A few days ago, I was checking the date and noticed that Anouk would be turning three in exactly a month. The realization filled me a little bit of nostalgia at what's past, a little bit of curiosity at what's to come, a little bit of apprehension over the birthday itself (this is the first year we're having a party with more than just family and I have no idea what I'm doing).

But mostly I felt determination, that I will try my best to enjoy every one of these last days of having a two-year-old. It's not always easy, as I'm sure anyone who's ever had a two-year-old will attest. But I feel like it's important to try to appreciate it. Am I wrong or does three kind of officially mark the end of babyhood? When your kid is three you can't really say you have a baby anymore, even if that's what James and I still call her when we talk about her -- "the baby."

Anouk at the tail end of two still says things like "ockapuss" for "octopus" and "oh-plane" for "airplane." (But she has distressingly stopped saying "hungen" for "hungry" which makes us a little sad). She can identify all of her letters and numbers but still only has a tenuous grasp on the fact that the latter are supposed to happen sequentially and when you ask her to count to 10, sometimes a fourteen or fifteen will sneak its way in. She thinks her full name is Noukie Ouisa and when you ask whose baby she is she almost always says "I'm MINE" with a sort of duh tone in her voice like, whose else would she be?

Anouk at almost three runs to the window every morning and asks, "Is it spring yet?" She has a deep interest in the seasons, and where things go, which leads her to ask all sorts of impossible-to-answer questions like, "Where is fall?" Anouk at almost three is a serious extrovert -- the saddest day for her is one that we spend in our pajamas, lounging around at home (which is kind of the perfect day for her mother, oh well). She brings out my better angels every day by making me say sorry when I yell at other drivers. Anouk at almost three loves painting, Barbies, trains, and will do almost anything for toddler press-on nails. Lately her favorite color is shifting hues from pale princess pink to a more vibrant red. Anouk at almost three will run into the room to shout, "I LOVE you" and when you ask her what prompted it, will say, "I just thought you should know."

Almost three feels like the cusp of something. Sometimes I can't stop my mind from racing ahead to think about what she'll be like at four, five, six, fourteen, fifteen. But then I remind myself to slow down and enjoy her babyhood -- which is over in just a few more weeks, officially.

Unofficially, well. You know.

I am always attracted to books by local Hampton Roads authors -- they're almost always a must-have. When I happen to come across a book that is by a local author AND has something personal to say about the history of our area -- that's a must-have and a must-share.

Today I Met a Rainbow by Dr. Patricia Turner is set during the integration of Norfolk Public Schools in the late 1950s. After dodging the anti-segregation edict handed down in Brown v. Board of Education years earlier, NPS decided, in 1959, to close their schools entirely rather than allow 17 black students to integrate. The schools were closed for five months, displacing over 10,000 students, including graduating seniors, who became known as the Lost Class of '59.

The author was the perfect person to write this story because she lived it, as one of the Norfolk 17, a middle school student who was one of the first to integrate. The reader can follow young Patricia on her journey toward integration, from the aptitude tests she was made to take to prove she could learn at the same rate as white students all the way to the end of her own long and illustrious career as an educator. I was impressed how well her writing managed to convey a complicated legal battle and years of racial tension down in a way that even young children could understand but without sacrificing any of the emotional nuances.



Joel Kurtz's illustrations go along with the story nicely -- the stark lines, looming perspective, and crumpled paper background mirror the story's tension and grow smoother and more colorful by the end, just as Patricia's story does.

Had you ever heard of the Lost Class of '59? If you'd like to read more about it, the Old Dominion University library has an extensive collection of resources here.

 A few weekends ago, J., A., and I visited the newly opened Pleasure House Point Natural Area in Virginia Beach after reading about it -- and seeing gorgeous photos of it -- on the Tidewater Gardener's blog. James wanted to check out the kayaking potential; Anouk and I were so sick of being cooped up in the house that we would have gone anywhere.

