Well, after posting about my adorable, lovable two-year-old, he turned over a new leaf and has become fiercely independent, openly defiant, and generally very challenging to deal with. And not napping very easily. Oh, the joys of motherhood! He's still great, but I find myself exhausted by all the emotional skirmishes. And with number three, mommy finds herself yelling right back! Sigh...
On another front, I just posted "How to make Chicken Noodle Soup" on our Eve blog. Feel free to check it out if you're in a space that feels like soup-making might be possible. It can be quite satisfying, especially if Daddy is with the kids and it's more like a little creative "me" time.
Enjoy the snow!
Wednesday
So cute...
Just have to share a photo of my youngest. I love this age (well, except for when he's growly or throwing things). He's so cuddly and he's learning words all the time. Here's my baby...
What is your favorite age or stage?
Nostalgia
I ran across these when I was doing a speech on nature. Isn't it wild to look back at old photographs? It's amazing how much kids change in two years...
Stre - tch - ing
I'm actually NOT going to talk about stretching in the yoga or physical sense of the word. Today, I'm thinking about being stretched intellectually. As mothers in the thick of mothering small ones, life tends to become a series of repetitious acts: lots of feeding, diapering, getting off to sleep, cleaning up etc. There can be lots of joy in that...lots of love...lots of rewards. There can also be a sense of despair that sets in: "I'm never any farther than I was the day before". We become easy candidates for depression, often unaware of it at the time. "Why is everything so hard right now?" When we give and give (night and day), we burn out. We get grouchy. Even start feeling like the victim in it all. (Or am I the only one?!! I don't think so).
Good things to do in those times or to prevent getting that low can include: getting some time alone or with a friend, doing one nice thing for yourself (like taking a long bath instead of doing the dishes when the kids are in bed), asking for help, or....learning something new! Some of us probably find it easier to do some of these things than others, for various reasons. That's okay. But we do all need a certain amount of attention and care ourselves or we self-destruct. Because we have limits. We can't do it all. When a battery's energy is being depleted by long use, it needs to be recharged. So do we.
These days I've often been feeling low. There's always more to do than I can handle, we've all ben struggling with illness since Christmas, not sleeping well at night, and other things I won't go into. But one thing I started in January, in the middle of all of this, was a pubic speaking course. Sound crazy? Maybe. But I'm doing something that's getting me closer to a dream of mine...a dream that had been dormant for quite some time...the dream of speaking to women. Plus, learning is a passion that also has been unpursued in the past six years.
So, I'm taking this course. And I'm learning. And I'm being stretched. And it's giving me energy. Yesterday was my first prepared speech. I went into it, feeling very insecure and under-prepared all day. Then, suddenly, it was show-time. And I did well! Sure, I hand-clasped and rushed at the end, but I did it! And I was happy with it. And I've been on a bit of a high ever since. It hasn't been easy trying to squeeze in the time to prepare and rehearse, but it's given me an outlet for my creativity, a place for me to grow and try things, an opportunity to say, "I did that and I'm proud".
If you're in a place in your mothering where you can take a bit of time away from your kids, I encourage you to go out and try something new. Str-etch a little. It will be so worth it! And if you're right in the newborn phase, try to snatch up the time you can to read something or write something or even take a Mom-and-baby Pilates class or something. You'll gain all the energy back you put into it and more!
Good things to do in those times or to prevent getting that low can include: getting some time alone or with a friend, doing one nice thing for yourself (like taking a long bath instead of doing the dishes when the kids are in bed), asking for help, or....learning something new! Some of us probably find it easier to do some of these things than others, for various reasons. That's okay. But we do all need a certain amount of attention and care ourselves or we self-destruct. Because we have limits. We can't do it all. When a battery's energy is being depleted by long use, it needs to be recharged. So do we.
These days I've often been feeling low. There's always more to do than I can handle, we've all ben struggling with illness since Christmas, not sleeping well at night, and other things I won't go into. But one thing I started in January, in the middle of all of this, was a pubic speaking course. Sound crazy? Maybe. But I'm doing something that's getting me closer to a dream of mine...a dream that had been dormant for quite some time...the dream of speaking to women. Plus, learning is a passion that also has been unpursued in the past six years.
So, I'm taking this course. And I'm learning. And I'm being stretched. And it's giving me energy. Yesterday was my first prepared speech. I went into it, feeling very insecure and under-prepared all day. Then, suddenly, it was show-time. And I did well! Sure, I hand-clasped and rushed at the end, but I did it! And I was happy with it. And I've been on a bit of a high ever since. It hasn't been easy trying to squeeze in the time to prepare and rehearse, but it's given me an outlet for my creativity, a place for me to grow and try things, an opportunity to say, "I did that and I'm proud".
