On Thursday's episode of Life.Style I interviewed Tracey Clark, founder of Shutter Sisters and editor of the amazing book Expressive Photography: The Shutter Sisters' Guide to Shooting from the Heart. The publishers of Expressive Photography sent me a copy of the book to peruse in advance of the show and I cannot recommend it enough, whether as a gift to yourself or a loved one. Whether you're a novice, amateur, or professional photographer, Expressive Photography is replete with inspiring imagery and practical tips and tricks on approach, perspective, composition, lighting, details, and processing for different types of photos (e.g., landscape, portraits, still life, etc.). When I created my life list last month, #5 was "Remember to take photos of my family on the first day of each month." This book is providing immense inspiration to move forward with this project.On Thursday's episode of Life.Style I interviewed Tracey Clark, founder of Shutter Sisters and editor of the amazing book Expressive Photography: The Shutter Sisters' Guide to Shooting from the Heart. The publishers of Expressive Photography sent me a copy of the book to peruse in advance of the show and I cannot recommend it enough, whether as a gift to yourself or a loved one. Whether you're a novice, amateur, or professional photographer, Expressive Photography is replete with inspiring imagery and practical tips and tricks on approach, perspective, composition, lighting, details, and processing for different types of photos (e.g., landscape, portraits, still life, etc.). When I created my life list last month, #5 was "Remember to take photos of my family on the first day of each month." This book is providing immense inspiration to move forward with this project.
Thanks to Kate, for reminding me of the joy and mindfulness involved in bread making via Artisan Breads Every Day:
At restaurants, I'm the person who always devours the basket of bread -- dipped in olive oil or smeared with butter -- before the appetizers come. And then, if I'm feeling bold (or particularly hungry), I ask for the basket to be refilled. That whole no-carb/low-carb/bread-is-evil trend? Not for me. I love bread and bread loves me and I've embarked this past year on an effort to learn how to make bread -- really good bread, bakery-quality bread -- at home.
Today's Dear Boston Mamas question comes from CM via e-mail:
Dear Boston Mamas, I'm about halfway through my pregnancy and am in desperate need of maternity clothes, but I hate the thought of spending tons of money on clothes I'll only wear for a few months. Any sources of reasonably priced maternity clothes in the area that you'd recommend? Thanks!
Do you -- like me -- enjoy taking pictures but want to take your photography to the next level of awesome? Then tune in to Life.Style with Christine Koh tomorrow at 1pm EST! In addition to sharing some fantastic interview footage with renowned pediatrician Dr. Alan Greene (we chat about teaching kids to love real food), I interview three talented photographers who will share great tips on how to rock your camera, whether it's a point and shoot or a DSLR. You're welcome to call in or tweet questions during the live episode, or e-mail me a question in advance to pose to the experts. And if you have a photo you'd like some advice/constructive criticism on, send it to me today at editor@bostonmamas.com.
On Friday I had a super fun time visiting Laurel's classroom as the Mystery Guest, during which time parents can read stories or introduce the kids to their profession or hobbies. Given that most of my work (writing, editing, graphic design) and recreational (e.g., baking, sewing, learning to play mandolin, etc.) endeavors aren't exactly conducive to in-class demos, I decided to teach the kids yoga. I started by telling the kids what I do for work and then explained that because I spend so much time at my computer, it's important to be active too. And that yoga is a great way to calm down while strengthening the body if you're feeling restless or cranky (hint, hint). I thought it would be fun to share the poses I did with the kids, should you and/or your kids need a little calming and strengthening during the day. Enjoy!
Welcome (or shall I say welcome back!) to Boston Mamas Rock! -- where I share the voices of fabulous local mamas from all walks of life. Read on for today's interview with Janet Lee Harrold, mother of one, artist, book author, and special needs advocate by way of her efforts to support her granddaughter Hailey, a 3-year-old with Athetoid Cerebral Palsy. Read on to learn about Janet's impassioned efforts on behalf of her granddaughter and the special needs community as a whole. Then go ahead and nominate a fabulous fellow mama!
Today, parent educator Hetti Wohlgemuth of Alphabet Soup 4 Parents recommends recharging at Habitat:
Few things erase the frenzy of everyday life like nature. And mere blocks from my home is a wonderful gem: Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary in Belmont. Part of the Mass Audubon system -- which maintains 43 wildlife sanctuaries in the state -- Habitat is a heavenly place to walk alone or with the family in all four seasons and using all five senses.
Today, from Lindsey -- an utterly lovely idea for cultivating a family and community based love for reading:
One of my favorite things I do as a mother is participate in a book group with my 8-year-old daughter. We are six mother-daughter teams, and all of the girls are 7 or 8. Each visit we gather at someone's home, and the girl who lives there has picked the book that we discuss.
