I love to cook. Before having kids I used to eagerly await the New York Times’ weekly Dining & Wine section. But these days I’m seeking food inspiration that is a bit easier and more approachable for my family. Chronicle Books has published two new cookbooks that answered my call – both are specially- designed for families with young children. They sent us The Toddler Café and Time for Dinner to review.

Time for Dinner is written by the editors of Cookie Magazine. I was disappointed when Cookie Magazine stopped publishing so it is no surprise that this cookbook has become an instant new favorite for me. I used to love their monthly food feature that started with one simple kitchen ingredient, such as spinach, and then uses cool linear graphics to diagram three different meal paths you can follow, such as chicken saag, mini vegetable custards or warm spinach & orzo salad. I truly appreciate the simple ingredient lists for most of their recipes. I am among those guilty of collecting large amounts of rare spices or ingredients for a recipe that I only make once. The first recipe I made was for chicken cacciatore and it came out very tasty. With the exception of the red wine I had all the rest of the ingredients in my kitchen. It was quick, easy and inexpensive. Since I was cooking and watching a two and three year old at the same time I did make one error. I added the wine directly to the chicken rather than the sauce so my chicken turned an interesting shade of purple but that didn’t ultimately change the fantastic flavors. The second recipe I followed was for muffin-tin gorditas. Using my cupcake tins I whipped up canned cream corn, corn meal, and cheese to create crispy cornbread-type bowls which I then filled with shredded chicken, cheese and guacamole for a fun, easy meal.

The Toddler Café is written by chef, mom and food stylist Jennifer Carden. According to the author this book offers fast, healthy, and fun ways to feed even the pickiest eaters. The photography is extreme close-ups of kids enjoying the food and many of the recipes offer suggestions on how to include children in the preparation. I followed the Grab-and-Grow Granola recipe and was very happy with the result. It was easy to make and store. My husband and I are big fans of the sweet nuttiness of this recipe – lots of oats and pecans. After reading about some of the high sugars and bad fats in some of the boxed granolas, I was happy to find a recipe where I know exactly what I am serving. I found the recipe notes particularly helpful as it let me tailor the recipe to make it crispy versus chewy in texture. One word of caution from my experience – skip the parchment paper as suggested. I was picking shards of parchment paper off tiny bits of granola bits forever. The second recipe I made was for Creamy Cloud Dip. Really just a fancy name for sweetening your own yogurt, but me and my son are converts. Mixing together Greek-style yogurt, coconut, honey and vanilla created a perfect mildly sweet perfect way to begin our day. And again I like having the control over the sweetness and core ingredients. In all fairness, I can’t say these recipes transformed the eating habits of my kids. My toddlers are good eaters, but it takes several attempts before they will give new foods a real taste. I’ll be making this and more of their recipes to serve my family.

- That’s IT Mommy friends, Jill & family

Chronicle Books and Blue Apple Books offer fantastic titles for children. I thought I’d share some of my favorites books so I’ve categorized them by themes. These books encourage creativity, imagination and learning. Every moment children spend with their parents can be a learning experience. Reading books is part of our daily ritual with Teagan. Some teach her about the arts, far away places amd some are books for us to be creative together. All of the Chronicle Books and Blue Apple Books have wonderful images, fun characters and remember that the ABCs can be fun! Enjoy!

Mommy and Me Project:

The Sock Monkey & Friends Kit: 9 Different Fun-to-Make Sock Creature Projects
Chronicle Books
Ages 8 and up
$17.99

Are you a sock monkey fan? This book is for you! My sewing skills are a little shaky and Teagan is too young to work on this project by herself. The kit is recommended for kids 8 and up. The instruction book has wonderful illustrations and 9 different sock animal projects. Sometimes the easiest of instructions confuse me! Because what I made didn’t look anything like the sock monkey or any of its friends listed in the instructional book. Teagan eagerly participated by stuffing the sock! I realized that this kit was the answer to mismatched socks! I have a drawer full of them and now I can turn them into a Sock Monkey or something that resembles that.  I’m sure with practice my results will improve. This us a fun book for moms and daughters to work on together.

