CurlyMonkeyMama's Blog

A new addition to the CurlyMonkey Crew

2012-01-23T15:15:00.001-05:00

Our baby boy born on January 15th and already 5 days old on the picture. We are very much in love and enjoying our babymoon! :)

WASP (Women Aircraft Service Pilot)

2012-01-04T15:22:00.000-05:00

The WASP ( Women Aircraft Service Pilot) was created in August 1943. 25 000 women applied to join this paramilitary organization but only 1,074 of them earned their wings and became the first women pilots to fly American military aircraft. Except for the fact that they were not trained for combat, their course of instruction was essentially the same as that for aviation cadets.But all records of the WASP were classified and sealed for 35 years, so their contributions to the war effort were little known and inaccessible to historians...

Organic waldorf baby doll : WASP

Making my girl happy...

2012-01-02T16:44:00.004-05:00

My daughter is currently in love with Sofia. She also outgrew her favorite sweater. So what do you think happened? Sofia got new clothes...

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T21:37:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to all our friends and readers...

Rainbow of chaos

2011-12-30T14:14:00.000-05:00

"We live in a rainbow of chaos"

Paul Cezanne

New hemp cloth baby wipes with colored edges: Rainbow Collection. Hemp fleece.

Paul Cezanne: The Bay of Marseille. Seen from l'Estaque. 1885

organic bunnies children dolls

2011-12-19T14:52:00.000-05:00

Those bunnies have now sweet embroidered faces to please my boy! They are 19" tall and both made with

100% organic materials. Safe, Cuddly and up for adoption!

Xmas Stockings

2011-12-18T18:08:00.000-05:00

Last minute handmade stockings for the kiddos:

Doll faces {Wordless Wednesday}

2011-12-15T12:36:00.000-05:00

Working today on embroidered face features...

Homemade Bread {Wordless Wednesday}

2011-12-07T16:34:00.001-05:00

Yummy!

New organic baby wipes with a twist!

2011-12-04T21:56:00.000-05:00

With my baby due in January, my cloth wipes mania has increased! I am offering a new look with a splash of color!

Halloween (using what we have) Part II: The Costumes

2011-10-25T14:16:00.000-04:00

Request from my son: a Buz LightYear costume. Request from my daughter: a Vampire Angel costume (?).

What I had: a green pillow case, an XL white t-shirt, some eco felt, an old purple dress, 2 yards of shiny purple and black fabric and a pair of wings from a previous fairy costume... Some face painting and a few hours in front of my sewing machine...

Halloween guest

2011-10-14T22:01:00.001-04:00

Our new guest, right on time for Halloween... Orange and quite big. (Kids don't like it much!)

Halloween (using only what we have...) Part I: The Decorations

2011-10-05T20:09:00.001-04:00

This year we are doing Halloween with what we have in the house and the kids are highly involved... Nothing will be bought! This is our challenge. Part I - The Decorations, using some black yarn, scraps of construction paper and pieces of eco felt.

Support local & independant artists, designers and crafters {Wordless Wednesday}

2011-10-05T17:33:00.000-04:00

Recycling a Versace Shirt and other fabric scraps

2011-09-29T22:23:00.000-04:00

Do you remember this old Versace men shirt I used to make the front panel of my baby wrap?

Well I played around with the scraps and made some appliqués. You know, cutting out fabric with a big pair of scissors can be so therapeutic! :)
And for those who remember my Collection of baby wipes Paris Tea, I used the same fabric: Antique French Typography.
Those baby shirts are all one of a kind and are listed in my etsy shop in the clothing section.

Big Kids! {Wordless Wednesday}

2011-09-28T01:26:00.000-04:00

What happened? :)

It takes a community of soil microbes to protect plants from disease

2011-09-26T18:54:00.000-04:00

New research conducted by the US Department of Energy (USDE) provides even more proof that synthetic pesticides and herbicides are completely unnecessary when the right balance of natural microbes are present and flourishing in soil.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-05/dbnl-ita050511.php

Autumn is for baby beanies!

2011-09-24T22:13:00.001-04:00

I am having a winter baby who is going to need a soft and comfy hat for an evening walk on the beach. I can't believe it's been so long since the last time I crocheted something!
3 of my favorite colors in organic cotton. Size is 0-6 mos (14"). :)

Available in my etsy shop or my website.

Inspired by bees

2011-09-23T22:21:00.002-04:00

I don't know about where you live but I have noticed more and more bees dying over here. Sadly the problem is not new. Bees are precious and help for pollination. There are about 20,000 species of bees worldwide, did you know that?

Inspired by bees, I made this:
A pair of baby booties:

And a waldorf inspired baby doll:

Both items are isted in my Etsy Shop

Work in progress

2011-09-23T17:29:00.004-04:00

I told you I wanted to get back to crocheting! Can you guess what I am making? :)

Les Dormeuses ( sleeping dolls)

2011-09-16T14:19:00.007-04:00

When bedtime is approaching and bed time stories are not enough to comfort the little ones! I made those soft sleeping dolls, perfect for their little hands (about 6-7" tall). Made of hemp and organic jersey knit. In the Natural Toys section.

Pumpkin Patch {Wordless Wednesday}

2011-09-15T01:09:00.002-04:00

Constellation Map

2011-09-13T19:53:00.001-04:00

New baby cloth wipes (or reusable napkins!)

The best donuts in town!

2011-09-13T13:30:00.004-04:00

Last Friday we went to Primo Donuts where we had to see how Mr and Mrs Primo make their fresh donuts every day. Their story is amazing. They opened their place in 1956, where Culver City was mainly corn and beans fields. We loved the place and the donuts (and I used to really dislike donuts!). The fact that theyr're fresh, with no transfat and only fried in vegetable oil make their taste unique: the best in town! We learned that the buttermilk, glazed and chocolate ones are their best sellers!
Please come in!

