Quality Playbooks by Nico & Zoe

I love hand made and wooden (note non-toxic) toys and toymakers. And I especially love books! They can keep the kids busy for a long time. So, when visiting 5minutesformom.com awhile back I came across Nico & Zoe's site that sells well made and hand made toys so I had to take a look.

While browsing I came across these fun activity books (there's the frog shown, a cat N mouse, snail and sun) and they are very appealing, especially to me with special needs kids (any book that offers help with fine motor skills is a bonus!) Here is what they had to say about this book:

This wooden play book will help your child develop fine motor skills. A little three dimensional frog is attached to this cute booklet by a red string and matches up to each page through a peephole. Watch as Frog hops into his hole and visits all his friends in the pond. The illustrations are printed directly onto timber derived from managed European forests, and will not peel off.

http://www.nicoandzoe.com/

Beautiful Handpainted Clocks for boys/girls room

Here is a lovely shop called http://www.1onceuponaroom.etsy.com/ and they offer a select few beautiful and unique handpainted items for nursery or room. They have lovely watercolor prints, hand painted blocks, marvelous hand painted furniture and, as showcased here, a few hand painted clocks that should add just the right touch to any room!

I am showing a few designs but there are more and, I believe, she does custom work also so if you don't see what you need, you can ask her! Can't get any easier (or prettier!) than that!

Convenient Handmade Cloth Diapers!

Planning to use cloth diapers (or already do?) Then look no farther than http://www.marchthirddesigns.etsy.com/ They make these beautiful cloth diapers in many different and adorable designs. (They need to be worn with a cover or a soaker)

This shop also makes pretty clothes and bibs for baby including custom leggings (which are perfect for Anna!)

Take a look!

Silly Seating from Pkolino

Pkolino is an awesome site for cool and unique children's furniture. Featured here is their silly seating priced at ~$59.00. As they describe it:

This fun loving combination of stuffed toy and modular toddler seating has many features designed to support your toddler's developmental needs, making these engaging and multi-talented silly seats a Playfully Smart addition to any growing home.



I just think they're darn cute!! They also have some other great furniture you'll definitely want to see for yourself. http://www.pkolino.com

Luxurious Sleep Sacks by Fantaisie Kids

More luxury for the new mom at http://www.fantaisiekids.com/index2.html Truly beautiful sleep sacks in pink (small is $64) or blue (small is $50) to keep your little one safe and snug while sleeping.

Also offering beautiful and elegant Christening Gowns, upscale boutique wear and sumptious gifts for baby and mommy too.

Fun recipes

My kids LOVE bathtub paints! Really love them. But they don't last long around our place, they like to use them all up! Some of them are harder to use than others so I was happy to find a recipe to make our own bathtub paints from http://www.recipezaar.com/:



Ingredients
1/3 cup mild clear Joy dishwashing soap
1 tablespoon cornstarch
food coloring

Directions

1 Mix cornstarch and liquid soap in bowl.
2 Pour into ice cube tray, filling about 1/2 full.
3 Put 4-8 drops of different food coloring colors into each


Also found on recipezaar is Jon & Kate plus 8's monkey munch recipe! Yummy:


Ingredients

9 cups Chex cereal (any variety)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions

1 Put chex in a large bowl and put aside.
2 Place chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter into a quart-sized microwavable bowl.
3 Stir the ingredients together.
4 Microwave the mixture uncovered for a minute on "high." Stir the mix again and continue to zap in thirty second intervals until it mixes smoothly.
5 Add the vanilla and stir.
6 Pour over the cereal while stirring.
7 Put combination into a 2-gallon, Ziploc freezer bag.
8 Add powdered sugar, seal the bag and shake until distributed.
9 Spread Monkey Munch out on wax paper to cool and dry.
10 Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for storage.

Organic Baby Care

Organic baby care products are becoming the must haves for new mommies everywhere. From disposable diapers to clothing to bath, going green is in. So in that mindset here are some fantastic organic baby care items for your baby (or preschooler as in my case!) They are a line from http://www.bathbybettijo.com/ Be sure to head over, there's more than just baby care items (you'll find something for yourself too!)

Posh Diaper Totes

Are you looking for a fabulous gift for a new mom? Or just in the market for a great and stylish diaper bag for yourself? I know that I sure do need one! Check out the decadent diaper bags and toddler totes over at http://www.poshbytori.com/ and peruse all the modern styles. I think you'll want to carry this bag long after the diapers are gone!

Smencils - Something new and different!

