I am on a mission to lessen our use of plastic. Especially for the children. And especially for things that end up in their mouths (which is most things they come into contact with). It’s a health thing for me, but there are of course environmental aspects as well.

I’m not going crazy with this but I am trying to make some changes:

GLASS BABY BOTTLES

I started with the most obvious: baby bottles. We’ve switched to Life Factory glass bottles.

I love these bottles. They make me so happy. They have lovely, sunny, cheerful colors in every shade of the rainbow. They’re easy to care for – you just wash them in the dishwasher. And they are solid and sturdy – they stand up to drops on the floor (thanks to the silicone sleeve) and they can take extreme temperature changes (as you might have when cooling a bottle of almost boiling formula for a baby). There are sippy cup tops for these bottles as well, so I’ll be using them as a sippy cup for Louis when he’s ready.

On the downside, they are significantly heavier than plastic bottles. I think it will be longer before Louis can hold his own bottle, but it’s no problem for Alec to hold these (although they really are heavy when full, even though the largest size is much smaller than the large plastic bottles we were previously using for Alec). So I am keeping a few plastic bottles to use for when we are out and about or traveling. I am also keeping a close eye on the nipples because I can already see marks where Alec bites them, which concerns me. I definitely think I will need to switch nipples more often than normally. However, I also believe that you can use any bottle nipple with these bottles, so we could just switch to another brand of nipples. Finally, Life Factory glass bottles are not cheap. But I think the fact that they will hold up much longer than plastic bottles will make up for this. We’ve invested in a good stash of bottles now (both small and big) and I don’t foresee us needing to buy any more baby bottles – just new nipples – ever again.

STAINLESS STEEL WATER BOTTLES

I’ve switched the whole family to Klean Kanteen stainless steel water bottles. These also come in a ton of delicious juicy colors and you can switch the cap from a regular closed cap to a sippy cap for toddlers, to a sport cap. I have a big one that I try to keep with me at home and a medium one to bring along with me when I am out and about. And Alec has a small bottle with a sippy cap. They’re lightweight, convenient to bring along, and easy to care for.

GLASS FOOD CONTAINERS

I think good BPA-free plastic containers are still the way to go for when we are out and about. But for food storage at home – in the fridge or pantry – I’m trying to use more glass and less plastic. We have some great square glass containers with lids from IKEA that I love – but they don’t sell them any more. So I am on the hunt for some new glass food storage containers (with plastic lids).

TOYS

This is a hard one, because Alec has a lot of great plastic toys that he really loves. I find it hard to make the decision to switch them all out for other materials. I do want to provide him with non-plastic alternatives to play with though. He has lovely wooden blocks, a brio train set, wooden puzzles, and some great learning toys by Plan Toys that I really like.

Louis also has a few plastic toys, but as his toys tend to find their way into his mouth, I am trying to have him play more with his natural rubber chew toys and wooden or soft rattles and other toys.

 

Is avoiding plastic something that you think about for your family too?

We recently potty-trained Little A (using the 3-day method). One of the things we found helpful was having a potty chart as a reward system for Alec.

We definitely wanted to give Little A a ton of praise and really celebrate his little potty successes along the way, but I’m not crazy about using edible treats as a reward, and we didn’t feel like we could give him a present for every single success. It would end up being too much stuff and too much of a distraction.

So I made Alec a star chart. Alec was just shy of 23 months old when we potty-trained him, but he immediately “got” the potty chart and how it worked. We decided that he would earn one gold star for each potty success, and that four gold stars would equal a present. Alec likes the number four and it felt like four stars was achievable for him.

I made the chart using a piece of cardboard I ripped off an old moving box, some leftover black flannel, colorful felt scraps, a piece of ribbon, and my trusty glue gun. It’s really important that the background is made of flannel fabric because felt doesn’t stick to felt, felt sticks to flannel.

