Preschool Backpacks for Boys

I CAN'T BELIEVE PARKER IS STARTING PRESCHOOL SOON. Yes, I meant to write that in all caps. My baby is turning into a bona fide little boy. We're a little over a month now from the beginning of preschool so I've started doing research on things I think Parks will need. Today's post is dedicated to all the cool/functional/well-designed toddler backpacks I've been able to find online. What do you think of this round up? Which one would you pick?

Stay tuned for posts on lunch bags/lunch systems and first day of school outfits and photo ideas.

Preschool Backpacks by marychu on Polyvore

Marvel Backpacks / Wolf Toddler Backpack / The Kanken Mini | Fjallraven / Amazon.com: The North Face Mini Berkeley Backpack - high rise... / Survey Backpack | Kids | Herschel Supply Co USA / Amazon.com : Deuter Kikki Backpack - Kid's Turquoise/Midnight :... / Amazon.com: The North Face Youth Sprout - Lightning Bolt Print/Safety... / Mackenzie Blue Construction Backpacks | Pottery Barn Kids

Christmas: 2014 Family Holiday Photos

I'm never going to get tired of looking at the photos from our mini session in Topanga State Park by Hello Pinecone Photography. We were able to reserve the 5 pm time slot which made for beautiful lighting. The gnarled branches of the old oak trees provided the perfect interesting background. My boys were so handsome in the outfits I picked out.  

Thank you for capturing these sweet photos for us, Erin. They are perfect.

On Mary

Dress: H&M

Necklace: J Crew

On Tuan

Sweater: J Crew

Pants: Custom

Tie: Penguin

Shirt: Gap

On Parker

Coat: Zara Kids

Pants: Zara Kids

Shoes: Target

Tie: J Crew

Shirt: Gap

[This is the photo we picked for our holiday cards]

[I love this guy]

Rock Your Baby Children's Clothing

I will need one of each please. Thanks. So stinking cute.

Rock Your Baby Children's Clothing by marychu on Polyvore

Hipster Skater Long Sleeve Bodysuit / Hugo Long Sleeve Bodysuit Grey / Rock n Roll Long Sleeve T-Shirt Cream | Boys T-Shirts Shirts & Tops |... / Strong Man Long Sleeve Bodysuit Cream Raglan | Babies Bodysuits | Rock... / Stardust Lion Long Sleeve T-Shirt Black | Boys T-Shirts Shirts & Tops... / Astral Lion Short Sleeve T-Shirt Fawn | Boys T-Shirts, Shirts & Tops |... / Artemis Short Sleeve T-Shirt Grey Marle | Boys T-Shirts Shirts & Tops...

Spring Family Photos with Erin of Hello Pinecone Photography

I apologize that it has been so long since my last post but I promise this one will make up for lost time. Below are a few of my favorite photos from our mini session with Erin of Hello Pinecone Photography. I stumbled across Erin's work on On to Baby and started following her on Facebook late last year. We wanted to book her for our holiday photos but couldn't manage to get to LA in time so I waited for her to announce her spring mini sessions and booked immediately. I love Erin's use of light and the fact that her subjects seem so natural and at ease. All the waiting and the 6+ hour trek to LA was well worth it. Topanga Canyon was in full bloom, Parker was in a good mood and my floral crown didn't look cheesy in photos. That's all a mama can ask for! Enjoy :) I hope we can make it to LA this winter for another session.

 

What everyone is wearing

 

Tuan: Shirt - H&M, Pants - Gap, Shoes - Converse

Parker: Zara Kids from head to toe

Mary: Dress - Forever21, Shoes - Target, Necklace - J Crew, handmade floral crown

  

[Love these two]

[All he wanted to do was hand me rocks]

Custom Silhouette Ornaments

I'm in love with these laser cut silhouette ornaments from Le Papier Studio! The design is simple but still very special and unique. Would it be too much if I ordered one of these for Parker and made hand print ornaments?

 

[$24 on Le Papier Studio]

 

[$30 for an ornament with the whole family]

 

Modern Advent Calendars to DIY or Buy

There are a few things I am obsessed with right now.

1. Fancy rice crispy treats. I want to make these, these and these.
2. Anything pumpkin flavored. Trader Joes FTW.

3. Advent calendars

 

Random right? I really want to make an advent calendar for Parker since this will be his first Christmas. Here are some fun ones that I think will be the most baby friendly. There's a good mix of advent calendars to buy, to make and to download so there should be something for everyone below. Enjoy! You have about a month to make/buy a calendar and fill it up with fun treats for baby.

 

 

[Love the graphic look of these boxes. Free download available here.]

[Easy idea that would double well as home decor for the fireplace. Click here for more details.]

[Simple and festive. Free download + instructions here.]

 

[Love this! Such an easy sewing project. You can buy it here or just make one.]

 

[The different size pockets and simplicity of this pocket calendar is so charming! Available on Land of Nod.]

 

[Mr Printables has to be one of the best sites ever. Love this little town calendar.]

Kaiku - A Little Modern Movement

While trolling the internet for a good push toy for Parker, I discovered Kaiku and fell in love. Check out their cool kids products.

