First Birthday Party

October 14, 2016

Post by Chrissy of Chrissy Powers

In today’s modern world we can pretty much get any fruit or vegetable that we want…apart from the season it typically grows in. We’re accustomed to having what we want when we want it. But reality is that seasons still come and go and when you enjoy fruit from it’s natural season it’s really really good. This will all make sense at the end I promise….

Zeke’s first birthday was a big deal for me, not in the sense that I wanted to throw an all out rager like I did when Waylon (my firstborn) turned one. It was a big deal because I feel life moving faster and a new season of motherhood approaching.

I loved this past year; when Ezekiel was born I felt like our family was complete. Though tired and sleep deprived, I savored his newborn days, wore him as long as possible until he wiggled his way out of wraps. I cherished this first year of his life. Leading up to his first birthday I felt like I was “white-knuckling” the idea that he would be “one-years-old” and no longer “something-months-old”. Nothing too drastic will change on his first birthday but a part of me felt the need to grieve this transition from infant to toddler.

Change can often feel like a loss. Watching my children grow is bittersweet as the years etch closer to the time when I must let them go to be independent men. Ah I’m tearing up as I write this because it’s all so rich… rich in love and life. This is the stuff that life was meant to be lived for. I have come to a place of acceptance that the upcoming seasons will be just as sweet, different but still sweet.

Whether you are a mother learning to roll with the times or in a completely different stage of life, here’s what I know about seasons.

Good things end and good things begin.
It’s okay to feel stuck in between seasons. Dive into the weirdness and discomfort and see if you can discover more about yourself.
Change can be exciting and terrifying at the same time.
Emotions created by changing seasons should be acknowledged… making transitions easier.

On Sunday 9-4-16 we celebrated Zeke’s 365 days on this earth with cake and ice cream and a small gathering of friends and family. We decorated our home using beachy and bohemian elements that represented our family style and used our Land of Nod Dip Dyed Teepee as a focal point for party decor and playtime for all the babies. It was perfect.

Celebrating Zeke in this way helped me transition from having a baby to a toddler and I am grateful for the gift of all the past sweet seasons…and the ones yet to come. Bring on the toddler years!

Chrissy is the wife to a surfer, mama of boys, photographer and licensed marriage and family therapist. She writes about her personal experiences as she journeys through life and parenthood at Chrissy Powers.

Personalizing Your Workspace

October 11, 2016

Post by Stephanie, Home Stylist from The Land of Nod’s Design Services Team

With back-to-school vibes still in the air, home offices and kids workstations are shaking off the last dustings of summer beach sand and getting some renewed design attention.

A functional, comfortable, and (most importantly) stylish study space can go a long way in making the hours spent buckled down to textbooks and laptops tolerable, if not pleasurable. To help get you in design-mode, I’ve put together a few workspace moodboards to help make your desk a place you look forward to working at!

Happy Styling!

Post by Stephanie Geurkink, Home Stylist & Event Planner from The Land of Nod’s Design Services Team. Our Design Services team offers free one-on-one design advice, mood boards and space planning. You have a room to decorate? They’d love to hear from you. Visit The Land of Nod’s Design Services page to get started today.

Confetti Cheesecake Cups Recipe

October 10, 2016

Post by Rebecca Green of Not-So-SAHM

Too many Cs? I could actually call these Confetti Cheesecake Cookie Cups if I wanted, but we’ll go with three Cs. Kane’s 8th (8!) birthday is coming up and his most favorite dessert in the whole world is cheesecake. Well, it’s probably a toss up between cheesecake and our nearby baked Bergers Cookies — they are kind of a mix between a black and white cookie and a fudge cookie and are insanely delicious. So for his birthday, I wanted to make a cheesecake dessert incorporating the two.

But I’d also like to not be left home alone with an entire cheesecake (no willpower, I tell you), so when I spotted this individual cup recipe, I knew it was a perfect fit. I adapted it a little to fit our own cookie situation and you can too! Plus, it’s no bake, so super easy to make.

Nothing says celebration to our family more than confetti and when I came across The Land of Nod’s fabulous Confetti Wall Decals, I was instantly reminded of the brightly colored edible confetti I’d seen before. So of course I had to add that. Now that’s a party in a cup!

