Steve Jobs was practically just a kid himself when he founded Apple.

In all the Steve Jobs tributes I’ve read, there’s one constant theme that’s been sticking with me.

Jobs says his pancreatic cancer gave him focus and clarity as to what was really important in his life. According to The New York Times, he recently told his personal physician that being a father was his most important accomplishment.

“Steve made choices,” Dr. Ornish said. “I once asked him if he was glad that he had kids, and he said, ‘It’s 10,000 times better than anything I’ve ever done.’ ”

This is the guy whose Times obituary called him the “Visionary (Who) Redefined the Digital Age.”

Only fellow parents can understand why he said that. A notoriously private man, Jobs also told his biographer that he chose to finally open up because “I wanted my kids to know me.”

Of course, we all know that Mr. Jobs has made an enormous impact on all of our kids, too.

Here’s a letter that a WallCandy parent just received from her daughter’s elementary school principal at The Children’s School in Stamford, Connecticut:

Dear Parents, Alumni Parents and Friends,

We would be remiss if we did not note the passing of Steve Jobs, a towering figure in American life and a potent force for good in education. Jobs’ vision of what could be—the art of the possible, fortified by a passion for excellence—has had an enormous influence on The Children’s School.

Obviously, his impact is evident in the technology that has made all of us so much more efficient and productive. Almost 50 years ago, daily record keeping of student achievement and progress at TCS was a pad-and-pencil exercise. Later we were fortunate to enjoy the benefits of a desktop computer (the Macintosh), which was followed by hand-held personal digital assistants (remember the Palm Pilot?) to help us get the job done.

Now, of course, it’s the iPad that permits our teachers to capture so much about each child. Our DVD portfolios are created courtesy of iMovie, a video editing program that makes anyone with a good eye and a DVD camera into a latter-day David O. Selznick. To think that we once had to edit film by hand using reel-to-reel technology!

But it is Jobs’ restless search for perfection, his pursuit and fulfillment of dreams, that is perhaps his most enduring legacy—at least at TCS. Love what you do, he said. Strive for the highest standard of quality in your work, and if the highest standard isn’t good enough—well, invent one that is. That was Jobs’ credo and so is it for TCS.

From the thoughtful presentation of learning materials in the classroom to the care that went into the design of our school building, we share Steve Jobs’ commitment to a vision of the world as it can and should be. The art of the possible, fortified by a passion for excellence. Our children deserve no less.

iSad,

Maureen

As far as I’m concerned, being immortalized by this elementary school is just as impressive as being mourned in The New York Times.

Knowing when to decorate for fall is a bit more complicated. Letting go of summer and its precious barbecues, baseball season, and stroll-worthy sidewalk sales can feel bittersweet, simply because there’s no season quite like summer for nine months each year. Thank heavens autumn provides such a lovely transition filled with pies, pumpkins, and a multitude of reasons to wear gauzy scarves. If decorating for fall is on your list this week, start by carefully storing your warm-weather things and sweeping the summer sand and spiderwebs from your house’s crevices. Once your template is nice and blank, surround yourself with décor that pays homage to autumn’s favorite attributes.

1. Settling into a new school year

Now that September has passed and your child’s teacher can match those cute little faces to his or her classroom roster, it’s necessary to keep your kids pumped about school until their first holiday break. Instead of fussing over undone homework and an abundance of time spent in front of the television, ask your kids to take control over their own to-do lists and promote the lifelong joy of finishing work to make room for play. Add a desk to your son or daughter’s workspace and use reusable, removable chalkboard wall decals to show him or her how to list and check off assignments, practice calculating math problems in preparation for test day, and prioritize the steps toward completing school projects. Should your child ever decide to rearrange the room or move upstairs once a sibling has gone off to college, simply unstick the chalkboard wall stickers and restick where needed.