If you're in a place in your mothering where you can take a bit of time away from your kids, I encourage you to go out and try something new. Str-etch a little. It will be so worth it! And if you're right in the newborn phase, try to snatch up the time you can to read something or write something or even take a Mom-and-baby Pilates class or something. You'll gain all the energy back you put into it and more!
Things to be Happy About
- blowing raspberries on bellies followed by big belly laughs
- my first child losing his first tooth
- it's warmer today than yesterday
- actually playing with my children with nothing more than a row of kitchen chairs, 2 balls, and a 2 duplo boxes
- having leftovers on hand for an easy lunch
- my children sleeping better at night
- my son's lice (yes, it happened here!) is under control and no one else seems to have them
And while I'm thinking about things to be happy about, there are two businesses that come to mind right now. One is EasyEco Baby, which is providing Winnipeg with the first environmentally-friendly disposable diapers available online, as well as other wonderful products. The second is Enamoured Heart, personalized bracelets for Mom & Baby, in addition to many other fine jewellery items. Both are owned and operated by Winnipeg moms, and both graciously donated prizes for our birthday bash two weeks ago. Thanks again. Your generosity makes me smile!
I had wanted to include some fun photos with my "Things to be Happy About", but I just haven't used my camera in a while, so please bear with me as I try to improve this blog. Hope the rest of your week is filled with small happinesses as you love on your little ones!
- my first child losing his first tooth
- it's warmer today than yesterday
- actually playing with my children with nothing more than a row of kitchen chairs, 2 balls, and a 2 duplo boxes
- having leftovers on hand for an easy lunch
- my children sleeping better at night
- my son's lice (yes, it happened here!) is under control and no one else seems to have them
And while I'm thinking about things to be happy about, there are two businesses that come to mind right now. One is EasyEco Baby, which is providing Winnipeg with the first environmentally-friendly disposable diapers available online, as well as other wonderful products. The second is Enamoured Heart, personalized bracelets for Mom & Baby, in addition to many other fine jewellery items. Both are owned and operated by Winnipeg moms, and both graciously donated prizes for our birthday bash two weeks ago. Thanks again. Your generosity makes me smile!
I had wanted to include some fun photos with my "Things to be Happy About", but I just haven't used my camera in a while, so please bear with me as I try to improve this blog. Hope the rest of your week is filled with small happinesses as you love on your little ones!
Ta Da Lists
(No, that is not a typo). We're all familiar with To Do Lists. They're the things we make when we want to get a lot done and we don't want to forget anything. But how many of us take the time to make a Ta Da List? They're a list of the things we've accomplished (whether in a day, a week, or a year). If we take just a few minutes, we can show ourselves that, yes, we are doing things that are important and valuable. Sometimes those things otherwise go unnoticed, often because we do them almost every day (like making meals). Sometimes, we lose track of some of things we've given our time to because they're spaced so far apart (like planning a birthday party).
My Ta Da List for Today
- got up with my two-year-old at 6:00 a.m.
- had a shower and blow dried my hair
- got dressed and enjoyed how I looked
- made smoothies for everyone at breakfast
- sorted out some of the laundry that was getting wrinkly...folded some of it
- started two more loads
- played piano and sang worship songs
- read to my kids twice (mostly, I admit to try to get them to stop being in my hair, but thoroughly enjoyed it both times)
- made a healthy lunch that I haven't made forever (black beans & rice a la Cuba/Brazil)
- had a good phone conversation with another woman
- followed up my press releases from yesterday with three emails and got a response
- wrote out a computer "to-do list"
- cleared the table completely after lunch (this is quite an accomplishment for me)
- corrected my four-year-old with a decent amount of graciousness and understanding
- laughed out loud
- started this post
So, can see, that quite an ordinary morning can seem almost extraordinary when you stop to realize all you've done. Please note that there are some things I left out of the list like: having a mini panic attack and starting to take it out on the kids when I wasn't getting any business stuff done, dealing with screaming and fighting children and juice messes, and feeling a bit of guilt at not getting my son down for a nap when he probably really needed one.
I encourage you to try it now. Whatever you're in the midst of, just sit down with a piece of paper and a pen and do it (or type it in Word). I'd love to hear it! We all need to celebrate the little things more.
My Ta Da List for Today
- got up with my two-year-old at 6:00 a.m.
