Retro Toy Love: Suitcase Dollhouse

This is version #2 of this post.  I just spent the last 20 minutes drafting a very clever write up about how much I adore this doll suitcase from hart + sew and how it reminded me of one of my other favorite blogs Modern Kiddo.  I went on for about a paragraph about how similar the authors of these two sites are and how I should totally introduce them.

Then, just to be thorough, I quickly popped over to Modern Kiddo to make sure they hadn't actually featured hart + sew in the past.  Guess what I found... Not only have they featured the site, they featured this same dollhouse and (wait for it)... it was YESTERDAY's post (I'm writing this on Friday night even though I won't post it until Monday).  That wouldn't be so extraordinary except that the dollhouse was originally posted over 3 weeks ago - what are the odds we would both post about it now?

Anyway, the wind has definitely gone out of my sails and I'm no longer feeling too cool for school. Oh well, this dollhouse is way too good not to share again.  Without further ado - I present you with this lovely handmade project for the little girl in your life.

photos via hart + sew

Let me just say that hart + sew's author, Stacy, is cut from the same cloth as Alix and Dottie over at Modern Kiddo - they all share an amazing vintage-chic aesthetic that I can only admire from afar.  But enough about them, lets get back to this charming doll suitcase.  Can't you just picture your little girl towing this around everywhere?  It truly is a toy to treasure.  Click through for the incredible details.

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Giveaway: Make Your Own Collage Poster from Juxio

I'm sort of dancing with excitement to announce MPMK's next giveaway (OK, not "sort of" - I actually did a small happy dance in the kitchen when I got the email confirming it was a go). One lucky reader will get to create their own 24" x 36" collage at Juxio.com, which will be printed and shipped for free. You read that right, 24" x 36" - that's no skimpy piece of wall art. Part 2 of MPMK's Honoring Kids' Artwork series featured collage prints just like these and they were a big hit. So I know there are a lot of you that would dig this prize (apparently I'm not the only one with kid art piling up at home).

Although I covet one of these prints for my own wall, I'm also a little glad I won't have to choose which style to go with. I'd be seriously torn between the clean modern look of the photo grid and that heart (which would be perfect as Valentine's Day decor or up on a kids' wall year round).

And isn't this poster Jennifer made of her son's trains the coolest? C got yet another Thomas and Friends character from grandma last weekend and I swear he spent half the day looking at the accompanying brochure listing all the trains. When I saw this poster on Juxio's site I immediately pictured all of C's engine pals big and bold up on his wall - the kid's head would probably explode from excitement.

If you too would like to see your little ones flip their lids, here are 4 ways to enter:

1. Become (or let me know that you already are) a subscriber to MPMK via email subscription, RSS feed, or as a GFC follower. Please note: doing one or all of these things only counts as one entry.
2. Become (or let me know that you already are) a Twitter follower of MPMK.
3. Tweet about this giveaway (be sure to include @ModRentMessyKid in your message) or simply click the "Tweet this!" button at the bottom of this post.
4. Post a link to the giveaway on your facebook wall or simply click the "Like" button at the bottom of this post.

You must leave a separate comment for each of your entries in order for them to count. The giveaway is open to all U.S. residents and will end on Thursday, February 3rd at 11:59 Eastern Time. A winner will be chosen at random and announced here on Friday, February 4th. Good Luck!




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Install an Indoor Swing, Instill Self-Confidence

photo via Real Simple

The idea of hanging a rope ladder or swing from the ceiling might strike fear into the hearts of many parents, for the safety of both their little ones and their walls.  Yet, experts at Stanford’s Shyness Clinic recommend doing just that.  The Shy Child : Overcoming and Preventing Shyness from Infancy to Adulthood advocates indoor swinging, climbing, and other mildly risky activities to foster self-confidence in more naturally reserved kids.  Click through for inspiration on how to successfully implement this idea in your home.

