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Posts Tagged ‘mom’

This Crazy Life

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 26, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

You can tell it’s spring…the calendar is full with baby showers and new babies, weddings and showers, end of year picnics, evening get-togethers on porches and decks, longer hours of daylight to fill to maximum capacity. It was exam week, which equals additional reading and grading and then the summer session started, which required me to rework my syllabus and grade new papers. I’ve officially stepped into my role as the Assistant Editor of the Junior League of Charlotte’s quarterly publication. And I’ve stepped up my workouts to start training for another marathon. Finally, Sweet Birdie’s Nest keeps having successful month after successful month, which is beyond exciting! When I look at the calendar and realize that May is almost over, and June and July are already full, I realize that Molly will be two in the blink of an eye. TWO.

She already acts like she’s 22 sometimes. But that’s a post for another day.

For now, a quick recap of our past seven days:

We went to the zoo last Friday and Molly had a blast. She loved seeing the animals {“aminals,” she calls them}. I think the seal was her favorite, but she has been talking non-stop about the black bears and white bears, the zebras and their stripes, and the giraffes.

We went to the pool for the first time this season on Sunday evening. My nephew told Jim on the golf course that we should come hang out and how can you tell an 8-year-old no? So we packed up and drove to Beverly’s neighborhood pool so Molly could practice blowing bubbles and kicking her legs.

While buying a baby shower gift last week, I bought Molly a toy grill on impulse. She’s had a blast making hamburgers and hot dogs for me, our neighbor Davis and her buddy Graham. Sarah and I hosted a baby shower for Lauren, who’s expecting a sweet baby boy on July 4!

Have you hard of Pure Barre? I started taking these ballet inspired classes and I am most definitely not in dancing shape any more…it’s hard! I am usually shaking in the first 10 minutes, but the instructor always says, “Breathe through the shaking. You are transforming your body.” I sure hope so. My goal is to make it through an entire class without stopping by the time my one-month package is over.

We {and by “we,” I mean Jim and my dad} tore down our deck and Jim has been working diligently on a new design. My mom is going to help me with some landscaping in the backyard, and I’m waiting on a new media stand for our tv and roman shades for the family room.

Andrea and Tate stopped by yesterday morning to return the maternity clothes that Andrea borrowed from me. Molly is *obsessed* with babies and constantly asks about Baby Tate and Baby Pelps {Phelps is Molly’s friend Jane’s little brother}. Andrea asked Molly if she wanted to hold Tate and Molly was beyond thrilled. MJ asked me where Tate was all afternoon and again this morning.

In my spare time {you know, that time between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m.}, I’ve been reading a lot of good books on my Nook. I forget that we actually *pay* for those books…they just appear with the touch of a the screen!

So there you have it. I am sure I’ve left out some very exciting events and I know I need to take more pictures. I hope to be better about pictures this summer. {Remember my Photo of the Day challenge? I made it about three weeks.}

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Mother knows best – 10 things my mom taught me

Posted in family, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , on March 17, 2011 | 13 Comments »

I know that Molly and I will go through a phase when she thinks *everyone* else is cooler than me.  I just hope that it’s short-lived and that eventually she will realize that I really am a wealth of knowledge.  It didn’t take me long to realize my mom was pretty cool.  I was the college student that would sit on my balcony and call my mom first when I had any news and in high school {and after, when I lived at home for a while in grad school} I would come home on Friday and Saturday nights and sit on an embroidered stool by her bed and tell her about my night.

So even though it’s not Mother’s Day, I’ve been thinking a lot of moms and daughters and I realized that my mom has taught me a lot so far.  {And I’m sure the lessons haven’t stopped, either!}  So, this is my Top 10 Things My Mother Has Taught Me list – all things that I hope to eventually teach Molly.:

1.  Compassion and Empathy – My mom always challenges my sisters and I to think about the other person in a situation, and this lesson has served me well. Love fiercely, serve without asking questions, and don’t judge.

