- Food that is art that celebrates seasonality and care
- When fathers take paternity leave
- Your soul on the internet … and all your data
- The magic of Disney reinvented
- You have no secrets
- This solves my messy cake problems
- Reading & watching this
- Next on the reading list
- Coloring books for adults
- Living with reindeer
Growing Up Savvy Posts
A dear friend of mine from graduate school recently welcomed a beautiful baby boy. She and her husband live far away in sunny California and even though we would love to have frequent play dates, we make do with emails, texts and the occasion calls. She recently asked for advice on toys to keep her little guy (a few days shy of 6 months) occupied and I was only glad to share what worked for our girls. I put together a small list of toys that have been the best bang for our buck and are most effective at keeping kids occupied and grow with your child.
The list tries to balance what I would call old-school toys such as blocks and books with new-fangled, battery operated ones. We prefer toys that evolve their functionality as the child grows. For example, the stackable (item 5) blocks can first aid a child in learning how to pull nested blocks out which practices fine motor skills, then children can practice cause and effect by crashing built-up towers, moving to learning words and objects, and finally learning how to stack the blocks themselves. Have other suggestions? Add them in your comments.
Since we’ve become parents, we’ve swapped out Sunday afternoon drinks for gelato. No complaints though since the gelato in question was Capogiro which recently moved into our neighborhood in the form of Capofitto serving both their gelato as well as pizza and libations. Sophia chose dark chocolate and burnt sugar as her flavors and ended up preferring the burnt sugar over the chocolate. This is yet further evidence that she takes after Evan’s family and not mine. I cannot imagine anyone in my family choosing any other flavor over chocolate.
Alas, with spring and school visits come colds and so we spent quite a bit of time with family on Saturday while Sophia was getting over a cold. And since sharing is caring, Sophia showered love her little sister with love and open mouthed kisses. Little Eliza is now a major grump with a runny nose, a fever and likely teething. Trying to keep her spirits up, we let her try a галета (galette) which is a basic biscuit cookie and something most kids in the USSR grew up eating from a very early age. I remember having them with milk or tea before bed. My mom used to steep one in hot water and mix with grated apple as a snack when we were little. I do the same thing for Eliza now.
And since neither the weather nor runny noses were conducive to a lot of time outdoors, the kids have literally been climbing the walls. Spring, I mean proper spring, can’t come soon enough!
We forget our old lives, the roads taken to this place where we are now. And even if we try to look back and remember, we often find that the images are fuzzy. Trying to remember is valiant albeit futile. And while my heart flutters, the further time displaces and propels our lives forward, the less I mourn and the more sure I am that I am happiest where I am. Here and in the now.
Why the deep thoughts? Well, despite my otherwise bubbly personality, that to most casual observers will come off as a bit ditzy, there are serious thoughts that ruminate at all times. Evan says I have impostor syndrome and playing a ditz is a big part of that (according to him).
Big year, big changes, big realizations. My birthday is coming up. And yet again, I am nagged asked about what I want for my special day. Yet again, I don’t want anything because I don’t need anything. There are things I adore because I like pretty things and style. I love shoes and purses and beautiful jewelry. But they are all material things and, despite their luminosity and craftsmanship, are just things. They’re possessions that take space in your home and rarely, if ever, bring the type of joy that real life does. I am, in that respect, a lot like Evan. So in the end, all I want for my birthday is a date with my husband and some delicious cake with my family. And I happen to think that one of the most special things is to receive a call on the exact day because … you know someone thought of you and cared enough to remember.
Sometimes you need a few links to get you through the rest of the workweek…
- I love this beautiful faucet design. Water savings are an extra bonus.
- Nature, every so retreating from our daily lives is beautiful. These pictures highlight what we’re missing out on.
- On marriage and beautifully written.
- That cheesecake I made last weekend was based on this recipe but amped up.
- This is for you. You know who you are.
- The foods we will go crazy for in 2015.
- Isn’t everything lately about the kale & the bowl