The kit includes:

• Instruction book
• Two colorful socks
• Stuffing
• Two buttons

For the artist in you:

Magritte’s Imagination
Chronicle Books
By Susan Goldman Rubin
Ages
$7.99

I love this little board book by Sudan Goldman Rubin. The story starts off with a familiar childhood toy, a train. “All aboard! Choo choo! Where do you think we’ll go… ?” All the pages are paintings from surrealist painter Rene Magritte’s. The book takes you on journey of imagination. A journey where apples grow on faces and where men walk on the clouds. This book always holds Teagan’s focus. She loves inspecting the curious images and this is a book we can continue to turn to as she gets older. Although, I’m a firm believer that it’s never too young to introduce your children to art.

Doodle 123
Chronicle Books
By Taro Gomi
Ages 3 and up
$19.99

I’ve always been a doodler. Every since I was young I can remember doodling faces, flowers and paisleys. There are a plethora of coloring books available for kids or you can grab a drawing pad but this book is so much more. Doodle 123 is the answer your young doodlers drawing dreams! Drawing 123 is “A Really Giant” Doodling and Drawing Book!

The pages are in black and white, which leaves much room for color! Every page you flip is full of learning, counting, and more. This book is awesome for thebeginning writers. You have plenty of space to work on and you can’t make a mistake! Doodle 123 would be a great companion on a road trip or airplane ride. Teagan and I loved the color by number pages. There are over 200+ pages in this large book! I do feel that the price of the book is a little high but I did see it on Amazon.com for much less. Also, check out Taro Gomi’s page on Chronicle. http://www.chroniclebooks.com/tarogomi/. It looks like there is a contest open to scribblers and doodlers of all ages! You can win a set of art materials, and a limited edition, framed print by Taro Gomi himself

Are You Eating Something Green?
Blue Apple Books
By Ryan Sias
Ages 0-3
$9.99

This book is so much fun! Greenie is the mealtime mascot for young diners! Children learn about their favorite fruits and vegetables while coloring! Are You Eating Something Green? is a brilliant book to take out to your favorite restaurants. The pages are double sided. The backside allows kids to color in the black lines. Rip out the page when your child is done coloring and use it as a placemat once their food arrives! Or save the pages and display them on your fridge or as artwork on your child’s wall. This book would be great for teachers to teach the colors of food to their students. I showed this to my daughter’s preschool teacher and she said she was going to buy one for her class. I also like that the theme is subtle about encouraging healthy eating. Has your child tried everything that’s in the book?

Alphabeasties and Other Amazing Types
Blue Apple Books
By Sharon Werner and Sarah Forss
Ages 4-8
$19.99

This is a typeface lovers dream! Being a professional graphic designer, I deal with fonts on a daily basis so I can appreciate the design work that went into this book. Alphabeasties books feature animals comprised of typefaces. I’m sure every young child has one or two alphabet books in her library. What’s unique about this book is that children learn their ABCs and also see different shapes of the letters, upper or lower case in a way that each animal is recognizable. This book is full of words and color. You will find words that form to create blades of grass.  It might be a little abstract for new readers. Each letter shapes a different animal and repeats the word of the animal.

Alphabeasties Flash Cards
Blue Apple Books
By Sharon Werner and Sarah Forss
Ages 3 and up
$15.99

The Alphabesaties flash cards are a wonderful addition to the Alphabeasties book. Again, every child probably has a set of flash cards but these cards are made of high quality card stock. The cards complement the Alphabeasties books and continue to feature animals comprised of typefaces. The cards come in a nice box, which is great for storage. Bonus! The cards are double sided. Each card is part of a puzzle. Flip them over to build two colorful puzzles! The Alphabeasties book and flash cards would make a great gift for kids or a graphic designer!

Travel for kids!

