Strollerderby : kiddley

Pretty Crafts with Kids for the UnMarthas

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 14:45:00 GMT

Pining for cooler weather or an excuse to stay inside after playing in the pool, but about as Martha Stewart as Paris Hilton? How about some fabulous whimsical handmade globes!! The beautiful globes pictured right are courtesy of blogger Little Elephants, who did these (with a gaggle of kids - imagine!) for her daughter's birthday party. Granted, these are more appropriate for school-age kids, but with sufficient adult supervision (and serious adult-help to glue the lids on) they are possible.

Ingredients include sea glass, plastic sea creatures, glycerin, and lots of glittery sparkly things. Another version of this globe is also featured at Kiddley (the now on hiatus fabulous kid craft site).

[Photo Credit: Little Elephants]

Urban Gardener: Willow Wigwam for Kids

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:31:00 GMT

Are you thinking about gettin' your yard or garden (or patch of dirt) on for Spring? You might want to consider setting aside a corner for this cute willow wigwam. It's no secret that kids love to garden, and this is a fun family project. Plus, this is way cooler (and far more eco-friendly) than any of those ugly, plastic, snap-together playhouses.

My brother built one of these out of bamboo in his yard, only his is about 10 feet high and big enough for 3 or 4 kids to fit easily inside. He started with green bamboo poles that he buried in the ground then bent gently together to form the top of the teepee. As the bamboo dried it got more sturdy.

In the spring sweet peas and flowering vines cover the the structure making a green and shady haven. In the summer he grows squash and vine tomatoes on it, and his kids get a kick out of harvesting the vegetables that grow in and out of their "playhouse." In the winter, devoid of greenery, it serves as a reminder of fun times past and future.

No yard? Perhaps your local park or garden co-op would be willing to let you build one of these. You never know until you ask.

[photo: kiddley.com]

Kiddley, Loobylu Take A Break: Crafty Blogger on Indefinite Hiatus

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 15:29:00 GMT

I don't craft, but sites like Kiddley and Loobylu make me wish I did. That's why I was sad to learn that Claire, the force behind Kiddley and Loobylu, has decided to take a break from blogging to focus on her family. (Well, not too sad, she has the best reason for stopping.)

From Kiddley:

Since the birth of our daughter Lily back in June we have been struggling as a family to find the right balance of life, work and blogging. Unfortunately life has been suffering more and more. It has been regularly occurring to me that it’s somewhat ironic that a website dedicated to helping parents and carers find things to do with their kids has been taking us away from ours! In one of those blinding flashes of reason I suddenly realised that something had to give, and unfortunately blogging is it.

I'll miss seeing Kiddley's and Loobylu's updates in my feed reader, but how could we not support her decision? Best of luck to you and your family, Claire! We'll be here when you're ready to inspire us again.

[image credit: Loobylu]

Quickie Craft: Valentine's Treat Bucket

Patti — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 13:05:00 GMT

If you got the same note from school that I got from my four-year-old's preschool teacher, you're probably going to be up late tonight slapping together some kind of treat receptacle for Wednesday's big event. Decorate a box? Good lord, boxes go straight to the recycling bins in our house. I'm lucky I am allowed to keep the Triscuits in their boxes until I eat them, much less do I have a spare shoe box or tissue box lying around, waiting to be drenched in glitter glue.

This idea from Knit and Pearl is a pretty freaking good one: take an old bucket and glue cutout pictures onto it (she recommends pictures from a damaged book, which is genius if you ask me--magazines are also a good idea, or this could be another use for the Sunday newspaper ads), then slap on a few coats of Mod Podge and trim it with something pretty.

If you do this now (right now! Get to decoupaging, you, we're on a schedule!) and if you go easy on the Podge, it'll be dry in time for school on Wednesday. Make sure you inspect it when it comes back, in case there's any yucky candy that needs to be eaten by a grownup.

(via Kiddley)

Times Online's List Of Ten Great Parenting Blogs

Patti — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

UK news outlet The Times Online's Alpha Mummy blog has posted their list of the ten great blogs that every working mum should read--good to know that the US doesn't have the market cornered on the assumption that to be a parent means to be a mother, and the qualifier "working" is somewhat puzzling, as their list is not at all specific to working parents.

The list features a few of the usual suspects: Dooce, Parent Hacks, Kiddley. Also included are a couple of blogs that aren't necessarily parenting blogs per se, but that a parent could definitely benefit from reading: Lifehacker and The Happiness Project. Alpha Mummy rounds out the list with fellow Times Online blogger India Knight's Isn't She Talking Yet, the Wall Street Journal's Juggle, and new-to-me reads MamaPop and Motherhood Uncensored (sometimes I don't know where I am when everyone else is blogging great stuff).

Oh, and the top of the list? Just a little site called Babble.

And now comes the best part of any top-something list: What's Wrong With It. Who's missing from Alpha Mummy's top ten? Is this list really what it claims to be, the top ten blogs for working parents (at least one of the blogs, MamaPop, is written by self-described stay at home parents)? Where all my daddybloggers at?

The Parenting and Home Web Sites You Should Definitely Waste Your Time Reading in 2007

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 15:01:00 GMT

Melissa Summers has compiled an excellent list of websites that she'll be reading more of in 2007 for her semi-regular Buzz Off column. At the top of her list, the entertaining and educational Parent Hacks, which is chock full of parenting wisdom. You may think you're a seasoned parent, but after reading Parent Hacks you'll feel like an amateur.

Melissa goes on to list her other top picks which are: Kiddley (craft-tastic), My Wardrobe Today (love these "day-in-the-life" sites), Finished Kitchens Blog (tax refund check anyone?), Whoopee (cheeky Brit mama tells it like it is), The Bargainist (financial tips), and Real Simple (for easy entertaining tips).

I see her list of websites and would like to raise her a: Real Estalker (stalking open houses, you know it), a Jen Lemen (one inspiring mama), a Construction Deal (my most favorite home improvement idea site) and One Toddler Goodie.

Happy time-wasting in 2007, and remember to rearrange those cubicles so you're facing the door. That way, if your boss pops in, it'll look like you are working.

[photo credit: fuggit.org]