UrbanBaby Buzz

Neither kids nor parents in the States are very familiar with Princess Lillifee, but with the Lilliee movie on Netflix Streaming, that might change. Princess Lillifee was originally a stuffed doll created by Monika Finsterbusch, a German designer who turned her hand to toy-making in 1999. Her best-known doll, Lillifee, turned out to be so popular that there came to be a series of books about her. And then, in 2009, this full-length animated feature film.

Lillifee lives in Pinkovia, a happy land of pink skies and talking animals, with her pet pig Pupsi always at her side. But then a group of unhappy fairies invade her land, and began spreading strife and dischord wherever they go. It takes all of Lillibee’s patience and love (plus a whole lot of courage), to show those fairies that it’s way more fun to be happy.

Lillifee was originally in German; on Netflix it’s dubbed into English, but you will notice that Lillifee and most of her friends have accents. No matter. The animation and plotline will put you in mind of Angelina Ballerina, but Lillifee is blessedly free of that show’s whining mice. Instead, this is a gentle, easygoing little princess fable with a good message and no violence, good for kids aged 3-10.

Princess Lilliee is available on DVD and on Netflix Streaming.

Although apples usually come to mind in September, this year, it’s all about the peach – James and the Giant Peach . Roald Dahl’s beloved classic is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this month and classrooms, libraries, and bookstores across the country will be reading the exceptional tale to celebrate.

It’s the story of poor James Henry Trotter who loses both his parents in a hideous rhinoceros accident and is forced to live with two horrible aunts. But as most unforgettable adventures go, one magical day everything changes and a remarkable journey begins. This is a great selection for families to read-aloud together this fall.

“”Whoever they meet first, be it bug, insect, animal, or tree, that will be the one who gets the full power of their magic! So hold the bag tight! Don’t tear the paper! Off you go! Hurry up! Don’t wait! Now’s the time! Hurry!”

More Things Peach:

* Visit Penguin Young Readers Group and Puffin UK in a worldwide “Follow That Peach” campaign. Send a personalized virtual Peach-gram to a friend and then follow their peach as it travels from friend to friend around the world. The goal is for each peach to reach fifty people in honor of the fifty years James has been entertaining young readers.

* “Peachstakes” Win a trip for two to London!

* Brand new reissue illustrated by Lane Smith

* James and the Giant Peach the film

People who sew quickly learn the vibe given off by each brand of patterns: Daisy Kingdom patterns make the kind of giant rustling gowns you see at toddler pageants, Oliver + S is perfect for small-boned budding socialites who don’t expect to be comfortable in their clothes. Aptly named ModKid patterns are perfect for urban, modern little ones whose parents want both comfort and cool city style in their clothing.

Designed by textile maven Patty Young (who uses her own two daughters as models on the pattern sleeves), ModKid patterns are extremely simple to put together, yet yield gorgeous, stylish clothing. As Young’s daughters grow, too, the sizing grows: ModKids first patterns stopped at size 7, now there’s even a tween version of ModKid’s most popular pattern, the kimono-inspired Kyoko.

If Mom gets into the ModKid swing of things, there are a few mom-sized patterns available too. Oh, and doll-sized patterns of many of the styles, for those who like to make matching dresses for baby dolls.

ModKid Patterns, $13 each

Highlights from the boards for the week of Sept 8th – Sept 14th:

Want to Quit Working but I’m a Role Model… (14 Replies)
I just got the green light from DH to quit my job. I have one of the best position any woman in my Company in the last 10 years has achieved. I suddenly feel guilty about the junior women behind me…they tell me all the time I am a role model. I am now confused. My kids are in elementary school this has nothing to do with being a SAHM because they are in school 8-3 everyday.

Halloween Disadvantage… (19 Replies)
Is my 2.5 yo at a disadvantage because we haven’t introduced tv/videos yet? I was looking at a catalogue of Halloween costumes today and realizing that he doesn’t know what a cowboy is. Or a shark. Or a gnome, fairy, knight, etc. Or is that typical of the age?

DD Controlling Her Weight by Throwing Food Away… (45 Replies)
DD, age 12, became focused within the past year on controlling her weight. She’s always been slightly heavy, so this is a good thing, and she is at a great weight now. Her primary approach is portion control. When going to a restaurant, she’s started to cut whatever is served in half and eat only half. I think this is fine once in a while, but I do find it wasteful to get an appetizer and entree, or soup and sandwich, and purposefully discard half. I told her she could split a sandwich with me or her sister, or skip an appetizer, or save the other half to eat at home for another meal, but I don’t want her routinely wasting food. DH got very upset, says we can afford it, and he doesn’t agree. I say it’s socially irresponsible to purposefully waste food, regardless of what you can afford.

Should I Tell Kids Grandpa is Very Ill?… (13 Replies)
I have 2 young elementary school kids who’s grand father is very ill and they have no idea. When should I tell them? should they go to the funeral? They have never been around death and I’m not sure how to deal.

Convince My DW to See Therapist for Anger Management… (7 Replies)
DH here. How do you convince your wife to seek out anger management or at least see a therapist if she does not believe in such things and rather wants everybody around her (me and the kids) to suck it up instead (because “that’s who she is”)? Do I have to threaten with separation and give her an ultimatum and see what happens (oh, and I already know what will happen: she will not give in and run away first)? Stick it out until the kids move out so that I can deal with this without the need to think about what’s going to happen with the children?

