[imagebrowser id=20] [nggallery template=’carousel’ id=’20’]   I loved pretty much everything about our trip to Barcelona. But I think my very favorite part was our visit to Sagrada Familia. Have you heard of it? It’s a cathedral designed by Gaudi and it’s unlike any other building I’ve ever been in. We were walking around the interior, and snapping photos like crazy, and I whispered to Ben Blair, “It’s hard to be here and not feel like it’s the most important piece of architecture in the world.” It is amazing! I found myself envious of anyone who actually gets to attend church there. What a wonderful place to worship and inspire elevated thoughts! It made me want to message everyone I know and tell them to get on a plane (right now!) and come see this place. : ) I’m so curious! Do you have a building you’re dying to see in person? What’s the coolest architecture you’ve ever visited? P.S. — Tomorrow, I’ll share more of my photos from Barcelona and tell you about the cool apartment we stayed in.

Another sibling gift idea we enjoyed, before we started the making tradition, was to take each of the kids shopping and let them pick out small, sort of silly, sort of practical gifts for each other. Ralph might pick out a box of band aids for each sibling (the special kind with Spiderman or the CareBears). Maude might pick out a new toothbrush for each brother or sister. The gifts would be carefully wrapped and placed under the tree with great excitement. We still do this when the kids are too little for making. I think it’s a good first exercise in considering someone else. The 2 year old will be in the aisle at Target, carefully considering which bandaids a particular sister would want the most. And since the concept of giving is tricky at that age, we let them pick a box out for themselves as well. Last year was June’s first Christmas and she enjoyed playing with the wrapping. This year I think she’ll get a kick out of being the unwrapper. And next year, she’ll be two, and she’ll get her turn to pick out little gifts. I think she’ll love it! At what age do you introduce gift giving at your house? Any ideas that have worked well for your littlest ones?

Question: I’m stressed out thinking about Christmas gifts. How do you figure out what gifts are from Santa and what gifts are from the parents? I want Christmas morning to be so magical that I’m afraid I’m buying too much and it will backfire. You have so many kids that I figure you’ll have some advice. Can you help? — Abby Answer: Great question, Abby! Every year around this time, I get similar questions, so I know this is something that many parents think about. I’ll answer in 3 parts. 1) As for buying too much, here’s what has worked for our family. I use a guideline I learned from my sister-in-law: Santa Claus brings something to read, something to wear and something to play with for each child. Just three things. They end up with other gifts too — from siblings and grandparents or other relatives, but Santa only leaves 3 under the tree. Having a guideline in place makes it much easier to curb the amount of stuff coming into our house and to keep our holiday budget in check. …

What Gifts Are From Santa? What Gift Are From Parents?Read More »

I’ve got a few announcements I don’t want you to miss. First: We have a really cool promotion happening on Kirtsy this week. We’re giving away 2 copies of Deborah Needleman’s new book, The Perfectly Imperfect Home, every single day! Do you know Deborah? She was the editor of Domino. She’s rad. Enter to win a copy here. Second: I’m looking for DIY contributors for Design Mom. Yay! Do you love making cool projects? Do you have a DSLR camera so you can take really clear pictures? Do you know how to blog? Then I’d love to hear from you! Shoot me an email and include a link to one or more of the projects you’ve made. Third: This one’s for business owners. There are a couple more spots available for sponsors in the great big Design Mom Holiday Giveaway week. If you’ve got a prize to offer up that you know Design Mom Readers will love (min. $200), send an email to designmomads@gmail.com. Fourth: We’ve been picking the pears in our yard. We were told these particular pears aren’t great for eating raw — that they’re only good cooked down into a sauce. I wonder how they’d bake up in a pie? Have you ever made pear pie? I hope you’re having a lovely day!