Confetti Cheesecake Cups

(slightly adapted from How Sweet It Is)

Ingredients

8 Bergers cookies (or use your own favorite)
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
whipped cream for topping

Directions
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or you can use a hand mixer), add the cream cheese and mascarpone. Beat on medium speed until the cheeses are mixed, then drizzle in the condense milk with the mixer still going. Add the vanilla extract and beat the mixture until it’s creamy and smooth, scraping down the sides if needed.

Crumble your cookies into small pieces. Take 4, 6-ounce jars and add a tablespoon of cookie crumbs to create a “crust.” Then add a layer of cheesecake mixture. And continue layering until you ready the top. Place in the fridge for 2 to 4 hours — just until the cheesecakes sets. Remove the jars and top with a little whipped cream AND confetti!

Rebecca is a mom to two young kiddos and, in her spare time (ha!), likes to pretend she’s a back-up dancer, craft cocktails, and run long distances. A relatively recent SAHM, she blogs family-friendly activities, DIYs and celebration fun at Not-So-SAHM.

Halloween Cookie Puzzle

October 7, 2016

Post by Corri of Glitter and Bubbles

It’s almost Halloween and that means we’ve got delicious sweets on the brain! Enter the super yummy Halloween Cookie Puzzle. Making this with Zelda was almost as much fun as eating it. We grabbed our favorite cookie cutters, food coloring and sprinkles and went straight to work. The hardest part was not eating the cookies right away and mustering up the patience to wait for them to cool before frosting them. And trust us — resisting the smell of warm sugar cookies is no easy task. Luckily, the rest the process was a breeze! What are you and your babes cooking up in the kitchen this Halloween?

INGREDIENTS

1 Package Premade Sugar Cookie Dough
½ Cup Flour
½ Cup Tablespoons Almond Milk
3 Tablespoons Vanilla Frosting
2 Cups Powdered Sugar
Assorted Gel Food Coloring

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the flour and premade sugar cookie together in a large bowl and then roll the dough out into a rectangular shape on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake the cookie dough for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven, immediately use the Halloween cookie cutters to cut out your shapes and them set aside. Allow the cookie puzzle and pieces to cool completely.
While waiting for the cookies to cool, place the vanilla frosting in a small bowl and combine with green gel food coloring. This will be the textured grass.
In a separate bowl, mix the powdered sugar and almond milk until combined. You may have to add more sugar or more milk to obtain the correct frosting consistency. Once the frosting is ready separate it into four small bowls. Leave one bowl white and add purple, orange, yellow and black food coloring to the others.
Once the cookie puzzle is cooled frost the bottom with the green frosting (the grass) and the top with purple (the sky). While the purple is still wet, top with sprinkles. You want to do this as soon as possible because the frosting will harden.
Next, paint your puzzle pieces. We painted our ghost white, the moon yellow, the bats black and the pumpkins orange, but you can use whatever colors you choose!
Allow the frosting to dry and place the pieces inside the puzzle!

Corri McFadden is the Owner/Founder of eDrop-Off luxury consignment and creator of Glitter and Bubbles, a modern-day moms guide for those looking for inspiration through fashion, décor and food. The site was launched in honor of her daughter and muse, Zelda and gives daily doses of stylish “must haves”, easy recipes and unique décor that are suited to inspire even the busiest of Moms!

Black and White Room Moodboard

October 6, 2016

Post by Stephanie, Home Stylist from The Land of Nod’s Design Services Team

Typically, I am not one to skimp on creating a robust room design with a well-rounded color pallete, however there is something appealing about the minimalistic, black and white approach. Because there are fewer colors competing for attention, a monochromatic room design allows for more opportunity play with complimentary pattern combinations. You don’t have to be as concerned with how a wall pattern pairs with a rug pattern and a bedding pattern – stripes, polka dots, and triangles can all live together in black and white harmony.

Although the color pallete is constrained, a black and white room design is no less full of eye-catching style. For example, the black Jenny Lind crib brings an elegant, Bohemian flare to a monochromatic nursery design that is complimented by the more modern-style Cosmos floor lamp and Animal Acres baby blanket.

Khaki and woven textile accents are the perfect way to bring a little warmth into a black and white room design. Whoever said you can’t mix brown and black obviously never met the zebra print Don’t Feed the Rug rug. While the striped patterns combined with triangle wall decals and cloud bed sheets might overwhelm a more diverse color pallete, they are perfectly balanced by this muted bedroom design.

