Life with Kids Series: Send your Kids Email and Make Your iPhone Addiction Work For You!

I am always on my iPhone. Except when I'm on my computer. But still, even then I check my email on my iPhone. Hang on, I heard a ding...

Ok! Anyway, I have 1,002 cute videos and pictures of my kids on my phone: everything from Avnee's first steps to sitting on the potty "reading" the economist. With my son, the videos are a little slow going (second child syndrome) but at almost 10 months, his milestones are coming fast now and I am happily recording them. Of course, there are tons of photos and videos of both of them together because, what could be cuter?

Rohan's Birth Day

So what do I do with 1,002 videos and pictures?  I've always emailed the super cute ones to the grandparents (who live far away), but sometime around Rohan's birth, I created email accounts for each child and added them to the distro list.

Avnee's First Haircut, Live Long and Prosper!

With each email (time-stamped, I might add), I also send a note to future Avnee or Rohan, to let them know what we were doing and how cute they are / proud of them I am / silly Mama is / all of the above.

Rohan's First Smile

I've also asked the grandparents to send emails. Sometimes it's a silly Happy Birthday email, and sometimes it's a "to Avnee on your 16th Birthday" heavy type stuff. I think my parents are pretty cool and I'd like the adult versions of my kids to know that.

First Time Snuggling!

 I think it's wonderful we have the opportunity to capture all the precious moments in our child's life as opposed to the fleeting photos we all have from our own childhood. But I do miss reminiscing over the worn and faded pages of a photo album. I always planned on making albums but it becomes less and less a part of the culture as things get more digital. Plus, when my kids are older and they claim I didn't hug them enough as babies, I'll tell them to do an email search for "hugs." Evidence, people, E-V-I-D-E-N-C-E.

First Picture of the Roy Shahs

I'm sure I'm not the only one doing this... Do you do the same or how do you archive your family memories?  

Meet Oliver and Charlie’s mom, Toni Brem Mullen...

Did you know two moms are behind Om home's kids collection? Here I am with my little loves -- Oliver and Charlie. Little love #3 is due on February 25 (5 more days!). 

Photo credit: Shannon Echlin

I was recently interviewed by iVillage.ca about the inspiration behind Om home's kids collection and my career reinvention (I also share a super easy & delish recipe for Chinese noodle soup). Read it here.    

My husband often tells me Om PJs are the best in the drawer (of course he would), and my kids refuse to take them off for school (#timesaver), but what lands best are all the photos parents have shared of their gorgeous kids wearing our stuff. Thank you so much for all your support! Toni xo

Life with Kids Series: Winter Minestrone (a soup your kids might actually eat... mine did!)

I love soup... my kids not so much. But this past weekend, my husband made a soup that was a surprise hit.

Winter Minestrone 

Adapted from our go-to cookbook - The Daily Soup – my boys enjoyed 2 bowls each!! It’s so rare to see them both enjoying the same meal and I’ve certainly never witnessed (even though it's customary in Chinese culture) either of them picking up their bowl to polish something off.

Here's a link to the recipe. We were missing several of the ingredients, but it was a snow day (I think we got about 30cm!), so rather than venture out we improvised. You should note that we didn’t have fresh basil, scallions or pesto, thyme was substituted with oregano, and pasta with white kidney beans. 

Tip: Rather than peeling and cutting the squash (the skin is so hard i find the task impossible to do), I prefer to cut in half, scoop out the seeds, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, and bake for a little over an hour. Once done, scoop out and add to soup. 

We are still eating leftovers. Yum. 

Life with Kids: New Blog Series

When I launched OM home in 2005, I knew nothing about business. I fancied myself an artist who made pretty designs. But with my experiences and education, at least I had a basis from which to work. Not true with parenting. There was absolutely nothing NOTHING that prepared me for motherhood!

I’m still relatively new to this whole mom thing and I’m not going to lie, life with two kids under 3 and a newly re-launched business can be downright appalling at times.  A few people think I’m crazy but most wonder how I manage.  I’m pretty sure this series will prove it’s a little bit of crazy and a whole lot of (barely) managing. Honestly? I try to take it one day at a time, but sometimes I cheat.

