T-Shirt Project (aka, the lazy post title)

I'm working on designing a hintonburg t-shirt (shhh, don't tell), and came upon these park slope Ts whilst doing some research. You kind of have to know park slope to get them, or maybe they'll tell you all you need to know...

Also ridiculous, these cozy coup makeovers:

What I've been reading...

I have a ton of different requests set up with the library; the mix of books that come in at the same time is always interesting...

Packaging Girlhood puts in words why I'm going to wait as long as possible before showing the girls any of the Disney Cinderella movies. Goes into depth about the sex-based marketing of toys, and how insidious it can be; Girls like pink, shopping, and makeup, whereas boys actually do stuff, build things, and are active. This book actually made me nauseous.

Created in Darkness by Troubled Americans: The Best of McSweeney's Humor Category I can't afford to actually buy McSweeney's magazine, so the compilations are the next-best thing. "Unused Audio Commentary by Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky, Recorded Summer 2002, for the Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring DVD (Platinum Series Extended Version), Part One" is the best of the lot, especially if you're a Chomsky fan (like me).

Sew U A sewing-tutorial book by Wendy of Built by Wendy. I was thinking of buying this for the patterns, but I took one look at the tissue-paper and was turned off; If they ever make patterns out of something I won't destroy in two minutes, then maybe I'll start buying 'em.

What's next:

-A book about organic lawn care, because, well, our lawn needs some work.
- A book about circumcision, because even in Canada in 2008 I've met some people who insist on circumcising their boys, and I'm interested in being able to talk about it informatively.
- In defense of food, because The Omnivore's Dilemma was awesome. Unfortunately, I'm 442nd on the list, so I might have to end up buying this one.

Secondhand Show n' Tell

A while back, Andrea posted a secondhand show-n-tell challenge, wherein we were to go shopping, and post those second-hand items that were worth posting about. For some reason, this has coincided with my worst thrifting drought ever! I found a few nice things at a church rummage sale today, but to beef it up a little I thought I'd also post a couple of my best thrifting finds ever, or at least those I could see on a 30-second tour of my house.

Church rummage sales have the cheapest and best clothes, because people tend to clean out their whole closet for them, and the ladies are generous with their pricing. All items below were bought for under $5 total (Thank you St. Matthias!) and do not include the cheap books and nice baked goods we bought there as well. If I hadn't had the children with me (ahem) I think I would have scored even more, and I am even now regretting not buying a silky photograph-floral-print kimono I saw there.

Yup, it's a toddler Duro dress, Cowgirl vest and chaps, and hat.

Jacket perfect over sleeveless dresses,

and mohair poncho that fits both me and the 3-year-old, I swear.

What was I thinking? A fun, cheap reconstruction project that might yield something wearable. Plus, how to resist those leopards?

Those who know me know that it would probably be easier to post the things I own that are NOT second-hand, as the combination of cheapness and messy children has made it almost a requirement that everything we have be pre-owned. Recently, however, I've become pickier about what I buy because 1) I have a small house and 2) I'm too old to dress like a clown anymore (not that I think I am that old, but what is charming and quirky on a 20-year-old tends to look deranged on a 30+ year-old. Or maybe I've always looked deranged?...)

The best couch ever. Not because it's pretty, no, but because it is vinyl (therefor spill- and pee-proof) and the pattern prevents you from sticking to it, and because it is like nothing I've ever seen before. I couldn't decide if it was ugly or wonderful, and can't help think that, with metal studs in place of the buttons, it would look perfect in Marilyn Manson's house. It makes a statement, anyways, for roughly $100 (pricey, to me) at St. V de P. (pillows also from St. V de P, price forgotten) The overall effect would be garish if the whole room weren't red to begin with. Makes it a neutral, right?

My second pair of grey (my favourite colour) new-with-tags dead-stock early 80s-era sneakers in my size; the others were Pumas, but these are nicer. $4.99, St. V de P.

Carseat Dilemma

So, we were in a little car accident on Sunday, and since then I've become even more serious about car seat safety than I was before.

