Project Nursery » Category: Books

Building Your Children’s Book Library

Johanna — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:00:35 +0000

In my last post, I wrote about book shelves. This week, I’d love to highlight some of the books that my children adore. I hope you like them.

1. Hug: Every time my daughter and I read the word “hug,” we actually hug. Yup, pretty darn cute, if I do say so. 2. Mommy Hugs: I love the illustrations of all Karen Katz’s books. 3. My First Word Book: Excellent for building baby’s vocabulary.

4. Goodnight Moon: A must-have for everyone’s library. 5. Corduroy: A childhood classic!

6. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day: My 6-year-old will quote this book when he is having a bad day. Sometimes I think he really means it when he says he wants to move to Australia. Eeek! 7. The Giving Tree: This book is geared towards older children. My 3- and 6-year old enjoy it. Prepare to cry.

Create a Book Nook for Your Child

Johanna — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:00:44 +0000

I find something very comforting about being surrounded by books. I hope my children inherit that same feeling, so it’s important that they have a bookcase or shelf that’s their height where they can reach for their favorite book and have a moment to themselves. These bookcases are a fun way to organize your kids’ bedrooms and playrooms.

This type of bookshelf creates a convenient way to keep books facing outwards.

How fun are these peel and stick storage cubes?

Oeuf’s classic Mini-Library is perfect for storing books and toys, not to mention, one good looking piece of furniture. Snap!

The Revolving Bookcase by PBTeen provides a unique book tower.

What do you you think of these options? Have you seen any other great bookshelves? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

How Do You Organize Your Kids’ Books?

Cristin — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:00:20 +0000

Building a library of books for your child is a great way to encourage them to read. However, keeping books organized takes some thought and time. Here are a few ways I like to organize kids’ books.

By Color:
My favorite is to arrange them by color. This makes quite a design statement. The floor-to-ceiling bookshelf below is a great example of how this can be done.

image from ohdeedoh

By Size:
This is done by dividing the book collection into groups of small, medium and large books; you then arrange them on the bookshelf according to group. Don’t stress if the books don’t all fit vertically. The taller or larger books may have to be set horizontally or a smaller collection of books can be used as bookends.

image from Land of Nod

By Topic, Author or Series:
This is a great way to ensure you read all the Dr. Seuss stories in your collection! What about using something like these animal dividers to keep things organized and add visual interest to the bookshelf? Looks like a fun DIY project to me!

Animal Index by Hiroshi Sasagawa

Be Creative:
Why not use your child’s books as part of the wall decor in the room? There are lots of creative ways to display books that not only allow your child to easily pick out the book he is looking for but also put that beautiful cover art to work in the room!

image from weeDECOR

How do you organize your kids’ books?

Creating a Photo Book: A Labor of Love

Johanna — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:00:56 +0000

Photo books make some of the best presents. I love making these books as holiday, birthday or “thank you for the weekend” gifts—it takes me down memory lane, and I get so much pleasure putting them together. If you’re looking for a creative gift to give this year and have some spare time on your hands (insert giant sigh here), these are some of my favorite sites for you to check out.

As a photographer, I’ve made professional photo books of my work in Paris from Blurb, and let me tell you, they do not disappoint. They make beautiful books fit for any level of dollars you’re willing to pay. The downloadable software is easy to use and you don’t have to be tech savvy to do so. I’m a huge fan of Pinhole Press. I can’t wait to get started with my annual “recap of the year” family book that I make for my mother-in-law (I’ve got my eye on the large purple one), and I also just received my photo holiday cards I ordered from them—two thumbs up!

Shutterfly is an easy and foolproof site. You can choose various layouts and background themes and knock out a book in no time. Plus, they always seem to have a discount code on their site, which is an added bonus if you want to save a few dollars. My mom loves Kodakgallery. She creates photo books and puts together the greatest collages of our family. With a click here and there, you really can’t go wrong creating a terrific looking album. If you own a Mac computer, the iPhoto program is already installed. Lovely. Lovely. Joy. Joy. Fabulous professional looking books—my go-to book when I make an album for myself.

What photo books have you tried? I’d love to hear them.

My New Best Friend

Caden Lane — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:00:02 +0000

The holidays are filled with traditions, and I’m pretty sure none of them are as rewarding as this one. Meet Elf on the Shelf, the most magnificent behavior bribery tool for the holidays EVER. If you haven’t heard of him, he’s this little elf (based on the tradition Carol Aebersold began with her family in the 1970s), who comes with a cleverly rhymed children’s book explaining how Santa knows who’s naughty and nice.

