Taco PopTarts   School is coming up soon, and so are those back to school lunches!  Finding fun and nutritious things to pack in a lunchbox can be time consuming.  Here's a recipe to get you started.  And--it makes 12, so you can freeze them for future use--and the little "pop tart" will act as an ice pack! Taco Pop Tarts

What's Trending... Speaking of lunch—what are you going to put all that goodness in?   Bento style boxes are perfect for everyone.  It's easy to keep food separated (for those picky eaters--I know--I was one!), keep the dry stuff dry, and the keep the mustard off the grapes.   Two, three and four section containers are great for sending small amounts of multiple kinds of food—how about a little salad in one section, hard boiled eggs in another, and some almonds in the third spot—sounds like a good lunch!  Do your kids like to take yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit—our leakproof rounds and thermal containers are just the trick for “leaky” foods. Stop in to see the whole collection of Eco-Friendly Lunch Box Solutions we have at Childish Things.  And don’t forget the ice packs!

Who's That Lady??? This is Katherine Knezo who hails from the beautiful state of Georgia!  Katherine moved to Boulder in 2008, and while she misses the green forests of the Appalachian Mtns., Katherine loves the Rocky Mountains and all the opportunities for outdoor living here.  This girl is not afraid of what nature holds, creepy crawlers and all!  Having three brothers also helped with that! Katherine LOVES to bake!!  Learning from her mom as a young girl, Katherine would spend hours watching cooking shows and tweaking recipes.  Her favorite chef is Ina Garten, and her next project to tackle is the family recipe for Baklava! Katherine is a huge fan of Harry Potter, and having read all the books would someday like to visit the countryside of Scotland/Ireland --taking in the small towns along the way, visiting local pubs, sampling local foods and partaking in her favorite ice cream--Strawberry with big chunks of berries! Katherine is the assistant manager here at Childish Things and has been with us for 6 years!

What we're taking now It’s  back to school time—so think warm days, cool mornings.  We’re taking short and long sleeve shirts, pants, dresses, cardigans, hoodies and light jackets.  Toward the end of this month, feel free to start bringing in winter clothing.  Remember, consignments last for 2 months, so we don’t really want short sleeves coming at the end of August as people have stocked up on all they need until next spring.  We won’t be taking short sleeves after August 14th.  Halloween Costumes!!  Bring them now—they are already selling and people are looking for them!

Green Earth Kids Hey kids--you can help keep the earth green too!  Here's a little tip--when you go to the park, or on a hike, and you're having a snack or two, be sure you don't let any trash fall on the ground, and if it does--be sure to pick it right back up! "Litter Free Says Mr. Tree" Here's a fun project to do and reuse something at the same time!  Collect some egg cartons and make some building blocks! Egg Carton Building Blocks

What's in a name?

Mommy, Daddy, Mama, Pops, Mom, Daddy, Dada, Dad—what name do you go by?  We’ve all heard names that children make up for their parents, grandparents and siblings. Some of them are pretty inventive.  My grandfather was “Be-Bop!”  A great friend of mine is “Farmore.”   I recently was reading a Facebook post about what children should call adults who may be friends of their parents, and is it OK to call them by their first names, or will children lose respect for that person.  Who knows??

About 6 ½ years ago, when our daughter was pregnant with our first grandchild, (which made us VERY happy), we were discussing what we wanted to be called.  I always knew I would be Nana.  After all, I had a Nana, and when we had kids my Mom became Nana and my Nana became Nannie.  So it was just natural that I would now become Nana.  My husband Michael had different ideas about being called Grandpa.

While he was very, very happy to become a grandfather, he did not want to be called Grandpa.  Every time someone asked him what he wanted the grandkids to call him, he would respond with, “Just Mike.”  No matter what anyone suggested, he always went back to, “Just Mike.”  And so—when this precious little baby was born, on Michael’s 50^th birthday no less, he began the “Just Mike” stage.

For a while, we were all calling him “Just Mike,” but it has since been shortened to “Mike.”  He is only called that by our two grandsons.  Very few other people call him Mike—he has always been Michael.  The boys’ other grandfather is Grandpa.

