Kisses for jjcups

Take a look at last year's Santa Pics!

2007-09-19T13:14:00.000-07:00

Aren't they adorable?!! And a wonderful Santa! And if you ask I'll tell you where you can find him.

http://kissesforjjcups.blogspot.com/2006/12/santa-pictures.html

Santa is coming to town!

2007-09-19T13:06:00.000-07:00

Yeah!!!!!!

Resolutions - Part 3

2007-01-09T20:58:00.001-08:00

I've been working on this for days. I come up with something, I mull it over, make changes and then on to the next thing.

I've mulled it over enough to share with you some of what I've come up with.

So, here's the beginning of trying to figure out how to specifically Honor myself: It makes sense to me to figure out the categories of my life and look at them for ways I honor or dishonor myself in that category.

And the Categories are:

Fitness & Health
Romance & Sexuality
Financial Freedom
Parenting
Spirituality
Immediate Family
Friends & Family of Origin
? (I don’t know what to call this category)

My first thought for the name of “? (I don’t know what to call this category)” was ME. Then I realized that I AM ALL of the categories listed. So, this last one is really just a category to remind me to pamper myself, to baby myself, to remember to enjoy myself. In essence - to honor myself.

I'm not going to post what I came up with when I looked at each of the categories in relation to honoring myself. What I will write was that it was a very enlightening process. I'm so glad I did it and I recommend anyone looking for this type of clarity to do the same.

I found out that I honor myself more than I thought.

I found out that the areas I don't honor myself are easily rectified.

After doing this I now have a list of things I can do under each of those categories that will help me to know that I do honor me. And when I start honoring me others will too.

Again I'm not going to share each of these activities. What I will share is the one I find the most fun:

Category: ? (I don’t know what to call this category)
During one of Z's naps per week I will do one or more of the following: facial, nails, read a novel, sleep, play a game or something else I find that's fun.

Phew! I'm so glad I finally finished this part of the process and now I can put it in action.

Resolutions - Part 2

2007-01-01T12:33:00.000-08:00

As I think about the resolutions I want to make for 2007 I keep going back to this idea of HONORING.

One definition of Honor is: high respect, as for worth, merit, or rank.

The topic of honoring myself has been on my mind for about a month now. Do I honor myself?

In some ways I do. I'm starting to think that in most ways, or at least in ways that are important, I don't.

I've been paying attention to my thoughts about myself during this past month and I often times think, "Oh, it's just me."

In other words:

I don't have to fix a nice meal when I'm eating alone...it's just me.

I don't have to clean up...it's just me.

We can do whatever everyone else wants to do...it's just me.

I can agree to do all these things I don't want to do...it's just me.

and on and on and on...

I haven't decided what my resolutions will be. I know it has to be something greater than I'll Honor Myself. How is that any better than I'll be good to myself?

To be Continued...

Resolutions

2006-12-30T21:41:00.000-08:00

I never make New Year's Resolutions. Well, I guess to be completely honest I do make one - to be good to myself.

What the heck does that mean???!!

I've been making this resolution every year since high school. I can look back and see how I've stuck to and kept that resolution. Unfortunately I can see more evidence of how I haven't.

I'm guessing that I would see more results in my life if I got a bit more specific...you think?! (read w/sarcasm :)

So, what specific things will I choose to put on my list year? And how many?

I'm going to spend some time pondering this and post my answer later. Let me know if you have ideas. :) I'd even like to read some of your resolutions.

Santa Pictures

2006-12-27T15:52:00.000-08:00

I sent these pictures out to friends & family because I knew I could do that A LOT faster than I would get a blog post up.

Below are Zander's pictures with Santa and some of my favorite responses.

"These are some of the best photos with Santa I've ever seen!!!" ~Courtney

"He’s absolutely delicious. You’ve had him long enough. Can I have him for the next 16 months? ;)" ~Vickii

"Oh he's so cute! He has amazing, crackling eyes and such an expressive smile." ~Aaryn

"Jennifer and Greg,
Hi! GREAT pictures--what a gorgeous, happy, healthy baby! Boy can you tell he is loved. Hope you have the best Holiday Season ever!" ~Jackie

"These are great! The first one is perfect. I'm so glad she got one of those when Zander's looking at Santa and not quite sure what to make of him. LOL!" ~Gma S

"Oh my goodness! He is such a cutie. I like the last picture of him the best. The way he is looking at Santa. I just crack-up.

"PS. He will need a brother/sister soon. So, you better get going. " ~Grandpa Allen

"Jenny these pictures are just wonderful. Thanks for sharing and making my day." ~ Carol

"OH MY GOD!!!!! HOW ADORABLE.........
thank you I love em." ~Kali

"Hi Jennifer ~ Those are great pictures of Zander... and what a great Santa, isn't that the same one as last year? :-)" ~Sandra

Yes, Sandra. I so enjoyed my experience last year that mom and I took Z back again this year. Look how much he's grown:

If you like this Santa & want to know where he'll be & when next year, email Santa_Lady@sbcglobal.net & Eileen will send you his schedule. I HIGHLY recommend this Santa if you have a little one who is afraid. Santa is very soft spoken, will talk & play & help in any way he can to get the kids to feel comfortable. And if that doesn't work, then you can be in the picture with them. That's what my friend Ingrid did with her son Charlie:

A little about me

2006-12-21T20:16:00.000-08:00

I recently joined a new Yahoo! Group re health. Below is the intro that I submitted to them:

Hi Everyone,

I am 33, will be married for 6 years on 12.31.06, and mama to 16.5 month old Zander.

