My sweet friend Melissa at MaMe Musings is hosting a series of posts this month, highlighting the "gifts" of some of her readers.
I think it's a beautiful thing to acknowledge our talents and traits, the things that make us who we are, and I'm so thankful to be part of her series.
Still, as I was writing my piece for her blog, it felt weird...weird to be patting myself on the back...weird to be putting myself out there to talk about what I love about ME.
I think humility is part of most of our natures...and as a general rule, I think it's a pretty good thing.
I've been thinking a lot about it, though...probably over-thinking (as I might occasionally sorta-sometimes have a tendency to do)...particularly in the context of modeling for my girls.
Certainly I want them to be humble, but it would break my heart to see them be too self-deprecating. Yet another balance to add to the list, I guess.
And particularly in this season of giving, I want to encourage them to think about their intangible gifts as one way they can share with their friends and family.
I'm not sure I've adequately expressed what's been on my mind...but I hope as my sweet friend Julia at Pontifications of a Twin Mom does a great job of reminding us...let's all try to grant each other the gift of grace.
[Now head on over to Melissa's and accept my "virtual" gift to you of homemade peanut brittle!]
Ticker
Showing posts with label guest post. Show all posts
Showing posts with label guest post. Show all posts
December 15, 2011
May 27, 2011
52 Weeks of ME! Challenge
Today the Dolli family is celebrating Ky and Cadee's first birthday! Dollimama is taking the day off, putting her feet up, and soaking in all those special moments.
(Or, if she's anything like me on our girls' first birthday, she may be running around with cupcake batter on her elbows, powdered sugar icing in her hair, gift wrap tailing from her skirt hem...all the while trying to still feed and clothe a couple or three kiddos...but who's counting?)
In any case, I'm honored to be able to give dollimama the day to focus on her family...and take over hosting my very favorite link-up -- the 52 Weeks of ME! Challenge -- for this week!
As a mom, I think it can be pretty easy for me to lose sight of myself. My kiddos garner 99.7% of my focus...that's my job, right?
Dollimama's challenge is for us to do one "something" for ourselves each week...to recharge our batteries, to indulge our interests. And I think that ultimately makes me a better mom.
There are some weeks I do "big" things...like enjoy a rare date night with my hubby, or steal away for a couple of hours to indulge in a pedicure with a girlfriend. More often than not, though, I have to dig a little deeper to think about doing something for myself.
For me, that's the beauty of this weekly challenge...I don't always have the time or the resources for something "big"...but it's just as much about realizing some of the "little" things during the course of my week that help me remember who "me" is.
It may be a cup of coffee at the bookstore...or a new set of notecards...or letting the laundry sit unfolded while I enjoy a bubble bath and an early bedtime.
Whatever it is, I love stepping back at the end of the week to appreciate that "me" time, even if I don't have freshly painted toenails to prove it.
So what did I do for myself this week???
On a whim, I bought myself a new CD, the latest from Los Lonely Boys. Being waaaay out of mainstream media these days, I didn't even realize they had a new CD, so it was such a pleasant surprise for it to catch my eye when I was walking through Target.
I love their "Texican" style of rock and roll...it always puts me in a great mood...and now just to find the time to listen to it! Maybe that will be next week's indulgence! :)
Now it's YOUR turn!
What did you do this week to get your groove back???
And don't forget to zip over to dollimama's blog to wish Ky and Cadee a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
February 7, 2011
How Watching Reality TV Made Me a Better Mom...
...check out my guest post today at Mommy Monologues!
And while you're there, check out my friend Kate. She's a fantastic writer and an awesome mom to 20-month old Lboy. She writes about motherhood, yes, and also some pretty inspiring stuff about life's lessons, big and small. And she's funny, to boot. Oh, and I can't forget to mention her pampered pint-sized pooch, Giorgio! :)
And while you're there, check out my friend Kate. She's a fantastic writer and an awesome mom to 20-month old Lboy. She writes about motherhood, yes, and also some pretty inspiring stuff about life's lessons, big and small. And she's funny, to boot. Oh, and I can't forget to mention her pampered pint-sized pooch, Giorgio! :)
November 15, 2010
Guest Post: Learning to Dance in the Rain
I first "met" MultipleMum several months ago. Her boy/girl twins were born just two weeks before A and B, and despite the oceans between Kentucky and Australia, we quickly found a lot of common ground.
