Hooray for October starting tomorrow! Kick off the new month with any or all of these 11 event picks that caught my eye:

1. A cool event for small and large cyclists.

2. Of course you want to see a revolutionary street spectacle of never-before-seen proportions.

3. Just say yes to healthy local food for all.

4. And also this local food festival for kids and families in Cambridge.

5. A fall forest festival in Franklin Park.

6. My first priority at this harvest festival would be procuring apple cider donuts.

7. So much craftiness in store at Lowell Open Studios.

8. Salem is ready to rock the haunted happenings.

9. I could use advice on how to resurrect our teeny tiny garden from the experts at this harvest festival and perennial divide.

10. Yay for fresh pressed cider!

11. As a fan of the Little House books, I think Laurel would love to learn how to churn butter at this Homestead Hayfest.

Image credit: Vlado / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Posted by Christine Koh on 30 Sep 2011 | Permalink | Comments (1) | Filed in Food & Drink; Fun Indoors; Fun Outdoors; Local
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When it comes to baby and kids stuff, I'm all for recycling. Subsequently, I'm thrilled to serve as a guest curator for Swap.com's Family Swap Day next Saturday, October 8, in Somerville. Whether you want to outfit your kid for Halloween or score books, toys, clothing, and other family-friendly items, simply bring a bag of items to swap, enjoy the family activity room while we get the goods sorted, then come load your bag full of new finds! I'll be roaming the event, and also wielding my face painting skills, so please come say hi! Now, for two cool deals:

1. Want to be one of three winners to receive a pair of tickets to Family Swap Day? Simply e-mail contests@bostonmamas.com (with "Family Swap Day") in the subject line by Monday, October 3 to enter win.

2. If you'd rather lock in your tickets now, use code BOSTONMAMAS to receive 50% off your ticket.

Posted by Christine Koh on 29 Sep 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Eco Living; Fun Indoors; Local
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When Violet recently turned 6 months we embarked on the solid food journey. And it's been 10 days notable for cute firsts (first cereal! first yams! first pears!), not the least of which was testing the Béaba Babycook. While I tend to forego lots of baby gear as unnecessary, if you are interested in -- or intimidated by the prospect of -- making baby food, you must consider acquiring this amazing tool. Read on for my thoughts about the Babycook, as well as to learn how to win a Béaba Babycook and multiportion food storage unit!

First, seasoned readers will know that I am a baby food making devotee. I made all of Laurel's purees -- which, I should note, sadly backfired on me during a vacation where I tried to feed her jarred food and she refused it. Anyway, I was committed to making Laurel's baby food but it was always a project -- involving a big pot, an old fashioned steamer basket, and the big, heavy Cuisinart. And because I had to get out these big pieces, I would make and freeze a lot of purees. And a lot of mess. Especially on the occasions where I forgot I was cooking food and burnt the veggies. I still feel a little bad thinking about trying to feed Laurel carrots retrieved from the burning that looked okay, but tasted charred. You should have seen the look on her face -- and mine -- when I tasted them.

This time around we're in a different house, have a smaller freezer, and I have way less patience for more dishes (and burnt veggies). So I have fallen in love (yes, fallen in love) with the Béaba Babycook by Scandinavian Child. Perfect for absurdly easy baby food making, simply measure the water, pour it in the tank, toss your cubed produce in the steamer basket, turn on the steamer, and stop paying attention (no burnt veggies!) -- the unit will turn off when the cook cycle is done (15 minutes or less). When you're ready to blend the produce, use the included spatula to lift out the steamer basket, pour off the reserved water (or leave it in the bowl for thin purees), pour the produce from the steamer basket to the bowl, and blend. The bowl and basket are dishwasher safe and BPA free, as are the multiportion silicone freezing units, which are great for storing. I have one multiportion unit so I freeze then pop the nuggets into small labeled freezer bags.

Given that I tend to take out freezer nuggets in advance, I have yet to use the Babybook as a warmer and defroster but it's an excellent added feature for last minute food prep. However, in my opinion the ease and efficiency of the cook unit alone is worth the investment ($150 retail). In fact, the Babycook is so easy to use that just yesterday -- while I was redeeming myself prepping a batch of non-burnt carrots for Violet -- Laurel asked if she could not only be in charge of filling the multiportion freezer unit (she loves this job), but also be in charge of cooking Violet's fruits and veggies from here on in.