Pleasure House Point is located just south of the Chesapeake Bay, part of the Lynnhaven River watershed, and is one good thing to come out of the recent recession. The area was originally designated to become high rise condo buildings, but because of foreclosure, found its way into the hands of Virginia Beach City, the Trust for Public Land, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, who worked to preserve it. But for the walking/running trail that's been put in, the 118 acres of marshes, and maritime forest are now one of the largest parcels of undeveloped land along the Lynnhaven River.

We had an excellent time on our walk. The skies were blue, the water and the sun were working together to offer some serious sparkle, and the path (at an estimated 1.5 miles or so?) was easy enough for Anouk to keep up. At every turn we found something new to investigate, from fallen trees determined to become driftwood to fish leaping out of the water to dozens of clams sitting just beyond the little waves of the beach. We also came across three separate groups of birdwatchers (the Audubon Society has compiled a list of the many types of birds you can find at PHP).

We were also excited to watch some of the construction going on at the environmental education center that the Chesapeake Bay Foundation is building nearby. I read online that it's going to offer tons of community outreach, and as we're big CBF fans, we can't wait to blog about all of it. :)

And because of the eensy weensy beach, I think we can technically cross off one of our new year's resolutions?

I've mentioned before that all my life, I've struggled with my own curls. I think a lot of that came from not knowing how to care for my hair. It was very important for me, from the time A.'s first curls popped out around her first birthday, to come up with a haircare routine that would give her strong, manageable curls without a lot of fuss and bother. And after a lot of trial and error, we've landed on something that works.

The first thing that people comment on when they meet A. is usually her hair. She has 3b/c hair, which, for those not in the know, translates into generally fine hair with tight spirally curls and corkscrews. Since I started this blog, I've gotten several messages and comments asking for advice on how to care for curls, and so I thought I'd pass the info along (now that I can). So here goes, our not-as-complicated-as-it-looks toddler haircare routine.

Note: This post is not sponsored but it does contain affiliate links that may result in a (very small) commission for me if you purchase anything through them.  

• The first rule of curly hair is DON'T wash it every day. Anouk has a bath every morning, but we only wash her hair 2-3 times a week, on average. When we do wash it, we use a moisture-rich shampoo like Burt's Bees More Moisture. After she gets out of the bath, we pat (not rub) her hair dry and then apply a leave-in detangling conditioner. I've tried a half-dozen brands but nothing works as well as Johnson's No More Tangles. I'm not wild about the scent but it really is the best. 

• Not washing doesn't mean we don't get her hair wet. Every morning I spray A.'s hair with water (in a regular old plant mister) and then scrunch the tiniest bit of Moroccan oil into it. Seriously, the teeeniest bit. Just a dab on one palm's worth, otherwise it gets greasy. 

• We invested in a good detangling brush. My mother-in-law gave us the Tangle Fix and it works like a charm on Anne's thick hair, runs through it so easily. We brush her hair briefly when it's wet. When it dries, the curls are just as orderly as they can be. And of course we try to use ouchless elastics like these to cut down on breakage.

• Curly hair breaks easily, and needs regular infusions of protein to stay strong. So once a week I do a gelatin mask on Anne's hair, specifically this one I wrote about for Homegrown and Healthy. It's pretty amazing how well it works. 

• Regular trims are also important for curly tops. This doesn't necessarily mean a full cut, but every few weeks I will go on a hunt for split ends and frizzies and take care of them. Curly-haired-kid bonus? It really doesn't show when you hack off a little too much by accident.

So that's how we care for our curly girl's hair. It can still get a little wild at times but it's generally pretty manageable. Do you have a curly kid of your own? What does their haircare routine look like?

Happy weekend, everyone!

The 12 photos in 12 hours project is supposed to happen on the 12th day of the month, but this month, I was sick and spent the 12th mostly in bed, which would have made for a very boring blog post. I rescheduled for the following week, and ended up shooting our day yesterday instead.

Don't forget to stop by No Monsters in My Bed and Not-So-SAHM to see how their (actual) 12ths went!


7:45 AM. I'm trying to drink less caffeine, which means my new morning pick-me-up is rooibos tea. It is...an acquired taste? And I just don't seem to have acquired it yet? But I'm trying.