2. Camping

Fall brings ideal camping weather – it’s not too hot or too cold, and the bugs are packed up and heading underground for their own unique holidays. If you can’t make it up to Lake Lovelylake for the weekend, try your own backyard, or better yet, a makeshift tent city in your very own home. To recreate a dusky campground atmosphere, hang reusable glow in the dark wall decals just above the nearest window and assign each child his or her own battery-operated lantern. Make parent-supervised s’mores on the stovetop without worrying about mixing open flames with volatile pillow fights. As long as there’s warm snuggles and recreated starlight, it doesn’t matter where you are – those camping memories will stick.

3. Halloween

Odds are, your kids have already chosen their costumes for this year (or narrowed the list down to a mere 20 possibilities). You might have already carved a pumpkin and chosen your house’s official candy giveaway, too. One of many jobs parents assume during the month of October is keeping the kids from exhausting their excitement too soon, which is why we created a peel and stick Halloween wall décor kit with unlimited pumpkin-designing potential. Instead, put the knives away and spend those impatient afternoons going nuts creating jack-o’-lanterns, arranging bats, and dreaming of a candy corn rainstorm. Our wall stickers kit is removable and reusable, so you could always volunteer to transfer it to your child’s classroom and win some points with an equally overextended teacher.

4. Local leaf-peeping

If you don’t have time to head toward Maine before the oranges and reds turn to browns and darker browns, fear not – most towns can boast some nice fall foliage, even if it doesn’t quite qualify as a tourist attraction. Autumn is the best time to don a light jacket and plan a nice family stroll for an afternoon of tree-gazing and deer-spying. If your kids need help getting in the mood, decorate their bedrooms and playrooms with removable deer wall decals in vibrant colors. Designing an homage to nature with reusable wall stickers is so incredibly easy, the kids could give you a hand as you spruce up their spaces.

5. Thanksgiving

If you’re planning to host Thanksgiving dinner, now’s the time to get that kitchen redecorating project underway. Pick out a paint color, hit the hardware store, and consider creating a fall-tastic focal wall that complements your chosen color. One of the easiest ways to accomplish instant décor is by adding removable peel and stick wallpaper to one wall. Depending on the size and shape of your designated space and whether or not you’ll need to trim out squares for letting electrical sockets show, you could add some serious cute to your kitchen or dining area before lunchtime. If only the holiday menu were so easy…

What’s your family’s favorite autumn activity? How do you like to decorate your home for a positively fabulous fall season? Leave a comment and tell us about it!

Which "Modern Family" Character Are You?

You know that silly question of which child or grandchild you like the best?

That’s how I felt watching the Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category during last night’s Emmy Awards. Four actors from “Modern Family” were up for the honor — Ty Burrell (Phil) Ed O’Neill (Jay), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Mitchell) and Eric Stonestreet (Cameron) — as well as two outsiders, “Glee” songbird Chris Colfer and Pretty in Pink guy Jon Cryer (better known as Charlie Sheen’s surviving sidekick in “Two And A Half Men.”)

There was no doubt that last night was Modern Family’s Night — the sitcom won five Emmys in all. But my mind went blank when it came time to choose who to root for. The show has a true ensemble cast with the laugh lines getting spread pretty equally. My preference would have been to kick out Cryer and Colfer and give the two remaining nominee spots to the Modern Family kids: Nolan Gould (sweethearted but clueless Luke Dunphy) and Rico Rodriguez (precocious Manny Delgado).

Check out the pic of Manny holding the Emmy above. Doesn’t he seem like age 10 going on 40 — even in real life?

America's First Comedy Couple: Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell.

A pre-Emmy US Weekly poll favored Burrell and Stonestreet, but Burrell won out in L.A.

I think the Phil Dunphy character is super relatable as a goofy dad who will do anything to entertain his kids and himself. And the actor’s acceptance speech reflected it, too. Burrell also seemed more excited for actress Julie Bowen (his TV wife)’s corresponding Emmy victory than her real life husband did!

