Let's Go Outside!: Outdoor Activities and Projects to Get You and Your Kids Closer to Nature by Jennifer Ward

Imagine Childhood: Exploring the World Through Nature, Imagination, and Play by Sarah Olmsted

I received a ton of books for Christmas, most of which are waiting on my bedside table to be read. But I did find the time over the winter break to dip into two of them aimed at getting kids outside to play (a constant struggle in our house).


Let's Go Outside is the simplest of the two -- it's basically just a practical list of 52 projects and activities to do outdoors. From instructions on fort building to ideas for nature walks to rules for games you probably played as a kid but forgot all about (Sardines, anyone?), it covers all seasons and weather (we can't wait for some snow to try the DIY snowshoe project). Probably my favorite part of the book is that it grows with the child, adding ways to take each project further for different skill levels. (Example: While the little ones search for ladybugs in the grass, big kids are encouraged to keep a field guide comparing the different species of ladybugs they find and marking down special characteristics).

Imagine Childhood is more for the craftier set, as the focus is on making things using ingredients found in nature or celebrating nature -- earth houses, flower wands, or four seasons capes. There's a lot of text describing the importance of outdoor activity and memories of play pulled from the author's own childhood, which I admittedly leafed past, but the photos are gorgeous and inspiring. Some of the 25 projects are in-depth enough to make them more for the older set -- six to ten-year-olds, maybe? -- but I've earmarked a few for Anouk and me to try (we're definitely building tents in the backyard this summer -- they'll be perfect for Let's Go Outside's moonlight story time).

Did you get any new reads for the holidays? What are your favorite ways to get your kids outside?

(Speaking of getting out of doors, over at Fun and Free Hampton Roads, I blogged about FREE admission to the Norfolk Botanical Garden until January 19. Check it out!)

Anouk is pretty much officially potty-trained now (hooray!) which means that I finally got to pack up the very last of our cloth diaper stash over the past weekend. As I was folding them away, I thought way back to the beginning of our cloth diaper experience and the steep learning curve that it entailed. Even though I read everything on the subject and talked to a ton of people who had done it before, there still was a moment at the very start when I stood there with a dirty bundle of cloth diaper in my hand and thought: now what? 

In the beginning, I used to scour the internet for how-to posts. So I thought here, at the end, I'd share some of the things we learned in case any of you out there are thinking of cloth diapering but aren't sure how to start/if you can make it work.

Note: there are affiliate links in this post which may result in a small commission for the blog. 

Diapers: We used Bum Genius 4.0 and FuzziBuns Elite, both of which are one-size-fits-all cloth diaps. The design is a waterproof shell with microfiber inserts that slip inside an inside pocket. The great thing about these diapers was that they are adjustable, and could grow along with Anne from baby to toddler. We had a mix of the diapers with snaps and a couple with Velcro closures at the top and quickly discarded the latter because the Velcro really doesn't hold up over repeated washings. We got a total of 24 diapers in all (we registered for them for our shower from Target plus received some hand-me-downs from a friend), which meant I needed to wash every other day in the beginning, and every second or third day once A. hit 6 months or so.

Storing: We used a wet bag instead of a pail to put our dirties in until it was time to wash. It hung on the back of our bathroom door and zipped tight (we never had a problem with odors leaking out). We also had a smaller wet bag to keep in the diaper bag and the car for on-the-go changes.

Washing/drying: Our washing routine looked something like this. First, we did a soak of the dirty diapers in cold water and 1/4 cup of BioKleen Bac-Out, an enzymatic cleaner that eats away at organic waste and odors. Then we rinsed in cold water, and did a very hot wash cycle with Rockin' Green detergent, which is specially formulated for cloth diapers. We found it was important to line dry -- if you toss the diapers in the dryer, they will eventually start to repel water, which leads to leaks and blowouts (we loved these Ikea Pressa drying racks, which looked like little adorable octupuses and took up virtually no space in the tiny apartment we lived in when A. was born).

Speaking of repelling, this can happen anyway, over time, because of detergent build up. Whenever I noticed our diaps weren't as absorbent as they should be, I "stripped" them by soaking them for an hour or so with a capful of bleach and then rinsing and washing as normal (the Blue Dawn stripping trick never did anything for me, though some swear by it).

