highlights of our recent photo shoot!

Bobo Choses is a new collection to nonchalantmom this season but they are in no way new to incredible fun and exciting kids clothing! They are from Spain and you can tell, because they in NO WAY fit into the box of tranditional kids clothing.. fun colorful and unique! All hand printed, Designed and Made in Spain! Many of you have been begging me to have this collection for a long time, but it's hard... importing from Europe and it's not always feasible for YOU and ME! But we MADE it work! (in the words of Tim Gunn!)

The new Makié collection arrived - well a FEW items.. I went CRAZY on Makié this season, she got very creative and did some hand dying... WONDERFUL.. and to dye for! (ha!). Our first shot of Spring is classics that I love and usually don't go for from Makié but this year I love them, I loved the fabrics and the easy shapes! (below)

I went to visit Monica of two collection a week ago and was able to talk her into parting with more than usual! I got some amazing caftans, tops and dresses (although I think they may be gone ALREADY.. ) these pieces go so fast. Her set up is like a dream for any designer! She selects the most amazing fabrics, saree's to work with, she said it's like finding a needle in a haystack to find the perfect ones for her aesthetic, cotton, ease of movement and fantastic color (or not... she is very good at selecting blacks, creams, and such which I love too!). She washes them, sometimes many times to get the starches out so that they flow and move with your body, no easy work but the result!! I love them!! and completely addicted, if you are choosing between two I suggest get BOTH... you will NOT be sorry!
 

More of Spring to come... sooner rather than later... RIGHT!!??

CLICK HERE TO SHOP!

how to be an explorer of the world!

via notesondesign.tumblr. (my favorite!!)

I found this via Pinterest... I don't know if you have gotten involved in pinning but it's a hard addiction to stop and I really love it! Of all of these social media tools it's wonderful, creative and puts and inspiring spin on your day. The only problem IS you will want to change your HOUSE, your Hair, your shoes, you may want to travel when you are done... lots of dreaming!!

But I really loved this list of HOW TO BE AN EXPLORER OF THE WORLD! and my kids loved it too... now they are making lists of their own! It sounds simple but I have been buying my kids notebooks for them to keep journals for years... to no avail... I find them stashed in their desk months later! BUT finally my nine year old (soon to be TEN) has taken to the notebooks and draws in them just about every day! I couldn't be more excited, and you know what... I didn't ask him to do it! -love that!

Have a GREAT day!

kids who love to cook!

This program is a wonderful little show that takes on a recipe that kids make themselves... very cute idea and simply made this show may just give your kids that little push they need to get in the kitchen and help you out! (if you want that... that is.!) and you just might learn something along the way too!

making cheese!

Like when Kids Who Love to Cook showed us how they make cheese in Vermont! -very interesting! and since it's all done by kids, KIDS love it! and you know how much I love Branzino... there is also a recipe for Branzino al Cartoccio! yum!

yes, she is kissing her muscles, it takes a lot of muscle to make your own bread!

Any way you look at it your kids will have more interest in healthy good food if they learn how it's cooked and I tell you what... when it's cooked by kids, somehow they LISTEN!

visit Kids Who Love to Cook by clicking here

Golden Bridge Yoga

Last year when Jann and I went to California we dropped in on a Kundalini yoga class which was taught by Gurmukh Khalsa at Golden Bridge in LA, it was a fantastic class and we both felt reinvigorated and amazing when we were done. So when Jann emailed to say that Gurumuk was going to be in NYC for a Martin Luther King day workshop on 'Kindness' in Janaury I knew I had to make the trek down to the city for the class. Again, it was fantastic! A three hour workshop that reminded me of who I am in the world and how I want to be in this world. And yes, we did a good amount of Kundalini yoga as well which gave me a completely refreshing outlook.

I think that from time to time in your life it's really nice to step out of regularity and the things we do day to day, especially when we have kids and things become more about them than they are for yourself. It's not a BIG thing, it's not a cruise or a vacation away from your family for days, but it's something meaningful to YOU. If you don't have that 'thing' in your life then put yourself out there to find your thing... Take the time by yourself or with a friend and may I suggest:

The Power of Love Valentines Day Celebration with Gurmukh Khalsa
In New York - Golden Bridge Yoga - Monday, February 13th - 7:30 - 10pm
In Los Angeles - Golden Bridge Yoga - Tuesday, February 14th - 7 - 9pm
(yes, Gurmukh is leading both classes!)

