Part 2 with Appleshine (first post here)! After hours of Amelia and Marla’s hard work, Lucas and Lillie’s room is finally organized!! Every item has a home and the placement of toys makes sense (toys they play with more frequently, etc.). They not only organized the toys, but rearranged them in different spots around the room in ways I had never thought of. They helped me with art placement and curated the most beautiful little nooks and displays. The kids and I are in love and couldn’t be happier!
Hugo Loves Tiki has done it again! One of my all time favorite children’s companies, they continue to floor me season after season. Cheyenne Norris is the founder and designer and has the most amazing eye for detail and beautiful prints that both kids and adults love. Think whimsical swans, vibrant fruit, and smiling bunnies.
This season they teamed up with Kip&Co and produced a gorgeousss bedding collection with reversible prints. The prints I chose for Lillie are from the Hugo Loves Tiki SS18 collection – seahorses and clams in a gorgeous palette of pinks and lilacs. Each piece is so so soft and beautifully made. Lillie LOVES her new bedding and I know it’s a set that she will still adore years from now in her big girl room.
Last month I attended a feminist summer camp and it changed my life. I’ve struggled for weeks to complete this post. If we were sitting together having a hypothetical cup of coffee I could talk your ear off about my amazing experience, all the things I learned, and how you NEED to attend camp next summer. But sitting here in front of my computer I have been stuck trying to find the right words to express myself so you can feel even a sliver of the magic that was The Compact Camp. So here goes nothing..
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month I am so honored to team up with Canticos and Nick Jr.
Canticos is a collection of bilingual nursery rhymes and songs that can all be found on Nick Jr.’s free app and Nick Jr. You Tube. We are an English/Spanish speaking household and it has been such a joy to watch Lillie enjoy some of her favorite songs and stories in Spanish. The animation is adorable and I feel good about allowing Lillie to watch videos that don’t just provide her with entertainment but also knowledge of the Spanish language.
Lillie is learning numbers, vocabulary words, and even the days of the week in Spanish! I have already started teaching her these fundamentals but having access to the Canticos videos is such a great way to solidify her skills. Our favorite one is Sol Solecito :). I hope you enjoy this wonderful content as much as Lillie and I!
This post is sponsored by Nick Jr. All opinions are my own. Thank you for creating such amazing content for our niños!
“A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2018.”
Lucas: We’re in your third week of swim class (this is your 3rd year taking lessons) and I can’t believe what a difference a few months make. You are becoming such a strong swimmer and it makes me so insanely proud. You have always loved the water and you are indeed my little fish!!!
Lillie: Everyone has been commenting how you seem to have grown overnight. I hate to admit it but even I have noticed how long your legs are becoming! Each day you grow more and more into this beautiful little girl leaving traces of your babyhood behind and it such a bittersweet feeling.
Kidsfest is put together by Free Arts NYC and is an incredible local event that aims to unite the community and celebrate artists and cultural institutions in New York City. The best part? 100% of the proceeds benefit Free Arts programing where students gain access to 1-on-1 mentorship, leading contemporary artists, cultural institutions and career readiness workshops.
This year Kidsfest will be held at Sotheby’s on September 30th from 10 – 2pm. Tickets can be purchased here. The event is family friendly and there will be so many amazing activities to participate in – a braid bar, a dance contest, face painting, pony races, and a ton of cool art booths. The food will be from some of theeee yummiest NYC spots (Jack’s Wife Frida, La Esquina) and I for one am super excited to eat!
I hope to see some of you there to celebrate the arts in NYC and stand behind an amazing organization. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out!
Back in June (seems like a lifetime ago already!), I had the absolute pleasure of working with Amelia Meena – founder of Appleshine, and her assistant Marla, on getting the kids room in order. Appleshine Organization + Design is a full service firm that cultivates an organized lifestyle for busy New Yorkers (hello!!).
The first day they came over the kids room was interesting to say the least. We were approaching the end of the school year and stuff was everywhere. Every last corner was occupied, dolls strewn about, baskets no longer made any sense. Fun times for me when it came to cleaning. After a strategic plan and the purchase of a few new organizing tools, they got to work a week later. After almost 7 hours the kids had an entirely new room. I can’t wait to share photos and more information on what they did and how I am so ready for back to school because I have been implementing what they taught me all Summer.
Around the time they got started I asked if any of my followers over on Instagram had any specific questions on cleaning/organization that they would like answered. I hope many of you find the below (answered directly by Amelia!) helpful. Stay tuned for PT 2 of this post next week where I will share the kids finished room.
What are your tips on getting rid of/storing sentimental items (a special toy, etc.)?
– Designate a Capacity Limit: a box / container / folder the signifies your maximum amount of space for any one category
– Use one large portfolio folder for kids artwork (per school year or per child, depending on space)
– Determine a Memory Box for special items and whenever it gets too full, pluck out some things that aren’t quite as special as others
– Remember – your child will not want to sort through 50 boxes of their baby stuff as an adult; it’s just too overwhelming and, truthfully, they will likely not be as attached as you are. So be okay with keeping a small amount, knowing that one or two boxes of very special items will bring more joy than multiple boxes left unopened and waiting for a whole weekend to go through them.
What are your tips for a shared nursery for city dwellers? Any space saving tips, must have furniture items, storage ideas?
A shared space likely means a small space – simply because it’s divided between two children.
– Only the essentials – or favorites – can make the cut. *Think* – quality enjoyment over quantity of options!
