momstory

Mom Story: Amy from Little Alouette

{Photo Credit :: Karen Walrond}

I am Amy Turn Sharp and I am a wild creative from Columbus, Ohio. I own Little Alouette and am trying to be a real writer. Joe and I have three little boys and are busy navigating the world of handmade together as a family.

What kind of house do you live in - are you and the kids happy here or is there anything you find lacking or would like to change?

I am married to a British master carpenter. This sounds dreamy but mostly it means we move around a lot fixing up old houses that would have fallen into ruin if not for Joe. BUT. We live in them while we do this. Eeek. So, Yes, I love our current home as it is a charming 100-year-old home in Worthington, Ohio {village living} but I am also in constant state of remodel. It’s like the cobbler’s children have no shoes. We have lived here for 4 years + we are now finally remodeling the world’s ugliest kitchen. We have lovely rooms and then you turn the corner and it is a very sad room. We hope this year is the year that we can love our home- all of it!

What do you like best about living there?

I do love the fireplace though. And the coffered ceilings that Joe created. And the dark wood floors he put down. And the plans for the secret bookcase and the joining tunneled closets between nursery and the boys room. I like this house. It will be a wondrous house someday.

Do you like to spend time decorating your home and the children’s room?

We just keep it changing. We might move things around and change it up as boys change interests. We have bunk beds now because the boys begged for them and they love it. We keep it pretty eclectic. I like walking into a children’s room or a nursery and not thinking it looks juvenile, but cool. A place I may want to sit for a spell.

Do you keep your children’s play areas separate or do you believe they should have a space in every part of the house?

Our kids have free play rule. We have toys + books in all rooms. It is not a massive house so we have to share. We do have a playroom but they tend to wander into our living space to play.

Where do you look for interior inspiration, favorite magazines, websites, and blogs? 

I devour design bogs. It’s like I need a hit once a week or so. I like looking. Voyeur.

What are your children’s favorite items in your house?

We have a swing in our house and it is the best thing ever. Quiet times just a swinging!

Some tidying tips? Do your children tidy up after themselves?

Yes. I make them clean up toys in the living space every night, but I allow them to slob around in their rooms for days on end because if you saw the state of me + Joe’s bedroom =you would die!

What places in your new neighborhood do you like to shop at? 

We have a local hardware shop + a Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams down the road + Igloo Letterpress is a pal + The Candle Lab + House Wine and Northstar + the best farmer’s market in Midwest! Oh my- my little town rocks! I did not have a car the first year we lived here and it was fine. Walking town. Love.

What is a normal day with your children? What do you do on the weekends?

My kids are wild boys. We are a pretty high-octane family. It is loud and crazy always. The oldest is in school and the middle is in preschool 3x a week. The baby stays with me as I work. I have twin homeschooler babysitters that come 2-3x a week to help. It works but it is a challenge working form home with Little Alouette + my writing. I am already a taxicab service for shuttling to and fro to sports + school activities. I can’t imagine how the future will be with 3 boys.On the weekends we tend to be more child led. Joe works every Saturday but Sundays are sacred days off for us! Sometimes we won’t leave the house if they want to just relax and play. Yesterday we sat for three hours in front of a fire reading our library books and playing around. 

Any tips for keeping the house clean when crafting?

Don’t worry too much. Kids need to see us being relaxed and involved in the process. Preciousness is not cool.

Are you a crafter or DIY person?

Bit of both. We make a lot of art + learning projects. Like the God/goddess wall from last year. They LOVED it. Easy and educational. Read home schooling blogs to get ideas. They are the fountain of amazing!

What do you do with all the projects your children make at home or in school?

Buy a plastic tub for each school year. Stick stuff in it. Done.

What kind of sports do your children like to do and are you involved?

I am a total soccer mom.

Do your children read books online? Do they go to the library?

My kids don’t have a computer. Gasp. We go to the library at least 3x a week. We are obsessed with the library. I just wrote a poem yesterday about it.

Where would you like to go on vacation - with or without your children? 

Joe and I love Greece. I lived there back in the day and we have been together for our very belated honeymoon a few years back. I would love to take the kids someday when we can afford it. We secretly plan a year off someday and want to do a round the world trip. It’s a desire. It’s a life goal I suppose.We just went to Lake Erie this past summer for a quick trip. Large bodies of water make for amazing kiddo trips. It’s all you need. They just stare. Boats. It’s amazing. Kids and water. Mouths hang open. Love it.

What a lovely Mom Story, thank you Amy for sharing it with us!

..Little Alouette..

*If you are interested in being considered for a Mom Story, please contact Tiffany - tiffany.bloesem(at)gmail.com

Mom Story: Janine from Uppercase Magazine

Hello! My name is Janine Vangool and I’m the publisher/editor/designer of UPPERCASE magazine and books. My husband, Glen Dresser, is a writer working on his second novel and we live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with our 22 month old son Finley and our dog Percy.

What kind of house do you live in—are you and your child happy here or is there anything you find lacking or would like to change?

 We live in a small house in the Sunnyside neighbourhood in Calgary. It is a great location—just a block from the river and a twenty minute walk to downtown and my studio, UPPERCASE. The house is celebrating its 100th birthday this year, so for Calgary standards that’s actually quite old. Alas, the house doesn’t have any really great period features other than slanted floors and wobbly walls! Apparently, people didn’t need much closet space or large bathrooms in 1912, so those amenities are lacking.

What do you like best about living there?

The neighbourhood is excellent. Though I purchased the house when I was single, the location still suits me and my family perfectly. There is a nice elementary school a couple blocks away, a nice park, great places to go for a walk and central to everything we need and do.

Do you like to spend time decorating your home and the children’s room?

When I was expecting, we suddenly kicked our home care into high gear! I have to thank the birth of our child for a lot of upgrades to our living conditions. The most significant was redoing the kitchen entirely. And then once Finley was showing the ability to crawl we recovered our old splintered hardwood floors with gloss white snap-in-place floorboards. We painted the walls white and installed white floor-to-ceiling bookcases in the living room. It is pretty much all IKEA, but it was affordable, relatively easy and we’re very pleased with the results. I was a bit worried about whether we could live in an all-white interior, but other than having to occasionally wipe up Percy’s muddy paw prints, I love having white floors. It certainly makes the house feel brighter and more spacious. I wish I had time to do more decorating and sewing for my home, but I have far too many other things to do first.

Do you keep your child’s play area separate or do you believe they should have a space in every part of the house?

Finley is welcome to play throughout the main floor of the house. He likes to run back and forth between the living room and his bedroom. Since his room is quite small, he has some books and his toy train in there and the rest is out in the living room. He has his own section of the bookcase and I quite like looking at his toys strewn about—it’s the sign of a happy day!

Where do you look for interior inspiration, favorite magazines, websites, blogs?

I publish a book series called “The Suitcase Series." Each book is a complete immersion in the life, culture and craft of a particular artist. The first book was all about Swedish illustrator Camilla Engman —Glen and I were fortunate to go visit her home in 2009 when I was working on the book. Her lovely apartment (white floors!) and the Scandinavian aesthetic were a huge inspiration for our home’s interior. More recently, Finley, Glen and I stayed with Tif Fussell (for The Suitcase Series Volume 2: dottie angel). I love Tif’s interior decorating style—a mix of thrifted finds and handmade items really give a home soul.

What is your child’s favorite item in your house?

We have a Fisher Price little village set that was mine from the mid seventies. Seeing how much he enjoys it and combined with his love of airplanes, his grandparents just gave him a Fisher Price airport from 1980 for Christmas. It’s complete with a plane, helicopter, baggage cars, luggage, people…the works!

