Today, Kate shares a nostalgic oldie but goodie:
My father took me to England when I was eight years old. I remember parts of the trip quite vividly, particularly my first taste of lemon squash (sour!) and my discovery of Roger Hargreaves' wonderful series of Mr. Men and Little Miss books.Today, Kate shares a nostalgic oldie but goodie:
My father took me to England when I was eight years old. I remember parts of the trip quite vividly, particularly my first taste of lemon squash (sour!) and my discovery of Roger Hargreaves' wonderful series of Mr. Men and Little Miss books.
Today, Kate shares a compact, frequently used favorite solution for achieving fresh baked bread at home:
Years ago, my mother bought me my first bread machine. We were shopping together and it was an impulse purchase; one that I treasured simply because my mother -- who was suffering from serious health problems at the time -- had given it to me. After a period of using it, however, I made the dispiriting discovery that bread coming out of the machine all tasted kind of the same, all appeared in an unnatural cube shape, and all featured a peculiar hole at the bottom left over from the kneading blade. And so, I left the bread machine behind while packing for one move or another, thus ending my career as a bread machine user.
Evadne was too polite to share this, but we were the guests at her brunch, and I ate three servings of this bread pudding, it was so good! See my additional comments at the end of the post:
My husband, the true chef in our family, loves this time of year because he enjoys making warm, hearty foods like stews, braises, and pies. And I love this season because I get to eat what he makes! Recently we had some friends over and he made bread pudding, taking the recipe from his favorite go-to cookbook, Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything.
One cool thing about raising a growing reader is that we're now hitting material that: a) I remember loving as a young girl; and b) still captivates after all these years. Before the holidays, Laurel decided that she wanted to read Little House On The Prairie (a hand me down from her cousin) together, and she loved the characters and story so much that she asked for more Little House books for Christmas (there are nine books in the series). We're currently reading On the Banks of Plum Creek and spent -- I kid you not -- almost two hours cuddled up reading yesterday (and Laurel spent much of dinner filling Jon in about Nellie Oleson).
It was so great to get back into the studio this week, and it was wonderful to kick off my 2011 programming talking about reflections and new routines. Definitely check out the episode if you didn't see it live on Thursday! I chatted about the #reverb10 reflection/manifestation project with Gwen Bell, and about starting and sticking to fitness routines with Leah Segedie of Mamavation. Check out the episode for full commentary and inspiration, but for easy reference, below are the resource links that I shared during the interviews.
Today, Lindsey recommends a book that I have been meaning to purchase (given my love for Zen Shorts and Zen Ties):
Last night, in an unusual moment, both children sat with me on the couch for a book. Without interruption. They were rapt. That a single book could speak to them both, and so powerfully, is very rare. That it could also speak powerfully to me is almost unheard of.
Given that my parents used to subject their household visitors to impromptu recitals by me and my six siblings (at a point where none of us were exactly musically proficient), I tend to cringe a little when I think of family recitals. However, recently I was overwhelmed by the awesome that was Laurel's assembly of a family recital, thanks to these fantastic Kidsplay handbells that my mother-in-law had on hand.
Today's Dear Boston Mamas question comes from Sarah via e-mail:
Dear Boston Mamas, I'd love recommendations for chapter books for boys; we've bled dry Captain Underpants, Stink, the Magic Treehouse series, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Since so many kids' book writers seem to be women, there is a preponderance of girl stories. HELP ME! I have two avid readers who don't want Ramona or Junie B. Jones. What to do???
Laurel's reading took flight last year in kindergarten, and with it she developed a love for chapter books. And while the novelty of seeing her curled up reading independently on the sofa under a blanket has not worn off on me, we still love cuddling up and reading together. On the latter, though I appreciated the series' gentle age appropriateness, I admittedly was hugely relieved when Laurel got over her obsession with the formulaic (as in, I literally would fall asleep reading the books out loud) Rainbow Magic books, and moved on to something Jon and I also find entertaining: Ivy + Bean.
