens to work, I would tell them .... and when I would get home and they had tried it for themselves, they definitely agreed! "Molly LOVES her bedtime boogie routine," they would say.

Why am I sharing this random piece of wisdom with you? Because it is so very important to document your children's bedtime routine for your sitters, caregivers, and even the occasionally forgetful husband. Children need and expect their same routine each and every night ... no matter how silly it is to the outside observer.

The Purple Martin & Co. has a wonderful way to document your nightly routine that makes putting your children to bed seamless and easy for any caregiver!

Let's face it, if we can't be there in person .... we want our kids to feel secure in the routine that we have so carefully laid out for them.

If we can help you by putting together a customized family handbook (including your nightly routine), please give us a call. We would love to help! (704) 724-9108 OR email: thepurplemartin@bellsouth.n et.

The Elegantly Stylish, Organized Bride

We are excited to launch our 2nd NEW Product!




Our Customized Bridal Organization Handbook!

This new product is perfect for helping Brides through the exciting process of planning the wedding of their dreams!

With an index that is completely customized to her wedding style (see photos) & paper you select just for her (or she selects herself), she can't help but be stylishly "on task" every step of the way.

Price ~ $65.00 Plus Shipping & Handling

Sample Photo Shown includes the following:Customized, Monogrammed Cover, Spine & Back
High Quality 3 Ring Binder in coordinating Lime
Customized Index (laminated for durability)
Customized, Monogrammed zipper pouch for storing pens, business cards etc.
20 Customized Tabs labeled to suit her wedding plan
25 Plastic Sheet Protectors for storing (and protecting) ideas, magazine clippings, brochures etc.
Plastic Photo Sheet Protectors for holding up to 12 4x6 Photographs

My New Favorite Organizing Find! The 19-Pocket Expanding File by Carolina Pad. Yesterday, during my crazy Wal-Mart run (see previous note for a big laugh) we were dashing down the school supply aisle and came across this extremely practical and stylish product! (see photo album for additional product views).

Our Problem?
Too many pieces of "special artwork" and writings from the 1st and 2nd Grade. We needed to make room for special art & papers for the upcoming 3rd grade year.

The Solution?
I put my rising 3rd grader in charge of deciding "trash from treasure" (with some basic guidelines to follow). I let her use my label maker and the new (super cool ~ in her words) expanding file folder she picked out at Wal-Mart. She had a blast separating her special artwork from random doodles that she said could now make their way to the trash can.

She labeled the expanding files as follows:
1. 2nd Grade Books That I Wrote
2. 2nd Grade School art
3. 2nd Grade School Journals (she loves to write)
4. My Art (as in random stuff she still can't part with)
5. Spanish
6. 3rd Grade!

We still have 13 files to fill! I love this product for function, practicality and style!

Mom Tips
* Involve your kids in separating their artwork & special papers. You will have as much fun looking at their past years' accomplishments as they do. It is a great rainy day summer activity!

* Use an expanding file folder with plenty of file space to make room for next years' art & special papers. We had to fold some of our artwork to have it fit in the files. We didn't mind because if it is too special to "fold" we generally have it framed and hang it on the wall.

Product We Liked
We purchased the Hot Chocolate 19-Pocket Expanding File from Wal-Mart for $14.99 (plus tax).

Mamma Said There'd Be Days Like This ....

Hello Purple Martin & Co. Friends!

When I started this page I promised myself I wouldn't go off topic (i.e. blog about anything BUT the business & services I offer). However, today was just one of those days that humbles us as parents. Sharing experiences such as this just makes us more human and hopefully telling you all about it will bring a BIG smile to your faces & remind you that even those who HOPE to be organized still have the most CHAOTIC of days.

