3 Things: Japanese Books for Toddlers

It's only fair that I give fair due to the Japanese books that have influenced our bedtime reading rituals. There are so many, it is hard to narrow it down to three, but here are some that we love, broken down into two categories:

In Japanese:
Umi Dai Suki by Yoko Imoto
A sweet and simple story about a family's day at the beach.

Tebukuro o Kaini by Niimi Nankichi, Illustrated by Kuroi Ken (also available in English Translation under the title "Buying Mittens")
A sweet folktale about a fox cub visiting a human town to buy mittens in winter.

Boku wa Ukki by Claudia Bielinsky
A simple tale of a little dog and his adventures during an entire day. Excellent for learning Japanese!

In English, with Japanese themes or storyline:

Suki's Kimono by Chieri Uegaki, Illustrated by Stephane Jorisch

One Leaf Rides the Wind by Celeste Davidson, Illustrated by Kathleen Hartung

Where Are You Going? To See My Friend! by Eric Carle and Kazuo Iwamura

And a few extra, because you know I'm a cheater:

A Place Where Sunflowers Grow by Amy Lee-Tai, Illustrated by Felicia Hoshino

Wabi Sabi by Mark Reibstein, Illustrated by Ed Young

3 Things: Ooh la la - Francophile Books for Toddlers

I admit, I am a shameless Francophile. When we got to choose between French and Spanish language study in 7th grade I opted for the language of l'amour. My more thoughtful and socially astute classmates chose Spanish - it made so much more sense in our community of Latino immigrants. But alas, I had images of the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame in my head. Some of my favorite books were The Three Musketeers, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Les Miserables, and a Tale of Two Cities. There was never a question...

Ironically, I have not yet had the pleasure of visiting that lovely country. Funds and vacation time have always been reserved for the costly trip to Japan - which is incredibly amazing and wonderful and worth it (I'm not complaining, promise!). But someday, I will walk the gardens in Luxembourg and eat croissants in a charming Parisian cafe. In the meantime, I'm passing on my obsession to Mayumi. Besides, it is so fun to practice my French accent!

Adele and Simon by Barbara McClintock

Minou by Mindy Bingham

Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

Have I missed any? Let me know if you have one to add to the list!

3 Things: Toddler Books for the Budding Naturalist

I'm such a bookworm, so my contribution to our 3 Things posts have primarily been books and I'm continuing the trend here. These are books that celebrate nature, gardening, and the seasonal cycles - a perfect way to welcome in spring, though they are standard reading fare in our home all year long. We LOVE them and I'm so incredibly happy to read them over and over to my little gardener (unlike other books which require incredible willpower to avoid groaning over whenever Mayumi requests them).

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown

Children of the Forest by Elsa Beskow

The Money Tree by Sarah Stewart, Illustrated by David Small

Runner Up:
All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon, Illustrated by Marla Frazee

I'm sure you have your favorite too, perhaps some that we haven't discovered yet, so please share!

3 Things: Pet peeves

It's been a while since we wabisabi mamas have done a 3 things post, but it's time for a comeback. Today's topic: pet peeves.

1. Long toenails: Wughh! Long toenails creep me out! I hate it when my toenails are so long that they crush against my shoes or get caught on a blanket when I move my foot across it. I usually keep mine excessively short (probably someone else's pet peeve) and am never satisfied on the rare occasion I get a pedicure because the aesthetician never files them down short enough. And I'm sorry, but I just don't think toenails should be long enough to get a french manicure.

2. Willful ignorance: There's this super-right guy at work who always forwards me ridiculous political e-mails. Besides being a completely inappropriate action for the workplace, does this guy really believe that stuff? Obama is not a Muslim and who cares if he is!

3. Merge-before-the-merge-ers: Utah drivers have a special place in my heart relating to this matter. They just don't understand the merge, which is fine with me, because I get to pass the sometimes miles-long merged traffic lane until I get to the real place where the merge is supposed to occur. At that point, I sometimes get angry looks from the already-merged drivers who don't want to let me in (mad that they weren't smart enough to merge at the merge?). It is honestly confusing.

What are your pet peeves?