We are always on the look out for new and unique items that are fun for kids, the bonus comes in when they are environmentally friendly!

Smencils are cool recycled colored pencils that have cool smells! Smencils are not just fun smelling pencils, but they're super green! These pencils are not made from wood - they're made from 100% recycled newspaper. (You can even see the bits of newspaper as you sharpen them) Smencils are saving trees one pencil at a time! Smencils sharpen the same as all other wood pencils and they smell way better. Sniff up a set of 10 Smencils in: Orange, Cherry, Bubble Gum, Peppermint, Fruit Punch, Watermelon, Grape, Pineapple, Root Beer, and Cinnamon. The smencils now come in a nice carry sack to keep them all together. Colored pencil leads "match" the gourmet pencil

Find these awesome smencils at http://www.quincyshop.com/index.html

Cupcake molds for your next party!

Well John and Anna's birthdays are coming up in September and I'm deciding what theme to do and what I'm going to make myself (and what I'm having others make...thanks Pam for agreeing to make the super hero party favor capes!)

This year I'm thinking of doing cupcakes for the party, but not regular ones. But fun ones (thus the previous post on cupcake recipe and decorating.) But I'm really into cupcake molds, especially these from http://www.pfaltzgraff.com/index.asp that are cupcakes that are decorated as a cake! There are many different ones (alligator, car, turtle) but this train and flower mold look like the perfect pair for our birthday party. And at just $14.99 each, I think they're priced reasonably enough to buy 2!

Fun, cool and imaginative blocks for baby & toddler

What a great idea they have over at http://www.petitflaneur.etsy.com/ for blocks! They're a bit pricey at $52.00 but they do so many things. Here is their take on them:

Bok wooden blocks are a fresh take on a traditional toy, meant to span the age of infancy to children in their school years. The generous 2 x 2" (5 x 5 cm) blocks give young hands a nice object to hold onto. The 3 dimensional puzzle gives older children a fun, challenging activity and the apples and ice cream game (tic-tac-toe) is great for any age!All the blocks are hand printed with non-toxic, solvent and metal free inks; sanded; and finished with a food safe oil. The 12 block set contains various types of high quality, untreated reclaimed wood (unused hardwood scrap), ranging from maple, oak, walnut, cherry, and poplar- each set contains a unique combination of some or all of these woods.

Yes, in addition to bright and cute pictures, the blocks also for a 3 dimensional puzzle and have a printed tic tac toe game. I think they're great!

Fun ways to decorate cupcakes!

Cupcake Recipes for Kids
Fun Ways to Decorate These Favorite Treats
© Denise Oliveri

There are so many ways to decorate cupcakes. By using the basic cupcake recipe shown here, you will also see how to turn them into delectable creations.
These cupcake recipes are fun to make and even more fun to eat! Your kids will have a blast making butterflies and ladybugs. Let's get cooking.

Basic Cupcake Recipe
Ingredients:
2-1/4 cups all purpose flour
1-1/3 cups sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add shortening, milk, and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape side of bowl with a spatula.
Add eggs to the mixture. Beat for 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape bowl again. Beat on high speed for 1 minute 30 seconds until well mixed.
Spoon cupcake batter into paper liners until 1/2 to 2/3 full.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool 5 minutes in pans then remove and place on wire racks to cool completely.

Butterfly Cupcakes
Ingredients:
Cupcakes (recipe above)
Vanilla frosting
Green food coloring
Fruit Slice candies
Sour straw candy
Skittles
Directions:
Tint the vanilla frosting by adding one or two drops of green food coloring to make a minty colored frosting.
Frost the cupcakes.
For the wings, cut fruit slice candies in half horizontally.
For the body, cut red sour straws in strips.
For the head, put Skittles at the end of the strips.
For the antennae, cut shorter strips of sour straws, snipping in half lengthwise. Place at the top of the head.

Ladybug Cupcakes
Ingredients:
Cupcakes (recipe above)
Chocolate frosting
Strawberry frosting
Red fruit slice candy
M&M Mini's
Junior Mints
Black licorice lace candy
Small zip-lock freezer bag
Directions:
Ice the cupcakes with strawberry icing.
Place the chocolate frosting in a small zip-lock freezer bag and snip off one corner. Pipe a mound of chocolate frosting in the center of each cupcake.
Slice a red fruit slice in half for the wings. Place on top of the chocolate icing.
Attach M&M Mini's to wings using frosting for glue.
Attach a Junior Mint for the head and two black licorice pieces for the antennae.

