taking time

As a family, we decided to take a little time out from the business of the season. We planned a night at home, forgot about work and lists, and just spent time together.

We had a really good time. We made Christmas cookies while listening to Christmas music. And if you ask Caorline, she will tell you she did them herself. She did decorate well but needed good supervision to not decorate the floor more than the cookies. And Dad had to keep a tight hold on Grace. She wanted to help so badly, she kept reaching for the cookie sheet. But since she had already just about put it on the floor, we thought it best to have her keep her distance.

After we were done, we just hung out. Daddy was chasing Caroline around trying to eat her cookie. She was laughing so hard. It was really great. And since Caroline was laughing, Grace was laughing too.

I was a great memory made.

(I tried to upload a picture of the fun, but it would not work. I may try again later)

Too Fast

There are some things that Grace has really gotten to big too fast. Every now and again, she grows way faster than Caroline did.

It seems like she wants to be independent already. She does not let me feed her much anymore, she wants to do it herself. This is one time that Mom is really not ready.

I have been enjoying this latest stage a lot and I guess I am not ready for it too be over.

Caught up in the Season

I am sorry that it has been a while since I posted. I have been caught up in the season.

I am really enjoying the time I get to spend with the girls at this time. We have made cookies, done some shopping, and decorated the tree. Grace comes a long for the ride and enjoys things when Caroline gets excited.

When we decorated the tree, Caroline put the Angel on top. She still talks about it everyday and we did it right after Thanksgiving. I really appreciate that the little things make her so happy.

We had her little friends over to decorate cookies. It was mass chaos. But the kids had a good time and the cookies were good looking and tasting.

Caroline has really embraced the season both commercial and religious. We enjoy listening to her tell stories about what she did and how excited she gets when she sees a Santa anywhere. Needless to say, we have embraced the you have to be good or else Santa will not come.

We really enjoy being a family, but we have really had a good time lately.

The only thing that could make it better is some snow.

Merry Christmas and Enjoy the Season

Much Fun

As Caroline would say, we had much fun today.

We had some friends over and we made sugar cookies. The kids used cutter to cut them out and then decorated them. We even had a chance to eat some. It turned out pretty good.

It ended up being a good reminder for me. I remember my mom doing the same thing with us. I will have to keep doing it. It really was much fun.

A Bit of a Scare

We got a scare last night that we were not prepared for.

Grace got a toy stuck in her mouth. I got it out without a fuss, but it happened because neither of us was watching at the moment. I was painting and Kris was on another project. She was quiet so we assumed she was fine.

Thank God she was able to cry. If she had been trully choking, we would have never known. I hate when things happened that I could have prevented. I know those things will happen, but I was really shook.

It had me shook all night and I did not really sleep. I could not be more thankful that she is fine and it had not damaged her at all. Plus, we learned our lesson.

I could not imagine life without either one of my girls.

A Bit of a Scare

We got a scare last night that we were not prepared for.

Grace got a toy stuck in her mouth. I got it out without a fuss, but it happened because neither of us was watching at the moment. I was painting and Kris was on another project. She was quiet so we assumed she was fine.

Thank God she was able to cry. If she had been trully choking, we would have never known. I hate when things happened that I could have prevented. I know those things will happen, but I was really shook.

It had me shook all night and I did not really sleep. I could not be more thankful that she is fine and it had not damaged her at all. Plus, we learned our lesson.

I could not imagine life without either one of my girls.

A Bit of a Scare

We got a scare last night that we were not prepared for.

Grace got a toy stuck in her mouth. I got it out without a fuss, but it happened because neither of us was watching at the moment. I was painting and Kris was on another project. She was quiet so we assumed she was fine.

Thank God she was able to cry. If she had been trully choking, we would have never known. I hate when things happened that I could have prevented. I know those things will happen, but I was really shook.

It had me shook all night and I did not really sleep. I could not be more thankful that she is fine and it had not damaged her at all. Plus, we learned our lesson.

I could not imagine life without either one of my girls.

A little behind

Don't you love it when you always seems little behind?

I thought I was ahead of the game on a couple of things, including Christmas shopping. But then when I let people know that I had gotten things off lists, I come to find out I was late to the punch. What sucks the most, is that they are already wrapped.

Grace in on the move now and that just points out many things I need to do. 1 - vaccuum more often, 2 - Clean out the toy room to get rid of the little things (and send a buch to goodwill before Christmas), 3 - spend more time with her as she is getting big so fast.

But, I made a list and have crossed some things off. Soon, I will have caught up again. Until then, a little stress did not kill anyone. So let's just keep it at a little.

One down, the big one to go

Thanksgiving was fun. It is good to be around family. And the kids had a really good time. I think I heard "Uncle James" a million times. And he came running every time.

