Layla Grayce

With mixed emotions, we mourn the loss of Layla Grace Marsh who touched hearts across the country with her story. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Marsh family. Little Layla, your grace will not be forgotten.

To leave messages for the family, please visit the Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=95631285947 or the family’s website at: www.laylagrace.org

We truly have the best customers and fans – we’ve been uplifted and deeply touched by the response for little *Layla Grace Marsh shown and expressed in messages on our Facebook page and blog. Your efforts have collectively made an enormous difference in both the lives of this family and in helping to spread awareness about Neuroblastoma cancer.

Our “Layla Grayce for Little Layla Grace” fundraiser continues through Friday, March 12th. We will be donating 20% of every purchase from DwellStudio, Little Giraffe, Newport Cottages, Oopsy Daisy Baby pettiskirts and Skip Hop to be split between the Marsh family’s medical expenses and the Texas Children’s Cancer Center (one of the premier children’s cancer centers in the country.) We’d like to thank these vendors for partnering with us in our pledge to Layla Grace, and thank all of you who are demonstrating how one little girl can touch the hearts and minds of so many.

For more information on little Layla Grace, the Marsh family, and updates on her condition, visit them at: www.laylagrace.org, and www.twitter.com/laylagrace. Become a fan of Layla Grayce (the company): http://www.facebook.com/laylagrayce and little Layla Grace: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=95631285947 and keep the fundraising efforts going.

*To clarify, Layla Grace Marsh (with no “y” in Grace) is a 2 year old in the final stages of Neuroblastoma cancer. The similarity in names as well as what this little girl and her family are dealing with is what led us, Layla Grayce the company, to raise money for the Marsh family and to help raise awareness about Neuroblastoma.

Some of you may be aware of the story of Layla Grace – a brave little 2 year old from Texas who is in the final stages of Neuroblastoma (for details, read her family’s accounting of her illness on their blog: www.laylagrace.org). Due to similarity of names, many Layla Grayce customers and followers have asked us if there is a way we could bring attention to her story, and it is our honor to share this with you; to do what we can to help Layla Grace and raise awareness about Neuroblastoma.

Unfortunately Layla Grace does not have months or even weeks ahead of her. It is down to days, to hours. Her doctors have never seen anyone able to hold on for so long in her condition, but her parents have come to believe that Layla is holding on for a reason, that there is a purpose. Layla’s time with us here is coming to a close, but her story can bring a greater awareness about her cancer. Neuroblastoma is one of the most common kinds of cancer in children. It occurs most often in babies and very young children and is 70-90% curable if detected early.

We’ve been in contact with the family to learn more, to see what they are in need of. Their story is compelling and powerful, and ultimately Layla’s parents want people to learn more about their daughter and Neuroblastoma. Shanna, Layla’s mom, used to run the website Baby Wears Prada but closed her business to be with her daughter (we recently realized we shared a business connection with Shanna as we had advertised on her website a few years ago). The family faces huge medical bills not covered by insurance, and in a twist of fate, just when her family was hopeful that Layla’s condition was improving, her father was laid off work and Layla received her terminal diagnosis.

Here is what you can do to help, and what we at Layla Grayce pledge to do for both the family and the fight against childhood cancer:

• Go to laylagrace.org, read about little Layla, learn about Neuroblastoma. Spread the word about this disease, about how it is 70-90% curable if detected early. Learn what the initial symptoms are and what to look for. Early detection is the key to a higher success rate. Stage 4, which is what Layla was at the time of diagnosis has a survival rate of only 30%. Read more about this type of cancer at the Texas Children’s Cancer Center website.

• Become a fan/spread the word – we’ll donate $1 directly to the family’s medical fund for every new Layla Grayce Facebook fan that signs up through March 12th. It’s an easy way to help and to spread the word about this disease. If you are already a Layla Grayce Facebook fan, suggest the page to friends at: www.facebook.com/laylagrayce. We pledge to donate up to $10,000. We started today with 5666 fans. It will be wonderful to watch your outpouring of support for this family!

• Some of our favorite brands have partnered with us in pledging to help. Through March 12th, Layla Grayce will donate 20% of purchases from the following brands to help the cause: DwellStudio, Little Giraffe, Newport Cottages, Oopsy Daisy Baby pettiskirts and Skip Hop. From those sales, we will donate 50/50 to the family’s medical funds and the Texas Children’s Cancer Center.  Click into the links below to shop any of these lines.

We have been so touched by this story. Please keep the family and little Layla Grace in your thoughts and prayers, and please join us in supporting this special cause.

