13 things to do to make your Halloween safe!

Remember getting all dressed in your costume to go trick or treating? Pure spooky joy. To keep it fun, everyone needs to stay safe. Here are 13 helpful tips to make sure your kids have a healthy and happy Halloween.

• Have adult supervision. Accompany your kids if you don’t think they’re old enough to trick-or-treat on their own.
• There is safety in numbers. If they’re old enough to trick-or-treat without an adult, tell your kids to stay in a group.
• Map out your plan. Designate a route before your kids begin trick-or-treating, and make sure they stick to it.
• Take the long way 'round. Have your kids trick-or-treat in areas where there are a lot of people around. They should also avoid taking short-cuts through alleys and parking lots.
• Try tick-or-treat-friendly homes. Ensure your kids only visit houses with lights on. And, you might also suggest the houses they visit have some sort of Halloween decoration on the porch.
• Stay outside. Make sure your kids don’t go inside someone’s house. They can get their candy from the porch.
• Remain visible. Dress your kids in a bright costume so others can see them. If their costume is dark, have your kids wear reflective strips or carry a glow stick or flashlight.
• Remember, shorter = safer.Goes without saying but just in case you forget, ensure your kids’ costumes aren’t so long that they can trip over them.
• Don't cover the face. Instead of masks, have your kids wear make-up so they can see better.
• Quality-check treats. Check your kids’ candy before they eat it. Throw out any candy that is not in its original wrapper or looks like it has been tampered with.
• Say "no" to strangers.Tell your kids to never accept a ride or go anywhere with a stranger.
• Obey the law. Encourage your kids to follow all the regular rules for walking around. That includes looking both ways before crossing, obeying all traffic laws and using cross walks and crossing lights where available.
• Have a great time! Finally, make sure your kids have tons of fun and get lots and lots of candy.

Julie Clark, founder of Baby Einstein

I spoke to Julie Clark this week.
Deep breath.
For those of you who don't know Julie Clark, she is the founder of Baby Einstein and one of my personal heroes. After getting off the phone with Julie I was in a state of shock for a few hours. Not only is she an amazing business person and mom entrepreneur but she is totally down to earth and possibly the sweetest person I have ever spoken with.

You might think Julie is my hero because she sold her company to Disney for an undisclosed amount. (I have no idea how much but I think it is fair to say A LOT) That is just the end of her story. She is my hero for three reasons.

1. Because she believed in herself and continued to work towards her dream even when people said no.
2. She developed and ran her business with 2 little kids.
3. She is rich and successful and she is still down to earth, kind and real.
   

Nothing inspires me more than strong women. Thank you Julie for sharing your story with us an inspiring so many mom entrepreneurs. I am so happy for you.

I will link my article about Julie here as soon as it is up on Entrepreneur.com so you can read about her whole story. You will not want to miss it!

Just because you have a child....

Just because you have a child doesn't mean you lost your highly trained palate or you can no longer be a coffee snob. We went out before the kids moved in, why should we stop now? You don’t!

Have you said, “I wish I could finish a sentence with another adult.”? Or “Will I ever read anything other than Goodnight Moon? You Can!

Have you been at the park dreaming of your previous career, and thinking, "At least I had bathroom breaks and didn’t smell like spit up." So Did I!

And that is why we created tumble & tea café. Not for them -- but for us! Sure, the kids have an amazing indoor playground, clowns and super heroes occasionally visit and yes, we have apple juice and gold fish to name a few menu items for them. But really, …THIS PLACE IS FOR US!

A hip, diverse, wi-fi café with great food, music, comfortable couches, magazines and most importantly-other people just like you.

Come on in! It is the family restaurant you have been waiting for.

And if you walk in and say, "Why didn’t I think of this?" or "I swear I thought of doing something like this before!", contact us. We are franchising.