What a lovely Mom Story, thank you Janine for sharing it with us!

..UPPERCASE magazine..

*If you are interested in being considered for a Mom Story, please contact Tiffany - tiffany.bloesem(at)gmail.com

Mom Story: Véronique from Pichouline

My name is Véronique Senorans Osorio, and I am 31 years old. I am Belgian and Spanish and a former architect. I have a webshop called Pichouline. We have 2 kids Pauline and Olivia and a cat called Blanche who lives with my mother in law. We moved in September 2011 to Harare, Zimbabwe for my husbands work. Before we lived in Paris for 3 years, so moving here has been a big change!

What kind of house do you live in - are you and the kids happy here or is there anything you find lacking or would like to change?

We live in a villa, I would change almost everything, especially the form and the “look” of the house and garden.

What is it you like best about living there?

A lot of space, swimming pool, garden and nice weather almost all the time.

Do you like to spend time decorating your home and your children’s room?

If I’m not busy with creating stuff or decorating I start to get impatient, I find peace in doing creative things, it’s my form of therapy.

Do you keep your children’s play areas separate or do you believe they should have a space in every part of the house?

They have their own space but it’s not separate from the other rooms, we can keep an eye on them from almost every room when they are playing in their play area.

Where do you look for interior inspiration, favorite magazines, websites, blogs?

Unfortunately not magazines anymore they are ridiculously expensive here. Since we moved to Zimbabwe I spend a lot of time reading blogs.

What are your children’s favorite items in your house?

Swimming pool, their own desk/sofa and pouf.

Some tidying tips?  Do your children tidy up after themselves?

At the end of the day we do it all together.

What places in your new neighborhood do you like to shop at? 

None, you can’t “shop” here….;-). Well there is one shop where I spent a lot of time (and money) Folio a very modern bookshop!

If you are living in a foreign country, how do you feel about it?  How do you meet new people, make new friends? What is it that you miss most about 'home'?

It’s a big difference with Europe, you really can’t compare it. First time I visited Zimbabwe 6 months ago, I was shocked…but when we moved everyone was and is very helpful, kind.

Each time we move it’s very difficult to meet new people, but if you compare it with Paris it’s a little bit easier. We thought that it would be easier in Africa to meet new people but unfortunately that’s not true.

What I most miss about Belgium is friends. I’m an only child and friends are very important to me. They are the sisters and brother I never had…I share everything with them.

How have your children adapted to the language, food and cultural differences?

Very good, children are almost “made” to adapt to new situations.

What is your idea of a perfect day with your children?

Bringing them to school in the morning, baking cookies, and resting together on the sofa.

What is a normal day with your children?  What do you do on the weekends?

From 8am to 3pm they go to school, afterwords we spend the rest of the day together at home. On the weekends we try to visit some parks to see some game and swimming.

Can you mention some of your ‘how-to-raise-your-kid’ advice?

That’s so hard to tell in general, each parent and each kid is different…so kids should be kids. I never ever compare my kids with other kids, they have their own character, they are unique - why compare them to another kid?

What kind of DIY projects do you like to do with your children?

Actually I don’t like to create projects with our kids they are very destructive with things…but they love to see what mum is making and I try to interact with them while I’m making something and that works very well.

Any tips for keeping the house clean when crafting?

I always clean up during the crafting, I hate it when everything is mixed up and dirty.

Books, websites, local shops you would recommend for tips and ideas about kids crafting?

I could not believe when I saw a shop named Folio who sells all the products of The small object I bought everything they had! I would also recommend - fryd+design, zeza en flor, max wanger, shimtokk and Ringo.

What do you do with all the projects your children make at home or in school?

I keep them in a big box.

Any decoration ideas on how to hang, keep or use them as presents?

Projects of the children and “masking tape” are the perfect couple!

How do you like to celebrate birthday's and other special days in your house?

For me birthday’s are always a big event...invitation, decoration, cake, it’s all about a theme…

What are some favorite games in your home?

Shapemaker, telephone, puzzles and plasticine

What are your all time favorite books for children?

We have almost all of the “golden books."

Do your children read books online?  Do they go to the library?

Each week they go to the dutch school where they have a library. Pauline loves it.

Are you a ‘cook’ or ‘food lover’ or both?

A food lover.

Do you cook together with your children? Does Dad cook?

Pastries I always make them together with the kids.

Where would you like to go on vacation - with or without your children? 

We prefer to go on short vacations with just the two of us, we had and still have a very hectic and difficult life so, it’s important that we make time for each other and not only for the kids, because they take the most of your time and attention. We went to New York, Stockholm and now to Cape Town, just the two of us.

How do you prepare for a trip, any useful tips?

Searching on blog’s, designers who live there, not only the travel guides

What are your tips for traveling in a plane or on a long road trip with your children?

Just relax, before you know it you're at your destination. If they are fussy try to ignore it, don’t feel ashamed that other people don’t understand that a kid can be noisy/upset. That’s their problem…I know it’s easier said than done.

What gorgeous little faces you live with Véronique and what a lovely Mom Story, thanks so much for sharing it with us!

..Pichouline..

Mom Story: Mar Gomez from Kalma and Violeta

My name is Mar Gomez, I am a Spanish designer. I live with my Dutch husband, my twins, a girl and a boy. We live most of the year in Madrid but travel often to Amsterdam. I studied interior design and work as a designer of furniture together with my husband, also a designer at Studio Martell. What I really like best is to design items for children. A few years ago I started designing a collection of children's beds. Last year I created the line Kalma & Violeta.

What kind of house do you live in - are you and the kids happy there or is there anything you find lacking or would like to change?

I live in Madrid with my twins, a boy and a girl 11 years old, my  husband Pierre and three cats. We live  in an apartment on the 7th floor. We love our neighborhood, it is perfect for kids. My children have grown very happy here.

What do you like best about living there?

Our neighborhood is designed for families with children. It is quiet but there are all kinds of facilities such as schools, swimming pool, ice skating rink , cinema, library, shops, beautiful parks  and only 10 minutes by car from downtown Madrid.

Do you like to spend time decorating your home and the children’s room?

I love the decorate, but my house is not very big and there isn´t much space. I prefer to have just the essentials and live in a comfortable space.

Where do you look for interior inspiration, favorite magazines, websites, blogs?

I love interior  magazines, my favorite is the Dutch VT Wonen, but every day I visit blogs like Emma design blog, Decor8, April & May, the Style files...

What are your children’s favorite items in your house?

Now they are older,  they like to play on the computer, watch movies and read on the terrace where the sun always shines.

If you are living in a foreign country, how do you like it?  How do you meet new people, make new friends? What is it that you miss most about 'home'?

My husband comes from Amsterdam. Part of the summer and Christmas we spend there, where we have friends and family. When we are in Amsterdam, we feel like at home and we don´t miss Madrid at all.

What is it like to raise a child in your town?

In Madrid we have very good weather, almost every day of the year the sun shines. So the children spend a lot of time playing outside. Summer is hard because it's too hot, but in the Spring and Autumn they enjoy doing outdoor activities. This is great for kids.

Who do you consider a good example for your children?

We don’t have an example but we always try to teach our children the most important, be tolerant, respect for others, solidarity and learn to enjoy and be happy with simple things that life offers us.

What is your idea of a perfect day with your children?

Sundays are my favorite days. We usually go to the Retiro, a beautiful park, the oldest in Madrid.We walk, we make picnic, children skate, play ball, climb the trees. The park is very large and there are theater performances, music and a fantastic atmosphere. 

What is a normal day with your children? What do you do on the weekends? 

