Phew. Can you tell I have lots of projects on the brain?
It seemed like last week was one filled with phone calls and emails packed with possibility. For starters, I finally got in touch with the manager of the farmer's market. They are definitely still interested in hiring me to blog for the market, but now I need to prepare a presentation to present to the board members next week. It's a mixed bag of people--including some who want nothing to do with the internet or email and have never even heard of a blog. But I'm excited to share with them my ideas and yours. I have such a passion for farmers markets and all that they stand for. And I'm thrilled to be part of it.
Then another possible project came up that will definitely involve me getting in touch with my preppy-teen-horse-girl side. A friend in the horse community got in touch with me about working on personalizing horse blankets, saddle covers and other "girlie" accessories. Apparently, these girls like all their horsey attire to match, even down to the cuff (that's my idea). So we're working on patterns, collecting ideas, and gathering ribbons in all those preppy colors like hot pink and green and red and navy stripes. I've been googling things like 'preppy horse ribbon' and 'matching saddle pads and covers' and 'teen horse apparel' to get myself in the proper mindset.
And if those two things aren't enough to keep my brain happily busy, I've also heard about another possibility at a trendy mother/baby store downtown. They opened this summer and the shop owners-a mother/daughter team-are looking for some unique handmade items from local crafters. So I've been brainstorming ideas of items that I want to take down to the store to share. The girl who told me about the shop had already told the owners about some of my projects and they are interested in seeing things. Honestly, I'm feeling very intimidated by it all. I've never approached a shop owner like this before, and I'm not exactly sure the best way to go about it. Knowing she already has some interest in what I'm doing helps. But I think I'd like to put together some sample work. I'm thinking embroidered tees and onesies....(is embroidered the right word? when I say that I think some people think of machine-embroidery instead of fabric embroidery) and maybe some personalized totes and cuffs. Ugh.
We'll see. I think I'll just start putting things together and see what comes of it. I raided my overflowing scrap basket today and began checking out some of these blank baby tees that I really like.
So, there's much going on in my brain these days. But it is all very exciting to me. I've really been looking for opportunities to make a little bit of extra income on the side, so maybe one of these possibilities would help.
Oh, and that first picture is Emma's pencil can. Yesterday, she opted to clean her room instead of nap. She's at the age now, where she's napping about three days a week and the other days she spends some time in her room 'resting'. She got this mad cleaning buzz that included reorganizing her pencils into said container and setting the dinner table. She even managed to get some "school" done with me, too.
Do any of you mother's of lefty's out there notice that your children write their words and letters backwards? She can spell certain words, like her name, perfectly, but they are mirror-image backwards. Today I had her putting plastic alphabet letters in order and half of them she placed down were backwards. I'm not worried. I really think it must be a left-handed thing that shel'll grow out of. But I'm wondering if anyone else notices this same quirk with their children....?
I don't know if it's a lefty thing, but I know all of a sudden my right handed daughter started writing letters backwards (like you described). Everyone said it's a natural thing and like you, no worries...
Posted by: carol | 07 November 2006 at 10:02 AM
Oh my, I leave the blog world for a week and look at all you've got going on. There are so many of Emma's classmates doing horseback riding right now. We haven't done it yet, but I can only imagine how crazy one could get with all the cute apparel and accessories. Ah! Good luck with all the possibilities, I love that all three ideas are so different, not a chance of getting bored.
Emma is not a lefty, but she (and many of her kindergarten and pre-k classmates) wrote backwards. Perfectly natural. I was confused about it, but was informed that its a developmental stage, they are drawing the letters moreso than writing them. I think Emma did it on and off for almost a year.
Posted by: Blair | 07 November 2006 at 10:03 AM
What a wonderful post. I can't wait to see all the great things you create. Farm Markets are so relaxing and exciting at the same time, I really enjoy going to the ones near our house in the summer, learning about new veggies and recipes. I have a left-hander and he did flip a lot of his letter and numbers. I was concerned when he still did it a fair amount in 1st grade, but his teacher said it was actually common and don't worry but it would probably take him until 3rd grade to start writing them correctly. She was right by the end of 3rd grade he stopped.
Posted by: Gina | 07 November 2006 at 10:05 AM
I am really excited for you and these opportunities to showcase your skills. The horse apparell sounds like a lot of fun. As for the embroidered tees, would you call them appliqued? Isn't that what it's called when youen you sew a piece of fabric to another piece as adornment? Even if it is embroidered, say blanket stitched, on? I don't know, but I hope these endeavors work out for you.
Posted by: Robyn | 07 November 2006 at 10:20 AM
I have seen a lot of this with kids I've worked with (I have a Counseling and Art Therapy background). It's not uncommon for kiddos learning to write, to write backwards, creating perfect mirror-images of the letters. It is a normal stage for many children, and is absolutely more common in lefties than in righties.
Parents are frequently concerned that this may be a sign of dyslexia or some other learning disability. This, all by itself, is not an indicator of disability (unless it becomes longitudinal and manifests to a difficulty with language, etc.)
.....{it was nice to use some of that knowledge again, now that I'm not working full-time anymore!}
Sounds like you have some really exciting things in the mix. Can't wait to hear more.
Posted by: Stacy | 07 November 2006 at 10:28 AM
The writing backwards isn't just a left-handed thing I don't think.All 4 of my girls have done it and they are all righties!
