Holiday Gift Guide 2014: Little Travelers

My kids have family in both Germany and Australia, and we very much love to learn about the world around us. Here are some of my favorite gifts to inspire your little ones to learn about faraway places and distant lands...

U.S. Map Puzzle: Land of Nod
Statue of Liberty Nanoblock: Alex & Alexa
Scratch-off Map: Amazon
Scratch-off Globe: Urban Outfitters
Sydney Opera House Nanoblock: Alex & Alexa
Pop-up Book London: Alex & Alexa
World Chalkboard Map: Dirtsa Studio on Etsy
Maps Book: Amazon
This is the World Book: Amazon
Paris Play Set: Anthropologie
London Guard Maileg Mouse: My Sweet Muffin
London Bus: Anthropologie

P.S. Don't forget to enter the big holiday giveaway - over $1100 in prizes to one lucky reader!
P.P.S. More gift guides right here

Beach with a Babe - What Worked and What Didn't

After all of that stressing and thinking and planning we finally made the trip to the beach with our two babes, and it was a little slice of heaven. Blue skies, the aqua ocean, a big house full of family, and perfect temperatures - we got so incredibly lucky. We only had a half day of rain during the entire trip, and other than that the only other problem all week was a dead alternator on the drive down. Thankfully we had pulled over safely into a parking lot and were able to call AAA to give us a jump and follow us safely to a service station.

We were lucky that it happened at lunch time and the parking lot we were in was full of restaurants, so we waited for the tow truck driver in comfort while we ate some yummy sandwiches instead of hot and sweating and stuck in the middle of a six lane highway. When we got to the service station a weight loss infomercial was blaring on the television, the only available seating was an old couch and a few uncomfortable benches, and the place was outfitted with a bathroom that was clearly cared for by men who weren't afraid of a little dirt (and no baby changer in sight), but the service was friendly and they worked hard to get us out of there as quickly as possible. After consulting the other patrons I switched the television station to one of the only other options available - a station playing opera and classical music, and the girls and I pretended to be ballerinas and twirled around on the tile floor. I think there was a collective sigh of relief when the voice screaming at us to take diet pills was replaced instead by the sound of violins, and there were definitely more than a few grins at our tiny dancers. When the girls tired of twirling we played with a few matchbox cars that we had packed until eventually Lucy's eyelids started to droop and I popped her into the Ergo carrier for a nap. The situation wasn't ideal, but it gave us a chance to stretch our legs and we made the best of it. I was really proud of our girls for being so positive and flexible in a less than ideal situation. Also sooo happy that it died when it did and not when we were out driving on the beach!

I was a little worried about how Violet would react to the ocean - the last time we had taken her at age two-and-a-half she had been absolutely terrified of it, but this time as soon as our toes hit the sand she started asking to go in the water. She loved being in the waves with her papa especially - he was tall and made her feel super safe in that big blue expanse. Lucy loved the water as well - especially the warmer tide pools that formed on the beach. One day we were lucky enough to set up near a deep hole that another family had painstakingly dug earlier in the day which ended up being a perfect baby pool for our little ones.

Being the over packer/over planner that I am, we had actually purchased our own cheap inflatable baby pool to bring to the beach, but only blew it up one day until we realized that the tide pools worked just as well and the kids seemed to enjoy them more. Plus they didn't involve us bailing water from the ocean. We did use our Shade Shack every single day - it was so lightweight and easy to carry to the beach and set up in about thirty seconds flat.

Baby powder was my absolute savior with Lucy. She got so incredibly caked in sand every time we were there, and the saltwater only did so much to remedy the situation. I used it on her hands, on her face, and when I changed her diaper. It took the wet sand right off - absolutely amazing.

She loved palling around with her Uncle Dan while we were there. I love that even though she has only really interacted with him on Skype (seeing as how he lives in Australia), she took right to him and they were best buds during the trip. Her little batik cloud dress and yellow hat were my absolute favorites - so comfy and pretty. I died every time she wore them of the sheer cuteness. And of course Saltwater sandals - they were Violet's when she was Lucy's age and they've held up so well. I love that they're cute, comfortable, and water-friendly.

