My Happy Little Island

This might be my favorite week of the year.  Why?  My boys are out of school!  Yes, you just read that right.  Hear me out before you dial up the psych ward...

This did sneak up on me--yet again--and I had more than moments of panic about what we are going to do, how I am going to manage time both when I am working and when I am not.  Then, I decided last week that we were just going to welcome summer with a big ole bang.  So, I was able to lighten my work schedule to two days this week, and I signed the boys up for swim camp on the island.  They loved it last year, and I loved the schedule.  Then, I pretty much made up my mind we were going to just hang out this week, as much as possible.

So, each morning this week, we have awoken in no rush (although let's be clear--that does not mean that the boys are not still up at 6:00 am every morning having raucous battles and ransacking the house).  On a typical morning, I am rushing them from one thing to the next while still trying to attend to the baby and make myself at least semi-presentable to leave the house by 8:00am to get the boys dropped off at school and myself to the office before my 9:00 appointment.  Instead this week, I get to actually drink my coffee, we have a leisurely breakfast, Della actually gets dressed and has a real sitting down breakfast (instead of a waffle handed to her in the car--poor third child!), and the boys willingly get dressed because they don't feel so rushed.  The best part is that, even though I might actually have time, I don't have to make myself presentable!  Throw on a cover-up or running shorts (because I am totally going to exercise, right?), and we are ready to roll.

Wait, did I just say that was the best part?  Because it clearly is not.  Not even close.  The best part is that once we are out the door, we don't even pile into the car!  No getting on the highway, no battling morning traffic and construction on our commute.  I have actually not gotten into my car since Monday!  Instead, we get to pile on the golf cart and head out to swim camp.  Let Della swing for a few minutes on the playground before leaving the boys, then head home to put her down for a nap.  Hopefully she naps, we go get the boys, and they are not even impatient for lunch and telling me they are STARVING because they have been snacked pretty well at swim camp.  Then, the real stress of the day sets in: for the afternoon, will it be beach, pool, or just hanging out?  Heavy decisions.  Sometimes they drift off on the couch for a bit.  A couple days this week, we caught the ice cream truck.  On Tuesday, we rode the golf cart to their final soccer game of the season.  Today, we took it to the farmer's market, where Della ate her first boiled peanut (milestone for the baby book), we sampled some tasty treats including some rockin' gourmet popsicles, and picked up some goodies for dinner.  Dripped popsicles all over ourselves on the ride back, but again--Who cares?--because it is not in the car, just on the cart, which we can hose down when we get home.  And since it is summer, and I didn't want those sticky little bodies traipsing through the house, AND because they still had on their swimsuits (the boys at least--I just stripped down the baby, and she was thrilled), I piled them in the baby pool, handed them the garden hose, and told them that was their bath.  Sneer away.  I loved it.  They loved it. 

We then sat down to a dinner--as a family, all of us together!--of fresh-caught grouper, butter beans, sliced tomato, and squash--all from our farmer's market trip and picked that morning, save the squash, which was from my mama's garden a couple days ago.  Dessert was local cantaloupe and mini plums, also from the farmer's market.  After letting the boys stay up late and snuggling with them on the sofa watching Goosebumps (a brand new discovery for them as they are typically always in bed by 7:30), they are passed out now for the second night in a row in their living room fort of blankets, furniture, and pillows.  Of course, this means that Mama is to sleep on the sofa nearby "in case there are any ghosts," but I don't mind.  Not a bit. 

So, tomorrow is our last day of this blessed swim camp and the lax schedule it affords.  Then we will have two empty weeks before our next scheduled week, which will be VBS, which is always a whole lotta fun, but we can't take the golf cart over the Cooper River bridge.  I am shocked at how perfect I think this week has been despite having yet to even make it out to the beach!  To me, that IS summer.  I grew up spending more days than not at the beach during the summer, and we try to go as much as we can now.  But just staying on our little (beachless) island has been absolutely idyllic.  I am typically very schedule-oriented.  I am a stickler for bedtime.  We do the dinner, bath, brush teeth, and bed routine like clockwork around here.  This week, however, there has not been a whole lot of living by the clock.  And more days than not, a late afternoon dip in the pool or hose-down in the yard has replaced a bath.  And tonight, I let them have a bedtime snack without brushing their teeth after! 

Next week, I will have to make up for lost time at the office, of course.  Surely we will have more days to come this summer like these last few.  But not a week straight, likely.  Maybe I should just sign them up for another week of swim camp!  Heaven...


What are your summer plans?  If you have it, how does your less-scheduled time with your kids work out?  How do you plan or not plan for it?  I am always pretty ready for the routine to return when the time comes, but for now, Welcome Summer!

