12 Days of Local Gift Giving Day 1

Welcome to our 2014 gift giving guide! We are proud to be presenting our followers with an amazing array of unique and creative gift ideas for the little ones in your lives.  

Many times family members want to give but parents don't know what to put on their child's lists!  We have experiences, unique gift ideas, shopping locations and more that make great ways to get the best and most memorable gifts for the kiddos you love! 

 

The most adorable little bookshop around! This cozy spot is fun and warm to visit, it feels just like home and you will always feel welcome to browse and shop.  Their selection is excellent and the owner is always willing to place a special order if you don't see what you are looking for. If you are planning to buy books this season please consider shopping here and supporting this wonderful locally owned business. 

Amazing Small Business Saturday Specials with Let's Play Books are here! See what they are offering for local families and shop local.  They don't just have books either! Find games, Cd's puzzles, stuffed storybook friends, gift cards and more!

$5 off Annual Membership - entitles you to year round discounts! 

15% off all middle grade and YA hard cover novels

Spend $100, receive a $10 gift card

Spend $150, receive a $10 gift card AND a complementary copy of Have You Seen My Dragon? by Steve Light - our favorite read aloud book of the year. - while supplies last. 

Holiday Activities in the Lehigh Valley 2014

Holiday Activities in the Lehigh Valley

lehighvalley.findandgoseek.net has your kid friendly guide to holiday fun in the Lehigh Valley! 

Photos with Santa, click here for a full list

Looking for a great place to see the big guy with your kids this year? We have a great list of places where you can get you child's photo with Santa! Even find a breakfast with Santa event that you'd love! Don't miss our special winter fun calendar on the right side of the page for daily or single events!

Lehigh Valley Christmas Tree Farms 
Use our blog archive to link to our "We're Going on A Tree Hunt" Post and read about out visit to Beck Yule Farm last season to find our tree. Check out our full list of Lehigh Valley Christmas Tree Farms and find a great place to have your own little tree hunting adventure. 

Lehigh Valley Holiday Events and Activities
Click the link for a full list of local events and ongoing activities for your familly this year! These awesome local events are memorable and have become family traditions for many Lehigh Valley residents. Find a complete list of local events, activities going on !

Winter Festivals 

Coming soon! a Holiday gift guide for families in the Lehigh Valley! Also check back in mid December for our New Year's Eve guide!

Thank YOU!

We at Lehigh Valley Find & Go Seek want to thank you for supporting our website and appreciate you joining us in our first year of operation and look forward to you staying with us as we jump into our 3nd year of bringing the best of family friendly fun to Lehigh Valley families. 

Clips and Cuts and Pixie Dust

Haircuts are not a favorite activity in our household.  With two girls we've avoided them for a long time ( for 4 years + with Chickadee #1 ) given that their long hair has always been manageable and cute (in my opinion) it was never much of an issue.  Additionally I've never really found a local spot that fit the bill for kids haircuts. I was thrilled to learn about Spike and Pixie, located in Stewartsville, NJ.  Just outside Phillipsburg, NJ the drive was only about 25 minutes from Allentown. After realizing the trip wasn't much further than other local options  we made an appointment and went for a visit. Here is what happened.

Our kids were excited when we arrived. Which is kind of surprising because our older one (who's only had one haircut previously) have never really expressed excitement over the idea.  

What kid wouldn't be excited to walk in and see this! Their car seats are the perfect place for little ones to sit while they get their hair trimmed. Each of their three "chairs" have mounted flat screen TV's in front of them making busy little heads much easier to keep still!







For older kids they have larger chairs with video game consoles and TV's mounted in front of each seat.

Chickadee #2 went first and with minor hesitations jumped right into her "ride" and sat beautifully while her hair was cut and styled.  She loved getting to watch a show and was very excited to drive her car.  This was her first haircut and she did great! I credit that to how patient the staff at Spike and Pixie was and to all of their kid friendly entertainment.

Her successful cut was promptly followed up by picking a special treat! 

 Chickdee #1 went next after having her nails painted, after convincing her to wash her hair she happily climbed up into the mini cooper and enjoyed watching a movie while Heather clipped away.

