Kidding
This is my week, encapsulated. 1. Wanna walk, Buddy? 2. Mom! Mom! He’s doing it! 3. No really, he’s like a drunken sailor in Tintin! 4. Boom! 5. What a yummy plastic toy, mama! 6. Bring it here, Buddy! 7. No? Keep it to yourself, then. If you want to read other people’s recaps of their week, probably, nay, definitely more interesting than mine, head to Kelly’s for the linkup.
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My oldest sister gave her this for Christmas. We read it. Every. Single. Day. Sometimes twice. Bridget selected it because she knows I love yarn and she thought the messaging was good. Bridget always researches her gifts and makes great selections. And this one is a real winner. It’s literally a winner of the Caldecott Award. And the illustrations are to die for, and the tale a wonderful one. The story is about a little girl in a dismal town who finds a box of yarn. What she knits with that yarn changes the whole town. Even the trucks and trees get sweaters. Her box keeps giving and giving more and more yarn. There’s an evil archduke (don’t worry, he doesn’t win) who hires three robbers to steal it but for him? No yarn. It’s the triumphant message that you need love in your heart to share love. And yes, she gets the box back. I contacted the author and said I love your book so much–can I give some away to my blog readers?? Very kindly, HarperCollins Children’s division sent me two copies for you! And check out Mac’s website for other books. I can’t wait to get this one. And maybe this one. So hop over to instagram to win one, or enter the raffle below to win the other. USA only, sorry to say. And if you don’t win, please go and buy this for the children in your life. It’s a fabulous book! a Rafflecopter giveaway
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My awesome girlfriend from law school, Nicole, is an expert on many things. Remember her two part series on her son’s autism? Parts one and two for your perusal. One of her passion topics is reading and literacy in general. I was messaging with her one day about reading and when should SuperBoy really be really reading and what does that mean??? She was gracious enough to share her expertise with all of us today. So sit back and read her essay on not stressing about reading. Because I really enjoyed it and I think you will too. She also just wrote this fantastic piece over here. — I am a teacher, a homeschool parent, and perpetual graduate student. Looking into many homeschool groups, I see there is often a lot of anxiety surrounding reading and I know a lot of parents worry about it. Even the government is pressuring pre-school and kindergarten teachers to get their charges to read at younger and younger ages. This anxiety seems well-placed because reading is a foundation skill; if you can read, you can teach yourself to do anything else. But…I don’t worry about reading. Seriously! There is an approved-and-perceived-to-be-correct way to teach reading, and I’ll tell you the secret of that method, but first, I’ll tell you what the trained teachers often don’t know about reading and that you, as a home-based educator need to know in order to make sense of everything to decide when, how, and if you want to teach reading. Yes, I said if.…
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We were able to host the most incredible party before Christmas of last year for a very special monastery: the Monks of Norcia, Italy. This place is mystical and magical. My husband, dad, and brother had all visited (before they knew each other, that is) and been so impressed by Prior Cassian Folsom and his monks. Their way of life is simple but difficult, following the Benedictine Monastic Life. Norcia was his birthplace and thus the location selected by Father Cassian when he founded this abbey. The story behind it is fascinating and hilarious, so please, do go read more here or on wiki, too. When a dear friend said that Father Cassian was coming to the Twin Cities and discussions were in play about where he could share more about the order and the abbey, we were all:: OH YA RIGHT HERE DON’TCHA KNOW?! Party chez nous, 100 folks, monk beer + Father Cassian and his amazing development officer: Bryan G + sweet wife (who was amazing pregnant but a total trooper). The house was teaming with people such that the windows were literally sweating. Father spoke on the history of the order and eloquently shared about the monks life. Bryan poured the very special beer the monks brew themselves. Everyone laughed and talked and ate desserts. A truly festive night honoring a wonderful group of monks! If you want to follow along on social media, find them on Facebook & the web. Their work is fantastic. I can’t tell how I just…
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And now for the moment you’ve all held your breath: the baby edition! Read SuperBoy (4) here. Read SweetPea (2) here. I promise I’ll put my edition up soon, too. And check out my friend Sarah’s capsule post for her eldest. Really good ideas, here. But back to baby business. I truly hate lots and lots of baby clothing options. They are ill-fitted or unsuitable for movement or scream PRINCESS or SPORTS. And then they all end up stained to high heaven. I get pickier about baby clothing the more babies I have. Go figure. I actually bought more clothing for BabyLove than practically SweetPea, and she was my first girl! Tops. short sleevers: organic cotton onesies are a must. I like Nature Baby and Under the Nile. Avoid Gerber or Circo (target’s brand) as they are so poorly made they just don’t last. I’ve been gifted a few sweet Minnesota themed ones. Love them, natch. L’ved Baby is okay but hasn’t washed well for me. Maybe I need a laundry lesson. long sleevers: I love waffle knit because they don’t absorb spit up as quickly and they are warmer and more durable in this weather. Polarn has great stripes, as shown here, of course. I don’t mind snaps on the side for extra fit, or a few buttons in front, but long sleevers that have that stretch collar where the shoulder part is supposed to fold back. What is that called? Brain freeze. Anyway, I don’t like that because it never fits…
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It’s Friday. That means I link my blog post with a bunch of other nuts at This Ain’t the Lyceum where Kelly is Queen. Hustle over and read what others are writing. 1. Prayers for a good friend’s daughter. Please pray for a good friend’s daughter who is only five years old and having major kidney trouble, like surgery & dialysis kind of trouble. We’re asking for the intercession of Venerable Bishop Baraga and Our Lady Undoer of Knots for healing for Mary Frances. Chime in, please. 2. What to Expect again. I’m a regular contributor at What to Expect and this month wrote on 7 ways to maximize your maternity leave. Nell, you aren’t working. You don’t have a maternity leave. I’m thinking, hey, once I wasn’t this online hanger-on-mama-lady. I did have maternity leave with SuperBoy. Ages ago! Hey, wisdom only ages well, right? Maybe. So go read it and tell me what resonates with you. 3. I launched the Lady Leggings. With quaking knees, I did the pre-launch for the subscribers to my newsletter. Now why would I want another email from you, Nell? You’re annoying enough as is. Well, gentle reader, the newsletter is just about etsy. So if you want to skip the temper tantrums and compostable diapers, subscribe and you’ll get insider scoops on new products and insider pricing. Not insider trading. Oh, you’re so not funny. And Grace was so sweet as to highlight my kiddo and lady leggings on her fabulous blog. And stay at her blog when…
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