My daughters went ape shit when they saw me flipping through a Met Gala slideshow on the Huffington Post. It was if they were in the presence of 113 real life princesses. Oh wait! That’s only Lauren Santo Domingo. Was that Belle? No just Hilary Rhoda. This post is an ode to the fashion fest that is blowing up in my home town because sitting in the pouring LA rain, I couldn’t feel farther away. I imagine that these Visionaire designer toys would sit nicely on the bookshelf, next to all our Fancy Nancies.
Archives for category: Toys and Stuff
On our trek to the Urs Fischer exhibit at MOCA (a must-see if you have children here in LA,) we noticed a thriving skate culture Downtown. It’s far from the groovy Hugh Holland Laguna Beach era, but it’s today’s urban LA at its best. This Isabel Marant board – sold at her boutiques – is certainly Melrose Place at its best. Put your little guy on it and let him cruise down the gritty streets of Bev Hills. Later, skater.
Upon returning from the Sunday farmer’s market, one of the kids asked, “Where’s Licorice?” Yeah the class bunny escaped yesterday. It was for a strong ten minutes and then we retrieved him on the side of the house that’s so skinny you have to grapevine… anyway, he basically defected to our front yard. My thoughts of being ostracized and then deemed completely incompetent dissolved and then I vowed to be a good Bunny Mom for the next week and a half. My replacement would have been one of these Chimeras bunny/bear hybrids, where you can mix and match ears and limbs. At the time it seemed easier than having to shimmy across…Blah blah blah, well we found him.
There’s nothing like a good sleeve. We’ve been trying to convince my brother-in-law to do it for years but (arguably) the older you get, the harder it is to pull off a good “arm mural.” So just start young. My latest fave tattoo finds are from Rosie Wonders. She has everything from muscle men and sharks to mermaids and nesting dolls. And with those options, there are plenty of stories to tell.
Since my last post I’ve celebrated both Gemma’s 5th birthday and Day Light Savings. As a result, we’ve been having semi-evening bike rides since it feels like summer all of a sudden (and she feels like a big kid all of a sudden!) I’m a super sucker for local bike shops and even though this one is no longer local to me, I still fell for it’s hipster accessories (like a Rick Owens Lillies-esque reflective vest, for starters.) Natch-y! Ever since my first glimpse of Gemma in a unicorn helmut while ringing a bike bell, I can’t help but switch them out when I find a new, cool one. This one is from Eleanor’s, a self-proclaimed stylish Brooklyn bike shop…Ding ding ding!
I got slammed with the flu just as my husband took our oldest (read: easiest) child on a daddy/daughter ski trip for Valentines Day. I had all of these V-tine-y things planned for my younger one – which all got botched to hell. On the list: these Suck UK “I Love You” cookie stamps which would have been a fun afternoon activity. Maybe next year when a stamp doesn’t feel so heavy.
***And the winner of the cutest Valentines Day plan is….My brother! Who dissed his girlfriend to take our mom to see Bonnie Raitt. I wish I could put that on a cookie.
If your kids are like mine, they like very small things and require some kind of bag for which to carry it all around. With Valentine’s Day approaching, I’m a little obsessed with these sweet Claire Vivier leather pouches that will stash everything from treasures to charms to stickers – and can be monogrammed to boot. When stretched apart, they even double as chic ring trays for your night table. So perhaps a better idea might be to put your own initials on one and let her use it to tote her trinkets from time to time.
OK, so this is how my new obsession came about: Jon told me he wanted something from Lego Architecture for his office, so naturally I went on a google bonanza. Verdict: pretty dope. But Nanoblocks - Japan’s answer to legos – kept popping up in my search and I found them way better looking and more exciting. They’re Japanese, pfft. If I ever get the balls to assemble one (they arrive in 200 pieces,) my structure of choice will be the Eiffel Tower which will inhabit the girl’s room. The legos can stay at the office. 
See these? They were not used this week. Since we had few plans after canceling our trip to Mexico, we’ve been laying low: watching screeners, doing spin art, going to gymnastics camp (a genius plan for New Year’s day!) and had a “faux” vacation morning in Malibu. As the kids played in the sand pit (next to Brooke Burke Charvet’s kids – a gentle reminder that we were still in LA) I realized that the girls were just as happy to be playing in sand that was forty minutes away. I love this self-contained beach toy backpack set which comes with a great looking carry-all, so rakes and shovels won’t get snatched. Welcome home!
Let me just put my Mommy Blogger hat on for this one (eye roll, gag.) These Ruby’s Studio DVDs (read: highly stylish Brooklyn-based productions) first taught kids about feelings and are now teaching them about friendship in a thoughtful and musical way. Since the theme song is catchy and they’re not too gooey, you won’t mind getting caught in the nightly “Can we have Ruby?!” cross-fire. Stop, look, listen…You’ll be singing it all day too.
