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I just made a loan to someone in the developing world using a revolutionary new website called Kiva (www.kiva.org).

You can go to Kiva’s website and lend to someone in the developing world who needs a loan for their business – like raising goats, selling vegetables at market or making bricks.  Each loan has a picture of the entrepreneur, a description of their business and how they plan to use the loan so you know exactly how your money is being spent – and you get updates letting you know how the entrepreneur is going.

The best part is, when the entrepreneur pays back their loan you get your money back – and Kiva’s loans are managed by microfinance institutions on the ground who have a lot of experience doing this, so you can trust that your money is being handled responsibly.

I just made a loan to an entrepreneur named Katti Olga in Peru.  They still need another $400.00 to complete their loan request of $475.00 (you can loan as little as $25.00!).  Help me get this entrepreneur off the ground by clicking on the link below to make a loan to Katti Olga too:

http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=95570

It’s finally easy to actually do something about poverty – using Kiva I know exactly who my money is loaned to and what they’re using it for.  And most of all, I know that I’m helping them build a
sustainable business that will provide income to feed, clothe, house and educate their family long after my loan is paid back.

Join me in changing the world – one loan at a time.

Thanks!

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What others are saying about www.Kiva.org:

‘Revolutionising how donors and lenders in the US are connecting with small entrepreneurs in developing countries.’
– BBC

‘If you’ve got 25 bucks, a PC and a PayPal account, you’ve now got the wherewithal to be an international financier.’
– CNN Money

‘Smaller investors can make loans of as little as $25 to specific individual entrepreneurs through a service launched last fall by Kiva.org.’
– The Wall Street Journal

‘An inexpensive feel-good investment opportunity…All loaned funds go directly to the applicants, and most loans are repaid in full.’
– Entrepreneur Magazine

PerryWinkles Kids has just launched its new collection of little girls’ smocked dresses and we are very excited about it.  The new collection is full of lively, girly and adorable new creations that are perfect for every little girl’s special occasions this Spring and Summer.  And as always, all of our little girls’ dresses are hand-smocked and made of 100% high quality pima cotton, which makes them machine-washable.

Choose from some of our new floral cotton print dresses, like the Alesia or the Rose dress.  Or if you like the classic styles more, you will love the pique cotton Tatiana dresses and the gorgeous Linda collection.  Pair up one of our beautiful dresses with one of our new for an even more polished look.  Our smocked dresses are perfect for special occasions like weddings, anniversary parties, birthday parties, religious events, or when you want your little girl to look a little bit more dressy in an age-appropriate outfit.  We have styles for little girls from newborn to toddlers to size 6.  All our dresses up to size 12months/1T come with matching bloomers.

As always, enjoy free shipping on orders over $150.  All our orders ship within 24 hours.

Maria

PerryWinkles Kids – fine little girl smocked dresses

After sharing over 10 Valentine’s Days together, my husband and I have come to the practical, albeit very unromantic, decision that Valentine’s Day should be a celebration that includes our children.  We’ve come to the conclusion that Valentine’s Day is a highly overrated holiday, when trying to make dinner reservations at our favourite spots is next to impossible, as is finding a babysitter. And after all, it is our kids who look the most forward to this funny ‘holiday’ – probably because it is hyped up too much at school and on television.  But whatever the reason, our two young daughters really look forward to Valentine’s Day…..they prepare their valentines for their friends, enjoy the parties at school and look forward to the surprise they might find on the kitchen table the morning of Valentine’s Day from me (this year it consisted of valentines-themed board books and chocolates, and in other years it has included balloons or Valentine’s Day-themed cupcakes).  And tonight, for the first time since I’ve known my husband, our dinner plans will not involve just the two of us, but will include our two little girls.

