ParentDish

Free knitting pattern for spring baby girl halter: cute!

Larissa Brown — Wed, 24 May 2006 18:05:00 EST

Filed under: Fun & Activities, Kid Decor & Style, That's Entertainment

For all those parents who want to knit - or knitters who want to give baby gifts - but who live in hot climates, knitty's new Katja top may be just the adorable answer. Cute as a bug, and worked in recycled cotton, the top can knitted entirely without seaming.

The free pattern is published by knitty magazine and designed by Tisra Fadely. The sweet model's name is Lael.

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Best & Worst Munchies for Kids: a mini crit of parents.com's list

Larissa Brown — Wed, 17 May 2006 11:02:00 EST

Filed under: Eating & Nutrition, That's Entertainment

Parents.com recently sent me an e-postcard with links to several of their articles, and I just had to follow the one about best and worst munchies for kids. Binx is just getting old enough to start eating things you might term "munchies," and yesterday during a tense few moments at Goodwill I tried to mollify him with the closest thing they sold to food - Combos! (For those who haven't had Combos, they're very salty pretzels filled with very salty cheese-food. They sent a brilliant orange drool stream down his front. Luckily we were cruising Goodwill shirtless. Oh, we were a classy family yesterday.)

Figuring Combos would not be on the Parents.com best list - and that I might get some good ideas - I clicked away. But I was disappointed to find that their list was extremely basic, without any explanation of the choices.

Strangest of all, the best list was topped by a classic but inexplicable choice. #1: American Cheese. Now, I love some American Cheese and always did as a child. But Binx is new to this eating thing, and ~~doesn't know~~ didn't know about the cheap and brilliant cheese experience until yesterday. There is still time to introduce him to much finer cheeses while his brain is young and malleable. In a world with crumbly Goudas aged to perfection, mouthwatering local organic Cheddars, string cheeses in their own kid-happy packs, and creamy lumpy Bries ready for exploring fingers, why on earth would any dietitian top any best munchies list with specifically American cheese?

It kind of made me doubt the rest of the best-for-kids list, which included some of the foods I loved best as a child and

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Adventures in Parenting: the no-name birthday party

Larissa Brown — Mon, 15 May 2006 19:56:00 EST

Filed under: Just For Moms, Places To Go, Holidays, That's Entertainment

7 stores. 5 hours. 2 meltdowns. 1 crawling expedition on horrifically dirty Party City linoleum. Results? Not much.

I was brought up in New Jersey, where things are done in a very particular and traditional way. Children's birthday parties have themes. The first thing my mother asked when I called her to discuss Binx's first birthday barbecue was "What's his theme?" The question was asked with a serious formality. It was a test for the new mom. Did I pick a good theme? One that is cute, and fun, and lends itself to showing off my creative decorating prowess?

I answered "on the move." That was Binx's theme, according to our hurried evite of the week before. It seemed apropos, with all the crawling he'd been doing. I pictured cupcakes with little red wagon cake toppers and plates and cups with little red tricycles. It would be a multimodal happy baby extravaganza.

Boy did I learn a lesson.

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When Mama's Away, day 6: history eraser button

Larissa Brown — Tue, 09 May 2006 09:31:00 EST

Filed under: Just For Dads

I'm sure you're familiar with all-important Ren & Stimpy episode "Space Madness" -- and if you're not, please, put down that Plato and let me be your guide to high culture. (This is Martin, BTW, filling in for Larissa.)

In the surreal ending, the spaceship's mad Captain Hoek assigns Cadet Stimpy to march around a small round console, guarding the button at its center: the History Eraser Button.

Stimpy's not supposed to touch the button of course. But who can resist pressing such a big beautiful button, a "jolly candy-like button"? Not to mention the maddening urge to eradicate history? [spoiler...] Not Stimpy!

Binx has a high-tech toy that's a lot like the history eraser console. It's so secret I can only show you this night-goggle spy-cam shot of it. Binx has been blithely pounding away at that jolly lighted button the whole time Larissa's been away. After 6 days of this I think Binx has managed to erase all patterns of our previous relationship.

