Awesome Blossom.

(Reykjavík, 2005.)

• Fun with Legos! There’s the “Trinity: Help!” scene from The Matrix redone in Lego. Also, his project is over now, but a LEGO a day… is an awesome, awesome blog.
• Totally NOT For Babies: modified anatomically correct lady stuffed animals.
• The Holidays are approaching… what is “Santa” going to bring for nanny this year? Sarah Von over at Yes and Yes has some great gift-giving strategies for anyone on your list.
• Knocked Up asks: What do you NOT tell your children? Also from the archives: 10 Ineffective Tantrum Strategies. Oh boy, I think I could come up with at least 10 of my own on that one.
• Not your typical My Little Pony.
• If you nap anywhere as often as I *want* to nap, from the archives of Trés Lola comes a great article on why you should embrace sleep rather than feeling guilty for it.

Awesome Blossom.

(Boston, 2009.)

• From the archives of Yes & Yes come some excellent tips for traveling with toddlers!
• I love fashion and I love the style sections of such excellent blogs as Nubbytwiglet and iCiNG, but… I just can’t wear clothes that can’t immediately be thrown in the wash! I can’t wear anything that will expose my “plumber’s area” when I bend down because I spend my whole day bending down! I can’t wear shoes that I can’t run (literally) across a muddy yard in! However, You Look Fab comes to the rescue with some really great pieces about outfits for Moms on the Go. (More links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) Dressing for nannies is one step tougher as I can’t wear a tracksuit in the house and then dress up to leave – I either have to wear the tracksuit full time, or be dressed up in the house with the GREAT DANGER of harm befalling my clothes. Still, it is pretty great to see some inspiration on kid-friendly outfits.
• For my next birthday, I hope someone bakes me an octopus cake.
• Some thoughts on what IS “art”, anyway? – from the archives of Teach Kids Art.
• If (Not) For Babies isn’t covering it for you, here’s a great AskMe post about songs for tots.

Awesome Blossom.

I feel compelled to point out that one of my Virgoan quirks is to read the entire archives of every blog that I follow. I am not stalking you, I just… have completist tendencies. I must use every page in a coloring book in consecutive order. I must finish all books I read, even if they suck. I must own each part of a series – if I’m going to buy one, I have to buy them all.

So, the way that this relates to my blogging (and to specifically to Friday’s Awesome Blossom roundup) is that these might not be recent links. And if you’re wondering “How/why are you linking to this thing I wrote two years ago?! Are you mental?!” The answer is… well.. yes.  Enjoy anyway.

(Worcester, MA. August 2007.)

• Want to introduce your kids to opera? AskMetafilter has some suggestions.
• I Love You Forever, Just Don’t Scale My House: Some thoughts on a children’s classic.
• Developmental Stages of Children’s Art: In case you’re wondering “What’s he going to do next?” No word on putting bellybuttons in all of your drawings though.
• Famous Muppet Doppelgängers. Sesame Street’s 40th Anniversary may technically be over, but muppets are always awesome. Some of these aren’t Sesame Street muppets anyhow – were you aware that Kermit is the only muppet to crossover from the Muppet Show onto the ‘Street?
• Fairytale Fashion: Sarah Von of Yes and Yes imagines what Disney Princesses might wear in 2009. Also excellent – the followup Fairytale Fashion Round 2 and Dr. Seuss Style.
• Deep Space Sparkle is an amazing blog – I wish I’d had Patty as my art teacher! (Though my art teacher was plenty cool and obviously did alright in the end. She was pretty eccentric and I remember rumors went around that she was a witch because she had long black hair.) Most are for kids quite a bit older than my charges, but the Eric Carle inspired projects might be fun to try with Thing 1!

Awesome Blossom.

Providence, 2007.

• Stephen Colbert takes on Sesame Street and Pox News.
• Cookie Monster talks about the origin of “OM NOM NOM!”
• Last Sesame Street related post: in response to South Africa’s HIV+ muppet Kami, Jezebel wonders, how young is too young to teach children about AIDS?
• Susan Striker’s 10 Cardinal Rules for Teaching Creative Art. Excellent read about working artistically with kids! I do my best to abide by these rules, but I’ll admit that coloring books are my Achilles Heel. I’m 28 and I still have coloring books of my own, I love them.
• Frida Kahlo’s Studio Dollhouse: Perhaps the greatest dollhouse EVER.
• 1001 Rules for My Unborn Son: “Let’s get this straight before I get old and uncool.”
• Art in All of Us: Gallery of children’s art from around the world!
• Newborn babies cry with mother’s accent: I guess I’ll have some American crying babies. If they cried with their father’s accent… my future babies would be way sexier. *sigh* No Portuguese accent for you, babies, I’m sorry.

Awesome Blossom.

[Reykjavík. April 2005.]

Links! To things that are awesome!

• Katamari Baby Costume: ZOMG.Babies. Katamari. Two great tastes that taste great together.
• Dollhouse mania! Newport dollhouse by the wonderful & talented Lis Bokt. AND! Modern mini dollhouse. Dollhouses are one of the many reasons I’m dying for kids of my own – because it looks odd when “grown ups” have dollhouses and I’ve got an awesome one in my parents’ attic. I’m just waiting for a kid to foist it on. Even if it’s a boy – he can drive his Hot Wheels through it and it’ll still be a kick ass dollhouse.
• In that vein… Frank Lloyd Wright Lego kit.
• Nothing to do with kids, or nannying, or art… but if you watch Mad Men, you really must see Jon Hamm’s John Ham. Holy cow, do I ever love this. And Jon Hamm. But not John Ham.
• Style Rookie: She’s certainly older than the crowd I hang out with, but Tavi is one hell of an awesome kid.  I wish I had been half that awesome at 13.