Elliott turned 1 on July 22nd! Yay!
With all the commotion of the work week, we decided to properly celebrate over the weekend.
We’ll be having a very casual family get-together this weekend to celebrate, smash cakes, sing songs, swim and PLAY! Liz is making cupcakes tonight, cannot wait!
No Impact Man is a documentary about author Colin Beavan (and his wife and two-year old daughter), embarking on a one year journey of no electricity, no soda cans, no car, no subway, no buying new products, no airplanes, no throwaway plastic razors. Essentially zero waste.
Albeit extreme, I love the idea (and actual proof) of a family growing closer through making these types of smart lifestyle changes. Am I going to live without electricity? Hell no! That would be a nightmare in muggy Orlando and my job requires electricity to run my computer and I don’t believe that’s what this film is asking people to do. However, I’m really drawn to the ideals behind all of this. Living smartly, wasting less and removing distractions to focus on the important things in life — family and relationships.
We had a super-casual, impromptu hangout with friends, pools, baby, beers, fedora, ice cream man and fireworks over the holiday weekend.
Its been rough. I’ve never seen gums so purple and swollen.
Earlier this week I got together with fellow Dads Team pal Justin (see: his blog + beautiful family) and he was telling me how he made a mini ball-pit for his son, Keller — so smart! Justin inspired me to create our own.
Here’s what you’ll need …
What it boils down to is, for under $20 (or $30) you can create a really fun multipurpose play-thing for your infant/toddler.
For the past week and a half, the kid’s favorite thing has been to walk holding someone’s hands — all day long…
To get some relief, we tried encouraging him to use the walker his grandma bought him. What a friggin struggle! He hated it, until yesterday when he dediced he tolerated it. He still adheres to Danny’s rule of three:
Enjoy Little Flash Elliott. I know walking for real isn’t too far off, and I am scared. He crazy!
Elliott is teething like mad. He’s already has 8 teeth with 1 (maybe 2!) more coming in — the kid will eat anything and everything.
Here’s the Eric Carle board-book that’s been munched to pieces by our Lil Chomper!
In the car, around the house, at the park — Elliott loves the jams. If he had an iPod, this is a sampling of what would be on it …
Whilst scouring the children’s book section at a new thrift shop last week, Liz and I hit the mother-load! “Simon’s Song” Written by Barbara Emberley & Illustrated by Ed Emberley is the first of a handful of great finds that we’ll be sharing with the Internets.
Albeit sans dust jacket, this $0.89 gem is a spectacular 32 page book filled with gorgeous woodcut illustrations! I really love this style of artwork, which is slightly reminiscent of the great Jim Flora.
There’s even the song in the back that you can sing/play along to. Elliott loves music, so this will surely be a hit when he gets a little older.
More “Gems” to follow …
We picked up a used copy of Daddy Sleeps by Alain Le Saux ($0.59) — the American Edition of the popular early nineties French children’s books for boys/girls and their Daddy’s. Daddy Sleep is very cool and also very weird.
“daddy sulks” — Liz’s fav!
“daddy smokes” — My personal fav! Mostly for the oddness and slight inappropriateness of a huge smoking man illustration in a children’s book.
I love the son’s expression! He’s so mad/disgusted!
