Ruby Style

Ruby's impending 4th birthday is making me a bit nervous, don't they start remembering things at age 4? No more keggers for the parents, I have to do something just for her this year. I guess I'd better hone my mommying skills to a spotless perfection in the next few weeks or she might remember all the accidental swearing and burnt chicken nuggets and not buy me a house in Costa Rica with the money from her hit albums.

I'm excited about her becoming my new art partner, today we made sock puppets! I'm also excited about the new Wes Anderson movie. Shut up. No I'm not an
ironic hipster film snob.

1. (I don't know if you can tell, but she's wearing a green tutu and a ribbon in her hair from a present) Cyndi Lauper Ruby
2. Jane Birkin red sailor Ruby
3. Ruby looking like some kind of teenager?!
4. Vintage dress coffeeshop Ruby
5. London Fog fighting lip Ruby
6. Gypsy coin skirt basket case Ruby

Collect all six!

Training Chopsticks

Did you know they make training chopsticks for noodle loving children? They do. They are connected at the top with cute shapes and come in bright colors. Ruby just mastered hers after months of using it instead, as a magic wand. The day after these pictures were taken by a noodle loving mommy of course she snapped them in two.

Ah well, Mr. Miyagi would be proud regardless.

Books: a lifelong love affair

In this house we collect books like a lumberjack collects flapjacks. In his belly. Hmm. I'm trying to say that we go to the library, dollar bookstore and half-price bookstore at least once a week, lugging armloads of lightly used adventure back to our hoarding cave.

Here are four delightful books for children that I highly recommend for your own collection, 3 of which were read to me as a child. What a true joy to be reading them to my own babies and to cultivate a love of books in those unsuspecting little melons!

Blueberries for Sal, 1948 by Robert McClosky

The Snail and the Whale, by Julia Donaldson

the Little Bear series, 1970s by Else Homelund Minarik (pictures by Maurice Sendak!)

The Hair Book, 1984 by Graham Tether

book tree. kitschy, not kid friendly

You never know when you will need skills of stealth, people.

New Friends

Make new friends,
but keep the old.
One is silver
and the other gold.

-kid song from my childhood

make your own gems

Here's a lightening quick post about a lightening quick sort-of craft.

More painted rocks! These are pebbles we sneaked into our pockets on the playground and Ruby and I decided to jazz 'em up with a bit of fingernail polish to make a beautiful handful of gems.

Of course, I already have a giant valuable RUBY in the jewelbox of my heart...*BARF

Now I'm not sure what I want to do with them, but didn't they turn out pretty? Cardboard tiara, a game of tiddly winks, shiny pocket luck, killing giants with a slingshot, the possibilities are endless.

PJ Party

Pj parties are where it's at. We have them often, and sometimes on a rainy day like today, we never even put on real clothes. Instead, we make papier mache animal masks and green mole with chicken and have a tea party with the Stoneys.

I'll post more pictures on the morrow dear readers, but here are a few of the monsters stalling bed time, my sweet leather Campers from Spain via Family Thrift (score!) and the adorable birthday perfume I accidentally bought myself. (cute envy from you, Brooke)

I have to work tomorrow and Evan has a gig, but luckily we both work jobs where it is completely acceptable to dance on the clock.