DIY Play kitchen - Part 1

I love Ohdeedoh and I check in daily to see what's new. If you're a reader you already know that Play kitchens are HUGE there, especially the homespun kind. Many readers have sent in gorgeous photos of play kitchens they've put together for their kiddos with results that surpass by far IMHO any run of the mill plastic big box kitchens you could purchase! I've been so inspired and have had my eyes on the lookout for any old chest/cupboard/bookshelf/scrap wood that held potential to become a custom built kitchen for my daughter. I enlisted my mom's help on this one and she was kind enough to donate an old vanity table and a stainless steel mixing bowl to the cause. Our play kitchen is still a work in progress. We're ever so patiently waiting for our handyman A.K.A DH to help get things on the road...

If you've been thinking about the idea yourself and could use a nudge in the right direction, check out Ohdeedoh's roundup of awesome DIY play kitchens.

This is our before picture, after the sink installation.

But there has been some progress; We've got the sink installed, a sink skirt and the oven knobs in place. We have a faucet in waiting, another donation from my mom, and I plan to make an apron, some dish towels, oven mitts and maybe a potholder or two to coordinate with the sink skirt. The plan is to replace the bottom two shelves on either side with a plywood door to make an oven and a fridge. I still haven't figured out what I'm going to make burners out of and it would be nice to add a shelf or two over the sink area...I'm keeping my eyes peeled...

A work in progress...

I've got tons of sewing to do, between the kitchen accessories and the felt play food to stock the kitchen with the next few months are going to be busy. I'm excited though for when everything is complete then we can invite ourselves to DD "house" for dinner, I could use a night off!
Stay tuned!

I'm on Ikea Hacker!

My Ikea latt table hack is on Ikea Hacker! Thanks guys! I'm so honoured check it out! Here's the original post: A table for two.

shoes off!

Growing up in the great white north of big T.O. it was common knowledge that you don't wear your outdoor shoes inside. Sludge, snow, city grime... lots and lots of ick! I even had sneakers that I left in my cubby at school to change in to as we didn't wear our boots in the classroom. Maybe I'm just weird but the first thing I do when I walk in to my house is slip off my shoes... it's a comfort thing but it's also a little about boundaries, the outside world stops at my doorstep and beyond the threshold well it's mi casa! Our friends and family know I'm weird like that and most respectfully remove their shoes without me even having to ask. I won't dwell on why I think it's rude to not even ask whether shoes remain on or off... but I understand it's probably just cultural. There's been a lot off online buzz about this subject lately and it amuses me to see how emotionally people have drawn a line between do you or don't you take your shoes off while entering your home. Some people have even dedicated entire blogs to shoes off at the door, while you're at it check out their 37 reasons to not wear shoes in your house!




While I now reside in the fantastic 9 months of Mediterranean sun climate of Israel, the culprit is different... loads and loads of sand and dust! I've mentioned before my love of soft furnishings and carpets here. Carpets for me aren't just something warm underfoot they're often my preferred seating arrangement, propped up by some pillows... our couches get very low mileage.
Once my daughter started crawling around this preference/rule kicked into overdrive I definitely didn't want her crawling around in all the dirt that gets tracked in! I consider myself a fairly neat and clean person and we sweep at least once a day and mop at least once a week usually more often as my daughter leaves a 2 metre radius of food debris around her highchair after even the smallest of snacks! indoors I wear slippers or warm socks during the winter... and during our 9 month long summers I either wear flip flops or go barefoot. My aunt is from Russia and it's the cultural norm there to remove your shoes, they used to have a basket full of cute slippers from Chinatown to offer guests, I'm seriously considering getting my own such basket.. (for all of you getting the willies about sharing slippers I promise I'd wash them after every use... I mean I wouldn't make my guest share bed linens either!)

While I definitely feel strongly about this I also don't like confrontation, it's easy to yell at say my visiting siblings, to remind them to remove their shoes but I find it more awkward to ask other guests, for that I thank dear hubby... he's an excellent foot soldier! hehe... I've gotten better at it though after a certain "poopcident" on my brand new Ikea Fakse rug! (note to self some adults will obliviously step in dog excrement and track it through your house!) I do like to give guests a heads up though and for first timers I'll mention it so they can prepare themselves accordingly.

