30 Days Has September

Autumn is my favorite season.   September, October, November, I'm non-discriminatory.  I'm smitten with the contrast of crisp and cozy, and the smell of burning wood, and the goldenrod sunshine.   I'm always full of creative itches, but since we're stranded without our things for the time-being, I'm limited to virtual projects.   Thought I'd share these to pass the cheer of the season!

Do you have any special autumn traditions exclusive to September?
 

Inclusive Blogging and the Childless Reader

Happy Monday, all!  As a blogger and person who reads blogs, and also someone who has lots of single friends and friends without children, I want to know how we can be sensitive and inclusive to childless readers.  I asked my friend Caitlin to give us the low-down and share some wisdom for the children-at-heart.  Enjoy! -- Christie

First off, I know myself.  It’s not always up to a blogger to make people feel inclusive; sometimes we need to know our own limits and when looking at a particular blog is going to be upsetting for one reason or another.

Also, I think those of us without children (who want them at some point) need to do things today.  Don’t wait to have kids to blow bubbles, color with crayons, lay in the grass, take naps, celebrate the seasons and holidays, make things, play with toys, read children’s books, or twirl in circles till you fall down.  Life is short and precious and there will never be enough time to squeeze everything in. Denying yourself the joy of doing “childish” things because you don’t yet have children is silly and only makes it hurt more.

This is a big one, and it also applies to conversations in real life: please don’t make broad pronouncements about what’s Best for All Babies/Children Ever.  This one really irks me, even though I know it often comes from a place of insecurity and/or concern.  As a mother you know how awful it feels when people judge your choices--now imagine that you haven’t even had the chance to choose.  We haven’t even had a chance to make any parenting decisions, and it is really insulting to hear people state that breastfeeding is the only way to go, or to hear someone laughing at someone else who tried cloth diapers but gave up, or to hear you state that daycare is evil.  Maybe we want to try cloth diapering.  Maybe we won’t be able to breastfeed for one reason or another.  Maybe we have to or want to put our kids in daycare and aren’t lucky enough to have family available to watch our kids.

(There is a BIG difference between sharing your story and what worked or didn’t work for you and Decreeing that All Babies and Children Must _______ in order to be happy/healthy/alive.  Sharing the benefits of breastfeeding is great; writing that formula will cause my child to grow up to be a serial killer is not okay.)

If posting about a particular activity or project that non-parent readers might want to do with or for nieces, nephews, or friends’ kids, feel free to gently point out aspects that might need careful consideration.  Such as: asking parental permission before posting children’s pictures on a blog or social media, securing buttons or avoiding long ribbons on handmade clothing and toys, checking about food allergies before giving kids snacks, etc.  The phrase “just a reminder to be sure to…” at the end of the paragraph is a great, neutral way to mention it.

If you happen to think of small alterations for certain projects or activities that could bump them into the grown-up realm, definitely add them to your post!  Some general ideas: changing the style or color(s), adding a sophisticated flavor that wouldn’t fly with kids or adding alcohol, or changing the intellectual level of a project or activity.  For example, instead of making a project with the book Little Women, make it with Pride and Prejudice.  Or just encourage your readers to embrace their inner child.  The best grown-ups I know are the ones who appreciate children and their world and aren’t afraid to enjoy the childish aspects of life.

#7QT: In My Commonplace Book

Lately, I've been trying to keep a commonplace book of some kind.  I used to do this before I knew what a commonplace book was, so I'm sort of an old hand at it.   Here are seven examples of what's been populating the ole' notebook lately.

-- one --

{The Cloister Walk} by Kathleen Norris

Liturgical time is essentially poetic time, ordered toward process rather than productivity, willing to wait attentively in stillness rather than always pushing to "get the job done."

-- two --

{The Magician's Nephew} by C.S. Lewis

For what you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing: it also depends on what sort of person you are.

-- three --

{Dad Is Fat} by Jim Gaffigan

All moms seemed simultaneously tireless and on the brink of exhaustion.

-- four --

{Charlotte's Web} by E.B. White

People believe almost anything they see in print.

-- five --

Children pay better attention than grownups.

-- six --

{The Sword in the Stone} by T.H. White

Education is experience.  And experience is the essence of self-reliance.

-- seven --

[To learn] is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting.