Hello, Friends! I posted this advice back in 2008, but I read it again recently and thought: I have more kids now, and they’ve grown since 2008, but I still agree with what I wrote. Hah! So here are my tips again, for those of you who are getting ready to get your holiday crafting on and hope to involve your kids. : ) ——- Design Mom’s 8 Tips for Doing Crafts or Art Projects with Your Kids 1) Admit to yourself it’s going to be messy. If that stresses you out, cover surfaces with newsprint or butcher paper to catch bits of paper and glitter and drops of glue. Use materials (adhesive, markers, etc.) that are washable. Then relax. If you get paint on your hands, it’s okay. If your child gets marker on her shirt, it will wash. When you’re finished, roll up the newsprint and discard the mess easily. …

8 Tips for Doing Arts & Crafts With KidsRead More »

I thought it might be nice to re-share our sibling gift tradition, in case any new readers are curious. Since I have an artsy-craftsy bunch at my house, in 2006 we decided to come up with gifts my kids could make for each other. Things like sculpey bead bracelets and recycled crayons. It was adorable! And they loved the whole process: brainstorming the ideas, sneakily making the gifts, and watching their siblings open the surprise. So we’ve continued the tradition ever since. We try to come up with toys or items that will really be used (like the monogrammed mugs pictured), versus drawings or items that are purely decorative. But we definitely make exceptions. When we come up with a tradition like this, I try not to think of it as a hard and fast rule. This year, the 3 oldest kids have some money saved and are thinking about buying some gifts and making others. That’s absolutely fine with me. I’ve tried to keep the spirit of flexibility I started with. : ) …

Gift Giving TraditionsRead More »

I love how each room in Kim Sly’s home holds a dedicated space for her two young sons; inclusion is a grand part of good design, don’t you think? But, friends, I really love her studio. I am admittedly an art room junkie – there’s just something so galvanizing about seeing the space where something artistic originates – but this one looks like it’s used happily, doesn’t it? The proof sits virtually in Kim’s Etsy shop; an abundance of crisp graphic work and some pretty magical city prints perfect for those of us with a healthy case of wanderlust. Her shop motto is to create fun and personal design for all ages, and she’s achieved the same result in the Portland, Oregon home she shares with her husband and two sons. You’ll see! …

Living With Kids: Kimberly SlyRead More »

Last year, when we were making our plans to move to France, reading books and doing research, I told Ben Blair that the number one thing I wanted to see was the prehistoric cave paintings in the Dordogne region. The most famous are the Lascaux cave paintings. I studied them in college and fell in love with the whole idea of them immediately, because they’re dated at 20,000(!) years old, but there’s nothing primitive about them. The lines of the drawings are sophisticated and elegant. They were drawn over thousands of years by teams of artists who clearly studied a specific technique. They’re gorgeous. When I learned about them,  I remember thinking: I know it was 20,000 years ago, but anyone whose brain could create something like those drawings, couldn’t have been very different from me. Anyway. I’ve wanted to see them for so long, and on our drive to Barcelona, we were able to. (Chills just thinking about it!) …

Ancient Cave PaintingsRead More »

Sweden seems like a lovely place to live, doesn’t it? It tops nearly every list of the best countries in which to raise children because of its generous health care policies, enviable maternity and paternity leaves, and stroller access pretty much everywhere. And we can’t forget about IKEA! Talented photographer, blogger, and mom Natasha Golota agrees. She and her partner are celebrating their first year in their sunny, open home with their two young boys, and she wouldn’t live anywhere else. Unless, perhaps, it’s New York! Please enjoy this small taste of Sweden. Q: I love the bursts of purple throughout your living space! Are you always so bold with your color choices? A: I usually like very basic natural colors when I decorate interiors, but I do fancy bright details. They don’t need to match at all, but their presence in a room makes the decor more interesting and brings several more layers into the decoration. I like unusual and uncommon colors, which is why I chose purple in the living room. It’s not one of my favorite colors – and in fact, I don’t even like it! – but it made such an adorable match with the bright green, and I couldn’t resist! …

Living With Kids: Natasha GolotaRead More »

I tend to hold my breath when I check in on Martina’s blog. She and her husband, Jason, are foster parents hoping to someday adopt. They’ve sweetly decorated a bedroom in their home without knowing the age of the child they would be asked to keep, and every corner of it makes me smile. Their first placement, lovingly called Ladybug, stayed in their nursery not nearly long enough; they’d been hoping she’d stay forever. After a little break to try to heal their hearts, they’re now taking care of a newborn they call Precious. This is her room. I  hope you enjoy the tour as much as I did. …

Living With Kids: Martina AhlbrandtRead More »

Okay you guys. You will think I’m ridiculous, but here’s the deal. Ben Blair and I arrived home from Florence on Saturday night. And the kids happen to have a 2-week break from school starting today. So. We loaded up the van and we’re driving to Barcelona!! We’re making a couple of stops on the drive south to break up the trip, but we should arrive in Spain tomorrow. I’m so excited! I’ve never been to Barcelona but we’ve heard over and over again that it’s an amazing city for families to visit. Something interesting about this trip: we stayed at a small hotel last night, we’re staying at a youth hostel tonight, and we’re trying out Airbnb in Barcelona (it’s this apartment — looks good, right?). Should be fun to compare and contrast. : ) How do you travel? Hotels? RVs? House Rentals? There are so many options!

