I figured out how to post videos on my blog yesterday! So now I present a post with a couple of them.
These videos are ‘research’ for an upcoming guest post I’m writing. Or I just really like watching them.
Enough procrastination. Back to practising . . .
Linking up with My Little Drummer Boys
Each week we review books we’ve read with Squirm. However, this week is a little special, and is actually inspired by a book I read while Squirm was sleeping.
The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse
I was sitting in the library, looking at the books and desperately hoping not to wake Squirm up, when I picked this one up. I love Eric Carle and I hadn’t seen this one before, so it looked like a pretty good read. Immediately I was transported into a world that was a little bit familiar and a lot bit fantastic. But the most fascinating part came at the end of the book, when I read the author’s note. It mentioned that Eric Carle had been introduced to abstract art, such as the art celebrated in the book, by a teacher – at a time and place when unrealistic art was highly disapproved of.
This made me look further into Carle’s background. He was born in 1929 in the United States, but moved to Germany, his parent’s homeland, when he was 6 years old. Therefore his schooling occured in Nazi Germany, and when he got older, Carle was required to work for the war effort. It made me wonder about the beauty of Carle’s work and what inspired it.
This is a gorgeous book that inspired me – an adult. I wonder what it could do for children
(I highly recommend the video. I love watching Eric Carle working!)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
You can’t talk about Eric Carle without talking about The Very Hungry Caterpillar. This was one of the books Mr Pilot brought in to read to Squirm when we were still in the hospital, and even at just a few days old, Squirm would stare at the beautiful illustrations. It’s a favourite around here – I crocheted a Hungry Caterpillar motif on one of Squirm’s jumpsuits, and a friend gave him two Hungry Caterpillar onesies.
There’s so much you can do with this book and teachers have been using it for years. Yu can look at food, days of the week and the life cycle of the butterfly – all in one little book. There’s looking at how the illustrations were made, and making your own art and books with cut outs. You could look at the gorgeous use of colour as well.
The Tiny Seed
This book follows the fortunes of a group of seeds, including the tiny seed, as they fly through the air to their new home. Along the way, seeds are eaten and lost, but still the tiny seed carries on. It shows us that even something small can be beautiful.
Again, lots to do here. There’s art idea – like making your own flowers and seeds. There’s nature walks where you could collect seeds or hunt for different flowers – you could even make your own guide and classification if you got particularly inspired. You could learn about how seeds grow and you could try to grow your own. A trip to the nursery would probably fit quite well in here too.
Read more about Eric Carle
I have a friend who is currently 7 months pregnant. A little while ago we were talking, and I mentioned that there’s some advice that recommends dummies not be introduced until breast feeding is established. “There are too many rules” she declared, clearly annoyed.
I was a bit taken aback by this. I’m not the fondest of rules for the sake of rules (I’m more of a questioning the lines person), but I’ve been a mother for 12 weeks now, and pregnant for a long nine months before that, and I’ve never really thought of motherhood as something with a lot of rules. After all, if there were clear rules we’d probably agree on more. But then, there are a lot of people telling us what to do – even if it is contradictory.
It made me think a bit about how I regard motherhood. Becoming a mother is a bit like start a new job. I’m awkward and uncomfortable most the time and there’s people (or in this case, a person) relying on me. I really need to get my head around the job as quick as I can, and I need to think quick on my feet. And I can’t get the photocopier to work.
Then someone steps in to give me a hand. They may not look particularly friendly on the outside, but then again, they might immediately become my best friend. But the important thing is they have knowledge that I don’t have. They can tell me how to win over the demanding people relying on me. They can tell me how to make sure that the whole office doesn’t fall down around me. They know the photocopier codes and how to use it so it’ll work forever.
There might be more than one person helping me, and sometimes their advice will be contradictory. But I listen to them anyway, consider what they’re saying and follow the path that best suits me.
When it comes to motherhood, I can really only think of a couple of ‘rules’ and these usually involve life and death matters – like putting your child into a car seat. But there is a lot of advice out there, and I do need to take the time to think the advice through, think about where the advice comes from and follow the advice that feels best for me.
The advice can be essential though, especially when it comes from authoritative sources. The advice that’s been given to prevent SIDS, for example, has changed the way people think about infant sleep and has prevented further deaths. The advice on establishing breastfeeding means a lot of hospitals have adopted breastfeeding friendly practices. If we never hear different advice, we might never learn about things that can enhance the lives and safety of our kids.
But is motherhood full of rules? I don’t think so. Instead I think it’s a brand new job, filled with people – helpful and otherwise – who are here to help us learn the rules.
And they make the photocopier work.
So, last week I decided to head down to Logan to visit Ikea and to visit another library in my library tour. While there, I realised with my extensive hours of shopping there, I could write the definitive Subversive Reader Guide to Ikea*
Tip #1 – When dressing for Ikea, wear the baby
If you’re intending to visit Ikea accompanied only by a little one who cannot walk (or who cannot walk for long) you’ve got three options. 1. Bring a regular sized pram or stroller and accept that you won’t be able to buy very much. 2. Bring a pram the size of a small 4WD and accept that you won’t be able to fit it in some parts of the shop. 3. Wear your baby and have your hands free to push a trolly or whatever else you need.
