MommyCoddle

Lions and tigers, no bears.

Day two of our staycation had us trekking off to the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington DC. The zoo is wonderful--twisting and turning among tree lined paths that open up into animal homes. And it's free. The parking is not (ouch), but still well worth it, and very budget-friendly. 

The girls loved it. Birdy especially. She also loved the fact that we unhinged her from the jail of her stroller and let her walk much of the day. You'd ask to hold her hand and she'd quite frankly, tell you no, and push your hand away. And despite her zig-zagging toddle up the brick sidewalks, she hardly slowed us down. 

I think Fall may be my favorite time to go to the zoo. Crowds are down. It's not hot and animals are still out and active. 

It was a perfect day two. 

Day three, today, invovled reclaiming the house from the first two days of staycation and a massive binge of laundry. 

Day four is still open for discussion. Though there's lots of campaigning for a family trip to the bowling alley. Though I can already envision chasing Birdy up the lanes...

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middle of nowhere, virginia

 

We're home.

the great escape

Last week, I threw in the towel. The heat was getting the best of me. You'd have to be hiding under a rock (maybe it's cooler under there?) to not know about the crazy heat along the east coast. And with no air-conditioning, except for a puttering little unit in our living room window, I was going a little stir-crazy. Too hot to leave the room. Too hot to leave the house. There might as well have been a blizzard outside. 

So on Tuesday when I called my mom and just the sound of her voice brought me to tears, I decided for the sake of my mental health it was probably time to get out of dodge. 

The next morning we packed up (dripping in sweat) and hit the road to her air-conditioned house a few hours away. 

We hid out through the weekend. Which included a brief excursion to my old 4-H County fair where my neices and nephew were showing their goats, dairy steers and home arts. (My kids were quite impressed when I used my royalty as former fair queen to get us in the door for free.)

Birdy was a big hit with the goats. Just their size. Soft and edible.

We came home last night and had to readjust to life without cool breezes blowing across our faces while we slept. Instead, we were back to large cattle-sized fans buffeting warm, damp, thick air across our tired bodies. 

Today, it's our turn to prep for our county fair. A small scheduling oversight, and it turns out all our fair projects are due tomorrow, not Thursday afternoon. So it is a crafting-crazed madhouse over here. Stitching, sewing and baking in between coats of paint and mod podge.

But I'm convinced the panic keeps our minds off the heat. 

So hello. How are you? Believe it or not, it's good to be home. 

some things you might like

On Monday evening, we packed up the kids and headed out to our town's 4th of July parade. I admit, this is the first town parade we've attended since we moved here. Generally, our 4th weekend is overrun with a lot of family in town, but this weekend was a quieter one. So we had the chance to make our own fun. I swear these parades make you kinda fall in love with your little town. It also gives you the chance to become acquainted with every dance group and baton-twirling troupe your town has to offer. Though personally, I found the cloggers to be where it's at. 

I also spent some time catching up online and on pinterest over the weekend....here are a few lovely things you might enjoy:

Amanda's post this morning : Yes, I LOVE the chair. But I so get that last paragraph, about the need to just make, even when there are so many other "musts" awaiting your time. 

(In)courage : 16 Ways to Find Personal Rest : I really need to be better about number 6. Finding a babysitter. I really don't have a babysitter for my children outside of family....can you believe it? I could use a good, trustworthy babysitter. 

I am absolutely ADDICTED to making these bracelets. They are so fun. If you can finger knit (or even if you can't), you'll love these. I have since passed my addiction on to the girls. 

Homemade mozzarella. Enough said.

Choose a chore. I'm always looking for ways to keep it interesting.

DIY Blue Glass Canning Jars. This is a drop everything and try it craft. 

Love this ring. Thinking it might get caught on everything, but still love it. 

Isn't this the truth??

This is wedding weekend. I'm thinking of wearing my hair in something like this. Thoughts?

And one more good thing that I don't want to forget....yesterday afternoon as Emma was flying out the door to go to the barn she said to me, "Oh, Mom. My room isn't as messy as it looks. I'm just airing out my clothes. Bye!!" 

If that's what "airing out" looks like, than apparently my whole house is "airing out"....off to find some order in the madness. 

Have any goodness to share? Leave it in the comments, if you please!

Happy Wednesday, friends!

 

somebody hold my hand

Just an hour ago, I dropped Emma off in the woods. For the next four days she'll be off at 4-H Camp.

