Habitat Kid

DISCOVER: The Fleece Farm

This past Saturday we took a little drive out in the countryside to visit a fleece farm, which was part of a larger tour of local farms. As an avid knitter and fiber geek, it was fun to see the source of some of my favorite materials to work with. They had quite an array of alpacas which I fell in love with (they were so snuggly!) and lots of goats. There were also tons of ducks, chickens and even a turkey - a real farmyard! London was pretty nervous to pet any of them, but she was definitely interested in watching. :) Maybe next year we will bring more courage with us.

ENJOY: Jennie Ekström's Furry Friends Garland

Yeah...definitely going to need this adorable garland from Swedish illustrator Jennie Ekström. What a great little gift for a new baby. Each of the nine cards are printed on cardboard and already punched with a hole for the string, which is included. Available from Mokkasin.

SLEEP: Blankets from Yarning Made

Canadian knitter Sandra van Katwijk of Yarning Made has created some of the cutest knitted blankets for babies and I'm pretty sure I want every single one. I think the "Hi" blanket is my fave, but they are all so incredibly sweet! I love the subtle chunkiness of her yarn choice and the simple colors. Be sure to read her blog here.

LEARN: It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Can I get a "Hey!" from all of you parents who are celebrating the first days of school?? Yeah, I get it now. You just can't put a price tag on this alone time thing. London was excited and raring to go to her third year of preschool, and I was so grateful for her wonderful teachers and for an easy transition back into the classroom. She didn't want to leave her friends after school ended - so cute to see these bonds of friendship start to form. How was your first day??

IMAGINE: Bravery

This beautiful image from mama of seven, Emma Wood, reminds me of a sweet moment I had with London this summer. We had gone to our friend's farm for the day and topped it off by a swim in the neighbor's pool. Because of all of our time in NYC and now being in Seattle where rain is frequent to say the least, she hadn't ever really gone in a swimming pool before. She was quite nervous for the first 15 minutes or so, but she gradually got more and more brave and soon was making her way across the pool on her own. I was so so proud of her because I knew how badly she wanted to do it but how much courage it took. Those moments make being a mommy so worth it and gives me hope that I too, can be brave.

PLAY: Crazy Slide

You know it's a good slide when you can imagine yourself fighting with your child over who gets to go down first. This one is in the Playground Plikta located in Gothenburg, Sweden. Bless those Swedes and their slides.

via Playground Designs