CohabiTOT – living stylishly with children

It’s true; I love elementary school students! I love that with out any hesisation  they put on their imaginary hats and jumped right into this project. 

See I feel lucky, I have a chance to teach art to some very spunky kids! The class is Eco-Art; and no it’s not about making loud noises (as my 5 year old thought) It’s about creating amazing things out of ordinary stuff. Sure I love creating spaces with adults, but this is different. They are true inventors, with an anything is possible attitude. And I must say for 45 minutes  it was nice to not have to deal with the reality of budgets, and time-lines.

I love all the creations, and can’t wait to see what this  weeks brings! If you are  in Montclair area, can you PLEASE save me some bottle caps! I have some good ideas in store.

Maybe you think my blog is about ALWAYS being stylish, together and ultra ogranized. But those who know me well, know I certainly let my kids and their friends create a mess!  There is no fear of Play-Doh, paint or markers in this house. Yes, I do keep my eyes on the situation and try not to let it get too out of control. 

But today was different–I let my guard down! I turned my head for 2 minutes and I found out what a 2 year old will do when left alone!

No real harm done; she was strapped in her booster and I cleaned her up pretty quickly (horray for washable markers!) . Maybe a little independence is ok? Afterall, she was really proud!

Happy New Year! January for me is always about new beginnings. That’s why I am introducing the CohabiTOT Co-op –a fun approach to getting your house organized!

How did this idea come about? Well here’s the story:

Everytime I went to the third floor of my house, I got a pit in my stomach. The piles and piles of clothes my 3 children under 5 outgrew was getting bigger  and bigger by the second! And yes,  I had the bad habit of cleaning out drawers and throwing it up there to organize some day!

Well some day finally happened! And you know your asking when did I find the extra couple hours? Well I didn’t really; I just found motivation and help from a good friend. She came over with coffee and sconces. ( Fyi–the sconces were  parbaked from Fresh Direct and delicious!) It didn’t seem like a chore when she helped me. Yes we did get a little set back from when my twins emptied out the bags we sorted. But hey they were entertained and the job did get done.  We had shared clothes between our kids (6 total!) so the clothes had some pretty good abuse! We packed those for Vietman Vets and even booked the pick-up the date. I  packed another box for an expectant mom of  twin girls. And yet another box for box for a new mom of a baby girl.  I can see the floor upstairs again priceless!

So where am I going with this story? Ok, there are personal trainers, blogs about cooking with friends, life coaches. But as far as I know there isn’t anything set up for  getting through the home projects. Ok sure there are personal organizers.  But I am putting a different spin on it and I am here to help:

Tell me what your project has been on your to do list and I will buddy you up!  Examples:  The bookcase you bought at the yard sales 3 years ago that you never painted or fixed up!  Sorting throught the toys that have multiplied and your kids have outgrown! The room you want to paint yourself because you don’t have the budget to hire a professional.  The piles of your child’s artwork that need to be sorted, framed or photographed.

Isn’t it always easier to have s friend and even better the impartial eye to help you through these things! Just email me @ nancybreslin@aol.com and maybe I can find you another mom ( or dad) to work with you! Maybe one watches all the kids or  you whip through the project out while the kids are at school.

The best part is I will be your project leader, checking in with you on your progress. If you get stuck on choosing a  paint color; need help selecting the perfect storage container; or don’t where to donate all those zhu zhu pets; I am here to help.

So here’s hoping 2011 get’s off to a productive beginning so you have more time to enjoy the good things and wonderful people in  your life!

Photo courtesy of Helena Soderberg

I will admit I am a sappy Mom who is a sucker for any home-made gift from my child. My heart also melts when my son wants  to make gifts for other family members.  This holiday season we are going to try to make home-made gift  to go along with store bought gifts.

We tried out one idea this past weekend for his Aunt’s bridal shower! We took our cue from from Todd Oldham’s  book -Kid Made Modern. My son and I are loving reading this book; the projects are fantastic.   And I was especially  happy when he wanted to do the  spoon project; it seemed ideal for a whole themey bridal gift. 

The painting went smoothly and kept him occupied for  an hour.  As soon as it was dry I  eagerly  took his  finished wooden spoon to William Sonoma and they lovingly wrapped it to the top of the   shower gift. And I must admit the sales person did the appopriate amount of fawning over this cute gift idea.  I turned the above picture of him and his sisters into a card and wrote the admittingly sappy note – “Marriage is best when  you mix it up”

 I think the gift was a huge sucess; and I am having so much fun with this idea.  I am hoping my son can make a dozen more so then I can pair them with some of those yummy bread mixes from William Sonoma! And if that doesn’t work out –I guess we  will strike up the band.

For most moms, party favors have become a burden. We feel it’s unnecessary but mandatory.  And we don’t want to fill someone else’s house/landfill with more plastic junk. So we try to come up with something creative, not too expensive , that the kids will love.

Truth is kids love receiving them and they expect them.  And yes I have been horrified when my son expresses his discontent with the favor; afterall it really shouldn’t be mandatory!

Here’s one idea that I came up with for my twins 2nd birthday party–Hand Puppets. The kids loved them and trust me they were super easy to make! I ordered the puppet kit and some additional pom-poms from discount school supply. Then I got out my  hot glue gun and  I made VERY simplified  Sesame Street Puppets. (Fyi– Grover and Elmo are super easy to make!)

Look at the faces above–the boy is playing with Grover! All the favors cost me $15.00 and no more than 2 hours of my time. To me that was happiness!

As you may know, I love planning parties! For me it’s a wonderful creative outlet, and yes I do get obsessive about the details. And for better or worse, I think my son has inherited this trait.  To catch you up to speed (if you don’t know) my son is obsessed with building and tools. His love of Home Depot and all things related started when he he was about 2 1/2 and has only gone stronger. F or his 4th, I planned a building party that was a huge hit even among his not so obsessed tool loving friends.

So along came the preparations for his 5th and he wanted the exact same party! Well everyone (except 4 year olds) knows  you can’t do the same party twice! So what to do you?  Well this mom, suggested a lot of ideas for building. Everything from building castles to race car were discussed. And then my son said emphatically, ” It’s my birthday, I just want to build, eat cake and go home”

I took his words seriously and  relied on the basic fact that kids have GREAT imaginations. So I gathered tons and tons of  cardboxes, cardboard tubes and stickers. And  decided we would build skyscrapers. So unlike last year,I didn’t prep much and  just brough the boxes to the “job site” . The kids (and the parents were truly amazing); they stacked and stack ed and made tall buildings, added windows,cardboard pipes and lots and lots of paint! In the background there also was a city-scape  mural to paint.

My son took it seriously and made my brother-in-law oversee the plans! His friends took it more with a grain a salt and just had fun! In the end, I think it was another successful birthday! Already planning next year; my son insists that we make elevators for the buildings. So as parents, we are wondering if this is   a case of nature or nurture?   If nurture, is the answer I may have to tone down the construction talk !