Most of the time I look at my girls and think time is going by too quickly. Don't get me wrong - we have those days that seem like they will never end when every little thing is tantrum-worthy. But in general, I feel like they are getting so big, and though I'm excited about each new accomplishment, I'm not ready to relinquish them to the next stage when it comes. Yesterday was the first time I thought about them being older. Much older.
Yesterday was October 10, 2010 - 10/10/10. The last ten years we've all noted that there's been a date with all the same numbers for the month, date and year. Yesterday it occurred to me that there are only two years with dates like that left in my lifetime. And more to the point, in my girls' lifetimes. I was startled to make that realization. I mentioned it to S since she's old enough to understand a little bit. It's likely that in a couple of years she really will be able to remember 12/12/12 when it happens. But Baby R probably won't. Unless they live to be over 100 years old.
Once that thought entered my mind, it was as though I watched their lives unfold before me in a blink of an eye. I pictured them white-haired, wrinkled, sitting on rocking chairs. They had families and grandbabies and had lived long full lives. And I was happy for them in that instant.
In a snap I was back to the present and feeling somewhat wistful that I won't be able to witness that imagined life. Just another of many times I'm reminded to soak up each second I have with them since it will be over before I know it. So thankful to have these precious girls while I do!
Photo courtesy of R. Peters Photography, http://www.rebeccapetersblog.com/
Monday, October 11, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
NOTES {by redletter design studio}
Exquisite. Original. Classy. And at the same time, cute and fun.
Wednesday I had lunch with my dear friend, Stephanie, who is all those things and more. We were discussing the usual topics - work, hubbies, family, struggles, joys. She's been really supportive of my dive into the blogging world and given me a lot of great feedback. She just launched an Etsy store and has had a wonderful response - 100 fans on Facebook within a couple of weeks. (You will want to be one, too, after seeing the images below, so click here.) I have been telling her she should start a blog of her own as another PR source. She's a little busy filling orders, so in the meantime, I told her I'd love to do a product review on my blog.
This is my first foray into official review-writing, so I want to start by saying that I take a firm stance on only promoting products I truly believe are of the highest quality, and that I, myself, own and use. I have known Stephanie for over 10 years; she is not only a gifted designer, but also has a strong work ethic and solid morals, meaning I trust her and her products. So without further ado....NOTES {by redletter design studio}!
Those adjectives listed at the top of this post? They also apply to redletter's NOTES. From invitations to thank you cards to art prints, NOTES offers stationery items to suit any need.
American Girl dolls are all the rage, in part because of the ability of kids to craft one-of-a-kind toys that can be exactly like them. The Looks Like Me line by NOTES takes this to another dimension. Kids can select their physical features, outfits and font.
Another item I love is the gift cards. Have you ever gone to a birthday party and several of the cards are the same one? It's inevitable in the traditional markets to find overlapping products. NOTES gift cards are unique and memorable.
Christmas is just around the corner (can you believe it?), and NOTES has beautiful personalized cards.
Even though email and texting are the most common way to communicate these days, who doesn't love getting snail mail? I always flip past the bills and junk mail to see if I got any actual letters and open those first, don't you? The Bird Family Note Pad is perfect for jotting a quick letter to drop in the mail, or just using for shopping and to do lists around the house.
Finally, whether you are fan of old-fashioned correspondence or not, we all have some envelopes that must be sent for bills that can't be paid online or birthday cards that go to Grandma who hasn't embraced computer technology. And there's nothing more humdrum than writing out your address repeatedly. Whoever thought of address labels was a genius! NOTES takes that basic invention and adds flair. My favorites are the monogrammed ones.
I could go on and on about all the products, but check out the Etsy shop for yourselves! And if you love it, like I think you will, grab the button from my sidebar.
Wednesday I had lunch with my dear friend, Stephanie, who is all those things and more. We were discussing the usual topics - work, hubbies, family, struggles, joys. She's been really supportive of my dive into the blogging world and given me a lot of great feedback. She just launched an Etsy store and has had a wonderful response - 100 fans on Facebook within a couple of weeks. (You will want to be one, too, after seeing the images below, so click here.) I have been telling her she should start a blog of her own as another PR source. She's a little busy filling orders, so in the meantime, I told her I'd love to do a product review on my blog.
