fter working in an office all my life, it has taken some time to get used to working from home. At first I struggled a lot with filtering out distractions (dishes, two cats who constantly want to sit on my lap at the same time, Facebook), but recently I have gotten better at minimizing distractions and getting down to it.

The first trick was getting a good coffee maker at home (caffeine is essential) and the second is keeping good task lists. I am an obsessive list maker and respond really well to checking off outstanding items. I also got in the habit of buying myself some flowers every week. I pick them up from Trader Joe’s on Monday and spend some time figuring out what kind of arrangement I want to make. For some reason, it has become a ritual I really look forward to — a sort of creative kick start that I get to enjoy all week.

Happy Friday!
Nicci

A few months ago Duck Duck Moose put out a call for entries for our Kid Talent Contest. The rules were simple, make a video of your little one singing Wheels on the Bus. We received entries from all over and have really enjoyed watching them. Today, we are proud to announce a winner to our contest!

Congratulations to Misty Griffis and her son Ethan for Ethan’s rendition of Wheels on the Bus. Check out Ethan’s video below or visit the Duck Duck Moose website to see some of the Runner-ups for the contest. A big ‘thank you’ to all who participated!

Duck, Duck & Moose

Calling all Wheels on the Bus fans – submit your videos for a chance to win $250 and be featured in our iPhone app!

Submit your video of Wheels on the Bus on YouTube. We’re looking for ALL renditions of the Wheels on the Bus song. We want to see your little musicians, clowns, pranksters, dreamers, actors, dancers, magicians, comedians, poets, and more!

Enter contest for a chance to win $250 and have your video featured in the Wheels on the Bus iPhone application, one of the most popular children’s applications on iTunes. Thousands of children and parents around the world will see the winning video.

Ends April 30, 2009.

For more information on the contest, what we are looking for and how to submit your videos, visit our contest page: http://duckduckmoosedesign.com/kid-talent-contest

Duck Duck Moose was founded by three friends who share a passion for children, music, education, design, and play. We observed that our young children loved to play with our iPhones – a perfect form factor for small hands and an interface that is intuitive for even toddlers. We also noticed that there were very few fun, educational apps designed for children.

We created our first product, Wheels on the Bus, with help from many friends. We produced all the music, illustrations and interactions ourselves. Our own children, their friends, and other parents tested the Bus for us, and gave us very helpful feedback.

After launching Wheels on the Bus, we at Duck Duck Moose were inspired to start a blog to showcase some of the many exciting things that are happening in the world of design for babies and young children.

We hope you enjoy our blog!

Caroline (duck), Nicci (duck) & Michael (moose)