Holiday gift-giving made (you guessed it) simple

Thanksgiving has come and gone and with it Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and (most of) Cyber Monday.  It is so easy to become overwhelmed with all that the holidays demand of us.  There's the stress of shopping, cooking, cleaning, and entertaining.  Not to mention the stresses of finances and still being able to fit into your jeans come January 2nd!  I can't really help you with the parts about cleaning and fitting into your clothes - I'll have enough trouble accomplishing those things myself - but I can let you in on a little secret of gift-giving.

I recently found myself getting caught up in finding just the right gifts for each of my kids and becoming frenzied about the associated cost of doing so.  I have 4 kids so Christmas-giving adds up fast.  Not to mention that anyone with kids probably has worried at one time or another about not having one kid get more gifts than another - that's a fun one!  Just as I was losing my mind on Amazon I was reminded of my holiday gift-giving "rule" for my kids.  You're going to want to thank me for this one!  Ready?

For each child I try to get them something they want, something they need, something they wear, and something they read.  Simple, right?  Repeat after me:

WANT
NEED
WEAR
READ

Now,  I will likely have some add-ons here and there but this rule gives me a baseline and a place to start and a way to ensure some equality of gifts among my kids.  So feel free to steal this one from me - I'm happy to share.  I hope it can help reduce some of your stress so you can focus more on your family and less on the tasks of the holidays.  Isn't that what this time of year is all about anyway?

For good. simple. fun. gifts that can work in the want, need, and/or wear categories visit our website at littlehem.com.  And here's to a very happy, mostly relaxed holiday season!

Hooray!! Our Kickstarter Campaign has launched today!!

Our Kickstarter Campaign has launched today!!

Help us debut our Fall/Winter 2013 Collection at Playtime New York during fashion week this spring!  Make a pledge and we'll send you some wonderful gifts just in time for the holidays!!

Come along on this exciting journey with us!

You may make a contribution and learn more about our campaign here. 

Good. Cheating. Yum.

It's official.  Autumn is here.  This is by far my favorite season here in New England.  Bright sunny days, cool nights, football, and pumpkins.

This is also the season for picking apples.  We ventured out last weekend to pick a bushel and since then I've been baking up a storm.  Apple pie, apple crisp, apple bread, apple muffins, the list goes on.  My kids love the treats of the season but with 4 kids all going in different directions I don't have much spare time to bake which is why I never want to be without my apple peeler/corer/slicer.  It is a major time saver (mine is from The Pampered Chef.  Visit http://www.pamperedchef.biz/chefbarbaraf to get your own.).  I can get a pie in the oven in under 10 minutes.  Some people call it cheating (I'm looking at you, Kri!).  I call it keeping things simple.  Good things don't have to be difficult to come by.

My favorite apple recipe is my Mom's apple crisp.  I'm sharing the recipe with you here.  Take a few minutes and make some for your family this weekend.  Or if you don't have the contraption pictured above, take more than a few minutes!  Either way, you won't be sorry.  Enjoy this good. cheating. yum. recipe and happy Autumn to you all!

Mom's Apple Crisp

makes 6 servings

4-5 cups sliced, pared tart apples (I use cortlands)
1/4 cup orange juice
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
dash of salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Mound apples in a buttered pie plate or other baking dish; sprinkle with the orange juice.  Combine sugar, flour, spices & sale; cut in the butter until mixture is crumbly.  Sprinkle mixture over the apples.  Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is crisp.

Celebrate International Day of Peace!

How are you cultivating peace in your home?  Today is the International Day of Peace and the perfect day to talk with your little ones about what peace is, and what it means to them.  Unsure of where to begin?  Start with talking about what things help to make them feel calm and safe.  A wonderful book to introduce the concept of Peace to a young child is What Does Peace Feel Like? by Vladimir Radunsky.  Geared towards younger children up to grade 2, he uses descriptive similes and metaphors to explain the essence of the word 'Peace'.  "What does Peace smell like? Like a bouquet of flowers in a happy family's living room…like fresh and new furniture…like pizza with onions and sausage.…"

Music is also a wonderful and powerful way to teach about Peace.  It can also create a peaceful environment for work and play in your home.  Choose music with concepts that discuss peace, friendship, nature, self confidence, and love.  Elizabeth Mitchell has a wonderful album, You Are My Little Bird, that encompasses all these topics.  Another favorite CD is Playing for Change - Songs Around the World, whose mission is to teach Peace through music.  

Talk with your children about the many aspects of peace, and how they involve taking care of our bodies, taking care of others, and taking care of the earth.  Peace involves the body, the mind, and the spirit.  Happy International Day of Peace!  


 

Tweets, and Blogs, and Posts! Oh my!

Meet Nikki Fortier, our Social Media Director.  Nikki is a native Vermonter and a graduate of The University of Vermont. Having many years of experience working in the areas of accounting and finance, Nikki is ready to utilize her passion for socializing on a professional level! Nikki loves our motto "Good. Simple. Fun." because as a single mom to four kids, it encapsulates how she's learned to live her life and how she's teaching her children to enjoy theirs. We look forward to reading Nikki's entertaining posts on our social media accounts, including Facebook and Twitter!

Patrick Rylands' iconic bird and fish bath toys are back in production!

Do these delightful bird and fish bath toys make you wax nostalgic?  We love the simplicity of Patrick Rylands' design which won him the Duke of Edinburgh's Design Award in 1970.  The Bird and Fish toys were on permanent exhibit  in MOMA New York and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.  Trained as a ceramist at the Royal College of Art,  Ryland's love of sculptural forms combined with his interest in plastics technology led him to design playthings with little hands in mind.  His design aesthetic was simple, introducing children to a world of shapes and bold colors.  They were also designed with functionality, having an internal ballast to keep them afloat and balanced.  For those who appreciate good, simple design, or if you were lucky enough to swim with these as a child, they are available here for the next generation to enjoy!

"A toy that does everything by itself does nothing for the child.  The main purpose of a toy is to enable the children to enter into a world of make believe as it is in this way that children relate to reality."

-Patrick Rylands

an eye for style

Meet Erik Eskedal, our creative consultant.  Erik studied visual arts at The New England School of Art and Design at Suffolk University.  He is a photographer who sees the world in a very different way.  Seeing beauty in all things, he captures shapes, patterns, randomness, and ironies.   When Erik's not behind the camera, he often has a paintbrush in hand and is transforming his vision of the world onto canvas.  Erik gathers his inspiration through his blend of travels, culture, society, and life on the road.  We can't be more excited to have Erik bring his unique vision to our little hem line.

Erik's work of photography can be viewed and is available for purchase here.

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all that Jas

Meet Jasmine Berecz, little hem's Marketing Director. A native of Stuttgart, Germany, Jasmine's family instilled in her the importance of appreciating beauty in nature and finding enjoyment in the simple thing of life.  With her high energy and love for people, she has had a successful career in sales and marketing across the U.S. for over 14 years.  She spends as much time as she can on a surfboard,  a paddleboard, camping with her husband, and always supporting the local economy.  Oh, how lucky we are to have her on this board!

favorite summer staples

organic cotton envelope tee with linen trim 

and linen harem pants