I love blogging for so many reasons. Topping that list is the fact that blogging opens up a whole new world of connections, people, and support.
Last week I wrote about my dear friends who lost their baby girl. (You can read that post here.) The outpouring of love and support that I received from that post was truly heartwarming. I am blessed to have such wonderful readers, who took the time to offer words of comfort to my beloved friends. It meant so much to me to read all of your comments, and I thank you for them, from the bottom of my heart.
When I sat down with my friend Annalee last week, she told me she has decided to write a blog about her experience. I hope for her sake that it becomes a healing outlet for her. I'd love for all of you to check out her blog, and share it with others if you feel so inclined. Her writing is beautiful, and I cried the entire time I read what she's written so far.
You can find her at Happiness At The Core. (And read the About Me. It explains the reason behind the title of the blog. My friend is an amazing person. Truly.)
Showing posts with label happiness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label happiness. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
I Finally Feel Like a Functioning Human Again!
Now that Joseph is finally sleeping at night, I feel like a new person. It's as if I came out of a 7-month-long fog, and can finally start living life again. (There were days, sometimes weeks during the past few months when I felt as if I were merely existing. Going through the motions of the day, but so exhausted that I wasn't really experiencing it fully.)
Now that i'm caught up on sleep and no longer feel like a zombie, I'm excited to focus on being a good wife, mother, and homemaker again. I'm looking forward to planning fun activities for us as a family to do on the weekends like berry picking (we already picked strawberries!), farmers market visits, local festivals and concerts, and trips to the beach.
During the week I'm making it my goal to plan fun, stimulating activities for the kids on most days, but also leaving some days for lazy summer fun. (Scheduled things will include the Children's museum, the playground, the zoo, playdates, etc.) Storytime at our local library started up again this week, so we will be there every Wednesday morning.
I also want to get back to my cleaning routine. When you live in a small apartment, it doesn't take much for the entire place to look like it was hit by a toy tornado. I'm eager to reorganize everything, create a weekly cleaning schedule for myself, and stay on top of daily chores. (Dishes, laundry, toy pick-up, etc.)
While it's great to be excited about finally taking control of my life again, I also know that I need to, you know, do it. So to start, i'm going to get up at 6am during the week. Instead of lying in bed waiting for the kids to wake up, i'm going to get up and get my day started. Even if I only manage a cup of coffee before the rest of the house wakes, i'll be more alert and ready to dive in to our plans. And if it happens to be a day when everyone sleeps late, I can get things done around the house.
Once waking up early becomes habit, I will work on creating my cleaning, activity, and meal plan schedules using google calendar. I also want to make a loose daily routine that I can post on our wall. It won't be something that I have to stick to, but it will be a guideline. It will serve to prevent that awful "it's 10am and the kids are still in their jammies so now we'll never get the day started" feeling I frequently got when I was running on 2 hours of sleep a night.
I know myself, and doing all these things will make me a happier, more organized and more productive wife and mommy. And who doesn't want that? (I know my dear husband prefers that to zombie woman...)
I can't wait to get back on a routine, and spend the summer fully attuned to my life.
YAY for sleep! :)
Now that i'm caught up on sleep and no longer feel like a zombie, I'm excited to focus on being a good wife, mother, and homemaker again. I'm looking forward to planning fun activities for us as a family to do on the weekends like berry picking (we already picked strawberries!), farmers market visits, local festivals and concerts, and trips to the beach.
During the week I'm making it my goal to plan fun, stimulating activities for the kids on most days, but also leaving some days for lazy summer fun. (Scheduled things will include the Children's museum, the playground, the zoo, playdates, etc.) Storytime at our local library started up again this week, so we will be there every Wednesday morning.
I also want to get back to my cleaning routine. When you live in a small apartment, it doesn't take much for the entire place to look like it was hit by a toy tornado. I'm eager to reorganize everything, create a weekly cleaning schedule for myself, and stay on top of daily chores. (Dishes, laundry, toy pick-up, etc.)
While it's great to be excited about finally taking control of my life again, I also know that I need to, you know, do it. So to start, i'm going to get up at 6am during the week. Instead of lying in bed waiting for the kids to wake up, i'm going to get up and get my day started. Even if I only manage a cup of coffee before the rest of the house wakes, i'll be more alert and ready to dive in to our plans. And if it happens to be a day when everyone sleeps late, I can get things done around the house.
Once waking up early becomes habit, I will work on creating my cleaning, activity, and meal plan schedules using google calendar. I also want to make a loose daily routine that I can post on our wall. It won't be something that I have to stick to, but it will be a guideline. It will serve to prevent that awful "it's 10am and the kids are still in their jammies so now we'll never get the day started" feeling I frequently got when I was running on 2 hours of sleep a night.
I know myself, and doing all these things will make me a happier, more organized and more productive wife and mommy. And who doesn't want that? (I know my dear husband prefers that to zombie woman...)
I can't wait to get back on a routine, and spend the summer fully attuned to my life.
