2020 archive

Multi-Generational Pegeen Models

I am Irish or mostly of Irish heritage and so naturally, when I first started to create dresses for toddlers and infants (my line grew as this little toddler came into our family). In fact, my sister Nancy was responsible for me to even start my business back in 1982. Since then we have grown and so has this first little model.

Then one of my god daughters, had a baby just about 1 month ago and lo and behold, my sister in law found the dress same style, that I made for Kate when she was a preemie, and surprised me when her daughter, then 30 something years later, wore the same dress.

Irish Linen Handkerchief Linen Toddler Dress

So here is the proof that classic is always in and so is my favorite fabric to work with, or at least until I had to iron them, Irish Handkerchief linen imported from Ireland.

Irish Linen Handkerchief Linen Toddler Dress

My friend Alex who taught me to slow down

I have a very, very special customer, who has become very dear to us here at Pegeen.

She has such a warm and creative personality and holds a special place in my heart. Alexandra Caitlin Hubbard, who likes to be called Alex, asked me to make her a special dress that was wide enough to cover her chair and wanted to wear it to see The Nutcracker.

This is the post I wrote about my friend: Since then, Alex has been attending college, has dreams of becoming a pediatric nurse or doctor, or to help others like so many have helped her. She also loves it when you read her blog posts and I try to answer her writings (she is quite good describing what it is like to be in her shoes.)

Alex changed my life. She once sent me a video where the male lead from The Nutcracker picked her up and danced with her so she could feel what it was like to dance. I cherish that video to this day.

When she got her dress, she describes the blue as the most beautiful color of the sky. Last night I was excited as she to have the package arrive at her door and have someone help her get into her dress so she could send me this photograph.

Then, I started to read her blog. It is the most remarkable insight into what it is like to live in her world and describes the friends she meets along the way. I am sure that you would love to read her Facebook posts the way I did. Keep up your writing Raina/Alex! All of us loved seeing you in your dress! I wish I could write such wonderful stories as you!! Have fun seeing The Nutcracker on Saturday!

#clara #nutcrackerdress #nutcrackerballet

Harry Potter and Halloween

Well here I am again, being a shut in (sortof) due to COVID, during Halloween, I am thinking, Harry Potter.  It’s been SO long since I have written anything but I took a stab at it tonight.

I wrote about it a few years ago, admiring a Harry Potter themed wedding.

When the books came out, I would organize book releases at Barnes and Noble at midnight, inviting other moms who were nuts like me to allow our primary school kids out late at night to the launch.  We would decorate our vans, aka Halloween-style, and allow our hyped up kids munch on delights that other moms created like “potion” punch or purple chocolate “dragons” and so forth. It was a mad house in the store but they were so excited to grab their first “copies.”

I credit JK Rowling for making my kids voracious readers, particularly the younger one.   Teddy was so enamored by Harry Potter and we knew it was the motivator to make reading an everyday occurrence.  In fact, when small, just about three and six, Teddy loved to have us read to him and brother Bill and couldn’t wait for the nightly sit down.  A few years later and lots of practice (Teddy was reading at 22 months), in Kindergarten and 3rd grade, they both were reading the latest books on their own.  By then, Billy needed little help but we would curl up and read the newest Harry Potter book came out.  The bad mother that I was, (tee hee hee) at aged five, we took both our kids to Barnes and Nobel at Midnight to get the latest book, Volume 2.  It was a huge deal and  ……….

Later, a few volumes later, the kids would fight over who had first “dibs” at the book those launch nights. One particular volume, Teddy won and got the book first that launch night. He was pretty excited and soon our weekly trips to anywhere would land us at a LEGO store to get the newest additions until our table grew with longer boards. Our tudor house was the PERFECT setting for their room.