We checked in, dropped sunscreen and bug spray with the camp nurse, got checked for head lice, and tucked her in to her top bunk. She met her counselors, her Nanticoke tribemates, and she latched on to her friends. 

I checked to be sure she was okay. "Are you nervous? Are you sure??" 

And I checked again. And then maybe even one more time.

And then that was it. I'd done all I could do. I kissed her--a big wet one right on the lips. 

She said goodbye to her sisters. 

And she gave Birdy the biggest, longest hug and kiss of all of us. 

There was no working up to this. No easing in to being away from home for so many nights. Suddenly she was just ready. Fearless.

And all this week, I'm going to tell myself that her independence is a sign of good parenting, and that she misses us, and this afternoon we'll probably write her a letter--because nothings better than camp mail. 

I'm ready for this, right? Growing up is a good thing.

I think. 

 

we'd do it all over again

♥ a side note : voting ends some time tomorrow for Circle of Moms Top 25 Creative Moms. You can vote once a day. Would you mind taking a moment to cast a vote for me? Thank you! ♥

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I travelled a lot as kid. A father working for commercial airlines meant the freedom to explore lots of places and states, countries, national parks, attractions...

But with all this traveling, many of the "attractions" just a few hours drive from my home, are places where I have never been. 

And so, when given an opportunity through Dan's work to take a (free!) weekend to Ocean City, Dan and I knew that despite our lack of attraction to the beach scene (not to be confused with scenery), we had to cash in on the offer. 

My children (who apparently don't get out much) were through-the-roof excited about the trip. (In hindsight, I'm thinking I could have saved myself a lot of repetitive clarification and re-telling of every minute detail about the trip, if I'd simply sprung the plan on them 20 minutes before departure.)

Anyhow, from the roadtrip (that excitement lasted about 20 minutes), to the hotel stay, to the pool, to the dinners out, and to dream-of-all-dreams: a visit to Assateauge Island, the girls were mildly enthusiastic.  Since January, every journal entry (65 more days until Ocean City!), every dinnertime prayer (thank you God, that we get to go to Ocean City!), every bedtime conversation (How many hours does it take to get there? How big is the pool? Will we really see wild ponies?) has had something to do with the trip.

And so, last weekend it finally arrived. Ocean City is a quiet place in the dead of winter. But in a way, it was kind of nice. The beach is cold and windy and seventeen different shades of grey. And it is beautiful. 

We went to the beach. We ate hotel food and sat through banquets and videos about the history of Dan's company and International Harvester. We swam in the hotel pool and spent dollar upon dollar on wacky arcade games. We collected shells and saw wild ponies.

We had meltdowns.

We (meaning me) wondered at which point the parents begin to have fun on vacations. 

And we slept like rocks that first day back home in our beds. Birdy, clocking a 15 hour sleep.

And I've decided that for me, the best part of vacation is this part. The looking back. The relief that it's over and the joy that we did it. 

The forgetting of the maxed out tired baby, the endless laundry, the packing and unpacking...

And the remembering of their pure joy and excitement and enthusiasm....

And that we'd do it all over again.

good for the heart

I'm extremely guilty of attempting to fit way too many things in on the weekends. But when my weeks are full, and I really need to be home in order to do things like, oh, I don't know, homeschool my children, oftentimes the weekends are my only chance to get the to-do list done.

On Saturday, one of the things on my list was to workout. And suddenly, I discovered it was late afternoon-- I still needed to shower before going out for the evening with my cousin. I needed to make dinner. I needed to keep working on lessons plans. But I really needed to exercise. 

So instead of slipping off to the gym, alone, (and you know me, feeling guilty about it) I plopped Birdy in the backpack and took the children who weren't napping (good girl, Elizabeth) for a walk. 

It was the most beautiful exercise I've had in months. I said it on habit, but I hope my children never ever take for granted the beauty in their backyard.

We crossed the stream (there's a hole in my Muck Boot boot!) and walked and walked, following the mowed paths around my uncle's dormant cornfields. It was breathtaking, cold, beautiful, funny and sometimes a little back-breaking with that chubby toddler hanging from my shoulders. 

 

The girls rolled down hills,

 

 

stomped in mud, kept tabs on the barn cat that followed us the whole time,

 

 

jammed sticks down fox dens,

 

 

scraped notes into the mud for their uncle, and did their best to stay in plain sight of their littlest sister on my back, who whined only when she couldn't see what her sisters were doing.

 

 

Sometimes this kind of exercise is best not only for the body, but also for the heart. 

jiggity - jig

I am home. 

