O Chickadee Has Moved!

We did it! We've moved! O Chickadee is now live at our new (and easier to remember!) domain:

www.ochickadee.com

Oh how I hope you'll come visit me there, and stay awhile to see all the new things we've built for you. I promise- it's going to be fun!

The Learning Tower by Little Partners

Did you have a wonderful weekend? I sure did. We are finally experiencing some beautiful weather, so we spent both days outside playing in the sprinkler. So much fun.

Today I am excited to finally share with you something that I've been enjoying for a few years now. I hope you'll like it as much as we do.

I am constantly being told that our boys are surprisingly good at cooking and food preparation overall. As a family, we spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and the boys are always right in the middle of the action. I love how this effects our family. The boys try new foods, learn how to prepare healthy food, and are tremendous bakers. We also find it helps their math skills too. And it means that when they want lunch, both boys are perfectly comfortable making their own sandwiches. A win for everyone.

But a big part of what makes getting our kids involved in the kitchen is our Learning Tower, by Little Partners. Basically, the Learning Tower helps our boys safely stand at counter height so they can cook with us.

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It's easy for the boys to climb into, and it fits both of them comfortably. It is completely sturdy, so Zach and I don't have to worry about them tipping over the way we would with a stool or a chair.

It does have some cons. It is big. Like really big. It doesn't fold up, so you're pretty much stuck with it. And it is not very easy to move. But in our opinion, it is still totally worth it, since it is such a big part of encouraging our boys to get involved in the kitchen. It is well-made and smartly designed.

If you're interested in getting your little ones involved in the kitchen, check it out!

Mother's Day Gift Idea: Storypeople

Even though we've been home from our vacation for a week now, I still can't get enough of these sweet faces. Now that spring has sprung, I feel like I am getting to see them in a completely new environment, where their imaginations take them outside for hours, and they come home rosy and sweaty and flushed and dirty... exactly as happy little boys should be. Needless to say, it's been a good week of mothering my boys.

Speaking of mothering, how is your Mother's Day shopping going? Any really special gifts out there?This week I'll be sharing a few of my favorite ideas for Mother's Day.

And I'll start off by saying that it boggles my mind that in the five-ish years I've been blogging, I haven't once yet talked about Storypeople by Bryan Andreas. Storypeople is yet another art company my sister, Lissa, introduced me to (way back in high school!), and it has been a stand-by ever since. Storypeople prints were the gift I gave to my bridesmaids as a thank you when I got married, with a perfectly chosen story for each woman. I've sent Storypeople greeting cards. And among the most beautiful gifts I've ever received from Zach is this Storypeople sculpture, which hangs in our bedroom and makes me weepy every time I read it, because truly, Zach loves me so well.

I even have a Storypeople print hanging in the boys' room, one that was gifted to Tate when he was a baby:

So here's the thing about the Storypeople stories. They aren't really stories, per se. They are more like short, beautiful sentiments that are evocative enough to tell an entire story. And they are beautiful.

There are so many perfect stories for mothers. Here are a few I might choose for my mother, grandmother, mother-in-law, or other important women in my life:

I don't know who we'll become in the days ahead. I only know the quiet voice in my heart that says we'll become it together.

I will always remember the way you'd laugh & clap your hands watching us play & then later, before bed, you'd gather in your arms & whisper, Have you ever seen a world so perfect?

because you remind me of everything there is in this world to love

There is no one who comes here that does not know this is a true map of the world, with you there in the center, making home for us all.

Don't you think these are all such beautiful sentiments? And one of the great things about the Storypeople website is that they make it so easy to find the perfect story- you can search by keyword, by celebration, by event or theme... all helping ensure you find the perfect gift that reflects your own story, and those of the people you love.

photos #7-#10 from here