My Latest Snag: Gingham Crib Bedding.
I absolutely love gingham in a nursery. One of the hardest parts of leaving our Chicago home was bidding adieu to mini’s gingham-wallpapered nursery, which I’d spent months planning and designing. I recently bought blackout curtains in a pink gingham check that have a) restored to me a bit of our former Chicago home, and b) afforded us an extra TWO HOURS OF SLEEP EVERY NIGHT HALLELUJAH! They totally complete her nursery, too. I love them. I thought I’d double down on the gingham by adding some coordinating pink gingham crib bedding for an ultra-affordable $15! Yay! More gingham nursery bliss seen in the pics below, including one snap from that dream nursery I wrote about a week ago.
You’re Sooooo Popular: The Glen Plaid Blazer.
The most popular items on Le Blog this week:
+HELLO FALL. This $50 glen plaid blazer is an absolute MUST. (More glen plaid.)
+The bucket bag that never goes out of style.
+The classic rollneck sweater you can’t live without.
+Not too late in the season to order this floral skirt. Pair with a jean jacket and head into fall.
+The chicest storage bin on the market.
+One of my two favorite body lotions. The other is by the same brand but in the Hesperides (grapefruit) scent.
#Turbothot: Free Range Parenting.
Take a minute to read through this controversial post on Cup of Jo, which launched hundreds of comments and spurred a long conversation with Mr. Magpie. Before I share my own perspective, I’d like to add a couple of bizarrely-timed happenings I observed over the days following my reading of the article:
+At a playground, Mr. Magpie and I observed a mother attentively watching her 18-month-old son climbing all over the jungle gym on his own. She was not on her phone; she was not distracted. She was sporadically encouraging her son, but she was not “spotting” him or shadowing him in any way–though the playground stated that it was designed for five-year-old-and-over children.
+At another playground, I observed two parents within a foot of their two-year-old son, hands outstretched to catch him at the first sign of a falter or trip. They were highly engaged, steering him away from parts of the playground that might be too dangerous for him, setting clear boundaries, and were quick to attend to his tears when he became frustrated.
+On a call with my mother, unprompted: “My mother didn’t permit me to walk to school until I was thirteen.”
What are your thoughts on “free-range parenting,” as Cup of Jo dubs it? Would you permit your seven year old to walk around the corner to the convenience store? Your ten year old to walk to school on her own? Your five year old to play out on the front stoop unsupervised?
My instinct was no to all of these prompts. I am too much a worrywart and can picture myself sitting inside, running through a long list of all of the horrible things that might be taking place. In general, I fall into the “better safe than sorry” category. But the article also created a space for me to reflect on just how far I was comfortable letting mini wander without my hovering. No, I can’t imagine letting mini leave my sight at the age of five or seven or even ten, at least not in New York. (Maybe when she’s thirteen, per my grandmother’s rule.) But after observing that mom at the playground watching her son from afar, and then, days later, that other couple hovering around their son, I had an occasion to think about where I want to fall on the supervision spectrum: close enough to intervene when necessary but far enough away to give her the impression of independence.
You know what? I thought. I could probably give her a bit of a longer leash. And so I have been forcing myself to stand and observe at a modest distance — to great success, I think. I watch from ten feet as mini explores the playground, splashes through puddles, decides for herself where she wants to go and at what pace. She now turns to me and holds out her hand when she needs help climbing a stair or wants me to accompany her on the jungle gym, or just wants to tell me something.
It’s occasionally astonishing how much I learn from other parents when I am receptive to it — “Oh, I see. That’s how you go through a door with a stroller” and “Oh, that mom has taught her toddler how to scoot…maybe I can, too.” Thanks to those two parents, I’ve now evolved my own approach and become a lot more intentional about it.
What are your thoughts?
#Shopaholic: The Must-Have Toddler Board Book.
+Apparently every kid in America is obsessed with this board book. (Read the reviews!)
+I feel like my nephews would D.I.E. over these dumptruck jammies! Also, boy moms: THIS NAVY SWEATER! $20?! So adorable. AND — Native Shoes for 40% OFF!!!
+This sweater in the lilac!!!!
+Incredible price on very of-the-moment bow-topped mules.
+Have heard good things about this book on Bunny Mellon.
+These deeply discounted Charlotte Olympia sandals are TO DIE!
+An incredible price on an on-trend dress suitable for most any gathering — girls’ night! BBQ! date night!
+Love this classic tweed blazer.
+Speaking of gingham — these drawer pulls would be a cute way to tie a dresser into a room’s theme!