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Tutorial: Shaving Cream Valentine

 

It's almost February and that's got me thinking about, what else, Valentine's Day.  I love that C is finally old enough to get into holidays so I wanted to make something special for him to give to his pals.  Since chocolate candy isn't really appropriate for a bunch of 2 year olds (at least not in my world), I came up with this instead.

 

Process based art and play has been big around our house lately (as evidenced by Monday's post) so these shaving cream Valentines were kind of a no-brainer.  The mixing colors are lovely to look at and C's friends will have fun drawing shapes with the included Q-tips.  Click through for all the details on how to make your own.

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More Magnetic Wall Ideas

photo via minor details (spotted on pinterest)

When I first posted about C's magnetic wall giraffe, I gave a few suggestions about other ways to interpret the project.  If you particularly liked the idea of a cityscape with magnetic citizens, here are a few great examples of skylines to get you started.  Something modeled after this large scale wall decal from tangle tree interiors would be perfect (spotted at minor details).

photo via I am Momma, Hear Me Roar

For something less bohemian and more urban, see this superhero room at I am Momma, Hear Me Roar.  Actually, stop by even if you're not looking for skyline inspiration (it's Über cool) then click through for a completely different option.

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Entertain Your Kids (and Get Stuff Done) with a Sensory Box

If you've ever stepped foot inside a preschool classroom, you're probably familiar with the mysterious attention-holding sensory box. Its ability to keep a young child's attention is so life changing that you need to have one in your own home - trust me!  Not only will it keep them occupied for unheard of amounts of time, it also comes with all these developmental benefits.  

A sensory box is simply a container (preferably with a lid for storage) filled with tactile materials for kids to explore.  I know it looks messy and scary but your kids will learn to keep everything in the box.  Start out with a filler like rice or dried beans, add cups and other scoopers and start experimenting from there.  I searched high and low to find these Little Tuffies Trucks, which are the perfect size and have working parts for moving and dumping beans (my current filler of choice).  Click through for more ideas.

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Honoring Kids' Artwork: Part 2 - Create a Collection

photos via Create-Celebrate-Explore

In the last half of this series I'll cover a few ways to establish a rotating gallery at home.  For today, lets address what to do with that hand turkey (and other seasonal art) once the holidays have come and gone.  First, take digital photos of the pieces and then throw them out.  Trust me, you'll feel nothing but relief when that ever-growing pile of construction paper is gone.

Second, use the photos to create something stylish.  Option A is the quintessential coffee table book.  This may not be a revolutionary idea, but this example from Create-Celebrate-Explore is one of the best executions I've seen.  I love how it includes three dimensional pieces and short descriptions on each page.  Click through for option B, which happens to be my very favorite method of displaying kids' art.

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Queensland Flood Appeal Auction

One of the best things about joining the blogging world has been discovering the generous ways of many of my fellow bloggers.  Please take a little time out of your busy day today and check out this online raffle and auction over at Make it Perfect benefitting the Australia flood victims.  There's lots of great stuff to be had - the best of all being a little good karma, who couldn't use a little of that to start the year off right?




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Rainy Day Design

 THE BRIGHT SIDE at dazychic.

Lately I've been thinking that rain clouds and kids might be a perfect match.  Maybe I'm just being practical.  As a Seattleite, convincing my young children that rain is a good thing would certainly pay dividends in the future.  But it might also have to do with all the cute clouds hanging around these days.  Read on for lots of soggy inspiration.

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How Thomas the Tank Engine Can Make Your Kids Smart & Popular

Intriguing title, no?  You're going to have to stick with me a little on this one because I'm technically posting on Emotional Coaching.  Now, hold on - before you go to click away from the "touchy feely" post, read a little further.  I promise this wasn't a bait and switch, Thomas will make it in!

The quick and dirty on Emotional Coaching is basically this:

1. The goal is to help kids to be aware of emotions and to learn how to express and regulate them.
2. The parent's role is to model how to express, regulate, and react to emotions and to regularly discuss emotions with their kids.

So why all the focus on emotions?  Research has shown that a child’s social and emotional skills are key building blocks for cognitive development, stress management, language acquisition, school readiness, and strong peer relationships.

