the captured portrait - robin resch

when I first took a look at the website of robin resch I was floored by her images. I contacted her right away and begged her to get involved with my website/blog...she captures the kind of look that I treasure in kids, that moment of 'what?' and 'who?' and wonderment! I believe it's not easy to have this eye and this rapport with kids, I have it with my own kids and that's why I use them for my website, but robin somehow shares her warmth with her subjects very quickly and captures that in her images. I love the way that it is the everyday situation that she feels deserves the portrait image, too many times I see portraits of kids that are staged but the fascination with the normal moment is a beauty that becomes a treasure forever.

her background is just as fascinating as her work which is why, I think, she can capture what she does, how she does...and looking at her website you will see her images from living all over the place! She currently lives in Princeton, New Jersey, where she got her Masters in architecture (as a single parent with two small children!) where she is doing work that is a wonderful mix of both photography and design. She is always exploring new ways of presenting her portraits that are as fresh and innovative as the images themselves. From encasing glossy color pictures in plexiglass to platinum toning on smooth watercolor paper, each portrait becomes an artwork in its own right.

robin shared a great new idea that she is currently trying out: get together some parent-friends and their children for a picture party (a la tupperware) and invite robin to make portraits. everyone can share the cost of this dynamic photographer and leave with amazing images! thank you robin for sharing your work and ideas with us!

Her studio is located in Princeton, NJ and visit her website here where further examples of her commercial, architectural, travel and event photography can be seen. A current gallery of children’s portraits can be seen here.

let sleeping babies lie....

or is it dogs?...well in our family we usually don't let them lie, or they won't sleep at night. we have two very different kids (as do most people) with completely different personalities and the fact that we have one boy and one girl, well that just makes them even more different! and the story that I want to tell you about today is of our son, who didn't like to sleep much, naps or nighttime (our daughter on the other hand, slept always!), both of our kids have been of the sort to be up until about 9pm (gasp!) and then when I read stories about kids needing more sleep to develop their brain skills, I just *sigh*, and wish for that day!

recently, I was talking to a friend who has a young baby (10m) and she is also having difficulty getting her boy to sleep for naps and bedtime so I shared this story and I just heard back that it worked for her too...we called it 'the sleepytime hold', and it goes a little like this; lay down with your child to go to sleep and hold him/her close to you tightly, on your stomach, for about 10 seconds (it doesn't take much) and they might fight a bit, but that is part of what tires them out, then roll to your side let go...and watch them drift off (pretty quickly in our case). writing this now makes it sound a little severe but it's really not because you are holding them (not leaving them to cry in their room, which was always too hard for me to handle). it worked everytime and it wasn't until our son was about two that we gave up this ritual...but it didn't have to happen every time, just when sleeping became difficult. let me know if this works for you...and then I will write a book...just kidding!

The Nonchalantdad: Did You Know?

Christians know the meaning of Easter is basically Jesus Christ's victory over death. His resurrection symbolizes the eternal life that is granted to all who believe in Him. The meaning of Easter also symbolizes the complete verification of all that Jesus preached and taught during His ministry. It is an important observation in the life of any Christian.

But did you know this? Easter did not always symbolize Christ's resurrection from the dead and the meaning of Easter was quite different than what Christians celebrate today. The feast day of Easter was originally a pagan celebration of renewal and rebirth. Celebrated in the early spring, it honored the pagan Saxon goddess Eastre. When the early missionaries converted the Saxons to Christianity, the holiday, since it fell around the same time as the traditional memorial of Christ's resurrection from the dead, was merged with the pagan celebration, and became know as Easter. The meaning of Easter was also changed to reflect its new Christian orientation.

Christian, or Pagan, Easter represents the celebration of Life. And we parents know all about that!

And, in this time of seeming strife (when isn't there some kind of strife!) here is another interesting tidbit concerning the origin of the international Peace Symbol. Reading in a post from the BBC, I was reminded of how that famous symbol came to be. Of course, I like to know this stuff, because I have the symbol on the back of my car. Apparently the symbol first came into use almost exactly 50 years ago now. It was designed by Mr Gerald Holtom, a designer and former WWII conscientious objector, who persuaded the Direct Action Committee Against Nuclear War that their goal would be greatly improved by having a visual image associated with it. The symbol was born. To interpret the symbol you have to imagine somewhat a person using flag-signaling (or semaphore alphabet). The Person would stand straight and lower both arms so they would resemble an upside down letter V. Then you would superimpose that same person standing with the right arm raised straight up to the sky and the left lowered straight to the ground so they resembled a straight line. In the semaphore alphabet the first gesture would mean the letter N, and the second gesture would mean the letter D. Hence, (N)uclear (D)isarmament. This superimposed symbol would then be encompassed in a circle, which of course was meant tor esemble the planet Earth. Needless to say, the symbol was fairly quickly adopted. Today, it is so frequently used (or abused) that it's almost overlooked.

