The Homesteady

New Antiracist Magazine for Kiddos

Hi friends! I wanted to tell you about a new antiracist magazine for kiddos ages 3-11: Ditto Kids. 

From their Kickstarter:

Ditto Kids magazine is a print publication whose mission is to empower and guide kids ages 3-11 on their journey to becoming actively anti-racist. Ditto Kids help parents, teachers, and community leaders have the important but tricky conversations with kids about racism and injustice in the world. These conversations can be done in a way that doesn't scare kids, but empowers them and equips them with knowledge, love for themselves, and love for others! 

I'm excited. Miles is turning 3 in November, right around when our first issue of Ditto Kids will arrive. Alexandria Scott, the magazine's creator, has surpassed her funding goal of $40,000 and is now trying to raise $80,000 to get Ditto Kids issues into 200 classrooms across the country. Join me in supporting this project, won't you? 

PS - An introductory essay by Scott.

Myths & Magic-Themed Play, Books & Activities

A week(-ish) of magic- and myths-inspired play, projects, and reading! This was a fun introduction to fairies, knights, dragons, and magic.

PLAY

• I put together a fairy-themed sensory box with rainbow-dyed rice, pom-poms, sparkly things, and two clothespin ballerinas that Miles made at daycare last year (I taped feathers to their backs to make wings).
• I created another box with the supplies necessary to make our own magic wands. I partially stitched and stuffed felt stars, glued them to paper straws and cut yarn lengths ahead of time. Then when Miles was with me, we finished stitching the stars shut (he even helped with the needle!), and tied on the yarn to make the wands. (Inspired by these wands, now sadly sold out but maybe they'll be restocked. [affiliate link])
• One more box was full of supplies to make "fire-breathing dragons" out of toilet paper rolls. Miles and I painted them green, attached googly eyes, and I cut strips of red tissue paper and glued them inside one end of the roll so that when you blow into the other end, the strips wave. 
• One morning while I was upstairs working, Miles and Kristie built a very cool drawbridge for his castle toy using scrap wood and a hinge.
• I followed Kate's tutorial to make a batch of glittery fairy dough. It made the whole house smell like Pantene, I loved it! 
• I also sewed a pegasus/rainbow quiet book [affiliate link] that I gave to Miles during our drive to Martha's Vineyard.

ART

• I set up Miles with construction paper, our favorite sparkly markers [affiliate link], and super glittery unicorn stickers from High Five Books.

BOOKS

Here are four faves from Myths & Magic Week. Two are from the library, one was a gift, and one I bought because we'd borrowed it before and loved it. The links below are affiliate links – mostly to Amazon, but please consider checking your local bookstore for these titles – and the first two are especially LGBT-friendly! 

• Prince & Knight
• The Different Dragon
• Not All Princesses Dress in Pink
• Children of the Wood: A Child's Book of Spells (I actually can't find this on Etsy anymore! But if you see it, snap it up. It's enchanting.)

Uterus cross-stitch kit

This little uterus is the bestselling cross stitch pattern in my Etsy shop [affiliate link] and one of my favorites! I decided to offer five kits for sale [affiliate link] that include everything needed to stitch this pattern from hoop to cloth to thread to needle.

Putting it together was really fun. I've never offered kits before, so we'll see how it goes.

(You might also remember this cross stitch from my tutorial How to Make Your Own Cross Stitch Pattern.)

Find it on Etsy! [Affiliate link] And here is a link to my cross stitch Instagram.

How to Stitch a Felt Campfire (Free Pattern)

Miles has been fascinated by fire-building for a long time. My parents have a fireplace in their home, and in the wintertime he loves helping my dad tote sticks inside, crumple newspaper, and feed the flames. He was also often invited to help stoke the wood stove at daycare, so it's no surprise that fire-building has entered into his play, too. For awhile I was finding little piles of twigs and balls of construction paper tucked away around our house! So I decided to sew him a little felt campfire set –– which, so far, he couldn't care less about! But it's cute anyway, and hopefully he'll warm up to it soon.

Scroll down for the tutorial and printable pattern...

You will need:

• Pattern
• Felt (red, orange, yellow, black)
• Embroidery floss
• Embroidery needle
• Stuffing

Cut out your pattern pieces. I did a mix of red, orange, and yellow for the flames, and black for the charcoal/stones. 

Attach the small flames to the large flames as pictured using the applique stitch. Sew two large flames together using the blanket stitch, leaving one small section open to insert stuffing. Once you've added the amount of stuffing you'd like, close opening with blanket stitch.

Use the blanket stitch to attach two charcoal pieces to one another, leaving a small opening through which you can insert stuffing before stitching closed. Stitch finished charcoal pieces together until a ring is formed, the right size to hold your flames.

I left my flames somewhat understuffed, for no particular reason I can put name to. It just seemed right. 

Lunar cycle toddler tees

I stamped a tee like this one for Miles early on during quarantine using a small potato. I liked it so much, I made more and put them in my Etsy shop [affiliate link]. They're only available in 4T for now, and I only made six. Might save some for craft fairs this fall too, though who knows what those'll look like!

