Holiday Traditions: Part 1

Apparently becoming a mother as not only instilled in me a more sensitive ear, crazy thought reading abilities & finding the use of my mouth to hold & open things to be about as useful as an additional appendage….but I have been completely overwhelmed with the necessity to start “family holiday traditions”. Move over nesting, you never even came close to this.

I have been blessed to have come from a family that loved to celebrate. Every holiday is a celebration, a chance to see famiy, eat good food and just to purely enjoy what God has graced us with. Resulting in my necessary 3 month long celebration; when Halloween, Thanksgiving & Christmas all seem to jumble together.

I also came from a “broken” family. Though I really dislike the term “broken” because we’re all crazy, you can’t fix us, we don't want you to fix us and if anyone tried it would cost an exorbitant amount of cash...to be paid to us. But because of this I celebrated many holidays at least twice. Which really only adds fuel to this fire, because I’ve got lots of places to pull traditions from.

The one thing I enjoy about creating holiday traditions for my own family, is I can keep the traditions I know & love, forget all about the ones I really didn’t care for and implement some of my own! I also enjoy the opportunity to coordinate with my husband. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve asked him about HIS family traditions and any he’d like to implement in our family. Parenthood, in general, is a cooperative team sport….but for some reason to bring two sets of traditions together makes it feel even MORE like we are joining two families. If there are two things I love it’s holidays & family. (And who’s kidding who, all the food too!)

For Thanksgiving I put out some card stock and pens, crayons & markers. I also printed out some blank leaves which I cut out and put with the supplies. I traced G’s hand print and made a hand-print turkey; in the middle of which I put the things she’s thankful for. (Being that she’s 8 months old, I took a wild guess with 'Mommy, Daddy, Puffs & Milk')

Then adults were asked to write what they were thankful for on the leaves, and the children had a choice of making their own hand-print turkey or using a leaf.

As the day progressed not only did everyone get into writing what they were thankful for & decorating their leaves & turkeys…my aunt & I decided it would be fun to let people read them aloud. So we randomly put the leaves or turkeys down in front of plates around the table. (Or not so randomly in some cases, we thought it would be all too funny for my uncle to read about being hopeful of getting along with future college roommates) And as we started to pass food around the table we all took turns reading what others were thankful for. Much to my surprise, everyone seemed to be “into” it and enjoyed it. Hopefully this is something that we will continue to do.

It was my original intention to just trace G’s handprint & write in the things she's thankful for, every year. (And of course do the same for any subsequent children's hand prints) Then some how make some decorative chain/garland with them. But since as of right now, I only have one hand print, I don’t have to completely finish this thought process yet. However, after seeing how much everyone seemed to enjoy the leaves & turkeys, I may find a way to include those. Ten years from now it'd be nice to look back to see who was around for Thanksgiving that year, and what they were thankful for. So for now, I'll just hold onto the pieces until I have another jolt of creativity. 

Stayed tuned for a Part 2 where I share current Christmas traditions and what my plans for new traditions. 

Truly Grateful Tuesdays!!!

Has it really been almost a week since I last posted?
Time flies, especially when I had a long weekend to enjoy with my family....

So here is what I've grateful for this week:

.....4 AMAZING days off with my husband & daughter. I have not spent 4 days in a row, without having to work, with G since my maternity leave ended. It was pure bliss.

.....Black Friday shopping with my mom, Grandma, Aunt & G...without a major argument. It was actually enjoyable!!

.....My husband who keeps going to a job that he really does not like, to provide for his family. He sees the missed time as not being there for his family, when I see the exact opposite. He's doing what he has to right now. Like all things in life, this too shall pass.

.....Teething Bling!!

Without which making this post (and catching up on old posts) would not have been possible!

8 Months Here We Are

Today G hit the 8 month mark.
A month ago I was so incredibly certain she'd be moving around by now.

But I was wrong. She has been so close to crawling for awhile now, but has recently decided she's much  more interested in standing on her own for longer periods of time, and working on walking. (And now is pretty successful at maneuvering those little feet when someone holds her hands.)

I was preparing for a crawling baby...not so much for a walking baby....

Her personality is really beginning to shine, and she makes me laugh daily. She's also very talkative, and I would just love to know what she *thinks* she's saying.