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When Mama's Away, Day 5: unsanctioned cage match lost by Elmo, chicken

Larissa Brown — Mon, 08 May 2006 11:59:00 EST

Filed under: Just For Dads

I finally got a lot of work done yesterday, despite the fact that Larissa is not here to help take care of Binx. (This is Martin filling in for her.) The key was putting Binx in a large play yard with a sufficient number and variety of safety-approved toys, while I worked nearby. However, it was clearly the toys' safety I should have been thinking of, as the following police diagram shows.

(A) is the security perimeter designed to keep the infant from harm, but which inadvertently served to trap the victim, one "Elmo" (B), inside. The victim was allegedly attacked with a plastic pail (C) and, to add insult to injury, "gnawed upon." (D) marks a few of the many positive, enriching toys provided for but rarely utilized by the suspect (E). Finally, (F) is a rubber chicken that dared to intervene.

Tragically, the suspect is less than 1 year old. He and I also had a very fine day. Whenever he looked over at me I think he thought I was playing too. Sigh.

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When Mama's Away, Day 4: waking up with the boy

Larissa Brown — Sun, 07 May 2006 12:59:00 EST

Filed under: Just For Dads

Larissa's on vacation (this is her "dh" Martin filling in), so I get up every morning with Binx. Sure it's sweet and precious -- and believe me I'll get to the cutesy stuff -- but since it's Sunday, maybe it's time to stretch out a bit and think about that ineffable 4th dimension: time.

(A resounding roll from the tympani drums, please, or even better, the sound of a gong.)

So far in my life I've been resistant to acknowledging the passage of time. Though by rock and roll standards my life's been pretty tame, by my ancestors' WASPy ones I've been quite dissolute in my avoidance of adult responsibilities. In certain ways it's helped. I'm (holy moley) 19 years older than the drinking age in my area, but until recently I got still got carded regularly when buying beer.

As a consequence I've willfully ignored all the standard symbols of advancing age. I've seen spring flowers coming and going, leaves turn to brown, winter snows fall and melt... blah blah blah and SO WHAT.

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When Mama's Away, Day 3: clobbered by a cold

Larissa Brown — Sat, 06 May 2006 16:59:00 EST

Filed under: Just For Dads

Boy, did I get my comeuppance yesterday, which was undoubtedly the hardest day I've spent as a parent. Before then, everything was going along so swimmingly. I was having no problem taking care of Binx 24/7 in Larissa's absence (this is Martin filling in for her). Sure, I wasn't getting a lot of work done, but I was musing about things and enjoying myself.

Then a tiny virus came along, knocked me down, and started kicking. Hard.

I woke up with a savage headache and violent hot and cold shivers. Whenever I get sick, my body gets very theatrical, putting on trembling scenes of woe fit for a Jacobean tragedy. I'm never just a little sick. This time it felt like a cinder block was lodged in my sinuses. I couldn't think straight.

Then came the siren wail: Binx was up, and upset.

"Larissa, could you check him?" I mumbled automatically.

No response. I rolled over to find her not there, and slowly grokked she was in the godforsaken tropics sipping umbrella drinks. There was no one there to help me.

The rest of the day was a battle between two life-or-death impulses: the need to take care of myself, and the need to take care of the baby (I think he might have been coming down with something too), and though it all turned out okay, man, it wasn't pretty.

About 6:30 pm some emergency help arrived, with cold medicine and soup (for me) and graham crackers (for Binx). Those things helped, but I think just as important was the message that I wasn't alone. Lesson of the day: in this task of parenting I'll take all the help I can get.

Props to all you single moms & dads out there.

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When Mama's Away, Day 2: I'm too sexy for my... #1 dad t-shirt?

Larissa Brown — Fri, 05 May 2006 08:02:00 EST

Filed under: Just For Dads

Since Larissa's away on vacation (this is her "dh", Martin, filling in), I thought I'd have more crises to report. But Binx hasn't been too much trouble. The only things of note he did yesterday were to crawl approximately 50 laps of my 12' long office -- more than 1/10 of a mile! -- and to feed me precisely 0.999999 Cheerios for every one I fed him.

