Newer pics are on the camera, no time to download. The above shot was from last weekend, heading out the Holland Tunnel one more time. Goodbye’s said, as much as they can be, and there are many more that will be missed. Some whispered ones, as I lost my voice yesterday thanks to a trashed immune system, no sleep, a raging cold, and a fun but oh so not on the schedule trip to the fabulous Maker Faire. No regrets :)
Read MoreThings Seen, Heard, and Mused Upon ...
If you’ve wandered the web today, you likely came across some black-out sites. Self-censored in protest of the SOPA and PIPA legislation currently before the US congress, which will end up allowing censorship of the web (among other things) if it goes through. Please check it out, and do something if you can.
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I saw Pina last night, a 3D movie about the choreographer Pina Bausch. I knew nothing about her prior to going, other than seeing the trailer several times. It was beautiful, full of raw emotional dance that was almost painful to watch. I loved it, but was a bit unsettled by it.
I survived this week, and that's an accomplishment.
It’s been a heavy week in terms of clients and deadlines and company and depressing news, but it’s Saturday night and the house is quiet and the clients are happy and the company is gone (and they’re happy too I think?) so I’m finally relaxing a bit! Son number one is at a sleepover, number two is happily curled up in bed, and a glass of wine has been enjoyed. I managed to not feel guilty about the lack of blogging this week either, which is a large part of the accomplishment. I just didn’t have it in me! I should know by now to not promise posts, but let them come as life lets me get them out.
I hope things pick up soon, I do feel the words starting to pile up and have fallen asleep with posts half-written in my head twice this week, only to wake up without any recollection of what they were. I’m sure they were brilliant! Until inspiration strikes …
Q of the Week : How is your summer going?
Fynn’s shot of Sparrow, lounging under my feet as usual. Rare moment that she’s not hunting for cool tile to lay her head on … For those of you not on vacation, blissfully disconnected, how’s your summer going? It seems like I suddenly arrived in the sweat-till-you’re-soaked days of July without warning, but to be honest I’ve just been busy enough that it crept up on me. Getting one boy ready for camp, a couple different visitors, and then the young guy starting his week of camp today have me distracted. Finishing up the week ...
Shipping Anchor, a painting based on my older son, by my husbandThere is nothing finished about parenting. No days where everything is done, no moments when you stop being a mom, no time when your memory isn’t stuffed with bits and pieces of parenting and birthing and whining and smiles and worries and epiphanies. They say don’t sweat the small stuff, and yet that’s the very fabric of life, isn’t it? The sweat glues all the little threads together, keeping us somewhat intact. Keeping it real
I had a crappy day today. It wasn’t anything in particular, but rather a venting of pressure from some things I’ve become aware of but haven’t yet found a way to change. I’ve done a ton of journaling in the last 6 months, had a few very vivid dreams about my life path, and have pinpointed some specific things I’d like to change my perspective on. Another way of putting that would be “I’m therapist hunting, and options are limited with a miniscule budget.” I haven’t felt very sane at all, with piles of riled up emotions looking for an easy outlet. One friend challenged me tonight to write my next newsletter on being an InSane Mom … not a bad idea! Wee Play Camp for fellow NYC moms
Jocelyn’s given us some great play tips before, and her classes are fab for the younger set. Check out her summer camp below, it’s during the dog days of August and is a great way to keep the wee ones entertained while you get a bit of a breather! Enjoy …
Wee Play Camp
WHEN: 10am-12pm, Monday-Friday
Week 1 Animal Adventures: August 16-20
Week 2 Fairytale Theater: August 23-27
WHERE: Area Yoga, 320 Court Street in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
WHO: Kids ages 3-5 who love stories, characters and play!
WHO: Kids ages 3-5 who love stories, characters and play!
WHAT: In this exciting camp, young performers are introduced to acting, improvisation, creative movement and song. We adapt tales from children’s literature and invent our own stories as well! Students create visual art that supports their understanding of character. Both weeks culminate in an open class for family and friends. A stimulating and nurturing environment for the budding artist.
In Week 1: Animal Adventures, we read fables, and the children create animal characters that express their artistic voice.
In Week 2: Fairy Tale Theater, we read children’s fairy tales and interpret characters of heroes, villains, fairies and more!
Tip Tuesday : Keep Short Lists
I love Post It notes. Especially the 3-inch square ones. They’re the best way I know to keep lists … short lists that is. The best kind of list has no more than 5 things on it, preferrably less. They’re do-able, specific, and not terribly intimidating. If it fits on a Post It, you can get it done today, right? I like to think so. Having a list where everything gets crossed of is rather important to my sanity, and the shorter the list the better chance I have. Try it sometime :).
What a difference a day makes ...
Yesterday, my father-in-law came and took Douglas for the day. With Fynn in preschool, that left me with 5 golden hours, the likes of which I hadn’t seen for over two months. Hours of daylight, alone, without kids. I was turning in circles wondering what I should do with them. Work? Run? Relax? Clean? It was difficult to decide, actually, but I managed to do some of each. The run sucked, as I was ridiculously tight and couldn’t seem to shake it off. Then lunch, some cleaning up, blog reading and writing, work for a friend, a bunch of catch-up computer stuff, and then tearing off at top speed to pick up Fynn, cramming in one more phone call while I trotted. It was a good day, if short on the relaxation aspect!