Here is the description:
The Heart center is the strongest of all centers. The heart center effects 108 trillion times more effectively than the head. Heart has the power of a 108 suns. Whenever you pray with your head, it will take a long time -- you have to go through intellect, thought, circumstances, environment, space, and time. Whenever you sing or pray from heart, it will be timeless, spaceless and absolutely effective. It works.

Let your heart become the Temple of Gold. Please join us for a bountiful, beautiful and blissful heart-felt Kundalini Yoga and Meditation evening. This incredible class will be dedicated to the Infinite Power of the heart. Yummy treats will be served after class.

Now doesn't that sound like an amazing class! And if you have not been to one of Gurmukh's classes before you will be amazed when out of this tiny, quiet, BEAUTIFUL woman, comes the loud sound of chanting that will stir your soul and it just may... make you weep! (I did!)

visit their website by clicking here

little darlings! - sharon montrose

I was turned onto this beautiful website via a friend (actually that's her son's bedroom in the top photo!). I think these will make any room incredibly delightful. It's funny, if you told someone that you have a great website for animal photos they would probably say... yah, right, whatever... but THEN you go to Sharon's website and you really SEE something!

Sharon is no novice at this... Melding her passion for photography with her love of animals, Sharon Montrose's definitive photographic style has made her one of the most sought-after commercial photographers specializing in animals. In addition to ten published photography books to her credit, Sharon shoots for some of the world’s foremost pet industry brands.

The animals photographed for this series are real live animals, raised (and most rescued) by loving, experienced, and dedicated animal keepers and handlers who care for them as their own and ensured their welfare while being photographed (in studio or outside at the facilities where they live, then photo-shoppped into the backdrop). Through this series, she helps support organizations devoted to animal rescue, educational programs, and nurturing wildlife. The prints range in price from $25 for prints to $950 (for large numbered editions of a series).

Sharon has an amazing portfolio of dog photographs the likes of I have never seen! If you are a dog lover take a moment and run through her photos - and then call her to photograph YOUR dog! and while you are looking... don't forget to let the kids join in on the fun!!

Sharon Montrose photography
Little Darlings - Sharon Montrose

CONTEST!! - wovenplay/bobo choses cape!

wovenplay/bobo choses one of a kind cape!

Here we go... a little (BIG) contest is going on NOW!! WIN this beautiful cape (size 6) - it is double sided, one side (the blue one) was designed by the talented and creative folks at Bobo Choses and the otherside (the pink one) was designed by the wildly talented Katherine at Wovenplay! Together they made this BEAUTIFUL cape that would be the delight of any and EVERY six year old!!

HERE is HOW you can WIN! Everyone who shops the Wovenplay collection at Nonchalant Mom, NOW through Valentines day will be entered to WIN... sorry to make you purchase something (not a trick) but I want to make sure that I have the TRUE Wovenplay and Bobo Choses freaks out there who I know exist! I know you guys... you follow these ladies very closely and this is the only way I can think of to cut to the chase and find YOU, yes YOU... Wovenplay and Bobo Choses enthusiasts!

We will announce the winner on my blog on Valentines day.. and just to make it ALL a bit easier on you we JUST marked down the Winter collection... so jump in and you can WIN!!!

Good luck to all and if you have any questions just email me!! carinanonchalantmom.com

wovenplay/bobo choses cape together with wovenplay stripe l/s t-shirt and gide skirt!

blog :: Bleubird

roasted root vegetables

One of my favorite blogs to follow is Bleubird, she is so inspiring! AND open with her family on her blog... she has three kids and she recently posted her wedding on the blog which was more than BEAUTIFUL!.. On my visit to her blog today she posted a wonderful diary on what she is feeding her 17 month old toddler - called 'Bird Food'. It looks much like what I fed my kids so I thought it would be a great blog to share with you all, and for some of you, to spark ideas on breakfast, lunch and dinner for your toddler!

veggie burger w/avocado

grapes and steamed vegetables with lentils

This will be a new series for Bleubird so you can stay tuned for more 'dishes' of her daughter Birdie (isn't that just the CUTEST name!!--but I think it's a nickname). Bleubird will help you to feel free about life with your kids, they have so much fun and her kids are terrific! They are an inspiring family and I can see why her blog is so popular, I was introduced, via an email from Miss James... and was instantly hooked! and I know you will be too!

broccoli, bowtie pasta and feta with balsamic dijon dressing

visit Bleubird here and ENJOY!!!!