Children go to school at 9 and leave at 4. After homework, they play volleyball, guitar lessons, swimming. Each day of the week they have different activities. They have ​​very busy days and about 10.30 they go to bed. On weekends they get up late, we let them relax and play at home.

Any books you can recommend for parent's on how to raise children? Can you mention some of your ‘how-to-raise-your-kid’ values?

When my twins were born, I read many books about how to educate children, I had no experience, I knew nothing about it and I thought the books could help me. I read “Twins, triplets and more by Elisabeth Bryan” and “The 10 Most common mistakes good parents make”  by Dr. Kevin Steed. I guess it helped me in some way but over time I learned that the most important is to give love and have a little patience, especially in the case of twins.

What kind of DIY projects do you like to do with your children?

One of our favorite activities is to make a paste with water, salt and flour. We mold figures, put them in the oven and then paint them. We do lovely little sheep, cats, pigs, birds...

Are you a crafter or DIY person?

I am a crafter person. Books, websites, local shops you can recommend to get tips and ideas for kids crafting? Actually  there are so many fantastic blogs where you can find hundreds of ideas for creative things with the kids. 

How do you like to celebrate birthday's and other special days in your house?  

When the children were younger, we celebrated their birthday at home.  Now they are older and they want to do a party with 30 children. As their  birthday is in Spring and the weather is good we do a party in the park with all sorts of games and the parents of the children also participate. This is really fun. We have great times.

What are some of the favorite games in your home?  

Daniela loves games. She plays a lot with her father at chess and backgammon. Samuel tries but he has no patience, he prefers outdoor games.

What kind of sports do your children like to do and are you involved? 

Daniela does ice skating and plays in a soccer team. Samuel plays volleyball. They also swim since they were 3 years old. We are very involved as we go to the training and competitions. It is very exciting and the kids have really fun.

What are your all time favorite books for children?

My kids love to read. Daniela reads Harry potter and  Chronicles of Narnia . Samuel loves literature, he  is now reading One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  He says it's the best book that he have read!! I think that he is very advanced for his age. He might be a future writer.

What are some nice activities you can do with children where you live, and what could you recommend when people are visiting?

I have already spoken of the beautiful Retiro Park, where you can also take a boat trip, see outdoor theater, music and many more activities.Winter is cold but almost every day the sun shines. We are not skiers but one of the attractions of Madrid is to go skiing in the winter season.We also have a beautiful natural park, la Pedriza, where the river Manzanares, that flows through Madrid, has its source, in a wonderful landscape of rocks with fantastic shapes.

Where do you like to go to on vacation with or without your children? 

Kids love the beach, we try to go there at least once a year. This year we have been in Greece, a small island Skiathos. We enjoyed it a lot. Turquoise water, sandy beaches, pine forests and delicious food. When my husband and I can we escape, we love to go  to Paris, London or Copenhagen.

Thank you Mar Gomez for sharing your lovely story with us!

..Kalma and Violeta..

Mom Story: Britt from Fan Fam Fun Blog

Hi I'm Britt, an American living in London with my English husband Wayne and 2 kids, Oliver (3) and Elsie (1 and a half). I'm an illustrator and full time mum and Wayne is a creative director in advertising. When not full-time-mumming and illustrating and creative directing we're working passionately on a blog we launched recently: fan fam fun. 

If you follow our escapades, you can pick up fun family tips, entertaining insights and top recommendations. Most of which were picked up while living in some fantastic places: San Francisco, New York, Stockholm and London. Boy, are we lucky!

What kind of house do you live in - are you and the kids happy here or is there anything you find lacking or would like to change?

We have a fantastic four bedroom house in Chiswick London. It's really wonderful. Oliver and Elsie share a bedroom. I think it's the best option for them. They're so close in age that they get along great. It's like a slumber party every night. And they don't have to separate their toys. It's all about sharing (or not, if it's Oliver's Ben Ten book).  

Downstairs, we have a large room (I guess it would be a dining room) in between our living room and kitchen. It's our play room. All the toys are in there, the music is in there, we have an ikea spin chair, ikea tunnel, a giant plastic play house and some original pop art on the wall which goes well with the colourful kids toy vibe.  

Things i would change about the house: a larger closet for my clothes :) , a larger back garden and probably better insulation. English houses tend to be cold and drafty, even in the summer I wear a jumper inside!

What is it you like best about living here?

I think our home is lovely, but the location is the best! We are a 10 min walk to the river Thames (and great pubs), a short stroll from Chiswick House and a 15 minute drive to Kew Gardens, Richmond Park and Notting hill. Everything is so accessible. Also, west London has TONS of celebrities since all the film studios are near. So you can always get a good star spot which makes my mother in law very happy :)

Do you like to spend time on decorating your home and the children’s room?

I really like to have a nicely put together house. We bought most of our furniture while we were living in NYC before we had kids. Most things have adapted to (and survived) our children well.  You'll find a happy balance of design classics, family heirlooms, souvenirs, and Ikea products in each room. We also have some cool pieces of art that bring a feel good vibe into our home including the children's bedroom.

Do you keep your children’s play areas very separate or do you believe they should have a space in every part of the house?

I wish I could keep a space 'toy free' but that's impossible. Every room is a play room. Even our guest room is a play room, they go in there to jump on the bed!

Where do you look for interior inspiration, favorite magazines, websites, blogs?

I get most of my inspiration from blogs and Elle decor UK. My favourite blogs are bkids, babyccino kids, cup of jo, fine little day, and miss moss.

Do your children tidy up after themselves?

Not enough! Elsie tidies up occasionally, but doesn't really understand where things should go yet. So placing toys down the back of the sofa constitutes a good tidy up in Elsie's mind.

If you are living in a foreign country, how do you find it?  How do you meet new people, and make new friends? What is it that you miss most about 'home'?

I'm American so England isn't too foreign. But there are lots of words that are very different here, it can feel like a different language sometimes. Oliver corrects me all the time!  "Mummy, that is NOT the sidewalk. it is the pavement!!!" My husband is english and so is Elsie, Oliver was born in NYC, but we moved when he was 4 months…so i'm really the only foreigner in the house. 

I'm so lucky to have great in-laws near, Wayne's parents are only 4 hours away, so they can come visit for a long weekend and also stay while Wayne and I have a weekend away. But I do miss my own family. They are all in Michigan (Chelsea), everybody lives within 10 minutes of each other and they all get together often. So I really miss the family get-togethers...and Gram's cookies. But thank goodness for Skype! 

I think meeting new people is really easy when you have kids. I have more friends here than I have ever had. Mums of young kids are so eager for somebody to talk to who isn't their own kids! And it's easy to just chat because you know you have something in common, also meeting up is easy too since we are all at home ALL DAY! So making friends is easy.

What is your idea of a perfect day with your children?

No melt downs.

What is a normal day with your children?  What do you do on the weekends?

A normal weekday for us starts at six. Wayne gets up with the kids in the morning and I get to sleep an extra hour (the only way I survive the day!)  They play and have daddy time.  

Then we all have breakfast together. Oliver has nursery school in the mornings so I take him, then walk back with Elsie. We play and have girl time, then lunch, then pick Oliver up.  

Most days we head to a local park and feed the ducks and run around or run errands on the high street,  then we're home for the late afternoon to play toys and I get dinner ready. They eat dinner, take a bath, have crazy dance party time, we read books and watch PeppaPpig, then to bed for 7.  

Our weekends are always fun. We do at least one big outing every weekend. We live in such a fantastic city. There is so much to do and so many parks to explore. The kids love getting out, even in the rain and wind. A big part of our blog is family trips, so it's important that we do as much as we can.