Around the World with Mouk
Chronicle Books
By Marc Boutavant
All ages
$17.99

This large colorful book has so much detail that it’s hard to know where to look. The illustrations are wonderful and all the different characters on the pages are humorous and well drawn. I am a designer and I love zany books that are geared towards children. Mouk is a bear that leaves for a tour of the world! He visits places like Japan and New York. This book offers a taste of culture and geography. The book comes with stickers that you can place on the shiny and smooth pages. Around the World with Mouk is a wonderful book for young world travelers, because of its illustrative inspiration! This book would make a nice gift. The book would be nice for readers and non-readers alike. Parents can challenge their kids to a “can you find it” game!

Greetings from Kiwi and Pear
Blue Apple Books
By Joyce Wan
Ages 4-8
$12.99

Greetings from Kiwi and Pear is an illustrative journey of two pals who are off to see the world! Joyce Wan illustrates this adorable book. While in elementary school her first greeting card won a card design contest in Boston! Wan’s illustrative style is simple but eye catching. The two monkeys, Kiwi and Pear travel to far off places such as Paris and India to visit worldly landmarks. Kids can learn about different continents and the animals that roam their respective countries. This book comes with 34 stickers and a world map. Teagan and I hung the map on her bedroom wall and placed the stickers on the different locations as we read the book together. The book is compact and would fit nicely in a travel bag. The pages fold out to give a larger scale of where the pair are visiting. I love how after their explorations they come back home. Their favorite place to be! Did you have a best friend that you did everything with when you were a kid? Or did you love your family vacations? My best friend and my family vacations are favorite memories of mine. Start your own book or journal about your adventures with your friends or family.

- Teagan and Tee

* We did not receive monetary compensation for this review. That’s IT Mommy received the books mentioned in this post to facilitate this review.
 This will in no way sway our opinion of the product or service.
 The review is in our own words and is our opinion. Your results and opinions may differ.

We love UGLYDOLL. We wanted to find out a little more about who was behind these zany and loveable characters. UGLYDOLL Co-Creator, David Horvath took a few minutes to talk to us about UFOs and what UGLY means. New to UGLYDOLL? Visit www.uglydolls.com and meet the UGLYS.

What is your “job” title?

Our job title is “no job” but what we really do is create all things you see regarding Uglydoll, including all of the toys, books, stationery, apparel, and other fun things.

Sun-Min and I love telling stories. We love to tell stories through toys and books. My childhood hobby was drawing UFOs in the math test answer column. I got an F-, but was I wrong? Sometimes to do right, you have to be willing to be wrong. Something like that.

Uglydoll is everywhere YOU go! As long as you go to very special places. Aha but what does special mean? Hey its up to YOU to keep special special, we just make funny pictures and toys.

Much like how your parents came up with your name, only we spend hours on ours.

That’s what’s best about Uglydolls perhaps? Because we don’t gear them towards anything. No gears. Just make and make happy.

Can’t tell you, he comes out in 2011.

We LOVE making books! We’ve published over 10 of Uglydoll books! More on the way!

No, but we do encourage creativity.

Math was my favorite art class.

No. Family comes first and we have no career. My publisher and warehouse manager are both very angry, but also the BEST!

You don’t need a push. You need to be quiet.
Shut it! That’s correct.
Stop telling us about this plan or that plan.
Shhh!! Zip it! When you tell us, the odds of doing it go WAY down.
Down to zero actually.
Don’t tell a soul…but SHOW everyone when you’re done.
….open the magazine to page 17 and show us.
Actually, don’t show us. We’ll see it.
If you have to show us, it means we didn’t see it and you have to try again.
So be quiet.
Just finish it.
Then shut up and get back to work.

If you really want to support their artistic talents, then stop saying how great
their drawing is. Of course its great, they MADE it, which is a lot more than
you’re doing Mr. I need a push!
Kids work their TOOSHY off at art.
Instead, please grow their artistic mind when they are away from the paper.
I guess? How you do that? Wow I dunno? Any advice?
I have to say that to avoid blogger hate comments.

You’ll see!

Welcome our That’s IT Mommy friends, Jill and Theo to Teagan’s Likeable Literature! The following books are from Dwell Studio and they are all published by Blue Apple books and distributed by Chronicle books.

