Posts by Mari in Chicago

CRAFTS AND DIY
Dried Orange and Lavender Star Garland
If you are like me, you keep seeing gorgeous dried orange garland and salt dough garland EVERYWHERE.  We had a lazy Saturday to ourselves last weekend and I thought it might be the perfect day to try out this slow, but fun activity.  Thankfully I had a few oranges on hand and lots of dried ...
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CRAFTS AND DIY
Pretty Paper Roll Snowflakes -- a wonderful way to recycle!
There is something special about staying warm indoors when it is cold outside. Although for little ones, an extended period of time in doors can be difficult. I have found that for my daughter, anything involving glue and glitter makes her quite happy! Thanks to quarantine we have lots and lots of paper rolls so ...
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COOK BOOKS AND MAGAZINES
What's Cooking at 10 Garden Street - A delightful cookbook for kids that also tells a story!
As a child growing up, I was privileged enough to be raised by a village.  My mother was intentional about raising me among diverse groups of people.  This also meant that I was exposed to diverse foods.  To this day, a good dal or pancit is comfort food to me.  I learned from an early ...
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CELEBRATIONS
Thanksgiving Traditions: How our family celebrates today.
In my family, Thanksgiving is a complicated holiday. For many Americans it is a time to spend with family, but also a time to reminisce about "Pilgrims and Indians" and the story of the "first Thanksgiving feast". However, for other families, like mine, it is a reminder of the genocide and atrocities that soon followed ...
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HALLOWEEN CRAFTS
Perforated Pumpkin Luminaries - A Fun Halloween Cardboard Craft
This year I did not have the energy to go collect a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch and carve it with a toddler, so we tried something new!  We "carved", painted and decorated cardboard pumpkins and made them into perforated pumpkin luminaries.  This method is 'less mess and no stress', using materials you already have on ...
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RECIPES
Simple "No Waste" Honey Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Last week we got 3 "pumpkin pie" pumpkins in our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) allotment, which meant we had a LOT of pumpkin seeds.   The fall weather and the surplus of seeds gave us the perfect opportunity to make roasted pumpkin seeds! If you don't like waste and love a quick project that creates ...
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CRAFTS AND DIY
Nature Soup - A DIY game for little ones learning to count
My daughter loves to cook and can count to 20, but she is just now learning how to count out items.  Often when we prepare a recipe at home, I will help her measure and count out ingredients.  I made this game for her after seeing a similar mainstream game and thought that it might ...
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RECIPES
Overnight Refrigerator Pickles
Just last week I received a large amount of small cucumbers in my weekly CSA (community supported agriculture) allotment.  I decided to make pickles because I knew that we would never be able to eat 20 cucumbers before they went bad. Everyone in my family loves pickles. My husband particularly loves dill.  I knew we ...
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BOOKS
My Hair is a Garden, written and illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera - A lovely book to celebrate beauty in diversity!
I discovered this beautifully illustrated book when trying to find a book to help my daughter appreciate her hair.  I'm very intentional about curating my daughters toys and books.  I want her to learn from every experience and I want every experience to give her tools to see herself in the most positive light.  This ...
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CRAFTS AND DIY
DIY "ABC" Letter Tracing Chalkboard
My daughter is nearly three and lately she has shown an increased interest in writing.  She has been holding a pencil and pretending to write for ages, but now she she is able to identify letters and attempts to draw them.  I wanted to find a way to help her practice writing letters. I prefer ...
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RECIPES
Blueberry Crumble Muffins. One of my favorite recipes to make!
Hello friends!  I had planned a post for you about the issues happening in the States right now.  I wrote it and rewrote it, but I couldn’t find the words to express what is on my mind.  It is all so overwhelming.  So now that will be another post for another day… This weekend I ...
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CHECK THESE OUT

HerbooWonderful nature boxes that both inspire and engage children
NED swimStylish UPF50+ swimwear in wonderful unisex colours
Hauptli Haus KidsSo many uses for these stylish and sustainable Nuscheli scarves! A true family must-have.
Meri MeriA unique range of party supplies. To create magical celebrations and lasting memories.

