Christine Chitnis: August 2011

Oh Boy

As a mother to a little boy, I have some concerns. Mainly, I want to try and balance his physicality with a bit of mental exercise. He is a flat-out physical being, and we pretty much need to run him, as you would a dog, to get him tired enough to sleep. This includes biking, swimming, multiple playground visits a day and climbing steps (we have scoped out all of the best steps around Providence- who knew there were so many!). I know it sounds odd, but I am sure that any of you who have busy little boys are nodding in agreement.

The thing is, he is physically advanced for his age...at 10 months, he is just about walking, but more than that, it is his coordination and speed. But he has absolutely no interest in reading, or learning in any form. I try to teach him words, and letters through songs, through playing with alphabet blocks, and various other toys. But he simply has no use for any of it. Forget trying to read a book to him, he lunges for the book, grabs it out of my hands and bites through the pages. I have other friends with baby girls, and they sit together, for hours at a time, and actually read books. Are you kidding me?

One of my friends has a similarly active little boy, and someone said to her that because he is advanced physically, he will have a harder time with the mental stuff. I panicked...this is exactly my fear for little Vijay.

So moms... do you have any advice, stories to share, words of wisdom? I feel like a lunatic bringing this up to my pediatrician, so I will turn here instead. God forbid I Google this problem, it always seems to point me to some panic-inducing answer!

Hurricane Irene

Hurricane Irene paid a visit to our neck of the woods this weekend, but luckily for us, she left our street more-or-less intact. Tree limbs were flung about, some old, gorgeous trees were ripped right out of the ground, power lines were severed and over 250,000 Rhode Islanders across the state are without power, but we will recover.

We had to spend all of Sunday hunkered down in our basement, playing endless hours of puzzles and games to entertain our little guy. I realized that it was the first time we spent the entire day indoors, and I hope it is the last. We were all pretty stir crazy by the time the storm moved on, but so thankful that we have a sturdy, dry house over our head.

The minute the wind died down and it was safe, we headed out to see what had happened to our little section of town. It was a bit funny because everyone we saw had young kids, and they all looked beyond happy to be out of the house.

But the destruction was very real, and very sobering, and we felt extremely lucky to have escaped unscathed. For all of you who found yourselves in the path of Irene, I hope you are safe and sound.

Closet Confidential

I am starting to play around a bit with Polyvore...a little late to the game, and a little slow with the learning curve, hence the many random posts that went up on my blog yesterday, but I have figured it out, and I am loving it.

I have made it a goal this fall to start putting some thought into what I wear. This past year, with the craziness of having a newborn, I have fallen into a bit of a rut when it comes to my wardrobe. Summer let me off the hook- how easy is it to throw on cute jersey dresses?! But fall will require a bit more thought- matching pants and shirts...sounds overwhelming!

I guess this seems a bit vain, as far as goals go, but I think it is more about feeling like my old self again (although, to be honest, my old self was never that pulled together to begin with). So...fall it is...the season of being pulled together! We'll see if I can stick to it for more than a week!

*visit my Polyvore account to see the source for each of these images*

End of Summer Sale

I wanted to tell you that my book is on sale right now. My wonderful publisher, The Little Bookroom, is having an end-of-summer-sale. So...if you haven't purchased a copy yet, head over to the sale!

As I looked for pictures to accompany this post, it occurred to me that I haven't shown you some of my favorite pictures from the book...the ones that didn't make the cut. Like these from artist Candy Barr's studio.

I wish I could have captured the sheer number of paintings that she had scattered around her studio space. Paintings that most of us would pay good money for, and hang in a prominent place...she just had stacks of them, bins of them, covering every inch. It was amazing. I guess when you have the kind of raw talent that she has, you take for granted how priceless even your sorriest painting would be to most people.

Candy also teaches painting classes in conjunction with the Vermont Festival of the Arts. The setting...a gorgeous vineyard surrounded by rolling hills of farmland. I think that could inspire even the saddest painter (that would be me!) to greatness.

