Grassy Grass Grass

"Spring comes, the grass grows by itself" - Tao Te Ching

I've been looking for a drying rack for a growing collection of reusable water bottles. I wanted a rack that doesn't take up a lot of counter space, and is actually fun to look at.

BEHOLD!

Grass Countertop Drying Rack by Boon!

It measures just under 10 inches square and is made of dishwasher safe BpA-free, Phthalate-free, PVC-free plastic.

Under $20

*Boon donates 10% of their profits to charities specifically benefiting children in need.

hand wash cold

Once again I'm deeply moved by Karen Maezen Miller. I read her first book when my son was a wee babe and I loved it so much that I begged her for a Mom to Mom interview. Her new book, "hand wash cold: care instructions for an ordinary life" is equally magnificent. In this book, Karen shares more about her life and the path that lead her to becoming a Buddhist priest while unveiling the deeper meaning in seemingly ordinary moments. Her personal life lessons are beautifully transformed into teachings. With tenderness, humor and wisdom, Karen illustrates that happiness can't be found in constantly reaching for the next rung, but by turning to look at the view right where you are.

"Happiness is simple", she writes, "Everything we do to find it is complicated."

How can something so gentle be so powerful?

life is a verb: Give Away!

"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count.
It's the life in your years." - Abraham Lincoln

I'm finding it very difficult to write something that describes just how beautiful this book is. I can tell you that I had to put it down several times to let the stories simmer in my soul. I can tell you that I went back to read the entire book a few more times. I can tell you that it made me laugh so loud once (toast rules) that a certain neighbor shot a curious glance at my hammock and of course I had to share the book with her. I can also tell you that I dropped more than a few tears into its folds. Patti has a gift for illuminating the messages woven into ordinary moments. Written as a manual for a full and happy life, from a Mother for her two daughters, Patti unravels the luminous threads that connect us all.

It's Spring...the season symbolic for the renewal of life! If you would like a gentle nudge to live your life with intention and awareness, then grab yourself a copy of this book...grab a copy for someone you love.

The generous folks at Globe Pequot Press is allowing me to give away a copy of this beautiful book to one lucky reader. Kindly leave a comment at the end of this post by midnight on Monday, April 5th and the winner will be picked by random generator on Wednesday, April 7th!

Patti's new book will be in stores this Fall. I can hardly wait!

*Please provide a means to contact you. If you comment anonymously, I will be unable to notify you if you win...you will need to check back for winner information.

Beauty!

or why I can't wait until April 1st! Head on over to Maezen's site and gassho...

Play All Day!

After a busy day of chestnut boats and fairy forts, we returned home to find a rather heavy brown parcel on our doorstep. I was beyond excited to discover that it was a review copy of Play All Day: Design for Children from Gestalten!

We ran inside, tossed our wintry layers in a heap, threw some pillows on the floor and slowly leafed through the pages. WOW! WOW! WOW! - this word repeated over and over from my son while I sighed and swooned over this gorgeous tome of kidlicous design. Play All Day is a book that creative parents will want to keep permanently on their coffee table to be devoured by wee folk and big people alike.

No stone is left unturned in this beautiful, ginormous exploration into the art of play - architecture, toys, playgrounds, decor, furniture, illustration and photography - made by creative parents and talented designers around the world.



From the cardboard castles of one of my favorite artists, Ann Wood, to the engaging kid-craft projects of Arounna Khounnoraj of BloesemKids.


In three words...

Innovative,

Imaginative

and

Inspiring!

Holiday Gift Picks

Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things - Rodgers & Hammerstein

T'is the season! I thought I would share some great holiday gifts for the wee folk. On this holiday, we look for imaginative, creative indoor toys for cold weather play. Here are the pics on our Xmas list:

Satch is seriously into building and we have all sorts of sets. At the moment we're loving the ZOOB Mover by Infinitoy! ZOOB is an award winning, open-ended building toy that snaps, pops and clicks together. What makes the ZOOB Mover so interesting is that it comes with a little remote controlled contraption to transform the creation into a kinetic sculpture, or bug or robot or whatever the wee one can dream up. See video below a bit of coolness...

