I frequently post about cardboard toys and furniture – as the compact/travelbility (is that a word?) of them is beyond convenient. As I travel light – and now with two boys that will become more of a challenge, I need to think about how to have enough “amusement” at our destination – sans the bulk, weight and general annoyance of a Great Toy Shlep.

I adore Calafant toys for this very reason, but for your children that are still too young to really decorate their own toys – Kroom toys, available from Abe’s Market (my new fave green store), give you that light cardboard portability, pre decorated, and ready for playing.

Both of the above are less than $30 (each)! Ship them to you destination – and spare yourself the agony of dragging toys about a dirty airport and being told by some snug, underaged ticket counter bird that your luggage is over the limit of 2 pounds and will cost an extra $500 dollars, will that be cash or charge?

In addition to the farm and Noah set, you can send this lovely Kroom table set ahead, which the grandparents can easily store under  a bed when not in use.

This dollhouse is compact enough to store under a chair.

As is this castle.

Kroom toys are lovely, durable, inexpensive and easy to store. The perfect thing to send and keep at grandma’s – which is where the boys and I are headed next week!!!

Florida, here we come….

How many parents have been puzzled (if not somewhat annoyed) at seeing their progeny tear into a gift with absolute delight at the ripping of paper, only to remove the gift and after a cursory look and try, spend the next few hours playing with the box.

And how many of us (if not all) aren’t wondering how in the bloody ‘el our children have amassed this mountain of toys, when we have struggled to keep it all under control with a no-gift and/or green toy policy? My eldest is only 2 and I am already packing toys away that I will be placing on a Green Mama “Craigs List” type site (more on that early next year).

Well. Tired of tripping over, stepping on and otherwise running into the seemingly fertile toys in my house , I recently wondered if I mayn’t just wrap up a few toys that my son already owns and regift them to him for Christmas. Not because I’m cheap – but because my toe hurts from running into the seemingly endless recycled, European, eco, non-toxic painted shapes of wood that are strewn about my house. (Well, it used to be my house.)

Box Play to the rescue!

Box Play provides mama with a selection of wonderful stickers that will turn any box, from an egg or milk carton to cereal or shoe box (among others) into a fun toy! Even into a bowling set (above)!

These recycled eco stickers are affordable and brilliant in that they allow you to turn boxes into toys for a second life, before hitting the recycling bin.

Why shouldn’t the ever present toilet roll be turned into a rocket ship?

Box Play stickers are the perfect thing to pack when traveling for the holidays to turn cartons into toys when you arrive – sparing you from having to pack too many toys – using space that you need for those parkas and jumpers.

I love this company, and hope that they develop even more stickers. No one ever bruised a toe on an egg carton.

9 days ’til Santa!

Paige Lauren makes comfy basics for mums who don’t want their daughters to look too “princess” or sons too “rock and roll”.  The muted colors and soft shapes are perfect for Spring – which is what you should buy them for at the wonderful 50% sale prices on her site right now. These are the stocking stuffers that will make the stocking proud.

Cute organic loungewear can be difficult to find, which is why I love these.

You know that t-shirt that you’ll never get rid of though it has a few coffee stains and tiny holes? Yea. Thats what this stuff feels like.

And at these half off prices, Paige Lauren was worth getting on the “nice” list.

It won’t be long now….!

When I was complaining that my son didn’t like having his heart listened to at the doctors office, (which is funny as the doctor doesn’t like listening to me, poor thing), a friend suggested that I buy him a play stethoscope so that we could “practice” and it wouldn’t be so unusual when assaulted by the cold real thing.

I got my eldest this beautiful little doctor playset, which he adores. He now asks to listen to everyone’s heartbeat – even the “patient’ pups – and wants to give us all “shots” and take our temperature.  (As long as he doesn’t take CME credits sponsored by Merck, I’m happy.)

This is a great unisex gift idea (at less than $40), a wonderfully portable toy (very light and compact) and an effective de-sensitiser to all the “scary” bits at the doctors office. (I only recommend that you get rid of the play “pills” as a) pills should only be fun when your name is Judy Garland and b) they are a choking hazard to any younger sibs.)

Note: This set is not covered by insurance.

20 days and counting….

As soon as I wrote a post about how I don’t like graphics on my tees – I found the exception. I do LOVE a literary quote – and this company – “Books on Shirts” – does lovely quotes on organic shirts that aren’t horrifying. (As much as I love The Ramones – I think 2 year olds wearing a Ramones shirts look silly. An Ascot – well, thats lovely….)

Available for both little future Dorothy Parkers and Stephan Frys, these shirts will delight your friends that actually have books.

