We’re proud to introduce our first Goodie Spotlight of the month (devoted to Children’s Food & Nutrition) with the Founder of Sprout Right, Lianne Phillipson-Webb! Sprout Right specializes in pre-conception, prenatal, and postnatal nutrition for women and healthy living for the entire family.

Lianne graciously offered our readers some great insight on teaching children to enjoy healthy food and what her business and life goals are as a nutritionist, author and mother of two.

Read on to find out more!

Lianne Phillipson-Webb

LPG: Please explain briefly when and why you started Sprout Right.

LIANNE: I have been a nutritionist for 13 years, and always interested in pre-conception, pregnancy and healthy habits for children. It was re-inforced when I had my own children who are now eight and six years old. After having challenges of my own with my first child, I was empowered to help others with the hope that they’d have an easier time than I did. Sprout Right was born over seven years ago and we still help new parents every day through our DVDs, unique Mommy Chef cooking classes, consultations, webinars and the Sprout Right book.

LPG: What makes your approach to children’s nutrition unique?

LIANNE: I’ve lived it, know the challenges that new parents face and support them with a common sense approach. For those who are health savvy, it’s re-inforcing to them that they are doing it right, and for those who now want to eat healthy and set a good example to their baby or toddler, they learn what they need to know to do the best possible job. I have something for everyone. Even private cooking classes for those who don’t want to leave the comfort of their home, and have someone come and teach them how to make super nutritious food for their growing child.

LIANNE: Starting babies on super tasty food, with herbs, garlic, onions and spices, opens the palate and encourages the development of a really good eater. Bland, boring foods narrow the options of what you can feed your child as they grow. Colour, taste and texture are so important now and in the future. Don’t be scared to try new foods!

Image: www.sproutright.com

LPG: What else would you like everyone to know about Sprout Right?

LIANNE: We are passionate about what we do. From meal plans to interactive workshops and webinars, to consultations, private cooking and group cooking classes, we’ll have you making healthy foods for the whole family in no time!

LPG: What goals do you want to achieve in the next 5 years?

LIANNE: I’d love to write more books, have a larger Sprout Right Headquarters and become a household name in family nutrition –  teaching families to eat better, one bite at a time!

Thank you Lianne for allowing us to interview you! We wish you even more success with Sprout Right!

–

For more information on Sprout Right, visit:

www.sproutright.com

@sproutright

Stay tuned for another Goodie Spotlight coming this Friday! In the meantime, let us know what you think by tweeting us at@littlepartygoer & @LPG_Staff, or leaving us a message on our Facebook wall.

As the New Years’ excitement dies down and we get back into the swing of things with the family, there’s no better time to give ourselves a little resolution-refresher to keep motivated and healthy. That’s why we’ve declared February the month of Children’s Food & Nutrition. With Goodie Spotlights lined up for the month – all professionals in the field of food & nutrition – we can’t wait to share new tips and strategies to keep kids excited about their well-being and loving food – in a healthy way.

We’d like to kick the month off with a fun, easy recipe that kids can personalize for themselves and are tons of fun to make: Individual 7 Layer Dips!

The blog, The Girl Who Ate Everything (a great resource for family-friendly recipes) has an easy step-by-step recipe for creating these fun snacks from scratch.

Image: The Girl Who Ate Everything

The recipe suggests layering the ingredients as follows:

Layer 1: beans and taco seasoning

Layer 2: sour cream

Layer 3: guacamole

Layer 4: salsa or pico de gallo

Layer 5: cheese

Layer 6: tomatoes

Layer 7: green onions and olives

Being the month of health & nutrition, we have a couple variations that taste just as scrumptious and won’t make you feel bad for feeding your kids with what’s usually considered a not-so-healthy appetizer:

• Instead of buying whatever you spot first, look for refried beans and salsa made with all-natural ingredients.
• Replacing sour cream is simple: use plain yogurt. It’s super tasty and your kids won’t notice the difference with everything else in the dip.
• There’s no need to create extra creamy guacamole when you can mash avocados with a little bit of lime juice, and salt and pepper if necessary.

Include as many fresh veggies as your heart desires, and enjoy!

Why this activity? Teaching kids about food & nutrition starts at home – more specifically, it starts in the kitchen. Make cooking and eating a fun and healthy experience for children while they are still young. This way, they will learn to appreciate delicious food that is GOOD for them!

Skills children can learn through this activity: Children will learn to prepare healthy snacks without using processed ingredients. This is a great chance to practice measuring, estimating amounts and learning about food groups, all while using their creativity!

Suitable Ages: For children 3 years and older (with adult supervision – especially when cutting!).

