fire island

We're leaving today for our annual Fire Island vacation!  

Wish us happy sun and sand!

We'll be celebrating Walker's birthday there tomorrow...

I can't believe he'll be 3!

I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing long weekend, and I look forward to catching up with you all upon our return.

XOXO,

Leigh

Photo by me, Summer 2010.

parison on breastfeeding

Mother and Child, by Gaston Parison (1889 – 1959, French)

north carolina august

Today is our last full day in North Carolina.

We've been here for over three weeks and have managed to cram in some major memories.

Here are a few of the things I'll never forget...

Celebrating Taro's grandparent's 67th wedding anniversary

 at Camp Our Time...

 Making four-legged friends...

 Artmaking with Grandma...

 Enabling sling naps aplenty...

Finding layers of glittered graffiti and feeling inspired...

 Drinking in gorgeous skies as they met luminous landscapes...

 Being shocked by how much these guys have grown...

Seeing her reach out to meet the world more and more every day.

r.i.p. phyllis diller

Always fabulously, breathtakingly unlike anyone else, Phyllis Diller is one of my forever-favorites.

Did you know that in addition to being an ahead-of-her-time performer, Phyllis Diller was the mother of six children and a self-described breastfeeding fanatic?  Here's a great clip from 2006 where she tells about her own experience breastfeeding, talks about having been breastfed by her own mother, and of course wraps it all up with a hilarious joke and that unforgettable laugh:

have a groovy weekend

I hope you have a groovy weekend!  Here are some links 4 U:

Poetry from Prose

Putting technology in its place

Julia, remixed

This is what a scientist looks like

This salad looks so yummy

The cutest pants in all of ever!

Preggers Meryl

Photo via the wonderful Growing Wildly

just a little something cool for the middle of your week

Had to share this, found via the rad Tumblr, Science in a Can: 

What does space smell like? 

It’s strange to think that the near-vacuum of space could have a smell, and stranger still that humans—atmospheric creatures—can actually experience it. Astronauts have consistently reported the same strange odour after lengthy space walks, bringing it back in on their suits, helmets, gloves and tools. It’s bitter, smoky, metallic smell—like seared steak, hot metal and arc welding smoke all rolled into one. NASA have asked a chemist, Steve Pearce, to reproduce the smell to use during acclimatization training, mapping out the likely chemistry using natural materials to mimic the odor for accuracy. It’s believed that the smell is caused by high-energy vibrations in particles that mix with the air when brought inside. In the future, we might even recreate the smell of the moon, Mars, Mercury or any place in the universe, provided we have the right chemical information. In fact, we can even recreate the smell of the heart of the galaxy—astronomers searching for animo acids in Sagittarius B2, a vast dust cloud in the middle of the Milky Way, have reported that due to a substance called ethyl formate, it smells and tastes of raspberries and rum—much more pleasant than seared steak and metal.

More about this topic, here.

Artwork: Jar of Stars II, by Sha'an d'Anthes, available for purchase here.

carrière on breastfeeding

Maternité by Eugène Carrière, ca. 1897 (Musée d’Orsay, Paris)

Mutterglück, ca. 1885

Maternité, charcoal on paper

Maternité

Le Sommeil, ca. 1890

Maternité (Suffering)

The Young Mother, ca. 1879

camp

Just over two weeks ago we left home for our annual trek to Camp Our Time.  The change of pace has been nice, and the excitement of learning, doing, and exploring in a new environment amidst a huge extended family of sorts has felt healthy and invigorating.  Since Taro is working overtime while we're here, the days are full and exhausting but fun nonetheless.

I thought I'd share a few highlights from our trip so far:

For the first time since Camp Our Time has been held in North Carolina, we drove!  It was hard to imagine flying with three kids 5 and under, and we own a minivan now so it was kind of a no-brainer ;)  Armed with tons of snacks, a bunch of newly-downloaded children's audiobooks, and some early Springsteen (Born to Run, Born in the USA, and Darkness on the Edge of Town), we made the road trip in three days.  Our pace allowed frequent pit stops to nurse, stretch, and spot praying mantises.  The last day and a half of the trip involved us grownups taking turns sitting in the backseat to prevent epic sibling-on-sibling provocation and harassment (#keepingitreal).  It was a feeling of relief and accomplishment for all of us when we finally pulled on to the tranquil grounds of camp.

The first week we were here, my parents came up from Mississippi and rented a sweet little cabin in the area.  While Taro was busy with staff orientation and other camp preparations, the kids and I spent most of our time hanging out with Mamaw and Papaw.  It was my dad's first time meeting Hazel.  We read books and went shopping and watched the Olympics, and toured the farmer's markets, and cooked, and went sightseeing, and took lots of naps.  It was pretty wonderful.

