We had a wonderful Christmas here in our beautiful home. My parents came to stay with us, and my brother was with us for the first time in years. We got the most amazing gifts -a learning tower for Little Bear, and a ton of craft books for me (I'm very into knitting and sewing toys right now, and I was just dying to have my own collection of the best I'd borrowed from the library)...but the best gifts of all were homemade: my dad made Little Bear a rocking horse and a train set (all pine with natural, non-toxic finishes), and my mom made him a string of knitted cotton ducks on wheels.
This is a big deal for my family. We've always been creative, but this is the first year I can think of where we've gone so far to make things for each other. Creativity was definitely a theme even for non-homemade gifts...my brother got Little Bear a whole selection of toddler-friendly art supplies!
Something about today has got me thinking about the New Year. I can already feel the energies shifting...that subtle "next year I want to do X, Y, and Z" feeling. For me, these energies are threefold: I want to be more Present -especially with my little one, I want to create things that make people smile, and I want to Be the Change. I'm not sure what I want to do...maybe knitting for a charity or becoming a Unicef parent, I don't know, but I feel very connected to everyone right now. Yesterday as we were driving to the in-laws for Christmas Eve celebrations I had this sudden, overwhelming sense of the universal happiness and anticipation that was swirling around in the world's energy field. The collective experience of Christmas has never struck me before, but it did yesterday. It was amazing...and it made me truly understand the meaning of "Keeping Christmas through the year."
I hope you and yours had a very merry one. Even if you don't "do" Christmas, I hope you had a wonderful day.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
When Love Takes Over
Just a random type of post. I really want to recommit to this blog.
My Xander-bear turned 13 months on the 10th, which was also our anniversary. We had a delicious Mama-cooked dinner (steak with goat cheese and pecans, mushrooms and onions in peppercorn sauce, sauteed green beans with bacon, and salad) and once the little one was in bed we made molten chocolate cakes. We had them with vanilla ice cream and champagne and then we cuddled on the sofa and watched the season premiere of "Glee" (awesome). We were in bed by 10 and Matty gave me Reiki until I fell asleep. Not our wildest night, but wonderful in its own special way...it was nice to reconnect in a non-sexual way (although I may be alone in that belief :-P).
My baby has turned into a toddler in the past month. He walks most of the time and he babbles constantly. He's made up his own signs for "hungry" and "thirsty," he waves "bye" and sometimes blows kisses. He asks us to play with him and read to him all the time (he just handed me a puppet...hang on...). He's such a sweet boy, and heartbreakingly adorable. It's insane. He likes to "help" with laundry (I laundered a block the other day...he put it in the hamper when I wasn't looking), and also with the dishwasher...he always goes for the knives at the very back of the bottom rack. How does he DO that? He also likes to wander off on his own (in the house, duh). I'll be doing something...like blogging :-P and it'll be very very quiet...and I'll suddenly realize that he's not in the room. He's usually in the front hall playing with the doormat or indulging his obsession with the loose rung at the foot of my mom's bedstead in the spare room (he likes to wiggle it). He's starting to get the hang of drawers and cupboard doors (AAAAAAH!), but he seems to be more interested in opening and closing them than in exploring the contents, thank goodness.
He threw his first tantrum last night. I could see exactly why it was happening, and I did everything I could to fix the problem (besides giving in...it really was bedtime). As it was I just stayed with him, held him unless he pushed me away, validated and identified his emotions, and melted when he reached for hugs in spite of his tears (which happened a lot...yay!). Guess I'm a gentle discipline kinda girl. Matthew came in and kept me company -he said "If you have to go through this, then I'm going to go through it too." Eventually the tears calmed and the little man nursed himself to sleep. He slept until almost 9am (no, not straight, what am I, a magician? :-P).
I didn't mean for this to turn into a baby post, but there it is.
I'm going to make an effort to post more (don't I always say that? Well, I mean it).
My Xander-bear turned 13 months on the 10th, which was also our anniversary. We had a delicious Mama-cooked dinner (steak with goat cheese and pecans, mushrooms and onions in peppercorn sauce, sauteed green beans with bacon, and salad) and once the little one was in bed we made molten chocolate cakes. We had them with vanilla ice cream and champagne and then we cuddled on the sofa and watched the season premiere of "Glee" (awesome). We were in bed by 10 and Matty gave me Reiki until I fell asleep. Not our wildest night, but wonderful in its own special way...it was nice to reconnect in a non-sexual way (although I may be alone in that belief :-P).
My baby has turned into a toddler in the past month. He walks most of the time and he babbles constantly. He's made up his own signs for "hungry" and "thirsty," he waves "bye" and sometimes blows kisses. He asks us to play with him and read to him all the time (he just handed me a puppet...hang on...). He's such a sweet boy, and heartbreakingly adorable. It's insane. He likes to "help" with laundry (I laundered a block the other day...he put it in the hamper when I wasn't looking), and also with the dishwasher...he always goes for the knives at the very back of the bottom rack. How does he DO that? He also likes to wander off on his own (in the house, duh). I'll be doing something...like blogging :-P and it'll be very very quiet...and I'll suddenly realize that he's not in the room. He's usually in the front hall playing with the doormat or indulging his obsession with the loose rung at the foot of my mom's bedstead in the spare room (he likes to wiggle it). He's starting to get the hang of drawers and cupboard doors (AAAAAAH!), but he seems to be more interested in opening and closing them than in exploring the contents, thank goodness.
He threw his first tantrum last night. I could see exactly why it was happening, and I did everything I could to fix the problem (besides giving in...it really was bedtime). As it was I just stayed with him, held him unless he pushed me away, validated and identified his emotions, and melted when he reached for hugs in spite of his tears (which happened a lot...yay!). Guess I'm a gentle discipline kinda girl. Matthew came in and kept me company -he said "If you have to go through this, then I'm going to go through it too." Eventually the tears calmed and the little man nursed himself to sleep. He slept until almost 9am (no, not straight, what am I, a magician? :-P).
I didn't mean for this to turn into a baby post, but there it is.
I'm going to make an effort to post more (don't I always say that? Well, I mean it).
Friday, August 14, 2009
On change and letting go...
My baby boy turned one on Monday. In many ways I feel like I also turned one.
Becoming a Mama is life-changing and earth-shattering. It deconstructs your identity and forces you to rebuild it piece by piece. The first year is hard and scary and sometimes you feel like you'll melt into Mamahood and cease to exist as a separate person. But eventually you realize that you're still there, fundamentally anyway. And then the fun begins.
I feel like I'm starting to pick up the pieces, to take parts of the Me-that-was and find ways to reincorporate them into my identity. And it's still hard, but it's also kind of fun because I feel like I can pick and choose...what parts serve me well enough to keep around? What do I want to make time for and what do I want to let go of? Who am I now exactly? Because you can't go through an experience like this and turn out exactly the same afterward (in fact there is NO SUCH THING as afterward...how's that for odd? Even if, god forbid, Little Bear died before me I would always always always be his mom).
It’s an interesting time. Friendships are shifting and changing along with my identity. Some old friends I’d lost touch with are back in my life...others have faded away entirely. I’ve realized that I’m OK with that. I’ve realized it’s OK to not force things, to let friendships ebb and flow in their own rhythm as we both evolve. The people we are now are not the people we were when we became friends...and that’s OK. Maybe someday we’ll become people who fit together again.
Anyway, that’s what’s on this one-year-old Mama’s mind. Going to go play with my almost-toddler now.
Becoming a Mama is life-changing and earth-shattering. It deconstructs your identity and forces you to rebuild it piece by piece. The first year is hard and scary and sometimes you feel like you'll melt into Mamahood and cease to exist as a separate person. But eventually you realize that you're still there, fundamentally anyway. And then the fun begins.
I feel like I'm starting to pick up the pieces, to take parts of the Me-that-was and find ways to reincorporate them into my identity. And it's still hard, but it's also kind of fun because I feel like I can pick and choose...what parts serve me well enough to keep around? What do I want to make time for and what do I want to let go of? Who am I now exactly? Because you can't go through an experience like this and turn out exactly the same afterward (in fact there is NO SUCH THING as afterward...how's that for odd? Even if, god forbid, Little Bear died before me I would always always always be his mom).
It’s an interesting time. Friendships are shifting and changing along with my identity. Some old friends I’d lost touch with are back in my life...others have faded away entirely. I’ve realized that I’m OK with that. I’ve realized it’s OK to not force things, to let friendships ebb and flow in their own rhythm as we both evolve. The people we are now are not the people we were when we became friends...and that’s OK. Maybe someday we’ll become people who fit together again.
Anyway, that’s what’s on this one-year-old Mama’s mind. Going to go play with my almost-toddler now.
Friday, July 3, 2009
HAPPY JOY REBEL DAY!!
The first-ever official Joy Rebel Day was on July 1st! I meant to post yesterday, but things, as you will see, are a titch CRAAAAAAZZZZY chez the Bear family.
Here's how our day went:
Little Bear woke me up bright and early as usual -6:45 or so. I got up, picked him up, walked down the hallway, and surveyed the living room:
IT WAS MOVING DAY!! I hyperventilated for a minute or two and then walked into the bathroom, looked at myself in the mirror and thought "I CHOOSE JOY." Check out the big grin:
I changed a poopy diaper:
(you didn't really think I would post a photo of poop, did you?)
And then I made an especially yummy Joy Rebel Day breakfast for myself and Little Bear:
(That's cherries, homemade muffins, and marble cheese)
I thought it was delicious. Little Bear wasn't feeling too hungry, I guess:
After breakfast I cleared some space and Little Bear helped me sort the laundry:
So helpful!