Fondly,

A Mother's Love

...for other mothers, that is, whom they may not even really know.  There is a common sympathetic understanding and outpouring of love and support that I see time and time again, mother to mother, that is a consistent reassurance for me about the basic goodness of us as humans.  This Mother's Day weekend, I have been blessed to witness several examples of this just in the past couple days.  I have seen it from my own life-long friends.  I have seen it among myself and other mothers (strangers to each other moments ago) helping each other out with guarding clothes and handing things to each other rather than pushing and shoving at the Shrimp and Grits sample sale yesterday.  The most touching example I have witnessed, however, was a simple but generous outpouring of motherly love from several virtual strangers to another mama whom they saw enduring a hard time and just wanted to offer a little bright spot and show of support.

Last night, The Smockling held a few giveaway contests.  The winner of one of these outfits decided immediately that her son's closets were overflowing as it is, and that she would rather send the outfit to another little one who might just get to wear it more.  Just minutes after sending out her cyber-feelers, several mamas remembered another certain mama they were aware of who is currently enduring the emotional rigors of the NICU with her brand new, tiny boy and girl twins--two of our newest Smocklings.  Again, within minutes, it was decided that the prize john john needed to be switched out for the smallest bubble available, and that, lest this tiny boy's precious sister be left out, funds would be raised to purchase her a tiny dogwood bubble to be sent along with the boy's bubble.  The Smockling is happily chipping in to fund and ship this precious package.

So this morning, I am packing up this precious duo:

Happy Mother's Day, Sally!

We hope this is a tiny little bright spot in all the stress you are under!  And we cannot wait to see those precious babies grow into these outfits!  Love, The Ducklings ;)

Happy Mother's Day to all of you!  I hope this serves as a little feel-good reminder that it does, in fact, take a village--not just to raise our children, but to support each other through it.  Keep those sweet babies growing, Sally, and keep in mind that lots of prayers and sweet thoughts are coming your way.

I truly hope each one of you gets to spend a wonderful Mother's Day weekend with your family, and that you each feel truly appreciated for who you are and what you do!

Much Love,







Size Charts

Size Charts

Bishops:

6 mo	16” shoulder to hem
12 mo	18”
18 mo	20”
2T	22”
3T	24”
4T	26”
5T	28”
6	30”

Girls’ Bubbles:

3 mo	14.5” shoulder to stride
6 mo	16”
12 mo	17”
18 mo	18.5”
24 mo	20”

Boys’ Bubbles:

3 m0	14.5” shoulder to stride
6 mo	16”
9 mo	17”
12 mo	17.7”
18 mo	19”

Boys’ John John:

	Length shoulder to hem	Length shoulder to stride	width across middle
6 mo	17.3”	16”	11.4”
12 mo	19”	17”	12.2”
18 mo	20”	18”	13”
2T	22”	19”	13.8”
3T	23.2”	20.5”	14.6”

Boys’ Shorts Set:

Button Back Top

2T	16.5” shoulder to hem	12.2” across chest
3T	17.3”	13”
4T	18”	13.8”
5T	19.3”	14.6”

Dress Shorts

2T	10.5” waist to hem	16” waistband circumference (unstretched)
3T	11.25”	17”
4T	11.75”	17.5”
5T	12.25”	18”

On a Serious Note...

Did you know that April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month?  As some of you are aware, in my other life I am a therapist.  A specialty in my practice, the bulk of my professional experience, and quite frankly my passion and mission in my life, is the treatment of survivors of childhood sexual abuse, both children and adults.  The deep and far-reaching effects of any abuse on an individual, but particularly that of a sexual nature, continues to shake me to the core on a regular basis, even after years of hearing the worst of the worst.  Even as I believe our society is moving toward a greater awareness of both the prevalence and effects of sexual abuse, both are still minimized.  It is certainly something we do not LIKE to think about, but as long as it is continuing to occur, we must face that it is a reality of our world--a reality we cannot afford to ignore.  Our children are at stake.

I am a big supporter of the organization Darkness to Light.  Have you heard of them?  They are based here in Charleston, but have been rather successful the last few years in gaining attention at a national and even international level.  There are many organizations aimed at increasing awareness and working to help treat and prevent childhood abuse, and I am grateful that there are.  I support Darkness to Light in particular for many reasons.  First of all, they are committed to bringing "to light" and giving due attention to a problem that people do not want to talk about, would rather keep secret and in the dark.  The organization's philosophy is that increasing attention and awareness to the problem is the best route to diminishing it.  Second, they charge us all to be keepers of our children and responsible for helping ensure their safety.  I am a believer in the "it takes a village" mindset and that we are all as adults responsible for ensuring the safety and well-being of all the children around us, not just that of our own.

