Category: Shop

Where to find the best buys for different occasions

Outfitting Your Child’s Room South East Asia Style

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A  few months ago, I was lucky enough to stumble upon a French vendor based out of Vientiane who sells beautiful Batik prints for children’s rooms.  The brand, Anakijo, was founded by Valerie Baumal, who has been living in South East Asia for many years.

Valerie handcrafts each piece of artwork by selecting batik sarongs from Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.  The designs she creates are inspired by the flora and fauna of South East Asia.  Valerie’s artwork makes a beautiful and unique addition to a nursery or child’s room.  What a fabulous idea for a gift, also!  I bought the below elephant print for our baby girl’s nursery and had it framed locally in a simple wooden frame.  Oh how I wish I had bought more prints when I acquired this one!

Valerie hasn’t opened shop in Thailand yet, but you can order from her online or at Etsy.com.  Valerie travels to Thailand occasionally and when I communicated with her over email, she said she would be willing to bring some prints with her the next time she makes a trip.  Would anyone be interested in a private sale the next time she is in town?  If so, let me know, and I’ll do my best to arrange it with her.  I can’t think of a better way to add some South East Asian character and charm to your child’s room than through this unique artwork.  What an extra special gift the prints make for friends back home as well.

You can visit Anakijo’s website at:  http://anakijo.com/index.html.

Find of the Week: The Perfect Place for Aspiring Young Musicians

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All toddlers I know love music. They love to make music, dance to music, and share the joy of music with friends. Playing new instruments and discovering new sounds is a powerful creative outlet for children.  Some of the most joyous times in our home are the ones spent testing out new musical instruments and dancing wildly, boldly, and comically to our favorite songs.

Not so long ago a friend of mine asked me if I had stumbled upon the music store across from La Monita*.  Despite the great many times we had been to La Monita, I hadn’t seen the place, so I decided to make a special trip.  From the outside, it’s hard to get a glimpse of what’s inside IQ Plus Music (located in Mahatun Plaza off of Ploenchit Road) because of the dark-tinted windows; however, once you venture inside, you’ll find a wall full of colorfully-decorated high-quality musical instruments for children of all ages.  This place has everything from egg shakers to rainbow music hand bells, ukuleles, and bongos.  The instruments are so visually attractive with fun shapes and colors that they are certain to spark the interest of even the most undecided of young musicians.

Check out the awesome alligator xylophone - I want one!

On top of the high-quality selection of beautiful instruments, the staff at IQ Plus Music is extremely helpful in informing your decision about which instruments suit your child at a certain age and musical ability.  Vice President Quincy Yu, who worked in the same business in California for several years, was an enormous help to me when I was in search of an instrument that would introduce my toddler to musical range.  Definitely seek him out if you make a trip to IQ Plus Music.

 

Store details:

IQ Plus Music
888/110 Mahatun Plaza Building
Ploenchit Road, Lumpini
Phone:  02-651-4062
Web:  www.iqplusmusic.com

*If you haven’t been to La Monita, consider this post a “Double-Find of the Week.”   La Monita, also located in Mahatun Plaza off of Ploenchit Road, is easily some of the best Mexican food in town.  The nachos and cali tacos are amazing.  Yum!  If you’re with your with your toddler, they’ll do a “mini-quesadilla” and a side of Spanish rice and beans.

Find of the Week: The Jackpot for Car Enthusiasts

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The first word our toddler says in the morning is “car.”  The last word he says at night is “car.”  I’m pretty sure I’ve even heard him say “car” in his sleep.  We’ve determined that most of this is a result of genetics.  Both of Logan’s grandfathers have collectively been proud owners of Porsches, BMWs, Audis, and Corvettes.  Logan’s dad is a regular subscriber to Car and Driver.  There are actually times that I find myself wrestling Car and Driver away from Dad so that Logan can get his fill.  Other times, I find them watching youtube clips from The Fast and Furious or various versions of “Addison’s Pimped Car Slide Show,” oohing and ahhing at the screen.  They can often be found playing race car video games at different locations around town (as evidenced by the below).  At home, our coffee table has become a race track.  Given the persuasions of his genealogy, I’m guessing this is not just a passing phase.

It was a close race, but in the end Daddy prevailed

Logan even managed to pull his Gran into the youtube car action during her last visit

So, when my husband and I discovered a table full of “pull back” model car replicas outside of Central World, we knew we had hit the jackpot.  Dozens of model cars to choose from (what you see on the table is only a small fraction of what the vendor has stored underneath his booth) – Lamborghinis, Hummers, Volkswagen Beetles, Ford GTs, Porsche Carreras, BMW M5s, Audi Q5s, Dodge Rams . . . name your car, and this guy probably has it.  In fact, you can even find concept cars at this guy’s table, our latest purchase being a Volkswagen Microbus Concept that never made it to production – how’s that for a good selection?

You think this is impressive? Ask to see Mr. Cat’s under-the-table stash!

So who is the man with the cars?  His nickname is Khun Maaeo (yes, Mr. Cat – fitting, don’t you think) and his booth is located on Rajadamri Road, just to the right of Central World. One look at us, and Khun Maaeo started at 199 baht for the mid-size models and 259 baht for the larger ones.  Just like any outdoor vendor in Thailand, prices are very bargain-able.  The absurd thing is, a quick online search shows that similar (although, undoubtedly, much higher quality) model cars can cost up to hundreds of dollars.  Unless you’re going for a very fancy, collectible showcase of model cars, I tend to think the $3-5 type will suit a car-crazed toddler just fine.  Our yellow Porsche Cayman has suffered a side-view mirror casualty, but so far that has been our only casualty — which is pretty impressive given the amount of use Logan’s cars get everyday.  So if you have a car-happy toddler at home and you happen to be out on the town and find yourself near Central World, visit Mr. Cat.  Any one of the cars is bound to bring your toddler hours of joy.

