spiegelman on breastfeeding

The New Yorker cover, illustration by Art Spiegelman

May 11, 1998

I first saw this image years ago at my pediatrician's office,

and more recently was reminded of it when it popped up on Pinterest ;)

pumpkin picking

Yesterday we found ourselves on a nearby farm, full of harvest-time spirit, and ready to pick some pumpkins.  Unfortunately, we did not adequately brace ourselves for the reality that every other family east of the Mississippi had the same exact plan for their Sunday, October the 14th, and so we got a bit of a jolt when we arrived and were swept into a sweaty, pushing, pumpkin-hunting throng, making our surroundings feel about as bucolic as Times Square on New Year's Eve.  Once we got over the shock, we were able to embrace the experience for what it was, reconcile ourselves to standing in huge lines, and make peace with the fact that we were hemorrhaging cash for hay rides, moon bounces, and greasy junk food.  We also managed to find some places of beauty away from the hoards...wandering through an epic corn maze, and sitting on pumpkins in a distant field.  It ended up being kind of gorgeous and perfect, actually.  Even if I did come home with a splitting headache ;)

happy weekend

On the streets in London, 1973, by Chris Steele-Perkins, via Super Seventies

We're going pumpkin picking this weekend, and I'm amped!

What fun lies in store for you?

Here's what caught my eye online this week, 

I hope you enjoy:

We are nature

Wish they had this shirt in my size!

The children's author who actually listens to children

An amazing recording of Helen Keller's voice

Pears: The Other White Fruit

22 ideas for my pumpkins

The brain from the inside out

And last but definitely not least...

a diamond bigger than Earth!

bowl with paul rudd!

Paul Rudd's All-Star Bowling Benefit for Our Time is just 10 days away, and only a few tickets are left!  Click here for more information and to join us for the fun :)

Monday, October 22, 2012, NYC.

7pm Cocktail Reception, followed by Bowling with Celebrity Lane Captains, Open Bar, Dinner, and a Special Performance.

amauti baby

Ooooh, Winter is coming and my heart sighs heavily with longing as I peruse the wonderful handmade creations over at Amauti Baby.  Aren't they just divine?  For a little background, read my earlier post about this type of traditional Inuit baby carrier coat.

How do you bundle up while babywearing?

backyard dreams

After nearly a year of having a back yard, this week we finally checked a major item off our suburban wishlist: we got a play structure!

We've wanted one for ages, and I spent my nesting months last Winter pinning inspirational images until I had pinned myself right into a serious case of Pinterest Paralysis: the immense sense of possibility was entirely overwhelming to me, to the point that taking action and moving forward with a plan seemed well-nigh impossible.  Just ask Taro.  In my dream world of dream worlds I would have already built a reclaimed-wood-Swiss-Family-Robinson-influenced-pirate-ship-castle with my own bare hands, perfect fodder for a viral-DIY blog post.  Alas, such a scenario was not, shall we say, realistic -- what with me being great with child...then come Springtime having had that child...for a total of three little children.  Lord knows, I struggle to keep the towels even remotely folded.

On the flip side, there was the allure of Costco.  For possibly less money and definitely less time than building that dream version out of hypothetically gorgeous, second-hand timbers, we could instantly have a brand-new-in-the-box-smelling-freshly-of-factory-chemicals-playset.  They are ubiquitous in our neighborhood, so what's the big deal?

But I could not bring myself to to do it.  I yearned for at least the semblance of something that we could imbue with our own style and personality.  Something not fresh off an assembly line.  And yet (of course) affordable and quick-and-easy to construct.  Meanwhile, Taro and the kids urged me to make a decision, move forward with a plan.  Any plan.

Finally, we found our path:  Craigslist.  After searching for a couple of weeks through the dozens of listings for pre-owned play structures in our area, we found a set that spoke to us.  Upon visiting it in person in its original yard, our impressions were confirmed: this (small-factory-made) set had been well-cared-for over the course of eleven years, but also had the perfect patinated charm, so as to not look too cookie-cutter.  It had all the elements we were looking for; swings, trapeze, enclosed treehouse with real roof, covered sandbox, and a nice fast slide.  The seller was as lovely as she could be.  So we bought it!

The only remaining step was to relocate it (no small thing!) but luckily there are a myriad of companies dedicated solely to dismantling, moving, and reassembling used play structures.  The one we chose was great -- totally professional, fast, and careful to put everything together square and level.

So now the kids have a whole new lease on life!  They will be cramming as many fun-filled hours into our backyard as they possibly can before it gets too cold.  And I might even be up for performing a few gentle upgrades myself...a fun new coat of paint, or a pirate flag, perhaps?  I know I could make this.

norse on breastfeeding (and motherhood)

Motherhood, by Elizabeth Norse (1860-1938)

The following works by Norse do not depict breastfeeding, but I feel they are too lovely not to share ;)  Read more about the artist, here.

Mother and Child 

 Meditation

Coming Home From Church, Brittany

Mother and Child 

UPDATED! introducing the sling diaries, vol. II...15TH SPOT ANNOUNCED!

