DIY: Birthday Cards

I finally made time to knock out some handmade birthday cards. Woo-hoo!

First, I dug around in my craft closet and found some envelopes I could use. Then I cut some white cardstock to the right size (in this case, the cards are 5" x 7"). Next, I used my paper cutter (I love my paper cutter!) to cut strips of security envelopes that were about 1.5" wide. Then, I simply cut along the strip to make triangles (exactly the way Stephanie suggested).

Then I made piles of flags. For each card, I would set up 8 flags and then go back to put a small dab of white glue on each flag. I would then stick the flags on the card. After I had a bunch of flags done, I used the sewing machine to sew across the top.

To make the stamp, I followed the technique I talked about here. However, instead of using fabric paint, I just used a regular stamp pad. Luckily, I remembered to carve out my letters backwards, so they would face the right way when it came time to stamp.

Voila!

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A Family-Unfriendly Nation

Autumn shared an awesome article with me on Facebook: an interview with Sharon Lerner, the author of The War on Moms, a book about the difficulties women face as they try to raise children in a country that is unfriendly toward families.

A lot of the ideas seem to echo Naomi Wolf's in Misconceptions: Truths, Lies, and the Unexpected on the Journey to Motherhood.

It's overwhelming, really, trying to think about how to make the transition into motherhood a smoother one. It seems like it's going to be difficult on so many fronts. First, it's simply going to be exhausting. The constant feedings, the diaper changes, the interrupted sleep--and the overarching idea that life now revolves around one tiny baby.

And then there's the decision to make around childcare. Does one of us stay home? If yes, how do we subsist on one income?

And how do Matt and I continue to cultivate our relationship with each other, separate from the baby?

And how do I continue to connect with and cultivate myself beyond the baby?

Although answers to these questions are nowhere near being clear to me, it is becoming increasingly apparent that surrounding oneself with a supportive community is key. But what does that look like for two people who live so far away from their families? How do you cultivate a "village" of support apart from your biological, extended families?

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Maximizing Small Spaces

Photo courtesy of Jordan Ferney of Oh Happy Day

I'm so inspired by this Work Station Armoire that Jordan put together to help save space in her home. Right now, Matt and I have an entire room devoted to our office and craft space (with wall to wall tables!), but once we bring a baby into our home, we'll have to consolidate. I'm not sure if I'll want my sewing machine in the baby's room (in something like an armoire that can close up nicely), or if it will make more sense to put it in our bedroom.

The lovely folks over at Young House Love just created an office/play room in their third bedroom. That's not an option for us since we only have two rooms, but it's making me think that it would be nice to have a dual-purpose space where the baby could play and I could work on stuff. Then again, maybe I'll want to do craft stuff after the baby has gone down for the night. But if we do co-sleeping, then that would mean the baby would be in our room, which means I wouldn't want the sewing machine in there anyway. Okay, all this pre-, pre-planning is starting to get confusing. I think I'll add these ideas to my inspiration folder and go think about something else now...

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Is Your Sunscreen Safe?

Argh! It's very frustrating to me that corporations are allowed to put harmful chemicals into the products we put on and in our bodies. I'd like to think that the products I buy at Whole Foods are safe, but apparently that just isn't true either.

While writing a lesson about eliminating toxins from our lives for Purposeful Conception, I found this link to a website that helps you evaluate the chemicals in sunscreen. It turns out that my Alba Botanica sunscreen has a rating of 5, which means that it should be used with "caution." Oy vey.

Apparently, here are some better options:

• Badger
• California Baby
• Coola MineralBaby
• Loving Naturals (I think this is the one I'm going to try, based on the reviews)
  

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Happy Birthday, Mama!

Today is my dear mom's birthday. (Happy Birthday, Mom!)

I have to confess that I get her the exact same present for every single one of her birthdays: I make a photo calendar of the past year. (But it's okay because you like it, right Mom?). I figure I get more creative and original for Christmas and Mother's Day, so it's nice to have a good ol' standby for the third holiday.

Snapfish always does a speedy and satisfactory job printing and mailing the calendar. I always search retailmenot for a coupon before I place my order. This year, I saved a ton (although I would have paid full price for you, Mom...).

