A Cyclone and a Schorr (Board)

May 14, 2015

Parenting is sorta like riding the Coney Island Cyclone. Ok, I don't know if that's totally true - because I've never ridden it and I'm terrified of rollercoasters! But you know what I'm trying to say.

Get ready to shake, rattle, rumble and roll over 2,640 feet of track featuring 12 drops and 27 elevation changes that still has the stuff to take your breath away. Slowly rise to panoramic heights and grip the bar tight as you go over the ledge on an exhilarating 85-foot, 60-degree plunge at speeds of 60 mph. It’s an all-time classic amusement park ride that’s kept coaster lovers coming back...

Yep, that pretty much sums it up. Sorry for the Nathan's cheese-doggy analogy here. But it's so true. You are terrified with anticipation, but simultaneously exhilarated. Your foundation is rickety. You have no clue whatsoever if it's stable, if it's going to be strong enough to hold your precious cargo, whose life is in your hands. The drops hit you at lightning speed. Time seems to warp - you're not sure if it's flying or dragging or both. You're held in by sheer inertia and try to suppress your involuntary screams. Sometimes there's a huge hurricane and you need to spend time re-building the tracks, putting it all back together. Regardless, it still takes your breath away every time. You keep coming back for more.

Maybe it's human nature to crave an adrenaline rush. It always gives me a little thrill to look towards the next phase. I am always anticipating the future with a combination of anxiety and excitement. Watching Avery grow, I am guilty of this constant forward-thinking while simultaneously lacking the time to anticipate what's going to happen in the next few minutes. It's an odd juxtaposition. I'm in it, just trying to make it through the day with limited injuries and/or meltdowns (this goes for baby and mommy!).

I often anger myself because this removes me from the present moment. I mean seriously... Avery will only be this cute and teeny once in her life. Ok maybe she'll always be this cute, but she won't always be 16 months young. To answer to my frustration with myself I have been trying to worry less about the next diapers.com autoship order (do I need any add-on items?) and be in the moment, enjoying each little giggle and gurgle. To relish in Avery's animated babbling of "Melmo! Melmo!" (Translation: Elmo Obsession. Yes, my child watches TV.) while swim-splashing in the tub, most definitely ingesting the bath water and bubbles (don't worry peeps, it's an Honest product!). This is tough for me - something I'm working on everyday and consumes me so much that I have written about previously here.

Anyways, my probably unhealthy way of dealing with the fact that Avery is growing up and I can neither freeze nor speed up time is having fun design-dreaming. I imagine what Avery's future "big girl room" will look like. In about a year or so, she'll probably be ready for one. Maybe not. But a year is an eternity in baby time - with inevitable adventures, crazy growth and tangible change in store. So, just to be prepared, I do what I do best. I troll the internet. I pin and collect inspiration everywhere I go. I design and dream, then on to the next project - design and dream again. Whether I like it or not, it's an inherent part of me, so I might as well answer to it in a way that brings me (and hopefully my clients!) joy.

In the spirit of looking ahead and my last blog about The Next Phase, Katie and I have collaborated on a style board for Sly's future "big boy room" with shop-able links. (If you missed my Momtrepreneur Spotlight on Katie Schorr and the tour of her son Sly's Whimsical Brooklyn Nursery, read it here.) Most of the pieces on this Schorr Board are directly from Katie's Pinterest Boards. I just helped her pull it all together into a cohesive scheme, and added a paint color and a few more pieces to make it feel complete.

Ceiling Fixture / Area Rug / Toddler Bed / Fox Stuffed Animals / Paint Color / Zebra Pillow / Guitar Art / Table Lamp / Campaign Chest / Elephant Hamper / Sheet Set / Play Table

So, what do you think? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below. And also how you channel your emotional rollercoasters into creations. May even design-dreams...

~L.S.

PS- A few of you have been asking where to find the adorably whimsical artwork featured in Sly's nursery. Lucky for you, Katie has revealed her sources! I've gone back and added the information under each image. For the updated blog including sources, you can click here.

The Next Phase

May 11, 2015

Lately I've been hearing a lot about people who are either:

a) pregnant with baby #2

b) moving out of the city

c) both of the above

It's a bittersweet combo. I'm so happy for these people who are making The Great Transition into the next phase, whatever it may be. I'm (fleetingly) jealous of those little protruding baby bumps and the contented excitement that they bring. I'm sad (and maybe a little bitter!) that they are leaving a place where we have started to put some roots down. Although Brooklyn does have a neighborhood vibe, the quickly rising rents and property prices are understandably driving families out, causing the neighborhood to start feeling more transient. I long for a place where we really truly feel settled and secure, where we can be in it for the long haul (although I'd probably still have to redecorate a few times!)

I'm a big jumbled ball of confused emotions. I feel a tinge of envy when I hear of those moving Into the Great Wide Open. Space! The final frontier... Their babes and pups can frolic, running barefoot through the rolling grassy meadows of their 1/2 acre fenced in property in the 'burbs. Moms (and Dads!) can sip their coffees or mommy juices as they pour over the NYT and glance up at intervals just to make sure their littles haven't run into the cul de sac or set their swing set on fire.

I totally get it. Don't think we haven't thought about it - and still think about it - on a daily basis. There are times when I'll look around the petit a.p.t and feel like I'm in the depths of a fiery hell. I throw my hands up in disgust and exclaim "I can't take it anymore! There's shit everywhere!!!" I sound like a possessed madwoman. Ask Eric how many times he has heard this phrase and has often responded by hiding under the bed with Bear.

