This Moment: Cousins

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by Soulemama.

Some Upcycled Goodies

A few weeks back I was able to find a wee bit of time to do some sewing and made Phoebe a couple of upcycled dresses to add to her wardrobe.

The first was an old t-shirt of mine that I turned into a dress just by simply cutting out a dress shape, sewing the sides together and adding bias tape to sturdy-up the underarms.

The second was a skirt of mine that was just a bit too short for my liking and so it sat in the closet and never got worn. I made this one into a simple dress by sewing the sides together and adding ribbon strips as straps.

I also managed to whip up a few new pairs of shorts for Finn from fabric I had at the house.... there is just something I love about a kid in mama-made shorts!

I have a whole tub of old clothes in our garage, all of which I eventually hope to upcycle into something more useful. But, finding the time is a major challenge. My sewing machine is in my bedroom, which is also where Phoebe sleeps. I rarely have a chance to sew unless Miss P is sleeping, yet the noise from the machine will wake her up, so I can't sew while she is sleeping... So, I have to sew in snippets here and there when Todd can watch the kids and I can sneak away. Although I do think I relish my sewing moments these days as I seem to have so very few of them!

Blog Love

Hey folks. Amber over at Open Roads Mama is sharing some of her favorite blogs and has asked me to participate by sharing some of my favorite blogs! Some of you readers are mentioned, so check it out and share the love! You can see her post here.

Yarn Along

Joining in with Ginny over at Small Things from Chicago for another yarn along today!
Almost done with Phoebe's Helena sweater ! Just need to add the edging! Although with the super hot weather in Chicago, I can't imagine that she will wear it until we get home next week anyways, so I am not in a rush.
I also started a surprise project that will end up being a holiday present for a sweet little girl. I don't want to share the details here just in case they read it.
I started reading Nurture Shock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman. It discusses the newest research in child behavior and how this relates to the way that we raise our children. So far, it has been fascinating. Finn and I also started reading Charlotte's Web. Love that book. I just hope I can read it out loud without crying!
What are you reading and knitting?

Herbicides and A Toxic Environment for Our Babes

Atrazine is one of the most widely used herbicides in the US and the world. It has been banned in the E.U. because it easily contaminates groundwater, and has been connected to cancer, low sperm counts, and the de-masculinization of males. It has been shown in labs to cause male frogs to grow ovaries and to lay viable eggs.... and all at concentrations that are commonly found in our drinking water. Yikes! This ted.com talk discusses atrazine, as well as the myriad soup of other toxic that we are exposed to on a daily basis. Our environment and our bodies have become so contaminated that when a woman becomes pregnant, these chemicals circulate throughout the amniotic fluid, keeping the fetus awash in a toxic soup. How terrible. Yet, as mothers, there really isn't a whole lot that we can do to change our body burden of chemicals. What we can do is to raise awareness of the chemicals that are being put in our environment, and work to get these toxins out of our environment, out of our bodies and out of our children. If the E.U. has banned atrazine, why can't we?

The Urban Homestead: A Review

The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-Sufficient Living in the Heart of the City by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen is 318 pages packed full of wonderfully inspiring information. The book started out with a section on home gardening, and honestly, I was a little bored. Not that it was bad, but I have just read several books on a similar topic and I already do quite a bit of gardening at home. So reading about it wasn't thrilling, and although there were a couple of snippets of new information (like that families of plants use up different nutrients at different rates), but mostly, it was a lot of information that I am already living and breathing.
However, towards the middle of the book there was a section entitled "Revolutionary Home Economics" that I found chock full of great ideas. Some of their preservation techniques that I really want to try include lacto-fermentation, pickling, making vinegars, making ricotta cheese, homemade butters, and country wines (like dandelion wine). There is also an entire section on water and power, both how to reduce your consumption and how to get your own. I thought it was pretty inspiring.
As an overall package, this is probably the best intro to homesteading book that I have read, especially because it is for urbanites (like myself, at least until we can move to a farm!). The ideas in this book are really practical for someone living on a small plot of land. I think that anyone trying to start their own mini-homestead in the middle of a city should get their hands on this one and give it a read. I know that I will be putting it to some use this summer!