Here’s how you make it:

• Cover the cardboard with your flannel fabric using glue gun
• Cut out shapes and decorate using ribbon if you wish
• Glue the shapes to the background
• Cut out as many star shapes as you have decided to use (I used a star-shaped cookie cutter to get the shape right)

Would you like to hear more about our potty-training experience?

This Sunday is Father’s Day in Sweden.

My boys are so lucky to have Sumit as their dad. He is a very present and involved father. He takes such pride in his role as their dad and he is so so good at it! So Father’s Day feels like an important day for us to celebrate.

If you are also celebrating Father’s Day this weekend but haven’t yet thought of a gift – here are my best last minute tips. If you are more into DIYing it – here are some ideas for you!

Click here to read about how Sumit and I built such a strong parenting partnership.

Top image: Lindisima

I’m back!

Thanks for sticking with Mini Piccolini while I took a few weeks off after the (slightly earlier than expected) arrival of the new addition to our family: Little Baby L!

Everything has gone really well. Baby L is a delight and Little A is adjusting to his new reality really really well.

So many people told us that having two children is not twice as hard as one, it’s more like three times as hard. But so far, that hasn’t been our experience at all. Granted, my mum is still here, so we have an extra pair of adult hands ready to hop in and change a diaper, hold a baby or make dinner. And my husband is still home on paternity leave for another week, so things might feel a little different going forward. But for now, I would say that life with two kids under two years old is pretty great.

This is a big week for our family – Little A is starting nursery school. My husband is with him for the first three days of schooling in – check back later today to hear about some practical prep we’ve done for his start. Next week will be a quiet one with Little A hopefully adjusting to nursery school and managing his first week being there on his own. And it will give my husband a chance to spend some time with the new baby before returning to work. And then after that we will be in a whole new routine with Little A in nursery school for most of the day, Baby L and I nursing, walking and managing the home front before picking up Alec in the afternoons, and Dad back at work.

Since nursery school at Little A’s age is mostly about play (though of course there are some learning elements to it), I’m planning to line up some fun learning activities for him to get into in the afternoons, if we’re not just hanging out at the park. I’m also keen to finish up Baby L’s nursery (which has been functioning as a little guest room for my parents since he was born). And I need to get really organized about meal planning, grocery shopping, and just managing our home life now that there are four of us. So there will be lots of fun stuff on Mini Piccolini this autumn!

Little A recently went through a bit of a picky eating phase. It gave us some insight into what a lot of our friends go through every day with their picky little toddler eaters, and we felt lucky that our Little One just hasn’t been too finicky about food so far. That doesn’t mean that he always eats everything we put in front of him, but mealtimes are generally peaceful and enjoyable moments at our table.

I believe that this is mostly down to luck. We just got lucky and happened to get a non-picky eater in Little A. I also think that some of it might be down to a few things that we happened to get right with the whole food thing.

So, just in case something might be helpful to anyone who is struggling with this (or who wants to get the best start and avoid a future struggle with food), here are my best tips for introducing foods to baby and avoiding picky eating:

• Have a food philosophy. I was told at some point that it’s the parents’ job to decide what is eaten and when. And the child has the right to decide if they are eating and, if so, how much. At times when Alec is difficult at a meal, I repeat this to myself as a mantra.

• Have realistic expectations. If you are one of those people who is happy to just have a piece of toast for lunch and a bowl of cereal for dinner, don’t expect your child to be super enthusiastic about food either… I think children form their relationship to food partly socially – by watching and being included in the way the rest of the family eats.

• Stay positive. Almost nothing is as frustrating as a toddler shaking his head and saying “no” to even trying a single bite of a meal that you have gone to great lengths to prepare specifically for him in the most nutritious, appetizing, timely and tasty manner. But getting upset about it and turning the experience into a negative one is the worst thing you can do. Just abort mission and try again (with the same food!) later.

• Expose your child to a wide variety of flavors (and consistencies) early on. I highly recommend preparing your own baby food, for this very reason. You don’t have to exclusively prepare your own food, but ready-made baby foods are limiting in variety of taste and consistency. Alec had every veggie under the sun in his first few months and often in combination with herbs and spices like mint, basil, cinnamon etc. I found the Béaba Baby Cook to be a huge help in preparing Alec’s food for the first several months. Read about it here.