Entertainment Weekly recently posed the "Modern Family" cast in the most realistic scene in family life... The dreaded competition for the bathrooms.

The success of Modern Family is truly remarkable because the episodes focus on the absurdities of “normal” suburban life. When we take a big step back, all of our lives could be made into sitcoms.

It’s the perfect fit for the WallCandy family demographic. The show pokes fun at sibling rivalries, the struggles of work-life balance, the crazy competitiveness of PTA moms, zealous youth sports coaches and where our life’s dreams and realities unexpectedly meet. As a dad, I love the ongoing dynamic between popularity-obsessed Haley and her goal-oriented bookworm sister Alex; and the contrast of Peter Pan-like Luke and his can’t-wait-to-grow-up cousin Manny. You can’t miss “The One That Got Away” episode which spoofs those birthday tribute videos we all make for relatives’ milestone birthdays or wedding anniversaries.

The new season premiere is at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 21. The one-hour special has a Dude Ranch theme (click here for the preview)  and was shot in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, exploring how the family dynamic changes on vacation.

Which brings me to my tangential excuse for writing about Modern Family on a wall stickers blog. We all have an Inner Cowboy or Inner Cowgirl clamoring to break free. And the brand new WallCandy Arts Western Birthday Decorating Kit is a way for your boys and girls to continue their role-playing fun long after the candles go out.

I’m curious to see if Manny rediscovers that he’s a kid and reluctantly enjoys the cowboy masquerade — or if he dismisses the entire exercise as too juvenile.  In any case, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the episode and if there are any other birthday party sticker themes you think we should explore!  Drop us a line at hello@wallcandyarts.com.

Once Labor Day weekend has passed and the grocery store’s produce aisle becomes a regular apple variety extravaganza, our nostalgia for autumn is at its peak ripeness. We’re even inspired by the apple’s abundant shape, which is one of the many reasons we created our removable, reusable Big Apple chalkboard wall decal. It’s resilient, it’s classic, and it can help you run a flourishing household. There are many ways to use a peel and stick chalkboard, but we’ve narrowed it down to our favorite three in celebration of apple season:

1. Write down a recipe. First, whip up some homemade applesauce to save for garnishing pork chops and making fudgy (and slightly healthier) brownies. Freeze the leftovers for later. Next, make something delectable to reward your staple stockpiling. We suggest this easy apple crisp recipe from Betty Crocker’s online cookbook:

Ingredients

4 medium tart cooking apples, sliced (4 cups)

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats

1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of 8-inch square pan with shortening. Spread apples in pan. In medium bowl, stir remaining ingredients until well-mixed, then sprinkle over apples. Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender when pierced with a fork. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

(We added oven-toasted pecan pieces to ours for extra crunch and antioxidants.)

2. Plan an apple-picking trip. There are at least nine states that can boast a substantial apple crop every fall. If you live anywhere near Washington, New York, Michigan, California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Connecticut, or Massachusetts, you’re a simple brainstorm away from enjoying an apple-picking experience. Choose a nearby orchard, block off an afternoon, and gather the kids. In the days leading up to your family’s apple adventure, jot down the details in chalk to keep track of the plan.

3. Encourage better eating habits. According to the Center for Disease Control’s website on the power of eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, a 6-year-old girl who exercises between 30 to 60 minutes per day should eat a cup and a half of veggies and a cup and half of fruits daily. Use the website’s handy calculator to find out what each member of your family needs and keep track of individual day-to-day fruit and veggie intakes on a chart you’ve doodled on the chalkboard wall decal. Now’s your chance to practice sketching a few adorable asparaguses. (P.S. One small apple counts as a full cup of fruit!)

Where’s your favorite apple-picking spot? What’s your favorite apple-packed dessert recipe? Leave us a comment and share your apple appreciation.

Photo credit: Ann Kunst

“Mom, can I go outside now?”

