Tub time for tiny!

I swear she's so beautiful it makes me want to cry...

Or snort with laughter!

Out with the old, in with the new!

It all started when Wes came home with pacifiers for Maya. Normally that wouldn't seem odd. But Maya has NEVER taken a pacifier. Ever. Today Wes went to Walgreens. And while he was gone, I had the sudden and fleeting thought that I needed a pacifier for Maya. And he came home with 2. It seems that fleeting thought flitted right on over to Alameda and Glenoaks, through the sliding glass doors, and down aisle 6—where Wes proceeded to read my mind.

I should probably back up a bit. This summer my brother is getting married in Greece. And I am going alone. (Wes has summer session, I would have to travel for over 24 hours with multiple flight changes with 2 small kids, it's too expensive for our current situation, you get the idea). And while I know it will be a beautiful and exciting trip and celebration, it will also be difficult to be gone for 8 days from my family. Wes and I were talking about it. He said something to the effect of, "It's going to be a really hard week for you as a mother." What he also means is, "It's going to be a really REALLY hard week for me as a father, and for our kids who are totally dependent on you, and not so keen on me at nap and bedtime."

This is further heightened by the fact that Maya is not yet weaned. And while I am fully confident that she will be by summer, I am still troubled by few details. Maya has one really bad habit (OK, it's MY bad habit). Maya nurses to fall asleep. Groan. Yep, that means that my baby (who also won't take a bottle of milk, might I add) will scream and cry endlessly if she can't nurse before a nap and bedtime. Crying it out doesn't work. If I nurse and put her to bed awake, she cries a bit and then goes straight to sleep. But if I put her down without nursing at all, you would think her crib was a torture chamber. She will cry. And NOT STOP. I'm talking hours of crying if I let her. (My mom said I was the same way.) One especially difficult night Wes said that he could forsee her crying the entire time I am in Greece, collapsing out of exhaustion, only to wake up and cry some more. What can I say. That girl loves me.

So those 2 things combined are a deadly formula for disaster. And in order to thwart impending doom, I've decided to do the only thing I know to do. Replace bad habits with...well, other bad habits. Out with the old, in with the new! Finn had a pacifier (his "uh oh") until he was 2 and a half. Shortly after moving here, he lost his last one and had to go cold turkey one day at nap time. It was a rough week, but worth it. So I've been totally happy about Maya's lack of pacifier dependence (only really it's turned into a dependence on me, do you see?). And Maya's first birthday is fast approaching. I plan to start weaning her at 12 months. So in order to help her with that transition and get comfortable with going to sleep on her own, I thought a pacifier might help. ONLY at nap and bed time. ONLY in the crib (and at church and in the car when she's crying...). JUST KIDDING! Only for sleep. Counter intuitive, right? My last pediatrician said to be done with the pacifier by age 1, not introduce one. (But he misdiagnosed Finn's pneumonia, resulting in a 3 week hospital stay. So what does he know?!)

Maya's been waking up 3-4 times a night lately wanting to nurse. I don't have the supply to meet her demand! She just wants to suck her way into slumber. I've been sort of a zombie for a couple of weeks now. Something had to be done. So I tried the pacifier today. I fed Maya a snack, gave her some sippy cup water, snuggled up with her in her rocking chair, and popped one in. Her eyes got all droopy. She started cooing and smiling. She sucked on that thing like it was candy laced with sugar gum drops. She lovingly caressed the second pacifier in her other had, protecting it like it was a coveted treasure. Sakes alive! These things are like a drug! She looked at me through her pacifier-induced haze as if to say, "Why didn't I give these things a second chance sooner, Mom?!" If this means that I won't be waking up 3-4 times a night anymore, I am willing to deal with the consequences. If this means weaning Maya will result in a happier mom and baby, then I am all for it.

Judge me if you will. But we'll be soundly sleeping while you do. :)

Because I would love for her college education to be paid for before she turns 1

We entered her in THIS.