We also brought one warm, plush beach towel for the girls to share and used foutas for ourselves because they were so much more compact. And I loved using our Pyramids travel throw for the same reason - everything fit so nicely into my tote, which was really great on the day that Lucy unexpectedly fell asleep in my arms at the beach and I had to lug her dead weight the whole way back to the house. It wasn't far, but it felt like forever, trying to keep her little face out of the sun and make sure she was comfortable.

We also made a ton of use of Lucy's pretty cover-up from Rikshaw Design. I've found that rash guards just always made Violet super cold and shivery when she was a babe, but I still wanted something to cover up Lucy's skin when she wasn't in the water, and I didn't want her to get overheated. This kurta was the perfect solution - the material was really lightweight and breezy but kept her arms, back, and chest extra protected from the sun's rays.

I feel so incredibly thankful that everything worked out the way it did. I so wanted my girls to have a positive experience with the beach and to enjoy our time with our family who traveled so far to spend time with us. We couldn't have asked for a better week - we celebrated our anniversary (eight years!), climbed the stairs of the lighthouse, drove on the beach, flew a kite, enjoyed the waves and pool, and ate copious amounts of ice cream. I only wish it would've lasted longer, but I suppose all good things have to come to an end. We have one more week with my sister and her family before they head back to Oz, and we're trying to soak up as much time as possible. Although I know Lucy probably won't remember our first beach vacation as a family of four, I hope that the bonds she and Violet made there will last and grow despite the many miles between them and us. xo, Lauren

Lucy's Kurta: c/o Rikshaw Design
Lucy's batik cloud dress: c/o Hiho Batik

The Cutest Baby Beachwear

I'm so excited - in a few days my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew are arriving all the way from their home in Australia to visit for a few weeks. Every time she comes to visit, it seems like everyone on the planet wants a little bit of time with her, and I never get to see her quite as much as I'd like. So this time we've planned a little beach getaway while she's here to make sure that we get some quality family time. I can't wait to hug everyone and squeeze my nephew about a hundred million times! Anyway, I've been on a little bit of a shopping spree getting us all ready for our beach trip. Here are a few of my favorite baby beach finds that I've come across:

1. Hello Kitty Bandana | 2. Yellow Sunhat | 3. Bloomers | 4. Pineapple Swim Diaper | 5. Tuxedo Kurta | 6. Ruffled Swimsuit | 7. Color Block Sandals

P.S. Our visit to the beach down under + Beach with a Babe

A Happy & Bright Big Boy Room + Some Big News!

I'm sooo excited to be able to say that I'm going to be an Auntie again! My sister is pregnant with baby number two (due in December right around Christmas!) and I am over the moon!!! She lives in Australia with my brother-in-law and nephew, Xavier, and even though she's on the other side of the world we're still very close and Skype a few times a week. It can be difficult sometimes because of the extreme time difference, but we make it work.

I remember being worried when I had kids that they might not form the same bond with her as they would with family members who lived close by, but amazingly that didn't seem to be the case. The proof came the first time that they came to visit after Violet was old enough to know what was going on (the first time they visited her she was just a newborn). She is usually very reserved around new people, and even pretty stingy with hugs or affection with close family, but she went absolutely crazy with excitement when they showed up at our house and gave out hugs galore. That makes me even happier now because although we made the twenty-plus hour trip when my sister had her first baby, we won't be able to this time around. It's going to absolutely kill me not to be able to hold my new squishy niece or nephew, but there's really no way around it, so I'm relying completely on video chat until they are able to visit with the new baby.

Another exciting aspect about adding another little bambino to the family is that my sister asked me to help with the design of Xavier's big boy room. They're coming to visit in July (she's so brave - making that long trip with a two-year-old and being pregnant!) and she's hoping to transition him to the new space on their return home. She's crossing her fingers that since he'll be used to sleeping in different spaces at that point from traveling that it will make the transition easier. I have my fingers crossed for her because we had a devil of a time switching Violet to a big girl bed in a new room!