Miscellany

Kids Menu Causes Generation of Picky Eaters (65 Replies)

Does She Have Sensory Issues (21 Replies)

18 Month Old to Preschool for My Sanity (10 Replies)

Any art student knows that the best way to learn about a painting is to try and replicate it. Only then will you appreciate the unique brush strokes, the colors, the shapes and how they fit together.

Kidzaw’s Master Kitz are kind of like paint-by-numbers sets for three masterworks: Gustav Klimt’s Tree of Life, Vincent Van Gogh’s The Starry Night, and Claude Monet’s Waterlilies. Each kit comes with a specially designed stencil that allows kids to paint in the work’s main shapes with the included properly-colored paints. But rather than using a brush, you use special tools to help mimic each artist’s style. For Van Gogh, it’s a textured roller, meant to slap paint on in bold, thick strokes; for the Monet kit it’s creamy pastels and a blending tool to soften the edges into a watercolor-like wash.

Also with each kit: a color brochure that explains the artwork, what it meant, why it was painted, how the artist did what he did. And then you get a sheet of stickers in the artist’s style, just for fun. Mom will probably covet those.

Master Kitz, $30

Oh, traditional alphabet blocks. Wooden. Letters. Pictures. I can stack them and make words, ho hum, this sure is boring. Yawn.

But wait! These aren’t traditional alphabet blocks! This set of 20 wooden blocks has the entire periodic table on its sides, painted brightly with each symbol and atomic number. Now, instead of having a kid who spells “cat,” you can have a kid who lines up californium, krypton and argon by atomic weight. Just don’t blame us when the kid becomes a nuclear scientist.

Periodic table building blocks, $40

This time of year the slight hint of fall in the air might easily be missed if it weren’t for the halloween candy in the grocery stores and costumes in catalogs. There are more natural ways of noticing the passage of seasonal time and we love watching Amanda Blake Soule and her family show us how they do it in Maine.

Last year, we were inspired to encourage imagination at home reading her book The Creative Family. Her latest book is The Rhythm of Family: Discovering a Sense of Wonder through the Seasons written with her husband Stephen Soule. They chronicled a year in their lives with reflective essays, family insights, projects, activities, recipes, and book recommendations that follow the rhythm of the seasons. Along with their five children, they find that spending time in nature creates deep family bonds, promotes personal strength, and helps slow down the hectic pace of modern life.

“A year around the sun becomes a spin of the earth on which a whole family rides.” Amanda Blake Soule

Available at Amazon.com and Independent Booksellers

There are all sorts of situations where it’s useful to have an extra pair of shoes ready for the kids. They step into puddles. They forget their boots in the rain. Not all dog owners clean up their messes. But who wants to lug a heavy old pair of shoes in their already-overstuffed bag?

Footzyrolls are basically glorified slippers with the innovation of a street-safe sole, and can roll up into a teensy, tiny light little package that’s easy enough to throw into your giant mama bag. Then when the Great Deluge or Horrible Accident happens, you’re ready to go. Being glorified slippers (that don’t look like slippers, so no one will give you the hairy eyeball), Footzyrolls also last awhile: The smallest size will work from a toddler size 12 to 13, the largest goes from 3.5 to 4.5.

Footzyrolls, $30

Highlights from the boards for the week of Sept 1st – Sept 7th:

Granny Mom Trend… (42 Replies)
I really don’t get the Granny Mom trend. For those who choose it, do you really not want to know your grandchildren? You also find having a toddler more exhausting when you are in your 40s than you would if you were in your 20s-30s. I’m not saying you should be a super young mom either.

Worried About My Ditzy Daughter… (12 Replies)
My daughter is a ditz. I am seriously worried about her and so is DH. Has anyone had an experience with this, do they get smarter? Somehow she tested well but we are still very worried.

Can I Get My Wife Back After Kids?… (6 Replies)
I don’t want to complain about my wife, but before we had children, she was very literary, had interesting friends and was generally very interesting in conversation. Now, she just reads the Daily Mail, talks about reality TV and complains about how tired she is all the time. What can I do to get her back to normal?

WOHM Sacrifices… (22 Replies)
WOHM What do you do to have work/life balance? What have you given up (from either side) and what are you unwilling to give up?

Miscellany

Hate How ILs are Always Hounding Us About Going to Visit (31 Replies)

What’s the Longest You’d Commute for Perfect Job? (6 Replies)

Anyone Do Acupuncture with IVF? (13 Replies)

Did the furor over JC Penney’s sexist T-shirts get you feeling a little down over the current state of feminism? Find an anecdote in shirts that affirm girls’ power, rather than turning them into pretty little objects.

Little Lefties’ bailiwick is kid’s clothing with environmental and political messages; moms reeling from a world of toddler thongs may enjoy their selection of equality themed clothing. Some Leaders Are Born Women? Future President? Or the says-it-all-with-one-image classic yin-yang?

SATees, a line of clothing with “big words for little kids” takes a brainy approach. Perhaps your young daughter would like to be labeled Indefatigable? Gregarious? Or our favorite, Erudite.