Today, Kate offers fine fodder to inspire baking this week. As always, I recommend involving your kids in the process, whether it's dumping, measuring, and/or mixing:
This recipe -- based on Abigail Johnson Dodge's toasted almond cookies in The Weekend Baker: Irresistible Recipes, Simple Techniques, and Stress-Free Strategies for Busy People -- arose out of my desire to use up ingredients lingering in my cupboard and has since evolved into one of my favorite treats. Easy and quick to make, fine to freeze, and popular with guests and hosts alike, these cookies provide a great balance of sweet, nutty, and tart.
Laurel recently has gotten into headbands (which is great because her fine hair is prone to flyaways that get stuck in food and art projects), and we've struck out on a couple of attempts to find a flower headband she likes. I was about to jump down the Etsy rabbit hole (or hit the craft store and warm up my glue gun) when we stumbled upon this fashion headbands kit. We originally bought the kit for a friend's birthday, and then Laurel decided to use a birthday gift card for her own kit, and it has been a huge hit.
Today, Jennifer shares a couple of great resources for medical alert tracking and cool ID accessories for grownups and kids:
I love jewelry and accessories...I mean, I really, really love them. So when a recent medical issue resulted in my need for a medic ID bracelet (I have an adult onset seizure disorder controlled by meds -- or as I like to say, I'm just a little bit electric), the diagnosis left me with a serious accessory challenge: where do I get a cute medic alert bracelet? And also, how should I store my emergency medical information?
What an outpouring of birthday love I felt in my inbox and Twitter stream yesterday -- thank you! I had a fantastic day off; most of the morning was spent with my midwife and an ultrasound technician, and then I enjoyed bento boxes with Jon, he helped me take a step towards #36 on my life list via a very generous gift, and I enjoyed relaxation, cake, and music making with Jon and Laurel throughout the rest of the day. So lovely!
Today, Kate recommends something I also love doing (I'm enjoying my flexibility while I can still see my toes) -- yoga at home:
Several months ago, I woke up in the middle of the night with an inspiration. I had been considering whether to sign up for a yoga class -- a practice I have always enjoyed but often found hard to squeeze into my schedule and budget -- but hadn't quite taken the leap yet. And then I figured why not try yoga DVDs at home? They're readily available at my public library in many varieties, can be done on my schedule, and don't require schlepping exercise clothes or dealing with unfamiliar locker rooms. I never thought of myself as someone with the discipline to exercise at home, but I decided to experiment with setting aside 30 minutes in the quiet of the early morning to stretch and sweat (just a bit), and have found that it has paid off in general well being, expense (free!), and convenience. Here are some of my DVD recommendations:
A few weeks ago I admittedly got pretty riled up when I heard about the Corn Refiners Association's (CRA) petition to change the name high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) to corn sugar. The CRA claims that the goal is to eliminate confusion for consumers, but the US food system cynic in me immediately figured it was a ploy to change the now-well-publicized, mouthful-of-a-name HFCS to something easier to read. Because, you know, one thing pro natural food people like me will urge people to do is buy foods where you can actually read the ingredient label.
One thing that's clear about pregnancy is that bodies grow very differently (when in doubt, do not ask!). I "popped" late with Laurel, and it's been similar this go around. At almost 17 weeks, though I'm definitely feeling thicker around the middle, I'm still wearing my regular clothes; as of two weeks ago, I simply looked a little full of korma and last week I started sporting a little bump that's still not evident in regular clothes. Through the second trimester, transition pieces are key, and I'm all about mining one's existing wardrobe, particularly since in the second trimester you may not be ready for full blown maternity clothing. Here are my five favorite regular wardrobe pieces that are serving me immensely well in transition. I've put together a few cute looks based on these pieces and all of these looks are non-maternity wear, so even if you aren't pregnant you can enjoy them. Today I'm focusing on casual clothing and plan on doing a dressy/work roundup soon.
Today, Carole Arsenault of Boston Baby Nurses encourages you to recognize sources and signs of postpartum depression in moms and dads and get help if needed.
October is National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month -- an important time for new parents and parents-to-be to consider the signs and affects of postpartum depression (PPD) on both mom and dad.
I've been meaning to post for a while now about some utterly lovely pottery we've been enjoying. During a hunt for unique Korean style pottery, I discovered Grace Lee's Vancouver-based studio eikcam via Etsy. Lee creates beautiful pottery, jewelry, and photography, and her ceramics are lovingly handcrafted and styled with a vintage and earthy aesthetic using antique molds and distinctive glazes. And from a customer service perspective, Lee is wonderful; she was patient and cheerful while I waffled absurdly about color options before settling on this pretty little pair of turquoise dasik tea tumblers. I adore the (by American standards) petite size and styling of these tumblers (about 8 ounces); they're dishwasher and microwave safe (though I prefer to hand wash them) and I'm pretty sure that at some point I ought to get the matching tea pot.