This Moment: Chicago

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by Soulemama.

Some Wee Preschool Science Experiments

As many of your know, I spent the past 5 weeks filling in as one of the teachers at Finn's preschool while my good friend, and Finn's teacher, was traveling. It was a... well, let's just say interesting experience. Actually, it was pretty good. It took me a week or two to settle in and figure out how to best run things, and then there were a couple rough patches having Finn as my student. But, it has been fun to watch all of these kids interact, imagine and problem solve. And also tiring. Very, very tiring.
Anyways, since I love science I intermingled some science experiments into the daily routine. The following all came from the book Explore Spring, which I recently reviewed.

We put some carnations in colored water and left them overnight. The next day, the carnations were colored around the edges of each petal. Pretty cool. I am not sure that the kids really understood why the petal changed color, but at least the enjoyed the experiment.

We also watched celery change color as it sucked up colored water. This one they were not as impressed with.

My personal favorite was making a cloud in a jar. I thought it was just amazing. The kids, however, had other ideas. Finn was the only one who even watched, and then he sort of shrugged his shoulders and walked away. Oh well. I guess that one was geared toward slightly older kids and not for 3-5 year olds. I had fun though!

I think that the kids were too young for most of these experiments. The kind of science that they liked to do mostly involved getting muddy.

However, for the last day of school we made a solar oven and cooked s'mores in it. This is something that I do with my college class every year, and they always get a kick out of it.. I figured it would have to be a hit with preschoolers (isn't anything that involves chocolate and marshmallows a hit with young kids?)

Yarn Along and A Summer Solstice

Joining in with Ginny over at Small Things for a summer solstice yarn along today! The kids and I are in Chicago for 2 weeks visiting my family, and it has been in the 90's ever since I got here.... Going from 50's and raining in Portland to 90's and sunny here feels like I flew from winter to summer!
I was not able to finish Phoebe's Helena sweater before I left for Chicago, so I brought it with me (along with 2 other knitting projects) in hopes that I would find some time while I was here. I was able to make some progress before I left and am almost done with all of the lace part..... and I have managed to not make any more major mistakes either!
I started reading The Magicians by Lev Grossman. I am enjoying it, but I am also feeling like many of the ideas were borrowed from Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia. Finn and I also started reading The Wizzard of Oz as our bedtime book. It is so fun to go back and read books with Finn that I haven't read since my childhood.
What are you reading and knitting on the first day of summer?
Happy Solstice!

My Big Summer Plans

Each summer, I comprise a list of goals and projects that I want to complete. The nature of being a teacher is that summers (especially THIS summer because I am not teaching ANY classes!) are the best time for me to get stuff done around the house because I am not constantly planning a lecture or grading papers. Plus, the sun motivates me, and summers in Portland are really the only time that we can expect sun.  I have found that I like sharing my list here, because it gives me some sort of sense of commitment to actually try and tackle these things. So, for you fellow list makers and list sharers, this is what I am trying to do this summer:

• Learn to make injera (Ethiopian flatbread)
• Paint the interior of my house. It needs it really badly!
• Put trim around the floorboards. We were planning on doing it 5 summers ago when we moved in. ...I think it is a bit overdue.
• Learn to play chess. I knew how when I was a child, but have completely forgotten. 
• Pickle something. I still have yet to try this!
• Learn to make buttonholes with my sewing machine. My machine does it, I have just been too scared to try!
• Finish Phoebe's baby book
• Teach Finn to swim
• Re-paint the kids dresser
• Build a stone patio in our front yard
• Sew something for me!

Do you have a summer to-do list?