*** Please note: Parents must supervise and assist children at all times! ***

Hugs & Smiles:)

xoxo

Haley and the Little Party-Goers team

Our fourth and final Goodie Spotlight dedicated to all things Children’s Room Design is Holly Becker, Founder and Editor of the distinguished decorating blog, Decor8! Holly has a great story to tell about making her way into the blogosphere, all while doing what she loves!

Holly | Image from www.decor8blog.com

LPG: Please explain briefly when and why you started Decor8.

HOLLY: When I was working with clients in 2005 they kept telling me that they wish they had access to my ideas all day and night and that they loved my creative energy. My husband encouraged me to write as he knew how much I loved writing, so I thought to start a blog so that I could record all of my inspirations and ideas in one place that my clients would be able to access online and that it would be a nice space for me to build my writing portfolio as my goal back then was to also write for magazines about decorating and style to supplement my income in addition to my client work.

Image from www.decor8blog.com

LPG: What makes your approach to decorating children’s rooms so unique?

HOLLY: I am not decorating as much as styling as I have no time for private clients right now so my styling work is mainly for books and commercial work. My approach to decorating a child’s space though, is that it really needs to reflect their taste and interests and there needs to be a place for everything – hair bands, dolls, cars, crayons – all need a bin or box or something to store it. Growing up, I had a place for everything so cleaning up my room was always fun for me since I liked arranging things as they were, stepping back to view it clean, then feeling a sense of accomplishment. I loved lining up my dolls perfectly on top of my toy box, for example or neatly folding all of my barbie clothes or putting them back in the Barbie closet on little pink hangers. I took care of everything that I owned.

Ideally, you teach your child to respect others and themselves but also material objects through setting an example as a parent so if you help them to organize their room and show them how to maintain it and explain and show why maintaining it benefits them, it won’t be so hard for your child to want to be organized, too.  My mother would often come into my bedroom and help me clean up and make it fun – she’d play a song and we’d have to clean it all up by the time the song was over in order to “win”. She didn’t always help me, but on days when she noticed I wasn’t motivated, she would come in with her usual high energy and enthusiasm and turn cleaning up into some kind of magical, fun game. After I was finished, I could then go outside to play or she’d take me to the beach or I could watch television or something. It made me happy as a child to have a neat bedroom too, I enjoyed that.

Image from www.decor8blog.com

LPG: What is the number one thing you want people to know about children’s room design?
HOLLY:It should really be dictated by the child, not the parents.

LPG: What goals do you want to achieve in the next 5 years?

HOLLY: I want to finish my second decorating book, teach more online classes (decor8eclasses.com) and teach workshops in different parts of the world that will inspire people AND in conjunction with that — travel a bit more! I’m dying to go to Thailand, Bali, Scotland, Australia, Norway and Japan so we’ll see where I actually end up. I also want to visit my friend in Vancouver Island and go back to my home soon to see my mother and visit the States in general. I’m American but relocated to northern Germany in 2009 and though I love it here, returning to my homeland is always a special treat for me that I treasure immensely. I’ve been back 3 times in 2 years and will go again in March, so I definitely try to get back once or twice a year.

Image from www.decor8blog.com

LPG: What else would you like everyone to know about your business?

HOLLY: Lots of people always ask me about blogging on decor8 and if I have advice for them.  I always tell students that I teach in my online class, Blogging Your Way (decor8eclasses.com),  that it is important to pinpoint exactly what you love or maybe 3 or 4 main topics that you are passionate about (art, cooking, decorating for instance) that are part of your lifestyle and consider writing about those things. If you love your topics you’ll always have plenty of things to say about them on your blog.

I also encourage people to use their blog as a catalyst to live their best life – in other words,  having  a blog makes you accountable to your readers,  they are looking to you to live up to your promises. If you say that you will attend an art opening and take photos to share with them, and you don’t, they will be disappointed. Allow your readers to motivate you based on that – perhaps you would normally cancel on the art show because you are feeling shy to attend alone but now that you have a verbal commitment to your readers that you’d share your experience with them, you are motivated to go! This is precisely what I mean by, “Use your blog as a catalyst to life your best life”; your blog can give you that push forward to do what you really need to be doing anyway – living your best life, seeking out inspiration, exploring the world around you, interacting with others and then sharing it with your online audience- but also all of this builds your own confidence and makes you enjoy life so much more. I find that having a sense of responsibility to my community is a huge bonus as a blogger.

Holly, thank you for answering all our questions and giving readers a look into the professional world of blogging! We hope you’ll stop in Toronto during your next visit!

–

For more information on Decor8, visit:

www.decor8blog.com

@decor8

Stay tuned for February’s focus: Children’s Health & Nutrition! In the meantime, let us know what you think by tweeting us at @littlepartygoer & @LPG_Staff, or leaving us a message on our Facebook wall!