Longing for space

Lately I've been parked on the couch with my laptop purring away as it acts as a space heater for my legs (both of these things have me worried, actually, and caused me to back everything up out of fear of a laptop meltdown). I am dying for the wide expanse of a creative counter. I want to look to my left and see my printer, scanner, file folders, magazine racks. I want to lean over to the right and reach my Pantone kits, fabric swatches, pile of inspiration tear sheets. I want a table to break out the Xacto knife and mod podge. I need a bulletin board. I need some serious storage. I need my 11 month old to quit pulling the cord from my charging computer and trying to electrocute herself by teething on it!!! (This happens multiple times a day. It actually delivers a small buzz when she puts it in her mouth—I TESTED it.)

Here is the current object of my inspirational affection:
I could breathe in this room! I could feel the creativity coming to life. And most of all I could hear my kids napping in the other room while I bask in the glory of a room that's all mine again.

(And I could definitely see my new Letterpress Machine fitting in really well. It arrives mid February, thanks to my loving parents!)


**Post edit: Does it make me a bad mommy to say that I would subject my children to indefinite coed room sharing if it meant I had some creative space? Heh heh... Don't put it past me!!

Man Made

Beautify My Blog has a new brother! And his name is Man Made Blog. So if you or someone you know has a blog that needs to man up, or could use a little boyish charm, head on over!

Wordless Wednesday

"Make Me a Computer!"

I've been working a lot lately. It drives Finn and Maya crazy. They hate me when I work too much. So today as I was opening my laptop, Finn turned to me and demanded, "I need to work! Make me a computer!!!"

So I did!

Materials for Finn's MacBook:
• Chip Board or Masonite
• Printouts of computer images (found in a high res Google image search)
• Gray Gaffers Tape (courtesy of Wes's stash) but duct tape would probably work, too...
• DVD drive made from cardstock
• A mouse I had lying around

Supermom Series II: Lecia Phinney

Throughout this holiday season I will be featuring inspiring women in a series I like to call the Supermom Series. (This is the second time I have run the series. Find the first HERE.) I love doing this series because it gives us a glimpse into the lives and hearts of other women and moms. To see how they do it. To see what makes them unique and inspiring. And to see some of ourselves in them, and hopefully grow in the process. Every Monday through December and January, I have had a new "Supermom" with me to answer a few questions. And today marks the last day of the series.

Lecia Phinney of A Day that Is Dessert is with us today! She's lovely, refreshing, has a superior eye, and she's real. I thought she would be the perfect wrap-up for this Supermom Series.So without further ado, one last time, here we go. Do you remember the questions?

What inspires you? :: Where do you find it? :: How do you live it?

*****

Quiet moments in my day allow me to find inspiration in my surroundings. Sometimes these moments just happen, sometimes I have to be conscious to create them. The stillness - even if a matter of a minute - allows me to notice everyday beauty, and strengthens my connection to those around me. Sometimes they are found when I'm alone; sometimes they happen in the midst of the hustle and bustle of family life. Alone on a walk on a frosty morning. Taking in the waning daylight or the smell of a fire in the fireplace on a walk as my boys race ahead of me on their scooters. Noticing the moonset as I'm getting started with the day.

I wish you a few moments of quiet in your day amidst the rest of all your living.

*****

Thanks to all who participated in the series, and also those of you who visited to share in what these wonderful women had to say. Stay inspired!

Goin' for it

Happy Day!

First of all, it's Big Boy Finn's 3rd Birthday! That's right, folks. At 11pm on my birthday (after a particularly spicy Mexican food dinner), I went into labor. And Finn was born LOTS of hours later. How he's grown! We can't imagine our lives without Finn. What a bright spot in the world!

*****

Also, Wes really came through for my birthday! There was a surprise cake (with surprise guests, to boot), modeled after my blog design (I am eating some as I type). It was a very special day—perfect in so many ways. A letterpress machine from my parents, a Steam Shark mop (to name just one) from Wes, and clouds spilling over the hills (my favorite). And check out that house: scalloped trim? That's awesome.

I hope Finn has an equally wonderful day! We're off to Ikea for lunch, and any toy he pleases. It's been rainy, so we're keeping it indoors:
Hope yours is a Happy Day, as well!

How To: Widening Your Blogger Layout

It's time for another How To! This time I am showing you how to widen your layout to accommodate larger photos, and a wider posting space. The end of the tutorial shows you how to install a banner and background from Beautify My Blog. So just ignore that part (unless you feel like updating your look, of course).