Children's Reading Foundation

I am very proud to announce our new partnership with The Children's Reading Foundation. In efforts to help every child learn the joy of reading, tumble & tea cafe will be collecting new and gently used books at all locations and at our corporate office.
All books will be donated to local programs that help teach kids how to read.

My daughter just started reading this year. It is amazing to see her discover a new world in reading. Reading to Leila is my favorite time of the day. Unfortunately all kids aren't as lucky as ours and some kids don't have books at home. Teach your kids the importance of giving and donate some new or used children books to this important cause. You can mail or drop off books at anytime to our corporate office (2802 10th Street, Berkeley, California, 94710).

The vision of The Children's Reading Foundation is that every child learns to read early and well, thereby reaching his or her full potential in school and life.

The three-fold mission of The Children's Reading Foundation is to:

• Encourage and educate families about their important role in raising a reader.
• Support schools in assuring that students read on grade level by the end of the third grade.
• Facilitate community involvement in helping young readers be successful.
  

Thank you for your help!

Recipies for Moms on the go!

Just like many of you, I am a working mom too. There is so much to do in a day, work, e-mail, blogs, kids, homework, calls..... my list never ends. But no matter how busy or hectic my day is, I want my family to sit down together and eat dinner at home.

I am the only cook in the family so I am in charge of dinners. This can be a little difficult with my work schedule and a picky 7 year old. I have developed some easy, I mean really easy, and delicious recipes that take minutes and kids (most kids) will enjoy.

First thing first, get a crock pot. This is the single best kitchen appliance ever invented. Not only is it so easy to use and takes almost no effort to cook, when you walk into your house from a hard day of work and you smell your dinner simmering in the crock pot, it feels like someone is taking care of you. I love my crock pot. Here is the first of many recipes, I hope you enjoy!

I am a good mom because I made chicken soup recipe
1. 1/2 of a chicken, skin off (I have the butcher cut chicken in half, remove the skin and put in two separate bags and I freeze it. Then all I have to do is dump the chicken in the crock pot and toss the bad. No raw chicken to clean up.) or.... left over chicken from the night before.
2. 10 cups of water
3. chicken bullion (use per instructions)
4. a couple bay leafs
5. a cup of baby carrots (no need to cut them)
6. a few stalks of celery, chopped
7. a dozen new potatoes
8. 1 onion chopped

Directions
Throw everything in the crock pot in the morning and set for slow cook.
Continue with your life and before you get home, pick up a baguette.
Come home, smell this amazing chicken soup and feel like you are a great mom because you do everything you do and you made chicken soup.
Put out bowls and spoons, butter and your baguette.
Enjoy!

Welcome Baby Gauge

I would like to introduce the newest member of the tumble & tea cafe team, Baby Gauge. Gauge joined the team June 20th and is fitting right in. He is cute, chubby, sometimes sleeps on the job but is constantly at work as our Director of Research and Development for Babies. He is constantly reminding us why tumble & tea cafe is so important. Really, he is. My daughter is now 7 (how did that happen?) and I realize how much I have forgotten about babies.

I need a tumble & tea cafe everyday! Last week I was in downtown Berkeley and I stopped at Peet's for a latte. What do I see? I group of moms with little ones trying to talk as their babies are whining to get out of strollers and coffees spilling over as other customers try to squeeze past strollers that just don't fit. I was with baby Gauge and would of paid anything for a kid friendly place with wifi so I could check my e-mails. And the light bulb went on, "Oh yeah, this is why we created tumble & tea cafe!"

tnt cafe was developed to support the most neglected segment of our population; the caregivers of small kids. tnt cafe supports these often under appreciated miricle doers in lots of different ways. We serve delicious, made to order food prepared with he best ingredients possible, we are open 7 days a week for drop in play, we provide a clean and safe indoor play ground for kids, we offer all inclusive birthday parties and.....oh yeah, don't forget the free wifi.

No, we are not the first to think of this. You can always go to McDonalds. They have food and a playspace for kids. But I personally dont want to eat fried food and I dont want my daughter to eat it either. And lets just be honest, it is filthy!