Recent studies have backed up this idea... The Door mat study found that 98% of lead found in homes is tracked in by foot! Lead poising? not fun... just one more reason to kick off your shoes. As parents we try to do everything we can to protect our children this simple change can mean a world of difference.


I love this door mat! and really want one. It would be one less thing to worry about... buy one here. Next step? How to explain to people that the incessant buzzing on our doorbell alternatively scares the heck out of my toddler or WAKES her up and THEN scares the heck out of her!

I'm a stay at home mom but that doesn't mean I have the time or energy to be cleaning floors all day, with a toddler and an asthmatic husband at home this just makes my life a little easier...

Where do you draw the line?

Crocodile Creek

It's a known thing that kids love balls and my daughter is no exception. I don't know if there is another toy out there that can inspire such longstanding creative play and invoke such primeval emotions if perhaps ownership should become comprised. Try explaining to a 17 month old that other kids at the park are allowed to own balls and gasp! kick, roll and play with them too... but a ball is just a ball right?

Wrong!! at Crocodile Creek a ball is an opportunity to learn. Crocodile creek is a great company combining beautiful quality educational toys and accessories for kids. Their playground balls available in two sizes 5" and 7" are decorated in a wide range of themes like horses, farm animals, dinosaurs etc. Not only do the balls have Crocodile creeks instantly recognizable illustrations but they have the animals names written beneath them as well. My daughter is obsessed with Old Macdonald (she's got us singing and neighing until we're horse, pun intended!) and their playground ball with the farm animals and their corresponding sounds is just perfect! She loves pointing to the animals and shouting out their names.



I love the sturdy rubber, the cute illustrations and mainly the fact that they've taken what would ordinarily be just something to kick around to a whole new level.

Grannimals

On the occasion of our daughters birth we received many fantastic and thoughtful gifts. While we appreciate all of them there are some that will withstand the test of time and will forever be cherished. Gabin the zebra is that gift. Gabin the zebra is an adorable little knit character from the Grannimals wooly family collection by Latitude Enfant. The Grannimals are made to mimic the lovingly handmade toys and dolls our doting grandmothers of yesteryear would knit for us. I had such a bunny knitted for me and a knit hobo that I still cherish today and is proudly displayed in my own daughters nursery. These knit cuties are charming with a more modern flare.



Each Grannimal comes ready for gift giving wrapped in it's own display "shoe" box, it was so nice I seriously thought of leaving him in the box. I can definitely see these being collected and hoarded for years in someones closet... I still fantasize about one day owning the whole mint condition collection in their boxes myself! For now though Gabin is for cuddling, playing and whatever else my toddler decides to throw his way, so long as he makes his way back to his display spot every night!

I did mention that I love the Grannimals right? now on the back of every box is a picture of all the other adorable Grannimals available in the collection While I'm generally not a sucker for this kind of "collect them all" type of advertising I really couldn't help myself with this one and I seriously would have bought them all but reality and a budget kicked in... so just two more! It's amazing what you can get away with postpartum...




We added Mona the cow and Hugo the Hedgehog my personal fave to the mix..



Latitude enfant has several different lines of sweet cuddly puppets, toys and doudous (dolls for the anglos...) for children and babes alike. They've definitely got my two thumbs up for design and craftsmanship, I dare you to resist their charm!

lmnop...

Have you heard about lmnop? yeah yeah smarty pants... asides from the alphabet!




lmnop is the acronym for learn, make, nurture, organize and play a fantastic online free quarterly magazine for "hip stylish parents and their children..."

Hailing all the way from the land down under this mag compiles fab and innovative products from some of the best designers and companies around the world. Check out their most recent issue for great articles about raising children in NY, the Award winning Bilibo (already on my list!) and a great toy gift guide. All of their issues past and present are available for download on their site. Like what you see? subscribe here and never miss a new issue.