Preparing the dough:

Old fashion donuts glaze:

Yummy!

Souvenir picture:

Thank you so much Mrs and Mr Primo for having us. We'll be back very soon!

Ducks {Wordless Wednesday}

2011-08-31T15:37:00.002-04:00

Taboulé {Recipe}

2011-08-30T15:45:00.009-04:00

I went to a Pot Luck this weekend and my taboulé was a success. So I am posting my recipe today. It isn't not the traditional recipe, but it is a pretty good one if you aren't too conservative... :)

You will need:
- a box of couscous: prepare it like indicated on the box. I buy mine from my local store in a 1 kg (2 lbs) box. I use 500 gr (1 lb).

- Prepare some tomatoes, green pepper and cilantro:

Add some corn and raisins:

Now the dressing:
- 1 table spoon of (french) mustard
- 2 table spoons of lemon juice
- a little bit of salt
- 4 table spoons of olive oil

Add the dressing to all the other ingredients. Put 1 hour in the fridge. Voila! Bon appétit!

A breath of Avignon

2011-08-25T19:42:00.005-04:00

Being from the South of France ( Salon de Provence is just a few miles away from Avignon) I couldn't miss the opportunity to get those fleur de lys prints (moda fabrics) and make some baby stuff. A breath of Avignon: Nostalgia!

Textures

2011-08-25T19:25:00.006-04:00

My very first etsy treasury curated for the team EcoEtsy:

Bald Doll

2011-08-24T16:27:00.001-04:00

Waiting for some hair... or not!

Pattern Maker

2011-08-07T16:53:00.003-04:00

I found a new pattern maker! He's busy making a pair of pants for his sister... :)

Friendship Bracelets

2011-08-03T15:55:00.006-04:00

A special request I had to finish yesterday for miss T...

She chose the "Broken Ladder" pattern from the book Friendship Bracelets by Laura Torres.

She loves it and wants some more!

The cutest Thank you Note!

2011-07-29T13:24:00.004-04:00

So I had made this baby doll and my daughter's friend liked it. In fact she liked it so much she adopted her! Later on in the afternoon I got this cute thank you note! Life is good! :)

A trip to the Fashion District

2011-07-27T20:13:00.008-04:00

So the other day I took the kiddos to a trip to Downtown LA. I am trying to keep my composure in the first picture but I was really excited! The kids are surprisingly calm (exhausted?)...

After what seemed to be hours, I am finally happy with my finds:

It is time to go, who's happy to leave?

Here are some sneak pics of the fininshed products: can you guess what it is? :)

Can it get any softer?

2011-07-20T13:26:00.004-04:00

I am still obsessed with cloth wipes as you can see. My latest: hemp/organic cotton fleece. They're so soft everybody loves them... And I love making them! :)

She is a Doll!

2011-06-15T18:27:00.008-04:00

A cloth doll for my girl... 14" tall.

CurlyMonkey's Giveaway

2011-05-07T01:10:00.001-04:00

Our organic cloth wipes got reviewed on Natural Parents Network by Julia from A little bit of All of it! We are offering a lucky reader 4 organic cloth wipes. Stop by Natural Parents Network's post HERE and leave a comment. Contest closes May 26 at 11:59 p.m. Good Luck!

Our community Garden

2011-04-30T14:48:00.005-04:00

Our community garden, started last month, looks great! So far are growing: strawberries, peppers and cucumbers, salads and beans. We also added a compost bin. Does anyone want to share a great squirrel repellent recipe? :)

waldorf inspired baby dolls

2011-04-25T15:46:00.004-04:00

Making soft dolls for the kids around has become my new occupation, not to say obsession!

Happy Mama {Wordless Wednesday}

2011-04-06T17:50:00.003-04:00

My daughter's art (age :6 yo)

Handmade for Earth Day Auction 2011

2011-04-04T10:50:00.004-04:00

I am happy to be part of the Team EcoEtsy Earth Day auction starting today April 4 to April 24. Go take a look, you can bid on a wide variety awesome eco-friendly items. And if you know anyone who might like to bid, please spread the word. Team is donating the proceeds to Habitat for Humanity Japan

Team Eco Etsy
presents:
“2nd Annual Handmade for Earth Day Auction”

WHAT: Handmade for Earth Day Auction sponsored by Team Eco Etsy will feature treasuries filled with eco-goodies that Team Eco Etsy members donated for different categories listed below. A bidder will be able to bid on as many categories as they want.

WHY: To celebrate and raise awareness about Earth Day, Team Eco Etsy proudly sponsors “Handmade for Earth Day Auction” and the proceeds from the auction is donated to a non-profit organization. This year, the proceeds will be donated to Habitat for Humanity in Japan to support the relief effort, to help rebuild and to aid Japanese earthquake survivors.

WHEN: The auctions will begin today, Monday, April 4, 2011 and will end on Sunday, April 24th, 2010. The winners will be announced on Monday, April 25th, 2010.

WHO: Auction is open worldwide.

WHERE: All auctions will be posted on this site, where bidders can post their bids in the comment section for different assortments of eco-goodies.

Wipe Mama!

2011-03-31T18:13:00.008-04:00

I've been making more cloth wipes for the past 2 weeks and my husband started calling me "wipe mama". I am still working with those 3 designer cotton prints:
100% cotton print by Kokka : Collection Trèfle.

100% cotton print by Holly Holderman : Collection Paris Tea.

cotton print: Collection Think Peace by Michael Miller.

