April Roundup 🐚

"Back to the beach where I belong"

I started the month in Monterey, CA and ended it on a jaunt to NY/NJ/PA and so this recap makes it sound like we’re constantly bopping around on a getaway. But I promise you, this month was an anomaly. Most of life is parenting, work, parenting, sleep, repeat.

So these new locations provided a literal breath of fresh air. I walked amongst cherry blossoms in bloom in Central Park and the felt the salty air at a beach by the Pacific Ocean. Turns out, getting out of the daily grind is quite restorative. And now… we’re back to it.

So if you need me, I’ll be figuring out when to squeeze in a date night amongst the end-of-school chaos, enjoying an ice cream bar for Mother’s Day, daydreaming about family-friendly third spaces (always, and especially having just learned what author Jeff Kinney is up to in his hometown), and looking into what to do in Vancouver in the summer with kids (send the recs my way!).

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Tree House Together released two episodes in April! How a House Works and Taking Care of the Earth (the third and last in our little “Taking Care” series, along with Taking Care of Ourselves and Taking Care With Others).

These were big topics that we’ve been circling for a while. How do we describe plumbing to kids? How do we explain the vastness of our planet and how we can help take care of it? It was gratifying to finally put both episodes out in the world and we hope you’ll take a listen!

As always, please keep an eye out for future episodes and follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website Elm Place.

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I’ve also been thinking a lot about what kids get in the mail. My kids love to receive postcards from family members. Delivery day from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a household favorite. Babybug from Cricket Media and the magazines from Highlights have also been big wins.

But most of our mail is boring and adult-focused. As T lamented recently after her daily mailbox check, “You get a lot of bills!”. Don’t I know it. And wouldn’t it be fun to get a little bit more magic in the mail??? Stay tuned. ✨

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Lost in a storm

T had some tough times between ages 2 and 3, where she’d get so overcome that she kind of got stuck in an emotional and a physical place. We nicknamed it being in a “storm.”

Identifying it with a word was helpful, but I hadn’t seen it well represented in a picture book until I recently came across because of a shoe, written by Julie Fogliano and illustrated by Marla Frazee.

In it, a parent and their child are trying to leave the house. The parent offers the kid’s favorite red shoe. The kid refuses it for no good reason and the standoff begins. We’ve all been there.

The conflict is handled so beautifully in both the words and the pictures. The anger is acknowledged and eventually moved through. It’s an ode to loving each other through it all, sprinkled with poignant and delightful visual details. (The shoes stay red even as the gray streaks of the tantrum take over the pages.) I’ve already read it with both of my kids several times.

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Amy Sherald wearing Amy Sherald

This is a recap cheat because it happened in early May, but whatever, I make the Leaflet rules, baby!

The renowned American painter Amy Sherald attended the Met Ball (where the theme was Fashion is Art) in a look inspired by her own painting Miss Everything (Unsuppressed Deliverance). It was a collaboration with Thom Browne, and it is fantastic, and you don’t need my take on it, but I need you know about it.

And if you’d like to know more, peek behind the scenes with her gearing up for the event. Then dive deeper into this conversation on Colossal, NYMag article about her by Jerry Saltz, and this New Yorker article, which also featured the painting on its cover.

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Back to the beach

During T’s spring break, we were able to spend a few days in Monterey near Asilomar State Beach. T has always been a water baby and a beach kid, but last year, 1+ year old S spent a weeklong beach trip huddled under an umbrella, understandably scared of the large, loud ocean.

But a year is a lifetime with a little kid and apparently her current personality is all about the beach. She sprinted towards it and when we had to leave she declared “I want to go back to the beach where I belong.” Same, girl. Same.

Even on the cloudy days of our visits, we loved Asilomar’s wide sandy beaches, tide pools, and piles of natural treasures.

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Tulips tulips everywhere

Abingdon Square

On a recent getaway to New York City, my husband and I hit the end of a spring heat wave and the unofficial blooming of the tulips. They were EVERYWHERE.

Bryant Park

They were in small planters in front of apartment buildings and in large city parks. It made me really want to understand: just what happening here?? Is this mass planting sponsored by the city? Is there a wildly successful tulip lobby? Is it thanks to various neighborhood beautification groups? Or, as the internet suspects, Holland’s donations to New York City? There were so many colors and varieties that it was overwhelming in the best way.

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Candy from a stranger

I am avidly following a candy shop in suburban New York that is not even open yet.

Kate Bolger, a former film and television producer, has taken a career turn and will be opening The Village Confectionary in Sleepy Hollow in June. I know this, and I am truly invested in the process, because Kate is putting those producing skills to masterful use on the shop’s Instagram account.

Her reels are micro episodes in the story of the shop. Her voice overs, variety of shots, and clever cuts have me hooked. I’m learning all about the people helping her along the way and what it’s like to take this huge risk. It’s funny and heartfelt and I love seeing someone follow a passion and share it so well with the rest of us.

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A very “Pika” Easter

Apparently it was Easter four weeks ago — and not four years ago — despite how it feels. We have the good fortune of dyeing eggs and celebrating the holiday with my extended family. And not only do my kids’ grandparents provide the ideal backyard garden for an egg hunt, T and S’s uncle also delivers when they request eggs of their favorite Pokemon characters!

Pikachu and Grookey were not part of my Easter traditions growing up, but I love that they are for my kids!

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Beautiful appreciation

I’ve long admired Amanda Jane Jones’s work, from her designs to her prints, Substack, board books, and especially the book Mother / Founder. She’s online, but doesn’t share too much. She seems thoughtful but not overwrought. She’s upfront about how important being a mother and her career are to her.

In addition to the many beautiful things she makes for clients, she also makes things for us regular people. Things like free printables that demand ICE OUT, Protect Children Not Guns, and All Are Welcome Here.

And now she has a $10 digital download for appreciation cards and a teacher Q&A. While our family enjoys writing a card, having these prompts feels like such a great way for a teacher to receive a personal, heartfelt reflection.

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I hope that this finds you with a great view on the horizon.

Brooklyn Bridge Park

Thank you for reading The Leaflet, the newsletter from Elm Place! I founded Elm Place to make things for the young and the young at heart, starting with our kids' podcast Tree House Together.

With The Leaflet, I’ll be giving readers a peek behind the scenes, sharing what's inspiring us, and keeping you up to date on all of Elm Place's adventures. Thanks for joining us! Hugs, Kara