Our third Goodie Spotlight for the month of January (think everything Children’s Room Design!) is a fabulous design and decorating blog Project Nursery. Started by Melisa Fluhr and Pamela Ginocchio, Project Nusery is dedicated to teaching parents everything from “baby’s 1st room and beyond.” Pamela answered some of our questions about blogging, beautifying spaces and being parents.

Pam & Melisa

LPG: Please explain briefly when and why you started your business.

PN: We started projectnursery.com back in 2008 as a simple blog so that we could share our design ideas. When Melisa and I were planning and designing the nursery for our first children we were baffled by the fact that there were no resources online when it came to designing for children’s rooms.  Everything was at your finger tips when it came to planning a wedding or decorating an office but when it came to a baby nursery you really had to rely on magazines or in-store shopping. Projectnursery.com has grown to become the ultimate destination online for inspiration!

LPG: What makes your approach to blogging unique?

PN: First and foremost, Melisa and I are mothers. We understand the roller coaster a day can have when it comes to raising kids in a modern world. Our approach is to be as genuine and practical as possible without losing a little chic style and sense of humor. We hope that our personalities come out in our daily blog posts even if it means revealing we’ve made a mess of something or are having a “bad mommy” kind of day.

Image Courtesy of Project Nursery

LPG: What is the number one thing you want people to know about children’s room design?

PN: Don’t be afraid to take a risk. I always like to tell clients that paint is just about the easiest thing to change so go for it even if its a color that’s out of your comfort zone. I also like to emphasize the high/low approach. If you splurge on the crib or rocker then save on the lighting or bookshelf. There are so many fantastic sources for inexpensive finds these days. And, lastly don’t be afraid of a little DIY project. It’s a clever way to repurpose something from another room in the house and it gives dad an opportunity to get involved.

Image Courtesy of Project Nursery

LPG: What goals do you want to achieve in the next 5 years?

PN: If I can get through the next 5 years with healthy and happy kids (and hubby) I think I’ll feel pretty proud.

LPG: What else would you like everyone to know about your business?

PN: We are continuing to enhance our Project Gallery which features thousands of pictures of rooms and parties. We are also launching an extensive resource center that will help readers access products and local designers. Don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter too!

Thank you Pam and Melisa! We’re looking forward to seeing the resource centre and more of your fab DIY projects!

–

For more information on Project Nursery, visit:

www.projectnursey.com

@projectnursery

Stay tuned for another Goodie Spotlight on Tuesday! In the meantime, let us know what you think by tweeting us at @littlepartygoer & @LPG_Staff, or leaving us a message on our Facebook wall!

For our second Goodie Spotlight of January (a month totally dedicated to Children’s Room Design!) Little Party-Goers spoke with the accomplished and very talented Rachel Meddowes! With a focus on styling, propping and personal shopping, Rachel is currently a contributing Editor at Harper’s Bazaar magazine and a successful entrepreneur with an eye for detail!

Keep reading to see what Rachel told us about her awesome career and tips for children’s rooms!

Image Courtesy of Rachel Meddowes

LPG: Please explain briefly when and why you started your business.

RACHEL: I started my business in 2006 after 12 years on Harper’s Bazaar as Lifestyle Editor. I had always decorated for friends and friends of friends. I was always being asked for advice and if I could possibly find unusual things for their houses and children’ s rooms. My black book is pretty good, so from there it was word of mouth, and it just grew. Great press in The Times, The Telegraph, ES, Daily Candy and Bazaar always is a joy to see.

Image Courtesy of Rachel Meddowes

Image Courtesy of Rachel Meddowes

LPG: What makes your approach to decorating children’s rooms unique?

RACHEL: I listen to what both the parents and the child actually want. I then translate that into their own unique empire. I like to include my clients and let my imagination fly. Practically, I like to arrange things at different levels (i.e mirrors, shelves, pictures, furniture and lighting); it’s much more inclusive. I also adore transforming adult things into dream bedroom essentials (i.e a vintage wooden surf board becomes a desk, etc.). Nothing is impossible providing you have an excellent carpenter and painter on hand!

Image Courtesy of Rachel Meddowes

LPG: What is the number one thing that parents should know about children’s room design?

RACHEL: It should be really fun and interesting and should reflect their child’s character and interests. The only exception to this rule is the nursery, when it is all about what the parents want, and is a fantastic opportunity to make their baby’s first bedroom really special.

Image Courtesy of Rachel Meddowes

LPG: What goals do you want to achieve in the next 5 years?

RACHEL: Some more spectacular rooms for children that they remember for their entire lives. Appreciating beautiful things from an early age is such a gift.  I am also working on a very exciting project… more of which when it launches!

Image Courtesy of Rachel Meddowes

LPG: What else would you like everyone to know about yourself and your business?

RACHEL: We are based in Edinburgh and London.

