MudWorks Pottery has been working hard on lots of stuff...shows, new items, and catalogs. There are lots of cool new things coming out and they decided that it would be fun to have people make suggestions for their names. I offered up "Mootilda" for the sweet cow mug. A few others have been named since... but today there was a decision that it would become a "Name the Mug" contest. Winner gets a mug! Today, I brought home my little bovine beverage bestie. I have allowed the family to share with the stipulation that it holds only milk! I figure this is a great way to get some calcium into the kids.
There is another contest running until tomorrow afternoon...I'm hoping that the perfect name comes to me in a dream.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Institute "Mama Mondays"
You have heard me mention the balance. The sandwich. The many roles of a weary woman. Well, last week I started to feel yet another shift. I did a mild test for something I thought might be a good way to spend some time. See I'm a fixer. Give me a mess and I'll try to organize it. I don't mean just the regular kind of tidying either...give me a real challenge and see how I start to buzz. The new year brings an energy to life that I absolutely love. Forecasts for 50° days in January in the Poconos don't hurt either. Put these things together and a new idea will sprout the same way a seed will pop through the dirt when the conditions are just right.
Days are busy for us. Tuesdays and Thursdays have turned into karate night. It means running around to get things done, zooming to an hour class, eating dinner, doing homework, etc. Wednesdays are piano. Fridays are reserved for a night off with Dad. Add work, laundry, budgets and bills, home cooked meals, housework and a zoo of pets. Never mind that next week there is a goal to start attending the gym on a regular basis. That leaves a woman void of quiet time...but that's ok. I signed up happily and heartily for these roles. But where I do NOT want a loss is with my children. I don't want a blur of activity and events to replace the special time that a mother needs with her child. Last week I had a heart to heart with each child. They are growing up and every so often I put life on hold and have a sit down. I ask how they are and how they would like to be. I live for my children and they are well aware of this but it never hurts to remind them of just how much they mean to me. Did they want more toys? More tv? A pony? Nope...they wanted time with Mom. How was I to do this?
"Mama Monday" is the title for how we are kicking off the week in this household. Months ago I decided that homework was to be done with them separately. When Emily decided not one, but two instruments needed to be played...I adjusted yet again. I adjust. I move. I squish. I make it work. But now it is not just function...it is fun as well. All because I gave it a title. First, while Emily practices her baritone with the aid of her Pop Pop...Ethan and I can do homework. Then we move onto a cooking project. Last week it was an Indian lentil crock pot recipe. This week I went back to the basics. We made egg salad. I take that back. HE made egg salad. He chopped and mixed and seasoned. He took his time and I did not rush him. In between learning some great new little things we chatted. He is excited that he has made tomorrow's lunch for all of us.
Then the switch off. Pop Pop gets time with him while Emily and I go over homework and projects. We then made dinner. She learns the basics of cooking, the timing that goes with it and the fun little details that make things even better. It also gives us a chance to catch up if needed. Dinner is a little bit later. Things are a little less rushed. Moods are peaceful.
Just a few years ago I called them "Maid Mondays". It was a day that I worked from one end of the house to the other. The kids were in school and I started my week off with a cleanse. I still clean but it is all shifted. I do things in little spurts now. I find time to be with the ones I love. Children. Family. Friends. Now as long as the new hamster doesn't need special alone time I think I should be able to make the adjustments necessary. As for now...I'm feeling pretty good.
Days are busy for us. Tuesdays and Thursdays have turned into karate night. It means running around to get things done, zooming to an hour class, eating dinner, doing homework, etc. Wednesdays are piano. Fridays are reserved for a night off with Dad. Add work, laundry, budgets and bills, home cooked meals, housework and a zoo of pets. Never mind that next week there is a goal to start attending the gym on a regular basis. That leaves a woman void of quiet time...but that's ok. I signed up happily and heartily for these roles. But where I do NOT want a loss is with my children. I don't want a blur of activity and events to replace the special time that a mother needs with her child. Last week I had a heart to heart with each child. They are growing up and every so often I put life on hold and have a sit down. I ask how they are and how they would like to be. I live for my children and they are well aware of this but it never hurts to remind them of just how much they mean to me. Did they want more toys? More tv? A pony? Nope...they wanted time with Mom. How was I to do this?
"Mama Monday" is the title for how we are kicking off the week in this household. Months ago I decided that homework was to be done with them separately. When Emily decided not one, but two instruments needed to be played...I adjusted yet again. I adjust. I move. I squish. I make it work. But now it is not just function...it is fun as well. All because I gave it a title. First, while Emily practices her baritone with the aid of her Pop Pop...Ethan and I can do homework. Then we move onto a cooking project. Last week it was an Indian lentil crock pot recipe. This week I went back to the basics. We made egg salad. I take that back. HE made egg salad. He chopped and mixed and seasoned. He took his time and I did not rush him. In between learning some great new little things we chatted. He is excited that he has made tomorrow's lunch for all of us.