It's that time again...back to school

Oh no, everywhere I look it's already back to school shopping! We just finished school a week ago (they have a 4 week summer session.) The school year keeps getting longer and longer, they start again on the 20th of August! We always started after Labor Day....what's happening here? Well, I guess we better get ourselves in gear and find some back to school items.

John can't wait to get a new back pack. His one from last year has seen better days and he's very excited about a new one. So I've started my search and have decided that I love the Go Go Backpacks here that can be personalized! Some have matching lunch sacks that are just adorable. I think I'm going to go ladybugs for Anna (bag and lunch pack.) Not sure for John yet. Maybe one of the quilted backpacks. They are all so cute and there are tons and tons of different styles. Many websites off them but this one: http://www.laura-louise.com/index.html really seems to have the best selection around!

Hand made dolls and toys

Here is an adorable find over at Etsy. Hand made dolls and fruit toys for kids by http://www.dayanra.etsy.com/. I love hand made items, especially dolls for kids and these are really sweet and original. I can totally see this soft bunny becoming someone's favorite toy quite quickly, creating a sweet memory for everyone involved.

Head on over to Dayanra's shop and view everything she has!

Hey, if you have a minute, check out the other blog I post on: www.poshtidbits.blogspot.com! I did a copy of my post on my favorite things (waggies.org and onebravechick.com!)

Soft Pajamas for kids!

Do your kids love pajamas as much as mine do? I think that they must have a million pairs.... well, maybe not that much but they have quite a few. They love soft pajamas against their skin, to snuggle up at night, to run around in the dark in their new pjs! I guess I kind of love them too. We always seem to be buying more, shorts for summer, longer pants for fall, long sleeves for winter. Well, at http://www.perfectpjs.com/, they certainly seem to have the market cornered for nice pjs! Here are a couple of little girl's pairs that we love. I'm sure you'll find some that you love too!

Child Safety Temporary Tattoos

Here is a great idea if you are out and about this summer, at the park, away on vacation, at the mall. http://www.mypreciouskid.com/ has these awesome temporary tattoos that you can put on your kids for a day out that will list your telephone number. They also have Autism Awareness tattoos and even nut allergy tattoos. I think this is a fantastic idea, check them out!

A shout out to Delaware Moms!

Okay, many of you might not be from Delaware but I have to post about our wonderful site http://www.delawaremoms.com/ and their new shop on cafe press at http://www.cafepress.com/delawaremoms They have posted a few t-shirts

Here's one of the designs and there are a few more. I you are from Delaware, check out both sites! You won't be disappointed!

Fun Summer Ideas from Williams-Sonoma

Looking for some fun for the kids this summer? Look no further than Williams-Sonoma kids for a great treat! They have these western themed ice cream sandwich molds on sale now for just $9.99. Cut out some cookies, layer some ice cream or yogurt and have some yummy fun for kids of all ages!

Don't stop there! Does your son or daughter like dinosaurs? Well, my son John loves them! Take a look at W-S's dinosaur plates ($20) and Tumblers ($16) while you're there! http://www.williams-sonoma.com/shop/kid/index.cfm?cm%5Ftype=gnav

Beautiful Children's Jewelry

http://www.sophiescloset.etsy.com/ is a new shop to me but just the things I saw today has already made it a favorite. I am at the time where I'd like to be able to get Anna a piece of jewelry. She's almost 5, but still doesn't understand that you can't eat it (more a symptom of the down syndrome vs. the age.) Here are a few items that totally stood out for me, that I would love to purchase for her one day!

First, here is a beautiful bangle hand stamped bracelet for $25.00:

Second is a bit more pricey, but still so adorable. A Tinkle Bell jingle bell anklet for $45:

Beautiful hand made yummy scarfs!

Okay, here's something you don't see everyday. How about a bacon and egg scarf? Or a cupcake scarf? How about these:

Yummy, a chocolate ice cream hand made scarf for $20! There's also vanilla and strawberry for those so inclined.

Not so much an ice cream person? For $25, you can get this Pink Lemonade Cookie Scarf:

These are some very unique and adorable items. Be sure to visit www.fiercepixy.etsy.com!

A few of my favorite things

Just wanted to do some posts about a few of my favorite things. I've blogged about them before but feel they are worthy of another mention if you haven't visited their sites.

