Not only is Halloween at our doorstep, Dias de los meuertos, or Day of the Dead, is a couple of days later. We love to celebrate this holiday in our household, honoring family and friends we’ve lost. Some folks may think it’s a little morbid, but we think of it as a celebration of memories and stories about beloved friends and our Great Grandma Pearl. We don’t really observe such holidays in American culture, but it’s a great way to discuss the cycle of life with our kiddos. We have a book of recipes made famous by our great grandma, so what better way to celebrate her memory then by enjoying her yummy food. Another way of honoring loved ones lost is through creating meaningful art & craft projects with the tots. Papel picado, a traditional and popular art form in Mexico used  as decoration on any celebration day, is fun to make and can be made (with a little assistance) by the youngest of kiddos. We’ve made all kinds of designs from tissue with scissors and hung them on a string from our mantle. Very sweet. If you simply don’t have time, but would like to hang a papel picado in your home, look here, for some outstanding examples. $10.00- $16.00.

We’ve recently acquired a sewing machine and now that we’ll be spending more time inside, we’re determined to learn how to use it. We love Amanda Blake Soule’s new book, “Handmade Home: Simple Ways To Repurpose Old Materials Into New Family Treasures,” because its purpose is twofold. Not only does Soule discuss the need to reuse materials found at thrift stores and yard sales, making her projects eco-friendly, but her book beautifully features projects that get the whole family involved, too. We are particularly smitten with the broadturn bag, Adelaide’s pillow case dress and the simple, but beautiful baby sling. And there are many more great projects, perfect for the kiddos to work on like the art tray. We can’t vouch for the user-friendliness of each pattern or project, but they look quite simple. We’ll get on it and let you know. We should also say that the photographs, taken by Soule, are gorgeous. 33 projects. We’re giving this one our top rating, because even though the book itself may not be an eco-friend, the projects within it are. $21.95, here.

We’ve been waiting for our kiddo’s feet to grow large enough to fit in Livie & Luca’s London boots. And this year they will, now if they only made them in our size. We love Livie & Luca because the company is mama owned by two women who adore making funky shoes for our tots with the planet in mind. Each of their shoes is handmade, hand stamped by their shoe maker and constructed from leather that would have otherwise been discarded. Friends who have used these sweet little boots love them because their durable, soft and flexible, allowing their kiddos to continue to run, play and jump, business as usual. Velcro closures, so tots can do it themselves. Variety of colors, sizes 4-12. $50, here.

Our little ones can’t get enough of our animal friends. Dog is their current best friend, always available for a good lick and nuzzle, but the cat is a bit illusive, which makes her all the more interesting to curious kiddos. We were delighted to find this cute kitten tee by Kristin Loffer Theiss of klt:works. If cat isn’t around, this t-shirt is a perfect substitute. Our tot constantly points to her shirt and says, “cat.” Screen printed from an original thread drawing using free-motion sewing on 100% organic fine jersey cotton with low impact dyes or on a organic cotton/poly heather grey tee. Yarn dyed. American Apparel sustainable edition. Kudos. Cold water wash. Washes and wears beautifully, no shrinkage. Layer the short-sleeve for Fall or also available in long sleeve. $20, here.

Any dog named Pearl is okay in our book, especially a quadruped who wears cowgirl boots and a bolo tie. Yee haw. We recently found these sweet paper doll prints and couldn’t be happier with them. Pearl has more personality than most, is quite the adventurer and we’re happy to welcome her into our family. We realize that Pearl doesn’t have a lot to do with Fall, but we can safely say that her adventures, which change with each outfit, will give us plenty to talk about during the Fall and Winter months, reason enough. May be best for the 3+ crowd and admired by the youngins or treated as art and framed as prints. Not cheap, but five limited edition prints packaged in a glassine sleeve with side stitching, hand signed and numbered. So cute. 7″ x 7″. $35 at egg press.

We’ve known about chalkboard paint for a while and think it’s one of the coolest things we’ve seen, but we lack smooth walls in our little house and have to assume they would be somewhat difficult to draw or write on.  When we came upon these chalkboard tiles we can stick anywhere, we were very excited. No mess, no stress and they’re a little less permanent than paint. This package of four tiles creates a large chalkboard, when adjoined, that can be mounted, stuck, to any surface at little ones’ level. We love them. Kiddos love them. 19″ x 24.5″ each tile. Big board 38″ x 49″. Includes white chalk. $58, here.

Our tots aren’t in school quite yet, but it seems we’re always on the go and in need of proper storage for their snacks. And what with the new backpack, our kiddos can keep their snackage safe and secure. We were excited to find an eco-friendly alternative to the zip lock bag in 3 green moms’ lunch skins. These cute little bags come in two sizes, lunch and snack, are reusable, dishwasher safe, good looking and durable. All words music to our ears. 3 green moms found lunch skins’ fun fabric in Germany, but their bags are made in the USA. Lunch size $8.95, each. Snack size, $7.85 each, here.

One of our kiddos has changed so much in the last few months. It’s incredible how much the wee ones grow in the first  year. Their taste in toys is becoming more sophisticated, too. The soft toys just aren’t doing it for them any more, so we’ve moved on to stacking and nesting. For the youngest of stackers, this little wood stacking toy is perfect. Each wood block piece is notched, holding the stack together, rather than a traditional dowel and ring combination, for a precise fit, easy for little hands. Wood blocks can be stacked in a variety of ways, too. Bright, non-toxic, water based paint on five blocks. Made in Germany. Stacked 4″ x 5″. On sale at romp, $15.00.

We have a foot fetish, not really, but we really love shoes and socks. And those that fit the tiniest feet, well they’re just irresistible. We received several pairs of Smart Wool’s merino booties as welcoming gifts for our newborn kiddos and were so happy to have some warm, wooly socks for their feet, since they were born in the colder months. These booties are soft, not itchy, thick and cozy. The only drawback is they don’t always stay on little feet. Our solution was to pair these booties with snug leggings to hold them up. Wool from sheep raised and respected in New Zealand, as they should be. Sustainable and natural resource. Smart Wool, smart feet. 90% merino wool, 8% nylon, 2% spandex. 0-3 months, 3-6 months. 2 pairs, $16.95, here.

We love Fall, pumpkins, soup and sweaters, but we don’t love damp weather and the resurgence of nasty colds. We’re big tea drinkers, especially in the cooler months and always have Traditional Medicinals teas on hand during the cold and flu season. Just for Kids Organic Cold Care is the perfect combination of classic European herbs, grown organically in California. Each tea bag contains cold care herbs like elder and linden flowers, chamomile and peppermint blended especially for kids. Our kiddos have enjoyed this tea during colds, but like it any other time, too. Nothing like a warm cuppa on a cold day. 18 tea bags per box, $5.49, here.