locals, please, please check out my examiner article today. it is about supporting our schools, but is time sensitive!

mike's work is in a mandatory shut down this upcoming week (to save company money). this is welcome for us, as it is his first week off in a very long time. given his time off, all i posted yesterday, and the reminder next week to give thanks for all we are blessed with, my posting next week may be spotty to non-existent as i enjoy my family.

if i don't make it back before (american) thanksgiving, please know how very grateful i am to be part of this blog community and to call you all friends!

progress

we are making progress here. i had hit a low (several times, actually) and now, i feel like i am making forward progress. maybe this journey to "figure out" lala is more of a journey to figure out me. figure out how to really be with my kids, understand them, accept them, love them, quirks and all. and to let go just a little. and i realize...that journey isn't a trip from one point to another. it is a series of events that make up this life.

the thing is, i had forgotten my mantra. and i got myself exhausted. (one truly cannot parent well on weeks of 6 or less hours of sleep per night, often interrupted.) and i read too much that led me into a place of such self-doubt. there are so many beautiful blogs out there. so many bloggers with beautiful homes, natural, positive parenting skills, doing it gracefully with more children than i have, and with so much joy.

and it all left me wondering...how do they do it? readers flock to these blogs. these women are onto something. simple, loving beauty abounds in their lives.


last saturday morning, after a tantrum wake-up by bella at 5am, which then woke finn, and sent me into a horrid roller coaster of awful mamma-ing, we headed out on our trip to the coast. and i wondered out loud to mike in the car if other people had these issues. he laughed and said "of course. otherwise there wouldn't be all these books on how to help us parent better. and the bloggers you like post they way they do - all positives - because people are looking for that, just like you are." oh. my. god. he was right. i blog for me, but i suppose i blog for you, too. i want readers and i want feedback. (all bloggers do, otherwise we wouldn't blog. we'd journal privately.) i want this on record for myself. but i want any of you who are struggling to know you aren't alone. i am keepin' it real, here, and real is hard sometimes.

so...progress. i've been reading blogs a little less (until i regain a sense of normal perspective) and i have turned my attention to processing what i gained from talking with nathan at the natural parenting center (my "win" from a give-away on soule mama, who, by the way, has become a bit more "real" to me with her current status of a less balanced parenting split, which is my everyday state due to mike's work and commute) and from some parenting books. nathan gave me much food for thought and given that i previously thought i only fit partially into the definition of a "natural parent," this lesson had several layers for me. he suggested a couple more books to add to my parenting "to read" list, for when i finish my current book.

open right now is raising your spirited child, by mary sheedy kurcinka. i have laughed and i've cried reading it. it is isabella. she is normal, she is just more.
the book suggests writing a list of all the things that frustrate you about your child and then think of a positive way to say those things instead. here are a few of my favorite examples: fussy --> specific, opinionated; whiny ---> outspoken, vocal; "stinky" ---> expressive. the author then suggests using those positive words, with yourself, your child, your family, her teachers, etc. so far, lala hasn't seemed to notice, but a couple of times, it has made me pause before reacting, since i have had to think about a nice way to say something first. once it made me laugh out loud. (telling your child, mid-scream, that they seem to be feeling very vocal today is just funny. admit it.)

i am reminded that sometimes things happen because you believe they will. i've believed that for a long time with regards to health and healing, that the power of positive thought is strong. why shouldn't this translate to my attitude with my children?

a card my mom sent to me

...eat ice cream chased by a big glass of wine....

so with this, i continue forward, feeling mentally a little bit lighter, a little more aware, and a little bit more positive about my normal, yet expressive, vocal, carefully particular, cautious, spirited girl.

which name?

new examiner article for the locals: staycation


those of you who know me well, know i am fascinated by (obsessed with?) names. it is why this blog is named as it is. mike and i were both grinning at each other when, within a 30 minute walk this past weekend, we came across the following...

the first name we came across, which means little to most of you, but was finnian's fetal name, and remained his nickname for a little while, post-birth

my name! this is a name one almost never sees around here. a male italian name (knowingly mispronounced by my family) and a british female name (also not pronounced the way i do), it just isn't common around here. so this was just cool. mike's response? "look. she's wide with a big bottom, just like you!" thanks, babe.

i primarily call her lala or bella on my blog, but my sweet girl is isabella sofia, through and through. she wouldn't trade her name for any other beautiful ones i could come up with. just ask her.


our last find. a stretch for mike's name (michael), i know, but at this point, we were looking for his name and this was as close as we could get.

what is catching your eye these days?

corner view: cell phone madness

corner view is a weekly photographic "take" on a shared theme, hosted by jane of spain daily. see below for more corner view participants.

if i understand it correctly, this week's theme (which i thought was incredibly creative!) was to take a photo of whatever we were looking at when our cell phone rang, with your cell phone. repeat this 5 times. although i loved this idea, when it came down to it, i can't get photos from my camera onto my computer and i rarely had my camera in hand when my cell phone rang. when i did, i was in an inappropriate place or position to take a photo (in the car, for example). so this is all i got, because i wasn't willing to cheat!


i had both phone and camera in my pockets (as i often do), while hanging laundry in my back yard

both the camera and 'phone were sitting at the table with me while i ate lunch. below is my modified version of a vegan quinoa recipe from epicurious.com. my recommended changes...skip the bread crumbs, add a sprinkling of blue, gorgonzola, or goat cheese on top (if you aren't vegan), and skip the baking (it dries it out and everything is already cooked, anyway!)

