A few good gems

Hello, friends. Happy end of August and gateway to the weekend. Let the wild rumpus start! 

Speaking of wild rumpus, can you imagine receiving one of these Maurice Sendak letters?!

I returned back home to Australia from the States last Saturday and it's taken until today not to feel completely jetlagged by 8 p.m. every day, nodding and drowsy through dinner and everything afterwards. I've been exactly like a two-year-old who's just given up her afternoon naps--not to be trusted to sit still and not fall asleep at random places and moments. But, in honor of Friday night, I think I'm going to live dangerously and stay up until 10 tonight to catch up on some shows with G. Have you seen the new (to me) BBC series Broadchurch? Or PBS's Silk? (I'm always sucker for a good British detective/legal series.) What's brewing for your weekend?

 . . .

A few links and good reads I hope you'll enjoy:

- I love this innovative alarm clock from Yanko Design for couples who wake up at different times. Or if you really hate that loud alarm blare. Brilliant! Count me in.

- A terrific longread about a family secret uncovered. 

- Very good advice from Bill Watterson's 1990 commencement speech at Kenyon, recently illustrated in the comic book style of Calvin and Hobbes in a Watterson tribute by Gavin Aung Than. 

- A stunning description of how poverty taxes the brain. 

- Remembering summer twilights with cousins on the farm--a lyrical tribute to the quality of summers past and the dwindling open spaces of childhood.

- Finally, please enjoy this delightful clip (part of the Atlantic's Creative Breakthroughs series) from Annie Lennox, featuring her take on creativity, finding your own path, locking out your inner critic, and being many things all at once.

See you back here on Monday! In September, no less! 

The dorm

via Vassar College Archive on Flickr

My sister-in-law called the other day with three post suggestions. Her first child is leaving for college in the Fall, and she has some questions she'd like addressed on Nest & Launch. 

Me too! 

#1. When are my kids coming back? 

Anyone? Anyone? 

My sister-in-law, however (not being the freak that I am), is a tad more practical. She's wondering about the DORM. What to bring? How best to set it up?  

Guys . . . I LOVE the DORM. I love everything about it: its efficient use of space, its proximity to campus, the cafeteria where you NEVER HAVE TO COOK, the abundance of cool people all around you. Also, as a parent the dorm offers a sense of security. It's more like dropping your kid off at a really long summer camp. Or boarding school. That's what is is -- boarding school. Not college! Not grown up!

via Vassar College Archive on Flickr

Seriously though, the dorm, at least for me, is one of the fun parts of launching -- so I just launch the heck out of it. Here's a few things I learned last year (Look at me! I'm a serial launcher!):

Practical considerations: The majority of the kids in our community go to Texas schools. This generally means they are only a few hours from home, which allows for some degree of back and forth -- both with people and STUFF. This also means they can just fill up the back of their cars TO THE BRIM and mosey on to school. Going to school out of state is a whole different ball game.  

Here's the mistake I made: We flew with Jordan to Utah to get her set up. She brought two large suitcases and a carry on. Then Sterling and I checked two boxes EACH of additional stuff. THEN, when we got to Provo we visited the Target/Walmart approximately five times and bought everything needed to set up her room. I'm talking a duvert insert, egg crate mattress thingy, printer, bins, school supplies, large containers of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, etc. PLUS, she accumulated a bunch of STUFF over the year. So, then, when school finished up at the end of April, we sent her a plane ticket and told her to COME ON HOME! 

Really? She could have set up house for a small family. We lucked out in that my sister-in-law's parents were driving from Utah to Texas just around the time school let out. They very kindly drove to Provo and picked up FIVE LARGE BOXES, which saved Jordan from selling all of her belongings on the street. Obviously, most out-of-state students make arrangements to store their goods while they are home for the summer. But because Jordan wasn't returning to school for 18 months, most of it needed to come home to roost.

My advice? Don't start off with so much stuff. Also? Plan on storing/transporting her belongings at the end of the year. I already know Madison won't finish up the year with just enough stuff to fit in two pieces of luggage and a carry on. We'll plan better this year. 

