Linking Up
Do you know Kendra from Catholic All Year? She’s so electronically lovely (I can only say this because I’m still just an electronic friend). Her blog is inspirational, funny, and great. Her weekly link up of “Answer Me This” is a great virtual cocktail party Sunday nights. Or mornings. Depending on how badly the children were at church. SuperBoy (4) has morphed from perfect altar boy wannabe to monster and SweetPea (2) has always been devilish. Without further ado / / / / / / 1. How did you get your name? I love my name story because it’s a little wild. Wild for me, that is. I was baptized Ellen O’Leary, but as things would flesh out, my parents named me Ellen to call me Nell. Because Nell isn’t a real Catholic name. It’s a nick name. But Ellen O’Leary was a great aunt on my dad’s side, I think. And my folks loved the name. Because we’re 75% Irish but look all of our 10% Dutch. It took years for me to figure out my name was really Ellen. Probably until I was in kindergarden and then had to correct teachers the first day of school for the next 13 years, oh, yes, and substitute teachers all the time. After consulting with my parents’ feelings, I legally changed my name to Nell upon high school graduation. To forgo the awkwardness in college and future life. 2. Do you have a set time for prayer in your day? Oh…
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Hey there and welcome to Currently, where we talk about what we are Currently up to and also let you share your own through the link-up below. We’d love for you to join us and add a link to your own Currently post! It’s a great way to make new friends and build community. Thinking about: I’m at the end of my third pregnancy and I’m contemplating how different my life is with children–things like not worrying or caring about shopping for cute clothing {for me, that is}, staying current on great bands, or even seeing feature films. My brother called me the other night from a Red Box movie rental spot and was quizzing me on what he should rent for date night with his wife. I hadn’t seen a single one of the films he listed! Maybe I had heard of them?? Parenting means you can step across the threshold into this different world, and then live in that bubble. Staying at home for me means the bubble stays even smaller. Thinking about what I want to still access from outside the bubble (movies? certainly music!) and what I can just let go of (fashion?! I went through my pre-baby dress wardrobe a while back–so many unworn lovelies!). Reading: Despite being an English major and an avid, even voracious, reader my whole life, lately I’ve either been reading journalistic accounts of sociological studies, self-help books, homeschooling curriculums, or cook books. The classics are dusty around here. I did…
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I just love Gabby over at Design Mom. Who doesn’t? She’s a great writer, manages a big household with lots of kiddos, and shares her eye for beauty and design with the rest of us. Her series on Living with Kids is one of my favorites and a while back I contacted her timidly, seeing if she’d be interested in including us in her series. She has been gracious, kind, and everything lovely about the process, despite my ineptitude at getting her photos that were the right size–for a very long time. Without further ado . . . our crazy commune: Come see Whole Parenting Family at Design Mom! And no, baby is not here yet. I’m regaining my zen after our false fluid leakage. Full story coming, promise!
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— 1 — Jen’s lovely book (Something Other Than God) arrives in my mailbox TODAY! Yes, I am excited to read it because yes, I find an atheist’s conversion to Catholicism fascinating. And I love reading her blog, so there you have it. It will keep me great company in the last week of pregnancy. And watching her video preview, watching 33 authors and writers do little bits (some of whom I know) was really touching. Call it pregnancy, but I got misty eyed. Check it for yourselves here on youtube. — 2 — This interminable pregnancy waxes on at 39 weeks yesterday. But you know what? I’m glad he’s still in there, getting all the fat, brain development, and lung work babies need at the end. Would I rather not carry around a watermelon? Would I like to just get it all over with and meet him already? Would I rather not wonder every night before I finally fall asleep if this is the night my water breaks? Would I rather AA know when he’s coming so he can plan and cope with all the craziness of work? Yes, yes, yes, blah blah. But as is my plan with this birth, I’m focused on being present in love, not enduring. That means being present to this full term pregnancy. Not anticipating his arrival (though I SWORE he was coming early by the feel of things!), not bemoaning he’s not here yet. I’m confident he’ll come when he should, and when he’s…
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— 1 — Sleepless life. That’s what 36 weeks of pregnancy has given me. I’m a total insomniac. Leg cramps & stocking up– elevate your legs. Heartburn–keep your chest upright. I need one of those trapeze artists’ bars so my body can both be up and down and down and up at the same time. Because you all love to hear about pregnancy woes, I’m going to regale you with seven things to do when you can’t sleep. Right about . . . . now. Number 1 is obviously scratch out some blog posts. And read some of your favs. Did you ever know how Cup of Jo started? Interesantes. Or how Kendra’s day looks? Or how Lindsay’s two year old is so stinking cute. (Now that SweetPea is 2 and one day, she’s looking more and more like a big girl.) Or what kind of donuts you could be baking? Don’t think I didn’t do some zullily shopping and get a donut baking sheet. You tell me. — 2 — Shop for King Sized duvet cover & bedskirt. Let’s be honest. I love to sew. But not things my household actually needs. Remember that I sewed about a dozen little girl skirts? And I’m having a boy? Oh, yes. Back to my sewing list of things for the household. I won’t tell you how many items are in the mending pile. You either won’t believe me or you’ll think I’m even more horrible than you already think I am.…
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— 1 — It’s Friday. You know the drill. Share what you’ve done & learned & endured during the week with Jen and her lovelies. I wish I had something very profound to share insofar as life revelations, but really it’s been a stay-alive-kind-of-week. My to-do list with baby coming in a matter of weeks (whoa, I’m only 34 weeks pregnant–am I jinxing myself?) keeps growing. I mean, I do things on it, and then find other things that also desperately quickly nowly must be done. I wrote this week about how I came to terms with pausing my lawyerly jig and staying at home. I blah lablah personal for a while but include my list of questions to ask if you’re in the boat of contemplation, either on staying home, or going back to work. No easy answers, and I really believe that mostly people just gotta do what they gotta do and the devil take the hindmost (or the judgers). — 2 — Did you see that Jen in including a wonderful e-book about how she operates her family as a bonus for pre-ordering her book, Something Other Than God? Don’t think I didn’t order it yesterday. Because I did. Happy birthday in a few weeks to me. And me! (does anyone else remember the “very merry unbirthday” song from Alice in Wonderland? I am always tempted to shout an additional “and ME!” Narcissism lives on here.) Part of why I want to buy (and did) is because she’s a very…
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