On Thursday's episode of Life.Style I interviewed Tracey Clark, founder of Shutter Sisters and editor of the amazing book Expressive Photography: The Shutter Sisters' Guide to Shooting from the Heart. The publishers of Expressive Photography sent me a copy of the book to peruse in advance of the show and I cannot recommend it enough, whether as a gift to yourself or a loved one. Whether you're a novice, amateur, or professional photographer, Expressive Photography is replete with inspiring imagery and practical tips and tricks on approach, perspective, composition, lighting, details, and processing for different types of photos (e.g., landscape, portraits, still life, etc.). When I created my life list last month, #5 was "Remember to take photos of my family on the first day of each month." This book is providing immense inspiration to move forward with this project.
Thanks to Kate, for reminding me of the joy and mindfulness involved in bread making via Artisan Breads Every Day:
At restaurants, I'm the person who always devours the basket of bread -- dipped in olive oil or smeared with butter -- before the appetizers come. And then, if I'm feeling bold (or particularly hungry), I ask for the basket to be refilled. That whole no-carb/low-carb/bread-is-evil trend? Not for me. I love bread and bread loves me and I've embarked this past year on an effort to learn how to make bread -- really good bread, bakery-quality bread -- at home.
Welcome (or shall I say welcome back!) to Boston Mamas Rock! -- where I share the voices of fabulous local mamas from all walks of life. Read on for today's interview with Janet Lee Harrold, mother of one, artist, book author, and special needs advocate by way of her efforts to support her granddaughter Hailey, a 3-year-old with Athetoid Cerebral Palsy. Read on to learn about Janet's impassioned efforts on behalf of her granddaughter and the special needs community as a whole. Then go ahead and nominate a fabulous fellow mama!
Today, from Lindsey -- an utterly lovely idea for cultivating a family and community based love for reading:
One of my favorite things I do as a mother is participate in a book group with my 8-year-old daughter. We are six mother-daughter teams, and all of the girls are 7 or 8. Each visit we gather at someone's home, and the girl who lives there has picked the book that we discuss.
Today, Kate recommends Judith Kerr's The Tiger Who Came to Tea:
The best children's literature plays with surrealism in a way that presents the fantastical as totally natural. This both shapes and confirms the childhood sense that tangible reality -- although important -- isn't really the end of the story: stuffed animals can talk, the wardrobe really might contain an alternate universe, and wouldn't it make sense to discover that the babysitter is actually a friendly alien? As children discover the world both through exploration and through stories, the most memorable books are those that suggest that unexpected things can happen in quotidian situations, and that we should embrace them when we do.
Today, Kate recommends a book that teaches kids about the value of family and pitching in:
Books for children come in all different styles -- silly, scary, spooky, fantastical, challenging -- just as children need a variety of types books to help their minds and imaginations blossom. In picking out books for my young daughter, however, I find that I gravitate to those that are, whatever their genre, fundamentally comforting, both in word and image. Not sappy and not rote, but gentle and kind and with a message that the world can be a good and peaceful place. One of our favorite new books of this type is Our Corner Grocery Store by Joanne Schwartz and Laura Beingessner (who have each written other cool books for kids).
Today, parent educator Hetti Wohlgemuth of Alphabet Soup 4 Parents suggests that it's never too late to see BABIES:
I went to see BABIES last night, for the second time. Who would have thought that a movie about four babies' first year of life would continue to attract an audience? We went to see Sex and the City 2 a week ago at a small town theatre and only seven women and one man came to that showing; in contrast, last night 10 men and women opted for a not recently released, small budget movie that proceeds with no conflict, plot, or fast pace. The movie clearly has legs (other than the eight adorable and pudgy ones sported by the babies in the film), and while the movie's babies mesmerize, I also found some parenting take away points following two viewings.
Today, parent educator Hetti Wohlgemuth of Alphabet Soup 4 Parents shares a review of food for thoughtful parenting. Read on for Hetti's review, as well as to learn how to be one of three winners to receive a copy of food for thoughtful parenting:
Today, Kate highly recommends Henry in Love:
How do we learn about love? Not parental love -- something so fundamental that I assume it is part of us from birth (if not before) -- but romantic love? My daughter has started asking questions about love songs, about the composition of different families that we know, and about why Cinderella falls for the Prince even though he barely utters a word throughout their (admittedly brief) courtship.