To judge and be judged.

Link to article I liked...I think I must like it be because the author's style...'cause I am not a runner....and I spent my final WEEKS of pregnancy whining loudly. I must identify with the writer's style, or general premise more than the CRAZY pregnant lady that is the subject. Whatev'. Just cut and paste the link.

http://www.moxiebird.com/2011/10/area-pregnant-woman-does-thing-gets-judged-for-it.html

Speaking of judging (which no one was, right?). I decided for concrete countertops. Thanks to everyone for the feedback. I will post pics soon. Very lovely results :)

Additonally, there will be a new (or 7 new) additions to our family. Tomorrow. Pictures to come. Elliot is very excited and we are namestorming like crazy monsters.....

Stay tuned!

Link Around the Town

Well.  Since I have given myself NO time to update the blog - YET I have had plenty of time to stay updated on everything else that I like to read (funny how that works out)  I have a list of links to share with you.

And I promise that as soon as the new power cord to the "big laptop" is purchased and I update my photos then I will excite and entertain you with the adventures we have been having. (We learned last week that you cannot use Radio Shack pieces and electrical tape to hobble together a suicidal cable forever.  Sometimes, even with TLC and frugal desperation, these things DIE).

LINKS:

Tina Fey's Prayer for a Daughter :  Amen Mama Fey.  My aunt tipped me off to Mila's daydream (and her bored? mama). You can see Where Children Sleep.  It sort of reminds me of one of my favorite books that I own Material World.  You can read more about that project at the NOVA site.  On a lighter, sillier, and more worldly note - you can check out CatalogLiving.  Basically, a very silly person has scanned in photos from catalogs (mostly pottery barn) and writes captions highlighting the unrealistic staging of catalog houses. 

Words with Friends. Do I need to say more? But I will anyway.

Dear Izaak... I feel somewhat relieved that you are not the only words junkie out there.  But still.  It is a wee bit pathetic that you have talked to me about #2, #7 and #10. That I (an avid NONplayer) could read this list with complete understanding. That "QI is a real word" was a recent dinner conversation starter (though not a real word according to spellcheck btw).   That there is a group of people like you out there?!  Shocking.  I find it all very shocking.   

With much ado I link you to:

Eleven signs you might be addicted to Words With Friends

 

Weaning link

You could link over to an article a natural age of weaning.   The first part is interesting, the end is a bit preachy.

“So for God’s sake, please breast-feed.”

Okay so the article I am linking to is really titled: Breast Milk Sugars Give Infants a Protective Coat. 
But I thought that the last sentence did a better job at summing it all up. 

A large part (21%) of human milk that cannot be digested by babies coats the lining of a breast-fed infant’s intestine, protecting it from noxious bacteria...Dr. German and his colleagues are trying to “deconstruct” milk, on the theory that the fluid has been shaped by 200 million years of mammalian evolution and holds a wealth of information about how best to feed and defend the human body...Such findings have made the three researchers keenly aware that every component of milk probably has a special role. “It’s all there for a purpose, though we’re still figuring out what that purpose is,” Dr. Mills said. “So for God’s sake, please breast-feed.”


Humm.  So perhaps formula is an even poorer substitute than previously thought?

In other news, listed under things you can buy but really shouldn't I would like to point you towards the world's largest gummy bear.  All 5 pounds of it can be yours for only $29.99.  How ever did I live with out this???

The awesomeness of a bed

Let's call it raw, industrial-vintage fusion.  aa-ha that's the way we like it. Mostly vintage linens  that i've been collecting at estate sale.  meets cheap-chic bed of  We like to rock it frugal style awesome ohdeedoh style .

I liked this idea so much.  A bed made from casters and wooden palettes.  

picture from Under the Sycamore.

humm.  I liked this idea as much as I disliked the ho-hum & overpriced options available at the stores.  But we needed to tweek to fit the baskets underneath (aka new baby's stuff).  So, voila.  customized platform of 2x4s really awesome new bed.

Nobody was happier than Elliot.  Nobody in the entire world was happier than Elliot.  Trust us on this. 

It was Christmas morning and birthday and last day of school happiness.   Summed up into one 3yr old jumping on the bed.

And this makes papa very happy.  Okay, that's not his happy face.  Just trust me....

And really, what is one supposed to do with a thrilled ball of energy, at bedtime?  Our parenting technique has always been to squish Elliot.

Did ya'know...

Did ya'know that...

• Jesus was struck by lightning in front of church (google touchdown Jesus). 
• In romance, opposites do not attract.   I found proof.
• Real Men Wear Babies over at "Peaceful Parenting".  The photos reminded me of Izaak and Elliot back when she was a wee thing.  Those days are soon to be back again.  Izaak is definitely a babywearing-daddy. 
• Is it Biblical for moms to work?  "Jesus Needs New PR" has an interesting take on that.  Actually the entire site is funny. 
• Sometimes the worst things are the best things.  Or, so one woman learned.  Read Kelle Hampton's birth story (it is emotional NOT biological).  You may have already read it.  It went viral a few months back, but I just found it. 

“Take Our Children to the Park ... And Leave Them There Day.”

The NYTimes Sunday magazine had an interesting article yesterday.  I am adding a link here so that you can read it.

To summarize, Lenore Skenazy, a mother is proposing letting kids play at the park by themselves...saying that crime rates today are similar to the 70s and 80s.  So, if you could do it then, you should be able to do it now.  Of course, Elliot will not be partaking in this proposed holiday.  She is three.  But the premise seems sounds to me.  I remember wandering far and wide sometimes with friends, sometimes on a bike.  Before the advent of cellphones, my parents did not always know where I was, and had few ways of tracking me down. Growing up I was more likely to hear, "Go play outside and be home by dark".  Yet, it feels dangerous to parent that way, thirty years later.

I liked this article because it questions this new norm of (over)parenting.  Good food thought, especially was Elliot gets older and express a need for more freedom. 

In other news,  Happy Birthday Day, Izaak!  May you continue to grow older, so gracefully.  (Don't kill me for the pictures, I couldn't help myself) (Pictures courtesy of Father-Daughter dance troupe)

Information regarding Russian Adoption Snafu

I have found this recent happening with an adoption parent sending a child back to Russia alone heartbreaking. This parent probably had pure motives when adopting - only to find out that human psychology is fragile indeed (both hers and the boy's). I have no idea what education or information she received during the adoption process - or how known/disclosed the boy's issues were - but this is a sad case whatever the case.

According to the New York Times, "Ms. Hansen — who sent Justin back to Russia unaccompanied with a note that said the boy “is violent and has severe psychopathic issues."
This boy is back in Russia after 6 months in the United States, during which time he became an American citizen. ABC news cites that several Russian families have requested to adopt this boy - but authorities are unclear about how that would pan out as he is legally an American.

For anyone looking for more information, or if learning about this for the first time, I have included some links below.

In a Diplomatic Limbo While Waiting to Adopt

Adopted Boy Sent Back to Russia Showing No Signs of Violent Behavior, Russian Officials Say

Russia furious over adopted boy return from US

US delegation to visit Moscow to discuss adoptions

Life in the Yurt

(Stuart Isett for The New York Times Published: 2009/12/30)

Sending out a link to a NYTIMES slideshow of a young family living in a YURT in Alaska. I was entertained.
Our house is not as small as I had thought. Always a matter of perspective.