Cubby Archive: Nov 2020

The 12 Best Kids’ Bedroom Makeovers We’ve Ever Seen

When it comes to decorating, a child’s room is one of the most enjoyable projects to take on. There are seemingly no rules—fun themes, bold colors, and whimsical decor all tap into the playfulness of childhood, perfectly suiting the space. There’s a real satisfaction to completing these projects, too. Designing a nursery for a baby is often your first chance to “nest” and create a safe space for your child.

Brigitt Earley

Nov 30, 2020

In the Ultimate Post-2020 Move, We’re Reclaiming My Office as a Family Quiet Room

We have space a few doors down from our toddler’s playroom that we call the Quiet Room. The sunlight from outside hits perfectly on the two single window panes, and moments of deep sighing are shared with tri-color leaves waving in the wind. Our interior designer recommended a soft green meditation mat and singing bowl for one corner, and all the books perched on the tower-style rack are self-help or “how-to-care” for plant titles.

Nicole Taylor

Nov 24, 2020

I Do 1,800 Tuck-Ins a Year. Here’s What I Can Tell You About Bedtime Routines

I did the math. Tucking my five kids into bed every night means I do almost two thousand tuck-ins a year. As much as it’s my joy and pleasure to do them, I’m not always Patient Happy Mommy by the time it comes time to switch off the light and leave the room. Sometimes all it takes is an “I’m thirsty” while I’m kissing a forehead for Growly Mom to come onstage. And I know I’m not alone.

Shifrah Combiths

Nov 24, 2020

This Australian Home Mixes Natural Woods, Muted Colors, and Interesting Forms for a Calm Vibe

Name: Ellen Maire, Patrick, and JoniLocation: Melbourne, AustraliaEllen, Patrick, and their daughter Joni, age 2 1/2, live in a post-war brick house in Melbourne, Australia. Their charming home is flush with original details such as cornices, ceiling plasterwork, and lovely wooden window frames. It’s an architectural style that suits the couple’s nature and vintage aesthetic perfectly.

Natalie Jeffcott

Nov 24, 2020

2020 Is the Year of the Hike

For my family, the Year of the Hike started on New Year’s Day. After having been cooped up for the winter break, my husband, son, and I bundled up and headed out for a walk in the woods on January 1st, despite the frigid temperatures. Up until then, longer walks had been a bit much for our son, but at almost 4 1/2 he was able to tackle two miles.They were not fast miles, but they were just the thing to cure an energetic boy of his wiggles and two weary parents of their cabin fever.

Laura Fenton

Nov 24, 2020

The Romance Novelist Wisdom That Helped Me Relax About Food This Year

In January of this year, back when we were all children, I read a tweet from author Jennifer Lynn Barnes about the prolific romance novelist Nora Roberts. Barnes recalled, “One time, I was at a Q&A with Nora Roberts, and someone asked her how to balance writing and kids, and she said that the key to juggling is to know that some of the balls you have in the air are made of plastic and some are made of glass.

Jeanelle Hayner Olson

Nov 24, 2020

Super-Power Morning Smoothie

Now and then, a girl needs a little magic to get through the day and fly above it all. While moving a mile a minute isn’t my preferred way to live, it’s been a reality. At times, I move so fast that I forget to eat, and I get clumsy and frantic. That’ll knock the wind right out of a lady’s magic fairy wings. To make sure I stay on top of it all, I need a nourishing and energizing breakfast. For years, the smoothie routine was yogurt, orange juice, and frozen fruit.

Sara Kate Gillingham

Nov 24, 2020

Organization Is the Secret to Fitting a Family Business and 3 Kids into 1,200 Square Feet

Name: Amber and Chris Earl, owners of EARL (@earl_home); their daughters, Giavanni, 4, and Copen, 3; and son, Guy, 1Location: North Hollywood, CaliforniaObserving a house evolve over time is a specific kind of pleasure: It’s like watching a young person grow up. You can see how a home stretches, adapts, and evolves to the lives that are being lived within. A visit to Amber and Chris Earl’s two-bedroom home in North Hollywood shows a house that has found its stride.