Tell us a funny story, quote or remark one of your children recently made.

Oliver's third birthday is approaching. On asking what he wanted, he said "I don't want a bike. I don't want toys. I don't want a party. I don't want friends. I just want a peppermint."

How do you like to celebrate birthdays and other special days in your house?

We have a bouncy castle booked for Oliver's party in the back garden (our garden is the size of the bouncy castle!) and i'm making an octopus pinata, we've invited 15 kids…wish me luck! I'll do a post on fanfamfun to let everybody know how it went, good or bad :)

What are your all time favorite books for children?

We LOVE books in our house. Because I'm an illustrator and I spent some time working as a book designer (I worked very, very hard on the book series Show Me How) I'm a bit fussy with the books that we read. I tend to hide the ones that are poorly done or are cheesy character books. Also, growing up i was a big reader. My grandma is now sending me the original books that I used to read as a kid, it's wonderful!  We've rediscovered so many treasures. We did a post on our blog about our 10 favourite books.

We are huge fans of Eric Carle, Dr. Seuss, Oliver Jeffers, and Julia Donaldson (she must never sleep she writes so many books!) I think if I don't limit myself to listing 10 titles I would fill pages and pages. A few times a week the kids get to go to the book shop, it's hard to escape with out buying one. Right now I have my eye on 'Stuck' by Oliver Jeffers and 'A bit lost' by Chris Haughton.

What are nice activities you can do with children in your area, and what could you recommend when people are visiting?

Hyde Park is fantastic, it's such a large, picturesque park you can forget you're so central in such a busy city. I'd recommend a leisurely stroll around the Serpentine Lake, check out an exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery, lunch at  The Lido Cafe and a visit to Prince Albert's Memorial (incredible!). There's also the Diana Memorial Playground for kids (AKA Pirate Ship playground), Diana Memorial Fountain and Kensington Palace. Not forgetting the often crazy and always interesting gathering at Speakers Corner every Sunday. All in all, it's a wonderful place to spend a day. And if you've got any energy to spare after all that, it's very close to some of the best free museums (Natural History Museum and the V&A) and best shopping (Knightsbridge) in the world. So if you are visiting London, make sure you head to Hyde Park.

Where would you like to go on vacation, with or without the children? 

We enjoy traveling. I think we like seeing and doing really fun things and travel makes that happen.  The great thing about living in some of the best cities in the world is that you don't have to get on an airplane to have an adventure. But our favourite city to be with kids has to be stockholm. Swedes are very family focused so it's really family friendly. There are playgrounds everywhere, the city is really easy to get around while pushing a stroller and everything is so clean. We have a little love affair with Stockholm on our blog. Since we lived there and have traveled there often we have pretty much seen everything there is to see- and we LOVE it! I highly recommend making a trip there.  

There are so many great cities to visit without kids. San Francisco is probably number 1 for me.  It's so beautiful and hip and there's so much good food and drink. We also loved our weekend away in Barcelona, that's a wonderful city. Oh I could go on and on. But again, London is a great place, and where we live. So we try and make the most of it by doing little day-vacations. The best thing about living in a city that people go to on holiday, there is soooo much beauty and culture and great food! We are planning our next husband wife getaway right now, we are thinking of taking the train to Paris. :)

Do you keep some sort of travel journal with the children?

I guess our blog, fanfanfun is an online travel journal, most of our fun adventures will be written about there.

What places do your children love to go?

We're lucky, our kids really love museums, art galleries, and parks. All places that we enjoy going.  It's so much fun to take two kids to the modern museum and see their faces light up when they see a giant Warhol painting for example (or a big scary skull painting as Oliver sees it.)

They really like the natural history museum (what kid doesn't?) seeing the taxidermy animals and the dinosaur bones, they just cant get enough of it.  

We also really love going to parks, any weather, we go out walking and exploring. Even in the rain, we get our boots and coats on, plastic on the stroller and off we go.

Tips for traveling in a plane or a long road trip with children?

I think the biggest thing to remember when traveling with kids is this: the journey will have to end eventually! Just make it through and try to smile. If you're really lucky they may sleep through the journey (more likely with small babies and short journey's). But if they get a little boisterous, chose your battles, bring a new toy for them to play with, smart phone games are also great, and if all else fails, stash some chocolate to calm down a melt-down.

Thank you for sharing your lovely story with us Britt!

..Fan Fam Fun Blog..

Mom Story: Suzzanna from Sushipot Shop

I’m Suzanna Scott, a 36-year-old artist living in Manhattan, Kansas (affectionately referred to by its residents as “the Little Apple”) with my husband Patrick and my 6-year-old daughter Lizzie. We’re living in Kansas while my husband finishes up his PhD in Economics at Kansas State University.

We home school Lizzie who just started first grade and we’ve been running our home business, Sushipot Art Objects, for five years now. I have two Etsy shops that keep me quite busy and provide many learning opportunities for Lizzie. She’s my kindred spirit—a little artist, a prolific crafter in her own right and always an inspiration to me in my work. You can follow along on our family ‘n business adventures through my blog, view my artwork at Sushipot or browse Sushipot Parts which is chock-full of vintage goodies that our family has picked up on our many “treasure hunts”.

What kind of house do you live in - are you and the kids happy here or is there anything you find lacking or would like to change?

We are currently leasing a 3 level duplex while Patrick is working on his PhD. It is touted as “maintenance free” living, which we knew we would need during this busy chapter of our life. I could live without the faux wood trim, “popcorn” color walls and beige carpeting that are standard with rental homes such as these. I try not to think about the hardwood floors and white trim of the home we sold back in Alabama but right now it’s all about efficiency! Oh yes, and I miss having our own private yard but thankfully there are parks everywhere in this town!

What is it you like best about living here?

The best thing about this place is the s-p-a-c-e! I have a whole room to myself to use as a studio with an adjacent “den” which serves as office, schoolroom, playroom and shipping area for Sushipot.

Do you keep your children’s play areas very separate or do you believe they should have a space in every part of the house?

Lizzie plays everywhere in the house. The dining table makes for a great play house once you throw a sheet over it. The garage is best for messy painting projects. The walk-in closet in the master bedroom is the best hiding place. We’ve set up cozy reading spots for her in almost every room—beanbags, pillows n’ throws are great for that!

Where do you look for interior inspiration, favorite magazines, websites, blogs? 

I love reading the blogs Poppytalk, Kickcan and Conkers, Aesthetic Outburst, all the blogs on the Simple Living Network and of course Bloesem and Bloesem Kids! The number of artist’s blogs that I read on a daily basis are too numerous to name. My hands-down favorite magazine of all time is Uppercase Magazine — “the magazine for the creative and curious”. Even Patrick and Lizzie like to read them. If you don’t have a subscription yet you need to get one now or at least put it on your x-mas wish list!

Some tidying tips?  Do your children tidy up after themselves?

As for keeping things tidy, Lizzie and I have a daily “pick up” time in the studio and playroom area and she is responsible for picking up her own room every night before bed. We tackle any weekly house cleaning chores as a family on the weekends.

What is your idea of a perfect day with your children?

A perfect day for us would have to include a trip to the public library, an hour or so at the park (possibly with kites involved!), an afternoon snack and tall coffee at Starbucks, a bit of quiet reading time, a fun craft and dinner magically waiting for us at home in the crock-pot.

What is a normal day with your children?  What do you do on weekends?

