Small Mod Photo Album

I’m old school when it comes to showing photos of my family. I know there are lots of tech. stuff out there but there is something more personable and tactile to a traditional album. Traditional doesn’t have to mean dour. There are many great looking classic albums out there, the favourite of mine are the types I can throw in a bag and show people wherever I go. With acid-free paper and 100% cotton stain-resistant fabric the Small Mod Photo Album looks like a good choice. It holds 100 4×6 photos (1 per page) with room for titles, notes, etc.. $16.00US.


Pia Wallen Unisex Felt Slippers

One of the ironies of living where we do is just how cold the house feels in winter. Though the temperature never dips below 10˚C on the coldest of days, the concrete flooring and dampness make it feel much worse. So when it’s time to get up in the middle of the night (many times through the night) these Pia Wallen felt slippers will keep your feet warm and comfortable. Made from 100% wool with a rubber textured sole. From Sweden with love. $59.00US at Modern Seed.


Acrylic Citrus Squeezers

We try to give our daughter as much fresh juice and veggies as possible. I’ve never been much of a fan of juicers, having owned a couple I always found the clean-up to be a chore. Where we live now the slightest bit of sweetness left anywhere in the kitchen results in an ant infestation. So juicers are out but these acrylic citrus squeezers might just be in. One squeeze extracts all the juices without the seeds.$9.95US at CB2.


Moveable Type Parent Category Display

I want to share this in the hopes that someone else who searches for an answer to the question I had earlier today might save some time. It’s very simple but the answer isn’t easy to find in the all too sparse Moveable Type documentation.
I wanted MT to return the name of the parent category when in a sub-category. So if we were in the “red” it would return the parent value “color”.
Here is what worked for me in a category template:

<MTTopLevelParent&gt<MTCategoryLabel&gt</MTTopLevelParent&gt

It took trial and error which is fun but always a time waster.


Calypso Toy Trolley

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I hadn’t meant to buy allot of toys for my daughter but somehow the house is overflowing with stuffed animals, sound balls, building blocks, stencils, musical instruments, balls of all shapes and sizes, and etc. Some have commented that our place might be confused with a kindergarden. With all this stuff you need an easy storage solution – I’m a pick up and throw it in a box tidier. The only draw back to open storage like this is that you have this tendency to quickly put toys in various containers without really knowing where you put them. The plastic hot dog goes to the bottom of one container while the plastic bun and plate in another. This could lead to a crying session as these parts really can’t be played with separately. Otherwise these look like a good system for non-carpeted floors. Available in a variety of colors. $19.99US at The Container Store.


Chinese Zodiac Onesies

I’ve been looking for unique onesies lately – the standard Pooh Bear fare around here just isn’t that fun. So, this being the year of the dog what better way to get in the spirit than with a year of the dog onesie. I remember when it was a supposed “good year” to have children how all the married couples were constantly tired (but happy) in my office. The Chinese have all the fun. These are 100% cotton and printed on American Apparel.$18.00US.


Super Super Cat Doll

“He’s bold, he’s fearless – the awesome Super Super Cat’s power is irresistible!” What a fun doll. I could see this leading to all knds of different imaginative play possibilities – including dad being told to wear a cape and mask. It’s $55.00US at Zebra Hall.


Jeeto! Fun Products

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When I was setting up my daughters bedroom I was scouring the web looking for decoration ideas. I eventually used sponge stamps of flowers and butterflies which I used to paint a pattern over the walls of her room. I really gave some thought, and ultimately gained inspiration from, the range of silk screened images from Jeeto!. They come in a trio of sizes (the limited edition versions come in 2) stretched on 1 1/2″ thick pine frames. At that time the giraffe and hippo were my favourites (I even had the giraffe as a desktop image for awhile). Now that my daughter has grown a little I’m sure she would love to se the monkey as well.
Jeeto! also produces wonderful tees as well. I love the butterfly and front loader. My daughter is fascinated by big tractors.
Jeeto!


Elmo Cell Phone

I once said – no brand names for my child. Well that ideal hasn’t stood the test of time. She sings the Elmo song, has eaten organic Elmo cereal, and when driving loves her Elmo phone. My daughter gets allot of imaginative play from the various phones we have for her. They are great for building up sentences and practicing vocabulary. The volume on this toy seems low but I suppose that could be a blessing. $9.99 at Toys “R” Us for ages 3 and up (my daughter used it at age 1).


Rocking Duck

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My daughter has at various times been extremely fascinated by ducks; from feeding the ducks downtown, to singing over and over “10 little ducks go quack quack quack …”, to playing with her squeezable duck toy in the tub, so finding this beautiful rocking toy from Playsam seems like a great way to extend our “duck play”. I think it puts a smile on the parents faces too. Available for about $70US from Playsam.