The mother of four children ages five and under, MultipleMum writes about some pretty poignant "mom" experiences...but I wouldn't necessarily classify hers as a "mommy" blog; she covers a host of topics.
The common thread -- and what keeps her blog on the top of my list of "must reads" -- is her intelligent approach, and her ability to make even whimsical ideas relevant. Oh, and she always has a really cool image kicking off each of her posts. :)
Thanks so much to MultipleMum for sharing her perspective on balancing her blessings, including her recent return to the workforce.
Life is not about waiting out the storms. It is about learning to dance in the rain.
I found out I was expecting twins at the 13 week ultrasound. The sonographer popped the ultrasound machine onto my already swollen tummy and up on the screen were two little people lying side by side. There was no hiding it.
Before the lady could complete her ‘How delightful!’ speech, the tears began to roll down my cheeks, a combination of excessive laughter and shock, and my husband started counting 1,2,3,4 over and over again.
You see, we already had two children at home. Nugget was 3 years and 3 months at that point, and Doo Dah, 17 months old. Four under four. We were genuinely scared.
The thing about life I have found is that no matter how hard it all seems you somehow find the resilience to cope. Having multiples +2 has taught me just how hard life can get, but how rewarding too.
I thought I was done during the pregnancy when I reached gigantic proportions and still had to lift my toddler and pre-schooler up for 'cuddles' on a regular basis. But, no. I survived until 36+5 weeks gestation and created two gorgeous babies (B/G twins).
I thought it was all over after the babies were born when they started on a 3 hourly feed-sleep cycle, day and night. But, no. I survived that too. Even though it was 6 months before I got more than 2 hours sleep in a row, for some reason my older boys behaved like angels during the whole stage.
I thought I would never sit down again when the Minx and Dew Drop started to crawl, then walk, then climb. But, no. I have survived that stage too. With the help of my two ‘big boys’ who helped me ‘herd’ the babies down at the park or in the shopping centre.
But when the end of my maternity leave came and I had to face returning to work, I really thought it was all over for me. How in the world could I wrangle four children and go to work? What in the world could I contribute in the workplace with my ‘baby brain’ and body-fluid stained clothes? I would be discovered as an impostor, wouldn’t I? A Mum trying to cut it in the world of paid employment. But, no. I have once again survived.
Before the lady could complete her ‘How delightful!’ speech, the tears began to roll down my cheeks, a combination of excessive laughter and shock, and my husband started counting 1,2,3,4 over and over again.
You see, we already had two children at home. Nugget was 3 years and 3 months at that point, and Doo Dah, 17 months old. Four under four. We were genuinely scared.
The thing about life I have found is that no matter how hard it all seems you somehow find the resilience to cope. Having multiples +2 has taught me just how hard life can get, but how rewarding too.
I thought I was done during the pregnancy when I reached gigantic proportions and still had to lift my toddler and pre-schooler up for 'cuddles' on a regular basis. But, no. I survived until 36+5 weeks gestation and created two gorgeous babies (B/G twins).
I thought it was all over after the babies were born when they started on a 3 hourly feed-sleep cycle, day and night. But, no. I survived that too. Even though it was 6 months before I got more than 2 hours sleep in a row, for some reason my older boys behaved like angels during the whole stage.
I thought I would never sit down again when the Minx and Dew Drop started to crawl, then walk, then climb. But, no. I have survived that stage too. With the help of my two ‘big boys’ who helped me ‘herd’ the babies down at the park or in the shopping centre.
But when the end of my maternity leave came and I had to face returning to work, I really thought it was all over for me. How in the world could I wrangle four children and go to work? What in the world could I contribute in the workplace with my ‘baby brain’ and body-fluid stained clothes? I would be discovered as an impostor, wouldn’t I? A Mum trying to cut it in the world of paid employment. But, no. I have once again survived.
Balancing paid work outside the home and child rearing isn’t for the faint-hearted. The demands are great and there really are no winners. The children wish that you could be with them every day; your workplace filters every idea from your brain as you rush out to pick up the kids; and your husband starts sending you emails and text messages as a reminder that he too has needs.