July 1st is a holiday here in Canada-land, so in the afternoon our wonderful friends came to help us move. They fit an astounding amount of stuff in the van! Here's what was left after the first load:
And this is the van. Kind of like 3-d Tetris!
Our friend Greg stood guard:
No one was going to steal our stuff with him watching over it!
We made a second run with the van to pick up the bits and pieces, and then we all went over to the new place and had supper in the backyard:
(This photo has inspired me to invest in awesome patio furniture as soon as some comes up on kijiji -now that we have a back yard I I want a back yard oasis!)
Here's our new view!
The weather was grey and a little chilly, as it's been for the past month or so, but it was so green and beautiful! I can't wait to live here!
The grass was wet, so I tried to keep Little Bear on the patio, but he managed to find things to explore (aka get into) anyway:
"Hi Daddy!"
And to finish off the day we spent some time inside. Some of the guys had a crazy dart gun fight all over the house while Little Bear practiced getting up and down the step from the living room to the dining room.
I can tell that he can't wait to live here either.
Soon, little one...soon!
He fell asleep on the way home:
I put him to bed with no trouble and had an hour to myself before watching the fireworks from our balcony (no photo because I didn't want to miss them). I'm going to miss being able to see the fireworks from our house, but I think the trade-off is well worth it.
Happy Joy Rebel Day everyone! I hope you had a great one too!
Here's how our day went:
Little Bear woke me up bright and early as usual -6:45 or so. I got up, picked him up, walked down the hallway, and surveyed the living room:
IT WAS MOVING DAY!! I hyperventilated for a minute or two and then walked into the bathroom, looked at myself in the mirror and thought "I CHOOSE JOY." Check out the big grin:
I changed a poopy diaper:
(you didn't really think I would post a photo of poop, did you?)
And then I made an especially yummy Joy Rebel Day breakfast for myself and Little Bear:
(That's cherries, homemade muffins, and marble cheese)
I thought it was delicious. Little Bear wasn't feeling too hungry, I guess:
After breakfast I cleared some space and Little Bear helped me sort the laundry:
So helpful!
July 1st is a holiday here in Canada-land, so in the afternoon our wonderful friends came to help us move. They fit an astounding amount of stuff in the van! Here's what was left after the first load:
And this is the van. Kind of like 3-d Tetris!
Our friend Greg stood guard:
No one was going to steal our stuff with him watching over it!
We made a second run with the van to pick up the bits and pieces, and then we all went over to the new place and had supper in the backyard:
(This photo has inspired me to invest in awesome patio furniture as soon as some comes up on kijiji -now that we have a back yard I I want a back yard oasis!)
Here's our new view!
The weather was grey and a little chilly, as it's been for the past month or so, but it was so green and beautiful! I can't wait to live here!
The grass was wet, so I tried to keep Little Bear on the patio, but he managed to find things to explore (aka get into) anyway:
"Hi Daddy!"
And to finish off the day we spent some time inside. Some of the guys had a crazy dart gun fight all over the house while Little Bear practiced getting up and down the step from the living room to the dining room.
I can tell that he can't wait to live here either.
Soon, little one...soon!
He fell asleep on the way home:
I put him to bed with no trouble and had an hour to myself before watching the fireworks from our balcony (no photo because I didn't want to miss them). I'm going to miss being able to see the fireworks from our house, but I think the trade-off is well worth it.
Happy Joy Rebel Day everyone! I hope you had a great one too!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Pack Packity Pack Pack....Pack Pack.
I was just reading my last post and I don't think I mentioned that Papa Bear and I are MOVING. Did I mention that? *is too lazy to check*
So...yeah...we're moving into a house (a rented one). I think this is a great example of treasure mapping gone wild. I treasure mapped a house with wood siding and lots of windows with trees around it overlooking a lake. Check. Check. And Check. We don't have lake access, but there's a beach about 20 minutes' walk away. And there's lots of space. And, while we don't OWN it the landlords are great. I call it a success (as much as you can before living in a space). I have high hopes.
Anyway, we're getting with the packing right now. And as a complementary exercise I have been doing a decluttering e-course run by the amazing Goddess Leonie. It's been FANTASTIC. I've gotten rid of a ton of stuff and taken first steps to get rid of even more (the wedding dress I bought when I was engaged to Fiance #1? listed on kijiji, although I need to really focus on getting it sold -only one nibble so far). And as I'm packing the rest of the stuff up I'm starting to feel really good -there's less stuff than I thought there was. Of course, I won't feel like that when we're moving the boxes, but I never thought I would feel that AT ALL.
Anyway, this is my official break while Little Bear naps. Once he's up I'll be busy packing and packing and packing some more. We have a moving van rented for June 30/July 1, and then movers are coming on the 6th to pick up the big stuff. We overlapped rents so we have most of the month to clean (necessary with a 10.5 month old, I think).
I'm going for now, but stay tuned on the 1st or the 2nd for a Joy Rebel Day blog post (the first official Joy Rebel Day is July 1st and I have joined the Blog Party!)
So...yeah...we're moving into a house (a rented one). I think this is a great example of treasure mapping gone wild. I treasure mapped a house with wood siding and lots of windows with trees around it overlooking a lake. Check. Check. And Check. We don't have lake access, but there's a beach about 20 minutes' walk away. And there's lots of space. And, while we don't OWN it the landlords are great. I call it a success (as much as you can before living in a space). I have high hopes.
Anyway, we're getting with the packing right now. And as a complementary exercise I have been doing a decluttering e-course run by the amazing Goddess Leonie. It's been FANTASTIC. I've gotten rid of a ton of stuff and taken first steps to get rid of even more (the wedding dress I bought when I was engaged to Fiance #1? listed on kijiji, although I need to really focus on getting it sold -only one nibble so far). And as I'm packing the rest of the stuff up I'm starting to feel really good -there's less stuff than I thought there was. Of course, I won't feel like that when we're moving the boxes, but I never thought I would feel that AT ALL.
Anyway, this is my official break while Little Bear naps. Once he's up I'll be busy packing and packing and packing some more. We have a moving van rented for June 30/July 1, and then movers are coming on the 6th to pick up the big stuff. We overlapped rents so we have most of the month to clean (necessary with a 10.5 month old, I think).
I'm going for now, but stay tuned on the 1st or the 2nd for a Joy Rebel Day blog post (the first official Joy Rebel Day is July 1st and I have joined the Blog Party!)
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Grand Plans and a cool realization!
Interesting fact: changing into something other than PJs or yoga pants has a stimulating effect on my levels of motivation and productivity.
Less-exciting but equally interesting fact: having a baby suddenly drop his first nap of the day makes productivity slightly more difficult. That being said, I seem to find a vast amount of time to spend on email, Facebook, LJ, and messageboards, so obviously there is time to be had even when he IS awake.
Yesterday I came to an important realization: I am tired of being a financial liability. It makes me feel itchy. So I am taking steps to change things. They may be small steps, but they are steps. And I will make one every day, even if it's just a five-minute thing like locating my "Six Steps to Getting the Job You Want" book (check) or reading up on how to submit a manuscript to publishers (check).
My purpose in writing on here right now is two-fold:
1. My realization re: clothing is kind of cool and I felt like sharing.
2. If I tell someone my plans then I will feel like I need to take some action.
OK, so...plans.
Here is my Grand Plan for Wild Success:
1. Put on clothes every morning. Obviously I mean clothes that I would actually go somewhere in. So at least jeans and a t-shirt.
2. Keep a record of planned micromovements. Micromovements are a SARK term, and they mean tasks which take a maximum of 5 minutes to do. Every journey starts with a single step, you know.
3. Commit to at least one micromovement daily. This is in addition to my 5-pages-a-week novel writing project which is coming along quite well, by the way.
And...that's it!
I know you're probably rolling your eyes and thinking "Sure, whatever, Mama," but look at it this way: Doing nothing guarantees failure. Doing something guarantees that something will get done. Logic! (Oh, and as a fun side note I actually wrote "doing someone" at the start of that second sentence. Papa Bear will be thrilled :-P)
Anywhoo, I have split pea soup on the boil, biscuits to make, and a job book to skim. Also, Little Bear is playing with a pen again.
Here's to wild success for all of us! Let's get dressed and DO something (or someone :-P)
Less-exciting but equally interesting fact: having a baby suddenly drop his first nap of the day makes productivity slightly more difficult. That being said, I seem to find a vast amount of time to spend on email, Facebook, LJ, and messageboards, so obviously there is time to be had even when he IS awake.
Yesterday I came to an important realization: I am tired of being a financial liability. It makes me feel itchy. So I am taking steps to change things. They may be small steps, but they are steps. And I will make one every day, even if it's just a five-minute thing like locating my "Six Steps to Getting the Job You Want" book (check) or reading up on how to submit a manuscript to publishers (check).
My purpose in writing on here right now is two-fold:
1. My realization re: clothing is kind of cool and I felt like sharing.
2. If I tell someone my plans then I will feel like I need to take some action.
OK, so...plans.
Here is my Grand Plan for Wild Success:
1. Put on clothes every morning. Obviously I mean clothes that I would actually go somewhere in. So at least jeans and a t-shirt.
2. Keep a record of planned micromovements. Micromovements are a SARK term, and they mean tasks which take a maximum of 5 minutes to do. Every journey starts with a single step, you know.
3. Commit to at least one micromovement daily. This is in addition to my 5-pages-a-week novel writing project which is coming along quite well, by the way.
And...that's it!
