Good looking tableware for kids from Kidishes. Durable, tempered glass in simplistic clean-kitchen design (sure trumps plastic disney princess prints!). Gotta hand it to 'em for the cute video...made me smile. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOuaGSsPYpE&feature=player_embedded
My husband came back from working on a project a while ago, and brought home a hardly used, broken computer keyboard. He said the guys were recycling them at this office he was working with, and he said he'd take one home to reporpose as a toy for his daughter to play with. He unscrewed the wire slot, removed the wiring and screwed it back in place. I cloroxed the thing (office germs are the worst!), and Freida woke up to a usually totally tabooed toy! She was so excited that she was allowed to slam the keys by herself while I left her alone to explore. Of course, we all know that they do in fact know the difference --- and she still loves the special skype moments with Bubby whilst I let her bang on the real thing, but you'd be surprised at how happy she is when I set her up with her keyboard in her stroller/high chair next to her Daddy on the computer... total time killer! ; )
Okay, I will admit right off the bat, I have a thing for lunch bags/boxes. But seriously, these totally adorable mod designs from Dabbawalla definitely make it to the top of my list. A roomy bag for the lunch, plus an upper zippered compartment for adding an ice pack if necessary, extra gear/supplies/accessories, or for keeping the sandwich smash-free. Made of the greatest fabric ever (okay, I have a thing for neoprene as well) durable, stain-resistant, and machine washable! Check out the rest of them here.
Never mind sliding down the banister - take a look at these stairway slides! Talk about kid-friendly efficiency...!!
My husband and I recently took on a noteworthy resolution. We are trying to ban all technology (gasp!) from the bedroom. I was always a "no TV in the bedroom" advocate, so we never had one in there to begin with, yet somehow there is still a desperate need for a tech-fast.
I mean: no phones/cell phones/smart phones, no iPods, no laptops etc... No more texting my friends back in the early morning hours before "good morning" wishes have been given and received, no more rude-awakening phone calls trying to get me to sub in an hour, no more anti-social iPoding in the bedroom, taking business calls at 11pm, no more web-time vs. spouse-time etc. We are trying to bring our bedroom back, once more, to being a haven of love and slumber. Only.
I've been feeling like we have been going to bed all "fuzzy"... immediately after (or during!) a tivoed TV show, too soon after staring at the computer screen for way too long, or with recent phone calls on the mind. We want get rid of all that fuzz and replace it with some calmness and peace of mind before drifting.
The goal is simple; a wind-down routine! A solid bedtime hour (10/10:30) at which we aim to be in bed (washed, brushed, and flossed), with some form of hard-copy reading material (anything from book, magazine, newspaper, print ups etc.), with the lamp only, and 20 minutes minimum of peaceful, quiet reading before retiring for the night...
The plan; starting with just one day a week, and adding gradually until we reach the goal.
There has just got to be something real about the way kids thrive off of the "bath, brush, book, bed" routine --- and I firmly believe that adults will thrive as well!!
(I will have to start a "on my nightstand" blog catagory - motivating me to go from book to book and not just settle for this months copy of Dwell or Bazaar magazine)
