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

I do not have much to say on this today. I just had to post these pictures. Not only does she like having the tiara on but she is into posing too.

Home Alone

I started the day a little stressed out about having to spend another day alone with the girls. But as the day progressed, I became aware just how blessed I am.

First my younger sister, Ruth, came over to hang out and help with the girls. We had such a good time at the Mall and at home. The girls love it when Auntie comes. Then they were so good for me. The day ended with Caroline looking like a little princess on our king size bed holding court with all her books. I love my girls!!

Fun Day

Today was a fun day to be home. We had play group today and it is a blast. I have to wait to tell Caroline about it until the morning of because she gets so excited. And Grace is so good while we are there. She loves to watch all the commotion. We have such a good group. The Dakota Ridge Ladies and there kids are so great. We look forward to hanging out with our friends.

If you are staying home for any amount of time, I would recommend joining or forming a group. It is really easy. Just find 4-6 friends with kids and set up regular times to meet and let the kids run around. We meet seasonally because I am the only one home full time. And we just house hop each week. The kids swim in little pools in yards and play with toys. Super easy. I have linked a good article about setting up and meanings for playgroups,

Not only is this good for the kids, it is good for the adults. You get to have some conversation on a wide range of things while your kids get to run off energy. And everyone understands your kids behaviors because they have kids too. Not to mention, it is a great support group if you are having an issue with the kids. Sometimes I feel the best advice I get about raising kids is from other moms. The books and sometimes the doctors just aren't quite the same.

So anyway, Thank God for good friends and our time together.

Homeward Bound???

So I was listening to MPR the other day and heard a segment that has had me thinking for a week. They were talking to Linda Hirshman, author of Get to Work: A Manifesto for Women of the World. It was about how being a stay at home mom is not really a choice, it is setting feminism back, and it is a drain on the economy. I was unable to listen to the whole thing (because I have 2 small children) so I looked it up online. I could not get the audio to work so I read the article the was attached. This has has me up nights since I read it. I even emailed it to all the women I know to see what they think (I have linked it to this post if you want to read it. Comments welcome).

I have come to the decision that I have done the right thing for me. I, however, am still worried about me contribution to women as a whole. Since I have 2 girls, I want them to be able to be what and who they want without having to worry. I think that this article will probably drive me to go back to work in a similar capacity as before the girls once they are in school. I want them to see that you can go back if it is important to you.

I am going to be reading the article again and using it for a discussion in one of my groups this fall. So, you can plan to hear more. But for right now, I think that I have found peace with it. I believe in my choice and know it works for my family. But I can say with as much confidence that it is NOT a choice for every woman. As my mother told me, it does not matter what the rest of the world says, if your decision works for you, it was the right decision.

Starting Foods

I just recently started my second baby on solid foods. But I could not remember what order to give the foods to her. I spent a decent chunk of time trying to find a good answer on the internet and finally found this. I linked the website so that it might help anyone else looking for it.

Anyway, this is a picture of Grace when we first tried. That attempt did not go well, but after that she liked it.