raising a mommy

raising a mommy

Monday, October 28, 2013

weekend highlights

Today's blessing:
Getting up and hour earlier than the rest of the family

I've gotten more done in the last 45 minutes than the rest of the weekend combined!

I apologize for being so absent over the last few weeks. Perhaps you haven't even noticed. I'm not too offended. I'm working on an exciting new project, and I'm hoping to have it unveiled by the middle of the week. Stay tuned!

I thought I'd just pop in and give you some quick P highlights from the weekend:

Mommy: P, do you want to play hockey? (As I cringe on the inside - hockey is way too expensive!)
P: No, I play guppa-ball! Dibble, dibble, dibble! (Translation: basketball, dribble, dribble, dribble.)
Daddy: {turns to pile of mush in the corner}

Daddy: Wow, I got a nice bruise on my knee somehow.
P: Daddy, calm down. (as she strokes his shoulder)

P: Play trebuchet?
Look what Daddy and Auntie made this weekend. Yes, our less than two year old child knows what a trebuchet is.
And finally:

At supper on Sunday night:
Daddy: P, should we pray?
P: Dear God, for cookies, and puppy, and milk.
Amen!

Friday, October 18, 2013

fmf: laundry

Here are the rules:
1. Write for five minutes flat for pure unedited love of the written word.
2. Link back to Lisa Jo Baker's blog with the rest of the Five Minute Friday-ers.
2. Comment on the person who linked up before you.

Please join us!

Today's prompt: Laundry

GO

I'll be honest, I love doing laundry. I always have. Does that make me crazy? Probably a little bit. But at least hear me out!

Laundry has to get done. It has to be washed and it has to be folded an put away. (Well, I guess you could skip the folding part, but then you have to iron. And ironing is awful. I hate ironing with a burning passion. I intentionally buy clothes that do not have to be ironed. But I digress...)

Life is crazy busy, right? How much time do you have in a day to just sit an relax with your favorite music or TV show on? Might I suggest laundry time? Before I started neglecting my housework to crochet, folding laundry was the only time I had to sit and relax. I would pop in a DVD, sit down in the middle of the bed, and fold. Sometimes I intentionally leave our laundry for a couple days so I have more to fold. Once the little one goes down for a nap, it's mommy's movie time.

Does this make me crazy? Maybe. But moms have to take advantage of any time they can to sit and "relax!"

STOP

Besides, this is what happens when she tries to help!
Five Minute Friday

Monday, October 14, 2013

our little girl: 20 months

Yes, this is a few days late. It's been a busy week around here, but there will be more on that later! Here is the latest update on our sweet little toddler, who is quickly approaching childhood and outgrowing her "toddler" label. Sad.

Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
Will pretend to feed a doll: Like a pro. We've had to establish the "no toys at the table" rule in the last month because baby ends up sharing every bite with P, and the meal takes twice as long!

Can take off own clothes with help: She can, but other than her socks, she doesn't do this much. For which we are very grateful.

Will throw away an object such as rubbish, in imitation: "Throw garbage" is one of her favorite phrases.

Emerging Skills (half of children can do)
Learns words at a rate of ten or more a day: Probably. It's hard to tell anymore. She's a pretty verbal kid. She takes after her daddy.

Can walk up (but probably not down) stairs: If the stairs are shallow (is that the right word?) enough, she can go up or down. Luckily for me, her independence hasn't kept her from attempting steep stairs on her own. She still allows me to hold her hand. For now.

Searches for hidden objects: Yes, and she's very persistent. Lots of kids her age are easily distracted and redirected, but if she decides that she wants to find her stickers, she will not rest until she has found her stickers.

Advanced Skills (a few children can do)
May start exploring genitals: Pretty much any patch of skin for which she doesn't have a name is "belly." She'll tickle her stomach, neck, or genitals and say "Belly, belly, belly!"

Draws straighter lines: She's pretty much still a scribbler at this point. I don't know that she'll get Uncle Eric's artistic talent.

Names several body parts: Most of them. We're working on adding cheek, shoulder, and elbow.