There's been plenty of time to notice other things. Like how I'm getting more looks from the opposite sex now than ever.

Of course everybody everywhere looks at Binx. He's cute as heck.

But sometimes there's more. When I carry Binx into the swirl and hum of the hip grocery store, I feel it: that odd sensation of eyes following me. Conversations take on little chugs and pauses, as sentences are waylaid, ever so momentarily. Over the free sample cart of organic sesame crackers, past the magazine rack, through the glass freezer doors, there are people stealing looks -- at me. And it's not just any people. It's women, usually late-20's or mid-30's.

I'm not saying they're making advances, or even that a glance is any more than a brain spasm. But some sort of instinctive interest is obviously there.

There were times in the past when I got (briefly, sigh) popular because I played guitar, or had some other colorful habit. It was fun to feel wanted, but it always turned out those people didn't really like me. I just symbolized something.

What is it I represent now? "Enquiring minds want to know."

Thanks to kitty27 for the great photo, under Creative Commons License.

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When Mama's Away, Day 1: best laid plans

Larissa Brown — Thu, 04 May 2006 08:02:00 EST

Filed under: Just For Dads

First off, full disclosure: though the author line says Larissa, she's not writing this. It's her significant other, Martin.

I'm filling in for Larissa because yesterday she left for Hawaii, where she will be pursuing a mythical nectar she calls sleep of indeterminate duration -- a state of being in which she will choose when to begin and end periods of rest.

I don't quite understand the concept. Perhaps it's one of those mystical trance states achieved after 10 years of meditation, like being in many places at once? Anyway, my brain hasn't been 100% for the last 51 weeks. Which curiously enough, is exactly the age of Binx.

I'm on my own with the boy for six days until the wife gets back. And call me crazy, but right now I'm feeling cocky about it.

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Cooking together: do you do it? and how?

Larissa Brown — Mon, 01 May 2006 11:31:00 EST

Filed under: Fun & Activities, That's Entertainment

Yesterday when I arrived at my friend Sarah's house, both her boys were in adorable floor-length (on them, anyway) aprons, with nothing but diapers or superhero undies underneath, working hard on a batch of cupcakes.

At one year into this parenting thing, I'm still in a bit of shock and feel like baking and cooking sound too complicated most days. I hope that someday I'll be awake and energetic enough to share the experience frequently with Binx. I've already invented two extremely easy new dishes that can be made with stuff I have around and can be thrown together without much attention. But I long for the days of baking bread again, and things like scratch cupcakes.

To inspire me I have Sarah, who cooks often with nearly-4-year-old Everett and 1-year-old Truman. And I have my membership in a fairly new flickr group called Cooking With Family and Friends. Instead of featuring glamour shots of finished cooking projects, this group pool shows photos of people happily cooking together and sharing in the abundance and good cheer of the kitchen. In fact, many of the photos show my personal kitchen (yikes).

Do you cook together with your kids? And if so, do you have any tips or stories or best recipes to share? And would you join the flickr group and show us your families cooking? I'd love to see you in action and get inspired even more.

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Hypnosis birthing: a brand new style?

Larissa Brown — Sun, 30 Apr 2006 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Pregnancy & Birth, Media, That's Entertainment

While I was pregnant, a little more than a year ago, I was interested in learning about all the possible ways of preparing for and experiencing birth. From the hospital-provided class to Ina May Gaskin's psychedelic birth stories, I read a lot about many, many different options. But I never thought of them as different styles.

Yet, Thursday the New York Times reported on hypnobirthing in its Style section. Hypnobirthing is a brand of hypnosis preparation for birthing. After all my reading, I decided to go with hypnosis for my birth preparation, but I personally used a hypnosis method that you can learn at home called HypBirth.

A doctor quoted in the Times points out what I found to be the shortfall of this method. Hypnosis birthing depends on completely changing your perceptions of how birth is going to feel and go. So, most programs completely ignore exploring any scenarios that are less than ideal.

