snaphappymama

I've moved!

I'm back to blogging, but moving in a new direction and setting up shop on a brand new site... Come stop by and say hi!

Falling for Facebook

So, I'm falling for Facebook - I've enjoyed connecting to an online crowd of family and friends in this cool, casual, online hangout. Photos are passed around and commented on, people share short and sweet status reports, leave messages on friend's walls, share links, send out event invites, initiate special interest groups, etc - less pressure to keep my own little blog fresh - it's a free ride on the social roller coaster where content is collaborative - I just pitch in with little snippets when I have something to share or say, or kick back and listen to what everyone else is up to when I don't - much like conversing and interacting in the real world, isn't it? Not sure what will happen to my little blog world here, which I do miss at times, but Facebook's a good fit for now, as we're outside and on the go more during the sunny summer months. I try to be intentional about using facebook as a tool to facilitate friendships, in the real world, rather than replace them, you know? Shout outs to meet up at the local berry fields, waterpark, etc. always leads to friends joining us in real time for summer outings - so much fun! It's a bit interesting (semi-eerie) when you first sign up, how it "finds" friends based on your hometown, schools, employment history and email contacts, and a few other tricks up its sleeves to connect folks. If you haven't checked out facebook, give it a try! Click on my profile badge and we'll be fast friends on Facebook.

Blogging Break

I'm taking a blogging break. It's time for some realtime, offline, downtime, sunshine ... away from the computer and outside playing in the backyard, riding our bikes, and browsing the local farmer's market. Bring on summer, yeah!

P.S. You can still find me on facebook and flickr =)

this little light of mine...

T hooked D up with a light for her bike helmet. She thought that was WAY cool. She wore the helmet to dinner, to shine on her plate. She wore it to the grocery store, to light her way down the aisles, as well as  the faces of everyone she met. She lights up our lives each and every day, shining bright, no head lamp required.

Concentration

Time to brag on my nephew - here's a picture my sister sent me from his first piano recital. He's been practicing tons, and played his two pieces PERFECTLY! We're so proud of you AJ!

Project Childhood

I just found Project Childhood and am in awe - at the moments captured, the mission, the meaning and the magic! It would be so cool to start a project like this for amateur/aspiring photographer parents. Childhood IS magical, and we are magicians. Adding the extra to ordinary and making magic out of the mundane is an intentional pursuit that isn't always easy, but so worth it. I remember a drive down our long gravel driveway with our neighbor, a schoolteacher, when I was in grade school myself. The driveway was only a half mile long, but driving slow, and working her magic, she had my sister, brother and I certain that her car was an airplane, and that we were on the airstrip, and achieving lift off. She was animated, dramatic, creative, and very convincing!

Goodbye, Grandma

My grandma recently passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. Helping to write her eulogy was heart breaking, yet also healing.

In loving memory of our Ilene ~ Indescribable, Uncontainable, but We'll Try...

Even though Ilene was born on March 18^th, she was Irish, and had us all convinced her birthday was really on St. Patrick’s Day. True to her strong Irish spirit and identity, she was full of life and contagious joy, and always believed she was a lucky lady no matter her lot in life. It was an honor to celebrate and associate her special day with such a happy, lucky holiday.

 

Ilene marched to the beat of her own drum, and a part of her life song was the music she shared with us all. Ilene loved to sing! She has infused us with beautiful songs that will be so special and unique to our family as they’re passed down through the generations.

 

Ilene had a great outlook on life. She didn’t always get what she deserved and she didn’t always have a lot to give, but she always gave of her best, and often more than most deserved, and she never asked or expected anything in return.

 

Ilene was a storyteller. She loved to share our family’s history. She was an embellisher, matching the stories to her remarkable vision that was too grand for only seeing the mediocre. She saw only the best in people and experiences.

 

Ilene was the super glue that connected our family. Family was the most important thing in Ilene’s life. Her purpose was to keep us all connected and whole against all obstacles.

 

Ilene considered most people family, regardless if you were blood, married in, a friend of the family, a neighbor, or someone in need. She treated people by the golden rule and opened her home and her heart to many.

 

She treated others with a kindness and compassion that most people fail to attain today. Ilene was intolerant when people were treated poorly, and aligned her life 100% with people over possessions, and relationships over riches.

 

Ilene had a way of making the mundane magical. She didn’t just make pancakes – she made them into the shape of Mickey Mouse. She made cleaning the house fun as we sang about the leprechauns and pixie fairies that would come out to play once the dirt was chased away.

 

Ilene had an inner steadfastness. She shed criticism with a grace and unwavering strength that many would crumble under. She knew what she was about, and she had high standards for those around her.

 

Ilene saw right past the physical and straight to the phenomenal that dwells within people. Even when she knew that most were unable to see people in this light, she knew it was the right way to relate to people and still spoke from this perspective, regardless of others inability to see or appreciate.

