The ‘Little People, Big Dreams’ book series

We have recently discovered the Little People, Big Dreams series and we’re just loving them all! Each story uncovers the lives of empowering, outstanding women. Each one had a dream as a child and went on to fulfil it. Florence sat with me to read Maya Angelou’s story and together we followed her biography from her traumatic childhood to becoming one of the world’s most esteemed female writers.

Each of these biography style stories is clear and apparent. Their messages connect to the youngest of readers and the illustrations are straigthforward not to digress from the importance of the story line. We love each of these books and are really excited to read more of them. They make great keepsakes and would be a wonderful gift for the inquisitive child. Other books in the series we’re enjoying is the story of Coco Chanel and Frida Kahlo.

The series is available from all good booksellers and from Amazon (UK and US).

Vanessa x

The post The ‘Little People, Big Dreams’ book series appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children’s products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

from kid games toys http://ift.tt/2ssYOYp via kid games toys
from Tumblr http://ift.tt/2tsnC7a

Thursday Thoughts: ‘Read the Room’ — advice for kids

I have recently realised that a lot of my parenting philosophies can be synthesised down into a few short phrases or even words. The phrases have changed with the years (I don’t seem to be screaming a simple “Stop!” that often anymore). Some phrases, I am sure, have been used since the dawn of time. Very likely even cavemen (and woman) told their kids to “think before you speak”!

I have been hearing myself saying “Read the Room” a lot lately, especially to my pre-teen. I think it such an important thing to do and an important life skill to have.  To be aware of the mood in the room, to be aware of the people in the room and their humour, customs and age. The ability to be conscious and emphatic of our environment is something that we as adults take for granted, though even we often manage to misjudge situations.

Now that my kids are getting older and spending more time with their friends’ families and even our family without me being around, I want to make sure that they know when it is the right moment to tell a fart joke (possibly not in front of an 80-year-old grandmother) and when it is the right time to listen to someone else talking and to ask the right questions. They are around much more adult conversations and do need to be able to judge what is the right thing to say, I feel.

Now just to be clear — this does not work all the time and let me tell you, the room often is mis-read. ; ) As usual rearing kids is often a work in progress!

Emilie

Above is a photo of Esther’s and my kids last summer when they all “read the room” and realised it was totally ok to play with their food as their mamas were taking photos of them!

The post Thursday Thoughts: ‘Read the Room’ — advice for kids appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children’s products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

from kid games toys http://ift.tt/2trpkWM via kid games toys
from Tumblr http://ift.tt/2tt7uCQ

Vietnamese-style summer rolls — our children’s favourite lunch!

After my recent post on school lunches, I received several requests to share our recipe for the vietnamese summer rolls my kids love so much. Michael makes these for the kids at least once a week and it’s always a huge hit — it’s the one day of the week where all three kids come home with completely empty lunch boxes.  I finally got Michael to write down his recipe and instructions, which I’ve shared below — along with a tip for keeping the summer rolls from sticking to the lunch box.

Vietnamese-Style Summer Rolls:

Ingredients: (makes 9 – 10)

-1 pack of rice paper rounds (available in Asian food aisle of most grocery stores)
-2 small carrots, grated
-1 medium cucumber cut into thin slices, 5cm long
-Organic tofu, cut into thin, 2 cm pieces and marinated in Tamari
-Sesame seeds
-Fresh coriander
-Fresh mint
-Bean (or other) sprouts
-Vietnamese Salad dressing for dipping
-Sesame oil to stop them sticking to the lunch box

Quickly soak rice paper rounds in water, removing excess (we use a shallow round pie dish filled with water). Lay wet rice paper rounds on damp tea towel. Add grated carrot, 2 cucumber sticks, sprouts and about 5 – 6 pieces of marinated tofu in the top half of each rice paper round. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Add fresh mint & coriander. Fold sides of rice paper partially over mound of ingredients and then roll toward yourself, using thumbs to keep escaping ingredients in check (pack will also have instructions for this). Place in lunch box/container which has been rubbed with sesame oil to stop the rolls sticking. Include Vietnamese dressing in separate container for dipping.  Our PlanetBox lunch boxes are perfect for this meal.

Enjoy!

The post Vietnamese-style summer rolls — our children’s favourite lunch! appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children’s products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

from kid games toys http://ift.tt/2tWgZaw via kid games toys
from Tumblr http://ift.tt/2shvqZP

Broadway Market – A Vibrant Saturday Market in Hackney

As far as great food markets go, us Londoners are pretty spoilt for choice. Pick any corner of the capital and you will more than likely be able to track down a good local market buzzing with activity at the weekends. Celebrating food and goods from all over the globe, these bustling markets are attracting an exciting generation of artisan chefs, makers and growers. Broadway Market in Hackney, East London is no exception.