The most important thing about tnt cafe is not the food or amazing play space for kids; it is your break. Yes, you deserve a break and I dont mean a snickers. I mean a real break. So come in, eat, drink, relax and let your kids play!

O.K...back to Baby Gauge. I would also like to thank all of the amazing people at tumble & tea cafe headquarters for jumping in and making room for this little guy! I am constantly reminded how lucky I am to work with some pretty amazing people.

Are you a new mom or a new mom again? Please tell us what you want in a restaurant, what you are looking for. We want to know. Thanks for reading and have a great day.

Cafes are not just for coffee anymore!

Cafes are not just cafes anymore. Walk into tumble & tea cafe and you can clearly see the different ways people use the space. From the rush of the hurried commuter grabbing a muffin & late to the lazy family relaxing after brunch on Sunday, tumble & tea café is designed to meet and exceed the needs for all of our customers.

Many people use cafes for an escape from working from home or a break from working in their office. Because tumble& tea cafe offers free wifi, you will find locals with their nose berried in their laptops and parents trying to return e-mails and work while their kids play in our indoor playground for kids.

I love the energy of a busy cafe and I tend to work better in a noisy environment. Even better- working at a cafe gives you access to an unlimited supply of coffee, lattes and people watching.

So come on in when you are stuck behind the computer screen. A change of scenery, delicious food, hip atmosphere and a jolt of caffeine just might give get your creative juices flowing!

Mommy Bloggers

Mommy bloggers are a force to be recon with. Not only are their blogs cashing in on advertising space but they are changing how corporate America spends their advertising dollar.

Moms not only spend money on themselves but they are usually the main purchaser for the entire family. Moms are a powerful economic force that is controlling the blogging world.

Where can you mom bloggers go to blog with kids? That is right, tumble & tea cafe. Eat a delicious pannini, have a latte and let your kids play while you enjoy the FREE WIFI. tumble & tea cafe is designed to support you. tumble & tea cafe was designed by moms- we know what you want! Come on in, take a break and blog away!

Check out our new merchandise

Check out our new merchandise here!

tumble & tea cafe

Please do not annoy, aggravate, anger, bother, complain, distress, drive mad, exasperate, frustrate, get on nerves, hit, ignore, irritate, infuriate, madden, nag, provoke, pain, rile, strain, trouble, upset, vex, worry or yell at your parents.

Wanna get away?

Picture this- a very busy Sunday. People waiting outside for a table and the cafe is full. Everything is going smooth; customers are happy, birthday party kids are opening presents, food is taking less then 5 minutes per order, our team is having fun- I could not be happier!

I was helping the staff by running food to the tables when disaster stuck. Now, I usually have this super ability to multi-task and see everything that is happening in the cafe, but for some reason my super powers took the day off.

As I was walking to the cafe delivering food, a 2 year old walked right in front of me. I didn't even see her and as I was walking, I kicked her. She fell down and started crying. The once bustling cafe suddenly came to a standstill. The music even paused as if the sounds system was trying to draw attention to my public display of child abuse.

Everyone was staring at me with this little, cute baby on the floor in front of me crying. I bent down (with both hands filled with plates of paninnis and waffles) to try to comfort the little girl. Just as i bent down, a little boy walked behind me and I knocked him over with my butt. He hit the ground, started crying as the entire cafe is starring at me.

What can I do? I am kneeling on the floor with two crying kids and my handsful of food? The little girl looks up at me and said as loud as possible, "Bad Lady!" It was so cute, the entire cafe started laughing.

The kids were just fine, their parents started laughing and I was never so embarrassed in my life. It ended up being a good day and it was funnier and funnier the more time that passed. The staff called me "Bad Lady", the kids got free cupcakes and all of our customers got a good laugh. Not a bad Sunday!