This "out of body" is usually followed up by a frantic, frenzied cleaning up and putting away of all items in sight, which often spirals into an organizational overhaul, trying to exorcise the demons. If you're an organizational enthusiast like me, I'm sure you've been there. But herein lies the problem. A few months (or days!) later, the piles are back, the items are out of place. The cleansing was temporary. The accumulation returns. The work is never complete.

Enter this beautiful, compact little bible:

I just finished reading, and I'm pretty sure that Marie Kondo is my spirit animal. (Actually it's a hummingbird, but you know what I mean. Find out what yours is by taking this quiz here.)

I didn't know about this book until one of my awesome clients recommended I check it out. You really have to read it for yourself, but the basic principal is as follows: "Keep only what sparks joy." This may sound unrealistic and almost bizarre, but I can tell you that we're halfway through the process at le petit a.p.t. and I'm already feeling lighter in so many ways.

Jess Lively, one of my favorite podcasters, created a condensed checklist which is basically the CliffsNotes version of the book. I'm happy to share it with you here. Definitely check out Jess's site and listen to her podcast. It's based largely on positivity, essentialism and living your life with intention.

So, what's your next phase? Baby #2? Moving? Staying put? Re-desiging a space? Regardless, I'm sure you have had some winter accumulation that is bogging you down and need to do some spring soul-cleansing. What better way to start than with something that is life changing? I'm hoping that this is the final cleanse and will lead me into my next phase, so I can spend less time on the frenzied clean up funk and more time on doing what makes me happy - like spending quality time with Miss Avery Etta, teaching her how to take a selfie while choosing the right paint color, natch.

After reading this book, I truly feel that as tiny space dwellers we no longer have reason to complain (okay, okay, we can still vent a little). It provides a tiny sliver of hope that by following this simple method we could potentially stay in our petit a.p.t. in Brooklyn even though baby #2's arrival (nothing in the oven just yet people!) I have no idea where our path will lead us, but I at least know that now whatever it is, I can handle it by living a minimal, simple, organized life surrounded by joy.

And if our newly organized life is going to look anything like my newly organized sock drawer, then we're off to a good start...

~L.S.

Momtrepreneur Spotlight: It's a Katie Schorr Thing

May 7, 2015

Writer? Check. Actor? Check. Blogger? Check. Podcaster? Check. Mom? Heck, yes.

Momtrepreneur Katie Schorr has quite the resume. Together with her writer-actor husband Lance Rubin (who just wrote a book, no big deal), the two make a serious power couple. Add into the mix their adorable 15-month-old son Sly, and you've got quite the trio.

We met by total chance while on "vacation" in Florida. Seated next to each other at the pool-side snack bar, I noticed Avery making eyes at the most adorable little boy. The two were clearly around the same age, and as parents we all gave each other the knowing "aw, so cute - and we're friggin' exhausted" smile and nod. Our families got to talking and discovered that we lived within walking distance of each other in Brooklyn. Also, Sly and Avery had the exact same due date - what were the chances? (Feb 5th, 2014, in case anyone was wondering).

How interesting to know another baby who is the same gestational age as Avery, and another mom who is the same age as me. Although Sly was born on Feb 1st, and Avery impatiently decided to arrive about a month early on January 10th, it's amazing how many similarities the two have developmentally. It's so fun to watch them play together and for Katie and I to gush (and commiserate!) about the joys, challenges and anxieties of motherhood. More about that on Katie's hilariously honest blog O Mother Where Art Thou? If you haven't already, I advise that you immediately download Tumblr and follow "schorrthing". Be prepared to laugh, cry, and cringe along with Katie. And if you're me, basically feel as if she has transcended into your brain, reading your innermost thoughts.

Fellow new mamas, semi-new mamas, and mamas to be, I cannot emphasize how important it is to have "mommy friends" in your life! I highly encourage you to get on that thing they call tha intra-net and troll around until you find one that feels like the right fit. Whether it's Park Slope Parents, Babies in Boise, or Malibu Mommies, being physically surrounded by those who are "in the thick of it" with you will be way better than that $600+ shrink who specializes in #mommyproblems and doesn't take insurance. (But if you feel that you need her, it's money well spent! Pay now or pay later, as they say.)

If you are a part-time stay-at-home-mom, as Katie and I sorta consider as one of our many titles, things can get mundane and lonely in no time. Playdates are as much for the mamas as the babes, and we're not afraid to admit it! If you're ever at the playground and you feel creepy because you're wavering about asking another nice mom for her digits, just bite the bullet and do it. Chances are, she's thinking the same thing. Nothin' wrong with picking a mommy up at the park, the neighborhood coffee shop or your Music Together class.

Seriously, if there's one thing I've learned about motherhood and just life in general, it's that I know nothing and there is so much out there to learn. The best way is to learn from your peers. Oh, and podcasts. Podcasts are your second best friends and mentors. And lucky you! You too can now be podcast besties with Katie by listening to her awesome new "momcast" with friend Cody Lindquist on "What do we do Now?"

Avery and Sly had a playdate yesterday. They crawled and toddled around consuming excessive amounts of cheese and cheddar bunnies, performed a proper concert with maracas and castanets and conversed deeply about Elmo. While Avery was relentlessly banging on the refrigerator and Sly was chucking around UK copies of his daddy's book, I managed to sneak into Sly's adorable room and snap these pictures.

I mean, how Pinter-Etsy can you get? I love this bright and airy nursery. Right down to the clean white walls, the colorful decals and the vintage orange chair accented with a playful robot pillow. But what really wins me over here is the whimsical artwork. Oh, and of course the mini teepee tent!