FOLLOW US

There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing! We love these 3 in 1 scampsuits by @muddypuddlesuk that are waterproof!
9 months ago
Homemade Happy Halloween bunting made from stamps! So simple with a few materials and so effective too! Craft link in bio.
9 months ago
One week until Halloween… we can’t wait to make our traditional Brown Butter Maple Pecan Popcorn! Link in bio.
9 months ago
Make your own super-sized spiderwebs!!! Just paper & scissors. Decorations, games, and fun to follow! Spin the spider on the spiderweb even. Link in bio to make this amazingness!
9 months ago
Sustainable halloween costumes – dressing up capsule tips! See our archive post, link in bio. We love this one!
9 months ago
Two autumn bakes to warm up the soul, see our new post, link in bio.
9 months ago
Slow Sunday = simple and relaxing leaf rubbings. All you need are some leaves (very newly picked or pressed ones), think copy paper, and a writing tool. Make tjem@into cards to send to loved ones. ️ Link in bio for full post.
9 months ago
The best way to avoid pre-bought Halloween costumes that aren’t environmentally friendly… make your own! But finding the time is another thing. So why don’t you make superhero leaf masks this year. Go for a walk. Collect leaves. Press them this weekend, and then decorate them in a week or so. What a great way to embrace Autumn and have fun! Totally free too. Your superpower, a creative & cool solution! 🦸‍️ 🦸‍️ 🦸‍️🦸‍️🦸‍️ Link in bio from @soloskates lovely post a few years ago!
9 months ago
Pretty sure pumpkin season is in full effect. Try our Pumpkin Laksa, yum!
10 months ago
Do you know our gorgeous #babyccinoboutiques ? This one, MookieMerino offers a premium and luxurious baby sleep bag made of pure organic merino wool. @mookiemerino is award-winning sleeping bag is perfect for all four seasons, lightweight, safe, extremely soft on the skin and unisex.
10 months ago
Like a cross between a donut and a pancake. What's not to love?! Here's the recipe that has been in our family for generations.
2 weeks ago
Decorating children’s bedrooms is an opportunity to be more playful and fun with accessories, colours and decor. Here are 10 tips for decorating a room that reflects your child and looks cute too. 💛
3 weeks ago
Multiplication flowers! Get your kids to draw these pretty flowers and they will learn their math at the same time! A great creative activity.
3 weeks ago
Children’s art is so cute, and of course it’s so unique. No one else will have an art piece like yours! Why not use it to make your home a reflection of the people who live there. Here are some fun ways to display your children’s art in your home.
3 weeks ago
This is a fun and easy knitting project for kids. My mum taught this to me and my siblings and we used to knit our own slippers each winter. It’s a great project for beginner knitters, and easily adjustable for different sizes of feet.
3 weeks ago
If your teens are anything like mine, you’ll find their reluctance to doing chores has grown and their attentiveness to doing things well has deteriorated. Here are some helpful tips to encouraging your tweens & teens to help out around the house.
3 weeks ago
Ask any busy mother who works from home — it certainly isn’t as easy as it sounds! Whether working from home is your norm or your new normal, here are some helpful tips for making the most of it whilst juggling family demands on the side.
3 weeks ago
Do you feel like your children’s stuff is taking over your home? Do your kids have too many toys? Here are some helpful tips for reducing the clutter.
3 weeks ago
Tried and tested family games your kids will love!
3 months ago
Use an egg carton to create a rainbow scavenger hunt for your toddler. All they have to do is find an object of the right colour!
3 months ago
Here’s a video of our latest ShopUp in East London (shot and edited by our lovely and talented friend Nadine Brandt). It encapsulates the ShopUp atmosphere really, really well, and it makes us so excited for the next one!
4 years ago
Our beautiful new book, '9 months: A month by month guide to pregnancy' for the family to share, is AVAILABLE NOW! You can order it here: UK: http://amzn.to/2n6eCT7 / US: http://amzn.to/2nVWOZo / AUS: http://bit.ly/2nDYggy
5 years ago
Check out our new book! 9 months: A month by month guide to pregnancy for the family to share. PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY HERE: UK: http://amzn.to/2n6eCT7 / US: http://amzn.to/2nVWOZo / AUS: http://bit.ly/2nDYggy
5 years ago
Check out the cool vibes of our Shop Up event in London in December!
5 years ago
Our 2nd live shopping event in Brooklyn was amazing! Great shopping, delicious treats, tons of kids activities and a super cool family photo booth!
5 years ago
Esther shows us her recipe for delicious mint syrup.
5 years ago
Our live shopping event in London at Chelsea Old Town Hall in 2015 was a big success and so much fun.
5 years ago
Here we show you how to harvest rhubarb from the garden, and make it into a delicious compote. If you make oatmeal at the same time, you have made a delicious and nutritious breakfast that your family will love! (Ours do!)
6 years ago
This gym bag is such a fun and easy project, also for beginners this is a nice sewing project. Esther, Emilie and the kids had so much fun going to the market choosing all the supplies. The fabrics from Little Cube are the cutest!
6 years ago
Our first live shopping event in Brooklyn was a great success. We loved seeing the best boutiques under one roof, combined with great food and fun activities...and some dancing! Hope to see everyone this year again on September 18th & 19th at 501 Union, 501 Union Street in Brooklyn.
6 years ago