tokengifts

FYI...

Kids say the funniest things...I guess the "whole Santa watching you be good or bad" message is really sinking in...

Trick or Treat

It's that time of year again for ghosts and goblins.  We've been carving pumpkins, hanging bats and spiders all week long.

Alice is keen on keeping up with the momentum of Halloween, so we still have cookies to bake, crafts to make...

If I were REALLY ambitious, I would have a go at this cake...

...I think I'll pass and leave that up to the professionals.  Those people at Martha Stewart never cease to amaze me.

Have a Safe and Happy Halloween! 

The First Day of School...

Yesterday, Alice started her first day of Junior Kindergarten.  It was not the momentous occasion we had long anticipated because she has been at the daycare that is situated in her school for awhile now.  And she's been ready for a long time. But still...it was bittersweet, as Mondays were our special days to do things together as mother and daughter.

A glass of milk to start off the day before we head out for a special brunch.

I was cleaning out her things in her closet and came across each pair of sneakers she's worn since she was a toddler ...my how quickly they grow...

Reading List Continued

There are few out there who are not familiar with Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are.  I distinctly remember the book as a child and the manner of illustration.

I can't wait to see how it will turn out as a feature film.  Oh...to be the set designer on that one!  But more so, I love the illustrations from In the Night Kitchen.

I have a particular fondness for the heavily lined illustrations and all the details of Mickey's kitchen.  Also, I am such a sucker for great packaging - the old-fashioned labels on all the tins and baking supplies. I could picture them all neatly stacked row upon row in an old epicerie, sounds much more romantic than "grocery store". 

Alice received this one as a gift from Pearl, Xenia and Steven.

It has such a fond place in our hearts because of all the trips we've taken with Alice to New York City.

I've really come to dislike these children's books authored by celebrities now-a-days, heavy on the morality and ethics of childhood.  I don't really need a book to teach my child how to go potty or how to share - plus, they never worked. And the last time I checked, I believe that was part of my job description.  Call me  old-fashioned, but give me a book for the pure sake of being entertained, to keep my imagination engaged and my senses inspired.

For those of you interested in children's books, visit Eric Carle's philosophy on children's books.  I still remember the day Alice, at the age of 2 1/2 years, recited, much to our surprise, the entirety of Brown Bear, Brown Bear.  There is a reason many of these books have lasted decades and appeal to such wide an audience.  I'm sure I will be reading them to my grandchildren...many, many years from now!

 

 

 

New to Token: Sweet Beets

We have made a conscious decision to move away from children's items in the shop, or so I thought.  I don't know if this is such a wise business decision, as EVERY shop out there has decided to carry baby items.  In my quest for simplicity, I'm cutting back on product categories and streamlining.

However, I am always drawn to some children's items, or at least, child-like in nature, so you will be sure to find something suitable for a little one at the shop.  I think it's the naivety of the products, but they always make me smile.  The best products I have come across are the ones developed by parents themselves.  They always come from a place of genuine love for our children.

I was drawn to Bruno Munari's Zoo book immediately wandering the children's section at Pages.  I had never heard of him but loved his illustration style - the vivid colours and brushstrokes. (I will get some photos after I raid Alice's library, we are sold out of his books at the moment). The latest issue of the French children's magazine Milk included an article about Munari.  In my high school level understanding of French, I learned that he developed his first books after his son was born in 1940.  He went on to influence such beloved authors such as Eric Carle.

(sorry about the dark photo - really must learn photoshop)

So when I came across SweetBeets at the Stationery Show,  I had to ask if the designer, Lisa Zuraw, was a parent herself.  She was indeed, Lisa is a mother of two, and surprisingly, a fellow Canadian from Hamilton.  The simple illustrations embody that certain naivety and innocence of childhood that we would all like to bottle up and keep close to our hearts.  We are so happy to include SweetBeets in our ever expanding collection of stationery here at token!

 

 

Weekend Diversions

I'm making a concerted effort not to focus on the shop every minute of the day.  I think I'm better for it.  No emails, no blogs, no mindless tv, just down time making the most of the warm weather and the summer season to come.

Even my magazines have been piling up, barely flipped through.  Although another Cookie Magazine suggestion, Montessori Services and an email from Kids Craft Weekly prompted me to buy a kids' clothesline stand for Alice.  I take a lot of cues from the Montessori methodology, Alice seems wired that way.  She had the biggest smile on her face when we told her this was for her and not another gift for yet another birthday party.  Kids love mimicking their parents, but it's even more special when everything is kid-sized.  I've never seen anyone wash a few washcloths and socks so exuberantly!

It's always nice having a small patch of outdoor space, living downtown.  We're trying to make ours as green as possible, it's still very much a work in progress.

I have to admit, it's fun having a little girl and getting to do girl-y things, like braiding hair and playing dress-up.  Enjoying a soda at the local cafe.

Never in a million years, would I have imagined that children would spark this kind of inspiration to just... be. Inspiration comes from everywhere, and you'd be amazed where it comes from when you're not looking.

Happy Summer Everyone!

Mother's Little Helper

Mother's Day is approaching - Sunday, May 11th to be exact. So leading up to the day, I will conjure up gift ideas to inspire you, but in the meantime, here is some food for thought...

Mother's Day, for obvious reasons, took on a whole new meaning for me after my daughter was born. But really, the idea of being a "mom" took a really long time to take hold. You assume a whole new identity, and adopt this sense of selflessness that is very humbling.

