what things may come {a project list}

One of my many goals for 2012 is to better document all the projects I do through the year…big and small. I took the first half of this January to recuperate from the holidays and reflect on the last year. But now that were just a few days from February, it is time to get back on gear.

I have been keeping a list of project that need to be done over the next few weeks. Many of them have a Valentines Day focus, which may seem odd for someone with no love life. Well be doing cute and fun…not romantic. Bear with me. Please! With enough chocolate, we’ll get through the lovey-dovey holiday without shedding any tears and then move in to bigger projects.

Pinky swear.

In the meantime, here’s a quick list of some of the things I plan to tackle soon:

• tiny mailboxes
• “sour cream tube” valentines
• cookies, gum paste, and food-safe markers
• love is in the air {a v-day blog hop}
• kitchen re-organization
• crochet dish scrubbies
• Cricut circle valentine swap
• what to do with a stuffed fireplace

Whew! I’m tired just reading that list, and I’m sure I will think of other things to add to it.

I know blogs without photos are boring, and I’m sorry that I don’t have anything new to share today. How about a little eye candy?

What? I like cowboys!

 

early to rise

Wheres the coffee? Im not sure even an iv drop will be able to keep me going today. It was a very early morning.

Were talking 4:00 early. 4:00 with a kid and a tummy ache early. It could have been worse. She wasnt throwing up all over the place.

My beautiful 8-year old has reflux and is lactose intolerant. She always has been, but sometimes its worse than others. Apparently our dinner choice of creamy potato soup and ice cream for dessert didnt sit well.

Yeah, Im totally in the running for Mom of the Year.

Totally.

happy new year {and an open letter to moms}

Today marks the start of a brand new year.  I have some changes in mind for myself, so I hope you don’t mind too much if I start out kinda harsh with the rest of you.

Your blogs make me sad when you beat yourself up with words of unnecessary harm.

You’re not a bad mom. You never were. The fact that you realize what you’ve done that goes against everything you learned about right and wrong shows that you’re not a bad mom.

You love your babies (however old they may be).  You’re not a bad mom.

You provide food, clothes (they’re usually clean) and safe shelter.  You’re not a bad mom.  And even if the shelter  you provide isn’t perfectly safe, if you’re doing the best you can do with what you have, you’re still not a bad mom!

Please, please, please stop beating yourselves up!

None of us are perfect.

None of us have never made a mistake.

We are moms who care deeply for our children. It is our nature to criticize our short falls.  But let’s understand where our faults really come from.

We’re human.  Every single one of us.  We’re going to fail in some way every day.

If we can love our faults as much as we love our strengths, we can truly love ourselves.

an interview

Yesterday afternoon, I was contacted by Ann Zimmerman, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal.  She was working on a story about some of the hot electronic toys that are out this holiday season and contacted me based on this random tweet of mine from last Friday:

The article will be published tomorrow, but I found it was already online tonight.  You can read it here:
{The Holiday Toy Popularity Contest}

Thank you, Ann, for including my comments in your story.

The text of my original email is below.  We also spoke for a few minutes on the phone this morning, so it may seem like she put words in my mouth. I assure you, she didn’t.

My daughters are 8 and 6 years old – 3rd and 1st grades, respectively.  The girls started cutting apart the Sunday toy ads and making their lists for Santa in October this year.  A lot of toys got crossed off or torn off the pages, but these little creatures (and Barbie) had staying power.  Slick questions like, “If you could have only one toy off this whole list, what would it be?” and “If you had to pick between (a) and (b), which would you want?”, as well as paying close attention to the websites they asked to visit (again, Fijit Friends and Barbie led the pack) and listening in their playtime conversations, narrowed Santa’s list (and mine) down to the three gifts that they will receive on Christmas morning.

Honestly, I didn’t know anything about the Fijit craze until I started shopping for the toys.  I had seen them in the stores months ago, but didn’t know they’d be on the final list until a couple of weeks ago.  The tweet you referenced was from Friday last week.  We were fighting a stomach bug, so everyone was home that afternoon.  Weekdays seem to be the best time to find deals on eBay, so I decided to see if I could find the toys there.  I used the word “stalking” because that’s how I always feel when I place a bid.  I jumped in during the last 20 minutes of the auctions for 2 of the toys and placed a my bids.

I also had them loaded in my cart at amazon.com…just in case, you know.  However, I won both eBay auctions, and spent less than I would have spent at amazon.  Surprisingly, the box arrived in today’s mail and the Fijits are safely packed away for “the elves” to wrap on Christmas Eve.

tis the season for gratitude

For some, this time of year is for shopping, indulging, and seeking self-satisfaction. For me, the celebration of Thanksgiving begins a season of reflection and gratitude. Too often in our busy day-to-day we forget to thank the people who serve us and neglect the little things that make our abundant lives possible. I dont claim to be above the shopping and indulgence. Lord knows I love a good sale and cookie could be my middle name.

All the same, I encourage you to take a few minutes every day, if you can, to ponder the people who have made your life a little brighter. Who gave you a warm fuzzy? Did you return their smile? Will you tomorrow?

Today, I am grateful for my family. As individuals, my siblings their spouses, four nephews, and parents are wonderful people. Put us in a room together, and we are a force to be reckoned with. How many families can get together and have exactly zero tension? Six children from 2 to 13 playing together with no fights and no one getting hurt?

I know of one such family.

I am grateful to be a part of it.

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