Here's the initial design plan that I came up with for her:

She's really into clean, modern design and bright pops of color. She really wanted a large map in the room because of her ties to both the U.S. and Australia and all of the traveling that they do, so I found this gorgeous mural which was the starting point for the space. It was difficult for me to create this design, as I had to find Australian sources and didn't have my usual go-to sites to visit. Plus everything seems to be ridiculously more expensive there! So if you're in the U.S., a lot of these sources probably won't be that useful for you, although if there's a product that I know you can find in the U.S. I'll try to list that source as well:

Map mural (USA)
Rainbow felt ball garland (USA)
Red industrial pendant lamp (USA)
Nanoblock Statue of Liberty toy (USA)
Elephant chair (USA)
Cubebot toy natural (USA)
Kid-O warm stacking cups toy (USA)
Globe (my sister already owns this)
Bookshelf (my sister already owns this)
Yellow wire basket (USA - similar)
Table lamp
Tin robot toy
Nightstand/shelf
Donna Wilson fox pillow (USA)
Green robot toy
Red Eames style hang-it-all (USA)
Yellow striped bedding (USA)
Toddler bed (USA)
Red alarm clock (USA)
Wooden camera (USA)

I'm still going to make some tweaks to it to suit her budget and things, but it was a pretty good jumping-off point! Excited to see one of my design boards come to life!!! xo, Lauren

P.S. Isn't the above photo of my nephew such a great idea?! My sister snapped a shot of my brother-in-law throwing him up in the air and then edited him out to make it look like Xavier is flying! Sooo cute.

Plus, Violet in Australia  and more nursery design inspiration 

Beach with a Babe

We're thinking of taking a day trip to the beach (I wanted to go longer, but Kevin thinks it will be a big hassle with the baby). Plus we are trying to save money with me being off work, so I guess a day trip is better than nothing! We've taken Violet to the beach as a toddler but I've never been to the beach with an infant. I've been trying to think of everything we might need...

1. I'm thinking some sort of sun shade is in order. Although there are some really amazing sunscreens out there, I've read that you shouldn't use sunscreen on babies younger than six months. So an umbrella or tent/cabana is going to be necessary to keep the rays off that baby-fresh skin. I love that this cabana is made using UPF 50 fabric and folds up for easy transport. (These sunscreen wipes look really convenient - might have to snag a pack for Violet!)

2. Something to carry the babe in. I don't think pushing a stroller over the sand sounds like much fun to me, so I'd probably bring our Ergobaby carrier, and a beach-y bag to carry all of those teeny weeny baby things.

3. And, of course, cute swimwear, water-friendly footwear, a floppy hat for some extra sun shade, stylin' sunnies, and some colorful toys to entertain the babe and the toddler. These cloth swim diapers are super cute too, and UPF 50 fabric for that little bum!

4. Speaking of baby bums, I've heard that a little baby powder helps take the sand right off of your skin. Is that true? Anyone know from experience? If so I'm definitely stocking up on some before we go.

Anyone have any advice? Like I said, we're babe-at-the-beach novices here. Thanks so much! xo, Lauren

Making Hotels Feel More Like Home

Posting some travel tips for kids over on Apartment Therapy today! These things were lifesavers for us when we traveled to Australia withViolet. What would you add to the list? xo, Lauren

Stow Away

We forgot to tell you that we brought a little something extra back with us from Australia...

Reason number two for my lack of regular posting lately! I'm 13 weeks right now and I've seriously been doing nothing but sleeping (when Violet lets me) for the past few months. Here's a close up of our little bean:

Kevin's been a gem taking care of Violet and running out to get me whatever strange food my crazy pregnant self desires. That's a new one for me - I definitely had nausea with the last pregnancy, but not the cravings as much. So far I've gone through a rice phase, a fish phase, a spaghetti phase, and a cheese phase. Totally random!

I can tell I'm turning a corner and am starting to feel more energetic and less nausea. Yay for the second trimester! Thanks for sticking with me during this exciting time for our little family. xo, Lauren

My Kid Likes the Roundhouse Kick

I saw this diagram from How to be a Dad some time ago, and while I thought it was pretty funny, I can now fully appreciate its genius. Because, you see, it wasn't until recently that I was able to experience many of these positions first hand. We 'co-slept' with Violet using a co-sleeper when she was an infant. She didn't move then and she wasn't actually in our bed - just in a little bassinet attached to the side of it. When she was a few months old I moved her into her crib and never looked back. Although there have been times when I've wanted to nap with her, she always made it an impossibility. She's the type to get a bit manic and thrashing (quite like her mama) when she gets tired, and it's virtually impossible to get her to fall asleep without trapping her in an un-stimulating (read not fun) place like a crib.

