Earlier this week, The Talking Walnut reviewed the BabyZoo Sleep Trainer and knew we were on to something! Since our last post, another ingenious teaching device designed to keep kids in their beds past an ungodly hour has crossed our path…and this one offers a personal touch. The Zazoo Photo Clock features a variety of telltale images that you and your child can choose to distinguish daytime from nighttime. The choices range from basic sun and moon for preschoolers, to more entertaining options for older kids like robots and dinosaurs awake and asleep . Once you’ve selected your favorite day/night pairing and set your clock to the correct time, you’re good to go (to sleep, that is). At a simple glance, even the sleepiest of [&hellip
The Accessorized Walnut Archive
Nearly every Monday morning, my day begins with a pop. Opening up a new container of O.J. for my family’s breakfast involves fussing with that pesky juice tab–and some careful manipulation. If I don’t watch out, I’m liable to splash juice all over the kitchen counter, not to mention me! What exactly are these pull tabs good for, anyway? I finally got my answer when I saw the new Juice Tab Jewelry line from ALEX at Toy Fair earlier this month. These otherwise impractical do-dads have been fashioned into the latest crafting accessory for girls ages 6+. You’ll recognize the telltale tween icons in the button holes–from peace signs and hearts, to flowers and stars–and they couldn’t be any easier to put together. Just pull [&hellip
When my older daughter was born, I received a gift of seven bibs, each one embroidered with a different day of the week. An adorable concept…if only the bibs hadn’t been white. Once she grew and moved on to solid foods, it wasn’t long before those beautiful bibs were permanently stained with mashed peas and peach puree. The “Friday” bib looked more like “Fdy,” while “Sunday” became just plain old “day.” (Easy for a sleep-deprived mom to figure out which bib to wear, but somehow I don’t think that was the point…) That’s why we can appreciate the Day-of-the-Week Bib Set from Petites Frites, a collection that is as pleasing to the eye as it is to the touch. Made from an ultra-soft, two-ply cotton [&hellip
It’s an ugly day out there, in more ways than one. You know the kind of day we’re talking about: the one where you wake up and it’s so dark outside, you’re convinced your alarm clock is mistaken. You open the curtains to discover it’s raining cats and dogs, and you still must make it to the bus stop. Yeah, we know the feeling. That’s why we can’t help but smile at the little things that make our day: a hug from a child, a hot cup of tea and a unique umbrella that will turn any frown upside down. We recently raved about the latest Uglydoll, even going so far as to dub him Man of the Year, and now we’re tipping our hats [&hellip
What kid doesn’t love music? Even from an early age, young children benefit from its calming effects and as they grow, they learn about the powerful influence of rhythm, melody and harmony on the sounds they make. My girls are fortunate enough to be exposed to music both in the classroom and at home, but everyone is not so lucky. Because of massive cuts in education budgets across the country, often the first thing to disappear from curriculum is the arts. If you’re one who can’t live without your iPod, imagine the thousands of children who may not be able to experience the timbre of timpani or the harmony produced by dueling harmonicas. Because no child should be deprived of such sounds, we feel the [&hellip
What’s your New Year’s resolution? Like most moms, I’m debating between less snacking and more sleep. Guess which one inevitably wins outs? I never realized how crucial good sleep was until I had kids. I can’t blame my lack of shut-eye on 3 a.m. feedings anymore, and I haven’t quite gotten to the one-eye open until a car pulls into the driveway (the teen years are still a decade away). No, I’m more inclined to lay awake and listen to a lone cough echoing from one bedroom and the rumblings of a bad dream from another. Maybe my craving for more zzzz’s is why I invest so much in comfy PJs for both myself and my kids. If you’re thinking of an innovative gift for [&hellip
Ah, the wonderful scents of the season are upon us! The gingerbread cookies baking in the oven, the freshly cut Christmas tree’s boughs of pine…and that god-awful smell coming from the guest bathroom (just kidding). If your home is about to be descended upon by a barrage of family and friends this holiday season, you’ll want to freshen up the facilities with a festive scent. Poo~Pourri Santa bathroom freshener is an amusing and surprisingly effective way to keep your powder room smelling more like powder than anything else. A pleasing combination of citrus and evergreen, this spray puts the kibosh any unpleasant odors with a simple spritz. If you’ll be Christmasing at someone else’s home this year, consider the Santa Poo~Pourri Toilet Paper Giftset as [&hellip
Baby, it’s cold outside…In the next couple of weeks, we’ll be taking in the sights and sounds of the season–and that means dressing for the weather. A huge fan of layers, I always seem to outfit my kids as though they are headed to the tundra instead of suburbia. But regardless of whether you’ll be strolling city streets or hiking through the hills, if you’ve got a little one in tow, that extra layer of warmth will come in handy. This winter, we’ve got our eye on Maclaren’s buggy blankets. These ultra plush, generously sized throws are a love letter to the cityscapes in which they are detailed. From London to Sydney, New York to Paris, each reversible blanket features a detailed map of four [&hellip
The 7-year-old me would be so psyched at just how cool stickers have become. Forget about waiting until you’re a kid to start your collection; if you’ve got a super-hip mom, you can begin your love affair with stickers in utero. Earlier this summer, The Talking Walnut reported on Sticky Bellies, a line of adhesives that moms-to-be can affix to their growing bellies–a clever way of answering the never-ending “when are you due?” line of questioning from strangers everywhere. Now, we’ve just come across another company offering a similar product: Belly Banter from SlickSugar. In addition to a line of pregnancy decals featuring witty sayings like “running out of womb” and “I love pickles,” there’s an assortment designed for new babies’ onesies. Remember propping up [&hellip
The results are in: when a national marketing research firm recently polled a number of kids as to what they’d like to be for Halloween this year, the top choices were princess, witch and superhero. Oddly enough, Wall St. powerhouse didn’t make the list. Have our kids been taking sneak peeks at our downloads of “The Daily Show” or glancing at the Post and Daily News headlines? In more ways than one, I too long for the good ol’ days of Halloween, spent trick-or-treating from house to house, rather than in the shopping mall. I miss being able to recognize and greet the motley crew of characters that paraded down the dark streets, instead of seeing the same Harry Potter and Lady Gaga get-ups outside [&hellip