I realize I am not the only mother who loves her daughter. I also realize I'm not the only mom who gets to stay home with her baby girl. And I'm probably not even the only one who is brought to tears by her feelings of gratefulness and the knowledge she is one of the luckiest women in the world to have the opportunity to watch her beautiful offspring blossom and grow. Maybe it's just PMS talking, but I find myself sitting here, watching my baby girl marveling at the wonders of colored pencils as she works so diligently on coloring her Peter Rabbit coloring book, and I'm smiling so fiercely I can feel the tears tickling my eyes. I never realized love could be this profound. I give thanks this holiday seaon for my beautiful daughter, my amazing husband, and this opportunity the universe has graced me with. Ok, I better stop now, the tears are threatening again...
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Ugh, I have a headache...
So, today is apparently my day to bitch. I am feeling a little sorry for myself, and concurrently finding ways to procrastinate. It is more than half way through the month of November, and you may be thinking that I would be stressing about the upcoming holiday, but that's not it. This is National Novel Writing Month, and I have challenged myself to complete a novel in one month just like thousands of people around the world. At this point I am way behind.
I started off the challenge behind, as I didn't actually start writing until the 9th of the month. Why, you might ask? Well, I finally found the time and freedom to put my thoughts into some semblance of order on the 9th, because my husband was on vacation, without me. He was on his dream vacation, a weeklong trip to Phoenix, Arizona for the Nascar races. You can probably imagine this isn't my thing, so I was more than happy to let him drive off into the sunset with his brother. Surprisingly, his being gone also gave me the time and space I needed to start putting words on the page. By the end of the week, though, I was feeling exhausted. Being the sole provider of child care for the week, especially since my daughter is teething, and wakes up throughout the night, made he crave my husband's presence once more. I think I thought that if he were home I would be able to step away from the childcare duties a bit and focus on writing.
Alas, I was so wrong. Not only does my daughter want mommy's attention all the time, but apparently my husband does too! God forbid, right? I know I should count myself lucky that my husband still craves my company and affection, but seriously, sometimes a woman just needs some time just for herself, especially when she has a writing goal to achieve! So, rather than pitching a fit and throwing a tantrum, which is what I really really really want to do, I asked my husband to let me take some time this coming weekend to leave the house and find a quiet place to write. Guess what? Hubby agreed. So, now rather than complaining and feeling sorry for myself, I guess I have to face facts and realize my Hubby is one in a million!
Still, though, I wonder why it is that I can't find any solitary space within the walls of my own home any more. I lament this loss, as I used to find it very peaceful and relaxing in my own home, and now I feel as though I have to leave home to find that same peace and relaxation. I am so looking forward to rediscovering those peaceful moments at home. Anyone out there have any suggestions for taking back your peace at home?
I started off the challenge behind, as I didn't actually start writing until the 9th of the month. Why, you might ask? Well, I finally found the time and freedom to put my thoughts into some semblance of order on the 9th, because my husband was on vacation, without me. He was on his dream vacation, a weeklong trip to Phoenix, Arizona for the Nascar races. You can probably imagine this isn't my thing, so I was more than happy to let him drive off into the sunset with his brother. Surprisingly, his being gone also gave me the time and space I needed to start putting words on the page. By the end of the week, though, I was feeling exhausted. Being the sole provider of child care for the week, especially since my daughter is teething, and wakes up throughout the night, made he crave my husband's presence once more. I think I thought that if he were home I would be able to step away from the childcare duties a bit and focus on writing.
Alas, I was so wrong. Not only does my daughter want mommy's attention all the time, but apparently my husband does too! God forbid, right? I know I should count myself lucky that my husband still craves my company and affection, but seriously, sometimes a woman just needs some time just for herself, especially when she has a writing goal to achieve! So, rather than pitching a fit and throwing a tantrum, which is what I really really really want to do, I asked my husband to let me take some time this coming weekend to leave the house and find a quiet place to write. Guess what? Hubby agreed. So, now rather than complaining and feeling sorry for myself, I guess I have to face facts and realize my Hubby is one in a million!
Still, though, I wonder why it is that I can't find any solitary space within the walls of my own home any more. I lament this loss, as I used to find it very peaceful and relaxing in my own home, and now I feel as though I have to leave home to find that same peace and relaxation. I am so looking forward to rediscovering those peaceful moments at home. Anyone out there have any suggestions for taking back your peace at home?
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Wonder of Wonders
Have you ever purchased a product and been somewhat underwhelmed with it's performance? Heard all kinds of hype and realized there was no way any product could possibly live up to the marketer's promises? Well, who hasn't? And I bet there are countless blogs out there vomiting words, complaining about one failed promise or another. It might surprise you then that this post is completely unsponsored and unsolicited, because I have found a product that not only lives up to it's claims, but that has surprised me by being even more amazing than advertised.
I am talking about Crayola's Color Wonder markers. I purchased them, because I knew my baby girl would draw all over the whole house if she could, so the appeal of a marker that would only stain their special paper was undeniable. Granted, I bought them for her before the recommended age, so what happened next is probably my own fault. My daughter cleverly separated all the markers from their caps and lost them in random crevices and corners in the house. I didn't even start looking for them for several days, realizing my investment in markers was down the drain. After all I have never found a single marker that could survive even a couple hours uncapped before it dried up completely.
Imagine my surprise and absolute glee, then when I finally built up the courage to dig those markers back out of their respective hiding places, and they still worked! I have no idea what the chemical content of these markers is, and I'm sure it's probably not something you want your kid eating. They also put warnings on the package to ensure you don't let your kids draw on furniture and things as they can't guarantee the markers won't stain things other than their paper, but, so far baby girl hasn't destroyed anything in our house with them. I do keep a close eye on her when she's using them, though, as I don't want her eating them, but at least I know that if she lets them roll under the couch without their cap, I don't have to find them within an hour or so!
I am talking about Crayola's Color Wonder markers. I purchased them, because I knew my baby girl would draw all over the whole house if she could, so the appeal of a marker that would only stain their special paper was undeniable. Granted, I bought them for her before the recommended age, so what happened next is probably my own fault. My daughter cleverly separated all the markers from their caps and lost them in random crevices and corners in the house. I didn't even start looking for them for several days, realizing my investment in markers was down the drain. After all I have never found a single marker that could survive even a couple hours uncapped before it dried up completely.
Imagine my surprise and absolute glee, then when I finally built up the courage to dig those markers back out of their respective hiding places, and they still worked! I have no idea what the chemical content of these markers is, and I'm sure it's probably not something you want your kid eating. They also put warnings on the package to ensure you don't let your kids draw on furniture and things as they can't guarantee the markers won't stain things other than their paper, but, so far baby girl hasn't destroyed anything in our house with them. I do keep a close eye on her when she's using them, though, as I don't want her eating them, but at least I know that if she lets them roll under the couch without their cap, I don't have to find them within an hour or so!
Friday, November 11, 2011
Ahha! Oh, Oops. I'll just tuck that back in there...
It seems to me that people who really enjoy reading often have a deep love for tea. At least this is something I have observed among the people I know well. In my family, though, this love runs deeper, we have an ancestral drive to embrace the romance of tea, at least on my mother's side of the family. (She even has one of those uber fancy brass tea cozies!) So, when we took a vacation to Vancouver, British Columbia it was absolutely imperative we visit the Murchie's Tea store. I don't know how many of you are familiar with Murchie's Teas, but apparently they are one of the finest purveyors of English teas. Mom was beside herself with glee. She was going to actually be able to walk into a Murchie's store, smell the teas, touch the teacups, and buy her favorite Earl Grey Tea in BULK!
I, on the other hand, am not so devoted to one type of Tea. My cabinet is filled with all sorts of flavors and provenances of tea, but I was more than happy to experience the wonders that awaited me in Vancouver's Tea Mecca. So mom and I excused ourselves from the company of male companions and drove on over to Murchie's. Mom wasted absolutely no time hunting down her Earl Grey, and waited breathlessly while the shop girl filled a plastic sack with shovel fulls of tea leaves, then carefully tied off the top of the bag with a simple little twist tie, and stuffed it all into a large brown paper bag with the Murchie's Tea logo in a subtle green print. I purchased a couple of samplers of traditional English Black Teas, and a sampler of fruit and vanilla flavored teas. We left the shop with a feeling of contentment, and achievement.
This story would have had a completely happy ending if it weren't for that pesky border guard. As we crossed back into the United States to catch our flights out of Seattle the Border Guard decided that a group of five adults in a rented mini van looked mighty suspicious. He asked us where we had visited while in Canada, and we told him Vancouver. He then prompted us to unlock the back of the van and proceeded to dig through our baggage. You could almost hear his smirk as he noted a bag my mother had purchased on Vancouver Island. "Just Vancouver?" He asked, with obvious interest.
"Well, we did go over to Vancouver Island too for the day." I responded.
He Smiled, and unzipped mom's bag. You could almost see his eyes light up with glee as he opened the brown Murchie's bag. "Ahha!" He pulled out that bag of tea as if he had already received the commendation for the biggest drug bust of the year. Imagine his surprise when he opened the bag to investigate and discovered all those lovely leaves were merely tea.