3 Things: Favorite toys for an 8-month old

The other day, my pregnant friend asked me what the must-have baby items were for a newborn. I could barely remember! I loved the fleece swaddler with velcro, bouncy seat, playmat and white noise. But as Olive's gotten older, she's moved onto toys, gravitating to a few over and over again. For those of you with infants, her list of favorites might be helpful.

1) Photo book
It's so sad to have most of our family live far away and to think that Olive may not get to spend much time with them. But I still want her to recognize them and know that they love her, so I compiled all their photos into a little photo book. She LOVES this book. I'm not sure it has so much to do with the photos, but more the pliability of the pages. It's easy for Olive to turn the pages and lay the book flat, and it's easy for me to throw this in a diaper bag without taking up too much room. She will seriously play with this book for 15 minutes at a time.

2) Sassy foot
This is sort of like three toys in one. The top part has several different pieces of fabric (satin, fleece, terry cloth), some that make a crinkling sound. Then there's the "heel" that rattles and the stretchy velour "toes." She loves to feel all the different textures, hear the noises the parts make and bite on the wood.

3) Sophie the Giraffe
Olive received Sophie as a gift from her aunt right around the time she was starting to put everything in her mouth. This giraffe was perfect for that because of all its interesting limbs and facial features. This is her favorite teething toy. It's made from natural rubber and food paint, without phthalates and BPA, so it's perfectly safe for babies to suck on all day.

3 Things: Books That Have Rocked My World

When I say "rocked my world" what I mean is that they had such an impact on me that I consciously made some major changes in my life because of them.  I think they've made me a better mama and a more conscientious human being,  I've stuck to non-fiction here (otherwise I could never narrow it down to three!) and avoided religious texts (scripture is a different thing altogether), so here goes:

1.  Radical Homemakers: Reclaiming Domesticity from a Consumer Culture by Shannon Hayes

I have to admit I am not quite finished this one, yet, but already I am begging my husband to read it and to consider quitting his job and moving to a farm to live off the land with me.  Okay, I actually don't really want to move from our lovely little rowhouse in the city because I love it here.  But I am doing some major soul-searching and reconsidering of my role in our extractive consumer culture.  I am convinced now that a consumer economy is NOT the best thing for this country or for its families and I am re-dedicated to urban homesteading and trying to be a productive household.  It starts with our little front yard vegetable garden and our elementary forays into canning and on my to-do list: start sprouting, fermenting and learning about top-bar bee-keeping.  But not only that, I am trying to review every single one of my purchases to see if there is anyway I can do without, get it second-hand, or barter for it.  Why?  It's not just about homemaking, it is about reclaiming our true purpose here.  It's about focusing on the most important things: working with and strengthening your family, re-establishing meaningful community relationships, nurturing the creative spirit, and avoiding the distracting and anesthetizing affects of materialism.  You NEED to read this book.  If anything, it is thought-provoking, but I posit that it is life-changing.

2. The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Have I praised this book enough?  Michael Pollan breaks down our American food culture and re-enforced my decisions to eat organically-grown, local produce, grass-fed, free-range meats, and home-cooked (homegrown, if possible) meals.  I must admit that this book didn't necessarily change my life, since I've been essentially striving to eat this way for years, but it distilled all this interesting, amazing information about why it is so important to do so.  Even my dad, lover of SPAM and fast food and cheeze whiz, read this book and grudgingly admitted that it was interesting (though I believe it failed to convince him to abandon his naughty food habits).  I firmly believe this is information everyone should have, and then they can make their food choices accordingly.

3. Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto
I am a product of public education and I was a little skeptical when my friend Ginger thrust this book into my hands, urging me to read it (she also did that with Radical Homemakers, but by then I had learned to trust her recommendations).  In this collection of essays from an award-winning teacher in the New York City public school system, I learned about how our education system is set up more to train robots to conform to corporate needs (like cogs in a machine) than to encourage true, internalized learning.  He points out how the curriculum is imposed on students, with no regards for their individual strengths, interests or needs and how students learn that following directions is more important than thinking critically, and that grades and test scores are more important than knowledge and life-application.  It is the book that essentially convinced me to seriously consider homeschooling my children, and though that is not a realistic option for most people, I think that the information presented in this book would be helpful to any parent navigating the waters of childhood education.

