Thank you for all of your insightful comments and e-mails on the Can’t Also Crisis post.  I nodded my head to so many of them.  Y’all, we’re not alone.

I love this E.B. White quote a reader left:  “I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time.  Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult.”  Preach it, glory, mmm-hmmm, E.B.!

I wrote a lot some other places this week, so a just a few things that we’re enjoying:

Rainbow produce meets impish smile.

Bears on bums.

Little toes on messy floors.

Lee Marie sailboat overalls

Bubbles.

Sunset dips.

A strong stand-alone tulip. (“I am a lone reed.”)

And my favorite…Olympic memories relived.  I used to do it too–sit mesmerized by the women’s skating short program, don leotards and dress-up skirts to recreate triple axels and double toe loops in the living room arena, fashion medals out of yarn and felt (we used to use tin foil over cardboard circles), excitedly ask “What’s my score?” after twirling and gliding with socks on tile.  Kind of sad it’s over now.

And finally, I feel the world needs to know about the dried mangos I tried last week–I think I got the Sunsweet brand.  They’re lightly dusted with powdered sugar, and they’ll blow your mind.  I ate an entire bag, returned the following day for another bag and then called my sister and demanded she try them:  “I know I’ve told you to try stuff before, but this is different.  I’m serious, I’m going to ask you in a week if you tried them yet and if you say no, I’m gonna be pissed.” It’s not often I flip out over snacks. So there. Consider yourself informed.

This week…

I’m at BabyZone talking about what makes parenting hard for me and how I deal:  Facing My Six Hardest Parenting Challenges. Like balancing priorities, worrying, and letting go (on letting go: “I have a very loud tweet.  I have no doubt my little birds can hear me singing from the nest while they’re out soaring.”).

And, want to talk to your kids about Down syndrome but aren’t sure what to say?  I’m at eHow with: How to Talk to Your Kids About Special Needs.

Happy night, you beautifully complicated folks.

Behold, a little project that combines being with your kids, photography and rainbows.  A Holy Trifecta.

I’ve been wanting to do something photography-related with Lainey for a while now–some fun project that we could do together where she could start learning some basic lessons of photography like cropping, zooming in and angles, but mostly something that would encourage her to enjoy the true rewards of taking pictures–looking for light, framing colors, smiling with satisfaction when the picture you take captures that beautiful something you saw before you framed it.

We started a photo challenge last weekend with the simple goal of capturing rainbows.  I told her I’d keep her camera in my purse and for the next several days, we’d together keep our eyes peeled for scenes that held rainbows–multi-colored beauty.  Whenever she saw a good rainbow, she asked for her camera. We’d each try and take photos of different things and would combine our results to make a collage. (You could easily do this with a phone camera too)

You know how much fun this was?  Way fun.

She turned into a rainbow detective–upholding the family legacy.

We combined her rainbows…

…with my rainbows…

…added some inexpensive frames and canvases (4×4 canvases for hers, 4×6 frames and one thick block 5×7 canvas for mine–small wooden blocks hot glued to give a raised 3-D look)…

And the result? A small wall collage and a little girl who came home from school today to find the finished project. I heard her literally catch her breath and watched her smile the proudest, sweetest grin.

“It’s a Mommy/Lainey gallery,” I told her. “You’re a real photographer.”

“Can we do things that are blue next?” she asked.

We’re going to go through every color in the book.

Teaching your kids something you love to do is so rewarding.  To more of this.

1-Fave Listen: The Sweetheart Album, released this week. Famous love songs covered by Beck, Phosphorescent, Head and the Heart, Fiona Apple, Vampire Weekend and more. (“Tomorrow is a Long Time” by Phosphorescent=play, repeat, repeat, repeat)
2-Fave Instagram: My happy girl in the clouds. Bonus: Sparkly kitty shirt.
3-Fave Link: Loved this article about letting kids feel uncertain and anxious sometimes.  It’s important for their emotional growth.
4-Fave Read: Tsh Oxenreider’s book, Notes from a Blue Bike, released this week, and it’s really challenging me to take a deeper look at our family’s habits and goals.  “Like so many in our generation of thirtysomething parents,” Tsh says, “we spoke of a slower, more intentional life, but we expected it to just happen.”  I’m highlighting and dog-earring her practical advice backed up with research and beautifully told personal stories.  This book is like a deep tissue massage for both the brain and heart.
5-Fave Travel Story: Puppy Blanket #2 made his way across the country and arrived to a very happy girl.  Got this photo of Eliza last night with news that his arrival was met with happy tears.  Made us all smile here.
6-Fave Pretty Thing: My friend Kara designs gorgeous blouses.  I own several, and they fit perfectly and look good with everything from skinny jeans to pencil skirts. Cooper & Ella just debuted their spring collection, and it’s amazing.

Also, it took becoming a mom to truly realize all that my mom did for us growing up.  Looking back, I realize I owe her several thank yous.  I’m over at BabyZone this week with 10 Thank You Notes to my Mama.