Tonight, I took some time for a little self care. I spent 3 glorious hours away from the baby and husband and went out for dinner with friends. What is amazing about these friends is that some are people I probably would have never become friends with on my own. However, we are linked because we all had babies with in 3 months of each other and met when our babies were quite small through a program at the local hospital.
These mamas are amazing and really more than just friends. It's deeper- sister like almost. But sister isn't the right word either. These girls are my tribe. They know my kid, and I know theirs. They've got my back, they've been there every step of my parenthood way walking right along side with me.
The level of mutual respect is out of this world. While our parenting styles and choices may look different from the other's, we all acknowledge that as Mamas we're just trying to to the best we can for ourselves and families.
Tonight we had conversations that were so silly we cried. We discussed teething, weaning, trying to conceive more babies, and everything else in between.
People search their entire life for friends like these.
I am so blessed.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Today.
Today was one of those days that challenged me to my very core.
Today, I do not love 3 days post banana consuming poo explosion.
Today, I do not love the fact that my kid must play with his penis at every diaper change including the above poo explosion.
Today, I do not love this headache I have now had for 2 days.
Today, I had to work extra hard to be the mother I want to be- to be loving, sympathetic, nurturing, kind, and positive.
Today, for a little while I longed for the days when Mike and I were D.I.N.K.S. (DUAL INCOME NO KIDS).
Today, a baby boy looked at me. And it was like a little mini mirror staring back at me.
Today, a baby boy made faces at me and laughed while Daddy told bedtime stories.
Today, a baby boy crawled from across the room and reached up for me.
Today, I am so thankful to be a mom.
Today, I do not love 3 days post banana consuming poo explosion.
Today, I do not love the fact that my kid must play with his penis at every diaper change including the above poo explosion.
Today, I do not love this headache I have now had for 2 days.
Today, I had to work extra hard to be the mother I want to be- to be loving, sympathetic, nurturing, kind, and positive.
Today, for a little while I longed for the days when Mike and I were D.I.N.K.S. (DUAL INCOME NO KIDS).
Today, a baby boy looked at me. And it was like a little mini mirror staring back at me.
Today, a baby boy made faces at me and laughed while Daddy told bedtime stories.
Today, a baby boy crawled from across the room and reached up for me.
Today, I am so thankful to be a mom.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Green.
Growing up I have very specific memories of my Grandma and Grandpa (my dad's parents) and my Nana and Papa (my mom's parents) and the way they ran their household. There are things they did on a regular basis that were good for the environment before "being green" was trendy and cool. If I had to guess, they did these things because doing so saved a little money or helped someone in need.
My Grandma and Grandpa always saved food scraps in a cardboard milk container. They kept it in the freezer and when the containers got full they gave them to my Aunt Linda to feed to her dog. Aluminum cans were crushed using a hand crusher, saved, and then taken to the recycling center in exchange for a few dollars.
In the summer time there was an abundance of fruit and veggies from their garden. I remember their patio table being full of some of the biggest, juiciest tomatoes I had ever seen and tasted. Tomato juice was made and put in the cellar for winter, along with spaghetti sauce. There were enough tomatoes to share with neighbors and friends. I also remember helping to put up pickles and making jam out of strawberries from the garden. If there wasn't enough strawberries, we would go to a strawberry patch a few miles out of town.
Back then, I think they did it because that is what you did. You kept a garden so you could help feed your family. I was just home this past weekend and when I went to visit my 78 year old Grandmother in the afternoon, I found her in her garden harvesting the asparagus. Her garden is about 1/2 of the size it was when I was growing up. But it is still there, and she is still growing things with the help of my uncle who lives with her. I find myself moved by this. For some reason, it matters to me. Perhaps because it such a part of who I am and I cannot have a garden of my own because we rent and do not have any yard space. But someday, we will. And I hope my grandchildren will grow up with the same fond memories of my garden that I have of my Grandparents.
My Nana and Papa did not keep a garden, but were/are "green" in other ways. For as long as I can remember, we've have always used cloth napkins at their house. My Nana and Papa love to shop at tags sales and consignment stores for items they need before purchasing new. In most cases they do not purchase new items unless they have not been able to find them used elsewhere first.