A new font for dyslexia

A graphic designer from the Netherlands has developed a new way to help tackle his dyslexia. The font is called Dyslexie and it has proved to decrease the number of errors made by dyslexics while reading. The font works by slightly changing the shapes and appearance of certain key letters of the alphabet that dyslexics have particular trouble with such as "d" and "b" to make them more recognizable. Christian Boer developed the font while at school in the Netherlands and a fellow student conducted a study and found that there was a significant reduction in reading errors by dyslexics when reading in Dyslexie as opposed to Arial font.

this gives you an idea of how the dyslexie font is different from arial

There is a full article in the Scientific American site (click here), which also let's you read the article in the Dyslexie font, that has more specific information. Considering that one in five persons is dyslexic this could be an amazing breakthrough, I also feel that his could be an AMAZING breakthrough for children. One of the first things Boer said he wanted to do was increase the boldness of letters at their base, to make them appear weighted, causing readers' brains to know not to flip them upside down, as can occur with "p" and "d". These details are fascinating and make so much sense!

read on by clicking on the links below:

purchase the font by clicking here
see full article in Scientific American website here

and overlapping idea of how you can see the difference

Tales with my Sister!

sunset on lake minnetonka

Most of you know my sister and how we get when we are together, this time we were too busy for ginger compresses but we still managed to talk a lot about healing and things we are both doing to stay more healthy. She had a lot to say about digestion, and I was happy about that because it's one of my ongoing issues that I never seem to tackle... we did a lot of walking, eating, and fun while I was in Minnesota over Christmastime. When we get together we spend most of our time in my sisters kitchen, I think this is true for most families over the Holidays, so we are no different.

One of the best things about getting together with my family is that we don't do it often so we play a lot of catch up... I like to cook for her and she likes to share remedies and healing dishes (well this is the way we relate at the moment, it's ever-changing!). At the moment my sister is practicing more macrobiotics than we are... we are pretty far from Macro as a family. I have shared some of her priorities at the moment which are sauerkraut, sprouted seeds and nuts, (see recipes on previous blogs) no dairy, tea and there is probably more but not coming to my mind at the moment, their vice... coffee (good thing, it's the same as mine!). Family outings were to the amazing health food stores and co-ops that Minnesota has to offer! They are SO lucky as the local food scene is the best I've seen anywhere in the country, we like to spend hours at The Wedge and Lakewinds, we practically have to pull our mom out of there!

ice boats on Lake Minnetonka

a bit of hot chocolate after a long walk!

a blonde street gang... on the suburban side streets of Wayzata

Each day we took a long family walk to... where else... the coffee shop! It was delightful for us because we live out in the middle of nowhere and can't walk into town, so my kids and I love that! There was no snow (I don't remember when this has ever happened before!) and the weather was mild so it was nice to be outside, there were ice gliders on Lake Minnetonka, which was frozen but without the snow they were all over the lake!

mor mors jul log!

 My mom is the sweet tooth nut, she makes 6-8 different kinds of cookies for Christmas... I couldn't photograph them because we ate them so fast! But I did manage a photo of Mor Mor holding the Jul Log! She waltzed into the party with a standing ovation! Everyone went crazy when they saw Mor Mor and her cake! I don't know how she does it but she managed over 10 Christmas parties, she made deserts for ALL of them.. she works so hard at Christmastime I could never keep up!

acupuncture

When we got back to Rhode Island, I had a sinus pain that I have not felt since.... well LAST Christmas! From all the sweets and crazy things we eat I was not in good shape and ended up on the acupuncture table, this is moxibustion (sp?) and a bunch of needles in my back... I am back at last, in fighting form and feel great after the treatments!