But, today of all days perhaps it is worth remembering this: the call to Peace should never be taken for granted. We at Nonchalantmom wish you and your family a meaningful day!

zozo for kids!

put together a travelling mom, a couple of kids and a eye for unique things and you will come up with a wonderful website called zozo for kids, which is located in chicago (on wonderful north clark street no less!). and owner katie hogan spent 10 years running around abroad looking for interesting things and finding new and exciting companies everywhere and she successfully translates that into her store. she has opened up online as well so that she can share her goodies with everyone. I loved her super selection of books and toys that are cozy and loving...just the way they need to be. she has a great selection of clothing and we share a love for lucky fish (don't we all!!) don't miss her shop online zozo for kids.

located at 5137 n. clark in andersonville.

hate that sippy cup? here's an idea!

are you tired of that sippy cup? is your life, or the life of your kids, ruled by whether the sippy cup is clean or not? are you tired of nagging your kids "honey, when can we stop with this sippy cup thing!?" or "honey, you are six years old now and you STILL want to use that cup!?"

well, here is my surprise solution...I had no idea this was going to work but there we were at the store the other day and yes, it was time to buy some new sippy cups and I took my son with me to show him the section that the sippy cups were in...the dreaded BABY SECTION!!! and I said "ok honey, what color do you want?" and he stood there and looked around and said, "I don't want to use a sippy cup anymore!" and that, my friends, was that...it's been two weeks now and only a joking mention to the sippee cup..."can I have a sippee cup? just kidding mom!" HA! there you go!

the chic disposable bag-baggu!

The average family brings home 1,000 bags every year. Most of those bags end up in land fills. That really adds up - 100 billion plastic bags are sent to landfill in the US each year.
and as for reusable bags, it's hard...one of those things I can never remember to bring to the store; 1) because I have no memory, and 2) because they are usually bulk and stiff...well no more! baggu is here to make your reusable shopping bag more chic and colorful! baggu was created by mother-daughter team emily and joan who saw the need for a stylish reusable bag as they carried their groceries home from the store each day. not a very unique story but when they did something about it they certainly did become unique! I love them and it's easy to keep an assortment in your car or purse...so don't forget your baggu and always look chic stepping out of your market! visit their website to order your baggu bags and read more about the waste of plastic bags!

bubble kids show - NYC

NONCHALANT KIDS F/W 2008/09 (in-store september!)

well everyone I am not packing your boxes today, I am at the Bubble Show in New York showing my Nonchalant Kids Fall/Winter 2008 collection! it's all very exciting and there are some wonderful collections here from all over the world, and they all look great! You will see my favorites here at Nonchalant Mom come September/October and you will also see my new Nonchalant Kids line too! it was a rollercoaster getting this collection ready but I am very happy to say that it is mostly organic, recycled, fair trade and local! (I'll give you all the details later) we did our best to bring you the most interesting and fun collection that is also socially responsible! but don't worry, Rhonda is in-store and working hard to pack and ship everything out as quickly as possible! As we grow, we don't want to forget who or what really matters to us at Nonchalantmom !!

granola...lola!

we had some friends visit last week and when Norma arrived she made this terrific granola that I have just not been able to get enough of...breakfast and even for late night desert! AND the kids love it! it's so easy I wanted to pass it on!

Granola
4 cups organic rolled oats
2 cups sliced almonds
1 cup raw pepitas
3/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey
1 cup raisins (optional)

put oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees. line a pan with parchment paper.

toss together oats, almonds, pepitas, flax seeds and salt in a large bowl. whisk together oil and honey, then stir into oat mixture until well coated. spread mixture in baking pan (it takes two) and bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown about 1 hour. stir in rasins and let cool on a rack.

the recipe is easy to change around and add any of your favorites! it also makes a great gift instead of a bottle of wine when you visit someone if you put it in a nice jar with a cute home-made label....just an idea!

it's that simple and it is super yummy!

planning a vacation?

it's raining today in rhode island so I was just thinking about planning a vacation...right!? it comes each year at about this time..that wanderlust comes up from within our chilly bodies, wanting that deep warming sun...OK, I'll stop! well, I think that it's not always easy to find a good place that suits both you and your kids, and if you are like us my husband and I also have different ideas about vacationing. I like to lay around in the sun and play with the kids on the beach...veg-out basically, while my husband likes to see EVERYTHING...I guess this makes it interesting for the kids because they get to do both! but finding the right place for both is not always easy. recently, I found this link on the cookie magazine website with links to great family vacation spots. now, I am a fan of cookie, although I think it's a bit over the top, so for a vacation that is over the top I think that they are PERFECT! and in their march issue there are some great ideas on places to go as well.