• Eat together. Alec’s recent picky phase clearly coincided with my third trimester cooking-laziness phase. I would have been happy to just eat sandwiches and most of our actual cooked dinners were prepared by my husband or my mother-in-law. There was quite a lot of take-out, and Alec ate almost all his meals by himself, instead of our usual daily family dinners. Then my husband went on paternity leave and we headed to the country. There has been more time for planning and preparing meals and we are eating almost all our meals all together as a family. And suddenly, Alec’s picky phase is just a memory. He has been trying new foods daily without any hesitation and has made great strides feeding himself with a fork or spoon, exploring a wider range of consistencies and just eating really well overall. To me it is so so clear how important family meals are, and I’m glad that I’ve been so militant about them for the most part.

• Get toddlers involved. Babies and toddlers are so keen to get involved in what goes on in the kitchen and I think it’s an excellent way to keep them interested in food and cooking. There are a million ways to do this, from choosing produce together in the grocery store, to cooking and preparing food together. We use baking as sensory play several times a week (see here) and Little A has a play kitchen in our kitchen (see here). Kylie of How We Montessori has her one-year-old participate in preparing his own snacks, see here. And during the summer, I am taking advantage of our time in the country to show Alec where strawberries and other foods actually come from.

• Time meals well. Trying to get an over-tired, over-hungry baby or toddler to try something new is just super frustrating and doomed to fail. Just like with a newborn, respect your toddler’s rhythm and make sure snacks and meals are timed just 2 to 3 hours apart so your child is hungry, but not starving when you offer a meal.

• Do what works. A small child may need to taste something 6 to 12 times before really deciding that they like or dislike it. When we started Alec on solids, I just did whatever I could to get each flavor into him those 6-12 times, and I don’t think there was really any flavor that he finally dismissed after several attempts. I used apple sauce liberally. Either mixing unpopular veggies such as zucchini with apple or pear, or just putting a little apple sauce on the end of the spoon so it was the first thing Alec tasted. In the end he had had zucchini enough times to be comfortable with the flavor and consistency and the apple sauce could be left out. I still do this with new foods when necessary. Other tricks we use are to include favourite foods in new foods. Alec loves peas, so I try to include peas when I introduce a new type of food. My husband discovered that Little A was more open to tasting a new food basically directly from the stove than from his bowl sitting at the table. So he will often take a spoon of whatever we have just finished cooking (make sure it’s cool of course) and give it to Alec before we sit down. It works. Alec has only recently started eating avocado from his plate. Previously he would only eat avocado from my hand while I was preparing dinner. Fine with me. He’s rarely ruined his dinner eating avocado (and even if he did – that’s also fine with me), but it’s been the perfect way to get this nutritious food into him while buying me a little cooking time. Whatever works.

• Don’t dumb it down too much.The one thing that is sure to make our little one dismiss a meal is if it is too bland. We have all but stopped making “baby versions” of what the rest of the family is eating. Now we just leave out the salt (it can be added at the table if needed), and cut up Little A’s food, making whatever we are making as spicy and tasty for the whole family.

• Baby Sign. Even if you’re not using baby signing with your baby, consider trying just two signs when you start to introduce solids. The fact that Alec understood and responded to the “finished/done” and “more” signs from six months old and then started signing them himself (along with a bunch of other signs) at around a year, has been such a huge help to us and has reduced the frustration one might otherwise feel in connection with meals when you’re not able to communicate properly with your child.

• Consider Baby Led Weaning. I had heard about Baby Led Weaning (BLW), and been strongly recommended to try it by my friend Erline (read about her experiences here), but to be honest, I didn’t really see the point of it. Why mess around with finger food from day 1 when purés are so convenient? I’ve come around though and will probably incorporate more BLW techniques when we introduce solids to Baby #2. Besides encouraging independence and self confidence in Baby, I think it creates more of an openness to different consistencies. Alec has always been a little sensitive to consistencies – he resisted chunkier purés as a baby and has been hesitant towards anything gooey (dips, sauces, even crepes) as a toddler. I think perhaps he would be less finicky if he had learned to handle food in chunks from the start.