So while I actually got to the point where I could numb parts of my body using the HypBirth light switch technique at home in bed, I ended up having very little training for

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Stained glass projects for everyone

Larissa Brown — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 11:59:00 EST

Filed under: Fun & Activities

My sister and I appear in one of my favorite photos, about 5 and 3 years old respectively, groovy outfits and messy wispy hair all over. We're posed in front of our red Buick convertible, its windows are covered with "stained glass." It's so easy to do, it's a sin. And I remember it to this day as really fun.

You take colored construction paper, cut or rip it into pleasing shapes, soak it briefly in water, and stick to the car windows. Then you can sit in the parked car and enjoy the sun through the colors (Do I have to say it? Don't drive this way!)

Maybe I was just a child of the '70s. Is this too simple to be fun these days?

Other "stained glass" options include ironing crayon shavings between layers of wax paper (oh, I loved that one too!), and stained glass cookies made with crushed, melted hard candies. I've made those, too, and they are oh so cool.

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Blogging Baby Book: the effect on our dog

Larissa Brown — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 15:33:00 EST

A mere two years ago Ellie, our Australian Shepherd, was a pro. She hit the agility course running and never looked back, executing jumps through hoops, long curving runs through tunnels, and leaps landed perfectly on top of 6-foot-high ramps or even tree branches. She passed her sheep herding instinct test with flying colors, corralling an escaped sheep twice her size. She would jump five feet in the air and make a half-turn to catch her Frisbee, just because she could.

Now she spends most of her time laying under Binx's high chair, waiting for cheese to fall.

This morning I found her perfecting her new role as a lump, laying sprawled in the sun in the backyard barely breathing. My husband commented that she'd begun to resemble Burt Reynolds in the beginning of the '70s classic film Smokey and the Bandit. She desperately needs someone to come tell her that a dogsled full of Coors is needed and she's the only one who can deliver it.

Or course, this is an exaggeration (lest you think you need to contact the ASPCA). We do take Ellie on long walks in the park nearly every day, including running time in the

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Image of the Day: out cold

Larissa Brown — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Development, Daily Cutie

On a sea of white crispness, in a white onesie, this is such a pure photograph. I love the baby's round head and little chubby legs. The arm thrown above the head is too cute. I could fall into that cloud of a bed right now. Mmmmmm. Thank you to elfcakes for this beautiful moment in time.

April is the month for sleeping babies and children at Image of the Day. If you'd like your own child featured here, simply upload photos into our group Flickr pool - and please set them so they are downloadable in multiple sizes. We'll select an image every day to highlight. Be sure to read the intro on the main Flickr page for more information, and please limit your uploading to 5 photos per day. Thanks!

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Blogging Baby Size Six: last-minute Easter craft ideas

Larissa Brown — Sat, 15 Apr 2006 14:03:00 EST

Filed under: Fun & Activities

For those who procrastinate, or who just found out a bunch of kids are coming over for Easter, here are several quick crafty ideas that can be pulled off by tomorrow, or can be done by the kids themselves with few ingredients. And none involve dye!

1. Yarn eggs. For anyone who crewels, crochets, knits, or does other yarny crafts, the ingredients for this fun little project should be right at hand. Give children a selection of non-precious cottons and wools and an empty egg carton, and let them create a dozen yarn eggs. Each child can keep his or her eggs to make things with, or give the carton as a gift for a crafter to make a scrap scarf or other small project.

2. Spool animals. Hillary at wee wonderfuls describes these best, and has adorable examples on her blog this week. The sheep is a must-see.

3. Tissue flowers and corsages. Using colored tissue paper and pipe cleaners, kids

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Image of the Day: sleeping, with cheeks

Larissa Brown — Sat, 15 Apr 2006 11:55:00 EST

Filed under: Development, Daily Cutie

That little pursed mouth is one of my favorite things about sleeping babies. It always perfectly complements the yummy chubby cheeks. Thank you to mohmlet for sharing this sweet photo.

