With chapters like “My Cup Holders Runneth Over” and “Nanny in a Haystack”, Dan Zevin’s, Dan Gets a Minivan: Life at the intersection of Dude and Dad takes us through middle-aged parenthood with charm and warmth and most of all, hilarity. Ryan and I have seriously enjoyed how much we can relate to this book. It’s the kind of book that had us reading together…out loud, which doesn’t happen frequently and can’t hurt any marriage. {It’s entirely possible that Ryan thinks the world of Dan Zevin because the man tricked out his minivan with flames.} Dan Zevin chronicles his seemingly uncool life and the changes having small children will bring you through with stories that any parent will see themselves in. We understand these feelings, of being one way and then being transformed into someone who looks more like your parents than your old hipster self, falling in love with your minivan instead of […]
The parenting books don’t detail things that can’t be explained. Like the emotions you go through with a premature delivery and hour after hour in the NICU and then hours pacing around the dining room table with a crying infant. “…I passed the weeks in an exhausted daze, unable to get my mind around the ways my life had changed. And for the first time in my life, I felt desperate for words, for some way to express the changes I was undergoing as an isolated new mother.” ~Kate Hopper “Through my blog and teaching I discovered exactly what I expected: women–mothers–crafting memoirs and essays dealing with issues of identity, loss and longing, neurosis and fear, ambivalence and joy. I found stories about transformation and how the authors see themselves in relation to the world in which they live. Last time I checked, this was the stuff of which real literature was made.” […]
PSSSST…. it’s almost Thanksgiving and then BOOM, it’ll be time for holiday gift giving madness, so I bet you’d like to see a really great, unique and affordable gift idea… C’mon, take a look… Yes, that’s Elsie Jane on a beautiful piece of canvas wall art from Easy Canvas Prints I’m pretty much totally in love with how this turned out. I knew I wanted to do something special with this particular picture, capturing Elsie at this stage, and I’m so happy with how this turned out. The eyes. THE EYES. Oh how I love those eyes. So. Now let me tell you how you can get some great deals on canvas art for you or someone you love. But wait. Just so you know, I’m thinking of ordering a few more (our walls are nearly bare~ahem) and maybe I’ll use some non-baby photos for other artistic ideas. Like maybe one […]
Saturday~December 5, 2009 Yes, you’re right. This is my second post in one day. I’ve decided I need cheering up. Would you believe I have both H1N1 AND bronchitis? It’s not super fun. But giving something away IS super fun, so that’s what I’m going to do for the cheering up. You know Dan Zanes and friends, right? When I was contacted about reviewing this 2 disc combo, The Fine Friends Are Here I was more than happy to do so, since I’m already a huge fan. This combo comes with a 16 song DVD and a bonus audio CD with 5 songs. (The bonus 5 song CD is perfect for playing in a child’s room at bedtime. It’s soft and beautiful, the perfect peaceful night time groove.) Dan Zanes and friends are such a talented group, I’m not sure there’s an instrument they don’t play. (I’ll also admit that they make me […]
Tuesday~November 10, 2009 Before I just head off into the wide blue yonder of telling you about something cool, I do want to mention that I did update my last somewhat whiny-bordering-on-complainy post with good news. You know…just so you know. NOW, moving on to something that’ll make you feel all happy (unlike my last post)… If any band could teach your kids a bit of Spanish and how to cover their cough and sneeze, it’s The Jimmies. Really. They’re just that cool. Your kids will be saying “a cow with a hat” in Spanish WHILE sneezing into their elbow “wrunkles” in no time. The best word for this 2 disc DVD/CD combo is fun. If you like to rock out with your kids, The Jimmies are for you. (OK and maybe I was sold the moment I opened the package and found a whoopie cushion, but I’m not saying.) This band definitely […]
Tuesday~October 27th, 2009 Do you need some help finding children’s music that won’t drive you crazy? As many of you may remember, I needed that help too. Thankfully I was given many great suggestions in my comment box, and even some in my actual mailbox, like this one: The acclaimed publishing company The Secret Mountain has done it again with Sunday in Kyoto. This gorgeously illustrated hardcover book and accompanying CD give a truly beautiful multicultural experience. Canadian singer-songriter Gilles Vigneault delivers with impressive and meaningful lyrics, and illustrator Stephane Jorisch, who has created sets for Le Cirque du Soleil, absolutely blew me away with the illustrations for this book. This book/CD combo is deserving of all the attention from School Library Journal, AOL kids, Zooglobble, Kiwi Magazine and many more. It is the kind of art I like having around the house (or in the car minivan). Yes, I just called it […]
Thursday~ July 9, 2009 When Simple Shoes contacted me, offering to send a pair of their new line of toddler shoes, I didn’t even have to think for a millisecond. I sent an email back saying that I will only have something sent to me for review if I’m as certain as possible I will love the product, and then I quickly accepted the offer. (I so rarely accept these offers because this is my blog, and I intend to mean what I say when I rave about something.) Miles has had a pair of Simples in the past that we loved, and I was as certain as I could be that we’d love another pair. I was so right… Meet The Noodle: These are the pair of Simples that were sent to Miles (they come in sizes 4-10, so a 10 it was for Miles, since he isn’t quite a toddler anymore). […]