And because I'm a cheater, I have two runners-up.  I won't go into details, but I also highly-recommend these reads to every parent!
Diaper Free: The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene by Ingrid Bauer
The Attachment Parenting Book: A Commonsense Guide to Understanding and Nurturing Your Baby by William and Martha Sears

And share with us what books have impacted you!

3 Things I do that are really bad for Mother Earth

I really do try to be green, but it's not always easy (didn't Kermit used to say something like that?). This post is a confession of three things I do that are really naughty. I already know I need to change, but man, making change is sometimes so hard!

1. Using disposable diapers

I didn't really even know there were other options until I attended some crunchy mother-earth-and-rainbows-type fair with MamaD and saw a display for reusable diapers. My, they've come a long way! My vision of white kitchen towels held in place with oversized safety pins was debunked. Instead there were tons of cute diapers with velcro, waterproof fabric and cute patterns. 

I didn't linger very long because I hate dealing with high-pressure salespeople, which I assume everyone at sales booths are, and also because the pricetags were a little high. But in retrospect, it's probably quite cost-effective to spend several hundred dollars on reusable diapers; I've easily spent that much for my six-month-old and I'm sure we have a long way to go before she's potty trained. Plus, the more kids you have, the better the investment, as you can use them over and over and over again. 


I know it's not too late to make the change, but I'm intimidated because I don't understand exactly how they work (I'm supposed to hook a hose up to my toilet?). A problem easily solved by an hour on the Internet, but I just haven't made the time. 


2. Cleaning wipes
You know, the kind they sell in three-packs at Costco? It's so convenient to just whip one of those babies out, wipe down the counters, then toss it in the trash. They get into those cracks and grooves better than a cloth rag and are nice and moist. But oh, how wasteful! I do feel a pang of guilt every time I use disposable cleaning wipes.


A silly reason I do is because I hate to wash my rags with regular clothes, yet I hate to waste a load of laundry on just a few rags. I could use the quick cycle, but then I feel like the rags don't really get clean. So instead of wasting water, I guess I choose to waste wipes. 

3. Not composting
Growing up, my mom composted every last scrap of food for her massive garden. She had this nasty plastic bag that always sat in a corner of the sink and when it was full, she would transfer it--dripping juices and all--to a pile on the deck. Once the pile got big enough, the bags were transported and emptied into a big compost pile in the backyard. And once the compost sat long enough, she made us kids scoop it by the wheelbarrow-full into the garden. Man, I hated that.


But now I have my own (albeit very small and humble) garden and I'd love to make my own compost. Problem is I live in a townhome and my garden is part of a community garden in the backyard of the next complex over. In other words, it's far away. And I don't want to have to get the compost from point A to B. But even if I did, where would I put it? There's no room for a compost pile. I think nowadays you can get composting buckets or something, but the only place I could keep it is in my garage and is it going to make everything smell?


Again, another problem that I could probably solve with an hour online, or even talking to my compost-knowledgeable mom or sister, but it just hasn't made it to the top of my priorities list. So I continue to chuck those banana peels and uneaten veggies in the trash...

3.   

3 Things I Love About Breastfeeding

1. Nurturing and Bonding With My Baby
I loved those moments of quiet, skin-to-skin contact with Mayumi, the way she would look at me, the way she depended on me.  She would often reach up and caress my neck or gently pull on a strand of hair.  As she got older she liked to insert a finger into my belly button, always searching for a way to connect to me.  The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding for at least the first year of a child's life (and exclusively for the first six months), because mother's milk offers nutrients and antibodies that no other milk or formula can provide.  Apparently breastfed babies are less likely to have allergies, asthma, gastrointestinal issues, respiratory problems, ear infections, childhood leukemia and type 1 diabetes.  There are even claims that breastfeeding may boost your child's intelligence and protect against obesity later in life.

