Despite using this picnic blanket nearly every day since it’s completion i have not been able to photograph it. i guess we are mostly in direct sun when we’re using it and being so light in color it hasn’t photographed well so here it is in partial shade at our impromptu beach picnic yesterday morning/afternoon. it was actually part of a late gift for Alistair’s birthday but little A and i seem to be using it mostly.
Sunglass view and his shot of me - i wish i could have taken a shot of him with the camera. He took a whole series of me and he even supports the lens with his left hand. I tell you he’s a budding photographer and i even like the blur;
Saturday we were invited to play in a new park to celebrate our little friend’s 3rd birthday where she had a painting fairy to tell stories.
As we were leaving the party i remembered that the Illuminares Festival at Trout Lake was starting so we ventured over, surprisingly found parking and began our walk around the lake to see everyone’s amazing lanterns. i am so impressed by the efforts and skill. Little A was fascinated with the stilt walkers and generally excited about the whole festival but as the sun started to go down we found ourselves unprepared, cold & hungry so we weren’t able to stay for the lantern lightings. These kinds of events are so much better celebrated in groups. i couldn’t help feeling a little envious of the families set up there with their picnic baskets, music and homemade lanterns. Next year i hope to be better prepared with our own lanterns, fairy wings and perhaps even some junior size stilts. Everyone i know is welcome and encouraged to join us ;
It was difficult to leave as we both were having such a good time so we made plans to pick up pizza slices for a quick and late dinner, get into pjs (him not me) and stroll down a few blocks for a neighborhood view of the fireworks going off down at the beach. Photos never really show how colorfully impressive fireworks are but you all get the idea;
It was a late night, little A had never seen fireworks and again he really liked them but felt torn between ultra fatigue and not wanting to miss the lights. At one point he sleepily said to me, “mommy the fireworks are clean.” i have no idea what he meant by that and when i asked he just looked at me all heavy lidded and i realized he had no idea what he had just said. He cracks me up, the little monkey. He said he couldn’t fall asleep in his stroller with the lights making all their booming.
i can’t believe he woke up at 6;30 Sunday morning! i was groggy, drank a lot of bodum coffee, finally mustered up some energy to bake spelt blueberry muffins which we were eating on the porch in our pjs when a friend walked by reminding us of the farmer’s market. it seems i’m always forgetting the time of this market but we made it, met some other friends and had a great rest of the morning well into afternoon.
i like to be busy and i love all the events that go on in summertime. i do wish i had more energy to take it all in but i am feeling rather worn thin. i’m going to enjoy some lavender scented dreams after a full weekend of summer fun and spontaneity. i wanted an eye pillow so i made 8. Most of these will be gifts. They are filled with organic buckwheat, flax seeds and Okanagan lavender from my momma’s garden;
No more pool time with mommy. Since Little A turned 3 he must take his swim classes without me. i signed him up for a 2 week session of classes everyday except weekends thinking this would be a good solid intro to swimming solo before resuming the regular once a week classes in the fall. i felt pretty easy about whether he chose to swim or not but was adamant that we follow through somehow and at least watch. He was really hesitant despite knowing the instructor very well. He mostly avoided going under, absolutely refused to wear goggles and a couple days we only watched. He was truly excited to swim but he was having a lot of anxiety being so close to the other kids. He wanted so badly for me to go in with him. In the end, after some some steps forward and some steps back, after many discussions, time and just plain fun he wants to swim again. Something did bother me about going though and that is the number of parents forcing their children to take classes. One girl cried every time. She looked terrified!! and while the instructor was excellent, very gentle and understanding it was the mother who was yanking arms and literally pushing her daughter into the water and with a condescending harsh tone telling her to get in and swim. i asked the instructors about this method of forcing children and was answered that it works for some kids and it was even suggested to me that i leave Little A to cry it out (i did not!). i think it may work to get them to swim but what other harm and insecurities are being instilled. it seems very wrong to me. While i think swimming is an important, useful and fun skill to learn i am quite sure that it is not imperative learning for a 3 year old. While this method of forcing children to “learn” seems destined for failure i think it also alarms the other kids who are around and watching too. Little A asked me “mommy why is she crying?” “Why does she have to swim?” At first i answered that maybe she didn’t feel well…..? i don’t know why i lied. i guess i was trying to protect my babe from harsher realities. I’m sure he knew there was more to it because he persisted in asking. i eventually told him that her mommy was being mean. Ack! but then i avoided follow through of my observations with this mommy who was apparently unphased by her own behavior. Do i have a moral obligation to “step in”? i’m no perfect parent and i’m sure there’s no such thing. Sometimes i yell at my kid and feel horribly guilty about it. i understand that there is a breaking point when we lose sight of all good parenting intentions and give into the overwhelming emotions and lash out before we can reach for the rescue remedy and calm down enough to act in a fair and effective manner. i get that some parents really don’t get much of a well deserved and needed break to nourish their soul and wind up running on empty and fumbling to keep it together. i get that we are not perfect and that we often are not the kind of parents we unintentionally assumed we would be. i get that but as an observer when do we offer help or suggestions when we are not asked? i think these past 2 weeks have been stressful for both Little A and i mixed in with a lot of pride. He gets so much that is good from the class itself but it will be nice to take a break from the high pressure parents and go back to our relatively easy flowing days before signing up for the next sessions.