My life just got another step easier.

Now, want to win a Béaba Babycook + multiportion food storage unit? Here's how:

Rules:

Last week I had the pleasure of hearing Robyn O'Brien speak at a lunch hosted by Stonyfield -- coincidentally enough, on the same day my post about nine small acts that can lead to big change went live on Stonyfield's blog. Given that small acts were top of mind for me, and following O'Brien sharing that prior to her transition to organic living she was as a neon-colored-yogurt/chemical-laden-chicken-nugget-slinging mom, I asked her about her family's first food steps. She shared the following excellent advice:

1. Be OK with gradual change. O'Brien admitted that it was daunting to look in her pantry following her food industry revelations. She decided to shift gradually -- her first priority was to switch to rBGH-free dairy. She then replaced foods with artificial coloring, and followed by eliminating high fructose corn syrup from her family's diet.

2. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. My therapist has shared this quote with me in the past (not easy for perfectionist types to stomach...) and O'Brien referenced the quote in relation to food change. The reality is that it's very difficult to control kids' food intake 100% of the time and she recommended just doing the best you can. For example, at home O'Brien's kids eat organic but she knows that at birthday parties and other events, there probably will be HFCS-laden candy and non-organics and they roll with it.

3. Move forward with a friend. I absolutely love this piece of advice, which is to find a friend to join you on the family food detoxifying journey. In my mind, it's similar to having a gym or walking buddy -- you hold each other accountable and help each other along.

I hope my 9 + Robyn's 3 tips above offer helpful fodder for small ways to implement change in your family food system. If you have other great tips, feel free to share below or over at the Stonyfield blog!

Posted by Christine Koh on 27 Sep 2011 | Permalink | Comments (1) | Filed in Eco Living; Feeding & Nursing
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I hope you all had a fantastic weekend! After waking up feeling sick after a strange night of sleep, I'm hoping to turn the Monday blahs around ASAP and wish you all a fantastic week. If you're looking for stuff to do, here are some fun event ideas for this week, spanning hands-on science experiences, exploration of things that go, the state of birthing (this one's for the grownups), puppetry, outdoor fun, and music. So much fun to be had!

Image credit: Puppet Showplace Theatre

Posted by Christine Koh on 26 Sep 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Fun Indoors; Fun Outdoors; Local
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I hope you're all having a fantastic week and are gearing up for a fun weekend. If you're looking to head out for an adventure or two, here are 11 fun weekend picks that caught my eye. Enjoy!

1. Over 60 cultural attractions offering free admission this weekend? Sweet!

2. A must-attend for jazz lovers.

3. Party on in Allston.

4. Rock out while helping kids in need.

5. Fun on the farm in Waltham.

6. Show your Watertown pride.

7. Fall fun in Marblehead.

8. I don't actually eat Fluff, but it's hard not to love the enthusiasm behind this festival.

9. Get up close and personal with raptors.

10. Inspire young authors to create stories.

11. I love David McPhail. A workshop with him this Sunday might be worth a trip northward.

Image credit: Harvard Museum of Natural History via Smithsonian magazine

Posted by Christine Koh on 23 Sep 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Fun Indoors; Fun Outdoors; Local
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Today, Carole Arsenault of Boston Baby Nurses shares 6 car safety tips for parents and caregivers in honor of September's National Child Passenger Safety Month:

In March 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics published its latest car seat recommendations, which specify that children under the age of two years remain rear-facing in their car seats unless the child's height and weight exceed the car seat manufacturer's rear-facing specifications. According to Dennis Durbin, MD, FAAP (lead author of the new policy), "a rear-facing child safety seat does a better job of supporting the head, neck and spine of infants and toddlers in a crash, because it distributes the force of the collision over the entire body."

Note that this contrasts the prior and longstanding car seat recommendation advising rear-facing positioning only until babies are one-year-old or 20 lbs. I advise all parents to abide by the new policy and also consider the following child passenger safety tips:

1. Never, under any circumstance, leave your child unattended in a vehicle.

2. To avoid forgetting that your child is in the car (yes, it can happen!), always put your important belongings, such as cell phone and purse/wallet on the floor of the back seat and make a habit of checking for your personal items before locking up -- whether or not your child is typically with you in the car.