With that said, here are the bare bones necessities for the well-stocked dorm room: 

1. Bedding. Madison has been sweating the whole duvet vs. comforter vs. quilt delimma over here. She finally went with this cute set from Target. Note: While the comforter set is in stores now, the duvet set is only available online. The price is incredible. Jordan went with a similar graphic duvet from Urban Outfitters last year, but at this price you could even change it out mid year.
2. Command everything -- hooks, picture hangers, poster hangers. Gather a good supply of these for hanging everything from pictures to towels. Hint: These are often sold out in college towns around dorm-move-in time, so buy early. I went crazy and hung a whole collage on Jordan's cinder block wall. Because I love dorms. Have I mentioned that yet? 
3. Medical supplies (and how to use them). Chances are your college student is going to get sick. It's helpful to have common over-the-counter medications on hand since Momma won't be there to run to Walgreens. I went over this in greater depth here. 
4. Shower caddy. Maddie's dorm has the old-school bathroom down the hall, so she'll have to schlep her shower supplies back and forth each day. 
5. Laundry basket. And a prayer. Actually, Madison is pretty particular about her clothes, so I feel confident she will wash her clothes. Some boys I know? It's questionable. 
6. Printer. Lots of kids don't have printers in their dorm rooms because the university does provide a number of convenient print centers. However, Jordan was super glad she had a printer, and the scanner on top came in handy a number of times when she needed to send documents to us at home. Her printer is sitting in a basement in Utah right now . . . just waiting for Madison.
7. Decor. To decorate? Or not to decorate? We tried to homey the place up enough so she would be comfortable, but not so much that she'd need a professional moving service to bring her home (that didn't work out exactly as planned). A few pops of color help to tone down the institutional nature of the place and give those babies a little practice nesting themselves. Look! I brought that full circle. 
8. Storage. Because the dorm is so small (about a quarter of my girls' room at home), organization is key. After assessing the closets and shelving, we bought a bunch of different sized bins to keep stuff together -- some with lids, some open. We also bought two large under-bed boxes for ski clothes and bulky sweaters/jackets that she didn't need to access everyday. 
9. Dishes. And silverware! Jordan's dorm had a full-service cafeteria where she ate all of her meals, which led us to believe she wouldn't need any dishes in her room. But she had a small refrigerator, so she would bring home leftovers when she ate out. And she ended up eating cereal in her room most mornings, which necessitated a bowl and spoon. Then she told me one day she was making hot chocolate in her cereal bowl. Ummmmm, get a mug sistah. 

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One of my favorite things in Jordan's dorm last year was a watercolor painting of our home. It was done by Rebekka Seale, an incredible artist who includes a digital copy along with the original painting. I just printed one up, threw it in a Target frame, and  . . . voila  . . . instant don't-forget-your-momma art. I'll be making another for Maddie for sure. (Yep, that's our dog, Indie, out front). 

Hang ups

I'm celebrating a little triumph over procrastination today! We moved here last September, our shipped belongings arrived in late October, and ever since we've lived for...oh...eight months with our pictures in sad little stacks leaned against the walls rather than hung up on them. It was just a little daunting to make such decisions and, honestly, eventually I stopped noticing. Also, I've always identified with Jane Austen's comment in Mansfield Park: "I have no talent for certainty." I have to incubate decisions for a really long time and then poof, I'm suddenly ready.

In this case, my level of embarrassment finally outpaced my procrastination/delay abilities. My friend Christie moved into her new house about three seconds ago and Instagram informed me that she has already decked her walls! It put me to shame.  So I rallied, located my gumption, and enlisted Lauren's help to do the old newspaper pattern trick for visualizing where the frames would go:

Then we used a combination of some nails and some of those velcro-like picture hangers. We're renting our home here and our landlord wrote into the lease that we have to ask for permission for every nail hole we make. We asked for a certain number but still want to be mindful that these are not our walls--and avoid landlord grief at the end. (Thanks, Sarah, for suggesting those 3M Command picture hangers*. Worked like a charm!)

It's amazing how much more cozy it feels now. More like home. (There's still space for more and we plan to let it slowly morph over time. Assuming I find my gumption again.) Score one for ye olde internet and a little old fashioned shaming.

Are you a get-er-done type like Christie or a no-talent-for-certainty procrastinator like me? What's on your list of long-awaited projects?

*3M did not pay me anything to say that; I just wanted to tell you what I used in case you're interested and mulling over a hanging project of your own. 

Getting ready for prom

It's prom week around here, so we are thinking hair and nails and long fancy dresses. Personally, I don't hold any idyllic, water-colored memories of senior prom -- mostly I remember a date who kept sneaking off and a very scratchy dress. Still, it's PROM. We spray-tanned just yesterday. Yep, I'm serious. 

