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22 Aug '14

Board Books by Alain Gree

Posted by Annie Messing in Brimful Favorites

I was first introduced to the work of French author and illustrator Alain Gree while wandering through the gift shop at London's Tate Modern last summer. His illustrations popped out to me in such an attractive manner, I immediately scooped up the available titles and purchased them as gifts for my older school age children. We've loved looking at them together - the pages are just so whimsical!

Several months ago, I found out Gree's work was being published in a new board book format, and I immediately put them on our wish list for Brimful's book collection! These books are still hard to find here in the US, so I am thrilled we've been able to bring them over from Europe for you.

You can now purchase three Alain Gree titles in our shop: "My first book of Nature", "My first book of Sounds" and "My first book of Animals". The board books are wipe-friendly with vibrant pictures and large, bold text, so perfect for little hands and eyes. I'm a little crazy about children's books, as you've probably noticed from Instagram, so you can imagine how excited I am about adding these products to Brimful. Doing a little happy dance here on the other side of the screen! (wink)

If it interests you, you can read more about Alain Gree here.

xoxo,
Annie

13 Aug '14

Blueberry Buttermilk Tart

Posted by Kari Spikkeland in Recipes

Earlier this week, the kids and I tackled our blueberry patch in the back garden. My goodness, those six blueberry bushes went all out this year producing a bounty of berries!

With the freezer full and our dehydrator humming merrily in the garage, we decided celebrate summer by making a tart with the remaining berries.

I'm not a regular pie/tart baker, so I was pleasantly surprised when our dedicated work (I resisted the urge to use a store bought crust) produced the perfect summer dessert. Fantastic!

xoxo,
Kari

01 Aug '14

The Charm of a Baby Journal

Posted by Annie Messing in Brimful Favorites

As much as I love the ease of preserving precious mothering moments/children's cute antics online via social media and digital photo albums - there's something truly delightful about keeping a paper baby journal.

Writing memories down takes a little more time and thought, but over the years, looking back on a journal filled with recorded moments/quotes, and printed photos is a real treasure. Grandparents love to look through it...and as your baby gets older, even they will enjoy reading through it with you!

The baby journal we offer at Brimful is labeled with sections like "the world around you" and "your favorite things". It does not tell you what to write, but rather serves as an inspiration for a highly individualized journey. I also love that it's baby-proofed with a clear, soft plastic cover to protect against grease and water. Designed, printed and assembled in Germany, we are one of the few shops that offer it here in the Unites States.

If you are looking for a meaningful, modern gift to give to a new parent, we think the baby journal is just the thing.

xoxo,
Annie

26 Jul '14

Six Fun Summer Activities for Kids

Posted by Kari Spikkeland

My children have roughly 6 weeks left of summer. Last week we finally reached the tipping point where they began to thrive in our unstructured days. And, they actually started sleeping in.

We've had a good routine of swimming, biking, sprinkler fun, sidewalk chalk (oh the mess!), reading, and free play going on from week to week. But I still have a few more summer activities up my sleeve:

1. Back Yard Camping - I can hear the squeals of glee even as I type.

2. Blueberry picking. Our bushes are heavy with ripe berries.

3. Kitchen experiment involving a microwave and a bar of soap. I rarely suggest such messy activities!

4. A water-blob, in the back yard. Can you imagine adding a little soap from the above activity?? (wink)

5. Picnic with friends. I hope you are already enjoying meals with friends this summer!

6. Popsicle stick crafts. We'll also attempt to create a bridge.

If you have babies and toddlers in the house, here are two fun activities you can do with them during these long days of summer.

Playing with Blocks
Different Ways to Use a Playsilk

Have any fun summer activities planned? Inspire us on Instagram or Facebook by tagging us with your pic!

xoxo,
Kari

19 Jul '14

Prepping Kids for a Cross-Country Move

Posted by Annie Messing

Making a big move spanning several thousand miles is not easy.

The goodbyes to people, places, and things that have been familiar and dear, no matter how many times I've done it, hurts!

And yet, I would not trade the life my family and I have in the military. We are such a strong family unit, have seen so many interesting things together, and have learned to rely on each other when those hard goodbyes become necessary.

Today, I've got a few tips for prepping kids for a cross-country move....to make that hard transition just a little easier!

Tip #1: Start talking early about the move. For our upcoming move, I first broached the subject with my children at the beginning of last school year. So as each holiday and season passed, we talked about it being the last one in our current home. I think that helped them adjust to the idea and not feel rushed as they processed the upcoming changes.

Tip #2: Read books about moving. One of my favorites is the classic Berenstain Bears' book, "Moving Day". I bought this for the kids when we moved four years ago and it's been helpful this time around too. It addresses a lot of the classic questions and fears that little children may think and ask when they leave one home and move into another.

Tip #3: Include your kids in the house hunting process. As we've house hunted for a new home, I've included my older two by showing them photos of the listings and asked them what things they'd like in a new house. It's quite heartwarming to hear the things they get really excited about - like having stairs!

Tip #4: Let your kids be sad when they need to be. No matter how much preparation you do, there most likely will be a few tears shed. It hurts my heart to see them cry as they think about saying goodbye to friends, but I think it's very important to acknowledge this grieving process and be patient as it rolls through.

Tip #5: Pack special treats and toys for the trip to the new location. As we drive the approx. 2000 miles to our new location, I've been gathering a bag of new and dear things for the kids to enjoy along the way:

1) Books (as mentioned above)
2) Stuffed animals (my son adores his Mojo Monkey and insists it cannot be packed!)
3) Usborne Sticker books (I use these on all our trips...they are amazing.)
4) Small toys that are easily containable (buy a few to unwrap each day of the trip.)
5) Audio books (this is a great way to pass the time when the landscape outside is less-than-spectacular.)
6) Schleich horses (We have several and it never fails to impress me how versatile they are for all ages!)

This is what's worked for me in the past and how I'll be preparing again in just a little bit!

xoxo,
Annie

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