When we settled into our hotel last night, I checked my email and found this message from my daughter Maude: So, I heard the lawn mower stop, and I went outside to see what was up. The cows were mooing louder than usual. I crossed the street, and I saw Mme Lucienne and her husband and the lawn mower guy. The husband had plastic on his arms, and a cow was tied to the corner of a fence. The gate was wide open. Mme Lucienne was putting fresh hay out. The cow was in lots of pain, I could tell. The man reached into her bottom, and pulled out some hooves. A small gold head poked out. The man was covered in blood. He untied the cow. I saw the mom lick her baby clean. It started to rain, but only a little. Mme Lucienne and her husband went inside, and the lawn mower went back to work. About 10 minuets later, I saw the baby try to stand up. All the other cows rushed forward. The baby fell. A rainbow appeared in the sky. The baby stood and went under the mama. Mme Lucienne came back out, all clean, and asked us what the baby girls name should be. Betty suggested Clara, and Mme Lucienne agreed. The baby cow took her first steps, and ate some hay. Mme Lucienne went back inside. Betty and I went in too. xoxo, Mimi I think that might be the best email I’ve ever received! I’m so glad my kids got to see a calf being birthed (and named it too!). That’s the sort of experience that stays with you. Don’t you wish you could be everywhere at once sometimes?

Thank you so much for the Florence recommendations! I’ve made an amazing wishlist from your suggestions and I can’t wait to explore. We flew into Pisa yesterday afternoon (a short 1.5 hour flight!) and made a little field trip to see the Leaning Tower. I don’t have a life list, but it definitely felt like a life list moment. : ) I took a million pictures and can’t wait to share. Afterwards, we hopped on a train to Florence — 1 hour due west. P.S. — I snapped this photo with Instagram. I’m gabrielle_designmom if you want to join me.

Did I tell you I’m on my way to Florence, Italy today? Yippee! Ben Blair is presenting a paper at a language learning conference on Friday, so we decided to make a parents-only getaway. Doesn’t that sound romantic? Our dear friends, Audrey & Nic, are taking good care of our children while we’re away. I feel so darn lucky! I plan to eat nothing but pizza and gelato. : ) We’ve never been to Florence before. Any don’t miss recommendations? Vintage postcard of Florence found here.

Just last week, we were lucky enough to tour Angelique’s happy home. Today, I’m thrilled to introduce the other half of the Silk & Burlap team, Saule Smariga. After a few really lovely email exchanges, I can honestly tell you that she’s as warm and as interesting as the home she shares with her husband and three young children. Enjoy the tour! Q: The width of your home is 20 feet wide! Amazing. I do love seeing how you’ve overcome this little challenge. What’s your secret to making your spaces seem so airy? A: Considering our last home was a 16-foot wide row home, this felt expansive to us! Trial and error has a lot to do with making the spaces work, but the abundance of windows and natural light along with the open floor plan, smaller scale furniture, and a lot of storage to hide clutter help make the house feel comfortable. This has by far been the most challenging feature in making our house into a home. People are always surprised when they see the inside of the house for the first time. It feels much bigger than they expected looking from the outside! …

Living With Kids: Saule SmarigaRead More »

Hello, Friends! It was such a good trip to New York. Packed with meetings, meetings and more meetings — plus visits with some of my favorite people. It feels good to be back with my family. I arrived home yesterday and assumed I would jump right back into work, but forgot how jet-lagged I would be. I think I slept for 20 hours straight! : ) One of the highlights of the trip was getting the cracked glass on my phone repaired. On the spur of the moment, I had it replaced with red! It makes me happy when I pull it out of my pocket. P.S. — Just curious: do you use covers for your phones? I confess, I never have. I like the feel of the bare phone in my hand.