During the summer months, my friend Ann’s two daughters pose this question as early as 6 a.m. almost every day. The youngest one, Emma, opens her eyes to begin planning her outdoor day the second the sun hits the horizon. The eldest, Jane, joins her sister an hour or two later, delayed only by the penchant for sleeping in she’s developed over the past couple of years.

The two girls are happiest outdoors and, for them, any trip to the children’s museum or movie theater must be reserved for days when torrential downpour is persistently visible both through the window and on the weatherperson’s radar. These indoor activities aren’t necessarily the markers of bad days, but Ann says her girls are definitely affected by too much time spent inside.

If you’re a parent, you’ve probably noticed an improvement in your ability to improvise. Denying kids those unique, often bizarre moments of joy that are only accessible before the preteen years hit is like locking a puppy in a closet with only a typewriter – it can feel downright cruel, whether or not your intention is to harvest self-reliance for future disappointments (or Fluffy’s ability to write your blog posts). That’s why parents pretend it’s Halloween nearly every afternoon, play 15 straight games of Crazy Eights each night, and rewrap opened birthday presents on the spot for instant, frenzied reopening.

If your kids adore the outdoors but occasionally find themselves faced with ongoing summer thunderstorms or other fun-blocking disasters, a little creative improvisation can be the cure. When you’re wondering what to do on a rainy day, start with these five indoor activities for kids:

1. Warm up your décor. It makes sense that a child who feels at his or her best while outside playing in the sunshine will feel most at home in a room that exudes warmth. Decorate your child’s bedroom or favorite play area with bright throw pillows, a whitewashed bookshelf highlighted with candid beach photos and a dried starfish or two, and a glorious sun wall decal that begs for basking.

2. Turn your bathtub into a swimming hole. Subtract the usual bathtime soap-up and there isn’t much difference between a kiddie swimming pool and the tub. Suggest your kids don their bathing suits, floaties, and goggles for some wash-free water play and marvel at how much fun they can have shallow diving for quarters.

3. Start up a family-operated seasonal restaurant in your kitchen. Help your kids put together their ideal summer menu with appetizers, salad, a main course, dessert, and drinks. Work together to redesign the dining room atmosphere and create a summer lobster shack or barbecue hut. Once you’ve “hired” a couple of cute chefs who look just darling in makeshift aprons, you’re ready to prepare a delicious meal together.

4. Go camping in the living room. Clear a space for setting up the big backyard tent, or make your own provisional version with sheets and blankets anchored in tall places. To recreate the classic camping experience, make s’mores on the stove, teach a little learner the first few bars of your favorite sleepaway camp song, and decorate the room’s most window-happy wall with strands of glow in the dark wall decals that cast a dim firefly light.

5. Do some dirt-free gardening together. Choose a wall that could use a dose of nature’s finest aesthetics and use peel-and-stick flower wall stickers to design a wild indoor garden. Once you’ve created a colorful natural setting, cover the floor (and any favorite pieces of nearby furniture) with a few old sheets. Grab a few small clay pots (or clear out the collection of pickle jars gathering in the fridge and wash them well), some craft paint, a few sheets of stickers, and a waterproof sealant. Ask the kids to draw blueprints for the coolest flowerpots they can imagine, then help them paint and decorate each pot. Once they’ve finished, secure their work with the waterproof sealant and let the whole shebang dry on the counter overnight. Later, ask the kids to pick out a few seed packets from the grocery store for a sunnier day when you can all enjoy the dirtier aspects of gardening.

For those unavoidable icky days, parents of tiny nature lovers can always use a few good backup plans. Leave a comment and share your own ideas for bringing a little sunshine inside with creative indoor activities for kids.

Maevis, trying on the give-what-you-want gifting philosophy.

A few of my mother’s most motherly qualities also make her impossible to shop for. She’s selfless, giving, and a longtime expert accumulator of the ultimate just-in-case stockpile, from first aid and batteries to wrapping paper and working ink pens to flood insurance and paper shredder gear grease. Her luxury retail addictions are localized to two manageable arenas: drugstores and beauty supply chains.