Other things you might want to know:
-Much to the delight of Daddy and Auntie, one of her favorite activities this month has been to "watch Elton." We've even moved her red piano into the living room so she can play along. (We're huge Elton John fans in this family, especially Daddy and Auntie. And mommy is a huge fan of the idea of her not being the third generation to quit piano and regret it, so if Elton is the encouragement she needs, we will watch the concert DVDs on repeat!)
-For awhile she seemed really interested in potty training - sitting on her potty chair, wearing the "pull ups" we have in her room - but that seems to have passed. Bummer.
-We are starting to let her pick out her own clothes. Options with Elmo, Tinkerbell, Minnie Mouse, or animals are the first ones out of her drawer.

Favorite new words she's saying:
She's learning numbers, which is pretty cool. Usually she counts "One, two, five..." but she almost always gets "seven, eight, nine, ten!" perfectly. Also, she loves "plate up" and "milk in fridge" after a meal. She was very upset when we went out to eat last month and we would not allow her to put her plate up.

We are no longer allowed to cut her "babana" for her. She has to eat it like a big girl.

Oh the pigtails!

One of her new favorite activities, along with "play play doh." Thanks, Auntie.

She also likes to cook.

Backwards bib worn cape-style and mommy's running shoe? Clearly she thinks I'm a super hero.

This isn't a great picture, but I had to post it anyway! This was my dress when I was little, but I don't think I wore it until I was quite a bit older. I actually remember wearing this dress, so I must have been older!

Friday, October 11, 2013

fmf: ordinary

Here are the rules:
1. Write for five minutes flat for pure unedited love of the written word.
2. Link back to Lisa Jo Baker's blog with the rest of the Five Minute Friday-ers.
2. Comment on the person who linked up before you.

Please join us!

Today's prompt: Ordinary

GO

I look around me, and I see all sorts of people who are so skilled at doing all kinds of things: things I could never do myself. And I am amazed. It just seems so natural to them. From my husband standing up in the pulpit on Sunday mornings delivering a beautifully crafted sermon, to the farmers in the field during harvest operating those ridiculously large combines (which, by the way, look like UFOs at night. No joke), to the lady ringing me up at the grocery store who seems to not only know with one quick glance exactly what kind of produce I have, but also knows all of the 4 digit produce codes without missing a beat.

This is just the beginning. There's the pianist at church, the police man driving by, the nurse who gave me my flu shot...it blows me away how easily they perform tasks just like they're second nature. Ordinary.

Then I look at myself and feel a little down. But not for long.

Because I can diaper a squirming toddler in no time flat. I can crochet, sing, run two miles and still feel out of shape (though I'm working on that), and back in my Caribou days, I could make drinks during a Friday morning rush with a speed and accuracy that now kind of even surprises me. It's just what I do (or did).

And while some people, I'm sure, look at me in complete and utter amazement for not only doing, but also loving every one one of those things, to me, they're nothing. It's just ordinary.

STOP

Five Minute Friday

Sunday, October 6, 2013

keeping my dreams for someday

Today's blessing:
Facebook and Twitter and their ability to make you feel like you're there...sort of.

I'm a nerd. No really, don't be shocked. I'm also awkward, but that's a different post entirely. I love to watch races. No, not cars or horses. People. I love to watch people run.

When I was in college I was so lucky to be a mile away from part of the course for the Twin Cities Marathon. I was also lucky enough to be in really good shape. (Okay, maybe that part wasn't really luck!) This meant that I could run a couple miles down the River Road to Lake Street, cheer for my friends who were running as they passed about the 17.5 mile point, run across the bridge, and cheer again as they neared mile 21. One year I even ran most of the final five miles with a friend who was really hurting. Then I got kicked off the course because I didn't have a number, but one of the photographers got a really nice picture of me!