Angelique’s Maryland home is over one hundred years old, but she’s done an incredible job with staying true to the architectural preservation of the house while simultaneously adding her style to make it a home. Add a husband, three young daughters, and the bustling vintage-modern home furnishings and apparel shop she co-owns with a friend, and you can imagine the just-right amount of pink and creative flair that sneaks into the home’s everyday decor. Enjoy the tour! Q: One hundred years old! I love that. What are the challenges and charms of an older home? A: Challenge number one is the lack of storage! I edit and clean out what we don’t need a couple of times a year; thankfully, I’m not a pack rat! Our master bedroom has a closet the size of a small coat closet, so that one belongs to my husband. My clothes are hanging on a garment rack from Target in a quirky room that the previous owners converted from a sleeping porch into a 1/4 bath, with a pink jetted tub and nothing else. I’d like to turn it into an actual closet or 3/4 bath someday. My kitchen received a facelift when we moved in, but it’s pretty dated in terms of functionality. The cabinets were installed in the 1950s and are tight. However, I love how large and liveable the kitchen is; someday, we’ll bring it up to speed. We’re operating on the 20-year plan, even though I thought we’d have everything on our wishlist accomplished within five to seven years! …

Living With Kids: Angelique HoffmanRead More »

I’m off to New York today. So excited! The weather looks like it’s going to be amazing. Something funny: I have all sorts of errands to run while I’m there. Things like getting a camera lens fixed, an external harddrive salvaged, and my iPhone glass replaced. All errands that I could technically run in France, but I’ve saved them for this trip because it will be so much easier to take care of them in a city I know well — and where English is spoken! : ) If you were in New York City this week, what would you want to do? P.S. — I’m a little obsessed with these photos of New York taken by Charles Cushman in the middle of the last century. I put together a slideshow with some of my favorites here. Wouldn’t you love to own the frankfurters umbrella?

Last night, we sat around the kitchen table chatting, laughing and cracking walnuts from our tree. Such a pleasant way to pass an evening! The walnut tree at La Cressonnière (it’s the treehouse tree) has been over-the-top generous with its crop of walnuts. We’ve gathered basket after basket with no end in sight. The kids pick them up right off the grass. In April, our friend Stephanie gifted us a bottle of walnut oil and it’s delicious. I wonder if we can take our walnut harvest and have some oil pressed… I’ve never done anything like that. Have you? …

WalnutsRead More »

We’re over a month into the new school year and I thought you might like some more fun facts, reported by my kids, about their experience at French school. You can find our last report here. – Sometimes Ben Blair and I think we have a good handle on things. But then we realize we have no idea what’s going on. Today, when we picked them up from school, Betty, Oscar and Olive reported that it was field day and apparently they were supposed to go to school in sport pants and bring water bottles. We had no idea! And I swear, we have been reading the notes. Hah! – Olive plays marbles during recess (so old school!). She said it’s pretty competitive. The kids bring pencil cases full of marbles. I like taking pictures of the marbles. : ) – Ralph said the kids at school think he is an expert rapper. But he said really, he just knows the lyrics to an Eminem song. – All five are coming along with their French and understand lots of what’s said at school. Last year, we didn’t have them do homework, but this year they do. Sometimes that means a several-hour-long session at the computer with Google translate. – When kids are finished with lunch, they wait for everyone else at your table to finish too. – Maude is taking Latin this year. Ralph is taking Spanish. They like taking these classes because they’re at the same starting point as their classmates and they get good scores. They said it’s strange to feel like the best in some classes and the worst in others. – In middle school, the boys always greet each other with a handshake. Each boy goes and shakes every other boy’s hand. They also shake hands when they say goodbye. The girls say hello and goodbye with a kiss on each cheek. – Kids younger than middle school greet and say goodbye with one cheek kiss. – We mentioned the track suits on a previous report, but during warm weather, the boys wear short shorts during gym. (We’re still used to the US look of long sport shorts.) – The backpack of choice is Eastpak. – The biggest sport is soccer. Badminton, handball and ping-pong are also a big deal. – The students all stand when an adult walks into the classroom. – Many of the high school kids smoke and the adults don’t seem too stressed out about it. They’re not allowed to on campus, but as soon as they walk past the campus fence, students feel free to light up and don’t feel compelled to hide it. – Our kids are used to school lunch here. They said they’re curious about what they’ll think of school lunch when they return to the States. – Sort of school related: The kids are getting lots of invitations to birthday parties. The parties are simple and sweet. Not a lot of fuss. Overall, everyone is doing great and staying enthusiastic about school. We’re super proud of them!