Our Fave Top Ten Toddler Books

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We are always looking for new books for our avid reader.  Classics like Dr. Seuss and Goodnight Moon aside, here are our top ten favorite books so far, in no particular order:*

1.  Jamberry by Bruce Degen – this was a very early favorite and continues to be a joy for the whole family.  It is a fun, imaginative read with captivating rhythmic prose about, yes, berries!

2. The Icky Sticky Anteater by Dawn Bentley and Carly Castillon – our child loves anteaters, and for this reason, we searched for any and all books on anteaters.  Surprisingly, there are not that many books out there about the odd little creatures, so we took a chance on this one.  What an excellent find!  Not only is it a fun book that has great rhyming prose, it teaches a valuable lesson about being your own individual.  If your child has an anteater obsession like ours, this book should definitely be part of your collection!

3. Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Tom Lichtenheld and Sherri Duskey Rinker – we found this one thanks to an excellent New York Times review.  Well-written with beautiful illustrations, the creators make routine construction vehicles come to life as they get ready to end their day and say goodnight.

4. Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle and Jill McElmurry – love this book!  It teaches excellent lessons about patience and the value of friendships. The book also has an excellent sequel:  Little Blue Truck Leads the Way.

5. Speedy Little Race Cars by Heather Cahoon – another early favorite.  We started reading it to Logan at about 6 months, at which time he loved the feel of the raised race cars.  More than one year later, Logan still loves the book, but less for the raised cars, and more for the bustling activity of race spectators found on each page.

6. The Going-To-Bed Book by Sandra Boynton – anything by Sandra Boynton is excellent.  Her books are short, witty, and fun.

7.  If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff – this is a relatively new one for us.  The mouse is endearing, as is the little boy who takes care of him for the day.  A very sweet read.

8. Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks and Things That Go by Richard Scarry – At first I thought this book would be too busy for Logan at his young age of 18 months, but I was dead wrong.  It is the number of illustrations of cars, trucks, buses, train, scooters – you get the idea – and the classic imagination of Richard Scarry that capture his attention and excitement.  I’m not kidding you when I say that we spend at least 1-2 hours a day on this book alone.  It never gets old.

9.  The Sleepy Little Alphabet by Judy Sierra – thank you, Oprah, for this suggestion from your Kids’ Reading List.  It’s a classic bedtime story that also teaches the alphabet.

10. Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy E. Shaw and Margot Apple – who can resist the temptation of reading a book about sheep driving a jeep?  This one will make you and your child laugh with its simple, yet catchy, prose.

*Disclaimer:  We have a car enthusiast at home (well, between Dad and Logan we have two), therefore many of these books are transportation-heavy.  Ahh, the joys of a testosterone-charged home!

The Land of Wooden Toys

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Go wooden or go home.

If you reside in Thailand like we do, this place is a mecca for affordable, locally-made, wooden toys.  The best wooden toys are durable, chemical-free, inspire imagination, and evoke a sense of nostalgia in those of us who grew up with wooden toys ourselves.  Other than the Melissa and Doug brand, it is a rarity to find wooden toys in the U.S. anymore.   Specialty stores like The Land of Nod and Pottery Barn Kids sell beautiful wooden toys (many of which are made in Thailand), but charge exorbitant prices for them.  For example, the snail pull toy pictured below will put you out USD 21.95 plus tax and shipping if you order it in the U.S. (Land of Nod).  I bought the same toy this Christmas in Thailand for 345 baht, approximately USD 11.50.  If there is ever a time to start your child’s collection of wooden toys, Thailand is the place!

Baby Pull Toys

Wooden baby pull toys

Plan Toys (http://www.plantoys.com/home.php), PINTOY (http://www.pintoys.com/), and Wonderworld (http://www.wonderworldtoy.com/) are the most popular and reputable Thai wooden toy brands.  All of the brands are featured at upscale toy fairs across the U.S. and Europe.  Most major department stores in Bangkok, like Central Chitlom, Isetan, and the Emporium, carry the brands.

The Plan Toy Factory Store is located on Sathorn, Soi 10. Although prices at the Factory store generally parallel prices at the major department stores (a strange concept for those us from the U.S.), beautifully-made dollhouses, farm houses, train sets, drums, and trucks can be bought at a 50-70 percent discount at the Factory Store throughout the month of December every year.  Now that is an awesome sale!  The sale isn’t well advertised, but is definitely well-worth hitting in order to buy for Christmas or stock up for birthday parties.  Although we haven’t yet had the opportunity to visit,  the Plan Toy Factory, which I have been told offers excellent discounts, is located in Trang.  As a plus, street-side vendors in Trang also sell wooden toys at deep discounts.  Pair a family trip to the beaches of Krabi or Trang with a drive to the Plan Toy Factory and your kids will love you for it!

While our home certainly has its fair share of plastic toys to go along with the locally-made wooden ones, Thailand raises the bar when it comes to the availability and affordability of what now seem to be vintage relics in the U.S.  Yet one more score for those of us fortunate enough to live in the land of Smiles!