This is my first foray into official review-writing, so I want to start by saying that I take a firm stance on only promoting products I truly believe are of the highest quality, and that I, myself, own and use. I have known Stephanie for over 10 years; she is not only a gifted designer, but also has a strong work ethic and solid morals, meaning I trust her and her products. So without further ado....NOTES {by redletter design studio}!
Those adjectives listed at the top of this post? They also apply to redletter's NOTES. From invitations to thank you cards to art prints, NOTES offers stationery items to suit any need.
American Girl dolls are all the rage, in part because of the ability of kids to craft one-of-a-kind toys that can be exactly like them. The Looks Like Me line by NOTES takes this to another dimension. Kids can select their physical features, outfits and font.
Another item I love is the gift cards. Have you ever gone to a birthday party and several of the cards are the same one? It's inevitable in the traditional markets to find overlapping products. NOTES gift cards are unique and memorable.
Christmas is just around the corner (can you believe it?), and NOTES has beautiful personalized cards.
Even though email and texting are the most common way to communicate these days, who doesn't love getting snail mail? I always flip past the bills and junk mail to see if I got any actual letters and open those first, don't you? The Bird Family Note Pad is perfect for jotting a quick letter to drop in the mail, or just using for shopping and to do lists around the house.
Finally, whether you are fan of old-fashioned correspondence or not, we all have some envelopes that must be sent for bills that can't be paid online or birthday cards that go to Grandma who hasn't embraced computer technology. And there's nothing more humdrum than writing out your address repeatedly. Whoever thought of address labels was a genius! NOTES takes that basic invention and adds flair. My favorites are the monogrammed ones.
I could go on and on about all the products, but check out the Etsy shop for yourselves! And if you love it, like I think you will, grab the button from my sidebar.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Is Our Kid Weird? No, Really....
Our daughter, S, is three years old. I find her brilliant, funny and loving. Of course, I talk about her all the time. (Yes, I'm one of those annoying moms with yet another anecdote every morning for my co-workers. They wait on the edge of their seats for me to walk in so they can hear them, I know.)
Here are some recent ones:
S was muttering something under her breath, so I asked her to repeat what she'd said, and she told me she was just talking to herself. I suppose that's something we learn to do eventually, though I think it was more a choice on her part than absent-mindedness. :)
A couple of weeks ago I switched out my purse to a brown one for fall, and when I got out my keys, S said, "Mommy! That bag is soooo cute!" I told her thank you, and she said, "When I get bigger, I can have your bag. And your keys." It's good to have goals.
Apparently she has some that take the keys to the next level. The car itself. The other day I picked S up from my parents' house after work, and she climbed into the front seat and pretended to drive while I talked to my mom. Mom said, "Hey! I didn't know you got your driver's license already!" S gave her a bit of a quizzical look, and I shooed her into the back to get in her car seat so we could meet one of her friends at Chick-Fil-A for a playdate. After the kids ate, they were in the playplace and S got into the cow car. She banged on the window to get my attention and yelled, "Hey, Mom! I'm gettin' my driver's license!" Then she climbed down and pretended to hand it to me to hold for her while she went to play on the slide.
Of course, some of the funniest things kids do is parrot us. When my dad would start to get frustrated with us when we were kids, he would say, "You're pushing your luck." That was always the yellow light that told us to proceed with caution. Now I sometimes hear S say it, and I do my best not to smile because I know exactly where she got it from.
She's also taken to saying, "Sure, sure." I didn't really get it for awhile, and then one day it dawned on my that I say that all. the. time! "Could you pick up the girls earlier Wednesday?" "Oh, sure, sure." "Does that make sense?" "Sure, sure." I had no idea it was a catch phrase of mine.
Occasionally S does something weird, and I just laugh it off, "Kids! They do the weirdest things!" But then I recount the tale to others, and they give an awkward laugh or squirm in their seat or have a slightly puzzled look on their faces, and I think, "It's just because she's smart for her age. They don't understand," or something.
For example, yesterday I was telling a co-worker the following story. I have been trying to teach S things like DH's and my first and last names as well as what street we live on in case, God forbid, she gets lost. So Tuesday on the way home from preschool, she asked me what street the preschool was on. I told her, and then I asked her what street she lived on.
