Of the hundred or so exhibitors at this year’s BlogHer conference, since it was a blogging conference geared to women, the booths were geared to moms and families. Sprout was onhand to share all about their latest programming, and even distribute a few cool branded notebooks, coloring books, cups. My guy is sort of obsessed with Chica, so we’ve set aside our Chica cup to use to organize pencils and pens in his new room.
Category: goodies
NKT Does BlogHer in NYC
I just spent four unforgettable days taking in the events and sessions surrounding the 2010 BlogHer conference that was held in NYC. And guys, I had the time of my life.
I connected with so many fabulous people, many of whom do what I “do,” but in a different niche, in a different area… I’ve been truly inspired by so many women, in a myriad of ways.
- Jen wishing Dora a happy birthday at the Nick Jr. booth at BlogHer
One of the many takeaways from BlogHer 2010 was a renewed perspective of the relationships I have with brands. Afterall, without brands and relationships, The Next Kid Thing wouldn’t be the blog that it is.
At the BlogHer sessions, at private events, in the expo or at parties, I met some of the many pr reps I’ve worked with over the years. And in some cases, I hugged and caught up with other pr reps and company reps that I already know and love. You all know who you are. And to the people who approached me and introduced yourselves, thank you. If you’re in the business of connecting with people, it just goes to show you how important an updated profile pic is on Twitter. Read More
Do Good Day in NYC Celebrates Random Acts of Kindness
A few weeks ago, on July 14, I had the distinct pleasure of participating in Do Good Day in NYC. As part of a campaign for 77kids, American Eagle’s new kid and baby line and retail store, The Motherhood tapped 77 mom bloggers to spread random acts of kindness in our communities. As part of my birthday celebration, together with some other wonderful blogger friends, I was so fortunate to be a part of the NYC team.
Before we set out to do our good deeds in NYC, American Eagle invited us to take a look at their 77kids showroom in midtown. The 77kids had an impressive setup, complete with design inspirations spread across one wall and a sampling of some of the cool clothes from the current 77kids line.
Skip Hop Adds Frog and Zebra Zoopacks and Lunchies
NKT fave, Skip Hop has added more fun animals to their cool lineup up of animal-themed backpacks and lunch bags Frog and zebra designs are the latest animal designs available for Skip Hop’s Zoopacks and Lunchies, joining faves such as the owl, dog and penguin. Zoopacks, durable and kid-sized, are ideal for back to school and yes, the last few weeks of summer, too!
I personally can’t get enough of Skip Hop gear; we could often be found toting our penguin Lunchie. What’s so great about Skip Hop’s Zoo Lunchies, is that they’re so easy to just clip onto a stroller, bookbag strap or they can just as easily be slipped onto a kids’ wrist. But above all, I love the playful, but modern designs that Skip Hop is so well known for; and at just $20 for the Zoopacks and $13 for the Lunchies, you really can’t go wrong with Skip Hop gear.
Chuggington Picked up for Another Season
Good news, fellow Chuggington fans. The Disney Channel has picked up Chuggington for another season on Playhouse Disney. Following a traintastic first season in the U.S., Brewster, Koko, and Wilson and the gang will be riding the rails once again on The Disney Channel.
Chuggington has also announced that it will be hosting a sweepstakes on Chuggington.com, with prizes including die-cast trains and packs.
Okee Dokee Brothers’ Take it Outside is Down-Home Fun
They’re a little bit country, a little bit bluegrass and a whole lot of funky, and together, Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing are The Okee Dokee Brothers whose latest cd is set to be released tomorrow. Take It Outside showcases the duo’s fun and quirky sound, which gives a nod to down-home goodness 
and smart lyrics that teach helpful lessons.
I gave a quick listen to the duo’s new cd, and it reminded me of my husband’s favorite kind of music, not to mention some of my southern childhood and watching a lot of Hee Haw! I love the sweet harmony and catchiness of Water Balloon; and Auctioneer is an energetic tune that got the kid on his feet. And quite honestly, I think more kid’s music should involve the awesomeness that is the banjo.
You can see Okee Dokee Brothers at any of their shows in Minnesota this summer, at Every Family Rocks in Des Moines in September and at Austin Kiddie Limits in October.
Cool New Kicks for Kids: Yo Gabba Gabba and Dr. Seuss
It’s hard to believe summer is starting to wind down, with August just peeking around the corner. The end of summer means back to school for many, and back to school for most families also means shopping.
Of all the fall trends I’m seeing, it looks like this school year will be filled with more bright colors and retro designs. One thing I can’t get enough of, however, are the shoes—smart-looking kid shoes!
I’ve often said that I’m not a fan of gaudy licensed products, but these kid shoes that are coming out transcend the kitschy licensed shoewear of yesteryear.
The littlest Yo Gabba Gabba groupies will have some new options for dancing shoes, thanks to Vans. The shoe company well known for their venerable line of skate shoes (I’ve been wearing Old Skools since um…) will be rolling out a line of Yo Gabba Gabba themed shoes for kids. It looks like there are seven designs so far, but none for adults…and now that I’m looking, no sight of DJ Lance on the shoes, either.