There's a chain reaction that occurs for that last part, aka your kid having friends and being popular (of course the stress on popularity here is a joke - the goal is simply to help your child build meaningful and successful relationships).  The chain goes like this:

Increased Emotional Awareness and Regulation -> Improved Communication Skills -> Improved Conflict Resolution Skills -> Increased Confidence and Self-esteem ->  Strengthened Relationships with Parents and Peers 

Have I sold you on the concept yet?  Wanna learn exactly how to be an emotional coach? (And find out where Thomas fits in all of this?)  Click through for the 5 basic steps:

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Two Tiny Spots for Tiny Tots

Here's a little Monday bonus post - because I was up to my elbows in enchiladas this weekend and (as good as they are) I just can't look at them anymore!

Oh, to have a little corner in the world as lovely as this.  Above is a crib/dresser/changing table hybrid called "Nina's House" from Dave Keune (spotted by me at Black Eiffel).  It is an amazing (and probably incredibly expensive) model of how to transform a tight spot into a beautiful modern nest.  Click through for one of my all time favorite baby spaces.

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Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

First the winner - congrats to Aubrey, the official winner of MPMK's very first giveaway!  Enjoy your $35 CSN gift code and come back to let us know what you got.  Thank you to everyone who participated and made MPMK's first giveaway such a success.

 

Now on to the chicken dinner.  Not one, but two, of my friends have welcomed beautiful baby boys into the world in the last 2 weeks.  So this weekend the hubs and I made a triple batch of our favorite freeze and eat food, Salsa Verde Enchiladas (one for each of our friends and one for us, of course).  

This meal is super simple, freezes and travels great, and tastes REALLY good.  If you don't happen to want 3 trays of enchiladas (don't be so sure though, I'm telling you they are yummy) obviously just divide the ingredients by 3.  Don't be too worried about proportions, you really can't go wrong with this one.

Ingredients

6 Anaheim chiles
6 - 7 chicken breasts
1 1/3 large blocks of Monteray Jack cheese (~ 2 2/3 lb total)
18 oz sour cream
Two 24 oz jars of salsa verde
21 - 24 tortillas

 

Step 1: Roast about 6 Anaheim chiles in the oven.  Lay your chiles on a sheet of foil and turn your oven's broiler on high.  Set your timer to check the peppers every 5 minutes or so and flip them when one side is good and charred.  When both sides are charred take them out.  

Put the peppers in a bowl covered with a dish towel and let them rest for 15 - 20 minutes.  Once the chiles are cool, peel off the charred skin and remove the seeds.  Roughly chop them and set aside.

 

Step 2: Grill the chicken.  Just throw 6 - 7 chicken breasts on the grill and cook 'till they look like above.  Have I made you hungry yet?  Click through for the rest of the recipe.

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Best Kid Gift Ever... Plus a Pretty Package

I always thought once I became a parent it would be easier to buy gifts for kids.  Ironically, the process has only become harder.  I now know firsthand how easily plastic toys can overtake the house.  In an effort not to inflict this on my parent friends, I agonize over finding the perfect educational gift that's not lame still fun.

Enter Amy at Let's Explore with the world's best gift idea for a child: The Book Series Sampler.  Simply pick 3-5 of your favorite age appropriate series and bundle together the first book from each.  (For pre-readers I might fudge a little and chose some that were written by a favorite author but not part of a formal series.)  This gift is so great because you can give it year after year and it never gets old.

Amy has suggestions for all kinds of different series (including chapter books, mysteries, and classics) so be sure to check out her post.  Read on for my young toddler selections and an extra special package to put it in.