Happy International Babywearing Week!  To celebrate, I am happy to announce the beginning of the next installment of The Sling Diaries, woohoo!

First of all, I have to thank everyone for the amazing outpouring of interest in participating in The Sling Diaries, Volume II.  I loved hearing from so many people who are enthusiastic about babywearing and interested in sharing a glimpse into their family lives.  Whittling our favorites down to a relative few was a huge challenge.  That being said, I have had an enormous amount of fun putting together this group of diarists, and I can't wait to introduce you to 14 of the 15 seriously fabulous, creative, and exciting bloggers with whom we will be spending the next six months.  

Why am I only introducing 14, you ask?  Because there is one position left to fill, and it could be yours.  Read all the way to the end of this post to find out how you could win who won a wardrobe of gorgeous Sakura Bloom slings and the 15th and final spot in The Sling Diaries!

The participants hail from all over the world -- from New Zealand to New York, Boston to Bali, Virginia to Australia, Iowa to Hawaii to name a few places.  One just gave birth days ago to her first baby, one is the mother of nine, one has both a baby and a teenager.  There are already so many amazing stories in this group, I'm practically giddy to see how they each interpret our six new themes over the coming months.  Each one of these blogs is a gem, so hop over and explore them all -- you'll fall in love with them, I know it.  Here they are:

Erica from Nick & Erica Everywhere

Sydney from The Daybook

Bridget from Tales of Me and The Husband

Nirrimi from The Road Is Home

LaTonya from Old, New, and The Wee One Too

Belle from Petit Biet

Kelly from Our Lovely Lives

Georgia from Documenting Delight

Bron from Baby Space

Maryam from Milk Friendly

Sarah from Dear Albie

Love from Moments With Love

Rachel from How To Escape

Hayley from Growing Wildly

And last but not least...
Emily from Thoughts and Biro Sketches.
Congratulations, Emily,
you are the winner of our 15th spot!

AND NOW FOR SOME FAQ's:

WHAT ARE THE SLING DIARIES?
A photo-documentary chronicling the art of babywearing in the lives of fifteen families. Over the course of six months, contestants will compete by creating their own Sling Diary with a series of entries interpreting a unique theme given to them each month.

WHO ARE THE SLING DIARISTS?
They are 15 women with creative, unique voices, great style sense, and a passion for babywearing (plus 16 of the cutest babies in blogdom...that's right -- there's a set of twins!).

HOW, EXACTLY, DO THE DIARIES WORK?
The Sling Diaries will come to life with an emphasis on beautiful photography and creative interpretation of six different assigned themes. Contestants will create one blog post (diary entry) per month featuring photos of themselves wearing their Sakura Bloom sling. Each month, the curatorial team will select photos from each diary entry and these images will come together on The Sling Diaries Pinterest page. When all entries are complete, our panel of judges will select their favorite Sling Diary from the project and the winner will receive their choice of sling from the Sakura Bloom Luxe collection.

WHERE CAN I KEEP UP WITH ALL THIS BABYWEARING AWESOMENESS?
The event will be hosted on the official Sling Diaries Pinterest page, with updates and giveaways happening right here on Marvelous Kiddo as well as the official Sling Diaries Facebook page. You can also follow along by reading the blogs of our contestants and keeping an eye on Sakura Bloom's new Tumblr.

A giant hug and thank you to everyone who left such lovely comments to enter the giveaway!  We welcome you to the Sling Diary community, and look forward to getting to know you all better over the next six months, as we watch the diaries unfold. --XOXO, Leigh.

autumn is here and i'm in love

I took these two photos this morning at the Farmer's Market, right after I enjoyed an apple cider doughnut.  I love this time of year.

Hope you're having a great weekend.  Here are a few links:

This is a wonderful passage about writing.

The cutest rain cloud (PS: I'm freaking out a little about Halloween! 

We still haven't decided what to be this year!)

Paid Paternal leave is coming to Australia.

Love these Autumnal layers and colors (and boots).

A classroom-less school in Sweden.

Erykah Badu on what doulas do.

XOXO,

Leigh

PS: I hope you'll tune in here to Marvelous Kiddo on Monday -- I'll be launching the latest edition of The Sling Diaries with a big introduction and a very exciting invitation...

bisquert on breastfeeding

Peasant Family, by Antonio Bisquert (1906-1990).

the intensity of teeth

When I first saw this photo, by Stefan Schäfer, it stopped me in my tracks.  I had never before seen such a graphic visual of what is going on beneath the surface as adult teeth await their chance to replace the baby ones!  No wonder teething (and the loss of baby teeth as the big ones push through) is so intense.  Read more here.

Meanwhile, I've been looking for a teething necklace for Hazel.  Did you know that both Amber and Hazelwood have therapeutic properties that help to alleviate the pain associated with teething?  I love the design of these baby Hazelwood and gemstone necklaces from Kael & Kaed:

I also think these amber necklaces from Amber Artisans are nice, although I'm partial to getting a Hazelwood one for Hazel, for obvious reasons ;)

Have you ever used a necklace to naturally aid the pain of teething?  
What are your thoughts/observations?