YAY for sleep! :)
 |
| Strawberry picking was a success! |
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
We Saw A Helicopter
Last weekend we took a trip to the mall. We let the kids meet the Easter Bunny, then we stopped for lunch at the food court and did a little shopping. By the time we were done, we were all tired and ready to head home.
I held Stephanie's hand as we hurried along on our way through the mall to the parking lot. At the very last "middle of the aisle" vendor booth there was a man flying a remote control helicopter. I briefly glanced at it, but barely registered that it was there. All of a sudden I heard "OH Mommy, LOOK!" Stephanie had completely stopped walking and was standing in awe, finger pointing at the helicopter, mouth open in amazement.
My first reaction was to tug her hand and irritably say "come on, it's late, we're tired, let's go!" But something made me stop just as the words started to form.
Instead, I knelt down next to her, looked up at the helicopter and said "Wow! Look at that helicopter flying in the air! That is so awesome!" And you know what? From that perspective it really was. It had lights all over it, and from the level of a two-year old it looked huge, and it was flying all on it's own! She had no idea there was a man with a remote controlling it, in her mind it was magical.
She shrieked delightedly as it swooped and dove, and her eyes sparked with awe. A minute later, the man landed it, and we moved along. It took less than 5 minutes to detour, but it made all the difference in the world. Stephanie felt validated because I took the time to see what she saw, and didn't brush it off as silly nonsense. Dan and I were relieved because we hadn't had to deal with a shrieking temper tantrum because I dragged her away before she had a chance to watch for a few minutes.
This simple moment made me feel warm and happy, and that feeling stayed with me for the rest of the day. It can be so easy to rush through life as an adult, and expect our children to just go along with us. We snap at them, we hurry them along, we have our minds fixed on where we're going instead of the journey we take to get there. But one of the most amazing qualities of children is their ability to see the small things. To them, the journey is the important part.
I would never have thought that a remote control helicopter was special or fascinating. In fact, I would never really have noticed it. But to a 2 year old, there has never been anything as magical as this piece of metal, covered in lights, soaring through the air. I think we can all benefit from taking a few minutes to seize these small moments, and view the world through the eyes of a child. You never know...you might just find a helicopter flying through the mall!
I held Stephanie's hand as we hurried along on our way through the mall to the parking lot. At the very last "middle of the aisle" vendor booth there was a man flying a remote control helicopter. I briefly glanced at it, but barely registered that it was there. All of a sudden I heard "OH Mommy, LOOK!" Stephanie had completely stopped walking and was standing in awe, finger pointing at the helicopter, mouth open in amazement.
My first reaction was to tug her hand and irritably say "come on, it's late, we're tired, let's go!" But something made me stop just as the words started to form.
Instead, I knelt down next to her, looked up at the helicopter and said "Wow! Look at that helicopter flying in the air! That is so awesome!" And you know what? From that perspective it really was. It had lights all over it, and from the level of a two-year old it looked huge, and it was flying all on it's own! She had no idea there was a man with a remote controlling it, in her mind it was magical.
She shrieked delightedly as it swooped and dove, and her eyes sparked with awe. A minute later, the man landed it, and we moved along. It took less than 5 minutes to detour, but it made all the difference in the world. Stephanie felt validated because I took the time to see what she saw, and didn't brush it off as silly nonsense. Dan and I were relieved because we hadn't had to deal with a shrieking temper tantrum because I dragged her away before she had a chance to watch for a few minutes.
This simple moment made me feel warm and happy, and that feeling stayed with me for the rest of the day. It can be so easy to rush through life as an adult, and expect our children to just go along with us. We snap at them, we hurry them along, we have our minds fixed on where we're going instead of the journey we take to get there. But one of the most amazing qualities of children is their ability to see the small things. To them, the journey is the important part.
I would never have thought that a remote control helicopter was special or fascinating. In fact, I would never really have noticed it. But to a 2 year old, there has never been anything as magical as this piece of metal, covered in lights, soaring through the air. I think we can all benefit from taking a few minutes to seize these small moments, and view the world through the eyes of a child. You never know...you might just find a helicopter flying through the mall!
Monday, January 23, 2012
Puddle Jumping
As an adult, I love watching the snow fall. It's beautiful and peaceful, and there's nothing quite like curling up on the couch, snuggling with your children during a storm. We had snow on Saturday, and I was disappointed that, instead of playing in it, we had to trek to the Dr's office. We discovered that Joseph has a sinus infection (I had no idea that a baby could get that) and Stephanie has an ear infection. Joseph got a shot, Stephanie a prescription for an antibiotic, and we headed home to snuggle. On Sunday I managed to take Stephanie out to play in the snow for about 20 minutes, and she had a blast.
When we woke up this morning, the temperature had crept up, and the snow was turning into slushy, messy mush. I wrinkled my nose, and thought "ugh, how gross." But I needed to get out of our apartment after being stuck inside for the better part of a week, thanks to all the sickness . So I bundled us all up, put snow boots on Stephanie and I, and we headed out to do errands.