3. Never place a car seat in the front passenger seat -- rear-facing or not -- just so you can see your baby. The airbag poses a serious risk. Always make sure the car seat is installed properly, ideally using a LATCH system, rear-facing in the back seat.

4. Do not try to place a pacifier in your baby's mouth, physically soothe, or provide snacks to your baby while driving. Calming with your voice or even loud music may help.

5. Pull over and stop the car to check on your baby if you have any cause for concern while driving.

6. Thoroughly review passenger safety information with your child's caregiver and/or confirm transport safety policies with the day care facility your child attends.

Parents should contact their pediatrician if they have any questions regarding car safety or visit their local fire station if they are unsure about car seat installation.

Editor's Note: I have posted previously in event roundups about car seat installation safety events and will continue to include them as I hear about them.

Image credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Posted by Christine Koh on 22 Sep 2011 | Permalink | Comments (1) | Filed in Travel
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Whether or not extreme couponing is your thing, grocery budgeting is top of mind for most families. As part of Momversation and Ragú®'s Mom's the Word on Dinner Program, I recently chatted with Daphne Brogdon and Caroline Murphy about tips for feeding families on a budget. I've embedded the video below for your viewing pleasure (it's just over two minutes long) and would love to hear your clever tips for scoring at the grocery store, either below in the comments or over at the Ragú® Sauce Facebook page.

Note: This video was produced in partnership with Ragú® and Momversation's Mom's the Word on Dinner Program. You can find out more about the program and join in on the conversation at the Ragú® Sauce Facebook page.

Image credit: Carlos Porto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Posted by Christine Koh on 21 Sep 2011 | Permalink | Comments (2) | Filed in Family Issues; Feeding & Nursing; Momversation; Web (Admin)
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I love when creativity meshes with doing good, and this weekend the Life is good Festival will feature an impressive lineup of musical talent in Canton as a fundraiser to help kids in need. In addition to a steady stream of musical performances (which includes a dedicated kids stage), families can enjoy games, activities, crafts, and food. Meanwhile, how cool is this? The kind folks at Life is good are offering one of you awesome readers a Life is good Festival package*! Here's how to enter to win:

Rules:

I hope you're all enjoying the fall weather and finding your rhythm with back to school routines and such. Among other things, this weekend was notable in that Violet had her first nibble of solid food -- it was both lovely that Laurel fed Violet her first non-mama snack and I also couldn't help but feel a little weepy about it all! Anyway, I'm wishing you all a wonderful Monday; here are some fun event ideas for this week, engaging for those who love music, textiles, star gazing, nature, food, museums, and local celebrations.

Image credit: vitasamb2001 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Posted by Christine Koh on 19 Sep 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Fun Indoors; Fun Outdoors; Local
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Like many moms, my daily life is packed -- both with work projects and a seemingly endless stream of household minutia. Lately, I've been thinking a lot about how to increase my happiness factor by shifting the weight off the minutia (I even have a draft post titled "How to Do Less"), so it was bizarrely well timed when TaskRabbit contacted me about being the Boston spokeswoman for their Do More. Live More. Be More. campaign. I was psyched for a couple of reasons. First, I've happily used TaskRabbit before. Second, the campaign is all about encouraging people to do more of what they love and less of what they don't.

As part of the campaign, over the next month I will experiment with letting go of my inner control freak and outsourcing via TaskRabbit. Below I share some of the overarching things I need help with and will update you later on how things are going. Meanwhile, TaskRabbit is asking folks a simple question: "What would you promise yourself if you had more time to do the things you want to do?" Simply share your promise (up to October 14) and you'll be entered to win cool prizes -- including a luxury vacation (yeah, uh, I suspect you could use one of those right about now!)

Probably not uncommonly, I want to outsource so I can have less minutia monkeys on my back and more time both with my family and on my own. More specifically, I really want to be present in the moment, not multitasking.

Purging. For me, purging -- whether it's kid stuff or old electronics -- makes me feel lighter both in physical and emotional space. I would love some help with finding new homes for our unwanted items as it's a task that sits at the bottom of my to-do list casting a hairy nagging eyeball at me.

Pickups. In addition to random errand pickups, I would love help with our weekly CSA pickup. The timing is not great for us and invariably makes for a harried end of day.