 

Ilene was a remarkable woman. Ilene lived outside the box, and was larger than life itself. She loved us all and made us all feel so special. Her spirit lives in all of us, as a living legacy, as she will forever influence this family with her insistence that family is first and that we’re all lucky.

An Irish Prayer

 

May God give you...
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer.

 

Cowgirl Catwalk

Happy Hip Hop

D and I walked in our annual Procession of the Species parade with a toddler/preschool group - the children were a flock of birds, and the parents trees. For the first half of the parade, the kids were so enthralled with everything around them - the commotion, color, costumes, and oh, what a crowd! D especially had a look of shock and awe, with a bit of uncertainty as she took it all in. About halfway through she rounded a corner that was just bursting with people and energy and cheers of excitement. She let go of the chain of hands she was holding and started doing her own thing as she began to understand she was there to perform for the crowds, and loving every bit of it as they cheered her on. She was flapping her wings, spinning, hopping, running toward the crowd and then back to the middle of the parade, beaming with pride and laughing with joy, and doing it over and over again. By the time she got to the next bend, where her dad, auntie, nephew and miss paige where all waiting to see her, she was spent - she had eyed a child with sidewalk chalk on the sidelines and decided she was ready to take a break and do some chalking in the streets. Later when I was telling everyone about her grand performance she told me "I did Hip Hop Mommy!" - her own happy bunny rabbit/little bird style of hippity hopping through the streets. I of course took tons of pictures and will post to flickr soon!

Flower Thief

The flowers were a gift from my secret sister. D's picked all but one from the pot. This one doesn't look like it stands a chance either. I need to put this idea into action, to divert my little flower thief!

Who needs sleep when you have sculpey!

Sculpey nature prints are all the rage right now - see here, here and here. We finally made some and can see why - what a fun project! D and I were so into this that we totally skipped nap today! I loved the Artful Parent's idea to use the sculptures for stamping into playdough - this was D's favorite part (besides the nature walk to gather our inspiration!) Now we have some really great textures to stamp over and over again into our playdough!

Plastic, Re-Purposed

We've discovered a fun way to re-purpose cheap/plastic/junky toys loitering around our home. D calls this blue figure with horns "the big, blue beastie" after a recent library book with just such a character and title, but I think it's from a Disney movie (Monsters Inc., maybe?) Anyway - he was a prize from the treasure chest at the dentist office. He's been floating around in limbo, since we don't have a designated "spot" to put him away - we don't really do much plastic, happy-meal-style toys around here. And for those who don't know me, if something doesn't have a "spot", I get a wee bit (ok, a lot!) wigged out. I've relaxed quite a bit with my need for order over the past few years. I no longer need everything to be in its place at all times - being able to smile sanely amidst the cluttered state of our home on most days is evidence of my progress. But I still must know that everything has a spot or my chi is all out of whack. But this blue beastie figure lucked out and was granted leniency because of his resemblance to the library book - it was a fun story that D really enjoyed, and she has been having a great time acting out scenes with the figure long after the book was returned. I recently had the idea to use the blue beastie to make footprints while painting. D dipped his feet in paint and stomped him across the paper and loved making his footprints! Welcome, blue beastie, to the ever-so-important art area in our home. Consider yourself very lucky to have thus far avoided the bermuda triangle in our home, (yes, we have a triangular shaped trash can!) but watch yourself. Stay in your newly created spot, or be very afraid!)

Swooning... Seven is So Sweet!

I met Me Ra Koh last fall when I signed up for her photography workshop for women. She later came to my local Mothers of Preschoolers group and spread so much wisdom and encouragement - we laughed, we cried, and we were all so touched to hear Me Ra's story and how it relates to life, struggle, survival and achieving your dreams. This post on her blog was so sweet to read - I was swooning too as the mother of a daughter myself - Don't you think every little girl should be showered with this much special treatment, at least a time or two in their lifetime? I do! Starbucks in bed and then whisked away on a shoe shopping adventure to celebrate turning seven - how fun is that?! I just look at those pictures and feel how on top of the world Pascaline must feel on this outing with her mom, which is the real gift, you know? It doesn't necessarily have to be extravagant either. You can make someone feel like a million bucks with very little cash and a big heart and creative spirit. We trade babysitting once a month with good family friends for date night. They have a son the same age as our daughter, so it's a play date for part of the evening while the lucky couple is out on the town. One night when we got home our friend was telling us how she was enjoying pampering a little girl. She remembered when she was little, her babysitter did special things that made the time together really fun, like telling them "after everyone's tucked in their bed, I'll be making the rounds for room service" and she'd quietly go to each child's door, knock and say in a sing-song voice "rooooooom service!", wait for them to say "come in" and then present them with a drink of water and a bedtime snack on a fancy tray as they said goodnight, which made going to bed exciting instead of the bummer that it can be. Our friend remembers this babysitter fondly and finds creative little ways to treat our daughter to make it fun while we're away too. Special people and memories in the lives of children are so important - I'm grateful for good friends that contribute to the hopes and dreams I have for D's childhood.