Heather curled and dried her hair which she loved and was very proud of it the rest of the day!

I was thrilled with our experience at Spike and Pixie.  I felt that the setting was perfect for our family.  It was not overly girly making it a great option for families with little boys as well.  The staff was patient and clearly experienced with kids and all of the little extras (styling, painting nails, hair glitter, etc.)  they threw in were included in the cost of the cut (no nickle and diming here!). Most importantly Spike and Pixie is a locally owned, mom run business!  Supporting local businesses is good for our community and feels good. Please consider making an appointment at Spike and Pixie next time your children (or you!) need a haircut. 

Price List: 

Boys haircuts $17

Girls haircuts $20

Baby's 1st haircut package $25

Girls' Updos  $30 and up

Braids $12 and up

Bangs $8

Thanks so much to Spike and Pixie! We love our new haircuts!

Love, Chickadee #1 and Chickadee #2

To find more great information about local kid friendly places and events visit our full website at

Www.lehighvalley.findandgoseek.net 

Trick or Treat fun! and the Teal Pumpkin Project

Most areas in the Lehigh Valley will be hosting their trick or treat nights (and days) in the coming week.  With tons of family fall fun in the Lehigh Valley available this weekend the options are endless and children could literally trick or treat for hours on Saturday with all of the events going on.

See our full list of trick or treat dates and times here !

I have noticed this great symbol being promoted by  FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education). Consider posting this sign (printable) or placing a teal painted pumpkin (pictured below, and super pretty if you ask me!) at your door to let families trick or treating in your neighborhood that you have alternative treats for kids.  Stickers, pencils, temporary tattoos, halloween themed straws, playdoh and more are great alternative to food for kids with allergies.

 

#TealPumpkinProject

 Read more about this movement that is making trick or treating safer for kids all over the country here at Foodallergy.org

Happy Trick or Treating and remember to stay safe!

Lehigh Valley Fall Fun Guide

Looking for fall fun in the Lehigh Valley? We have Lehigh Valley Tick or Treat dates. We have A Fall festival guide and a full list of Lehigh Valley Halloween Parades

 

Click here for a full list of local indoor and community trick or treat events in the Lehigh Valley

Click here for a full list of 2014 Fall Festivals taking place this October in the Lehigh Valley

A full List of 2014 Lehigh Valley Halloween Parades 

Don't forget to check back to LVFGS to post a review for your fall fun experience! 

We are Jammin!

We have girly girls in our house and they LOVE to have their nails painted. I've been selective about what polishes can go in their fingers though because we still have lots of hands and thumbs in our months at ages 2 and 4.  Most polishes have harsh ingredients that are not great for kiddos, so I recently discovered Jamberry nails a few months ago and love them for myself and my kids for a few reasons.

• Jamberry nails last much longer than nail polish (especially the safer polishes designed for kids)
• There are no harsh chemicals, toxins or fumes
• They are gluten free and vegan! 
• There is no drying time needed!

I've used these on myself a few times now and really like them they last 2+ weeks on my hands and nearly 6 weeks on toes! Mommas can enjoy over 200 colors and patterns with this great product and enjoy all of the above features too. 

I've documented my first try at using a set on my daughter below.  I've listed a few tips and tricks and of course some photos to enjoy! if you are interested in checking out these for yourself or your children click here to order a set and try them!

The Supplies! If you haven't seen these in person before, they basically look like "nail" shaped stickers.

Our supplies included. 

1 Nail Scissors

Rubbing alcohol

Cotton squares

Nail polish remover (to remove remnants of the last mani) 

Our Jamberry Wraps 

This is one of their Mommy and Me sets - so that you can have matching/coordinating nails with your daughter! 

Full instructions on how to apply can be found here 

Measure your wrap and swab with rubbing alcohol to remove any oils.

Heat wrap while holding in front of a hair dryer (caution to keep children away from heat!)

Apply

Heat (using hair dryer to gently warm)  and press onto nail

Done! 

Here is a sample of some of the great color choices moms and daughters have to choose from! 

Thanks to Stephanie Vasiliadis our local Jamberry Consultant who provided us with these sets to try!

Follow any and all safety instructions as noted by the Jamberry company in the above linked application instructions.