Growing up: They get it

There's a sweet video circulating in social media circles that shows a 5-year-old girl becoming very upset upon realizing her baby brother isn't going to stay a baby forever.  The girl is adorable and her emotions are so sincere.  Growing up, growing old and dying are all very tricky topics to talk about with kiddos.

A NY Magazine article today looks at when kids realize they're going to grow up.  One study says children between ages 3 and 5 think that birthday parties cause aging; you don't become another year older until you have a party.  I love that.  Another study finds that even young preschoolers can understand the basic premise of aging.  They might get some of the details wrong, but they understand more than we often give them credit for.

My mother died before Riloh and Daphne were born, so we call her our special angel Grandma Pat.  They can pick Grandma Pat out in photos and Riloh is starting to remember stories that she has been told about her special angel.  Last January Riloh was looking for one of her dolls and we couldn't find it anywhere.  After a few days of searching she said to me, "I think he died, Mommy.  He's an angel now."  Woah.  Yup, she's paying attention.

Some fun extras:

This is an awesome book for recording the wonderful things your kids say.  I keep one on my bookshelf and I've given it several times as a gift.

Here's a beautiful keepsake growth chart to hang on the wall.  And this one.  And these.

Paul McCartney is in town on Sunday.  Vote for your favorite PM song here.

Stylish and motivational wall decor.

Have a colorful weekend

Wine-throated hummingbird

What are you up to this weekend?  We're going to (try to, finally) tackle some indoor painting projects.  The previous owners of our 80 year-old house favored the color pale yellow.  It's sallow and dingy and kind of makes you feel uneasy, and it's everywhere.  Our biggest hurdle for getting painting projects done, however -- of course, after trying to do this with little kids running around -- is choosing paint colors that we both like.  Jesse and I have very different (strong) opinions about wall colors and it takes us forever to agree on a hue that we both don't hate.  Thank goodness for the sample-size jars of paint.  We've bought at least a dozen this time around!

Have a great weekend and here are some fun posts from around the web:

Five mistakes everyone makes (well maybe not everyone, haha) when choosing paint colors.

Getting eight hours of sleep might actually be bad for you.

A wear-everywhere tank dress.

Craft beer bars in Paris.

Eye color may be linked to pain tolerance.

Delicious fruit-infused waters.

Strawberry lime cucumber mint water

Hummingbird photograph by Jose Yee.
 

New fabrics at FISCH

Per my recent post: there is still a lot of summer left to be enjoyed!  But it's hard not to start thinking about fall fashions just a teeny tiny bit when retailers and magazine editors everywhere are already pushing the next season's must-haves.  So, I've started shopping for some summer-to-fall transitional fabrics for FISCH Collection.  Check out these adorable prints; many are from my local fabric shop Treadle Yard Goods.  And I'm pretty sure I'll also have to grab a few of yards of these Charley Harper prints -- love!

All of the fabrics shown here are in-house now and ready to become reversible smock dresses (12mo-4T).  As always, I'm happy to work with clients to find the fabric combination that works best for them.  Please contact me or visit my Etsy shop.  I'll be adding the fall fabrics there shortly.

Pssssssst.... FISCH Collection (ahem, me) is working on a dress style for 5-12 year olds that will complement the reversible smock.   I'm hoping it will be ready in time for fall.  I'll update!

Okay, back to fall fashion, quickly.... Is it really ever too soon to look at fall shoe trends?  And these.  And don't dare forget boots.

Chanel.  Just fantastic.  Perfect for preschool drop-offs!

Tee-hee-hee

And in today's fashion news...   Haha, these just made me laugh.

Hot town, summer in the city

I know the soaring temps and humidity this week can be tough for some to handle.  But really, THIS is what I've been waiting for.  Be careful, especially with the heat-vulnerable ones in our lives, but do try to embrace the thick hot sticky air -- and remember how we'll be longing for this weather in just a few short months.

Tricks for styling hair in the heat, without heat.

The BEST ponytails of all time.

What vacation looks like before and after kids.

First listen: Jenny Lewis' new album, 'Voyager.'  I DIG it.  (Fact: my daughter Riloh is named after Jenny Lewis' former band, Rilo Kiley, which was the first band my husband and I saw together when we started dating.)

This bench is beautiful.  And, hmm, maybe this for the back patio?

Popsicle recipes (and a few with alcohol).

Check out Minneapolis-based Coolibar, stylish sun protective clothing for adults and kiddos.

