My sister, the farmer

Yesterday Iris and Fern met the chickens. All went well, but Fern now likes to eat the shingles off the roof of the chicken coop.

 

Hair Day!

A few months ago I was getting my hair cut by the amazing and brilliant Donnie Vasey at Divinity Salon here in Pittsburgh and we got to talking about the awesomeness of social media.

From there, Donnie and I came up with the idea of bringing into his salon a select group of Pittsburgh-based mom bloggers for cuts, color, fun and hands on learning about hair.

Donnie is a make-it-happen guy and he did more than you can imagine to MAKE IT HAPPEN. From an idea sprang an incredible day. And here we are. At this very moment I am live blogging from Divinity, watching awesome, talented, sweet and smart moms from across Western PA (and even one from West Virginia!) get FABULOUSLY transformed by Donnie, his wife and co-owner Pamela and their INCREDIBLE team of talented and creative stylists. 

Please enjoy the before and after photos below, truly magnificent. Thank you from the bottoms of our hearts Divinity Salon, you made life beautiful for a very happy group of Pittsburgh moms today!!!!!!!!!

Burgh Moms here today:

@ClumberKim

@HolleeinBalance

@PlusSizeMommy (and her awesome blogging mom, Holly)

@CraftyMamaof4 (and her ADORABLE daughter)

@1MomJustSayin

@PNutBugMom

@AlainaFrederick

@more2lovemom

@onedamnthing

@TwinMamaTeb

@coopermunroe / @themotherhood

@DivinitySalon1

@CaraRolinson

@AlllisonB

@MaryBabySteps

OK, here are the before and afters. Can you even believe it!!!!!!

WE HAVE A RED CARPET FOR PITTSBURGH MOMS!!!!!!!!

AND  A TWEET STATION! (How cute is that!)

Michael Shaun Corby, the Global Creative Director of Alterna and hair stylist to the stars called in from Los Angeles and gave us a special briefing on trends and tips! All about reds, coppers, natural and sun protection, ladies!

Pamela, co-owner of Divinity is beautiful and awesome.

And now, the lovely ladies!

 

  

 

 

 

 





   

     

 









 
            

What happens when you point at a goat?

Happy Mother's Day! : )

 

(This is my sister's other new goat, baby Fern.)  

Wanting Our Kids to Thrive (Versus be Successful)

Yesterday, Ellen Galinsky, author of Mind in the Making, hosted an incredible Talk in TheMotherhood on the life skills our kids need.

Co-hosting the Talk was a brilliant group of mom bloggers: Asha Dornfest from ParentHacks, Julie Marsh from The Mom Slant, Morra Aarons from Women & Work, Amy Tiemann of MojoMom, Miriam Peskowitz, author of the Daring Book for Girls' series, and Jo-Lynne Shane of Musings of a Housewife.

The Talk was amazing, as I said, with very specific, thought-provoking ideas on ways to raise our kids to:

-   Have more focus and self control

-   Get perspective

-   Communicate

-   Make connections

-   Think critically

-   Take on challenges

-   Be self-directed

-   Be engaged learners

The Talk covered a LOT of ground, but I wanted to share the idea I woke up thinking about today.

 
At one point, Ellen said, "I use the word thrive rather than successful. Success is often judged by others ... and I don't want that." 

Isn't that a great distinction?  Helping our kids to thrive feels different than helping them succeed, with the focus shifting to what's right for the individual kids and less about some global sense of 'success'.  Love that.

I had thought that my job is to raise a well adjusted adult. Now, with Ellen's words in mind, my job description is to raise a well adjusted, thriving adult. 

Thank you, Ellen, and wonderful mom blogger celebrity co-hosts and TheMotherhood community for making this conversation so rich and meaningful.

Go here to read the whole of Ellen's Talk.

P.S.  Mind in the Making only just came out and already it's a bestseller. Ellen got a rave review in the New York Times - Lisa Belkin said "It may well be the next iconic parenting manual, up there with Spock and Leach and Brazelton, one that parents turn to for reassurance that all is more or less okay, reminders of how to make it better and glimpses of what’s to come." -  and she has been on ABC news, the morning shows etc. We're so so happy for Ellen and are cheering on her great success!!!!

Meet Iris: the newest member of the family

 
Isn't she pretty? My sister has adopted Iris (above) and Fern (whom I hope to introduce to you soon, as well). Tomorrow at 6 am please keep my sister in your thoughts as she attempts to milk Iris for the first time. We wish them both luck and hopefully I'll have an update for you soon on goats, milking and a photo of sweet Fern.  

Hats Off to the City in a Park

I love my town. Pittsburgh is the only place I can imagine raising my family and today I learned something that made me love it even more: the city of Pittsburgh has more trees than people. 

Pittsburgh has, in fact, more trees than any other city. And bridges, and sandwiches with french fries on them, and rabid football fans, but those are other stories.

I went to a lunch in honor of our parks today where we all had to wear hats and I sat next to the wonderful guy who runs them (parks, not hats), Dick Skrinjar. Dick described Pittsburgh this way, "We're a city inside a park." And we are. None of that concrete wrapped around a park stuff here. We are green all over. 

Anyway, this lunch was fun and interesting. I've never been to a "Hat Luncheon" and when I walked downstairs to leave for the event in my borrowed straw hat and flowy, luncheon-y sundress my daughter said, "You look like the 1800s." 

But the creativity and love put into some of these hats was unreal. I took photos on my phone and I am excited to share with you below - hopefully it will get you in the mood for spring, and a walk in the park. 

(So will checking out the beautiful photos, like this dogwood shot, on the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy's blog - here.) 

Mostly, today was a day for thinking about hats:

 

It was a perfect scene, made for a hat:

 

And an opportunty to see that our mayor is pro-hat: 

    

The green hat was very cool so I included two views:
 
 

Purple head to toe was great too, although I wish I got a shot of her shoes: 

 

The delicate detail on this hat is just right for the shy angle with which it is worn:

One word - awesomesauce:

 

Among my favorite hats of the day (sorry about the lighting - dang iPhone camera). They were stunning:

 

There were a few DIY theme hats, which I appreciated:

 

"Can I check you in?" hats:

 

Man hats:

 

Conversational hats:

 

Can you see the flower covered, lovely hat (worn by the lady in the red)? It was very pretty.

  

My hat: