I heart Finnish textile and clothing design company Marimekko!  Maija Isola’s Slavic-inspired ornamental Näsiä and Maija and Kristina Isola’s jointly designed dotted Kiss-kiss are the patterns in Samu-Jussi Koski’s childrenswear collection. Comfortable and beautiful cotton outfits for kids.

Maija Isola’s bubbly Vissy pattern (above)  adorns a range of easy-care jersey garments in Mika Piirainen’s Autumn 2008 collection. The range features everything from baby clothes to T-shirts for teenagers.

The collection’s two flowered sateen dresses are every little girl’s dream come true. The handsome Rosetta print is a variation on Maija Isola’s Krysanteemi design from 1959.

Some adorable pieces for Mom too!

I am always looking for ways to involve my kids in volunteer and charitable opportunities. Although it can be a challenge when your children are young, simple things like bringing a meal to a family, sweeping a porch for a neighbor or making cards for friends are a great way to set an example for your children.  Our children are so fortunate, which makes it even more difficult to teach them the importance of Charity, Love and Empathy.

Reach out to your neighborhood food bank or volunteer center. At this time of the year there are plenty  of opportunities. The Volunteer Family has some great ideas. I especially like the idea of befriending an elderly person and recording the stories of their life.  Reminds me of the book Water For Elephants and the extrodinary story that Jacob Jankowski shared.  Life lessons are all around us and can be found in the most unlikely of places.

Cool Mom Picks has a great article featuring a few charitable ways to give this holiday.  Our family has been giving to the Heifer Foundation for a few years now. Such an inexpensive way for your family to make a difference.

Is your child allergic to peanuts or diabetic or asthmatic? Always fearful to send your kids camp or on a field trip without a binder of their medical conditions and emergency contacts?  Safety Tat has the answer for you.

With their Allergies Ask First Tatoos you can create customized  allergy alerts: Strawberries- Soy- Wheat, or Dogs-Shellfish-Latex. Choose your design, select a quantity, and add your phone number. Original Safety Tats are more like traditional temporary tattoos and require water to apply.  You customize the message to protect your child. $19.95 for 24.

Safety Tat also offers  Quick Stick Write-On Tatoos (our personal favorites) that require no water to apply and are an ultra-durable skin safe applique “tattoo” sticker that is waterproof and will last  up to two weeks  or until you are ready to remove it. Simply peel and stick — “Quick Stick!” Perfect for theme parks, school field trips, sporting events, scout trips and extracurricular events. These skin applique tattoos are shipped BLANK, so you can write your information on them with the included waterproof tattoo marking pen. $19.95 for 18.

Crispy Bugs: You won’t have to dare kids to eat these bugs.

Eyes, antennae, and stripes are licorice (poke holes with a skewer first); wings are candy wafers (cut slits with a knife), heads are gumdrops (slice gumdrop, exposing stickiness, and then press to bug body.

Basic crispy rice recipe here.

Homemade Tortillas: This great recipe is not only easy, but so fun for the kids.

Plus tortillas off the  stove are delicious! Add a little cheese and shredded chicken and you have dinner, that’s if the tortillas last that long.

Crepes: Better than pancakes because they are French, n’est pas! Plus you can put anything (savory or sweet) inside.

The kids will love helping to mix the batter, and eagerly line up as the crepes fly off your pan.  Give them options to put inside. Our favorites - fresh lemon juice, powdered sugar, Nutella, bananas, strawberries, cheese, ham…the possibilities are endless!

My favorite recipe from C&Z here.

Patriotic Fruit: A great snack on Independence Day, Memorial Day or any other patriotic holiday.

Serve with with toothpicks for spearing the fruit and a bowl of your favorite dip.

Strawberries, blackberries or blueberries, bananas and lemon juice. Slice strawberries and arrange onto banana slices on a rectangular platter. Fresh, healthy and fun to eat.

On-the-GO! Crispy Cars: Powered by candle fuel, little cars with cereal wheels wend their way to the party past hand-drawn street signs and gumdrop trees (their trunks are toothpicks). After preparing the crispy rice mix in a 9 x 13 inch plan, cut a wavy diagonal line for hills and stand on serving tray. Top with taffy strips; press fringed glassine “grass” to sides.

Fun to make and better to eat.

Source: Martha Stewart / Allrecipes / Family Fun

Love Motherhood With Attitude’s line of witty and fun cards and notepads. Founders Janalee Chmel and Tiffany Hauber capture the hidden essence of “motherhood” in these colorful, artistic and humorous cards.

Cards are $3.25 each. Box sets of are $18 and $24 for 10. Available from their Ma!, these make a great gift for your girlfriends.

The last (my favorite) is actually a free ecard, available from their site. Too funny.

Check out these great products for your little chefs!

Love Bean Soup’s  colorful, functional and machine washable aprons.

They have three apron styles - Chef, Cobbler and Overall.

Love the cobbler style (Pictured at right). So cute!

$34,  available in Size 1 - 10 years.

Handstand Kids makes a wonderful children’s cookbook series.  These books are great as they not only include “authentic” recipes, but also information about the country and language of the food origin.

Italian and Mexican cook set is available online and includes recipes and chef hat or oven mitt.

Pair with some children’s cooking utensils and  this makes a fantastic birthday gift. $28 - $32 at Handstand Kids or Lisa Kline Kids.

Williams & Sonoma also has a great kids line with some fun products.

My favorites include, the White Mountain Ice Cream Maker with old-fashioned and fun crank which  produces 1 gallon in 20 - 40 minutes. The kids LOVE this! $149.95 available online.

Pair with the Wild West Ice-Cream molds and you have a delicious treat. Currently on sale online for $9.99.

Grab a few of their Melamine Mixing Bowls. These are great as they have a rubber base that grips the counter top and are light-weight and easy for even the youngest bakers to hold on to.  $36 online.

This silicon baking kit is the perfect addition to your kitchen toys and guaranteed to keep the kids busy. Love the colorful shapes and kid-size pieces. $24.95 from Generation Orange.