I also found this organic cotton terry cloth and made some new bath mittens to replace the original ones. So far I like the fabric a lot, it is perfect for bath time:

And I listened to my customers who requested thicker wipes: 2 ply hemp / organic cotton french terry wipes are now available in 2 sizes: Maxi size or Mini...

That's it for my week. How was your?

Waldorf inspired babies

2011-03-23T17:00:00.000-04:00

A request from my kids (and their friends!): dolls! Very simple waldorf inspired babies using organic materials.
Construction of the head and body:

Marking the eyes and mouth (my son got a little bit carried away with the needles but I love where he put the nose!)

Stuffing the body:

Doll #3: hmmm , a lot of room for improvement... (#1 and #2 can be seen here)

Doll #4: I like the face better but no fat cheeks...

Doll #5 I am getting somewhere with this one, see those fat cheeks?

I got plenty of help from those tutorials here and here. I don't pretend I will master the art of waldorf dolls making. What I wanted was the fun of making dolls again and being able to get this...:
A Priceless smile! What did you make this week?

Wordless Wednesday: Spaghetti House!

2011-03-23T15:16:00.003-04:00

Architect in training!

Separation Anxiety

2011-03-15T15:35:00.000-04:00

My daughter started asking questions about the recent tragic events, and she is telling me her fear of losing me. As I was reading this story of this 4 mos baby girl reunited with her father, I decided to add 2 babies to my existing bunnies. She's been playing with them ever since, taking the baby on and off the mommy's arms...

Wake up call!

2011-03-10T21:34:00.007-05:00

"Because we don't think about future generations, they will never forget us." ~Henrik Tikkanen

dead infant dolphin on Orange Beach, Alabama, March 3, 2011

Thousands of dead sardines in Redondo Beach, March 8, 2011

3 years ago we launched our "Dolphins" design with the statement: Protect our oceans and surfers!. The images above are depressing and tells us that we need a serious wake up call. Our oceans are our life support... The good news is that Plastic Shopping bag ban begins in Santa Monica :/

Everything goes by 2

2011-03-08T19:59:00.015-05:00

My 6 yo told me that my shop wasn't fun enough! (meaning she wanted some toys). My son agreed. They got 2 new soft dolls. Body is organic cotton scraps and filling is long stripes of organic cotton (recycling old t-shirts!). They measure 10" long. I also finished 2 crocheted bunnies...

Fluffy!

2011-03-06T17:18:00.007-05:00

The materials I have been working with this week: organic cotton fleece/hemp blend and organic cotton yarn...

I used some scraps of fleece to embellish 2 lap tees. The first one was my stocking with Bitty Fluff

The second one is my listing as a guest vendor on Club Thread: The theme being "Things with Wings"

As for the yarn, I wanted to crochet a little bit... Here's a hint!

For all those messy moments...

2011-03-05T21:48:00.009-05:00

New Collections of organic baby cloth wipes: Paris Tea, Trèfle and Think Peace.

Love Me Tender!

2011-02-20T21:00:00.008-05:00

Love me Tender!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T11:43:00.004-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!
From the CurlyMonkey Crew. (Paper hearts made with love by Miss T )

Spoiled Baby!

2011-02-08T17:15:00.005-05:00

This baby tee was called "spoiled baby!" or banana tee, because the pattern of the tie dye makes reference to this book I love: "Primal Mothering in a modern world" by Hyegia Halfmoon
Here's the full extract about attachment parenting and spoling our kids.
"One afternoon, while pushing a cart through the produce section of my
neighborhood grocery store, the manager looked up and, upon noticing my
baby tucked securely against me in a baby sling barked, "Hey, why don't
you put your baby in the front of the cart where she belongs?" I said that
she was fine and happy to be next to me, to which he replied, "Spoiled
baby!"
I was holding a bunch of overly-ripe bananas as he spoke those
words, raised them to his face, and showed him the true definition of
spoiled (...)
(...)According to Webster's Dictionary, spoil means "to harm severely, to ruin, to
impair the quality of, to become unfit for use."(...)
We all know fruit only spoils when it is neglected, when it is left to rot, when it is not enjoyed fully at the ripe stage (...)Wrap your arms around your blossoming pregnant belly, your newborn, your toddlers, your young children, your growing adolescents, and your grandchildren. ..reminding them daily that nothing compares to the joy of raising them into their own spiritual sovereignty".
As you can see, this shirt is for a very spoiled little one! Tie Dye on 100 % certified organic cotton baby lap tee using a gorgeous brown (procion mx fiber reactive dye). Size shown: 6-12 mos.

Rainbow swirls

2011-02-07T18:54:00.011-05:00

Before:

After:
2 baby lap tees. The first one matches perfectly our organic baby receiving blanket and is an organic cotton baby lap tee size Newborn. The second is also a baby lap tee from american apparel (sustainable edition) and is a size 12-18 mos.

Rainbow (again)

2011-02-03T20:01:00.009-05:00

Still in a rainbow mood! Organic cotton infant lap tee tie dyed in rainbow colors. Sizes available: NB (7-13 lbs), Small (14-18 lbs), Medium (19-26 lbs), Large (27-34 lbs)
One NB size is listed on Bitty Fluff Congo for the February stocking

Rainbow swirl

2011-01-26T22:34:00.007-05:00

A baby never has too many blankets...
When soft organic velvet meets a rainbow, it is time for snuggling time!

Love as heart-shaped...

2011-01-25T14:01:00.012-05:00

"We picture love as heart-shaped because we do not know the shape of the soul." ~Robert Brault
With Valentine's day a few weeks away, I wanted to try the heart pattern in tie dye and experiment on a different fabric than organic cotton.
The baby blanket below is part of the first "défi créatif" (creative challenge) organized on my friend Josée's blog dans ma maison il y a... mes passions, with the theme" hearts". Some embroidery on top of the dyeing and voila! Organic velvet.
Measurement: 45" x 35" which is quite a generous size.