Global Warming: Thoughts, Rants and Worries

Glacier Melt. Photo by Paul Sounders

A couple of weeks ago, my class was incredibly lucky. We had ex-secretary of state, Bill Bradbury, come and give our class a presentation on global warming in Oregon.  Bill has been trained by Al Gore to give climate presentations, and this was actually the 3rd presentation I have seen him give. He is an amazing speaker, overflowing with passion, and his enthusiasm is contagious.
Everything he spoke about I have heard before. Environmental science, global warming. This is what I teach, what I read about, what I think about as I go to bed at night. But, Bill's recent presentation really hit home and nearly brought me to tears. This is real. This is our reality. Not our future. The here and now. This mess that we are handing to our children.... this is what they have to deal with over their lifetimes-- rising temperatures, melting glaciers and diminishing water supplies, the disappearance of fish, animals and crops, floods and fires, droughts and hurricanes. This is our new planet, the warm one that we have created. And this is what we are giving to our children. We will surely be dealing with many effects of climate change throughout our lives, but our children and our grandchildren? Well, things will likely be pretty different by then..... and that scares me.

Here is a video that Bill showed during his lecture last week. It shows methane under the snow pack that is being released due to melting permafrost (permanently frozen areas of ground.... well, they used to be permanently frozen, but not any longer!). The worst part is... that methane that is being released? It also is a greenhouse gas, 25 times stronger than CO2. So, warming our planet and melting the permafrost is leading to more warming, which will melt more permafrost and cause even more warming. It's called a positive feedback loop, and it could cause global warming to reach a point where things spiral out of control:


Anyways, I don't want to seem like a total pessimist. Am I scared for the well being of my children? Yes. But, I also think that there are a lot of very smart folks out there and if we put our minds together, and are willing to make some changes, I think things can turn out OK. But, we need to act fast. Fast as in about 20 years ago... but the sooner the better. We need to lose our polluting sources of energy and switch to renewable energy. We need to make the small changes in our lives that can add up to big differences. We need to be more aware and spread the word. Our children deserve it.
For more information, check out Al Gore's webpage The Climate Reality Project. You can sign up to get updates, request a climate presentation in your area, and take action.

Summer Reading Has Begun!

Our library has a wonderful summer reading program where kids sign up, mark off boxes as they read (or are read to!) and earn prizes along the way. I signed up the kids yesterday and Finn is so excited! He loves reading and I can only hope that Phoebe will be as enthusiastic as she grows.
Does your local library have a summer reading program for kids?
Happy Reading!

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by Soulemama.

Waste Land: A Review

I recently watched the film Waste Land, about a Brazilian artist named Vik Muniz, and was deeply moved. Muniz is an artist who moved to Brooklyn, NY, and made a name for himself. Inspired to help others less fortunate than himself, he moved back to Brazil for 2 years, creating a series of works about "pickers". The "pickers" are the ones who work at the local landfill in Rio, pulling anything recyclable out of the landfill and selling it to the recycling companies to earn a living. It is hard, dirty, and dangerous work.
This movie was shocking to me in so many ways. First, that Rio, a huge metropolis, would have no recycling program. People just throw their recyclables into the trash, because there isn't anywhere else to put them, and then the entire recycling system relies on people who pick through the trash to reclaim those recyclables. We know there is a better way, because we have one here. It blows my mind that in the 21st century that is where the state of recycling is in Brazil.
The "pickers", whose lives were profiled throughout the film, were nothing short of amazing. These folks resorted to picking usually as a last resort, a way to salvage their lives and support their families. Some were embarrassed and ashamed of their jobs, others were proud to be saving the environment with their work.
Muniz spent time with these pickers, learning about their lives, and then he photographed several pickers in meaningful poses. Then, by enlisting the help of the pickers themselves in his artwork, he projected the photograph onto the floor of a warehouse, and used recyclables that the pickers collected from the landfill to "draw" the photograph. It is hard to explain, but the artwork turned out amazing. Each piece was auctioned off, and all of the proceeds went to the picker who was the subject of the piece.
So, this amazing artist was helping to lift these pickers out of poverty while creating art from trash and bringing awareness to the entire situation. What a fabulous story and an inspiring film. Please watch it!