S: "Tangtong Street." (See Kiddos.)
Me: "You do? Hmmm, that's interesting. I thought we lived on A--- Road."
S: "Yeah, you and Daddy and Baby R live there. But I don't."
Me: "What? Why don't you live with us?"
S: "Well, I will, but right now I need to stay with Tangtong."
Me: "I see. Well, I wish you lived with us. I will miss you."
S: "I know. But it's not too far."
I thought this was an amusing interaction. But after I finished telling about it, my co-worker gave me one of those reactions, so I said something about kids being weird. Then I thought, hmmm maybe she really is weird? I mean, not in the standard everybody's-a-little-weird kind of way. Do other 3-year-olds imagine they live away from their families like it's not a big deal? Anyone else have a weird kid story?
Here are some recent ones:
S was muttering something under her breath, so I asked her to repeat what she'd said, and she told me she was just talking to herself. I suppose that's something we learn to do eventually, though I think it was more a choice on her part than absent-mindedness. :)
A couple of weeks ago I switched out my purse to a brown one for fall, and when I got out my keys, S said, "Mommy! That bag is soooo cute!" I told her thank you, and she said, "When I get bigger, I can have your bag. And your keys." It's good to have goals.
Apparently she has some that take the keys to the next level. The car itself. The other day I picked S up from my parents' house after work, and she climbed into the front seat and pretended to drive while I talked to my mom. Mom said, "Hey! I didn't know you got your driver's license already!" S gave her a bit of a quizzical look, and I shooed her into the back to get in her car seat so we could meet one of her friends at Chick-Fil-A for a playdate. After the kids ate, they were in the playplace and S got into the cow car. She banged on the window to get my attention and yelled, "Hey, Mom! I'm gettin' my driver's license!" Then she climbed down and pretended to hand it to me to hold for her while she went to play on the slide.
Of course, some of the funniest things kids do is parrot us. When my dad would start to get frustrated with us when we were kids, he would say, "You're pushing your luck." That was always the yellow light that told us to proceed with caution. Now I sometimes hear S say it, and I do my best not to smile because I know exactly where she got it from.
She's also taken to saying, "Sure, sure." I didn't really get it for awhile, and then one day it dawned on my that I say that all. the. time! "Could you pick up the girls earlier Wednesday?" "Oh, sure, sure." "Does that make sense?" "Sure, sure." I had no idea it was a catch phrase of mine.
Occasionally S does something weird, and I just laugh it off, "Kids! They do the weirdest things!" But then I recount the tale to others, and they give an awkward laugh or squirm in their seat or have a slightly puzzled look on their faces, and I think, "It's just because she's smart for her age. They don't understand," or something.
For example, yesterday I was telling a co-worker the following story. I have been trying to teach S things like DH's and my first and last names as well as what street we live on in case, God forbid, she gets lost. So Tuesday on the way home from preschool, she asked me what street the preschool was on. I told her, and then I asked her what street she lived on.
S: "Tangtong Street." (See Kiddos.)
Me: "You do? Hmmm, that's interesting. I thought we lived on A--- Road."
S: "Yeah, you and Daddy and Baby R live there. But I don't."
Me: "What? Why don't you live with us?"
S: "Well, I will, but right now I need to stay with Tangtong."
Me: "I see. Well, I wish you lived with us. I will miss you."
S: "I know. But it's not too far."
I thought this was an amusing interaction. But after I finished telling about it, my co-worker gave me one of those reactions, so I said something about kids being weird. Then I thought, hmmm maybe she really is weird? I mean, not in the standard everybody's-a-little-weird kind of way. Do other 3-year-olds imagine they live away from their families like it's not a big deal? Anyone else have a weird kid story?
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
B2S/B2B Assignment 4: Important Bloggers in my Blogging Life
As a newly publicized blogger, I don't have a lot of followers yet, so I'd just like to highlight a few of people who have been instrumental in helping and inspiring me.
First up, Lori @ In Pursuit of Martha Points. I don't remember how I found out about Lori's post on the Rainbow Cake (which I've since learned originated with Gigi!), but I was laughing so hard, I had to forward the link to several friends to check it out. Each time I came back to forward it, I read another post. Lori sounded like the kind of gal I'd like to hang out with eating cake and candy (not bread and cough drops). I commented on her posts, she commented back - Lori was the first person I really interacted with via the blog world.