In fact, my Papa lives for salvaging items that people have thrown out for the garbage man. My Papa is a great woodworker and carpenter and often picks up dressers or other pieces of furniture, refurbishes them, and then donates them to local charities as items to be sold in silent auctions. He has quite a name for himself doing this and his pieces often sell for several hundred dollars. When my high school ripped out their old wooden bleachers from the gym, he got the wood, and has used it to make everything from bookcases to shadow boxes to benches.
Both my Grandmother and my Nana used cloth diapers on their kids, as did my mom with me. Malone is also in cloth diapers. He gets one disposable diaper that is used overnight. My Grandmother and Nana didn't have a choice, but my mother and I did. I don't know what my mom's motivation was to use cloth on me. I like to think that she knew the environmental impact but if I had to venture to guess, I would say that it probably had more to do with finances. Either way, I'll take it.
I spent a little bit of time today reflecting on the things my family is doing to keep the Earth a happy place.
Today, as with all days, when it came time to run our errands I planned out our route so that it was the one that required the least amount of gas. When we went to the market, we used reusable grocery bags and several of the items that were purchased were grown/manufactured within a 100 mile radius of where we live. And, while I was tempted to purchase a bottle of water in the check out line, I opted instead to drink water out of my reusable water bottle. This afternoon, Mike came home from work for lunch. When it was time to go back to work, we carpooled into town since Malone and I were heading in for a meeting. At dinner tonight we used our cloth napkins which is a habit we need to get into instead of using paper. I have a whole stack of recyclables that need to be rinsed so they can go into their bins. Finally, as with everyday Malone wore cloth diapers instead of disposable ones.
Could we be doing more? Certainly. I would love to compost and have a garden, but as a renter I don't see that happening until we buy a house of our own. I would also love to be able to hang our laundry out on the line, but that will also have to wait. But for now, we'll keep on doing what we do. Every little bit counts towards a brighter future for my children's grandchildren.
My Grandma and Grandpa always saved food scraps in a cardboard milk container. They kept it in the freezer and when the containers got full they gave them to my Aunt Linda to feed to her dog. Aluminum cans were crushed using a hand crusher, saved, and then taken to the recycling center in exchange for a few dollars.
In the summer time there was an abundance of fruit and veggies from their garden. I remember their patio table being full of some of the biggest, juiciest tomatoes I had ever seen and tasted. Tomato juice was made and put in the cellar for winter, along with spaghetti sauce. There were enough tomatoes to share with neighbors and friends. I also remember helping to put up pickles and making jam out of strawberries from the garden. If there wasn't enough strawberries, we would go to a strawberry patch a few miles out of town.
Back then, I think they did it because that is what you did. You kept a garden so you could help feed your family. I was just home this past weekend and when I went to visit my 78 year old Grandmother in the afternoon, I found her in her garden harvesting the asparagus. Her garden is about 1/2 of the size it was when I was growing up. But it is still there, and she is still growing things with the help of my uncle who lives with her. I find myself moved by this. For some reason, it matters to me. Perhaps because it such a part of who I am and I cannot have a garden of my own because we rent and do not have any yard space. But someday, we will. And I hope my grandchildren will grow up with the same fond memories of my garden that I have of my Grandparents.
My Nana and Papa did not keep a garden, but were/are "green" in other ways. For as long as I can remember, we've have always used cloth napkins at their house. My Nana and Papa love to shop at tags sales and consignment stores for items they need before purchasing new. In most cases they do not purchase new items unless they have not been able to find them used elsewhere first.
In fact, my Papa lives for salvaging items that people have thrown out for the garbage man. My Papa is a great woodworker and carpenter and often picks up dressers or other pieces of furniture, refurbishes them, and then donates them to local charities as items to be sold in silent auctions. He has quite a name for himself doing this and his pieces often sell for several hundred dollars. When my high school ripped out their old wooden bleachers from the gym, he got the wood, and has used it to make everything from bookcases to shadow boxes to benches.
Both my Grandmother and my Nana used cloth diapers on their kids, as did my mom with me. Malone is also in cloth diapers. He gets one disposable diaper that is used overnight. My Grandmother and Nana didn't have a choice, but my mother and I did. I don't know what my mom's motivation was to use cloth on me. I like to think that she knew the environmental impact but if I had to venture to guess, I would say that it probably had more to do with finances. Either way, I'll take it.