I know you're probably rolling your eyes and thinking "Sure, whatever, Mama," but look at it this way: Doing nothing guarantees failure. Doing something guarantees that something will get done. Logic! (Oh, and as a fun side note I actually wrote "doing someone" at the start of that second sentence. Papa Bear will be thrilled :-P)
Anywhoo, I have split pea soup on the boil, biscuits to make, and a job book to skim. Also, Little Bear is playing with a pen again.
Here's to wild success for all of us! Let's get dressed and DO something (or someone :-P)
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Soulyearning
Little Bear is working on Hour 2 of his afternoon nap, and I'm feeling restless. It's that creative itch...the feeling that there is Something that I need to be doing...Something will make me feel fulfilled and blissed out, but I don't know what it is. Is it meditation? Yoga? Dance? Writing? Painting? Honestly, any of those would probably work. I tried working on the novel, but although I had a major idea fall into place during my walk today the actual words weren't flowing. *shrug*
I have a couple of ideas for dance class stuff that I really do need to write down. I'm at the stage where I get inspirational jolts here and there but I'm not in the space (mentally) where I feel I can work on it seriously, even though I feel like I *should*...if that makes any sense.
Speaking of being in the right space, Papa Bear and Little Bear and I are moving next month. To a house. We didn't buy it, so don't get all excited. Actually, DO get all excited...it's a GORGEOUS house with a view of a lake only 10 minutes from town with enough space that when I DO feel like I'm ready to go dance-wise I can appropriate a large room in the basement for dance-studio purposes (until then it will be Papa Bear's office). It's pretty much the perfect house for us. Also, it's walking distance from one of Little Bear's playgroup friends and the rent is only slightly higher than what we pay for this apartment. Aw yeah. We're planning to stay there until buying a house is in the cards for us -preferably when I have a flourishing home-based creatively/intellectually-inspiring job that pays at least 20K a year, preferably more. *looks meaningfully at the Universe*
Anyway, I'm trying to get into the "moving" headspace, but it's slow going. OK, it's No Going. All I want to do today is sit on the balcony with a Mike's Hard Pink Lemonade or two (we don't have any in the house. ARGH! Also, I have a baby who would make that endeavour less than relaxing). Very much looking forward to having a YARD as well as a balcony! It's gorgeous out today...about 19 degrees and sunny and not too windy. Perfect. In a perfect world summer temperatures would never go higher than 25 degrees (and even then only with wind).
In other news, the affirmations I posted the other day really did help me. I feel better, more optimistic, more trusting, and already more abundant. Good things have come our way, and more are coming too!
I have a couple of ideas for dance class stuff that I really do need to write down. I'm at the stage where I get inspirational jolts here and there but I'm not in the space (mentally) where I feel I can work on it seriously, even though I feel like I *should*...if that makes any sense.
Speaking of being in the right space, Papa Bear and Little Bear and I are moving next month. To a house. We didn't buy it, so don't get all excited. Actually, DO get all excited...it's a GORGEOUS house with a view of a lake only 10 minutes from town with enough space that when I DO feel like I'm ready to go dance-wise I can appropriate a large room in the basement for dance-studio purposes (until then it will be Papa Bear's office). It's pretty much the perfect house for us. Also, it's walking distance from one of Little Bear's playgroup friends and the rent is only slightly higher than what we pay for this apartment. Aw yeah. We're planning to stay there until buying a house is in the cards for us -preferably when I have a flourishing home-based creatively/intellectually-inspiring job that pays at least 20K a year, preferably more. *looks meaningfully at the Universe*
Anyway, I'm trying to get into the "moving" headspace, but it's slow going. OK, it's No Going. All I want to do today is sit on the balcony with a Mike's Hard Pink Lemonade or two (we don't have any in the house. ARGH! Also, I have a baby who would make that endeavour less than relaxing). Very much looking forward to having a YARD as well as a balcony! It's gorgeous out today...about 19 degrees and sunny and not too windy. Perfect. In a perfect world summer temperatures would never go higher than 25 degrees (and even then only with wind).
In other news, the affirmations I posted the other day really did help me. I feel better, more optimistic, more trusting, and already more abundant. Good things have come our way, and more are coming too!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
To recommit to this blog...and because I need this right now.
I embrace this moment and know it is a good one
I accept all the good in the Universe coming my way
I let go of the illusion of control
I embody peace, love and joy
I am skillful
I am playful
I am whole
I am rising to the challenges
I am constantly renewing my energy
I am reaching my goals
I have plenty of time to breathe and be calm.
I am a magnet for wonderful
I weave my dreams into existence
Everything is just as it should be
I am learning and growing and glowing with light
I give myself permission to be amazing
I am stepping lightly, continuing on my path.
I am radiant.
I am lovingly cradled in the arms of the universe.
I am open
I am ready
I am able
I am exactly where I need to be
I am perfect and whole in this moment
I am abundant in every way
I cherish myself and all others around me
I am dancing in possibility
I have the power to make dreams come true
I am a creator.
I am utterly and completely enough!
I am a magnet attracting all that I desire
I am on the verge of monumental things.
I accept all the good in the Universe coming my way
I let go of the illusion of control
I embody peace, love and joy
I am skillful
I am playful
I am whole
I am rising to the challenges
I am constantly renewing my energy
I am reaching my goals
I have plenty of time to breathe and be calm.
I am a magnet for wonderful
I weave my dreams into existence
Everything is just as it should be
I am learning and growing and glowing with light
I give myself permission to be amazing
I am stepping lightly, continuing on my path.
I am radiant.
I am lovingly cradled in the arms of the universe.
I am open
I am ready
I am able
I am exactly where I need to be
I am perfect and whole in this moment
I am abundant in every way
I cherish myself and all others around me
I am dancing in possibility
I have the power to make dreams come true
I am a creator.
I am utterly and completely enough!
I am a magnet attracting all that I desire
I am on the verge of monumental things.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Why I'm seriously considering only having one child...
...hehe...that title sounds like this is going to be a rant about how horrible my baby is or something. Not so, I swear. And I'm not trying to slag people who currently have more than one baby either present, on the way, or in their future plans. But this has been on my mind a lot in the past week or two and I want to talk about it. No offense meant, honest.
Ever since I started imagining my family I always assumed I would have two kids. I would have a girl first and then a boy, just like my mom and dad did. Of course, fate threw a wrench in that plan when I my firstborn turned out to be a boy. Anyway, I rolled with the punches and everything's great.
...or it was on the surface anyway...
...the problem I've been having really ever since Little Bear was born (on and off) I've recently termed Hypothetical Second Child Syndrome. It goes something like this...when your kid is cranky/sick/not sleeping you start thinking "Oh God...what's this going to be like when #2 is doing this and I have to deal with this one too?" And when your kid is beaming at you and you can't possibly imagine life getting better you think "Oh God...#2 is going to be a nightmare child to make up for this amazing angel." And what happens if you're me -and I am- is that eventually this pattern becomes so ingrained in your psyche that one day (say 8 months into your firstborn's life) you suddenly realize that you've spent a good portion of his life worrying about his hypothetical siblings instead of enjoying HIM!
This doesn't sit well with me. I don't want to do this anymore . I don't want to feel (however inaccurately) that we're in some kind of limbo where we're waiting to be a complete family and it won't happen until I go through another 10 months of hell...I mean pregnancy. Again please note that I am expressing the bizarre and twisted inner workings of MY brain and not making comments about those of you who have/are growing/are planning #2 (you brave, brave souls).
My mom is definitely one of those "only children are cursed/spoiled/doomed" people, so only having one kid really never occurred to me. And I swear this isn't just because I see moms of several at playgroup (oy vey) or read about how freaking hard it is with a baby and a toddler on my messageboards (although that helps). And I know that I may change my mind...or fate may change it for me later on...it's not like I'm going to go out and get my tubes tied tomorrow or anything. But I have been thinking about it...and reading about it...and I am admitting right now that having an only child doesn't seem like such a bad racket.
I could run through all the myths about only children and present evidence that invalidates them...but I won't. That's not my point. I'm not out to prove that One Is Better and Two Or More Is Bad (because I don't believe any such thing). What I want to talk about is what the mere idea of having only one and that being OK has done for me...and why that's making me seriously consider stopping the reproductive presses right now.
Since I came to this realization (that I don't HAVE to have another) everything has felt...easier...lighter...less charged with future worry. When Xander has a bad night I still suffer, but I no longer go "oh God, how am I going to handle this when I'm pregnant/when we have #2?" When we have good days I feel like I'm appreciating him more than ever before. I don't think about how crappy the future is going to be and how much harder my life will be in a year or two. When I wake up and all three of us are tucked into bed I feel like we're a complete family instead of something incomplete like a wagon missing a wheel (I feel like a tricycle instead....tricycles are fun!). I look forward to family trips later on without dread. I think about a home without fighting siblings or rivalries (I know they say "siblings are built in friends"...but really? try being a girl and having a younger brother). It feels pretty great to me.
I'm still doing my research about this, and like I said, I'm keeping an open mind for the future. And if I got pregnant by accident tomorrow I wouldn't have an abortion or anything (I would probably cry a lot though). Maybe I'll be like my mom and in 3 years I'll go "OK, I want a baby." But right now? I'm good. We're good. I don't feel the need to do this again. I never thought I'd say that.
OK, I've said what's on my mind. I know it's a bit different from recent posts, but my brain is a deep and sometimes scary place...you never know what's lurking in its depths.
Carry on.
Ever since I started imagining my family I always assumed I would have two kids. I would have a girl first and then a boy, just like my mom and dad did. Of course, fate threw a wrench in that plan when I my firstborn turned out to be a boy. Anyway, I rolled with the punches and everything's great.