So have no fear taking a minimalist approach to color. Going monochromatic is anything but monotonous.

Happy Styling!

Baby’s First Halloween

October 5, 2016

Post by Rachel, Nod’s Brand Marketing Manager

This is going to sound cliché, but with a new baby, you see everything with fresh eyes. It’s exciting to see your baby experience all the firsts, from rolling over to crawling, cruising and walking. And holidays make you feel like a kid again as you relive and create your own traditions. And baby’s first Halloween is not one to miss!

So how do you make the most of a holiday that is centered around candy and staying up late to go door to door? We have a few tips on how to make your baby’s first Halloween the most memorable yet.

Pick your baby’s costume – Enjoy it while you can! Once these babies are walking and talking, there’s no telling what they’ll want to be. I’m drawn to the Pea Pod Baby Costume or Inchworm Baby Costume for my six month old. It was designed exclusively for Nod by Misha Lulu.
Create traditions – Now’s the time to create traditions with your family. A few of the favorites around our office are dressing up in a family costume, putting up decorations, getting a visit from the Switch Witch or cooking a spooky dinner.
Celebrate beforehand – Babies have early bedtimes. Which means you’re probably turning off the lights and putting a bag of candy out on the porch for all the trick-or-treaters, hoping they don’t ring the doorbell. Check out local activities where you can dress up and celebrate the weekend before Halloween.
Lots of pictures – This one probably doesn’t need to be said. But we will anyways. You’ll be looking back on these photos for years to come and sharing them with loved ones far away so make sure to snap as many as you can.

Ever wonder who’s behind The Land of Nod social media accounts? That’s Rachel! When she’s not telling anyone who will listen that she’s not meant to live in cold, snowy Chicago, you will find Rachel hanging out with her husband and new baby and binge-watching Netflix after baby’s bedtime. Or starting crafting projects that never get finished.

Product Spotlight: Taylor Collection

October 4, 2016

Post by Danielle, Creative Director at The Land of Nod

When I first saw our new Taylor Collection I literally gasped. No joke, it’s truly that beautiful. I’m a total sucker for any sort of midcentury styling. And, if I had my way, every piece of furniture in my home would be made from walnut. So, this collection is definitely right in my design sweet spot.

The finish on the Taylor Collection really let’s the wood sing. It was chosen to show off the gorgeous walnut wood grain. Every piece is truly unique. There’s no stain or sheen getting in the way of all that natural beauty.

Aside from the finish, I just adore the styling on these pieces. The top of the dresser and headboard feature clean mitered corners that really show off the craftsmanship that goes into building these pieces. I also adore some of the extra touches like the shape of the drawer pulls, and the stretcher on the bottom of the dresser which hark back to midcentury design.

And, like all of our dressers, the Taylor dressers have solid wood, 5-sided drawer boxes with smooth metal undermount glides. What does that mean? Well, the drawers will hold up to a lot of opening and closing and are truly built to last a lifetime.

Not only that, this collection is equally at home in a nursery, kids room or adult room. Making it the perfect collection to invest in while your little ones are, well, little. The timeless design and high quality construction will make these pieces last well after your kids grow up and move out. A scary thought I know, but something to consider when investing in furniture for your children.

Danielle is the Creative Director at Nod and an over-protective mother of two. She’s also completely obsessed with Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram and her Kindle, but not necessarily in that order. Danielle loves to craft, sew and crochet. Her current craft of choice is weaving tiny wall tapestries.

Pixel Art Kids Craft

October 3, 2016

Post by Rebecca Green of Not-So-SAHM

As our kids get older, I’m constantly on the lookout for crossover activities — projects we can do together that pull different interests of theirs. Kane has been spending most of his art time lately drawing, so I wanted to find an art activity that would encourage him to try out another media. He is totally obsessed with the game Minecraft and when he spotted The Land of Nod’s Lo-Res Rug, he commented on how the pattern and colors reminded him of the pixelated game. Lightbulb!

I figured we could try our hand at making some pixel art! Pixel art is usually a form of digital art, but I wanted to get away from the technology time and make it more of a hands-on project. We had a whole pack of colorful tissue paper squares, so I put together a grid paper, set out some glue and brushes, and we went to town!

