Because airplane seats are so close together that you can't pick things up off the floor

These markers are brilliant -- the caps stay attached, so there's no chasing them down when you're traveling. And they're six to a pack, an ideal number for a trip. Oh, and washable of course! They're definitely more expensive, but worth it to have a pack or two around, I think.

They're Crayola Flip-Top Markers, and I bought them at TRU.

For General Audiences

As most of us parents know, it's hard to judge a movie by its cover. Just because it's animated doesn't mean it's appropriate or fun for little ones. And I've found that my memory is not necessarily accurate. (Somehow I have no memory of the drunken sidekick and child selling ring in Pete's Dragon. Oops.) 

Since my son seems particularly sensitive to movies,  Common Sense Media has been a huge help. I've found their age ratings to be spot-on for him. And they rate chapter books as well as movies. Now when he's interested in seeing or reading something new, he tells me to go look it up, and we both accept what Common Sense recommends. It's a win-win for our family.

Thanks to Greg Robbins on Flickr for the use of this Creative Commons photo.

Half-full

This book is delightful in so many ways -- the text is charming and the art is wonderfully whimsical (don't miss the rabbit blowing milk bubbles with his straw), but mostly I love it because of a conversation it sparked. But let me backtrack: this book offers interesting definitions of words like "modest," "envy" and "respect."

As my son looked at the page describing "optimist" and "pessimist," which shows a grumpy lady rabbit to the left, and a joyous, baseball-cap-wearing rabbit to the right, both with half a cookie on their plates, my son said, "I don't get it. They both have the same amount of cookie left." And we had a lovely conversation about how even when the situation is the same, two people can perceive things differently.

Don't miss Little Pea, another of our favorites by A. K. Rosenthal. 

A book to remember by

My brother and sister-in-law made this amazing photo book recounting the trip their family made to California to visit us. 

Using photos they took and simple text, they put it all together at Shutterfly. If you have a Mac, there are also easy options through iphoto. 

Now I'm thinking that I'll co-opt their idea for our upcoming trip and take photos with a story in mind: packing suitcases, leaving the house, at the airport, etc. 

It's such a fun, personalized gift that little ones will admire over and over. And in the case of family vacations, you can make multiple copies to share with all branches.

Blast off for summer!

I'm a fan of homemade popsicles, but up until now, I haven't been happy with the popsicle molds I've found. But now the search is over, thanks to these blue Tovolo Rocket Pop Molds. 

If you're looking for ideas, it's super easy to make your own popsicles, and sneak some healthy stuff in along the way. Here are some of the ingredients I usually use:

-- any fruit (fresh or frozen; bananas, strawberries and mangoes are the top picks here)

-- avocado

-- flax seed

-- juice

-- yogurt

Whip it all together in the blender, pour it into the molds, and enjoy!

Create your own dragon

Ronan received this cool Bloco set from his Aunt Amye. You use foam pieces and connectors to create all kinds of creatures. He adheres pretty strictly to the instructions, but I think as he gets older he'll be able to dream up his own reptilian designs.

The major downside is tons of very small pieces (eyeballs and connectors), so if you have a little one around, beware.

Made in Canada! And there are a few different themed sets available from Fat Brain.

A Million Words

Photographer Anita Maya. Love her. She's amazing. Isn't my one-year-old son just dreamy?