– Move out baby-ish items as soon as the kids outgrow them (and keep in storage if you plan on a another child playing with them later)
– Try rotating toys (ie- keep a box or two elsewhere full of toys that can replace the current ones after a few months instead of have all three boxes worth of toys around all the time)
– Use bins + containers to your advantage: keep them clear or in the same color way (helps avoid visual chaos with too many colors). Label if/when necessary (especially if multiple adults are responsible for keeping the room tidy). And use each container as a Capacity Limit (once the category outgrows the bin, it’s time to pare down!) Tips on getting rid of/donating toys? What do you do when interests change but they might still want to play/hang on to older toys?
Depending on the kid’s age, this could be a great time to teach them about organization through donation / sharing. Explain that they have plenty and others may not have as much so they can give away some of their toys to help other kids. And give them a numbered goal, ie – “Here are 15 stuffed animals, can you tell me which ones are your favorite? (Child picks 5-11 toys). Great! From these ~10 favorites, let’s keep 6 of them.” This technique empowers the child and lets them know they have permission to declare what they like or don’t like.
(*Note: by a certain age, it’s important for a child to take responsibility for their things, as it begins to lay ground work for organization skills and conscious consumerism.)
If the kids aren’t quite old enough to understand, you may have to take a more ruthless approach and declutter when they’re not around. Too often, children unearth ‘old’ toys and they become found treasure. Something they hadn’t touched for months may become their new fave, much to a parent’s dismay. So make the call for them on MOST toys, only asking their opinion on the very special items in qurestion.
This is another time to use a toy rotation system. Keep only a third (less/more, depending on available space) of the toys out. Then box/store the rest to rotate in every few months. Best furniture for small spaces that may also serve a dual function?
– IKEA Kallax is a great piece: affordable, has cute bin options, multifunctions as toy storage, bookcase, clothing storage, etc
– Container Store – Nantucket Bin also has multi-use storage for books + toys, plus it’s stackable so you can accommodate available wall space Any recommendations on child safe shelving and how to store toys on shelves?
– Always affix bookshelves or dressers to the wall to prevent tipping over
– Floating shelves can be a nice, minimal option but don’t over do them and definitely don’t place them over a crib or changing pad
– Use bins + labels to categorize the toys on the shelves
– The bottom shelves should hold ‘dump toys’ (cars, blocks, legos – items that kids like to dump out and play with)
– Upper shelves should hold ‘adult supervised toys’ (arts & crafts, paints, small parts – things you don’t want the kids to get into if you’re not around)
Do you have any recommendations or go-to donation centers/sites for toys/children’s items?
– A Family (or Women / Children) Homeless Shelter is a GREAT place to take donations, as you’ll know they’ll go straight to use rather than to a distribution center.
– Ask your child’s school if they could use extra items (arts & crafts, books, teaching tools)
– Always call ahead before dropping of donations
– Only donate gently used items
– When donating to a large-scale catastrophe, keep in mind the man-power and labor involved in sorting donations. Most Red Cross Donation Events prefer money over physical items. However, they often need unopened supplies: diapers, wipes, bottles, formula, etc. What they don’t need is another Teddy Bear. Any tips on how to control the influx of toys that come in during birthdays and holidays?
– Ask for Experience Gifts rather than physical items. (Ie – horseback riding class, a swim membership, a museum membership, etc)
– Set a monetary limit on a physical gift: “please don’t spend more than $X on a gift for Little Buddy. If you’re feeling more generous, you can always contribute to his college fund.”
– Be vocal about your space limitations: “we are so happy in our cozy space but it just doesn’t allow for many toys. I’m constantly giving things away because we don’t have room for it all. After every gift-giving occasion, we end up donating over half our gifts!” Hint, hint – we don’t need much more!
A big thank you to Appleshine for making this possible!
Summer days are coming to an end. It’s a bitter sweet feeling. On the one hand I’m ready for our routine, scheduled activities (mixed in with a little after school freedom), and cozy evenings snuggled inside with the window cracked just enough to feel the Autumn chill. On the other hand as exhausted as I am, it’s been such a pleasure having both my babies home and being able to do whatever we like, whenever we like.
I think there’s a lot of pressure for “summer fun”. There’s this unspoken thing that makes you feel like your kids schedule needs to be jam packed with constant activities. Our summer was a mix of both and I found myself freaking out the other night and consumed with guilt. Did we do enough? Did the kids have fun? Could I have planned more activities/trips? Then I woke up and felt good about, well, everything. We had plenty of play dates, trips to the park and fun activities around NYC. But we also had slow mornings, days where we never left the house and watched movies, played games, and read books. I honestly believe those days and memories are just as important as the latter. Sometimes moms (or at least me) feel like we constantly need to be doing or moving and when we slow down we’re not doing enough. My kids are happy, constantly laughing , and right now they love being with ME. This season will surely pass and one day the last thing they will want to do is spend their summers at home with me. So I’m soaking it all in and as this Summer winds down I hope you take a moment to reflect on the fact that all you do – no matter how big or small – is more than enough.
Lillie’s romper c/o voilà bebe | Lucas’s shirt c/o voilà bebe (both items now on sale!)
“A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2018.”
Lucas: Your two front teeth are loose and I can not wait to see your new toothless smile!!
Lillie: We are in the thick of potty training and you’ve taken it on like a champ. In fact today you finally pooped in the potty after a week of refusing and Lucas and I screamed and cheered so loud I’m sure the neighbors thought there was a party happening in our apartment.
