KidsHaus

Baby Dinner Set

If you're looking for a special gift for a child, this hand-thrown bowl, plate and matching linen placemat set is pretty whimsical and cute...
 

Making Easter Eggs

Well, we just made Easter eggs and I thought I'd write a mini-post about them because they turned out better than I had imagined and we had so much fun making them. We started with hard-boiled eggs (of course) and opened the package of traditional egg coloring tablets that you can buy. We added a tablespoon of olive oil (though I'm sure any oil will do) to the colored water bath. The oil makes a beautiful marbled pattern on the eggs. Ms. Bean dipped the eggs into several colors to see what would happen. That was the best part -- the element of surprise! I think they're almost too beautiful to hide in the yard now...*wink*

Palette Plate

The Palette Plate by Skip Hop caught my eye because of it's brightly colored bowls on what looks like a painter's palette. After analyzing and trying to figure out if this is something I would use, I decided it was a pretty cool idea. The individual bowls are great for tiny little fingers to pick nibbles from and when there are leftovers, each bowl comes equipped with a plastic lid for sealing and stashing in the fridge. The base is skid-resistant so that the bowls won't be flying off the table with the greatest of ease.

Lego Egg Timer

Mornings before school are always a bit of a challenge because while I'm making breakfast, packing lunches, making sure Ms. Bean is properly dressed (with socks!) and her accouterments are waiting by the door -- I've also got to make sure my husband isn't doddling or taking a 20 minute shower (he takes Ms. Bean to school every morning). I'm kind of a stickler for punctuality and my husband is not. So, being that I'm always trying to streamline and simplify processes around here, I thought of trying an egg timer on him (oddly enough, I think he'll like the idea) -- it's better than me yelling upstairs every 2 minutes. So, I stumbled upon Lego's Egg Timer. The face changes as the timer rotates...brilliant!

Lollipop Flop

Ms. Bean is a mere two days away from turning 6 ("Where has the time flown?" sounding just like my mother). We threw her a birthday party today -- I'm completely wiped out because of it but Ms. Bean had a very memorable day. It made me recall the day when I turned 6 and having a party with all of my friends felt overwhelmingly special somehow.

In the midst of planning and organizing this 6 year old's shindig, I was faced with that "goodie bag" conundrum. I don't hate them but I really don't like them a lot! I struggled with ideas...what could I throw into a goodie bag that wouldn't be considered "junk"? Two years ago, my brother and I screenprinted t-shirts for the kids and it was a hit. I considered it this time around but the kids were of all ages and I wasn't sure about sizing and who was coming. So, in the end, I decided to make homemade lollipops with Ms. Bean. It seemed simple, sweet and easy, or so I thought. 

The process itself was really easy but somewhere along the way, I failed in the flavor department. Not enough orange flavoring? Too much time on the stove made them taste slightly "browned"? The lollipops, in my daughter's words, "Tasted bad...like coffee". I couldn't blame her but boy were they beautiful shade of amber in the light. I wasn't about to serve them...so instead of swiftly throwing them into the garbage, I decided to photograph them first.  That's when my husband went to the grocery store to buy some cookies and chocolate to throw in the goodie bags instead...

Laptop Lunch Bento Box

I recently purchased this Laptop Lunch Bento Box for Ms. Bean to take to school. I was becoming alarmed at how many plastic baggies we were going through and I was feeling guilty each time I had to throw one away. I could have washed them out but, seriously, one has to prioritize and the baggy just didn't make the cut. I was pleasantly surprised at how well this little box went over with Ms. Bean. It might be the teeny little container that can hold an Andes mint but I really think there was something about the separate, brightly colored containers that perked her interest. For the first time, she's having fun helping me make her lunch in the morning. She likes to make sure each container has something in it and, to my surprise, she's been eating everything.

Ayumie Horie Pottery

Ayumi Horie's pottery pieces are so fun! The website features personal photographs from around the world of how people are using their Ayumi Horie pottery. Very cute...

Modern Gingerbread House

Ms. Bean came home from school on Wednesday and without any doubt in her mind, expected me to whip up a gingerbread house. Of course, this five year old has no idea what a gingerbread house really entails except for the decorating part. Somehow, I managed to calm her expectations by convincing her that I would make one with her on Friday (yep, I'm officially committing). So here I am, Googling "how to make gingerbread house" and found a basic pattern. The designer in me wants to get more creative but the realistic mama in me says "stick to the pattern or you'll be sorry". Anyhow, on my journey to find a gingerbread house, I found this brilliant modern gingerbread house that is already assembled and comes with a rock garden! (this might be my back-up if all else fails).

