
Friday, July 31, 2009
This Week's Faves

Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Behind the Scenes at our Fall Shoot


Carley cracks up.
Give a child a cape and their imagination goes wild!
Wednesday - Deal of the Day - Expired


Was $26.00 - Now only $7.00
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Staff Profile: Ashley

- I consider Oliver, my King Charles Spaniel, to be my “fourth” child.
- I am a magazineaholic! I love to read Real Simple and O magazines.
- My favorite dessert is peanut butter ice cream with M&Ms on top.
Staff Recommendations

Monday, July 27, 2009
July Is National Ice Cream Month!

Friday, July 24, 2009
This Week's Faves

Tracy: I don't normally do this, but after I saw Ashley's link for the week, I have to pitch our own website! I just cannot help myself because we are carrying a really fun line this year. Check out our Ed Hardy backpacks. They will surely get your kids excited to head back to class!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Meet Quade!

This adorable 4-year-old won our hearts immediately and made it on the cover of our second fall catalog with his hilarious expression! He thought this dinosaur tee was so cool; he grabbed its teeth and said "Roar!" Quade was also super excited to wear our "Big Brother Tee" as he recently became one. Quade is a big fan of "Finding Nemo."
Want what Quade is wearing?
Click here to shop our Howdy Tee.
Click here to shop our Big Brother Tee.
Click here to shop our Bulldozer Tee.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Must Have for Fall: Think Pink!

Take a look at this adorable outfit and you will see what you have to look forward to: lots of hot pink and stripes! This fall, one of our favorite brands, Mulberribush, has designed this outfit. You can dress it up or down, change the shirt, change the tights or headband. This will definitely be your child’s favorite outfit! Click here to find out more about this must-have for fall.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Staff Profile - Mary Martha

As is expected with a first grandchild, she is using her vacation time to travel to Georgia. Her grandson is on the verge of walking... it is amazing how much happens in a short period of time! She is so glad he can wear our infant clothes now (even if her pocketbook is not) She says that he is "cute as a button" and we agree. Check out the photo she has shared with us.
Staff Profile #16 - Mary Martha (with CWDkids since 1997) Word of mouth...it is definitely the best advertising! Not only does most of our store traffic come from friends telling friends about us, it also helped me land a job with CWDkids! I had worked for a small specialty store for 12 years when I heard from a friend that CWDkids was looking for a manager for their new Gayton Crossing Outlet store in Richmond, VA. She had heard about the opening from a friend of hers that worked for CWDkids...sounds like a case of telephone, but luckily nothing was lost in translation and I was the lucky person to be hired for the position.
I have been managing our Gayton Crossing Outlet since 1997 and through the years have added several additional responsibilities to my plate. I am the District Manager for our three Richmond retail locations, I purchase non-catalog merchandise for the stores, I am the official event planner for company outings and activities, and many other little (but important) duties.
Plan, plan, plan is my motto... I can't stop event planning with work parties so in my spare time, I also plan birthday parties and weddings. When I do not have anything else on the calendar, I make diaper cakes for friends and to sell. I also plan outings for a group of girls (we call ourselves YAYAs) about once a month. We have done everything from river fishing trips and week long beach vacations to cookouts and movie nights! Over my 20 some years in the children's retail field, I have collected outfits, both boy and girl in all sizes, to add to my "HOPE CLOSET" in anticipation of having a grandchild someday. This past August 10th that closet was raided for my first grandchild, Logan Andrew. Needless to say, my vacation time hence forth will be primarily used for visiting him in Georgia and my paycheck will be going back into the company as I now have someone to help dress.
Mary Martha's Tidbits:
- I love to fish... deep sea or bottom fishing, and would definitely like to learn to flyfish. I do not even mind cleaning and cooking them to eat.
- I am a chocoholic!
- I love to make something out of nothing... materially that is. Decorate everyday plastic cups to make them special for any occasion, make handmade note cards, decorate a simple tee shirt with old buttons, etc. My body sleeps, but my mind won't!
Friday, July 17, 2009
This Week's Faves

Thursday, July 16, 2009
How To Survive Your Summer Road Trip!