This is why you need a tumble & tea cafe in your neighboorhood

When we were going through lease negotiations for the first location, the landlords were questioning the tumble & tea cafe concept. "Why would you need a cafe were you could bring your kids?" they asked. They just didn't get it. They were also in their 50's and their wifes raised the kids while they were at work or on business trips.

I found this video on you tube and I think it explains perfectly why there is such an incredible demand for tumble & tea cafe. Click here to see video. Enjoy!

It is the experience, not the products.

At the beginning of each week we all meet to discuss our weekly goals and the tumble & tea café development.

This week we discussed, “What is tumble & tea café?”

Most people think tumble & tea cafe is a café with a playspace. That is what we do but it is not what or who we are.

Yes, we serve amazing espresso drinks and our sandwiches, salads and paninnis are made to order from the best ingredients possible. Yes, it is true that we have a custom made indoor playground and host great birthday parties but that is not what tumble & tea café is- that is just what we do.

tumble & tea café is more than cappuccinos and waffles- much more. tumble & tea café is an experience. We provide a little escape for caregivers of little kids. Walk in the doors, take a deep breath, order a delicious and healthy meal and take a break. We are designed to pamper the adult side of parents while providing a fun, safe and learning environment for our smallest patrons.

The heart of our business is the quality in our products and the customer service we provide. Every decision we make from locations, owners, menu items, even design, we ask ourselves, “Does this meet our quality standards and will this help create the tumble & tea café experience?”

tumble & tea cafe becomes a home away from home for many of our patrons and when caregivers need a break to help them take the edge off the constant demand of parenting or in search of a kid friendly venue- they think of us.

Our food, coffee and parties are all very important- we only serve the best, but the true meaning of tumble & tea cafe is the experience.

I always explain to our franchisees- your not selling a cup of coffee; you are providing the tumble & tea cafe experience. The experience is what your customers are looking for. You can get a cup of coffee at home but you get a break at tumble & tea café.

Where is my security?

Most people who buy a franchise have held top management positions in corporate America and have been laid off or downsized. People once believed one of the biggest benefits of working for a large company is the security they offer but corporate America can not claim they provide security anymore.

We have all seen some giants fall in the last year. I just spoke with someone who is now researching franchises because he just got laid off from a big pharmaceutical company. I asked if he ever wanted to be self employed before and he answered, “Yes, I just thought there was too much risk.” Now that some of the biggest and “safest” companies have fallen these past few years, we are left to ponder, “What is safe?” Click here to read more.

Practical Mom Tips

See our founder, Gina DeCarlo, give tips on how moms can take care of themselves on channel 7 news.

Practical mommy tips:

1. Get Organized:
You will appreciate the sanity and your kids will like it too. Get yourself and your kids on a schedule- type it out, put it on the fridge and stick to it! Get up a little earlier than the kids (or have your partner get the kids ready) and take a run, jump on the treadmill, do a yoga video or meditate. Just 30 minutes of doing something physical for you will energize you throughout your entire day.

2. Multitask:
Most moms are an expert at multi tasking- usually doing two, or three things at once to take care of other people. What I mean is multi task for you. Take you baby on a walk in there stroller for their nap time and you get to power walk. Or maybe put your kids in the shower with a 99 cent bottle of shaving cream while you give yourself a facial or paint your nails right outside the shower. They will play in the shower with the shaving cream for an hour-easy!

3. Go to a kid and adult friendly venue:
Like tumble & tea cafe. It is a posh, wifi cafe with an indoor playground for kids. Great food, amazing espresso drinks, hip ambiance and an indoor playground for kids 0-5. tumble & tea cafe gives you a chance to take a break, enjoy a late, finish a sentence with another adult and gives the kids a fun and safe place to play.

So Moms, don't forget about you. Take at least a little time everyday for yourself. Just think of it as your bonus for all of your overtime for the most important job you will ever do.