*You* get lost in the rush and chaos of your life.
In the grand scheme of things, I am lucky. I only work 2 days a week (plenty of time at home to complete the 9 loads of washing a week). My husband is very helpful and does a lot of dropping off and picking up children. And my children are adaptable. They tell me they like their days at Long Daycare and After-school care, and I choose to believe them.
I refuse to buy into the whole Mother’s Guilt thing. I mean, we all have it, irrespective of what we do with our time (SAHM, WAHM, WM) or how we manage our children. I am just trying to do the best I can, under the circumstances I have found myself in, and still find the time to smile and enjoy life.
What are your family’s circumstances? Have you waiting out the storm or have you learnt to dance in the rain?
*You* get lost in the rush and chaos of your life.
In the grand scheme of things, I am lucky. I only work 2 days a week (plenty of time at home to complete the 9 loads of washing a week). My husband is very helpful and does a lot of dropping off and picking up children. And my children are adaptable. They tell me they like their days at Long Daycare and After-school care, and I choose to believe them.
I refuse to buy into the whole Mother’s Guilt thing. I mean, we all have it, irrespective of what we do with our time (SAHM, WAHM, WM) or how we manage our children. I am just trying to do the best I can, under the circumstances I have found myself in, and still find the time to smile and enjoy life.
What are your family’s circumstances? Have you waiting out the storm or have you learnt to dance in the rain?
You can check out MultipleMum's blog at And Then There Were Four...I'll see ya there! :)
September 28, 2010
The Dark Side of Baby Sign Language
I woke up today, excited to be guest posting on MultipleMum’s blog, And Then There Were Four. I have long extolled the virtues of baby sign language, and I wrote about what I consider the keys to our success in using it.
Baby sign language was top of mind for me this morning…what turned out to be quite a messy morning, actually. And it got me thinking…
…there is a dark side to baby sign language.
I wrote a couple of weeks ago about how our girls are so bad to touch their heads while they’re eating, resulting in TWO goopy messes of hair.
I realized this morning that baby sign language is partly to blame.
We had a gentleman working on a little project in our downstairs bathroom. I didn’t quite time things right, and he arrived in the middle of the girls’ breakfast. They could see him from their highchairs in the kitchen, and they were very excited to chatter away about what he was doing.
“Bathroom!”…“Door!”…“Open!”…“Man!”…”Working!”…“Hat!”
The girls don’t use signs for bathroom, door, open, man, or working, but they do for hat.
Do you see where this is going???
I think every.single.time they glimpsed him, they exclaimed, “Hat!” And yes, every.single.time they exclaimed, “Hat!” they also signed it, touching the tops of their heads. Their hands were, of course, caked with scrambled eggs, cream of wheat, bananas, and plums.
While breakfast is usually a relatively “clean” meal for us, we were goopy-headed before 8am this morning.
Hmmm…I wonder if this is why my mom always said you shouldn’t wear hats at the dinner table.
Baby sign language was top of mind for me this morning…what turned out to be quite a messy morning, actually. And it got me thinking…
…there is a dark side to baby sign language.
I wrote a couple of weeks ago about how our girls are so bad to touch their heads while they’re eating, resulting in TWO goopy messes of hair.
I realized this morning that baby sign language is partly to blame.
We had a gentleman working on a little project in our downstairs bathroom. I didn’t quite time things right, and he arrived in the middle of the girls’ breakfast. They could see him from their highchairs in the kitchen, and they were very excited to chatter away about what he was doing.
“Bathroom!”…“Door!”…“Open!”…“Man!”…”Working!”…“Hat!”
The girls don’t use signs for bathroom, door, open, man, or working, but they do for hat.
Do you see where this is going???
I think every.single.time they glimpsed him, they exclaimed, “Hat!” And yes, every.single.time they exclaimed, “Hat!” they also signed it, touching the tops of their heads. Their hands were, of course, caked with scrambled eggs, cream of wheat, bananas, and plums.
While breakfast is usually a relatively “clean” meal for us, we were goopy-headed before 8am this morning.
Hmmm…I wonder if this is why my mom always said you shouldn’t wear hats at the dinner table.
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