Family Friday: PicassoTiles Blocks
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I first saw bristle blocks during a library play session. I (and my youngest) think they’re brilliant, so these blocks might find their way under our holiday tree.
These 240 interlocking blocks come in a variety of shapes and colors (including eyes and wheels that turn!) so that your child’s imagination can run wild. My favorite thing is that unlike regular blocks, they snap together so a little bump won’t destroy an entire creation.
This set of hedgehog interlocking building blocks is under $45 at Amazon. These blocks are also available in several smaller sets.
Sales of note for 11.25.24 (Great Black Friday Sales!!)
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – Early Black Friday, up to 60% off — great deals on Natori, Vince, Theory, Boss, Cole Haan, Tory Burch, Rothy’s, and Weitzman, as well as gift ideas like Barefoot Dreams and Parachute — Dyson isn’t marked down at all but you do get 3x points on beauty purchases.
- Ann Taylor – 40% off your purchase, plus extra 15% off full price styles
- Anine Bing – Shop more, save more (spend $200-$300, get an extra 15-25% off)
- A.P.C. – Shop 40% off
- ba&sh – Up to 40% off Fall/Winter styles, including select colors of reader favorite Gaspard & Guspa cardigans (also included in Tuckernuck’s sale)
- Banana Republic Factory – 60% off everything + extra 20% off (or extra 30% off with your Gap Inc credit card) ends 11/26
- Bloomingdales – Take $25 off every $100 you spend on items labeled BLACK FRIDAY; ends 11/24
- Boden – 30% off on 1000s of styles, including reader favorites like this blazer and these dresses
- Cuyana – Free shipping over $95 (and 10% off your first order over $150)
- Demellier – 20% off with code, free worldwide shipping & returns
- Design Within Reach – 25% off sitewide (including reader-favorite office chairs Herman Miller Aeron and Sayl!)
- The Fold – Black Friday, up to 30% off everything
- Eloquii – 50% off everything + extra 10% off $125 or more
- Everlane – Up to 50% off everything
- Furla – Up to 50% off select styles
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off almost everything – LOTS of winter coats 40% off, down to $204-$230
- J.Crew Factory – 50% off everything, plus extra 25% off orders $125+
- Kule – 30% off sitewide
- Kohl’s – Earn $10 Kohl’s Cash for every $50 Spent – includes Travelpro luggage!
- LaLigne – 30% off in their ONLY sale of the year
- Lo & Sons – Up to 70% off – reader favorite laptop tote is under $200
- Macy’s – 20-50% off beauty brands like Clinique and Armani, 50% off designer handbags, 50-75% off sparkly jewelry, and 40-50% off women’s boots
- Mansur Gavriel – Winter sale, up to 60% off
- M.M.LaFleur – “20% off everything” (but exclusions apply)
- Ministry of Supply – 30% off sitewide
- Mulberry – Up to 40% off, including Bayswater, Islington, and more
- Neiman Marcus – Earn a $50-$1250 gift card, including on beauty and fragrance purchases
- Rothy’s – Everything up to 30% off (some also on sale at Nordstrom)
- Shopbop – 25% off storewide with code, including great blazers from Rag & Bone, IRO, Smythe, and select L’Agence (also lots of nice Black Halo dresses)
- Soma – Early Black Friday $29 bra event (up to 50% off)
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off, plus free shipping on everything (and 20% off your first order)
- Sue Sartor – Week of Joy sale, 30% off sitewide
- Steelcase – 25% off sitewide, including reader-favorite office chairs Leap and Gesture
- Strathberry – Pre-black Friday, enjoy up to 30% off select styles!
- Stuart Weitzman – Extra 25% off full-price and sale styles
- Talbots – 40% off your entire purchase + daily deals
- Theory – 25% off sitewide + up to 40% off select outerwear
- Tory Burch – 30% off $250+
- Tuckernuck – 20% off sitewide
- Universal Standard – At least 30% off sitewide, up to 70% off all styles
- Victoria’s Secret – 30% off everything, and 7/$35 panties
- White House Black Market – 60% off clearance, 30% off sitewide for WHBM members
- Zappos – 26,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- BabyJogger – 30% off sitewide
- BestBuy – Lots of deals on gaming consoles, including PS5, XBox Series X, and more
- Carter’s – 50-60% off entire site and store
- ErgoBaby – 25% off bouncers
- Graco – Up to 30% off sitewide
- Hanna Andersson – 50% off sitewide
- J.Crew Crewcuts – 50% off almost everything, prices marked
- Nordstrom – Lots of deals on Stokke, Maxi-Cosi, BabyJoger, Posh Baby, Silver Cross, and more
- Old Navy – Everything on sale
- SNOO / Happiest Baby – 30% off Snoo, up to 50% off sitewide
My oldest is in first. We just had her parent teacher conference. She’s reading at an early second grade level and is advanced for math – not exceeding 1st grade expectations but was assessed at at “end of year” level for first vs beginning of year. To be clear, no, I don’t think she’s ready for MENSA, but she’s doing well, which I’m thrilled to hear.
DD is also extremely chatty in class, we learned. We suspected it because DD has admitted as much, but just learned how above average her chattiness is and that it is affecting her performance. When she is working independently during quieter times in class, she cranks through the work and is an early finisher (and getting things mostly 100% correct). But when it’s partner work or it’s not silent time, which there is not a lot of in first grade, DD gets so wrapped up in socializing that she doesn’t get the work done and is consistently the last to turn things in, if she finishes it at all. Teacher also suspected there’s a little bit of perfectionism at play – so she’s slow because of the chatting, and extra slow because she wants to get it right, but we agreed that the perfectionism is mild and not the bigger issue, which is the talking.
Her teacher is amazing, highly experienced, patient and is working with her, but did express concern that if she consistently is the last to finish or the only not to finish, it may wear away at her. She missing opportunities for choice time, for example, because she’s still working.
Any more experienced parents… how do you interpret this feedback? Has anyone had to address this with their own kid? I don’t want to make it a bigger issue than it is and just want to be supportive of her and encourage to keep doing what she’s doing, because she’s doing great!
I would like to buy insulated rubber boots with enough support that I could walk a mile to two miles without killing my feet. Any suggestions? I think I’d like to keep the budget to $150 or less, but I could consider more if they really had a lot of support. Any recommendations? Thank you in advance.
PSA that CVS photo cards are 60% off right now. They don’t include envelopes but there are a ton of designs.
Any seasonal reading recs?
We tend towards chapter books – and devoured The Secret of Helmersbruk Manor last year, and enjoyed How Winston Delivered Christmas, which has a chapter for each day of December.
But I always like to buy one new book for the holidays.