Grace in Small Things: #2

June 3, 2012 by ·

I’m a bit stuck for words right now for some reason. Too much thinking in my head and not enough thinking with my fingers.

In the absence of being able to give you big thoughts, I will give you small ones. Things I appreciate when I take time to notice them. Last week’s reflections were helpful.

  1. A dog who likes to visit me in bed (even if he farts).
  2. Fruit salad at the start of summer.
  3. Some new clothes when one is busting out of the old ones.
  4. Seeing the new baby.
  5. Moments in which I appreciate that my first baby is still pretty little, even if he won’t be that way for long.

toddler asleep in car seat

What have you noticed lately?

Waging a battle against embitterment and taking part in Grace in Small Things.

Filed Under: Happy things, Motherhood, Pregnancy · Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Grace in Small Things: #1

May 28, 2012 by ·

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We’re “home” for a few days, visiting family and friends (and attempting to help my parents clean out their basement). This is the first time I’ve been back since we moved and the perspective it provides is interesting, and useful.

I’m not having a lot of success with my gratitude journal, so instead am going to join Schmutzie for Grace in Small Things.

1. Green. Green trees, green grass. Green is in the air and green is life.

2. Afternoon naps.

3. Food, forgotten and remembered.

4. The voices of generations.

5. Finding the piece of yourself you can only see in the eyes of friends who know you well.

Filed Under: Happy things · Tagged With: , , , ,

10 Random and Irrational Wishes

April 29, 2012 by ·

So it’s Monday again. I don’t understand how this keeps happening.

Maybe it’s the hormones. Maybe it’s the 16 straight weeks of nausea and exhaustion. Maybe it’s that, just when I thought I might start feeling better, I’ve started throwing up. Whatever it is, I’ve had a list running in my head of things I wish but that are totally irrational and therefore unlikely to happen. But you never know, right? So here’s the list. Universe, do with this what you will (but please don’t smite me by making things worse).

  1. I wish the laundry would fold itself instead of sitting there mocking me with its increasing wrinkliness.ten
  2. I wish I didn’t have to pee three times a night.
  3. I wish my child would finally understand that jumping on me is a Very Bad Idea. Ditto poking me, hitting me and licking me.
  4. I wish work weeks were only four days long. Or three. I could get a lot done in three days. Just try me.
  5. I wish someone would make a really awesome pair of maternity underwear.
  6. I wish I didn’t have to wear maternity underwear. I didn’t last time, but this time my normal underwear seems to have it out for me.
  7. I wish someone would develop a teleportation device already so I can go and visit my friends.
  8. I wish SharePoint didn’t suck so utterly and completely. (But, hey, if I only had to work three days a week my SharePoint-itis would be significantly less intense.)
  9. I wish my dog would walk himself so I didn’t have to walk around my neighbourhood in my pyjamas. (I also wish he hadn’t peed on our duvet, but hesitate to actually add it to the list because 10 complaints seems like quite enough.)
  10. I wish I had better hair.

So that’s my list. (I didn’t lie – I am okay. Just tired.) Make me feel less like a sad sack and join me, won’t you? What are your irrational wishes?

Filed Under: Pregnancy, Randomness · Tagged With: ,

Things I Like About Me – The Sequel

February 27, 2012 by ·

In July of last year, I jumped in on a link-up my friend Elena created. Except she wasn’t really my friend then because I’d only just met her so I didn’t know her all that well.

Anyway, I wrote a list of things I like about me and linked up with her because I thought it was a great idea. A whole bunch of other people did too so the link-up really took off. And shortly after that Elena invited me to join her on a new site she was about to launch and, thankfully, I said yes, which is how I got involved with Just.Be.Enough (and discovered just how incredibly Elena really is).

And now we’re doing the link-up again.

It’s almost six months since we launched Just.Be.Enough, which seems like a good time to remind ourselves of the things we like about who we are. When I wrote my last list, I was surprised at how hard it was for me. This time I know it’s going to be hard, which is why I’m rambling on here instead of getting to the list already.

Okay, here we go:

  1. I know myself well enough to know when I need a break and don’t push myself to be social when my introverted self is done with crowds (she says as she writes from her hotel room at the Blissdom conference while everyone else is at the party).
  2. I think I’m a pretty good boss.
  3. I try to make sure no one feels excluded.
  4. I’m a hugger. I don’t know why I like that about myself, but I do.