One of the best pieces of mom advice I got was to pick up a copy of the Little Paper. It is a local paper and it is THE guide to activities, programs, services and resources for parents and children in the city of Toronto. You will always find a well-thumbed copy in our home. Some time ago, founder and publisher, Vicki Bell, started to include an editor's letter in each issue. April's letter pretty much summed up for me what it is like to be a parent and what every parent should aspire to. So with Vicki's permission, (Thanks, Vicki!) I have included an excerpt from her letter in today's post:

WE ARE URBAN PARENTS. City people. Our children are city kids. And, for many of us, our notions of neighbourhood and community changed forever with the birth of our first child. We became pedestrians, stroller pushers, the constant denizens of our local community centres, swimming pools and skating rinks. We met our neighbours in the playground, became involved in fundraisers in support of our communities, took on duty days at the nursery co-op or simply dropped a fin on raffle tickets at the local school fair.

Becoming parents hasn’t changed our love of this city – its arts, music, museums, architecture, restaurants, markets and green spaces. Last month’s packed-to-capacity Family Jam at The Gladstone reminded me of this and of the need for us to share what we, as adults, love about Toronto with our children – whether it is the Sunday Bluegrass Brunch at the Dakota, a visit to the pasta man at The St. Lawrence Market, the delights of Casa Acoreana in Kensington or a trek through the wilds on the Don Valley.

The Little Paper tries hard to celebrate and to facilitate parenting in Toronto. We are urbanites and mothers
ourselves: the mom next door and the woman in line behind you at the library and we, like you, are
better citizens of our city because of the ways in which becoming parents has deepened our intimacy with our own little pockets of community within it.

Parenting becomes even that much easier and better when you have people like Vicki and her team at the Little Paper helping you along!

Pick up an issue of the upcoming May Mother's Day issue and you will catch a glimpse of me and Alice in the shop - Thanks to Gillian and Anna!

Weekend Diversions

Our birthday-filled weekends...

Birthday cuddles for Daddy...

Post-birthday revelry...

Checking out the loot-bag goodies...

Weekday Diversions

We survived the weekend of birthday parties, FOUR, to be exact. Each one different and each one enjoyed by Alice. Funny thing, from all accounts (I only attended 2 of the 4), each one was different and special in its own way - a small, intimate gathering doing crafts to a rented party place, complete with bouncy castle to a large family gathering at a restaurant to finally, the crazy, frenetic party of Alice's best friend, Amelia (to which, we would have expected no less)!

My posts have been heavy on the parenting side lately, and I apologize to those carefree, childless people out there reading this blog. Parenting is so all-consuming. We were warned, yes, we were warned. But at the same time, Alice is at such a fun age right now, we're really enjoying these years.

This coming weekend, we will be attending the Bunch Family Salon. We are so excited, we had so much fun last year.

So parenting is always on my mind, especially days like today when everyone is out enjoying the arrival of the warm weather and I am stuck in the shop, I come across things like this interesting article. I can't believe they do studies on things like this, isn't parenting supposed to be intuitive?

And I don't know what I would do without my Cookie Magazine subscription. It is the ONLY family magazine I pick up lately. They've all been thumbed through multiple times, book-marked and dog-eared, NEVER thrown away.

The coolest dollhouses...

Drool-worthy denim for kids...

During my regular afternoon lull (does everyone on Queen St. go for a siesta at 3 o'clock in the afternoon?), I checked out this article and these recipes. Alice used to shovel soba noodles into her mouth as a baby, now she looks at it (as with all her meals) with disdain. So I will be experimenting with these recipes in the coming days.

We are also trying to plan our trip to New York in May for the National Stationery show. I'm hoping this show will not be as consuming as the NYIGF, so we're hoping it will be a mini-break for us (we like to idle our time in the city) and use it for inspiration, although a more restful break is definitely also in order. Kevin was recommended this place, how can we resist?

Fashion has been on my mind lately too, I am scouring for Spring looks - did you know Marc Jacobs did a kids' line? Ahem...maybe next time I will come up with some more grown-up content...

Colouring Outside the Lines

This is the newest addition to a series of colouring books by Japanese artist Taro Gomi, Doodle All Year. We could never keep his other books in stock long enough for me to take a good look through them. But I gave one to Alice last night to keep her preoccupied at the shop while Kevin worked late last night.

We bought Alice her first art easel when she was only 9 months old. She would use it mostly to prop herself up and would open and close the caps on the washable (very important!) markers, then progressed to some scribbling.

She has always been a very neat child and that pertained to her colouring too. She always persisted on colouring inside the lines, even at a young age. In fact, she would get quite upset if she went outside the lines. She is much better at drawing free-form.

She also has the classic Mr. Potato Head toys, and yesterday, we were happy to put them away in storage as we went through the toys that she agreed she had outgrown. She would get so upset because the pieces were difficult to put in the tiny holes sometimes and Mr. Potato Head and family would ALWAYS have to look like they did on the packaging, you were not allowed to stray. I never liked this toy because I didn't think it allowed for much imagination, plus the smell of the plastic would make me gag. If you want a great alternative, check out the Zolo toys.

Upon first glance, the crude, child-like line drawings don't look like much fun to colour. But this is the beauty of them. It teaches children that not everything has to look perfect. There are simple instructions and requires interaction and thought and most importantly, imagination on the part of the child to build on the pictures on each page.

Maybe one good thing came out of all the mass-produced children's toys - what is the saying - Necessity is the mother of all invention?

Previous issues of Taro Gomi's colouring books, Doodles and Scribbles, that are equally fantastic! Get your colouring pencils out!