Now, none of this should have effected my mother's attitude toward tea and Canadian Border guards, but that lout had absolutely no respect for either the contents of that precious bag, or the people who had purchased them. Unknown to us, as we would assume you would take with other people's property, he just shoved the bag of tea back into mom's bag without even making an effort to close it back up. When mom got home her tea was all over her bag full of souvenirs. Coating everything in a fragrant layer of Earl Grey dust. Ever since, my mother has not been able to look at loose tea without a pang of regret and anger at The Man. Note to our Political Leaders: Don't be too careless with other people's property, you just might find yourself facing revolution.
I, on the other hand, am not so devoted to one type of Tea. My cabinet is filled with all sorts of flavors and provenances of tea, but I was more than happy to experience the wonders that awaited me in Vancouver's Tea Mecca. So mom and I excused ourselves from the company of male companions and drove on over to Murchie's. Mom wasted absolutely no time hunting down her Earl Grey, and waited breathlessly while the shop girl filled a plastic sack with shovel fulls of tea leaves, then carefully tied off the top of the bag with a simple little twist tie, and stuffed it all into a large brown paper bag with the Murchie's Tea logo in a subtle green print. I purchased a couple of samplers of traditional English Black Teas, and a sampler of fruit and vanilla flavored teas. We left the shop with a feeling of contentment, and achievement.
This story would have had a completely happy ending if it weren't for that pesky border guard. As we crossed back into the United States to catch our flights out of Seattle the Border Guard decided that a group of five adults in a rented mini van looked mighty suspicious. He asked us where we had visited while in Canada, and we told him Vancouver. He then prompted us to unlock the back of the van and proceeded to dig through our baggage. You could almost hear his smirk as he noted a bag my mother had purchased on Vancouver Island. "Just Vancouver?" He asked, with obvious interest.
"Well, we did go over to Vancouver Island too for the day." I responded.
He Smiled, and unzipped mom's bag. You could almost see his eyes light up with glee as he opened the brown Murchie's bag. "Ahha!" He pulled out that bag of tea as if he had already received the commendation for the biggest drug bust of the year. Imagine his surprise when he opened the bag to investigate and discovered all those lovely leaves were merely tea.
Now, none of this should have effected my mother's attitude toward tea and Canadian Border guards, but that lout had absolutely no respect for either the contents of that precious bag, or the people who had purchased them. Unknown to us, as we would assume you would take with other people's property, he just shoved the bag of tea back into mom's bag without even making an effort to close it back up. When mom got home her tea was all over her bag full of souvenirs. Coating everything in a fragrant layer of Earl Grey dust. Ever since, my mother has not been able to look at loose tea without a pang of regret and anger at The Man. Note to our Political Leaders: Don't be too careless with other people's property, you just might find yourself facing revolution.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Violence Aversions
I like to think I am an open minded person, and that I am honest with myself, but sometimes, I realize I am full of it. What brings on this sudden jaunt into self-examination you might ask? My stepson has requested a gift for his upcoming birthday that gives me an uneasy queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. He wants an Airsoft gun so he and his friends can go out in the fields and play war games in which they shoot each other with paint pellets while dressed up in fatigues and armed to the teeth with various weapons of destruction. Why should this make me queasy, you might ask? After all I am addicted to playing World of Warcraft, and I love watching action packed adventure movies filled with explosions and car chases! So what is this feeling of unease that creeps up on me anytime I see young children and adolescents begging for toy guns and video games full of war related action? Am I a complete and total hypocrite? In some cases, yeah, I think I am, but I have a justification. Games in which children learn to glorify war and the slaughter of other human beings eventually desensitize them to violence. They have no idea what war really looks like, what human bodies lying in battlefields in various stages of death means. War isn't glorious or glamorous, and it most certainly isn't fun. Just ask any one of our service people who has been forced to experience these things. There is a reason many of our veterans suffer from mental health issues and Post Traumatic Stress.
Why then do I play games like Warcraft? I think I justify it to myself because the story is one of Good versus Evil, and the lines are distinct. There is no distinctly obvious Good versus Evil in Human conflict (well, maybe that could be argued when dealing with psychopathic leaders who engage in genocidal policies). Either way, allowing children to begin to believe that devaluing human life simply because "they are the enemy" isn't good enough. So, no. I won't be buying my stepson an Airsoft Rifle with which he can engage in armed combat with his "enemies", but I will admit you will still be able to find me battling ogres and dragons in Azeroth.
