7qts
Hi friends! Linking up with Kelly & crew. I feel like I’ve been so absent from my lil blog lately and it’s mostly been because of the wonderful weekend retreat we hosted for the Blessed is She team, but also a little because getting into the groove of having a first grader and part-time preschooler means I’m living in my car. People always talked about being a mom meant living in your car. I had no idea what they meant. 1// My car has bug spray, raisins, wipes, water bottles, a variety of Jim Weiss cds, and a handful of changes of clothing. And these are the items I actually have planned to have in there. Remnants of all of them are scattered and dug into the upholstery. First grade is awesome! SuperBoy loves it so much. I’m getting accustomed to not worrying about what he’s doing and just cherish that he is enjoying himself, learning, and making new friends. A handful of hours a week of nature prek has been a dream for our lil SweetPea! I was (of course, really? yes, of course) more nervous than she was as she watched her big bro go through it all last year. She never says goodbye, she tells me to leave her at the classroom door, and she can’t contain her joy when we pick her up because she got really, really muddy. She’s doing Catechesis too and her favorite part? Playing with lentils because “they’re like dog food.” There you…
Read MoreIt’s still the weekend, right?? I’m not too late to link up with the awesome Kelly and her 7 Quick Takes, am I? Kel, say it’s okay to be late, please. //1// I’m fresh off the plane from NYC where my little lady and I were on baby watch for my sister’s third who should arrive any second. And yes, I woke up every night, middle of the night, to check and see if she or her husband had texted me from upstairs. They continued to insist they wouldn’t text but would come wake me up, but still. No baby on my watch but lots of laundry & prep & late night talks. The trip was a blast and a billion and made our last #sistermoon where we were lazy louts on the beach. I got to watch my daughter relate to her two girl cousins (one 7 months older, one two years younger) and all the lessons one learns when one tries to insist things go one’s way most of the time (used to brothers who either obey or tune her out). She loved every minute, even when she was kicking people on her way to the trampoline. We also got to spend a lot of time at my sister’s shop, Brooklyn Herborium, and watch the process of handmade organic skincare up close! //2// I’ll be chatting with THE Jen Fulwiler on her radio, Tuesday around 2:30CST. I’m sure we’ll gab about a few things, but most notably the…
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I love relaxing. I love thinking about it, planning it, dreaming it, but I don’t actually love doing it. In part because I’m constantly thwarted from pursing my side projects by the actual task of tending to and loving up and chastising my offspring. But in other part because I really want to do when I can. So if the moment arises to relax, I will probably huddle over my sewing machine or computer to write & edit instead. I know tomes are composed about the art of relaxation. I haven’t read any of them. But what I do know is that mamas need quick ways to rest and relax because you never know when the call will come from said offspring from the bowels of the bathroom MAMA I MADE A POOPY and off you go to the races again. Linking with Kelly and her better & cleverer writing friends! 1) Close your eyes and say I think I can I think I can. Just that little pep talk. It’s like attending a conference with motivational speakers without going anywhere. 2) Do you like your robe & slippers?? I finally landed on a combo I live in. Don’t judge. To have something you can retreat inside like a nuclear fall out shelter is pretty amazing. If you don’t like yours, keep looking. AA gave me a cotton robe similar to this for Christmas last year and Molly gave me these slippers. But I also love this robe. And these slippies. 3)…
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Oh you know, typical mom confession time over here. It’s been a wonderful fall and I’m sure winter is peeking around the corner, waiting to dump a ton of snow on us so I’ve been taking stock of what’s worked and what hasn’t and how I can improve and all that stuff. When I was out of town last weekend, I picked up a copy of Gretchen Rubin’s Happier at Home. I’ve already read the Happiness Project, which I loved, so I figured this one would be a jumpstart for my soon to be given up New Year’s Resolutions. But no! it really had such great ideas about improving areas of your home life. And it got me to thinking. What have I given up on as a mom since having three kids? And am I ashamed? Many things. And nope. Christy’s post about bloggers being just bloggers and missing that got me to thinking, I’d better share this #momfession because three or four people might identify. 1) Tidy house When I just let it go and tidy after the kids are down for the night, or have them help me after we eat and before AA comes home, it’s so much easier. Otherwise I’m in a constant mental panic about each room we’ve trashed that day and how if I don’t get to it then someone else in the house is going to tidy it and be annoyed with me (intergenerational living first world problems). And I think my kids…
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This past week, I actually had an in-real-life moment that mirrored what I’m always encouraging other moms not to get worked up about little kids are just like this, right? At moms’ group, my daughter had a complete screaming fit while grabbing ahold of me, in front of everyone, while I was taking notes on the white board. I love cheering and encouraging the young mom on. I’m often thinking about the problems we face, and blabbing about it on Facebook. Or snapping a really real pic of my house’s messes and screaming kids for instagram just to say, hey, it’s okay, we are all in this hard time together. I had to cheer myself on a little bit. Because every now and then, be it at swim class or at mom’s group, or anywhere that isn’t in her comfort zone, my three and a half year old SweetPea can really lose her s*&t. And so it happened the other day. I was embarrassed, a little. I was kinda glad it was my kid and not someone else’s because I wasn’t that embarrassed. Maybe I should have been. I scanned the crowd and figured the ladies with older kids thought that looks familiar and the ladies with younger kids probably thought what the heck is her problem and why isn’t Nell doing something about it. Buckle up for a long narrative. Ready? Here’s my overwritten version of the aforementioned meltdown. 1) It was going to be a busy day. A busy, driving around, balancing boxes of napkins…
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Burnout doesn’t discriminate. You have one child or twenty. You work or you stay home. You are a single parent, you have a partner. Every mom I’ve ever asked has confirmed: she’s experienced burnout. The funny thing is that not only does burnout look different for different people, but we cope with the experience and find our way out of it differently. Last fall I was so burnt to a crunchy crisp of a brussel sprout roasting in the oven after too many commitments. Only after I faced my overcommitting tendency was I able to really look and see, yes, I was burning up & out, but yes, I also can pull back. I also can feed my kids whipping cream for breakfast. How I’ve pulled myself back this time, and I’m writing it down so I can remember it the next time it ratchets up. 1) See the burnout, look at it, acknowledge it. Naming it is half the battle. And no shame here. It’s okay to say parenting small children, and heck, older children, is hard. That doesn’t make you a weak parent. It doesn’t make you a less-than parent. It doesn’t mean your children “won” and you “lost.” It means you’re experiencing something very normal that most of us go through. All of us, really. 2) Stay hydrated and respect the hormones. I never am hydrated enough. Especially as I am nursing. Water helps everything. It also helps stabilize your appetite and mood. Drink up. Maybe infuse it. Contemplating buying…
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