Bunchland

What we’re reading today:

1. Mom Denise Schipani says being a mean mom makes for good kids. We’re just going to assume that Denise doesn’t go to Vogue writer lengths. We get it in terms of making them do stuff that’s good for them and presumably there’s some teaching of delayed gratification. Why she sounds loving and caring and all, what’s with this mean mom book deal trend? Do we blame this on Amy Tiger Mom Chua?

2. We hope this is real and not some hoax made purely with the intention of going viral: Some weatherman went to a school to talk about meteorology and the well-raised kids sent him thank you letters for the visit. One particularly polite kid was very generous with his creative superlatives. He writes, “Thank you again for teaching us about meteoroligy (sic), you’re more awesome than a monkey wearing a tuxedo made out of bacon riding a cyborg unicorn with a lightsaber for the horn…” It goes on in even better detail. Maybe he watches a lot of Old Spice commercials? Anyway, this kid (if he’s real!) is great. We sincerely hope he goes on to write graphic novels or an HBO show.  Read more...

What we’re reading today:

1. According to UCLA Anthropologists, Americans parents are raising their kids to be lazy and spoiled out of guilt.

2. Going out to dinner with your kids? Here are 12 tips that will save you some aggravation.

3. Bless those Girl Scouts! They’re celebrating their 100th anniversary this week and encouraging your girls to pursue their love of science and technology, or whatever your girls are into.

4. Turns out that parenting experts over the years have always told moms they’d better do a good job, or else. “Whatever the message, the advice was given in the form of an order and the authors highlighted extreme consequences if mothers did not follow the methods of childrearing that they advocated.”

5. Mini Hogwarts! See how they made the model for one of our favourite fictional castles.

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Flavorwire takes a look at some classics children’s tales

Are we ever glad Maurice Sendak couldn’t really draw horses! We knew the Winnie-the-Pooh inspiration from the intro to the old (old) Pooh videos we used to own, as well as the Cat in the Hat thing from previous Seuss-related Bunch research. London kids being shuttled out of London to stay in the country, or elsewhere, during the Second World War is practically its own genre so the Narnia inspiration comes as no surprise, but that doesn’t make it any less magical. But that Little Prince one, wow.

Pop culture blog Flavorwire shares the inspiration stories for classic children’s stories like Pooh, Where the Wild Things Are, Watership Down and Gremlins. Yeah, what does Gremlins have in common with the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe?

We’re going to have to go read the Little Prince again tonight. What your favourite from this classic list?

Another batch of Etsy treasures, where one of a kind holiday gift options abound.

If you missed it, check out our Etsy Round Up Part 1 and get inspired about finding some amazing Christmas presents from your couch. The hits just keep coming!

For the under 3 crowd:

Teething Toy Moustache

If you got a kick out of Mini Movember, keep the fun going all year with this wooden wonder by teethME.

Screen Printed Sushi Bib and Hat

They might not be skilled with chopsticks yet, (or even their fingers), but this bib and hat set will keep your little dynamite roll clean. By LEFTright.

For the 3 – 6 crowd:

Felt Campfire Playset

Bring the best part of camping inside, all year round. This set comes with 8-inch flames, logs, rocks, a roasting stick with Velcro on the end with stickable hotdog and s’mores set. By kidnaroundcreations.  Read more...

What we’re reading today:

1. There’s a school in California’s Bay Area with a 23 percent vaccination rate. Less than a quarter of the kids at the Waldorf School are vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella and they could be putting kids with compromised immune systems at serious risk.

2. Did you see Neil Patrick Harris’ Halloween family portrait?Amazing.

3. After three miscarriages, this couple kept trying. (And it paid off!)

4. Mona Simpson’s eulogy for her brother Steve Jobs has inspired Peggy Orenstein to write about that important brother-sister bond.

5. J.K. Rowling says she considered killing off Ron Weasley. RON WEASLEY!! Man, we had a hard enough time with [SPOILER] Fred and were in denial about Sirius for at least the next book.

Image via Flickr

What we’re reading today:

1. Stop lying to your kids! If they’re not doing great at something, don’t tell them they are.

2. Kate Winslet’s son, age 7, knows it’s OK if he grows up to be gay.

3. Preemies who need blood drawn show less pain when they’re being held by mom or dad, but especially mom.

4. Do you monitor the music your kids listen to? Do they sing along to Lady Gaga without actually knowing what she means by disco stick?

5. Harry Potter’s first press conference! Look how cute they are!!

Photo by EraPhrenalia Vintage via Flickr

Cynthia Kinnunen and her family drove from Toronto to Orlando

I know, I know, everyone always talks “Disney” when they head down to Orlando with kids. And don’t get me wrong: Disney is a wonderful magical adventure, particularly for the littlest in the family. But on this last excursion to Orlando (and don’t think we go all the time – this is only our second trip there) we chose to test out Universal Studios.

Stay with me for a moment: as a kid, I ended up in Universal Studios (California) and have very fond memories of it. At age eight, I got to hug cast members from Battlestar Galactica, get freaked out by Jaws and feel incredibly tiny next to props from The Incredible Shrinking Woman. I remember those moments more than the visit to Disney on that same trip. I had some high expectations of this visit to Universal. I wanted my kids to feel wowed by the experience just as I was.  Read more...