Avnee and Rohan

I’m guilty of not answering right away when my daughter calls me from upstairs. Sometimes I forget to brush her teeth. I’ll hand my son over to my husband when he comes home at night with an, “oops, I think he just pooped.” I take naps in my car so I can have some peace. I put off toilet training my daughter because I found it icky (she is trained now). I use my iPhone way more than I should when I’m with my kids. If I need to choose between washing my hair and sleeping five more minutes, I’ll sleep for 10 more minutes and let my son cry a little. PS, I’m amazed at how long I can go without washing my hair. Sometimes, when my daughter says, “I don’t WANT to” I’ll roll my eyes so far back into my head, I have to bang it a few times to get my eyeballs back in place. I bribe her with cookies.

But I also use my remote control starter to let the car run so my daughter can “drive” the car. I either “run” alongside the car, ahead or behind the car (depending on how fast or slow she’s driving) or I sit in her car seat and she drives us to the grocery store. I regularly turn off the lights in the house, turn on the music, strobe the flashlight, crack a couple of glo-sticks, and have dance offs with my daughter and my husband. I pretend I’m on “Whose line is it anyway?” when I sing made up songs to my son in different musical genres. His favorite is Bollywood, mine is Rock Opera. My voice gets rough from hours spent talking to my kids as "Rocco the Pig", a hand puppet and honorary member of our family. I spend an hour setting up a project for my daughter where I know she’ll only spend 10 minutes playing. More often than not, I’ll say “one more time” but really mean “five more times.” I bribe her with cookies.

Either way, I’ll blog about it here and include fun projects, great recipes, cool new gadgets, cool decor, DIY projects or other random musings and misadventures from our lives. Maybe I can look back on this crazy time one day and laugh or maybe you can find a good laugh today. I'll invite my partner, Toni, and other working moms I admire to chime in with their experiences from time to time.

In the meantime, thanks so much for reading!

Cute Kids in OM Jammies

We've been told kids don't want to take off their OM baby PJs -- recent sightings at daycare, parks and gymnastics class. 

Send us a photo of your kiddo in OM baby to: photos@omhome.com and we'll give you 25% off your next order at www.omhome.com.

Click here to see more photos of cute kids in OM PJs, or shop here. 

Blush. Thank you Canadian Family magazine!

First bit of press about OM home's kids collection! 

"This sweet new line of eco-friendly and locally made organic kids sleepwear and bedding is the brainchild of two clever and stylish Canadian moms who set out to create a collection of gender inclusive basics for babies and kids," Canadian Family Baby Guide, Fall 2012.

Photo credit: Shannon Echlin Photography

Model credit: Ella Grace

Check out OM home's new kids collection here. 

OM baby photo shoot

Thank you for all your beautiful baby entries! We were so happy with the response, and all the great feedback on the collection. We ended up picking not one, but two winners for the OM baby model search. 

Introducing Venice...  

Venice and her family are preparing for a move to California so we were lucky to catch her before she jets off. Wait until you see her shots from the photo shoot. The camera adores her. Congratulations, Venice! 

Introducing Ella Grace... 

Ella is a natural in front of the camera. She was all smiles and struck a pose (and held it!) like a baby supermodel. Congratulations Ella! 

It was a great day. Old and new friends together with our little ones. Thank you to our friends, family, Lan our seamstress, and our little muses -- Avnee, Oliver and Charlie -- for helping bring this project to life. Shannon Echlin Photography you are a star! 

Can't wait to share photos from the shoot. Click here to see behind-the-scenes shots. OM baby launches Fall 2012! 

www.omhome.com

Colourful design for the modern family.

bedding. decor. kids. organic baby clothes.

OM baby model search

Calling all parents of 4 to 12-month-old babies in the Toronto area! OM home is looking for a baby to model garments for our Fall 2012 collection.

Submit a photo of your little one to info [at] omhome [dot] com with the subject heading: OM baby. Please include your child's age, what size clothing they wear and one fun tidbit about your baby. 

