Kate sent me a few pictures of her Chicago home, asking sweetly if I’d consider it for an upcoming Living With Kids home tour. The first image I opened showed the most enchanting, inspiration-overloaded studio and playroom space that I didn’t even need to look further. It was a yes, and a big one at that! I just know you’ll be as charmed by this art-filled home that’s as magical to adults as it is to kids. Q: Please introduce us to the lucky family who lives in this fantastic space! A: This house is home to me and my lovely, fabulous, generous, husband Ed, who is a serial entrepreneur, and our two darling children, Sadie (4) and Eli (2). Q: Tell us your home’s story… A: Our home has a lovely history that starts in 1894. It was part of a very large farmhouse in the middle of an onion farm. Now it is just a few blocks away from the home of the Chicago Cubs. Our neighborhood is filled with families, young professionals, and lots of dogs. This home has an artistic soul…if a home can have a soul! The previous owner is a photographer, so there is a darkroom in the basement. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that it’s now a storage room! We moved here a little over two years ago when I was very pregnant with Eli. …

Living With Kids: Kate LewisRead More »

You know I love a crisp and colorful Swedish home, and Cina Kjellsson’s does not disappoint. As the designer behind the boldly patterned products at Camp Cirrus, she and her husband, Matts, have created a shared space that incorporates their entire family and still conveys the message that a group of creatives lives here. The emphasis seems to be less on designing a space to look beautiful, and more on building rooms in which to live beautifully. Collections are few and chosen sparingly, but still with impact. The walls are white – of course! – and the walkways clear. There is space to share and space to be alone. Such brilliant take-aways to apply to any home, don’t you agree? Enjoy the tour! …

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I spent this morning decking the halls with boughs of holly. For reals! And for the first time ever. La Cressonnière happens to have a huge holly bush (of course it does), so I harvested some branches and I’m using them to fill in the double-decker mantle over the living room fireplace. I have never had access to fresh holly before, but it is gorgeous and Christmas-y. And poky. (Use gloves.) I’m not going to lie, the mantel is looking awesome. And while I was installing the holly, I kept looking at Ben Blair and saying, “Is this place for real?” And, “How in the world are we going to live somewhere else after this? I will definitely share some pictures when I finish up, but right now, berries are on my mind. In addition to the holly, there are all sorts of varieties of gorgeous berries that grow along the roads here in the countryside. During one of our blackberry picking sessions, I snapped these photos of unknown-to-me berries. Obviously, I would never consume any unknown fruits, but some of them definitely looked good enough to eat. It makes me long for a field guide to edible plants, and makes me wonder how humans and other animals figured out which berries were thumbs up and which ones were poisonous. Was it really just trial and error? (Yikes!) I know. Pretty random thoughts for a Wednesday. : ) Have you ever come upon berries in the wild and wanted to eat them? Have you ever tried a non-edible berry by mistake?

Hello, Friends! Did you know whole turkeys aren’t sold in France until December 15th? If you go to the supermarket or the butcher, you can buy turkey parts, but not whole turkeys. Because whole turkeys are only cooked up at Christmas time. Period. But. We didn’t realize this until Monday of last week. And we needed to cook a turkey on Thursday morning. And the butchers aren’t open on Mondays. So. On Tuesday we visited every butcher in town, crossing our fingers one might have access to a whole turkey. Nope, nope and nope. At the 4th place, the butcher was in a really helpful mood. When Ben Blair explained about American Thanksgiving, he nodded and said he’d call a farmer and then let us know. We went on with our errands and the butcher called a few minutes later. “Yes,” he said.” The farmer has a turkey. You can pick it up on Thursday morning at 10:30.” So we did. At the pick up, Mr. Turkey was waiting with his head and claws still intact. That’s how whole birds are sold here. There was no pop-up thermometer, no plastic cords holding the feet together and no innards wrapped up in paper waiting in the body cavity. It had never been frozen, and in fact, had been alive the day before. I’m still not sure why we were so struck by this but we were. The turkey had been killed and prepared specifically for our family. If we hadn’t requested it, Mr. Turkey would still be alive. I’m not sure if I’ve ever felt so connected with a meal before. How about you? What’s the closest connection you’ve had to meat you’ve eaten? Any farmers or hunters in your family? Our neighbor, Madame Lucienne keeps chickens on her little farm. A few weeks ago she added several turkeys to the mix (I shot these photos through our back window). Now that I think about it, I suppose we could have just bought a turkey from Madame Lucienne. Maybe for Christmas… So that’s our turkey adventure. I hope you enjoyed it! And now, I need you to prepare yourselves, because the 2011 Design Mom Holiday Giveaway Week starts TODAY! Watch for it. P.S. — Mr. Turkey was small (about 6 lbs) and delicious. We ate every bit of meat and made stock from the bones. I hope we were properly thankful for our feast.