Now we are gearing up for the big day in December. That is, Caroline's birthday. WE bought all the necessities like hats and candles, yesterday. She had so much fun. This is the first year that she is into her birthday and that is really cool. She is putting some real effort into planning her party. So, a Mickey Mouse party it is.

What a week

Well, we had our date. It was a good time. But we learned a few lessons.

1 - Make sure to buy movie tickets ahead of time if you really want to see it. I was not exactly sure which show we were going to see and I did not want to be rushed through dinner. So I did not get the tickets. We did not see Casino Royale. So we went to Barnes & Noble instead. That was nice because we had time to just hang out.

2 - Do NOT go out on Fri nights. Most weeks, Kris is just too tired to stay out too late. We were home by 10 o'clock. I was a little disappointed. But what can you do, sometimes being responsible all week makes you tired.

Since then, we have been getting ready to do a chunk of painting around here. Not to mention getting ready for Thanksgiving.

We are headed to my in-laws. It should be a good time. We will for sure have many blessing to be thankful for. I hope that you find the peace that Thanksgiving can bring.

I have a Date

Kris and I are going on a date tonight and I really excited. It is not like we never do this, but for some reason I am really looking forward to it.

We have had a busy fall (like pretty much everyone else) and we have not made a ton of time for our marriage. Why is it that the most important things seem to be the easiest things to dismiss a bit.

It does not hurt that we have found a babysitter that we love. We have almost always used family, which is great, but it is nice to have someone else. For some reason, we feel like we can use her more because we are not bothering anyone.

Anyway, I look forward to time with my husband. We can pretend we do not have kids yet ;-)

Political Revolution

I find it so interesting that the Democarats are being as cocky are they are. Yes, they did an amazing thing taking over the houses of Congress. But there is quite a lot to do and none of it is easy.

Iraq is a mess and it will take a lot of work to make an appropriate exit. None of the solutions are going to be good. And none of them are going to be easy to sell to the general public. They need to be careful not to put too many eggs in this basket.

Energy needs and the environment are high on many people's lists. In order to make changes here, there are going to need to be changes made by many people. And many of these people are not going to trust the new technologies.

I think that the biggest things that they need to remember is that the people want to be listened to. The current adminstration (and many of the former Congressmen) have/had the opinion that their way was the only way. No one wants to be ignored. And We may not have all the answers but in the mix are many good ideas.

I think the Democrats need to be humble and appreciate what they have been given here. They have been given a chance. A chance to help the people be engaged again. If that could happen, it will be a true revolution. One that this country could really use.

Spoke too soon

Well, I have a problem. I prematurly express delight in things that are not quite complete yet.

Today is not a good day in Potty Training land. It is like we had not make any progress. But hopefully that is just a set back.

My goal is to continue to be positive (even thought it is a bit of a struggle) and work our little program. Gotta love stickers.

Next time I talk about it, I will wait until we are more established in our success.

Potty Training

Well I am in the midst of one of the biggest struggles of being a mommy so far. This potty trainning business is really testing my patience. But we may have had a breakthrough.

It is amazing how your children respond when they are just ready. We have been trying to do this off and on for around 7 months. But suddenly last week, Caroline decided it was time.

I have to admit, during those 7 months I was not always the kind of mom that I wanted to be. I would get short with her and REALLY frustrated. I would feel like since this is my full time job, I was failing is some sense. It really took a lot of self talk to stop that line of thinking (not to mention some great support from my husband).

But now, we have some success (4 days without a pee-pee accident). I guess I need to learn to wait for the right time and not push my own schedule. God has a plan. I just need to listen more.

Tuesday

As most of you know, I find the election process to be really interesting and important. So, as you can imagine, Tues was a pretty fun day for me.

I am an election judge and find that to be really rewarding. I feel like I am contributing to our society and helping my community at the same time. But it is also a pretty selfish thing to do.

I got to see young people vote for the first time. They came in with their parents and were nervous. And when they were done, most were smiling. Not many things at that age can make you feel more like an adult than this.

I got to see people who were new to this country vote for the first time. And they were so proud. Some needed translators (family members) but they knew what they needed to do and did it happily.

I saw people who had to make an effort to vote and did not complain. They had to register at the polls and had to make trips home to get the appropriate documents. Some did it multiple times and 98% of them did not complain.

I had people waiting in line. No one complained about having to wait. They were all there for a purpose and were will to take the time to get it done.

I am proud of the people that voted. We had over 50% turnout (I think 56% but I cannot remember now). It would be nice if that was more, but maybe some day. I think that it is important that we remember that people are fighting and have died to make sure that we have this right. Be proud to be able to vote. Take the time to do it.

P.S. Aren't you happy that another election is 2 years away and you will not have to listen to me rant again until then. Thanks for listening.

Coming Home

Hi

I feel like it has been forever since I have talked. I was visiting my family for 9 days and did not do any computer work.