The book explains that the elves keep an eye on the children, and then each night they magically report to Santa. And if you think the threat of a little elf (who, by the way, the children can’t touch, name themselves, and he mischievously relocates himself every morning) doesn’t affect your children’s behavior, oh, you are soooooo wrong. It’s brilliant.

Since first being introduced to this little elf last year (ours is named Alvin), I’ve learned that there’s an entire community surrounding him—parents, who go above and beyond the boring moving of shelf to shelf and actually create adorable scenes for the Elf. Thankfully, I’m not the only parent dying to bring him out the day after Halloween, too. (Gotta get the full benefits of this little guy!)

image from dearchrissy.com

And let me tell you, it’s hard to remember to move that little guy every morning, especially when “Alvin” had two glasses of wine last night. Apparently, this year I need to up my elf game. Here’s some of my favorites…

1. A creative elf by beatrice.killam (he drew mustaches & glasses on the family photo)! 2. An elf making smores by Jen McKen 3. An elf snow angel by rubyandmyrtle 4. An elf with his new girlfriend by Jen McKen (my 3 year old daughter would LOVE this)

And, if you are still looking for more ideas, check out my “Elf on the Shelf Ideas” board on Pinterest. Now, if they would only come up with an elf for every other month of the year, I’d be one happy mommy.

Giveaway: I See Me! Books $50 Gift Certificate

Beth — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:30:03 +0000

Confession: whenever I see a rack of personalized objects, whether it’s the old school license plates, pencils or silly holiday ornaments, I still look for my name. Call it a diehard habit leftover from a little girl who rarely found her name on those racks. You see, even though my name is far from unusual, I’m not an Elizabeth or a Bethany; I’m just Beth, and it used to be rare to find. These days it seems to be available a little more often, and I still get a little squee of excitement when I find it, so I can only imagine what my childhood reaction would have been to my very own personalized book!

The books created by I See Me! integrate your child’s name into a variety of story options. For some books, you even have the option to put in other pertinent details, like a birth date, sibling’s name, grandparents or aunts and uncles. I only wish we had a name picked out for our little bun in the oven because I would have definitely picked up a copy of The Super, Incredible Big Brother for my two-year-old.

Husband and wife team, Maia and Allan Haag, created I See Me! books to help increase self-esteem in children. The books have won many awards from different parenting organizations, and it’s easy to see why. The books are nicely crafted with rich illustrations that jump from the page—each illustration was originally created from a hand-painted canvas. These books are sure to become treasured items in your child’s library.

WIN IT! I See Me! is giving away $50 gift certificates to FIVE lucky Project Nursery readers! You can pick out a book for that special child in your life just in time for the holidays (deadline for holiday shipping is December 12, 2011).

To enter, visit I See Me!, and let us know which book you love. Don’t forget to check out their awesome book tours to get a closer look at each book. Contest ends Monday, November 14, 2011 at 11:59pm PST.

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CONTEST CLOSED

To ensure this product fit our readers’ needs,
Project Nursery received a sample for review.

Babybug Magazine

Beth — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 12:10:53 +0000

Everyone knows that kids love mail. My two-year-old is even pleased when I hand him a piece of junk mail to play with. But now, he can look forward to some actual mail of his own. His grandma recently purchased a subscription for him to the adorable children’s magazine Babybug.

We received our first issue just last week, and my son loves it! It’s a small, square magazine that’s made of high-quality, sturdy paper that can withstand the turning and bending of a toddler. Advertised as appropriate for children 6 months to 3 years, the magazine is printed with non-toxic ink—important if your 6-month-old is a book chewer—and the binding is staple free. With twenty-two pages of short stories, rhymes and poems, it’s the perfect addition to your daily reading material.

The illustrations are sweet and child-pleasing, and because they are created by a number of different artists, there is plenty of variety.

I must admit I’m biased to like this magazine because I was a subscriber of Cricket Magazine, the original magazine from the parent company, when I was in elementary school, and I loved reading the stories. Cricket is a literary magazine for kids aged 9 to 14, Spider for kids 6 to 9 and Ladybug is for kids aged 3 to 6.

Do your little ones have any magazine subscriptions? I’d love to hear about what else is out there.