Then we flew to Australia. The combination of sleeping ON me (quite literally I was her bed) for most of the trip and the chilly winter nights in Australia sans heat (it doesn't cold enough in Queensland to really require heat, but the nights are very cold - especially for a toddler who won't keep her covers on) convinced us to let Violet sleep in our bed every now and then. I mean, we were on vacation right? We could change things up a bit. Well, needless to say the practice has followed us home. She asks almost every night to 'seep Mommy Daddy's bed', and while I usually refuse on weeknights, I often give in on the weekends. In a way I really enjoy it. I love being able to snuggle my baby and watch her all sweet and peaceful in dreamland. But then she performs The Roundhouse Kick closely followed by The Neck Scarf, and my visions of snuggly family sleep time disappear.

Because only one of us is sleeping. (And it isn't me.)

xo, Lauren

This Time Around

Well, we're home safe and sound. A little jet lagged and a little worse for wear, but nothing that won't mend with a couple of nights of sound sleep. Violet did amazingly well once again on the trip back. She slept a lot and watched videos and listened to stories and played. I can't believe how fortunate we've been, and perhaps the best part is that after three weeks away she is playing with all of her old toys like they are new again! More details on the trip home to come.

I've been to Australia thrice now, and this trip to Australia was very different from my past two forays in Oz. My first visit was just after college and my sister and I backpacked up and down the East coast. We camped on Fraser Island, sailed aboard a ship to the Whitsunday Islands, sunbathed on the Gold Coast, and snorkeled on the Great Barrier Reef. It was an adventure and a half to be sure!

The second followed my sister's marriage. We visited her new hometown for a bit and then flew down with our spouses and parents to Sydney and did all of the touristy things, like climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, staying overnight at the Sydney Zoo, and visiting the Opera House. The hostels were traded for hotels and the backpacks for suitcases. We were then childless and did what we wanted when we wanted. It was an entirely different experience from the first one, but equally lovely.

This time we were there to help my sister with all of the trials and tribulations that come with new motherhood. There was no jet setting or backpacking, but there was a lot of much-needed family time. (I miss my sister dearly!) We experienced more of everyday life in Australia. We planned our outings around Violet's nap time and the baby's nursing schedule and we kept them short, sweet, and simple.

We spent time at the beach, we visited the local parks, and biked through the city. We celebrated Christmas in July as a family and witnessed our new nephew's baptism. We visited a friend's farm (as evidenced by the above photos) and rode through acres and acres of sugarcane fields on the back of a ute, we did some four wheeling, splashed through the creek, and fed the cows. But mostly we ate meals together as a family. We held a beautiful new baby (as much as Violet would let me). We looked up information about mastitis and diaper rash and oversupply and searched for pacifiers and practiced using the Moby wrap. We talked and we played and we just spent time together.

It wasn't glamorous or exotic or adventurous, but it was full of family and full of love - a different kind of perfect, but perfect nonetheless. :)

xo, Lauren

Traveling with a Toddler: Part 3

We really wanted to prepare Violet for the plane trip, as it was going to be a very long ordeal with three different planes, layovers, etc. Since she loves books (especially stories about families), we thought reading books about airplane travel was just the ticket. We ordered a few books from Amazon before we left and read them to her quite frequently. These are the ones we chose:

1. Freddie goes on an airplane - this story was cute, but not super detailed. I did like that it included a really good illustration for security, with little Freddie's stuffed bear going through the x-ray machine. One of our few tense moments was when Violet's favorite bunny had to make that same trip. Eek!


2. My Plane Trip - this one is actually a coloring book, but it had the best illustrations and story of the three. The book follows a family packing their bags, checking in at the airport, going through security, watching a movie, eating, and sleeping on the plane.

3. Airport - this book had cute illustrations, but the story wasn't the greatest. It didn't feature a family, which is big for Violet, and was kind of choppy and not very explanatory. She requested this one a lot less than the other books.


4. Going on a Plane - the Tripp family is featured in this book, and the story is very cute. Mr. Tripp spills the bags at one point and the kids are really very included in everything that is happening. Violet really loved reading about the Tripp's trip :) I liked that Customs was included in this particular book.

