While I haven't quite recuperated from all the festivities in June, I'm ready to kick off the month of July with the latest product I've been working on. These double-sided Chubby Cheeks Personalized Placemats hold a bit of a special place in my heart. Before putting them up in the shop, I wanted to test them out for myself. Of course, who better to help me with this task than my very own chubby cheeks. After all, she is the inspiration behind them.  

The placemats are heavy-duty and easily wipes clean with a damp cloth which saves a lot of time for this busy mama. It's generous size of 11 1/2" x 17 1/2" keeps messes at bay during meals and arts and craft time. While I love that it helps keep surfaces clean during these activities, it doesn't come close to why I am so excited about them. I wanted the placemats to also serve as an educational tool. Each placemat is sealed with heavy-duty laminate and allows for the child to use a dry erase marker* to practice writing their name on one side and the letters of the alphabet and a few key words on the other. 

For the past 5 months, about 1-2 times a week (some times none, depending if she's interested) we would sit down for a few minutes a day and go over her full name and the letters of the alphabet. I'd cup her hand in mine, trace and say the letters out loud. One day, she had taken it out to play while I was in the kitchen preparing lunch and I heard her spell out her last name. I kid you not, I dropped everything I was doing including my jaw as I looked over to where she was sitting in disbelief. It really made all the late nights designing and redesigning the placemats all worth it to have experienced that moment. At 21 months, she was able to spell her last name and recognize a few letters of the alphabet. By 23 months, she could spell her first and last name as well as verbalize most of the letters of the alphabet.

I couldn't be more excited about these placemats and I hope you'll love them just as much as we do. To celebrate, I'm offering 20% off with code MATLOVE20 until Sunday, July 12th, 2015. Head on over to the shop to see the full collection. I'd love to know which ones are your favorite.

*Dry erase marker is not included in the order of the placemats. However, one of our favorites to use is the Wipe-Off Markers from Trend Enterprises. They are non-toxic and long-lasting. They come in a pack of 4 and are available in standard and bright colors. 

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Headband: Miss Giggle Buns