MommyCoddle

november 29

morning snack.

Today Emma was asking me about my grandfather who passed away about two years ago. She was curious to know how old she was when he died: "So was I like walking and talking? And I could carry around glasses?" It's funny to me how children mark time and milestones--walk? check. talk? check. carry fragile glassware around the house? check.  But I think at the heart of it, she's just trying to remember if she remembers him.

When we were out running an errand today, Emma was sitting in the back of the car waxing eloquent about horses, horse care, who she knew that had horses....She sounded so grown up and so mature. We were having such an adult conversation about it all. Then, I looked back in the rearview mirror at her and her mouth had a crown of chocolate smears around it from the cookie she'd been snacking on. And I thought, "you're still just a little girl."

november 27

I hung out laundry today. I wore gloves, but I still put my laundry up. There was just a bit of sun and too much good breeze not to pass up the chance. I'm finding that I catch my breath in the comfort of these mundane tasks. And a breath is what I really need today--home from traveling for the holiday, everyone recovering from the stomach flu, elizabeth still mourning the entrance of three teeth.

And I've been thinking a lot about time lately. In one sense, time can complicate my life. In another, it can bring rhythm and order to my day. And more importantly I want my children to know that I always have enough time for them. To use a very tired saying, I want to be present in each moment with them. If I am getting them dressed--then that is what we are doing. I don't want to be getting them dressed while tapping my toe at the other three tasks that are on my list next. If we're putting away toys--we're just putting away toys. No hurry. No multi-tasking. Just being. Just doing. Just keeping it simple.

Sometimes I face my day like I do cooking dinner. "Roast goes in the oven. While roast is cooking wash and chop vegetables. Start rice water boiling. While rice is boiling, heat oil in skillet. Sautee the vegetables. While vegetables soften in the skillet, set the table. Stir vegetables. Put lid on rice. Check roast. Unload dish drainer. Stir vegetables. Warm bread...." It's a balancing act. And sometimes it's quite an impressive dance I do to get everything perfectly timed and on the table warm and good.

It's a good system. But a system is not what I need to raise my children well.

3, 4 & 5...not so easy

See those tear-stained cheeks? Teeth 3, 4 and 5, which have decided to make a simultaneous entrance are not as easy as 1 and 2. It's been a rough reentry into the week. We traveled over the weekend--half of us going one way, half of us the other. And when we met back home, everyone was tired, Emma was throwing up and the house was a mine-field of partially unpacked suitcases and dirty laundry.

Emma was a prisoner of the sofa for most of the day, and didn't perk up this much until very late in the day. A diet of Little House on the Prairie Season 2 is the only thing that got her through. We hadn't revealed to her that the books were actually in movie form too, so it was quite the thrill when we pulled the television down from the closet and revealed a whole new version.

I was just thinking what a pretty silhouette this picture is. And speaking of silhouettes....

While we were away, something has rotted in my refrigerator and I cannot find it. It is driving me crazy. The smell lingers even after the door has been closed which sometimes sets me off my track and has me thinking the smell might be coming from somewhere else. My nose actually felt sore inside from all the sniffing and hunting around the house I've been doing. There's probably a dirty diaper, long-forgotten shoved under something. Somewhere. And for the record my box of baking soda on the middle shelf, just behind the mayo,  is making absolutely no difference.

Also while we were away a large, black spider entered our medicine cabinet and carefully weaved(wove?) a web around the bottles of things that were left behind. And he has the audacity to hang there, out in the open while I try to carefully fumble around for the toothpaste without coming into contact with him or his web.

And for a last bit of randomness. I need to write a small bio about myself which has also reminded me that I'd like to do something with that empty "about" page on my blog. Could you help me out? What kinds of things should I write about? Any burning questions you'd like to know about me? What should I include? Ideas, anyone, anyone??

dealing with my (worry)warts

I'm working over here today. Hope you'll check it out.

7 wks :: 7 mos

Someone has been growing quite nicely around here:

When did this happen?? I don't know, but I love it.
Happy seven months sweet baby girl. Roll on.

the state of my table

Is your kitchen table EVER completely cleared off except for those few minutes during dinner when you're sitting around it? Some days, I'm so organized I actually get the table set a few hours before we sit down, but it never fails that some child will come in, some project in hand, stack up the plates, move the silverware aside, shove the table cloth back and get to work. I decided to photograph it this weekend. To embrace it. And really, this picture isn't too bad. If I panned back you'd see a very ripe pumpkin waiting to give up its seeds, a large stack of unread newspapers and probably groceries I haven't put away yet. Maybe even the toaster from breakfast or a box of cereal even though it is pushing 4pm.

I think I can usually judge the kind of day I'm having by the state of my kitchen table. Some days it's all very industrious looking--laundry piles neatly laid out to be put away or lists and clipped coupons. Other days very studious--school books and notepaper, pencils and unifix cubes. Or creative--art supplies and jars full of purplish black water with seven, different sized paint brushes  propped inside. Or chaotic--like today, when I'm cleaning away the breakfast dishes to make room for the lunch plates and scraping bits of last night's rice and beans from the tablecloth (and shooing the flies--anyone else having a fly outbreak in their house?! One is buzzing around my head right now. I'm not lying. Maybe I shouldn't have shared this detail about my house....yikes.)
Either way, I love my kitchen table. It's tiny and we smoosh around it, banging knees and practically needing to share milk glasses. But it's intimate and fun, and sometimes a crazy wild mess. But it's the place where we come together. The place where I try, for just a few minutes, to bring a little beauty and order--real dishes, a candle or some fresh flowers. It's a meeting place, a working place, a creating place. A special place.