I spent a little bit of time today reflecting on the things my family is doing to keep the Earth a happy place.
Today, as with all days, when it came time to run our errands I planned out our route so that it was the one that required the least amount of gas. When we went to the market, we used reusable grocery bags and several of the items that were purchased were grown/manufactured within a 100 mile radius of where we live. And, while I was tempted to purchase a bottle of water in the check out line, I opted instead to drink water out of my reusable water bottle. This afternoon, Mike came home from work for lunch. When it was time to go back to work, we carpooled into town since Malone and I were heading in for a meeting. At dinner tonight we used our cloth napkins which is a habit we need to get into instead of using paper. I have a whole stack of recyclables that need to be rinsed so they can go into their bins. Finally, as with everyday Malone wore cloth diapers instead of disposable ones.
Could we be doing more? Certainly. I would love to compost and have a garden, but as a renter I don't see that happening until we buy a house of our own. I would also love to be able to hang our laundry out on the line, but that will also have to wait. But for now, we'll keep on doing what we do. Every little bit counts towards a brighter future for my children's grandchildren.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Time Flies.
Wow. Another month lost (or gained depending on how you look at it).
In this past month I've let life get too busy and I've gotten myself in too deep. I've neglected this blog which is part of my self care plan. I know that when I write, I feel better. Yet, somehow it is so easy not to make the time to do it.
In terms of getting in too deep, I had a good wake up call this past week while Malone and I spent some time with my family living the country life. I reminded that simplicity is good and there is much that can be gained from moving at a slower pace.
Malone and I had the opportunity to spend a bit of the afternoon with a classmate of mine and her daughter who is about 6 months older than Malone. Its funny how life works out sometimes, this person and I did not get a long AT ALL in high school and I felt like at times could barely function together in the same space despite having common interests. What a difference 10 years make.
In the last month my little boy has decided to grow up a little. He's a full on crawler, pulling up, can climb up stairs, and babbles in conversation form, using tone and inflection in his voice. Listening to him lecture someone is just about the cutest thing I've ever seen. He's working on "SO BIG" which is a Midwestern baby trick and has stood with no hands for a few seconds before loosing his balance.
During Malone's littlest days, I went to a new mother's program at my hospital (birth to four months). My friend Kate and I always next to each other, nursing our little tiny boys (who were less than six weeks old). Often, we'd look at the 3 or 4 month old babies and say "our boys are never going to be this big." Today on the plane back to MA, my almost 10 month Malone and I sat in front of a woman who was flying with her 4 month old baby girl. She looked so tiny compared to my big guy.
Is it cliche to start wailing "where has the time gone" already?
In this past month I've let life get too busy and I've gotten myself in too deep. I've neglected this blog which is part of my self care plan. I know that when I write, I feel better. Yet, somehow it is so easy not to make the time to do it.
In terms of getting in too deep, I had a good wake up call this past week while Malone and I spent some time with my family living the country life. I reminded that simplicity is good and there is much that can be gained from moving at a slower pace.
Malone and I had the opportunity to spend a bit of the afternoon with a classmate of mine and her daughter who is about 6 months older than Malone. Its funny how life works out sometimes, this person and I did not get a long AT ALL in high school and I felt like at times could barely function together in the same space despite having common interests. What a difference 10 years make.
In the last month my little boy has decided to grow up a little. He's a full on crawler, pulling up, can climb up stairs, and babbles in conversation form, using tone and inflection in his voice. Listening to him lecture someone is just about the cutest thing I've ever seen. He's working on "SO BIG" which is a Midwestern baby trick and has stood with no hands for a few seconds before loosing his balance.
During Malone's littlest days, I went to a new mother's program at my hospital (birth to four months). My friend Kate and I always next to each other, nursing our little tiny boys (who were less than six weeks old). Often, we'd look at the 3 or 4 month old babies and say "our boys are never going to be this big." Today on the plane back to MA, my almost 10 month Malone and I sat in front of a woman who was flying with her 4 month old baby girl. She looked so tiny compared to my big guy.
Is it cliche to start wailing "where has the time gone" already?
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