2. Health Benefits for Mama
Besides helping to lose all that pregnancy weight, breastfeeding offers a slew of benefits to mama as well.  It can lower your stress levels and reduce postpartum bleeding, reduces the risk of both breast and ovarian cancer and may protect against osteoporosis later in life.  Not to mention that breastfeeding is FREE.  Granted, it may take a toll on your lovely bosoms (I admit it was a shocker when I weaned Mayumi to see what had become of my lovely ladies) but the benefits FAR outweigh the costs. 

3. Having a Rack
Sorry for the vulgarity, but having been small-breasted all my life, it was a definite bonus to finally fill out up there.  In fact, one of the compliments I most often received was that my breasts were beautiful and perfect.  I felt so feminine.  It was a nice feeling.  (No knock against small breasts - they are also beautiful and feminine and often more convenient, especially when working out!)

3 Things I LOVE About Summer

1. Being Outside

Despite the atrocious heat we're experiencing in our neck of the woods, I love the long days and access to nature.  Hikes, parks, bike rides, beach visits, working in the garden... I don't mind a little sweat as long as I can enjoy the fresh air!

2. The Food

Fresh fruit (I've devouring peaches and all sorts of berries right now), dinner cooked on the grill, ice-cream cones and lemonade... my stomach and my taste buds are so happy during this season.

3. Leisurely Naps

Admittedly, one thing I love about colder weather is that inclination to hibernate.  But there is something about summer that also invites taking it easy and finding time to rest and rejuvenate.  The hum of the ceiling fan, the feel of crisp, clean sheets, and a well-deserved nap after a long day in the sun.  Yum!

What do you love about this glorious season, my friends?

3 Things: People I Want to Meet and Who I Think Are Really, Really Cool...

Food and activism seems to be a common thread here.  Five years ago I'm sure my choices would've been different (undoubtedly they'd be actors or artists or musicians), but today, these are the three people I'd like to hang out with for a bit.  Definitely have dinner with.

1. Michael Pollan: author and food activist who is trying to change the way America eats.  After reading (devouring, really) The Omivore's Dilemma didn't you want to give a copy to everyone you knew?  Didn't you love seeing and  hearing him in Food, Inc.? 

2. Alice Waters: extraordinary chef, founder and owner of Chez Panisse restaurant, creator of the Edible Schoolyard and vice president of Slow Food International... I wonder how I can get invite over to her place for dinner?  I'm convinced it would be the culinary pinnacle of my life.  And though I plan to homeschool, I SO appreciate her drive to help students learn about REAL food and help schools improve their lunch offerings, along with their entire curriculum.

3. Wendell Berry: farmer, professor, author, poet, essayest... I imagine he would be the most wonderful and wise grandfather figure.  He might be the only one I'd feel comfortable inviting into my home for dinner, because I'm quite sure he wouldn't complain and would appreciate my meager but sincere offerings. 

How about you?  Who's on your wish list?

3 Things I Wish I Liked More...

Do you ever have those things that you wished you liked because it seemed fashionable or everyone else liked it but you just don't or you could take it or leave it or you haven't even made that step in trying it? I have a few:


1. Tea
I went through a phase where I was buying tea a lot and ordering it at restaurants for dinner or dessert. It seems so classy and sophisticated and so many cool people I knew loved tea and I guess I wanted to emulate that coolness. But I've tried quite a few and no matter what, it leaves me saying, "Meh." I thought I could acquire a taste for it but I can't. Still have some leftover lemon tea in the cupboard that won't ever be consumed. I'm much more of a hot cocoa kind of girl.




2. Jazz
No, not the basketball team in Utah (although I'm kinda "meh" about them too - Go Celtics!) but the music. This again is one of those things that seems so cool to me - going to some restaurant or bar that plays live jazz music or a jazz concert. But I could take it or leave it. Maybe I just haven't been exposed to enough of the good stuff. Maybe I'll appreciate it more as I get older? Or maybe I'll just fake it with all the people that I like who like it.





3. Animal prints
This is one of those things that I see other people wearing and think that looks so fun and sassy but just can't imagine it on myself. Maybe I just need to try. Like an animal print shoe or scarf or purse. This post gives me a little more motivation to try it out.