Other things to have on hand: A diaper sprayer to get gunk off before tossing your diapers in the bag. We used the BumGenius one, which hooked easily up to our toilet tank (and provided hours of fun for me and J. ambushing each other with it). Also, something to treat diaper rash that WON'T harm your diapers (traditional creams like Desitin or Lansinoh are virtually impossible to get out). We liked California Baby's cream and also regular coconut oil. Invest in a few extra liners for emergencies.

One last piece of advice: Don't be too strict with yourself! We used disposables when we traveled, (see photo above, no shame) or when A. was sick, or we were, and I think it made a big difference on keeping us committed to using cloth all the other times.

Did you cloth diaper your kids? Are you considering it? I was pleasantly surprised to read that #HRVA offers some pretty great diaper services (see Diaper Junction and Eco-Existence delivery service). Williamsburg Mothering also has a great cloth diapering resource page if you are interested in learning more.

Do you have any advice for new cloth diapering parents?

 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.

Anne is generally over the moon about the new house, but in the past week or so, she's started to get a little resistant when we talk about the prospect of leaving our old house. "I like the new house the best," she'll say, "But sometimes I'm going to sleep at the old house, too." When we tell her that that won't be possible because someone else will be living here, she gives us a resounding NO.

It makes sense that she would be a little anxious to leave. James and I love this little old house and the time we've spent here. But to us, it's just a quick drop in the memory bucket, a place among all the other places we've lived, a place where we spent just a little over a year. But to Anne, it is the only home she's ever really known. She was too little to remember our Arlington condo. This house is the setting for the only Christmas she remembers, the only birthday she remembers having, the place where she's played with her friends, all the little moments in between.

We've been trying to do what we can to make the move easier on her. The main thing is that we've tried to move everything else before packing her room. That way, she has a sort of sanctuary amid the chaos of packing that's taken over the rest of the house. We're planning on unpacking and setting up her room at the new house first thing before anything else, for the same reasons.



We've taken a lot of photos of/in the old house during the months we've been here but are trying to snap some shots of the little things about it that we'll want to remember in the future: the plants and trees in the yard, the crystal knobs on the pretty ladderback doors (each one is unique), the funny black-and-white retro tile in the bathroom.

It helps a lot that we've been spending a lot of time at the new house, usually making at least one trip every day for renovation purposes. It's also convenient that the layout of the new house is very similar to the one we're leaving. Thank you, mid-century architects! A.'s new room is coming together, and she's already made friends in the new neighborhood, which has been great for helping to distract from the fact that our time at the old house is coming to an end. But I still find myself crossing my fingers, hoping it all goes smoothly.

Have you moved with your kids? How did you make the transition a little easier? Any strategies you could share would be most appreciated.

Happy Monday!

This unassuming mason jar full of pom-poms has become the single-most important weapon in our fight against the Trying Twos, so much so that I want to laugh every time I think of how simple it all is for something so effective. I am sure by looking at the photo you have already deduced how it works -- when A. does something good, she gets a pom, the varying sizes corresponding to the "size" of her acts (a tiny pom-pom for being nice to the cats, a small one for remembering to say please and thank you, a BIG BIG one for resetting her attitude when she gets grumpy or taking a nap without a lot of guff.) Generally once the pom-poms are in the jar they stay there but a couple of times we have taken them away for particularly egregious behavior. When the jar is full, she gets to trade the pom-poms in for a small toy or a special outing to the park or beach.

I liked the thought of Anouk having to really earn rewards, and learn to be patient about reaping the benefits, but I wasn't sure she was old enough to understand the concept of each pom-pom standing for an act of good behavior, or if she would be able to deal with the delayed gratification. But so far, a few weeks in, it seems to be going well. It helps that I printed off a picture of the Sofia the First doll that she chose for her reward and taped it to the side of the jar to remind her what's at stake. It's even gotten to the point where she will do things without being asked, like cleaning up her toys or putting her dishes away, and then come to remind me or James to put another pom-pom in her jar.

How do you encourage your kids to be on their best behavior? Anything that's worked splendidly?

Have a great weekend!