By the time I lugged my large suitcase and multiple carry-on bags up the sidewalk and back into the dark, quiet house late Thursday night, my exhaustion had reached ridiculous levels. 

When I fell into bed beside my husband, I have to admit I was a bit miffed that I didn't get a bigger welcome home. He mumbled, rolled over, attempted to rouse himself from sleep.

What? You weren't waiting up? Ready to welcome me with over-sized hugs and big wet kisses? Didn't he realize how tired I was--emotionally, physically, mentally? 

By the time I finally settled in to bed, he was awake enough to talk. "I am so glad you are home. These three days have been hellish."

I was completely unaware.

My poor husband went on to explain all the events of the past three days, beginning with the first morning, when Birdy managed to swallow a piece of mettalic glittery confetti. This, in turn, led to uncontrollable dry-heaving, vomitting, and most scary of all----spitting up blood. He called in for help (it's always nice to have a former-EMT  uncle in the valley) and watched her carefully as she played normally after all the drama, as if nothing happened. Then came the morning nap. More spitting up, more blood and finally the glittery red star ejected itself from her gullet.

And things continued to go downhill from there--a baby who wouldn't sleep. Who discovered she could stand up in her crib---but couldn't get down. Dishes. Cooking. Mess. Nap-less children. Less than hearty meals.

Ugh. The poor thing.

When I called to check in (multiple times) daily, my children and Dan would reassure me that everything was fine. No one spoke a word to me about the troubles at home because Dan knew, from all the way across the country, there was nothing that I could do, but worry. 

At one point, Mary said to me, "Mommy. We have a surprise for you when you come home. But Daddy says we can't tell you." Her voice was so chipper and excited. I had memories of last time. What could it be this go round? A new kitchen floor? A painted bedroom? A remodelled bathroom?

Turns out the surprise was a vomitting baby.

I guess, upon return, it should have been me--embracing my poor, exhausted husband. My nights alone in a luxurious but all-too-quiet-for-good-sleep hotel room didn't seem quite so sacrificial. My inability to sleep on the airplane rides felt slightly less deserving of sympathy. 

But you know what? He didn't make me feel an ounce of guilt.

Somehow, I came home feeling more appreciated, needed and loved than I have in a long time. 

And San Francisco? It was fantastic. Amazing, amazing people---Whitney and Heather, Kristen, Kristina, Hadley, Denise, Kami, Marie , Sara, Whit, Carolyn , Betsy ... not to mention Scott, Dina and all the others at BabyCenter and MOMformation--I'm not even coming close to mentioning everyone. It gave me a new vision for momformation, for the mission of BabyCenter. I am in good company over there, with amazing people who truly care about the journey of motherhood. 

There is lots to love on this Valentine's Day--the goodness of being home, of scribbled valentines, spring-like weather, and surprise donut runs. I hope your day is filled with sweetness and goodness. And as always, thank you for coming to this space and sharing in these moments of sweetness with me. 

next time, i'll make an appointment

 

Tomorrow morning at "oh-dark-thirty", I will be embarking on a little journey that will take me 2,457 miles from home. I'll be heading to the other coast, hoping to see the other ocean, sleeping in a bed all by myself, not answering the late night baby-cry. And chances are, I'll miss all of it.

But, I will be gathering with friends I have never met, and look forward to seeing face to face. 

So for this mama, a trip like this required a little freshening up of the old wardrobe, thanks to a very fun shopping trip/Christmas gift with my mother. 

And it also required a hair cut. A long overdue hair cut.

And being the oh-so-last-minute kind of person that I tend to be sometimes, I failed to schedule a haircut with my regular girl. It left me at the mercy of a walk-in joint yesterday afternoon. 

As she was washing my hair:

Her: So will you be going to a Super Bowl party tonight?

Me: No....we had friends over last night.... I have a baby who goes to bed pretty early, we'll just stay home and have our own little party, etc. etc.

Her: Me, too. I'm staying home. I'm still recovering from partying last night. That was about the craziest partying I've done in a long time. So crazy that I came home with a heart tattooed on my butt and I don't even remember it.

Me: (speechless. trying to remain polite. wondering what makes her think this would be a good idea to share with me. wondering if i should feel flattered that she thinks i'm young-enough-looking to share these kinds of stories with.)

Her: (leans over me to wash my hair and I notice the unmistakeable reeking of alcohol on her breath, and dripping from her pores)

Later.....