I wasn’t the only one to feel this way – I saw three soft structured carriers and two other ring slings in the time I was there!
Tip #2 – Join the Ikea Family
The Ikea Family offers free tea and coffee Monday to Friday. That’s worth spending 5 minutes joining up at one of the numerous booths around the place. There’s also other deals and specials available
Tip #3 – Have a vague idea of what you’re going to Ikea for
Are you going to buy cushions or to buy furniture or just to look? Have a vague idea or who knows what you’ll come home with! Though, no matter how good your plan is, you’ll probably come home with something you didn’t go for (Unless you’re Mr Pilot. He once went to Ikea, selected and bought the furniture he wanted and got out in under an hour)
Tip #4 – Don’t join the opening rush
Since the cafe opens in Ikea before the shop itself, there’s lots of people hanging anxiously around the entrance. I’m not sure why, but some of them take on the opening like it’s the Boxing Day sales. I found that hanging back 15-30 minutes meant there were less people all peering at the same small spaces at the same time
Tip #5 – Stay for the food
By the time I made it around the upper floor of Ikea, Squirm was gearing up for a feed. So, I got myself some food (I recommend the mousse) and my free coffee and made my way to one of the quieter corners of the dining area. Squirm and I enjoyed a quiet feed and I enjoyed the free wi-fi!
So, what did I end up with? Cushions, lamps, toys, organising things and a few good ideas. An excellent day out 🙂
My Ikea Haul
What are your tips for surviving Ikea or other big shops?
*Note this is not definitive. And I reserve the right to review this advice at all times. While eating cake. Also, I did not receive any kind of payment or good for these tips. I’m definitely not that big! Though if Ikea is interested . . . 🙂
Mums Take Five nominated me for a Liebster Award!
So what is a Liebster Award? The award is given to support and recognise up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers (on their blog) or likers (on their Facebook page). The word “Liebster” apparently has German origins and is reported to mean sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome. By following some basic rules (answer 11 questions set by your nominee, write 11 questions of your own and pass the award onto 11 other bloggers to answer) it enables readers to get to know new bloggers and connect with a wider audience.
My Questions:
1. What do you have for Breaky?
I have three weetbix, crumbled, with sultanas and cranberries and lots of milk so it’s mushy. Plus a cup of tea. And maybe some toast. (Hungry, breastfeeding mother here!)
2. Do you still send snail mail Christmas cards?
Nope. Mr Pilot does though
3. What is one Blog you always have a read of?
Whedonesque. Old Buffy fanatic here.
4. What was the last tv show you watched that you really enjoyed?
Glee. Completely guilty pleasure, but oh so much fun. I also really enjoyed Life at 7
5. Do you read Magazines? If so which ones?
Good Reading magazine and random crochet magazines
6. Does your family know you Blog?
Yep. Mr Pilot bought me a shiny new computer to do my blogging on 🙂
7. What was the last item of clothing you bought for yourself? Tell us about it.
Not real interesting. I bought some shirts that open at the front to make breast feeding easier
8. If you are having a shocker of a day what do you do to try and make it better?
Chocolate! And music – the right selection of music can make everything better
9.Through your Blogging have you met anyone you would now consider a friend (cyber ones included)?
I’ve made tonnes of friends through the internet, but I’m still pretty new with this blog. I’m sure I will make lots of good friends though
10. Do you use a Mop at home? What kind is it and does it work?
Yes. I don’t know, Mr Pilot bought it but it does work 🙂
11. If you could do anything today. Anything at all no restrictions what would it be?
Spend the day with Squirm visiting a library and some old work mates – hey! Guess what I’m doing today!
My Nominated Bloggers
And my Questions for Them (with a particular book perspective!)
Enjoy!
The entrance to the library
When I decided to go to Ikea, I knew the sensible thing would be to visit a nearby library. The easiest library to get to from Ikea was the new (built in 2011) Logan Central Library, so after a couple of hours trundling around Ikea, I made my way there.
The Logan Central Library shares space with community rooms and a Supre outlet shop. The first thing you see as you approach the front door is a massive art installation, made up of hundreds of books to make a column at the entrance. The art work is repeated inside around the circulation desk and around other columns inside the library.
The library itself was huge and quite busy. There is a sizeable indigenous book collection – the Nyeumba-Meta collection – kept in a special area near the front door. This collection is primarily meant for educators in the Logan area – which is a great idea since books on indigenous topics and by indigenous authors can be difficult to find and expensive to buy but are essential for schools.
The children’s area was off to one side of the library. There’s a large room, with big glass windows, filled with different video games for the kids to play. Long shelves containing junior fiction and junior non-fiction led into a large carpeted area and a large ‘wet’ area. Around the outside of the carpeted area were picture books, with board books and large books (like teachers use) in the low shelves in the middle. There were also a number of low chairs and tables for craft work, and there was children’s work prominently displayed on the walls. Also on the walls were posters, lots and lots of advertisements for the different children’s programs the library runs (including lots of after school helping programs) and displays. One particular display that we sat near was a creative Halloween display, with a wide range of recommended books – including fiction and non fiction – that fit the theme.
