Monthly Archives: April 2014

life by the bucketload.

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As I type this I can see more apples falling from the trees of my crazy-prolific wee home orchard.  Already today I’ve scooped up SIX bucketloads (many were fed to our pigs).  Add to that the THREE bucketloads of ash I emptied from the firebox in the living room and I would call that a bucket list of a different sort.

This is a link of many of the podcasts that Nathan and I recorded back in the summer.  If you haven’t seen any, make a cuppa and hang out with us for a few minutes.

Now I gotta share with you something just fantastic … something I wish everyone would read … an amazing piece from the Atlantic, called “How to Land your Kid in Therapy”.  It is an absolutely astonishing article and you can find it here … It kind of challenges our parental preoccupation with “You are so special and I want you to be happy!”

Similar but different article is here from Slate, about motivating teenagers (also about letting kids experience failure).

(I am hereby mildly obsessed with the word eudaemonia.  Thanks to stats geek for this word o’ the day!)

Anyhoo, speaking of having your thinking challenged … as visitors to this website know, I’m very pro-mindfulness.   Especially as it applies to parenting.  But it is pretty interesting to read an alternative perspective to being all-mindful, all the time … ah yes!  The beauty and power of a wandering mind!  Enjoy.

A couple more links now … a kind of beginners guide to attachment theory is in this piece by ABC news (I TRY to resist the urge to say “like, durrr … are you just learning this now?”)

Anyone want to join me for Screen Free Week, 2014?  This geek pledges.  Can I coerce the other members of my family to join in … watch this space.

And for no good reason except I need to be reminded: those of us in the southern hemisphere might like a reminder of what to do in our veggie patches about now.

 

sharing

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The most recent issue of OHbaby! magazine has an article I wrote about sharing.  (It also had a very timely article about forward-facing vs. rear-facing carseats, which is something that I’ve been thinking about lately.  And this was before the Prince George controversy.)

May I also share with you a link to an AMAZING article shared with me by one of my lovely geeky mama pals.  This is about outdoor play and makes strong reference to the ‘loose parts’ phenomenon, which has been rattling around early childhood circles for 15 years or more.  Although the loose parts might look a bit different in that context.  Less fire, more supervision.

Another yummy article about outdoor play is to be found here. Love their point about stairs being more risky than climbing trees (so we should do what … stop kids from living in multi storey homes?).

Unrelated but fab link: a family-friendly podcast is available for download here.  Love.

Thank you so much for bearing with me during my website hiccups.  Ay carumba.  Technology.  Extra special thanks to my invisible Web Magician and my excellent onsite IT guy.

dishwasher hums

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the gurgling of my dishwasher is a revered sound.  It suggests order, productivity, and rest.  All at the same time!

Today begins with a link to a piece on Pennie Brownlee’s blog.  It rules. I want you to read this very much indeed.  Here is a link to some research describing the physical pain of social exclusion.  I always suspected that sticks and stones could break my bones but words could also hurt me very much indeed.

This link will take you to a write up of research suggesting that playing with Barbie dolls could limit girls’ career choices … if y’all over there at Oregon State would apply the same rigor to exploring the Lego Friends malarkey that’d be great …

Finally: a few months too late for this mama but hopefully useful for someone else … how great are THESE – reusable pouches for your homemade purees!  I cringed every time I sent a disposable fruit-filled empty to the landfill.  But I sent them.  Cos my baby ate them.  (Sorry Al Gore!)  Ain’t that the thang?