By the time we moved to Florida, even the mere TALK that Universal would open “Harry Potter” land, well they were besides themselves. Although Bill was a bit older and ready to have his own room decorated his own way, Teddy still chose to go the Harry Potter route.  I found this pretty cool pain that was STONE PAIN and we got him a good start on decorating his room. Once again, we went to the Orlando B&N Launch for Harry Potter “Order of the Phoenix “.  It was now the little guy’s first crack at the book.  That night, he scurried up to his loft, now filled with dragons and Harry Potter paraphernalia and decor.  Early the next morning, out from the covers, Teddy pronounced “I’m finished Mom, you can read it now”.m tossing the book my way. Yep, that’s right – Teddy finished all 870 pages of Harry Potter V in one night as a 3rd grader; he was zonked for the entire weekend.

 

Kind of hard to believe now, I actually have a 2, almost 3 year old grand child and truly hope that before they ever let her see the movies, they read the volumes to her as we know these books really made my kids crazy about reading.  Part of Pegeen.com Collection of Princess Everyday, here is our Wizard Dress

Happy Birthday Bop

Today was my “Bop’s” birthday. My grandfather was affectionately named that by my oldest brother and the oldest of the cousins. I guess that’s a right that the oldest cousin gets.

I was lucky to spend time with my grandfather more than some of the others because as my father became busy and mom doing her tending to 5 other kids, he used to drive me to my dance lesson’s at my Aunt Marcia’s studios twice a week.  I was probably 5 or 6 but I remember being so fortunate to not only have his love and affection but also to have so much of his time.  I remember how his blinker sounded on his car which had plastic seat covers which was all  the rage then.

My grandfather gave his love of music and it’s importance to his boys, and my favorite photo of him was the one below, my dad on the right.  Even their youngest son, (not pictured here) was soon playing sax and music played a part of their lives as it does with my siblings. We both loved to watch marching band competitions on his old RCA TV which likely weighed 500 pounds, I know I moved it later for some reason.

When I was driving in high school, I invited my grandfather to a concert and drove him to see a holiday celebration of John Philips Sousa’s music in Philadelphia. It was such a special “date” for me because I loved him to the moon and back and being alone was so much fun. My grandfather couldn’t stop the tears flowing when the orchestra started The Star Spangled Banner.  I still love that song and I think of him and my grandmother, who appropriately died on July 4th, every time I hear that song during a fireworks display.  One of my favorite things living at Disney WAS the nightly fireworks display across the street (will Disney EVER resume them?) and of course I cry every time I see fireworks as I remember my great “date” with my grandfather.The funny things, the ones you remember, are so clear in my mind today.  Like when we were youngsters, he would take us to to Horn and Hardart in Philadelphia and then later to the Philadelphia Zoo, which introduced me to tapioca pudding, still my favorite today. Horn and Hardart was this super cool place where you would drop a nickle in a slot, open the door and pick out your food. You can almost get the same feel of decor at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the Commissary for atmosphere but not the slots.  Loved the slots.

Bop had patience too and I remember fondly knowing that when we went to his house he would make chocolate pudding and we kids would fight over the color of the Fiesta Ware bowl color.  Cool Whip had just come out then and so he loaded it on top and we played games until the pudding cooled JUST enough to be without the skin. He hated the skin so we ate them when they were just cool enough. I still eat it that way.

My grandfather, if I remember correctly, was one of the first to have an artificial hip replacement done in the early 1960’s in Philadelphia and I scarcely remember him without his metal brace and his crutches.  He rarely complained but remarkable now how many of his grandchildren inherited what he called “the curse” – arthritis. He was patient but he had gotten mad enough at our dog to throw the metal crutch at him so he got off the furniture and him because the dog was a puppy that was full of boundless energy.  I am sure after that visit that we never brought our dog to visit Bop.

Another time, my father sheepishly brought me to see my grandfather after he and my “Uncle Walt”, one of his Park Side buddies, had the brilliant idea to take all the kids out of our mom’s hair to go sledding.  Only this was the place at Fairmount Park in Philly with great hills, you know the SAME place where his sister and his brother broke their front teeth.  Well, I broke both of my arms that day and I although I never heard a harsh word, there was quite a bit of noise in the kitchen and I am sure Bop took my father to task

And, I was one of the lucky cousins, in between college transfers at the time, to be the “night shift” family member that covered the night, just after my Aunt Jean left, so he wouldn’t be alone to die without a family member at the hospital. I was honored to help take care of him at the end though my sister, a wonderful nurse, came in often as she was always so good to take care of ill family members. He was on a respirator at the time and it wasn’t pleasant to see him like that, this strong man weakened by age and strokes, but as I combed his hair, I swear he smiled or at least knew I was there perhaps. He passed away that evening.  I still remember his room and where it was on the hall.