Candy is just one of the many artists whose work I fell in love with while writing my book. I can't believe I haven't shown you some of my favorites before now!

Simplicity

Sometimes, the very best weekends are those made up of simple moments....like waking up to the most perfect iced latte, with just the right combination of espresso, milk and ice.

Eager little face waiting at the door for my return.

The juiciest late summer peaches.

Watching the sunlight play off the reeds by the water.

Staying up late to read The Hunger Games from cover to cover...and thinking about the power of a handful of berries!

Tea Time

I keep this blog as a place of personal reflection. It is a space in which to expand on my love of words and pictures. I have never opened it up to advertising, and yet, there are times, when I put hours into a post, editing each picture, choosing each word, that I think it would be nice to receive a little bit of compensation. It would, of course, have to be the right fit. That is where Tea Collection comes in...

They contacted me about a month ago, asking if they could send little Vijay some clothing. I was already a big fan of their baby clothes...especially their soft, snuggly footy pajamas...so I decided that this was an absolutely welcomed reward for my blogging efforts, not to mention a great personal fit. Tea Collection is a company devoted to exploring travel and cultural diversity through fashion. I believe our little family could be their poster child!

Upon further research, I came across their history and mission statement, and I fell in love. "Hello world. We're Tea. Welcome to caring and creation. Discovery and exuberance. Welcome to inspiration and connection. Welcome to our world. Welcome to your world. Like you, we were born to explore it, to experience it with every bit of our souls. We started Tea in 2002 in San Francisco with 3 beautiful, pima cotton baby sweaters and a vision of bringing the fusion of worldwide cultures and modern design to fashion."

Their clothing is bright and colorful, soft and comfortable. Vijay is at this funny stage where he hates getting dressed. He would much prefer to be naked...and so comfortable, loose clothing is a lifesaver right now. He has been living in his striped romper and koi fish pajamas. As for me...I simply had to try one of their colorful dresses...Vijay can't be the only stylish one.

photo by Elizabeth

Thank you Tea Collection, for your gorgeous clothing, and your generous gift. Now to justify adding a few of their amazing winter pieces to my overflowing closet!

Have a great weekend!

Reading...

I am a voracious reader....or at least I used to be. I have started carving out time, once again, to read, and it feels fabulous. I used to flip my computer open right after dinner and get to work. When you are self-employed, it is often difficult to set work boundaries.

I have come to understand that just like a 9-5 working woman, I deserve a break at the end of the day. I have also noticed that I am much more productive overall if I allow myself to "shut down" at the end of each day. Now, after dinner, once the dishes are washed and put away, and the house tidied up, I crawl into bed and read. Our library has a 'Netflix-like' queue system, which allows me to reserve any book that I want, and usually, within a week or two, it is available for me to pick up. My queue is always maxed out with 25 books... here are a few of the titles I am currently enjoying:

This Life Is in Your Hands: One Dream, Sixty Acres and a Family Undone by Melissa Coleman
I am currently in the middle of this gripping memoir. Melissa's parents were part of the "back to the land movement" of the 70's. They left behind all of their possessions, and moved to rural Maine to build an organic farm. For all of us (including me) that have an idyllic notion of what it's like to run a farm, this book is a real eye-opener. I am gingerly turning each page, because I know that soon, tragedy is going to strike this young family. Melissa's younger sister drowns in the pond on their property, and the family slowly begins to unravel. I can't put this book down...but I am just not ready

Blood, Bones and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton
I haven't started this one yet...but it promises to be excellent!

Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante
Told through the eyes of Dr. Jennifer White, an orthopedic surgeon with severe dementia, this is a gripping story of friendship, love and the power of memory. A murder mystery intertwined with a family drama, it's simply incredible.

Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year by Anne Lamott
Anne writes about her foray into motherhood with brutal honesty and amazing wit. Every new mom should be required to read this heartwarming book.

The First Husband by Laura Dave
A "beach read"- fun, easy and entertaining. I enjoyed it because the main character is a travel writer...what a dream job...or is it?!

