Nathaniel’s fever is still here but considerably better, thankfully. He loves this table.
David’s grandparents are still here and he’s having a blast with them. They made legos together.
They read to him. (Love the Lorax!)
They watched movies and tickled and giggled.
They even did workbooks together.
Isn’t he the luckiest boy ever?
Note to Self:
I didn’t use to be the kind of person who needs time to herself but it turns out I am becoming one of those. I wonder what that means? But I do think it’s healthy to spend a little bit of time just with me every day. It is right?
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. More movies!! I finally got to see Avatar last night. It was truly magnificent.
2. Seeing my boy having so much fun. I am so proud of him.
3. I am grateful that Nathaniel is finally getting better.
Two Things David’s Grateful For:
1. Loved his lego boat!
2. He loved the Lorax so much that he’s already had someone read it to him 3 times in one day. He asked me again this morning. Can’t beat Dr. Seuss.
David, Jake and his parents went on a walk today and when they came home, David handed me these flowers he picked. He was so happy and proud. (Though I think it’s bad to pick flowers from nature. Isn’t it?)
Nathaniel’s been really sick. Like 103 fever. I feel terrible. I’ve been nursing him as much as I can and holding him and giving him medicine. He’s a little cranky but really his sweet little self still. I wish I could make it go away.
David and his grandfather got to play Candyland today and David won. He was really proud.
And here’s Jake’s mom with Nathaniel who really wanted to be with me all the time so I was glad when he let her hold him for a bit. He’s just been tired and sad a lot.
My poor little boy.
Note to Self:
Jake and I have gone on dates two nights in a row and it’s such a luxury to get to go out for a little bit, just the two of us. Going to the movies is such a big deal to me. I love sitting in the dark room, falling into the movie and getting lost in the story while holding his hand and snuggling up. It’s something we need to do more often. Good for the soul.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. Getting to go to the movies last night and tonight. What a luxury!
2. Fresh cut tulips.
3. Nice, easy going and loving in laws. Such wonderful people.
David’s started doing a grateful list to so I will list his here, too. He only has to pick two things.
Two Things David’s Grateful For:
1. He’s thrilled about the puzzle his grandparents got him.
2. One of the Wii games David’s been playing is this game of towers made of blocks that you knock down and he was thrilled that the game let him build his own towers.
I love streets with the same name that cross.
Sunday is Purim and David’s school decided to celebrate today so all the kids got to wear costumes and had a little parade and a carnival with games. David had a blast.
Nathaniel was cranky most of the day and I finally realized he was so hot and took his temperature. My little boy had a 102 temperature. Poor thing. Now he’s peacefully sleeping.
Today went too fast. Before I knew it, it was all over. I still have so much to do! Happy weekend.
Note to Self:
Today as I was driving to David’s school, I was running much later than usual and I go caught in a construction which made me even later and I could feel the anxiety build up inside me. I talked to myself the whole time and calmed myself down. It took a while but just being aware and more present helped a lot. I feel like I’ve really gotten better with this. I have a long way to go but I am getting a bit better.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. Jake took David to school this morning which meant that my morning was less broken up than usual and I love those days.
2. I am still really enjoying the embroidery class and it’s so good for my soul.
3. Jake and I get to go see a movie tonight (I think and hope) and that’s a big treat for me.
David’s started doing a grateful list to so I will list his here, too. He only has to pick two things.
Two Things David’s Grateful For:
1. He got a little snack pack at school today and got to play some carnival games (it was Purim) so he won little knickknacks and he is so happy about that.
2. David’s grandparents are here and they brought him a lego helicopter.
Today was such a nice day that I decided we should all go out to lunch. David was beyond thrilled, especially since it meant he didn’t have to eat his vegetables for lunch.
He had a bagel and I had a chicken sandwich and Nathaniel munched on a banana. We all shared water and an orange juice. David and I played “I spy” and it was a great time. Sorry, I missed your call, Mom, but we were out!