And some organic cotton baby t-shirts...
Happy Valentine's Day!
You know you're in love when you don't want to fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams. ~Dr. Seuss

Color Spectrum

2011-01-16T01:32:00.011-05:00

Close-ups of my first tie-dye batch!

Ho Ho Ho!

2010-12-23T19:24:00.007-05:00

This morning I saw the Wordless Wednesday post by Hobo Mama: "Why we're not visiting Santa this year" and laughed (Mikko, we're with you!). I have no pictures of my kids on Santa's lap for this reason (Santa is creepy!) We won't be visiting him this either in order to keep the magic in our house (miss T is baking some cookies and little J has no idea what's going on) but we are wishing you a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year! See you in 2011!

see more Sketchy Santas

Last creations before our trip

2010-11-19T18:28:00.002-05:00

We're moving back West Coast and the move is quite something. Before putting everything in the trailer I wanted to work with this gorgeous gold water based ink and screen printed our lucky monkey logo and an owl.

I also discovered the joy of hand dyeing and can't wait to get to my new studio to experiment more with low water immersion dyeing.

Vertical Gardens

2010-11-06T22:49:00.006-04:00

Today I love Patrick Blanc's vertical gardens. Enjoy his projects, inspiration and news by visiting his website!

Peace Silk

2010-11-04T10:08:00.012-04:00

Peace silk (or Ahimsa) is silk from the cocoons gathered after the moth emerges. The conventional way being to boil the worms alive in their cocoons.
With vegan silk we're talking about silkworms in the wild and able to grow, find a mate, reproduce and die a natural way!
Fact: It takes about 50 000 cocoons to make a silk sari...

Cocoons {photo courtesy of treehugger.com} click the picture to read the article.

Cultivated Bombyx mori, male moth {photo courtesy of wormspit.com} click the picture to read the article.

organic silk blankets by curlymonkey available for a limited time

project: silk hand dyed with procion mx in cobalt blue and orange

If you give my kid a candy!

2010-11-03T10:56:00.021-04:00

(or a green Halloween didn't happen this year!)
If you give my kid a candy
She will ask for a plastic pumpkin
And refuse your fabric trick-or-treat bag.
Then she'll start running around trick-or-treating
Asking for more candies with a big smile on her face
Ignoring your fear of high fructose corn syrup or food colorants.
When she gets enough candies
She will want caramels and chocolate
And won't remember that you are boycotting Nestlé and Hershey.
When her pumpkin is full
She will ask for eating all the candies right now.
If you say save some for tomorrow
She will lick a lollipop... and chew some gum...
Sharing the sweetness with her brother.
The day after when she's done with the candies, caramels, chocolate and lollipops
She will find 1 dollar in her bucket
And with this treasure she will probably ask you
To go out to the store to buy a candy...

We had a great Halloween, going to the parade in Woodstock. Everybody seemed to enjoy it! How was your Halloween?

PS: You will not see the Luke Skywalker costume I had made for my son because he decided that he wanted to stay in pyjamas.

Things that shouldn't be made in adult's size! Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-27T20:16:00.006-04:00

A footed pyjamas with a panda print!

Not to be found at Target: my Handmade Halloween Costume Part I

2010-10-24T22:46:00.014-04:00

While finishing my daughter's Halloween costume (she wants to be Amy Rose) and thinking about my son's (he wants to be Princess Leia!) I came across this funny video:

Target is booing Homemade costumes and you can be Iron Man for only $19.99. Really? Well this year (again) I was able to:
1: beat Target's price
2: avoid those itchy costumes
3: make my 6 years old really happy!
What I needed:
- an image of Amy Rose: make a photocopy on transfer paper

- a red skirt (that was already a recycled t-shirt): free

Cutting some length and adding a white hem

- a long sleeve, a pair of scissors and a heat press: you can replace the heat press by an iron!

A pink pair of leggings that she has and Voila!
We still need to figure out how to make Amy's hair but at this point it is a detail... She loves it! And my son too of course!

What will you make?

Pumpkin patch: That one! Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-20T17:09:00.010-04:00

Breast Cancer Awareness and Fabrics choices

2010-10-18T16:45:00.005-04:00

I embroidered this design to support Breast Cancer Awareness and this month pink is the color to wear. But not all pinks are created equally and some awareness should apply to the fibers too. The National Institutes of Health estimates that environmental factors contribute to 75-80% of all cancers. With nearly 80,000 chemicals on the market (many of which used in our daily lives being largely unregulated), exposure to potential environmental carcinogens is widespread.

An organic cotton shirt dyed with low-impact, fiber-reactive dyes makes even more sense this month as conventional cotton has been sprayed with pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers and man made fabrics like polyester or nylon are petrochemicals based (think about how many pairs of fancy bras you own and wear)
Another way to protect your breasts is to keep breastfeeding, as studies show that you reduce your risk of developing breast cancer by breastfeeding your baby. And if your baby is a little girl, her risk is also reduced.

organic baby ensemble: pants and hat in hemp/cotton fleece/jacquard

2010-10-13T23:23:00.009-04:00

Ultra soft hemp/ cotton fleece and a gorgeous organic jacquard in earthy tones for this pair of pants. Model #1: cuffs and elastic waist. Available in sizes 0-6 mos, 6-12 mos and 12-24 mos. In store today or made to order. A matching hat for a total look!

Babywearing week!