I realize it's a little late in the game to be sharing prom tips, so you'll just have to file this info in the "just-in-case" portion of your brain. But it's a good one -- if you are a risk-taker.

Last year, with Jordan, I knew finding the right dress would be tricky. Jordan is particular about her fashion choices, and we wanted something that was modest (which is exceedingly rare in formal wear). So when she proposed ordering a prom dress directly from China I was willing to give it a try. There are any number of web sites with pages and pages of dresses to choose from. (We bought Maddie's from this one.) You can filter them by neckline, by hem length, and even by color. So far we've bought three dresses this way, and the girls have been thrilled with the results. 

When ordering a prom dress, there are a few considerations. Here's what we've learned:

• Order early. These companies generally quote 4-6 weeks for delivery, and while one of our dresses came early, the other two arrived a full five weeks after purchase. Madison's was finally delivered last week (only a week and a half before the dance).
• Measure well. Some companies ask for actual measurements, while others have you convert measurements to a dress size. Either way, break out the old measuring tape and be thorough. Each website has measuring instructions with illustrations showing exactly where to measure. 
• Plan on alterations. Chances are, even with proper measurements, the dress will need a few nips and tucks to achieve a perfect fit. I've taken all three of our dresses to a great neighborhood tailor, who has shortened hems, tightened bodices, and even altered details the girls weren't initially pleased with. The dresses themselves are relatively inexpensive, but plan on between $40 and $80 for alteration fees.

I'll post pictures of Maddie's dress soon, after the big unveiling on Friday night. Cross your fingers for no rain!

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Check out more dresses here, here and here.​

A few good gems

First of all, a big THANK YOU for the warm welcome we've received over the past couple of weeks with this here new blog. We've been so buoyed by the reception we've received and the feedback here in this wonderful world of the web. No, seriously, thank you. You make a couple of gals want to sing a rousing rendition of "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" but instead--here, these lanterns are for you:

Thomas Cooper Gotch, The Lantern Parade, via

Also? ​Here are few things that caught our eye this week that we thought we'd pass along:

An interesting study interviewing 18- to 25-year-olds revealed five key factors that make girls & women less likely to want to run for office someday.

Cool Mom Picks ran an article about self-respect underwear that totally fooled me! 

Did you see the NY Times Haiku generator? It creates haikus from the day's news stories and interviews, like this one:

These adaptations of the classic hotel key tags would be a fun gift for a new driver--or just for a family set of house keys (via Swiss Miss).

Why your children should do chores (as if we needed convincing!). This Boston Globe magazine article takes a cue from history on the capabilities of children to do work. 

​Are there any fans of the podcast/radio show Radiolab in your house? (It's a staple around here.) Then you'll love this interactive Radiolab sound effects gallery. 

And have you gotten into The Lizzie Bennet Diaries? If you have a pre-teen or teenage girl, chances are you've heard of it. It's a modern, online adaptation of Pride and Prejudice via videos, twitter, and tumblr. (They posted their final, 100th episode last week so it's ripe for enjoying all the way through.)

​Happy weekend!

A few good gems

Just wanted to pass along a few things from around the web that caught my eye or struck a chord this week. They're the kinds of things we would chat about over the back fence if we were neighbors (oh, if only!):

Pinhole Press is introducing some cool new photo wall decals. They're filed under their wedding section but I think they'd be great fun in a collection on a teen's bedroom walls.

Anne Lamott's account of her crash course in acceptance when her teenage son became a father gave me a lot to think about.

This TED talk by Esther Perel is a fascinating discussion of love and intimacy in long-term committed relationships.

On childhood lapses and concealment, My Twinkie Barricade had me laughing and remembering my own hiding places.

Where do you fall on the guilt spectrum?  In this essay Ruth Whippman talks about guilt and its uses and misuses, especially in families. Loved this line: "Guilt is an heirloom emotion, a moth-ridden quilt that no one can quite bring themselves to throw out."

Michelle reminds us, in her post for 3 Things for Mom, that big kids need tucking in, too.​ 

Dalene had some terrific insights on teens and the emptying nest in her Segullah article All I Really Needed to Know I Learned After My Kids Were Too Old for Kindergarten. 

Please do chime in! What did you read this week that struck a chord?​ 

Have a great weekend!​