[Spotlight: Handmade] Nutty sock friends

Bunny Monster, handmade by BlinkyMuffin via Etsy

We have a birthday party this weekend and I want to give something special to my good friend who has two wonderful young kids, vibrant, smart and beautiful. They are very lucky children to two of the most dedicated parents I know. I thought it would be sweet to give them something handmade... so I am browsing on Etsy. One keyword search led to another and then I found him. Bunny Monster. I saw him and just smiled. Like something out of a kooky kids drawing, his bug eyes and jumpsuit just made me smile. He also has a crew of the most adorable friends...


Artemis, handmade by BlinkyMuffin via Etsy


Millie, hand made by BlinkyMuffin via Etsy

These little guys are just the sweetest. They are all hand made, using 100% new material with eco friendly bamboo stuffing. If that wasn't great enough, the profits from the sale of these great characters will help support the MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Society of Canada.

[photos: blinkymuffin]

[Spotlight: Travel] I spy...

Rubberneckers Travel Game from Chronicle Books, available from Happy Tuesday

We live in the suburbs and most often times, it takes over an hour into Manhattan, even when navigation tells us 20 miles and 32 minutes. Sometimes we tell stories in the car, make up silly words with sillier definitions, dream up of what the kids' stuffed animals are doing while we're out of the house. But sometimes with two hours of traffic, we (the grown ups here) need a little quiet time. That's when we whip out Rubberneckers. I am sure we're not playing it correctly but I'm sure a 4 year old and a two year old don't care too much. After all, they just want to be the first to spot all the things in their deck of 10 cards before we arrive at our destination. Winner gets a lollipop. The kids have been playing with the same ol' deck for a year, the edges are dog eared, some have creases from an over-excited "mama, I see an oil truck on Broadway, I win!". I think it's time for a new deck...

[Spotlight: In the kitchen] Sweet little treats

Our kids have food allergies - dairy, egg, nuts, to name a few. As a mom, it's hard to find a nice treat to give them when they've been extra sweet or well behaved on most days. We visited a local ice cream shop and they had these wonderful ice cream cookie sandwiches. Kasie and Sandro are allergic to dairy and eggs so having one of those were out of the question. Instead I made these tiny little soy ice cream sandwiches for them today. Smooth vanilla soy ice cream paired with crunchy dairy and egg free heart cookies. They were a big hit! That made me so happy they could enjoy something I enjoyed so much as a kid. For ingredients and directions, please visit our sister blog Allergy & Eczema...

[Spotlight: Safety] Booster Seats for the Car

olli (tm)Booster Seat by Magna Clek

Kasie is growing right before our eyes. In the next few months, we'll be shopping for a booster seat. I found the Olli booster seat (pictured above) in Kiwi magazine, one of my favorite eco magazines for parents and their growing kids.

olli(tm) is an award winning booster seat that secures to all cars with the LATCH system (LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren). LATCH is available in most passenger vehicles manufactured after 2003. Children whose height are between 40-57 inches and weight between 40-120 pounds can use the olli(tm) booster seat. On Magna Clek's site, you can check if your vehicle has the LATCH system, through their "Vehicle LATCH Availability" page... how convenient is that? We love these guys already!

The seat has won many awards -

- 2008 Parents Test Parent Approved Media Award

- The National Parenting Center's 2008 Seal of Approval

- National Parenting Publications Award

- iParenting Media Award Outstanding Products: Gear and Equipment

- 2007 JPMA Innovation Award

We like it because it attaches to the LATCH system. Some boosters I've researched just sit on top of the seat in the car. Maybe I'm a worried mother but I just don't think that's safe enough. We also like it because it comes in bunch of stylish colours, including animal prints and Paul Frank prints!

Some of my favorites -

[photos: Magna Clek]

Childhood Friends

Kasie's Best Bear Friend "Jasper", from JellyCat

[Spotlight: Eco] Reusable tarp bags + give away

We made these cute tarp bags to give away at one of our trade shows last year. We have some left over and the kids have been taking them to put their toys and books in. They're great for little lunch bags too. The tote dimensions are 12 by 14 inches, have grosgrain ribbon for handles, and we letterpressed the label on chipboard and sewed everything together.

First 10 readers to send me an email to smuppykids@9spotmonk.com will receive one! Please include your name and address. We'll let you know via email when it's in the mail!

[Spotlight: Creative] Play food with Model Magic

Little ravioli made with Model Magic for the kids' play kitchen.

Model Magic is made by Crayola, a soft air dry clay that is so easy to mold with little hands and dries to a nice rubbery hard surface in about 24 hours. Once dry, it can even be coloured in with markers or paint.

We recently went to the Crayola Factory in Easton, PA. The kids had loads of fun there and we brought back Model Magic in all the colours to experiment with. Making food was our first order of business. We made ravioli, string beans and peas. Before I could even take a picture of the veggies, they were already swallowed by 'a mysterious bear who wandered in the play kitchen' - or reading between the lines - mamma, I can't remember where I hid them.