Back in August, due to the pandemic, our cousins and closest friends, Jane, Micah, and their son Harvey, (we call them frousins) moved out west to Seattle—none of us are from Brooklyn, but we were the only family that each other had here. It was also a bonus that we adored one another, travelled well together, and loved the same cocktails. After quarantining upstate for the early part of Covid, they realized how much they loved having space and the outdoors, especially for their 3-year-old son, Harvey. It was a heartbreak for all four of us, to say the least. Just one more pill to swallow from this tough time.
We always used to talk about how one day my kids, Sommer and Oliver, would babysit Harvey, teach him how to build the best train set, and show him the choice playgrounds of Brooklyn. It was especially heartbreaking for Sommer, as she had really forged a beautiful companionship with him.
For the holidays, we wanted to give him something that marked this moment of time both for him and for us, and we knew we wanted to do it in the form of a custom photo something. When I scrolled the designs that Mixbook has to offer, the ABC book by Ampersand Design Studio had me at hello. We could make an alphabet book for Harvey all about New York and our sweet three years together.
So Sommer and Oliver made lists of words…we knew that S would be for Sommer, O would be for Oliver, etc, but we had so much fun brainstorming all of the other letters of the alphabet. We finally settled on the 26 words and then went hunting through all of our photos to find the best pics (and for some we actually went on a literal walk down memory lane to shoot them).
The Mixbook software was so easy to use that Sommer was able to upload the photos and drop them into the pages. I helped her move around the layouts and letters—she felt super proud to be able to say she designed her own ABC book! The designs and colors of our template were so delightful that there wasn’t anything major for us to change. And honestly, it was screen time spent with my daughter that I wasn’t mad about! (Moms, you know what I’m talking about, right?) We got to work together and laugh at memories and awwww over all of the sweet pics.
With Mixbook.com you don’t have to be a designer to produce a beautiful product. You can customize as much as you want, or just follow the huge variety of templates that they offer for books, calendars, cards, or wall art. Order for a someone that you haven’t been able to see for this holiday! Use code PKID50 for 50% off your first book now through December 30, 2020!
When Harvey was born, it was the closest I would come to having a third child. I jumped at every chance to hold him, feed him, even change a diaper in the early days. And nothing makes me happier than Harvey learning his ABCs from this special book we made.
Normally the range of the gifts that mom might want would be vast…maybe a new piece of jewelry, a purse, bath salts are always nice, or even an edible gift. But this year, there is only one category that matters—anything that can be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home!
This year, moms in quarantine, which essentially is all moms, need any and all things that bring light, hope, comfort—basically any morsel of joy.
I put together this list with me in mind…and my best friend, and my sister, and our school principal. I’d say this mom gift guide is “one-size-fits-most.”
It always takes me a bit of time to transition between Halloween decor and the December holidays, and sadly that means Thanksgiving usually lives in my house for, oh, about a week. So, first, let me apologize that I have inflicted my procrastination on you!
But this beauty is one that you can make and hang from year to year. Send the kids out in the backyard to collect acorn caps and then order your wool felt pom-poms and wreath forms from Oriental Trading.
Typically we are so psyched for the first big holiday break of the school year. During the Thanksgiving time off, we normally get to unwind with our kids, visit with family, catch up on shopping and errands, but this year we are basically doing none of that (except for the excessive time spent with our kids)! You have probably exhausted every arsenal in your bag of tricks for keeping your kids busy, entertained, and hopefully off screens (yeah right).
I’ve gathered a few goodies together that might help with the Thanksgiving ennui…both yours and your kids! Click the links below to shop!
1|Rainbow Wall Hanging Weaving Kit. I’ve seen these adorable crafts all over Instagram and here’s a kit to make one for yourself!
2| The Handmade Charlotte Playbook will keep your kids busy through next spring! Handmade Charlotte has been serving up delightful crafts and treats for years, and now it’s your turn to own this amazing craft encyclopedia. If you need to stock up on your crafts supplies, I’ve saved my faves to this Amazon list!
3| Stay in the Thanksgiving spirit with this adorable Thanksgiving Craft Kit from Cottonwood Home. It comes with 6 activities to get your gobble on! (Their words, not mine!)
4| Another craft craze that I can’t get enough of is the punch needle activity. This Wool Queen Punch Needle Kit comes with everything you need to make this beautiful, colorful landscape. You may even want to take over once the kids go to bed…it’s SO satisfying! If you are interested in more punch need projects, check out Rose Pearlman’s book, Modern Rug Hooking. She’s the queen of this skill!
5| Get the littlest of hands started in the fiber arts with this Little Explorers Play Bead Sewing Kit. It comes with al the basic supplies to help your little one experiment with his or her first sewing project.
6| Take some time for yourself and start up a project! I fell in love with these sweet mittens; and you can buy the pattern and the yarn on Etsy.
7| I am ready to add this Woven Beaded Ring kit to my shopping cart! This is a great activity for the phone-obsessed tweens and teens in your life.