Do you have any good recommendations for me?

*these super cool midnight moon pictures were taken by my mom...aren't they hauntingly beautiful?

To Live Amongst the Trees

While in Vermont last week, we stopped by Yestermorrow, a teaching community dedicated to sustainable design and building. Their property is full of interesting structures...including this incredible treehouse.

I remember wanting a treehouse, so badly, as a child. I couldn't imagine anything cooler than my own little space, nestled high in the branches of an old, sturdy tree. Recently, up at our family cottage, my parents built a treehouse for my little brother. He had been wanting a treehouse for years, but it was funny to watch how quickly the novelty wore off.

It occurred to me that perhaps, treehouses are better suited for adults. Can you imagine having a quiet, peaceful place, to which to escape? You could lounge in the hammock, reading your favorite book, daydreaming, writing, knitting, escaping from household chores...

Yes...I think treehouses are much better suited for adults. After all, we're the ones in need of a little quiet escape now and then.

Weekending

These are the plans for the weekend...I hope you enjoy yours half as much as our naked little beach baby. Thanks for being here.

Surfacing Fears

Two of my good friends are in the middle of scary, life-altering moves. I have always found moving to be a stressful, awful process, so I am glad that I am now safely tucked away in our home here in Providence. But hearing about their fears caused me to pause, and question my own fears. Since having little Vijay (almost 10 months ago now), I have been so busy, so fully immersed in the day-to-day that I have not had a chance to examine my own fears. Sure- there are the "infant fears"- why isn't he sleeping, why is he crying, am I doing everything right? But I am talking about personal fears.

When I took a hard look at the thoughts bouncing around my head, there was one fear that seemed to surface in a big way. I know it's been lurking there for quite some time, but it has chosen to surface. That fear is creative irrelevance. I want, so badly, to be relevant in both my writing and photography. The question is- relevant to who? This is what I don't know...who is this mysterious panel of judges out there, ready to weigh in on my state of relevance? I'm not sure.

I do know that I am feeling as though I have reached a creative stalemate. I feel as though my photography is stuck...I am ready to learn more, see more, shoot more. I signed up for this class...and I am hoping that it will unstick me, push me to learn how to better use my camera.

As for my writing, one of the challenged of being a nonficiton writer is coming up with stories. Being at home with a baby, I have less interactions, which means less chances to find story ideas. I need to work on that. I have a few ideas bouncing around in my head on how to go about doing that....starting with a lunch date today with a community gardener activist. I know she has some stories to tell.

Anyway...I am rambling now. But I wanted to share this peculiar fear, and I wonder...do you feel it too? Do you have a deep desire to make your work important and relevant? Have you figured out who judges relevance? How do you deal with creative staleness? How...why...where...what?

I am not even sure any of this makes sense...but don't I get a few point for putting it out there!?

Away We Go

Vermont was such a great success. I guess I will chalk our prior roadtrips up to "learning experiences," and can now rest assured knowing we can travel...and travel well...with our little guy. What an exciting revelation!

Of course, it helped to have my husband and mom along for the ride. Many hands do, in fact, make light work. It also helped that Waitsfield, VT is an absolute playground for both kids and adults alike. There were swimming holes, gently sloping riverside beaches, open air picnics, interesting barnyard friends, and plenty of beautiful green space.

It was a gorgeous, successful weekend roadtrip. I came home feeling so thankful to live in New England. We can hop in the car and be in a whole other world in just a few hours.

Growing up in the Midwest, this was just not the case. In fact, crossing state lines was such a big deal that we would honk enthusiastically every time we passed a sign welcoming us to a new state. Here in New England, that would mean laying on your horn for practically the entire car ride.

Another reason to love New England...the emphasis on fresh, local food. It's everywhere, it's fabulous, and it's a big part of the reason we loved Vermont.

So we are home now, settling back in, playing catch up. I have a perma-grin on my face from having successfully pulled off the trip...I think these positive vibes bode well for the week ahead!