Now, sitting in my dining room sipping coffee and following @USATFMN and @TCMarathon on Twitter when I should be waking the kid up so she naps at a decent time, I'm feeling that let down. I did a post a little while ago about giving up the all or nothing mentality, and I need that reminder myself today. The marathon is really the one big thing missing from my running resume. I was planning on running my first in 2009. I was registered for the TC marathon, but then I decided it would be a good time to take on another full time job before quitting the one I already had, and with a month and a half before the race, I found myself working ridiculous hours and not being able to scrape together the time or energy to get in my last weeks of training. Sad day.

Then, in the summer of 2011, I decided that 2012 was my year. There was a race in Wisconsin in May, and I was going to do it. I had a stable job that allowed me plenty of time and flexibility. I had the motivation, I had a place to stay (20 minutes away from the race at my parent's house), and I had money for the entry fee, since it was about half the price of other marathons I'd looked at!

But I also had one other thing. I had this growing inside of me:

As my uncle Mark (a multi-time marathoner, including a Boston or two!) said: Some people will do anything to get out of marathon training!

He was kidding, of course.

But someday I'll get there. I'll conquer the 26.2. It just seems so far away right now as I glance longingly at my brand new running shoes that are still shiny and white because they haven't even been outside yet and I've run a grand total of 6 miles since moving at the end of August and I have nowhere to run but around the corn and soybean fields framed by dirt roads.

Someday I'll get there. I may be a mommy, but I still have my own dreams. I may put my family first, but I'm not going to give up my own identity. Maybe I won't run a marathon next year, or even the year after. Maybe not even the year after that. But I'll get there, because P is raising a mommy who wants to teach her kid the value of hard work and not giving up, in spite of a beautiful, smiling, energetic little bump in the road!

Friday, October 4, 2013

fmf: write

Here are the rules:
1. Write for five minutes flat for pure unedited love of the written word.
2. Link back to Lisa Jo Baker's blog with the rest of the Five Minute Friday-ers.
2. Comment on the person who linked up before you.

Please join us!

Today's prompt: Write

GO

When I was in second grade, I won honorable mention in a city-wide story contest. I was pretty proud of myself. I think that was when I finally gave up my dream of becoming an astronomer (no joke!) or a ballerina or a princess. I liked writing stories. I wanted to be a children's book author.

I actually held onto that dream for quite some time, considering my age. Most kids go through phases and want a new career every three or four weeks. Not me. I went through a brief fling with meteorology when I was in fourth grade (really? I know...) but then it was right back to writing for me. Eighth grade graduation was a pretty big thing at my school, and my class did "Most likely to" awards for everyone. There were only 40 or 50 some of us, so it wasn't that bad. I was "Most likely to become the next Sharon Creech." Never heard of her? That's a shame. Find Chasing Redbird or Bloomability or Absolutely Normal Chaos in the middle school reader section of your library and read it now. You will NOT regret it.

When I hit high school, I changed focus and decided I wanted to do something with music. Unfortunately, this lasted until I was about a junior in college. That's when I realized that music is more of a hobby for me than a career. Whoops. I didn't really know what to do then. I've never really been a career minded person. The idea doesn't motivate me.

My senior year I took one of those required classes that no one wants to take and very few people actually get any information out of but they're still required to round out your education. After receiving a really good grade on my first paper, the professor pulled me aside after class and asked if I'd ever considered a career in writing, because I had a gift.

I think I smiled and said "thank you" and scampered out of the room as quickly as possible. Then I filed the compliment and tucked it away and didn't do much with it.

But it was always there.

That compliment and my love of the written word.

And now I'm doing something with it.

I realize a number of things at this point, as I'm reading other beautifully crafted blog posts and marveling at stories shared so eloquently:
1. I don't have anything to say that hasn't already been said 100 times.
2. I probably won't be able to share it as beautifully as some of you can and have.
3. I'm really just doing this for myself.

And that's completely fine. Because I can reach people that the other wordsmiths can't, and some people don't need (or want) fancily crafted words. And every now and then, you need to do things for yourself. Maybe as a release or maybe just to prove you still can.

STOP

That was actually more like 15 minutes, but it just flowed and was largely unedited, so I'm going to count it!


Five Minute Friday