Archive for April, 2006
April 25, 2006 @ 8:43 am | Filed under: Carnivals
This week it is hosted by one of my favorite blogs: The Common Room. Enjoy!
April 25, 2006 @ 8:17 am | Filed under: Science
It is possible that I and everyone I know have been peeling bananas from the more difficult end all these years. Monkeys, it seems, peel from what we humans call the bottom end. This article by an economist tackles the issue. (Calling it an “issue” tickles me just as much as the article did.)
An excerpt:
Petal’s method is counterintuitive and thus instantly appealing to economists, who love nothing more than to overturn conventional wisdom. Multiple experiments (well, two experiments, actually, since we only had two bananas) quickly convinced a majority of the department that Petal’s way is—surprisingly—easier than the traditional method, though the econometricians thought you’d need to test at least 30 bananas to report that result with confidence. The labor economists immediately resolved to apply for a grant.
So what are you: a Top-Endian or a Bottom-Endian?
Tags: bananas
April 25, 2006 @ 6:16 am | Filed under: Nature Study
Did you know rabble was the collective noun pertaining to butterflies? According to this site, swarm also applies. Neither one quite fits, if you ask me. Hmm…a blessing of butterflies? A rustle of butterflies?
Whatever you call it, Cindy’s got it. She found some forty-odd monarch butterfly chrysalises (and correspondingly bare milkweed plants) outside her home yesterday. Neat pictures, especially the last one.
April 25, 2006 @ 3:39 am | Filed under: Family Adventures
“Don’t use the white grape juice container in the fridge,” what he means is: “Don’t use the white grape juice container in the fridge.” NOT: “Pour two ounces of homemade mint syrup (which I am storing in an old juice bottle) into Wonderboy’s fruit yogurt smoothie before you realize you are in fact pouring mint syrup and not white grape juice.”
Plain yogurt + fruit juice + mint syrup = UGH, in my book. Wonderboy didn’t seem to mind, though.
April 25, 2006 @ 2:53 am | Filed under: Books, Quotes from this week's reading
George Eliot on marriage:
Marriage, which has been the bourne of so many narratives, is still a great beginning, as it was to Adam and Eve, who kept their honeymoon in Eden, but had their first little one among the thorns and thistles of the wilderness. It is still the beginning of the home epic—the gradual conquest or irremediable loss of that complete union which makes the advancing years a climax, and age the harvest of sweet memories in common.
—Middlemarch, chapter 87, by George Eliot
April 25, 2006 @ 2:23 am | Filed under: Clippings
As Jewel, you are slightly stubborn and a tad head-strong, but you are valiant, brave and daring. Admired for your free spirit and adventurism, you are the subject of much respect.
HT: Alice
April 24, 2006 @ 2:40 am | Filed under: Books, Picture Book Spotlight
More More More Said the Baby
Tags: children’s literature, kidlit, children’s books, books, picture books, babies.
April 23, 2006 @ 8:04 am | Filed under: Uncategorized
I missed a couple during my first week of babymoon…
63rd Carnival of Education at Education Wonks
And a fun addition: Carnival of Kid Comedy (HT: Bruggie Tales)
The next Carnival of Children’s Literature will take place right here at Bonny Glen in mid-May. (Submission details here.) If you’d like to host a future edition, drop me a note!
April 23, 2006 @ 7:25 am | Filed under: Books
Sherry at Semicolon has a terrific post on Shakespeare this morning in honor of his birthday. Great stuff there; thanks, Sherry!
April 23, 2006 @ 4:54 am | Filed under: Family Adventures
You know how I feel about baby toes, so the banner of Rebecca’s new blog caught my eye (and melted my heart) at once. Babylove is a celebration of all things baby, and after perusing its inaugural posts about babywearing and cosleeping, I can see that Rebecca is a kindred spirit.
My mention of baby slings yesterday brought this question from a reader:
Do you have any tips for how to wear a baby? I have never been able to get slings to work. When my first three were tiny, they would just scream if I put them in a sling, and they all got so big so fast that I couldn’t carry them in front carriers very long; they just *weighed* too much. Ditto for backpacks as they got older. I can’t really wear both twins at the same time in a sling (mine are 6 mos old), but if there are more children in the future, it’d be nice to know how to do the sling!
I have used the same Over the Shoulder Baby Holder with all five of my little ones (the bairn is snuggled in hers at this very moment—see somewhat grainy photo I have just snapped). I also have a rebozo—a long, lightweight cotton shawl—that I like for very hot summer days. I knot the shawl over my shoulder and slip the baby into the pouch. But for newborns I prefer my OTSBH. I wear it backward at first so that the shoulder pad is in front, under baby’s head. The first few times I use it with a newborn, I always nurse the baby immediately after putting her in the sling. She falls asleep that way and then I walk around a little bit to accustom her to the feel of riding nestled close to my body.
Proper fit is crucial. When Jane was born, I borrowed a sling my neighbor wasn’t using, and though I got several months of use out of it before I bought my own, I later realized that it had been too big for me and the baby hung too low. One reason I like the Over the Shoulder Baby Holder brand so much is that they offered a petite size which is just right for my shrimpy frame and keeps baby snuggled right by my heart.
However, the front-cradle position is only one way to wear a baby in a sling. The position I like best and find most useful is the hip carry. This doesn’t work for newborns, of course; the baby must be old enough to hold her head up. To moms whose newborns didn’t take to the sling, I would offer this advice: try again when they’re four or five months old. By that time, you’re toting the baby around on your hip most of the time anyway. The sling lets you do it with your hands free. I’ve slung my babies on my hip all the way through toddlerhood. Jane went through chemo in the hospital in hers.
To Angel, who asked the question above, I would suggest trying your six-month-olds in the hip carry (one at a time, of course) and see if they like that better than they did newborn cradle position. With twins, I’m sure you of all people could use a free hand!
For more sling advice: Danielle Bean just surveyed her readers about the best brand, and there’s a thread going at Real Learning as well.
UPDATE: Be sure to click on comments for more babywearing tips from a helpful reader!
Tags: family, parenting, babies, babywearing