Infintoy also manufacters the Quizmo, an interactive palm-sized quiz game that knows the answers to 693,135 questions. It's a brilliant travel toy in my humble opinion. The generous folks at Infintoy will give you a chance to win a Quizmo at the end of this post.

Since Satch loves his marble track so much, we thought we would expand upon his marble play with Kerplunk, a game that I loved when I was a child.

Speaking of marble love...the generous folks at Fundex sent us a sample of Labyrinth to try. It's a classic, high quality, wooden marble maze that takes precision, concentration and patience. It's great for those cold winter days. For ages 8+.

And we'll be sending peepers to our puppet lubbin' peeps! They make great stocking stuffers, & party favors.

As you know, Satch is learning to read and since he doesn't go to preschool, I've been researching products that will help nurture his interest in a fun and natural way. There are some wonderful products on the market that foster learning through play and would make ideal holiday gifts for the Pre-K crowd....

We love the Simple Word Puzzles by eeBoo. We received a sample and gave them a test run in our home. My son really enjoyed them. It was a great confidence booster for him. The words are simple, though there are a few that will certainly challenge beginners. The illustrations are as lovely as one would expect from eeBoo.

Another learning game that we had the good fortune of sampling is Er-u-di-tion, the sight word game. There are several ways to play this game that will accommodate the skill level of various players. The color coded cards enable beginner readers to play along with advanced readers. The game was created by Denise and Kelly Bossard to help their children learn the sight words that were part of the Kindergarten curriculum. The Bossards designed a game that would help their children learn to read in a fun and engaging way, through play. Er-u-di-tion is the winner of Creative Child Magazine's, 2009 Game of the Year Award!

Another nifty gift for the wees who are trying to learn days and months is the Sukie Perpetual Calendar. I looked at several different calendars for Satch trying to find just the right one. I liked the idea of a magnetic calendar, but I couldn't find one that was fun to look at. Then I found out that our beloved Sukie created a perpetual calendar, so I bought it. It's made of durable heavy gauge cardboard and is way too adorable. It is designed as a desk calendar, but I attached it to the refrigerator with a magnetic bulldog clip. What makes this calendar extra cool is that kidlets can not only turn the dials to change the day, date, month, but there is a dial for weather too. We love the little tree house!

We always like to include books in the gift mix and this year we're getting Satch...


Around the Year by Elsa Beskow. We just love her other books and this little book is perfect for the Pre-K set who are learning their days of the week, and months.


We're also getting Return of the Light to add to our Winter Book Basket.

Speaking of books...the cool peeps at Black Dog Publishing are offering a 40% discount on Making Stuff for Kids to all Mother Rising Readers until December 31st. If you'd like to purchase a discounted copy of this book, just email Jess @ blackdogonline.com and let her know you're from Mother Rising. She'll place your order directly.

If you would like a chance to win the aforementioned wicked cool Quizmo toy, simply leave a comment on this post by midnight on Saturday November 28th. The winner will be picked by random generator and announced on Monday November 30th. *Please include your email so that I can contact you in the event that you win.

Most Alive Monday will resume on December 7th!

( See last year's gift picks here.)

c'mon

"Mama loves you so much, baby
watcha gonna do with that love
Papa loves you so much, baby
watcha gonna do with that love." - renee & jeremy

Hey! Have you heard that renee & jeremy have a new album out?

YESSS!

Last year, I had the honor of interviewing Renee about motherhood and the first album.

Well, life got even sweeter because Jeremy sent me their new cd in September and we've been groovin' on it ever since. Their voices are soothing, the lyrics are meaningful and the music is funky! One of our favorite songs (and we have many faves on this cd) is "Share" which I'm hoping will have a subliminal effect on Satch as sharing has never been easy for him.

Speaking of sharing, the generous and talented renee & jeremy would like to share a free track from their new cd with YOU!  Have a listen to their righteous new grooves, won't you?  And check out this cool vid! Then head over to their site and buy some music! You and your kidlets will be groovin' all weekend....



See you Monday.

*Jeremy, Satch REALLY wants you to play DC (I do too)!