...or it was on the surface anyway...
...the problem I've been having really ever since Little Bear was born (on and off) I've recently termed Hypothetical Second Child Syndrome. It goes something like this...when your kid is cranky/sick/not sleeping you start thinking "Oh God...what's this going to be like when #2 is doing this and I have to deal with this one too?" And when your kid is beaming at you and you can't possibly imagine life getting better you think "Oh God...#2 is going to be a nightmare child to make up for this amazing angel." And what happens if you're me -and I am- is that eventually this pattern becomes so ingrained in your psyche that one day (say 8 months into your firstborn's life) you suddenly realize that you've spent a good portion of his life worrying about his hypothetical siblings instead of enjoying HIM!
This doesn't sit well with me. I don't want to do this anymore . I don't want to feel (however inaccurately) that we're in some kind of limbo where we're waiting to be a complete family and it won't happen until I go through another 10 months of hell...I mean pregnancy. Again please note that I am expressing the bizarre and twisted inner workings of MY brain and not making comments about those of you who have/are growing/are planning #2 (you brave, brave souls).
My mom is definitely one of those "only children are cursed/spoiled/doomed" people, so only having one kid really never occurred to me. And I swear this isn't just because I see moms of several at playgroup (oy vey) or read about how freaking hard it is with a baby and a toddler on my messageboards (although that helps). And I know that I may change my mind...or fate may change it for me later on...it's not like I'm going to go out and get my tubes tied tomorrow or anything. But I have been thinking about it...and reading about it...and I am admitting right now that having an only child doesn't seem like such a bad racket.
I could run through all the myths about only children and present evidence that invalidates them...but I won't. That's not my point. I'm not out to prove that One Is Better and Two Or More Is Bad (because I don't believe any such thing). What I want to talk about is what the mere idea of having only one and that being OK has done for me...and why that's making me seriously consider stopping the reproductive presses right now.
Since I came to this realization (that I don't HAVE to have another) everything has felt...easier...lighter...less charged with future worry. When Xander has a bad night I still suffer, but I no longer go "oh God, how am I going to handle this when I'm pregnant/when we have #2?" When we have good days I feel like I'm appreciating him more than ever before. I don't think about how crappy the future is going to be and how much harder my life will be in a year or two. When I wake up and all three of us are tucked into bed I feel like we're a complete family instead of something incomplete like a wagon missing a wheel (I feel like a tricycle instead....tricycles are fun!). I look forward to family trips later on without dread. I think about a home without fighting siblings or rivalries (I know they say "siblings are built in friends"...but really? try being a girl and having a younger brother). It feels pretty great to me.
I'm still doing my research about this, and like I said, I'm keeping an open mind for the future. And if I got pregnant by accident tomorrow I wouldn't have an abortion or anything (I would probably cry a lot though). Maybe I'll be like my mom and in 3 years I'll go "OK, I want a baby." But right now? I'm good. We're good. I don't feel the need to do this again. I never thought I'd say that.
OK, I've said what's on my mind. I know it's a bit different from recent posts, but my brain is a deep and sometimes scary place...you never know what's lurking in its depths.
Carry on.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Joy Rebel Mission: create your own definition
This week's Joy Rebel Army assignment was to think/write about being a Joy Rebel and what it meant to us. I took most of the week to think about it because it's actually turned out to be a complex and deep-rooted thing for me. In the end this is what I came up with:
I’ve been mulling this over, and I think to me joy rebel-ness is a combination of a few different things in an equation that is constantly shifting. The components are:
Mindful/conscious living - choosing to see and feel joy in the every day, appreciating the “small” things, remembering to breathe
Self-care - being gentle with myself when I’m having a bad/low-energy day and instead of wallowing in it trying to do something to break the negative cycle...drop my to-do list, take a bath, get outside, have a hot chocolate at Starbucks, watch a happy movie, or listen/dance to fun music
Joyful Activities - This is where the creative expression really comes in - I’m a dancer by nature, so that's often the first thing I think of. Writing and taking pictures and doing crafty things (knitting, cross-stitch, painting, making collages, and I want to learn to sew this year). Doing yoga and walking outside. Cooking and trying/creating new recipes (I’m learning to bake bread this year...it’s very fun!). In summary, doing SOMETHING creative and/or active -remembering to explore life instead of just numbing out.
Spreading the Joy - Things like giving hugs, keeping in touch with people, remembering to kiss my husband good morning (you wouldn’t think that would be something I’d need to remember, but Xander and I get up before him), sending care packages, making cookies, commenting on friends’ blog posts...etc etc etc.
I think sometimes these categories overlap...like I might bake cookies because I’m feeling down, and then the joy spreads when Matthew gets to eat them too...or I do something creative like knit a scarf, but then I share the joy by mailing it to a friend who lives far away...that kind of thing.
And finally, I wanted to say that being part of this Army has really and truly helped me. I'm playing more, and I'm appreciating my life and my family more, and I'm not as prone to expanding negative moods (not that I don't HAVE them, but I'm finding it easier to stop obsessing about them and making them worse). So thank you!!!
I'm not saying that I'm happy and gleeful every day (because that would be a lie), but I really do feel like this process has helped me. Really, the whole SARK messageboard has helped -it got me away from the parenting sites and interacting with women who have more than one thing on their minds (no, I don't really mean that parents/parenting board people only have one thing on their minds, really, but it IS refreshing to be in a place where one out of 200 posts is about kids as opposed to vice versa and where any post about a kid is about how amazing/fun/unique they are and not about their various bodily fluids, sleeping habits, diets, etc)
I’ve been mulling this over, and I think to me joy rebel-ness is a combination of a few different things in an equation that is constantly shifting. The components are:
Mindful/conscious living - choosing to see and feel joy in the every day, appreciating the “small” things, remembering to breathe
Self-care - being gentle with myself when I’m having a bad/low-energy day and instead of wallowing in it trying to do something to break the negative cycle...drop my to-do list, take a bath, get outside, have a hot chocolate at Starbucks, watch a happy movie, or listen/dance to fun music
Joyful Activities - This is where the creative expression really comes in - I’m a dancer by nature, so that's often the first thing I think of. Writing and taking pictures and doing crafty things (knitting, cross-stitch, painting, making collages, and I want to learn to sew this year). Doing yoga and walking outside. Cooking and trying/creating new recipes (I’m learning to bake bread this year...it’s very fun!). In summary, doing SOMETHING creative and/or active -remembering to explore life instead of just numbing out.
Spreading the Joy - Things like giving hugs, keeping in touch with people, remembering to kiss my husband good morning (you wouldn’t think that would be something I’d need to remember, but Xander and I get up before him), sending care packages, making cookies, commenting on friends’ blog posts...etc etc etc.
I think sometimes these categories overlap...like I might bake cookies because I’m feeling down, and then the joy spreads when Matthew gets to eat them too...or I do something creative like knit a scarf, but then I share the joy by mailing it to a friend who lives far away...that kind of thing.
And finally, I wanted to say that being part of this Army has really and truly helped me. I'm playing more, and I'm appreciating my life and my family more, and I'm not as prone to expanding negative moods (not that I don't HAVE them, but I'm finding it easier to stop obsessing about them and making them worse). So thank you!!!
I'm not saying that I'm happy and gleeful every day (because that would be a lie), but I really do feel like this process has helped me. Really, the whole SARK messageboard has helped -it got me away from the parenting sites and interacting with women who have more than one thing on their minds (no, I don't really mean that parents/parenting board people only have one thing on their minds, really, but it IS refreshing to be in a place where one out of 200 posts is about kids as opposed to vice versa and where any post about a kid is about how amazing/fun/unique they are and not about their various bodily fluids, sleeping habits, diets, etc)
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Of cooking and navel gazing
This year seems to be the year of culinary experimentation for me. I don't mean that I'm throwing together my own recipes all the time (although I am -but I think that was last year's theme) -it's more that I'm setting out to learn how to make certain things or certain recipes...more of a striving for culinary expertise, if that makes sense.
The biggest and scariest example of this is bread. Bread is something that I've always wanted to make, but I was always scared to try. There's something intimidating and unpredictable about the kneading/rising process...it's not straight forward like other baking. I'm not good at trying new things, be they culinary or otherwise -I like to know how something will turn out before I start (and if I think it won't turn out well I Don't Try At All). This is why I think all of this kitchen experience is so good for me, and the bread was no exception -I went in with the mindset of "OK, this could be a total disaster...but if it is then I'll throw it out and I'll have learned what not to do for the next time I try it." This may sound straightforward to you, but for me it's a total revelation. Seriously, a revolution in thinking.
Anyway, it did NOT go perfectly -our apartment is curiously devoid of "warm spots" for rising bread, and the solution (of using the oven at the lowest setting and then turned off) that I came up with when I made pizza dough last month (also for the first time, I might add) wasn't possible because this recipe called for starting the baking in a cold oven. I ended up rising the bread for twice the recommended time just so it would get poofy enough, and then it got really brown in the oven before it was supposed to and I couldn't tell if it was done in the middle or not. But I went with it and, you know what? It wasn't half bad....in fact, one could argue that it was pretty darn good for a first try! And I did learn something...I learned that I should try a recipe that uses a preheated oven so that I can have a guaranteed effective warm spot! And now I can't wait to try it again.
So here, for the first time ever, is a loaf of bread that I baked myself (and the heel of the other one because it was so darn tasty that we demolished most of a loaf in one sitting). And yes, it was supposed to be smooth and round, not lumpy, but you know what? I'll get there someday!