Event planning. I'm co-hosting a fantastic event October 4 (we're almost sold out -- you should get a ticket if you're thinking of coming!). I'm super excited about it but it also involves a lot of work. I'm hoping to outsource some of the tasks leading up to the event.

Household. We have a bunch of random household projects that need to get done.

Travel. I have several trips upcoming and I would love help with the planning -- whether it's researching details or procuring items needed for the trips.

Virtual assistant. This will be the hardest for me (that old control freak thing) but lately, I've been feeling completely swamped work-wise (I started a new business venture last month, and still need to find my rhythm balancing everything). I have always thought of TaskRabbit as an errand provider but in looking at the site, I see it's not uncommon to ask for clerical help. So I'm hoping to try out TaskRabbit for some virtual assistant type tasks. Fingers crossed.

That's what's on my mind so far. Do you have similar minutia monkeys on your back? What other tasks have been nagging at you?

Posted by Christine Koh on 17 Sep 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Family Issues; Mama in the Workplace
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I know I shouldn't be so typically New England and obsess about weather, but 60s for this weekend -- welcome, fall! It'll be the perfect weather to enjoy any (or all, if you're feeling crazy ambitious) of these 17 fun weekend picks:

1. Rock it, South Boston.

2. It's been a looooong time since I've seen a movie in a theatre. This film festival could rectify that situation.

3. Artistry in the South End abounds.

4. Love, peace, and soul at the Oak Street Fair.

5. I love that this landscape watercolor workshop series is open to kids 9 and up.

6. The apples have arrived.

7. Laurel and I had so much fun building a fairy house the other week; head northward for fairy house building inspiration.

8. Fall fun in Quincy.

9. The weather will be utterly perfect for ponies, agile dogs, and other farm fun.

10. C'mon, a dog parade? How cute is that?

11. I loved the block parties my street held when I was a kid. Gloucester will be hosting a big block party this weekend.

12. Show your Arlington pride.

13. Oh to have an endless summer.

14. Apparently, Peabody = international mecca!

15. Assembly Square makes a bid for cool new hub in Somerville.

16. I dated a Serb back in the day. He would totally dig this.

17. A celebration of Greek culture north of town.

Image credit: South Boston Street Festival

Posted by Christine Koh on 16 Sep 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Fun Indoors; Fun Outdoors; Local
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Musical theatre always brings high school drama club memories flooding back, so I was feeling happily nostalgic when I learned that the Boston Opera House is showing South Pacific (my senior year musical production!) from September 27 - October 2. If your kids dig musical theatre or you're looking for a fun outing with a loved one, hop on over for tickets. And how cool is this? The kind folks at Broadway Across America are offering one of you awesome readers a 4-pack of tickets to South Pacific*! Here's how to enter to win:

Rules:

Today, Lindsey shares a game that's fun for kids and grownups alike:

A few months ago I realized that I was rushing my children through dinner and bath to make sure we had time for TV before bed. Startled by this, I simply told them the next day that we weren't going to have TV. We enjoyed a more relaxed dinner and evening and that was that -- the transition was shockingly seamless. Instead, after bath and before bed, we now often play a short game. I admit that some of the board games stacked in our family room are, quite frankly, a little slow for me.

Subsequently, I was glad to discover Rat-A-Tat Cat. This card game has become an obsession for all three of us. My 6- and 8-year-old play it together, though they prefer when I play with them. The game is simple: you deal four cards in front of each player, two up and two down. The goal is to wind up with the smallest number of points represented in your four cards (the cards are 0-9). Taking turns drawing from a pile of cards in the middle, you can swap out cards you draw for your face-up cards or take a chance and swap a card with a known value for one of your face-down cards. There also are a couple of other cards, such as "peek" and "swap" which allow you, respectively, to glance at one of your face-down cards or to swap a card, even a mystery one, with another player.

Rat-a-Tat Cat has the right mixture of speed (so I don't get bored) and simplicity. All three of us have won before, without anyone going easy or stressing out, and this makes the game more fun. It's a perfect game for the airplane and for up to four players, and I've overheard my 8 year old playing it on a play date before. One round takes about 10 minutes, and so far nobody around here is bored! I highly recommend Rat-a-Tat Cat.