Happy Little Things

I don't know why, but there are certain little things that make me happy...

You may already know that I'm wild about Shinzi Katoh . Shinzi makes me happy. We have two of his prints in our living/play room. I love how playful and childlike his illustrations are and how the sole purpose of them is to induce smiles and happiness. We hung his "Hide and Seek" print between two windows so that the woods outside become part of the scene inside.

In this little corner of our home there is a table upon which sits Satchel's toy house and garage. Beneath are baskets of musical instruments. The living room is sunk in by one step and Satch likes to use the elevation of the dining room as a stage.

The other Shinzi print sits atop our bookcase.
(By the way, I know how hard it is to get your hands on Shinzi. And the shipping costs more than the item if you try to buy directly from the site. So, if Shinzi makes you happy, you can now get some at Penelope's in Chicago at a VERY reasonable price!)
And do you know what else? Sukie makes me happy... the little whimsical woodland creatures and trees make me swoon!

Chronicle Books sells Sukie labels and sticky notes and even Sukie iron-ons for the wees so you can easily crank out some shirts that look very much like those pricey mini Boden garments.

Sukie was the inspiration behind these Freezer Paper stencil shirts that I made for Satch.

I won't bore you with the details. The tutorial for the process is all over blog land: here and here and here and here and here and here.

And there is a tutorial for using freezer paper with a silk screen to print multiples here!

And Lotta Jansdotter makes me happy! She's like the Martha Stewart of Sweden only she's an artist and WAY COOLER. Her sticky notes and labels are so sweet that I use them only for special things...the colors and the nature inspired illustrations are so SO lovely.

Lotta Prints is like the print making bible. Although I have done many forms of printmaking in my life, I still found this book incredibly inspiring and altogether beautiful to look at.

The instructions are simple and she even throws in some stencils from her personal designs.

I loved her little scissors shirt so much that I decided to transfer print my own scissors onto my pajama bottoms.

And more photos of the new nest soon...

Splendid

Now that the Farmer's Market is open I know I'm not the only one who can't stop thinking about food! All the beautiful, local, fresh produce has me wanting to try new recipes. I can't get enough of the fresh basil that is growing in a large pot on our deck. And even though I detest string beans (I re-taste them every year since I can remember), I think the scent of the pole beans growing around Satchel's garden teepee smell heavenly.

He has two new rituals...he always invites you to smell his food, "You want to smell dis?", he asks and he pops it beneath your nose before you have a chance to respond. The other thing he does is - he takes your hand at the table and says, "We are happy for dis food dat comes from da ERF - LETS EAT!". He does this even if we're at a restaurant. I introduced this custom to him months ago after reading, "Seven Times the Sun" and he loved it and has made it his own supper ritual.

I wanted to see what all the fuss was over Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper so I got a copy. NOW I know! I made both versions of the supper tart (one with tomato and goat cheese and the other with GRAPES and asiago cheese) and Satch said, "This is a good dinner you made mama". Score! I also made the "Luxury Eggs" that are folded with cream and bits of cream cheese and tarragon. Satch liked it...he LIKED eggs, people!!! (sorry Uncle Chip) I am reading this cook book cover to cover because there's all these really nifty tips like gilding your pasta with grated cheese BEFORE topping it with sauce to give it extra flavor...a trick they use in Naples. And using puff pastry dough for the tart crust...YES...why the heck didn't I think of that? You can check out the radio show here!

And I have another new favorite...Easy Indian Cookbook by Manju Malhi! We're big fans of Indian food and I thought I made a pretty good masala until I got this book. Now I make a DANG good masala, AND Matar Panir! It comes with a cd of traditional sitar music too. Food and music are a terrific way to share the culture with your children. There are other books in this series as well.

Food Play - Our trips to the Farmers Market will never be the same! Satch loves looking at all the creations and guessing what veggie or fruit they are made from in this chunky, imaginative book. Some of the faces give him a giggle and it certainly encourages little minds to look at the ordinary in refreshing new ways.