Breastfeeding in Public: How I Became Brave

Johanna — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 17:00:21 +0000

When my eldest son, Liam, was born, I decided to breastfeed. What I didn’t know is that it would feel as if I needed a master’s degree to learn how to do it properly. I had a tough time. In those first few days of figuring it out, I would literally break into cold sweats before feeding my screaming, red faced baby. Those early days were long and the nights late, but I didn’t want to give up. My mom encouraged me to check out a breastfeeding support group; it was there that I met some of my dearest friends.

We formed what we all affectionately refer to as “The Boob Group.” The power of those women gave me the courage to nurse discreetly in public, as opposed to hiding in my apartment. Without their encouragement and advice, I would not have been brave enough to do it. I armed myself with some nursing accessories and hit the streets of NYC. Here are a few of my favorite finds:

The Hooter Hider (gotta love the name) is the perfect nursing coverup. The boning at the top keeps the neckline open, allowing you to maintain eye contact with your baby. The cotton is airy enough for ventilation to keep the baby cool. These coverups make flashing at a park bench a non issue.

I loved the Glamourmom nursing tanks. They have a built-in nursing bra with excellent support. The tanks are long enough, so they cover the postpartum tummy. Genius!

I had every color of the Bravado Silk Seamless bra, and I found the Medela Seamless Softcup bra to be super comfy. I wore a lot of white button down shirts. I would simply unbutton from the top down. So easy! If you do decide to breastfeed your baby, The Nursing Mother’s Companion is a handy book to have on your bedside table.

I leave you with this, if you’re still feeling nervous or shy, “fake it till you make it”—you will build confidence the more you practice in public. Breastfeeding in public can be controversial; not everyone is comfortable with it, but rest assured, most states have laws that protect your rights to breastfeed. If you want to find out what the rule is where you live, check out the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Do you have tips or stories about nursing in public? I’d love to hear them.

It’s Personal

Michelle — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 12:00:23 +0000

Personalized baby gifts are one of the most popular categories on my site. Parents love to relish in their baby’s newly chosen name and can’t get enough of seeing it on EVERYTHING. Here are some of my favorite personalized baby gifts.

These personalized towels by Shoots and Ladders are not only adorable but also fabulous quality. The cute vintage fabrics are available in matching burp cloth sets, dining sets, totes and more.

Personalized tableware is a gift that lasts for years. Kids love eating, drinking and snacking on anything with their names on it. It’s a great baby gift, a perfect big brother or sister gift, or a fabulous first birthday gift. Each piece by Kelly Hughes works as a set or alone.

Sometimes clothing with a monogram or a name can be of questionable quality, but Blume Girl can do no wrong. They offer onesies, thermals, tees, bibs and hats with their signature patch in a coordinating color. Simple and cute—give them as a set with matching personalized burp clothes.

I See Me books are one of my favorite personalized gifts. A story book that include the child’s name is a gift that keeps on giving. A keepsake the child will have for years, it’s a meaningful gift that every child will adore.

Giveaway: Two Giggles First Year Baby Album

Melisa — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 19:46:13 +0000

Baby’s first year is filled with so many precious moments, thoughts and feelings. As a mom of two, I know that this early time in baby’s life flies by in a flash and capturing those moments can be a bit of a challenge. Enter Two Giggles, makers of adorable baby books that are unique, fun and creative. Their entire line of memory books are handmade from recycled materials and with their D-ring album feature they make it easy to modify or add pages as baby grows.

The First Year Baby Album collection guides you through the most important memories starting with the moment you find out you are pregnant all the way through baby’s first birthday. What makes these books so useful is that each page takes the guess work out of what to include and the beauty is in the details. Two Giggles has created beautiful pages filled with designated spots to record baby’s important milestones such as their first weigh-in at the doctor’s office or their very favorite toys and songs. I also love the 9 x 8 size of these memory books because they are easy to display in any room of the house. Choose from several sophisticated patterns such as the Yellow + White swirls or Polka Dots.

DEAL ALERT! Two Giggles is offering a 15% discount to PN readers. Enter PN15PERCENT at checkout, offer good through July 15^th.

Win It: Two Giggles is giving one very lucky Project Nursery reader their own First Year Baby Album! Visit Two Giggles and tell us which collection you adore the most! Contest ends Friday July 1st, 2011 at 11:50 PST.

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