Next is Julia @ Work, Wife, Mom... Life! I started following Julia... well, officially? Today, actually. But I've been reading her since around August. I found her through Lori's blog roll, and I've really enjoyed her posts. And she has a really cool blog design. :)
What brought Julia to this list has to do with last week's B2S/B2B assignment. I was struggling with figuring out how to add a badge to my site, and I made a post on Blog Frog, but hadn't heard back from anyone. I commented on something Julia said about Twitter, and she wrote back with some suggestions for me, and then asked if there was anything else I wondered about it because she was going to do another post with tips for newbies like me. I really appreciated her asking my opinion, so asked if she could maybe help me figure out how to add the badge and code to my site. She gave me the scoop, and now I have a lovely badge for all to copy!
I really thought blogging was going to be more isolated and when there was interaction that it would be brisk and business-like, but I'm finding that all those who post about making bloggy friends are right. Julia illustrated just how nice and helpful other bloggers are!
And finally, Gigi from Kludgy Mom without whom I would not be posting this! I could not have found Gigi at a more perfect time. I expound on this more in this post, but I started blogging for me, and just last spring submitted a post to Mamapedia. That led me to revamp my blog to be public. This summer, I started looking at more blogs and found Kludgy Mom a couple of weeks before Gigi started Back to School/Back to Blogging. It has been such an amazing experience! I cannot thank her enough for all she's done.
There are others, but you three are the ones who first came to mind. I think this was a wonderful assignment. I'm considering adding a "Star of the Week" type of thing to my blog highlighting everyone, and why I love them. Who doesn't love praise?
First up, Lori @ In Pursuit of Martha Points. I don't remember how I found out about Lori's post on the Rainbow Cake (which I've since learned originated with Gigi!), but I was laughing so hard, I had to forward the link to several friends to check it out. Each time I came back to forward it, I read another post. Lori sounded like the kind of gal I'd like to hang out with eating cake and candy (not bread and cough drops). I commented on her posts, she commented back - Lori was the first person I really interacted with via the blog world.
Next is Julia @ Work, Wife, Mom... Life! I started following Julia... well, officially? Today, actually. But I've been reading her since around August. I found her through Lori's blog roll, and I've really enjoyed her posts. And she has a really cool blog design. :)
What brought Julia to this list has to do with last week's B2S/B2B assignment. I was struggling with figuring out how to add a badge to my site, and I made a post on Blog Frog, but hadn't heard back from anyone. I commented on something Julia said about Twitter, and she wrote back with some suggestions for me, and then asked if there was anything else I wondered about it because she was going to do another post with tips for newbies like me. I really appreciated her asking my opinion, so asked if she could maybe help me figure out how to add the badge and code to my site. She gave me the scoop, and now I have a lovely badge for all to copy!
I really thought blogging was going to be more isolated and when there was interaction that it would be brisk and business-like, but I'm finding that all those who post about making bloggy friends are right. Julia illustrated just how nice and helpful other bloggers are!
And finally, Gigi from Kludgy Mom without whom I would not be posting this! I could not have found Gigi at a more perfect time. I expound on this more in this post, but I started blogging for me, and just last spring submitted a post to Mamapedia. That led me to revamp my blog to be public. This summer, I started looking at more blogs and found Kludgy Mom a couple of weeks before Gigi started Back to School/Back to Blogging. It has been such an amazing experience! I cannot thank her enough for all she's done.
There are others, but you three are the ones who first came to mind. I think this was a wonderful assignment. I'm considering adding a "Star of the Week" type of thing to my blog highlighting everyone, and why I love them. Who doesn't love praise?
Working Mommy Wednesday
I have been reading Julia at Work, Wife, Mom... Life! for awhile now, and thought the Working Mommy Wednesdays were a great idea, but with Gigi's B2S/B2B assignments, I've not gotten around to partaking until today!
Julia gave two prompts for today's topic, and this is the one I chose (I may have to do a top 10 list as well later if I get a chance!)