Not only does Broadway market have a mouth watering selection of food stalls that will leave you wishing you could sample everything on offer but there are also some real gems selling beautiful handmade goods and clothes. It also happens to be on one of the coolest shopping streets in the area so it’s worth a visit even when the market isn’t on.  You’ll find Aesop, Pavillion Bakery, Climpson and Sons, 69b Boutique, Broadway Bookshop to mention a few and a long list of excellent restaurants and cafes.

For the perfect picnic outing we make straight for the the market and fill our bag with delicious goodies. Aim to get there before the lunchtime rush if you can help it. We then then head over to neighbouring London Fields. It’s a great spot to set out a blanket and soak up the fun atmosphere. This part of town is a magnet for hip young Londoner’s so there’s plenty of people watching to be done. We usually finish off with a stroll along the picturesque Regent’s Canal which is only a stone’s throw away. If the sun is shining a visit to this neighbourhood is one of our favourite days out.

If this has whet your appetite you can read more about some of London’s other fantastic food markets in these previous posts:

Maltby Street Market – Bermondsey

Southbank Food Market – Waterloo

Borough Market – London Bridge

Enjoy, Kate x

The post Broadway Market – A Vibrant Saturday Market in Hackney appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children’s products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

from kid games toys http://ift.tt/2tiXBXV via kid games toys
from Tumblr http://ift.tt/2t0DAmo

Violet Cafe – Delicious Californian cupcakes by Claire Ptak

Do you love cupcakes as much as we do? If the answer is yes then head East towards Hackney’s trendy Broadway Market and you might be lucky enough to stumble across an unassuming little back street called Wilton Way. This charming parade is home to some of East London’s best hidden gems, including Pidgin one of the most interesting restaurants of the moment, and stunning Japanese/British lifestyle store Momosanshop. But what draws us regularly to this part of town is the lovely Violet Cafe for a fix of Californian pastry chef, Claire Ptak’s delicious homemade cakes.

Claire has been passionate about baking since her childhood and after moving to London 10 years ago, set up a stall at nearby Broadway Market. Her cakes became so popular that she decided to branch out with a bricks and mortar cafe on Wilton Way. She still runs her market stall every Saturday but for customers looking to avoid the crowds and queues of the market, the cafe offers a haven of calm in which to sample her tasty baked goods.

Everything about the cafe feels authentically old fashioned, in the very best way. The interior decor is unfussy, with mismatched vintage furniture, sacks of flour and eggs piled under chairs and a charming secluded garden out back too.

As for the cakes, well the only problem here is actually choosing, they are all so good! From seasonal fruit scones to traditional Californian cupcakes (the buttercream icing is incredible) whoopee pies, cinnamon rolls, polenta muffins the list goes on. All are made with seasonal organic ingredients and just like the cafe have an old school, timeless feel, the kind your Grandma would bake.

Violet bakery take orders for personalised cakes and  you can also pick up a copy of Claire’s latest book The Violet Bakery Cookbook to keep you going between visits.

Violet Cafe, 47 Wilton Way, London, E8 3ED
Monday to Friday 8:00–6:00
Saturdays 9:30-6:00
Sundays 9:30-6:00

Violet Cake stall, Broadway Market, E8
Saturdays 9:00–4:00

For more of our favourite London cupcake cafes check out these previous posts:

Primrose Bakery, Primrose Hill 

Hummingbird Bakery, London

Enjoy, Kate x

 

The post Violet Cafe – Delicious Californian cupcakes by Claire Ptak appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children’s products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

from kid games toys http://ift.tt/2s0nPdG via kid games toys
from Tumblr http://ift.tt/2shgbQD

Maternity and breastfeeding clothing from Clary & Peg

Aside from making beautiful, vintage-inspired maternity clothing, Clary & Peg, a London-based label, have gone that extra step further and ensured that each of the pieces in their collection is breastfeeding-friendly as well. Which means that you can invest in a pretty dress or stylish jumpsuit during pregnancy that accommodates your growing bump whilst knowing you’ll be able to wear it post-pregnancy as well. It’s such a smart concept!

I’ve written before of my frustration in finding stylish breastfeeding-friendly clothing, and the more I think about it, the more I feel that every maternity piece should be suitable for after pregnancy (including breastfeeding!) as well. Otherwise, it’s only worn for such a short period. Leave it to two stylish mums, Edwina and Johanna — the founders of Clary & Peg, to create a maternity collection that is both timeless and practical.