Oh and by the way, I tried Marie's recipe for Pop Up Pancakes and they were wonderful. The batter is thin like crepe batter and they bake all golden yellow... prettier than a pancake! They sink in the middle creating the perfect dimple to hold fresh berries. We liked the texture which was chewier than a traditional pancake. And the best part is they are all cooked at once so you don't have to stand by the stove. We also made her frozen grape pops. We bought 6" lollipop sticks at Michaels and they were just the right size. Satchel was completely tickled over the idea of grapes on a stick and they were a big hit with his friend R as well!

Celebrate Earth!

"Yet everything that touches us, me and you,
takes us together like a violin's bow,
which draws one voice out of two seperate strings.
Upon what instrument are we two spanned?
And what musician holds us in his hand?

Oh sweetest song." -Rainer Maria Rilke


In honor of the upcoming Earth Day festival next Tuesday April 22nd, we are enjoying these wonderful books that celebrate our planet, nature, the environment and diversity:

EcoArt: Earth-Friendly Art & Craft Experiences for 3-9 year olds by Laurie Carlson. Lots of projects for the wees including how to make your own non-toxic art supplies.

The Nights of the World invites readers to pull the shutters and explore how children in other parts of the world spend their days and nights. A lovely bedtime book!

Tales of the Shimmering Sky and Tales Alive! are collections of multicultural folk tales and activities from around the world.


Such a wonderful way to explore and celebrate the many cultures sharing our planet.

Kids Care! -75 ways to make a difference for people, animals & the environment by Rebecca Olien

Some great ideas for compassionate kids.


Hands Around the World: 365 Ways to Build Cultural Awareness & Global Respect by Susan Milord

Explore and celebrate the rich diversity of our great planet!

The Kids Multicultural Cookbook will give your kids an opportunity to make and taste foods from around the world. Can you say Apfelpfannekulchen?


Kids Around the World Celebrate is a lovely book! Now your family can explore the best feasts and festivals from all over the world.


Kids Around the World Cook ...and enjoy the many flavors of our great planet.
I know I'm not the only one who thinks that a mango lassi is the most insanely delicious drink in the world!

Kids Around the World Play is an enchanting trip around the world through play. Kids can learn to play Jackstones (from Kenya) or Ishikeri (from Japan). I always wanted to learn how to construct a galimoto for Satch (from Malawi) and now I can.

Kids Around the World Create explores diversity through global crafting. Make a Tibetan prayer flag, Greek worry beads or a Chinese bamboo stick book.


Solomon's Tree by Andrea Spalding and is a beautiful story of a young Native American boy who loses his favorite tree in a storm. His uncle helped him carve a mask from the wood to honor the spirit of the tree. The story gave me goosebumps!


And one of Satchel's faves..."Earthdance", a glorious poem by Joanne Ryder

April Showers Continued

"the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting —
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things" - Mary Oliver

Drizzle yesterday so we pulled out all the stops here....dancing and driving and a walk in said drizzle for more art supplies, a walk that turned out to be sacred...

I found a deer antler in the grass beside the sidewalk, slightly smelly with a bit of fur on it. I tried to imagine that it was a shed antler, but the banging of my heart in my chest told me otherwise. I stood stunned for awhile and tried to answer the stream of questions spilling from the little red pram beside me.

I could not leave it there. I wrapped it in a plastic bag and carried it home. In my imagination, a buck walked beside us...I could hear the puffing of his breath and the sound of his footsteps. We were almost home when suddenly Satchel yelled, "MAMA WHAT'S THAT", and there in the grass near the school yard was another antler attached to a piece of skull. My eyes began to sting as I pushed back the tears that wanted to fall. I could see the suture line in a portion of the bone. I picked it up, placed it in the bag and explained to Satch that we would call the medicine woman and ask her how to clean it and if we should keep it or return it to a special place. Oh the stream of questions: what happened to the deer; where did the deer go; how did it return to the earth; is it sad; is it happy we have horns, etc.

"I don't know, but my guess", I said, "is that the deer would be happy that his antlers are with us and not near the road because we know that these antlers are special...all creatures are special. Every time we see or touch his antlers we will think of the deer, he will be remembered".