Here & there

It's been a long time since I've shared an update like this!

So here's a random list of what's going on in our lives: We're chugging along in pandemic life. My wife Kristie and I are both still working from home. Next week we're starting a part-time nanny share with friends of ours, and I'm excited for our two-and-a-half-year-old son Miles to spend so much time with another child (and for some quiet work time for us!).

Miles and I went on a vacation to Martha's Vineyard with my family earlier this month which was hard but good.

The search to buy our first home continues. We put an offer in on a really lovely place just before leaving on vacation, but the sellers chose different buyers (who had a higher offer). I totally get it, but it was hard to lose that one! Now I'm comparing every house that comes on the market with that one –– and starting to reconsider what kind of room we'll need over the next few years as we hopefully add another child to our family and possibly may need a space for at-home learning. 

After noticing a newly emerging sensitivity, I've become dairy-free as well as remaining gluten-free (it's been something like seven years GF now). I'm feeling much better digestively and it hasn't really been a difficult transition and considering how I usually felt after eating dairy, I don't miss it much. (My brother and sister similarly avoid dairy, and I've been wondering if there's a genetic element at play.)

Other than that, trying to knit or craft during every spare moment! Now that we're back from vacation, I'm all for rushing headlong into autumn making and nesting.

 

Links for your Friday

Black-owned Etsy shops

Fran painted wall arches in her bedroom

I just ordered some new pajama sets for Miles to wear to bed when the weather gets cooler (usually in the summer he just sleeps in a diaper and t-shirt), and have my eye on these Halloween PJs too! [affiliate link]

A link I texted to my sister: "5 Clean Beauty Brands by Women of Color"

The coolest ways to pass notes

I love Erin's perspective on learning at home: "This is Your Gap Year"

Here is the free pattern I used to knit these blue slippers for Miles

A very sweet DIY calendar (and what we're doing)

Farm-Themed Play, Books & Activities

Two weeks ago Kristie and I were visiting my parents' house and while Miles played, the four of us casually brainstormed a few different themed "weeks" of play, books, and activities that might be fun to put together for our two-and-a-half-year-old. It's a relaxed way to give our activities a bit of structure. (And oh boy do I love a theme.) 

The first one we did was Farm Week! Here's what we made, played, read, visited, and supported...

(I also saved everything under a story highlight on Instagram.) 

PLAY

• I prepped a couple of farm-themed activity boxes. (These sit in a stack in our kitchen, easy to grab when we need a distraction or quick activity for Miles. I put them together with fresh play prompts usually once a week when he's napping or after he goes to bed. This system was inspired by The Mama Notes!) One sensory box with oats, measuring tools, a few plastic farm animals, and yellow pom-poms, and one box of dried chickpeas with pieces of one of his farm puzzles hidden in it. 
• I made a mini felt garden where he can plant and harvest his pretend fruits and vegetables, inspired by this tutorial. I cut up a pool noodle and covered the pieces with one length of brown felt, tucking it in around each noodle and hot-glueing in place.
• Inspired by Happy Toddler Playtime, I put together a farm-themed sensory discovery bag. I cut out animal photos from an old Grit magazine and laminated them, then "hid" them in a big Ziploc bag along with birdseed. 
• Another prompt to get him engaged with puzzles he's tired of: I wrapped pieces from another farm puzzle in streamers so that he had to unwrap them before putting the puzzle together. (Another Mama Notes hack!)

ART

• I cut pig shapes out of pink construction paper, and let Miles get them all "muddy" with brown paint.
• I made horses out of toilet paper tubes and popsicle sticks (loosely based on this tutorial) and we painted them together (and added googly eyes). 

OUTINGS

We're so lucky to live in a part of the world where we have easy access to all kinds of farms. We spent one day visiting Quonquont Farm (where Kristie and I got married seven years ago!) to pick blueberries and cut flowers from their garden. Each of us picked a bouquet to bring home, and quoted lots of Blueberries for Sal while we filled a pint. I caught a teeny-tiny frog in my hands to show Miles, who aww-ed a bit before saying, "Put it back where you found it, Mom." (My budding conservationist.)

That afternoon we visited Flayvors of Cook Farm, where we often go to visit the cows and eat ice cream. His favorite flavors are vanilla and black raspberry.

BOOKS & TOYS

[Affiliate links]

Two farm-themed toys that Miles has loved for awhile and gave some new attention this week are this plush horse set and this flower garden kit. And just a couple farm books that are always in rotation around here...

• Big Red Barn
• Click Clack Moo (great for introducing civil disobedience :)
• The Animals of Farmer Jones

GIVING

I finished listening to the New York Times podcast the 1619 Project this week, and I recommend it SO strongly! It’s shattering and beautiful and horrific. I felt especially impacted by June and Angie Provost’s story.

Since it was Farm Week, we'd been thinking and talking a lot about farming and land. I think Miles is not old enough yet to really grasp the centuries of land injustice and theft that underscore this country’s history, but he is constantly watching and listening to what the adults in his life are doing.

