The Homesteady

A calming corner for our 4-year-old

Miles, our newly 4-year-old, has been talking lately about a few different spaces in his preschool classroom, like the "big feelings table" and the "one-person space." I thought it would be easy to create a calming area in our home too, where he can find tools and books to help him self-regulate. He's started referring to it as the "one-person space" at home too! He likes identifying the emotions on the feelings chart, and trying different yoga poses (links to those printables below). 

I gathered a few things from around the house – sensory toys, books about big feelings – and put them with a comfy pillow in a corner of our living room. I want to add more pillows and maybe a super-soft blanket, for the time being, Miles has really taken to it! He's added a few of his own toys to the basket, and heads over there whenever he's feeling frustrated, wants to be alone (while still feeling close by) or space out, or just wants to try out different emotions or feelings. 

In the basket:

• Sensory toys. I added this pop-it [affiliate link], a glitter wand from here, a calm-down bottle that we made together with supplies we already had (so many tutorials on Pinterest!), a squishy bath toy, a soft cuddly friend, and a little stuffy with reversible sequins (that I think originally came from Once Upon a Child)
• Books about big feelings, meditation, and mindfulness. I searched through our bookshelves and found a couple titles that it made sense to include. We have a lot of the Slumberkins books, so I put in the one about stress relief and the one about feeling mad. He's familiar with these and knows the stories pretty well. I also added Alphabreaths: The ABCs of Mindful Breathing and The Snow Bear: A Mindfulness Parable for Kids, which was actually illustrated by our old neighbor!
• Cards with coping options. I bought the calming corner printables from My Party Design after seeing them on my Pinterest feed, laminated them, and put them on a ring so he can page through. (This collection also included the feelings printable that's hanging on the wall!) 

Printables

• Feelings chart
• Yoga chart (free) 

It's cuddly over there, and really does feel calm. Miles can go in whenever he wants to play, read, or just get away from us for a little while!

Baby #2

Baby #2 is joining the party in April, and we couldn't be more excited!

Kim from Time Bandit Photography took some beautiful photos of our family at the end of my first trimester (I'll be 18 weeks along tomorrow). 

I'm feeling better now than I was in the beginning, but still wouldn't turn down a nap!

We can't wait for this new baby to join us and complete our family.

My dress [af link]
Miles's Big Brother t-shirt [af link]

New House: Our Calm, Gray Bedroom

My and Kristie's bedroom in our new house probably looks really similar to our last one! We both love having dark gray walls in our sleeping space, so that was an easy choice for our new room. You also might recognize the lamps, and the prints and paintings on the walls. 

This room is so conducive to sleep – but so is our new neighborhood. Our first night sleeping here, I had to turn the sound machine down because it was actually too loud! It's been a really nice change. 

Oh, that constant to-be-read pile...

Ready for a "before" picture?

Yup, that's stained carpet. I was so happy when we peeled it back to reveal hard wood floors! My dad sanded and stained them as a gift to us. I have to say, ripping up that carpet was so satisfying.



Besides the carpet, the other challenge this room presented is that it has no closet. I got another wardrobe from Ikea to match the one we already had, and switched out the hardware – a small change that I think makes a big difference. 

One more new house quirk – there are no overhead lights in the living room, our room, or Miles's room! This made curtain holdbacks a necessity so we can get as much natural light as possible. 

We moved the credenza from our old living room into the bedroom for Kristie's clothes. I've managed to survive with just using one of the wardrobes for mine. 

SOURCES

Quilt / Urban Outfitters [affiliate link]
Wardrobes / Ikea
Wardrobe handles / Home Depot
Mountain print / Minted [affiliate link]
Curtain holdbacks / Amazon [affiliate link]
Humidifier / Amazon [affiliate link]
Wall lamps / Ikea
Nightstands / Houzz
Curtains / DIY
Basket boxes / Ikea
Sound machine / Amazon [affiliate link]
Gray throw pillow / Ikea
Dresser / Thrifted

Here & there

We continue to try doing our "hard best" (as Miles put it once, and I'm incapable of letting it go) with new transitions in our home and lives.