So many exciting things on the go.Where do you find the time?
Posted by: Kristy | 07 November 2006 at 10:39 AM
Phew! I *was* worried. My oldest happens to be a lefty (how did she get that? No one in either family is a lefty), but having had no experience with any little kid learning how to write, let alone a lefty, her reversing everything was causing me a teeny bit of anxiety. She even writes from right to left. But now I know I shouldn't worry. At least, not about this!
Posted by: Michelle | 07 November 2006 at 10:57 AM
My daughter has been doing the same thing and she's right handed. Even more baffling are the times that she'll have a page of a certain letter to write and do a half correctly and half backward. I freaked out at first but her teacher said it's very common.
Posted by: Wanett | 07 November 2006 at 10:57 AM
um, has someone hit the second trimester high energy stage or what??? nice work molly on everything you have in your basket. it all sounds super fun and just right for you. keep it up girl!
Posted by: hannah | 07 November 2006 at 11:46 AM
wow, you go with your girlie self!
you have more energy while pregnant than i do non-pregnant. How is that???
my MIL does the mirror-image thing. She did it as a kid, eventually learned to write perfectly fine, but still can do the mirror-image for party tricks. it's really cool!
Posted by: estea | 07 November 2006 at 12:01 PM
Well, I agree with the wisdom above. Children often write backwards and/or right to left as they begin to experience writing and reading. It is even okay for her to have been writing her letters perfectly all along and suddenly begin to reverse them. Very normal for any child, not just a lefty.
My daughter's kindergarten teacher says it is normal up to age 7 or so and it will "fix" itself as time goes on.
Posted by: Rebecca | 07 November 2006 at 12:58 PM
wow. WOW! you go!!
em is a lefty (as is her dad) - she wrote everything backwards for a long while - and is just starting to grasp the left to right concept with words. i think it was michelangelo who wrote perfectly right to left and left to right... no worries!
Posted by: tracy | 07 November 2006 at 01:03 PM
Sniff snifff snifff Molly where are you :) I MISS YOU !
Posted by: Sandrine (alias Didine ♥ ) | 08 November 2006 at 08:33 AM
WOW! Congratulations on all the good stuff! You've got a lot of great things up and coming. I look forward to seeing all you come up with! ;-)
Posted by: Angela | 08 November 2006 at 08:55 AM
I have watched my right handed four year old write her name upside down and backward and it comes out perfectly, she also tries to sound out words right to left.
The shop owners are already interested? That's awesome, you do great stuff, I am sure they will love your work.
Posted by: Sasha | 08 November 2006 at 11:07 AM
Wow, sounds like you'll be busy for a while!
Posted by: Mama Urchin | 08 November 2006 at 11:16 AM
My daughter is a lefty as well as myself and she does the same thing, but then so does her older right handed best buddy... definitely natural I think!
Cathi (formerly from Maryland, now in Ireland...)
Posted by: Cathi | 08 November 2006 at 12:47 PM
My bright lefty daughter used to write entire sentences perfectly and backwards.
Now my daughter is five and her kindy teacher (who is a lefty herself and who told me at our recent conference that there are three lefties out of 15 kids in the class) informs me that backwards writing (letters and numbers) is absolutely a developmental thing and that it's worse for lefties.
Posted by: Heels | 08 November 2006 at 03:25 PM
You got so much great stuff going on! I hope it all turns out well and profitable :)
No worries on the backwards thing, all of my kids did it too. Just gently keep modeling the correct way and it will come. We still need to have our home school chat!
BTW, I feel your grief about that foil. That stuff is expensive. But they were happily busy, right?
Posted by: Toni | 09 November 2006 at 11:00 AM
Exciting times...fingers crossed for you.
Both my children have written backwards and DD can write pages of the stuff! As the others have said...It's natural, developmental BUT, BUT, BUT(!) can be an indicator of creative intelligence! yipppeeeeeeee! She could be following in your footsteps! take care x
Posted by: bigbucketgirl | 09 November 2006 at 02:46 PM
Writing backwards is the way kids do it until they learn more about concepts of print. When they can READ, they actually understand that things go from left to right.
Posted by: Tia | 09 November 2006 at 04:23 PM
Wow, great things I learn here! My son (5 yrs) is a righty and also writes some letters/numbers backwards. His pediatrician said not to worry about it, and now that I see how common it is, I guess I won't! We don't notice it much though, because his favorite thing to write is his name, in all caps, and MAX turns out to be symmetric.
Good luck with all your projects, it all sounds so exciting!
Posted by: Amanda | 12 November 2006 at 10:00 AM
Go Molly Go Molly!
My brother is a lefty. He earnt his nickname Mij by writing his name - Jim - backwards!
They grow out of it - do not worry one little bit! And it is way too cute!
And oh my goodness - all those projects and all that possibility. My my!
Posted by: Lily | 14 November 2006 at 05:30 AM
when I write with my left hand, it is much more comfortable to write backwards.
and i think i recognise some of those scraps! ;)
Posted by: eireann | 19 November 2006 at 09:51 AM
Hi,
I am not a mom but a teacher, and this backwards writing shall pass. It is very common to happen and a very rare skill to retain for party tricks. Enjoyed your blog!
Posted by: Jenn | 05 December 2006 at 03:05 PM