- had a shower and blow dried my hair
- got dressed and enjoyed how I looked
- made smoothies for everyone at breakfast
- sorted out some of the laundry that was getting wrinkly...folded some of it
- started two more loads
- played piano and sang worship songs
- read to my kids twice (mostly, I admit to try to get them to stop being in my hair, but thoroughly enjoyed it both times)
- made a healthy lunch that I haven't made forever (black beans & rice a la Cuba/Brazil)
- had a good phone conversation with another woman
- followed up my press releases from yesterday with three emails and got a response
- wrote out a computer "to-do list"
- cleared the table completely after lunch (this is quite an accomplishment for me)
- corrected my four-year-old with a decent amount of graciousness and understanding
- laughed out loud
- started this post
So, can see, that quite an ordinary morning can seem almost extraordinary when you stop to realize all you've done. Please note that there are some things I left out of the list like: having a mini panic attack and starting to take it out on the kids when I wasn't getting any business stuff done, dealing with screaming and fighting children and juice messes, and feeling a bit of guilt at not getting my son down for a nap when he probably really needed one.
I encourage you to try it now. Whatever you're in the midst of, just sit down with a piece of paper and a pen and do it (or type it in Word). I'd love to hear it! We all need to celebrate the little things more.
What a Great Night!
I just want to say how much I enjoyed talking to people last night. Thank you to all the Moms for your helpful feedback. It was neat to connect with you and figure out how we might be able to make this blog community work.
Trina, if you're reading this, you won the gift bag from Tiber River (here's there blog). Why don't you come out to the studio sometime soon, see your beautiful photos and pick up your prize?!
It was surprising to me to hear that I could be thought of as "amazing" for doing all that I do and writing here. We often focus on what we're struggling with as moms juggling so many things, that we forget what we are accomplishing and that we can only expect so much of ourselves, and to just accept where we're at.
That first year of baby's life is so all-consuming, I think we forget the magnitude of what it takes to mother a newborn: the sleep loss, the endless giving of ourselves, the incredible chaos of adhering to someone else's "schedule" on a continual basis, the lack of self-care and personal time and even just the ability to be alone with your thoughts that are apt to occur, the hormones and post-partum depression that are often not even taken into consideration when we're passing judgment on ourselves, the isolation that can happen...it all takes its toll on a woman. We've got to recognize this and be gracious to ourselves. And it's not only the first year. I've heard women say it took three years to really come back to themselves...and when you continue the cycle by having your next child before that, it can be six or more years before that "normalcy" returns. In the meantime, it's important to accept the "new normal" and work within our limitations.
I look forward to your feedback on how to make this a place of support, community, and inspiration. Please feel free to comment. If you don't blog yourself or have a gmail account, just click on "Name/URL" and type your name in the box (don't worry about the optional one). Write your comment and hit "Publish your comment". (You may be asked to type in something you see in a box just to verify you're a real person and not a computer program). Hope this helps.
Looking forward to hearing from you and making this a place you want to come to. Thanks again for coming. It was wonderful.
Trina, if you're reading this, you won the gift bag from Tiber River (here's there blog). Why don't you come out to the studio sometime soon, see your beautiful photos and pick up your prize?!
It was surprising to me to hear that I could be thought of as "amazing" for doing all that I do and writing here. We often focus on what we're struggling with as moms juggling so many things, that we forget what we are accomplishing and that we can only expect so much of ourselves, and to just accept where we're at.
That first year of baby's life is so all-consuming, I think we forget the magnitude of what it takes to mother a newborn: the sleep loss, the endless giving of ourselves, the incredible chaos of adhering to someone else's "schedule" on a continual basis, the lack of self-care and personal time and even just the ability to be alone with your thoughts that are apt to occur, the hormones and post-partum depression that are often not even taken into consideration when we're passing judgment on ourselves, the isolation that can happen...it all takes its toll on a woman. We've got to recognize this and be gracious to ourselves. And it's not only the first year. I've heard women say it took three years to really come back to themselves...and when you continue the cycle by having your next child before that, it can be six or more years before that "normalcy" returns. In the meantime, it's important to accept the "new normal" and work within our limitations.
I look forward to your feedback on how to make this a place of support, community, and inspiration. Please feel free to comment. If you don't blog yourself or have a gmail account, just click on "Name/URL" and type your name in the box (don't worry about the optional one). Write your comment and hit "Publish your comment". (You may be asked to type in something you see in a box just to verify you're a real person and not a computer program). Hope this helps.
Looking forward to hearing from you and making this a place you want to come to. Thanks again for coming. It was wonderful.
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