A typical day for us starts out with Patrick and Lizzie getting up and having breakfast together. After Patrick leaves for school I get up (they are really sweet to let me sleep!), get Lizzie started on her “morning routine” of making bed, getting dressed, etc. I down my 1^st cup of coffee for the day and jump in the shower. We spend the morning working in the office together—Lizzie doing schoolwork while I supervise and answer emails, blog, pack orders and tackle any other computer related chores. It’s a bit of a juggling act some days but it works. The afternoons are spent together in the studio where we work side by side on the 8-foot workspace that Patrick built for us. On sunny days we spend a bit of time outdoors while I work on product photography and Lizzie plays. Most days we work in a walk ‘round the neighborhood or a trip to the park. When Patrick arrives home at 5 it’s strictly family time until Lizzie’s bedtime around 8ish. Every evening is spent in our respective office/studio spaces, as this is when our main “work” happens. We rarely call it quits before midnight.

Our weekends are spent grocery shopping, doing laundry and other house chores. I usually have a couple projects for the business that I need Patrick’s help with. We work in at least one family outing whether to the park or a local antique shop. Our mantra is “work hard, play hard” and we find little ways to include Lizzie in our projects.

Tell us a funny story, quote or remark one of your children recently made.

I was explaining to Lizzie what a chameleon was and how they change color to blend into their environment. A couple minutes later she asked me “Mom, when chameleons sit on rainbows do they turn rainbow striped?”

What kind of DIY projects do you like to do with your children?

We always have some sort of DIY project going. A project we’re currently working on is fixing up an old wooden doll cradle that we bought for a couple bucks. It’s getting a makeover with white paint, some wooden braces and a new mattress complete with a antique patchwork quilt top. It will be Valerie’s (Lizzie’s most favorite doll) new bed.

Any tips for keeping the house clean when crafting?

Most of the crafting happens in my studio. In an effort to keep the rental carpet from getting mucked up we installed 4 extra large, hard plastic office mats before arranging the furniture. This way I don’t have to worry about paint or playdoh being ground into the floor. We just sweep up our messes as needed and vacuum once a week. It’s also handy ‘cuz I can use a rolling work chair to move easier while working.

Books, websites, or local shops you can recommend to get tips and ideas for kids crafting?

I get lots of crafty ideas for Lizzie from websites like One Pretty Thing, Made by Joel, GiddyGiddy and of course library books!

What do you do with all the projects your children make at home or in school?

Most crafty projects find a home on a shelf or cork board somewhere in the house for a few months. They all are documented (thanks to the handy iphone camera) at time of creation so when older projects have seen their heyday they can be disposed of without “as much” guilt on my part.

Any decoration ideas on how to hang, keep or use them as presents?

We’ve turned Lizzie’s drawings into many different gift-able forms such as buttons, magnets, ornaments, doorknob hangers, key chains, etc. Select drawings are framed, displayed on the fridge, hung with washi tape or pinned to one of many bulletin boards in the house. The majority of drawings are added to a box of artwork that I’ve loosely filed by age and date of creation. When it comes to drawings I can’t bear to pitch any of ‘em.

How do you like to celebrate birthdays and other special days in your house?

Birthdays and holidays are family days. We take the day off and spend it together. It always involves opening presents in pajamas, a special breakfast and an outing of the birthday persons choosing. The day ends with birthday cake of course.

What are some of your favorite games in your home?

We’ve collected most of our games from thrift shops and many are vintage classics such as Uncle Wiggly, Chutes and Ladders, Husker Du, Candy Land and lots of puzzles too. Our most recent addition is an antique, hand carved Chinese Checker board—it’s so unique and been fun to teach Lizzie the game.

What are your all time favorite books for your children?

Patrick and Lizzie are currently reading through the entire Wizard of Oz series. They read a chapter or two every night and are currently on the 7^th book in the series, The Patchwork Girl of Oz. I have great memories of my mom reading these out loud when I was a kid.

How do you get your books? Bookstores? Online? 

Most of our books have come from thrift shops, used bookstores, the public library’s yearly book sale and when we have to buy it new--Amazon.com.

How do your children prefer to spend their leisure time?

Lizzie spends her leisure time in one of 3 ways: reading, crafting or drawing. She’s a voracious reader, a self-dubbed “crafty chick” (which is always followed by a “peep, peep”) and a prolific artist who loves tiny renditions with lots ‘n lots of detail.

Are you a ‘cook’ or ‘food lover’ or both?

I love to cook and bake but I don’t have the time to do much of it these days. We usually fall back on the standards of veggie stir-fry ‘n rice, “breakfast” dinners, some sort of pasta meal and lots of crock-pot stews in the winter months.

Do you cook together with your children? Does Dad cook?

Patrick loves to cook. He can make a mean quiche, a “to die for” lasagna and has perfected his red velvet cake recipe over the years. He makes one for me every year on my birthday. It’s my favorite part of aging (hah!). Lizzie knows how to make scrambled eggs, her favorite pickles ‘n peanut butter sandwich and she loves to chop up vegetables.

What kind of place do you like to go to on vacation with or without the children? 

Most trips involve extended family events and visits to grandparents these days. Vacation days are few and far between while writing a dissertation and running a home business. We do dream and speculate on the luxury of week long family vacations once we enter the next chapter of our lives!

Tips for traveling in a plane or a long road trip with children?

Lizzie has her own suitcase with wheels when we travel and we’ve never had to carry it through an airport or into a hotel. She loves wielding it around all by herself and never lets it out of her sight. We always travel with a lap desk in the car. Our iphones and ipad are invaluable on long interstate drives or airport layovers. How’d we live without ‘em when we were kids?

What an adorable story Suzzanna, thank you so much for sharing it!

..Sushipot shop..
..Sushipot parts shop..
..Sushipot's blog..

Mom Story: Jess Quinn

Hi, I am Jess Quinn mum to three children (12, 10, 7) two cats, three guinea pigs and a dog. I work as a freelance model maker for animation companies and whilst this is exciting work it is not very reliable so I have spent the last year also working on setting up my own business, selling my textile art dolls, brooches and illustrations. At the moment I sell here and try to keep my blog up to date on new projects and shop listings. In the last couple of years the children and I have moved several times and as I adjust to the new challenges of single parenthood I have also had to reassess my experience of home.

What kind of house do you live in?

Our new home is a modern open plan space, very different to the Georgian architecture I am used to. The large space can sometimes become very noisy but it is great for family life. 

I grew up in one house, home was a reassuring constant and this is what I had wanted for my children. But I have found after each move that I can very quickly make anywhere home. By displaying my vintage china the children's framed drawings and my textile work we are immediately home, even when we have had to work around rented furniture I have a collection of crocheted blankets (thrifted over the years) and my own cushions. A lovely piece of Mexican oilcloth can transform a so so kitchen table and ensure that any amount of crafty activities are safely cleaned away. I have a vintage bureau/ dresser bought on ebay that works brilliantly as a home work station when I can't be in the studio, as long as I don't spread out too much it can be closed up quickly with no hint of the chaos contained within!

What's it like to raise a child in your town?

We have great local shops, a huge selection of independent businesses, cafes and a growing number of lovely vintage clothes and book stores. Our area is inner city but very creative, there is always new street art to be discovered. The children and I enjoy visiting Bristol docks for museums, galleries and boat rides or jumping on the train to Bath for a day out. London is very close and when I'm feeling brave I'll take the kids to some of the museums, I can sometimes feel like a sheep dog navigating the city with three children!

Do you cook together with your children? 

The girls and I love baking when time allows and my mum and I have been encouraging my 12 year old Tom to cook one day a week, this experiment is still a work in progress!! I grew up baking cookies, cakes and pies with my American mum so we have generations of baking in our blood.

Do you keep your children’s play areas very separate or do you believe they should have a space in every part of the house?