A friend at playgroup had asked a while ago for a recommendation on a car seat, and I steered her towards a model that harnesses to a high weight, especially considering her little boy was on the large side. Today I saw her, and she mentioned that she got the car seat, and it was great. I was so excited, since alot of people buy name-brand carseats without doing much comparison shopping, and many people outgrow the most popular seat by weight before they're ready to be in a booster seat. Then she mentioned that they had installed it forward-facing even though the little boy is only about 9 months old; this is not only technically illegal, since ALL carseats sold in canada state that a child must be rear-facing until one year of age if under the weight limit of the seat, but it is very, very unsafe. She mentioned that he loved facing that way, and I tried not to look horrified, but I'm not sure if it worked. Another friend asked me about it, and I very loudly told her an anecdote about a boy at the hospital (while D was there) who had suffered internal decapitation in a crash; something that very well could have been prevented if he were rear-facing. I think her ears perked up at this, and hopefully they'll do the research and turn the kid around, at least until he can walk.

I had thought about sending them the youtube video above, but I'm wondering if that might totally alienate them. What should I do? Or have I done enough?

Baby-led Weaning

Both D and A hated baby food, or being fed by a spoon of any kind. So I just let them eat whatever they could pick up with their hands, and skipped the purees altogether.

I had no idea that this had a name - Baby-led Weaning. Weaning here is used in the British sense, meaning the beginning of solid foods, not the end of nursing. (Letting a child decide when to stop nursing is called Child-led Weaning, since, by definition, babies nurse!).

The Wikipedia article is here. I had always thought that purees were a waste of time anyway; this sensible approach is easier on mom (no need to bring food everywhere) and waaay less messy. Another plus is that babies feeding themselves will be feeding themselves less solid food, saving room for the more nutritious breastmilk or formula.

Makes me wonder, however, what other "traditions" of baby-rearing we will have done away with by the time my kids have kids...

"The only newborn soothing center"...hmmm

The video is a must-see.

Mom Guilt

I sometimes wonder if being a mom necessarily entails a certain amount of guilt. Is it what helps us do better? Or is it what makes us crazy and will send our children to therapy 15 years from now? Reading the recent news about BPA, are there a whole lot of moms feeling guilty right now? Should they be?

I'm defining mom guilt as that guilt which is specific to one's momly duties, not general personal guilt, which is different but sometimes overlaps (Insert Venn diagram here). For example, I have alot of environmental guilt, the same guilt everyone has. It's not really mom guilt, per se, except for a general feeling of not wanting my children to inherit a world I've helped screw up. I guess I would have that guilt anyway if I didn't have children, but it probably wouldn't feel as urgent. (Aside: Last winter, when it was so warm, and when D was about to have heart surgery, my husband changed all the incandescent bulbs in the house to CFL. When we feel hopeless, sometimes it helps to do anything, no matter how small.)

But, back to the guilt. Here is a list of things that I, as a mom feel guilty about:

1. General tendency to martyrdom, genetically acquired
2. Do not like to spend more than 2o minutes at a playground, or 30 minutes playing blocks, an hour reading books, etc.
   
3. Reheating food in plastic containers in the microwave - too lazy to do the research as to whether this is horrible or not
4. Serving non-organic strawberries to kids
5. Always forget to bring healthy snacks, often end up serving crackers and fruit leather at the doctor's office
   
6. Using bad language
7. Having far too many toys, general spoiling-related guilt
   

Here's stuff I don't feel guilty about:

1. Sometimes using disposable diapers on D. I feel a whole lot of green guilt over that, but not at all because it could be bad for her.
   
2. Whatever I make for dinner. If someone doesn't like it, if it's not healthy, I don't care. It's one meal in the course of the thousands I will prepare in my life, I cannot worry about it.
3. When D falls and hits her head for the third time this week. I watch her as closely as I can, but still she falls. I guess I could strap her into a stroller all day, but that would not be an improvement.

Thinking about it, I realize that most of the guilt I have (which is alot, by the way) relates to my roles as a wife, or daughter, or member of our species. Notice I'm not posting those lists!