As Europe becomes more and more expensive for us Americans, there is something in me that still wants to go there...so we have found that renting an apartment or home is a better solution, especially with kids, where a kitchen and room to play becomes important. there is a great website to find good, reasonable, and even fashionable places in exotic (or not so exotic) locations throughout Europe (and almost anywhere actually!) called i-escape. i-escape has great descriptions and from people who actually stayed in these places and really let you know the details...not just fabulous pictures (although they have those as well!). so for your next trip be smart and travel well!

(cute rooftop apartment in paris...only 175/euro a night)

the nonchalantdad: sex, sex, sex, sex, sex

My wife subscribes to many magazines. Naturally, every now and then, I pick them up and look at the pictures and read some of the articles. I'm the kind of guy who likes to read everything I can get my hands on. Give me a cereal box and I will read it like it was the encyclopedia. So, I can tolerate much. I just like information. But, I tell you, lately I've been getting annoyed. The subject of my annoyance? Sex.

Now, a man annoyed by the subject of sex is an odd thing to hear I suppose. Nonetheless, I'm annoyed. It seems that our media is awash with the stuff. Now, the parenting magazines, children's magazines, family magazines, keep mentioning it. I feel like I'm in high school again. Usually, the article is accompanied by a rather sexy image of people who certainly look well rested, clear skinned, and well-coiffed - in other words, people not well associated with the apparent rigours of child rearing. These articles suggest all manner of ways to spice up the ol' sex life, re-create that elusive first date with your spouse, cook sexy meals, wear sexy clothes (even though you might have just given birth), and say all sorts of sexy things. Some of the more risky articles even give us tips on locating specific areas of the human body. I even read one in a children's magazine that coached parents on positioning.

When I was a child some of these articles would have been associated with the magazines frustratingly located at the top of the magazine rack. Not now, sex is mainstream. SEX is everywhere. You are reminded that you need to be having sex. And, if you are not having sex, you need to be thinking about having sex. And, if you are not thinking about having sex, then ..... well..... you just aren't that popular. My friend, if you are not wearing sex, acting sex, being sex.... you just ain't sexy.

Well, I've got a new article for your parenting magazine. It's called: I'm #^%&*&% TIRED. You're expecting me, after getting up at 5am, getting the kids ready for school, cleaning the house, fixing something, going to work, paying the bills, etc etc etc. By 11pm I'm thinking of a few things, and usually none of them have to do with donning some swash buckling uniform and swinging across our matrimonial bed looking for spots that start with the letter 'G'. For my wife and I, those of you who want to chase the sex up and down the street - good for you. I wish you many happy returns. But, for me, after taking the kids to go pee at midnight (my shift), I'm usually thinking of finding sleep. And, hey, if I'm feeling lucky on am average Saturday night, I might ask my sexy wife if she wants to share some ice cream... and maybe.... just maybe.... she'll rub my feet. Usually, though, it's my turn to rub hers. And, you know what? That's good enough for me.

a sheet of nori a day for energy!

this is something that I learned long ago at macrobiotic camp and both my sister and I have tried it and feel that it really does give us more energy for the day ahead! plus, as I have talked about before, your kids will love it too! I have not met a child who doesn't like the taste of toasted nori...it's really funny how that works! I find that small kids who don't question the look of it are very happy to try it...and they always find it delicious (even for babies in very small amounts).

you can purchase nori sheets just about anywhere (but here is a link to the kushi store where you are ensured that it is good and organic). we toast them right on the stove top by turning the flame down to the smallest possible flame (or it works well if you have been cooking and your grill is still hot) just take a single sheet and toast until it turns bright green and you are ready! you can also do this in an iron skillet if need be...the toasted nori will become light and delicate and very yummy! (you can see the difference between raw and toasted in the photo) eat a sheet a day and I think you will feel a difference.

while we are talking about nori, I would also like to mention that it's nice to have the nori around because if you are like us and make big batches of brown rice and you have leftovers the next day it's a great way to make brown rice sushi! just steam your rice to heat it up and fill your sushi with your families favorites (and throw a little piece of umeboshi plum inside for extra yumminess!)..all you need is a sushi mat, brown rice, nori and some vegetables! instant snack or dinner! and kids like to get in on the creating...it's good fun (and just a bit messy)

good luck and let me know if you find yourself with more energy!

togo - for kids!

