My friend Jenny Rosenstrach wrote the cookbook/memoir Dinner: A Love Story, and as I was reading it for the hundredth time in bed this weekend...Read More >
Showing posts with label motherhood mondays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label motherhood mondays. Show all posts
Monday, 10 December 2012
What are your family traditions around the holidays? When we were growing up, my parents would light angel chimes at the dinner table, and the heat from the candles would make the angels spin around and ring the bells. That little "ding, ding, ding" sound still makes me feel so warm and cozy...
Toby is two-and-a-half years old, so this is the first holiday that he'll really understand. I've been thinking so much recently about the value of rituals, and I'd love to create some for our family. So angel chimes are the very first holiday tradition we're starting with him.
Does your family light angel chimes? (Apparently, angel chimes are actually Swedish, but they were introduced to America about fifty years ago.) What other holiday family traditions do you have? A big Christmas Eve dinner? Homemade stockings? Super spiked egg nog? I'd love to hear—and get ideas!
Monday, 3 December 2012
(Symbolically) adopt an animal, $50 to $250, to support the WWF's global efforts to protect these lovely wild animals and their habitats.
PB&J candy bar, $4.25.
Along a Long Road, $11.55. Toby and I are both in love with this beautiful book.
Taxi leg warmers, $12 each.
Toy plane, $20, along with a luggage cart! (This airplane box set is rad, too.)
Adorable clothes, made in Brooklyn, $32 and up. (Here's their holiday sale.)
Mini Book of Names & Faces, a bedtime story about his peeps. $29.99.
Spaghetti twirling fork for funny dinners, $9.54.
His first assignment, $1.
Leaning Tower of Pisa blocks, $40.49. (Or the entire Coliseum)
Musical sounds puzzle, $11. (There's an animal sounds puzzle, too.)
Kazoobie Wazoo Kazoo! Extra loud! $7.98. (This trumpet kazoo is cool, too.)
P.S. More gifts for kids, and the 2012 gift guide so far...
(Pisa blocks via Abbey)
Monday, 26 November 2012
While househunting in Brooklyn, we've been seeing both two- and three-bedroom places. Needless to say, the two-bedroom spots are much more affordable. But since we're hoping to have two children, if we get a two-bedroom apartment, they'd have to share a room.
What do you think? My sister and I shared a room for a while, and I liked it; but Alex shared a room with his much older brother for a decade and was always dying for his own space. Should each child have a room to call their own, or is it fun to share? Did you share a room growing up? I'd be so grateful for any advice...
P.S. Smart way to divide a room, and nursery in a closet.
(Photo by Meghan McEwan)
Whenever I see or call my mom, she always acts ecstatic. Even though I'm usually regaling her with something super boring ("I’m ordering Mexican for dinner tonight,” "I’m kind of sleepy today,” “Did you see that it snowed?”), she’s always thrilled to hear every detail. And although I’m 33 years old, it feels reassuring to have someone who is so reliably happy that I exist.
Learning from my mother, now that I have a child of my own, I try to never hide how happy I am to see Toby. Even when I'm buried in emails or writing a post, I always look up with a huge grin and eyes twinkling when Toby walks in the door. Even when I'm sick, busy, tired or stressed, I want him to always know, 100%, that I'm glad he's there.
Author Toni Morrison shared a similar sentiment on Oprah years ago: "When my children used to walk in the room...I looked at them to see if they had buckled their trousers or if their hair was combed or if their socks were up. You think your affection and your deep love is on display because you're caring for them. It's not. When they see you, they see the critical face." Does your face light up when your child comes into the room? she asked. Because they notice.
Toby, for one, has definitely noticed. He'll sometimes even come through the door and announce, "Ta da!!!" It makes my heart sing that he believes he's worthy of such fanfare.
What about you? Have you ever thought about this? Maybe every mother does! It's one of those little things that feels really important.
P.S. The first time my eyes lit up.