Maybe you might be wondering why I would lament not liking something. But come on - haven't you ever felt left out of a trend or hobby that just didn't work for you but seemed to work for everyone else - skinny jeans/leggings (which I love now), books (there are probably more people than you know that don't really like to read) or some television show that you just don't get (I miss So You Think You Can Dance so much since we unplugged our television)? I'm sure that there are guys that take up golf just because of the socialization/business opportunity or status aspect of it. Shallow? I don't know - maybe our motivation for liking some things isn't the point but whether it could turn into something that we truly love and gain satisfaction from.

I saw a zebra print the other day -- I think I could rock that.

How about you -- what are your things?

3 Things I Wish Would Make a Comeback

1) Mom jeans. I am serious; I love mom jeans. I know they're hideous, but they are comfortable! And how I love comfort these days. Low-rider hipster jeans only look cute on skinny girls, while they accentuate the rolls many moms have. But mom jeans hold all that doughy goodness in and turn it into sexy curves. First it was dark denim, then skinny jeans--I know mom jeans are next to make a comeback.

2) New Kids on the Block. Not NKOTB or any of that crappy music they came out with in 2008, but the real New Kids on the Block. They were a serious boy band. Hangin' Tough, The Right Stuff, Please Don't Go Girl--need I say more?

3) Berry Berry Kix. I LOVED this cereal as a kid, but it seemed to have been on the market for just a short time. How could they pull such a beloved kid-tested, mom-approved cereal? Please come back, Berry Berry Kix. Please come back!

3 Things: Guilty Pleasures

My guilty pleasures? Too many to name, but here are a few:

1. Reality TV: Ever since becoming a half-time stay-at-home mom, I watch a lot more daytime TV. (Hey, I need something to do while I'm nursing or folding the laundry!) Some of the shows I've watched: Keeping Up With the Kardashians, A Baby Story (I always get teary-eyed), 16 and Pregnant, 19 Kids and Counting, Kendra and, yes, Jerseylicious. Don't judge me.

2. Ice cream: I used to have a serious obsession with ice cream when I first got married. I ate a bowl literally every day. I know I was worrying my new husband with this bad habit, but somehow I was able to keep the pounds off and eventually grew out of the habit. Then I had a baby and my ice cream hormones came back. It's bad. Really bad.

3. Red pen: I majored in PR and minored in English in college, wrote for my school newspapers, have had some work published, and do a lot of writing in my job, so I consider myself a decent writer and stickler for grammar and technicality. I like reading books like Eats, Shoots and Leaves and worship the AP Stylebook. It drives me crazy when people use two spaces after a period or when they use it's the contraction and it should be its the possessive pronoun. And I like to let everyone know it. I love it when people give me writing to edit at work because I know I'll find a mistake and will get to mark up the paper, proving to everyone that I'm really smart. It's kind of evil, but I love my red pen.

And your guilty pleasures? Please make me feel better by sharing!

3 Things I Love About Being a Mom

How can I possibly narrow this down to three things?  I LOVE being a mother - I have been pleasantly surprised by how natural and comfortable and happy I feel in this role.  It encompasses everything I love - creating, teaching, nurturing... I feel as though I have become a whole person, as though my happiness is complete.

1.  Seeing and experiencing things though the eyes of a child.  Being completely immersed in the creative and learning processes. All the opportunities to teach and learn and improve myself. (okay, that's a three-in-one)

2. Sharing parenthood with the love of my life, and knowing him as (the most amazing) father.

3.  The physicality of it all - hearing that little voice call out "Mommy!", feeling her arms wrapped around my neck, smelling her freshly-shampooed head, watching her grow before my eyes...

3 Things: MamaD's Fears

I used to feel really together - maybe not the most organized, articulate, or ambitious person in the world but I felt like I had control. But since having a baby (even though it has already been over a year), I sometimes feel like my life has turned upside down and I'm just trying to scrape by - figuring out all over again what gives me meaning in my life and makes me happy. So on the opposite end of the spectrum, what makes me scared took a bit of thought to compile the jumbled mess in my head into some sort of competent post. But here it is:

1. Losing Lucy - Kinda encompasses a lot but included would be any type of injury to her (like MamaM, I often worry about dropping her even though she falls more than I like to admit), her being kidnapped, or having some horrible illness befall her. Yeah, all of the above and every imaginable mishap that creeps into your mind. I try not to let it cripple me, but continue living my life and let her live hers. To a lesser extent, this feeling extends to all the people that I love - husband, siblings, parents, friends - the thought of losing anyone is very painful but the realization that you just don't have control over the choices that people make and fate helps to make the acceptance of it all easier. But I think it can be hard to realize just how much you have to lose when you bring a child into the world.