Best Afternoon Pick Me Up
A nap followed by a snack of Mr. Pibb and some combination of chocolate and nuts (peanut M&Ms, Snickers, etc.). The first one is good for you, but entirely unattainable (at least for me except on the rare occasions I can wrangle one on the weekend). I know the second is not, but that's what works for me in my little office. Which is partly why my little tush is not so little anymore. I keep telling myself, I'll start to get more sleep, then I'll have the energy to exercise over lunch, and then I won't have the afternoon crash. If I ever get to that point, it will be true. Just...not...there...yet....
Julia gave two prompts for today's topic, and this is the one I chose (I may have to do a top 10 list as well later if I get a chance!)
Best Afternoon Pick Me Up
A nap followed by a snack of Mr. Pibb and some combination of chocolate and nuts (peanut M&Ms, Snickers, etc.). The first one is good for you, but entirely unattainable (at least for me except on the rare occasions I can wrangle one on the weekend). I know the second is not, but that's what works for me in my little office. Which is partly why my little tush is not so little anymore. I keep telling myself, I'll start to get more sleep, then I'll have the energy to exercise over lunch, and then I won't have the afternoon crash. If I ever get to that point, it will be true. Just...not...there...yet....
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
B2S/B2B Assignment 3
I'm behind this week. Well, it's already next week, so I'm behind from last week. Anyway, last week, Kludgy Mom's assignment was to apply one of the tips on how to grow my blog and then post about it.
So many great tips! I have already been doing some of them - joining blog networks, commenting, checking out blogrolls. But I've been thinking about making a badge for awhile, and that was also on the list, so I thought I would do that for my homework assignment. The problem was, I had no idea how to go about it. I knew how to add it to my sidebar, but I didn't know how to add the code below it for people to copy it.
So I did some research, and came up with...nothing. Thankfully, Julia at Work, Wife, Mom...Life! came to my rescue! I now have a cute little button on my blog. And to pay it forward, if any of you would like to add a badge, here's how.
This is the code you need to use:
Per Julia, "Replace the RED with your blog address (that will make sure the button is linked back to you), and replace the GREEN with the code to where you host your button." Julia's is hosted on Photobucket; mine is on Winkflash.
In Blogger, go to the Design tab, and click Add a Gadget. Select HTML/Java Script. Then in the content section, paste the code.
Voila! You have the code displayed on your page for all to enjoy.
The second part of the assignment was to address our goals and our plan to meet them. Uh, good question. I'm still not exactly sure what my goals are. I just decided to go public - really public - with this baby. So I guess my goals are to establish a solid group of followers and keep polishing my writing skills to keep them happy! But not to let it take over my life. 'Cause, I gotta be honest, this schoolwork has opened my eyes to the wonderful world of blogging in a new way, and I could literally spend my life, 24/7 on it.
As for a plan, I'm going to tackle all of the suggestions made through the lessons that I haven't yet completed over the next few months after we wrap up the official session. And I'm planning to establish future Septembers as my B2S/B2B spring cleaning time so I can keep up with the latest and greatest blog formats.
And now, since I'm way behind, I'm going to move on to the next assignment!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Up All Night
Back in the day, that meant I was out dancing with friends and then went to breakfast at IHOP, finally stumbling to bed around 4 or 5am. Since I've become a mom it often means trying to console a preschooler who's had a nightmare, a sick toddler, a teething baby or a wide-awake infant who hasn't adjusted to days and nights. The thing is that when I was out dancing all night, I could sleep all the next day if I wanted to. Even with only one kiddo, I could sleep when she slept during daylight hours. Now that we have two, if one is up all night, the other inevitably wakes up at 6:30am ready for the day. If I'm lucky, I can get both of them to nap for an overlapping period of up to an hour (but usually only 10 minutes).
When you're about to become a parent, everyone tells you to say goodbye to sleeping. You assume they mean the first couple of months when you're feeding on demand and up every two hours for 45 minutes. You hear that babies start sleeping through the night after a they're 3 or 4 months old (HA!), and look at that as the light at the end of the tunnel.
No one tells you they really mean you won't get a solid night's sleep for several years.
S was 2.5 when Baby R was born. At that point, S still woke up in the night at least 3-4 times a week, though by then, I could usually go in and lie down with her for 5 minutes and go back to bed. There were the occasional episodes of insomnia from 2am-4am, but for the most part, it was less traumatic sleep disruption for all of us.
