Yes, it would be great if everytime I needed to send out a thank you note or write a quick hello to someone I could stop at The Papery and browse for an hour among the beautiful, beautiful papergoods. But that just isn’t likely to happen.
Errands with kids aren’t as fun as they should be. Especially errands to stores with small spaces and delicate inventory. So I always have my eyes open for pretty things at stores that I don’t have a choice but to frequent — grocery stores, pharmacies, etc.
Well, you can imagine my delight when I spotted good-looking stationery at Party City of all places. (I was picking up pink party supplies.) Thank you, Party City for making my life easier by letting me multi-task more gracefully.
My all-time favorite picture book is Ox-Cart Man. Lovely at anytime of day, anytime of year, it’s especially wonderful at bedtime because reading it seems to slow your heart rate. It marks the seasons with such a sense of purpose that you’ll wonder why you haven’t abandoned your urban/suburban life already and bought a farm.
I highly recommend it and I’m not the only one — it’s a Caldecott winner.
I love this set of freshwater pearl bracelets. Besides being beautiful and neutral enough to work with many outfits, I love that they’re relatively inexpensive as far as jewelry goes ($38 for set of 6). I also love that they’re elastic, so it’s easy off/easy on when you only have 1 hand available.
Cheap and elastic is also a great combo when you need emergency entertainment for your baby/toddler — and is there any chance that you won’t have to use your jewelry as entertainment at some point?
From the museum shop of the Art Institute of Chicago.
I had better luck finding two-pocket folders on my second foray. I went to a different Staples location and it was like a whole new world. Notebound makes some very cute designs that are perfect for kids. Staples only carries part of the full line, but you can see the whole thing on the Notebound site. I think some of their composition notebooks are adorable — a nice variation on the traditional marbled.
Maude will be using the polka dot folders this year.
The ideal first day of school outfit for Ralph who enters 3rd grade. Ralph calls this kind of outfit “jumpy” because it makes him feel like doing cool jumps (think extreme sports).
Pants by Gap.
T-shirt by Children’s Place.
Button down (worn unbuttoned over tee) by Children’s Place.
Socks by Hanes.
Shoes by Converse.
Crewcuts is here. J Crew for kids. Very nice.
The Westchester Mall has a store, but I haven’t checked it out in person yet. Back to school is the perfect excuse.
I was at Staples this morning with my 3 school lists. I managed to find everything easily — except 2-pocket folders. Ralph needs 7, Maude needs 3 and I all could find was basic black and navy in flimsy paper. Not good enough. I want good looking, and I want vinyl/poly or at least laminated paper.
The hunt is on.
Found this list of the top 100 travel wonders of the world.
I like lists like these. They make for good conversations. For example, pictured is Santorini and just seeing it on the list (at spot #81) reminds me of stories I should share with my kids. This list also reminds me of my friend Mark who has a goal to visit all 50 states by the time he’s 50. Although I don’t have any goals like that myself, I get a kick out of the thought that other people do.
FYI: I’ve only seen 12 on the list, and all 12 were worth the visit.
For our Monday night family activity, we busted out the gigantic bubble kit Ralph received for his birthday from Aunt Liz and Uncle Jared. This was good-fun for all the kids — Mom and Dad too. The older 3 could work the bubble wand. Oscar chased the bubbles, and Betty was content to watch as usual.
One of the cool things about these giant bubbles is that they work best when it’s really hot and humid or about to rain. Which means now I have a reason to look forward to those really awful dog days of August.
Get your own kit here. The book is funny and recommends a very specific recipe for successful “bubble sauce.”