I had a great time visiting. My girls had a blast. They got to spend Halloween with their cousins. Caroline had so much fun with her cousin, Jacob. They really are fun to watch. And Grace bonded with everyone that she has not had a chance to be with.


I got to spend some good time with my Aunt Pat. It was good to be with her and try and be in the moments that she is feeling. I really feel that she is being so brave. She is dealing with her situation as best as she can.




Then there was hunting. It was really different this year. Without Charles around, people were distracted and it was just not quite the same.



But as much fun as it was to go visiting. I am so happy to be home. To be around my husband, in my space, use my own things, I am so happy. I have to say again, I really missed my husband. It was a good trip, but I will not go as long again.

It is just too good to be home.

Stand FOR Something

I am interested in politics. I enjoy following the races and being a part of things. I consider myself a Democrat (at least most of the time). But as this election cycle is rounding up, I find a few things frustrating.

The Democrats need to find a spine in some areas. The biggest problem with the party and in my opinion why they are losing so many people, is that they are no longer standing FOR things, just AGAINST the Republicans. They need to find more candidates like President Truman to run for office. Someone who is not afraid to make hard decisions and to stand by them when they are wrong.

One of the elections that has impressed me this year in MN is the Klobuchar/Kennedy race. At least, I am impressed with Klobuchar. She has stayed on point most of the time. When he attacks her, she stands for herself instead of slinging mud back. He went dirty quickly after falling behind and has made up little to no ground. In fact, his latest ad has gone back to stating his beliefs instead of attacking. Maybe this should be a case study on the effectiveness of negative ads.

Finally, I am disappointed in the major media outlets. They are giving little time to all the races. Sure, they give glances during the news casts and the occasional poll. But they do not air any debates. I know that they are not great for ratings, but the more opportunities the people have to listen, the more they might be likely to choose to listen. The people did not suddenly lose interest, it happened gradually. And to get them back, it is probably going to take a chunk of time.

They also want to define people so badly that it makes people feel like there is no decicions left to be made. Enough with the red, blue and purple states. Let people form an opinion before you give them one.


Anyway, I am confident the process works when the PEOPLE are in control. We just need to be active and aware. And honestly, that does not take a huge amount of effort on our part. And I truly believe that there are better days coming.

Fall

I am not much for cold weather, but there is something about fall that is nice. It feels a little cleaner in the air. When the sun is out, the days are so pretty.

Plus you get to have fun in the leaves.

The girls and I were trying to have some fun in the piles Dad was making. It was a lot of fun in the end. Grace was not so sure in the beginning. And I was too worried about getting a picture of the two of them Once we mellowed out, it was great.

So, on the days before it is almost too cold to breath, get out and enjoy it. And your kids can make it so much better.

30

Well, it is now official. I AM 30!!!

It is really pretty good. As with most things, if I have too much time to think about it, I get myself all worked up. But, I really feel pretty good about this age.

I am happy in family and life. I am blessed with a great husband, beautiful daughters, family, security, and many other things. I am satisfied.

So I drive a minivan ;-). Could be worse things. Plus, the kids seem to like it.

Anyway. I am 30 and loving it.

Thank you

I just wanted to thank people for the outpouring of prayers and well-wishes for my Uncle and his family. It has been a really hard time and will likely be for some time.

Since calling off the search, my aunt and cousins have really had a rollercoaster of feelings. And they are still feeling a little in the middle of it. It is really hard not to have an ending. But I just talked to them and they are confident that if they look at things one day at a time, they can do it.

Last night they met with the men hunting with him and they had a great but hard experience. They had kept a really good journal and took a lot of pictures. Charles looked really happy and that was such a comfort. God is sending the family some things that are making it all bearable.

Their pastor told them something perfect. He said that we may not know where he (Charles) is, and that is hard. But God knows and He is taking care of him. And in the end, that is all that really matters. This thought has been really comforting.

So thank you, for holding us up with your thoughts and prayers. It is appreciated more that you will ever know.

More Prayers

My Dad just called and they called off the search. He couldn't really talk but he said that they have done everything twice and found absolutly nothing.

Please remember my aunt and cousins. They had been married almost 40 years. She is not doing well (as you can imagine).

Thanks for the support.

Prayers Please

My family and I need your prayers please. My uncle has been missing since Wed 10/11. He is hunting in Wyoming with some other relatives. He went out to his spot and has not been seen since.

They think that they may have communicated through shotgun firing the first day but they have not had anything else. It has been pretty positive until last night. The authorities have been looking since Wed. And Sat. many people to who did not even know him volunteered their time to try and find him.

They are getting ready to change the mission of the search from search and rescue to recovery soon. He is a really good outdoorsman and would know what to do. But the lake of any sign of him suggests that he may have become disoriented.

My aunt and cousins really need your prayer support. As a family, we are asking as many people as possible to pray for resolution. We feel that we can come to terms with whatever God has planned but the limbo is becoming really difficult.