Kane started out making a Minecraft ogre, but sort of evolved into more of a pattern. Cami actually stuck with the project the longest, first making a portrait of her dad (I love how she crumpled up some of the squares to make his features!) and then helping me with a pattern (the pixel patterns always remind me of Tetris). It was a great, easy art project that let everyone try something new.

If you don’t have the tissue paper squares, try coloring in the pixels on graph paper with colored pencils, markers, or even watercolors. If your kiddo wants to make a specific object, suggest that they lightly outline it in pencil first and then fill it in with pixels. Or go freehand and see what they come up with!

Thanks to The Land of Nod for the inspirational Lo-Res Rug!

After School Snacks

September 30, 2016

Post by Michelle of Avery & Augustine

Today we’re offering up a couple new options to add to your after–school snack routine: crispy chickpeas and a new take on cheese and crackers.

Alphabet cheese and crackers are great for kids learning their letter names/sounds or beginning to decode simple words. Use alphabet cookie cutters to cut letters out of sliced cheese, put them on your favorite crackers and let your kids move them around to spell different words that they’re learning at school. Or you can play word games and take away or switch around a letter or two to make new words. It’s another way to support their reading process in a fun context.

We used this recipe from The Kitchn to make crispy roasted chickpeas. It’s very easy, doesn’t require a lot of prep and you can help your kids with their homework while the chickpeas are roasting in the oven. The recipe states to use your favorite spices, and for this time, we ended up using two tablespoons of dried ranch seasoning along with the two tablespoons of olive oil stated.

We’d love to hear about your go-to after school snacks. Hope everyone’s school year is off to a terrific start!

You can see Michelle’s work and read about her two young children and their first forays in cooking, art, reading and everything in between at Avery and Augustine. You can also find her sharing the latest in children’s books on Instagram at @averyandaugustine.

Kids Workspaces: Styling Inspiration

September 29, 2016

Post by Danielle, The Land of Nod’s Creative Director

Back to school has got me thinking all things desks and study spaces for the kids. My issue in decorating is always having too many ideas and deciding how to narrow down to just one to execute. In case you’re short on styling inspiration and ideas, I put together a bunch of moodboards to help get you inspired to create a dedicated desk area for your little student. Enjoy!

Family Halloween Dinner

September 28, 2016

Post by Alexandra Hedin of Weeknight Society

This year Halloween falls on a Monday. A MONDAY! As if Mondays aren’t already hectic, now the most kid-centric, kid-anticipated holiday since Christmas is a part of the Monday chaos. The good news is that many Halloween parties will be over the weekend so Monday will be exclusively for trick-or-treating.

In my neighborhood, trick-or-treating is a social affair and usually a stop at one house could turn into a ten-minute mini-party before moving onto the next house. We’ve been known to pack a cooler to bring along in the wagon so we have snacks and beverages (ahem, wine) and can be good guests when we do end up staying longer.

Whether you are hosting a rotating cycle of friends or just making a quick dinner before your family goes out to gather candy, Quinoa Chili is the perfect solution. For a quick dinner, it can be done in about 20 minutes. But it can also stay warm on the stove for hours.

Halloween wouldn’t be the same without a little something quirky to go with dinner. Classic ice cream floats are always festive, by making them with purple and green sodas and serving in science beakers they become positively spooky.

For more weeknight dinner inspiration, menu planning, recipes, and shopping lists subscribe to the Weeknight Society mobile app in the iTunes store. Every recipe is cooked by families for families. Www.weeknightsociety.com

Gold Decor for Your Home

September 27, 2016

You don’t have to be King Midas to love adding touches of metallic gold to your room design. Whether it’s a polished and bright gold accent or a warm rich patina, the abundant and varied tone options make gold decor pieces a versatile finish for any room in your home.

The Trunk Space Wall Hook, Fox Curtain Finials, and Satellite Pendant are all perfect pieces for adding a touch of vintage sophistication to a boys bedroom. For a more feminine touch, the gold Larkin bed pairs well with a brightly patterned kilim rug to create a boho-chic girls bedroom. It can also complete the look of a preppy, green, pink, and navy bedroom. The possibilities are endless!

Gold accents can also work beautifully in playrooms. I love using the Gold Metallic play teepee in two ways: either in a room filled with soft pastels or juxtaposed against deep, rich navy hues and warm wood finishes.

Whatever your preference, whether it be full on gold-digger, or just a small sprinkling of glitter, adding a touch of glitz to your room design is never a bad idea.