Posted by Christine Koh on 13 Sep 2011 | Permalink | Comments (2) | Filed in Books & Entertainment; For Babies & Kids
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I hope you all found pockets of space to reflect and remember yesterday. Though our weekend was busy with various family things, I took several moments to stop and send healing wishes into the universe, and also feel gratitude for what was in front of me -- it's a practice worth carrying forward every day. Meanwhile, I'm wishing you all a wonderful Monday; here are some fun event ideas for this week, engaging for those who love fall fairs, fitness, craft, opera, and pirates.

Image credit: Carlos Porto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Posted by Christine Koh on 12 Sep 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Fun Indoors; Fun Outdoors; Local
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I know I'm not the only one who is super excited about a respite from the rain. The forecast looks beautiful -- perfect for enjoying any or all of these 15 (!) weekend picks that caught my eye:

1. Art buffet = awesome.

2. I hope they have weaving demos again at the Boston Arts Festival -- it was Laurel's favorite activity last year.

3. How can you not love a grand costume parade?

4. My elementary school friend Melanie was so generous -- she always shared her (crazy delicious) lamejun with me. If I knew where she was, I'd buy her treats from this Armenian festival.

5. Celebrate local and indie organic design,
baby Bollywood style.

6. I kind of freaked out a little seeing my former GBYSO conductor Joel Bard on the roster for the Newton Cultural Center festivities. Such a nice guy!

7. I find windmills kind of magical, do you?

8. I love perusing artisan wares.

9. I'm totally down with a concert that references a character named Schmutzinberry.

10. For those on the South shore, enjoy this music, theatre, and dance family festival.

11. And if you're in the Winchester area, check out this musicfest.

12. I have a feeling Laurel would really dig the costumes at the Melrose Victorian Fair.

13. Agricultural goodness abounds at the Franklin County and Sterling fairs.

14. Want to enjoy a grown up music venue family style? Alastair Moock and friends will play from Moock's new family friendly album at Club Passim.

15. We've found our last two sitters through Care.com. If you need childcare, they're hosting a Care Fair at the Museum of Science.

Image credit: Peabody Essex Museum

Posted by Christine Koh on 9 Sep 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Fun Indoors; Fun Outdoors; Local
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Today, Jennifer recommends a visit to Barefoot Books for more than books:

Given the variable nature of New England weather (cue today's monsoon...), it's always good to have some indoor activity ideas in your back pocket. My kids and I recently enjoyed a lovely afternoon at the Barefoot Books pottery studio in Concord. Our mission was to try out their newish paint-your-own pottery studio (it was added to the store's offerings this past spring), and oh, did we have a grand ol' time.

If you haven't been to the store before, it's a whimsical experience for sure. From the minute you approach the brightly-colored building with patio seating outside (hello perfect snack time venue), you know you're in a kid-centric place. Even the bathroom is crazy cool. We browsed the books for a bit and checked out the story time area and main art room before heading to the back pottery studio. We chose to paint a small castle (my 6 year old daughter) and a toucan (my 8 year old son). I even decided to join in the fun and painted a travel mug as a gift for my dad -- you're never too old to give the gift of hand-painted pottery, right? They offer dozens of items to paint and a beautiful palette of colors; pieces are ready for pick up about a week after your visit and the store calls you to let you know when your items are ready.

I thought our outing would be about an hour, max, but with the lovely and relaxing atmosphere (did I mention the cool music and wonderfully friendly staff?) we ended up staying 2 hours. After we finished painting, my daughter drew a few pictures at the big table in the art room while I looked over their impressively packed events calendar. We'll be heading back soon!

Posted by Christine Koh on 8 Sep 2011 | Permalink | Comments (1) | Filed in Fun Indoors; Local; Retail
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Probably due to my denial about the summer's end, I'm a little stunned that today is Laurel's first day of school (and other than some morning grumbling, it went off without a hitch...no tears at drop off!). I know many of you have already started the school year or are starting this week so I wanted to share a few of my favorite tips for making mornings easier, plus some excellent back posts to help with transitions. Because experience with Laurel has taught me that transition can be easy (last year) or challenging over many months (two years ago). Good luck everyone!

Here are five tips to making mornings easier:

1. Wake up 10 minutes earlier. Without fail, whenever we give ourselves 10 extra minutes of breathing room, mornings feel more calm.