Let me just say, it is getting more & more difficult to do these monthly pictures by myself. Even this month the piece of paper was wondering what it ever did to deserve this....

8 Months Here We Are

Today G hit the 8 month mark.
A month ago I was so incredibly certain she'd be moving around by now.

But I was wrong. She has been so close to crawling for awhile now, but has recently decided she's much  more interested in standing on her own for longer periods of time, and working on walking. (And now is pretty successful at maneuvering those little feet when someone holds her hands.)

I was preparing for a crawling baby...not so much for a walking baby....

Her personality is really beginning to shine, and she makes me laugh daily. She's also very talkative, and I would just love to know what she *thinks* she's saying.

Let me just say, it is getting more & more difficult to do these monthly pictures by myself. Even this month the piece of paper was wondering what it ever did to deserve this....

Truly Grateful Tuesdays!!!

Truly Grateful Tuesdays

I’ve barely been able to keep up with this blog, and I have stashes of things to post. Heck, I don’t even think I have anyone reading this. But I have suddenly become ambitious enough to start my own meme.  (What’s a meme you ask?)

I heard on the John Tesh radio show, of all places, some benefits of keeping a gratitude journal.  I know I am not disciplined enough to keep up with an actual 'writing' journal. Trust me. I’ve tried. Recently. So I figured: Hey I have a blog. And hey I don’t need to do it EVERY day….so I’ll do it once a week.

And from hence forth, it shall officially be called: Truly Grateful Tuesdays

That’s it, all my creativity for the week. I can’t possible risk using & therefore exhausting another brain cell to list what I am grateful for…………

Perhaps, I should be grateful for brain cells. For that I truly am. Especially the ones in my daughter’s head. She is such a smart baby and it is such a joy to watch her grow & learn.

I’m also grateful for:

… a wonderful place to work and a very relaxed boss. (Who let me leave a little early Friday after Tyson & G came to surprise me with a visit me.)

… getting my blood test results back and my TSH levels are good, and my meds don’t need to be upped again!

…a very productive weekend, and a very comfortable bed to crash into after a long weekends worth of work.

…safe hunting excursions for Tyson & my grandfather (Even though Tyson *shot* a buck with a HUGE rack, and after tracking for hours the blood trail ran cold. Now we have reason to believe that buck is out there taunting Tyson. Oh well, still plenty of time left in the season!)

Typing that brought a smile to my face. What a great way to reflect on the past week. I also thought it fitting to start this “trend” the week of Thanksgiving. I have much to be thankful for this year, and can’t wait to share one of my favorite holidays with my daughter. A happy thanksgiving to each & every one of you! Safe travels to those of you who are venturing out!

Here's Your Christmas Card!

There will be no cute Christmas card this year. My usually smiley, photogenic daughter decided to note cooperate:

 
 



Which is just as well, cause I couldn't get the lighting to cooperate either

Mama Don’t Take My Kodachrome

Over the past 5 years have hemmed and hawed about starting a photography business. Photography is something I have loved since I was in my early teens, and thank goodness, I’ve continued to learn new things, improve and find joy in it.

Often I’ve had people suggest I do it professionally. I’ve kind of done that now & then in my life. I went up the ranks at Picture People, though they don’t really encourage artistic creativity, at least not in the way my OWN business would allow & demand. I worked for a wedding photographer, and I’ve helped out a friend with her studio. But none of that has filled the little hole in my soul that wants to make photography what I DO.

In case you haven’t noticed, I think big thoughts. I often don’t follow through. I get scared, realize I’ve taken on too much, or just get overwhelmed at all the necessary steps involved. Usually when I start to think about how much I would love my own business & career, I shut down. Beat myself up. Spend the next few days telling myself I’m not good enough to *charge* people to take their pictures. It will take me a couple weeks to recover from this self-degradation before I touch my camera again.

Truth is, I’m okay at it, I guess. (*stares at floor while I shuffle back & forth*) I lack in proper equipment & computer programs, but with time all those things can be upgraded. I really have no desire to photograph weddings. Honestly, it is way too much pressure for me and that in turn takes the joy out of what I love. I enjoy photographing families, children, babies….they are what matter most to me, in my life, so naturally I would want to spend my time & talent capturing these important things for other people. 

