our next era

coffeenuts: 54534-20 Papaver somniferum by horticultural art on...

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 13:31:02 -0600

coffeenuts:

54534-20 Papaver somniferum by horticultural art on Flickr.

treeporn: Forest Colors…. by Tobi_2008

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 16:30:24 -0600

treeporn:

Forest Colors…. by Tobi_2008

batixa: (via Břichopas about toys: Andre de Loba) Inspiration...

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:25:48 -0600

batixa:

(via Břichopas about toys: Andre de Loba)

Inspiration for homemade wooden blocks for outdoors/sandbox.

batixa: Les bonnes choses by Maman Xuxudidi on...

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 07:04:49 -0600

batixa:

Les bonnes choses by Maman Xuxudidi on Flickr.

Mourning the pecan tree over our backyard that the neighbor just cut down, making the sweet pecans scattered in bowls throughout the house limited and more precious.

studyofnature: via textless I miss birding and need to get it...

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 20:54:08 -0600

studyofnature:

via textless

I miss birding and need to get it back.

owlmania1999: little islands quilt by Applecyder on Flickr.

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:31:05 -0700

owlmania1999:

little islands quilt by Applecyder on Flickr.

Our sweetheart.

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:45:37 -0700

Our sweetheart.

Photo

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:13:04 -0700

ruralgirl: girly cottage livingroom - sally conran by ooh_food...

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 03:35:44 -0700

ruralgirl:

girly cottage livingroom - sally conran by ooh_food on Flickr.

Sky blue.

Submit your own here: http://lovemakesafamily.tumblr.com/submit

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 16:43:17 -0700

Submit your own here: http://lovemakesafamily.tumblr.com/submit

(via SouleMama: {this moment}) It’s almost woodstove time!

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:29:05 -0600

(via SouleMama: {this moment})

It’s almost woodstove time!

Oh, crap

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 03:53:37 -0600

It’s 3:30am, and I’m pretty sure our whole family is getting sick, including at least one cat. Everyone is sniffling or complaining of a sore throat, and our friend Steve is driving here from Michigan as we speak to visit. Of course.

Why Don’t We Confront Those Parents Who Refuse To Vaccinate Their Kids?

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:18:17 -0600

Why Don’t We Confront Those Parents Who Refuse To Vaccinate Their Kids?:

dover:

This article hits really close to home for me. Living in the Bay Area, where outbreaks of preventable diseases amongst unvaccinated children is becoming a regular occurrence, one of my biggest fears is that Eleanor will come down with a horrible and potentially life threatening disease by having contact with unvaccinated children. The more rounds of her shots that she gets, the less I worry, but she won’t be fully immunized until she is over a year old, and infants are at the greatest risk of contracting such diseases.

I mentioned before I how I was signing up for some local meet-up groups. I really wanted to join one called “Natural Parenting.” The group describes itself with buzzwords like attachment parenting, co-sleeping, babywearing, breastfeeding, natural birth. I was getting excited reading all of them, thinking this could be a perfect group for me, and then I read the last buzzword: vaccine free. Nope. I’m not going to go to a group where I know for a fact several of the children are not vaccinated. But these same kids could be at our local park. They could be at the grocery store. They could be in Eleanor’s preschool class. I really want to send her to a Montessori school, but I worry she could come home with measles. Even though she will be fully vaccinated by then, there is still a small chance she could catch the disease if it is going around.

At the same time, I want to say that I respect each parent’s decision regarding vaccination. I want to, but it’s difficult when their personal decision might impact my own child. Suddenly it doesn’t seem so personal anymore. This is a social issue with wide reaching ramifications, and it isn’t appropriate to simply say “to each his own” in this case.

[A]s strongly as I feel about it, I have never, ever, once argued this directly to the face of a friend who I know didn’t vaccinate. Never once said, when one of my kids was too young or too newly adopted to have been vaccinated, that I want them to vaccinate their kids to protect mine, and others. Never once applied peer pressure to support what I believe is right. No, I’ve been too busy “respecting other parenting choices.” […]
When did vaccination become something we can talk about only with people we agree with? “Respecting” others’ decisions can be read as endorsement or at the very least acquiescence, and for non-vaccination, I feel neither. By kindergarten, too, many of the “arguments” against vaccinating very young children have passed their expiration date. Those parents are due for a re-think. Even it if means some awkward conversations around the vegan, locally sourced stewpot, I’m feeling like it’s worth some discomfort to speak up.

I’ve also had to choose isolation at times to protect Alice from potential exposure to “vaccine free” kids and it sucks. Postnatal yoga class? I’d love to, but I know from the prenatal classes that there will be unvaccinated babies. Breastfeeding drop-in center? Same thing. I’d love to connect with some local, (otherwise) like-minded parents, but it’s so risky. And it’s true that there is this taboo against expressing disagreement with the people who are putting my baby at risk.
After the agony of having our daughter in the NICU for her first week of life, there is absolutely no way I will risk her health for my social life. It doesn’t really seem fair that other people have essentially made this choice for us…

All Hallows Eve '11

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:52:50 -0600

Mike’s favorite holiday was, of course, a bit different this year but overall a success.

He went on a Critical Mass zombie ride:

We went to Marta’s famous Halloween party:

We carved pumpkins:

And finally, we ran out of $50 worth of candy in less than two hours with the many hundreds of kids trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. It is really the spectacle. We tried to take Alice to just a couple of neighbor’s houses, but she was fussy, and we aborted the mission. As is fitting of my new status as mom, I realized at the end of the night, after decorating the porch, dressing Alice, feeding friends who came over, nursing the baby, and trying to take photos for posterity, that I hadn’t had a single piece of candy before it was all gone!

I was happy with Alice’s mermaid outfit, and she actually liked it too. (Maybe because the tail is sort of swaddle-ish?) I had long dreamed of making my kid’s costume, and I loved figuring it all out.

Next year is going to be fantastic, when Alice will actually be able to walk door to door and get excited by the festivities! For now, we’ll treasure the memory of our sweet little mermaid on her first Halloween.

Sitting in the highchair with such panache.

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 10:01:06 -0600

Sitting in the highchair with such panache.

crafts-in-works

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 17:30:04 -0600

1. A’s Halloween costume!

2. Fabric dyeing

3. Xmas gifts

4. Side business stuff

5. Mittens for A

6. Finish bunting for A’s room

7. A’s Xmas stocking

8. Xmas wreath

9. Wool rug?

Gotta keep the creative side in balance somehow.

Mike’s surprise 30th birthday party! It was a tricky...

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 13:14:31 -0600

Mike’s surprise 30th birthday party!

It was a tricky thing to pull off between work and baby and not having a car most of the time, but I had a good friend helping me. Mike had a great time so of course it was totally worth it. The theme of the cake was “it’s not too late to be a surfer.”

Mike’s 30th birthday steak!

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:45:00 -0600

Mike’s 30th birthday steak!

If I don’t finish her real costume in time, she’s...

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:40:49 -0600

If I don’t finish her real costume in time, she’s going to make a tasty foil-wrapped Norcal burrito.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Leaving Your Big Predatory Bank - Politics - GOOD

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:17:26 -0600

A Step-by-Step Guide to Leaving Your Big Predatory Bank - Politics - GOOD:

The Nov. 5 deadline is exactly the incentive I need to finally dump Wells Fargo. Now to decide if it makes more sense to stick with my SF-based Patelco Credit Union long-distance or get membership in a local CU with a crappier website…