Toddler Tableware

Lunea Dinnerware from Crate and Barrel

I recently found these melamine plates on sale at Crate and Barrel.  I purchased them in a sky blue and in a red brick.  I really like how they are just regular old plates free of cartoons, animal drawings and unnecessary sections.  What types of plates do your toddlers eat on?

Baby Boos (Baby Halloween Fashions)

1. Monster Romper 2. Cat Set 3. Ghost Socks 4. Orange Elf Suit 5. Gap PJ's 6. Booties 

 

Last week I had a post on Halloween fashions. I realized after I selected the items that there wasn't much on there for bitty babies.  

 

It's funny how quickly I've forgotten about my daughter's early days.  Less than a year ago she was in that cuddly, pj's are appropriate all day phase. She seemed so tiny at the time that I wondered if we should even go through the hassle of dressing her up for Halloween.  

 

Here are some picks for you parents want to be festive but might not want to deal with selecting a costume.  They also make great gifts for any Fall baby. 

 

P.S. I really wish I had known about these elf suits last year.  

Fab-boo-lous (Halloween Fashion)

1. Masked Sweatshirt 2. Camo Pants 3. Bat Hoodie
4. Cat Cap 5. Ghost Cap 6. Socks 7. Dress 8. Leggings

It's never too early to start thinking about Halloween, especially if you are a kid.  Here are some non-costumey Halloween picks for your little ones. 

Airplane Diaper Bag

1. Changing Pad/ 2. Ziploc Bag/ 3. Dirty Diaper Bag/ 4. Snack Cup/ 5. Sippy Cup/ 6. Snacks/ 7. Board Book/ 8. Small Toy/ 9. Teddy Bear/ 10. Outfit/ 11. Blanket/ 12. Muslin Blankets and Skip Hop Bag.

We just got back from vacation and it was the first time I flew solo with my daughter.  In the past, I had my husband to help me out.  So on this trip I needed to make sure that I had as little as possible so that I could easily get on and off the plane with my very active new walker.

These were our must-have items.   

Happy Campers (Camp Care Package Gift Guide)

1a&1b/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9

Summer is in full swing. I imagine many of you know a camper that is either having the time of her life or about to have the time of her life.  What are you planning on sending to your favorite camper? 

1. Watercolor Postcards and Watercolors- Camp is one of the last places on Earth where you actually send and receive snail mail.  These watercolor postcards are a great idea.  Your camper need not only use watercolors.  She can draw on them, decorate them with stickers, decoupage. . .  

2. Personalized Stationary- I love these cards because they have a campy feel to them.  Tinyprints can get these to your camper in less than a week. 

3. Stickers- Younger campers will trade them and older campers can put them on envelopes. 

4. Books- Kids actually read at camp because there's no television.  I am told that Jerry Spinelli's Stargirl series are popular with both pre-teens and their parents. 

5. Fake Tattoos- Because we all know that camp is the time for fake tattoos, friendship bracelets and other fun stuff.

6. A knotted bracelet screams summer.

7. Zinka- I don't know if kids these days use it, but I'm glad to see it's still around. 

8. Glow Bracelets- Things that glow in the dark are fun for campfire time and also after the lights go out.  Get this pack of 100 and your camper can share them with her bunkmates.

9. Hairbands- like socks and underwear, you can't have too many hairbands.

What would you add to your camper's care package?

Happy Friday (Happy Bike to Work Day!)

Happy Bike to Work Day! Hope you have a poncho and rain pants. . . 

If you are free at noon today, why not bike over to the Arts Club of Washington for the Story of Babar noon concert?

On Friday evening, Dance Place's step team is hosting Step it Up. Get ready for a night of crafts and step dancing.

The annual Dragon Boat Race is happening in Georgetown this Saturday. The opening ceremony begins at 8:30 am. If you find yourself up earlier, the setup begins at 6 am.

Shopping and drinking? Don't mind if I do.

• NYC-based fashion line Meg will have a trunk show at Cork Market on Sunday, May 18, from 1-5 pm.
• And at the same time, DC Flea will be at Marvin.

16 Restaurants that are great for vegetarians in Washington, DC

Commencement season is in full swing! Click HERE for a commencement speech that my Graduate School professor, Charles Wheelan gave. To date, it's my favorite.

Posted with Blogsy

Rachel Riley Clothing (The Prince's Choice)

Rachel Riley has been well known for her children's clothing for years.  But, Prince George has brought the designer to a whole knew level of name recognition.

Morning Entertainment (Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's Music Box Theater)

Photo via Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

Saturday mornings post-baby sure are a lot different.  If you are lucky, the morning starts at about 6:30.  You could spend the morning in your home biding time until the nap, but let's face it, staying inside can be torture for everyone.  Life's a little trickier now, but that doesn't mean there aren't things for you to do with your little one before noon.    

This weekend baby girl and I had a morning date to see Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's (BMO) Moo Baa Neigh at the Strathmore. The performance was part of BMO's Music Box Series for children between 6 months and 3 years of age. It featured a clarinet quintet and story teller Maria Broom. 

You might remember Maria Broom as Marla from HBO's the Wire. But this Saturday she was Miss Maria, the expressive and sweet storyteller, who led kiddos through 30 minutes of dancing and singing to Mozart as well as some classic barnyard tunes like Old MacDonald.

Miss Maria gets the crowd going on Saturday.

I would recommend this event to other parents for a few key reasons.

Happy Friday! (May 2, 2014)

DC Artist Jean Maisel's painting on display at the Phillips Gallery

This weekend is the White House Correspondents Dinner.  Get excited to see celebrities descend on our nation's capitol. If you can't make the dinner itself, the event has morphed into a 5 day fiesta so hopefully there's something for everyone that wants to partake in the fun. 

It's sundress season, can someone please take me shopping this minute?

Aimee Mann and Ted Leo perform at the 9:30 club this Friday.  I won't be there :(.

But I will be going to the Strathmore to see Maa Baa Neigh part of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's Music Box Series, for children between between 6 months and 3 years old and their chaparones.

Last chance to check out DC Artist, Jean Maisel's exhibit at the Phillips Gallery. 

Let's go ride a bike! A bunch of women are meeting up Sunday Morning at Jones Park in Alexandria for a bike ride called Women on a Roll. 

A Wall Street Journal article saying that DC is the most expensive city in the country, or is it?

A great piece from NPR on Nokia's unforgettable ringtone.

And links to some of this week's posts:

• A Mother's Day Gift Guide
• Mother's Day Tablescapes
• Changing Demographics in DC

How to Organize an EASY Easter Egg Hunt

Ombre Eggs Photo from Country Living

This weekend the parents in my building got together to host an Easter egg hunt for our smaller residents. I had no idea how easy it is to put an Easter egg hunt together. Everything you need can be purchased at your local drug store, and if you are on the craftier side, you might have some things lying around your house.

 

You could spend all night looking at all the beautiful Easter egg hunts on Pinterests, but really, kids don't care about beautiful yard signs and dessert bars.  They just want to run around and search for treats.