ages 1 to 3

the owl, cat, giraffe & lion go popipop!

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The French. They just have this “je ne sais quoi”, you know? Their fashion is more fashionable, their monuments more monumental, their pastries more pastry-licious. It even affects their toys. Moulin Roty will always have my French-loving heart, and their latest launch just cements that position. You have to meet Les Popipops. It doesn’t matter […]

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ride’em high, ride’em low: modern ride-on toys

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I’ve been shuffling through the internet for good Toy Fair 2014 coverage. So far, I’m finding the most information on Instagram – social medai rules! I was amazed to discover that the adorabel Jelly Bean Racer (top of post) is made by Little Tikes. More shocking? It’s only $19.99. Seriously. It reminds me of the […]

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uncommonly good goods

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I have been a big fan of Uncommon Goods for many years now – I remember looking to them for gift ideas a decade ago! Wow, I’m old. These days you can find some of the most uncommonly cool gifts for kids from Uncommon Goods. In fact, they seem to have curated a collection almost […]

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what’s under my christmas tree

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So my beautiful gift guides might be filled with my top picks for kids, but what’s actually waiting to be wrapped at my house? I have three nephews, and of course Birdie, to shower with amazing gifts, and I thought I’d share some of the things that will be under our Christmas trees this year. […]

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you’ve got snail mail

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Though I love the look of natural wood toys, I’ve run into a constant theme with Birdie. She tells me they need to be painted. Though I adore her creative spirit and urge to add her own personal stamp to her toys – I’m just not wlling to do it to those expensive natural wood […]

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gift guides: toddlers 1-3

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The Small for Big Gift Guides continue with what may be my favorite age group when it comes to toys. This is the age where little ones begin to realize what a toy can be: almost anything! It’s time for parents to stock up on the bigger items they’ll all live with for years (like […]

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pin down your holidays with pinhole press

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Have you thought about Holiday cards yet? I’m still cringing over last year’s fiasco in our house. I organized the photos, set up the cards, placed the order… but somehow I typed my credit card number incorrectly and I missed the email that told me that fact! By the time my irate-customer personality kicked in […]

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wooden you like to know!

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Hm. It seems I can’t stay away from wooden toys right now. I’ve always loved wood: working with it, the colors, the natural qualities, and the smells. Now that Birdie has turned into a, gulp, almost-5-year-old, she’s just not as interested in some of the wooden toys that used to pique her interest. So I […]

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everyone needs a cat family – except me

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I have just been informed by a very adamant 4 3/4 years old little girl named Birdie that her favorite stuffed animal of all time, Moe the Kitty, is in desperate need of a mother and father. She’s always wanted a cat family. And, though she didn’t say it, the reason she doesn’t have a […]

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grande yet petit collage

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We just returned from a fantastic parent-teacher conference, and I’m all smiles and giggles to see how far my little girl has come since her first day of Montessori school. How did I become the parent of an almost 5 year old? She’s come so far, in fact, that most of these amazing new toys from […]

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wood ‘n click ‘n play

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Look at the awesome colors of these Click ‘N Play toys. Gorgeous wood tones, a little bit of neon, and some extreme posability make them the coolest wooden toys around. I found them on Zulily, and if you hurry, you can still find some of them there – the sale ends in 2 days. But […]

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making play your way

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Kids play best – or, they play with the best results from our point of view – when the things they’re playing with are as open-ended as possible. Don’t spoon feed them the story, the images, or the specifics of the toy or game they’re working with, instead we need to give them a chance […]

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one little red fox is actually kind of big

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A little shop with a lot of designerly muscle, that’s what I like. I’ve loved One Little Red Fox’s spectacled plush toys for a long time now – I really want one for my shelf – and it appears they’ve reeled me in again. Now they’re creating anthropomorphized pouches. Adorable ones. I’m not sure if […]

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I love moonlight

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It’s true, I really do love moonlight. But I Love Moonlight is also the name of a sweet shop full of sweeter animals. I’m guessing they all love moonlight, but some of them look like they might be a little scared of the dark. I have a soft spot for stuffed toys that look a […]

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what shall we play today?

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That’s what Collette Bream asks across the top of her Etsy shop, and it sums things up perfectly. I know around this house that question is asked many. many. many. times during the day. Her shop doesn’t give any kind of straightforward answer either. Instead, it feels like I’ve stepped into a perfectly curated little […]

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