Pixie explained with comfort and detail all we needed to know. The antlers will make a trip to Squam Lake in the fall where they will be decorated in a traditional way by our two boys. Satch will be giving one to his spirit brother to take back to California. The other will remain with Satch and will be used as a talking stick for our family.


After lunch we danced to Cranberry Sauce Flotilla by Dog On Fleas up in the art studio. This hip acoustic album was recorded in a living room with an old upright piano, a base and other cool instruments! A mixture of traditional and original recordings, it was the biggie in the July 2007 issue of School Library Journal. Sort of Dixieland Jazz and Squirrel Nut Zippers - and we LOVE it!




Pre-nap we mellowed out to Dean Jones' Napper's Delight and did a bit of reading. It's Dean's first solo album...a beautiful collection of lullabies, some new, some traditional and includes vocals by the wonderful Elizabeth Mitchell (whom you KNOW we adore).

Post-nap...we did some Drivin'...

Is it a guy thing? What is is about boys and cars? Satch LOVES them....loves riding them, loves pushing them...LOVES in a font size too big for this screen. These days, when he's not outside "diggin' fo worms and yookin' fo bugs", he's playing one set of wheels or another....

The Automoblox car....it's SUPER cool! It fits together like a puzzle and is great for those wees who like to take things apart and put them back together again. It is very sturdy and rolls smoothly, fast and FAR! There are many models and each one is like a work of art.













The Plasmacar is the most AMAZING thing I've ever seen!

It's a kid powered car that uses the laws of physics to move. It really glides and can cruise at a respectable speed. It can hold up to 220 lbs. Satch and I get on together and race around the living room!






















 Here he is using it as a rescue vehicle for wayward alligators. 


















(The medical bag I made from an old canvas toiletry bag to store all his toy medical instruments).

You can click on the video to see it action!



We ended our day with a warm plate homemade Chana Masala and jasmine rice. The scent of garam masala filled the air and soft sitar music played in the background...all cozy in our place in the family of things.

April Showers

Spring Rain by Shelley Krause

Two in the morning--
the rain and the roof
are talking

We've taken down our Easter decorations and have hung tiny glass raindrops on the branches in our vase.  It's raining and on that note...here are a few things that we enjoy on rainy days...

Yellow Umbrella is more than a book, it's an experience. A wordless award winner with stunning paintings by Jae Soo Liu and music by composer Dong II Sheen.

Doodle All Year is another Taro Gomi marvel, the chunkiest book of fun ever.

The Other Side by artist Istvan Banyai is a wordless, visual treat in which the other side of the page IS the other side of the story. Satch loves the upside down house and the bike riding Penguin.

Fizz, Bubble & Flash! is terrific book of fun science experiments. You can play with your food and separate the iron from your breakfast cereal with a magnet or make a dollar bill dance!

The Kids' Science Book is another great source. Make sprout art or learn how to make rain in your kitchen!

Have an M.Y.O.P. party and make your own puppets and puppet theaters. I LOVE the "Umbrelly Sea Jelly.....I wish I thought of it first!

And how about some quite time and learn hand signs using THIS beautifully illustrated alphabet book.

I Cannot Improve Upon This Scene

"Where does the rainbow end, in your soul or on the horizon?" - Pablo Nerudo

Satchel's favorite part of "Little Bits" class is when Ms. Kim brings out the parachute. What is it about that magical, rainbow colored, billowing piece of fabric that induces such excitement and wonder?

I recently discovered a smaller 10' home-friendly version of the play-chute by Pacific Play Tents and decided to try it out at Satchel's class and the children had just as much fun with this one as the jumbo version used in classrooms.

The chute is strong, yet light weight. It's machine washable, and comes in a storage pouch and it's inexpensive, indispensable fun!

Do you have a playchute?
What kind of games do you play with it?
(I'm looking for ideas for Satchel's upcoming birthday party in May)

In honor of National Poetry Month, I offer you these words...

I will not play tug o' war.
I'd rather play hug o' war.
Where everyone hugs instead of tugs,
Where everyone giggles and rolls on the rug,
Where everyone kisses, and everyone grins,
and everyone cuddles, and everyone wins.