It is not that we do not enjoy each other’s company – we will just enjoy quiet dinners out on other occasions but Valentine’s Day.  So tonight we have thought up a fun kid-friendly menu.  It will consist of a fabulous meal where we each grill our own pieces of meat on a special ‘hot rock’ and for dessert we will make chocolate fondue, with strawberries, pineapple and bananas for dipping on melted chocolate.  We are all just so thrilled about our meal, we can’t wait to spend tonight together as a family.  And we hope that this Valentine’s Day will be the first of a new family tradition (interestingly enough this year Valentine’s Day weekend falls on the same weekend as the newly-introduced Family Day Weekend in Canada).
Maria

PerryWinkles Kids – fine girls’ smocked dresses

It is amazing how much knowledge children can absorb from their surroundings.  I know that my children will probably know a lot more about computers than me in a few years as a more digital world surrounds them.  But I have found it very refreshing to find that my two young daughters are teaching me to be more ‘green’.  From shutting the lights behind me when I leave a room, to closing the tap when I’m not using the water, to just name a few things, my kids are making me even more aware of the need to conserve energy and care for our planet.

We try to be environmentally conscious at home, trying to recycle as much as we can in the kitchen and just in general around the home, to trying to walk whenever we can instead of using our car (we are lucky we have all the conveniences we need, including my children’s school, very close by).  But it is so encouraging, for the health of our planet, to see that the youngest generations are adopting a ‘greener’ way of life in strides.  A lot of the credit I must say goes to my daughters’  school teachers, as our young kids are being encouraged to adopt a ‘green’ way of life by their teachers at school, without the kids even realizing they are learning.  Bottled water is a big no nowadays, their schools also don’t waste any paper anymore and they are encouraged to bring no-waste snacks (only recyclables and reusable containers).  They also hold an Environment Week when all the school’s lights are either turned off or dimmed.  And it is great to see that these little people are absorbing all this knowledge and actually making it just a way of life.  It is definitely encouraging for the health of our planet in the years to come.

Maria

PerryWinkles Kids – fine girls’ smocked dresses

My 5-year old daughter has suddenly become very interested in collecting money as she just discovered that those little coins can actually buy her toys.  This interest has been sparked I think by the fact that her Kindergarten class is learning about money and coins, and that her best friend is already receiving an allowance.  So far though her only way to ‘make money’ is to collect all the change she can find in my wallet and my purse, as she still does not receive an allowance.  All this has made me think though that this might be a good time to start giving my little girl an allowance, in return for doing small chores around the house.  I think this might bring home the idea of the value of money to some extent.So, my husband and I have decided to give her $2.50 each week – half her age.  My daughter will in return have to make her bed in the morning (i.e. pull her duvet cover over her bed), take her empty plate to the sink when she is done dinner and allow me to comb her hair every morning without crying (this is a big win for me!).  She will then put her coins into her piggy bank and at the end of the month she might be able to buy one of her favourite stuffed animals.  My daughter is very excited about this, but I would not have done it any earlier.  We saw the interest in her and that was the best signal to tell us that she was ready to understand this concept.  I had read that somewhere between 5 and 6 was about the right age to start teaching children about the value of money and start giving them an allowance – and in my daughter’s case it has happened right on queue.  Now let’s see if I can get her to stop taking all the change out of my wallet!

Maria

PerryWinkles Kids – girls’ fine smocked dresses

Today is the last day of our Winter Sale – where you can enjoy 20% off everything in our store.  You can find great deals on hand-smocked dresses for little girls and baby girls.  We still have some styles left for the colder months, but you can also get great deals on Spring and Summer dresses.

And stay tuned for the launch of our Spring & Summer 09 Collection of smocked dresses and cardigans, coming in early February.

Maria

PerryWinkles Kids – fine girls’ smocked dresses

I’m not bragging….I am just truly amazed at my 5-year old little girl…and I’m sure most 5-year olds are showing the same ability.  She is learning to read.  5 seems young, just because she still seems like a tiny person and I guess I can’t remember when I learned to read, but I always pictured this to be later in life.