Yarn Along

As I am mentally preparing for my trip to Chicago next Monday, I am starting to think about how much I have to do before then...... 2 more days of teaching Finn's preschool, giving a college final exam, grading those exams and turning in grades, getting 2 crowns put on my teeth, a friend's birthday party, a haircut, a doctor's appointment for Phoebe, about million errands, celebrating Father's Day on Sunday, pub knitting, and packing for myself and 2 kids for a 2 week trip.
I was really hoping to finish Phoebe's Helena sweater before I left for Chicago. But when I look at my to-do list, I have to be realistic and realize that in all likelihood, it won't get done. Nonetheless, I am trying my best and am more than halfway done with the lace...although, I will admit that I made a pretty decent mistake during the lace and now the rows don't all match up perfectly. Something that I will always notice (but probably no one else will). But, THIS is why I don't normally knit lace. I just get too distracted. I have also been knitting away at my hat. I have found myself picking up that, instead of the Helena sweater, when my mind is just not up for lace. However, I have been making this hat for me (as I rarely make anything for myself and need a new warm hat) and last night Finn told me how much he loved the colors and asked me if it could be for him. Can I really deny him a mama-made hat that he wants? I don't think I will have many more years that he will ask for things that I have knit him. I may end up passing this one along to him and selecting some new yarn from my stash to knit myself one from.
I started reading Our Stolen Future by Theo Colborn, which has already sucked me in. It talks about the links between chemicals in our environment and human health, but it reads wonderfully.... it is non-fiction, but it is truly hard to set it down. My summer break officially starts on Friday, and this is the first book from my summer reading list that I am diving into.
Finn and I have been reading The Big Friendly Giant by Roald Dahl before bed. I remember reading it (and loving it) as a child, but reading it now I realize that I remember nothing of it. And, the giant speaks in a very funny manner making it pretty hard to read out loud!
Joining in with Ginny over at Small Things today for Yarn Along. What are you reading and knitting?

My Summer 2012 Reading List!

Every summer I get excited to choose a stack of books that I hope to read. I never make it through the whole stack. Life just gets in the way. But, I like to be ambitious. This year's list is even more ambitious than normal, but since I am not teaching this summer, I am pretending like I will have more time to myself, for pleasures such as reading. However, even if I do, I will get distracted by a different book (not on my list) and still won't make it through everything on my list. But, I have made a list anyways, and I would love to share it with you. (And If you look carefully you will notice that a couple on this year's list were also on last year's.... but I never got to them!).
Do you have a summer reading list? Here is what I am hoping to read:

Our June Garden

The first snap pea of the season!

The past month or so I have spent a lot of time in our garden. Our garden, which is really our entire front yard, had been completely overrun by grass. And we had had enough. So, I spent several weekends pulling out all of the grass and then another weekend putting a thick layer of mulch on top of the yard. Between the pulling, the shoveling and the wheelbarrow-ing, my hands were covered in blisters and I had a better workout than I could ever get by going to the gym.
We also built some new garden beds in our parking strip and added a new plating area in our backyard.
This year we decided to only do a few things from seed (lettuce, carrots, beets, beans, snap peas) and to buy starts for everything else. And I think we made a good decision. Although May had several sunny days, our June has been cool, rainy, and full of slugs. I know that any sprouting seedling would have been decimated. Plus, checking on seedlings every day has been one less thing to worry about!
We planted tomatillos, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, bush beans, pole beans,  cilantro, dill, and some Italian herbs. I wanted to choose about a million more plants, but we just don't have the space.
But, we do have our fingers crossed for a good gardening year with plenty of food to share with neighbors and friends. Really, is there anything better?

Our new garden boxes

The mulched yard.

Street view

The piles of mulch and dirt that I had  to shovel!

Our favorite pesticide- spiders!!

How does your garden grow?