August was a month full of travel, from Pennsylvania (meeting Kristie's family halfway to see them for the first time in two years) to New York City (a day trip to visit my sister, sandwiched between two nights at my parents' house) to Cape Cod (a week in a house very close to the seashore, brimming with people and laughter). How lucky we were to spend so much time with family members we adore, and then to flee homeward for a few months of hopeful quiet during our favorite season! Such abundance and gratitude.

Miles moved up to a new class at preschool, kindergarten prep. Luckily four of his best buddies from his old class moved with him, so I think that made for an easier adjustment. 

I started my own academic adventure, enrolling in my very first graduate class in history (online). I'm a non-credit student, still curious about whether a masters degree fits into our family and plans, but am meanwhile enjoying the work of reading, thinking, and writing. This is my first class since I graduated from Mount Holyoke in 2009, and doing homework feels like using a muscle I'd long forgotten.

And I'm back in the office, two days a week at least. It is this transition, coupled with Miles's I think, that has me thinking wistfully about a reality in which I could be at home with him during the days. This was a surprise as I haven't often felt pulled to be an at-home parent or to homeschool, but lately I've been imagining both. But regardless of whether it would be a good fit, whether we'd be happy, it's not a possibility for our family – at least right now. (Also, how? How am I possibly yearning for this after the challenges of quarantine with a three-year-old?! But I am!) In the meantime, I'm trying to bring that energy to the time we do have together – and finding that we're connecting better and having more fun.

Just a couple of links to share today...

 

I like this raw edge shelf DIY

Have you watched the new documentary series "LuLaRich" on Amazon Prime yet? It's an elegant takedown of LuLaRoe and other MLMs. I can't stop watching.

Miles has decided to be a ghost for Halloween; I think I'm going to try to remake this [af link] using this tutorial

Next on my knitting needles: a beautiful blanket, and Frog and Toad for Miles's birthday

Bobble Sweater for Baby (Free Knitting Pattern)

If you haven't tried it yet, I hope I have the honor of introducing you to the free Flax Sweater pattern by Tin Can Knits. I've worked it up several times, and love its simplicity – and opportunities for modifying, like I did above by omitting the garter panel on the sleeves, and adding bobbles throughout the pattern.

I had pledged that 2021 was going to be a year of selfish knitting (where I knitted only for myself to build my handmade wardrobe) but I'm already – happily! – slipping on that vow. My friends just keep making tiny beautiful humans and I can't help but knit tiny things for them! 

A Boston day trip

Miles's preschool was closed on July 5 for the Independence Day holiday, and we decided to spend it visiting an old friend of mine who lives in Boston.

We packed up the car the night before, and drove the hour and a half east in the morning (even managing to leave a little early for once!). After a year-plus of sticking rather close to home, this was Miles's longest car ride in his memory, and I was feeling a little apprehensive. We'd prepared, though – I used my favorite car trip trick, which is to collect a few new little toys and books, and wrap them in wrapping paper ahead of time. Then we wait until his boredom with other car activities has absolutely reached its limit before pulling one out. The anticipation and excitement of unwrapping an unexpected present is a distraction in and of itself, and then of course there is the toy to play with! On the way home he also watched about 40 minutes on his tablet. 

We met up with my friend at the New England Aquarium (Miles had been there once before as a baby), and then went together to Boston Common for swan boat rides, ice cream, and even a trip on the merry-go-round. I packed our copy of Make Way for Ducklings, which we read in the shade while dipping our feet in the pond, and we visited the duckling statues too. 

This trip felt charmed – which I think was thanks to part magic and part planning. I'm glad we purchased our aquarium tickets ahead of time, and prepared Miles for mask-wearing and hand-holding in the crowds. We followed his lead much of the time, like letting him wade in the Frog Pond with Kristie while my friend and I waited in line for the carousel, catching each other up on our lives. (It was such a gift to reconnect with him.) The day of course featured a couple near-meltdowns and two outfit changes (see soaked shorts below!), but we pulled into the driveway as evening settled marveling at our good, good day. I'm ready for more summer adventures with this crew.