2010-10-10T18:57:00.008-04:00

It is Babywearing week and I have to admit that my son hasn't asked for his wrap for 1 month! I nevertheless changed my avatar to support all the (confused?) babywearing parents out there who came across this article recently posted on becomingmamas.com.
If you are a first time babywearing parent and don't feel confident enough in carrying your infant, please visit those great resources on babywearing safety on babywearinginternational.org. Some common sense applies but it is definitively the best seat in the house!. In the meantime you can check out the pictorial I made on how to use a stretch baby wrap.
Happy babywearing!

Sneak peak

2010-10-08T18:58:00.007-04:00

Tomorrow October 9th at 9:00 am, CurlyMonkey will offer its first organic baby ensemble. Warm, stylish and organic. The set includes a baby hat and a pair of longies. Only ultra soft organic fabrics were used to make baby comfy: hemp fleece and a gorgeous organic jacquard. Elastic waist, plenty of room and a perfect stretch. Pre orders start now.
Sizes are for 0-3 mos, 3-6 mos, 6-9 mos, 9-12 mos and 12-24 mos.
Stocking at Fresh Congo
* Fabric info: Hemp may be known for its durability, but its comfort and style are second to none. Hemp fleece gets softer and softer with use, will not get distorted and has the perfect stretch. Stronger and softer than cotton, Hemp is also naturally resistant to mold and ultraviolet light.

New Palette

2010-10-06T20:15:00.005-04:00

I finally received my yarns and fabrics and will happily allow myself a break from screen printing. :)

Autumn and new prints

2010-10-02T23:30:00.011-04:00

Beautiful autumn...

... and cute model! New screen prints are up on my website, inspired by fall colors and wild animals.

Pumpkin patch! organic cloth balls

2010-09-28T16:55:00.008-04:00

New articles to be listed to fit Halloween Theme.
Cloth balls are orange organic cotton, filled with organic cotton and ready to be played with... or put on the table as decoration!

Auction!

2010-09-23T23:40:00.005-04:00

3 organic baby receiving blankets up for a 7 day auction. Day 1 is today. It is happening in my hyenacart store and the starting price is attractive! 3 left! Auction ends on September 30th. Tell your friends :)
Happy Bidding!

Home Sweet Home Schooling

2010-09-14T00:14:00.006-04:00

Welcome to the September Carnival of Natural Parenting: We're all home schoolers

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared how their children learn at home as a natural part of their day. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

***

Summer's over and as most kids are getting ready to go back to school, we'll embark on one more year of unschooling: we like it this way! I will borrow Suzanne Carter's words to explain unschooling: "to me unschooling is as positive as unchaining, unbinding, unleashing, unfolding, unfurling, unlimiting...." I don't know what my kids needs and likes will be this year but so far:
My daughter is still interested in babies and family:

My son likes to write without pen:

They both like Mathematics (or baking!)...

... and want to surpass Kasparov by making up some complicated chess rules:

Anatomy and Biology lessons: a baby, a baby frog, a baby snake!

They show great interest in Architecture ( and barn animals):

My son is building a race car:

My daughter is a great gymnast:

They both like Arts and Crafts:

Unschooling is also about cooking lessons (and sharing the play dough):

and the joy of house choirs!

To learn more about the fun of unschooling your kids, here's a good start: http://www.unschooling.com/index.shtml

***

Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

(This list will be updated September 14 with all the carnival links.)

A is for Apple {But right now it's more fun to pick apples!} — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment has a four-year-old who wisely knows she must forgo the worksheets for now and do things with her mother if she's going to learn.

Baby Talks — Amy at Anktangle talks, talks, talks all day long to her preverbal baby, about simple things and complexities. (@anktangle)

Baby University: Little Man, My Teacher — The ArtsyMama shares how her relaxed and patient "teaching" at home resulted in a confident little one when she returned to work.

Creating a Sensory Garden — A sensory garden has given Marita at Stuff With Thing and her girls practice in math, science, budgeting, fine motor skills, and more. (@leechbabe)

Despite the Big Yellow Bus — Seonaid at The Practical Dilettante has surprised many friends by sending her kids off to mainstream schooling — but their learning doesn't stop there. (@seonaid_lee)

Down on the Farm — Megan at Purple Dancing Dhalias describes the multitude of skills her children learn by homeschooling on a farm.

Early Childhood Education — First Do No Harm — Laura at Laura's Blog provides an incredible list of tips to facilitate learning at home.

Education Starts At Home — Luschka at Diary of a First Child was happy to realize that learning at home isn't limited to older children. (@lvano)

Every Day Is A School Day — Summer at Finding Summer lists the ways her family learns in this poem of a post. (@summerminor)

hands on — the grumbles at grumbles and grunts read her little one Sherlock Holmes in utero. She'll continue to make learning fun now that he's on this side of the womb. (@thegrumbles)

Have a Happy Heart — Erica at ChildOrganics has days of poop on the couch and oatmeal down the pants when sending her children to school seems like the perfect solution — until she regains her perspective. (@childorganics)

Home Sweet Home Schooling — Check out CurlyMonkey's Blog for a photo montage of how her kids are learning anatomy, architecture, and more — all at home. (@curlymonkey_)

Homeschooling — My Needs? — Do you homeschool for the kids, or do you do it for you? Read some thoughts from Home Grown Families. (@momtosprouts)

Homeschooling: A Way of Life — Kimberly at Homeschooling in Nova Scotia has children who meet learning with enthusiasm and are becoming self-sufficient at a young age. (@UsborneBooksCB)

How We Homeschooled — Deb at Living Montessori Now details in retrospect how her two lifelong learners spent their homeschooling years. (@DebChitwood)