As I made my way through college, I’d often come home during breaks to find in her bathroom the kind of full-sized product stash one usually finds in an overstock inventory.

“You don’t even wear makeup. Do you need two dozen waterproof eyeshadows?” I asked.

“Sure I do,” she replied, removing the items in question from the secret compartment in my overnight bag specifically reserved for borrowing things without asking. “And I’ll thank you to stay out of the guest closet.”

Several head-scratching special occasions later, I finally saw fit to cross drugstores and beauty supply chains off the list of places to find gift ideas for Mom. Chances are she’ll already own three of them, whatever they are.

Meanwhile, the only creature alive who considers me her mother could never say that I share my own mother’s motherly qualities. Even if she could talk, my cat Maevis, who I’ve taken care of for all her nine years despite a tendency to get turned around wandering near the Land of Motherhood’s welcoming borders, would probably not describe me as a selfless, giving person. Ever since my mother started calling Maevis her grandcat and suggesting that I, too, am a mother, the amount of time I spend adding (but never actually purchasing) Mother’s Day gifts for myself to my long list of wants would appall most sensible cats. Maevis often sits in the sunlight on top of my desk, watching me add sweater wraps, designer sneakers, and fancy shampoo sets to my list, silently judging me for turning a celebration of mothers into an excuse to think about possibly straying from my budget.

Mother’s Day has thus become a challenging holiday for me; shopping for my mother is as difficult as teaching my cat to give me verbal permission to treat myself for being a mom of sorts. This year, I went the direct route and pumped my mother for information on what she’s into these days, but to no avail. She has a book collection that would intimidate Charles Dickens, enough beauty and health products to open her own Whole Foods franchise, and extra money laying around now that her two grown children aren’t stopping by just to grab a couple of cans of soup from the back of the pantry.

And me? I’ve continued to hold off on treating myself, despite wanting many things from a wishlist that doubles as a map and feeling exactly the way most mothers probably feel when their children are mewling in their faces at 4 a.m., unable to make their own bowls of cereal or manage the pull tabs on a few tuna cans.

Mom's new necklace

As I sat down to write this, I began to slowly, reluctantly wonder if perhaps the best gifts to give are the things I’d want for myself. My mom and I have similar tastes, so I took a chance and chose the item at the top of my own list of wants – a dainty sterling silver wishbone charm necklace – and ordered it in gold for my selfless, giving, jewelry-shy mother. (She’s not allowed to read this post until after Mother’s Day. Mom, if you’re reading, way to spoil the surprise.)

All was well, maybe, until she threw a wrench in the works (do they sell wrenches at Sephora?) by calling to ask what Maevis plans to get me for Mother’s Day. I put up the good fight but gave in to her firm, adorable insistence that Maevis has been bugging her for Mother’s Day gift ideas for the last two weeks.

“You’re her mother and she’s just going crazy wondering what you’d like,” she said.

I know that feeling. Fortunately, it was very recently replaced by yet another surge of loving admiration for my selfless, oh-so-giving mother. She and I will soon own matching wishbone necklaces, mine in silver, hers in gold. It’s not the most groundbreaking Mother’s Day present of all time, but then again, I’m not that hard to shop for.

We definitely need some sod for the living room. (Photo credit: Ryan L. Hyde)

This week, it’s supposed to reach the 60-degree mark on the official New York City thermometer. Lately, I’ve been wondering about that thermometer. I’m not sure where it’s kept, what it looks like (cartoonish oversized novelty thermometer, or electronic wonder small enough to fit inside a button?), or who’s in charge of checking it, but I hope he or she is strict and diligent in limiting viewing access. This winter is passing through at a frozen-molasses pace, so it worries me to think that someone has been staring at the official thermometer often enough to cause watched-pot-never-boiling conditions.