See a few more pictures that didn't make it into the posts they were meant to be, here. Oh and I finally did something slightly crafty. A little embellishment...
And am I so behind the times that I've never heard of these? I saw it Amy's blog. How cool are they?!

The "I'm not posting"-post

Well, I wanted to sit down this afternoon and write another catch-up post. But I can't find my camera, my sewing machine is broken and I found my current knitting project in the dirty-laundry pile this morning. (I desperately need to knit up a hat for Elizabeth. It's really getting ridiculous. The newborn cotton knit hat just isn't cutting it in November. Any hat-makers for hire out there?)

And what I really want to do right now is toss another log on the stove, sit down with a cup of tea and catch up with all of you. I see the number 617 glaring at me in my feed reader--(I've switched to a new one, by the way--NetNewsWire. I really like it!) I miss reading your blogs. They bring me so much inspiration and sweetness and peace. So forgive the no post-post, but I'd rather hear what you have to say today.

In the meantime, thank you so much for all your etsy suggestions. I've written another handmade holidays feature and there will  be plenty more thanks to all of you.

And I'd love it if you'd check out my latest post. I think many of you will get what I'm saying. (and thanks to those that left comments this week. you have no idea how good it feels to see some familiar names over at my new gig.)

sharing the handmade love for the holidays

I'm starting to write a regular feature on the babycenter site about buying handmade for the holidays. I am going to feature two etsy shops at a time in each post--one shop with gifts for big people, and one with gifts for little people. I wrote my first post today and featured two  shops--Industrious Lily and Kinichi.

I'd love to hear who/what are some of your favorite etsy shops and sellers. (or you can even tell me about your own shop!) I think this is a great chance to get the word out to support crafters and push for a handmade vs. commercial-crazy holiday.

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I'm trying to keep a link in my sidebar of my most recent posts on the momformation blog. I'd love to have you visit me over on the babycenter site. I'm feeling a bit lonely. I'm so used to your lovely comments!

yes, there were horses

I didn't see Emma for most of the day yesterday. She turns into something closer to a fifteen year old during these kinds of events--running with the "big girls", hanging out near the ponies and only checking in with me when she needs me to hold something for her so she has more freedom to run.

I often introduce myself to her at the end of the day, "Hello, Emma. I'm you're mother. Remember me? It's nice to meet you." Then, she collapses into  my arms and I'm left with a basket case of a child that needs to be "pajama-ed", teeth brushed, face washed and carried off to bed.

It was a good day--horses, nature hikes, world class barbecue, bluegrass, artists, local cream...all in the name of land conservation.  And there's a good story in it all, too. But I'll save that for tomorrow--everyone is emerging from naps and dinner prep calls....

morning detox

july.                                                                                                     november
our praying mantis friend. he lives in the trumpet vine below the steps.
i love how he's changing colors with the season.  nix that. check out jen's comment. thanks for the info, jen. i love learning new things!

Hi. I think I say this every time I post here lately--how it's like coming back to an old friend. This morning what I really need is to collapse into your arms and could you rub my back a little? It's been a week of an overflowing to-do list with a side order of sick husband and children. Everyone's fighting the fall flu while I break out the prenatal vitamins again in an attempt to stave off the achy body, runny nose. Those prenatals pack a punch. I'm still healthy. I thought we were coming out on the other side of it all, but this morning Elizabeth woke up a little rattly in the chest.

I'm busting at the seams this morning with things I want to write about. Nothing special, just the kind of things I like to share here--how I look out my window and the sky is bright blue and the leaves are changing, and it's beautiful.

And how Elizabeth is making her way all over the floor of our house, picking up the dog hair and playing with the tools under the wood burner. It is going to be a long winter of keeping little hands away from the hot stove. I keep sliding her away, distracting her, but she's fascinated. We'll have to come up with some type of gate or I'll be sewing up potholder mitts in 6 month old size.

And how I'm singing this weekend at a conference that my mom is hosting and I did something weird to my jaw and it hurts to open my mouth. I must be clenching my teeth while I work through my to do list. I'm sure it will be better by tomorrow. But for now, the idea of it all is kind of making me laugh.

And how Emma is on a bird kick today. Last night she figured out how to draw a really good bird and now she can't stop. I wasn't there, but Dan said when she got to the end of the drawing she just started laughing and laughing because it was so good. She surprised herself.

There's more, but I'll save it for now. Elizabeth is rubbing her eyes and nose with her little pudgy fist. It's her sign that she's sleepy and ready for me to swoop her up and carry her away for a morning nap. Those moments of putting her down for a nap are my detox. What would I do without her? She brings such sweetness and peace and gentleness to my day.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. There's big stuff going on here at the farm this weekend. Let's just say it involves horses. Lots of horses. I think you all might know someone who will be  a teensy bit excited about that. I'll be back with pictures.

Happy Weekend, friends.