Mike and the boys are best of friends.  They enjoy each other’s company immensely and love spending time together.  They have built sand castles for hours, played chase for longer than I could describe, they built a super cool Go Kart together, and are already planning what to build their Mom and Dad for Christmas next year!  In short—the love they share is incredible.

Once, when describing his grandfathers, Austin said, “I have Mike and I have a Grandpa too.”  Sometimes, when we are out with the boys, and they call us “Mike & Nana,” I feel like Mike must be my boyfriend or something—it’s kind of funny actually!  Oliver has recently taken to calling my husband “Mikey” when he really wants something—or—if he can’t find him while looking for him, he will yell, “Miiichael.”   Pretty cute.

I don’t think the respect for an adult, or any other person for that matter, comes from what you call him or her.  It comes from your relationship and interactions with that person.  It comes as a mutual understanding between people.

So what’s in a name you ask?  I see LOVE!!

Be Bold

We recently had the 34th Bolder Boulder with somewhere near a cool 50,000 participants! If it wasn't so much fun, I'd think all those people are crazy for wanting to run a 10K. But a fun day it is! There is a mix of the serious runners looking to get a personal record, some just there for a good time, and everywhere in between. Can you tell which ones we were??

The Bolder Boulder is such a great day to remember all those that have served and are serving our country. We have a lot to be thankful for, so thank you everyone that has served this great country! Thanks, Bolder Boulder for giving us a proper tribute after the race!

Motherly Love

"A Mother"

A Mother is one who

understands the things

you say and do

Who always overlooks

your faults and sees the

best in you

A Mother is one whose

special love inspires you

day by day.

Who fills your heart with

gladness in her warm

and thoughtful way.

A Mother is all these things

and more - the greatest

treasure known.

And the dearest Mother in

all of the world is the one I

call my own.

-Anonymous 

How adorable (and true!) is this pillow? Thanks Francesca's

for the great gift idea!

Take this weekend to celebrate a Mother's love and the beautiful 

relationships that come from that special bond. 

Tulip Time!

Spring is here and it's arguably one of the best seasons to be in Colorado. All the outdoor activities like hiking are in full swing. Word is that this Saturday Downtown Pearl Street will be flooded with little fairies and elves helping ring in spring! Join us this Saturday, April 28th, at 3:00 pm on Pearl Street to stroll the streets with magical company. Check out this page for a few more details.

Get your little ones ready for the occasion at Childish Things! They have plenty of tutus, wings and wands perfect for the Tulip Festivities! 

Spring has sprung! Then it snowed.

Colorado is a funny place. Eighties and sunshine all weekend then it turns and we get a few inches of snow. Yes, snow. As quickly as it switched from hot to cold, the forecast for later this week is back up to the 70's in Boulder- just in time for Easter! Stay in the Spring spirit and grab the kids to dye some Easter Eggs! Visit here for a recipe for making dyes from natural ingredients! 

http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Other/Easter-Eggs.aspx

Use wax or a crayon to draw a design on the egg before you place it in the dye. The dye won't stick to the egg shell where the design has been drawn. 

Check out these locations for some Easter Egg Hunts in Colorado!

Childish Things can help you out with last minute outfits for your little ones! 

President Pop Culture!

They are the leaders of our country, Commander in Chief, Head of State, our Presidents.. and today we celebrate them! Why not celebrate Presidents past and present with a little trivia?  

Test your knowledge on inaugural facts. Let's just say I bet you can score better than I did.. 

http://www.allstaractivities.com/general/Holidays/Presidents-day.htm

Some other fun facts thanks to National Geographic Kids:

• The 11th President, James Polk, was the first President to have his photograph taken. 
• Theodore Roosevelt was the first President to ride in a car while in office and his fifth cousin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the first to ride in an airplane. Maybe another Roosevelt will be the first President to ride in a spaceship??
• Our Presidents have also been known to have some strange pets that also called the White House "home". 
• John Quincy Adam's wife had silkworms
• Herbert Hoover had an opossum 
• Calvin Coolidge had a pet raccoon- that walked on a leash!

Stop by Childish Things today and spend $20 on Melissa and Doug and get a President Write-a-mat placemat FREE! Hurry, while supplies last!