Gary Chang's "Domestic Transformer"

Marcel Lam for The New York Times

How inefficient our 3 bedroom Victorian feels after watching Hong Kong architect Gary Chang fit 24 rooms into 344 sq ft! Astonishing use of space. Head to Planet Green to check it out.

the little things

washing my feet in their bath water after the girls have gone to bed.
peppermint soap.
tepid water.
clean feet.
breath.

my happy thought before i sleep

black and white Bruce Weber photographs
torn pages from Vanity Fair and Vogue
wallpapered my room
when I was a girl.
inspiring.

I want to punch Caillou in the mouth

Over the last week a transformation has occurred in our household. Our sweet, cooperative, polite little Maggie, our beautiful little caterpillar has undergone a metamorphosis. Out of nowhere she has become a rude, insubordinate, raging hellion. I seriously could not believe my ears tonight (and had much difficulty keeping a straight face). As we were going to the bath she did not want to take, she said, "I'm not talking to you guys. I'm just walking over here. Goodbye. I'm leaving now." That was the cherry on top. All week there have been ridiculous tantrums and crying fits. She has been obsessed with crying - all her imaginary play involves crying. I have been hearing the word "NO!" and the phrase "I don't want to!" in a snotty little voice, and it has been getting progressively worse.

Then tonight I got it. I have been applying the hell out of How to Talk to Kids since the madness started - stretching my patience farther than I ever thought it could go. Turns out there was no need. The solution? NO MORE CAILLOU!

I questioned this conclusion at first. I considered other causes: illness, growth spurt, maybe we finally hit the "terrible twos". So I started Googling and found that Maggie is not the only one to be corrupted by the little turd:

land of aud says, "I cut Caillou off when Jacob was about a year and a half. I was starting to notice that after Jacob watched the show he would become increasingly whiny!"

S.Q. says, "and now my daughter says "NO" all the time and literally acts like caillou and quotes him and actually imitates his squeaky, irritating voice."

TNmommy says, "Calliou has caused lots of problems in our house. My 3 yr daughter had started watching and loving this show. I watched with her the first few espisodes and didn't notice anything wrong, at first. Then my dd started using phrases like " I DON'T WANT TO!" and "NO, not now!" I figured out where she was picking this up at. Calliou is very whiny and disobient."

For those of you unfamiliar with the little effer, allow intothethickofit to explain, "The storyline revolves around 4-year old Caillou who is either whining or speaking in a false baby voice. He’s rarely in trouble with his hopelessly perky and indulgent parents. The narrator finds Caillou ridiculously charming and always chides the audience about our preschool hero’s antics."

Barf.

Young children are impressionable. Right now she mimics everything. She imitates her father and I - the way we sit, the way we eat, the way we talk. If we read a book, suddenly she becomes the main character. Last week we watched Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium and she became Mahoney (Natalie Portman) for a few days. A little over two weeks ago, Maggie started watching one Caillou episode a day and if you've seen the little punk, you can imagine the behaviour that's appeared as a result.

Hence the new house rule...

The Perfect Bedtime Story

Gwyneth Paltrow roasts a chicken. I found this so calming. Better than steamed milk in chamomile.

A beautiful use of time

Gramma's Play Dough Recipe

1 cup Flour
2 teaspoons Cream of Tartar
1/4 cup Salt
1 cup Hot Water
1 tbsp Oil
Food Colouring
Essential Oil or Extract

Slowly add wet to dry and mix until smooth. Add food colouring and scent if you so desire. Stir over medium heat until no longer runny. Remove from pot and knead. Let cool. Store in plastic bag or airtight container.



Maggie decided the double batch of purple and the single batch of blue needed to come together into one large play dough sculpture. Her masterpiece. Ta da.

Dreaming of Light

I love Peggy Sirota's photography and I think about this Vanity Fair shoot whenever I'm having a crap day. I close my eyes and imagine this light. Warm and golden and full of life. I put myself in this field and I exhale.

Marking 30

30 is coming up in 2 months. I want to celebrate big. I thought tattoo. Chris didn't. At that point I began to question my sudden desire to draw on my body. And then I started looking for images of beautiful tattoos. Here are some.


I feel the momentum of this bird in flight. I feel like I'm soaring.


This tattoo on Danish model Freja Beha makes me want to walk taller and lighter.


The loose script of this tattoo perfectly evokes the feeling of love. (lost link)


Magical, pretty and flattering.


Sexy and bold. This woman knows who she is.


Special and personal. The hand of a landscape architect?


Vivid.


A good reminder.

I truly appreciate body art, but have no graphics or images that I connect with that strongly. There would be no need to hesitate if I had something in mind. I don't.

Perhaps it's not a tattoo I'm seeking. I'm drawn to the quality of permanence. I want to commit to something fully and completely. I feel a desperate need to do something remarkable and important to commemorate the last 30 years.

I may just be looking to better define myself. I often wish I could be summed up by a word, an icon or illustration. I wish I fit in a tidy little package. Anal retentive perfectionist : ) ...woman, mother, wife, daughter, sister, cook, photographer, blogger... 30 years old and still getting to know who I am. Sounds about right.

Desperately Seeking Caitlin,
C.