I am making and creating all the time and the children work around me, sometimes we have organised projects but mostly they develop their own ideas and I help out with the practicalities.

What is your idea of a perfect day with your children?

There have been no holidays this year but my parents garden is a little oasis of green calm in the city where we enjoy great family get together's. I can not begin to express how important family and friends are to me, I could not have achieved what I have without their support. I have an amazing group of friends that evolved from a sewing and knitting group one morning a week after school drop off, they are all wonderful creative women who have inspired and encouraged me enormously over the past two years.

Who do you consider is a good example for your children?

This has been a tough couple of years but I hope to show the children by example that you can remain positive most of the time and with hard work and commitment it is possible to grow your life even when it throws unexpected challenges at you.

What a truly inspiring story Jess, thank you so much for sharing!

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Mom Story: Elly from the Theater Clouds Shop

I’m Elly MacKay, a paper artist. I live in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada, with my husband Simon and daughter Lily. We have another child on the way, due in a few weeks. I sell my prints in my etsy shop, theater clouds. My prints are of little worlds that I create in a miniature theater.  You can see them on my website, shop or blog.

What kind of house do you live in - are you and the kids happy here or is there anything you find lacking or would like to change?

We live in a little 100 year old brick house by the harbor in Owen Sound. We are slowly fixing it up...soon we will have to find the time to turn the attic into a studio, as our newest family member will be moving into my studio space.

What is it like to raise a child in your town?

It has been great so far. We wanted to be close to the hamlet that I grew up in, about half an hour north of here. My parents still live in the old church there. It has such a wonderful community and is so beautiful at the base of the bluffs and edge of the water. We love going out on the weekends to visit and yet love the convenience of town life…minutes to the library, market, park and friends’ homes. Many other young families have moved back to the area too.

Do you keep your children’s play areas very separate or do you believe they should have a space in every part of the house?

It is a small house so our living room has toys hiding in every possible spot we can find.

What are your children’s favorite items in your house?

My husband and I like to think that the dollhouse and barn we made for her are her favourite things, though she says her favourite toy is the chomping wooden hippo.

Some tidying tips?  Do your children tidy up after themselves?

I found some old wooden wine boxes at a second hand store that I use all over the house for storing her toys. Lily is learning… she helps us with putting things away, and she knows where things are kept. The boars, unicorns, buildings, etc. on the boxes help her identify where things go… Ha.

What is your idea of a perfect day with your children?

Some of our greatest days are at the beach, swimming, skipping (or throwing) stones and going for homemade ice cream at the general store. Lily is so happy at the beach. Of course having family and friends around too makes a perfect day, and going to see her Uncle Bill’s chickens really makes the day.

What is a normal day like with your children?

During the week, I wake up early and try to get a little work done before Lily wakes up. Once she is awake, we eat breakfast together. Then we have a routine of going on a play date to the library or park. We all go for a snack at a coffee shop and then in the afternoon Lil and I come home and work on projects inside or outside together… art, laundry, gardening, etc. She usually has some quiet time or a nap while I get some work done too at some point. When my husband gets home we all make dinner, go for a walk and get ready for bed.

Tell us a funny story, quote or remark one of your children recently made.

 Aren’t there things everyday that make us laugh? Lily is starting to become so imaginative… her animals all used to be ‘Ducky’, ‘Mousey’, etc. but the names are becoming so much more interesting. The other morning she told me this doll is called ‘Stinky and Wispy’. I love it…. the wee one is ‘Stinky’.

Any books you can recommend for parents on how to raise your children?

No, just follow your heart, talk to your friends, listen and watch, and love them.

Can you mention some of your ‘how-to-raise-your-kid’ values?

One of the values that my parents passed on to me is that experiences are more important than money; A memorable moment is far more precious than an expensive gift. I really appreciate the imaginative things my parents would do for us. They instilled in us a sense of wonder. My father was always showing me insects, plants and the night sky and my mother would take me on a ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ every year for my birthday and would often invite all of the neighborhood kids over to plan a play, which we would put on at the end of the summer.  I hope Lily and this new little one will have such wonderful and imaginative experiences growing up...

What kind of DIY projects do you like to do with your children?

I’ve just taught Lily how to weave. She is making some beautiful Christmas gifts! 

Any tips for keeping the house clean when crafting?

We just make a mess and think about clean up later. Cleaning has never been my strong suit. I do try to keep all of Lily’s art supplies in one area and mine in my studio…eventually they make their way back to their homes.

Are you a crafter or DIY person?

Yes…I really enjoy figuring things out and making things work. I used to play with cams and motors in my art and I took electronic art while in university. My husband is the same, though everything he makes involves wood. So, we often have more projects on the go than we can realistically finish. I teach a program at the Tom Thomson Art Gallery once a month too that is open to families were we make everything from bowls to shadow creatures.

What do you do with all the projects your children make at home or in school?

I save the best ones and frame them or keep them to give to aunts, uncles and grandparents. To keep her paintings flat, I stack them in behind the one on display in the frame.

How do you like to celebrate birthdays and other special days in your house?

Old fashioned birthday parties…a few kids, family, a cake or cupcakes and some games. This year we introduced Lily to the idea of a Mystery Tour as well. We took her and a friend to a Maple Syrup Festival in the morning. They loved the animals.

What are all time favorite books for the children?

My very favourite children’s books are Owliver and Herman the Helper, written by Robert Kraus and illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey.

How do you get your books? Bookstores? Online? Do you go to the library?

Lil has a great collection of books. She is often getting them from her relatives and we get 10 or so out every week from the library. We read a few every night together.

How do they prefer to spend their leisure time?

Yesterday Lily threw us a ‘Happy Unbirthday Party’. She just loves make-believe. She also loves blowing bubbles and making us ‘presents’… anything to do with parties really!

Do you cook together with your children? Does Dad cook?

Simon and I like to share cooking. One of us will make the main dish and the other does the salad. It is a nice time to catch up on the day. Lily is becoming a great helper…peeling carrots, picking veggies and herbs from the garden and washing them. Everything becomes play. We have the lowest drawer in the kitchen for her play food and dishes too.

What kind of place do you like to go to on vacation with or without the children?

My in-laws have a cottage that we use for a week in the summer. It is in a little place just on the edge of Algonquin Park. My favourite thing is to get little bags of penny candy from the candy store with Simon and Lily, get into the canoe and paddle to the great-grandparent’s place.  There are always cousins around and wonderful meals (and candy) to share.

What kind of souvenirs do your children bring back home?

Rocks. Lily is a rock enthusiast, just like me and her great grandma. We have a growing collection of rocks and clay sculptures in the garden. 

What a lovely story Elly, thank you so much for sharing!

..Theater Clouds Shop..

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..Website..

Meet Mom Nerissa from The New Domestic

My name is Nerissa. I'm a graphic designer living in the Vancouver, Canada area with my husband Peter and our 21-month-old daughter, Luna. We have a blog called The New Domestic where we document our adventures in Domestic Living 2.0. Recently we opened an online shop aptly called, The New Domestic Shop. The New Domestic is a homeware line designed for Domestic Living 2.0. Our products beautify your space, add joy to your life and accompany you through your domestic living adventures. Our first line of products are heavy weight recycled cotton canvas tote bags with screen printed graphic patterns. All bags have a diagonal pattern on the back for a fun two-in-one look and are big enough to carry all your daily needs.

What kind of house do you live in - are you and the kids happy here or is there anything you find lacking or would like to change?

