Saturday Roundup
Here are all the posts I flagged this week as particularly interesting:
Dawn of By Sun and Candelight offers a collection of links for Earth Day. Herbal cleansers, ecological footprint quiz, and more.
Living Math. (HT: Tracy at 4Real.)
Victorian novels for children. (HT: Big A little a. Lots more interesting links in Kelly’s post.)
Food for thought from Becky at Farm School.
Weaving a tartan shawl at Bruggie Tales.
Mastering our moods at The Common Room. Also: Where’s Marmee?
Scary tree-climbing photos, pixie houses, pond life, and more at The Cottage Garden.
Aglio y Olio at Kitchen Comforts.
In the she-read-my-mind department: Rebecca of A Gypsy Caravan waxes eloquent about baby slings. I was actually planning a post of my own along these same lines, as I am currently delighting in my own return to sling days. The bairn is nestled in her little pouch at this very minute, as I write this post. Whenever I write a post these days, you can bet I’m wearing the baby. I have written entire novels with a baby snoozing in my trusty sling. Were it not for the sling, the carpets would never be vacuumed during my new-baby years, dishes never washed, nature walks never taken. Jane bounced all over Manhattan and Queens in hers. (I used to bring the stroller along for toting groceries, but the baby always rode on my hip.) Rebecca includes some charming photos in her post. I’ll have to see if I can dig up a photo record of our own happily slung babies!
Tags: babies, babywearing, math, nature study
Angel says:
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!
On April 22, 2006 at 4:30 am
Rebecca says:
Oh, I am so happy to have found a fellow “slinger”! I agree that I would never get a thing done without mine. Not only do I love them for practical purposes but because the little ones just seem to melt right into “baby bliss” when they are snuggle into one. Tears dry up and sweet smiles emerge. I forgot how fun it was to carry a toddler in one until yesterday’s nature hike when almost three dd wanted a lift. Fun to snuggle close and take a load off their feet as well!
On April 22, 2006 at 6:31 am
Love2learn Mom says:
I’ve found that some of my children have liked them better than others, but I’m a big fan. Gus (now 10) rode around in his regularly til he was about 2 1/2. Frank (now 2 1/4) hardly uses his at all. š Bernie (now 6) was in love with the backpack. She would bring it to us regularly, wordlessly asking for a lift and snuggle.
One thing I noticed is that slings seem far more prevalent in some parts of the country than others. When I lived in San Diego, I saw them all the time, but they’re rather uncommon here in Wisconsin (though I get lots of polite and interested queries).
On April 22, 2006 at 9:10 am
Alice says:
As I know you remember, you gave me my first sling back in 1997–not to mention two doll slings for Agnes and Theresa!!!
(Thanks for linking the Cottage Garden, by the way!)
On April 22, 2006 at 9:09 pm
Mary Beth Patnaude says:
I am another sling lover- introduced to it by you! I’m posting right now with baby #4 in my trusty sling, which I just realized last week, is beginning to rip. I have 2 others, but none like this “well worn” broken in one. All my sons loved being in the sling. (I especially love being able to nurse “secretly” in church(a necessity when you’re the Pastor’s wife).
On April 24, 2006 at 6:47 pm