Because I just can’t wait to stash my woolly socks away for a short season, I’ve decided to take on a summer-invoking decorating project the way a kid left to call all the interior design shots might hang up the holiday lights the day after Halloween – with gusto! March is always a low-budget affair, but there’s usually a welcome delay in any financial pinch I feel while sprucing up for the warmer months. I suppose throws, insulating curtains, and thicker materials are easily more expensive than vintage mirrors, potted African violets, and pillows fit for a warm afternoon’s nap.

If you’re interested in starting your own relatively inexpensive early indoor summer, start with these five tips for an easy seasonal shift:

1. Consider the sun. As you switch accessories and adjust your color scheme, choose fabrics and hues that look best in bright, cheery light. Mirrors – especially the kitschy vintage kind – are classic sunshine reflectors, so why not hunt ‘em down and hang ‘em up?

2. Berries are best. Replace forest greens with grape, beiges with golden raisin, and reds with raspberry. Color is king from May until December – go ahead, crown your space early this year. After all that snow shoveling we did, we totally deserve a sweet color makeover.

3. Pick summer shapes. The iconic soft-serve snack inspired WallCandy’s new ice cream cone chalkboard wall decal. It’s taller than Lilly, our resident product tester and Allison’s adorable 6-year-old, so there’s plenty of space for a Saturday sundae bar menu, potential summer road trip routes, or a countdown to the school year’s official end.

4. Move flourishing greenhouse perennials to the living room. I love a few good cacti because they love a humid day, they live to be forgotten, and the cat stays far away from all tipping points. If you’d rather keep your plant life to a minimum, try enhancing your indoor creepers by adding a kit of gracefully lush flower garden wall stickers as a baseboard accent.

5. Decorate to remind your kids that winter is on its way out. Nothing’s more contagious than childhood spring fever, so adding a row of festive flowers wall decals or a mighty sun wall decal to your child’s favorite environment is sure to inspire more than a few infectious good moods.

Share your summer decorating tips – we’d love to know how you shed the winter blechs and prepare for longer, sunnier days perfect for sipping iced tea and watching the bubbles float on the breeze.

One year, after spending a wonderful day decorating our Christmas tree as a happy little family, we began a campaign to “accidentally” fall asleep in the living room every evening after dinner. The twinkling lights and sounds of our dishwasher were so comforting we didn’t need Michael Jackson’s crooning to fall asleep.

Our scheme interrupted my mother’s alone-time rituals. It was too difficult to watch Cheers and eat chocolate pudding with two snoozing children camped out on the living room couch, so she hung a few extra strands of Christmas lights in our room and placed a tiny tree, also lit, on our dresser. My sister and I were suddenly delighted to greet our beds every night, and the month of December was a well-rested one for all.

Once Christmas was over, our mother worried that the strands of lights would cause the electric bill to skyrocket, or that someone would forget to turn them off and something volatile would float past and catch fire. Granted, both of those concerns were probably exaggerated, but a mother’s sense of order shouldn’t go ignored for too long. The lights came down and we went back to relying on our one-bulb beacon of safety to keep the boogeyman away.

If removable, reusable strands of glow-in-the-dark lightbulb decals had existed back then, our family harmony would never have been slightly interrupted. They’re don’t use a lick of electricity and won’t tear up any paint job, so my mother would’ve been thrilled. They spread a subtle, buttery glow throughout the bedroom, so Vincent Price’s baritone would never have gotten the best of us, even in the spookiest pocket of night.

The major flaw of the traditional nightlight is that it illuminates one corner of the room and manages to make more scary shapes than it prevents. Even if your kids aren’t afraid of the dark, per se, they probably prefer more than a hint of light in their rooms, just to keep the shadows jolly.

We all know so-called “helicopter parents,” those overprotective moms and dads who hover over their children on playgrounds like they are Secret Service agents. And who are afraid to let their kids make mistakes on even the most rudimentary levels.

