By Audrey van Petegem, Contributing Editor
One of my favorite toys growing up was my dollhouse. I spent many hours playing make-believe with it. It was a very basic square construction made of wood, with no stain or paint finish. My doll furniture was a mix of mismatched plastic pieces with a few wooden handmade ones my father had lovingly crafted for me. My dolls were a variety of stuffed animals, Barbies and an assortment of different figurines.
On a search to recreate my own childhood memories for my daughters, I came across a sophisticated and oh-so-stylish version of my own basic [...]

This “toy” or, shall we say craft, line got our attention because we thought it was the perfect manifestation of the combined ideals of teaching creativity and environmental awareness. The Castaway Kits are the invention of the Trash for Teaching (T4T) group. They collect all sorts of manufacturing cast-off materials that were destined for the landfill. Things like cardboard cones and tubes and die-cut chips and fabric scraps… All with various colors, shapes and textures. What a great way to inspire imagination and to enforce spatial development while also teaching our kids that fun & play does not need to [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Contributing Editor
We haven’t even roasted the Thanksgiving turkey and we are already getting into full Christmas mode.  The lights might already be hung.  A Christmas tree might already be decorated.  Oh dear.  Shopping is being done over the internet and orders are being delivered.   So, while you are on your computer you have to check out these sites that will add to the magic of Christmas for your kids.
 
Santa in Your House:

In the eyes of a little kid, can there be anything better than a cameo appearance by Santa in your house?   With Icaughtsanta.com, for [...]

Full disclosure. Barbara, creator of Daily Whisper, and I are friends. But I want to make it clear that I’m not featuring her work here just because she is really nice and pretty and funny nor because I owe her too many favors. Nope.
Barbara and I met about 8 years ago when we got together, along with two other women, on a weekly basis to conduct our own workshop based on the “Heart’s Desire” book by Sonia Choquette. It was an incredible experience. If we didn’t know each other before this exercise, we certainly got to know everything about each [...]

Joli at Spunky Sprout contacted me a few months ago to let me know about her online childrens’ furnishings store. I’m so glad she did because I haven’t been paying close attention to that product category. I’m past the small kids phase in my home (mine are now 16 and 12), but boy, am I sorry that a store like Spunky Sprout wasn’t around when they were little. Kid’s furnishings were, “back then”, largely uninspired or if of modern and sleek design, they were unaffordable. Actually, the uninspired factor is still omnipresent in today’s market, except for some real gems [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Contributing Editor
When you put the words road-trip with 2 young children (ages 3 and 5) together, there has to be a 3rd component: the DVD player. So, before our 4-hour family road-trip, to visit friends in Las Vegas, I stocked up on some DVDs. I got the usual Disney and Pixar ones , but I also wanted something a little different that my daughters had not seen before. I came across a DVD series by Global Wonders. The DVDs introduce children to a wide variety of cultures that may be [...]

Just in time for Father’s Day gift idea suggestions, I wanted to share the Dr. Moz’ line of diaper bags which are perfect to make sure that Dad keeps his dignity intact. For all our infatuation with Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bags, we know that baby’s dad would rather not be seen toting one of those around. No more embarrassing dad with a pretty diaper bag: the Stork Tools messenger-style Daddy Diaper bags offer the requisite manly, sporty look with pockets to fit all of his toys as well as baby’s essentials.
There is also the Dr. Moz GoodFather line of [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Contributing Editor
Is it summer yet? I know I keep asking because we are totally geared up over here (as you could tell from my post on swimwear last week and on the FaceStick sunblock before that). Summer = water + fun. That’s the first thing I think of. Then, it’s water + wet + cold = miserable kids.  That invariably seems to be the formula.
With two kids in swimming lessons, many pool parties, beach days and a teenager who lives at the beach all summer, I’m so glad that I found these Ragz pullovers. They are [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Contributing Editor
I know that I keep writing about summer. But hey, is anybody NOT thinking about summer right now? Living in a beach-side town in Southern California, it is hard not to think of water and sun.  And having children, it is hard not to think about protecting them from the dangers of sunburns at the beach.
Glad I discovered this great Canadian company, SunSeals. They make swimsuits and accessories that have unique solar protection that screens out 98% of the sun’s harmful ultra-violet rays. 98 percent! They use chlorine treated nylon/lycra and polyester four way stretch [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Contributing Editor
With two little girls in preschool, we seem to attend a lot of playdates. And these playdates invariably turn into birthday party invitations. So, I am always on the lookout for fun gifts to stock the gift closet, ready at a moment’s notice, when one of my girls gets an invitation. I came across these beautiful tutus made by Kiwi Industries while shopping at a local Laguna Beach children’s store the other day.  The playful and colorful tutus are adorned with satin rose petals in the layers of tulle and a wide satin ribbon with [...]

For the older ones among us, still traumatized by the old fashioned mercury thermometers (do they even still sell those?) that could be inserted into any number of orifices, this is a big relief. For the rest of you who only remember as far as the ear thermometer, I have no sympathy, but you might still enjoy this new generation of non invasive thermometers, particularly useful for the littlest bundles of joy.
Homedics No-touch Thermometer
This just released thermometer is completely touch-free. You will never again have to wake a baby, or have to stick a thermometer in some already suffering child’s [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Contributing Editor
I have three children, a boy and two girls, ranging from ages 3 to 16. Over the years, each of them has received several personalized books from friends and family. I have even bought a few myself, either online or at a kiosk at the local mall.  We have Christmas ones, birthday ones, “what I will be when I grow up” ones and so on.   They all are about the same quality and have the same pattern of inserting various names into various sentences.
Then I came across the Custom Made for Kids books. The book [...]