Your prayers are truly appreciated. Thanks

Find more reasons

I have been busy the last couple of days. I have actually been cleaning my house. I keep a neat house, but I do not enjoy cleaning. But, I have a reason this week. My husband is throwing me a party and I am so excited (and I did the cleaning for him because I am really grateful for all the work he has put into this for me).

This particular party is for my upcoming 30th birthday. I am so excited to have everyone around, family and friends are going to be around and I love it. I think it may even be worth turning 30 for.

But, I really think I need to find more reasons to throw parties like this. I enjoy putting them together. I enjoy them as they are happening. Even the cleaning up is not so bad.

I guess my point is that we need to find more time and reason for enjoying life and the people around us. It is really time well spent.

Knitting

When I was a kid, my mom needed to keep us occupied with something. Not that I can relate to this at all ;-) So one day she taught us how to knit. Not that we really ever made anything, but we would work on it from time to time and it kept us busy. As I got a little older, I kind of forgot about it.

A couple of years ago I decided to try it again.

And now, I have decided that I really enjoy knitting. This is no longer something that old women do even if I am ALMOST 30 (12 days left). But it really is fun. And given the right information and setting it can even be youthful.

This is the book that my sister, Anne, gave me when I rediscovered knitting. And it have been really fun. I do not need it all the time, but when I get courageous enough to try something new, Debbie Stoller is right there. I also linked her website if anyone is interested. She has free patterns and other fun things.

The cool thing is, I am able to make things for people and it feels good. I have always enjoyed giving gifts, but making them and giving them is so much better.

I know not everyone thinks that they have time, but it is really good stress reliever. And you do not have to be constantly doing it to be good at it. I have not knitted in months and it is (as they say) just like riding a bike.

It feels good to have a hobby. I would love to hear about yours.

Yeah Me

I have just finished my first knitting pattern. I made a hat.

Up until 5 minutes ago, I could only knit scarves. Now, I can add Hats to my repetoire. I am a little excited. Not that you can really tell in this self potrait.

I had been to scared to try it but I finally jumped in. You know how it is right? It seems a little too much. So you wait, and wait and then you are ready to try it. Most of the time it turns out to be fun and rewarding. Plus, it may not be that hard. I was able to knit this in 2 days. So, things can also be easier that we think

I must admit, it may be about more than the knitting. Or maybe knitting can apply to life. Regardless, these models look much better in the hat than me.

Husbands

Sometimes I feel trully blessed in life. And when I think about my husband, I feel not only blessed but grateful. I know that many of you probably feel the same way.

What I find interesting as well, is that I can also forget about him. I get sucked into being a mother. I fall into those pitty parties that we all have from time to time. I just get lazy about my life.

Luckily, it has never lasted very long and I have a husband who is patient. Of course, he goes through those periods too where I am not the top priority. But in the end, we always come back to each other.

As a new mom (both times), I found it really hard to find that balance. And as a stay-at-home mom, I felt like I was "on the job" all the time and never relaxed. I was really conflicted about it until one of our pastors came to my Mom's Group. He explained that if you want your kids to be taken care of, you need to take care of your relationship first. If as a couple your are fine, then your kids will be fine too.

It is really amazing how that never dawned on me until someone told me. Kris and I were talking the other night and we feel rally good about our marriage. It is strong. But that does not mean it is perfect. And thank goodness because it is also not boring.

I guess me point is, whatever effort you put into your marriage is worth it. If you care for it, it will grow and be fullfilling. And it will also make you grateful that you have something so important to you that you are willing to fight for it.

frustrated

I had a great blog today about reentering the work force after being home. But something happened when I tried to post it. I am too frustrated to redo it now. Hopefully tomorrow, I can do it again, maybe even better.

Gotta love technology sometimes.

Reentering

As many of you, I think about returning to work someday. But I have a hard time picturing what that looks like. Should I teach again? If I do, can I do it as well as before? Will it eat me up emotionally so that I do not have as much to offer my own kids (if you do not know, I used to teach kids with severe EBD)? Could I get hired even if I wanted to?

I also say to myself, it was my choice to stay home and I am lucky to do it. And because of that choice, I should expect things to be different when returning to the work force. And now many businesses are seeing the value in women that have/had been home for a period of time.

In the Sept 25 Newsweek, they have an article about how women are finding on-ramps back into the business world more open than before. Businesses are figuring out that it is in their best interests to maintain relationships with women when they leave. Some continue to train them or even offer them work on a per diem basis.

I get the feeling that if you were to just ask for things from a former employer, you may get it. When I was first home with Caroline, I was looking for something to do. I called a former employer and asked if there was anything I could do for her from home. She gave it some thought and said yes. She asked if I could come into the office occassionally. I said I had Caroline and she said bring her. For a year and a half (until Grace), it worked out great.

It is amazing how things work out when you ask for what you need out loud. Someimes, God needs to hear you say it so that he can answer.