Documenting D's childhood is also very important to me. Me Ra has wonderful resources all geared toward documenting a child's life. Check out her new site refusetosaycheese.com - the DVD series is specifically geared toward this goal, the workshops for women are fantastic, and the just released 101 Survival Kit for Moms looks great for moms trying to balance business and family life.

Books, Art

I pre-ordered these books from Amazon a while back - the creative family was just released and should soon be on its way - yay! T and I both have a creative streak in us, and this is something we value greatly and enjoy sharing with D through lots of toddler art and creative exploration, so we're really looking forward to exploring this book. I just set up a set of photos in our flickr account showcasing some of D's masterpieces - she loves art, and I love watching her create and seeing what she comes up with with as little intervention on my part as possible. i love dirt! is due out in May - the timing will be perfect with all the outdoor play ahead - we even have a bit of gardening already underway. And here's another book coming out late this year (just in time for Christmas, hint! hint!) by a crafty blogger I always enjoy reading.

About  this project, below: This was such a fun incorporation of concepts put together by the instructor at our weekly playgroup at the children's museum - we were working on counting to five, shapes and colors. We used a variety of interesting shapes (thread spool, yogurt containers, megabloks, etc) and dipped each in a different color of paint, and then marched it down the paper five times, counting as we stamped. We observed the colors, shapes and patterns, and how the paint starts out thick and vibrant and gets lighter and less the farther down the paper we moved. When we got to the last shape and color (yellow circles) I could tell D was done exhibiting self control in regards to the number of times we stamp, where we stamp, and which colors we should use - she started at the bottom and worked backward as she stamped at least twice for each spot because stamping is fun, the more the merrier. She then gave me a look of triumph for breaking free from the imposed process. Ready to have some free painting time too, we did get a new piece and let her do her own thing, which was also a lot of fun.

Back to the topic of books - T took D to the library over the weekend while I was at a retreat - they came back with some really great titles that we've been enjoying this week:
Ned Goes to Bed by Isabella Jossa
No Bows! by Shirley Smith Duke (toddler defiance redefined)
Why Do Kittens PURR? by Marion Dane Bauer (Love, LOVE the way they explain unique characteristics of various animals!)
When We Get Home by Robin Ballard (this is something that I've always done with D when we're out late past her bedtime - we soothingly and assuredly talk about what we're going to do when we get home, to prepare D that bedtime is just ahead, and that we're going to go straight from the car to the bedtimeroutine and do the condensed version to try  and get her tucked in before any tears/tantrums emerge, which can easily happen when it's late and everyone's tired. It has always worked well to keep her calm while getting through the bedtime routine poste-haste.)
Angels Watching Over Me by Julia Durango (D loved the pictures)
Old MacDonald by Jessica Souhami (this version has fun twists that really had D laughing!)

I'll add them to our READ: toddler favorites, my lists too resource page.