Laura Fenton

Nov 18, 2020

The 1-Minute Organizing Hack Every Parent Needs to Know About

My first nephew’s first word was “Grino.” This is not a variation on green; rather, it is an abbreviation of Pellegrino, the sparkling water that my parents always have stocked in their refrigerator. My other nephews (there are three) and my niece all have a penchant for fancy carbonated water. They drink a lot of it — and they can go through a lot of cups in the process.

Geraldine Campbell

Nov 18, 2020

An Already Gorgeous Victorian House Has Been Energized With Bold Color

Names: Angela Wator, owner/designer of BASH Party Goods, and owner of Festive Collective, and Jeramy Webb, and their daughters Penelope, age 5, and Ramona, age 2. And Bogie, the family’s 10-year-old bulldogLocation: Oak Park, Illinois Angela Wator and Jeramy Webb weren’t planning to buy a home when they stumbled across an 1896 Victorian outside of Chicago where they live. (Amazingly they each found independently while daydreaming on Zillow and emailed the listing to one another!

Apartment Therapy Submissions

Nov 18, 2020

15 Super-Cool Gifts Your Little Cooks Will Love

There’s nothing cuter than a kid who likes to help in the kitchen. (Except for maybe dogs who like to help in the kitchen, but they’re usually not all that useful.) Whether it’s a toddler who wants to stand on a learning tower to watch or a tween who’s trying to master the art of at-home nachos, we love it! And we want to keep encouraging them! Hence this gift guide, which has fun food- and cooking-themed gifts for kids of all ages.

Lisa Freedman

Nov 18, 2020

Here’s Your Permission to Not Have a “Real” Thanksgiving Celebration This Year

Last week I asked some fellow parents how they’re feeling about the looming holiday. Henry, a coworker, said something that got our virtual heads nodding: “Right now I would appreciate other voices saying that it’s OK to not have a real ‘celebration’ this year.” Did you nod too? Are you still struggling over whether to gather with your parents?

Faith Durand

Nov 18, 2020

“Thankfulness Is a Responsibility”: How Parents Are Celebrating a Very Different Thanksgiving

I was raised as a Muslim. There are no celebrations in the Islamic faith that do not center reverence for Allah—but for my family, Thanksgiving was an exception. On the hour-and-a-half bus ride to my aunt’s home in South Philly, my mother would remind us to make sure that what we put on our plates did not contain any “swine,” her favorite word to use describing anything pig.

Omar Tate

Nov 18, 2020

What Are Some Good Tips for Active Play Indoors?

Active play is one-hundred percent a need for us. Particularly in California, where we’ve had wildfires keeping us indoors, I know so many parents of young toddlers that are struggling to find the right things to do with their kids in small apartments that don’t leave everyone bored, stir-crazy, and counting the hours until bedtime by the end of day.

Maxwell Ryan

Nov 18, 2020

10 Small, Easy Thanksgiving Recipes That Will Delight You and the Whole Family

Thanksgiving is almost here and, if you’re like me, you’ve probably barely started on your holiday meal planning. Those of us who are parents—especially if your kids are small, like mine—are busy enough already, and it’s been a tough season. I have found it hard to get jazzed up about cooking for a holiday that will just be my immediate family. But then today I kind of shook myself and said, Why so glum?

Faith Durand

Nov 18, 2020

What’s the Best Way To Deal with Toy Clutter?

I struggle particularly with the organization and clutter of my kids’ toys. How do you store them easily and how do you part with old toys when kids are resistant?SusanDear Susan, I’m very old school when it comes to toy storage and always feel that the easiest, open shape—BINS!—are the most practical for kids and parents. I like soft bins that can easily slide under shelves, up against the wall, in a corner or under a bed.

Maxwell Ryan

Nov 11, 2020

The Very Best Board Games for Families—or Anyone!

Playing games is more than just—wait for it—fun and games. That’s part of why board games and puzzles are experiencing a renaissance. They invite creative and strategic thinking, teamwork and cooperation, and of course, an opportunity to sit down and connect with other people—a welcome break from the usual Netflix/Hulu circuit. The hard part is actually picking out a game among a seemingly endless sea of options.

Ashley Abramson

Nov 11, 2020

My Toddler Refused to Eat Anything Even Mildly Spicy. Then I Made Chrissy Teigen’s Miso Noodles.