9:30 AM. A little art after breakfast.



10:30 AM: A. surveys the neighborhood and reports back to me on who is taking their trash out, walking their dog, etc. She is going to make an excellent busybody some day.



11:00 AM. Zoo Tales with friends B. and T. We meet a tenrec (and get to pet him!) and encounter a beautiful and saucy peacock.




12:30 PM. Anouk has a hankering to visit our old house on the way home so we stop by. We still love you, little house. We hope your new inhabitants will treat you well.



2:45 PM: I do some yard work after lunch -- with the sun shining and the weather almost 60 degrees, it could pass for spring. I start to whip the patio off the kitchen into shape (I'm envisioning an herb garden and bed of peonies) but it's going to take more than a day to make it happen. With the leaves raked away I see that the daffodils are peeking their heads out all over the backyard.




4:30 PM. Chalking the walk with our friends next door. First barefoot day of 2014!

When my friend Molly first told me about Zeke's Beans and Bowls, out by the Oceanfront in Virginia Beach, I wasn't quite convinced. A coffee shop -- that also serves Hawaiian food? How do those two things even remotely go together? But after our visit last month, I was more than willing to admit I was wrong. It works. It just does.

We arrived on a snowy afternoon with three kids (one of them our very own Zeke) and a hankering for lunch, and ordered up smoothies and PB&Js and poke bowls, mounds of raw tuna served over rice and smothered in green onions and wasabi peas. You can see the photo, above -- it looked so pretty in person that when I saw the waiter coming toward our table with it, I actually said out loud, "Oooh, I hope that's mine!" Each bite was a burst of flavor and the latte that I ordered with it was strong enough to make me forget about a morning of toddler antics and fortify me for the afternoon ahead.

I haven't come across anything quite like it anywhere else in the area, which is saying a lot (if you follow our 12 in 12 project, you can see that we also ♥ eating out). But the food, despite how good it is, was only one of the great things about Zeke's. The other was the atmosphere -- laid back and quirky. The kids really enjoyed exploring Zeke's vintage decor -- looking at the painted signs, poking through the stacks of vintage record albums and playing with the "analog computer" (aka old-school typewriter).

Thank you everybody at Zeke's! And thank you, too, guy at the neighboring table, who didn't side eye us once despite our very enthusiastic (and vocal) kid contingent.

Here's a last minute Valentines craft we did during the little snowstorm we had last night. I was browsing Pinterest a few weeks ago when I saw these adorable glittery heart-shaped shoe clips. At almost $35 a pair, the price was a little outside of our budget but Anouk was so enamored that I decided to try a DIY.

We cut hearts from red poster board, covered them in glitter, and then I verrrrry carefully superglued bobby pins to the back (flat side against the paper) (hot glue would probably work better). They slip right over the front of the shoe pretty comfortably and they look just as adorable as we'd hoped. Pro tip: if you have glitter cardstock already available to you, I think it would be even easier to use that.

As far as running and jumping and wearing them outside go....well, we haven't tried it but I don't I think they'll hold up super-great being just paper and all. I do, however, think they'll be just the right thing to wear on Valentines Day! Next year, I'd like to try to make a more durable version, maybe from felt or faux leather? Or else save my pennies for the original, which are gorgeous.

We're taking the rest of the week off. Happy Valentines Day! Hope you're spending it with somebody you love. x

We're hosting a Valentines Day party at our house on Friday for Anouk's friends and wanted to do something special for our Valentines this year. Something candy-free (because the sugar bomb will already be intense) but that still offered a small treat, and something Anouk could help with. Oh, and quick, because there's already a lot to do.

After rummaging through the craft bin, we came up with these foam sticker Valentines. I've written before about ways to use up the gobs and gobs of foam stickers that just won't go away but there were still a lot left, so we had a large selection to choose from. Anouk ultimately picked the owl sticker, which mean that I had to come up with an owl-related Valentines Day pun. It's a good thing that she didn't pick the rhino or dolphin, that's all I'm saying.