 

[PUSHPULL $169]

 

[STROLLKART $149]

 

[super wagon ZEN $319]

 

More about the company

Kaiku

From the eclectic Northern California studio of Scot and Amy Herbst, KAIKU is a reflection of a love of modern design and dedication to keeping kids active, healthy and hip.
With the addition of two little ones, KAIKU has given the Herbst team an outlet for applying their visionary problem solving to meaningful, everday objects in their own lives. Focusing on quality made, hand built natural kids playthings, KAIKU inspires parents and families to live thoughtfully by surrounding themselves with products designed and built to last a lifetime.

Stylish Unisex Diaper Backpacks

Tuan and I both realized on Sunday at the pumpkin patch that it would be a lot easier to lug Parker's increasing amount of stuff in a backpack instead of in my beautiful danzo diaper bag. Adding solids to Parker's diet seems to have increased the amount of stuff we need to bring with us everytime we go out by twofold  e.g bibs, food, snacks, change of clothes, more wipes... Here are my picks of the most stylish unisex diaper backpacks I could find. I wish we would have just bought a backpack instead of a regular diaper bag to begin with.

Unisex Diaper Backpacks by marychu featuring a messenger backpack

Modern Tooth Fairy Pillows

 

I must confess that my first thought after learning that P has teeth was "Oh we have to prepare the tooth fairy." Why can't I just be a normal person and enjoy Parker's first teeth? Why am I already thinking about his teeth falling out? Oh well. Here are my picks for the cutest tooth fairy pillows around. If you know of any other cool pillows/containers I would love to hear about them!

Tooth Fairy Pillows by marychu on Polyvore

Tooth Fairy Pillow by SparklePower on Etsy / Tooth Fairy Card by WrenandRumor on Etsy / House Pillow Tooth Fairy Cottage Neutral Boys Girls by AppleWhite / Tiny Tooth Fairy Pillow for kids Colorful by NewMomDesigns / TOOTH FAIRY BOX by TeethME on Etsy / Tooth Fairy Box Boy by Wunderkind on Etsy / Tooth Fairy Pillow / Organic TOOTH FAIRY by mimishop on Etsy

 

 

 

[While we are on the subject of teeth, here is a photo of what Parker's crib rail looks like now. We just discovered that he has been chomping away on his very expensive bed. Ugh.]

Kidsonroof - Toys that Stimulate Creativity and Imagination

Let me start and end with this simple statement: I want everything on this website. There is really not much else for me to say. Everything that Kidsonroof offers has been designed to stimulate creativity, imagination and hands-on play without the need for batteries. As much as I love technology, sometimes you need some "old fashion" toys that don't need to be charged or plugged in. Their offerings are too advanced for Parker but I could totally see my nephews and nieces having a wonderful time building, decorating and playing with any of the items from Kidsonroof. Like I said before: I want everything on this website.

About the company:
Back to the source of life! Kidsonroof wishes to re-connect modern life with nature, rediscovering basic values. Kidsonroof offers an ecological approach to the act of playing. Stimulating creativity and imagination lies at the heart of Kidsonroofs products.

Kidsonroof was established in 2005 by Romy Boesveldt (NL 68) and Ilya Yashkin (RUS 67). Together with their 3 kids and their little friends they manage a permanent testlab where new ideas keep coming up. A few weeks per year they go back to an oldfashioned simplicity when spending time in their little shed in the southern French mountains without electricity or running water.

Ilya has been trained as an architural designer (Marchi in Moscow and Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. His designs are ingeniously three dimensional and very associative. Romy takes care of the conceptual development and styling.

Kidsonroof
http://www.kidsonroof.com/new/index.php

Kidsonroof by marychu on polyvore.com

Modern Nursery Inspiration: The Fox

My sister Yvonne sent me a link to Ylvis' "The Fox" video and it reminded me of how cute foxes are. Have you seen the video? Apparently it's gone viral so you might as well watch it below and get with the cool kids. I showed it to Parker last night and he danced the whole time.

Move over elephants and giraffes, I'm declaring foxes the next "it" animal in nursery decor. Their bright color, triangle heads and fluffy tails make for a winning and attractive combination.

Modern Nursery Inspiration: Foxes by marychu featuring book ends

Blog Love - Babyccino Kids

Help me I've fallen in love!..with a blog. I stumbled across Babyccino Kids after discovering their pinterest page yesterday. And now, I want everything in their shop and I can't stop reading the blog which is filled with inspiring ideas for the modern family. Ahhhhh...you know when you find a pinterest page that makes you think "I want to be this person's friend/meet this person in real life?" Yup. That's what is happening right now. All you modern mamas need to check out their website right now. The only thing I am disappointed about is the fact that there is not a physical store I can walk into that is stocked with these items.

Here's a description of the shop from their site.

Babyccino Kids offers a curated selection of children’s boutique webshops, organised into relevant categories and highlighted by key products, making it easy to find the perfect webshop for your shopping needs. Whether you’re looking for wooden toys, children’s decor, or even maternity wear, we have dug up the best and most unique online shops.
Our aim is to provide an easy-to-use shopping tool, making it easy and enjoyable for busy mothers to find what they’re looking for. We also hope to inspire shoppers to find unique products you can’t find on the high street and to discover the latest trends in the children’s market.

Here are my pick's for Parker after perusing just a few of the toy shops. I would have made a collection on Polyvore, but these European sites will not allow it.

[Cubebot. Parker has one of these in blue.]

 

[Oscar Dog by Donna Wilson]

 

 

[Penguin 'Archer']

[Magnet town by Machi]

[Magnet Paris City]

[Spotty Cat]

[Robot Nesting Dolls]