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July: Reflection & Rejuvenation

Image courtesy the Nikki McClure calendar

So my first month of summer is officially finished. I have to confess that it doesn't exactly feel like summer. It feels more like keep-working-full-time-but-work-at-home-instead-of-at-school. I'm suspecting that my goals for June have something to do with it:

1. Work on creating an e-course about purposeful conception: Um, yeah, this has been a lot of work. I always underestimate how long something is going to take me! Perhaps that's why I commit to so many projects? At first it was super-exciting work because I was doing the graphic design and the technical stuff. It was very new and challenging. Then I started writing the content for the course, which is fun stuff too, but I already do a lot of writing, as I try to maintain two other blogs. I've also been trying to write extra blog posts for both of my blogs, so I can schedule them to run while I'm on vacation. Needless to say, it's been a lot of work.
   
2. Update the look and functionality of my blogs (have you noticed the banner doesn't match the URL? Oops!): I've done a little bit of this, but not as much as I would have liked to (see goal #1 for my excuse!).
   
3. Completely immerse myself in a yoga retreat with my best friend: Yes! This was so much fun. Aaahhhh. I relax just thinking about it.
   
4. Prepare my workshop for the KIPP School Summit in August: I'm almost done! It feels so good to get things done in advance. I mean, I'm going to have to spend hours working on it anyway, so why not spend hours in June, so I don't have to worry about it and get all stressed in July or August?
   
5. Start my charter school application: I changed this project at the last minute because I got asked to work as a consultant for a Montessori charter school that is trying to get started in another state. Although I have been doing a solid job of turning away additional requests for my time, I actually said yes to this one because it's so aligned with what I want to do. I can learn from their experience!
   
6. Host a picnic/silent film event for friends: Yes. I hosted two potluck/silent films this month!
   
7. Invite someone over for a dinner party: Check! We made flatbread pizzas. Delicious.
   
8. Run and do yoga regularly: I've been running regularly, but for some reason, I keep resisting the yoga. I'm not sure why. I just need to do it.
   
9. Work diligently on the Taking Flight e-course: Check!
10. Study Spanish for 20 minutes every weekday: Um, no. I have not been doing this one. Argh.
    
11. Make a travel pillow for our impending vacation to California and Canada: My craft date with Katie got rescheduled from June to July, so this isn't done yet.
    
12. Take a photography class to learn how to use my new DSLR camera: Check!
    

My intentions for July:

1. Enjoy an amazing two-week road trip with Matt. Oh, I can't wait! We're flying to L.A. and then driving up the coast of California, Oregon, and Washington into the wild of British Columbia, Canada. I want to read books and see amazing places and immerse myself in nature and play games with Matt and hike and hang out near water and chat and listen to TED talks in the car and bask in the sun. (I should also bring along my Spanish CDs...)
   
2. Attend professional development outside of Austin.
3. Try to fill up registration for my e-course. I'm limiting the first class to the first 100 participants.
   
4. Facilitate grade-level collaboration among my Montessori colleagues as we prepare for the new year.
5. Continue nourishing my body with good food and exercising my body.

I'd like to throw in some stuff about organizing our house, but I don't want to over-commit myself. This is enough for July!

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Registration is Now Open!

I can't believe July 1st is finally here! Today is the official start of registration for my Purposeful Conception e-course. I've been working diligently on the course (read: I've missed showers and meals!) for the past five weeks, and I am elated to finally be able to open it up for registration. For the first course, I am limiting registration to the first 100 participants to ensure smooth logistics.

The Nitty, Gritty Details

What:

• An online course and community focused on preparing our minds, bodies, and lives for pregnancy

When:

• August 1-September 3

Cost:

• $99 USD

How:

• Visit the Purposeful Conception website for more information or to register

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Here's the more detailed version:

Are you thinking about getting pregnant or are you already actively trying? Welcome to Purposeful Conception! This course is for all of us.

The idea is simple: bringing a baby into the world is both an overwhelming joy and a life-changing commitment. When we approach conception with intention and purpose, we create a welcoming and prepared space for children in our lives.

This online course will help us position our minds, bodies, and lives for pregnancy. Over the course of five weeks, a new lesson will be uploaded each weekday. The lessons will address a whole host of topics, such as preparing your body through solid nutrition and exercise, finding balance between what you can and cannot control, making space in your life for pregnancy, deciding whether to track your cycle, building a solid partnership as a foundation for your future family, and much, much more. As a participant in the course, you'll receive information, tips, reflection exercises and prompts, access to interviews, and a community of like-minded kindred spirits who are on a journey similar to your own.

Interested in learning more? Visit the Course Overview or About the Author. Already prepared to join the community? Register now! Spaces will be available on a first-come, first-served basis and will be limited to the first 100 participants. The total cost is $99 USD, and the course will begin on August 1, 2010. Happy Conceiving!

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Please consider spreading the word by sharing this post via the buttons at the bottom of the post or by reposting the information on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Thank you so, so much!

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