Nathaniel is getting more and more into his walking toy. I wonder if he’ll walk soon. He’s still way more into crawling than anything but he does like standing up. Let’s see…
Good, full week here. Still not getting too much reading done but everything else is progressing nicely. Did some more art in the morning. Loving that I get to do it. Some stitching tonight (though now my arm is hurting like crazy.)
And we all played some Wii tonight too. An all around perfect day.
Note to Self:
I don’t know if you remember but in the beginning of this year, I started driving David to school more slowly and with less stress. I used to always worry about being late, Nathaniel falling asleep in the car and getting stuck having to sit there. Magically Nathaniel did not fall asleep once since I started this. Until today. As I was driving back from having dropped off David at school this morning, I realized that Nathaniel was being really quiet. He normally looks out the window but likes to babble, too. When I first realized he fell asleep, I panicked. Then I calmed myself down. Drove home slowly and then when I unbuckled him, he woke up. I took him upstairs, nursed him a bunch, and put him in his bed. He fussed for a while, sat there for a while, and then rolled over and slept. Until it was time to pick David back up. (He was really grouchy when I put him back in the car to get David but that’s neither here nor there.) The fact is, I just had to be patient. If I gave him a bit of time, he fell asleep in his bed and I was able to do my work. Lesson for Karen: the world doesn’t end when Nathaniel falls asleep in the car.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. Lunch out with my kids. How luxurious.
2. Playing Wii with Jake. I am not a big video game person and suck at all the games, but I still love playing with my husband.
3. I called the embassy today and I am grateful that all my paperwork is done and soon to be on its way. That’s something I put off for 6 years. Big frog that I finally finished eating!
David’s started doing a grateful list to so I will list his here, too. He only has to pick two things.
Two Things David’s Grateful For:
1. He got to make some goodie bags to give away to this class tomorrow for Purim so he said making those bags was one of his.
2. Getting to go out for lunch with Mommy and Nathaniel and eating a bagel and orange juice.
Much better day today. And we’re already almost on the weekend. I am still enjoying Teresa’s class a lot and I love learning new stitches. I am not that worried about my sampler turning out magnificent, I am just focusing on practicing my stitches and having fun. I’ve already had to cut out my sampler from last week since it had to go on a different section (for last week’s project.)
I love these photos of Nathaniel. Pensive and quiet. It’s so breathtaking to me.
I must say that while he has his moments, he is generally such an easy going kid. Two of those? How did I get so blessed?
Since last week’s project worked so well, I decided to do a catalyst a night this week so that I could get ahead on some of my upcoming creative therapy catalysts and so far, I’ve done magnificently. Two on Monday, and one each yesterday and today. So far, so good. Today, like yesterday, I got up, nursed the baby, showered and got down to work on my art. These pages are small and quick but they still make me happy. This system of doing one thing every night for a week is working quite well for me so far. (This is my third round since I did the sew every day for a week two weeks ago, too.) I think I might pick something next week, too. Though, it has prevented me from getting as much reading done as I’d like so maybe next week I’ll just read every day. I also expect a rough week at work so we’ll see.
How’s your week going?
Note to Self
Jake and I instituted one night a week where for one hour we “get stuff done.” We make a list of a bunch of stuff we’ve been meaning to do but postponing for many reasons. (Like eat the frog kind of stuff where it’s stuff you dread but will make you feel awesome when it’s done.) And then we just do each item on the list. Some weeks it takes a little longer and it’s usually painful but it always feels magnificent afterwards.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to do art in the morning, two days in a row now because it’s really a perfect way to start my day.
2. Good friends like Katie and Chris. It brightens my day to talk to them even when the subjects are hard and sad. Or good and happy.
3. My mom and dad. It’s so fun getting to video chat with them everyday as I feed my kids lunch. It’s almost like they are in the room with us and it’s really one of the highlights of my day.