Last week, I took Anne to see her first actual in-the-theatres movie. We were very excited about it -- so excited that I ignored a little bad behavior the night before that I really shouldn't have just so that we would still be able to go. We were that excited. We looked up the showtimes to see what was playing, watched some trailers together, and finally decided that we'd go to a matinee showing of Planes, at Military Circle Mall.

Going to the theatre at Military Circle Mall was important to me. It's where I went to the movies when I was growing up, before MacArthur mall was built-- I have so many memories of being there with friends, and going to see scary movies with my Mammaw, who would smuggle in McDonald's hamburgers in her purse and even bring her own pillow (!) so that she could get extra-comfy in the seats.

Anne told everybody she met that she was going to her first movie: the people in line with us, the ticket-taker, the cashier at the concession stand. But as soon as we walked into the dark theatre, she faltered a little. When the previews came on, she covered her ears and said, "It's too loud! It's too BIG." I managed to convince her to give it a try by plying her with M&Ms (and covering her eyes during the Dinosaurs 3D preview OMG). There were a few hairy moments and we had to take a break during a battle scene with lots of gunfire and mean-looking planes but she did manage to make it all the way through. By the end she was dancing in the aisle and clapping "Go Dusty!" with all of the other little kids in the audience.

As for me, I thought the movie was adorable. Of course I cried when Skipper, the rusty WWII Corsair, found his wings again and took off tremulously into the sky. I'm lucky that A. is still young enough that this wasn't awful and embarrassing for her. If my mom had cried like that in front of other people I would have died.

We're already planning to head back in November to see Frozen (the preview with the melting snowman looked too cute). Have you taken your little ones to the movies lately? What did you see?

Lately, I've been enjoying housework and driving around from errand to errand more than usual and this is because Anouk has been requesting "mama music" lately instead of her usual kids' music. Hooray! I am only too happy to hook up my iPhone and oblige her. One because there are only so many times you can listen to Dan Zanes before you want to throttle him.

Two, because one of my favorite memories from growing up is going through a big stack of records with my dad and listening to his favorite songs, which became favorites for me, too -- Pure Prairie League's "Amie," Stephen Stills' "Four and Twenty," even some Hall and Oates ("I Can't Go for That" is a quality song, I don't care what you haters think). So it's especially nice to share some of my favorites with Anouk.

I made a Spotify playlist of some of the songs A. and I have listened to the most over the past few weeks/months, the ones that will always bring me right back to Summer 2013 whenever I hear them in the future. I left off "Blurred Lines" which is probably THE official song of this summer in our house because I am actually really sick of it (I'm sorry Robin! I still love you!) But the rest I could listen to over and over -- in fact, I am now, as I write this. :)

Please note that as these are not songs FOR kids, only songs liked by my one particular kid, I can't verify that they don't have some inappropriate lyrics. Luckily my kid doesn't understand ALL THE WORDS yet and so it hasn't been an issue in our house. But be forewarned. 
Pix are from our walk around the Hague yesterday with friends. I love one with the gaggle of girly ducks all together so much. I like to think they were gossiping and really letting loose while their mallards had the ducklings for the day. 
Have a great weekend!

Anne was in a wedding last month -- one of her superamazing godfathers got married to an equally superamazing woman and they asked our A. to be part of the flower girl contingent. We were already extremely happy and excited for Uncle P. and his bride to get married. For A. to be a part of the day was just icing on the cake, and we were all very excited (and a little nervous) about it. Anouk is two after all, not quite two-and-a-half. And in case you haven't noticed from this blog, my child happens to be an extremely spirited child.

But on the day of the wedding, she was surprisingly obedient and docile. She held hands with the other flower girls and made it all. the. way. down the aisle without a blip. She colored quietly in her coloring book during the rest of the service. She let the photographer pose her for a few pictures, something that always prompts a scornful "NO, mommy" when I try to do it. She even took a nap between the ceremony and the reception, like, will wonders never cease?

Of course she looked adorable in her tiny white sparkly dress -- her princess dress, she calls it -- and seeing her in it reinforced to me how quickly kids grow at this age. When we got the dress back in the spring, I had thought I might need to do some alterations to it, take up the straps, which were too loose, and the hem, which was too long. But by the time we tried on the dress again the week before the wedding, it fit perfectly. She'd grown an inch in three months. Zoom -- just like that.