1. An Eric Carle book (obvious but still a must) - I'd probably start with The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

2. A Sandra Boynton book - Moo, Baa, La La La was C's first so it's a sentimental favorite.

3. A Skippyjon Jones book - He's one naughty kitty boy (who thinks he's a chihuahua).
4. A Duck & Goose book - I especially like the holiday books if the timing is right.

photo via Chez Beeper Bebe

And if you're looking for presentation brownie points, make this fabulous tote with a built in library card holder from Chez Beeper Bebe.  It'll come in handy for that library run to get the next book in the series.  As with most sewing projects, I'd recommend cheating a bit.  Buy a tote and follow the instructions to add on the letters and library card pocket.  Chez Beeper Bebe has the most amazing tutorials ever so even sewing novices like me shouldn't have a problem.   

Who would you give a Series Sampler to and which books would you include?




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Honoring Kids' Artwork: Part 1 - Get Rid of It

So now that we've armed our little ones with the proper art supplies, what do we do with their new creations? Get rid of 'em!  Sounds heartless, I know, but remember for toddlers art is about the experience and not the product.  And even if your child's not a toddler, there's really no need to keep everything.  Don't think you can change your pack rat ways?  See Minimalism for Moms for some inspiration.

Plus, you don't have to throw it out - just give it to someone else who will honor it.  Your child will reach a whole new level of pride when he sees his work displayed on a fridge or mantle belonging to someone other than mom or dad.  Isn't that the whole point of displaying kids' creations?  So send that finger painting masterpiece off to Grandma and watch your little one's eyes light up the first time she spots it in her home.

My favorite variation on this idea is to frame the art and hang it in the room of an existing or due-to-arrive younger sibling.  Here's a beautiful large-scale example from Lonny magazine.  This shows big brother that he is a meaningful and contributing part of his little sister's life.  It shows little sister that big brother cares about her (a useful reminder when she's pouting in her room because he won't let her play pirates with him).

And while we're on the topic of giving away kids' artwork, please take a moment to check out Aidan's Monsters.  Purchase one of Aidan's original works of art for you or a loved one and support his family in their fight against Aidan's Leukemia.

Like this post?  Stay tuned for the next installment of this 5 part series.

See the rest of this series here:
Honoring Kids' Artwork: Part 2 - Create a Collection
Honoring Kids' Artwork: Part 3 - Hang It Up 
Honoring Kids' Artwork: Part 4 - Put It Behind Glass
Honoring Kids' Artwork: Part 5 - Transform It 




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Personalized and Interactive Placemats for Kids

Now that C 's graduated to a booster seat and eating at the table, I've been hunting for the perfect placemat for him.  My wants are simple: easy to clean, cute, and long lasting.  This laminated placemat from Name Your Design is all of that plus personalized, educational, and interactive too.

The modern design comes in two color schemes with a name and labeled spots for the plate, cutlery, and cup.  That's all well and good for educational purposes but the true genius of this placemat reveals itself when you flip it over.  There you will find space for your kids to draw pictures and write stories about their day (using a dry-erase marker).

Not only does this occupy them during those impatient 10 minutes before dinner is done, it also encourages them to display their artwork and share their day once you sit down to eat.  A cleaner table, less whining before dinner, and quality family conversation all for $16 - I'm sold!




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Imaginative Play: Story Starters

photo via Penny Carnival

This idea is an oldie but a goodie over at Penny Carnival.  These story starters couldn't be more simple, just slips of paper with various play scenarios, but they're a must have on a rainy day.   Just print 'em, throw 'em in a fun container, and let the kids take turns choosing.  But get ready to stretch your creative muscles too because once they work their way through the provided scenarios, the kiddos will be asking you to come up with more.




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A Giveaway in Honor of MPMK's 1 Week Birthday

MPMK is officially 1 week old today and to celebrate I'm giving away a $35 gift code to use at any of the over 200 CSN online stores.  If you happen to win (and lets face it, with a brand new blog your odds of winning are a lot better than elsewhere) may I suggest getting something to help you keep one of your New Year's resolutions?  I've even comprised a handy list of items for both parents and kids to do just that - just click on any of the photos for more info.