Today started out great. Most mornings the baby wakes up at 6 or so and I get up with him but I can’t mentally wake up until hours later so the first few hours of the day are dead hours I waste. This morning, I decided to take a shower after I nursed him. Awake or not. And then I came down and did some art. Made me feel good right away. And I was on a high from that all day so even the dreadfully depressing weather didn’t upset me.
But then the day went sour sometime in the afternoon and I could not recover. So I am planning to go to sleep early tonight and rest and see if I can tackle tomorrow more optimistically.
Here are the boys. Nathaniel is still a big fan of visiting David and his DVD player and eating off of his table.
David’s not such a fan of Nathaniel touching his player, though.
Note to Self:
I’ve been thinking a lot about being me lately. I was reading Gretchen’s post about her first commandment: Be Gretchen. And I think I struggle with this a lot. Being happy with me. Letting myself be me. Being comfortable in my skin. I think these are important for my happiness and for me to be a good model to my kids. It’s something I really need to work on.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. My friend Lori. Thank you Lori for talking to me for so long tonight. And being there.
2. My husband who listens to me when I want to talk and respects me when I don’t. He’s a better man than I on any day.
3. Kindness. I am grateful today for all the kind people around me. Kindness is a quality I’ve come to cherish more than most others.
Today started out well but then went downhill really fast. I was all together and getting stuff done in the morning and then as the afternoon came, Nathaniel didn’t take his nap long enough but then he was so whiny and unhappy. He would play for a little while and then whine.
But, of course he is so cute.
And David kept practicing his karate moves. He said he needed to practice them until he was tired.
Those little balls are Bakugan balls that magically open with cards. He loves them. He loves all of David’s toys. Way more than his.
So at 4pm, I had this really important video conference with my manager and teammates. The baby was melting down, David was bored silly and I had to keep them all quiet. I tried everything with Nathaniel. I gave him snacks, I fed him, I held him, I even nursed him but nothing was doing the trick.
So finally I put him down and asked David to see if he could entertain him. I swear I talked to my team for about 6 minutes before I turned around and saw that Nathaniel had swiftly removed his diaper and also managed to poop at the same time. No one at my meeting knew what was going on of course and I couldn’t abruptly leave since they were answering one of the issues I bought up. So I picked up the baby, cleaned him as best I could, put on a new diaper, and held him for the rest of the meeting. Once the meeting was over, I put him in the tub and washed him all over.
Yep, that’s me, Mother-of-the-Year!
ugh.
Note to Self:
I’ve noticed that while I am in general calmer, I tend to flare up more easily lately. I get defensive, I take things personally, I am frustrated and impatient. These are not things that I would like to be. I am trying to be more mindful this year. Slower. More deliberate and flaring up for no reason does not factor into that. I need to go with the flow a bit more. I start every morning telling myself I won’t get flustered, I won’t yell, I won’t do things I regret. Yet I still do them. Over and over again. I want to stop the cycle. I want to learn to take a breath. Learn to let it go. Learn to teach the lessons patiently and deliberately. I want my kids not to do something because they understand why it’s bad and respect it. Not because they’re scared I’ll fly off the handle. I want to learn to be calm. Calm. Peaceful. I crave this.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. Today, I’m grateful that videoconferences have mute and that I can choose what the other side sees. (And doesn’t see.)
2. I’m grateful that I’m taking to do a little bit of art each night. Something that makes me happy.
3. I’m grateful that David and I took the time to craft today. I cherish our projects. I cherish our 1-1 time.
Today was a quieter day with fewer accomplishments. That’s usually the way it goes. Ebbs and flows.
To be honest, it’s cause I’m trying to force myself to read this book and despite my attempts, I am really not enjoying it but I can’t get myself to put it down (for the third time! i’ve attempted to read this book before.) but then when I try to read it, I fall asleep, I get distracted. Anything but read the book. Maybe it’s a sign.
I love watching the kids play together. It’s the best part of having two (at least so far.)
Nathaniel’s gotten old enough to eat a bunch of finger foods. He can now eat bananas, cheerios, and the teething biscuits all by himself. Without biting too much. He’s learned to pace himself and chew first. He has almost six teeth now so that’s a lot to bite with.