Butterfly Gardens, Being and Becoming

We were inspired by items found in the dollar spot at Target this morning- lots of gardening supplies for kids are currently in stock. D and I found butterfly garden seed mix, a bamboo and red metal butterfly net, gardening tools and gloves, a rain gauge, copper garden marker stakes, and a bug observatory that she's currently happy observing plastic toy bugs inside - thank goodness! We worked on the butterfly garden this afternoon - lots of weeding, turning the soil, sampling the soil (there was evidence on D's face that she ate some - eww!), sprinkling the seeds, and watering - all great toddler/mama fun! I just hope $1 bags of seeds actually produce flowers! Just to be safe, I also sprinkled in some seeds I received from this friend for my birthday last year, and a bulb that I received over the weekend from the speaker at the women's retreat I attended. The bulb was to convey a message, about our nature and needs and potential - fertile soil and constant nurturing are needed to support growth toward one's potential, all the while keeping in mind that we are who we are, that you can't make a tomato plant grow roses anymore than you can make fish fly or a cat take to water. At first when I heard this I was protesting silently (but loudly!) in my mind... "people can be anything they want to be .... we live in a 'if you can dream it, you can do it' society, so dream big and go for the gusto! Who was this lady to tell me I can't change or reinvent myself or be whatever I decide I want to be?" After thinking a bit more on this seemingly self-limiting idea, I did start to see a bit of truth to her idea that pointed in the opposite direction - that striving against the grain may be the more self-limiting way to live. For example, if I wanted to be President of the United States, (trust me, I don't. Thank God, you say? I second it!) though highly improbable, not impossible - never say never, right? But I know myself enough to know that the amount of energy I would need to put into such an endeavor would be so enormous that I would probably miss out on the opportunity to thrive in major areas of my life that I was much better suited for and would enjoy so much more than running for president/running this country, along with a whole slew of other things I have no desire whatsoever to do or be. Anything that someone is putting a lot of energy into that they're really not cut out for may mean they miss out on so much more. On more subtle levels, I do notice people who are more than what I feel I am - more witty, more fashion savvy, more calm amidst chaos - more sarcastic and able to get away with it, and actually regarded as funny rather than rude. And I do wish sometimes to be more like so and so... more like super calm chick, or super funny funny/witty/sarcastic/best dressed girl. So I think the message was to stop focusing on others when it leads to comparisons and wishing you were something that you are not and maybe were never meant to be, and to instead focus on your unique self and all that you are and all that you are becoming. So I finally decided she wasn't trying to kill dreams or promote against working hard and working toward self improvement. The message I finally got was to really know yourself and your bend and to uncover your gifts rather than covet the qualities you so admire in others, and to be true to who you are, and you'll grow - a path of least resistance toward productivity and maximum potential kind of formula, with other complicated factors, of course, but just getting that figured out simplifies the process, I think. The hard part can't be doing what you want to do, it's figuring out what you're made to do. So, the speaker did not tell us what the bulb would become - I just hope the thing doesn't die - that wouldn't be so good while reflecting on life and potential and such - not very good at all. Between the bulb, the gift from my girlfriend, and the cheap-o butterfly mix, here's wishing for SOMETHING to bloom so I'll have a beautiful spot next to the sandbox to sit and contemplate more about life while my daughter makes it all look so simple by my side.

Lists: Of the toddler grocery store wish list variety, with non-perishables!)

D's into making lists now. She finds a pen, paper, and then starts writing, telling us she's making her grocery list. Yesterday I asked her what was on her list:

D: Oranges, Lemons, Applesauce, Stars and Moons
M: Oh, what a great list. We'll have to see if they have stars and moons in stock. (making note to self to go back to the dollar store and buy those miniature silicone baking molds I saw in the shape of a moon and star!)
D: And coffee tables?
M: Sure, we can check on those too, I guess. But I kind of like our coffee table.
D: We need mommy and bicycles too.
M: (trying not to sound too crushed) You want to buy a new mommy?
D: Yeah.
M: What would your new mommy be like?
D: Like that. (pointing to me, with a giggle.)
M: Oh, that's fun. (trying to be nonchalant while hugely relieved.)
D: You're funny mommy. (laughing)
M: (laughing too.)
D: And we need airplanes and music (back to business).
M: Can't forget the airplanes and music. You're a fun shopper! Can I go with you?
D: You have to go mommy. You drive the car and get me a car cart (our grocery store has car shaped shopping carts for the kids!)
M: Sounds like a smart plan!

Spring Green in Full Swing

Outgoing

D's favorite new thing is, get this, sending email! She'll hop up in the computer chair and tell us "I'm sending email!" "Ok", I thought. "If she wants to send email, let's help her go digital and send some email." Together we decide who she wants to send an email to, and what we want to tell them about - she dictates while I help her by typing the message. Current topics have been about her dreams (I dream about stars and moons and angels and Ommies and Mommy and Daddy.) and her new bed (My bed is like picnics. It is white. I have two blankets. My favorites. Atlanta blankie. Ommy sleeps with me. And Baby Addy.) and the snow we've been getting the past few days (It’s snowing. It’s white too. It’s cold. I sled in the snow. I wear snow shoes. And snow clothes. Snow mittens. And hat and scarf. And my winter coat.) And then it's her turn, to type her ABC's - her favorite part! She loves finding each letter on the keyboard and then watching it appear on the screen! (We do this part in all caps, which is what we've been using with our daughter to learn the alphabet.) She's added quite a few more letters to her alphabet recognition just from sending out a few emails! Look out family and friends - if you've got mail in your inbox, it might just be from D!

Published!

Well, self-published that is, but still very exciting! We slurped up 323 posts (and over 1,000 pictures!) from our old blog using blurb and created a professionally bound, hardcover book complete with a fancy dust jacket. I wish it really was as easy as slurping it up and blurb, out comes a book! It actually took many late nights and long hours to format just so, but well worth it. We are having a problem with the binding though - I emailed customer service to find out what they're willing and able to do to fix it, and they immediately (less than 2 hours) emailed me back to let me know that a replacement book is being rushed out - they just needed a picture of the problem to initiate the reprint and emailed me a pre-paid return label to ship the defect copy back at my convenience. I do hope the replacement is indeed the book store quality they claim that will allow us to turn the pages for years of enjoyment without having to worry about the pages falling out.

Morning Light

Morning light peeking in - it's going to be a good (sunny! warm?) day.