Her: (more generic questions about my life)

Me: (tell her at one point that I have four children.)

Her: Will you be partying tonight for the super bowl?

Me: (I thought we covered this already.) No, we'll be staying home.

Her : Is your man going to be cooking?

Me: (speechless, again.)

Her: Who do you want to win the Super Bowl?

Me: We're Steelers fans. My husband grew up in Pittsburgh. But we used to live in Wisconsin for a few years. They love the Packers.

Her: Oh. Is that where Green Bay people are from? I don't follow football. 

Me: (speechless, again.) Yes. Green Bay is in Wisconsin.

Later....her final question to me before starting up the hair dryer

Her: So, you gonna be drinking tonight?

Me: *sigh* No. We'll be staying home. (though after this experience, I might have to.)

Miraculously, I managed to get out of there with an average haircut. Let's hope it looks okay from the back too. 

So today will be list-making, and laundry, and packing, and also soaking in these girls just a bit longer before I sneak off in the dark, tomorrow morning.

staycation

Just popping in to say hello.

This week, we are on a little "staycation". Dan took the week off from work and we've been puttering around as a family, making little low-budget, half-day trips and outings here and there.

On Monday, Dan took the two older girls on a huge hike. While he was gone, I noticed that he'd left the trail map up on the computer and it was marked "moderate to difficult". When they didn't arrive home until just before dinner, I was beginning to wonder. Turns out, they got just a wee bit lost while on the trails, but had such a good time. And the girls were amazing troopers. 

They collected trail maps at the end of their hike and have been coloring and marking and plotting their hike and the ones they plan to take in the future. 

Today, we took the girls on their inaugural trip to the bowling alley. We would have been done in half the time if it weren't for the amount of time it takes for a very small person's ball to inch its way done a bowling lane. Elizabeth even managed to have her ball stop halfway down the alley. 

Tomorrow we'll ride a train. Friday, when the weather improves, they'll canoe. And Birdy and I will man the canoe pick-up and drop-off taxi. 

And Friday night there are rumors of a bonfire and campout in the back field. 

Not a bad way to spend a 'cation. 

their summer list

play putt-putt golf

climb to the waterfall at Rocks

make wooden animals with the jigsaw

have lunch with daddy at work

pick blueberries at andy's

make an art project with emily

have a picnic at a park

go to a concert

go to the Walters or the BMA

make a trip to Good's

pajama swims every night

go to the zoo

hike in the big woods

visit oregon ridge

climb a steep mountain

collect leaves and make a field guide to enter in the fair

paint wooden dolls

visit the McDougals

sleep out in the yard

paint rocks

eat a fluffernutter

go out for ice cream

make friendship bracelets

make a BOOK

rock star chickens

Today was a busy day on Thomas Run. It started with the gathering of all barn cats for a "field trip" to a local clinic for spaying and neutering. It is a grant project put on by the county and I am so thankful for it. There were some good people working behind the scenes. 

The only tough part is that the cats come home fairly quickly. One was still asleep, the others still too out of it to come out of their travel kennels. I have a regular hospital ward out on my mud room. 

While the cats were "tripping" Dan and I took the girls to the Susquehanna Poultry Show which was put on at our local fairgrounds. The girls were pretty jazzed up about it, especially because we threw a chicken crate in the back of the car, "just in case". 

There was even a spiral notebook being passed around between them--a list of potential names for whatever manner of poultry might "accidentally" come home with us. 

But we came home empty-handed (this very pregnant mother says, 'phew!'). The only few chickens for sale were very fancy and pretty impractical for our situation.

But we did see some rock-star chickens...

Seriously, they spent the whole time flipping the feathers out of their faces, if there even IS a face in there.

And some chickens that looked more like soft bunny rabbits...

And some beautiful geese with deep throaty honks...

And then of course, we eventually made our way home and not everyone was happy about it...

And while Dan ran in the garden store for grass seed, I entertained three grumpy, hungry girls with an in-car photo shoot....

And then, appropriately, we came home and ate egg sandwiches... 

more local love

The smARTS Week, that I wrote about yesterday culminates in an Arts Festival held at the school over the weekend. It is a juried art show and sale that displays the work of some amazing local artists.

I always love to go because their work is so inspiring and there are so many amazingly talented artists and ideas, from every genre of craft and every walk of life.

I told myself this year, that I was going to do some Christmas shopping while I was there. I came home with nothing. Well, nothing for Christmas....but a few small things for me. I'm horrible, I know.

