Friday, January 28, 2011

this moment

Inspired by SouleMama:

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Be My Valentine

I am not a big fan of Valentine's Day.  I never have been.  To me, it's always felt like a day of obligation.  I prefer flowers from my love on a random day or a treat he picked up on the way home from work to remind me "how sweet our love is" (go ahead, say it together....awwww!)

That being said, there is one event that takes place in Lincoln that I have been looking forward to since it ended last year.  That event is Love On The Run


Love On The Run is put on by Porridge Papers, a local papermill and letterpress studio in Lincoln, NE.  They have amazing work.  I keep trying to think of an event that would justify me spending the money to get some custom letterpress invitations.  But...the great thing about Love On The Run is....it's free! 

It's pretty amazing what they do.  They have a few old, vintage typewriters set up with lots of cute pink paper.  Plenty of help is available to teach you how to use the typewriter.  Then you can type up as many messages as you desire! (EDIT: Attendance is so large that you are now limited to one note per person....make it count!)  Once your message is typed up it is placed inside a little bottle (at least that's what they have done in years past) and you tell them where you would like the message to be delivered.  On February 14 tons of little love notes will be delivered all over Lincoln!  Think of how surprised your girlfriend, husband or co-worker will be to receive a sweet little note typed with a vintage typewriter and delivered to their workplace or their home!

In the past I have written notes for my husband.  We don't like to spend money for Valentine's Day, so this is a cute way to show him that I'm thinking of him without spending a dime.  Two years ago I decided to write a note for a co-worker whose husband was going to be gone for Valentine's Day.  I wanted her to know she was loved!  My mistake was in not marking the notes BEFORE I placed them in their bottles.  The result was that she ended up with the note that I wrote for my husband. I was mortified, mostly because I had put some pretty steamy stuff in my husband's note.  When she received it she thought it was sort of strange but assumed I was trying to do a Song of Solomon thing and wrote her a love note from God.  I called to explain that the notes had been mixed up and she couldn't stop laughing.  I was relieved she found such humor in the situation.

Anyways, if you think Valentine's Day is super cheesy or you are the type of person that loves to get extravagant gifts, go to Porridge Papers and bring some ideas for your love notes!

Just be sure to mark your notes so that you can distinguish a note for your friend from a note for your beloved ;)

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Monday, January 24, 2011

The Beard

Love this.   My 3 year old refers to Sam Beam as "the beard".  I think it's fitting.

this moment

Inspired by SouleMama:

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.
p.s. I realize it's Monday.  We have been dealing with sickness here since Thursday so I'm a little late. 

Thursday, January 20, 2011

...and then I laughed

Today was one of those days.  The kind that makes you want to hide under your covers until tomorrow.  The the kind that obligates you to lock yourself in the bathroom so you can have just 5 seconds to yourself.  The kind that overcomes you and forces you to sit in the middle of the kitchen floor and cry your heart out.

Yup, it was one of those days.

The girls took turns having their difficult times.  Joe wasn't feeling well...and I wasn't feeling well. I feel as if I have hardly seen my husband this week, with both of us working now.  I was losing patience, fast.  Z was making me so frustrated and I found myself ready to just quit.

Instead, I gave in.  I stopped worrying about controlling when my daughters sleep (or don't sleep), when they listen to me and do "exactly as I say".  And I played.  And I laughed.  And it was great. 

Joe and I are reevaluating the way we approach discipline.  We decided pretty early on we were not going to spank our children.  There are lots of reasons behind this decision that I won't get into here.  But we are taking it farther.  We want to be very intentional with our parenting.