2. Losing myself - or more specifically, losing my marbles. I don't know about the rest of the world out there but sometimes I feel like I am literally going crazy. And I don't know if it is/was just the hormones, PPD, or life in general. But there are times when I have to ask myself if I am still sane. Maybe this just comes with the territory of being a parent...

3. Losing control - I will admit, I can be kinda a control freak. I like order and cleanliness and organization (although my home might say otherwise) and there are times when things don't go my way that I can lash out irrationally. Sometimes it takes the form of an external outburst (like yelling at my daughter) and sometimes it is completely internal which can be just as scary because there is no outlet. Perhaps in order not to lose control, you have to let go of control a bit and just be more accepting of how the cards fall or when you it's too late to change things.

My fears are more general in nature but it can be really therapeutic to face them in such a way as naming them and writing them out and then figuring out how to overcome them. Why don't you try it?

3 Things: MamaQ's Fears

Confession: I got all sorts of queasy when I saw MamaM's subjct for her three things. I struggle daily with my fears. I am sometimes paralyzed by them. A good friend once told me that I should never make decisons out of fear (as I am prone to do) but out of love, and that has been a sort of mantra for me for the past few years. So I'm putting myself in a vulnerable place here, sharing with you these deep-rooted fears that I should really be working out in therapy!

1. FAILURE: I have this (somewhat ridiculous and unattainable) vision of what I think my life ought to be like and the kind of person I ought to be. I'm constantly striving to find the balance between having high standards and being reasonable and compassionate with myself and my shortcomings. But I am definitey scared of failing as a wife, as a mother, as a friend, as a human being, and fear is such a soul-sucking, crippling thing. It doesn't help me be the person I want to be!

2. Tempting Fate: Despite my irrational fear of failure I have found a lot of peace and happiness. But somewhere within me there is always this niggling fear that I am tempting the Fates. Once They realize how good my life is, they will swoop in and take it all away. So, you can see that I am afraid of losing what I have.

3. Drowning: I've always been a bit scared of water. I've never been a good swimmer, partly because it freaks me out to have my face underwater. But you will be proud to know that I have been combatting this fear by swimming regularly. Most Saturday mornings you'll find us at the local indoor pool swimming laps. I can only do a 600 right now, but that is a VAST improvement from when I stared about a year ago!

I am a big fat scaredy cat, but I'm working on it.

3 things

Some of our wabisabi readers have requested that we mamas provide more personal information about ourselves so you can get to know us better. The first tidbit of personal information we'll share: we love to talk about ourselves, so of course we're happy to do this! We'll be starting an occasional series called "3 Things" in which we list any 3 things about ourselves. I'm starting off with this:

3 Things I'm Scared of

1. My house burning down because I've left the stove on or a hair straightener plugged in (could a house really burn down via hair straightener?). I once accidentally left a pot of tomato soup on the burner all night to find a charred pot as all that remained. I have driven to work only to turn right back around to double check that my curling iron wasn't plugged in.

2. Cockroaches--gross! I lived in Hawaii for a few months and even though my apartment was a nice, new place, the cockroaches still came out at night. After our first night there, my roommate and I swore we felt them crawling on us in our sleep. Starting the next night and for the months following, we slept with our lights on because we thought that would deter the cockroaches from bothering us (it did--I think). If we took a trip to our kitchen, we always wore slippers because you never knew if you would step on one. Seriously, they are the most disgusting creatures on this earth and I hate them.

3. Tripping and dropping my baby. I have this unhealthy fear that I am going to drop Olive on the floor and crack her head open. This fear haunts me particularly when I am walking on the slate floor in my kitchen and dining room. I get really mad at my husband when he leaves his shoes scattered on the floor because I am prone to trip on them.

Your turn! We want to get to know you too, so let's hear your 3 things.