The shoot shouldn't take more than 1.5 hours and in exchange you will get all their shots from a professional photo shoot with the fabulous Shannon Echlin -- and your baby will be featured in our Fall 2012 collection! 

We will notify the selected by May 24, 2012, and post their picture on OM home's Facebook page.

Like us on Facebook for special offers and updates on the collection! 

Submission deadline is May 22, 2012.

 

Started by two moms, OM home's kids collection is a gender neutral line that avoids the trappings of boy/girl clothes. We are committed to making comfortable, colourful, locally-produced clothing -- clothing that doesn't define, but allows kids to create their own possibilities of who they want to be. Click here for a sneak peek.

OM baby's clothing and bedding collection is launching Fall 2012. Brought to you by OM home. 

OM home 
 bedding. decor. kids and organic baby. 
www.omhome.com

First look at OM kids

Thank you to our most trusted and stylish friends (many of them moms and dads) who were so generous with their feedback on the designs, styles and colours we presented over the past few months. 

It's still a work in progress, but we are so excited to give you a first look at OM home's  kids collection.   

This 2-piece pajama is one of our favourites to date. We are getting samples made in electric blue, orange, green, yellow, beige and pink (see below). No boy/girl clothes, just comfy, colourful clothes for kids.

Vibrant colours & patterns

We were so excited when this fabric arrived! We've sampled a range of products in this Jasper design including onesies, sleepers, hankie bibs...even underwear! 

Our little muses

Picture this sleeper and kimono top with cream (or maybe yellow) snap buttons. Oorbee Roy, OM home's designer, originally created this pattern for her wedding invitation. We are calling this design Avnee (in honour of a most special little girl). Sadly, my camera phone doesn't do this sweet pattern justice. 

Made in Canada

All our garments are designed and crafted in Toronto; just a couple of blocks away from OM home's office. 

Underwear 

This is a great example of a mistake gone good. A pair of my son's underwear was left under a stack of patterns, and our seamstress assumed we wanted it sampled. With our range of colours we could make a days of the week, 7-pack underwear set. Remember those?! I'm only partly joking.

Little hipster hankie bib

This hankie can also be used as a burp cloth or head scarf. One of my most stylish mommy friends swears by these bibs. Fashionable and versatile!

This is just a start. If you like what you've seen so far and for updates on the collection, please "Like" OM home's page on Facebook. 

OM home's kids collection is scheduled to launch this Fall. We'd love to know what you think of our first round of samples!

*Model credit goes to our little muses Avnee, Oliver and Charlie and their supermodel pals Mila and Niko.

Toni & Oorbee

OM home is launching a baby line

Oorbee and I first connected as moms. Her daughter Avnee and my Charlie, were born within months of each other and they have become fast friends.

First Date!

What’s nice about toddlers is they’ve yet to develop the contrary ways of the school aged. They are indifferent to what they wear, so as parents we are able to shape their esthetic identity. But if you’re like me – someone that spent many a weekend in high school rummaging for vintage finds and boho-ish textiles – there isn’t much out there for the wee ones.

It's been a struggle to find clothes that aren’t the traditional pink or powder blue. I’m always on the hunt for no-fuss garments that don’t have too many snaps or ties, clothing that is more gender neutral and workable for both boys and girls. I know I’m not the only parent who feels this way.

My boys! Oliver and Charlie.

OM home reflects modern bohemian living and our vision for the baby line is no different – vibrant colours and prints is at the heart of everything we do. The new collection of home decor (yes, we're still in the business of bedding and pillows!) and the baby line will launch Fall 2012.

While we’d rather not be labeled momprenuers, without our kids we wouldn’t have landed on this concept, or realized what a huge opportunity there was. Feedback from retailers, media and most importantly other parents has already been so positive.

Thank you Oorbee for the warm introduction and having the confidence to take me on as your partner. Here’s to a successful (and fun!) collaboration.

We are very excited about this new phase for OM home. Let us know what you think. We'd love to hear from you.

For those new to OM home, check out the current collection here.