Bottle Caps

“You can’t use up creativity.
The more you use,
the more you have.” — Maya Angelou

I finally got around to making the beaded curtain that I promised Satch. His uncle saved a bunch of colorful bottle caps for our project. I used an awl to poke wholes in all the caps, then we strung them onto waxed cord, making a small knot just before threading the cap so that it would rest upon the knot. The we tied them on a tension rod and hung it in the doorway of his bedroom.

We used some of the extras for checkers, and made a board with some left over duct tape.

I'm still trying to think of what to do with rest of the caps. Perhaps make Skully pieces and teach the neighborhood kids this old street game from New Yawk.

Do you have any ideas to share?

Wedge of Freedom

Sometimes it takes
a great sky
to find that
small, bright
and indescribable
wedge of freedom
in your own heart - David Whyte

There's Not A Moment To Lose!

Come on, Robin, to the Bat Cave!

And the winners of the Mom to Mom Giveaway are:

#22 Jenny: "Mama Is It Summer Yet?"
and
#27 Carrie: "All in a Day".

Thank you to Abrams for their generosity!

Thank you to all the beautiful mamas for sharing your favorite moments with us!

Thank You

Dear Itsy-Bitsy Ants,

Every Summer you invade our home. Year after year, I place a variety of baits and yet you keep on marching. You are not invading our food cabinets. You are content with the sloppy seconds that fall from the cat dish, and the occasional crumb in the corner. So, I've decided to stop obsessing about you. Instead, I will try to look at you with gratitude for helping me clean the kitchen floor. I'll admire your efforts as you haul that minuscule boulder to your nest. I'll admire your patience as you navigate the slick plateaus of tile and the pitted trenches of grout. I'll admire your persistence as you return with your conga line each season despite my best efforts to be a gargantuan party pooper.

I'll try to be thankful even as I continue to place the useless baits.

Mom to Mom Give Away: Nikki McClure

Satch and I are huge fans of Nikki McClure. When I told him that the art is made from paper cuts, he was enthralled. "But how, Mama, HOW?!?!" I sat him down in front of the computer and played this video. He was SMITTEN!



We were delighted to see Nikki's art in Cynthia Rylant's book, "All in a Day" last year. And we are excited beyond words that Nikki released her own book, this past May! Both books quickly became bedtime favorites. The images depict tender moments that children and parents can relate to, moments shared within the closeness of family. Both books inspire the reader to savor the beauty in our day to day life. You will have a chance to win one of these books at the end of the post! In the meantime...it is my honor to introduce you to Nikki McClure...

Mom: Nikki McClure
Of: Finn
Where: Olympia, WA
Site: Nikki McClure

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

Just about every way! Though I still feel little bubbles of me rising to the surface every now and then but not strong enough to get up from a warm snuggle with a sleeping child and make my way to see my friend's band play down the street.

I find that I am much more efficient. No dilly dallying- except when I am just hanging out with my child.

We just dilly-dally then!

2. What message would you like to share with creative mothers?

Make new rules. Work small and quick. Finn is reading a book and eating nectarine slices as I type this.

3. What inspired you to create "Mama, is it Summer Yet"?

Finn asking me that question in March!- It was a nice day, granted. I wanted to show him what to look for and look forward to. I realized that if my nature savvy kid was a bit confused, then what about all the kids inside all day! There is also a part that explains why we eat strawberries in June, not February no matter how big and red they seem to be in the market, Our family has to wait. I'm so cruel.

4. Your work inspires me because it so movingly reflects the beauty in ordinary moments, family and nature. Would you mind sharing one such moment with my readers and how that moment was portrayed in your work?

This one is hard...every picture has a back story. I like to keep them secret so the image can belong to the viewer and elicit their own set of memories.


5. What moves you, grounds you, fills you with joy?

Summer. Eating wild berries. Swallows flying. When everyone is happy at the same time.

To honor the passing Summer season and warm your hearts in the coming cold months, the generous folks at Abrams Books is allowing me to give away a copy of these two beautiful books. To win one of the inspiring beauties, kindly share one favorite Summer moment spent with your child in the comments section of this post and specify which book you are swooning over. The winner will be picked by random generator and announced on Wednesday August 18th.

*Please leave an email so I can contact the winners.

Muchness

We all had a rockin' time at the Billy Jonas concert in DC on Saturday and you can watch the whole show right HERE! After the show we shared pizza, and laughter with friends. Our collective four kidlets bonded straight away, then played 'til they dropped.

On Sunday, we went to the Lego Festival. NOISY, CROWDED, but lots o' bricks!

It was the perfect ending to a perfect week...

S had a terrific time at Nature Camp and he was so proud of himself for this new milestone. He also completed the next level swimming course. However, he was not able to swim the full 15 feet on his back so he did not pass his test, but he received a lovely gift for his effort from his swimming teacher, 2 beautiful chunks of jade stone that he picked up on his trip to Brazil. How cool is that!

I had a soulful time creating with the Mighty Girls and witnessing part of their becoming.

This Presence

"I only have this breath
and this presence
for my wings
and they carry me." - David Whyte

There has been so much beauty and growth recently. S has been spending his mornings this week at nature camp while I'm leading Mighty Girl Art. It was his idea and we could not be more pleased. S has never done anything without one of us before. We've always been a packaged deal. No preschool. No daycare. Just mama-and-me, or papa-and-me classes. So we were quite surprised and delighted when he made the request.

He walked into the nature house with head held high, ready to explore his path independently. It is truly his milestone. He made this leap on his own and in his own time and in his own way. We could not be more proud of him.

Earth Delights

"And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair." - Kahlil Gibran

I've noticed that my son's SPD often manifests in a need to control some situations. Sometimes it's to avoid unwanted touches, other times it's to avoid the unexpected. I notice that he misses cues about personal boundaries, hence his need to orchestrate the play. I know that as he matures, this will be a valuable leadership quality, but at present it can sometimes make play difficult. To help him (and others like him) I've been looking for more cooperative games to play with the delightful gaggle of children that visit us daily, games that require group participation and foster a sense of connection.

I was grateful to have received a review copy of Todd Strong's "Great Games For Big Activity Balls". This book contains 75 games that can be played indoors, outdoors or in the pool. The games help develop social skills, trust, cooperation, problem solving, appropriate touch and communication. In addition, the games aid in the development of perceptual, physical and motor skills. Our favorite games so far are "Orbit", "Planet Pass" and "Parachute Ball".

When played with the "Earth Ball" by Orbis, one can further illustrate the message of connectedness. The Earth Ball features realistic NASA satellite imagery. One of the coolest things about the inflatable Earth Ball is that the cities glow in the dark. Earth Ball comes in 2 sizes and includes a 20 page booklet of facts and games.

In short, it's educational, inflatable, portable FUN!


I am also had the good fortune to review "Parachute Games" by Todd Strong. It is a terrific resource for parents a/o teachers that want to engage children in cooperative play. The parachute is a useful developmental tool that allows children to explore personal behavior and social skills while offering an opportunity to improve perceptual and physical skills. Parachute play promotes cooperation and what I like most about parachute games is that everybody wins! The book includes 59 games with variations and teaching tips as well a DVD to see some of these games in action.

On a personal note, whenever I bring out our humble parachute, the wee folk go crazy. I'm always amazed by how that a colorful billowing piece of nylon induces so much joy.