The bracelet and bobby pin were from Allison Fomich--who had the coolest stand. I pretty much loved everything she was making. (I could have done a lot of Christmas shopping there, had I not been so selfish.) But you know, the bracelet--those are SO my colors. And I wear a bobby pin in my hair every.single.day. I think I deserve to have a cute one, don't you?

Thankfully, Allison is online and I'm pretty sure I'll be hitting up her etsy shop or sending her an email once I get serious about Christmas gifts.

The ring is from a funky little stand that I also fell in love with. It was hard to pick just one, and who can resist a fun little ring that's cute enough to eat. 

As I walked around the art show, I picked up cards here and there of a few of my favorite crafters and I thought I'd share their etsy shops here, for you to explore and enjoy.Though I have to say, seeing their work in person, and meeting the artists face to face is so much better than any online website or shop.

Alison Fomich (the bracelet and bobby pin) : Tigerlilly Shop :  Alison's blog

Poppi (the ring) : Poppi Shop

Dana Marie Hosler : her shop : her website

Shelly Daly : A Stone's Throw : her shop

Backlog Pottery : website (also home of Trashy Women)

Heidi Hammel, Reclaimed Creations : website

many of the crafters at the show belong to Baltimore Craft : website : on twitter

local craft

Every year, the school that my little sister attends (and perhaps Emma will attend one day, too) holds a smARTS Week. Local artists, crafters, and teachers host a variety of classes and for those three days, regular schoolwork is put on hold while the students get up to their elbows in art. Classes cover the whole spectrum of interests from nature-journaling, cake decorating, flower arranging, gospel singing, sculpture, photography, glass fusing, pottery, and so much more. It's the kind of thing an adult could get mighty jealous of, (and I've been hinting around that I'd love to see a smARTS week for adults, too.)

Inspired by Jade's Craft Hope project, I threw out the idea of offering a quilting class to the students--having them create quilts that could be given to needy children in our community. The idea was a success. There were sewing machines available, the school's music teacher was also a quilter and things were set in place.

The original plan was for me to be on location, helping with the class, but when my babysitting fell through, I found myself as the behind-the-scenes help for the class.

The students in the quilting class created two quilt tops--in quite interesting color schemes :) --and they were sent home to me to add the batting and the backing, and then sent back for them to hand-tie the next day. Most of the students in the class had never sewn before and I was given some interesting quilt tops to work with. But with a little squaring up, some reinforcing of seams, and a bucketful of God-given patience, I was able to send back their quilts, tied up in bundles to be hand-tied and sent off to someone in need. 

I've always noticed in my sewing experiences that projects truly motivated by love and giving tend to go so smoothly for me. I'm constantly guilty of making silly mistakes, moving through my projects sloppily or quickly. Yet, when a project is inspired and driven by love and a giving heart, it seems that things always come together perfectly, as if my head and hands and heart are working together despite my shortcomings.

I love that about handmade work.

As I sat at my sewing machine, with the quilt draped across my lap, I noticed immediately the warmth it was providing in my very cold, farmhouse kitchen. And I could only think of the sweet little child whose lap and weary body these quilts would bring warmth to. The thought of that warms my heart.

there and back again

This weekend, I did something that fell into two categories...something I haven't done in a really long time, and something I've always wanted to do.

On Friday morning, I packed my bags (equal parts knitting/camera supplies and clothing), waved goodbye to my three little girls and headed out on the road with my dear cousin Maggie. We were on a little pilgrimage of sorts--the something I've always wanted to do. We took a long weekend away to visit our other dear cousin Catherine and experience first-hand some of our family history.

We saw the homes that my father, grandmother, grandfather, and other "great-greats" grew up in or called home. We stood on the shores of the bay where my grandmother once played and sailed. We visited gravestones, yacht clubs, cottages and main streets.

We hoisted each other over tall privacy fences to snap pictures and get closer looks.

We sat around, knitting in our laps, watching old movies and slide shows mourning, yet adoring the loved ones we've lost.

We laughed until our sides ached.

We cried some more.

I tried to figure out a way to really describe my weekend away, but I am truly left without words. It feels like something that can only be understood by a handful of people who know what I know, have known what I have known and long for the same things I long for.

But I can tell you, that getting to experience my family's history in such a tangible way has left a deep impression on my heart.

I haven't done something like this in a very long time, leaving all my babes behind and going somewhere by myself. But I am returning with a sense of refreshment, contentment and a joyful sorrow that has been escaping me for quite some time.