I’ve been a longtime fan of Dwell Studio’s colorful textiles. They feature great simple, clean designs in crisp modern colors and patterns. I could use them in every room in my home but I am especially fond of them for kids’ rooms. Never a fan of the traditional baby pastels or gender-specific designs, Dwell Studios has offered me inspiration for an affordable way to express design creativity in my preschoolers’ lives.

Well, Dwell is extending their cool design aesthetic to baby board books and disposable bibs!

Dwell Studio’s Bibs To Go is a book of 20 full-sized, disposable, waterproof bibs that can be easily torn out as needed. Adorned with cool illustrations – including a funky taxi and bus design, a muted animal profile design, a pea pod close up, a three carrot close up and birds in tree. All great options that would look adorable, yet not overwhelm any cute outfits your baby may be sporting for a night out on the town. I tried the bibs out on my two year-old but unfortunately I think he is just a bit too old. He is currently a fan of dressing himself for mealtime. The tab closure of these bibs certainly demands parental intervention. These bibs would have been great for my kids when they were newborn to 18 months. Retailing for $12.99 the book of bibs would make a fun, shower present for a new mom.

The other Dwell books I got to review are entitled Go, Eat and Touch & Feel Town. Each book offers big, bright, colorful pictures with simple one word text on each page. There are at least three images in each book that I would love to rip out, frame and hang on my walls. My two year-old and I enjoyed using the books to build his speech and newly developing color identification skills but I think they would be equally fun for younger babies. Books are published by Blue Apple Books and distributed by Chronicle books. Ranging in price from $6.99-$8.99 these books would be a great addition to any cool kids’ nursery library.

- That’s IT Mommy friends, Jill and Theo

Theo is wearing a bib from the Dwell Studio’s Bibs To Go book

See Dwell Studio’s full line of products for the home, baby, kids and table at www.dwellstudio.com/designer-baby-boutique/books.html.

Or check out Dwell Studio’s books at www.chroniclebooks.com

GIVEAWAY: Blue Apple Books and their PR team has generously offered  one (1) That’s IT Mommy the four books reviewed in this post. – Ends 8/23

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This giveaway will run through midnight on August 23, 2010 (PST) with winner being announced sometime on or before August 25, 2010 (PST). Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact us before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only (18+).

* We did not receive monetary compensation for this review. That’s IT Mommy received the a Lunch Pak mentioned in this post to facilitate this review.
 This will in no way sway our opinion of the product or service.
 The review is in our own words and is our opinion. Your results and opinions may differ.

Kids of all ages benefit from being read to. Knowing this, I have read to Adeline since she was very small. As she gets older she is beginning to listen to the story and ask questions about the characters. Although sometimes she just can’t sit still long enough to finish a book. One book that Adeline will always sit still for is her new Frecklebox personalized book, called Adeline and the Unicorn. It has quickly and understandably become her favorite book.

Frecklebox is an Internet company started by two fathers who owned a printing and distribution business together. Once they had children they were inspired to create Frecklebox which offers truly unique, personalized gifts for children at affordable prices. They have personalized books, posters, growth charts, journal books, coloring books, stickers, place mats, puzzles and more. They all feature great designs that kids will love whether it is baseball or fairies. The website makes it very easy for you to make your selection and personalize it. You can then preview your selection with your child’s name.

Frecklebox let us pick out a book to review. We looked over all the titles there were storybooks about becoming an older sibling, about adoption, going to the zoo and many others. Adeline chose “the unicorn book”. Which Mark, one of the owners of Frecklebox, told me was a special book that he wrote for his daughter when she was little because of her love of unicorns. Awww. After choosing the book we dedicated it to “Sweet Adeline”. The book was ready for instant preview. It is very cool that you can preview the entire book before purchasing.