We also watched clips from an old Sesame Street episode (1090) on YouTube where Big Bird and the gang go to Hawaii. It all worked like a charm. We referred back to the books and episode quite a bit while traveling ("We need to get our seat belt buckled now so we can be safe just like Big Bird") ("Remember how the family went through the special door in the airport?"). It gave her a point of reference and made her much more comfortable with the whole process.

Overall the trip to Australia went very smoothly. Violet read books, watched videos and slept for about an hour on the first flight (about six hours). On the second flight, a fourteen hour red-eye) she watched a video, ate her meal, and slept for the majority of the flight (score!). There was a small meltdown prior to her falling asleep, but luckily we had brought along her formula in case of a reaction while abroad (even though she never drinks it any more), and lo and behold she requested it during her meltdown. It was the only thing that calmed her down so I'm really glad we brought it with us. And on the last flight (a short hour and a half trip) she slept the whole way from customs to touch down.

I think that we got really lucky on the first go and now I just have the trip home to worry about :) Let's hope it goes just as well. Wish us luck!

xo, Lauren

The Other Side of the Ocean

Now we've seen the Pacific Ocean from two sides. One end of the world busy, crowded, full of life; the other our personal playground. Violet much preferred the 'baby ocean' (the pools left by the receding tide) to the vastness of the Pacific. She's a little girl, so I guess a little ocean is juuust right.

The Next Best Thing

Our beach trip got postponed because our ride (my sister) was knocked out of commission by the evil that is mastitis. (Thankfully she's now feeling much better after some frequent nursing and antibiotics). We're not quite confident to drive on the left hand side of the road ourselves in a strange
place, so we trekked just across the road for the next best thing - a giant sandbox. Violet was happy as a clam. It's great how kids roll with the punches and can be just as happy with the next best thing. 

Looks like Kevin is going to have a new project when we get back home :)

xo, Lauren

Sea to Shining Sea

A few days ago Violet saw the sea for the very first time. Surprisingly she met the Pacific Ocean before the Atlantic. Tomorrow she'll meet that same ocean again - this time on the other end of the Earth. What an amazing world we live in where one can traverse an entire planet in the blink of an eye...

Trip to Oz: The First Leg

Sorry for the silence, it's been a little while until I've been able to wrangle a laptop from the men in my family!

On the first leg of our trip to L.A. Violet did amazing. She was super excited about the plane thanks to some books we've been reading and a few clips from Sesame Street visits Hawaii. She watched a couple of movies and played with some of the apps on her iPad, and then had a tiny freak out before finally falling asleep for about an hour. She stayed asleep until we touched down in L.A., and the best thing was - no ear issues!!! Overall it was a huge success, which was great since we had two flights to go.

She loved the hotel - jumped around on the bed like a little jumping bean, rode the escalator over and  over, and ran around outside a lot. Our next flight wasn't until 11:45 PM the following night, so we visited Santa Monica beach and pier while we were there, ate at Rae's Restaurant and Sloopy's Beach Cafe - I'd highly recommend both. She saw the ocean for the first time but was a little grouchy at that point from the time change and lack of sleep, so it wasn't as big of a hit as we had hoped. We rented a car and drove around for the second half of they day while she slept in her car seat and saw all of the touristy stuff - Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, Mulholland Drive, the Hollywood sign, and a couple of overlooks. We'll be visiting L.A. a bit again on the way home, so I'd love to know if you have any places that you recommend visiting (that are fairly close to the airport).

xo, Lauren


P.S. You can follow along on Instagram @alovelylark

Lovely Links

Happy Friday all! I'm currently packing like a crazy person for our trip to Australia. I'm going to keep this photo in mind when it gets hairy during our flight(s). Serenity now...serenity now...

Here are a few links for your weekend - hope it's better than ours is bound to be!

Genius idea for traveling with littles.

Completely in love with these curtains. I'd like three for Violet's room

Seriously stunning home.

Pretty pajamas

One of each please!

Polka dots + stripes.

Perfection.

I loved my wedding bouquet, but if I did it all over again I might just choose this.

And posts from A Lovely Lark this week:

Beautiful monthly baby photo set up

A nursery starts with art!

Up, up and away!

Pop of green.