I have been looking all over to find the best way to pack our things and tips on how to entertain our kids on the long car rides that we will have from place to place. I found some ways to fight boredom on car trips on mommy’s idea book blog and on uptake.com. Take a look here and here to find great games and activities for your kids to do in the car. I know my children will particularly like hooking up the family mp3 player and playing “Name That Tune”! I am also going to use the “kids essentials check list for a road” put together by Real Simple.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Wednesday - Deal of the Day

Host A Summer Book Swap!
As our guest arrived, we arranged the books into categories: mommy beach reads, history, young girls’ fiction, children’s classics and so on. We had a great time recommending books to each other. It felt great to give some of my favorites away to friends and their children. We donated all of the unclaimed books to a local charity. It was a huge success!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Clothe That Kid: Part 4 - The Tween Zone

Your son or grandson now wants to wear tees with guitars, peace signs or sports instead of trucks, dinosaurs and planets. He may feel more “grown up” in Varsity Fleece Pants or Mesh Pants than cords or cargo pants. He may want to wear “what the other guys are wearing”. He is going to hit a major growth spurt, so let him wear what he wants. He’ll outgrow it before he wears it out! Buy elastic waist pants and shirts with athletic fits. Buy larger so you won’t be looking for long pants he’s outgrown when there’s nothing but shorts in the stores.

Your daughter or granddaughter wants to look “grown up”. She may come to you with fashion magazines and say “I want that!” She definitely wants to wear what all the girls are wearing! You can find outfits that both of you will agree upon. Brands such as Polo, Puma, Plum Pudding and Flowers by Zoe have that “fashion forward” look, however she will still look her age. For girls, this is a harder age to try to fit. Some girls will “shoot up” and thin out where others will not. Some may develop a “bust” which may make fitting tops difficult. Luckily, this season seems to feature the flowing style of the 70’s. This is great for all sizes. Fabric that is cotton/spandex blend will give extra stretch. My sizing advice would be to order a size larger than their age, remembering there are no 9, 11, or 13 in girls sizing until they hit the teen size range.
The best piece of advice I can give is just to relax and enjoy every moment of every stage of their childhood. Just remember, you’ll get to do it all over again when you become a grandparent!!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Tell Us Which New Pattern Is Your Favorite!

Sara's Prints gowns, ruffle pj sets and long johns are inherently flame resistant.
Our popular CWDkids brand pajamas have a snug fit for safety, but stretch for comfort.
Whichever your preference, we think your kids will be delighted with the themes and colorful prints.
Staff Profile - Sandra

My youngest daughter, Kate and I have been volunteering at the Children’s Museum of Richmond this year. Kate belongs to the Youth Advisory Council and we work some of the museum benefits together. I’m lucky; she’s 13 and still doesn’t mind having her mom around!
I still visit The Animal Rescue Site every day. Each visit provides a bowl of food to an animal in a shelter.
I have been contributing sizing advice on our blog. So far I’ve written about infants, toddler & 4-6x/7 sizes. Look for the last contribution tomorrow. It will be about “tween” sizing.
Sandra feels strongly about her work: "As a consumer, I want to be sure I get what I see in the catalog," she says. "If I don't think it looks right or isn't going to wear well, I speak up. It makes me happy when I catch a mistake, because it means it'll keep a child from being disappointed. Our guarantee says 100% satisfaction, and we really mean it."
Like the other loyal employees who have worked at CWDkids for many years, Sandra believes in the company and what it stands for. "I've never had a day I didn't want to go to work," Sandra says. "It's a family run business, and it truly is a family atmosphere."
Sandra and the rest of our team at CWDkids always strive to bring you the best quality merchandise from the best manufacturers for the best value.
Ten years have gone by since that profile was written, but not much has changed. I have added a few more job responsibilities to my plate including inventory management and buying for our retail stores. At home, I have added a couple of additional grandsons and have a granddaughter due this coming January! I still love coming to work though and plan to stick around for at least another ten years... check back in with me then!
Sandra’s Tidbits:
- I worked with Jim Klaus, our President, when he was just 16 years old. We would drive his grandfather’s Mercedes to Boulevard Deli for reubens. (Jim loved the pickles!)
- I am the youngest of three children of Mildred and Buck Crawley. My parents will celebrate their 62nd wedding anniversary this month!
- I am an animal lover. I visit the The Animal Rescue Site on a daily basis... it allows visitors to help animals by clicking a button to give food to an animal in a shelter at no cost.
Friday, July 10, 2009
This Week's Faves

Jim: Another thing sure to keep the kids occupied in the car is keeping a stock of good books! Check out the ones suggested by the N.Y. Times.
Ashley: We are almost half way through the summer and I am desperately looking for fun, different activities for my children that do NOT have to be plugged in! I just found some wonderful ideas on the Boomerang blog. You will find loads of ways to keep your family busy. You will even find a summer planner that you can print out to encourage your children to learn and still enjoy their summer vacation.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
What To Do When There Is Nothing To Do!
Eventually, they wandered off. A while later, I realized I had not heard from them in some time and started looking to see what they were up to and saw this! They were having a blast. I heard giggling and looked up to see their creation, a “secret” fort. My three kids had created a clubhouse and were having spy meetings and devising plans for hours.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Wednesday - Deal of the Day
Ahhh, Summer Camp!