As soon as we stepped out the door, Stephanie exclaimed over the snow that was still covering the grass. She asked if she could walk in it, but I hurried her right to the car in order to avoid an "I don't want to leave the snow!!!!" tantrum. As we walked, she looked down and said "oooh, mommy, puddles!" She then proceeded to jump and splash all the way to the car. The dirty, slushy snow covered her boots, but she was giggling and happy. I smiled, strapped her in her car-seat, and drove on my way.
We got to our destination, and as soon as I took her out she jumped into more puddles. She hopped and giggled all the way into the store, and when we finished checking out, she said "yay, more puddle time!"
It amazed me that just being allowed to jump in the slushy puddles could make her so happy. Toddlers are amazing creatures, and today reminded me that, even though it might not be as pretty, or seem as fun, days old snow can still bring us joy and laughter.
When we woke up this morning, the temperature had crept up, and the snow was turning into slushy, messy mush. I wrinkled my nose, and thought "ugh, how gross." But I needed to get out of our apartment after being stuck inside for the better part of a week, thanks to all the sickness . So I bundled us all up, put snow boots on Stephanie and I, and we headed out to do errands.
As soon as we stepped out the door, Stephanie exclaimed over the snow that was still covering the grass. She asked if she could walk in it, but I hurried her right to the car in order to avoid an "I don't want to leave the snow!!!!" tantrum. As we walked, she looked down and said "oooh, mommy, puddles!" She then proceeded to jump and splash all the way to the car. The dirty, slushy snow covered her boots, but she was giggling and happy. I smiled, strapped her in her car-seat, and drove on my way.
We got to our destination, and as soon as I took her out she jumped into more puddles. She hopped and giggled all the way into the store, and when we finished checking out, she said "yay, more puddle time!"
It amazed me that just being allowed to jump in the slushy puddles could make her so happy. Toddlers are amazing creatures, and today reminded me that, even though it might not be as pretty, or seem as fun, days old snow can still bring us joy and laughter.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Chasing Dreams
Once upon a time I wanted to be a writer. Ever since I can remember, writing has been something I enjoyed. English was always my favorite subject in school, and I always did better on tests when there were essay questions. I even went so far as to major in English when I started college. But in the back of my mind, I knew I wanted to be a mother even more than I wanted to be a writer. I also knew that I didn't want to work outside the home when I had my children. Being a stay-at-home mommy was always the bigger of my two dreams, and if I had left college with that English degree, I would have had to take a small job in the field and fight my way to the top. I didn't want to devote that much time to something, only to leave it when I got pregnant. So, I put that dream aside, majored in Early Childhood Education, and got a job as a preschool teacher right out of college. This way I was able to work with children, which obviously is something else I love. And when I left to raise my own children, I didn't feel like I was stepping out of a career that I would never be able to get back into.
When I started this blog, it was a way to chronicle my pregnancy, but it was also a way to return to my love of writing. It's also a forum where I can put my thoughts into words, and reach out to other moms. Some people talk to me about my blog and say things like "how do you find the time to write that?" or "I would love to do something like that, except i'm too busy" or "why are you wasting your free time on it?" But the thing is, if you love something and are passionate about it, you make the time. Writing is my hobby, something I love to do. There's always time in your day to carve out a few moments and do something that makes you happy. Through this blog, I can write about what I know (parenting), connect with people going through similar situations, and share my experiences with the people who read it.
If you're someone who takes the time to read this blog, thank you. Even if you don't agree with everything I write, it means a lot to me that you take the time to come back. (Even if you check my blog just to see when kind of drivel I've decided to put down that day.) I love that, through the internet I am able to be a stay at home mommy, but still fulfill my dream of writing and having people read the words that I write. Chasing dreams and loving what you do are the keys to happiness. I hope all of you are able to fulfill your dreams, too!
When I started this blog, it was a way to chronicle my pregnancy, but it was also a way to return to my love of writing. It's also a forum where I can put my thoughts into words, and reach out to other moms. Some people talk to me about my blog and say things like "how do you find the time to write that?" or "I would love to do something like that, except i'm too busy" or "why are you wasting your free time on it?" But the thing is, if you love something and are passionate about it, you make the time. Writing is my hobby, something I love to do. There's always time in your day to carve out a few moments and do something that makes you happy. Through this blog, I can write about what I know (parenting), connect with people going through similar situations, and share my experiences with the people who read it.
If you're someone who takes the time to read this blog, thank you. Even if you don't agree with everything I write, it means a lot to me that you take the time to come back. (Even if you check my blog just to see when kind of drivel I've decided to put down that day.) I love that, through the internet I am able to be a stay at home mommy, but still fulfill my dream of writing and having people read the words that I write. Chasing dreams and loving what you do are the keys to happiness. I hope all of you are able to fulfill your dreams, too!
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