And he doesn’t stop at food. He will bite any and everything he sees and he will put everything in his mouth. David never did this as a baby. He was good at differentiating between food items and non-food items. I wish that were true of Nathaniel, too.
A short visit to my friends Nicholas and Ty’s house (where I got to meet their new bulldog, Peaches) and a trip to Michael’s where the other highlights of my day. I finished my week-in-life project. And now I can relax and see if I can read more of this book.
I hope your weekend was relaxing, fun, and joyful.
Note to Self:
Over the years, I’ve had different ideas on how long you read a book before you put it down. For a while, it was never, and then I decided it was 100 minus my age so when I’m 20, I have to read 80 pages before I can abandon. Now that I am 35, I can read 65 before I make up my mind. I know some people decide more quickly than that and others don’t ever abandon. I don’t know the right answer. I do know that if I spend time reading an 858-page book and in the end I still hated it, that time was not spent in the best way it could have been and I will never get it back. I also know that some books do get better and if I stick with it, I end up being grateful that I did. So what’s the magic? What’s the “I’ve read enough and I know if the rest will be worth it or not” point in a book?
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful for friends like Cole and Ty. For simple presents like honey.
2. I am grateful for some new edge punches I got. They always seem to make me happy.
3. I am grateful I feel fulfilled and happy at the end of this wonderfully simple and ordinary weekend.
Great, wonderful day! I got a ton of work done. I got to spend tons of time with my family. I embroidered. I did some art. I watched TV and I am off to read some now. Can it get any better? I think not.
Nathaniel was really cranky all day today. He had some blotches in his face (maybe the strawberries I gave him? or it could be his drool. hard to tell.) but mostly he was super tired and weepy and sad. I am hoping it was just a mood and he’s not coming down with something. It’s so hard to see him so sad. But so cute when he wakes up from a long long nap.
This morning, the three of us were sitting on the couch together, talking to my mom so I asked Jake to snap a photo (look at me, two times in two weeks!!) and I love this one of us laughing. Love my kids.
Well not much to chat about today. Trying to get organized and see what more I have to get done.
Note to Self:
I’ve noticed that having Nathaniel cry drives me insane. Even if he’s crying for no reason. When he’s grouchy and I can’t do anything to stop him, I get snappy at everyone around me. I am rude and mean and feel frustrated. The truth is, I feel incompetent. I don’t know why he’s upset. I can’t stop it. And he can’t tell me. All of this drives me insane. I have a biological response to it. A need to take his sadness away. And yet I can’t. I know this will happen again and I need to make my peace with it. It will happen to David, too. People will hurt him. He might even hurt himself and I can’t always take it away. I can just be here and make sure he knows that I am here. I can also try not to be mean to other people who love me. I am sorry, Jake. I love you.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. Jake spent a lot of time with us today and played with the kids a lot. Wrestling, the Wii, laughing, hugging. I love seeing them together and am grateful for family-filled days like this.
2. I am really grateful for my little week-in-the-life project that I started last weekend. It’s turned out really beautiful and it’s been a joy to work on it all week.
3. I am grateful for a productive day. It’s rare that it’s family-filled and productive all in one and I am so thankful for it.
A sampling of what I’ve been doing in Teresa’s class. Loving it so far.
Lots of photos today. We went to the park with playgroup today so I snapped a lot of the kids.
I love these shots. Seeing David play with Nathaniel.
And some more of the sweet boy.
It was his first time on the swing.
And I can kiss this guy fifty times a day and it won’t be enough.
Got more work done today. Not a lot but still feeling ok about it. This was a rough week for me. A lot of crying. A lot of headaches. Not enough sleep. I am hoping I can be productive and rest a lot this weekend.
I hope you have a great weekend.