Converse has added some fun Dr. Suess-themed kicks to their lineup of timeless shoes. Kids can choose from eight different kinds of Chucks in the Dr. Seuss Collection, ranging from colorful fish to the subtle Cat in the Hat. And Converse hasn’t forgotten us: there are six whimsical designs perfect for you and you and you!
Freezer Fruit Pops Make for Healthy Summertime Snacks
Summertime snacks for our family are often synonymous with fresh, ripe fruit and chilled frozen yogurt or ice cream. Actually, with all this heat we’ve been enduring this summer, anything cold sounds good right about now!
This post and activity was inspired, in part, by Healthy Child Healthy World’s weekly twitter party, and by a recipe I stumbled accross on one of my favorite kiddie cuisine sites, Weelicious.
Since we’ve been staying with family for the past few weeks, with three kids in the house and a Costco down the street, we’ve been stocking up on all the delicious fresh fruit. And fruit from Costco…you know what that means. We had a ton of it!
We had a surplus of strawberries and mangos; meaning, we had more ripened fruit than we knew what to do with! Cue in Weelicious’ yummy recipes!
With all the extra fruit that was on the cusp of getting too ripe, I enlisted the two bigger kids to help me make some fun homemade popsicles!
I used:
1 set of Tovolo Groovy Pop molds, which yield 6 bigger fruit pops
2 ripe mangos, sliced into thirds and then cubed and pureed
1 cup of ripe strawberries, pureed
1/2 cup of blueberries, pureed
1/2 cup of Mott’s Medley’s juice
I mixed and pureed fruit for each pop, personalizing each flavor for each kid. Since these fruits had so much of their own fruit juice, I only had to add a few splashes of the juice to help solidify the mixture once frozen.
It was fun to get creative with the kids and let them mix, then help pour each pop. The making of the pops was a fun outdoor activity, and I’m sure it’d make a great (albeit messy) indoor or rainy day activity too.
The beauty of the Tovolo freezer pop molds is that each container is a good size and actually stays put. I’ve used other molds in the past that used questionable plastic and the sticks never stayed in place. Plus, Tovolo has a bunch of great shapes to choose from.
Looking for more healthy summer snacks? Check out Healthy Child Healthy World’s Twitter Party (tonight at 9-10) and their site for more great ideas!
MoMA Adds Hoberman Sphere to its Collection
Since I’m on the topic of innovative design, let’s talk about spheres, specifically, the Hoberman Sphere.
You probably know it as that colorful expanding and collapsing circular ball-like toy, but did you know that the Hoberman Sphere was originally a sculpture and the product version has been used as props for marching bands, devices for physical therapy, aids for breathing exercises, and to illustrate organizational and motivational business principles?
In fact, an original Hoberman Sphere was installed in 1992 (and re-installed in 2007) as the central exhibit in the Liberty Science Center’s atrium, which happens to be one of our favorite local museums. Being greeted by the amazing 700-lb sphere at the LSC, is perhaps one of the kid’s most memorable aspects of the Jersey City facility. I love that he associated this sphere with the LSC atrium, before he associated it with a toy. Of course, now he just wants that giant sphere for his playroom!
The Hoberman Sphere, which has been in production as a toy since 1995, is considered iconic for its product design. Aptly, the Museum of Modern Art has added the Hoberman Sphere to its Action! Design Over Time collection. According to MoMA, the exhibition investigates the dimension of time in human-made objects, products and interfaces, with the aim of providing a deeper understanding of contemporary design.
The Hoberman Sphere can be viewed at the MoMA, as well as the Liberty Science Museum, and of course, the toy version can be found at stores such as Target and Amazon.
The MoMA is located at 11 West 53rd St., NY, NY.
The Liberty Science Center is located at 222 Jersey City Blvd., Jersey City, NJ, and is just a short train ride away from NYC.
Imagination Playground Debuts in NYC
Innovative design is all around us, and that often includes our kids’ playthings.
Yesterday, NYC unveiled the long-anticipated Imagination Playground, an innovative Play Space that was designed by architect David Rockwell. The Imagination Playground at Burling Slip in lower Manhattan is the first realization of Rockwell’s site-specific park concepts that can be designed and conditioned for any place or community, and includes a full set of Imagination Playground loose parts and a sculpted landscape, as well as sand and water installations.
According to the Huffington Post, the playground was paid for with $4.5 million from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and $3 million from the city’s Department of Environmental Protection.
I’ve been reading a lot of information and preliminary reviews about this playspace that’s being described as “revolutionary.” One bit of information that I loved reading about was how KaBOOM! partnered with Rockwell Group to help distribute Rockwell’s innovative Imagination Playground to communities across the country.
I’m one of the KaBoom Summer Challengers, and, well, I love how the organization has its hands involved in so many prolific movements relating to play.
I fully expect our travels to bring us to the city to check out this playspace for ourselves, but in the meantime, check out all the cool features of the Imagination Playground.