(We all know that we don’t have time for such indulgences. Sadly.)

Books on Shirts also has grown up shirts.  Matching literati. Now there’s a Halloween costume idea!

If only they had quotes from Auntie Mame…

All green mamas have a stack of Aden and Anais swaddlers – and love them. How mamas lived without them – I’ll never know. But, there is a new organic muslin game in town – and for those who have yet to stack up on Aden and Anais – you may like the “Zen” feel of these prints a bit better.

Available now, on sale, at Zulily, these Zen Organic blankets are a bit more sophisticated than the sweeter prints that Aden and Anais have. These Zen blankets are for any mama that has a Joseph Campbell book about the house. Or who has a well worn copy of Siddhartha.

Just as wonderful as the organic muslin your friends have, these blankets will keep your wee one swaddled in Jungian dreams to be unravelled years later in a “World Philosophy” class at Berkley.

All together now: “Oooohhhmmmmmmm….”

From Paloma’s Nest and less expensive than tacky sets – is this gorgeous, eco-wood, ready to paint in your child’s room colors table and chair set. This set is worth creating a safari or animal room around.

Even just the tree table coupled with other chairs would be beautiful and suitable to most rooms.

For less than $200 you can order the table and two chairs - which I think is a really good deal, having seen chemically treated sets for far more than that.

Completely unrelated – but from the same shop – are these beautiful party hats that you could also decorate…

and crowns…

So lovely.

And for mummy…

I’m loving Paloma’s Nest and the honest feel of their customizable wooden wares.

Gift giving season is just around the corner…it’s never too early….

Happy Fall!

Organic layette sets are increasingly common – but not increasingly lovely. Lauren Celeste has a darling set that won’t offend your cousin who lived in France for 4 years or darling Poppy who is about to have a 5th generation Ethel Walker girl.

Grab a Lauren Celeste gift set, click on the Mikimotos and don your vintage (oh, so green) chapeau – and off to the shower you go – knowing that she’ll love her beautiful, discreetly organic, layette.

I’ve had two jewelers in Chicago over the years – but am happy to say that I have recently found THE guy and THE place, and I’ll never, ever go anywhere else.

After having to wait AGES for my last guy to reset a pendant for me, I was fed up. The only thing more stressful than finding a new colourist is finding a new jeweler, but I trusted the recommendation of my best friends husband and went to Garry at Windy City Diamonds.

Now keep in mind that I wasn’t a nervous buck getting ready to plunk down several months of salary on an engagement ring – all I wanted was to have two rings reset for my sons from a ring that my grandmother had given me and have one bracelet broken into two. No one was going to get rich. So I was slightly concerned that I’d be rushed in and out and have to wait several months until they got to it.

I need not have been so cynical.

Garry took as much time with me as if I were Prince William picking out a push present. The man drew up a few ideas, told me that my rings would be ready in TWO WEEKS and delivered. And how!

I LOVE the job that Garry did, I love that we exchanged several emails in between with him ALWAYS responding on the day of my note, and I love that he was so concerned about the clasp on a bracelet, that he’s told me he wanted to keep it back and “make it more secure”. Not only that – sit down girls as this isn’t a story you’ll hear again for a while – he charged me $600 LESS than his original estimate!!! WHAT?! I almost fainted dead away in his store. Acting like it was the most normal thing in the world – he explained that it just hadn’t been as much work as they thought. A JEWELER! Well. That was it for me.

If papa bear is going to get you a push present (which he should, as you deserve it), DO consider Garry at Windy City Diamonds. They take their time with you, listen and DELIVER exactly when they say they will – and good night Charlie – I can honestly attest to the fact that they do so at the BEST price you can imagine.

You will be a fool soon parted if you go anywhere else.

Tell them The Stork sent you.

Happy sparkling!

Bear Feet makes the most gorgeous eco-shoes I have EVER seen. Clearly they need a new publicist, as with shoes this gorge, there is no reason that they aren’t all over Daily Candy and all the green fashion blogs.

How are these NOT carried at Barney’s?

Bear Feet has all the Mary Janes and Ballarinas a future Audrey needs.

These are the shoes that Carrie Bradshaw bought her own triplet daughters that she has with Mr Big (in the version in my head).

From teeny to big girl sizes, you really needn’t look anywhere else.

But honestly, Bear Feet  needs to get a proper advertising/PR strategy. It’s just silly that they aren’t chatted up everywhere and carried by all the best stores.

I also want to know where all the cute CHAP shoes are. Ahem.

If you have or know any chiquitas – these are the shoes that she needs to wear with her organic togs. Truly. I wish they had my size….