Nestlette

Wait, before you say it, yes, this all white nursery is subject to the rhetorical “You’ve never had children, have you?” and fairly so. But this room, by Restoration Hardware baby & child, just looked so fresh and clean, I couldn’t resist making it the backdrop for a few nursery accessories.

Left: Fine Feather Friends Mobile available at Land of Nod. Five hand knit, colorful birds each with their own panache spinning around and around. Or, the Early Riser Mobile gives you the option of all pink or all blue.

Center: Custom Name Square by Hoot Design Co. Printed on a 12-inch square of watercolor paper with four colors to choose and a simple black, matte frame. Perfect for a unique name or an average one with a unique personality.

Right: Golden Giraffe Bookend by Streamline. Made in other animal shapes as well, all handcrafted from animal friendly faux leather filled with natural cotton and heavy enough to support all of your new baby’s favorite bedtime stories.

Bellies: Nourish your well being and the bump with Maclaren Beginning organic-based and holistic personal care products. With a special blend of essential oils, the Alleviating Leg Lotion (Stephie swears by it!) gives instant relief to tired, achy legs and feet and the Supporting Belly Balm helps prevent stretch marks and promote cell regeneration and skin elasticity.

Bottoms: Nourish the planet with gDiapers – a happy collaboration between disposable and cloth that puts everything in it’s right place. The dirty biodegradable gRefill goes down the toilet and the cotton gPant goes in the washer to be cleaned. gDiapers offer the best of both worlds plus, they are quite stylish (much more practical than overpriced disposable denim).

Bottles: Nourish hungry babies and thirsty toddlers one bottle at a time of purified spring water by Nourish. For babies, the premeasured 8 oz bottles make fixing formula on the fly a sanitary cinch – just add formula, shake, sip and recycle. And toddlers can run free and keep hydrated or sit still and avoid a sugar rush with the 10 oz spill-proof sippy top version.

While some things separate the mommies from the aunties (like saying the word, “No.”), here is what brings us together: Whether we are running to a sample sale or running after a one year old, we are both on the go-go-go. Whether we are cooking for two or eating for two, we crave something satisfying yet healthy. And, whether we have a pod or not, we all want a tight bod.

Tight Bod with a Pod is perfect for the moms with pods, two pods, post-pods or aunts (like me) who have never had a pod but think that other peoples are adorable.

While TBwaP suits the mommy lifestyle, it is more than a mommy blog  and has a little something for everyone. There are yummy recipes for the whole family as well as great targeted workouts with short videos that are easy to follow. And if you have held any babies or picked up any 3 year olds lately, you know that having toned arms and a strong back is essential to giving good hugs and that cookies always come in handy.

Emily Brown! In this adorable, Willem-esque story by Cressida Cowell, Emily Brown goes on an adventure with her favorite toy and best companion – a rabbit called Stanley. While in outer space, they are confronted by Queen Gloriana’s footman whom is on a mission to capture “Bunnywunny.” But, when Emily says, “No, thank you. This rabbit is NOT for sale,” the queen steals him. So, Emily sets out to get back her Stanley and teaches the naughty queen a valuable lesson on how to love her own toys .

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation gives new meaning to making lemonade out of lemons. At four years old, Alexandra Scott turned this classic pastime into an inspirational venture. Her vision was to help sick children, like herself, fight and find a cure for childhood cancer. So, when you pass a lemonade stand near you, stop and buy a cuppa lemonade! It’s good for your thirst and your heart!

Could you imagine growing up without your favorite stuffie (Fluffy Bunny, Georgie the Frog, Rudy Reindeer…) or not have a blanket to cuddle with when you just needed a cuddle?

“One to Love, One to Give” is the philosophy of Happy Blankie.

These adorable blankets are sure to make your child (and you) smile big. Even better, they will make another child smile too. When you buy one blanket, you donate one to a child in need.

Je suis la jeune fille!

I took 4 years of French in high school, 2 semesters in college and even did a bit of shopping at the Galeries Lafayette. My mastery of the foreign language was never profound and probably beyond a little rusty, yet, I still remember the French phrase Muzzy said in a commercial decades ago. Oh, how I wanted Muzzy (along with a Barbie power wheels missing from my childhood…). I digress…

Do you remember Muzzy? The BBC Language Course for Children (apparently, #1 in the World). I was curious to see if he was still around – and he is! Speaking more languages than before, including Brazilian Portuguese which has recently been added to my list of things to do. (One minute, you are meeting friends from Brazil and the next thing you know, you are checking the box that says “Languages: Portuguese”)

Boon creates a wide range of innovative products to make modern parenting easier. Including, the Snack Ball snack container – which may not be high on the list of parenting concerns (I doubt parents are losing sleep over whether or not they have spherical snackware), but it sure is cute nonetheless and fun for adults (who aren’t parents) too!

lunchskins reusable bags replace disposable plastic ones piling up in a landfill. They are better for the environment, lighter on your wallet and, if nothing else, so colorful and stylish! And, they are dishwasher safe – which means, it would be just as easy to clean a lunchskins bag as it would be to throw out a dirty plastic bag and pull out a new one.

A reusable water bottle (like this Wottle Bottle designed by Orla Kiely for Brita) makes drinking water fun and fashionable. Drinking water is good for you, drinking water out of a wottle (or reusable bottle) is good for the environment. What could make it better? A wedge of orange and a slice of cucumber!

The classic Play-Doh, made popular in 1956, remains popular among preschoolers over a half century later. Now, like so many things today, there are eco-chic versions of play dough as well as gluten free (Who knew play dough posed a threat to gluten? It’s like finding out rice krispie treats aren’t vegan.).

eco-kids gluten free eco-dough

Clementine Art modeling dough

Homemade Play Dough
c/o: Martha Stewart

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon cooking oil
• 1 cup water
• Food coloring as needed

In a heavy saucepan, mix the ingredients. Cook on a medium heat, stirring constantly for 3 minutes or until mixture pulls away from sides of pan. It will have the consistency of mashed potatoes. Remove from heat; let cool for 1 minute and then knead. It should have a soft, smooth texture. Add food coloring or natural scent and color extracts.

Play dough can be stored in airtight containers and will keep for several weeks.

…polished her nails with Piggy Paint!

Piggy Paint is natural, non-toxic nail polish for petite “piggies.” The colors are vibrant (with fun names like “Ice Cream Dream” and “Tea Party for Two”) and durable (not like the peel-away polish that came with our Barbie dolls) without harsh smellies. And when it is time for a polish change, Piggy Paint nail polish remover is safe and non-toxic too.