Bunchland

Cookie mogul Eden Hertzog shares recipes she enjoys with her family

When Cedar starting eating solids, we were extremely careful about what he ate. This is probably true for most parents, but haven’t you noticed it’s especially true lately, amongst all us new age, yuppie, hippie, local food-eating, baby-wearing, co-sleeping, teaching-our-kids-to-sign parents?

We started with organic pear puree, then organic butternut squash puree, then organic oatmeal. He loved all of it, and then it became clear that Cedar pretty much wanted everything we were eating too. I think they call that “baby-led weaning” – or wait, isn’t that just “eating”?

In any case, I’m going to say it’s been a bit of a slow decline with food options. He’s become pickier. He used to really love veggies, probably because he didn’t know he was eating them. Now, I swear, if there is spinach in his eggs he will literally catch the tiniest shred of it and look at me, disgusted, before spitting it out. What is up with that?!  Read more...

Cookie mogul Eden Hertzog shares recipes she enjoys with her family

Sorry I’ve been gone a couple of weeks; there was a three-day trip to Los Angeles (just me!) and then a sick Cedar and a sick Papa to contend with when I got home.

I’m pretty good with taking care of my sick toddler, but I must admit, I think I kinda suck at taking care of my husband. It wasn’t always this way; I do remember being more apt to making him soup or rubbing his feet or running him a bath, or at the very least – being nice to him. I have Cedar to blame for this. Not Cedar himself, but the whole Cedar-ness of our situation. We live with a really busy toddler who demands a lot from us. Neither one of us feels there’s much left to give after a day of running after or picking up or catering to the Little Guy.  Read more...

Krista Rao blogs about crafty adventures with her kids

Christmas 2011 was the year of the handmade gift around this house. While I loved each and every gift given and received, I particularly loved this treasure created for Anthony by Ava and I.

We made him a custom dragon pillow to go along with the knight accessories that were high on his “pretty please” list. I love this idea of hand embroidering the kidʼs drawings to create unique pieces of art. I used this same process to make wowed-over framed gifts for grandparents and friends. While it is not a really quick or super easy craft, it is one that is thoroughly worth the effort.

We started with Ava drawing this fantastic picture of what she thought was “the dragon of Anthonyʼs dreams”. I photocopied the picture (how dare I touch the original) and used the copy along with some carbon paper to trace the dragon onto some light-coloured denim.  Read more...

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...

Accommodate your surplus of holiday greeting cards creatively and minimize clutter by turning them into funky Christmas decor

Sure, you could pile them on your mantle, but then where would you put your antique Santa ornament or dreidel collection? Here are six ways to display all the lovely holiday greetings you and your family have received:

Card Tree: Put together your own bouquet of dried winter branches (or a mix of pussywillows, branches and cedar bough) in a vase. Stick them into a piece of foam if you want them to stay put. Punch a hole in the top middle of your cards and suspend from branches with a loop of ribbon or small craft clothespins. Alternate cards with ornaments if you want to pump up your display.

Glass coffee table collage: If you have one of those versatile coffee tables with a glass covered top, give it a seasonal modification by arranging your cards underneath.  Read more...

Break out the craft supplies and personalize your presents this year!

Making gifts can be fun and easy and it looks way more thoughtful than buying a random candle present. Plus, it’s always priceless seeing the kids’ faces beam with pride when they deliver something homemade. Here are 5 totally doable and kid-help friendly DIY gift ideas.

Stenciled napkins and tea towels

You can cut your own stencil designs out of cardstock with an exacto knife, or buy some plastic stencils from a craft store. Pre-wash some blank tea towels and napkins and iron out creases. Now, place your stencil overtop of the towel and secure with masking tape. Dip a stencil brush into it some fabric paint and dab the paint on the towel – don’t smear like you’re using a regular paintbrush. After applying a few coats, peel off the stencil and allow to dry. Fold and tie your tea towels and napkins together with kitchen twine and attach a gift tag to label your one of a kind threads!  Read more...

The end of the school year is quickly approaching. What’cha gonna do?

It’s safe to say that here at Bunch, we love teachers. We really, really love them. We also know sometimes they have some tough stuff to deal with, like 28 5-year-olds running around and pinching each other, so at the end of the school year, we really want to show our appreciation for all their hard work. This week we polled our readers for some great gift ideas for all the teachers out there.

@charmdone17, Sonya and Michelle go with gift cards from Tim Horton’s, the teacher’s favourite store or a group gift card to a popular mall

Kelly said: My kids donate a signed book to the library and contribute to a group gift, as well as take a photo of themselves holding a personal message  Read more...