The key is to always be on the look out for interesting and unusual objects that make children’s rooms and play areas utterly unique!

A big thanks to Rachel for answering all of our questions!

–

For more information on Rachel Meddowes, visit:

www.rachelmeddowes.com

Stay tuned for another Goodie Spotlight coming this Friday! In the meantime, let us know what you think by tweeting us at@littlepartygoer & @LPG_Staff, or leaving us a message on our Facebook wall!

As you read in our last Activity Spotlight, Little Party-Goers has declared January to be the month of Children’s Room Design! Being major fans of everything design, we didn’t think twice about approaching Jaime Derringer, mother of 3 month-old Amelia, and Founder & Executive Editor of Design Milk – a fabulous online magazine dedicated completely to all things design!

Jaime Derringer, Founder & Executive Editor of Design Milk

Jaime answered a few of our questions about  designing Amelia’s bedroom and what it’s like to run her own online magazine. Read on to find out what she had to say!

LPG: Please explain briefly when and why you started Design Milk.

JAIME: Design Milk started back in 2006, when I was feeling like I was in a dead-end career and in desperate need for a creative outlet. I had just purchased a townhouse and wanted a place to bookmark all the cool stuff I was finding for my home on the Internet, which is really how Design Milk started. In its first year, like-minded people seemed to be checking it out daily and I realized maybe I had something going…

LPG: What made your approach to designing and decorating Amelia’s room unique?

JAIME: I really didn’t look at trends or go with a specific theme. I tried to select items that would grow with her and could easily be repurposed elsewhere when she grew out of it. For example, the walnut dresser from Spot on Square will grow with her through her teen years, the For Like Ever poster has been with me for many, many years and hopefully many more. The mobile is sophisticated enough to be used in another room.

Amelia's Room

LPG: What is the number one thing that parent should know about children’s room design?

JAIME:I think in the beginning, parents should consider that they will be spending a lot of time in there, so be sure it’s decorated for both you and baby. Also, stimulating colors and shapes are a must. An all-gray room might seem like a great idea, but in practicality, you may be missing an opportunity to help encourage development in your child.

Amelia's Room

LPG: What goals do you want to achieve in the next 5 years?

JAIME: I just want to be a good mom and provide for my family.

LPG: What would you like everyone to know about Design Milk?

JAIME: Design Milk is a place where interesting ideas come to life. A place where modern art and design lovers can keep up with what’s new and exciting in their world, but even more importantly, gain inspiration for their own homes, offices, and even their own work.

Thank you Jaime for providing Little Party-Goers and our devoted readers with such great advice! We wish you and your family lots of happiness, love and laughter as you settle down with Amelia!

–

For more information on Design Milk, visit:
www.design-milk.com

www.twitter.com/designmilk

Stay tuned for next week’s Goodie Spotlight! In the meantime, let us know what you think by tweeting us at @littlepartygoer & @LPG_Staff, or leaving us a message on our Facebook wall!

We’re super excited to announce that this year we will be doing things a bit differently; every month our blog will have a unique focus with fun features from professionals in various fields, and activities to complement them!

For the month of January, we’re delving into the world of children’s room design and kicking it off with a How-To on preserving and showing off your kids’ artwork.

Kids are amazingly creative, but their artwork can only cover up so much space on the fridge before it has to be moved somewhere else. Why stash it away when you can show it all off at once? Try this great idea from Jan Eleni of Decor8:

Image: http://bit.ly/yQiEkF

1. Gather up your child’s favourite, most cherished pieces of art (if the room is going to have a specific colour palette, try sticking to artwork that will match, or complement the décor and colours).
2. Scan all your images and resize them so they are all equal dimensions
3. Lay them out and send them to the printer!

If you aren’t so computer savvy and want to show off the original pieces of artwork, simply frame (using acid-free matting) and hang them in your home or on the walls of your child’s room. Kids love having their artwork admired- especially when the “adult art” is right up there with theirs!

Image: http://bit.ly/xiR9mA

Why this activity? Kids will feel a sense of pride and accomplishment seeing their artwork hung up on the walls. It also saves storage space, declutters the fridge, and lasts forever! What more could you ask for?

Skills children can learn through this activity: Children can further their artistic and aesthetic development by helping pick out their favourite pieces and lay them out with you. In addition, this activity allows children to express their creativity while feeling a sense of control, by choosing which art piece they want to display on the wall.

Where to find items: You can pick up frames from local vintage stores,  garage sales and home decor stores. Bring your child(ren) along and make it a fun shopping trip that everyone will enjoy.

Suitable Ages: For children of all ages (with adult supervision)!

*** Please note: Parents must supervise and assist children at all times! ***

Hugs & Smiles:)

Haley & the Little Party-Goers team xoxo