Like most of us, our parents gave us the gift of their folks who had more time for us cause that’s what grandparents do. I wished my mother’s parents were closer so I knew them better but Bop was the best, married to Margaret, whom he called “Mother” and for whom I was named.  In the family tradition, I named my youngest to honor my grandfather and though he is known mostly as Teddy, I call him “Theo” quite often in memory of Nana’s pet name for Bop.  I called my uncle today, his last surviving child, and we spoke for quite some time about my memories and how I loved him. Naturally, my uncle share more stories about his dad.  It was a good birthday celebration talk so tonight I will sip some Drambuie, one of his favorite whiskies, to his memory.  Most of all, my grandfather taught me great lessons how to be a grandparent.  I hope I live up to his remarkable example.  I miss you Bop.

Three tips for families work are working from home

  1. Save Your Boxes. Okay so this one I instantly thought about as soon as my wife said, “don’t worry honey, we can just order that off Amazon.com instead of going to the store. Online orders are going to be even bigger than they have ever been. The amount of stuff that will be offered to ship to you instead of you going to a location is going to be here to stay. So why save your boxes you might ask? It’s simple, a fort is the answer. But not a simple fort. A fort that you as a kid would have dreamed of. Go big for your family. The more boxes the better. (I recommend setting up the fort in the kids room to save space. This is a great way to spend time with your family without the usually TV time. I mean, look at this one an architect dad built for his kids: This dad (from Fatherly) is my absolute hero.
  2. Take a walk or more two. I’ve found that taking a walk twice a day has really been beneficial for my family for a number of reasons. First, exercise is great and so is fresh air especially being couped up in quarantine. Second, the walks tire the young one out right before nap/bed. I’ve found that my kid goes to bed easier if she’s tires herself out. Besides being obvious that’s she’s tired, the walk really adds a layer of exercise that simply playing in our house just doesn’t tire her out the same way. Finally, it’s a way to spend tome with your family without being plugged in. One person takes a phone for emergencies, then the rest of the electronics stay home is what I personally do with my family. Besides this being a mini list within a list, I believe this point is probably most important to make home life better during quarantine.
  3. Try starting a new hobby or even one of your family members hobbies/interest. This one might be a little harder to embrace than a walk around the neighborhood. My spouse for example loves board games, which I generally am not interested in playing. During the quarantine I’ve made it a point to play a game or two with my spouse that I don’t normally do. Why you might ask? Well I’m spending time with them that I normally wouldn’t be which is always a great time with them but I’m also appreciating their interests. This appreciation makes me love my spouse even more because I see a side of them that I don’t get to see due to stresses and burdens of everyday life. They are able to relax and I get to see a different atmosphere of a person. It’s basically a way to date your spouse without leaving the house. Their interests don’t need to be your interests, but I recommend that you see them in their element an you might love what you see!

About the Author:  Bill Frank, our newest “Prince” hails from Nevada and just prior to Covid-19 was about to relocate to Orlando and join the family business.  Bill and his wife and daughter are hunkering down while we wait for the opportunity to move East to be safe for his dad.  We welcome his youthful insight to our blog about Life, Love, Family and Home

How to make working from home, work from home Part 2

So continuing from my post on Wednesday, this is part 2 of a 2 part series.

My mom used to keep my brother and I happy by what she called Mon-Fries.  We had a theme for the week and if we were good all week we got to go to a special place.  Monday was always the library (local and small, you could pull out all your books on the subject you decide on) so for instance in the embarrassing picture below, this was me and Teddy during American History of the West week.  Well, cowboys and Indians.  On Monday we pulled a lot of books out of the library (we had just gone to the Smithsonian Museum earlier that week and we were really into all the tools and of course, making war paint and costumes were the Tuesday through Thursday projects.  We got into a mess that day but I still remember it.  On Friday we went on a field trip – don’t remember the trip but apparently we visited an historic village in North West Jersey at Waterloo Village, my folks favorite place.

