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How was your week? Was it busy, rushed, and filled with forgettable moments slushing around in your momivan in the fresh snow? Or was it calm, relaxed, spent wiping your kids’ noses, and calibrating how much longer this cold could conceivably survive? 1) It was a blend of both for me. I showered today, flossed, and tweezed my eyebrows while my sister played with the kids. So that was incredibly humanizing. She’s a saint and bought a new house in the neighborhood so we’re in full-scrubbing-and-cleaning mode. The kids are devastated she won’t be bunked up with us anymore but really excited for sleepovers and afternoons of Sudoku (the newest craze) over there. 2) AA has been in litigation which means I urge him to stay at the office til 9 or 10 so he can just pound out these briefs and he does, though he doesn’t like to miss bedtime and seeing the kids, and I make breakfast for dinner for the kids. I’m familiar with AA’s work; I can harken back to my lawyering days and remember that burning taste of stress in the back of your mouth when the deadlines are hard and recalcitrant. I’m so grateful it’s him and not me going through that heavy press of practicing law. 3) I’m on my own for long days and usually it’s ok but today I kinda ran out of tricks by 1:45 in the afternoon. We had already visited Dada at the office (well, he runs down to…
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Did he just eat that? Did he just say that? Why is he making that face while he’s apologizing? Does that negate the apology? Should I ask him to do it again? When he urges his toddler brother to hit his preschooler sister with a carabiner, should I not only confiscate the weapon but ban all other of said weapons as punishment? When his follow-up is that he doesn’t care about them anyway, do I confiscate all paper airplanes, legos, and Jim Weiss cds or is that overkill. Just the cds? How do I make the impression that I’m serious beyond shouting or frowning? Those don’t seem to be making the desired impact. Try quiet volcanic rage? Try ignoring? When he says that he already went to the bathroom but he didn’t, and I know he didn’t, and he knows I know he didn’t, do I stand outside the bathroom door to make sure I hear him actually go this time, or is that just really draconian? When he literally cannot sit still but doesn’t want to join me in a funky kitchen dance party because apparently I’m borderline not cool anymore (??!!??), do I make him run laps up the back stairs, then down the front, or put on his winter gear and explore the backyard? What about when he is so antsy-in-the-pantsy but pretends to be “simply exhausted”? Forced fun never hurt anyone, right? Will he ever not love the Hardy Boys? Will he ever choose a career…
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I’ve been thinking a lot about Thanksgiving and what it means. It helps that I have kids old enough to ask questions about it. Pilgrims, Native American Indians, turkeys, friends and family we are grateful for . . . Minnesota finally embracing the winter after a unseasonably warm fall. And then I think about my husband and what I’m thankful for with him. Not what he doesn’t do quite right. Not what I wish he would think of. Not what I wish he would remember. Not that I want him to follow my instructions regarding the kids’ getting dressed to a T. Not that these days we’re just hanging on to dear life with serious 18 month sleep regression (well, he only ever slept well for about 2 months after we stopped cosleeping, so let’s be honest–survival has been a bit of a way of life). Not just that all I want in life is dessert and have to battle my sugar deep deep wants. My conscious three steps for showing my gratitude: 1) Instead of asking him to do something for me, asking if I can do something for him. I get lazy quickly. It’s a habit from three pregnancies riddled with throwing up the whole time. I ask the people around me to “just grab me quick” something or “run downstairs and get me” something else. I have to fight that habit. So instead of asking him to get me something to drink at night, I hoist out…
Read MoreJulie put out the call for interested writers to share about their homes, and I couldn’t resist jumping on board. My journey to our home actually started in our home as it’s the home I grew up in. As a little girl, the fourth of five kids, I remember thinking that I never wanted to live anywhere else, that this was the safest and most beautiful place on earth. As I grew up, that fervor cooled and I enjoyed living in Minneapolis for college, Ann Arbor for law school, and Las Vegas for a federal clerkship. But it came back as my fiancé and I discussed where we would sit for the Bar, and where we wanted to raise our kids. I was pregnant with our first when we bought the house from my parents, and when we moved in, I was largely pregnant with little extra energy to do much nesting or settling in, or making it our own. That process has taken now almost 6 years. Slowly but surely, wallpaper removed here, painting done there, a new light fixture in this room, and this room and this room, a new chair, a few new beds. As a grownup, I still feel the comfort of safety in the house. Despite being old (101!) and large and dark at night, I can still make my way around in the absolute pitch dark, knowing all the creaks in the floorboards and all the funny noises that emanate from the furnace room…
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I cannot help myself. I buy knit fabric every chance I get. If only I had enough time to sew everything I wanted to! I will die with war chests of fabric in the attic! But I do have purpose with these knits I got because it’s time for your holiday custom sized kiddo leggings: FABRICS ARE IN! Run over and grab what you want if you want it now. I do them custom made, according to the sizes desired: 0-6, 6-12, 12-18, 18-24, 2T, 3T, 4T. My subscribers have already gotten their early bird discount and snagged the legging fabric they wanted to custom order for their littles! If you’re not on that list and want one more chance to get the fabric at a discount before it’s available to everyone, hop here. I’ll run an auction style sale on Instagram on Cyber Monday, November 30, with assurances people will receive their packages well in advance of Christmas! I buy limited quantities of each fabric so when it goes, it’s gone! I hate the sad emails and notes I receive about people missing out on their chance so line up, or order now! Also in the shop, four new fabrics in gift sets of contour cloths & bandit bibs. Run on over. All one-of-a-kind! Holidays with your kids in my leggings and bibs and burp cloths and caps make me oh so happy. Thank you for supporting this mama artisan shoppe! Love love love, Nell
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