The difference it made in my week? Immeasurable. It set the tone for the week, as something to look forward to, and something refreshing enough to make me more patient and relaxed. A simple break from routine is enough to recharge me for days. I hope anyhow, shouldn’t speak too soon as it is only Thursday night, but it was a day well spent and it meant a lot to me. I had a break, and I loved it. This schooling gig is hard in all the ways I expected, and then some. It takes it out of me, and we’re still adjusting. I can only hope that it gets easier, and that I don’t feel as desperate for breaks as we get more comfortable … until then I’m glad for every little bit I get!
Happy Birthday Douglas!
My ‘baby’ turns 8 today. I’m rather speechless. Love you, my crazy one, thanks for being my #1 son!
Tip Tuesday : Back it Up!
Fynn’s the resident backing up expert when it comes to trucks … not so helpful with computers though!It’s old and tired but no less true … if you’ve got anything precious in digital form, back it up!! Two friends went through hard-drive crashes in the last 2 weeks, and it’s top of mind for me right now. I’m hunting for the cheapest (reliable) hard-drive I can find to get the pictures from the last 8 years on something other than just my laptop.taking things slowly
I’m not so good at taking thing slowly. I got my new Vibram 5-Fingers Sprint “shoes” for running, and am in love with them! They let you run almost barefoot, which I love. Shifting over to them from regular shoes, however, means that your whole gait and foot-strike have to change dramatically. Basically you run on the front of your foot, not the heel. And all the research and advice out there in web-land says to take the transition very very slowly, ie: run one mile in them and wait a couple days before doing 1 + 10%. Sure I could take them along and switch after a mile, but that’s no fun! So I went out and did just 1.5 miles and came home, and have a feeling I’ll be paying for it tomorrow as my calves are already sore. But it sure was fun :). I’m not good at being reined in when I do have energy. It didn’t help that today was the sunniest and best day for running in the last week, and I had my choice to times to go since hubby was home!
Aren’t they pretty? They may fall into Ugh! category for most of you, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder :). Sorry it’s been a foot-focused week, I do have a very strong predilection for going barefoot wherever I can get away with it, and often have to defend my barefooting as my kids imitate me. Ah well!
Off to do some more cleanup/sorting/purging kind of stuff which is one of my favorite weekend activities. I adore pitching things. Oh, and yes, this completes 31 consecutive days of blogging! It’s not been easy, but it has been fun, and I hope to keep up the daily part even though I’ll probably not post on the weekends. Do you like the frequent posting better?
While you're waiting ...
… for a newsletter from me, which won’t be coming today, please go read the most delicious bit of writing over at DaMomma, she really nails this one. I give you my very favorite bit …
There is no perfection, no life without sorrow, no relationship without its wrong turns. The romantic surrender to love has no depth. It is the surrender to imperfection that builds life.
The rest is here.
And I leave you with that, surrendering to a lot of imperfection over here. I’m rather swamped with work, feeling depressed, and generally struggling to find words myself. Perhaps they’ll come tomorrow. In the meantime, there is no shortage of good words out there in mom-land, and I’ll keep sending them your way.
Weekend Plans?
can you tell someone is still potty-training? at least he’s enjoying it!How’s your weekend shaping up? I’m having a MUCH better day than yesterday, which started with a bottle of home-brewed Kombucha (LOVE it, anyone want a starter and instructions? happy to share, it’s so easy) exploding all over me, the clean dishes, and the kitchen … 3 minutes before I had to bolt out the door. Of course I had 15 minutes of stuff to pack into those 3 minutes :). The day went downhill from there, and I spent most of it either falling to pieces or struggling not to.
Today, though, I finished a site and it went live (for Douglas’ school) and I’m about to go out in the bitterly cold sun to pick up both kids. Yay! That’s for the fact that both are actually in school today, Fynn’s been home sick for most of the week with yet another cold. Sigh.
I did say something about weekend plans, didn’t I? I plan to relax tonight with my family, run a quick 4M race tomorrow morning, and then chill and make a few gifts until my SIL/BIL/nephew hopefully come to visit on Sunday afternoon. Looking fwd to seeing family!
How’s your weekend looking?
Smelling the flowers
I tend to be a no-nonsense kind of task-tackler, and too often focus on the getting there, missing the scenery. I came across this quote in some newsletter I accidentally got subscribed to (hate how that happens!) and thought it was exactly what I needed to hear.
It’s by John Keasler, and is featured in Stephen Covey’s book Everyday Greatness.
Architect Frank Lloyd Wright told how a lecture he received at the age of nine helped set his philosophy of life.
An uncle, a stolid, no-nonsense type, had taken him for a long walk across a snow-covered field. At the far side, his uncle told him to look back at their two sets of tracks.
“See my boy,” he said, “how your footprints go aimlessly back and forth from those trees, to the cattle, back to the fence and then over there to where you were throwing sticks? But notice how my path comes straight across, directly to my goal. You should never forget this lesson.”
“And I never did,” Wright said, grinning. “I determined right then not to miss most things in life, as my uncle had.”
I love it.
Btw, has anyone read any Stephen Covey, and have any thoughts on it? I’ve heard good things, but never picked one up. Just curious what other moms think.