To be able to sail, kayak, water ski... Okay, I must admit that I am a bit jealous.
To satiate my desire to go back to camp, my younger two children and I are on a mission… to watch all of the great summer camp movies that we can find.
Who does not love to watch the classic and new versions of The Parent Trap??
I found this great list of summer camp movies on Moviemom.com. I love this site. On it, you will find movie reviews written by parents. You can read about all of the latest movies and you can decide which movies are appropriate for your child to see. Let’s break out the popcorn!
What are your favorite summer kid movies? Comment and let us know!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Shhh... Insider's Tip!

Monday, July 6, 2009
Staff Profile - Mary

My son became a single father earlier this year and with five children this was no easy task. There were many decisions that had to be made. We concluded that moving in with my husband and I would be best. This is where I would like to brag about the companies we work for.. My son is an electrician for a family owned business, my husband is the facilities superintendent at a local up scale shopping center, and of course CWDkids is my home away from home.

These outstanding businesses understand the needs of family. They've allowed my son and I to tweak hours, and my husband to take a vacation day every Friday during the summer to fill our needs and that of my grandchildren. We feel so blessed and want to take this opportunity to say thank you and let others know just how special you are!
Staff Profile - Mary (with CWDkids since 1999)
I moved from My Old Kentucky Home to Richmond VA in 1989 and first worked in the retail trenches for the marketing department of an upscale mall. After many years on the front lines, I decided it was time for me to work behind the scenes.
I started working for CWDkids in 1999, which could not have been better timing, because I was a new grandmother. Now more than nine years later I have six awesome grandchildren. I’m sitting in grandparent heaven!
Here at our corporate office, I have a multifunction position. On the administrative side I process your mail orders and merchandise returns. I manage returned checks from mail orders and stores, maintain our stores email listings, prepare bank deposits, adjust totals on offsite warehouse merchandise transfers, answer phones and assist with various other things. As office manager I maintain inventory and buy supplies for our office and three stores. I communicate property problems to appropriate vendors. In our blog introduction you heard about our resident fish, well, I give them tender loving care everyday. CWDkids has been the perfect fit as it has complimented my home life.
I recently learned I will be taking on some new projects as well. Jim (the boss) gave me his fortune cookie the other day and the message was “You Love a Challenge”, hmmm…..you think that was a setup?
Mary’s Tidbits:
- My grandchildren give me life!!
- My Virginia husband of 10 years has been the most PATIENT man I’ve ever known.
- Coming from a humble background I appreciate all the finer things in life; my family, pets and friends.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Freedom from Shipping - This Weekend Only!

Friday, July 3, 2009
This Week's Faves!

Ashley: We constantly get positive feedback from customers for our selection of Made in the USA kids clothing. So we were very excited to see CWDkids mentioned in this article on MSN Money with tips on how to buy American!
Tracy: I ran across the Hotdogger Blog the other day and it gave me a good laugh. I am sure many of you will be grilling with your families this weekend. Check out the website with your kids. Who knows, maybe there is a weinermobile in your town now!
Kara: What would your celebration be without fireworks? Here is a link to some fun facts about the Guiness World Records for fireworks and a link to the largest firework display in case the kids don't make it up for the real thing. Happy 4th!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Packing My Bag...

OK, so I am packing my hospital bag in preparation of the big day! My due date is still 4 weeks away, but I'd rather have a few things ready because I know that I'll want my most comfy yoga pants and tank top and I can just picture my husband rummaging through my drawers without a clue as to which specific items I have requested!!
Here's a checklist I have been working from.
- Baby's "coming home" outfit. (From CWDkids of course!)
- Swaddle blankets
- Car seat
- Hospital registration forms
- Picture ID
- Comfortable and loose clothing for me
- Favorite music
- Favorite pillow
- Slippers or socks with treads
- Toiletries/Cosmetics/Lip Balm
- Camera!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Wednesday Deal of the Day! - EXPIRED

Today Only get adorable summer sleepwear for only $9.00* each!
Layered Short Sleeve Gown- Originally $34
Wednesday Deal - $9!
Sleeveless Ruffle Gown- Originally $34
Wednesday Deal - $9!
Polka Dot Pajama- Originally $29
Wednesday Deal - $9!
Polka Dot Gown - Originally $32
Wednesday Deal - $9!
*This offer expires 11:59 EST Wednesday July 1, 2009