Monday, May 30, 2011

Balance


I love watching Beansprout practice his balance and build his core strength.  Isn't it amazing how natural it is for little ones to develop this just from their everyday exploration.  Of course as adults we realize that balance means much more than just being able to walk along the plank at the park or hold our yoga poses without falling . . . balance is about having the musts and the wants in life keep the scale from tipping too far one way or the other.  I have always struggled with this life/work balance -there are so many things I want to do, yet so many things I should do that don't even get done.  And since becoming a mom, the struggled has multiplied two-fold!  I find myself creating longer and longer "I would love to . . ." lists in my head as I help Beansprout get to sleep at nap time or in the evening, but I'm left squeezing it all in from 9-11pm.  I marvel at the super moms who truly do it all and I wonder how they function on what I assume must be SO little sleep!?!  For now I just keep chipping away at the list little by little and usually choose a nap over getting more done :)  What's your approach???    

Friday, May 13, 2011

Uncertainty

My thoughts have been consumed with a high level of uncertainty this last week.  It's times like these when I realize I tend to want to control all of the variables of a situation to feel comfortable.  I want to be able to see the future and because I can't, I fill my mind with all of the possible scenarios I imagine could happen.  This is a huge waste of energy; nevertheless, I'm unable to keep my mind calm and to accept that what happens happens.  I guess I hope that I can lessen the blow by preparing myself with incessant thoughts?  The funny thing is, uncertainty usually means change is in the air.  I want to resist the change, but know in my heart that it is change which helps me learn.  And, I love learning!  I love the excitement I feel when I'm trying to grasp a new concept or gain a new skill!  It's frustrating, uncomfortable, and pushes me outside of my comfort zone, but it's what keeps me passionate about life.  So with that knowledge, I will be working really hard to embrace uncertainty.  Well, ok, maybe not embrace it, but at least accept it.  What do you do when change is on the horizon?

Saturday, May 7, 2011

A tulip tip!

I have the feeling it's somewhat late to be celebrating tulips at the beginning of May, but I think the colder spring we've had has delayed the bloom this year.  Aren't tulips just perfect!?!  They have such an elegant simplicity, I think.  As I watched a vase-full of mine start to droop recently, I remembered the coolest tip I learned from my friend, Lorraine!  Lorraine loves to pass this tip along -- I think it makes her feel connected to her friend, who passed it on to her.  It got me thinking today how I love that something as simple as a little tip or a song or a even a commercial on TV can give us a sense of connection with people who may or may not be in our lives today.  So whenever I place tulips in the vase now, I take a moment to put a pin hole through the stem about 1/2 an inch down from the top.  And, I think of Lorraine J.    I should also mention that it will even work for stems that have already started to droop - I would say it takes about 5 hours or so to come back to life, so be patient!  Give it a try!  You'll be amazed!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Mornings

I love that photographs can have such a story behind them . . . how in the second of taking the photograph there are so many things happening all at once and you can choose to speak those things or you can leave them silent.  I feel like speaking this moment because it's a moment of learning for me.  I am always quite critical of pictures of myself, so I'll avoid being in the picture because I haven't done my hair, I feel fat, I don't have any make-up on . . . you name it, I have the excuse.  I have begun to realize, though, that I'm missing out on being in photos with my little Beansprout!  It was this post about "leaving proof" from Under the Sycamore that really shocked me into reality.  I don't think Beansprout will look back at photos of me and think, "why wasn't she wearing any make-up?"  So, I have a new goal of taking time to capture moments with my little guy.


I love that I was able to capture this small part of our morning together.  As Beansprout was finishing his breakfast, I laid my head on my arms while keeping him company.  He is really into mimicking everything we do now (for better and worse!) and followed suit.  I beam when I see this photo now!  Regardless of the fact that it's not my best time of day, I love the look on my face as I peer at him!  Of course, I also can't resist those big brown eyes of his!  Lesson learned!


There are the days, when getting ready for work doesn't always go so well . . . I put it all off because we are painting or playing with trains or because I've spent too much time trying to go through my Google reader while also reading Beansprout some books!  And it's these days when Beansprout needs the extra attention I don't have time for.  I work really hard to stay attuned to my little guy, but I always start to get a super panicky feeling when I can see things going awry on this kind of morning.  It starts simple -- Beansprout doesn't want me to be in the bathroom, Beansprout doesn't want me to blow dry my hair, and then it quickly spirals into crying that requires me to pick him up and comfort him.  I hear myself saying things that sound pretty much like Impatience.  Last week we had one of those days.  Luckily for me it was after I was almost completely ready so I was able to spend those extra minutes with him that often end up gaining me more minutes in the end.  As I was holding him in the middle of all of this, I recalled the lesson again!  How lucky am I to have such a snuggle bug???  Click . . . click . . . click.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Eggs Eggs Eggs!


Even as an adult my mom would hide chock-filled Easter baskets for us to find!  Guess it's no surprise then, that I've been dreaming of hosting an egg hunt ever since moving to this house.  Beansprout was still crawling at this time last year, so I was thrilled when Hubby agreed it would be fun to give it a try this Easter.


I gathered all kinds of fun ideas from OPB's, a term I just read on paintchipsandcupcakes.  That's usually how I do things - read blog posts and magazine articles, look at inspiring photos, and try to put it together with (hopefully) my own twist.  LOVE the bunny garland from Hostess with the Mostest and have put it away to use again next year!

I'm happy to say it was huge success!




The kids had fun painting their own canvases,





dressing up,



and they were thrilled to find the eggs!  To avoid overkill on chocolate all weekend, we filled the eggs with stickers, bouncy balls, play doh, slimy lizards, and finger puppets.




I did invite a couple of babies, so I had to have something for them!  Check out the how-to for this felt toy at Modern Parents Messy Kids I used for their favor -- I decided to embellish a onsie with the same chick pattern, added a couple of banana mum mums in there, and voila! an Easter treat for a 6-month old.


 I think everyone had a really nice morning - can't wait to do it again next year!