Happy Styling!

Kids Halloween Costumes: A Parenting Journey

September 26, 2016

Post by Danielle, The Land of Nod’s Creative Director

As a mom, I’ve gone through 3 phases of Halloween costumes with my kids. My first phase involved a lot of preparation, planning and crafting. It also involved having only one child who was too young to have an opinion. I quickly moved out of that phase and into buying costumes fully off the rack at the last minute, whichever they’d agree to wear. This was after I’d had two kids and they were old enough to have opinions, and I was too busy to prepare in advance and too tired to disagree.

Happily, I’ve now moved into the third phase. In this phase, it’s more a collaboration. They have ideas, I try to push them a bit to not be one of 25 ice queens in their class. Or, at the very least we create our own take on the costume. Equal parts purchased, crafted and repurposed elements to create a unique costume. Not only that, I fight hard to invest in pieces that can find their way into the dress up bin after Halloween, so they aren’t one and done. That means not buying the junky acrylic ones that barely survive one rainy round of trick or treating, much less months of upcoming play dates.

Through all these phases, I’ve also been pretty nuts about warmth. October in Chicago can be brutal. Many Halloweens are rainy and quite chilly. So, just how are you supposed to stay warm in thin polyester mermaid tail and faux shell top? That’s why I like to use real clothes as the base of their costumes. They’ll fit, they’ll keep them warm, and they can be worn after Halloween.

The good news is the costumes from Nod were essentially built for us moms in phase 3. They’re super clever and unique. But, also appeal to things your child might actually want to dress up as. They have a ton of details and play value. They can be layered on top of cozy clothes. And, can definitely live on in your dress up chest.

Star Gazing Playdate

September 23, 2016

Post by Rebecca Green of Not-So-SAHM

Stargazing has been on almost every single seasonal bucket list we’ve made. Watching shooting stars from the comfort of a sleeping bag is one of my most favorite childhood memories. We never got around to it this past summer, but I figured we could still hit the high points this fall with a little stargazing playdate.

To start, we checked to several books on constellations from our local library. We added to that Andy Warhol’s So Many Stars, which isn’t all about stargazing, but I never pass up on an opportunity to add a little pop art to our projects. Once the kids had a handle on the major constellations, we set up our Explorer Playhouse outside with a good view of the sky. We covered our Floor Cushion with Nod’s supersoft Superstar Jersey Sheet and snuggled in for a good (edible!) craft project.

I was so inspired by this beautiful Under the Stars Wall Art that I used it to make our own set of constellation cards. Our kids love doing art and craft projects that cross over into science, so they were psyched to use the cards and build their own constellations out of marshmallows. To make your own, you’ll need:

mini marshmallows
toothpicks
a set of our Constellation Cards (you can download a free printable HERE!)

Print and trim the cards. Help your kiddos follow along using toothpicks and marshmallows to build their own constellations. We also picked up on our camping theme by adding in graham crackers and chocolate to make s’mores with our leftover marshmallows. They had a blast!

Thanks to The Land of Nod for the wonderful starry items for this project!

From Inspiration to Nursery Design: Graphic Watercolor

September 22, 2016

Post by Danielle, Nod’s Creative Director

There’s no better place to pull inspiration for a room design than a beautiful piece of art. This watercolor by artist Kelly Ventura is no exception. To create this nursery I took the organic nature of watercolor and all the gradations of color it creates, and juxtaposed it with plenty of geometric shapes, to harken back to the clean lines used in the art.

From Inspiration to Nursery Design: Brights & Whites

September 21, 2016

Post by Danielle, The Land of Nod’s Creative Director

Talk about a good color muse, our Jelly Bean Rug has plenty of colors to inspire a playful nursery. For this design I balanced all the poppy colors with plenty of white to keep it feeling more modern and less kindergarten classroom.

From Inspiration to Nursery Design: Vintage Girl

September 20, 2016

Post by Danielle, The Land of Nod’s Creative Director

Taking cues from the color palette and styling of our Friends Indeed Doll, Gemma, I created a nursery design moodboard that has a nod towards the vintage, yet still feels decidedly modern.

