Fashioning your own ABC book is easier than you might think
Have you seen most ABC books? Yawn. I wanted to create a book for my daughter Olive that would be tactile and interactive… and awesome. I wanted to show her things that mean something to her father and I. You know, important things like trademarked characters and ice cream. So I raided my stash of felt and set to work with scissors and a hot glue gun… and a gob of fake hair. (See page H.)
Using Harry Potter to teach your little wizards
My realistic dream job would be to edit a collection of “Teaching with Harry Potter” schoolbooks in France. The world created by J.K. Rowling can be used to teach almost every subject to almost any age.
Ditch old-fashioned photo albums and make a Blurb book instead
I’ve always been obsessed with photo albums — whether they were thrifted, vintage, or something I picked up from a craft store. I’ve spent many an hour filling dozens of them with photos. This was cool with me, until I discovered Blurb books
The ups and downs of step-and-biological parenting in tandem
Eight years ago I became a stepmother to two kids. We share their care with their biological mother — they’re half with us, half with her. At the time, my step-son was eight and my step-daughter was four. Step-parenting has by turns been the most awesome and the hardest shit I’ve done in my life — it is second only to having my “own” child. Here are a few of my positive (and negative) experiences.
Proudly displaying my boudoir photos without making them too in-your-face
I did these gorgeous boudoir photos as a gift to my wife. Despite my insecurities, I feel confident and awesome about these photos and would love to have one framed and displayed somewhere in our house… but I don’t want to shove my thighs down my guests’ throats!
You’re Doing it Right: what 18 years of weird parenting looks like
My good friend Alexander and his wife Nicole just celebrated the graduation of their oldest daughter from high school. I wanted to know what their tricks and tools for raising such stellar kids were, and what I can learn from their experiences. The following is an interview with Alexander.
Our “shit happens!” anniversary staycation
As our one year wedding anniversary drew closer it became apparent we had…no money. So we had to do the tried-and-true: staycation. Maybe because it was our first anniversary as married humans or because I can be a sour puss, but Mike, with his ultimate optimism when it comes to us, reassured me it would be fun.
Good things come in pairs: two mamas, two cupcakes, and two babies on the way
Monica is a labor and delivery nurse in Seattle who, as she puts it, “moonlights in photography.” I’m pretty sure she’s doing a hell of a lot more than moonlighting — if this session is anything to go by, she’s ROCKING photography.