• i’ve got a new post up on mom.me about making art prints w your little one
• please welcome my new sponsor tentiko and don’t forget to check out the giveaway!
• i just love mountain vs plains so much.
• every thursday from 12-2 at winter session‘s head quarters, The Outpost, tifamade will be serving up sandwiches and salads for there or to go. yummy!
• making these chocolate chip cookies this week!
• us mamas sure do have beautiful bodies.
• crazy things moms have tried to ban. i can’t tell if this is just so hilarious or just really really sad.
• my mom always had a four day work week growing up. i thought it was the most wonderful arrangement and wish more folks could have access to work environments that got the benefits of shorter work weeks.
• a father’s letter to her little girl about her future husband. i’m blessed that this is essentially what i grew up hearing from my father (and how i saw him treat my mother).

jp and i had the privilege of spending two days in aspen for the food & wine classic. jp was cooking w tender belly for an aspen 82 opening night event on the roof top of the motherlode. i got to tag along, help him grill some bread, and pretend i belonged amongst all the wealthy foodies. amazing. it was my first time to aspen and i’m already planning our next weekend there. it, seriously, is one of the most beautiful places on earth. i thought i had had my share of mountains between my visits to vail, breck,  oregon, or even switzerland. nuh huh. this place is GORGEOUS. we spent all of our time either downtown or in the car driving. for those of you who’ve spent some time there: what are the great things to do just outside of town? 

obligatory window selfie:

elsewhere on the interwebs there were some thought provoking articles i came across or had suggested to me:

• if rape warnings belong on alcohol products, these warnings do too.
• all mothers have, by now, read an article about how mothers from different countries do things, well, differently. here’s yet another one of those articles that i largely agree with.
• it is my desire that we have another baby and a large part of that reason is so ramona can have a sibling. here’s a talk of the nation interview of an only child author who is raising an only child. though the viewpoint is a bit bias, it certainly puts things in perspective if multiple children aren’t in the cards (not just for us but for other families for other reasons).
• ramona and i have been taking lots of outings w friends where packing a lunch is necessary. i’ve been eyeing these handy lunch totes for a great insulated and reusable way to hold our goodies and our sandwiches.
• classical sculptures dressed as hipsters.

some evenings ramona and i just miss jp too much. so we head over to the populist right when it opens. we camp out at the far end of the patio. she sips on milk and me on a martini. we share the bar mix. i love these dates w my little one. and it’s so nice that jp has a job that, though it keeps him busy, allows us to stop by for nice visits.

elsewhere on the interwebs

• i write about homemade gak, over at mom.me. ramona and i continue to have so much fun w this easy concoction.
• have you used next door? i just signed up and it’s been incredibly helpful! i also like the idea of being able to get to know some faces in the neighborhood without otherwise having a reason to run into them. makes the community feel smaller, which i think is a good thing.
• i keep thinking i’m going to do no poo, and then i buy shampoo and conditioner. drea’s post is making me reconsider.
• look at the smile on this kid! perhaps consider donating so he can get a wheelchair that suits him and his family’s lifestyle better.

another lovely visit to the clyfford still museum.

this weekend i’m running in jodi’s race for the colorado ovarian cancer alliance. this is in honor of my grandmother who died nine years ago after a courageous battle with ovarian cancer. my friend lauren will be my running partner again! then it’ll be housework and yard work. we’re working on getting our backyard shed organized so we can clean out our basement for a YARD SALE NEXT SATURDAY to make space for a room for ramona. i actually don’t mind working out in the yard during the weekends. what are your plans?

• we’re still in the running for apartment therapy’s small cool contest. favorite us, please!
• dear friends, hannah and brandon, had their curtis park home on apartment therapy. i love the mix of their styles.
• brick & mortar general store grand opening! saturday, june 1st, at crema coffee house from 11:00 until 5:00.
• must-see parenting videos: convos w my 2-year-old and interview w a 1-year-old. seriously. you will pee your pants.
• awesome parenting. some of these techniques actually made me teary eyed.
• the gift of siblings.
• something to consider for this summer: the new rules of sunscreen.
• the examined life. this book will be on my list to read.
• 30 quick editing tips every [blogger] needs to know. i’m certainly not perfect and so i will be taking these steps into consideration as i write and build and edit my content. thanks for sticking around and being a part of this! (thanks to my father, who is always passing on helpful tech articles.)

photos from a day out in the yard this past january.

have a great memorial weekend! it’ll be the farmers’ market and bbqs and hanging in the back yard for us. what plans do you have?

• a new song by the lumineers. i have it on repeat.
• if you don’t have the mailbox app on your iPhone then you need to go get it now.
• being thankful for the interruptions of motherhood. sent to me by a friend with serendipitous timing.
• because i needed this info this week after grabbing the handle of a pan that had been in the oven: how to treat a burn.
• i bet the mamas of these babies would have a blog filled of photos of their offspring if they could.