The mission of Darkness to Light is to inform, inform, inform.  But not just to provide resources that people can access--they are committed to in-the-trenches measures to spread the word and educate caretakers (be they teachers, parents, neighbors, coaches, etc.) about the traumatic effects of childhood sexual abuse as well as, and most importantly, how to be keen observers and aware of signs and situations to be alert to in order to keep our children protected.  The chief ongoing mission of Darkness to Light is the training of individuals in a community who then train other groups throughout our communities, schools, churches, youth groups, sports organizations, and any other situations where adults may come in contact with children on a regular basis...who then train others in their communities (both informally and potentially formally), and so on.

So, on that note, I will be donating a portion of every purchase from The Smockling throughout the month of April to Darkness to Light and their ongoing efforts to educate us all and eradicate childhood sexual abuse.  This will include any orders that have already been placed this month!!

Please visit their website, and I encourage you to "Join the Movement."  No financial obligation is required.
http://www.d2l.org/site/c.4dICIJOkGcISE/b.6612979/k.DAEB/Join_the_Movement_to_End_Child_Sexual_Abuse_CSA/apps/ka/ct/contactus.asp?c=4dICIJOkGcISE&b=6612979&en=etKMJXNKJcJQI3PDLjJWKaOSKjJULaMRKlI3IiP2G

Furthermore, please take the time to watch the video on the website, Childhood Stories Documentary. 

It is so moving and eye-opening. Beware, it is powerful, real, and the victims do not mince word about the specifics of their abuse. However, if you choose not to watch it because you don't think you can handle that, just think about how that child felt who HAD to handle it actually happening to them, usually repeatedly. 
http://www.d2l.org/site/c.4dICIJOkGcISE/b.6300229/k.43F8/Childhood_Stories_Documentary.htm

Thank you for indulging me.

The Golden Egg

My children--and in fact our whole family--tend toward the attitude of "Go big, or go home" when it comes to Easter egg hunts.  The number of eggs stuffed and hidden for these events has been obscene at times.  Last year, my dear husband donned an Easter bunny constume and probably nearly fainted from being in that thing, all to entertain our kids and their cousins (and because his sister made him--ha!). Typically, there is not just one egg hunt, either.  We will re-hide and hunt eggs for days or even weeks after Easter.  In fact, a few years ago we instituted a new family tradition of the Turkey Egg Hunt on Thanksgiving Day.  I must credit this incarnation to my sister-in-law as well, and it is nothing short of brilliant.  A way to keep the kiddos busy and entertained while preparing and waiting for Thanksgiving dinner, and the perfect way to use up leftover Halloween candy!  We have even added the activity of decorating a paper bag for collecting your eggs (Thanksgiving stickers, turkey hand-prints and the like) prior to the Great Turkey Egg Hunt.

Of course, every proper egg hunt requires an elusive Golden Egg (or usually several in our case to assure more smiles than tears).  I think we all remember the allure of  the golden egg at an Easter egg hunt.  My boys insisted yesterday that no golden eggs went into the stash for their class Easter egg hunts, lest they up the odds of them NOT taking home the golden egg for keeps.  Wiley little devils, those two.  I am again in charge of the egg hunt(s) for our family Easter celebrations this weekend, so I need your input! We have girls and boys, and ages of the "hunters" range from three to seven.

So here's a contest for you:

What's the best thing you ever found inside the Golden Egg as a child?  What's the best thing you ever put inside for your children?  What was the biggest hit?  I am curious about your creativity and your children's interests, not so much extravagance.  Of course, four first class round-trip tickets to Orlando is a pretty great egg-stuffer, but not in my budget these days.  My biggest hit to date for Golden Egg stuffers was a few neon stretchy rubber lizards when my oldest son and nephew were around three and four.

I will choose up to three best answers, who will each receive a $10 credit to The Smockling! 


Rules: 

-You must "Like" The Smockling to win.  If you have already "Liked" The Smockling, you're good!

-You have until after 8:00pm EST on Saturday, April 7, to submit your entries/comments here on the blog.

-Only comments under this blog post will be counted as entries. 

-Feel free to share with friends and family and invite them to participate!  Remember, our referral credit program is still ongoing.  Anyone who comments on the wall that you sent them will count toward your 10 referrals for a $10 credit!  No purchase necessary.  You are eligible for as many credits as you can get! 

So get to thinking!!!

...about to hatch!!!

Easter is upon us, the weather is warm, and the flowers abloom.  The bluebirds have returned to my Mama's backyard to nest, and my boys are closely tracking their progress.  Did you know that they lay one egg a day?  About three weeks later, the babies emerge--one each day.  Oh, the anticipation my kiddos have for each little egg and each tiny hatchling.

We know that feeling of anticipation over here at The Smockling.  That mix of excitement and impatience!  We have revealed a few tidbits so far, but we are anxiously awaiting the next samples and the first round of actual products ready to ship over the next weeks!  We will soon be able to offer you much more...The Smockling is almost ready to fully hatch!

Here is the next peek...how appropriate :)

and a closer view of the birds' nest smocking...