I've been reading up a lot on gentle discipline.  Here is what one blog had to say:
"Gentle discipline follows directly from the core ideas of attachment parenting. We seek to guide our children in a way that strengthens the parent-child bond, fostering connection rather than disconnection, relationship rather than opposition. We probe for the need that our child is trying to meet through the problematic behavior, and help him meet it in positive ways. We empathize with his feelings and respect his point of view, taking both into account as we look for a solution. Gentle discipline seeks to build a parent-child team for solving problems and moving forward together."  (from Peaceful Parenting)
I have found that when I try to listen to what my child is trying to say through her actions rather that just react I have a much easier time solving the problem.  If, however, I simply react, the situation usually escalates and gets out of control.  I have to admit, when I'm tired and impatient, it's much, much easier to react.  I have to humble myself and realize that the goal in my parenting isn't to control my children.  And if I take the time to listen the situation has a much better outcome.

So, today began as one of those days in which I simply react.  But then I took a step back and remembered that I need to be intentional.  That one decision changed my entire mood.  I was able to play and laugh with my daughter and not worry so much about what she was doing wrong, but be in awe of what she was doing.

Even though the day turned around, I asked my lovely husband to go to the store for me.  He's returning with this:


I may or may not share :)

Monday, January 17, 2011

Life with Two

"So how is life with two kids now?"


I've been getting that question a lot lately.  I wish I had adequate words for my response each time this question is asked, but honestly?  The answer is different every time.  One day my reply could be, "It's great!  We are having so much fun!" and yet another day, "Insane.  Exhausting.  Lonely...".  Life with two is different, crazy, wonderful and unpredictable.  The following is a list of things that I didn't know before the birth of my 2nd child.

I didn't know that....
  • my life would change dramatically, even more than when I had my 1st child
  • I would forget almost everything about the infant stage...yet fall into caring for an infant very easily...the anxiety and worry that existed when my 1st was an infant would not be present
  • my heart would expand and grow in ways I didn't know were possible
  • my parenting style would change [i.e. we went from "babywise" to bed sharing :)]
  • I would be more tired and would take much, much longer to recover than I expected
  • even though I've done this all before, I would doubt myself and my ability to make it through one.single.day
  • breastfeeding would be much easier the 2nd time around
  • I would breastfeed in public...without a cover...and not be nervous
  • I would have absolutely no time to myself
  • I would have absolutely no time with my husband
  • my oldest would suddenly look like a giant 
  • my heart would melt when my oldest would hug & kiss her "weetle sister"
  • I would fall in love with my husband all over again
  • I would mourn my oldest growing older
  • at times I would feel more alone than I ever have
  • at other times I would feel more love than I ever have
  • moms with one child would approach me in public and ask "How do you do it?" and I would say "I don't know...I just do"
  • the reason I wouldn't take as many pictures of my 2nd as I did of my 1st is because I just wouldn't have the time
  • my life is more full, more stressful yet more beautiful because I have two

Friday, January 14, 2011

this moment

Inspired by SouleMama:

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Poetry Saturdays

















I was inspired today by a podcast by Scott Cairns. He is a teacher and a writer. His poetry really strikes a chord with me. He introduced another poet, Liliana Ursu, who had some great stuff as well. Anyway, all that to say, I need to write more. So I'm proposing one poem every Saturday until I get tired of doing it or the year ends, or both! Ha! Speaking of getting tired. I think it's time to go get some rest.

Poem #1: A Poem for January 8th

Our aches and pains will help us kneel
In the place where love will meet
With broken hearts unmended
Gaping wounds unattended

Like old, ugly Christmas sweaters
With holes worn through by mice

I felt the ice
Creeping in
Through the throbbing in my head

I wintered on this couch
Half asleep all day,
Woke to find the sun was out
But had no words to say

I long for purity
But purity
Does not fit well on me

And I have smelled Your smoke,
From the fire lit in me

It burns, though cinders fizzle out
So easily these days

To desire one thing,
To want Thee, only Thee
Not the answer to the question
Not the cure for all the pain
But, O Thou art elusive like the clouds after the rain


ps. Another part of this poetry Saturday thing--just to keep it interesting--is that I will be featuring pictures taken by my 3-year-old daughter. The one in this post is a fave!