We live in a little blue rancher situated in a seaside village. Our rancher has a very beach cottage look and feel to it, which fits in with the neighbourhood. Our aesthetic is an eclectic mix of modern, folk, exotic and creative. We like to have fun in our space and fill it with all things we love and inspire us daily.  Everything about our home speaks of who we are. When you enter the house, the formal living room is flanked by two informal spaces – a playroom/studio and a media/reading room. The large kitchen/dining area overlooks the garden with a long communal type table in the middle where we've been able to fit 14 people!  It's a great home to gather friends and family and the door is always open for anyone to come.

What is it you like best about living here?

We love it here and had chosen to create a home away from the city where the air is fresh, birds surrounds us in the summer months and the beach is just a couple blocks away. Living here feels like living on an Island without having to board a ferry. It's quiet, slow paced, stars fill the sky on clear summer nights and the smell of seaweed from the ocean fills the air. The streets are also filled with chalk drawings from the kids playing until the sun goes down, families mingle over a glass of wine in the streets and kid-run lemonade stands pop up from time to time. It's a beautiful place to nurture and grow together as a family.

Do you keep your children’s play areas very separate or do you believe they should have a space in every part of the house?

We have a studio/playroom with a large floor play area where Luna spends most of her time playing. It's a fun and inspiring room for both the little people and big people. It's become our activity room where we have a sewing corner, multipurpose table, cutting area, a large bookcase against the wall with our collection of books & magazines and a large wall where we hang our collection of found artwork or our own work.  It's the kind of room that being messy is allowed - it just adds to the creative spirit of the space. Luna also has freedom to roam with toys to other rooms as she pleases. We don't child proof the house, per se. Although, as she gets older and more nimble we've started to put safety locks on cabinets. Other than moving obviously dangerous objects out of the way, we haven't changed the house much. Luna's going to learn where the boundaries are, one way or another.

Where do you look for interior inspiration, favorite magazines, websites, blogs?

There are a lot of great blogs out there that are so inspiring. Some of my favourites are Scout Holiday, Oh Joy, Le Dans La, Sandra Juto, Bloesem Kids, Bloesem Living, Fine Little Day, Style Files, Remodelista, Aesthetic Outburst, The Marion House Book, Cinq Mai to just name a few. I also look forward to receiving my quarterly subscription of Anthology Magazine. Speaking of Anthology Magazine - our home is featured in this third issue!

Who do you consider is a good example for your children?

I think actions speak more then words. So as long as Peter and I live a life full of love, passion for what we do, respect each other, continue to grow together as a family and be grateful for all that we have – I think that energy will lend itself towards creating a healthy & happy little girl. When my maternity leave ended and I needed to choose to either to go back to my full time design job or stay home – I chose to stay home. At this stage of Luna's life, we find it important for her to be close to me, her mother as she explores her world. It's these first few years of her life that creates a solid foundation of what a family is. And a family to us means spending good quality time together & for our Luna to know that home is a place where love & joy comes from. We want her memories of growing up to come from home and, as it happens, her first words were "mama” and “home". 

What is your idea of a perfect day with your children?

A perfect day is really the simplest days we spend together as a family. Morning breakfast together, hanging out in the garden, walking or simply just watching Luna enjoying ice cream cones which is a new discovery for her. It's these simple days that we find so special. No need to rush anywhere. Time doesn't matter. Just us being together and living right in the moment are the loveliest days. One thing that Luna taught us is: A simple life is a beautiful life.

Can you mention some of your ‘how-to-raise-your-kid’ values?

Everyday has been learning and improving as a parent. We don't really have a simple answer for the perfect way to raise a kid but we do believe that it is important for us to live our values – simple values like generosity, responsibility, respect for others, thoughtfulness, fun & creativity – will shape her way of living her life.

Any tips for keeping the house clean when crafting?

Since we have a separate studio/playroom, we can just shut the door after a day filled with all sorts of crafting. It's so great! Before we moved into this house, we were living in a 690 sq. ft. condo where the kitchen was my sewing/crafting place and when dinner time came around, it was impossible to find any space to prepare dinner with all my stuff scattered around. So it's definitely a treat to now have a specific activity room where we can all make as much mess as we want. Lately, our studio room has been used to organizing The New Domestic totes and experimenting with new products we are launching in the Fall.

Are you a crafter or DIY person?

I'm both a crafter and DIY person. I'm always finding myself making things whether it's sewing a new throw pillow, designing Luna's birthday card, packaging chillies from the garden to give to friends or designing Luna's books. I always find myself designing, creating or playing - it's so much part of my life. I wake up every morning with these words to live by: Inspire and be inspired.

How do you like to celebrate birthdays and other special days in your house?

For Luna's first birthday party, we hung balloons on the ceiling of each room in the house which created a sculptural ceiling scape. It's so fun and festive and we left them up for another month or so until they all started deflating on their own. Our house has also become a gathering space for friends and family. With our long dining table, it's really a great space for many, many festive nights of birthday celebrations or simply gathering with friends for a nice feast. It's all those memories that makes a home a home.

What are your all time favorite books for children?

Luna has a pile of favourite books and some of her favourites are: Curious George, a collection of Charley Harper books and Paola Opal's books. But any books read to her makes her happy.

Are you a ‘cook’ or ‘food lover’ or both?

My husband and I are both a cook and food lover. I also love to bake and find myself always trying different recipes which we end up giving away to friends and family as it's just too much sugar to devour. But I love the smell of fresh bread, cakes and cookies in the house. Recently, I discovered the joy of making homemade pasta. I usually make them in batches and freeze them so whenever we feel like having homemade pasta, all we need to do is take them out of the freezer and throw it in a pot of boiling water. Easy! Peter loves experimenting with ingredients and flavors as well and they all turn out so good. But unfortunately, he only makes things once because, without a recipe, he can never remember how to make the same thing again. So I've learned to enjoy every freestyle dish he makes as I know it'll be my last time eating it!

Looks delicious Nerissa, thank you for sharing your story with us!

..The New Domestic..

..The New Domestic Shop..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meet Mom Hadley living in New Jersey the USA...

I’m Hadley Peterson one of the founders of tada! shop, I live outside New York City in New Jersey with my husband Clark and our three girls, Anna, Courtney and Ella. We moved here about 7 years ago right before the birth of our second. I love being close enough to New York to get in and enjoy all the incredible things about the city and at the same time having a yard, living space and close neighbors that the suburbs offer. I love art, interior design,  cooking, exercise of all kinds, yoga, pilates, gardening and most of all spending time with my family and friends.   

What kind of house do you live in - are you and the kids happy here or is there anything you find lacking or would like to change?
We live in house on street in the suburbs, Our neighbors are quite close. We love it. 

Do you like to spend time on decorating your home and the children’s room?
I love it. I do find it all consuming, especially with so many blogs and now pinterest!

Do you keep your children’s play areas very separate or do you believe they should have a space in every part of the house?
I do like to keep my kids’ play areas separate. We didn’t have a playroom for a long time so their toys were in their rooms and our den. I have a thing for containers. If it’s in baskets, I just feel more contained, more organized. Now with a playroom, I like to keep the toys down there and a few in their room.

Where do you look for interior inspiration, favorite magazines, websites, blogs?
Lonnymag, House Beautiful, Elle Décor, old dominos, Jeffrey Bilhuber, Tom Scheerer, David Netto, Absolutely Beautiful Things blog, Design Sponge, Mecox Garden. Pinterest.

Who do you consider is a good example for your children?
My parents and my husband’s parents. We have a very close extended family with a lot of cousins, I would say everyone in it. 

What is your idea of a perfect day with your children?
Coffee, exercise, a trip into NYC (not forced, it has to be easy), just walking around, an early dinner at a great spot. Some of our favorites with the kids have been at Serafina, Lucky Strike, Blue Ribbon Bakery. 