Mompreneurs

Did you know what the largest group of small business started in the US is? It is one-woman businesses. Most of these businesses are mothers who are looking to do a little something while they are staying home. They have become such a large group that a cottage industry is sprouting up around them. I have linked the biggest site to this blog, they are the one that coined and trademarked the phrase, mompreneurs.

There are a few reasons why this is such a big group now. Women are choosing to stay home more again, so there is more talent out they to be tapped. Women are more educated. And they are also more confident. All good things.

As some of us know, when you are staying home with kids, there are things that pop out at you. They are ideas that would make things easier. Now, women are taking those ideas to other moms and making businesses.

Also, women who are home have time to think. I know that when I was teaching, I was thinking about things for school. Now that I am home, sometimes I need to think about other things to stay sane. Those times are when ideas hit. And more often than not now, women are acting on those ideas.

I should also note, that it helps to have supportive spouses. In the reading that I have done lately, They note how important it is to have a spouse who you can share your needs and dreams with. I know I am lucky to have one.

Again, this is another great topic for women that I had not heard of until the Newsweek issues currently out. My biggest question though is if it is such a big group of people, why aren't more people talking about it?

Waste

The current issue of Newsweek (September 25th) has the cover Women & Leadership. I have not had a chance to read the whole thing yet, but what I have read so far, makes me think I will be doing a series of blogs on this issue.

The first thing that I read in this was The Last Word Anna Quindlen "Everyday Equality." The article has really struck home with me. I really like her thoughts on this topic and it seems to line up with what I have been thinking about lately.

She reminded me about how I used to be when I was young and idealistic. It was fun to argue and try and make a point with anyone who would take me on. Can you remember high school and maybe college where these things happened?

She also reminded me how blessed I am to have been born where and when I was. That many women have come before me and made things better for me. And how these women not only elevated themselves but the women around them and the companies that they worked for. More and more, people and companies are starting to see that if a variety of needs are met for families everyone benefits; including the bottom line of the company.

But the point she made about waste is the one that has stuck with me for days. She suggests that we (women) have not been fighting a war against men but really against waste. A waste of talent and the contribution to society that had been missed because of choice forced upon us.

I really like the thought of dismissing the waste. The waste of fighting amongst ourselves should be one of the first things to go, in my opinion. The Mommy Wars is a waste of energy and the focus should be on an issue that HELPS women instead of holds anyone back. There are lots of talented women in and out of the business world that can make huge contribution to society.

I feel that this way of thinking is more productive and closer to reality that the ideas of Linda Hirshmen (previously sited in this blog). Not that Ms. Hirshmen did not have some points, but I do not think she was doing anything to make matters better. While this way of thinking seems to have many productive possibilities for women to embrace. And after all, no group can be ignored when they are big enough or loud enough, or as pointed out in this magazine, if you can earn enough money.

Ms Quindlen sites a report from 2004 that Fortune 500 corporations with the most women in top positions yielded on average, 35% higher return on equity that those with the fewest women in top positions. This was a shocking statistic to me. Why is this not getting more attention??? Who would not want to have a 35% higher return on their money? Luckily, there are many in positions that can effect change that have seen this trend. And businesses are becoming more friendly to the idea of bringing women back into the workforce after they have chosen to leave for their families (young or old).

I am excited by this whole thing. I feel like we are on the edge of some sweeping changes. I really feel like women are about to make some big steps. This edition of Newsweek is full of encouraging articles that I feel the need to comment on. I hope that you find it interesting and enlightening as well.

Coming soon, Mompreneurs and Finding new on-ramps.

I am so blessed !!!

Kris has been at a conference since Sun and instead of being put out by it, it has really been a time to have some of my blessing pointed out for me. This has been different than the other trips Kris has taken. Maybe I am in a better place in my life. But it certainly does not hurt that the girls are older and we have a routine. Regardless, I have had an opportunity to realize I have many things to be thankful for.


I am thankful for many things but here is a small list that these last few days have highlighted:

• daughters that get along so well
• a home that keeps me warm in the cold
• the easy smiles I get from the girls
• the fact that they let me hold their hands
• meals together
• the little things that make them happy (reading a book)
• friends that want to help out
• The laughter when we play together
• the quiet when they are asleep
• and a husband who misses us and wants to come home.

The Minivan Debate

I am currently having one of those mental debates. It is over exactly how I feel about being a minivan owner.

One side of me is thinking about how logical it is to have one. It will be so much easier to maneuver the kids around. And it will be a real blessing to travel with.

The other side of me feels like I am giving in to a stereotype that I did not want to be. I am going to be one of those moms. You know, the ones "People" talk about. How they think they own the road, how they think you should get out of their way, etc. Then that little voice thows in that old people love them too.

I think that my biggest worry is that I am already all about my kids to a degree that I feel boring. And now I have a minivan to prove it.