At first glance, this is not your average ordinary Living With Kids home tour! But look a little more closely. Peeking out from the gorgeous collection of professional realtor photos are a million little marks that this is a family’s haven. I saw scratches in the wood floor and smiled, knowing they were probably made by runaway skateboards, ribbons tacked to a lampshade and knew they were probably earned, and bookshelves stuffed to capacity and knew this family definitely loved to read. Not a surprise, really, since Meredith Alexander, the founder of Milk + Bookies, lives here along with her screenwriter husband, Jesse, and their two boys. They’re moving soon, though, so when she asked if I’d be interested in sharing the Sherman Oaks home they’ve created together with all of you, I answered yes, please! I just knew you’d love her home, or as Meredith describes it, “my love letter to my family.” Isn’t that a wonderful sentiment? Enjoy the tour! …

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Friends, today I’d love to hear your thoughts on beards. Ben Blair is sporting a very handsome, very red one(!) right this minute. And do you know what? It’s his very first beard ever! Probably because my dad almost always wore a beard (and I have fond memories of watching him with his beard trimmer), I’ve never thought beards were unusual, and in fact, have always found them handsome. But I know many women (and men!) can’t stand them. Last night I told Ben Blair that I was quite fascinated that he could so completely change his appearance in just a few weeks. If someone met him for the first time last month, they would have a very different first impression than if they met him today, because beards seem to make such a statement. Isn’t that interesting? Where do you fall on facial hair? Has your husband or boyfriend ever grown a beard? Do you prefer a man clean shaven? Or maybe with some rugged five o’clock shadow? Have you ever kissed someone with a beard? P.S. — I also have to say that your comments on the beauty post are amazing. I keep re-reading them!

Three Decembers ago, Mimi had her hair cut off and donated to make a wig for a child with cancer. It was a really positive experience — the sort of thing that stays with you. So once again, her hair has grown out (see above), and she’s been considering another donation. That long ago gift was such a real, tangible way for Maude to do service. And it was also the ideal opportunity to sit down as a family and talk about how to fight cancer, and things we can do to support cancer victims. Since not every child can donate their hair, I’d love to hear some other ideas. Have you talked to your kids about cancer? Or had to explain about a suddenly bald head among the relatives? Have your kids offered support or service to a cancer victim? What has worked in your family? P.S. — If you know a mother of young children who has lost all her hair to cancer, this book might help.

[imagebrowser id=21] [nggallery template=’carousel’ id=’21’]   Oh my goodness! I didn’t realize it until I started editing them down, but I took approximately 1 billion photos in Barcelona. Holy moly! Above are 27 of my favorites. Sorry if that’s too many! : ) I have to say we LOVED Barcelona. Such a cool city. And such a fun place for a family to visit. Lots of great outdoor spaces and walking districts, which made it super easy to explore! …

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No matter where Jenifer Altman lives, whether in the Midwest, Brooklyn, or her newest home in Asheville, you can be sure her space will be photograph-worthy. Good thing for us she’s a brilliant photographer! But that’s just the tip of her professional iceberg; she’s also a sublime cook who shares her skills with gusto, a writer whose words rival the beauty found in her Polaroids, a wife to Den, and the mother of three little ladies who seem to be grooving happily in her creative footsteps (Exhibits A and A, if you please.). Also, as you’ll discover in about three seconds, she’s an inspired interior decorator deep down who’s found the formula to creating an acutely artistic yet entirely livable home. Enjoy this first peek at Jen’s newest space! It’s a beauty. …

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[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!