The Sarahs tell it like it is, sharing the salty + sweet, big city + small town, ups + downs, the pretty + not so much of modern motherhood.
A happy marriage of dessert flavors: a must eat (for me).
I can bring Paris home (if only I was a little kid).
A charming account of friendship and love, lost and found. (Thanks mom for sharing this!)
Would you let your toddler decorate his or her room?
This made me think of Sarah Stewart Holland and her upcomign vow renewal and celebration.
~ The Other Sarah
Well, Screen Free Week went out with more of a whimper than a roar.
Thursday we did fine. No screens. Not much a struggle. No big deal.
However, Friday I left town to attend my 10 year college reunion (shut up) and things fell apart. My dear friend kept the boys for most of the day on Friday and, to her immense credit, kept up with the Screen Free pledge for most of the day - caving only to 20 minutes of Thomas the Train.
Since she was caring for my children AND her own toddler, this is completely understandable.
Of course, Saturday came and Daddy was in charge...
He will not be receiving any credit. By the time I called to checkin Saturday night, he admitted both boys had watch "a lot" of television because it was rainy outside. I helpfully pointed out it had been rainy on Wednesday. He helpfully pointed out that this was my second weekend out of town in a row.
I shut up.
I came home on Sunday exhausted from an early morning drive and caved myself that afternoon so that I could take a nap.
Despite the lackluster ending, I still believe it was a worthwhile exercise. We barely watched any television on Monday and I'm more aware of the ways I used it and how unnecessary it is in the end. Amos still asks for the iPad occassionally but doesn't collapse in devastation when I say no.
However, Griffin will still describe Screen Free Week as stupid.
To each his own...
~ Sarah Stewart Holland
Well, here it is! The invitation for Griffin's superhero birthday party!
I don't want to overstate this but I think this might be the best thing I've ever done...in my life. I couldn't think of anything a little boy obsessed with superheros would like more than becoming the star of his very own comic book.
So, Nicholas and I sat down and sketched out a rough plot with Nicholas the main villian - the Party Pooper of course! I got an idea of what images I would want and then dressed Griffin and Amos up in their superhero costumes. I took their photos in front of a plain cream walls so I could easily erase the background in Photoshop Elements.
Then, I used the Comic Life software that came on my Mac to create the book and VOILA!
I'm ecstatic with the results. The smiles and laughter of Griffin and Amos when we read it for the first time was worth every single second of time it took to create it.
~ Sarah Stewart Holland
Have you heard of BabyLit? It's not a prerequisite for getting your child into the modern American preschool or a guarantee to have college-level readers by kindergarten. It's a delightful collection of adaptations of the classics—as baby board books.
These board books on counting, colors, opposites, the ocean, and the weather are marked by colorful, whimsical illustrations that will catch your little one's eye and leave you smiling at the clever interpretation of the literature you studied as an adolescent.
I first discovered BabyLit at the nearby Children's Book World (you must stop in if you live in LA), and I'm so glad I did because they make fun gifts for baby showers and birthday parties. My favorite is Alice in Wonderland and Pride & Prejudice.
Any new book discoveries you'd love to share?
~ The Other Sarah
P.S. Here are some tips from a teacher for bringing text to life for your kids.
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