For more food ideas for babies, toddlers and families, visit Mini Piccolini’s Mini Veg here.

I’m Mina. I am almost 34 years old and I live in Stockholm, Sweden with my husband Sumit and our little boy Alec, who is 16 months old. We are expecting Baby #2 in August! We are an international little family. My husband was born in India and has been in Sweden since he was five years old. I am half Swedish (my mum is from East Africa but of Asian descent), and I was born here in Stockholm, but I actually grew up in Vancouver B.C. I have spent most of my adult life in Sweden, but Alec was born in Atlanta, GA, where we were spending a few months due to my husband’s work.

How does maternity leave differ in Sweden compared to the United States?

We get 480 days of of paid parental leave to be shared between the parents. Two months are reserved for the mother and father respectively, so if the father chooses not to take any leave, those two months are lost. You can take out parental leave any time until the child’s eighth birthday, and your job is protected for two years.

Among our friends, it seems like the moms usually stay home for the first 9-12 months, and then the dads take over and do the nursery school start with the child before returning to work. Most children start nursery school between 12-18 months old. There is also a good cash “equality bonus” for couples who share their leave equally.

In our case, I have been on leave since 10 days before Alec was born, and my parental leave for him will stretch into my parental leave for baby #2. When our second child is a year old, I’ll head back to work and my husband will have around six months off.

There is also quite a set-up around maternity leave:  when your child is born, you are put into a group of other families in your neighborhood with children born around the same time. There are some meets that cover topics like breastfeeding, sleep training etc. And the groups meet up on their own for walks, play dates, cafés, children’s theatre or baby-movies (where they show non-scary movies in a more well-lit movie theatre with a feeding break in the middle). When the dads take over, they usually hang out with the other dads in the group. There is also something called Open Nursery School in pretty much every neighborhood. It’s open one or several days a week, and it’s basically like preschool or mother’s morning out, but it’s free and you stay with your child.

A mother can start taking leave from 2 months before the due date (or longer if she has a physical job such as a physiotherapist or similar, in which case you get extra leave before the birth). Immediately following the birth, the father gets two daddy weeks off. Besides those first two weeks, the parents can only be on leave at the same time for the same child for one month during the child’s first year. Otherwise only one parent can take leave for one child at a time. A lot of families we know seem to use that one shared month to take a long trip around the one year mark before switching roles when the mother goes back to work. We also have friends who are really creative with their leave planning so that one parent works two days a week and the other three days a week.

At my parents’ country house in Sweden

Is maternity leave paid at full salary?

No, maternity leave isn’t paid at full salary. You get around 85% of your salary up to a certain level. So if you have a reasonably well-paying job, you will be getting probably 40-50% of your gross salary (and you still pay income tax on your parental benefits).

Many companies however top up your leave benefits. Some companies ensure you get 90-100% of your actual salary for a number of months; others give you a 2-3 month bonus upon your return to work.

We do pay high taxes (but not as high as one might think), but keep in mind that university education is not only free, you receive a subsidy every month you are a student, in addition to very advantageous student loans. School (including hot cooked lunches etc) is free, whether you attend a public or private school. Every child receives a subsidy of around 160 US dollars monthly from birth until they start to receive student subsidies at the age of 16. If you have two or more children, you get a multiple child add-on which increases for each child you add to the family.

Do most moms take the full maternity leave? Does anyone choose to go back to work early?

I would guess that pretty much all moms take the full maternity leave since you can use it for longer summer and winter holidays until the child is eight years old. I think a lot of moms do return to work “early” if they have a high-power career, but in those cases it usually also means that they have a spouse who is staying home with the baby. And then there are a lot of parents who return part-time and are on leave part-time. But I think it’s very rare for moms to return to work before 9ish months.