The biggest and scariest example of this is bread. Bread is something that I've always wanted to make, but I was always scared to try. There's something intimidating and unpredictable about the kneading/rising process...it's not straight forward like other baking. I'm not good at trying new things, be they culinary or otherwise -I like to know how something will turn out before I start (and if I think it won't turn out well I Don't Try At All). This is why I think all of this kitchen experience is so good for me, and the bread was no exception -I went in with the mindset of "OK, this could be a total disaster...but if it is then I'll throw it out and I'll have learned what not to do for the next time I try it." This may sound straightforward to you, but for me it's a total revelation. Seriously, a revolution in thinking.
Anyway, it did NOT go perfectly -our apartment is curiously devoid of "warm spots" for rising bread, and the solution (of using the oven at the lowest setting and then turned off) that I came up with when I made pizza dough last month (also for the first time, I might add) wasn't possible because this recipe called for starting the baking in a cold oven. I ended up rising the bread for twice the recommended time just so it would get poofy enough, and then it got really brown in the oven before it was supposed to and I couldn't tell if it was done in the middle or not. But I went with it and, you know what? It wasn't half bad....in fact, one could argue that it was pretty darn good for a first try! And I did learn something...I learned that I should try a recipe that uses a preheated oven so that I can have a guaranteed effective warm spot! And now I can't wait to try it again.
So here, for the first time ever, is a loaf of bread that I baked myself (and the heel of the other one because it was so darn tasty that we demolished most of a loaf in one sitting). And yes, it was supposed to be smooth and round, not lumpy, but you know what? I'll get there someday!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Goddess Guidebook project!
So, last weekend Goddess Leonie, a fellow SARK-forum-member and the creator of Goddess Guidebook (dot) com posted an assignment on her site and on the forum. She invited us to revisit our intentions for this year, and to come up with one or two power words that really resonate with us/our intention. I thought it was a perfect follow-up to the treasure mapping I had been doing, so of course I jumped in!
I thought back to my treasure map, trying to find the perfect word. And it just jumped out at me...LOVE. All kinds of love...love for my baby, love for my husband, love for friends and family, love for myself, love for my body, love for my home, love of my job, new hobbies that involve sharing the love (baking, sewing, writing stories...all things you can share), love of LIFE -travel, inner and outer exploration...you get the idea.
The second part of the assignment was to create Something that embodied the energy of our year's intention. So I did...and here it is:
I'm planning another entry this weekend...about what the kitchen is teaching me about life...stay tuned!
I thought back to my treasure map, trying to find the perfect word. And it just jumped out at me...LOVE. All kinds of love...love for my baby, love for my husband, love for friends and family, love for myself, love for my body, love for my home, love of my job, new hobbies that involve sharing the love (baking, sewing, writing stories...all things you can share), love of LIFE -travel, inner and outer exploration...you get the idea.
The second part of the assignment was to create Something that embodied the energy of our year's intention. So I did...and here it is:
I'm planning another entry this weekend...about what the kitchen is teaching me about life...stay tuned!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Photo Safari
Today Little Bear and I went on a photo safari around our neighbourhood. Let me show you what we saw :-)
First we paused in the lobby for a photo:
And I took a detail shot of the beautiful wall-sized water feature:
Then we left our building behind:
Went through the parking lot:
And headed down the street. We passed lots of trees with buds!
And saw a beautiful weathered telephone pole (it makes me think of angels):
I love the way they painted all the power/phone/whatever substations...so pretty. I think this is my favourite:
The evergreen bushes by the bank were starting to bud:
And then we went down the road to the library. Our library is surrounded by half a moat! Here it is:
And here's the bridge you cross to get to it from the sidewalk:
I really like our library.
I've been avoiding it for the past 4 years because I owed over 40 bucks in late fees (yes, really!), but today was the day I decided to take care of it.
On our way out we saw this beautiful painting:
By this point Little Bear was long overdue for a nap, so I decided to take the long way home:
I paused to photograph this creeper:
And this sign that someone made and posted (so cool):
And by the time I rounded the corner....SUCCESS!
He slept all the way home. It was a great safari!
First we paused in the lobby for a photo:
And I took a detail shot of the beautiful wall-sized water feature:
Then we left our building behind:
Went through the parking lot:
And headed down the street. We passed lots of trees with buds!
And saw a beautiful weathered telephone pole (it makes me think of angels):
I love the way they painted all the power/phone/whatever substations...so pretty. I think this is my favourite:
The evergreen bushes by the bank were starting to bud:
And then we went down the road to the library. Our library is surrounded by half a moat! Here it is:
And here's the bridge you cross to get to it from the sidewalk:
I really like our library.
I've been avoiding it for the past 4 years because I owed over 40 bucks in late fees (yes, really!), but today was the day I decided to take care of it.
On our way out we saw this beautiful painting:
By this point Little Bear was long overdue for a nap, so I decided to take the long way home:
I paused to photograph this creeper:
And this sign that someone made and posted (so cool):
And by the time I rounded the corner....SUCCESS!
He slept all the way home. It was a great safari!
Treasure Mapping
Hello! I'm back!
So, this past Thursday-through-Sunday was the Aries new moon. For those of you who are not astrologically-minded, that's the first 3.5 days of the zodiacal new year. Aries is the first sign, and the new moon is a time of envisioning what you want to manifest during the coming year. Because Aries has to do with vision and sight, lots of people make a collage, or treasure map, so they can see what they want to manifest. You know, if you believe in that kind of thing.
A bunch of mamas on my messageboard were doing it, and I decided to give it a try. It made a lot of sense to me -I usually get a burst of inspiration around this time of year, and I loved the idea of putting together a piece of art that helped me visualize all those plans and ideas.
It turned out awesome! I put it together using nine pieces of 12x12 scrapbooking cardstock (many people design the map using the 9 feng shui baguas as a template, and I went with that). Here 's the result!
And here are detail shots of each square:
1. Wealth/Prosperity/Abundance
2. Fame/Reputation (aka "What do you want to be known for?")
3. Love/Marriage/Relationships
(Sorry this and the following ones are sideways...I don't know how to change them without going into iPhoto...and I'm boycotting iPhoto because it hates me)
4. Health/Family
5. My Centre/Ground/Home
6. Creativity/Play/Children
7. Knowledge/Self-exploration (Things I want to learn/meditation)
8. Career (not just "how I want to make money," but also unpaid activities: "What do I want to do?")
9. Travel/Angels/Helpful people (places I want to go, people/guides who will help me)
So there you have it! Sorry again about the sideways-ness, but I think you still get a pretty good idea of the whole thing.
I'm hoping to update weekly, possibly with reports re: my Joy Rebel Army assignments. This was actually last week's, so stay tuned for this week's VERY soon (maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow)
So, this past Thursday-through-Sunday was the Aries new moon. For those of you who are not astrologically-minded, that's the first 3.5 days of the zodiacal new year. Aries is the first sign, and the new moon is a time of envisioning what you want to manifest during the coming year. Because Aries has to do with vision and sight, lots of people make a collage, or treasure map, so they can see what they want to manifest. You know, if you believe in that kind of thing.
A bunch of mamas on my messageboard were doing it, and I decided to give it a try. It made a lot of sense to me -I usually get a burst of inspiration around this time of year, and I loved the idea of putting together a piece of art that helped me visualize all those plans and ideas.
It turned out awesome! I put it together using nine pieces of 12x12 scrapbooking cardstock (many people design the map using the 9 feng shui baguas as a template, and I went with that). Here 's the result!
And here are detail shots of each square:
1. Wealth/Prosperity/Abundance
2. Fame/Reputation (aka "What do you want to be known for?")
3. Love/Marriage/Relationships
(Sorry this and the following ones are sideways...I don't know how to change them without going into iPhoto...and I'm boycotting iPhoto because it hates me)
4. Health/Family
5. My Centre/Ground/Home
6. Creativity/Play/Children
7. Knowledge/Self-exploration (Things I want to learn/meditation)
8. Career (not just "how I want to make money," but also unpaid activities: "What do I want to do?")
9. Travel/Angels/Helpful people (places I want to go, people/guides who will help me)
So there you have it! Sorry again about the sideways-ness, but I think you still get a pretty good idea of the whole thing.
I'm hoping to update weekly, possibly with reports re: my Joy Rebel Army assignments. This was actually last week's, so stay tuned for this week's VERY soon (maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow)
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Whew...better.
I'm feeling much better...got a lot done today and feel much more on top of things, although I wish this blog entry wasn't going to suck as much as it will. Oh well.
My horoscope for this week said something along the lines of "Libra, you are very good at seeing situations from all angles and at convincing yourself that you should want/do something because it's what you think others want. Don't do that. Don't try to anticipate other peoples' reactions, because you will get it wrong and make yourself crazy. Focus on yourself, act from your heart and everything will be A-OK" (only it said it much better than that). It was remarkably useful and appropriate advice. That's EXACTLY what I was doing -I would think of something I could do and then I would become paralyzed with fear that if I did that people would judge/criticize/mock/reject me and I would FAILFAILFAIL. Good times.
Like I said...feeling better now.
That being said, I'm going to stop writing and go to bed. A short entry is better than no entry at all...or so I keep telling myself.
My horoscope for this week said something along the lines of "Libra, you are very good at seeing situations from all angles and at convincing yourself that you should want/do something because it's what you think others want. Don't do that. Don't try to anticipate other peoples' reactions, because you will get it wrong and make yourself crazy. Focus on yourself, act from your heart and everything will be A-OK" (only it said it much better than that). It was remarkably useful and appropriate advice. That's EXACTLY what I was doing -I would think of something I could do and then I would become paralyzed with fear that if I did that people would judge/criticize/mock/reject me and I would FAILFAILFAIL. Good times.