I spent the spring eyeing Chrissy Teigen’s spicy miso pasta, a combination of one of my favorite dishes (carbonara) with extra umami from miso and a hit of spice. Photo after photo popped up on Instagram, my Twitter feed seemed to taunt me with its popularity and its savory, carb-y heat. The internet seemed to be obsessed in general, but also a lab designing my favorite food could only have come closer by somehow working in a little ice cream at the end.

Naomi Tomky

Nov 11, 2020

The One Place In Your Kitchen You’re (Probably) Forgetting to Clean (and How to Clean It)

As busy as they are, kitchens are just about the germiest places in our homes—especially all those handles. You touch food, you open the oven. Your kids come in after touching who-knows-what and head straight to the fridge (or maybe it’s just mine?). With all that touching comes the risk of cross-contamination of foodborne illnesses and the spread of germs (in addition to all our fears about coronavirus, flu season is coming!).

Ayn-Monique Klahre

Nov 10, 2020

Teach Your Kids How to Make Lunch at Any Age

If you count up the whole year, every day of lunches, from now until summer break, did you know that back to school means packing 180 school lunches? I’ll let you sit with that for a moment. Whether your district started back to school virtually or you’re adjusting to a new normal in person, getting your kids to help with lunch will obviously make your life a little easier. Just like any new skill, teaching your kids to prep and pack their own lunches takes time and patience.

Meghan Splawn

Nov 9, 2020

One Family, 1,000 Toys, Two Bedrooms, and Space to Work & Play

“I love the way I’ve set up the house! I love our living room so much. That’s where we spend most of our time together: It feels super cozy.” Name: Caroline and Jason Rodrigues, owners of @shopmercimilo; their daughter, Milo, 5; and Caroline’s children, Cailin, 14, and Darren, 16, who live there part of the timeLocation: Glendale, CaliforinaImagine if your child had a never-ending stream of toys showing up in your home.

Laura Fenton

Nov 4, 2020

10 Parents on the 2020 Buys That Made Life a Little Better at Home

Last spring as the world shut down, I snapped up masks, Purell, and something expensive and seemingly frivolous: an outdoor sectional. I’m not kidding when I say that impulse purchase saved us. It got me through the long, lonely first months of quarantine, the worry about my kids’ emotional health, and the heartbreak when I suddenly lost my dad in early summer. It’s like we magically got a bonus room in our cramped house.

Lisa Lombardi

Nov 4, 2020

What’s The Best Sofa When You Have Kids?

I have two children: a six-year old boy and a three-year old girl, who eat and play all over the house. They are wearing things out fast. What kind of sofa is most likely to survive them?MelissaDear Melissa, I’ve got three directions you can go.

Maxwell Ryan

Nov 4, 2020

This Family’s Cozy San Francisco Apartment Is Bursting With Books, Color and Art

Names: Bridget, Bill, and Mabel Watson Payne Location: Nob Hill/Tenderloin — San Francisco, California Size: 650 square feetHow do you fit more books into an apartment with 20 bookshelves is not a question most families find themselves asking, but it’s constantly on the minds of Bridget and Bill Watson Payne, who are parents to one daughter, Mabel. “One look around will tell you that we love books, color, and art,” Bridget says.

Esteban Cortez

Nov 4, 2020

Breakfast Banana Split with Yogurt and Jam

A banana split for breakfast? Oh, yes! This quick, easy breakfast takes a dessert classic and lightens it up for the morning with ultra-creamy Greek yogurt and a warm drizzle of jam. It’s also a perfect antidote to those fussy mornings when your child doesn’t want to eat anything.No, there’s no ice cream involved. (Ice cream for breakfast—that seems best saved for birthdays, eh?

Faith Durand

Nov 4, 2020

11 Incredible Ways to “Remodel” IKEA’s Duktig Play Kitchen

Since IKEA introduced the DUKTIG play kitchen, customers have brainstormed ways to hack and customize this plain Jane item into something with more personality and charm—like, you know, a full-sized kitchen might have. The tweaks these parents have made are doable for even DIY beginners and, I think you’ll agree, make these little plays kitchens even more special for their kids.

Carrie McBride

Nov 4, 2020