Adeline was so excited when her “own” book arrived. She loves showing to everyone and telling them that it says Adeline. We received a hardcover book which retails for $34.95. Soft covers are also available for $19.95. It is nice sturdy book with great illustrations that are fun for Adeline to look at. Her name is on most pages and she loves seeing it. These books make unique gifts for children and it is something that they can treasure forever. I will definitely be purchasing some more items from Frecklebox as gifts.

You can check out all that Frecklebox has to offer by visiting their website: http://www.frecklebox.com/

- That’s IT Mommy friends, Erika and Adeline

GIVEAWAY: Frecklebox is generously offering one (1) That’s IT Mommy reader their own personalized hardcover storybook!! Ends 8/6

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This giveaway will run through midnight on August 6, 2010 (PST) with winner being announced sometime on or before August 8, 2010 (PST). Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact us before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only (18+).

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I’ve been obsessed with sites that feature sweet treats, like cupcakes, cakes, cake pops and anything else that looks beautiful and scrumptious. I love involving my daughter Teagan in the kitchen especially when we’re creating sugary desserts. We get messy but that’s part of the fun! We’re bonding, working together and she’s learning from the experience. There’s no way she’d allow me to make baked goods without her help!

I was extremely excited to receive and review the book Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey Treats for Kids by Jill O’Connor from the publisher Chronicle Books. The book is spiral-bound and the pages are scalloped which gives it a “scrapbook” feeling. I love the author’s honest introduction of her children’s view of their mom as “mean chef.” That’s a must read. The photographic eye candy leads to recipes such as Sticky Butterscotch French Toast, Curiously Sticky Caramel Monkey Bread, and Miraculous Mile-High Strawberry Fudge Ice-Cream Pie. YUM!!!!! I’ve gained weight just thinking about these delicious concoctions! I’m considering a sweet party for Teagan’s next birthday!

My goal is to try every recipe from the book. I leafed through the book and decided on the balloon cup recipe. Seemed easy and you can’t go wrong with chocolate and balloons! Teagan’s eyes lit up when I inflated the balloons. We followed the instructions and wound up with messy and sticky chocolate cups. The balloons seemed too big. My cups didn’t quite look like the images in the book and many of our balloons popped. We filled the cups with pudding, topped with whipped cream and jimmies. I was a little discouraged with my first attempt but hopefully practice makes perfect. The cups still looked cool and at the end of the day were delish!

There is a section called Success Made Simple. In this section the author advises not to substitute items and has other tips for successful baking. Although I personally think it’s okay to sway from the recipe. I think it’s fun creating variations from your favorite recipes. But I understand the author’s point. You’ll never know what the true idea is if you don’t first follow the directions.

The images in Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey Treats for Kids are beautiful but I do wish that each recipe came with an image. I appreciate the equipment and ingredient sections. Any additional instructions make my life easier and is much appreciated. There are fun quotes sprinkled throughout the book and Teagan enjoys flipping through the pages. We usually stop at the donuts and Ghostly Meringues and ohhh and ahhh over them.

This book is a delight and a wonderful addition to my recipe book collection. I’m not sure that the author’s intention was to involve your kids in the baking process. But it’s definitely full of  Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey Treats for Kids and I think your kids will definitely love them.

Want it now: Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey Treats for Kids is currently on sale at Amazon.com for $13.11!

Or WIN IT!

GIVEAWAY – Chronicle Books is offering one (1) That’s IT Mommy reader their own copy of Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey Treats for Kids.

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This giveaway will run through midnight on June 16, 2010 (PST) with winner being announced sometime on or before June 18, 2010 (PST). Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact us before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only (18+).

* That’s IT Mommy did not receive monetary compensation for this review. I was given a copy of the above mentioned book to facilitate this review. I was allowed to keep the product, but the opinion I am sharing remains my own.  Your results and opinions may differ.