my little guy invited his sister's "friends" to join our lunch

other corner views:
jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad, caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t., jeannette, outi, ritva, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, skymring, elizabeth, allison, lise, cate, crescent moon, erin, otli, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa, britta, april, b, kyndale samantha, karen, kristina, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, mcgillicutty, aimee, sunnymama, jenell, britta, juanita, pamela, inna, daan, myrtille, cris, ibb, jodi, gillian, travelingmama, athena, pienduzz, latisha, clairette, kelleyn, iris, demara, mus, ninja, guusje, di, sammi, theresa, cherry b, victoria, kathryn , lisa, liza, juliette, braja, mulot, anne, lucy, leonor, elizabeth, helene, dominique, shokoofeh, cole, jenna, podane, grey-lemon, line, nihal, urbaNiche, inner toddler, puna, lucylaine, adrienne, emily, lynn, skywriting, eliane, the wanderer´s daughter

WIP

i've been crafting away, but can't share too much, because holiday gift making is center stage right now.


i can share a little progress, though. inspired by marina, who showed me her knitting-in-progress, tucked in her bag for on-the-go moments when she might have idle hands, i tucked my knitting in my bag. (i later read a re-post on soule mama, talking about this very same kind of knitting.)

i am pleased to say i have added several rows, my favorites of which went on quite nicely while sitting in the sun, watching the kids at the park and while much sand flinging was happening at the beach. this started off as a washcloth, but honestly, how boring is that? and it is really wide for a washcloth. so maybe i am making a scarf? who knows. all i know is this is sloooowww going for a beginner!


and i made this pouch, using free scrap fabric and a free zipper (love the color!), to hold diapering stuff together in my bag. (i had been using a ziploc bag!)


cutest yet is the little gremlin i am making finn for his birthday. pattern, tutorial, and idea, all courtesy of lisa from 5 orange potatoes.


what are you crafting these days? come on, you can even share gift items. no one you know reads my blog!

by the sea

i spin on the circle of wave upon wave of the sea ~ pablo neruda

after a very rough start to the weekend on saturday morning, we took ourselves off on a much needed get-away to the central coast. we live on the southern end of coastal northern california and mike and i lived on the central coast for a long while, but it never ceases to amaze me how such a little distance from home can feel so different. the scene changed, the mood changed (several times), and we took in fresh air together. it was lovely.







: monterey bay beach
: finnian enjoying sand flinging. we basically had the beach to ourselves
: sand dollar, found and left on the beach
: caramel apple from the wharf
: mike and finn at sunset. incredible sunset
: siblings loving each other (yay)
: photo of two tired parents is courtesy of miss. 5 year old isabella. not the most flattering, but a marked improvement on the self portrait i posted of us last week!
: jellyfish, through a tank at the monterey bay aquarium

just a quick post to share my latest examiner article before the weekend. for the locals, frugal acitivities with kids - part 2.

gifts

as i mentioned on tuesday, mike and i celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary this week. (thank you for all the sweet greetings and comments!) there isn't anything extra special about 8, but this year, our parents gifted us the most wonderful, touching gifts. tomorrow morning, mike, the kids, and i are headed for a weekend away, courtesy of mike's mom ("grannie annie"). she knows us well, and although we haven't been to this destination before, i know it is one we will enjoy very much as a family. in fact, i have visions of beach side wandering just as we did when we headed south to the yurts. (i don't know why this imagery feels special, since we live on the coast and the beach is an easy outing, but it does. perhaps it is because there is a different beach in my mind!) i am sure i will have many pictures to share next week.


and my parents, knowing how much mike and i love old things, particularly family things, knowing how much i love fabrics and linens, and knowing that the 8th anniversary is "linen," gifted us table linens that belonged to my great-grandmother and were likely embroidered by her for her hope chest as a young woman. the card my parents included (with some history and explanation) was almost more touching than the gift itself.


ending the week feeling a little lighter than when i started the week, we are off for a little, much needed time, just the four of us.

i hope you have a wonderful weekend!

the music stand

i can't share much in the way of my current crafting, because most of it is for gifts, so i am using this as an opportunity to show off some more of mike's handiwork, especially since several people asked yesterday to see more. i wish he had more time to woodwork. he is really talented. (most of his talent goes into home repairs these days.)

this is a music stand he made for my dad for christmas several years ago. i believe there is a second one, in pieces, in his workshop. with lala now at a music school, perhaps it will make its way into a whole stand for her for christmas next year.

mike is extremely good with reclaimed materials. most of the pieces he has made are made of mostly or entirely repurposed materials. this music stand is a mix.


just seeing past projects has me inspired. what is inspiring you today?

corner view: favorite dish

this week's corner view theme is: favorite dish

i decided to take it literally and show you one of my favorite bowls.
mike (my husband!) turned this bowl. he is a woodworker (for love, not profession) and it was one of his first bowls.

(edited to add: for those of you asking to see some more of mike's work, click here. you'll see some of his pieces mingled into those posts. i actually have a post ready to share tomorrow or the next day about more of his woodworking, as well. thanks for your interest. it is always nice to receive crafty compliments and he reads my blog!)





for more favorite dishes, visit:
jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad, caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t., jeannette, outi, ritva, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, skymring, elizabeth, allison, lise, cate, crescent moon, erin, otli, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa, britta, april, b, kyndale samantha, karen, kristina, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, mcgillicutty, aimee, sunnymama, jenell, britta, juanita, pamela, inna, daan, myrtille, cris, ibb, jodi, gillian, travelingmama, athena, pienduzz, latisha, clairette, kelleyn, iris, demara, mus, ninja, guusje, di, sammi, theresa, cherry b, victoria, kathryn , lisa, liza, juliette, braja, mulot, anne, lucy, leonor, elizabeth, helene, dominique, shokoofeh, cole, jenna, podane, grey-lemon, line, nihal, urbaNiche, inner toddler, puna, lucylaine, adrienne, emily, lynn, skywriting, eliane, the wanderer´s daughter