My eldest daughter is in Senior Kindergarten (at an amazing little school in Toronto) and I am just truly amazed at the progress she has made from September to here.  She is a late October baby so she is the youngest in her class (literally this year actually).  Back in September, all she could recognize from the alphabet was pretty much the letter ‘K’ (the first letter in her name, Keira), M for mom, D for dad and S for Sara (her little sister).  Only 4 months later, she is able to recognize pretty much every letter in the alphabet – she can read them and write them.  And she can read basic children’s books – even though these only have one sentence per page and the words are pretty basic, they are books.  But the best part I think is that she’s starting to recognize words on the street, on the newspaper and on food items that we have at home.  She is amazed herself that she can do this I think and it’s changing her surroundings.

Learning to read – it seems like such a trivial thing as an adult, as we just take it for granted, but seeing the process in a child makes me realize how a truly amazing feat it is…but more importantly, how amazing and sponge-like little kids are.

Maria

PerryWinkles Kids – fine smocked dresses for little girls

It’s that time of year again – the time when it seems like my family and I are constantly battling against all kinds of flus, colds and viruses….it seems like it’s us against all of them every week!  Ever since the beginning of November, someone in my household has had some sort of cold or flu, including this weekend – I battled a stomach flu yesterday and my husband was hit with it today.  We consider ourselves a pretty fit and healthy household – we try to eat healthy, gets lots of sleep and exercise on a very regular basis.  But it seems like every time November hits, no matter how ‘ready’ we think we are to battle all these flus and colds, we get hit.

I have two young daughters, 2 and 5, who go to school and spend most of their day with other small children.  I am sure their schools are the source of most of our ailings, but I also know there is nothing I can do about this.  We try to boost up the vitamin C intakes during the colder (i.e. closed windows) months, we try to make it an even stronger point of washing our hands constantly….but still, we are hit!  I never used to get sick before I had kids…it seems like the flus and viruses that roam in children’s environments are just stronger and are here to get us all.  And of course, are bodies are already worn down from all the running around that comes with the holidays, not to mention the stress that the stock and housing market weaknesses have brought.  So I think we are just easy targets at this time of year…and these viruses are relentless!!  So after another weekend of chicken soup, I’m hoping that we can finally shake off these ailments and enjoy some winter fun…after all, I would think by now we’ve built up our immune system against some of the strains of flus this season!

Maria

PerryWinkles Kids – fine girls’ smocked dresses

Just in time to get that perfect holiday or vacation outfit for your little princess, PerryWinkles Kids is offering 10% off everything in stock until December 15th.  Take advantage of this great sale!  All of our Spring/Summer hand-smocked baby and little girls’ dresses and Fall/Winter outfits are on sale, from our gorgeous and very popular Daniela Sleeveless Flower Print Dress to the ever-so-useful corduroy jumpers and viyella shirt.

Also, be sure to sign up for our email alerts so you don’t miss the unveiling of our new Spring/Summer collection, coming in February.  Our new hand-smocked designs are gorgeous and go from very fancy to everyday wear, in stunning cotton fabrics and as always, made with the utmost craftsmanship.  As always, at PerryWinkles Kids we provide you with a high quality product and the utmost customer service.
Maria

PerryWinkles Kids – fine girls’ smocked dresses

Come and do some hoilday shopping at Bialik Boutique Market in Toronto this Monday.  The 7th Annual Boutique Market at Bialik Hebrew Day School will take place on December 1st, between 2-8pm. Shop from over 60 vendors, this is the largest school Boutique event in Toronto. With over 60 artists, vendors and craftspeople showcasing unique giftware, housewares, clothing art & more, you won’t leave empty handed. PerryWinkles Kids, fine girls’ smocked dresses, will be there with our current collection of Fall and Holiday smocked dresses for little girls, along with our Spring and Summer dresses and cotton cardigans.  Food & Refreshments available for sale at the Market Cafe.  Bialik Hebrew Day School, 2760 Bathurst St., Toronto.

Maria

PerryWinkles Kids – fine children’s clothing