Bathtime Essentials

September 19, 2016

Post by Stephanie, Home Stylist from The Land of Nod’s Design Services Team

From twice daily toothbrushings to bedtime baths and everything in between, your kiddo’s bathroom sees a fair amount of regular traffic. It only makes sense that this space should have a little extra special styling of its own. To help get your creative wheels turning, here’s a quick round-up of essentials for creating a fun and functional bathtime experience for your tiny human.

First and foremost, storage is a big must-have for any bathroom. This includes wall hooks for hanging bathrobes and towels, baskets for tucking away any smaller toiletries, and shelving for keeping the chaos organized. Obviously, not every bathroom has the square footage to support additional furniture, so I recommend utilizing vertical space where possible. Acrylic or white furniture is also ideal for making a tight space feel less crowded. The Cubic Bookcase or Block Tower Acrylic Bookcase make for perfect storage options if you have the space. Otherwise, the wall mounted Now You See It shelf or the Cubby Cube wall shelves are excellent alternatives for smaller bathrooms.

A shower curtain, bathmat, and towels are the primary decorative elements in a bathroom, so it is important that they compliment each other. I recommend letting the shower curtain take the lead in deciding the look for the space, since it often takes up the entirety of one of the four walls in the room. The shower curtain presents a great opportunity to explore colors and patterns you might have otherwise considered in a wall treatment. You can go with a simple, neutral pattern, like the Stripe and Dot Shower Curtain, or opt for something big and bold, like the Rave Rainbow Shower Curtain.

Lastly, no bathroom is complete without some wall décor. While the obvious choice would be an aquatic-related theme, why not aim for the unexpected? I love the idea of introducing a space or woodland motif (or both!), but if antlers and planets aren’t your jam, maybe zoo animals and geography are! There’s really no wrong combination, so be open to exploring a variety of decorative elements that fit your kiddo’s unique personality.

Happy Styling!

Easy Halloween Costumes

September 16, 2016

Photos by June & January

Sometimes easy Halloween costumes are the best ones. There’s no late night sewing. Or tears (from you) when your kid decides to change their costume the night before. Once Halloween is over, they can easily be added to your dress up collection to be played with all year long.

So this Halloween costume is pretty simple. Just pick your favorite dress up set, dress for the trick-or-treating weather, and you’re done! Our pals from June & January are showing us how it’s done.

Now all you have to worry about is what candy to steal from your kiddo’s stash!

June & January believes that kids are fun, and their clothes should be, too! Our aesthetic is full of bright colors and bold prints, with modern babies, tots and kiddos in mind.

Adding a Desk to your Kids Room

September 15, 2016

Post by Danielle, Nod’s Creative Director

Now that the school year is in full swing, you might be finding yourself engaged in a homework vs. dinner time battle for the dining room table. At my house, prepping for dinner coincides with homework time, so there’s simply no way for the kids to work on their assignments at the table. Not to mention the fact that my 1^st grader doesn’t get much homework, while my 4^th grader gets quite a bit. So, my youngest can become quite the distraction to her big brother while he’s trying to concentrate on some crazy-hard word problems. (Is it just me or is 4^th grade now basically learning what we learned in high school?)

With all that in mind, it may be time for you to consider adding a desk to your kids room. But where? Well, as luck would have it, as your kids are growing into a desk, they’re also growing out of other things. In my daughter’s room, I traded her changing table for a desk. Granted she had the desk earlier than she needed it, but we’re just using the drawers to store toys and art supplies for now. And, I added a mirror above it, and styled it more as a vanity/desk combo. When the time comes, she’ll be able to use it for homework.

In my son’s room, he had a large toy box. He’s pretty much outgrown most toys, so we made a project of weeding out toys to donate, and moved the toy box to our basement. Voila, just enough room for to add a desk to his room. I opted for one with some bin storage for the few lingering toys he wasn’t ready to part with.

A third option could be finally removing the rocker from your child’s room. I know in my daughter’s room I kept the rocker well into her preschool years, as we still sat and cuddled for story time at night. But, we eventually evolved to reading together in her big kid bed, so I was able to move the rocker into our family room and I gained a bunch of floor space.

No matter how you fit it in, chances are a desk will serve your kids well for many years to come. When choosing one, I recommend opting for a full size desk that accommodates a standard dining height chair. And, choose a timeless design that doesn’t scream “KIDS DESK!” That way they can keep on using it right out the door and into their college dorm. At which point, think of all the floor space you’ll gain for some extra work/play/creative space of your own!