Learning at Home With a Preschooler and Toddler — Need some inspiration? Michelle at The Parent Vortex shares her tips and resources for lifelong learning. (@TheParentVortex)

Learning at Home: Are We All Homeschoolers? — Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings incorporates homeschool ideas even though she plans to send her kids to school. (@sunfrog)

Learning From Life — Mamapoekie at Authentic Parenting doesn't even have to think about how her daughter learns. She just does it. (@mamapoekie)

Learning Through Play — What better way to learn at home than through play? Dionna at Code Name: Mama lists the many ways children learn through play, whether they know it or not. (@CodeNameMama)

Learning With Savoury Pikelets — Deb at Science@Home breaks down how cooking facilitates learning. (@ScienceMum)

Lessons Learned by Bowling (Yes, Bowling) — What life lessons can you learn from bowling? Ask Jessica from This is Worthwhile. (@tisworthwhile)

Life is learning, learning is life. — Kristin, guest posting at Janet Fraser — Where birth and feminism intersect, defends the truth that children are hardwired to learn. (@JoyousLearning)

life learning... — Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children found that structured schooling is about teaching, whereas unschooling is about learning, and her family resonated with the latter.

Live to Learn Together — RealMommy at True Confessions of a Real Mommy knows that children learn in all different styles, so only one-on-one attention can do the trick.

Natural Parenting and the Working Mom — Jenny from Chronicles of a Nursing Mom shares how natural parenting in the Philippines — and learning at home — includes "yayas" (nannies). (@crazydigger)

Not Back to School: How We Learn at Home — Denise at This Holistic Life has learned to describe what unschooling is, rather than what it isn't.

Our Learning Curve — Andrea of Ella-Bean & Co. has a special bookshelf set up where her daughter can explore the world on her own terms.

School at Our House — Where is learning happening at Kellie at Our Mindful Life's house? It is pouring all over the floor. It is digging down deep in the earth. It is everywhere!

Schooling Three Little Piggies — Despite the mess and the chaos, Melissa at White Noise lets her children into the kitchen.

SuperMom versus The Comic Books of Doom! — Mommy Soup at Cream of Mommy Soup realized that if "getting the kids to read" was the goal, it didn't matter what the kids read. (@mommysoup)

The joy of learning at home — Heather at Life, Gluten Free has a daughter who sees magic in the stars and understands the honeybees. (@lifeglutenfree)

those who can't teach — Do you need a superiority complex to homeschool? Stefanie at Very, Very Fine wonders.

Too lazy to unschool? — If unschoolers aren't lazy, Lauren at Hobo Mama wonders if she's too lazy to live her dream of free-form education. (@Hobo_Mama)

Unschooling the School of Me — Rachael at The Variegated Life considers what she's teaching her son about work as a work-at-home mother — and the extreme work ethic she doesn't want him to emulate. (@RachaelNevins)

What We Do All Day — Alison at BluebirdMama discovered that it's easier than she thought it would be to quantify how her child learns all day. (@childbearing)

Who taught that kid ‘exoskeleton’? — Nervous about how you will facilitate learning at home? Don't be - they will absorb things on their own! Joni Rae at Tales of a Kitchen Witch Momma shares her story. (@kitchenwitch)

September Scraps

2010-09-07T12:17:00.009-04:00

My EFA september challenge this month is "September scraps". So from scraps I made this mouse baby hat using a grey organic tee's sleeve and some organic pink cotton jersey. This month on Sept. 25th my NaturalKids Team mate Christy is running 100 miles on her bike , with a bunch of other vegan peeps in Oregon to raise money for Ride to the Light, a bike ride to benefit Lighthouse Farm Sanctuary, Out To Pasture Sanctuary and IDA's own Hope Animal Sanctuary. A portion of the sale of the baby hat will got to support her ride. To those interested in purchasing it for a good cause, stop by my Etsy shop. To sponsor the riders, and help the animals, please visit HERE
All beings tremble before violence. All fear death, all love life. See yourself in others. Then whom can you hurt? What harm can you do? -- Buddha
Thank you!

Organic baby bath set Part II

2010-08-28T15:37:00.005-04:00

You asked and we listened! Our organic baby bath set including a organic bath mitt and a set of cloth wipes is now available in the following choices: 6,12 or 18 hemp/french terry cloth washcloths.

The Cleanest Carnival in fair history

2010-08-26T16:43:00.006-04:00

We went to the oldest fair in the US: the Dutchess County Fair exists since 1845!

A lot to do, specially for my excited daughter!

While waiting for her, I noticed this diaper station sign :

But the big thumb up was definitively this: the rides are now running on soy based bio diesel! ( and so can you!)

It was a good day! How was yours?

Hands up!

2010-08-25T20:50:00.004-04:00

Having fun!

Flamenco and Pink wedding knitted dresses

2010-08-25T10:59:00.005-04:00

I just love those dresses, found on a new blog I discovered The Dark Knit. It almost makes me want to knit again. I say almost because crochet stole my heart 6 years ago and I quit knitting.

Kiss me?

2010-08-23T18:42:00.003-04:00

After the rain yesterday, kids saw a frog for the first time!

Amphibians have been around for an estimated 350 million years. Very sensitive to perturbations in ecosystems, they are excellent indicators of the quality of the overall environment. Their population is sadly declining. Scientists are talking about habitat loss, climate change, UV radiation, pollutants and diseases...
You will find a great post on EcoEtsy's blog written by Jennifer from SewnNaturalStudio here about frogs and environment.
Because I craft better than I write, I made a frog softie out of organic red and white velvet. Who wants to kiss the frog? Ribbit! New addition to the shop.

The Tree House

2010-08-22T12:37:00.008-04:00

The base...
Finishing the floor...