Maybe it is just because I am about to turn 30. And I do not feel old until I add in that I am 30, married, have 2 kids, own a home, and now DRIVES A MINIVAN.

Now I know that many of you probably drive minivans already. And I know that this is all probably in my head. And I certainly do not mean to offend.And my friends keep telling me how great they are. There are just certain things that get stuck in my mind.

Oh well, I do know that this is truly the right decision. It makes perfect sense what we are doing. I just wish that the right thing and the wanted thing were always the same thing.

Couple of Things

I discovered a cool new thing at the library. They are partnering with some museums and historic site in the Metro area (I attached a link to my library but the information should be good at any metro location). You can now go to your local library and check out free passes (for 4 people) to these places. They are really easy to use as long as you have a library card. And redeeming them at the site was no problem

The girls and I did one last weekend. We went to Fort Snelling. It was so fun even through it was freezing. I have been wanting to go but for some reason we have never made it there. It is not like they are expensive but I guess it is too inconvenient to go. But considering that it is free, we could not turn it down.


Caroline enjoyed the whole thing. There was a lot of things to look at and explore. Grace had another napping tour. Unfortunatly we did not have a ton of time to spend there but I did feel super guilty about it because it was free.

The other thing is that I am officially a soccer mom. We have been looking for a minivan. Yesterday, the dealer we have been working with called to say he found one. So I am now a stay at home mom, who is policially active, and I now own a minivan. I am now sure I am ready for this step, but is it logical. I am told that once I am using it I will love it. I hope so.

What I learned . . .

I learned that I am not very good at sharing leadership responsibilities. I was asked to be head election judge by this woman. She asked me to help her and she requested me with the city. I agreed but when we work together, she really wants to be in charge and blow me off a bit. I do not handle that well. I have a real problem with being dismissed.

I also learned that when I delegate sometimes I still need to check things out. I trusted this other woman to do her part correctly but when I got to city hall it was not done right. I looked pretty dumb because I could not answer many questions because she had done the work. Lesson learned.

The most important thing that I learned is that Americans really take for granted their rights. It takes 10 minutes or less to vote. I worked for 14 hours yesterday and we only had 65 voters. I understand that it was a primary, but if you still have a responsibility to make informed choices. There is no reason for you to complain about the process if you are not doing anything to participate in it and make it better.

Last night on the news, I heard an example of how much we take for granted the priviledge we have to vote. A Hmong woman was naturalized a few days ago and was so proud to be able to vote she bought a special dress to show her respect and joy in being able to participate. She had been waiting and wanting to do this her whole lie. And many of us have been able to do this our whole life and choose not to even give it a thought.

I know many of you have kids and it is hard to get around with them all the time. But as an election judge, we look forward to kids coming in with their parents. We have long days and enjoy seeing kids. Plus, think about what you are teaching them. My parents took us every year and that has stuck with me my whole life.

Do you want to teach to child to be a responsible citizen or do you want to teach that that what they do does not matter?

Your vote is your loudest most power voice. Use it.

Harder to be gone

When I was a teacher, it was always harder to be gone. The preparing plans and the setting everything up made me feel like I could just as well be there.

I am coming to realize that it is the same thing with being a mom. Tomorrow I am an election judge for the Primary (be sure to vote, it is your most important power) and I have spent the entire day setting things up.

It is not that my kids are hard to deal with, I just want things to go well tomorrow. My dad is coming down and I just want him to have fun. It is just all the little things kids require that I worry about. And of course, I should really not sweat the small stuff. Someday I will be able to be like that.

This all is probably just a cover for the fact that I will not get to see the girls at all tomorrow. ;-)

Talented

I am not a scrapbooker. But I can appreciate the work and beauty of them. I have a couple of good friends that do this and have a real talent for it.

One of my friends has been a good friend since college. She moved away after graduation and we do not communicate as much as before. But, I found out that she has a website and blog. What a cool thing the internet is. I have been able to catch up and admire her work. I linked the site to this post.

I trully enjoy photography but have not honed my skill lately. Joanna (my friend) has done a great job and uses the amazing pictures to do amazing pages.


Now I need to brag about her a little. Not only does she have a great talent, but she now gets published many, many times (also on her website).

I am trully impressed with her work. As you can see, she can really tell a story.

Thanks Joanna for sharing your talent.

All I wanted . . .

All I wanted today was a professional picture of my girls. They took great pictures separately (Grace for 6 months and Caroline for 2 1/2 years) but Grace could not quite hold it together to do some together. I got one that works but Caroline looks a bit drugged. Next time group pictures first.

I have to say that the photographer was great!! I have been going to Sears portraits since Caroline was born and they have always done a great job. I linked their website in case you are looking for somewhere to go.

The photographer in me is also blown away by their equipment. They are all digital now and can do some great things with the pictures. Besides the enhancements, they can realign and zoom in on the pictures they take.

