First Dunk!

Satch tried dunking his cookie in milk for the first time....


On Saturday we're taking Satch to Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer's 22nd Annual Winter Family Concert at the AFI. Have a good weekend, everyone. See you Monday with a new Mom to Mom interview!

Three's a Charm!

"Raindrops on roses,
And whiskers on kittens,
Bright copper kettles,
And warm woolen mittens,
Brown paper packages,
Tied up with strings,
These are a few of my favorite things" - Oscar Hammerstein II

And here are THREE of OUR favorite things...

Have you ever heard of the optical artist, Rufus Butler Seder? Well, he just created a wonderful children's book entitled, "Gallop!". It's a chunky book with thick pages which when turned, animate the animals on the page. Click on the book to see it in action! The illusion is a creative technology of Seder's own invention called, "scanimation" and it makes the illustrations come to life.

Pix gave me a hot tip on a charming and quirky children's book entitled, "Cowboy & Octopus" written by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith. The illustrations are funky cut-out figures in a series of wacky and humorous vignettes. The dynamic duo who put together this gem is the author of "The Stinky Cheese Man" and "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs" and the illustrator whom you may recognize from this version of "James and the Giant Peach".

THIS is the coolest coloring book in the entire world! (I don't usually like coloring books because the illustrations are too machine like and the paper is cheap.) If you get a moment, go feast your eyes on "Scribbles" by Taro Gomi of "Everyone Poops" fame. The book is enormous, over 360 pages filled with whimsical illustrations, games, puzzles and activities and the paper is higher quality than the standard coloring book. Scribbles is a great idea for bad weather days, road trips AND would make a really hip gift for the doodlers in your life, ages 3 to 93!

Psssst....there's a give-away over here!

Santa's Secret

Meanwhile, somewhere in the middle of Ohio we stopped for gas and had to turn the car around so I could go back and photograph this sign.

Most Alive Monday - Give Away

"You get one life. You gotta make it count. So dream big!" - Roger Day

We're home and I feel more exhausted than alive right now. Still, sometimes the act of giving makes me feel most alive. That said, I'm giving away a brand new copy of Roger Day's new kiddie album "Dream Big!" to the first person who can guess tell me what Roger's first job was. *The answer can be found via one of the links.

Please leave your answer in the comment section and some way I can contact you for your shipping addy.

*About Most Alive Monday: I've decided to make at least one "most alive choice" each day and post my favorite each Monday. This, of course, is to motivate me to consciously "live juicy"! I hope you'll join me and share your "most alive choice" in the comments section so we may inspire each other.

Music To Our Ears

Many of you have asked me about the background music for the slide show. The music is that of the renowned percussionist, Billy Jonas from his new album of family music, "What Kind of Cat are You?!".

The album is a high energy composition of sound, song and story. Billy plays both tradition and non-traditional instruments made from found objects. What I love about his music is that the lyrics are not lame AND his percussion is strong...like some sort of primordial pulse that makes one want to get up and dance with wild abandon (and we do!). It's one of those albums that is utterly addictive and becomes a fixture in your cd changer.

Some Houses

I put together this slide show from our collective photos which reflects far more than my words are able.

The House Where Your House Comes From

"If you get dizzy
get out into the sun
bang on the door
of the house
where your house comes from" - Billy Jonas

Some people thought it was crazy. From the East, West, North and South...four virtual strangers gathered to celebrate motherhood, birth, life and ourselves. We didn't think it was crazy. When the drum began beating, we followed the music, answered the call, and danced to the beat.














We didn't feel like strangers to one another. Upon introducing ourselves we hugged as if we were coming home to family.  We built an alter to celebrate the upcoming birth, motherhood, life, and the feminine spirit. We wired beads, created pages, gave gifts, shared our stories.











In the early hours, while the wees slept and dreamed we watched three white tail deer eating their breakfast. There was a light dusting of snow and a small bog glistened in the distance.  These were the moments, with puddles of light spilling into corners while quiet conversations stitched the still air like soft, colorful yarn and the scent of hot tea, freshly ground coffee and pumpkin bread encircled us.  We wandered through town explored a waterfall and the windows of quaint shops. We ate, talked, laughed, cried, and created while two little boys ran amok.  The house hummed and danced to the rhythm of THIS new being.

brushing Miles' hair

A quick visit with one of my fave souls, Arya!

Birthing Position!

"And those that were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music" - Nietzsche

(I'm creating a slide show from our collective photos that will better reflect our retreat - stay tuned!)

Back & Breathless

We're home and breathless and in awe of the whole experience. Will post tomorrow when I can collect enough words to form a coherent sentence.

Because Because Because Because Because

Because of the wonderful things SHE does...



