Time for some fun!

For the whole time, the baby "drove" the tractor!

With his new friend as passenger :)

The tree house is done! We are thankful to the apple tree for making our kids happy! It was a lot of fun...

It was a pink week!

2010-08-21T11:17:00.005-04:00

This week was pink!
My son with his sister's jacket, ready to go outside:

A beautiful hibiscus after the rain.
A custom order: a baby hat in organic pink cotton.
And a skirt for Emily, another custom order (now my daughter wants the same doll!).
How was your week?

Mischievous...

2010-08-15T22:53:00.001-04:00

We told him it was going to rain tomorrow! No need to water the plants (or us!) Look at this smile!

One apple a day...

2010-08-14T19:17:00.019-04:00

One apple a day keeps the doctor away. In Greek mythology, apples were associated with the healing god Apollo. My kids love (organic) apples: red, yellow or green...
Organic cotton baby bodysuit in size 6-12 months with a matching baby hat.
Apple tree and red apple made out of organic green cotton and red velvet and embroidered by hand.

Upcycled organic hoodie

2010-08-10T18:04:00.003-04:00

The hoodie I made for my son to match his pair of karate pants. It took 2 organic XL T-shirts: one gray and one blue. It was my first hoodie project and own pattern. It is a (big) size 2T.

Happy World Breastfeeding Week!

2010-08-01T17:09:00.008-04:00

Happy World Breastfeeding Week to all the nursing mamas out there! Here are some of our favorites for this special week:

Those beautiful paintings by Kate Hansen and part of her “Madonna and Child Project

The Virgin with the Green Cushion by Solario ( 16th century)

One Little Needle Felted Nursing Mama by asherjasper
Wood Teether by justhatched

And our organic baby bodysuit or lap tee "Powered by Breastmilk"! available in size 0-6 mos to 18-24 mos and screen printed with non toxic soft water based ink on our website

Happy nursing! :)

Showing off with Natural Kids!

2010-07-31T12:00:00.007-04:00

Can you believe we're August 1st?
Let's start the day with some exciting news:
I've been playing with my embroidery machine lately and now offer an organic baby bath set with customized monograms: a refined and natural way to show you care. This is a perfect gift for a baby shower, a baby registry or a first birthday. Oldest kids will love it too! The set includes: a extra large baby towel made of hemp/ organic french terry and a baby bath mitt.
2 letters monograms are available in Navy/ Red/ Pink and Green.

I also made some new sets of cloth baby wipes: a circus print from Lloyds and Barton for Timeless Treasures Fabrics and a print from the Robert Kaufman organic cotton fabric collection: orange leaves ( already used to make a summer dress for my daughter!)

My organic embroidered baby bath set and lot of reusable baby wipes are available for purchase in the NaturalKids shop as we're stocking tomorrow August 1st!
Also on our website

Would you call that babywearing? Wordless Wesnesday

2010-07-28T22:22:00.003-04:00

My soon to be 6 yo daughter asked for a ride!

The ugly face of cosmetic products

2010-07-22T23:01:00.011-04:00

Carcinogens in baby shampoo? Lead in lipstick :( Neurotoxins in body spray!
Major loopholes in U.S. federal law allow the $50 billion cosmetics industry to put unlimited amounts of chemicals into personal care products with no required testing, no monitoring of health effects and inadequate labeling requirements.
Cosmetic industry calls Annie's Leonard's video "shockumentary"!

http://storyofstuff.org/cosmetics/

So what's really in your products? Read what Annie Leonard has to say HERE
One more reason (after animal testing) to read your labels carefully and source your products. A great way to do so is to look for my EtsyEarth Teamates shops in the personal care category.

We spotted this baby wash from HerbanLifestyle: Gentle and made with pure, organic ingredients, with no artificial fragrances or other petroleum-derived substances. We like the recyclable 8oz PET bottle, with a 100% recycled label printed with vegetable ink. Use it with our soft CurlyMonkey wash cloth and bath mitt! :)

Capoeira Fiesta

2010-07-19T21:02:00.005-04:00

Last weekend we attended a capoeira festival. We had a lot of fun and met wonderful people. Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian art form, a mixture of fighting, dance, acrobatics and music. I liked the fact that the performers were young and my kids were able play the drums!

To learn more about Capoeira, hear some capoeira songs and watch some incredible moves, visit this great website

Organic karate pants : reconstruction

2010-07-18T09:04:00.004-04:00

You know how some t-shirts and a pair of scissors make me happy. My son enjoying his new pairs of karate pants (upcycled organic t-shirts ).

How sweet to be a Cloud Floating in the Blue!

2010-07-15T15:50:00.010-04:00

“How sweet to be a Cloud Floating in the Blue!”
A. A. Hodge

About the appliqué: Those fluffy and smiling clouds are made out of 55% Hemp, 45% Organic Cotton Fleece and hand sewn on a blue organic baby bodysuit. Embroidered features.
Size: 0-6 mos. 2 available for purchase in the Clothing Category.

Little Birdies for peace

2010-07-14T12:00:00.002-04:00

Two birds disputed about a kernel,
when a third swooped down and carried it off.
- Proverb from the Congo

Kiddos were fighting over the same toy so I made them those birdies to illustrate this African Proverb. They loved it and Peace was back!

Some facts about birds: There are 8,600 species of birds in the world today. They are found everywhere and play a vital role in the balance of nature.
They eat insects, pests and small animals. Birds have between 1,000 and 25,000 feathers.
- Birds, U.C. Davis

This little birdie made of yellow hemp twine makes a great, natural and safe baby toy and can be found in both my Hyenacart and Etsy shops.

Being pretty on the inside...