On a national level I believe only about third of all fathers take out those two months that are reserved for them. And there are statistics that show that most paternity leave is taken in the summer months (when the mother is probably on holiday and therefore also at home with the children), and in connection with major international sporting events such as the Olympics or World Cup soccer.

Does Sweden offer subsidized childcare after maternity leave?

Yes. Childcare is very heavily subsidized. It depends a little on where you live, but basically you pay 3% of your combined gross salary for the first child, 2% for the second, 1% for the third child, and nothing for subsequent children. There is also a ceiling of around USD 190 dollars for one child, USD 126 dollars for the second child, and USD 63 dollars for the third child. So the absolute most you could end up paying for three or more children every month is around USD 379 dollars. That is regardless of if you choose a public or private nursery school, and the fee covers meals as well.

Why do you think Sweden offers so much maternity leave compared to the United States?

It’s not just Sweden! You have only to look across the border to Canada to find a year of paid maternity leave.

But I think the differences in the system in Sweden vs. the US are mainly down the differences in overall philosophy of these countries. Sweden is a welfare state with a cradle to grave mentality. We also have a long history of working for gender equality, which is why our parental leave system is built up as it is. Which is not to say that it is perfect from a gender equality perspective, since it is still women who take the bulk of parental leave.

Mainly I think it’s down to Sweden’s social liberal politics. However, I would say that it is remarkable that the US is the only western country not to offer any paid maternity leave. There are only four countries in the world that don’t have any legislated paid maternity leave: Swaziland, Papua New Guinea, Liberia and the US.

What do you love about raising a child in Sweden?

One thing I love about raising a child here in Sweden is the security based on everything I’ve described above. It is a great place to have small children, and we really appreciate the easy free access to universal healthcare.

Other things are the fresh air mentality! Swedes are crazy about nature and fresh air. We don’t have the best climate, but we have a saying that “there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.” Basically, if you dress right, you can enjoy the great outdoors no matter the weather. Swedish children play outside daily in pretty much any weather. You will often see strollers parked outside of houses, cafés, and on balconies here. And if you assumed they were empty, you would be wrong. If you peered in, you would find a sleeping baby in good clothes and thick bunting. There are nursery schools that are completely outdoors, where the children only really go inside to use the bathroom, and where they develop language skills and counting using what they find in nature.

I also really appreciate the consciousness that Swedes have about not pushing children into a gender-based mold from an early age. Nursery schools work quite actively to encourage gender-atypical play (eg little boys are as encouraged as little girls to play with dolls and the play-kitchen, and little girls are equally encouraged to get into sports and play with trucks). It’s often very difficult to guess the gender of a Swedish child, as boys can have longish hair and wear pink and purple.

What do you dislike, or what would you change about raising a child in Sweden?

I have to start by saying that we absolutely adored our time in Atlanta and miss it every single day. It was a fabulous place to be pregnant, a great place to give birth (we had such a good experience even though it was nothing like my “plan”), and a wonderful place to have a baby. Being abroad when Alec was born also means that I don’t have a really network of moms here in Sweden the way I did in Atlanta, and that definitely affects my view of family life here in Sweden.

The main difference for us is the somewhat negative attitude people have towards children and mothers on leave here. Here in Stockholm, when I roll into our local (teeny tiny urban) grocery store in the afternoon, people are visibly annoyed that I am there, taking up precious space in the narrow aisles and with a baby who might even let out a whine or two in the check-out line.

I recognize that this might be down to many other things besides culture, but in Atlanta I had a FABULOUS group of moms and babies to spend time with. There was no judging, no talking behind people’s backs, no comparing of how our children were advancing through their development stages. There was a ton of support and understanding. I miss this group, especially one mom and baby pair, every single day. I don’t have a Swedish mom’s group to compare to – I’m looking forward to having one for baby #2 though – but from what I hear, there seems to be a lot more comparing and just general pressure here.

Describe a typical day in your life.