A Year of Photographs

Last summer, I set a goal for myself to take a picture every day for a year and post it to my 365 project. And, I am happy to say that I actually did it! Some days the pictures were quite better than others, some days I forgot until just before bedtime and had to rush to just take a picture of 'something', and other days I thought I had some great captures only to upload them and find I didn't like any. But, I did it. Every day for an entire year!
This year of photographs has been a great experience for me. For one, it has made me a better photographer.... I am able to use my camera more efficiently, and I have started to notice things that I wouldn't have before. Secondly, it has provided a photo-record of my journey over the past year. It has motivated me to bring along a camera when maybe I wouldn't have, and to take shots I might have missed. Granted, most of the photos are of my kiddos, but I must say that they do make a pretty good subject.
Am I going to keep on taking photos now that my year is up? I haven't quite decided. I am leaning towards still using my 365 page to upload photos, but not being stringent about taking a photo every day. As much as I love photography, it can become a bit of a chore if it is one more thing on my to-do list.

This Moment: Shrinky Dinks

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by Soulemama.

Bag It!: A Review

Bag It! is a hilarious film about plastic bags (and plastics in general) that talks about the problems associated with their creation and disposal. First off, the main couple portrayed in the film (Jeb and Anne) live in Telluride, Colorado.... I town that I love dearly. And although I don't personally know the couple featured in the film, I definitely do recognize them.. I guess just from times I have spent in T-Ride.  Funny, eh?
Anyways, this film was great. It does a great job addressing the major problems with plastics, as well as some of the solutions. It talks about how plastic is made from fossil fuels, a non-renewable resource. It talks about how very little of the plastic we consume is actually recycled.. and how a whole lot of it ends up in the oceans and in the bellies of fish and birds. It talks about the dangerous chemicals used in the manufacturing of plastics. It talks about how they don't decompose in the landfill (or anywhere!).
My favorite part of the film was when Jeb (whose wife recently became pregnant) gets his chemical body burden tested, then spends 2 days drinking out of sippy cups, playing wither rubber ducks, and using soaps, shampoos and lotions formulated for babies. Then he gets his chemical body burden re-tested and find that the number of pthalates and BPA (bisphenol-A) have both increased significantly. In 2 days. By using products deemed to be safe for babies. Pthalates and BPA are endocrine disruptors and have been linked to diabetes, cancer, and fertility problems just to name a few. Yikes.
The film also addresses the plastics industry. How they have fought against regulations that ban plastic bags or put a tax on them. How they swear that they are safe for us and better than paper bags. And how they all refused to be interviewed for the film.
The film shows people who have significantly reduced the amount of plastic they use... by not buying things packaged in plastic, or re-using the plastic that they already have....and shows that it CAN be done.
The best part of the film is that is shows that we can all be part of the solution. Don't buy bottled water. Don't buy stuff you don't need. Avoid plastic packaging at all costs. Bring your own bag. Bring your own container. If we all take action to avoid plastic, then eventually the market will follow. Plastic is a wonderful material, but it has it's time and it's place. Disposable packing and bags that are created (from non-renewable material) to be used once and then thrown away (where it will never biodegrade) is just ridiculous. Safer alternative to plastics do exits. We just need to demand them.
Watch this film. It'll make you think!

Yarn Along

Joining in with Ginny over at Small Things today for the first yarn along of June. Wow! Summer is almost here!
I set aside Phoebe's Helena sweater this past week. I had a lot going on, both mentally and emotionally, and was not up for working on lace. I do plan on picking it back up this week, as I have grand hopes of finishing it before I leave for Chicago in a week and a half!... Wish me luck!  When I have had a moment or two to knit, I have been trying to finish off a row or two or my summer camping hat.
I finished up a lot of books this week and am now in the last few pages of Raising Your Spirited Child. I am sure I will be done in the next day or so, and am determined to get this one finished before I start any new books! I have a new stack waiting for me that I am pretty eager to dive into.
What are you reading? What are you knitting?