Please join us (especially if you’re having Farm Week for your family too!) and support an organization like the Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust, which works to resituate Black and Brown farmers, earth workers, and land stewards. (Even if it’s just by giving a little, little bit every month.) Let your children see you prioritize this work. Tie it to themed play like Farm Week. Make it normal for them to hear you to talk about equity and reparations.

DIY Hip Bag for Back-Carrying Babies

Even though Miles weighs 34 pounds now, I still "babywear" him every chance I get. I wear my carrier around my waist when we hike together so that when he gets tired of walking, I can just sling him on my back (he's too heavy for me to wear comfortably on the front anymore). The carrier I use [affiliate link] can hold up to 60 pounds, so as long as he wants a ride, I'm ready!

I can't use our diaper bag when I wear him, though (it's backpack style). I don't like managing the extra straps of a shoulder bag when he's already on my back. And the carrier makes it tough to keep things in my pockets, so when it comes to my phone and keys, I usually stick them between the waistband and my body (which obviously isn't that secure or comfortable).

This is a very simple tutorial showing how to add elastic loops to the back of a small makeup bag. The waistband of the carrier can be threaded through these loops, and the bag worn on your hip while walking, adventuring, or hiking. 

Scroll down for a video!

You will need:

• A small zippered pouch (I found this one in Target's dollar section last year)
• Elastic
• A hot glue gun, fabric glue, or a needle and thread (how you will attach the elastic depends on the fabric of your bag)

Measure and cut two lengths of elastic that will fit vertically on the bag. Fold over each end of the elastic, and attach to the bag using the appropriate method. Slip your waistband through to wear. 

Learn. Feel. Act.

I know your and your family's minds and hearts have probably been busy lately tackling this work, but I wanted to share some resources I've read and listened to over the past few weeks. This short list is obviously by no means exhaustive, but will hopefully one or two will be useful additions to your antiracism toolbox.

And listen. This work is far from done, and it's important that those doing it not burn out. Try planning to spend 20 minutes every day to read a book or article, listen to a podcast episode, or call a politician. Just one thing, every day.

PODCASTS

1619
Unruffled episode: "Raising Antiracist Children"
Life Kit Parenting episode: "Talking Race with Young Children"

ARTICLES/ESSAYS

America is On Fire
For Our White Friends Desiring to Be Allies
Antiracism Resources for White People

BOOKS

Talking About Race: Books for Kids Age 0-3
How to Be an Antiracist

8 Very Specific Things That Are Making Quarantine with a Toddler Easier

In addition to things like creating (and sticking to) a family routine, lots of FaceTiming with relatives and friends, and spending time outside every day, here are eight very specific things that are making quarantine with our 2 1/2-year-old easier. 

Mac Barnett reading books on Instagram. Mac has written some of our all-time favorite children's books, and Miles loves watching him read them on Instagram. (Silly hats required.) It feels a little like more forgivable screen time, and we'll usually watch Mac read one or two while Kristie is getting lunch ready. 

Sneaking chocolate. (For the moms, not Miles.) We've always kept a pretty robust stash of dark chocolate in a high cupboard in the kitchen, but in quarantine life it's grown substantially. We sneak with abandon. Those tiny treats (and tiny breaks) make me feel so good. 

Toy rotation. I love this a lot. Once or twice a week I'll do a quick sweep of the house while Miles is sleeping, and bring down to the basement whatever toys have fallen out of favor lately. I'll bring up one or two that he's forgotten about while I'm at it, and when he wakes up and rediscovers them, it's often like getting new toys! We did this recently with his wooden train tracks, and he's been rocking independent play with them since. 

Family Folk on Spotify. Having music on makes everything better (and helps us avoid turning on a screen when that's something we're aiming for) -- but there are only so many times I can listen to the Frozen II soundtrack. I recently found the Family Folk radio station on Spotify, and we love it. I don't even mind continuing to listen by myself once Miles has wandered with Kristie out to the backyard.

Involving Miles in chores. Does it take approximately thirty times longer to fold laundry, do dishes, or sweep the floor when a toddler is "helping"? Yep. But what else do we have to do? Miles likes helping, and we're teaching him how to take care of his own home someday. Plus I can get household things done (slowly) while hanging with him. 

Art walls. Starting in March when daycare closed, we began hanging up in our living room almost every piece of art Miles has created while home with us. Now we have two full walls (floor to ceiling) decorated with his artwork. It's not the decor I might have chosen during simpler times, but he's so proud to see his work, and really enjoys helping to hang up new paintings or drawings. 

Invitations to play. I get so much delicious satisfaction out of setting up "invitations to play" while M naps. Admittedly I did this more often when the weather was cooler; now that it's so lovely I feel less pressure to keep him engaged indoors. I turn to Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration for crafts, handwriting exercises, and sensory bin ideas. Again, I do this mostly because it fills my cup. Miles does like them, and sometimes will get really engaged and play for a good while, but more often than not he'll give the activity a few minutes and then move on. 

Throwing shit in water. This is our time-tested, tried-and-true, always-wins activity. Whatever the weather, whatever his mood, if we take Miles to a body of water (even a big puddle) and provide a little bundle of sticks or pile of rocks, he's happy. For a loooong time.