According to the New York Times, helicopter parents are now hovering over college campuses, too — some refusing to leave the dorms!

The Times reports that college administrators now have to formally include messages to “hit the road” in orientation programs to parents who insist on setting up their children’s dorm rooms as if they are still playing with Barbies and Mr. Potato Heads.

“In order to separate doting parents from their freshman sons, Morehouse College in Atlanta has instituted a formal “Parting Ceremony.”

It began on a recent evening, with speeches in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel. Then the incoming freshmen marched through the gates of the campus — which swung shut, literally leaving the parents outside.

When University of Minnesota freshmen move in at the end of this month, parental separation will be a little sneakier: mothers and fathers will be invited to a reception elsewhere so students can meet their roommates and negotiate dorm room space — without adult meddling.”

Smothering your kids’ independence in college, which is supposed to represent the first real steps into adulthood, is obviously counterproductive.  But as a sentimental parent, I do think that this is not a black and white issue. I have played the role of bodyguard on many playgrounds over the years because the reality is that toddlers don’t need to learn the harsh lessons of life by getting stepped on and crushed.

Any parent who goes to the playground can attest that older kids have absolutely no regard for the fingers and toes of younger children. Sometimes I see teenagers playing on the slide and swings and making things very unpleasant for the kiddies meant to be there.

If or when I am ever confronted with the unpleasant issue of bullying, I guarantee I will not sit idly by if the school officials look the other way. We all want to protect our kids and it is tough to let go at every mini-stage of independence.  But overall, I side with Lenore Skenazy, the leader of the Free-Range Kids movement.

Skenazy maintains that kids don’t need a helmet and elbow pads when they are climbing in the backyard treehouse. And she urges us to drop the fear that every kid who rides his or her bike to the local grocery store will get kidnapped.  Check out some of the irreverent lecture topics she offers for her speaking engagements:

Playdates & Axe Murderers: How to Tell the Difference

Who’s Crazy: People Who Trust the World or Those Who Assume the Worst?

How Come We’re So Much More Afraid Than Our Parents Were?

Raising a Sad, Worried Wimp (How Not To)

No matter where you stand on the helicopter parent issue, here’s the great news…. WallCandy’s amazing removable wall decals come in creative themes and styles appropriate for both the nursery and the college dorm.

Just one piece of advice, though. Please let your college students peel and stick the decals themselves. These decorations are phenomenal for building up hand-eye coordination and self-confidence!

We’re absolutely flattered to be endorsed recently by two of the media’s most influential parenting venues, blush Magazine and MomFinds.com.

Blush Magazine just named WallCandy Arts CEO Allison Krongard one of its “Featured Mompreneurs,” and as a busy dad, I really appreciated how she tackled their question about the ongoing challenge of finding the right work-life balance:

Allison: “When I’m with the kids, I turn off my phone and computer. I try to give them quality mom time by being present. For example, I make it a point to talk to each of them privately every day. Instead of reading to them at night, I rub their feet before they nod off. It provides us with the same intimacy as reading in bed but they’ll talk in a relaxed state instead of just listening. It’s too hard to get any real scoop out of them after school before tennis or play dates. My pediatrician gave me the idea last year and it’s become a treasured ritual.”

“Also, since my husband has a flexible schedule, we often go out to breakfast together after dropping the kids off at school. This gives me the rest of the day to work but also the comfort of having made a connection with him.”

You can read the rest of Allison’s blush Magazine interview here!

And Momfinds.com, the popular parenting shopping guide, just named WallCandy Arts removable wall stickers their “Find of the Day.”

Momfinds expressed high regards for the latest offerings off the WallCandy press. They say that our Race Me car decals will “satisfy every little boy’s need for speed.” And they kindly recommend our Sweet Dreams Fairies as a “sweet deal.”

Check out the race cars, the candy fairies and dozens of other designs that will delight your children in our stylish Wall Sticker Gallery.

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