So, I came away with some super cute pictures today. I just did not get a great picture of them together.

Fun with Family

Labor Day weekend in the annual Rasmusson trip to Duluth. It is a lot of fun. The trip has changed a little in the last couple of years. By sheer coincidence, in the last couple of years children have been added to the mix.

It is a lot of fun to travel with the kids. And they sure love it too. Actually, they love being together and the rest of us just enjoy the show. We are trully blessed to have such good kids and that they love each other so much.

The Big kids had a fun tour of the city finding fun things to do. The biggest hit was throwing rocks into the Lake.

While the little kids had a great napping tour of town.

The other really cool thing about this trip is that it is not flashy, far away, or hard to do. I linked the Duluth website and it is a good guide to various things to so in town. There really is a little bit for everyone to do in the area. From outdoor activities to indoor fun, there is really something for everyone. Minnesota really has some great trips within its borders. Take your kids and enjoy some time together.

How soon we forget

My sister took Caroline on vacation a day early. I have to say, it is really weird to be down to one kid. Kris and I agree that it is great to have some time with Grace by herself. After all, she is getting big really quickly. I love it. She is really amazing all by herself. She is sitting up now and smiles all the time. The biggest problem with Caroline being gone, is that Grace seems to miss her. She has been looking around for her all morning. I couldn't be happier that they are bonded so well already.

In a rut

I am stuck in a food rut. I feel like I am making the same things for lunch each day for the girls. And I do not feel like it is the right kind of things for them to be eating a lot of. It seems like chicken nuggets and hot dogs are staples here. I need some help. What do you feed your kids?

Renewed Sanity

I love my family and my everday life, but I have to say that escaping was too much fun. My husband and I ditched the kids and went to Las Vegas with some friends. It was a total blast. We did very little besides hang out, eat good food, and enjoy being in Las Vegas.

It is amazing how easy it was to go. I guess I needed it. I was ready to come home, but it was not until that day that I needed to get to my kids. It helps that they are being well taken care of by family.

If I was to give advice to moms (at home or at work), it would be to give time to your relationship. It is good for the kids in the long run. But more importantly, it is good for you. It will help maintain the relationship that will help you remain sane. Kris and I really enjoyed our time together. It was nice to have a complete conversation without crying or baby talk. I do not know if I realized just how much I missed him.



It was great to be gone. But it is just as good to be home.

Linda

Smiles

Sometimes you just need to appreciate the things around you and smile. The girls can do it. So, I will learn from them and try it too.

L

Finding Peace

Since I have started to stay home, I have come to realize certain things about myself. And finding my home at church has become more clear. It has been a real source of comfort and strength as I look for the best way to live my life and raise my children.

This last weekend we were visiting my mother-in-law. It is good I think to try different churches now and again because it may highlight the things you really crave in a service. I liked how homey her church felt and there overall environment. And since it is a new church for her, and therefore me, it was nervously exciting to go. I will enjoy it more as I learn more about it.

While there, I was not able to sing along with the songs. They were all new to me. It really highlighted the need I have to praise the Lord with song. I feel much more connected when I sing in His house. And I think I forget that until I am unable to do it.

Anyway, that us my thought for the day. Find a place where you can be comfortable and revitalized. Once that happens, it makes things better at home. It trully does bring peace.

L

Sisters

I know that I love my sisters. And now I am starting to see that my girls are starting to love being sisters. It is a bond that I have found very comforting and it is exciting to see it forming in my girls.

I am sure other siblings have strong bonds, but I know about being a sister. And I wanted everyone to know, that I love them (my sisters) and I love watching my daughters bond. They are forming a relationship that will last a lifetime.

Thanks Mom and Dad!! You started something that I am proud to continue.

P.S. This is Grace's first big girl bath.

Doing your part

Well, last night, I had my first meeting for being a head election judge. I have done this before but this time I get to be in charge. The process of elections has always fascinated me. And it feel really good to be a part of the whole thing.

There are big steps being taken so that no matter who you are, you can participate in democracy. We are among the first states to have new machines that allows people with many different disabilities to vote independently. For many, this is a new and long sought after opportunity.

Kris and I were talking the other night about how many people complain about the state of things but do not do the little things that can make it better. And as I often told my students, voting is the easiest way to affect things. We have a unique opportunity in this country to contribute and control our government. Yet, almost half of our citizens do not exercise their rights. Imagine if only half of our citizens were able to express their freedom of speech.

Anyway, that is half of my soapbox speech about voting. And to make it even easier for you, I linked the website for the Minnesota Secretary of State. That site can help you find your polling place and even give you a list of candidates. If you do not live in MN, each state should have a similar site.

And I would encourage you to also find a way to contribute to the process. Some things even include pay (ie being an election judge). This would also be found on the website linked. But, you can fill out the form to volunteer when you are voting. It truly is rewarding. You will feel like you helped make some of the great things about this country.

