lilSugar -- Mommy's little helper.

Toy Box: At Home in the Trees

babysugar — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 07:00:50 -0700

As a child, one of my favorite poems was Shel Silverstein's "Tree House." I dreamed of having a tree house I could escape to when I needed a minute alone. Now that I am about to move, I couldn't help but go ga-ga over this Tree Top Inn designed by Barbara Butler. The multi-tree, multi-level house has a 17-foot swinging bridge, an eight-foot straight bridge, a club house with a tin roof, a balcony, several decks, and a winding staircase. The San Francisco-based Butler creates a variety of backyard play structures for kids and adults, often using colorful redwood and including a secret escape hatch in each model.

To see why my dream may be put on hold,

Toy Box: Summer Picks

babysugar — Thu, 08 May 2008 12:00:11 -0700

Since summer is approaching, our minds shift to outdoor activities for our kids. Last week the Today show invited on an editor from Toy Portfolio who highlighted six new toys that should get your couch potato outside and moving. Check out her picks!Source

Toy Box: The Swing Set of Dreams

babysugar — Thu, 08 May 2008 04:00:45 -0700

I was flipping through a magazine recently and flipped out when I saw this fabulous swing set.

Made by CedarWorks, a 27-year-old company based in Rockport, Maine, the set is made from 100 percent northern white cedar, which is known to be splinter-free. To see its only drawback,