Waaaaay too awesome not to share.  Cool cat looking for a kitty, Gonna look in every corner of the city...

Infinite seashell wall sculpture

Cucumber Honeydew Margarita Popsicles

Fresh herbs galore? Let's make cocktails!

 
By this time of the summer, herb gardens are robust and we're still happily devouring guacamole with fresh cilantro and bruschetta with fresh basil.  But I'm also eager to use these fragrant and flavorful green beauties in other ways.  So it got me thinking... surely there are amazing drink recipes with fresh herbs to be enjoyed.  I scoured the web for some recipies; links are below the photos.  Cheers!

Local restaurant Salut Bar Américain makes one of my favorite drinks year-round, the Froggystyle, which uses Hendricks gin, muddled cucumber and mint, and a slice of lime.  Délicieux!  And by the way, their hand-cut pomme frites with Bearnaise sauce are soooooo yummy ("Best Fries in the Twin Cities" by Mpls/St. Paul Magazine.)  The rest of the menu is terrific, too.

From around the web:

American craft beer is invading Europe.

It's Mpls.St.Paul Magazine's Restaurant Week in the Twin Cities.  Go here for a list of great deals.

Tips for storing fresh herbs.

Indoor garden ideas.  The herb chandelier is amazing.

How to picnic in Paris.  And a list of top food trucks, in Paris. 

Pimm's Cup with fresh mint

Lemon Lavender Gin Fizz

Cilantro Mojito

Basil Julep

The Green Lantern with parsley

Creativity

Hanging light bulb vases at Etsy

There's an interesting article in The Atlantic today about creativity and various theories about how one becomes creative.  Are we born creative, or is creativity is learned?  Can we become more creative with practice or by being open to new experiences, or are we all hard-wired to be as creative as we're ever going to be?

I think creativity is a fundamental trait of human beings.  We're problem-solvers and survivors, which requires tremendous creativity daily.  Of course we all have different creative strengths in millions of different areas.  I love to write song lyrics, but put me in front of a canvas with a paintbrush and I go totally blank.

I love to be inspired by others' creativity.  Music is often my biggest inspiration.  And photography.  And my kids.  And, oh you get the point.  What are your creative inspirations?

How to be creative.  A 2009 study found that subjects solved twice as many insight puzzles when surrounded by the color blue, since it leads to more relaxed and associative thinking. Red, on other hand, makes people more alert and aware, so it is a better backdrop for solving analytic problems.

A terrific book about being creative, by one of my favorite artists.

Test your creativity.

Amazing travel photography.  And an interesting perspective about the art of mindful photography.

A favorite songwriter performing a favorite song at a favorite show:


We passed the time with crosswords that she thought to bring inside
What five letters spell "apocalypse" she asked me
I won her over singing "W.W.I.I.I."
Oh, she smiled and we both knew that she'd misjudged me
© 2007 Josh Ritter

Bitten by the bug

My three and a half year old is crazy about bugs and worms and anything from a related species.  Me, not so much, but I've come to appreciate her deep fascination and awe with discovering critters of various shapes, sizes and motivations.  Our very wet spring provided a robust insect breeding environment this year -- some of those buggers are huge!

Here's an awesome tip for relieving bug bites, direct from our pediatrician: Use Adolph's meat tenderizer on mosquito bites, bee stings, all of the critter bites.  Add a few drops of water to make paste, apply directly to the bite area, leave on for a few minutes, then brush it off.  I cover the area with a band-aid or sterile gauze pad if the kiddos are squirmy.  It really reduces the swelling.  The papain in the tenderizer breaks down the protein toxins in the bites.  Who knew??  Well now we all do.  I found Adolph's in the spice aisle at Target for $2.50. 

Just For Fun: 

Because who can resist a great list of Bug Fun Facts?  And this list might give you nightmares (especially the fact about the mosquitoes.)

This is one photogenic beetle.  And pretty terrific photography (by a human).

If you haven't been to the Minnesota Zoo Big Bugs! exhibit, go.  It's fun.

So beautiful -- Genetically unusual butterflies.

This song is a perfect "earworm" for your day -- Enjoy!

Riloh discovered this baby hopper on the side of our garage.  It was less than 1/4 inch long!

Blog hiatus is almost over

I'm very excited to launch FISCH Collection in mere days!  I took a blog break to work on this new venture and I can't wait to show you what I've created.

Here's a preview of my new girls' dress line.  And you can order at my Etsy shop!