I think that’s all I’ve got. Not that I’m down on myself right now – I’m just feeling blocked about writing. That has certainly become clear over the last couple of days at this conference, but more on that later. Maybe.

 

Things I Like About Me | Just.Be.Enough.

Filed Under: Be enough me · Tagged With: , ,

11 Questions

February 2, 2012 by ·

Jamie from I Look Good Today tagged me in a getting-to-know-you post, which is great because it’s exactly what my brain can handle writing right now. Plus, I love the questions she asked. (If you don’t know Jamie, check out her blog. She’s happy and sassy and her “From where I sit” series about what it’s like to be in a wheelchair is open and honest and totally enlightened.)

eleven

Image credit: fr1zz on Flickr

Here are the 11 questions she asked and my answers:

1. What is your motto in life?

Live the life you’re meant to. 😉

2. Are you a morning or night person?

Neither, really. More a morning person, although that has taken a swift kick in the ass since Connor was born. Is there such thing as a 9 a.m. person? Because that would be me.

3. Favorite childhood story?

A while ago my mom pulled a whole bunch of our childhood books out of storage to read with Connor. I’ve loved the nostalgia that comes with seeing those books again, but I don’t know which is my favourite. The one that jumps out at me is A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle, which is having its 50th anniversary this year. I really want to read that again, although I’m afraid I won’t like it as much as I remember.

4. What is the farthest road trip you have ever taken?

Right after my husband and I got together we travelled together in Australia. At the end of that trip we spent 30 hours (straight) on a bus getting from Cairns to Surfer’s Paradise. I think that will always hold the title for longest road trip, even if I drive farther, because 30 hours on a bus is just a ridiculous amount of time. Thankfully we didn’t want to kill each other at the end of it or that might have been it for our relationship.

5. What collection do you have right now?

Not surprisingly, I’m unintentionally collecting a variety of bird-related stuff. My sister got me an awesome wall hanging/candle holder for Christmas – I’d show it to you but it’s still packed. Ahem.

6. Coke or Pepsi?

Coke, no contest.

7. What is your favorite table or board game?

I like Monopoly, although I don’t play much. My husband and I have a tradition of playing Scattergories with a friend, but I think I like it more for the fun we have and less for the game itself. In other words, I suck at Scattergories and they’re quite ruthless good.

8. Do you have any piercings/tattoos?

Just ear piercings – one on the left and two on the right. I did once piece my ear on the middle of the outer edge (if that makes any sense). It was not a good experience. Just ask my dad, who had the pleasure of ripping the earring out when I couldn’t take the pain anymore.

I don’t have a tattoo…yet. I figured I was past the point where I was likely to get one, but I want one to commemorate my life-changing PPD experience. Here’s my current batch of tattoo inspiration. (Got any other ideas?)

9. Favorite smell?

The smell of clean laundry when it’s in the dryer, except we don’t use dryer sheets anymore so I have to content myself with walking underneath other people’s dryer vents.

10. How do you feel most loved?

This is a total tired-mom answer, but when someone does something to give me a break without me having to ask. In the blog world, those random comments, hellos, and compliments are totally soul-enriching.

11. When was the last time you did something for the first time?

Lately, almost every day. It’s exhausting. 😉 I actually do things (both significant and not) for the first time all the time. I take it for granted now, but it’s a great way to live.

Now it’s my turn to tag 11 others and give them 11 questions to answer. But first…

The rules:

  1. You must post these rules.
  2. Each person must post 11 things about herself on his/her blog.
  3. Answer the questions the “tagger” listed for you in her post, and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
  4. You must choose 11 people to tag and link to them in the post.
  5. Go to each blogger’s page and mention that you have tagged him/her.

I’m tagging:

My 11 questions for them to answer are:

  1. What’s your superpower?
  2. What blog do you never miss? (And you can’t say mine because (a) that would be BS and (b) this is not me fishing for compliments.)
  3. If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
  4. Do you consider yourself a “blogger” or a “writer”?
  5. What was your biggest failure and what did you learn from it?
  6. What’s the most embarrassing song in your collection?
  7. Are you shy?
  8. How do you prioritize yourself in your own life?
  9. Where do you stand on chocolate?
  10. What’s your biggest source of inspiration (other than your family, etc.)?
  11. What do you hope to do this year that you’re really excited about?

Tag, you’re it!

Filed Under: Randomness · Tagged With: ,
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