More coolness from recent weeks…
Whereby hard-living rock god meets furry woodland creature
It's hard to resist a designer whose bio proclaims that she draws inspiration from "the intersection between geeks and guitars." Hey - that's us, too! Except for the designer part. So yeah, we fell instantly in love with San Francisco artist/designer Willo O'Brien and...
The luck of the mallow
St Patrick's day treats don't exactly inspire me the way say, Halloween or Valentine's Day treats do. And frankly, some of them just plain freak me out. (I'm looking at you, Shamrock Shake.) So leave it to our friends at The Nibble to point us towards a really cool...
Childrens rugs get a much needed makeover
Modern children's rugs are that one item that hasn't quite proliferated at the same speed as other modern nursery decor. Mostly your rug choices for the kids' room are stripes, butterflies, or um . . . stripes. But I've just discovered the really lovely children's...
Kids slippers with values parents love too
Oh how I love the adorable children's slippers from Satch and Sol. But more importantly, my daughters love them. They don't know that these soft slippers are handmade from felted wool and suede soles by a fair trade artisan cooperative. They don't know that the...
The Modern Baby Company: Designer baby bedding you can actually afford
It's so nice these days that a modern mama has more choices when it comes to nursery bedding and accessories-- even more so than I did nearly (eep) four years ago when I became a parent. And with the proliferation of all this great mod decor, you know what that means?...
Get your kicks, Graffeeti-style
I used to draw on my sneakers as a child. It drove my mother crazy. Guess what my kids do with their sneakers? (I think my mom put them up to it.)With Graffeeti shoes, though, kids can color away. The special markers work together with the shoe's surface like a white...
All hail the chore board
I'm all for making sure my kids earn their keep around our house, but I have yet to find a system that we can actually stick with on a consistent basis. That is, until I found The Chore Board. This genius chore chart created by mom Sarah Malarkey features a magnetic...
Oh, so that’s what little girls and boys are really made of
There are so many tees out there attributing characteristics to a kid-- rock star, diva, chick magnet-- that probably better reflect the parents' aspirations than any actual aptitude on the part of the pint-sized t-shirt wearer. I have no doubt that we're raising a...
Going greener for 5k. (Not that you wouldn’t do it for free.)
Last year my son noticed that snack time at school meant 20 plastic cups thrown away every day. He suggested recycling bins for all the classrooms and made a poster encouraging other kids to go green. (I'm so proud!) That kind of hands on approach is just the kind of...
The hightops for high waters
It may still be the beginning of March (and the beginning of Daylight Savings Time - whoopeeee!) but April showers are on the horizon. I love the idea of getting my kids rainboot ready with a pair of these fantastic new Converse-style hightop rainboots from Trumpette....
Sun protection clothing? Almost that time again.
I'll do whatever it takes to help my kids avoid the pain of a sunburn-- and avoid me having to listen to them whine about it-- but even so, sometimes I forget to reapply sunscreen or miss a spot. My bad.UV Skinz sun protection swimwear is a great insurance policy...
Where tea time and bath time come together.
I dug into my Mother's Day stash of bubble baths recently only to realize that they are filled with tons of artificial chemicals and additives. Hardly a relaxing thought. Cyan Bonacci must have felt the same way since she created Lee-Lai Bathing Teas, which really are...
The Baby Grands really are grand, baby
I'd like to thank Donny, Marc and Ben of Atlanta's The Baby Grands for helping to bring my heart rate down after another "we're late!", mad-dash to the car with the kids. Hearing their cool, Jack Johnson-esque musical style paired with smart, amusing lyrics on their...
Went to a garden party
With the world kind of in flux these days, I'm definitely finding myself gravitating towards soft, simple, children's clothing that harkens back to a simpler time-- whether or not that simpler time is more legend than fact. In any case, a few clicks around Baby Bean...
He who has the most toys had better put them all away before bed
We always say we have the best readers in the world (it's true!) and it's especially the case they point us towards wonderful brands like Rice. This Danish housewares company is run by a mom-and-pop team who's amassed a dandy selection of fair trade housewares,...
Bugaboo and Paul Frank get together and make something free. Yes, free.
When you've got two uber-hip kids' brands, it's not surprising that eventually they'll meet, fall in love, and elope to Vegas after which they'll make beautiful co-branded children's products together. (Well, maybe not the Vegas part.) And thus describes the...
A taxi that is meant to rattle
The thought of an infant gumming on a New York City taxi sounds pretty unsanitary until you see the adorable, soft crocheted baby rattle toy found at Estella NYC. Handmade by Peruvian artisans, this small taxicab is the perfect size for little hands to grab and gnaw....
Want to make a birthday book more special? Add a bookplate.
I think personalized bookplates are just the coolest gift for kids. Grab a set of the beautiful modern bookplates from designer Avis Wampler and pair it with your favorite children's title, for a birthday present that won't end up in the landfills before next year. I...
Aden and Anais do sleep sacks for spring
Since I can no longer swaddle my youngest, I'm stuck in that weird place of needing to keep her warm, but not wanting to use a loose blanket just yet. And most of the infant sleep sacks that we've found here tend to be meant for cooler weather, which doesn't work well...
Got girls? Hoo boy do you need Cathy Heller
Hearing an eight-year-old belt out a song about romantic love, or a six-year-old mournfully sing about the end of high school is a bit unsettling. Fortunately, I have found Cathy Heller, whose debut CD, Say Hello to the Sun, gives my kids the type of melodic,...
Get on your bikes and ride
One of my first purchases after moving from an urban high-rise apartment to a house in the 'burbs was a bike. Sure, there were plenty of places to ride in the city, but with only two closets and about a million toys, I simply didn't have the space to store a bicycle...