In the photos above I’m wearing the Clary & Peg Chambray Dress, which is both comfortable and flattering with its pretty piping, chuffed sleeves and loose fabric around the belly. This dress also comes with an optional tie to be worn when pregnant to accentuate and celebrate the bump — another clever detail.

The Clary & Peg clothing marries vintage nostalgia with contemporary design, and everything in the collection is ethically manufactured in London. What’s more — Babyccino readers can now receive 15% off the collection with code babyccino! Enjoy.

Courtney x

This post was sponsored by Clary & Peg, a longtime member of our portal. All words and opinions are my own. 

The post Maternity and breastfeeding clothing from Clary & Peg appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children’s products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

from kid games toys http://ift.tt/2tQvfS6 via kid games toys
from Tumblr http://ift.tt/2tiRZxb

Reversible clothing from Bonjour Maurice, practical and cute!

Bonjour Maurice is a new children’s clothing brand from Belgium and it has a unique concept: all of their clothing pieces are reversible! I can’t begin to tell you how clever I think this is. First of all — here you have two styles in one! Second — no more clothing worn inside out! Third — when dirty just wear the other side, so less laundry. Fourth: less stuff to bring when travelling. (We have been camping at the seaside this week, and the Bonjour Maurice pieces have come in so handy. A stain? No worries, just wear the other side!)

I love the sweet and simple shapes of the collection. (It also makes it easy for children to dress themselves!) And the double style is so fun. Casper and Ava decide in the morning which side they feel like wearing. Casper for instance, tends to go for the more bold side of his pants (where I would naturally choose the plain blue one). And Ava has been telling me that when she was wearing her dress to school last week, she turned it around halfway the day. She went to the bathroom and returned with a ‘new’ look!

Besides the genius fact that the Bonjour Maurice clothes are reversible, which by itself is environmental friendly because of the fact that they can be washed less often, they are also made from 100% organic cotton and are produced locally in Europe. Garments are designed to be worn for a long time, with elastics at the waist and hems to roll and unroll, and the quality of the fabrics is strong so they can be passed on to younger siblings or friends. All so clever! But most important of all, of course, is that the kids love their Bonjour Maurice clothes. They are comfortable, cute, and fun!

xxx Esther

The post Reversible clothing from Bonjour Maurice, practical and cute! appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children’s products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

from kid games toys http://ift.tt/2tbDk6W via kid games toys
from Tumblr http://ift.tt/2tb6pyx

DIY Yarn Wrapped Letters

How fun and cheery are these yarn wrapped wall letters! We’re so pleased with how they turned out that I thought I’d share this simple DIY.

The method is quite self explanatory but here are some tips to help you on your way, you’ll need medium weight card, tracing paper, scissors and a selection of different coloured yarns.

To create the letter templates we picked out a font and font size that we liked on the computer and printed out our chosen word onto plain paper. We then traced the letters onto card using tracing paper. If you’ve got a steady hand you can of course draw the letters freehand to save time.

Start by knotting your first piece of wool around one end of the letter. Look for a good anchoring point where the wool won’t slip off and fasten with a double knot on the back.

Begin winding the wool around the letter covering as much of the card as possible. To start a new band of colour simply tie a different piece of wool to the end of the previous piece. Try and ensure that the joining knot is always on the back of the letter. Little ones may need help with this part.

Continue until the whole letter is covered then tie off the final loose end to some of the existing strands on the back.

We decided to jazz up our letters with a few small pompoms using the fork method which is so easy. You can see some really helpful diagrams in Esther’s previous pompom post here.

Simply wind a length of wool around the outer tynes of a fork – about 50 times. Then tie a separate 15cm piece of wool around the middle, passing between the centre tynes. Tie as tightly as possible then slide everything off the fork.

Cut through the loops of wool on either side and fluff up the pompom. Trim any stray ends to create a nice smooth sphere but leave the long piece of wool that you tied in the middle to attach the pompom to the letter.

I think these wall letters are a really cute way to add a pop of colour to a kids room. You can chose any word or simply use a child’s initials to hang above a bed or on a bookshelf. We love them, they’re such a happy sight and a good reminder to always start the day with a smile!

Kate x

The post DIY Yarn Wrapped Letters appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children’s products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

from kid games toys http://ift.tt/2sXgGya via kid games toys
from Tumblr http://ift.tt/2t3gWMR