I had to comment because I just found about the togo for kids! (yes!) we are big fans and you may have seen our togo in the background of many of the photos on nonchalant mom...did I say how much we love it! so far it has been through the ringer, it is always part of the massive tent that we make in the living room AND my kids jump over it (...on it) regularly, it's also been sneezed on (you know what I mean!), spilled on and much worse (I know...you are just making a point to never come to visit!) but the togo somehow still looks fantastic! so from my lips to your ears...these are a super choice and they look GREAT in your futuristic, swanky, hang out pad...I'm only kidding, I think they are great with almost any decor! here is the basic information and you can get more information from the ligne roset website - the Togo comes in two sizes: baby togo, for ages 2-4 or dolls.. ($485) and mini-togo, for ages 5-12 ($680) it sounds steep, but they are great!

kindergallery

I recently got an email from fiona at kindergallery and when I took the jump to her website I was amazed to see a wonderful idea, expertly executed and I couldn't wait to tell you all about it! kindergallery came on the scene last year and will open your doors to a number of artists that will amuse and delight! and I think these supreme artists using a variety of mediums will offer a great void in the decor of kids rooms, for their certain, very special fantasy sense as well as the fact that they are a sheer joy to look at! kindergallery is located in australia (shucks!) but I think if you beg them they can work with you no matter where you are....make kindergallery a special stop for you when you want to take a moment to breathe and smile!

the Nonchalantdad: You too can win the lottery!

A friend of mine informed me recently that he was being offered the cover of a prestigious (if unnamed) magazine. The people behind this magazine cover victory had sent him a cursory email announcing that he was

what they wanted. Of course, the email was brief and vaguely written - and the biggest suspicion that this was all a ruse came in the form of the name of the magazine. The magazine was named very strangely after my friend's name. He pretended that he was honoured - even though he was amazed that this 'magazine' chose him, without any effort on his part, over the thousands and thousands of other massage therapists in existence.

Which reminds me. The people who run these scams are getting smarter (or more stupid) depending on how you see it. It used to be that you could just count on an email from an 'esteemed friend' in your inbox. The email almost always beckoned you with a tragic story that you just could not ignore, and then tried to gain your confidence by luring you into doing something that logic told you was outrageous. I enjoyed the names they would come up with for these emails. But, even funnier for me were the position titles of some of the people behind the email pleas. My favourite one was a gentleman who was writing to me from a Central African bank. He was offering me a chance to share with him a ludicrous fortune laying dormant in an account of person wrongfully killed. His title was 'Administrator, Adjustor, Communicator, and Decision Person'. Yes... 'Decision Person'. Of course, I immediately wrote this gentleman back to tell him how impressed I was with his story. I was so excited that he found me out of the millions of people on the planet he could have gone to with this story. I gave him all my personal information and even told him where to find my soul in some anonymous locker at the local airport....hmmm.

Now, I've been getting announcements from various lottery committees in certain European countries announcing my winning of contests that I didn't even know I had entered. How exciting, I thought. So far this past week I have won 3 major awards worth somewhere like 500 million Euros. I wrote them emails explaining that as soon as I got my soul back from my friend the '...Decision Person' at that bank in Central Africa I'd fly over and collect my earnings. What a LUCKY fellow I am! My children could now grow up to be proud of me for doing absolutely nothing.....

My son is 5 now and he has shown a great interest in answering the home telephone - which can be amusing when it is not exasberating. My wife and I have explained to him how the telephone works, how and when to answer and what to say and not say. The lesson isn't always heeded. Generally, though, he is good. However, there was the small problem of those pesky telemarketers... the people who are always trying to sell you something. There were a few problems when he'd forget what we'd told him and in his excitement at the phone ringing he'd answer. It wasn't serious, it just made in slightly annoying to then have to follow through with the call - a call you'd rather have let the message machine answer. Then, it dawned on me. Perhaps the very person the uninvited telemarketer needed to speak to was my 5 year old son. So, in order to bridge the gap between my son's excitement to answer the telephone and my annoyance at having to endure a telemarketer I let him answer the telephone while I am with him - and only when I give him the green light. It is a system that seems to work well for him, and helps the family rid the house of pesky telemarketers. Because, if a telemarketer seems to hate anything more than an irate adult, it is an inquisitive child... especially a child with boundless curiosity.

So, now if we encounter a telephone telemarketer I let my son do all the talking. The conversation usually lasts about 2 minutes ... and I always monitor the conversation. The telemarketer asks the questions, or tries the speech. But, with my coaching, my son keeps them on their toes.... until they lose their footing that is. I ask my son to ask them where they live, what their names are, what their favourite colour is, who their favourite cartoon character is, and what their favourite food is - things like that. For the final insult to patience, I whisper to my son to start counting to 100. By about the number 24, which he has slowly and methodically arrived at, I can hear the phone hang up on the other end. The tables are turned then, the exasperation is now theirs and not ours. And, that is how the phone call always ends. My son thinks it is amusing, I think it is safely monitored, and the telemarketers are becoming less and less of a nuisance.

Now, if only I could find a way to get my son to help me get rid of those pesky people at the so-called Lottery Commission in Europe.... you know.. the ones who want to give me the millions of Euros for nothing. If only there was an email equivalent.