Last weekend I photographed my Grandparent’s 50^th Wedding Anniversary Party. It wasn’t a difficult task, and I knew they’d be pleased with whatever they ended up with. They just wanted photos of the event. Much to my surprise, after sitting down at my grandfather’s computer and editing the photos, they actually looked professional. I was, and still am, very pleased with myself.

 

 

 

My biggest hurdle, really, is time. I work 40+ hours a week, at a job I actually enjoy. I don’t enjoy the full time hours, and would love the opportunity to work part-time at my “job” and spend other time on my family and business. I’m also a new mom. In my opinion this first year is so very important, and I don’t want to miss any more time than I have to.

Maybe down the road, as my babies get a little older (heck I need to have more babies first) and as Tyson finds his place in this world, God will give me the opportunity to do this. In the meantime I’ll keep clicking away, because that’s better than nothing!

Lessons in Parenthood #535

Today I learned that if the baby is momentarily out of sight....she will always find some way to occupy herself.

After hearing her giggle & talk while I was in the shower this AM, I find this sight on the bathroom floor. Not sure how she did it, but her arm was IN her pajamas when I got in the shower.

I ran down the hall to wet a washcloth, and she helped herself. (In case you're wondering, yes those are dirty.)

Daylight Savings Funk

I’ve really been struggling the past few days. My mind feels full to capacity, but when I sit down to put it in words….no words exist.

Everything seems to be overwhelming to me, yet I don’t have a reason why. Work has been stressful, and it makes me miss G something terrible. So maybe that’s it. What it all really boils down to. I’ve read that a new mom’s brain grows and her senses are more intuned to her baby. Maybe I’m so upset over the time I’m missing with her that this emotion has completely hijacked my brain.

Or…I could just blame this funk I’m in on daylight savings. (Much like I blamed daylight savings on the extreme urge to shove a fondue fork up a co-workers nose today. She really got under my skin, and that was the first image that came to mind. Go figure.)

.......Needless to say…....I have not been doing such a good job sticking to the organization schedule.

Operation Get Organized: Part One

I am trying to get organized.

Transitioning to the world of being a full-time working Mom has been a difficult one. (Emotionally, physically & mentally…) And it’s often something that I wish I could protest by kicking & screaming; this really isn’t how I wanted to parent. But that’s how life is right now. My time outside of work is precious and I need to learn to make the most of it.

So as stated before, it’s time to get organized

I’m going to try and tackle one area of my life that needs organization, every month. It takes 21 days to create a new habit (or break a bad one). So I figure if I give myself a month that gives me a week to forget I’m supposed to be doing it and the remaining three weeks to actually do it!

The first month of “Operation Get Organized” is to work on my evening routine – mostly in respect to my “chores”. I will put off dishes, laundry, dusting, you name it…as long as I can. Until it gets to the point that the clutter & piles of stuff everywhere drives me to the edge and I’m cursing & resembling Linda Blair in her famous role. (Minus the spewing of pea soup…)

I like that movie and all…….BUT…..

The goal is to wash baby bottles & dishes EVERY NIGHT. And then have one area of the house that I tidy up each evening. (Originally laundry was going to be part of this, but I will hopefully be getting some help from my mom in this area…which would be a HUGE help. With Tyson’s work schedule, I can’t really expect him to consistently get things done during the week, so to get some regular help from another adult is most appreciated.)

I’m thinking the “chore” schedule will be this:

Monday – Bedroom: tidy, dust & empty garbage

Tues & Wed: I’ll cut myself some slack, these are the nights that I need to have a diaper bag packed for G to spend the day @ the sitters….and maybe I’ll work in doing some yoga or pilates with the extra 10-15 minutes I’ll get these nights.

Thurs- Bathroom: tidy, clean & empty garbage

Fri- Hallway (which serves as an office/playroom/catchall room): tidy, dust and empty desk garbage & diaper pail.

Sat & Sun’s off

(You don’t see G’s bedroom on here, because that room is actually one that I keep on top of regularly. It’s the only one that hasn’t gotten out of my control.)

Eventually we’ll have our own house, and I’ll need to add other rooms to this schedule. But hopefully this works for now.

In reality I have about 60-90 mins between when G goes to sleep & when I turn into a pumpkin….and I’d also like to get in a teeny tiny bit of computer time in here too. The trick is if I can keep on top of the baby bottles…I’ll have more time in the evenings. So here goes nothing.

Stay tuned…..