Hi-Lights:
* Toddler screamed entire way home from Atlanta to Charlotte yesterday (3 out of 4 hours!)
* I woke Up this morning with POST TRAVEL STRESS headache ... aka Toddler Screaming Syndrome
* Same toddler threw breakfast EVERYWHERE this morning and preferred to eat it OFF the floor despite my attempt to prevent her from doing so ....
* Survived the toddler nap ~ only to fall asleep myself ~ and then awawakened 15 minutes into my own peacefull nap by said SCREAMING toddler
* Took older children (ages 5 & 8) to Dollar Tree ~ only to be kicked OUT by manager because of said toddlers behavior .... the manager even said " you shold be ashamed of yourself .... " ughhhhh I was seriously trying to control her.
* I failed the "SMART mommy" test by forgetting to just GO HOME .... and instead took kids to Wal-Mart after being kicked out of the Dollar Tree because we needed bread, milk & eggs.
* Went hunting for strawberries in Wal Mart while big kids decided that wrestling a watermelon was a better idea!
* Said watermelon ended up "exploding" iin the aisle from a wrestling match between a 5 year old & an 8 year old ... lovely.
* Made BIG kids apologize to the cashier only to have her say how cute they were .... am I awful for secretely wanting her to ask them to pay for the watermelon out of their allowance?

I am exhausted :-) Those of you with kids, hang in there and take heart that these days are hopefully rare and bring us humor instead of angst. They do grow up TOO fast ... as a kind man in the Wal-Mart school supply aisle reminded me.

As Erin, the cashier who showed my big kids such grace in accepting their apolgy today, said .... "Parenting is a full time job, but SO rewarding."

My Charlie (age 5) just begged me to watch a movie with him. I am signing off to watch "Garfield ... again." A great way to end the day :-)

Signing off ... I am so thankful for tomorrow! All the Best .... The Purple Martin & Co. (i.e. Lori, Emma, Charlie & Molly ... aka the "MO-Nado")

Favorite Vendors!

Paper Source is my ABSOLUTE favorite paper resource for The Purple Martin & Co. products. Not only do they offer gorgeous handcrafted paper from exotic destinations such as Japan, India & Europe, but they offer exceptional service!

If you live in Charlotte, NC, be sure to visit Paper Source located in Phillips Place Shopping Center. My clients work with the help of store managers Wendy & Kristine to create the perfect look for their custom handbooks! These ladies are wonderful to work with and can direct you to paper patterns that will work best with your vision for your handbook.



Hats off (literally!) to Queensboro Shirt Company based in Wilmington, NC. Queensboro is our vendor of choice for ALL of The Purple Martin & Co's custom embroidered needs. Responsible for the beautiful hats that we sell to benefit our philanthropy, "The Relatives," Queensboro has HIGH quality products at wonderful prices! In addition to providing us with beautiful hats, The Queensboro Shirt Company graciously offered us preferred customer pricing so that we could increase our donation from each hat sold to "The Relatives." Thank you Queensboro!

Beautiful Vacation Home Handbooks

The Purple Martin & Co. is excited to showcase a new product, beautiful vacation home handbooks! The photo to the left is a recently completed customized handbook for a family vacation home on Bald Head Island.

By working with the client remotely (via email & fax) The Purple Martin & Co. created a completely customized look that would make any vacation homeowner proud to display on a counter top or coffee table.

How does this process work?

The homeowner provided the personal details for the handbook including:
A Welcome Letter to guests
Personal Contact Information
Instructions for opening and closing the home
Instructions for cleaning & utilizing the pool & hot tub
An inventory of personal items (appliances etc.)
A list of island service providers they use (exterminators, HVAC repair, appliance repair, etc.)

The Purple Martin & Co. added other publicly available information to make the vacation home binder truly complete:
EMS Information
Closest Hospital Information
Local Attractions & Places of Interest
Restaurants & Places to Shop
Weather Websites
Ferry Instructions
Conservancy & Club Activities

The selection of beautiful paper adds the perfect finishing touch to this vacation home handbook. This paper was hand selected by the client from my favorite paper company, Paper Source (www.paper-source.com). If you live in Charlotte, NC, you can visit PaperSource in Phillips Place (704.552.2200). Managers Wendy & Kristine are wonderful to work with and work closely with The Purple Martin & Co's clients to help you hand select the paper that best suits your vision for your handbook look!

Contact The Purple Martin & Co. today to customize your family's vacation home handbook!

Phone (704) 442-0862
Email thepurplemartin@bellsouth.net
Fax (704) 973-0879