Wonderfully Odd New Kids Books

The Worry Woo books by Andi Green are so great. I am drawn to the uniqueness of the collection. They are whimsical and strange, and have sweet messages. They kind of remind me of the Serendipity books by Stephen Cosgrove that I grew up reading, but with a more current vibe. You can get plush dolls to go with the books, which I was a sucker for. We started with Rue, the monster of insecurity, but now have four books in our collection. I like "The Nose That Didn't Fit" because it teaches little Rue that it isn't his nose that's the problem; it's just how he sees it. Nola learns that friends are all around her, and that they can come in all shapes and sizes, Squeek learns to take calculated risks so he can enjoy life, and Fuddle learns how to make decisions and stop worrying about what the "best" thing is. Cute.

Magical Willow Forts

My husband made this fort for the girls by planting willow stalks at four points and then bending them to meet and tying them together. There are a ton of YouTube videos to help. It will, theoretically, fill in (the stalks have just started to sprout) and there are plans for windows and a tunnel, but until then it's fun to tie up some play silks for walls. We hung some crystals and shells inside and I kind of want to live there. Cost: $0

Or, another option is this little GardenFort, which comes with three kinds of seeds and is $70 on magiccabin.com.

Baby Doll Friends

Lyra and Isla love baby dolls. And not just White girls. We get strange looks from people at the zoo or grocery store when Isla carries around any of her babies that aren't of the blonde haired, blue eyed variety. When the brave passer-by questions why her baby is Asian or Black, we smile and tell her we have lots of different friends. Some are Black, some are White, some are animals. Santa Barbara is pretty lacking in diversity, but that doesn't mean Isla's toys have to be!

Mer-Baby Outfit

Why did I not own this when Lyra was a newbie? $18 for this sweet get-up... I love etsy.

Needle-felting Natural Toys

Lately I've been trying my hand at needle-felting. Isla loves the little dolls and spends hours playing with them. She loves them so much that her choice for a present for her teachers was a felted doll. I made a rendition of her amazing teachers at both of the schools she attended, and the first picture is of the "Miss Jeannie" doll. I thought the teacher appreciation doll was such a cute idea I made customizable options on my etsy store, NatureBaby.

Magical Music for Mellow Play Time

I've really noticed how music affects the mood in our house, to the point where I've temporarily shelved the spazzy, silly kids' music and replaced it with these two albums: The Magic Garden by Diane Tatum and Come Follow Me!, by Lorraine Nelson Wolf. They are both kind of mellow and inspire hours of imaginative, magical play time.