∆∆∆

Some good inspirational sources for getting in the mood of keeping a commonplace book, or just finding material worth collecting, are {Cold-pressed}, {Holy Sparkle}, and {Amongst Lovely Things}.

Do you keep a commonplace book or something like it?  If you're curious, do a google image search for some beautiful historical examples.  Also, {my new favorite movie with Simon Pegg and Rosamund Pike} has a really neat commonplace book/journal example!

Linking up with Kelly for {Seven Quick Takes}!

7 Affordable Ways to Make Your Week Beautiful

It's great that it's the weekend, but you know when you've had one of those weeks that just sort of make you disappointed that it's almost over and you haven't done what you wanted to, planned to, or simply found meaningful?

Don't despair!  I'm here with some juvenile inspiring ideas to make you sure you shake things up and get to live a little.

1.  Buy yourself a bouquet of flowers.

{They don't have to be expensive.}  Just a $3.50 one from the grocery store will do.  Put it on your home altar or on the dresser in front of the mirror (like a diva's dressing room)!

2.  Mail something unusual to a friend.

Like a swim noodle--you can write the address directly on it in permanent marker.  (I have done this.  Unless the rules have changed, the U.S.P.S. will mail it.)  Or recycle a 2 liter soda bottle and fill it with sand and seashells, then stick the shipping label on the outside.  (Make sure to use packing tape to keep the lid on!)

3.  Make your bed first thing in the morning.

This really gets your morning jump-started: you've already accomplished something, your bedroom looks pretty, and you're less likely to want to climb back into bed if you went through all the effort to make it.  Even if you do take a nap later, it's nice to get a head-start on the day.

4.  Write a list of band names.

See my new favorite movie {The World's End starring Simon Pegg} for examples.  It's so much fun.  Do it with a friend or spouse; make a game out of it by saying you have to use objects in the room; or the name of a pet + a color; or an obscure language + your favorite fruit:

• Window Mirror
• Sadie's Red
• Tunisian Pears

5.  Move the furniture around in one room.

Pick the room you live most in and just hit the refresh button.  It's like redecorating but absolutely free and with all your favorite stuff.  The change also gives you a creativity boost.

6.  Go bowling in prom dresses.

I've done this, too.  Get some girlfriends, put on your old prom dresses (if they still fit) or an evening gown or cocktail dress, get all fancied up, and then go bowling.  It's so much fun!  You can totally do it if you're a man, too!

7.  Make a collage or inspiration notebook.

Use up those old magazines and newspapers and make something creative; there doesn't have to be a theme, unless you want there to be!  Or decorate a notebook and use it as a "real" scrapbook, where you jot down memories, paste clippings and photos, record inspiring quotes and poems, an doodle.

Something like {Wreck This Journal} looks like tons of fun!

Have you ever done one or more of these things before?  Do you think you will in the future?  Have any suggestions for me?

Linking up with Kelly for {Seven Quick Takes}.

Where We Write

I rotate between the bed and dinner table; but regardless of where I'm writing, I need a lot of space to spread out all my books, papers, notes, and bric-a-brac.  My work space is always expansive, whether writing, cooking, crocheting. . .

Ideally, I would write on the cliff overlooking the seal-sea, about a mile's walk from home . . . or in the Fairy Glen by the by the riverside, shaded by spring leaves.  But it's difficult to transport all I need into a temporary outside office, so I often end up just jotting down little notes and inspirations, taking a photo or two.

A writer's space is sacred, and I've come to appreciate Virigina Wolf's "A Room of One's Own" more than ever.  I've never seen myself as a feminist, and I despise the second- and third-wave feminisms.  They either reject the feminine altogether in favor of "masculinity" or diminish womanhood to its lowest common denominator, making her little more than a bitch in heat.

But there is still a double standard, especially in the writer's lifestyle.  A male writer is less likely to be frowned upon for his untidy home, and a woman with children is too often expected to sacrifice her identity and her creativity to attend them.

Terri Windling turned me onto this curious and thought-provoking film, titled Who Does She Think She Is?:

I'm intrigued.  Maybe if a few people are interested in it, we can do a little viewing and discussion group.  (And buying through the link above generates income to go toward my own copy, so thank you!).

Still, the most positive and most hopeful outlook on the writing mother was provided and beautifully expressed in this article in Dappled Things: "The Mother's Vocation and the Writer's Life."

Where do you write?  Go here to link up with Masha at Cyganeria.