April is the month for sleeping babies and children at Image of the Day. If you'd like your own child featured here, simply upload photos into our group Flickr pool - and please set them so they are downloadable in multiple sizes. We'll select an image every day to highlight. Be sure to read the intro on the main Flickr page for more information, and please limit your uploading to 5 photos per day. Thanks!

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Image of the Day: dreamfeeding for the older child

Larissa Brown — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Eating & Nutrition, Development, Daily Cutie

As a new parent, I've often wondered at what age we lose the ability to eat while we sleep. It seems so handy, and yet when we grow up we don't do it anymore. It looks like IJ is on the cusp of this milestone, but had to have a last sleepy snack before he was too old to dreamfeed anymore. Thanks to shipperphile4life for this hilarious and dear photo.

April is the month for sleeping babies and children at Image of the Day. If you'd like your own child featured here, simply upload photos into our group Flickr pool - and please set them so they are downloadable in multiple sizes. We'll select an image every day to highlight. Be sure to read the intro on the main Flickr page for more information, and please limit your uploading to 5 photos per day. Thanks!

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Movies with babysitting: an idea I can really support

Larissa Brown — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 12:32:00 EST

Filed under: Love & Sex, Places To Go

Two weeks ago, my husband and I settled into our theater seats - with pizza and coffee - to watch the first movie we'd seen in over six months. This was saying something, considering we used to go together as a date nearly every week before we had a child.

Movies were important to us, so we'd tried to take Binx when he was a wee little one. He slept in the sling through half of Batman Returns, but I'd never noticed before how skull-jarringly loud movies are. I spent the second half walking in the aisle at the side of the theater, where I could still see the screen but keep Binx in motion and breastfeed him without some teenager staring down my back in the stadium style seating.

So Walk The Line with Martin alone was an incredible treat. Thanks to The Academy.

Via urban mamas, I learned of The Academy Theater, a beautifully restored/renovated historic theater virtually in my neighborhood that serves delicious pizza and microbrewed beer. But the best part? It offers babysitting. For $5 a child, you can drop your child off with a babysitter, ensconced in a cheerfully decorated but obscure room that can't be seen from the lobby, and go see a movie all alone. They take a Polaroid of you with your baby, and you sign in and out.

While we watched the movie, Binx played with an 8-and-a-half-month-old girl and had a roaring good time with the foam basketball thingy in the babysitting room. The little girl's dad saw the same movie we did. He was alone, not even on a date. What a great idea for an inexpensive way to get a break if you're just really tired.

Are there other theaters like this? And if not, why not? This is such an idea whose time has come. If you have one near you, patronize it, please! We want this to stay.

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Image of the Day: sleepy sebastian

Larissa Brown — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Toddlers, Development, Daily Cutie

Completely angelic, from the pink pout to the waves of hair and tufty little bear. And his name is Sebastian (that's Binx's name, too) so how could I pass up this little love for Image of the Day? Thank you to bookofsnow for sharing this with us.

April is the month for sleeping babies and children at Image of the Day. If you'd like your own child featured here, simply upload photos into our group Flickr pool - and please set them so they are downloadable in multiple sizes. We'll select an image every day to highlight. Be sure to read the intro on the main Flickr page for more information, and please limit your uploading to 5 photos per day. Thanks!

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Newest free knitting pattern for child's soft toy

Larissa Brown — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 18:01:00 EST

Filed under: Fun & Activities, That's Entertainment

The spring issue of Knitty magazine literally just hit "the stands" a few minutes ago, and I had to share this wonderful pattern for a couple of versions of a knitted nautiloid.

Most real nautiloids are gone, having ruled the school for 500 million years and become extinct. The only way to see one now is to knit it yourself.

The designer of the Knitty Nautie, Beth Swarecki, writes "Every scary prehistoric beast should be made into a huggable toy, and I say it's the nautiloid's turn. With this pattern you can make one in an evening, in easy stockinette [stitch]." You can bet I will!

Knitty also features a pattern for an adorable knitted binkie tether, which looks like an incredibly quick and useful project.

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