With a few smart ideas and careful planning you can give your child’s room a fresh look especially after the holiday’s with all those wonderful gifts you’ve so wonderfully accumulated.  Easy room cures that offer a fabulous, eco-friendly, designed touch.

Here are some items that give you additional space.

The Fuji toy box is a must have storage piece for the home. with the wheels mounted, it is a highly functional and youthful piece that offers great storage and a place to sit or a smooth play surface.

Ayres Nightstand

The Ayres Nightstand is a perfect complement to the Ayres twin bed. Its design is similar to the platform theme of the Ayres bed and is designed so that the platforms of the bed and nightstand can overlap giving the two an integrated seamless design.

BamBam Six Drawer Dresser

The BamBam Six Drawer Dresser by Argington is stylish, eco-friendly and affordable. Now your child’s clothes, diapers and toys can be tucked away neatly within one of six available drawers

Sahara Chest of Drawers

The Sahara Chest of Drawers is a classic dresser for your baby’s nursery. It is ideal for storing diapers, wipes, creams and clothes. Our Anywhere Changing Tray fits snuggly and securely on top, allowing the Sahara Chest of Drawers to be used as a changing table

 

Suggesting the new bedding, helps you refresh the living spaces.

1. Try not to over schedule your children
Limit the activities that you are planning for your kids, try to avoid long outings and plan short shopping trips, these will be more memorable and fun.

2. Have activity-based celebrations
Let your kids be more creative such as, making holiday cards, creating their own holiday paper decorations (recycled paper to do this) or baking festive treats.

3. Have children stay physically active
Physical activity is one of the simplest and most effective for the kids to reduce stress and have good sleep at night. Limit your kids highly physical activities several hours to bedtime, it will rises the metabolic rate, which could make it difficult to sleep at night.

4. When possible, have your children play outdoors. Exposure to sunlight helps children to sleep better at night.

5. Teach your children relaxation skills
Relaxation techniques is another way for parents to let their kids sleep well during night time, like stretching, progressive relaxation, deep breathing and guided visualization. With doing these relaxation techniques it will relieve the stress and tension of mind and body, which make your kids more calm and healthy.

6. Banish bedtime fears
Your kids have a reality of their own, try to understand what your children fear the most and make sure they know you are on their side, safe and secure. Kids from two-four years old have an heightened sense of imagination, a dinosaur picture can become a monster during night time.

7. Make your home as sanctuary of quality time
Spending time with your kids at home has a great emotional impact. Share story telling, read holiday stories, singing or listening to holiday music, it relaxes their body and soul.

8. Maintain the bedtime routine
Bedtime routine is important for you and your kids, it will create a sense of security and rhythm, helping to your children prepare for bed will result in an easily time falling asleep with more confidence and safety.

9. Instill compassion and encourage generosity
As a parents, encourage your children to be helpful to others, encourage them to be more generous, gather toys, books and clothing they no longer use and drop them off at charitable organization Visit elders who needs companionship . This early foundation will teach your children to learn the fun in giving and sharing.

10. Instill appreciation and gratitude
Showing gratitude can be as easy as a hug, words of love, saying thank you, pointing out the sound of birds in the morning or beautiful snow. Gratitude can be a have a very centering effect.

Happy Holidays from Argington.

1. Recycle costumes – Trends come and go in children’s worlds. Cartoon characters that were popular today may be out of style by the end of the month. So if you are looking to use older costumes, chances are, with a little effort, you can re-purpose old costume accessories and make them into new ones. Moms who have kids with bigger age gaps know all about making old clothing look like new. You can find organic fabrics like these from Birch Fabrics to help you add some pizzazz to an old costume.
   

   Image courtesy of Phaitoon

2. Pass out organic fruit snacks – Instead of handing out candy to trick or treaters, why don’t you try giving them organic fruit snacks, like these from Annie’s, that are organic. They are tasty, all-natural, and made from fruit juice. They come in cute little bunny shapes that are designed to appeal to children. They are tasty and even have a lot of vitamin C, an extra added bonus!
3. Organic candy – If you absolutely cannot fathom a Halloween without candy, then wander over to NaturalCandyStore.com. Their candies are made with organic components and in some cases, fair trade elements. They have items ranging from organic chocolate skulls to organic gummy spiders. Candy should always be in eaten in moderation, organic or not, so be careful to not overindulge in the tasty organic butterscotch candies or the tempting organic cotton candy!
4. Pumpkin decorating time – Everyone loves to decorate pumpkins. Whether you are carving yours into extraordinary designs or painting funny faces on them, pumpkin decorating is always a fun family activity. Get your organic pumpkins at a local farmers market.  You can make delicious pumpkin pies from the insides and paint the outside of your pumpkin with organic paints to create a wonderful seasonal decoration for your home.
   

   Image courtesy of zirconicusso

5. Halloween party time – Some parents would prefer to let their children attend or even host a Halloween party, rather than let them go out and trick or treat. It is a safer environment in many regards, and parents have less to worry about when their children are in a friend’s home. If you fall into this category, or just like to host parties, you can find organic party decorations galore online, plus you can control what the children eat. From organic apple bobbing to a miniature corn maze in the backyard, there are no limits on what you can do to host a healthy Halloween party.

Chances are, if you have or had a baby, you are familiar with the problems of trying to get your baby to go to sleep. Here are some time-honored ways of getting your baby to go to sleep. All of these tips have been provided by mothers like you, who want their baby to get a good night’s sleep. After all, a good night’s sleep is an integral part to your baby’s health and development.