Why then do I play games like Warcraft? I think I justify it to myself because the story is one of Good versus Evil, and the lines are distinct. There is no distinctly obvious Good versus Evil in Human conflict (well, maybe that could be argued when dealing with psychopathic leaders who engage in genocidal policies). Either way, allowing children to begin to believe that devaluing human life simply because "they are the enemy" isn't good enough. So, no. I won't be buying my stepson an Airsoft Rifle with which he can engage in armed combat with his "enemies", but I will admit you will still be able to find me battling ogres and dragons in Azeroth.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Waxing Sentimental
I spent about 40 minutes on the phone with my mother this morning. I have to admit the call was somewhat inspired by a post by a fellow blogger who had reviewed a company that offers bulk products direct from the growers or farmers. The only caveat to what would be an amazingly great program for any dollar crunching family is that the products are only sold in bulk (40 pounds at a time) and at limited community events. I didn't care, though, it sounded good to me. I am always looking for cheaper ways to provide my family with foods that are closer to nature than the stuff we commonly purchase through our grocery stores. But the sheer quantity that one has to purchase of a single food item is a bit intimidating.
This topic, of course, got Mom and I reminiscing about the "good old days" when Grandma would put up fruit and vegetables in the growing season so we could enjoy the deliciousness of food picked during the best seasons throughout winter and early spring. Canning, a lost art if you asked me. And possibly one we should consider reviving. Just think of how much we spend on products annually that we have NO IDEA of what they actually contain. It would take a degree in chemistry to actually understand the ingredients labels, and an additional one in BioChemistry to understand what those ingredients do to our bodies. Granted the initial expense of setting your kitchen up to Can is intimidating, but it got me thinking. We all have communities of friends, right? And we all have friends who eat, right? What if we were to take a hint from our granparents and work with our communities of friends and loved ones and invest in our families' future health together?
How fun would it be to get a group together to hit the farmer's markets and invest in bulk products, then have Canning Parties?! That way no one person would have to face the entire expense of buying all the ingredients and equipment by themselves, and several people could get together to share the actual work of cutting, prepping, sealing, and separating! I'm starting my group today! Let me know how your group gets going and what you are working on canning. I am thinking that I will probably start with some orange marmalade, cinammon apple sauce, and salsa...mmmm, salsa! Happy Canning!
This topic, of course, got Mom and I reminiscing about the "good old days" when Grandma would put up fruit and vegetables in the growing season so we could enjoy the deliciousness of food picked during the best seasons throughout winter and early spring. Canning, a lost art if you asked me. And possibly one we should consider reviving. Just think of how much we spend on products annually that we have NO IDEA of what they actually contain. It would take a degree in chemistry to actually understand the ingredients labels, and an additional one in BioChemistry to understand what those ingredients do to our bodies. Granted the initial expense of setting your kitchen up to Can is intimidating, but it got me thinking. We all have communities of friends, right? And we all have friends who eat, right? What if we were to take a hint from our granparents and work with our communities of friends and loved ones and invest in our families' future health together?
How fun would it be to get a group together to hit the farmer's markets and invest in bulk products, then have Canning Parties?! That way no one person would have to face the entire expense of buying all the ingredients and equipment by themselves, and several people could get together to share the actual work of cutting, prepping, sealing, and separating! I'm starting my group today! Let me know how your group gets going and what you are working on canning. I am thinking that I will probably start with some orange marmalade, cinammon apple sauce, and salsa...mmmm, salsa! Happy Canning!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Transitioning From Crib to Bed
As a first time mom, there are so many questions about when it is appropriate to do certain things. Currently I am facing the challenge of moving my daughter from her crib into a bed. I have read many contradictory views on when it is best to make this transition; anywhere from 18 months to 3 years! So, now it becomes a question of what are my needs as a parent, and is she still safe in her crib? My daughter is very tall for her age, so even though she is only 20 months she can put her little foot all the way up on the top of the crib rail. She is also a problem solver, so I am having waking nightmares (otherwise known as irrationally rational parental anxiety) about her stacking up her stuffed toys and blankets and rocketing herself right over the edge of her crib to land catastrophically on her noggin'. I will also be having surgery in a matter of months and will be unable to lift her in and out of her crib for 6 weeks during my recovery period. So. It's time, regardless of what the latest pop psychologists might be saying about leaving babies in their cribs until they are three.
That being said, any insights or comments on your own experiences with the transition from crib to bed would be greatly appreciated! I am going to need all the help I can get!
That being said, any insights or comments on your own experiences with the transition from crib to bed would be greatly appreciated! I am going to need all the help I can get!
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