Hosted by Camp Patton again..
1.
Yarrow is a wood-elf. She’s fearless out among the trees. We’ve been spending a couple hours each afternoon chasing snow-patches and greeting them with joy, then lying down in the leaves to rest. It makes me more comfortable with the wild to have my little fearlessness at my side, pushing aside branches with her tiny hands and delighting in the sound of birds and wind. She begs for the walks. Putting her big boots on and leading the way.
2.
I found Bao at Trader Joe’s!!! I’ve wondered if it actually existed since the first time Saffron made it for Mal in Firefly! I insisted Seth walk in and say “Is that fresh Bao?..Quaint!” Just like Wash does in the episode..I’m a loser. But he did, and we taught Yarrow to say it too! The bao was tasty, interesting, and super light! I have no idea what the dough is made of, but I’d get it again, so long as everyone is willing to repeat the whole Firefly re-enactment. Dork. Dork. Dork..Don’t judge me too harshly. If you haven’t seen it, you really can’t understand!!
3.
Our chicken flock is up to 9! A friend brought by 7 of her extras last weekend, so we’ve been enjoying the renewed abundance of eggs! We’ve been getting about 5 a day as the new chickens settle in, and our originals adjust to being re-cooped. It’s nice having an active hen-house again!
4.
Today I planted pots of salad greens and sweet peas (the flowers, not the sugar peas). It’s excited to begin growing things again! This weekend we’ll be tilling the front garden up for beans and peas and radishes..the early crops that can survive a couple of cold nights. I can’t wait to see them peeking their little heads up out of the ground!
5.
Even avoiding the news as much as I do can’t keep me away from the awful stories. My prayers go out to all of Boston - so close to us here! It’s awful to hear of so many unloving acts. I’m trying to take time to pray for the victims of the bombing, for the victims of the abortionist in Pennsylvannia - born and unborn, and for all victims of the violence that is so much a part of our world -and those who perpetrate violence, who - though they are actively participating in evil, are still loved by God and desperately in need of our prayers.
6.
I keep running across lists of “how to know you’re a mom” (apart from the obvious)..they always leave me feeling vaguely out of place. I drink my coffee hot, listen to music I love, and bathe without interruption (except Luba - who’s horrified and fascinated by the whole concept of willingly sitting in water). .. I always feel like mom-lists are for women with more kids, less time, and a different attitude toward life altogether. They make me a little bit lonely - like I’ve moved to a country that will never quite welcome me. Does anyone else feel that way?
7.
Speaking of feeling a bit on the outside..How do you address sensitive issues within your extended family? Have you had to tell your parents to keep their distance, or ask your sister not to stay over-night at your house with her boyfriend? We have some tough discussions coming up in the near future, (not the examples I gave, don’t worry!) and I’ve been sort of feeling around for direction. I’m not really very good at these sorts of discussions, I tend to go to one or the other extreme - I insult people I love or I back down and over-soften. But the conversations need to be had..Suggestions?
Although I find a lot to relate to in those mom lists, I know a lot of those things are directly the result of my over busy, sleep deprived life. For us, as a clergy family, some of that comes with my husband's job description and I am completely an extrovert so I'm okay with that. But my kids are their own people and I know if I was living a quieter life with less stuff, they would be better off. I notice that my cousins overseas don't relate to those lists either, because their lives revolve around meals and family, not activities and playdates and consuming things.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading your blog, though I can't remember how I first stumbled on it. I hope you have a happy Pascha!
1. It's one of the things I don't like about living in town, that Afon's not safe to explore on his own. Even though we have a pretty and family-friendly park right next door, I'm always on my toes making sure he doesn't run across the street or get near strange dogs. My folks have a good ten acres, but even then there's the danger of him getting to the road, and he is FAST.
ReplyDeleteI've taken to putting him in a harness when we go out in crowded public places. Something I said I would never do before I had kids, but as an acting-single mom, I just want to keep him safe. I've already had two or three close calls with him!
2. Is this bread? It sounds good. Bao is also an Asian term for buns--as in hair, so that would make perfect sense, the world of Firefly being a China-America superpower thingy.
3. My folks have plenty of land (see above), and a possibly viable place to house chickens, so I've been half-seriously playing with the idea of buying some and maybe branching out to a small business that keeps chickens for people who don't have property or don't have the time to keep them. My difficulties are that I don't know anyone Seth-handy and am rather pathetic myself. I would worry about racoons and snakes getting into my poorly built pins.
4. I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of the sweet peas. I miss northern flowers; tropical flowers aren't the same.
5. Yes. +
6. I'm not sure; out of the three examples you gave, the bath one is the only one I can't do. It wasn't the case when John was still here, but Afon insists on climbing into the tub with me, so that now I just go ahead and unclothe him whenever I'm thinking about taking a shower. Once in, though, I can take my time.
It may be because others have more children, but I also think that you and I are appropriately selfish enough to retain our own identities outside of our children, which is a good thing in my opinion. Children need real human beings as parents, not magazine clippings of the Ideal Mom.
7. Oh my, yes. Hm, it depends on the exact situation. I've been having to assert my child-rearing autonomy over my parents. It is usually met with a kind of bullying implication that "my way" isn't good or is somehow inadequate. In the past, I would respond by being very offended, and it would blow up into a big fight, but therapy has taught me to simply stand my ground and not fall into the trap of arguing with them. If it gets to the point where they won't let it go, then I can leave peacefully; so they've learned not to push it, either.
Each situation is different, and it is hard to strike the right balance between honesty and sensitivity. What's most important however is that YOU'RE needs are being met; your primary responsibility is to you and your little family. E-mail me or text further about the situation if you are so moved. I can't give specific advice, but I can listen, and I can give you feedback about how I am sensing the situation is affecting you, so you can make decisions accordingly. Sometimes, we're so close to the issue, it's hard to know clearly what we're feeling.
Great TAKES!