My day starts fairly late since my husband is an early bird (and an angel!), and has been handling the morning shift basically since the first bottle of pumped milk came into our lives when Alec was around three weeks old.  Alec wakes up between 6-7am and my husband gets up with him. They have a bottle and play, and usually wake me up before they start breakfast at 8ish. I join them at the tail-end of breakfast and then take over when my husband goes to get ready and leaves for the office.

In the mornings Alec and I either spend time at home, go to Open Nursery School or occasionally have a playdate. If we are at home we’ll do some chores (Alec loves to help with laundry), and maybe do some baking or prep dinner a little. We play and we usually read a few books before lunch. Alec has a pretty early lunch – usually at around 11 and after lunch he takes a nap.

During Alec’s nap I have a little lunch and try to get things done, including blogging, replying to e-mails, and tidying up. When Alec wakes up (usually around 2), we have a snack and then head outside. Lately we spend most afternoons at the park. Alec is obsessed with the sandbox and will happily hang out in there for an hour or more, scooping sand into his bucket. We buy groceries on the way home.

When we get home we usually hang out a little in the kitchen. I am militant about family dinners and it takes some prep and planning to get dinner on the table by 5:30ish to suit Alec’s rhythm. My husband is home in time for dinner if he’s not traveling, and we all sit down, light candles, and eat together. After dinner there is a bit of playtime, a quick tidy of the nursery (Alec helps put away the day’s toys), bath time, story time and a bottle before bedtime at 7.

After Alec is asleep it’s finally adult time at our house. Since my husband has such a short workday between the morning shift with Alec and family dinner at 5:30, he usually has some work to do in the evenings and I usually have to spend some time at my computer too. And of course we try to get some time together as well. Once in a while my sister will watch Alec and we’ll go out for dinner in our neighborhood, and on Takeout Tuesdays Alec has dinner before us and then when he goes to sleep we order in and have a mini date night at home (with a no computer rule). We’re terrible about getting to sleep on time, but try to turn the lights off by 11.

On the weekends we often have friends with kids over for playdates (since most of our friends’ children are a little older than Alec and are at nursery school during the week). We’ll serve up a simple brunch for the parents and the kids just play. We also spend a lot of time at the park. Often we’ll pick up lunch from a cafe to bring along and eat while Alec plays.

Why did you start your blog Mini Piccolini?

I think I just had a head full of ideas and thoughts and lists and great tips, and Mini Piccolini is the best place for me to share it all. The blog is constantly evolving as my life as a mother changes. Right now it’s all about preparing for a second baby, so I am really into nursery planning, choosing a double stroller etc. Alec is also at a fabulous stage but also in need of a lot of stimulation, so there is a lot about the activities we do together. And meal-planning for a vegetarian family is something that I find challenging but also fun, so there is some of that every week. I see Mini Piccolini as a bit of a combo of some other blogs that I really love like Hellobee, Modern Parents Messy Kids, How We Montessori and Babyccino Kids.

What’s a parenting rule you always break?

The one that says you always have to be consistent. The best thing I have learned as a parent is to put my gut feeling before consistency. If Alec’s crying at bed time doesn’t feel right one day, I will break routine and sit with him until he falls asleep. Being a little inconsistent means that sometimes getting a routine on track takes a little longer, but it also means that we can always feel good about our parenting decisions and that we always believe in what we are doing. If something doesn’t feel 100% right, it’s hard to stick to it and be convincing.

What’s the hardest part of being a mom?

I read somewhere that to decide to have a child is to decide to forever have your heart go walking around outside your body. And that’s exactly how it is for me. I had no idea that it was even possible to feel such strong and complete, all-encompassing love for somebody until I had Alec. At the same, he is his own little person with his own destiny and I can only do so much to shield and protect him. In the end I will come to that point where I can only really stand by and watch him make his way in the world, and hope that it turns out wonderfully. It’s heart-breaking! It makes you feel so vulnerable.

What’s the best part of being a mom?