2.  Wear sunscreen. I think the message has finally hit home:  a wide brim hat and SPF are the best summer accessories.

3.  Cooking is overrated.  Don’t me wrong, I *love* food, but I don’t particularly enjoy the act of preparing my own food. Neither does my mom. We both have a series of easy to prepare, tasty recipes and no one at our houses has starved to death yet. There are so many things I’d rather be doing than cooking, and my mom made me realize that my husband and child don’t need a gourmet meal every night – or ever, really – in order to be happy.

4.  Charity.  As children, we would periodically donate clothes and toys to Goodwill or Salvation Army, and I have fond memories of going to the mall at Christmas, choosing names off the Angel Tree and then shopping for clothes, toys and necessities for children less fortunate than us.  My sisters and I never wanted for anything {although there times when I’m sure we thought we did} but my mom made sure we were aware some children didn’t even have coats to wear in the winter. Being actively involved in helping others is a lesson I hope to share with Molly.

5.  Take pictures WITH my daughter. I have a handful of pictures of my mom and me over the past 30 years. I wish I had more, therefore I am making an effort to be in more pictures with Molly.  Even though I don’t like the way my teeth look.  Even though I don’t like how I can tell that my left eye is more closed than my right.  Even though I don’t like to look at pictures of my thighs, and in pictures from the beach, I’m going to see my thighs because I refuse to wear dark jeans on the beach.  Even though pictures are great at pointing out my imperfections, I hope that Molly loves me enough to not notice them and focus instead on the happy expressions on our faces and the fact that I love her enough to be in the pictures in the first place.

6.  Life isn’t *always* a competition.  Although my mom thinks we’re the best, she always recognized that we weren’t actually the best at everything and strived to help us be okay with that fact.  I wasn’t always okay with that, but now that I have a child of my own and I see the constant competition at school, on the playground, and even at the grocery store, I hope to teach Molly that “keepin’ up with the Joneses” isn’t the happiest way to live.

7.  It’s okay to cry.

8.  Paint is an easy and affordable way to change things.  Paint and then paint again.  And then paint again.  {And marry a man that will humor your painting whims.}

9.  The beach is the only place to vacation.  We made a yearly trek to the Carolina coastline every summer, sometimes multiple times a summer.  Once we could smell the salt air and feel the hair on our heads curling up, all was right with the world.  We still make a yearly beach trip and I still feel that there’s no where else I’d rather be.

10.  When in doubt, wear black.

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I’m participating in Mama Kat’s Writing Workshop this week.

 

 

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Sacrifices

Posted in Heidi and Jim, tagged , , , , , on January 7, 2011 | 1 Comment »

As a mom, you give up a lot of things…going to the bathroom alone, new shoes, expensive face lotion and shampoo.  Oh, sure, you get SO much more in return.  I mean, have you every heard a toddler laugh with abandon?  I’d give up all my shoes if it meant I’d hear Molly laugh every day.

But the thing I miss the most?  Is reading.  And to be fair, it’s not all Molly’s fault.  I do, after all, teach writing classes at the community college, which means I read a lot of textbook chapters and essays on a weekly basis.  But I can’t be certain if it’s the parenting of a toddler or the teaching of freshman that leaves me absolutely exhausted at the end of each day, completely unable to even lift a paperback book.  However, several weeks ago, I found myself wandering through a bookstore and, forgetting who I was for a moment, purchased *several* books.

And guess what?  I read two of them this week.  I find myself wondering, were they that good?  Or did I just miss my addiction that much?  I must give serious love to Jim, who told me to continue reading when Molly needed a diaper change or more milk, and he understood that I couldn’t watch the football game because I was reading.  Oh, and no laundry was folded or floors swept.  But hey, I read two books.  Doesn’t that count for something?!  {Molly was still lovingly cared for and played with, two playdates were attended, and prep for the upcoming semester was completed, in case you were wondering…}

Let me tell you, it’s been a glorious week.  And to make things even better?  I got a Nook for my birthday.  I’m hoping to squeeze in a lot more reading from now on because I’m so excited about my new gadget.

Oh, and do you want to know what I read this week?

Both wonderful, make-you-think kind of books.  And there’s a huge stack on the end table and a great number already on my eWish list on my Nook…maybe I should have assigned less essays this semester?!

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