But more than that, this whole wedding experience made me realize suddenly how much Anouk's world is growing. Once -- not too long ago -- her entire universe was limited to pretty much me and James. Now she has a whole host of faces around her, familiar and unfamiliar, and the circle just keeps widening every day. It is unexpectedly one of my favorite parts of parenting so far, seeing Anouk starting to build these relationships for herself, without our help. And gratifying, too, to see that the seeds of independence and friendliness and respect that we've tried to carefully tend are starting to grow and blossom in our child.

I'm not saying that she's perfect or even that she behaved perfectly throughout the whole entire wedding process -- she is, after all, a two-year-old. (And speaking of icing on the cake, there was one heart-stopping moment when I saw her, across the dance floor reach up to touch the wedding cake and I ran like the wind across the room shouting "I'll spaaaaaaaaaaank you!", getting there just in the nick of time to prevent it from actually happening.) But I have no problem with saying that I am proud of my daughter and the person she's becoming. And that I am excited to see her keep growing and changing, reaching toward the light.

Sometime around Anouk's second birthday it happened. It was triggered by her first viewing of Shrek, maybe, or the tiny set of Weeble-esque Disney heroines given to her by my Aunt Liz. She added a new word to her vocabulary: "pin-theth," said in a little piping voice. She became aware that there are princesses in the world.

I hadn't exactly been hiding this fact from her, in kind of the way I hadn't exactly been hiding the existence of Barbies. There are a few raggedy-haired leftovers from my childhood in her bunch of toys (so solid and thick-waisted compared to the Barbies of today!) and when she unearths them from the jumble, we play with them. But we don't go digging for them. It was the same with the princesses -- I wasn't consciously trying to steer her away from them, I just wasn't pushing the pink, the gilt, the glitz, the crowns.

But now that A. does know about princesses, there is no going back. She uses the word a dozen times a day at least. "This pree-tee pin-theth dress, mama," and I will agree, it is a pretty dress fit for a queen. But then I will root around in the dress-up box for her stethoscope and lay it next to the iridescent ruffled plastic skirt just in case not doing this sends a message that somehow it's better to be ornamental than useful. Just to remind her that there are options.


I played with princesses growing up but as an adult, I'm uncomfortable with the idea of them. I fully realize that they are innocuous characters but I think that's what bothers me about them, along with the fact that people become princesses simply by the virtue of being born to the ruling class. That's not the lesson I want to teach my daughter about the world. I want her to know that people can change their situations by work, and knowledge, and by looking out for one another. I'm not sure how much a two-year-old can conceive of things like class and wealth and power and beauty and how they all hang together but I do know that at one point as a child I owned the doll that said "math is hard" when you pulled a string in its back. And I grew up thinking math was hard. And boring. And when I had to try to do it, I let myself give up much more quickly than I did with other things. I'm not sure how much the doll (and things like her) contributed to this mindset but just in case it did, I want to be careful about things like this.

So whenever Anouk started talking about princess this or that, I found myself shutting off whatever  other jabbering was going on in my mind and paying attention to the context. And what I found surprised me. "Princess," she would say, pointing to a drawing of Belle in full regalia on the DVD cover of Beauty and the Beast. "Princess," she would say, looking at a drawing of Anne of Green Gables in her puffed-sleeve dress in an illustrated version of the book I keep by my bed. "Princess" -- when seeing a paper doll in a ballerina leotard, Melissa McCarthy standing in tall shoes on SNL, a portrait of my grandma at age 14 hanging over our dining table.

I started to realize that to my daughter, right now, princess just means "woman." Any woman, all women, of all shapes and sizes and colors.  Her understanding doesn't go beyond that. The mailcarrier with beads in her hair, who delivers us packages sometimes, is a princess; the woman with the colorful tattoos who bags our groceries at Trader Joe's is one too. Right now, Anouk's favorite princesses to see in the whole world are Alice in Wonderland, with her frilly white pinafore, and Caillou's mommy, with her soft paunchy stomach. In her mind, every woman is a princess -- simply by virtue of being born.

It's something I hope she'll remember forever.