- Shel Silverstein

Have a good weekend, everyone!!!

The Creative Family

I recently received a review copy of ,"The Creative Family", by Amanda Blake Soule of Soule Mama Blog! The book is exactly what I expected. It is every bit as beautiful and mindful as her blog! It's a book about choosing to live a creative life, nurturing the imaginations of our children and connecting as a family. Sprinkled with inspiring quotes, gorgeous photographs, simple projects and thoughtful activities, this book will inspire you to celebrate the love that you share as a family in a joyful new way.

"The Creative Family" is a guide for (please pardon the pun, but it is the only word that truly describes it) soulful living!

AND...in honor of National Poetry month, I offer these words...

Forgotten Language by Shel Silverstein

Once I spoke the language of the flowers,
Once I understood each word the caterpillar said,
Once I smiled in secret at the gossip of the starlings,
And shared a conversation with the housefly in my bed.
Once I heard and answered all the questions of the crickets,
And joined the crying of each falling dying flake of snow,
Once I spoke the language of the flowers. . . .

How did it go?
How did it go?

Buggin'

Here are some fun finds for bug-lovin' boys and girls...

Satchel loves BUGS and is thoroughly enjoying the GeoSafari Field Explorer Kit by Educational Insights a division of Learning Resources. It includes a bug magnifying jar, a handy little tool with all sorts of gadgets including a magnet to test soil for iron...

as well as a small pair of binoculars with built in compass.

The binoculars came in handy recently as Satch and his dad spied on an enormous Turkey Vulture from our third floor window.

This nifty toy indulges Satchel's interest in robots AND insects. The robotic Hexbug changes direction when it walks into something or when there is a loud noise.

We built a maze with his marble track and watched the critter find it's way through.

Honey: A Gift from Nature is a beautifully illustrated story about where honey comes from.


They're really crustaceans! I'm a Pill Bug is an amusing look at the life of the Pill Bug.

In Front of the Ant is a little book that gives the reader a bug's eye view of the word through extreme close up photography. (This one made me a little itchy)

Seasonal Book Basket: Spring Fever!

"from hop-scotch and jump-rope and
it's
spring" - e.e. cummings

(More wonders and beauty here!)

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring....I love Spring! And this season always makes me think of seedlings, and all the critters that start emerging...and puddles and little toy boats to sail in them. Here is a list of our MUCH loved spring reads....books that celebrate the season and nature.

One word can sum up the beauty of these two books - Exquisite! You'll be hearing from illustrator, Sylvia Long in November's Mom to Mom Interview! -

(Click on the book covers for more info)

We just love these endangered species books by Jonathan London. The illustrations by Jon Van Zyle truly capture the characteristics of the animals.


Toy Boat is a great book for when the world is puddle-wonderful. Beautifully written and beautifully illustrated! Make your own toy boat and head out to the nearest puddle. Instructions here, here, here and for the daring...here. You'll be hearing from the author mama, Randall de Seve, in September's Mom to Mom interview!

Frog Belly Rat Bone is one of Satchel's favorites. The textured cover lends itself to an altered art book. The illustrations are very imaginative. Give this books as a gift with a package of seed bombs (or make your own) and the message of this book will come to life. We forced daffodil bulbs on the windowsill!

Spring is mud-luscious... so there are bound to be some animal tracks. Wild Tracks! includes life size images of animal tracks so you and your wees can identify which animal found the mud before you.

We're learning lots about our feathered friends with this book and we're driving our cats bonkers with the enclosed cd. Satch can easily identify several birds, both by sound and sight!
Sing, Nightingale, Sing!

As the author of Kid's Easy-to-Create Wildlife Habitats, Emily Stetson, points out in this wonderful book...it's free, easy and fun and your small efforts can make a huge difference to a variety of creatures!

The Kids' Nature Book encourages children to explore nature with 365 activities and experiences for indoors or outdoors. There is literally something for every day of the year.


And now that things are looking a bit greener outside, perhaps you mamas are thinking about going a bit greener yourself. If so, Living the Good Life is a very entertaining account of one family's efforts towards 6 months of sustainable living.