We printed out a graphic that I whipped up in Photoshop and then cut and pasted them on rectangles of red posterboard using the tiniest bit of rubber cement in the corners. A. helped with both the cutting and the pasting, and wrote an A to sign the card (hooray for writing!) Then we put a little rubber cement on the back of each foam sticker, without removing the backing, and pressed it down. This way the sticker can still be peeled off and used by each recipient kid.

We hope our friends will love our little Dowlly Parton (sorry) Valentines as much as we do! And I'm glad that our foam sticker supply has dwindled a little more.

On a cold rainy morning a few weeks ago, Anne and I slogged over to the Norfolk Botanical Gardens for a bit of colorful cheer in the form of beautiful, tropical flowers. The Winter Orchid show had just started, and we thought it would be the perfect place to retreat from the gray weather and forget that the groundhog had just told us six more weeks of winter were in store.

There were dozens of varieties of orchids on display, from teeny tiny blossoms to large, solitary ones with long fluttery petals. It was a lot to take in all at once -- we had to make several trips around the Tropical House to drink in all of it, and on each pass, we found something new to exclaim over. Anouk's favorites were the Vanilla planifolia -- she thought they smelled like birthday cake. Mine were a bunch of giant hot-pink blooms. (When I got home and looked at the plant list, I saw that they were called Sophrolaeliocattleya Best Friend 'Cathy.' So I think it's fitting they were my faves.)

Many of the orchids on display grow in the NBG's Tropical House year round but many others are on loan and will only be displayed through the end of the winter show. Be sure to go and see them before the end of March! Also check out NBG's class on how to grow and care for orchids in your home, coming up on February 21 (more info here).  

This recipe comes from my local vintage cookbook collection, specifically from one compiled in 1976 by the Members and Friends of the Ladies Auxiliary to the Veterans of Foreign Wars. When I was paging through it and came across this recipe for hot buttered lemonade, I said, "Hmm, weird" out loud while James said, "Oh, that sounds awesome." And then we sort of looked at each other askance for a second.

I whipped up a batch on the second day of last week's snow, when we were getting a little tired of hot chocolate (turns out that can really happen) but still craved a hot drink to hold. And James is right, this drink is pretty awesome, bright and velvety and a little bit like liquid sunshine.

Ingredients:

• 4.5 cups water
• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• scant 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel 
• cinnamon sticks for garnish

 A few weekends ago, James, Anne, and I headed up to the Eastern Shore of Virginia for a little antiquing and snapped these photos on the way. I don't know what it is about January that makes us want to visit the Eastern Shore (last January we visited Kiptopeke State Park and Cape Charles) but I think it must have something to do with how pretty it is there this time of year. This time it was extra-pretty with everything dusted with a thin layer of snow. It was also extra-cold, which explains why there are no people in these photos, both of my subjects refused to leave the safety of the heated car.
The first shop we hit was the Exmore Antique Emporium in Exmore, VA. They had a good selection of jadeite and milk glass, a large collection of paintings, and racks and racks of vintage costume jewelry, from enameled brooches to cocktail rings and hat pins. I fell in love with some Spode china and a vintage barometer (both pictured above). However, everything was priced 15-20% more than I would have liked it to be, so we left empty-handed but it was still fun to browse.

The next place we visited was the Blue Crow Antique Mall in Painter. This is purported to be the second-largest antique mall in Virginia and it definitely felt like it. We tried our best to see as much of the place as we could and spent about two hours browsing but I still think there were a few alcoves we missed. Blue Crow has a little bit of everything but the true standout was the huge selection of nautical items, from fishing floats to nets to a dozen or more antique boat lanterns. They also had a lot of vintage linens and best of all, a heap of what I like to call "church cookbooks" -- you know, those spiral bound books of recipes put together in 1972 or so to raise money for the PTA or local firemen, etc.

The prices at Blue Crow were more reasonable but we still only came home with two things, in the end -- an old oar (I have DIY plans for it) and an '80s-era pink matchbox car (bribe present for A.)

Do you like to go antiquing? Where are your favorite places to go to hunt for treasures?