When Baby R came, I was used to being sleep deprived so it wasn't quite the shock to my system that having S was. Luckily Baby R is a good sleeper, so has only been getting up once in the night for a feeding since she was about 3 months old. (Unbelievable!) When she's teething or sick it's a different story, but in general I get up once a night with her, and a couple of times a week, I get up once with S for a few minutes.
So now that Baby R is 10.5 months old, we are on the brink of weaning her from her bottle. Which means soon (in theory) we won't be having those nightly rendezvous. On the one hand, I'm hopeful it will go smoothly and once she gets used to it, she will continue to sleep well all night, and I'll only need to be up occasionally with her and her sister. (Sleep! Glorious sleep!) On the other, I'm somewhat sad to lose that time with her.
You see, big sister is a wonderful child who is definitely a mama's girl. She's more mobile, so the second I walk in the door, she's running into my arms. She's more verbal, so as soon as she sees my car pull into the garage, she's talking to me before I can even hear her. Baby R inevitably plays second fiddle to S at this point. I try really hard to split my time fairly with them, but right now S demands more attention. We're working on sharing, and I do as much as I can with both of them together, but some things require my focus to be on one or the other.
So our middle-of-the-night feeding time? That's Baby R's and my special alone time. No one is tugging on my sleeve saying, "Mama! Mama! Watch me! Watch me!" No one is asking me when supper will be ready or if there are clean clothes for work the next day or where something disappeared to. It's just me and Baby R. We snuggle. I hum a song. I say a prayer and thank God for our amazing babies. And we rock. Though I'm tired, I'm so full of love and joy with holding her in my arms, the time passes quickly. And lately, I sometimes wait a little longer to put her back in her crib since I know there are only a handful more nights when we'll be up together.
When you're about to become a parent, everyone tells you to say goodbye to sleeping. You assume they mean the first couple of months when you're feeding on demand and up every two hours for 45 minutes. You hear that babies start sleeping through the night after a they're 3 or 4 months old (HA!), and look at that as the light at the end of the tunnel.
No one tells you they really mean you won't get a solid night's sleep for several years.
S was 2.5 when Baby R was born. At that point, S still woke up in the night at least 3-4 times a week, though by then, I could usually go in and lie down with her for 5 minutes and go back to bed. There were the occasional episodes of insomnia from 2am-4am, but for the most part, it was less traumatic sleep disruption for all of us.
When Baby R came, I was used to being sleep deprived so it wasn't quite the shock to my system that having S was. Luckily Baby R is a good sleeper, so has only been getting up once in the night for a feeding since she was about 3 months old. (Unbelievable!) When she's teething or sick it's a different story, but in general I get up once a night with her, and a couple of times a week, I get up once with S for a few minutes.
So now that Baby R is 10.5 months old, we are on the brink of weaning her from her bottle. Which means soon (in theory) we won't be having those nightly rendezvous. On the one hand, I'm hopeful it will go smoothly and once she gets used to it, she will continue to sleep well all night, and I'll only need to be up occasionally with her and her sister. (Sleep! Glorious sleep!) On the other, I'm somewhat sad to lose that time with her.
You see, big sister is a wonderful child who is definitely a mama's girl. She's more mobile, so the second I walk in the door, she's running into my arms. She's more verbal, so as soon as she sees my car pull into the garage, she's talking to me before I can even hear her. Baby R inevitably plays second fiddle to S at this point. I try really hard to split my time fairly with them, but right now S demands more attention. We're working on sharing, and I do as much as I can with both of them together, but some things require my focus to be on one or the other.
So our middle-of-the-night feeding time? That's Baby R's and my special alone time. No one is tugging on my sleeve saying, "Mama! Mama! Watch me! Watch me!" No one is asking me when supper will be ready or if there are clean clothes for work the next day or where something disappeared to. It's just me and Baby R. We snuggle. I hum a song. I say a prayer and thank God for our amazing babies. And we rock. Though I'm tired, I'm so full of love and joy with holding her in my arms, the time passes quickly. And lately, I sometimes wait a little longer to put her back in her crib since I know there are only a handful more nights when we'll be up together.
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