1. Try a bath before bedtime – A warm bath will help soothe your baby and make him or her feel nice and warm. In addition to the warm comfort of a bath there is also the cuddling afterwards while drying him or her off. Try these organic baby bath blankets for drying your baby’s delicate skin.
2. Soothing music – Babies love music. Aside from the mental stimulation and the associated learning that music provides, it can also soothe the baby to sleep. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of mobiles that play soft music as they slowly rotate to induce baby to sleep. Some mobiles, like this one sold by BabyEarth.com, play soft classical music to soothe the baby.
3. Car rides – Few things put people, babies and adults, to sleep faster than long car rides. Perhaps it’s the vibration of the car, or maybe it’s the general movement. But some parents swear by a car ride. Put the baby in a securely attached car seat, wrap him or her in some blankets, give them their favorite organic stuffed animal to snuggle, and head around the block.
   

   Image courtesy of Argington

4. Vibrating sleeping mats – If you want your little one to be able to stretch out in their crib, but they love the vibrating feeling from the swing or car, you should invest in a vibrating mattress pad. The pad gently soothes the baby to sleep and, according to the description, the “soothing vibrations gradually turn off as baby falls asleep.” This is a great idea if you travel with the baby and can’t bring the swing along or if inclement weather prevents a quick drive around the neighborhood.
5. Swing to sleep – One popular accessory for baby sleep is a swing. Swings can help put a baby to sleep like nothing else can. They can rock babies for hours until they fall asleep, at whatever speed the baby is comfortable with. There are stories of some babies falling asleep in the swings, and waking up as soon as the swing is stopped. Accentuate your baby swing with some organic cotton blankets and watch your little one fall asleep in minutes. You can get these blankets on sale this weekend!
   

   Image courtesy of Argington

JA: What inspired you to write children’s books?
MF: I had to write a book as an assignment at college. It became Possum Magic, the best selling picture book ever, in Australia.

JA: What’s the hardest thing about being a writer?
MF: I find the hardest thing in creating a picture book text is to write a little. It’s so easy to write a lot of words but very difficult to write a few.

JA: Whose opinion do you value most?
MF: In writing, my editor’s opinion matters most. In life, my husband’s opinion matters most.

JA: Did you always know you want to be a writer?
MF: Yes. I wrote my first ‘book’ when I was ten. I got distracted and went to drama school thinking I wanted to be an actress. Madness! I’m so glad my life took a different course. I love being a writer.

JA: What is your favorite book?
MF: Charlotte’s Web.

JA: What’s your favorite dessert?
MF: Fresh fruit. Boring, I know, but I don’t have a sweet tooth.

If you would like to read more of Mem’s amazing books, check out her website!

JA: What inspired you to write children’s books?

SM: I became a father and wanted to share my ideas with creatures similar to my daughter

JA: What’s the hardest thing about being a writer?

SM: Turning a good idea into a story that works.

JA: Whose opinion do you value most?

SM: Everyone’s but ultimately you have to trust your own opinion.

JA: Did you always know you want to be a writer?

SM: No. I started out an illustrator and wanted to control the whole show.

JA: What is your favorite book?

SM: The Conquerors by David McKee.

JA: What’s your favorite dessert?

SM: Dark chocolate gelato stuffed into a sliced fresh brioche.

To see more books by Scott, check out his website:  www.scottmenchin.com/

Harry growls when he’s served breakfast, barks at a cat and licks his sister’s cheek when he’s told to kiss her good night. Yes, he would rather be a dog than a boy. His parents enroll him in the Pavlov Royal Academy where his classmates are dogs and he can sit, roll over, fetch and run all day long. Unfortunately, the food is not what he expected and his drawings and toys are not appreciated by his dog friends. After a naptime dream about what boys can do (that dogs cannot) Harry decides he’d like to be a boy again. Mission accomplished: dog school is for dogs!

Click here for a chance to win a free copy!

A little boy’s bedtime ritual includes a story, a goodnight kiss from his mother, and whispered conversations with his beloved stuffed animals. Greedy Goose, Blue Horse and Fat Rabbit share their day: “ the what, the who, the why and the way…the whole wild thing…turned out okay.” Part wordless, Stringer’s luminous illustrations capture the delight of a child’s imagination. A peaceful and comforting story that is perfect for bedtime reading. Ages 5-6.

Click here for a chance to win a free copy!

1. Use stuffed animals to teach the baby about different animals and the sounds that they make. Cute stuffed animals aren’t just for cuddling. They can be used to teach babies about the different sounds that the animals make. Babies often imitate sounds that they hear and will learn through association.
   

   Image courtesy of Argington

2. Some toys are timeless, and brightly colored blocks are one of those toys. Blocks like those offered by ChildTrek are simple yet classic wooden blocks, painted in a variety of bright colors. Bright colors seem to hold babies’ attention longer. You can also start teaching your baby about shape recognition with these brightly colored, high quality blocks. For really young babies, try fabric stuffed blocks
3. Through a wide variety of toys and playthings, you can start to teach your little one about different textures through different kinds of fabrics and materials. Products like the Dandelion Organic Activity Ball offer a wide variety of fun and engaging little activities for little fingers. These kinds of toys help to stimulate several senses at a time, making them an educational (and very cute) option. Best of all, it’s soft, so baby can chew on it if they so desire.
4. For the more technically inclined, you can break out your iPad and discover the wide variety of apps designed for children. There are a vast multitude of apps, both paid and free, in the App Store. Apps like “Peekaboo Barn” and “Baby Touch & Hear” apps are great for stimulating baby’s senses and keeping them busy for a little while.
   

   Image courtesy of AdamR

5. If you want to keep something on in the background, consider investing in the Baby Einstein series. Babies learn various things through musical association. Baby Einstein isn’t about just planting your baby in front of a TV but, as they say, was created by a mother who “wanted to create products that encouraged interactive experiences for parents and their young children as they discovered the world together.” They can be a bit pricey but if you look in a big box store, you might be able to find them for less money.