April Showers Bring May Flowers

I know that the saying goes "April Showers Bring May Flowers"... but why does it feel like it's raining more in this month than it did last month?

Springtime always makes me want to surround myself with fresh flowers. I wish I could go into the park by me and just pick every single tulip and daffodil that I can get my hands on and put them in vases all around my home. Wouldn't that be beautiful?

Tomorrow I'm going on a field trip with my son to Central Park. It's supposed to be sunny and warm - and I'm so excited! The class is going bird watching. We're going to be on the lookout for robins, sparrows, cardinals, swallows and blue jays. We might even get a glimpse of a peregrine falcon! It's going to be fun because the only birds that we see on a regular basis are pigeons.

It's funny, I feel like I've been stuck indoors all winter, and now I seem to be going to Central Park every few days. I love it!

Let's Play School

The other day, I overheard a young girl on the subway telling her father that she wanted to be a teacher when she grew up. This got me to thinking... how come some kids love school, and the idea of learning, while others can think of nothing but summer vacation?

I remember when I was a kid, I loved to play school. My brother and i would take turns being the teacher (I usually was!) , and each of us would patiently sit at our desks with our pencils and notebooks, pretending to learn.

Nowadays, my boys play on the computer...no desk or teacher! And I know that it's not just my boys. With TV and video games being so dominate in their life, are kids pretending as much anymore?

Or is school, and the idea of education, less "fun" than it used to be?

A Humility Lesson from a Yoga Mom

I find humility in the funniest situations. Usually it comes from my kids...like when they point out that I've used a cuss word or if I drink straight out of the milk container. My most recent dose came from a perfect stranger.

I was enjoying a rare moment over breakfast with my two younger boys at the local diner. Henry was madly munching on a chocolate chip waffle with whipped cream and little Wesley was trying to keep up with his big brother. This was a special treat for all of us...breakfast out and the "candy" for breakfast. I was happy just watching them.

We were happily chatting about nothing when out of the corner of my eye I saw one of THOSE super fit Tribeca moms. You know them-- moms who sport around in Lycra to show off her hard work while carrying a water bottle and yoga matt. Although I haven’t worn spandex in years, I am always surprised with my envious reaction of any mom who finds the time to work out and look amazing.

I watched as she and her two cute girls bounced into the table next to ours. My choice of a chocolate chips and waffle breakfast was a stark contrast her freshly squeezed orange juice and poached egg diet. My morning deflated a bit. Her healthy lifestyle and seemingly Zen-like presence annoyed me to no end.

Then I found myself ease dropping on their conversation. Her girls were perfectly poised, napkins in lap and seemed to be on their best behavior when I heard.

“Alexa, if you want your sister to speak to you nicely, then you have to show her respect. Your tone was not appropriate. I suggest you ask her again, this time changing your tone.” An inaudible mumble with egg in her mouth…

“Better. Now, girls, respect in our family is very important.” I could almost envision a DEEP yoga breath happening as she followed up with, “We all need to speak to each other in respectful tones…” Ooooommmmmmmmmmmmm.

I turned my attention back to my family. The boys were fully jacked up with sugar and demanding my full attention. I was painfully aware both of them speaking loudly, urgently and at the same time! It was time to leave.

I quickly paid and rushed the boys out the door to school. As I walked into my chaotic life, I smiled. The Yoga mom was right!

We do need to speak to each other with respect. Respect is a critical life lesson for all young people. After taking a deep breath, I quietly thanked my super fit friend and walked with confidence into my day!

Springtime is in the Air!

I love this time of year because it always makes me feel like I'm a kid again.

Each spring when I was younger, my family would always devote an entire weekend to planting new flowers and getting our gardens ready for spring and summer. It was so much fun because we got to put on old clothing and play in the dirt! My dad would walk around with his wheelbarrow full of fresh, new dirt, and my mom would carry around trays of seed packets and flower pots, but I had the most important job.

I was in charge of digging rows of holes for each flower, and then gently dropping them in. I knew that my job was vital to the appearance of the garden because if I dug the hole too deep, the flower would disappear into it, and if I dug it too shallow, the flower wouldn't be able to take root and grow. I took my job very seriously, and carefully dug rows of identical holes with my own blue-handled shovel.

I can still remember how great it felt to dig in the dirt and be in charge of the flowers. I remember laying in the sun after we had finished planting, laughing with my family and drinking lemonade. I also remember the pride I felt as the season went on, knowing that our garden was so beautiful and colorful because of me.

Hmm. Now it's less of a question of how to dig in the dirt with my boys but where? New Yorkers have precious little space to devote to making mud pies!

Feeling Grateful

I woke up this morning overwhelmed with gratitude. There are SO many people in my life that help me everyday! In business so many times we selfishly hold onto information and don't share it out of fear. So, today's the day I throw it back to the world!

At the Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. I work with talent that never ceases to amaze me:
- My uber talented friend, Ron Giusti, designs our amazing e mails and website.
- My good friend Polly Wilson of Barn Dandys has been my counselor whenever I question my parenting skills
- My dear amigo, Jamie of Jamies Painting & Designs motivates me whenever I can't figure out what the next step is
- Shannon Sunderland & Ann Anderson are young, talented jewelry designers who's mom jewelry has captured the hearts of many new moms!
- Vicky Vinson in my Oklahoma workshop who's careful craftsmanship in our Custom Corner furniture and relentless belief in our company vision inspires me everyday
- My crazy and beautiful art director, Samantha who has weathered so many storms and still comes up with brilliant new ideas.
- The people in our warehouse who make sure each package is delivered on time
- My husband, Brad who's belief in me and the company never waivers
- My 3 boys who inspire me everyday to work harder and smarter

I am thankful I have such talent in my life yet most importantly, that I am not going it alone.

April's Fool

My kids love to pull the wool over our eyes, so SUPER LOVE any excuse to play a joke...

So better on Dad than than Mom, in my opinion!

So, we are putting prune juice in the coffee maker, shorting the bed sheets, and replacing Tuesdays newspaper with LAST weeks news. (Ha! Ha! this is my personal favorite!)

Have fun!

In love with old

I admit I love almost everything old or vintage. So as I am in the mist of a major Spring cleaning at home, I find myself rarely parting with any of my flea market finds, vintage outfits or classic toys!

In fact, nothing makes me happier than to see my youngest son wearing a shirt that my oldest son once wore...or even better, playing with a wood toy all three played with.

We live in a day and age, where children's clothes are so inexpensive we'd rather toss them out than "darn" them. In fact, do any of us have a "darning" basket like our grandmothers? Do mom's today sew on patches on jeans, sew back buttons or even hem? It makes me sad to think that as prices for everything come down, so does the value we place on them.

Toys today are so inexpensive, that people often look past longevity and quality for price. The Warm Biscuit Bedding Co. tries to offer value and quality. One of our favorite new pieces, is our custom cradle. It is both hand painted and hand sewn in our Oklahoma workshop. At $48, this heirloom piece (designed to be passed down for generations) seems like a bargain to me.

The bigger question I suppose is how much value do moms truly place on quality. You tell me.

Re: Giveaway

The creative people at Craftzine are doing a fun giveaway. The winner will receive a 50.00 gift certificate to Warmbiscuit.com
(graphic courtesy of craftzine and warmbiscuit.com)