Chris Jordan: Have You Seen His Work Yet?

Chris Jordan is an amazing photographer who depicts environmental and social issues in his work. Things like the number of plastic water bottles we throw away, the number of disposable cups used on airplanes, and packs of cigarettes that people smoke. But he turns these 'numbers' into amazing works of art.
I was first brought to his attention several years ago while watching his ted.com talk, and I was recently reminded of his work while watching a film (Bag It) that interviewed him. His work is amazing, and I wanted to spread the word.
You can find his website here. In my opinion, his most amazing works are in his galleries entitled "running the numbers". If you zoom into the pictures, you will see what I mean. His more recent work includes depicting the large amount of plastic found inside of dead birds. Makes you wonder what we are doing to our planet.
Take a moment and go check out his work. I promise, you won't be disappointed!

Night Weaning Miss P

So, for the past 5 years 8 months, I have been sleeping terribly. We have all been sleeping terribly, except maybe for Finn, who has his own room. Since Phoebe was born, Todd and I have co-slept with her in between us in our king size bed. I know that in itself is a source of debate for many, but we did it with Finn, and in our 800 square foot, 2 bedroom house, it just made sense to do it with Phoebe. We really had no other choice. About 6 months ago, when she started to be a bit more mobile, we brought in Finn's old crib and set it up next to our bed (this gave me approximately 1 foot in between the crib and my part of the closet, with the crib slammed up next to the bed so that Todd has to vault over the bottom bed frame). This was great for naps and for putting Phoebe to bed at 6:30, before we were ready to get in and make sure she didn't crawl out of bed, but as soon as I got into bed she would wake up and want to nurse and never make it back into her crib.
However, over the past 8 months, she started sleeping shorter stretches instead of longer, and while when she was 6 months, she would regularly sleep for 4 hours at a time, recently she was up every 30 minutes to 2 hours throughout the night. I got a 4 hour stretch once in the past 4 months or so. It felt like heaven. I was (and still am) beat. Physical and mentally run down, and not the best mama that I can be because I am chronically tired.
Aside from me, I know that Phoebe also has to be tired from waking up so often throughout the night, and although Todd wouldn't wake up each time Phoebe did, he was still woken up enough that it was affecting him.
So, last week we decided to take the plunge and night-wean Phoebe. I am still nursing her on demand throughout the day, but we cut her off cold turkey for night time. She has been sleeping all night in her crib, while Todd sleeps next to her in our bed so that he can comfort her and lay her back down when she wakes up. I have been sleeping on Finn's bottom bunk, which I thought would be relaxing, but boy, that child has conversations in his sleep all night. Pretty funny actually.
Anyways, the first night was a little bit rough, as she woke up several times and cried. Todd would just pat her back, speak softly to her, and lay her back down again and again until she would fall asleep. I could hear her crying from Finn's room and it nearly broke my heart. But, since the first night, she has only cried a couple of times! She still wakes up, a lot, and Todd now just asks her to lie down and she does, and goes right back to sleep. She has been sleeping in longer in the morning. She has been going down easier at night. And her naps which used to be 20 minutes to an hour long are suddenly lasting for 2 hours and she doesn't fight me about going to sleep. This has all been nothing short of a miracle.
And, although I was hesitant to let my little baby (and probably my last baby) leave the family bed and cry herself to sleep, it was so necessary. We are on the road to sleep-full nights, and everyone seems to be in better spirits already. I don't think I could have done this at 6 months, or even at a year, but she is 15 months old now and I was run ragged. You could probably hide coins beneath the bags under my eyes.
So, there you have it. Phoebe has been cut off from her most favorite, most comforting, most nurturing love in life (albeit only during night time hours) and I am the one who cut her off. I did feel guilty, but now that I see how more rested we are all becoming, I think that we made the right choice. And, as soon as I move back into my own bed, and can once again sleep next to my husband, I will be pretty happy about this whole thing.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by Soulemama.