toy wishlist

Toys. We never seem to grow out of them, do we? My favorite toys to this day are LEGOs. Nothing captures the spirit of childhood quite like LEGOs. Growing up, we didn't have specialized Star Wars or Buccaneer LEGO sets; instead we made our own pirate ships, castles and the like. When I was about 11, I made a LEGO chair-lift complete with my mom's sewing thread as the lift cable with chairs suspended down from it.

Now that I'm a mom with three children, I find myself swimming in toys. I can't lift a sofa cushion without pretend money falling out. And you know what toys get the most play? Happy Meal toys. Right? I can't figure it out! Nevermind the plastic-injection molded dinosaurs purchased from DMNS or the Melissa & Doug puzzles, it's Madame Alexander miniatures dominating the Halatokoua household.

Have you ever put together a toy wish list? Neither have I. But if I had…it would look something like this:

 

Eames Blocks, by House Industries. For the budding architect, furniture designer, filmmaker, or the next Charles & Ray.  $175. Put these on lockdown for the next decade or so. Too cool for drool.

C9p Sportscar by Automoblox. Proof that toy cars are not just for the boys anymore. This hot little number is just one of many award-winning beauties made from a wood base and interchangeable plastic parts. Be sure to check out their online parts department in the event you want to upgrade your shiny alloy rims. $36.

Did'ja catch that? This ultra-cool Converto tricycle converts into a bicycle as your skill set improves. The only thing missing is the toy Zeppelin to fly alongside it. $299 RH baby&child.

LEGO Architecture. Release your inner architect by these Danish-made, American-inspired icons: Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater residence ($90) or the Empire State Building ($24). MoMA Store.

The Eames Elephant. This polypropylene guy is fashioned after a molded plywood prototype made by Charles & Ray more than a half-century ago. GS & CE safety certified. $290, Design Within Reach.

 The Green Dollhouse. Perfect toy today for tomorrow's conservationist. If the solar cell panel doesn't get'cha, then maybe the wind turbine will. Comes fully furnished including the recycling bins. Non-toxic at $240, Oompa.

bento lunches part two: hunting & gathering

Since last we talked, I was introduced to a new hobby that will for sure give me high marks on my motherhood resume. Or at least it will give me a new hobby. Bento! So with the help of Another Lunch and some resourcefulness, I'm well on my way to become a Bento aficionado.

Step One: containers

So I needed some great containers that wouldn't cost me a fortune that had compartments because, well, compartments are what make Bento Bento after all. So I headed to the Container Store to see what they had in stock, and after much deliberation, this is what I decided upon:

Meet the Sistema divided Klip-it. (I'm pretty sure that should have a ® or ™ after it, but I'm still new to this blogging thing.) Large enough to know enough, but small enough to not get cocky, this medium-sized guy can hold just enough food for an oversized snack for my preschoolers or a small lunch for my 8-year old. A half sandwich can fit into one side with plenty of room on the other for all those horrible things we pack our kids to feel better about ourselves (like carrots) or the goodies we pack to earn brownie points (like cheetos).

Why did I choose the Sistema Klip-it? Trust me when I tell you the catchy name was secondary in my process of elimination. Sistema products are BPA-free which is super-important if you don't want to contaminate your children. At least I don't think I do. I also love the two periwinkle clips on each side. Something about clippinig them into place gives one a sense of accomplishment. That and I love the sound they make. I also purchased some klip-it snack boxes in various sizes.

Step Two: cups

In keeping with the Bento spirit of having a lot of diversity and small portions, I needed a clever way to place multiple items in each side without having their textures / tastes meld. So, I took another cue from Melissa at Another Lunch and purchased some silicone baking cups. Melissa uses these awesome cups that look like a giant noodle that I want to eat, so I had to find something that my kids would not consume nor be tempted to throw away. My first search took me to Williams-Sonoma, where I found a pack of twelve pastel Silicups for $24. Though adorable, $2 per cup was not what I was wanting to spend. So I headed to Crate&Barrel in search of a dozen silicone cups at $12 or less. Touchdown! My 2-minute search yielded this $9.99 discovery:

Don't you love that they're clear? That way I can use them in my own lunch and not feel like I need to dance around the Maypole with pastel streamers. They also mesh quite nicely with the clear Sistema containers, don't you think?

Step Three: something to carry it all in

I found my daughter this lunch sack from the Container Store:

Only hers is red (sorry, no photo avail of the red one) and I got it on clearance for $9.99! BUILT neoprene bags are naturally insulated (I think back to my childhood when my father manufactured scuba diving skins...that's a story for another time), lightweight, and really they just look awesome. I especially love the chunky, toothy zipper along the top. There's nothing like the smell of a wetsuit—er, lunchsack to get you going in the morning!

These are the just the infantile stages of my new hobby. Stay tuned for more gadgets, gizmos, and photos of Bento successes and failures.

bento lunches part one: another lunch

Recently, while reading one of my favorite Blogs, Design Mom, I was inspired by this photo:

photo courtesy Another Lunch

I wasn't sure what caught my attention first, the fact that I was staring at about the greatest stainless steel TV-dinner plate in the world, or the fact that someone took the time to design such a beautiful lunch, right down to "Ethan" stamped into the fruit leather. Look at that color palette! Doesn't that granny-green apple just pop? Or the polka-dot placemat underneath? Who has the time to create such such nonsense, and where can I find her number? Design Mom sent me to the very source: Melissa at Another Lunch.

Melissa, you're brilliant.

Chomping at the bit? So was I! Check out this insanity:

photo courtesy Another Lunch

I can't figure out if I'm mesmerized more by the chick cheese, or the shape of the chicks. They look like some ultra-cool Japanese illustration gone Bento! And aren't the food picks adorable? Ready for more?

photo courtesy Another Lunch

Is that a Babybel cheese with...a heart cutaway? And notice the repetition of the heart repeating itself in the form of fruit leather on the bun! Does it get more clever than that? And that silicone cup holding the blueberries looks delicious enough to eat, too! Melissa, you know a thing or two about color and composition, my dear! Check out the way the flag ties everything together--how's that for eye candy?

photo courtesy Another Lunch

And last but certainly not least, my favorite photo above. Melissa, you had me at the Puzzle-Piece peanut butter sandwich!

So as you can imagine, I could not let my enthusiasm for Bento lunches end at the click of a mouse; rather, I had to become part of this phenomenon…for my children, of course. More to come!