Something to think about.

Linda

Recipes

I had a couple good ideas about starting a page to share recipe's, especially kid friendly ones. I am looking into that but it will take some work that we (and by that I mean Kris) do not have time to set it up at this point.

I would love to hear about some recipes since Caroline can be a picky eater. I did link a website that I found some good recipes. I will try some and let you know and I would appreciate the same.

At this point, Grace finds her food particularly satisfying. As you can see in the following picture, she cannot contain the excitement over her last meal.



Linda

Fair

We went to the fair the other day (I wanted to get this up earlier, but weekends are crazy). It is so much fun. Caroline inherited my need for a good county fair. We ate the great food; hot dogs, gyros, malts, etc.



Then we did some fun things. Caroline and I rode a camel. That was a blast. Then we went to the petting zoo to feed the animals. I think that Caroline enjoys the goats more that she does the rides.

Then we ended the day with some rides. Since the tickets were stupidly expensive (I don't know how our parents could have afforded this), we only went on a couple of rides.

Caroline was super happy to find a friend there and they went on a ride together.

Anyway, life is good in Minnesota when you can be at the fair having fun as a family.

Linda

PS - I notice there are no pictures of Grace, but she did just hung out at the fair in her stroller. She still seemed to like it. She stayed awake the whole time.

Am I awake?

I need to have a good night sleep. Grace has yet to sleep through the night on a consistent basis. I feel like a zombie some days, today being one of them. She only gets up once but it is getting old. At 5 1/2 months, am I expecting too much to have her sleep all night?? Any tips??

It could be the naps she is taking, but maybe I am just jealous.

opening links

I am just realizing that not everyone will know how to open links. If you click on the title of my blogs when they are underlined, that means there is something linked to them.

Sorry
Linda

That article again

First, I want to say that I appreciate all the things people have said to me about being a stay at home mom. I know this is the right decisions for me and it does me good to hear others hold me up. But, that was not really my intention when I put this out there. I am honestly wondering about what feminism looks like and if I (as a mommy) am affecting it in any way. After all, I have 2 girls and I want the world to treat them with fairness and respect.

So, today I decided to spend some time thinking and reading more about Linda Hirshman and her stand point on feminism and motherhood. Apparently, she is being raked through the coals about that American Prospect article (the one linked to the last post on this subject).

She does not like who is doing it either. Apparently, bloggers are not critiquing her in a way she feels she should be. She thinks that what people are saying (ie "you make me want to through up" and the like) is not done in a intellectual manner and if they really had intelligent responses they would write letters to the editor. To some degree, I agree that the responses are not helpful or constructive in many ways, but they are gut reactions by people who feel they are being attacked. And most of these people do not have the opportunity to have article published in a major newspaper.

Although, I am exactly the kind of person she is talking about. I am one of those mommies who has blogging time set aside in a day. She implies in her article that it is not a meaningful activity and that if I was working I would not have time for such foolishness. Hard working people do not have time to read much less write in a blog. Well, I do not know anyone more hard working than my husband, and he read many blogs. During the last State of the Union address, bloggers on political issues were used to do rebuttals on some stations. But maybe it is because I am a full time mommy, my opinion is not worth anything. Which is really contrary to what she is trying to say in the end, to me anyway.

Linked to this post is her response published in the Washington Post Op-Ed section. Amazingly enough, she comes off really defensive for a while. I know how that feels. That is the first feeling I had while listening and reading her works. But once it gets down to the essence of what she and "mommies" (her term) were upset about is that no one wants to be attacked and everyone wants to be understood.

I, also, want to point out that she is REALLY upset about the lack of women in "elite" positions in business. I agree, women who can do that job as well as men should be in those positions. I know there are women out there who can. Actually, I am related to one. My sister is already a partner in a law firm (at 30 by the way). But not every woman can do those jobs. I am one of those women, I would be no good at being a CEO of a Fortune 500 business. So, understanding your strengths and abilities is also very important. I think she misses this point.

I agree with her on one big thing. It has brought a topic into popular culture that seems to warrant a lot of discussion. I have had some great talks with the women AND men in my life. Good discussions that would not have taken place had it not been for her. Do I think that we have found the answer to the questions. No. But at least we are talking about them. And with communication can come understanding and change.

Anyway, enough ranting for today. I want to hear your thoughts.

Linda

Happy Birthday

Today is my husband's 32nd birthday. I hope that it has been a fun one. Well at least, the time he spent with us instead of at work or with the dentist.



I love birthdays and we try to celebrate them in fun ways. Today there was a treasure hunt for his gift, a special dinner of steak (birthday boy's favorit) and a trip to Home Depot (another favorite spot). Well, ok, we went to Home Depot because I almost bought the right gift ;-)



Anyway, Happy Birthday Babe. The girls and I love you always,

Linda