Like I said...feeling better now.
That being said, I'm going to stop writing and go to bed. A short entry is better than no entry at all...or so I keep telling myself.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Not very good at multitasking...
Maybe I should rephrase that...not very good at doing more than one project.
Right now I'm feeling somewhat swamped...I'm Immense-ing, trying to keep this up, and I just started work on a story that I am super-excited about. But I can't seem to do all of these things without losing hold on at least one of them. The past couple days I was working on my story -and both this and the Lovely stuff suffered (this sucks, because it's looking like it will be a novel...and novels take time!). Tonight I've been trying to make up for missed Lovely stuff, but that means I didn't work on the story and I'm staying up late to do this. I feel like I suck at this.
But this is the way life is, I keep telling myself. Life isn't "do one thing" then "do another thing." It's "OK, I have five things I need to do...and they all need to get done today. How can I make this work without losing my mind and/or my sleep?"
...this is going to take some figuring out...
Right now I'm feeling somewhat swamped...I'm Immense-ing, trying to keep this up, and I just started work on a story that I am super-excited about. But I can't seem to do all of these things without losing hold on at least one of them. The past couple days I was working on my story -and both this and the Lovely stuff suffered (this sucks, because it's looking like it will be a novel...and novels take time!). Tonight I've been trying to make up for missed Lovely stuff, but that means I didn't work on the story and I'm staying up late to do this. I feel like I suck at this.
But this is the way life is, I keep telling myself. Life isn't "do one thing" then "do another thing." It's "OK, I have five things I need to do...and they all need to get done today. How can I make this work without losing my mind and/or my sleep?"
...this is going to take some figuring out...
Monday, February 9, 2009
Short due to cranky baby...
Little Bear has been unbearably clingy and fussy all day, so this will be short.
I made soup yesterday! A new recipe! It started with the base for roasted red pepper and zucchini soup, but then I added carrots and sweet potato instead...it was AWESOME. Here is the (approximate) recipe:
Olive oil
Several onions, chopped (I think I used 4)
Garlic, minced (I used 4 cloves, but we like our garlic)
2 or 3 carrots, chopped
Thyme to taste
2 cans low sodium broth (I used chicken)
1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 sweet potatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce sweet potato skins in several places and bake in oven for about 1 hour. I've noticed that the more holes I make in the potato the better it turns out.
2. Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add onions and frizzle until soft. Add garlic, thyme, and carrots, and frizzle a bit more (yes, frizzle is a technical term, why do you ask? :-P)
3. Pour in beans and broth (adding water as instructed...I had 2 cans of broth and 1.5 cans of water). Bring to a boil.
4. Cook until carrots are tender and then remove from heat (I did this uncovered because I couldn't find the lid until it was almost done).
5. Add in the "meat" from the sweet potatoes. Let everything cool to room temperature.
6. Puree the entire works with a food processor/blender.
7. Heat and serve. Season as desired with salt and pepper. Oh, and this goes AMAZINGLY with corn chips. I don't know why, but it does. Or with a grilled cheddar cheese and caramelized onion sandwich. YUM.
I made soup yesterday! A new recipe! It started with the base for roasted red pepper and zucchini soup, but then I added carrots and sweet potato instead...it was AWESOME. Here is the (approximate) recipe:
Olive oil
Several onions, chopped (I think I used 4)
Garlic, minced (I used 4 cloves, but we like our garlic)
2 or 3 carrots, chopped
Thyme to taste
2 cans low sodium broth (I used chicken)
1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 sweet potatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce sweet potato skins in several places and bake in oven for about 1 hour. I've noticed that the more holes I make in the potato the better it turns out.
2. Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add onions and frizzle until soft. Add garlic, thyme, and carrots, and frizzle a bit more (yes, frizzle is a technical term, why do you ask? :-P)
3. Pour in beans and broth (adding water as instructed...I had 2 cans of broth and 1.5 cans of water). Bring to a boil.
4. Cook until carrots are tender and then remove from heat (I did this uncovered because I couldn't find the lid until it was almost done).
5. Add in the "meat" from the sweet potatoes. Let everything cool to room temperature.
6. Puree the entire works with a food processor/blender.
7. Heat and serve. Season as desired with salt and pepper. Oh, and this goes AMAZINGLY with corn chips. I don't know why, but it does. Or with a grilled cheddar cheese and caramelized onion sandwich. YUM.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Past my bedtime -which is sad in and of itself, as it's 9pm.
It's been a long and busy day.
Seriously...my email inbox saw more action today than it usually sees in a month! The Beckoning of Lovely cabinet was emailing back and forth all over the place, and then my department members were sending out introduction emails (all completely wonderful, by the way), and then lots of them responded to my responses...and...you get the idea. I don't have an exact count of the emails, but at a guess there were 30. It was AWESOME. I am excited :-)
Oh, and I don't remember if I mentioned this (which is sad, as I posted YESTERDAY), but The Beckoning of Lovely project is still taking submissions. Go here for project background and submission details -the submission info is about 2/3 of the way down the page...look for the brown font.
Some other web.sights that tickled my fancy today:
Help Others (dot) org -a site dedicated to acts of kindness. I especially like their smile card game!
Thing-a-Day 2009 -a collection of people committed to making a thing a day in February. I love this idea, and it's fun to see what people are making!
Neil Gaiman's Twitter -I don't know a lot about Twitter, so I can't keep up with the Tweet-ese...but I get a kick out of Mr. Neil's comments, and it's cool to be able to follow him in real time. In a completely non-creepy-stalker kind of way :-P
OK...bed.
Seriously...my email inbox saw more action today than it usually sees in a month! The Beckoning of Lovely cabinet was emailing back and forth all over the place, and then my department members were sending out introduction emails (all completely wonderful, by the way), and then lots of them responded to my responses...and...you get the idea. I don't have an exact count of the emails, but at a guess there were 30. It was AWESOME. I am excited :-)
Oh, and I don't remember if I mentioned this (which is sad, as I posted YESTERDAY), but The Beckoning of Lovely project is still taking submissions. Go here for project background and submission details -the submission info is about 2/3 of the way down the page...look for the brown font.
Some other web.sights that tickled my fancy today:
Help Others (dot) org -a site dedicated to acts of kindness. I especially like their smile card game!
Thing-a-Day 2009 -a collection of people committed to making a thing a day in February. I love this idea, and it's fun to see what people are making!
Neil Gaiman's Twitter -I don't know a lot about Twitter, so I can't keep up with the Tweet-ese...but I get a kick out of Mr. Neil's comments, and it's cool to be able to follow him in real time. In a completely non-creepy-stalker kind of way :-P
OK...bed.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Oof...tired. But determined to post!
I'm completely exhausted and way too keyed up to sleep. Things are finally moving on the Beckoning of Lovely front, and the email is flying like...something that...flies a lot? You know what I mean.
Today I had a conference call with some of the key cabinet members to share ideas, get a sense of the larger goals and How to Proceed. It was a good meeting, very exciting stuff was discussed, but I have to say...conference calls? Not my favourite medium of communication. Very effective, and it was cool to be on there...but I have a lot of trouble speaking up in a group when I can sense body language, let alone when I can't see anyone! Ah well -it was nice to see things get underway, and the issues I had were totally to do with me and my extreme shyness around strangers, even super-awesome-friendly ones.
Anyway, in other news I have successfully managed to break myself of the parenting-board habit...by going back to the SARK message board:-P And let me demonstrate why I love this place so much:
Here were the first few threads I read:
1. Someone asking for prayers/good vibes for a doctor's visit
2. A meeting of "joy rebel warriors"
3. A collection of beautiful poetry and photos
4. A thread of support for a woman who filed for divorce today
5. A collection of haikus to celebrate the upcoming marriage of a board member
That's it. No debates. No judgment. Just immense outpourings of love and support and creativity. I felt like I was going back home.
Now, I know it's not for everyone -Papa Bear, for one, is far too cynical to enjoy something like this- but it is the perfect place for someone like me. And it makes me very happy to be back!
Anyway, this is a disjointed entry, but it's an hour past my bedtime, so it'll have to do!
Nighty night!
Today I had a conference call with some of the key cabinet members to share ideas, get a sense of the larger goals and How to Proceed. It was a good meeting, very exciting stuff was discussed, but I have to say...conference calls? Not my favourite medium of communication. Very effective, and it was cool to be on there...but I have a lot of trouble speaking up in a group when I can sense body language, let alone when I can't see anyone! Ah well -it was nice to see things get underway, and the issues I had were totally to do with me and my extreme shyness around strangers, even super-awesome-friendly ones.
Anyway, in other news I have successfully managed to break myself of the parenting-board habit...by going back to the SARK message board:-P And let me demonstrate why I love this place so much:
Here were the first few threads I read:
1. Someone asking for prayers/good vibes for a doctor's visit
2. A meeting of "joy rebel warriors"
3. A collection of beautiful poetry and photos
4. A thread of support for a woman who filed for divorce today
5. A collection of haikus to celebrate the upcoming marriage of a board member
That's it. No debates. No judgment. Just immense outpourings of love and support and creativity. I felt like I was going back home.
Now, I know it's not for everyone -Papa Bear, for one, is far too cynical to enjoy something like this- but it is the perfect place for someone like me. And it makes me very happy to be back!
Anyway, this is a disjointed entry, but it's an hour past my bedtime, so it'll have to do!
Nighty night!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Oh..wow...