2010-07-08T16:12:00.004-04:00

Being pretty on the inside means you don't hit your brother and you eat all your peas - that's what my grandma taught me.
Lord Chesterfield
{Fresh green peas from the garden}

Teamwork

2010-07-07T18:24:00.005-04:00

What's going to work? Teamwork!
Little brother is helping with the painting to make a magic wand:

Mama is helping with the sewing to make a "heart bag":

A fairy is born! Time to go play outside...

My mommy makes milk for me

2010-07-05T00:00:00.005-04:00

Welcome to the July 2010 Carnival of Nursing in Public

This post was written for inclusion in the Carnival of Nursing in Public hosted by Dionna and Paige at NursingFreedom.org. All week, July 5-9, we will be featuring articles and posts about nursing in public ("NIP"). See the bottom of this post for more information.

***

My Mommy makes milk for me

My mommy makes milk for me,
I cuddle with mommy when she feeds me
Whenever I'm hungry she's ready to go
No matter where we are, she never says no.

Sometimes in public, we get lots of stares,
Some people even yell "oh no don't you dare!"
Don't know why they get so mean,
I'm only nursing is it that obscene?

It's the best milk for growing healthy bones,
Will make me strong without any hormones.
My mommy makes milk for me, her boobies are great
Better than cow's milk, it's like a high protein shake.

If you have a problem with nursing in public
Maybe you should stop staring or go grab a drink.
Cause nursing in a bathroom doesn't make much sense
Would you eat your meal at hygiene's expense?

When I'm in my mommy's arms it's always nice and warm
I feel safe from the world, a place where there's no harm
My mommy's scent is better than a rose
So let me be and I promise I won't impose.

Poem composed by my kids' father and wonderful husband.

Welcome to the Carnival of Nursing in Public

Please join us all week, July 5-9, as we celebrate and support breastfeeding mothers. And visit NursingFreedom.org any time to connect with other breastfeeding supporters, learn more about your legal right to nurse in public, and read (and contribute!) articles about breastfeeding and N.I.P.

Do you support breastfeeding in public? Grab this badge for your blog or website to show your support and encourage others to educate themselves about the benefits of breastfeeding and the rights of breastfeeding mothers and children.

This post is just one of many being featured as part of the Carnival of Nursing in Public. Please visit our other writers each day of the Carnival. Click on the links below to see each day’s posts - new articles will be posted on the following days:

July 5 - Making Breastfeeding the Norm: Creating a Culture of Breastfeeding in a Hyper-Sexualized World

July 6 – Supporting Breastfeeding Mothers: the New, the Experienced, and the Mothers of More Than One Nursing Child

July 7 – Creating a Supportive Network: Your Stories and Celebrations of N.I.P.

July 8 – Breastfeeding: International and Religious Perspectives

July 9 – Your Legal Right to Nurse in Public, and How to Respond to Anyone Who Questions It

Oil soil prevention starts at home!

2010-07-01T23:09:00.013-04:00

I am reposting this picture from riseaboveplastics but couldn't resist to the opportunity to add something about her t-shirt! In screen printing there are 2 ways to print your design: water based inks and plastisols. Synthetic plastisols inks are a PVC (polyvinyl chloride) based system that essentially contains no solvent.

Water-based inks use either dyes or pigments in a suspension with water as the solvent. Both have their own environmental impacts: if you want to read more about it, please read HERE.
We've been screen printing since a long time with eco-friendly water based for CurlyMonkey but the water waste was still a waste and we decided that it was time for zero waste. We recently switched to digital direct to garment printing and the experience has been awesome: no use of chemicals solvents to clean our screens, no water waste and still the use of eco-friendly water based inks. The soft feeling is greater than with water based and we can print as many colors as we want!

A baby's point of view

2010-07-01T10:08:00.011-04:00

My 18 months old son trying to fit (sit) on this chair. Do I have to mention he got a little bit frustrated? I am fascinated by the way he sees the world. Below is a diagramm of a human cerebral cortex: newborn, 6 years, 14 years.

My baby is learning!

How to make soap bubbles!

2010-06-20T12:30:00.006-04:00

My son enjoying blowing bubbles for the first time!
Some bubble solution works better than others. Here's the recipe for making great bubbles.

1.Use a container to mix your bubble solution

2. Pour in one part liquid soap

3. Pour in four parts water

4. Pour in about 1/2 teaspoon glycerin per liter of solution. (Food Grade Glycerin is available in drugstores. Glycerol is sweet-tasting and of low toxicity. When diluted with water it is not harmful to consume.)

5. Mix up the solution and Voila!!

The ugly truth behind our bedtime story!

2010-06-12T10:26:00.011-04:00

We LOVE books... and we have a lot! A few years ago I started to buy them used for environmental reasons... For the same reasons, I only read magazines and newspapers when going to doctors appointments, which is not very often! But it is good sometimes to remind ourselves how books are made of and where they come from... This morning I read an article by Non Toxic Kids on Top Children's book Publishers using paper linked to deforestation in Indonesia and thought it was worth a blog. I love books AND rainforests, I signed the petition and will keep buying used books ( a major issue with the CPSIA regulations against lead content!). You will find a rainforest safe summer reading list HERE: all books being printed on post-consumer recycled, FSC certified or recycled paper. What is your opinion on the subject? Are e-books the only way?

Outdoors

2010-06-05T13:00:00.008-04:00

"The work will wait while you show the child the rainbow, but the rainbow won't wait while you do the work." -Patricia Clafford

Making a wish!
Picking up flowers for Mama!

Playing:

Rubbing our chins with some "Boutons d'or":

Looking Up in the sky:

Happy weekend everyone!