Facts:
A study from Salary.com for 2008 determined that the time mothers spend performing the 10 most popular "Mom job functions" would equate to an annual cash compensation of $116,805 for a Stay-at-Home Mom. And lets be honest, "Mom jobs" amount for more than just 10 tasks. In fact the study also found the primary driver of mom's six-figure salary was the amount of overtime worked. This year, mom's overtime averaged 54.4 hours per week. Stay-at-Home Moms work a 94.4 hour "workweek" - over half her time spent on the job is overtime. Additionally the Working Moms reported an average 54.6 hour "mom work week" in addition to their paying jobs.

There are definitely benefits about being a mom. There is arguably no other job in the world that can be more rewarding or is as important. But with all the rewards- sometimes the job of mom doesn't come with coffee or lunch breaks and taking care of others can leave you with no time to take care of yourself.

From Single Unit Owners to Multi Unit Owners

There is an unique trend developing in the franchise industry. While other business may be slower, franchising is getting bigger, faster and better.

According to Darrell Johnson of FRAN data, since 2005, more than 50% of all franchised units are operated by a multi-unit franchisee and 20% of all franchisee own more than one unit. It is expected these numbers will continue to increase.


Are you an entrepreneur that think bigger than your bank account? Click here to read the rest of our blog on Entrepreneur.com to find out how you can meet your goals.

Think about your stages of Mommy Hood

Mothers Day is next week.

It makes me think of all the different types of mom I have been during my 7 year long mom career.

First I was the married, non pregnant mom who loved kids and judged every parent I saw. I would think things like, "My kid would never be that dirty" or "Why don't they comb that poor child's hair", or even, "My child will never have a tantrum in public- I would never let that happen!"

Then I was the married pregnant mom. I did my will, bought life insurance, started buying baby clothes at 3 months pregnant, read every mommy book possible and worried every day that my stress was hurting my unborn perfect child. I will never forget washing (with the expensive newborn detergent) & organizing my daughter's clothes at 8 months pregnant thinking, "This is the funnest thing I have ever done!" I sanitized the house 5 times, spent hours picking out the perfect color paint for the nursery and ordered a year supply of Disney books before she was even born. I was the perfect mom!

Then I was a mom. My first baby. I was in love like I had never experience before. She was perfect. She had matching outfits with matching blankets and hair clips. I stared at her the first 4 days to make sure she was still breathing until I had a tantrum from lack of sleep. I learned that milk curdles if left under the chin, yellow, mustard like poo does not stain and projectile vomit can literally hit the wall on the other side of the room. Little babies eat every three hours and it takes them one hour to eat. That means you are feeding your baby all the time!

I also learned that you still look pregnant when you leave the hospital and other parts grow even larger. You can not control if your baby cries or has a blow out when your boss is holding the baby when you visit the office to show off your new toy. The mother guilt started to kick in and I was so fearful that I had already screwed her up in some way. Was I too loud? Did she cry 30 seconds more than she should? Maybe I wasn't doing something right?

Then I was the single mom. By far, that is the hardest job I have ever had. I would be at a park with my daughter working on tumble & tea cafe and married, SAH moms would be talking about how it was so hard because their husband was out of town for 2 days and left them with the kids. They didn't even have a clue.

Now my daughter had to be my helper too. I was not a perfect mom and felt guilty about that. Sometimes an hour after brushing her hair it look as if I had never brushed it and I remember how judgmental I was. I guess I really learned how hard it was to be a mom, especially a single mom starting a cafe.

Now I am a pregnant, non single mom. I think this is the best. I have an amazing partner, a 6 year old daughter who is so excited about being a big sister and I am definitely not as emotional having number 2. It is still exciting but not as scary.

Take a moment to think of all the stages of mommy hood you have experience. This is the most important job you will ever have. Take time to do something nice for yourself- you deserve it. Take care of you, take care of you kids and love your life! Congratulations on being a mom or even mom to be and Happy Mother's Day!

What do we do for you?

What is the benefit of investing in a franchise rather than starting by yourself?
The truth is there is not just one reason to franchise, there are multiple reasons.