Note to Self:
I have a long list of todo items this weekend and it’s always so stressful to know that I have two days and everything must get packed into these days. Which is ridiculous of course. So I need to be realistic and just know that it’s only two days. And all that matters now is being with my family. The other stuff is nice but also can wait. Maybe if I say it enough times, I will believe it.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. Our short visit to the park was wonderful. I was grateful for the good weather and some fun company. I like being around other people and so does Nathaniel.
2. I am grateful that my kids like to play together. I love watching them.
3. I am grateful for the embroidery class. It’s so relaxing and just what I need right now.
Another one from our walk.
Today was David’s school had its 100th day in their new building. So they had a pajama party and counted tons of snacks in tens and visited other classrooms. They had a lot of fun and it was great to see him so happy. I snapped a few photos of him in class and when I put Nathaniel down to take the photos, he hugged and kissed his brother.
I love these boys madly.
A little more productive today. At least at work. Feels great to be almost caught up. I’ve been having headaches every day this week though and I am feeling really tired. Sleeping fitfully. I am hoping this weekend will bring some rest.
Note to Self:
My audiobook has been discussing things like why siblings fight or how much teenagers lie to their kids. All of these things make me shudder with fear. I am so worried about all the milestones my kids will be passing. All the friends they might make. The choices. The struggles. There is so much room for things to go wrong. I just hope that the ramifications aren’t too high. It’s hard work raising kids.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. Helping my husband get some stuff done tonight (some eat the frog stuff even!). It always makes me feel good to help someone else.
2. I am really enjoying my project this week (more on this next week) and I love getting to do some scrapping every night.
3. I got my Somerset Studio in the mail today and I love that. I don’t get any magazines except for this one and one more so I am always excited when they come in the mail. Just seeing Kelly Rae’s beautiful art on the cover makes me happy.
From our walk yesterday.
Thank you for all your kind comments and words. They mean more to me than you will ever know. My grandmother’s funeral is tomorrow and I am heartbroken that I can’t be there with my family. I ache to see them right now.
It’s been a mellow day here today. A small plane crashed into Palo Alto today and knocked out electricity for hours. So David went to school in the dark (with emergency lights on actually.) It was odd to drive down the street while none of the traffic lights worked.
For the rest of the day, I attempted to work a little, rest a little and play with the kids a lot. Nathaniel finally decided his walking toy is actually fun and played with it quite a bit today.
I have several things I was supposed to do last night that are looming over me so I am off to get them done.
Oh, and, I’ve been thinking of teaching a class at A Million Memories. A lot of people tell me they struggle with journaling and figuring out what to write. What if we made a book on gathering your stories? A minibook that you could have on your desk full of your story ideas so that next time you’re sitting down to make a layout, you can use your book to give you ideas on what to journal. It would include tips on what photos to match it with, how to remember older events, organized by person, time etc. Is that the kind of class you’d be interested in taking? Let me know your thoughts. And any other classes you might be interested in. (I do have a journaling+photo one I am supposed to work on for BPS but I’ve been putting it off for a while. I have to buckle down and work on it.)
Note to Self:
I’ve noticed that it’s hard for me to come down from a week of high stress and a lot of work. I’m still not very productive at work this week and the longer I go without getting through my todo list, the more items pile on and grow. It’s all sort of depressing. I need to find a system that allows me to accomplish a whole lot early in the day so I can ride the energy that provides me with and get more done. I know that getting things done always leads to getting more done so I need to find a way to leverage that more.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. All your comments and kindness. Thank you. They lifted me up all day long.
2. The laughter of my kids. Today even more so. David was entertaining Nathaniel during dinner and hearing him laugh made us both so happy. And seeing them play together makes me so thankful.
3. I am grateful for distractions today. Usually I’d try to avoid them but today they came in handy as I tried to not sit and think too much.
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projects for twenty twenty-five
projects for twenty twenty-four
projects for twenty twenty-three
projects for twenty twenty-two
projects for twenty twenty-one
projects for twenty nineteen
projects for twenty eighteen
projects from twenty seventeen
monthly projects from previous years
some of my previous projects
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