Check this out:
To Gain The Universe
To rule the state, have a known plan
To win a battle, have an unknown plan
To gain the universe, have no plan at all
Let the universe itself reveal to you its splendor
How do I know this should be so?
Because of this -
The more restrictions, the more poverty
The more weapons, the more fear in the land
The more cleverness, the more strange events
The more laws, the more lawbreakers
Thus the Sages say;
Act with a pure heart and the people will be transformed
Love your own life and the people will be uplifted
Give without conditions and the people will prosper
Want nothing and the people will find everything
Vs. 57
- Lao Tzu
Amy K. just sent that out, and it accords so perfectly with what I've been telling myself lately. So I thought I would share. And because it says it all I'm not going to elaborate. I'll write more tomorrow.
To Gain The Universe
To rule the state, have a known plan
To win a battle, have an unknown plan
To gain the universe, have no plan at all
Let the universe itself reveal to you its splendor
How do I know this should be so?
Because of this -
The more restrictions, the more poverty
The more weapons, the more fear in the land
The more cleverness, the more strange events
The more laws, the more lawbreakers
Thus the Sages say;
Act with a pure heart and the people will be transformed
Love your own life and the people will be uplifted
Give without conditions and the people will prosper
Want nothing and the people will find everything
Vs. 57
- Lao Tzu
Amy K. just sent that out, and it accords so perfectly with what I've been telling myself lately. So I thought I would share. And because it says it all I'm not going to elaborate. I'll write more tomorrow.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Right some pretty...
Do you ever stop and just marvel at how beautiful the world is?
Because of my newfound internet-drought I actually watched TV during Little Bear's naps today (this was also partly due to the fact that I nursed him to sleep in my lap for both naps -an effort to break the Moby Wrap habit before he reaches 30lbs). Anyway...I put on a Blu-Ray disc of a BBC series called Ganges -a 3-part spin-off of the Planet Earth series that looks at the Ganges river from its numerous sources through to the Delta on the Bay of Bengal.
Damn. I say again, DAMN. The world is a beautiful place. There are so many strange and beautiful animals, so many glorious landscapes. It's amazing.
It was especially fun to watch this today, when we've been having a snow storm ALL DAY LONG. I would look from the TV to the snow falling outside -both scenes were beautiful...but they were so different.
Anyway, that's my thought for the day brought to you in part by HDTV.
Because of my newfound internet-drought I actually watched TV during Little Bear's naps today (this was also partly due to the fact that I nursed him to sleep in my lap for both naps -an effort to break the Moby Wrap habit before he reaches 30lbs). Anyway...I put on a Blu-Ray disc of a BBC series called Ganges -a 3-part spin-off of the Planet Earth series that looks at the Ganges river from its numerous sources through to the Delta on the Bay of Bengal.
Damn. I say again, DAMN. The world is a beautiful place. There are so many strange and beautiful animals, so many glorious landscapes. It's amazing.
It was especially fun to watch this today, when we've been having a snow storm ALL DAY LONG. I would look from the TV to the snow falling outside -both scenes were beautiful...but they were so different.
Anyway, that's my thought for the day brought to you in part by HDTV.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Banned. Effective immediately.
That's it. I'm done.
It occurred to me today (well, over the course of the past several days) that I spend a lot...and I mean a LOT...of time on parenting messageboards. I don't mean that I have specific information or questions in mind and I go there to find the answers, I mean I scroll through multiple forums and read random threads and get emotionally involved in stupid things that have nothing to do with me. This. Must. Stop.
I realized today, as I was reading through a number of threads and either shaking my head incredulously at the original poster or at the people replying, that this kind of activity brings out the worst in me. Not that I go around trolling people or anything. I don't even post anything that could possibly be considered mildly offensive. But I'm angry a lot of the time -either wanting to pick holes in what someone else is saying or wanting everyone to Stop Fighting Already. What a pointless waste of energy!
Don't get me wrong, loyal readers. I am in no way saying that the messageboards in question are pointless OR a waste of energy (and, for the record, yes...messageboardS. As in more than one). When one is looking for support and information then they can be downright useful. But go beyond that and it can get a bit hairy. I find myself worrying that things I write will be taken the wrong way -and this is now extending to other things I write: emails, this blog post, facebook statuses. That's not healthy or cool.
So I am banning myself from said messageboards forthwith. The only exception? OK, there are two: 1. If I have a genuine need for information or support that I can't get elsewhere, and 2. If I'm following a specific topic for my own purposes.
...well...that should free up a lot of time! Good thing I've got Neil Gaiman's Twitter bookmarked!
In other news, today Little Bear said the "ma" sound for the first time! Granted, he was crying and it came out "MAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAM" ...but still! My heart melted! He's been saying "dadadadadadadadada" for a while now, so this is a breakthrough. It gave me an idea of how amazingly adorable and wonderful it's going to be when he starts actually talking :-)
It occurred to me today (well, over the course of the past several days) that I spend a lot...and I mean a LOT...of time on parenting messageboards. I don't mean that I have specific information or questions in mind and I go there to find the answers, I mean I scroll through multiple forums and read random threads and get emotionally involved in stupid things that have nothing to do with me. This. Must. Stop.
I realized today, as I was reading through a number of threads and either shaking my head incredulously at the original poster or at the people replying, that this kind of activity brings out the worst in me. Not that I go around trolling people or anything. I don't even post anything that could possibly be considered mildly offensive. But I'm angry a lot of the time -either wanting to pick holes in what someone else is saying or wanting everyone to Stop Fighting Already. What a pointless waste of energy!
Don't get me wrong, loyal readers. I am in no way saying that the messageboards in question are pointless OR a waste of energy (and, for the record, yes...messageboardS. As in more than one). When one is looking for support and information then they can be downright useful. But go beyond that and it can get a bit hairy. I find myself worrying that things I write will be taken the wrong way -and this is now extending to other things I write: emails, this blog post, facebook statuses. That's not healthy or cool.
So I am banning myself from said messageboards forthwith. The only exception? OK, there are two: 1. If I have a genuine need for information or support that I can't get elsewhere, and 2. If I'm following a specific topic for my own purposes.
...well...that should free up a lot of time! Good thing I've got Neil Gaiman's Twitter bookmarked!
In other news, today Little Bear said the "ma" sound for the first time! Granted, he was crying and it came out "MAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAM" ...but still! My heart melted! He's been saying "dadadadadadadadada" for a while now, so this is a breakthrough. It gave me an idea of how amazingly adorable and wonderful it's going to be when he starts actually talking :-)
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Cooking up a storm!
My oh my, have I had a productive weekend...in the kitchen.
On Friday I made granola bars! No real recipe, but the ingredients were as follows:
Butter
Oatmeal
Brown sugar
Honey
Cinnamon
Raisins
Sunflower seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Dried cranberries
Dried apricots (chopped)
They came out wonderfully! Our Battlestar Galactica group tried them when they came over and loved them (I didn't find this out until Saturday because I was asleep at the time).
On Saturday I made these squares from Chef at Home. They required 2 pounds of chocolate, 3 cups of peanut butter, a pound of cream cheese, and 4 cups of peanuts. I have to say that they would have turned out better if Chef Michael Smith had specified the SIZE OF PAN REQUIRED instead of just saying "a large baking pan" (he is ALWAYS ChefMichaelSmith to us and not Michael Smith, just to be clear. In fact, it only just occurred to me that his name is Michael Smith. Huh.). See, to me a "large baking pan" is, you know, a 9x13" pan. That's the largest baking pan I've ever used besides cookie sheets, and he definitely didn't mean those! But apparently there exists somewhere some kind of super-massive baking pan that dwarfs my 9x13" one, because what should have been a layer of peanuts-and-brownie 3/4" thick (or thereabouts) ended up being a layer about 2 inches thick instead. Oops!
I have to say, though, apart from that minor issue the squares were excellent. The top two layers were the best, and I plan to use them on top of either my own brownie recipe or cheesecake next time I make them...which won't be for months because I would like to not weigh a million pounds or have a heart attack any time soon.
Today I baked muffins for breakfast -blueberry muffins. They turned out spectacularly well, and you know what the secret was? I had no milk and therefore used whipping cream instead (it was the only liquid dairy I had in the house!). MAN, where they ever good!
And then for lunch I baked this...which was absolutely spectacular. I have no notes, ChefMichaelSmith, no notes at all. Bravo. Papa Bear liked it so much that he's already talking about making it with other things...like ham and cheddar (yum!). Also not something to eat daily, but then again...the entire dish only had 2 eggs and 1 cup of grated cheese...that ain't bad at all!
So...yeah...a culinary weekend to say the least! I still haven't finished all the dishes. That, sadly, is my job tomorrow. But you know what? it was totally worth it.
On Friday I made granola bars! No real recipe, but the ingredients were as follows:
Butter
Oatmeal
Brown sugar
Honey
Cinnamon
Raisins
Sunflower seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Dried cranberries
Dried apricots (chopped)
They came out wonderfully! Our Battlestar Galactica group tried them when they came over and loved them (I didn't find this out until Saturday because I was asleep at the time).
On Saturday I made these squares from Chef at Home. They required 2 pounds of chocolate, 3 cups of peanut butter, a pound of cream cheese, and 4 cups of peanuts. I have to say that they would have turned out better if Chef Michael Smith had specified the SIZE OF PAN REQUIRED instead of just saying "a large baking pan" (he is ALWAYS ChefMichaelSmith to us and not Michael Smith, just to be clear. In fact, it only just occurred to me that his name is Michael Smith. Huh.). See, to me a "large baking pan" is, you know, a 9x13" pan. That's the largest baking pan I've ever used besides cookie sheets, and he definitely didn't mean those! But apparently there exists somewhere some kind of super-massive baking pan that dwarfs my 9x13" one, because what should have been a layer of peanuts-and-brownie 3/4" thick (or thereabouts) ended up being a layer about 2 inches thick instead. Oops!