Camp officially started last Sunday, with over 80 campers arriving from all over the country and the world.  Our family of five is lucky enough to be able to stay in a small, comfortable house on camp that has its own kitchen and laundry room.  During the day the boys and Hazel and I roam all over the place, dropping into whichever activities interest us at that particular moment.  There's so much to choose from: horseback riding, gardening, soccer, dance, singing, arts and crafts, rock climbing, swimming, basketball, gem mining, and theatre arts are just a few of the most popular daily activities.  

This year the boys have been able to really participate in most of the activities, and they do -- with gusto.  I just follow them around, Hazel on my hip, crossing my fingers that they'll want to take a nap after lunch (it's happened maybe once since we've been here -- Holy Tired Mama, Batman!).  As physically taxing as it can be to trek after these fellas all day, it's also really cool to see them so engaged in their adventures and so completely blissed out.  And we all sleep well at night ;)

In case you're interested in more information about Camp Our Time, here's a little film that conveys what it's all about:

birth story of the week: a home birth vlog

This is such an endearing video!  I don't think I've ever watched a vlog-style birth story before, and I just love the immediacy and emotion of it.  The proud papa is such a great cheerleader/documentarian of the birth.  Meanwhile, I admire the calm centeredness of mama as she matter-of-factly goes about birthing a ten-pound baby!  Sweet.

cienta shoes

I'm seriously digging these fab little Spanish-made shoesies by Cienta, available for a song over on The Mini Social today.  Clicking the gold sparkle mary-janes into my cart for Hazel right now, because I totally can't help myself...

vintage postcards and amateur snapshots on breastfeeding

How fantastic are these vintage breastfeeding snapshots? Love!

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

sponsor giveaway: metro minis

One of my favorite stores in the world (and the place that introduced me to babywearing) is Metro Minis.  Nestled into an intimate space on Park Avenue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Metro Minis is chock full of parenting essentials: beautiful carriers, fantastic handmade toys, cloth diapering systems, and more.

They also offer an array of classes and events (many of which are free) on topics like Fearless Childbirth, Babywearing, Breastfeeding, and Infant Massage.  I am honored that they are long-time Sponsors of Marvelous Kiddo, and I am thrilled to let you know that today they are kindly offering one of my readers an incredible gift...

One lucky winner will receive their choice of a 4.6 meter Girasol wrap in either the Pink Lotus or Cara Cara colorway.  I have one of these, and I can tell you, the soft, durable, woven fabric is as easy to wrap with as it is to look at.  The ombre effect is just sooooo yummy.

Here's what you need to do to enter:

• "Like" Metro Minis on FB.
• Visit the Metro Minis online shop.
• Leave a comment here telling me about your favorite item.

That's it!  I'll announce the winner a week from today.  Thanks, and good luck!

UPDATE:  Congratulations to Ashley Barrett, winner of the giveaway :)

world breastfeeding week

In honor of World Breastfeeding Week (August 1-7), here are two of my new favorite breastfeeding images!  Via Gregarious Peach and Strawberry Mohawk, respectively.

a new start

I don't even know where to begin again after the amazing response
to my last post.

"Thank You" obviously comes to mind, and yet feels woefully inadequate after such an outpouring of support, identification, sage advice, encouragement, love, and listening.

It feels so good to know that so many of you resonate with the same struggles and imperfections and contradictions that I described.  It feels so validating to know that none of us are alone in the parenting battles we fight, the guilt we feel, or the insecurities we navigate.  

A few observations I've come away with:

There is a generation of children being raised on instant cheese goo!

Everyone with small kiddos spends much of the day dealing with poop!

Many blogs and much of Pinterest make us feel inferior and defeated!

We all crave inspiration and connection!

There are not enough hours in the day!

The days go by SO. FREAKING. SLOWLY.

We adore our kids.

They drive us crazy!

I am very touched by the kindness, generosity, honesty, and humanity that came pouring out in the comments (and emails, and texts, and on other blog posts and on facebook!)

Your words affirmed that I am not ready to leave this space -- not yet.

They also affirmed what I have been knowing for a while now:

That this blog needs to evolve if it is to lift me and others up rather than bring us down.  The last thing I want to do is contribute to the Stepford Wife-ification of the world by projecting or promoting
an image of perfection.

So from here on out...

I'm taking the (self-imposed) pressure off myself to post at a certain rate, 

or on certain topics.

I am owning that I am a feminist and a mother,
a writer and a housekeeper.

I will continue to figure out how those identities can work in chorus.

I am moving forward with a fresh intention to celebrate
but not idealize parenthood.

I'm opening myself up to opening up more.

Whatever that means...I guess we will find out ;)

In any case, it will all be from my heart.

Hugs,

Leigh