Resolution #1: Make Your Bed Every Day

        

Mom was right, it really does feel better to get into a made bed at night.  These chic chevron sheets paired with any of CSN's modern duvet covers might be just the motivation you need to get the job done.  And if you're like me, you have to buy your toddler a bed before you can work on getting him to make it.  This P'kolino version stands out for its modern design and dual functionality.  It doubles as a chair so you can still use it once your little one moves on to a real bed.  

Resolution #2: Get Organized 

           

These organic storage bins are perfect for keeping toys in bedrooms and out of living spaces.   For the adults, this storage container set should keep your fridge nice and tidy.  Afterall, it's hard to forget about those leftovers in the back when they're kept in a bright plaid container.

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Free Illustrations for Your Kids' Space

Have you heard?  MPMK is having its first giveaway today.  And since we're on the topic of giveaways, I wanted to take the time to highlight a site that is generous enough to have one every day.  I first read about Katie Moon's commitment to provide one new children's illustration a day (free for 24 hours) for the entire year over at ohdeedoh.

When I visited oohmoon, I was delighted to find the pieces were being provided as week-long series.  That means that all you have to do is stop by once a day for 5 consecutive days and you'll have an enchanting artwork collection for your kids' space.  This week Katie is featuring a fairy tale theme that starts with Peter Pan.  Be sure to stop by today in order to get the whole collection.

And don't forget to check back here at noon (Eastern Time) for our very own giveaway!




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Jumbo Fabric Wall Decals

There's something about fabric wall decals that I find infinitely more appealing than their vinyl counterparts.  Maybe it's that they're more forgiving on textured walls, removable, and reusable... or maybe fabric just seems a bit cozier than vinyl?  Whatever it is, the jumbo versions are the best of a good thing.  

The creator of these vibrant decals from Pop and Lolli (first spotted by me at Design Mom) declares, "I believe in impact" and boy does she put her money where her mouth is.  Plus they're made in the USA and "100% safe for kids".  What more could you ask for? 

And sweet or sassy, chocovenyl has your child's room covered.  I can't decide if I prefer the bold Princess and the Pea set or the serene In the Woodland collection.  What do you think?  Click through for a few more of my favorites.

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How to Foster a Love of Writing in Your Kids

I can't seem to get away from all things literary this week (see here and here), so I'm just gonna go with it.  When I was in 5th grade, I was selected to participate in a program called "Young Authors" in which I had about a week to write and illustrate a book.  Once I was done, I got to skip an entire day of school to attend special writing workshops at a local community college.  The experience left me extremely enthusiastic about reading and writing - a feeling I would love to instill in my own children.

To that end, one of my goals is to eventually set up a writing center at home.  Lucky for me, Mariah over at Playful Learning is somewhat of an expert on how to do just that.  If you're also looking to promote creative writing at home, be sure to check out this post for lots of great tips on creating an area to, in Mariah's words, "encourage children to write spontaneously for authentic purposes".  Click through for more writing center help and a giveaway.

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What to Put in Your Art Tool Box

  

I've been drooling over some amazing blogs about art and play lately.  I look at these virtual Montessori Meccas and fantasize about daily art activities based on weekly themes for C.  Then S starts crying and I come to my senses.  But not having time to set up a preschool in my living room doesn't mean I have to give up on art all together.

To make it more manageable (and to keep me more accountable), I've made a pact with a friend - we'll do it together, about once a week.  We'll go supply shopping together and our kids will love it and our Mother-of-the-Year certificates will surely be in the mail in no time.  I'm psyched!  But where should I begin??

At Pink and Green Mama, that's where, because she's already done the leg work for me.  She's provided a very helpful post on everything I need to buy.  More importantly, she has some great tips on what to keep in mind to successfully make art at home with my toddler.  Don't have a toddler but still want in on the fun?  No problem, she has a similar post for preschoolers and school-age kids too.




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Kid Craft: Book Page Flags

photos via lilla a

Here's a little mid-week bonus post - the perfect art project to go along with today's reading theme.  These book page flags make me think of literary voyages to imaginary lands.  What a simple and lovely project over at lilla a. 




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