We leave bright and early tomorrow for Oz*, wish us luck - I have a feeling we're going to need it!

xo, Lauren

This is where I want to be print by Kurt Rahn via society6

*We have a house sitter and an alarm system

Traveling with a Toddler: Part 2

Yesterday I talked about artsy activities to keep your toddler occupied while in the air, but for a six hour flight followed by a fourteen hour flight, that's only going to work for so long. Of course hopefully she'll sleep for some of that time, but it's always best to be over prepared in my opinion! When all else fails, technology to the rescue. Here are a few things we'll be taking on the plane to keep her entertained, along with some toddler-specific gear:

1. We each have an iPhone, so we'll be bringing those for sure. We loaded them up with her favorite apps, as well as a new never-before-seen ones to keep her excited. A few of her favorites are:

• The Monster at the End of This Book & Another Monster at the End of This Book - Violet loves these interactive books. There's the classic original with just Grover and the second version which includes both Grover and Elmo. She gets to knock down Grover's brick wall, wipe off his glue, and untie the knots of his ropes - good times people, good times.
• SoundTouch - this one keeps her entertained for a really long time. There's a lite version, but I definitely recommend getting the full version. There are pages and pages of different illustrations that she can choose - household items, animals, musical instruments, etc. When she taps on one it shows a real photograph of that item/thing and a realistic sound to accompany it.
• Animal Puzzle for Toddlers by Eiswuxe - These puzzles are very cute and there is a lot of variety to them. She just drags the puzzle pieces to the correct spots and when she finishes a puzzle she gets to pop a bunch of balloons - win win!
• Nighty Night! This app is just adorable and perfect for bedtime. She loves to touch each lighted window of the farmhouse to find a different animal who is ready to go to sleep. She turns out the light and each one settles down for bed. The narrator has a nice soothing voice and the illustrations are very cute.
• DoodleBuddy - She'll have a Magna Doodle and Color Wonder markers on the plane, but drawing on the iPhone is still fun too! I love that this app has different backgrounds to choose from (including a tic tac toe board for older kids), you can alter the line thickness and color, and use a ton of fun stamps.
• Peekaboo Barn - Violet loves to try to guess what animal is making noise behind the barn doors before she touches them to reveal the animal. The animal's names are narrated in a cute child's voice but are still very clear. At the end she loves to watch the animals go to sleep.
• Make it Pop - Like the name says, with this app you can make different things pop - balloons, popcorn, bubbles, and fireworks. An added bonus is that each one is educational in a different way. The balloons help with letter identification, the popcorn with numbers, the rockets with colors, and the bubbles with shapes. 

2. We decided to save the iPad for movies. The plane will have some kid-specific movies, but we wanted to make sure we had the right ones for Violet. She loves Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, Shrek 2, The Wizard of Oz, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, and we also bought her a few new ones - Follow that Bird, Winnie the Pooh and Annie.

3. To make sure that she can hear her movies and apps without bothering neighboring passengers, we bought these Kidz Gear headphones for her a few months ago. We've used them periodically with her to get her used to them. Of course a plane adapter is a must (silly two-pronged plane outlets!)

4. The iPad and iPhone batteries are pretty decent, but not when you're talking a fourteen hour flight. So after a lot of research the Mister found this portable recharger - I'll be sure to let you know how it worked, fingers crossed!

5. This one isn't for entertainment, but safety. We've opted not to bring Violet's car seat as we have one waiting for us to use over in Oz, so we purchased the FAA approved CARES (Child Aviation Restraint System). It just slips over the back of the seat to provide a safe harness for your little one during takeoff, landing, and any potential turbulence.

So that's it! I'm still looking for some new fun apps for Violet - if you have any recommendations for a two-year-old I'm all ears.

xoxo, Lauren

P.S. Tomorrow I'm going to share a few of the books that we've been using to prepare her for flying on a plane!

Traveling with a Toddler: Part 1

We're leaving in five days on our trip across the world to the land of Oz*, and it's all hands on deck. We're in serious trip preparation mode over here at the H-Haus - shopping, list-making, and planning like crazy. While I've been to Australia twice now, I've never been with a toddler. Let me tell you, it's scary stuff! We're trying to have every possible resource ready and available to make our trip a success. For the past few months I've been researching tips and tricks for traveling with a pint-sized companion, and I'm going to share them with you this week here on the blog, starting with plane activities. Here are a few of my favorite plane-friendly artsy activities for little ones:

1. Crayola Color Wonder Markers & Paper - This is a life saver on a plane. The markers only show up on the Color Wonder paper, so no need to worry about a huge mess.

