"Hi".
Well, yes, that's the only word I thought appropriate after being gone from my blog for so long. It's summer and it's also been a time of vast change for our family. For me. I've been taking a little breather from writing since the wave of the restaurant washed over our heads (it's all been very positive and good, by the way). I've also been trying to figure out where my blogging about inspiring kids design will take me. I still get inspired about art & design -- especially if it involves kids, yet it's simply been a time of transition and reflection in recent weeks and I've basically realized that I've truly, madly, deeply missed illustrating and need to get back to the part of my soul that makes me excited. So there will be fewer posts while I nurture that piece of me but when something truly strikes a chord, I won't resist the urge to write about it - and it will be written from the heart.
Which brings me to my book club this evening. Robin, one of our fearless book club leaders, asked Matthew Amster-Burton, the author of Hungry Monkey, to make an appearance at our book club this evening and talk about his new book. He actually didn't talk about it but rather read excerpts from the book that were so down-to-earth and heart-warmingly funny that we didn't want him to stop reading from the various chapters and telling us stories about his five year old daughter, Iris, who sounds like a little fire cracker! I sadly didn't get the chance to read the book beforehand but from the bits and pieces that Matthew read and after meeting him in person, I'm going to read it as soon as I can get my hands on a copy. It was a unanimous crowd pleaser. This is how Matthew describes his book: "...a memoir on the wild joys of food and parenting and the marvelous mélange of the two, Hungry Monkey takes food enthusiasts on a new adventure in eating (with dozens of delicious recipes!).
Michelle, still loving everything on your blog when I cruise by. The restaurant looks fabulous. I literally woke up in the morning two days ago and remembered it would be about time for it to open and went straight to google it. I sooo wish I could drop in. Huge well done. It's an inspiration. It looks right up my street. Love to Deming and the kiddies from us all xxxx (we've got another sprog on the way early Feb!) x
Posted by: Sophie | July 29, 2009 at 12:23 AM
YAY! We love food books that embrace kids eating healthfully, inventively, and in a way that makes it easier for parents ;)
We also wrote an article about Gastrokid, a new book coming out in August. Very exciting to see such great options for kids!
http://shak-shuka.typepad.com/shakshuka/2009/07/gastrokidadult-cookbook.html
Posted by: Jos | July 24, 2009 at 09:31 AM