This Like-A-Bike has been sitting in our front hall looking all fancy schmancy and unused for months. I acquired it through a partial trade with Natural Pod and i really thought Little A was ready for it as he had seen so many of his little friends scooting around on them. Alas he would not be prompted. Then rather out of the blue he took an interest and after pushing papa around on it he decided to take a turn and he loves it! This is such a great idea for a bike. It’s a 2 wheeler without petals so he can practice balancing while pushing himself along and eventually he can test gravity on some hills and really have a great time. Here’s the beginning of his learning to balance and ride (time for a helmet);
ps. i was on Granville Island yesterday and i really like this shot; 
It was a strange weekend for no particular reason. Perhaps it is the rain that’s getting me down but i felt myself willing time away and feeling less than creative with my toddler. We spent much of the weekend retreating inside or undercover on the porch with just a couple ventures out here and there including 2 trips to the farmer’s market since i mistook Sat for Sun and went a day early. After dragging little A out in the rain Sat morning to go to a farmer’s market that didn’t start until Sunday, i made it up to him by stopping at Solly’s for potato knish and poppyseed rugeleh. We often stop here after a venture to the nearby library and he digs it;
I’ve been doing some late night/early morning sewing and i’m super happy with these pants for my munchkin - a linen fabric from Ikea?! i also had this weewonderful stitching sitting around being all cute and useless so i quickly stitched it onto an MEC organic cotton longsleeve. It was meant for Fall but given the weather…..well you already know how i feel about that…
…and finally a moopy monkey requested by none other than my little monkey. It’s sort of like the mini moopy - a pattern i acquired from Nest Studio. The pattern is no longer free to download but it does come up for sale in her Etsy shop. It’s a fun pattern and you can easily modify it…i’ve got a penguin in mind for the next one. i use wool to stuff all of my little friends because i have an aversion to synthetics and wool is sooooo soft. I’ve also stuffed a little bell inside this guy which really only rattles but i like the idea especially for wee babes.
Aside from a rather mellow and recluse weekend Auntie was over this afternoon for some bubble fun on the porch;
i had thought that i would make and sell a few things at the Folk Festival this year but once i got there i realized that those days are over for me for now. I have spent many many years selling at markets and fairs and touring festivals and while it’s a lot of fun it is also a lot of fun to just relax and enjoy the music, especially with a little one! So here are some of a few more items in the shop;
There are some other items which have not yet been photographed but this is a start. I also have some remaining items which i have recently marked down; cotton linen dresses and bunting flags.
Aside from a shop update, the weather has turned and i welcome the cooler rain, we’ve picked and eaten our first handful of blackberries, our wee tomatoes are growing, i’m dreading a dentist appointment tomorrow and Little A has started his summer swim classes by himself without me!! i’m so proud! He wouldn’t go in past his belly yesterday but today he was far less hesitant and tomorrow i’m hoping he just goes for it.
i love this shot peeking in through the neighbor’s mail slot. He eventually dragged a chair over to knock on the door to see if anyone was home;
We have been celebrating Little A’s 3rd birthday for about a week! Neither Alistair nor myself are big on birthday attention for ourselves but i have been thoroughly enjoying my little guy’s celebrations. Wow he’s 3! A happy, loving, kissing, gentle and creative young soul of 3! We’ve been pretty attached, him and i, and i’m beginning to sense this real testing of abilities as he excitedly jumps the last 2 stairs and runs without looking back. We’re both ready for this growth, space and adventuring. i’ve reminisced looking through old photo files and the night before his actual birthday i told him the story of his birth. A few days later as we lay face to face for a bedtime story he said he wanted to curl up inside my belly again and i held fast to this moment of intimate mama and babe. He is truly the sweetest thing!
Some photos from our beach birthday picnic;
Every evening throughout the summer around 6pm this “music truck” drives around our block and for well over a year, every time he hears it, Little A drops everything and runs out to the front steps to sit and watch and listen to it go by, sometimes bringing his drum to play along. Several days ago and in celebration of “being bigger” he learned what the music truck is all about. “Mommy it has maple syrup in it!”
