sprout

RIT Sun Guard

I'm eagerly awaiting my order of this new RIT Sun Guard for my little girl's clothes. It makes their normal clothes to have a UPF rating of 30 (vs the normal 5) for 20 washes. Though it's not quite as protective as some of the clothing you can buy, it's a lot cheaper (and more fashionable) to do it this way.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! I didn't know til this past week that Mother's Day was originally conceived as a day for peace.

Placemats

Why bore your child with a grown-up placemat when Crocodile Creek makes such cool ones? Not only great to look at, your mini can learn to count, say "hello" in a variety of languages or point to where Grandpa lives on a US map.

Want to do something a little more personal? Make your own with my current craft material of choice: contact paper. Place photos of family members, souvenirs from a recent trip, or a favorite drawing between two large sheets of contact paper and voila, a kid-proof placemat. Want to make your placemat more interactive? Try making this changing-shapes placemat.

Peekaboo Playland

Conveniently located near Target and not too far from Swork in Eagle Rock, is Peekaboo Playland. It's a nice mix of bigger equiment along with toys that encourage creative play. They have a bounce house and slide, a puppet theater, play kitchen with lots of plastic food and pots, cars to ride in, carts and strollers to push and a small ball pit. There's also a small outdoor area with a couple swings, some plastic play houses and tunnels.

One thing mama likes about Peekaboo Playland is the music. They actually play real music. Now I love Dan Zanes or a Putamayo compilation as much as the next hipster parent, but sometimes it's nice just to listen to something with an electric guitar. I've heard the Jackson 5, the Beatles, Blondie and more hits of the 80s there. How refreshing.

Peekaboo Playland is located at 2513 Colorado Blvd. in Eagle Rock. Admission is $6 and passes are available.

Dress Up

Little Girl is getting more and more interested in dressing up. I've been looking for simple and non-character (a.k.a. cheaper) ways to do this. These tiara and tutu patterns look pretty simple and you can make something princess-y (if needed) without having to help her figure out which Disney Princess she identifies with. Here are instructions to make fairy wings. Not in the mood to make something? Chinatown has cheap n' fancy brocade mary janes, parasols and brocade jackets. Most party stores have fabric leis and kid's hula skirts right now. And the good ol' 99 cent store has plastic fireman and construction hats.

Happy May Day

Feeling like doing something today to celebrate May Day? Here are some craft ideas from About.com.