There was a couple of big comfy arm chairs – all in use when we got there – plus some soft bench like seats. The books were well looked after, but also looked well read. There didn’t seem to be as many brand new books as I’ve seen in some of the libraries, but there was a wide choice and it was easy to find some good books we hadn’t read before.
I didn’t see much of the staff around – I’m sure there were lots of them, but they just weren’t around where I was. There were a couple of security guards there, though, which seemed a bit unusual for a library.
It was an awesome library, though, and it was very cool to see the library and the rooms in it, very busy. It’s exactly what we need to see in libraries!
The best parts of Logan Central Library
Important Information about Logan Central Library
26 Wilbur Street, Logan Central, Qld, 4280
Opening hours
Monday, Wednesday and Friday
9 am – 5 pm
Tuesday and Thursday
9 am – 8 pm
Saturday
9 am – 4 pm
Parking available
While we were there . . .
We were actually in the area to visit Ikea – so that took up most of our morning. I suggest Ikea and Logan Central Library make a pretty good day. There were also lots of parks in the area – some of which looked pretty awesome and worth a visit.
Slowly, over the last two months, I’ve been working out how Adventures of a Subversive Reader is going to work. Some things I’ve tried have worked really well. Others – not so much.
At the moment, I have a rough calendar worked out for each week. Monday is Library Tour day, with a new library tour each week. Tuesday is a blog post for IBOT (I Blog on Tuesdays). Wednesday is Squirm’s book reviews. Friday is Smell the Roses Day. There will also be a post of some sort on Thursdays, and possibly some posts on the weekend.
As I start to enjoy the community I’ve found while blogging, I wanted to open up to the possibility of guest blog posts. I’d thoroughly welcome Guest Library posts, if you feel like talking about your local or favourite library. These wouldn’t be overly scheduled, but would run on Mondays. If anyone wanted to contribute a guest book review, that would also be welcomed – particularly for children’s books.
If you have any suggestions or a blog post, feel free to email me at subversivereader@gmail.com or just leave a comment below!
Min from MINsMASH passed on a challenge from Allison Tait from Life in A Pink Fibro House. And because I’ve just transferred my photos onto my new computer, I couldn’t resist.
The challenge is to post your Year 3 school photo. Our school photo was only a class one, and mum and dad have that, so I offer the next best thing. A photo of myself in Year 3, dancing at the school concert
It was, of course, The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, and that lovely skirt was made by my mother. It was very much loved and resides downstairs with a lot of my other dancing costumes.
So, now I pass the challenge on. Blog or Facebook your Year 3 picture . . .
Find the A Bowl Full of Lemons post here.
This was a pretty easy week. The task was a child’s wardrobe. Squirm doesn’t have a wardrobe, instead he had a set of drawers. He’s also much too young to use them himself, so this was about creating a system for Mr Pilot and myself to use.
Before Photos
The top drawer – this is where we keep the wipes and other small things – as you can see, our change table is on top of the drawers
The clothes drawer. So many clothes! And baby clothes are so hard to fold neatly!
The wraps and burp cloths. This is the neatest drawer, but very over crowded
The too big and too small drawer. It’d be really nice if babies could just stay one size for a while 🙂
Our biggest problem is the sheer amount of clothes in different sizes that comes with having a baby. There were clothes that Squirm had grown out of and clothes he hasn’t grown into yet. Both sets of clothes had to be dealt with. We also needed a very flexible system – something that was easy to alter for the different clothes and seasons.
I ended up buying two shallow tubs that are designed to fit under the bed. In one I sorted the too small clothes, the other held the too big clothes. This freed up a lot of space in the drawers. I also took out so e winter stuff that we din’t need now we’re going into summer. Those two tubs fit nicely under Squirm’s cot.
I kept the newly emptied bottom drawer and the one above it for burn cloths and swaddling wraps. There’s also room in there for bags and wearing wraps. The third drawer became the clothes drawer. The cooler clothes,are at the front – mostly singlets and cotton onesies.
The top drawer was the last to be organised. Because we use reusable wipes, we have a wipe system (two containers, one for clean wipes, one for dirty) set up in the divided,drawer. I moved the bibs forward (since we’re using them more now) next to the wipes, then put all the shoes and socks into a small container behind the wipes. Hats went into the corner. In the other side of the divider I put dry wipes on one side and wet bags on the other, with the wipe container at the front next to things like nappy cream.
So far, it’s been much easier to use and find things. I also realised how many clothes Squirm had, and realised we can probably pull back on buying so much. We do need to buy a couple of night things for the next size up, both not much more than that.
After photos
Plastic tubs for the too big and too small clothes
Top drawer. This one had the most organising and it’s the one I feel is working the best now
The clothes drawer. Not perfect, but an awful lot better. I’m going to try to put washed clothes underneath clean ones so that everything gets worn more evenly
The pretty empty drawer with burp cloths and a couple of lighter wraps. We were washing on the day I organised the drawers, so there were more things to put away later
The bottom drawer with heavier wraps
Adventures of a Subversive Reader 