I have to say, though, apart from that minor issue the squares were excellent. The top two layers were the best, and I plan to use them on top of either my own brownie recipe or cheesecake next time I make them...which won't be for months because I would like to not weigh a million pounds or have a heart attack any time soon.
Today I baked muffins for breakfast -blueberry muffins. They turned out spectacularly well, and you know what the secret was? I had no milk and therefore used whipping cream instead (it was the only liquid dairy I had in the house!). MAN, where they ever good!
And then for lunch I baked this...which was absolutely spectacular. I have no notes, ChefMichaelSmith, no notes at all. Bravo. Papa Bear liked it so much that he's already talking about making it with other things...like ham and cheddar (yum!). Also not something to eat daily, but then again...the entire dish only had 2 eggs and 1 cup of grated cheese...that ain't bad at all!
So...yeah...a culinary weekend to say the least! I still haven't finished all the dishes. That, sadly, is my job tomorrow. But you know what? it was totally worth it.
Friday, January 30, 2009
...and I'm spent...
Oh man, I have nothing to write tonight. But I promised myself that I would write an entry every weekday, and it's not Saturday or Sunday...therefore...
Things have started ramping up for The Beckoning of Lovely. I've been emailing the Secretary of Slate (sort of VP of operations) all day, and we're doing this great thing where each email inspires new ideas that inspires another email that inspires new ideas. It's very exciting! I'm a little terrified of the prospect of managing twenty-something other people...but it'll be OK. I just have to not think about it and jump. It's going to be great. Oddly (for me) I honestly mean that and am not just trying to make myself feel better.
Little Bear is teething. He's been feeling his lower gums with his tongue all evening. And now he's asleep on my lap. This could pose a problem. I still need to brush my teeth, but the one time I put him down to go do that he started crying before I even tore off the piece of dental floss! My teeth are in a precarious state right now...I can't afford to not brush them! AGH! Please think happy not-having-to-sleep-sitting-up thoughts for me!
I will try to write a proper post over the weekend -this one really doesn't count. Plus I have an idea for one, but I just can't write it tonight. I'm spent.
Nighty night!
Things have started ramping up for The Beckoning of Lovely. I've been emailing the Secretary of Slate (sort of VP of operations) all day, and we're doing this great thing where each email inspires new ideas that inspires another email that inspires new ideas. It's very exciting! I'm a little terrified of the prospect of managing twenty-something other people...but it'll be OK. I just have to not think about it and jump. It's going to be great. Oddly (for me) I honestly mean that and am not just trying to make myself feel better.
Little Bear is teething. He's been feeling his lower gums with his tongue all evening. And now he's asleep on my lap. This could pose a problem. I still need to brush my teeth, but the one time I put him down to go do that he started crying before I even tore off the piece of dental floss! My teeth are in a precarious state right now...I can't afford to not brush them! AGH! Please think happy not-having-to-sleep-sitting-up thoughts for me!
I will try to write a proper post over the weekend -this one really doesn't count. Plus I have an idea for one, but I just can't write it tonight. I'm spent.
Nighty night!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
To-do list
A friend of mine wrote to me today:
"I'm considering coming up with life goals. The problem is that sometimes they're so long term as to be kind of overwhelming."
and I was reminded of a list I made in 2007 a couple of months before I got pregnant with Little Bear -things like "Go apple-picking, Try playing Dance Dance Revolution, Go out and try a martini" and bigger things like "Become a published author, be a mom, travel through Europe, take yoga teacher training."
I've decided that my activity for tonight will be to start a new list, since I have no idea where that old one is, and even if I found it I'm sure half the stuff would no longer be on my radar. So here goes:
-become a published author
-learn to use the slow-cooker we got for Christmas
-knit another sweater
-sew a doll or stuffed animal
-sleep through the night again
-curl up on the sofa with a glass of wine and a book
-travel through Europe
-own a house
-stay in a cottage in Cape Breton for longer than one night
-paint something beautiful
-learn to bake bread and make pie crusts
-attend a workshop with SARK
-attend a workshop with Gabrielle Roth
-practice meditation
-visit New York with Papa Bear
-pick strawberries
-eat at a 5-star restaurant
-try pottery-throwing
-play frisbee
-build a tree house
-take a train across Canada again (that was AMAZING)
-parent with awareness
-do something to make the world a better place
-enjoy every minute
I could continue -and probably will- but I'm exhausted and need sleep...I think Little Bear is teething.
"I'm considering coming up with life goals. The problem is that sometimes they're so long term as to be kind of overwhelming."
and I was reminded of a list I made in 2007 a couple of months before I got pregnant with Little Bear -things like "Go apple-picking, Try playing Dance Dance Revolution, Go out and try a martini" and bigger things like "Become a published author, be a mom, travel through Europe, take yoga teacher training."
I've decided that my activity for tonight will be to start a new list, since I have no idea where that old one is, and even if I found it I'm sure half the stuff would no longer be on my radar. So here goes:
-become a published author
-learn to use the slow-cooker we got for Christmas
-knit another sweater
-sew a doll or stuffed animal
-sleep through the night again
-curl up on the sofa with a glass of wine and a book
-travel through Europe
-own a house
-stay in a cottage in Cape Breton for longer than one night
-paint something beautiful
-learn to bake bread and make pie crusts
-attend a workshop with SARK
-attend a workshop with Gabrielle Roth
-practice meditation
-visit New York with Papa Bear
-pick strawberries
-eat at a 5-star restaurant
-try pottery-throwing
-play frisbee
-build a tree house
-take a train across Canada again (that was AMAZING)
-parent with awareness
-do something to make the world a better place
-enjoy every minute
I could continue -and probably will- but I'm exhausted and need sleep...I think Little Bear is teething.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Soul food...
There's a wonderful post in the Personal Growth section of the MDC forum called "What feeds your soul?" The person who posted it is working on figuring out what she wants to do with her life, and her therapist gave her this question to think about for homework.
How wonderful a question is that? And why did none of the career counsellors/regular counsellors I saw while I was a student ask me that?
It's so easy to get bogged down in the practical. Working within the bounds of "common sense" we see a limited horizon, a finite set of possible futures/careers/life paths. Anything else tends to be labelled "unrealistic" and shunted to the side. But what if we chose magic over practicality? What if we found what we loved and did it regardless of how "sensible" it is? People do it every single day. Some people do it and are wildly successful in spite of "common sense." How amazing is that?
It's hard to do when there are bills to pay, financial security to worry about. But I think we all need to take some time now and then and pay attention to what moves us, what makes us sense the magnificence of this life, of ourselves. What feels like playing? What makes us so happy that we don't realize we're working? I felt that yesterday and today, for the first time in a long time, when I was rewriting my story. It didn't feel like work, it wasn't hard -it just came out. It was like playing. And I am so happy with the result. I wasn't expecting that. I was supposed to be a dancer, not a writer...or so I thought until recently. Very interesting...
Anyway, if you're on MDC take a minute and go check out that thread. It's a good one.
How wonderful a question is that? And why did none of the career counsellors/regular counsellors I saw while I was a student ask me that?
It's so easy to get bogged down in the practical. Working within the bounds of "common sense" we see a limited horizon, a finite set of possible futures/careers/life paths. Anything else tends to be labelled "unrealistic" and shunted to the side. But what if we chose magic over practicality? What if we found what we loved and did it regardless of how "sensible" it is? People do it every single day. Some people do it and are wildly successful in spite of "common sense." How amazing is that?
It's hard to do when there are bills to pay, financial security to worry about. But I think we all need to take some time now and then and pay attention to what moves us, what makes us sense the magnificence of this life, of ourselves. What feels like playing? What makes us so happy that we don't realize we're working? I felt that yesterday and today, for the first time in a long time, when I was rewriting my story. It didn't feel like work, it wasn't hard -it just came out. It was like playing. And I am so happy with the result. I wasn't expecting that. I was supposed to be a dancer, not a writer...or so I thought until recently. Very interesting...
Anyway, if you're on MDC take a minute and go check out that thread. It's a good one.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
TaDa! Organization!
We finally uploaded our digital photos to a computer, and I can therefore fulfill my promise of showing off our organizational goodness. Just be glad you can't see Papa Bear's office, because that's where all the mess went :-P
OK, here is our newly shortened entertainment centre, our new TV, and our Papa-Bear's-back-killing bookshelves:
And here is Little Bear's bookshelf and change table, formerly known as "Wow, we have way too many DVDs for this little bookshelf!" (the bins at the bottom have all of his baby quilts/blankets in them). Diaper pail on the left, laundry basket on the right:
Here is Little Bear's play area, with my steamer-trunk-turned-toy-chest. That huge teddy bear is named Grizzle, aka Big Maskwa:
And finally, here is the star of the show, Little Bear himself!
OK, here is our newly shortened entertainment centre, our new TV, and our Papa-Bear's-back-killing bookshelves:
And here is Little Bear's bookshelf and change table, formerly known as "Wow, we have way too many DVDs for this little bookshelf!" (the bins at the bottom have all of his baby quilts/blankets in them). Diaper pail on the left, laundry basket on the right:
Here is Little Bear's play area, with my steamer-trunk-turned-toy-chest. That huge teddy bear is named Grizzle, aka Big Maskwa:
And finally, here is the star of the show, Little Bear himself!
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