2. Foam Alphabet Stickers - Add these to your kid's drawing to spell out letters of names, words, etc. Really any stickers would be just fine, but the foam adds an extra element of fun and the educational aspect of the letters is a definite bonus.

3. Melissa & Doug Reusable Sticker Pads - I love these sticker books, because they not only contain stickers but backdrops on which to place them. My favorites are the Habitats sticker book where kids can place animal stickers into different landscapes and the Play House! sticker book, with a variety of interior backgrounds on which your child can add furniture, people, etc.

4. Fisher Price Doodle Pro Travel Doodler with Light - Another fun no-mess surface on which to draw, write, and erase. This one is a great compact size perfect for travel and features a light.

5. Pipe Cleaners - basic and simple, but you can create a ton of fun projects with this no-mess medium. Just to name a few, you could try this shiny alphabet, these fun faces, or these super simple bracelets.

So that's what I've got so far. I still have a few days to prep for the trip, so if you have any suggestions for fun plane-friendly toddler activities I'm all ears!

xo, Lauren


*Yes we have a house sitter, so don't race over to steal my TV!

Friday Favorites

My absolute favorite thing this week? Spending ENTIRE DAYS outside with my favorite little person. The weather has been perfection - a light breeze, warm but not hot temperatures, and no humidity. The teepee has been our second home - we've been reading books, having picnics, breathing in the fresh air, and doing a lot of snuggling.

And in the online universe this stuff isn't so bad either...

Totally making the DIY pom pillow in this tutorial.

Pretty amazing stairway before + after

A pretty picnic basket that you can make yourself.

Completely in love with Anna Spiro's new line of wallpapers for Porter's Paints.

Lovely printable wedding table numbers

I want this bathroom. Or really any room with Julia Rothman's wallpaper for Hygge & West.

Love this addition to Nicole's living room. If I had a place for the larger size of the botanical print I would totally own it myself. I'll just have to stick with my mini version for now.

Violet would spend hours in this (okay maybe half an hour which in toddler time is like an eternity). But still.

Super cool dollhouse. The wallpaper tree - gasp!

Tips for traveling with a toddler. Thanks Jen - I'm going to need all the help I can get! Looking forward to part two.

How is it that Liz is always so right on? Re: Your Child is Not Special

This has to be hands down the most beautiful baby shower I have ever seen.

Every woman wants a man who loves her this much. So much that a post about his birthday turns into a love letter to her. [Kevin if you ever decide to start up a blog make sure it's full of lots of this gushy stuff.]

Happy weekend! xo, Lauren


P.S. You can follow me on Instagram @withtwocats

Somewhere Else

Sometimes I come across photos (mainly whilst surfing The Pinterest) that make me want to get away. Go somewhere else. Maybe back to our honeymoon? (We went to Germany and Austria). A little cafe in France? Joanna Goddard just recently went on an impromptu trip with her other half, and Amsterdam looks just lovely. Wouldn't it be great to have no responsibilities, plenty of money and just be able to jet set off to explore new places? I had a dream a couple of nights ago that I won one-hundred-and-forty MILLION dollars in the lottery. (It was a beautiful feeling.) And then the alarm clock woke me up...

I bought a lottery ticket the other day just in case.

one . two . three . four . five

Philly Weekend

It was the weekend that almost didn't happen (our sitter got sick!) but she ended up getting over it quickly and the trip was back on at the last minute! We had a great time in Philly - a lot of good food, pampering, and we hit some of the historical stuff while we were there too. The actual night of my 30th ended up being a little wilder than I expected and I woke up the next morning feeling more like a 60-year-old, but Philly treated me well! I know the city sometimes gets a bad rap, but we had nothing but good times and fun people. Here's the weekend in a nutshell via my Instagram feed:

If you're planning a trip to Philly I would highly recommend any of these places (and would go again myself in a heartbeat!):

Accommodations: The Westin Philadelphia
Food:
Monk's Cafe
Miel Patisserie
Jim's Steaks (South Street)
Audrey Claire

So long twenties, you were good to me, but here's to decade number three!

xo, Lauren