2. Prep two days of lunches at a time. We find that lunch making is less painful in the mornings when some of the pieces are already in place a couple of days a week. On Mondays and Wednesdays I pack Laurel's fruit and vegetable containers and set aside snack options (e.g., yogurt, granola bars) for two days. I'll make the main course (e.g., sandwich, mac and cheese, etc.) fresh the morning of school depending on what Laurel is in the mood for.

3. For those with kids with long hair. Laurel has very long hair and it's prone to major tangling. And dealing with a super snarly head in the morning is time consuming and does not help morning grouchiness. I comb out her hair the night before (and sometimes braid the hair) to minimize morning tangles.

4. Lay out clothes the night before. This is an easy task that you can have your kids take care of. They'll love the autonomy and it will help avoid clothing battles in the morning. I also recommend being OK with whatever your kid picks (i.e., not worrying about things matching) so long as the clothing is weather appropriate. Laurel tends to pick combos of patterns and colors that I might not assemble but if the clothes make her happy and make for an easier transition, why pick a fight when it's really not necessary?

5. Remain calm. I feel as if I give this advice a lot when it comes to parenting but it never fails me! I find that if I get sucked into the drama and get cranky in response to Laurel's behavior, the bad mojo escalates, whereas when I can remain calm and redirect, we can diffuse the situation quickly.

Do you have other tips? I'd love to hear them in the comments below!

And here's some great back reading regarding back to school transitions:

I hope you all had a fantastic holiday weekend! We've been busy with family travel and social engagements over the past several weeks, hence my spottiness here the last few weekends, but I'm hoping to get back on track now that the school year is upon us. I'm wishing all of you with school aged kiddos a super smooth transition back to school! Meanwhile, enjoy my top event picks this week, which include fun ideas for those who adore acrobatic spectacle, origami, fashion, craft, and cultural celebrations.

Image credit: Boston Arts Festival

Posted by Christine Koh on 6 Sep 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Fun Indoors; Fun Outdoors; Local
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I truly still cannot wrap my head around the fact that it's September and Labor Day weekend is upon us. Yesterday I posted some happy summer images over at my personal blog and will continue to gaze at them through the fall (and, gulp, winter). Meanwhile, here are 7 fun picks for you -- have a fantastic holiday weekend!

1. Laurel has become obsessed with glass treasures. I think she'd love this family-friendly glassblowing event.

2. Labor Day festivities commence tomorrow in Newburyport.

3. Enjoy the sand between your toes at the last Surfside Live! event of the season.

4. For the schooner obsessed.

5. For the Renaissance obsessed.

6. It's going to be a craftastic weekend in Topsfield.

7. Yay for free jazz on Spectacle Island.

Image credit: Diablo Glass School

Posted by Christine Koh on 2 Sep 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed in Fun Indoors; Fun Outdoors; Local
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Today, Kate shares a great resource for getting your craft on:

For much of my life, I could sew on a button and mend small tears, but I didn't have the slightest idea how to tackle a real sewing project. My grandmother sewed and my mother occasionally used her sewing machine, but the skills and interest seemed to have skipped my generation. And then, two years ago, I suddenly became intrigued by the idea of learning to sew. I read up, bought a simple sewing machine, and plunged in. My projects to date have included several sets of napkins, a simple bag, a pillow, some basic summer dresses for my daughter...and lots of crooked seams and asymmetrical corners. I love the work, though, and the joy of picking fabrics and watching them come together into something both pretty and useful.

As part of my sewing journey, I recently discovered Handmade Beginnings, a wonderful book of sewing patterns for babies and toddlers. The author -- sewist and six-time mother Anna Maria Horner -- offers an attractive and inspiring collection of clothing, quilts, maternity items, and toys, all with directions that are easy to follow (unlike many sewing books!). The book also features a spiral binding -- a feature too often neglected by publishers -- which allows the book to lie flat while you work from it. I tackled the Henny Penny and Six Chicks project, a toy that includes a soft and stuffed mother chicken and six baby chickens, each attached to the underside of her wings with velcro. The project was fun and the product is adorable, making me all the more certain that I will try out others of Horner's designs.

Posted by Christine Koh on 1 Sep 2011 | Permalink | Comments (1) | Filed in Arts & Crafts; Books & Entertainment; For Grownups; Home
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