Being a parent and a music educator, I am always amazed at what children can imagine and create.  Whether it is drawing an amazing picture or composing variations on a musical theme ala Mozart, most children seem to naturally create and compose based on their surroundings.  There’s always music and dancing in my house so it is exciting to see Teagan create little songs and dances about our family (including the dogs!) that I am lucky enough to accompany. The same goes for 8-year-old author Omri Glaser, whose parents are graphic designers and whose design firm created the Zolo and Bonz toys. Omri was asked to create a poem in his first grade class.  He chose to write about the water cycle and traces it from a child’s tear, to clouds, to rain, back to ground where onions grow and the farmer sheds his own tear of pride and joy and starts the whole cycle again.  The Glasers use their graphic design genius to create page popping images, hand drawn and then digitally enhanced, to complement their child’s wonderful words.  That’s how the book Round The Garden was created. I can only imagine how exciting it must be for Omri to see his poem come to life on the page. This must be a huge inspiration for him.

I love Round The Garden and the fact that we are introducing life science to Teagan in such a simple and colorful way.  Soon she will wonder more about how the world works and this book will be a fun beginner’s reference. The book also features companion flash cards based on the storyline that are sold separately. We were lucky to get a set along with the book for review. Round The Garden cards can be used for memory type games, reading or as review of the characters and pictures from the story. The cards are as colorful as the book and each matching cards has a slightly different visual perspective. Lately we’ve been using the cards more than the book.  But that’s because Teagan is a flashcard maniac!  I look forward to more books like Round The Garden. It is so special that it was originally a child’s idea, nurtured by parents and then published and brought to this level through teamwork!

- That’s IT Daddy, Sean

Round The Garden book $16.00 and Round The Garden cards are $8.00

Visit zolo.com for more information.

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This giveaway will run through midnight on June 7, 2010 (PST) with winner being announced sometime on or before June 9, 2010 (PST). Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact us before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only (18+).

* We did not receive monetary compensation for this review.
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We Planted A Tree
Random House Children’s Books
Ages 5-8
$17.99

I try not to judge a book by its cover, but you can’t help it when you check out We Planted a Tree by Diane Muldrow.  The title is centered and planted firmly in the leaves of the modernized, cartoon-style tree.  And at the roots, two families, one from possibly the USA, the other from somewhere in Africa, all lined up and proudly admiring the result of their awesome arborous accomplishment.  I knew right away this was going to be a special read.  I got the sense that a connection was about to be made. Definitely, the essential bond between people and plants, fixed in our duty to conserve.

Dr. Wangari Maathi, a 2004 Nobel Peace Prize laureate is quoted on the first page saying, “When we plant tress, we plant the seeds of peace and seeds of hope.” We plant the seeds of trees, just as we plant the seeds for a family. And like planting a tree, we get the chance to see the majestic growth and changes through years and years of nurture.  The simple text by Diane Muldrow, outlined through a little science, is cheerfully and amazingly complemented by the illustrations of Bob Staake.  I love reading books to Teagan and I’m always amazed at how well illustrators enhance the stories.  But in the case of We Planted a Tree, I think Bob Staake has artfully expanded the who, what, where and why the trees are being planted. On each page, there were plenty of details Teagan and I could talk about. I think she is already getting a sense of how important tress are to the world’s existence both scientifically and aesthetically.  We Planted a Tree takes us on a journey around the world and shares how all families, from any country, can work together to plant and preserve our botanical buddies.

This was one of the few children’s books that I have sat down to look over all by myself after reading with Teagan.  I had to do a little more research about this book and it’s creators.  One great fact I discovered was that We Planted a Tree was inspired by the work done by Kenya’s Green Belt Movement, and its message celebrates nature, growth, and the power of community effort.

Whether it’s Earth Day or Arbor Day, I think any day is a good day to think about our impact and imprint on society and our eco-system.  Trees sustain and withstand the passage of time.  We only hope the same for our families for generations to come.  I wish the book was printed on recycled paper but I do thank Diane and Bob, for a wonderful book that has renewed the sense of  how important it is for my family to contribute to cleaning, conserving and saving our Earth.

More info here: We Planted A Tree

- ThatsItDaddy, Sean

* We received a copy of We Planted A Tree to facilitate this review.
This will in no way sway our opinion of the product or service.
The review is in our own words and is our opinion. Your results and opinions may differ.