Then the switch off. Pop Pop gets time with him while Emily and I go over homework and projects. We then made dinner. She learns the basics of cooking, the timing that goes with it and the fun little details that make things even better. It also gives us a chance to catch up if needed. Dinner is a little bit later. Things are a little less rushed. Moods are peaceful.
Just a few years ago I called them "Maid Mondays". It was a day that I worked from one end of the house to the other. The kids were in school and I started my week off with a cleanse. I still clean but it is all shifted. I do things in little spurts now. I find time to be with the ones I love. Children. Family. Friends. Now as long as the new hamster doesn't need special alone time I think I should be able to make the adjustments necessary. As for now...I'm feeling pretty good.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Start Harry Potter with the Kids
It is hard saying goodbye to various stages of growth. But for each bittersweet loss there is a brand new adventure awaiting. I've thought about certain movies and books and trips for years but I like to wait until just the right time for them...so they are appreciated to the fullest extent. For a bit now I have felt it is time for the boy with the bolt. Tonight we read the first chapter of Harry. Let the magic begin...
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Smokey the Hamster
Most people go to a party and get to enjoy a little take out bag of leftovers. Today we brought home some sausage and peppers and a HAMSTER! Ethan has been asking for one for years. Years. I kept saying no. Then came the dog. Thought that would do the trick but it did not. Plus, if you follow my posts at all then you know we just got a fish tank full of finned friends mere days ago. So how did we acquire said hamster? Well, we headed to a gathering to celebrate two birthdays. Kids played. Adults chatted. There was much laughter, many stories and even a word or two in Italian. Oh and there was food. Can I send a quick shout out to Christine who dished up a whole day of yummy?!? Back to the hamster. The Milano house has two busy adults, five active children, a new baby python and a turtle. The hamster needed to move on to a new home to get some extra attention. Seemed like fate. Little Ethan spotted little Smokey and the deal was sealed. They are both tucked in now...his little head mere inches from her tank. Ethan finally has his furry little pal...thanks guys for the day, the company and the take-out hamster!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
A Virtual Meandering
It's late. Yesterday I did many new things. In fact, I remember thinking...shoot, shoulda saved one. It's in moments like these....near midnight...the sound of soft rain outside...that the moments tell me what I should be doing. I love those moments. It's like taking a walk in the woods and finding the best view ever. It's going to the shoe store when you aren't really looking...those are the times you find the coolest shoes. So tonight I wandered with a computer near a snoring dog at my feet.
I headed to check out my blogs. Found a link to another one. Saw a post that hit me. Blogs are typically about the happy families out there. They share craft ideas and post pics of how perfect and happy they all are. This blog was different. She is a bit older, has kids and is reinventing herself in the next stage of her life. So much of what she was dishing was stuff that I have been eating lately. It felt nice. She then went on to name a song that she is loving these days. So I checked it out as well. Stay Ali by Loner sounds like just the right song for a walk on a treadmill. Guess I'll have to load it on the Ipod...oh...and then maybe get ON the treadmill.
A new perspective. A new inspiration. A new song. Not bad for ten minutes on the internet...
I headed to check out my blogs. Found a link to another one. Saw a post that hit me. Blogs are typically about the happy families out there. They share craft ideas and post pics of how perfect and happy they all are. This blog was different. She is a bit older, has kids and is reinventing herself in the next stage of her life. So much of what she was dishing was stuff that I have been eating lately. It felt nice. She then went on to name a song that she is loving these days. So I checked it out as well. Stay Ali by Loner sounds like just the right song for a walk on a treadmill. Guess I'll have to load it on the Ipod...oh...and then maybe get ON the treadmill.
A new perspective. A new inspiration. A new song. Not bad for ten minutes on the internet...
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Receive a Bacon Ornament in the Mail
I have a bacon fairy. Every so often she sends me goodies. Wallets. Bandages. Ornaments. They are all bacon themed because she knows of my love for the piggy product. I get other fake food items as well because that is another fetish in itself. Today I got a treat in the mail. I love treats and I love any mail that isn't a scary reminder of the everyday...so I was very excited. "One new thing!" was even written on the envelope! I squealed! So for those of you who argue that I didn't DO a new thing today...I only received one...to YOU I say: "I squealed over receiving a bacon ornament in the mail from Cinde!!!". I am also going to hang it up and use it as an all year ornament that honors the one and only BACON!!! How many of you can say you've done that???
Cinde, thank you for being so awesome! Thank you for thinking of me! Thank you for my bacon! Thacon!!!!
Cinde, thank you for being so awesome! Thank you for thinking of me! Thank you for my bacon! Thacon!!!!
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