Lastly some quick tips about phone calls. So, if you have to make a lot of phone calls and you are still getting interrupted. Consider these next times you’re on that conference call. Leading up to the call, communicate, communicate, communicate. Let your family know when you need 30-1 hour to talk on the phone. See if they need anything! If it’s a long important call, consider setting up a movie or activity for the kids to be occupied in while your meeting is going. Ask them what they need so that they can be settled in and you more importantly undisturbed. If you get frequent calls, consider having your kids make you a doorknob sign that says “dada or mama is on the phone!” It’s a great way to get your kids involved and to start thinking about what “work from home” now means. It gets your kids engaged and most importantly they get to be creative and make something for you. My neighbor puts a box that his son, “who’s learning to write and read” can write down questions he has for dad while dad is busy doing spreadsheets and that way at dinner they have plenty of things to talk about. It also a great way to bridge kids into journals and diaries as my neighbor did this when he was a kid and continues to journal to this day.

My main point in this entire blog is to say ‘communicate’. A lot of fights and frustrations happen when you don’t talk to your wife (in my case) about what is going on with you. If you are stressed, you aren’t getting anything done. Let your significant other know you are having trouble figuring out work-time because they may have a great suggestion for you as they probably know you inside and out. Welcome the fresh perspective as it could help make chaos into order. Finally, make a designated time for your family to be able to spend time with you.

How to make working from home, work from home

This is part 1 of a two-part series.

So we know that companies are attempting to adapt to the new world which they like to call “these uncertain times,” although you may be sick of that phrase. Companies are offering delivery, curb side pickup, “better” online ordering, and even more customer service options if you could believe it! But what about you? How are you affected? Are you able to transition office life with junior munchkin running around in the background with a diaper on his head screaming bloody murder as you conference call your boss and your boss’s boss. (This happened to my good friend last week! Had to share!) 

 

Now everyone has distractions from home. A big one is your family. My 2-year-old doesn’t really get what working from home means and it’s normally playtime 24/7. Yet, work goes on at Pegeen.com so I’ve come up with a few tips for the family to help make working from home productive. 

 

The first one is the most important and that is establishing “work hours”. Unless you have a phone call for work, you should establish “working hours” with your partner. Working from home especially if your partner works as well can be a game of “hey can you watch the kids for 2 hours here and I’ll give you 2 hours there.” By trading off time, it gives both of you the chance to get work progress done while not feeling overwhelmed with kids running in and out. Just remember to really capitalize on the time your significant other gives you as undisturbed time is rare with a family. 

Sometimes we are with the kids on our own. Your significant other might be an essential employee and suddenly you have a huge project due today for work and no one to help make Mac n Cheese or do laundry for the toddler. What to do, what to do? Well you still need to watch your kids and make them food, you can still get work done and be super parent! So, if your little one still takes naps, you need to be working during the nap time. Everything is on hold during nap time. This is your only time to get work done undisturbed. No chores, no cleaning, if your children aren’t taking naps anymore then they are old enough to understand and give mommy and daddy time to work with minimal interruptions. Unfortunately, you’re going to be exhausted because a lot of late nights are going to be the standard not the norm. Most of your best work might be after the kids go to bed. You might want to consider waking up 2 hours earlier than your kids normal wake up time to just crank out some spreadsheets in the morning before the chaos resumes.

When my brother and I were small, my mom had designated a portion of the basement where her office was, and had adapted it with hundreds of those 12″ color squares and inside a play fence were our toys and places to put things, our train table and just about anything a toddler and his older brother would want to keep us safe.  As we got a bit older things in the play area changed till we were let out of our “pen”,  Here is Teddy (we called him The Terror and you can see why) outside our pen but safe on our rubber mat.  The basement was huge but you get the idea.

 I will continue this post with more ideas because nap-time is over!!