(photo: my son walking backwards)

One of my favorite mamas and pips is flying in from Cali today and we are dancing for joy over here on the East coast. Tomorrow we will ALL be driving to a secret location...a cottage that we rented in Woodstock, NY to spend the weekend together with this lovely bean and circle around this inspiring guerilla for a blessingway and other magic. Dare I mention that we haven't actually met in person?

Upon chatting with a friend recently about my upcoming adventure, she asked, "Oh my gosh, Wen, is that like the craziest thing you've ever done"? To which I replied, "No...this is really NOT the craziest thing I've ever done". And while speaking with Pix on the phone yesterday, she told me that a friend of hers asked her that very same question.

Crazy? Hmmm....I think of it more as living at the edge of our skin.

We're off to SEE!
Have a good weekend, everyone!
Will be back and MOST alive on Monday TUESDAY!

Be Kind

"Three things in human life are important.
The first is to be kind.
The second is to be kind.
And the third is to be kind." - Henry James

These are the ornaments that I made from the acorns Satch collected. We hung them on some fallen branches that we gathered for the vase on our table to celebrate the season (an idea that I ripped from RealSimple - I can't remember the last time I bought a magazine, but the holiday issue was too enticing).

I also designed some new goodies here!

We tried to do our holiday shopping early so we wouldn't have to deal with that pre-xmas craziness, so we can sit back and enjoy the shifting seasons and not contribute to the frenzy. (Can I say, by the way, that I resent seeing all the xmas decorations out before we've celebrated Thanksgiving? What kind of message is that giving to our children?) Toys R Us had absolutely nothing on my list (though they did have a lot of plastic crap and branded toys). I walked over to target and they didn't have any of the toys on my list either. I have now resolved to do all my shopping on line. We are now finished with Satchel's xmas shopping, 'cept for a season related book and an easel from Ikea.

Oh...my list?

Here it is:

• "Pocket Etch a Sketch" (red, not Diego or Spongebob)
• "Life On Earth Color Dominoes" by eeBoo (beautiful illustrations / no branding)
• "I Never Forget A Face" memory game by eeBoo (beautiful illustrations / no branding / multicultural)
• "Who Lives Where" game by Cadaco (simple wooden matching game)
• Mini Tonkas
• Musical Friends Lacing Cards by eeBoo
• Colorglow Flash Light by Hasbro/Playskool (a righteous piece of plastic)
• Tub Tunes Water Flutes by Big Boing
• A tadpole to frog metamorphosis toy for bath
• A hand painted dragonfly kite for spring
• A windup clown fish and submarine for bath
• some sea life for the bath tub

While I was in the toy department of Target, I heard a father say to his child, "if you touch one more thing I'm going to take you over to the hardware store, buy a hammer and break all your fingers".

I felt sick. As I walked past I said, "Nice way to talk to your child, real NICE!" I wish I could have thought of a comment that might have helped the situation...to be an enlightened witness for the child. But I couldn't think of anything else to say because I was in shock. I remember reading in Jan Hunt's book, that we shouldn't turn away when we witness an abuse, we should act so the child feels seen. If we see a parent overreact due to stress, we should respond with something like, "It can be really stressful, is there something I can do to help?" In this way, it's not an attack on the parent, the child feels validated and yet it acknowledges that the situation is unhealthy while restoring some balance, consciousness.

However, in that toy section of Target, I felt paralyzed. Moments like that one make me realize that even on my worst day, I could never be THAT wretched.

Lazy Environmentalist

I confess that I'm one of those crunchy people who bought that giant "Millennium Whole Earth Catalog" by Howard Rheingold back in 1994...a tome so enormous that there is simply no book shelf tall enough to house it so it stands on the floor beside a vintage world atlas. I guess it should come as no surprise that I still read books about lowering the human impact on the environment. I'm always looking for ways to make conscious greener choices, but I don't really have the time to do all the research. Recently I discovered some guides that make it a whole lot easier (and take up less space). I've just read Josh Dorfman's book, "The Lazy Environmentalist: Your Guide to Easy, Stylish, Green Living". It's a great resource guide for going greener with style for people who need answers, and don't have time to do the digging. There are chapters on eco-friendly clothing, transportation, energy alternatives and even the final frontier... eco- cemeteries.

Walking along the trail today with Satch, we stopped to look at some deer tracks. We picked up acorns for upcoming holiday decorations. All the while I kept thinking, it is vital that we all do what we can to help preserve this kind of beauty for our children. I decided to explore this subject in more depth with someone who has done the research. In the June "Mom to Mom" interview, you'll get the scoop from a national award-winning journalist.

Second Prize

Hey! Our barf-o-lantern won second place in the neighborhood pumpkin carving contest.

Most Alive Monday

I'm thinking that sometimes just being present is the most alive choice one can make. I stopped what I was doing to catch a glimpse of dada reading to Satch. The expression on his face made my skin tingle and my heart dance.