Click into the images below to shop any of these lines partnering with us to help Layla Grace.

Serena & Lily has swept our hearts away for some time now, and the Prague Grass Marigold Sling is certainly no exception! The detailing is as fresh as the amazing color; what a fine way to snuggle your baby close. It’s a giveaway you’ve just got to get! Leave your comments on our blog and let us know why this sling has got to be yours, and the stylish sling could be on its way to you soon. If you’re a facebook fan, your comments left directly below this posting will also be accepted in to the giveaway.

We hope Rebecca Goodwin Allgood will be feeling “All good” after this announcement. She is our winner for the Serena and Lily Sling giveaway. Enjoy!

• When the weather doesn’t allow for outdoor play, crafty “paint your own” projects rule
• Starting a family garden may seems like a lot of work (and it is), but observing the growth of the crops and reaping the benefits can be truly rewarding for everyone.
• Goggles and a bathtub can be a great precursor to learning to swim.
• If you find you are missing silverware – check the trash. Sometimes “clear the table” gets taken too literally. This goes for missing shoes in the laundry hamper as well and missing keys in the toy basket.
• When all else fails, potatoes technically do count as a vegetable.
• “Eskimo kisses” can be the best kind.

• Sticking to your normal schedule (as much as conditions allow) while traveling can save your sanity. Happy children=happy parents.
• A good morning “treasure hunt” on the beach makes for a memorable start to the day. See how many animal tracks in the sand you can identify!
• Aloe vera and cocoa butter are excellent (and inexpensive) skin soothers after a day in the sun.
• Sometimes the best part of fishing can just be casting off the line and reeling it back in. A hook full of seaweed never hurt anyone.
• Investing in an old fashioned four-post and cloth tee-pee can make trips to the beach and/or park a breeze. It stands up easier than an umbrella in windy weather, and can be hours of fun for the kids while keeping them safe from the sun.
• Watching the sunset as a family is a memory to be cherished for a lifetime.

In the great world of children’s books the immortal classics have served us all well, and the discovery of something new and fresh is always a joy to behold. But it is not often that a book comes along that is truly magic. Magic to read and magic in the impact it makes in our children’s lives. The delightful and darling story of Llama llama and his Mama spans through three books, one of which being Llama Llama Misses Mama. This is a tale that MANY mothers and children can relate to – the first day of school. Llama llama has never been to school before and we watch him explore a whole range of emotions as he adjusts to a day of new friends and new activities without his Mama. Geared towards ages 2 and up, the flowing rhythm of the sweet rhymes in the text make this story simple to remember, and often easy for a child to repeat while following the pictures. The endearing moral of the story sticks all that much better – Mama Llama always comes back. The illustrations are simple, colorful, and can make identifying Llama llama’s animals friends a part of the fun in itself. A perfect book to read this summer as a warm up to the school year, and a really special story to become a cherished part of a timeless storybook collection…for little Llamas and their Mamas too.

In these times of hustle and bustle let us not forget that not so long ago our founding fathers were declaring our right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Please enjoy your holiday and time with family and friends.

Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better.
Albert Camus

Whether this summer holds a vacation or stay-cation in the cards for you, enjoy these fun bits that celebrate the season and the joys it will bring.

• Summertime = breakfast outside on the patio! Minimal clean up is involved and everyone will appreciate the change in scenery.
• Dandelions are fun for the whole family and make for priceless pictures.
• Dryer sheets are an effective and portable mosquito replant. Keep a few sheets in your purse for instant relief
• Holding hands while crossing the street or in a parking lot can be a game too – see who can keep Mom “the most safe”.
• A kiddie pool could be the best summer stay-cation investment ever.
• If you find you are suddenly developing a backache or shoulder pain – time to empty out your purse! Dye cast toy cars can be incredibly heavy in large quantities.

Sharing mommyhood tricks of the trade can be essential to your sanity…and sometimes simply an entertaining way to see what everyone else is doing. Here are a few bits we felt worthy of sharing.

• Glow in the dark star stickers and a flashlight can be the best bedtime accessory ever.
• Gummy fruit snacks shaped like race cars also double as toys when all else fails.
• Playing your child’s favorite movie soundtrack while in the car not only encourages their imagination and memory skill, but potentially saves you the $1,000 cost of an in-car entertainment system.
• Always have a lollipop in tow…whether it’s for you or your child, sugar free or sugar full – it’s bound to put a smile on someone’s face.
• A graham cracker can be considered a cookie too.
• Never throw away stale bread, crackers or popcorn. There will always be birds to feed.