Play with your Food: Roundup!

Freida's first play kitchen should arrive any day now... I've got some high hopes for the entertainment-factor this kitchen will bring her, and I'm so looking forward to the long hours she'll spend playing mom/chef (whishful thinking, right??). Now that my little bugger is joining the jr. culinary world, all my play-food browsing/testing is bound to come in handy... gotta fill those little cupboards with plenty of nutritional basics & goodies! Here's a little roundup of my current play food favorites (not that you need more grocery shopping...)! Haba Biofino: (Almost) eatible food for the little dude - Haba has an incredible line of realistic looking and versatile play food options. By far, my favorite kid-kitchen collection.

Yellow Label: Whimsical and charming - hand-knit play food with rattles inside makes for a great toy from birth onward. Plus, they look super cute! I posted more about them here.

Mellisa & Dough: Can't go wrong with this classic! Beautifully painted wooden toys + the added bonus of fine motor skills development through their fun "cutting" factor. I also love their "food group" sets - wonderful for teaching early nutrition basics.

Ikea Duktig: Fresh food is on the market! New to Ikea, this line of felted play food seems wonderfully practical as well as totally affordable!

Mod Graphics for Lunch!

I'm sure most of you have already started doing at least some minimal school supplies shopping... Camp is soon to culminate, leaving you with a week of at-home entertainment with the kids; not giving you that much time to spend on shopping around for new year goodies. As I said before, I have an infatuation with lunch bags/boxes. As a kid I loved the "fresh start" feeling it gave me carrying a spankin' new lunch tote to the cafateria... Here's my latest favorite: the Dante Beatrix lunch box collection. Made of durable and insulated heavy-duty nylon, these charming animated bags are 100% machine washable, making mom's after hours job 100% easier. I adore the modern prints, and find the colors and bag design totally kid-minded and imaginative. Any little dude would be totally stoked to carry his sustenance 'round in that hip little robot bag! Makes lunch even more lovable...

They have a super cute jr. backpack line out as well. How great are these little guys??

Freeze!

The American disease of "instant gratification" is taking things to a whole new level - in the kitchen! Introducing a popsicle maker that freezes your pops in a mere 7 minutes -flat. Check out the Zoku - a Williams-Sonoma exclusive that enables us last-minute-moms to make some homemade freezer treats minutes before the play-date. Featuring a guide to making all the frozen goodies: layered, cream filled, friut and yogurt etc., and a quick release system: get them out of their mold a cinch, to boot!

Maybe I'll finally try out this great recipe...

Zoku Quick Pop Maker, Williams-Sonoma $49.95

H20 on the Go

These Vapur® water "bottles" are apparently the hottest thing since Sigg's. Actually, they are way hotter than Sigg's - taking up no room when empty! Their makers brag them to be: reusable, attachable, identifiable, freezable, cleanable, and foldable. Made from ultra-durable BPA-Free polymer, these foldable canteens are dishwasher and freezer safe. They stand up straight when full, and fold up teeny-tiny when empty; providing us all with a super-convenient way to stay just a bit greener... Mom's are bound to love these lil' liquid gadgets - perfect for stashing in diaper bags, glove compartments, lunch boxes, strollers, clutches, evening bags etc. Don't you just love when people go out of their way to make our lives easier?? : ) Stay hydrated this summer and keep the fluids flowing!

You can get some on their website for $8.95.

(Also, check out this totally efficient way to keep it cool.)

For the red, white, and blue.

Happy Independence Day to all my fellow Americanos. Hope your national holiday is as much fun as it's meant to be! Soak up some sun (through SPF 90, of course), enjoy a lazy backyard Sunday with all the family, and turn the dial up on dessert - Martha style. If your man is that hot daddy behind the grill, here's some sweet ways to thank him....

Martha's Red, white, and blue dessert lineup.

Let Freedom Ring!