I am in love this little Bird's Nest Dress.  Pure sweetness.  There will be a bubble and john john as well.  Helloooo springtime!


Happy egg hunting to all your little Smocklings this week!!


Fondly,

What's In A Nickname?

Juliet:
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

Yes, Juliet/Willy Shakespeare, I get your point, but might I challenge you on this notion a wee bit?  True, a name gives us little to no information on the character of a thing or person, but to me it does often carry a depth of meaning.  Especially when it comes to nicknames.  We are big fans of nicknames around The Smockling household. This is due, at least in large part, to the fact that my husband is The Master of Nicknames.  He has a plethora.  Our children each have multiple nicknames.  They know and would likely respond to upwards of six or seven nicknames each. However, we certainly have our favorites.  Somehow, the endearments that tend to stick the best usually relate to baked goods.  Our children are all three "Biscuits."  Since we were dating, I was the "Muffin." To know me is to know that I am NO muffin.  But when HE called me that, I'd swoon. 

So when our first baby, sweet Henry, came along, he was promptly dubbed "Sweet Beeb" right out of the shoot.  Then simply "The Beeb."  Which transformed into "The Beebus" or simply "Beebus."  Which morphed into "Beeblington 9000."  Or for a variation, "Beeblingham 9000."  However, he was always, first and foremost, "The Biscuit."  As he "turned into a person," as my husband would call it (i.e. emerged out of the sweet, portable lump stage), he became "Small Buddy."  But he was ever The Biscuit.  He is now almost seven years old (gasp), and he is still The Biscuit.  So when SamSam came along, he was automatically dubbed a Biscuit as well.  He is also SamSam, of course.  But this is only because he was first BabySam, and once he was a baby no longer, just Sam simply seemed so impersonal.

That brings us to The Bean.  Why The Bean?  It may not seem to fit, since it is not a pastry product, nor is it a variation on her real name.  Well, no one can fully explain these sorts of things.  This is part of what I love about nicknames.  Most often, perhaps, nicknames are a version--sometimes shortened, sometimes not--of someone's real name.  Or initials are incorporated.  Or something-"dog" is involved.  But I find the best ones are often not directly related to a person's name at all.  They may not even be completely related to that person.  Rather, they are a reflection of the relationship between the one nicknamed and the nicknamer.  The dubbee and the dubber, if you will. 

Not to get all sociological on you, but it seems we as humans tend to use nicknames to signify, to that person and to all others around, that there is a special relationship with that individual.  We do this with our spouses, our pets, our best friends, and especially, it seems, with our children.  Not with the grocery check-out girl, sweet and familiar as she may be.  It is a way of laying claim to a person and letting them and others know that they are special to you.  Maybe this line of thinking is especially why I melt when my husband uses these nicknames so freely with us, and just us.  He is a guy's guy.  Not good with expressing feelings.  Don't get me wrong--he is quick to tell and show our children he loves them, and I am sure they have no doubt of this, but overall he is not the most expressive, demonstrative type.  This is his way of showing his love and his bond to us, subtly, but frequently and powerfully. 

I know "The Bean," like our other household nicknames, has been an evolution somewhat like the others.  I know it involved "Butterbean," "Della Bean," "Jelly Bean," and likely a few other forms along the way.  She is, of couse, also a Biscuit.  She has at various stages also been referred to as "Little Girl," or more simply, "LG."  She has been "Tiny," "Not So Tiny," "D-Bean," or "Bean Bean."  The other Biscuits most often refer to her as The Bean.  She responds to it as readily as she responds to her given name Della.  We are aware that it may sound a little strange to outsiders to refer to our precious, beautiful baby girl as "The Bean," instead of something like, "Princess," or "Sweet Pea," or even "Boo Boo," or "Monkey" or on and on and on.  To us, though, there is so much more meaning and endearment behind the moniker than outsiders could ever get.  That is what has become so special to me about our family's quirky nicknames.  They are a reflection of my husband's offbeat sense of humor, which I love, and of our family's love for each other.  And we are okay with the fact that others may not "get it."

So, would our Bean by any other name be as sweet?  Surely.  However, "The Bean," "The Biscuit," and all our other family endearments, and all the associations they carry with them, do hold ever so much meaning for me.  Does your family have unique nicknames?  What do you call your kiddos?  How did your family's nicknames evolve?  Please share--I know we are not the only ones!

Fondly,

Introducing...The Smockling

The Smockling is... Traditional, yet modern. Whimsical, yet proper. Classic, yet unique. Sentimental, unabashedly. Nostalgic and timeless. We vow to bring you a great value--high quality and impeccable attention to detail at truly affordable prices. We will not sell you cheap goods at cheap prices!

Keep your eyes out for our sweet designs!  Just a couple up now but more beautiful, timeless, and unique pieces coming up soon!