Franchises are statistically prone to a greater success rate than a brand new start-up. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, after seven years 91% of new franchises are still in business, as compared to only 20% of individual new start-up businesses.

What do we do for you?

Discounts Scale of economics You will be able to take advantage of bulk rates because you are part of the tumble & tea cafe family.

Design/ Construction Manager You will have access to our designer to help make your cafe uniquely yours and guide you through the process.

Training We train you every step of the way from selecting a location to locking the door at night.

Support System We will keep you updated on industry trends and provide you access to professional marketing materials.

PLUS we are just a phone call away to help you in your business!
Now you have the opportunity to own your own tumble & tea cafe!
We are expanding nationally and you can be a part of it!

Contact us now for your free franchise consultation!
866-99-tumble or contactus@tumbleandteacafe.com

Top 10 things we beleive in

1. Quality- At tumble & tea cafe your customers will indulge in delicious, made-to-order food prepared from the freshest and best ingredients possible. Quality is our number one concern. If we serve it, it's the best.

2. Customer Service- We pride ourselves on providing excellent service to our customers, vendors and most definitely our franchisees!

3. Training- We believe everyone wants to do well; both you and your employees. We will train you on EVERYTHING you need to know to open you cafe and provide you with excellent training videos and handouts for your staff.
We even send one of our corporate trainers to YOUR cafe for your first 7 days to work with you and make sure you are ready to go.

4. Family- Not only does our concept cater to families but so does our business. We are open for breakfast and lunch so you can spend the evenings with your family. We also provide you with a suggested organizational calender to help you manage your tasks so you have time for your family and your business.
You can also access your register, reports and security cameras from your home. Yes...we have though of everything!

5. Fun- Working at tumble & tea cafe is fun. Working with a well trained team is fun. Watching your customers love your cafe- the funnest!

6. We all need a little help- No one can do it all by them selves. That is why we created tumble & tea cafe; to support the adult side of parents by creating a cafe that caters to both caregivers and kids. And that is why we developed a complete franchise program second to none!

7. We love pregos! We serve our entire menu all day and we will make it to your liking whenever possible. (Avocado, peanut butter sandwich- ok with us!) Feel welcomed to nurse anywhere you want or enjoy a little more privacy in our Birthday Room.

8. Green- We recycle, compost, don't waste and use products from recycled materials whenever possible. We need to clean up for the kids!

9. Birthdays- We admit it. We love birthdays! You will host the best birthday parties at your cafe and give treats to all kids that come in on their birthday. We are the birthday place!

10. Hard work- We have worked very hard developing this concept and franchise program and we expect you will work hard running your business. This is your business and you will benefit from your hard work and dedication!

Welcome to our ha, ha page!

Welcome to our ha,ha page. We will post a new something funny daily guaranteed to make you laugh (or at least smile).

With everything that happens during the day; work, kids, bills and random other b.s., we think you need a break- at least for a minute.

Enjoy your laugh, forgive us for for being inappropriate at times and have a great day!

Are you serious about your business? We are.

Are you serious about your business? We are.
Just because tumble & tea cafe caters to families and kids, don't think we just "kid" around. This is a serious business opportunity for you and your family.

We have analyzed every aspect of this business from design, layout, recipes, training, marketing and suppliers. We know what works.

Stop thinking about what you want to do and start doing it. Do you want to own your own cafe? Do you see the need for tumble & tea cafe in your neighborhood? Contact us- we will show you how!

We have received thousands of nationwide requests to bring tumble & tea cafe to neighborhoods everywhere!

Contact us now for your free franchise consultation!
Schedule your appointment to visit our corporate office in Berkeley, California. Meet our team, discuss your cafe with our designer and meet one on one with our founder and CEO to learn more about the tumble & tea cafe franchise opportunity.

Now you have the opportunity to own your own tumble & tea cafe!
We are expanding nationally and you can be a part of it!

Training, marketing, site selection, construction-we help you with it all!