Well, it’s not my idea, really. But I wish I would have come up with it; really I do. Idea Paint. Imagine, never nagging your kids to not draw on the walls again!

See, Idea Paint is paint (duh) that is really a white board. So, it’s erasable. Without having to scrub or rub furiously like all of us mothers have done when our kids draw on the non-paintable surface of a regular wall. White board paint. Brilliant.

Just paint the whole wall with Idea Paint and presto! You have a re-drawable, easy to clean, and endlessly creative surface. I love this.

I only wish I had a wall to paint I can see this in a playroom, the kitchen, or even a hallway. Can’t you?

Seriously, think about the possibilities. Not only can you paint an entire wall making a VERY LARGE ‘paper’ to draw on, but you can paint little sections so each kid has her own space. Far away from each other. No pushing. No fighting. No whining “she’s on my side.”

Oh, the fights this will save.

Only, how does one tell a child that it is OK to draw on the Idea Paint wall and NOT the other walls? Or Grandma’s walls? Or school’s walls? I mean, wouldn’t this be confusing – you can paint on the walls at home, but only this wall in this home.

Other than that little hiccup, I can’t wait to buy a house so I can paint one of the walls with this. Because that’s the only reason I’d be wanting to buy a house!

photo credit: Idea Paint

OK, now I realize this is probably only for the kid who has just about everything, but I saw it and I thought I’d pass it along. If you’re looking for the perfect, indestructible chair that meshes with your contemporary home, then look no further…unless of course you’re on a budget, then this chair isn’t for you (or me!)

But, it’s way cool. Just look!

The Lou Lou Ghost Kid’s Armchair is a mini-version of Phillipe Starck’s famous chair. It’s made of the same transparent polycarbonate by Kartell as the grown up version.

Ahh, one can dream, right…

Wouldn’t it be cool to blow up one of your photos and put it on your child’s wall? Now you can, thanks to a new company called Larger Than Life Prints. The concept is simple: give them your own image (or someone else’s) and they will produce a wall-sized sticker of it.

The stickers what you get from Larger Than Life Prints are self-adhesive, cut to the contours of your image, and are really durable – you can wash it and roll it up and it even resists ripping (so you don’t have to worry about Junior getting ahold of it).

My favorite aspect of the stickers is that you can easily move them around. You just peel of the backing and stick it on the wall. If you don’t like the location, just peel it off and move it elsewhere.

Larger Than Life Prints offers sizes ranging from 12″ x 8″ (for $19.95) up to 82″ x 52″ (for $164.95) – that’s big enough to cover most large walls. Once you start experimenting with different images, there’s no limit to how creative you can get with your child’s room.

Check them out at Larger Than Life Prints.

I’m no expert in Montessori but I’m extremely interested and have been trying to put fold some principles in to the way we are raising our daughter.  I know, I know, you probably can’t cherry pick these things but for what it’s worth, I am and it seems to be working OK for us.  So, here’s our experience with the Montessori floor bed and how we incorporated the idea into a room that is actually quite cute.

Why a floor bed?  As my cousin (the real expert and the one I look to for advice – her blog is www.mommybahn.blogspot.com) says “a montessori infant should be able to get in and out of bed on her own power.”    A crib hampers a child from making their own decisions.  Essentially, you’ve made all the decisions for them – you put them in the crib and you take them out.  With a floor bed, they are empowered.  A double edge sword, you might say.  Nonetheless, a floor bed allows your child to begin to understand their power.

We put a single futon on the floor and placed it in the corner of the room, up against 2 walls.  I contemplated getting a floor bed frame but decided a futon on the floor would suffice.  Yes, it’s a little college for an infant.  But, for us, the frame wasn’t necessary to the principle or the design.  I must say it has far exceeded my expectations and my daughter loves loves loves it!  She sleeps soundly, hasn’t rolled off on to the floor yet (except when she intends to) and can entertain herself in the mornings quite well.  I should mention here that we close her bedroom door because her room is on the 2nd floor and ours in on the first so I can’t have her roaming about the house on her own…one reason why I cherry pick what principles we follow and what we don’t.  That said, the entire room is baby proofed.  You could, I guess, call the whole room her crib but that is getting way too technical for this mom and there are way more qualified Montessori gurus out there.  I offer this just as a real world implementation of the Montessori floor bed. Our family couldn’t be happier with this sleep solution.

UPDATE: Just to bend your ear about safe sleep, the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association has a great resource on crib (and other sleep solutions) safety.