The best part of being a mom is just getting to spend time with this amazing, funny, quirky little person. Nobody makes me laugh like Alec does and I find myself smiling through so much of my day in a way I never did before. I just had no idea how much fun it was going to be to hang out with such a little guy all day. It really does just get better and better every single day.

This week we stopped talking about it and finally became Global Parents via Unicef. It’s so not enough, but at least it is something. And when you have children of your own and then you look at all the children that are suffering around the world, you see that they are the same and that it is up to us grown-ups to set things righty. I think you should do it too!

How We Montessori is a constant source of inspiration for me as a parent. Kylie’s Otis is just a little younger than Alec and I am always so impressed by his development and jolted into realization about what even such small children are capable of. Every time I’ve just convinced myself that it’s too early to start thinking about doing something with Alec, I will inevitably see Otis managing the same activity without problems a couple of weeks later, prompting me to try the same with Alec – often with great success. Recently these posts have gotten my attention: Care of Self, Watering, Toilet Learning Tips.

It’s so tempting to ask small children a ton of questions just because it’s so impressive when you child can actually answer! Here are some good pointers on how to ask children questions from Modern Parents Messy Kids.

Love these storage sacks/bins by Varpunen!

Adorable gift wrap idea by Willowday!

I am a huge believer in the importance of early skin-to-skin contact and mother-baby bonding immediately following birth, so I found this post on Hellobee was interesting.

I just opened newly arrived packages from J. Crew and Hatch Collection that are meant to save my summer fashion-wise. Stop by on Monday to hear how it’s looking! Next week I will also be diving into the wonderful world of maternity (and nursing) bras. Stay tuned!

We decided not to go with a floor bed set-up for Alec, but I am still endlessly fascinated with floor beds (and all things Montessori!). If you are considering a floor bed (or have thoughts about co-sleeping), I would really recommend reading this post by Motley Mama. If you are interested in a complete Montessori-style nursery, this post on (one of my favourite blogs) How We Montessori is a really good guide.  And here is some floor bed inspiration (click on the photos for links back to original sources):

Made by Joel always has the best (and simplest) DIY projects. What kid wouldn’t love these scrap wood catapults?

Isn’t this cool? IdeaPaint CLEAR turns any surface into a clear white board!

I absolutely love rhubarb so will definitely have to try this pie recipe from Call Me Cupcake!

Cute and seemingly easy-to-create pyramid gift wrapping by Willowday.

I’m so often surprised to see very small children accomplishing tasks that I thought would be well beyond their age, and just as often, to see small children permitted to try things that one might think they’re not ready for. I think I am a little extra careful (ok, over-careful) with Little A since he is our first child. This picture is from a post on How we Montessori about a child younger than Alec pouring himself his own glass of water. It wouldn’t even have occurred to me to try. Until now!

And lastly, because it’s Mother’s Day in Sweden on Sunday, I love what I read on The DayBook recently:

“I recently heard something really beautiful. While my friend was resting in between labor contractions, her midwife told her that some Native American tribes believe that it’s during those quiet times, between all the hard work, that the woman is actually out searching through the stars for the soul of her child.”

This is FABULOUS! Kids at Switch has created an entire mini economy, with play money, shops and banks etc for kids to play and learn in. The children can even start a business, pay taxes and make investments. Love it! (via Childhood 101)

We did something similar but on a different level in a high school consumer education class. There are so many things that I think kids will learn better and more quickly outside of a traditional classroom environment, but I think money is really better taught with some kind of practical learning.

We have a lovely local candy store a block away and a couple of weeks ago, I popped in there on a Saturday to buy some sweets for my cousin’s minis. In Sweden, children only have candy on Saturdays – “Saturday Candy” – and there were a ton of children in the shop getting their weekly stash. Apparently smaller children are just given a small bag of candy, while older kids have a candy budget to spend on a Saturday. The children in the store were probably just five years old or so, but they were really doing math at a high level and practicing all kinds of practical, money-related skills. It was so cute to see the smallest ones proudly hand over the money for their candy bags. Learning is so much easier with a bit of sweet incentive!