"Dada"
"Yeah, Satch"
"You nice man, Dada"
"Thank you, Satch"


"Mama"
"Yes, Satch"
"You nice wim in"
"Thanks"




"I love Hol-ween, Mama"
"Me too, Satch"
"Open da door...rik a reets"
"Did you have fun trick-or-treating, Satch?"
"Yas, nemenums ah dee lo shus"

Does anyone else find human development as astonishing as I do? I mean, it seems like only yesterday that all he could do was grunt and now when I ask him if he can pick up the food that he threw on the floor he'll respond, "no mama, I can't".

*About Most Alive Monday: I've decided to make at least one "most alive choice" each day and post my favorite each Monday. This, of course, is to motivate me to consciously "live juicy"! I hope you'll join me and share your "most alive choice" in the comments section.

Mom to Mom: Vickie

One of the things I really love about the internet, and blogging in particular, is the way in which one connects with other kindred spirits whom you might not have crossed paths with otherwise. For example...meet Vickie....

Mom: Vickie
Of: Julian (4); and Camille (2)
Where: California
Blog: In the Acorn


1. In what ways has becoming a mother changed you?

It's made me more patient, made me see just how strong I am in ways I never thought possible... I cannot believe that way I go on and on with no sleep and past utter exhaustion, the physical boundaries are pressed beyond measure but you just have to keep going...the psychological pushes are yet to come as they grow. It's beautiful really, a full circle alchemy of your very self. Having children stretches you everywhere and makes you whole. You become completely self-less and then regain your self. It opened up my heart to love so full and complete it feels almost miraculous and mystical at times. I know the sheer act of giving birth was some kind of strange and mystical thing. I literally felt as if I knew a place called heaven when my children were born.

2. What is one tip you would like to share about mothering?

Let it go and enjoy the moment, a constant mantra I must repeat to myself daily, and I think the most important one. As a working mama I get lost lost lost in keeping our house neat and inviting, but you just can't have all that all the time and it's just not that important. I remember a VERY neat house when I was young but not enough connecting moments with my mom talking and playing and I know I don't want to repeat that for my kids.

3. What is your creative outlet/medium?

Oh to paint, I am a painter and love the figure and landscape. I love oils but watercolor is working best for me right now. It needs to be immediate and easy... I love life drawing too!

4. How do you find time for creativity?

I grab the moment when it comes. I think putting time on your calendar is very important and I don't do it enough. My kids are 2 and 4 and still so little and need me so much...so I make most of my time on my lunch hours at work. I've painted and sketched and it's worked out well, just enough time to get into a zone. At home I must engage the kids and work right along side with them, say sketching them or drawing on big pads of paper. If I really want to achieve some level of depth in a drawing or say start a painting that's when my husband steps in and engages them while I work. It's only 1-2 hours at a time though for now...until they get older.

5. Why do you blog/journal?

Oh for the community! Oh for the support, I have found so much in the writings, photos, feelings, poetry, of fellow mommies and other bloggers. I came upon it only about a year ago and became fascinated,with moms who did the parenting and yet kept up a creative life and very often made it their career. This inspired me a great deal. It has saved me from feeling that I can never become. I feel completely capable using so many as examples of YES it can be done, you can be an artist and a mom and meld those 2 worlds. I write because I love to journal and capture my life. I have dozens of little hand written journals and now it has just evolved into the digital format. I blog because it clears my head. It just feels good. I like to go back and see where I've been and I LOVE to connect with other people....just getting a little comment makes me so happy. Visiting my daily reads and discovering new places every day is one of my days little luxuries, I love it!!! I always leave feeling so hopeful and inspired and I always learn something new.

6. Which blogs do you frequent?

Wendy, your mother rising blog is chock full of stuff I haven't even checked out yet....and you are my newest find, who couldn't love someone who puts chocoholic in their profile? Other places I love and connect with and read daily are:

• Soulemama
• Wannabe Hippie
• five sweetpeas
• The Toy Maker
• the whole self
• french toast girl
• No Impact Man

There are so many more to mention but these are some I go to almost daily to check.

7. Who are some bloggers that you would like to meet?

Well, I'd love to meet all the gals who I read daily first of all, because I feel as if you're all neighbors now in the blogosphere but I swear if you put us all together I bet we'd have one heck of a time, I guess that's partly what blogher is all about...someday maybe? But Amanda Soule - perfect name because I always feel touched to the soul when I go there, Elaine of wannabe hippie - so funny with theatre background, she cracks me up, Nina of whole self - so earthy-crunchy, just love her!!, wish you all lived next door. Oh to be so lucky!!

*I hope you enjoyed meeting this wonderful soul as much as I did. Have a good weekend, everyone. See you Monday!