The New Yorker has a great article on the rise of "overparenting". Whether it's encoraging our kids to play three different sports, learn 5 instruments or eat sheep's brains and enjoy it, parents run the risk of pushing their kids too hard. In these days of Baby Einstein, baby yoga and baby Mandarin (the language, not the fruit), kids have never had so much pressure to achieve.
The conclusions are mixed, but well worth the read.
Regular readers will know how crazy I am about great stationery. I have
a long history of hoarding pretty papers and trying my hand at
making gorgeous cards for people. I've discovered I don't have a whole
lot of raw talent in that area, and since having children, even
less time in which to practice! Time-poor people who love that
handcrafted look will just love the card creations by Etsy's
Polkadot Shop. They not only have that delicious tactile thrill
of quality paper and card, they are also sewn for that bit of extra appeal.
Choose from my favourite, the mod flower design, as well as cute
owls, elephants, birds, some fresh pears, delicious cupcakes,
and the newly launched Christmas range. These
would be perfect for a holiday greeting for your nearest and dearest,
and those who you know will appreciate a special card that departs
from the usual.
There are three cards in a set, each with an envelope for US$9, plus $5 international postage and handling, from
Polkadot Shop. Each set is gift wrapped, so if you know of a
fellow stationery afficionado, give some as a gift!
Last night we had the Babyology holiday party. It was great for the team to catch up because we all work from home and don't get to meet face to face very often.
We also got to spend time with a lot of our wonderful sponsors. We're so lucky to work with such a talented and inspirational group of women. I wish we could have parties all over Australia, so we could spend time with everyone.
I'd like to thank all of our sponsors again for their support this year.
We thought you might like to see some photos to help you put faces to the names of your favourite Babyology team members and supporters.
Sorry in advance for posting photos, no one likes a photo of themselves after a few cocktails, but it was lovely to see everyone looking so glamorous!
I can let you know just how hard it was to select the images for this article - and as you can see I didn't narrow them down very
successfully. I sat here for over an hour exploring the
seemingly endless treasure trove that is
Spunky Sprout, marvelling at the amazing things available.
Take a look through the cutting-edge furniture and funky homewares for your little ones. I haven't seen most of it before, and that's a surprise for this obsessive trawler of children's designer goods. Stunning linen for children's rooms and babies' nurseries come in woodland and geometric prints, among many other choices. There's groovy biker bags for toddlers, rubbery Gummi Bear lights, incredible wool rugs, and even a toddler-sized lounge with chaise! I also love the wooden radio and orange and white stackable storage cubes - there are many items like these that are suitable for any room in the house.
You can easily kit out the kids' rooms AND their wardrobes all in the one place. Spunky Sprout vamps it up on style and variety with their admirable selection of fashion for boys and girls. I particularly fancy the New Year's Japanese-style dress for girls ages two to six. My niece isn't quite old enough yet for that one, but those bold colours would suit her - it's so smart yet summery. With eleven categories of goods to search through, you'll be there a while, so grab a coffee, sit back and enjoy!
Spunky Sprout
happily ship to almost any country in the world. The really large
furniture items can't be shipped to Australia, however email them
about shipping some of the smaller furniture goods like the beautiful
Astronomers Stools. There are also some great deals on summer fashion
to be had right now as the northern hemisphere enter its cold season.