(I wrote a shortened version of this post for SFGirlbyBay; thanks, Victoria)
Monday, 19 November 2012
Will you be sending out holiday cards this year? Last year, we chose a photo of all of us, but this year we went with a photo of Toby playing guitar, partly because he looked cute and partly because we didn't have a decent family photo:)We of course turned to Pinhole Press for their lovely, simple designs. We ended up choosing one of the new Ultrathick Pinstripe Cards, which have a cool pinstripe on the sides of each card. And I like how the back simply says "Merry!" They have tons of other great cards, too.
Plus, a bonus for all readers: Pinhole Press is offering 10% off everything with the code CUPOFJO for the rest of the year. Happy holidays!
P.S. Personalized memory game, and photo notepads.(Photos by Alpha Smoot for Cup of Jo; styling by Kendra Smoot)
We talk a lot about babies, but what about making the choice not to have children? Would you consider that? Here, five readers reveal their fascinating reasons...Read More >
Have you heard of the Copenhagen-based brand By Nord? Their bedding (for kids and adults), stockings and tea towels are seriously rad. Wouldn't the duvet be awesome for a guest room? I can imagine relatives calling quick dibs on who gets to sleep there.
You can find them here and here. (And here's the kids bedding in action!)
(Via Swissmiss)
Monday, 12 November 2012
My grandmother Milly lives in England, so we aren't able to see her nearly as often as we'd like. But she just sent Toby a dinosaur sweater that she knit herself. How sweet is that? It makes me nostalgic every time Toby wears it.
Here's a photo of Milly from our trip to Cornwall last year. (By the way, how little has she changed in four years...or forty-six years?!!) Amazing to think that she's Toby's great-grandmother!
And, just for fun, a recent photo of Milly and another of her great-grandchildren doing the Sunday crossword. (The 2006 calendar apparently has not been changed:)
P.S. Breastfeeding across the ocean.
Monday, 5 November 2012
You know how children often cover their eyes when they want to hide? Well, Cambridge researchers wanted to discover why, and here's an amazing quote from their findings..."In both studies so far, when the children thought they were invisible by virtue of their eyes being covered, they nonetheless agreed that their head and their body were visible. They seemed to be making a distinction between their 'self' that was hidden, and their body, which was still visible. Taken together with the fact that it was the concealment of the eyes that seemed to be the crucial factor for feeling hidden, the researchers wondered if their invisibility beliefs were based around the idea that there must be eye contact between two people—a meeting of gazes—for them to see each other (or at least, to see their 'selves')."
How sweet is that? Children are fascinating.
(Via Kottke)
How inviting is this lace teepee? Since lots of readers loved the teepee in Abbey's apartment, we figured we'd share an easy way to make one yourself. Wouldn't it be a fun place to cuddle up, take a nap and read books? Here are the instructions...Read More >
Toby had a second chance to trick-or-treat last night because his friend's apartment building hosted a rescheduled Halloween night for kids in the city. He dressed up as San Francisco Giants' pitcher Tim Lincecum, which was Alex's idea, clearly:)
Monday, 29 October 2012
Hope everyone is staying safe and dry! Over the past few years, I've heard some amazing (and surprising) parenting tips from friends that I've found really valuable, so I'd love to share them here (and hear yours!)...
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Friday, 26 October 2012
Toby goes to his friend's house every Monday, and recently they carved pumpkins. They scooped out the seeds and guts and helped hold the knife very carefully while the pumpkin was carved. But then suddenly Toby realized it looked like a face and shook his head and said, "Wee-odd" (=weird). Oh, Toby, I love you, you little nut!
Monday, 22 October 2012
My Thai friend Joy, who lives in L.A., recently told me that in many Asian cultures, it's typical to honor your parents by giving them money and buying them nice gifts (even a car!) once you start working yourself. "Many of our American friends are shocked by this," says Joy, "but lots of my first-generation Asian friends continue the tradition." Here, I asked her about it...
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Pinhole Press, my friends' company which makes beautiful photo gifts, just came out with a personalized memory game! It's really easy to make: You just choose 12 favorite photos (of friends, family, pets, vacations, whatever you'd like), and Pinhole puts them on thick cards with graphic backgrounds. I'm looking forward to playing it with our family over the holidays. Wouldn't it make a wonderful gift?
(Photos above by Alpha Smoot, styling by Kendra Smoot. Pinhole Press is one of my beloved long-term sponsors)
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