Any books you can recommend for parents and how to raise your children?
I am sure there are more out there, but I lived by Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child when my kids were babies. I don’t really read parenting books though. 

Can you mention some of your ‘how-to-raise-your-kid’ values?
I believe in letting them be themselves. I try not to over schedule after-school activities. If I feel like they are overwhelmed, I rein it in. Eating as a family is very important to us so we do it whenever we can. I also believe in trying new things, experiencing new cultures, new meals, new activities, I get antsy if we do the same thing over and over. I believe in being impulsive, if we are all in the mood for a CMA visit, we will jump in the car and go. I am a type A person, no question, so I try and break out of that for my kids every now and then to surprise them. I’ll never forget the time we were out on our dock in Rhode Island and I just got up on one of the pillons in my clothes and jumped in. The girls followed and were squealing with happiness.

What kind of DIY projects do you like to do with your children?
We have fun with Valentine’s Cards and Birthday Party invites. I have most fun with the projects we come up with all on our own kind of out of the blue. One year it was an Easter card for my mother-in-law and the girls and I spent hours putting it together. We were all so proud of the paper cutting. I would say my all time favorite DIY project are their birthday parties. My girls do a lot of their art projects on their own. A favorite is taking cardboard boxes and creating houses. 

Any tips for keeping the house clean when crafting?
Have you seen my kitchen table? Glitter glue and paint will never come off. I think its doing it in a place where you don’t care about the mess. 

Are you a crafter or DIY person?
I’m not sure. I would say DIY.

Books, websites, local shops you can recommend to get tips and ideas for kids crafting?

Purl soho, Moomah, Children’s Museum of the Arts NYC, Giant Learn Play book, saras party perfect; no biggie; simple song blog, inchmark blog, Bloesem. Babyccino and Small Magazine and Mom filter.

What do you do with all the projects your children make at home or in school?
I have a large plastic storage bin in the attic for each of them. I save the pieces that they are particularly proud of or that I like…I save a lot of the in-class standard pieces, but some I admit I throw out. If its just cookie cutter, I will not save, unless they show a particular interest in it. They love going through the bins, it’s a great rainy day activity.
 For pieces that are exceptional, either I love or they do, I’ll frame. I have a ton of IKEA Ribba frames I keep on hand. We have a wall in the basement playroom for their artwork and in their rooms. I also tape seasonal things that they bring home up in our kitchen.

How do you like to celebrate birthdays and other special days in your house?
We always do a family birthday with our immediate family and usually my husband’s parents who live near by. We have a dinner and open presents. The birthday girl gets to pick whatever she wants to have. We decorate the table. We also have a birthday party for their friends. We like to keep it small, their closest friends. We do it usually in our backyard. Last year for my 8 year old we did a pretend camp out and for my middle daughter who was born on Cinco de Mayo, we have so much fun with that celebration!

Do your children have friends over very often?
If yes, what activities would they do?I actually don’t do a lot of playdates. I have had too many backfire. I much prefer the impromptu ones with friends’ kids who my kids don’t always get to see. Also, my two older daughters are in school from 8-3 and with other acitivites, they don’t have much time to play themselves just together so I like to give them that time. 

What are some favorite games in your home?
Hoolahooping, Monopoly Kids, I Spy, Hide and Seek

What kind of sports do your children like to do and are you very involved?
Soccer, lacrosse, gymnastics. I helped coach our local lacrosse clinic this past season, but I would say other than that I am mostly just on the sidelines. I do think sports at my kids age should be all about fun and I don’t like to put too much pressure on them.

Are there musical instruments in your house?
Not right now. They are asking to play piano so they will start lessons this Fall.

What are all time favorite books for the children?
Iggy Peck Architect, A Girl and Her Gator, Emily Brown, The Curious Garden, Adam Rex's Psst,Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories and I loved Dr. Doolittle and Julie of the Wolves growing up, I am excited to read them to my girls.

How do you get your books? Bookstores?  Online?
I have two favorite bookstores in the U.S.A, one I get to at least once a year The Northshire in Manchester, VT and the other is in Powells in Portland, OR which I got to visit once but not sure I will get back there. At both, I love to get recommendations from the people who work there and then I buy a bunch. Our schools have book fairs, and I buy a lot there as well.  And, tada! shop and amazon for the rest.

Do your children read books online? Do they go to the library?
No they do not read books online. We go to the library once a week.

What are nice activities you can do with children in your place and what could you recommend when people are visiting?
I can’t say that Summit, NJ is a super exciting destination for visiting so I will give you our favorites in New York City. We love the Children’s Museum of the Arts down on Lafayette and can’t wait for their new space to open. Moomah is another favorite. The Highline is incredible and now with the new section open, it was so much fun walking it with the girls because my husband and I got to experience it both through their eyes and our own. The water pools, the amphatheater, the plantings and the views it’s breathtaking. I want to take them to Hudson River Park in the next couple weeks. In the winter, we have so much fun going ot the museums, the Met and the Natural History Museum. And the train show at Christmas time at the NYC Botanical Garden is a hit with them.

What movies do your children like to watch, is there one from your childhood you would love to show them too?
They just watched Annie which was a great one when I was little. I need to find the Black Stallion, I remember that being a favorite. I am curious about the new Smurf movie as I was obsessed with those when I was a girl. 

How do they prefer to spend their leisure time?
They love imaginative play. They create little rooms with pieces from all different sets of their toys. Even though they have a dollhouse, they much prefer to create “set-ups” in unexpected places, on the second shelf of their bedside table, in their play refrigerator, in little nooks around the house. They seem to have a knack for using toys in so many different ways, and most often it is not it’s intended function. I created what I thought would be a great reading nook in basement, but instead they love to pile up pillows and make a fort. 

Are you a ‘cook’ or ‘food lover’ or both?
Both
Do and Yes Dad cooks too. He is much more by-the-book cook I would say. He is great at breakfast, poached eggs is his specialty and his Swedish pancakes are amazing. 

What kind of place do you like to go to on vacation with and without the children?

When we were without kids, Clark and I loved to travel abroad. I was born in Panama (my parents are American) and I spent time two summers and a semester in Spain so I feel drawn particularly to Spanish-speaking countries. I  have so many places I want to go with them but I do believe in waiting until my kids can appreciate their travels too. Right now, we ski a lot in the winter. We go to Vermont for that. For Spring break we go to the Keys which is just fun to explore. And in the summer, we are lucky to have a little beach time in Rhode Island and then the beautiful mountains and woods of the Adirondacks. We hike together and have so much fun experiencing the outdoors, playing tennis, swimming in lakes and oceans, clamming, camping…we do a lot.

Do you keep some sort of travel journal with the children?
I do. They each have a summer journal and they have been so diligent about writing in them every day. When we go on vacation, we usually bring a little journal for each. I stocked up on these little ones from Target that I give them.

What kind of souvenirs can they bring back home?

We usually let them pick one thing while we are away. When we were in Florida, it ended up being stuffed animals at Theater of the Sea where we saw a show. I cringed as we have SO many stuffed animals but we got them and they play with them a lot.

How do you prepare for a trip, any useful tips?
I am not a model packer. I do it the night before. There is a system, I lay out clothes, as few as I can get away with and then put them in a bag and hope I remembered everything.  But I am not sure I have any tips. I do each girl bring a bag and they carry that with them on the plane.

What place do your children love to go to?
NYC. Anywhere really with their cousins which is Rhode Island and Adirondacks. We went to Anguilla a few years ago with my sister’s family and it has stuck with them. We are still trying to knock it off their favorite desintation….its become a running family joke.

..tada! shop..

..tada! shop blog..