shanti's Profile

I use Biz to treat all the baby stains. And the Seventh Generation liquid for the regular baby (non-stained) laundry.

Wow. Just wow.

I just want to move right in, even if not every single detail is to my taste, it just works together. It's got a perfect mix of "decorated" and "homey", great colors and whimsical touches. And the outdoor space is fantastic.

I think it's a good start, but could use a bit more color (maybe just a creamier tone for the walls or more of the large-scale art?), as so much is brown, beige and neutral right now.
The white walls make it look unfinished rather than pulling it all together, IMHO.

Thanks for these postings! We're expecting our first and hoping to raise a bilingual (french-english) child.

Anyone have strategies/experiences on using caregivers to help facilitate fluency? Do you make it a priority to hire an (1-2x per week) babysitter who doesn't speak English, or does that not really matter?

And how much time do you think it's important to spend with non-English speaking family? For example, are twice yearly 1-2 week trips to France enough, or should we be thinking of parking the kid in France for the summer to really build fluency?

Finally, any great reading recommendations for raising bilingual kids?

Gorgeous! It actually reminds me a bit of the Oeuf Sparrow line in the US. Any idea of the price ranges?

Adorable! Now when is the swedish meatball set being released?!

It's a rather ridiculous "movement".

Previous commenters have it right. Most people do this stuff because they HAVE to, some do a lesser amount of this because they enjoy it (or want to master baking from scratch, etc.).

But the "radical" part of the homemaking concept, skirts the fact that these folks are making a choice, mainly to rack up some perceived cool points amongst their peers. And I think it's a loaded choice. A French author recently wrote that this cultural pressure to return to the labor intensive ways results in women being held back. Because, let's face it, you can't to all this homesteading AND hold down a job.

So one message of this type of movement is that you're less of a parent/spouse/human if you choose to have a job rather than commit yourself whole hog (no pun intended) to the type of work that modern innovations have largely freed us from. That's a message I don't support.

So I'll continue to do what I do, which is choose the things I'm passionate about commiting my time and energy to (baking, sewing, etc.), and forget the rest without an ounce of guilt.

Add a glass of champagne to the list and I think it's good to go!

Love it! But she doesn't mention the fabric source on her site...anyone have ideas on where to get similar fabric?

I have to disagree with the turquoise and red suggestions. Not because they aren't lovely colors, of course, but I think they're a bit stimulating and I'm thinking that for foster kids some soothing tones might be more appropriate and conducive to rest. Maybe a green tone of some sort?

Definitely agree with previous commenters on adding a rug and curtains to warm things up. You may also want to add a small easel or kids table/chairs (space permitting) where the kids can color and create. Finally, perhaps a bedside table with a nightlight, in case they're afraid of the dark?

For those who are currently foster parents, do you think there's any merit in buying a few sets of bed sheets in different patterns and letting the child choose if he/she is, say 3 ?