I'll mention a few today. First is a business near and dear to my heart. It is http://www.waggies.org/ and they make home made dog biscuits and ship them to your home (or if you live in Delaware, you can pick them up.) Here is what you can find about them on their website:

Waggies is a company created solely to employ persons with intellectual disabilities and empower them to become productive contributors in society. Maggie and her friends enjoy baking, packaging and marketing the all natural doggie treats. They are extremely proud of successfully mastering the skills needed to make these exceptional "bones". Volunteers help guide and support the team as they make a quality product that dogs love. Dog owners like the freshness, texture and attractive packaging. Reward your dog with these nutritious and delicious treats and support members of the community who want to be part of the work force. It's a winning combination.

Second is another company that I find myself drawn to. It is http://www.onebravechick.com/ This is a company run by 5 women who have all experienced loss or hardship and have overcome. After losing a husband, a baby and my daughter Emma, I can relate to their stories and mission and have purchased a bravery kit for myself, my daughter Anna and my niece Damaris along with other brave chicks who deserved the recognition.

Here is their story:

In the summer of 2007, the original Brave Chick, Katie, landed in a children’s hospital with her second terminally ill daughter, Chloe Schultz.Katie kept everyone informed of Chloe’s fight for her life through a Caringbridge website. Across the globe, people were moved by Katie’s writings and began sharing stories of their own by the thousands.On a particularly tough day, Katie signed off at the end of her entry by saying it was from herself and Chloe -“Two Brave Chicks”.Chloe died in July of 2007. Shortly after this, fellow founders of the One Brave Chick Company met and began talking about the idea of honoring brave chicks like Katie and Chloe everywhere – about launching a company that could celebrate any woman, anywhere, who needs a shot in the arm of courage; who just finished her first marathon; just got accepted to a college, or rejected from a college and tried somewhere else – anyone who looks adversity in the eye, and says, “That’s all you got? Well I’m still here. I’m One Brave Chick

Please visit these companies and support their missions. And if you have a blog, consider a mention of them or a link to them on your links page!

FatKat Designs, turn your pictures into Art

FatKat Pictures (http://www.fatkatdesign.com/) will take your ordinary pictures and turn them into pieces of art. Each of their pieces are printed on high quality canvas and range in price from $132 for an 8 x 8 to $305 for a 32 x 32 print. There are many designs to choose from:

Make a memory that will last a life time.

Minnie Mouse Necklace & Hat

Anyone planning a trip to Disney anytime soon? Well, we know you're going to go sometime if you have little ones, so you might want to consider some Minnie accessories to take along! Or, if you little girl is like mine, she might love Minnie all the time and just want something now! Well, in addition to our minnie mouse sneakers over at http://www.snanimals.com/, here are some adorable items from http://www.zjohnson.etsy.com/ that you might want to check out.

First, here is a sweet Minnie Mouse bottlecap necklace that sells for $18.99 that your little one may love to wear.

Next, find this hand made crocheted hat in Minnie Colors for just $13.00.

So after checking out our shoes & bags, go to http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5678321!

RaeRae Baby's Baby Gifts

It seems that all around us (at least here) everywhere you turn, someone is pregnant or just had a baby. And after giving our adorable layette sets and shoes from http://www.snanimals.com/, there may be an opportunity to give a little something extra. That is where http://www.raeraebaby.etsy.com/ comes in. They make extra soft and beautiful baby blankets and bibs in current and retro designs. These blankets are extra plush and even though they're hand made, they are guaranteed! So relax, order a beautiful gift and be thanked forever!

Adorable Pinafore and Jeans Set

Look closely at both pictures..... it's the same outfit!! This sweet pinafore is reversible to either green or pink Hippos! The main print is animals and it looks so bright and fun. Along with the pinafore you get the choice of jeans with appliques (pictured) or a pari of cuffed capris with matching trim. This outfit is perfect for summer and will transition well into fall and winter by adding a tshirt or turtleneck underneath! And now for the kicker....The whole outfit costs just $30! No, I'm not kidding. This custom set with reversible pinafore and jeans or capris is just $30. How long do you think they will last?? Not sure so go to http://www.aliyahshopechest.etsy.com/ now! P.S. There's many more offerings too!

Crocheted Capes & Ponchos by MamaJody54

It's early to be looking forward to fall but who can resist when you see something so fashionable and hand made at a reasonable cost. Where can you find a purple crocheted cape or a green crocheted poncho for a little girl at just $12? Yes, that's right, $12 and they are hand made and beautiful. There are other colors and styles available. Hats, baby baskets and more, but these items really caught my eye. I think either (or both!) are a great choice for back to school (or back to pre-school as it is in my home.) Head on over to http://www.mamajody54.etsy.com/ to see more.