New House: Our Dreamy, Family-Friendly Back Porch

The back porch of our new home was one of the reasons we were so excited to put in an offer on this house.

(Side note: Buying a house in the middle of a pandemic was a straight-up nightmare. We were constantly getting priced out by buyers who were even agreeing to waive inspections. This house, which we closed on in December and moved into in January, was our sixth offer. I was convinced we wouldn't get it. The sellers' agent said that they chose our offer because of the letter we wrote! We feel so lucky every day.)

Anyway, we thought the back porch could be renovated into an additional living space, but when the contractors' estimates came back way higher than we were expecting, we decided to embrace it as a three-season living/dining room.

Ready for the "before" picture?

Yeesh. Up until last month really we were using the porch as sort of a catch-all for outdoor toys, furniture, and strollers. Once the early spring pollen calmed down (all the windows are just screens), I took a day off of work and painted the ceiling, floor, and steps. 

It took my wife Kristie and I forever to pick out a rug we both liked!! This one is indoor/outdoor, and big enough to protect a lot of the painted floor from being scraped by furniture and kids.

I love the functionality of this station – a helmet hook for Miles (so his helmet doesn't get left out in the rain!), and water toys, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, bug spray, and sun screen in a basket organizer on the bottom shelf of the bar cart, along with beach towels ready to go. (There's an Amazon Echo [af link] hiding back there too.) The tray on top is how I cart dishes and utensils into and out of the kitchen – we've been eating dinner out here almost every night lately. The sliding doors below lead right into the kitchen and our indoor dining space, so it's an easy choice to make.

Miles's play kitchen is out here for the summer too. We keep those brown folding chairs nearby for extra seating. 

Our vintage radio is tuned to a local oldies station. Miles loves turning up the volume and running circles around the table and chairs!

SOURCES

Wicker furniture / Vintage (passed on from family)
Cushions on wicker furniture / Ikea
Rug / Lowe's
Table / Walmart [affiliate link]
Bench / Ikea, old
Bench cushions / Target [affiliate link]
Pink side table / Marshalls
Green side table / Thrifted
Clock / Target [affiliate link]
Wire signs / Target [affiliate link]
Play kitchen / Ikea, thrifted
Play coffee maker / Target [affiliate link]
Bar cart / Thrifted
String lights / Target [affiliate link]
Throw pillows / Sewn with fabric from Joann's
Radio / Thrifted
Glass bottles / Thrifted
Folding chairs / Ikea, old
Tiny white wicker chair / Vintage (passed on from family)
Circular gold plant stand / Thrifted
Square face planter / Target [affiliate link]
Dining chairs / Home Depot

Gender (stereotype)-free toddler clothes, v.4

Tie-Dye Hoodie / Two-Pack Tank Tops
Quilted Jacket / Cotton Shorts
Suede Sandals / Terry Geo Sweatpants

These are all affiliate links.

New Knit: Aldous Sweater

Sharing a recent knit today – the Aldous sweater by Isabell Kraemer. I really like how it turned out, especially the shoulder construction and the twisted braid details at the cuffs and hem.

It's worth noting: the first day I wore it (and took these photos) I also got to hold and snuggle some wiggly perfect puppies, whose tiny nails made a few snags in the sweater. (Worth it.)

Aside from the Copenhagen baby blanket, this is the only other project I've done that used such a light weight yarn, and such small needles. It was a little maddening at times, and I was very aware that I was creating fabric. 

Family Photos at Apple Orchard in Bloom

One of our favorite photographers Kim of Time Bandit Photography offered special mini sessions on Mother's Day weekend, and I signed us up right away. Kim has such a talent for making people (especially kiddos!) feel relaxed and at ease in front of the camera. I adore these photos, which were taken in the apple orchard at Quonquont Farm in Whately, where Kristie and I got married eight years ago.

(Just a note: We don't share pictures of Miles's face on the internet, but Kim made sure we got plenty of snaps of his smiles for our family. This is a small selection of the dozens of gorgeous images she captioned.)

My romper is from Target (and currently on sale) [affiliate link], and my sweater is Gap via ThredUp. (Use this link for $10 off your first purchase.)