Traveling Triumphs

We just got back from a fantastic holiday in Kauai, Hawaii and were fortunate enough to experience stellar  weather and catch up on lost sleep. Now I've got the energy I need to survive the winter. Speaking of survival and especially since we're entering a major travel season, I thought I would share a few key items that we brought along with us that made traveling with the Mini so much easier...

1. I've got to rave about the Phil & Ted's Me Too chair for a second. Every time I take this chair to a public place, someone will inevitably ask me what it's called. The Me Too folds flat, attaches easily to all of the tables that we've come across so far and it just looks impressive. It makes a great gift too. Love it!
2. The Kiddopotamus TinyDiner is an essential addition with the Me Too chair. It's a rubber mat that suctions to most surfaces and has a gutter to catch dropped food. It came in handy a couple of times in Kauai when we dined at some rather "rustic" tables. It's convenient to have when you're at a restaurant so you don't have to scatter nibbles directly on the table and leave a huge mess. I just throw ours in the dishwasher to give it a good cleaning.
3. While on the subject of the brilliant Phil & Ted company, we bought the t2 Travel Cot before our trip as our "crib" for the Mini. Obviously, it was a gamble since she had never tried anything like it before. The first night I popped her in it for bed time, she mustered up a little fight until I (get this) managed to squeeze myself inside for a few minutes to make her feel like it wasn't a scary place. In retrospect, I should have employed Ms. Bean for this job. Anyhow, after that night, the t2 was our savior! The Mini managed to love her evenings in the t2 and literally had 3 nights where she slept through the night. I'm not sure if that was due to a full day at the beach or the comfy cot but, all I have to say is that I'm thrilled to own it and highly recommend it for travel.
4. Finally, this one goes for Ms. Bean (who is 5) but I consider it highly essential: our DVD player or iPod for the airplane ride. We alternated between a compact DVD player and our iPod to keep Ms. Bean occupied while she was forced to sit still for 5+ hours. The iPod is great to listen to audiobooks downloaded from iTunes. Her current fave is the series of Dr. Seuss narrated stories.
   

If you've got any great travel ideas, please share...

Glass is Back (yay!)

There's been a huge demand to bring glass bottles back with the heightened awareness of bisphenol A, phthalate, PVC and polycarbonates as toxic materials. When I laid my eyes on these Babylife Wee-go glass and plastic-free bottles, I almost broke into a dance. With their playfully beautiful design and attention to details -- I have a feeling these are going to fly off the shelves! The colorful sleeves are free of plastics and are 100% non-toxic. The silicone nipple is also latex-free and non-toxic. The plastic ring, plug and cap contain no polycarbonates and are food grade, FDA approved and recyclable. Smart, smart, smart! I just wish they'd been around a year ago. By the way, you'll have to wait until mid-November to pre-order these little lovelies...

Drinking Bottles

By now you've probably heard about the BPA or bisophenol chemical most often found in polycarbonate plastics. Bisphenol A is an estrogen-like chemical used to make plastic. These plastics are used in many plastic water bottles, baby bottles and sippy cups. I learned about BPAs a couple of years ago and have felt uneasy giving my daughters' plastic sippy cups and baby bottles since then. So, I was ecstatic when I discovered my first SIGG aluminum bottle and promptly purchased a couple. Thankfully, there are other companies entering the scene with some nicely designed aluminum or stainless steel bottles, so I thought I would showcase a few. SIGG is the most popular brand, made of aluminum but internally coated with an inert coating so there is no aluminum leaching into the bottle (thanks Molly!) and they offer additional accessories such as kid handles and a neoprene jacket. Klean Kanteen, made of stainless steel, also has additional accessories and other lid options, The Safe Sippy, also made of stainless steel, has a straw-like spout (proven to be better for speech development) and then I had to mention the Shinzi Katoh drinking bottles for their fantastic illustrations.

Yoshitomo Nara drinking glasses

Plastic cups are practically extinct around our house these days as Ms. Bean insists on using glasses for her milk and juice. It's all part of her movement to prove that she's not a baby anymore. Sigh...fine. I simply purchased a few cheap glasses from Crate & Barrel that would keep her away from the expensive ones as she exercises her independence. As soon as we're feeling confident, I think this little set of drinking glasses designed by the renowned Japanese artist, Yoshitomo Nara, would be a nice congratulatory gift for Ms. Bean.