When you view the video, zoom your screen in a few times to be able to see the HTML code better. You just go up to View>Zoom In at the top of your computer.

Click HERE for the video.

All questions answered in the comment section! :)

Oh my wordy, look who's 30!

It's my Birthday, it's my Birthday, it's my Birthday!!! I'm 30. And I'm totally happy about it. I remember a girl in my dorm in college (10 years ago) crying because she turned the fine young age of 20. Now what's the point in that? I do not plan to follow suit. Let's get on with living, shall we?

Wes took a photo of me with his iPhone right at midnight—first photo of me at 30—
after we stayed up late watching a movie in our living room (after we went out to a movie on a day-before-my-birthday date....haha—that's how it works in this family, I suppose).

Supermom Series II: Kelly Black

Throughout this holiday season I will be featuring inspiring women in a series I like to call the Supermom Series. (This is the second time I have run the series. Find the first HERE.) I love doing this series because it gives us a glimpse into the lives and hearts of other women and moms. To see how they do it. To see what makes them unique and inspiring. And to see some of ourselves in them, and hopefully grow in the process. Every Monday through December and January, I will have a new "Supermom" with me to answer a few questions.

Kelly Black of Securityville is with us today. There are lots of things I admire about Kelly. She's honest & open, dedicated & determined. And most of all, she's real.
So without further ado, here we go. Do you remember the questions?
What inspires you? :: Where do you find it? :: How do you live it?

*******

Please let me start by saying how honored I am to be featured as part of Lyndsay's Super Mom Series. I've had extraordinary moments being a mother, but I've never thought of myself as "Super" by any stretch of my imagination. Thank you for considering me, Lyndsay.

Being a mom is such a complex job. Right now I'm going through a new phase of motherhood as my almost-twelve-year-old son is changing. He's entering that stage where he wants more freedom, less questioning and 'hands-on' style of mothering from me, and more autonomy. Frankly, I'm lost right now. It actually moves me to tears sometimes as I'm trying to figure out how to remain a devoted parent, but give him plenty of space to grow.

Our family living arrangement is a bit on the 'different' side, so to speak. I share joint custody of my son with his father, and this has been the way we've done things for the past six years. Fortunately his father and I get to see our son quite a bit in between on the weeks when he is with the other parent because we just live a few miles away from each other.

I try to do all that I can to make this lifestyle as stable as possible for my son, myself and also for my husband who I've been married to for five years. Some days it is hard to find inspiration to please everyone involved, and I feel myself getting off track, but I remind myself that my life is about more than just me so I try to quickly straighten up and get back in line.

What inspires me? Life in general can be such an inspiration. There are things and people around me all the time that if I take the time to learn from them I can always take away at least one lesson.

Where do I find it? I find inspiration in many things... my son and my husband are consistent sources of inspiration for me, as well as some of my family and friends. Watching my son grow and morph into a young man is full of things for me to ponder. My husband has been diligently working to promote a new business so observing his successes have inspired me to do more with my career, too. Sometimes it is inspirational to just watch how people interact with each other and what they do when they are minding their own business. Even my dogs inspire me at times. Just seeing how loyal and loving they are helps me to always want to show them love and gratitude for all that they give me, and to show loyalty to the rest of my family and close friends.

How do I live it? Don't get me wrong, sometimes I fail to look at life with the right perspective. I get side tracked and lose focus, I get mad and act like a doofus from time to time. I have to remind myself of what I could've done differently and learn from those mistakes. Life is such an educational journey. I hope that I always am able to learn from people and things around me. I hope that I always remember to look for the inspiration. And my greatest hope is to inspire others to find and follow the good within themselves.

Christmas in Texas, Take 4: The best Christmas gifts

Snow day.

Snow play.

Future sister-in-law (or aunt, according to Maya).

That's a wrap!

Christmas in Texas, Take 3: Couch Cuties

Christmas in Texas, Take 2: Having Fun Out and About

Museum play.

Dino adventures: I don't care if they are fake! Still scary.

A "Maiasaurus." Really!

This looks like the photo that comes with the frame when you buy it. :)

Standoff!