Happy Spring!!!

Landbridge Toys

There's a brand new toy store on the cyber block called Landbridge Toys, owned and operated by the mom and dad of a boy named Graham! The Landbridge Toys mission is to connect parents to a variety of imaginative toys from around the world like Haba, Plan Toys, and Hape.

Tell me that this isn't one of the most clever games ever!

Stein Auf Stein or Block on Block from Haba is a game that can be played multiple ways. Young children can simply free play with the magnetic crane and blocks. Preschoolers can roll the colored die and use the crane to pick up the corresponding block to build a tower. Older children can take the game further by using the measuring stick provided to measure each player's tower.




This game was a big hit with Satch!

Later, we made a pot of vegetarian cornbeef & cabbage (in memory of his maternal great grandma) then decorated some cupcakes with emerald green sugar and put some scraps out for the deer.

Simply Beautiful

I was drawn to "When You Were Small" by the illustration on its cover. I was altogether thrilled to discover page after page of whimsical delights by artist Julie Morstad and a charming story by Sara O'Leary to boot! Satch giggles every time we get to the page about the tea pot.

Not just another counting book...."Count the Birdies" by Matthew Porter contains images so lovely, you'll want to hang them on your wall....and you can...you can purchase originals or prints at his website.

And here, Matthew has done it again with his ABC book...and with some nice surprises like..."V is for Vole"! I especially love that the paintings allow some of the wood to show through the paint...it kind of adds a little cheekiness to the term board book.

These three beauties are published by Simply Read Books...I think they should change their name to Simply Beautiful!

Juxtaposed

"It's not what you look at that matters,
it's what you see." - Thoreau

Satch and I have had the good fortune of testing the Kidizoom Digital Camera by V-Tech.
 
When it arrived he jumped up and down wildly and yelled, "I LOVE it...a camera like mama's"! So, we immediately gave it a spin.

The camera is easy to hold and has hand grips on both sides. It has a large LCD screen as well as a double view finder. It shoots jpegs and mpegs which uploaded quite easily into my mac. The images are a little grainy, but I really like the moodiness of them and I think the overall quality of the product is terrific for a child's first camera.

I showed Satch how to hold the camera and how to use the buttons. Satch wanted to take a photo of himself so I stood him in front of the bathroom mirror and he snapped this photo.

He spent the entire afternoon photographing everything in sight, including the floor. I decided to get out my camera and document the event.

He photographed the dimensions of his Castle...













He photographed his sandbox from the bedroom window...


































And he photographed ME photographing him!

Afterwards, he relaxed in his tent and reviewed his shots.

We keep the camera out at all times and Satch has been shooting frequently. We love viewing his photos at the end of the day to see what he documented, what caught his eye. I will be posting his images from time to time. It's as if I'm getting a new view of his world.

Satch seems to be over the nasty bug he's had for the last 5 days, but now I have it...and I feel terrible. Why aren't there sick days for mothers? There should be a labor law for this or something! I got up at 5 something to catch Robert as he went out the door (since I couldn't sleep all night anyway) and said, "I want a sick day". He said, "OK, but after my dentist appt at 9". huh? And off he went to work and his dentist appt and I suspect he won't be back 'til lunch time...and Satch is going to miss his new class that starts this morning because I'm just too darn sick to go and I don't want to infect any tots.

My lymph nodes are so swollen it feels like I have an elastic band wrapped around my neck and it hurts to swallow. My throat is raw all the way up to where the nose and esophagus meet and even my ears hurt - my ears! What's up with that? My stomach is queasy and it hurts too...it's like some super mutated viral infection. I feel defeated. In the meantime, there is much truth here!

What do you do when you're sick and have no help? Any ideas how I can muddle through the morning until relief arrives?

What Can You Do?

It's raining and it's cold and I found some terrific remedies for cabin fever!

What can you do with a paper bag?
C'mon over to our nest and we'll show ya!

Satch practices cutting with his safety scissors and exclaims, "YOOK mama, I made a costume"!



And another amazing coloring/activity book by Taro Gomi!
(Way too cool for words)


Tell me....what can you do?