I ate a standard American Diet until 2001, 28 years old, when I developed a calcium deposit on my shoulder & realized the bump I had on my finger was also a calcium deposit. I was in excruciating pain from the deposit on my shoulder & I couldn’t move my arm. I was referred to a chiropractor by a friend. He recommended I eliminate dairy & read No Milk by Daniel Toogood. I LOVED dairy. I ate cheese, ice cream & drank milk every day. My favorite lunch was a monterey & pepper jack grilled cheese sandwich with french fries and ranch dressing in which I would dip both the sandwich & fries. Then I would I wash it all down with a Mountain Dew. YUM! :)

Daniel was, possibly still is, a chiropractor whose mentor challenged him to have his clients eliminate dairy from their diets and see what happens. The clients that were willing to take this on experienced either complete elimination of their aches and pains or a significant reduction in them. That was enough to get me to test it. Two weeks of no dairy and I could move my arm and I had little pain. Two more weeks and I had no pain. Sometime later I looked at my hand and realized the bump was gone. I was hooked – no more dairy for me!

Over the next few months while I was researching how to answer everyone’s questions of where I would get my calcium and protein I learned about factory farms and that we as humans are actually herbivores. I ate my last animal on my first wedding anniversary December 31st, 2001. It was a very yummy salmon. :)

All of this was the beginning of my realizing that my health is really in my hands. Not those of the guys wearing the white coat with a stethoscope around their neck.

Some how in my first year of being vegan I came across websites about people who only ate raw food. I was curious. I was drawn to this idea of eating so purely. I read all I could get my hands on. I attempted to go raw a couple of times, never lasting more than a week or so without scarfing down a plate of pasta with red sauce and sourdough bread with vegan butter.

I am now in my mid-thirties and have a precious little boy looking to me for guidance. Why not do the best I know how to do? I exclusively breastfed him until he was one year old and have only given him raw foods for the last four months. I want to be the best I can be so he can be the best he can be. I’m here to learn.

Thanks.

Warmly,
Jennifer

Practicing!

2006-12-08T23:13:00.000-08:00

Before I had Zander I used to wonder what kind of mom I would be when it came to crafts. Would I do crafts? Would I know how to do crafts? Would I do them well? Would I let him make a mess?

What I have found out already, given that my son is only 16 months old, is:

Yes, I will do crafts. I find myself excited thinking about all the different things we can do together.

No, I do NOT know how to do crafts! I feel so embarrassed as I try to figure out how to get the foil around the cardboard and the cookie cutter out of the dough. :)

I do crafts well enough. :)

NO, I do not let him make a mess. :( I hate cleaning up messes! My whole day seems to be picking up after everyone, doing dishes, laundry and attempting to get some deeper cleaning done. I DO NOT want to add to this list.

I have found myself drawn to crafts this holiday season. One evening while walking in Hillcrest with Greg, Zander and Michele I noticed silver stars hanging from a tree outside. I said, "I can make those!" Michele, very supportively, said, "Yes, you can." So I cut up the very next box I received in the mail. It was from my Aunt Robin in Seattle (she sends Z hand-me-downs from her grandson). It took me a few days to actually finish the project.

I made 6 silver stars. Here's a picture just after I finished them:

Here's a picture of them hanging from the tree in our front yard:

And here's a picture of my two favorite guys enjoying them:

I made another decorative item as well. And this one smelled YUMMY! I got the recipe from my cousin-in-law, Alysha. Mix applesauce & cinnamon into a dough. Cut into any shape you like & then air dry for about a week. This is the only picture I have of them:

I made about 15 & gave them as party favors, used them as accessories on gifts & I even hung one in Greg's car. I used the same purple ribbon on these as I did on the stars.

If you want to know exactly how I made the stars or the gingerbreadmen/hearts, leave a comment & I'll send you the directions.

Doing what I came here to do

2006-12-02T00:51:00.000-08:00

The tag line for this blog is Becoming the Person I am - The hero of my own life. I got that off a journal I was given for Christmas last year by my sister, Joan. This is the entire quote:

"Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show." by Charles Dickens, David Copperfied.

So far I haven't written anything to show that I am becoming the person I am or that I am the hero of my own life. I think about it all time. When it comes to writing a post though I seem to be only able to write about 'safe' topics.

This is my first unsafe post.

It seems to be that if I write about something that I'm having a hard time with or something that I'm unsure about that I come across as weak. I've always been told how strong I am. I even had two really great friends in high school write papers about me and my strength and knowing what I wanted in life.

I started writing this post a month ago. As fellow bloggers know, Blogger allows for unpublished posts to be saved as a draft to be finished later. This one just sat and sat....until now.

I don't have much to write about right now. I just knew I had to open the gates so that I could write about things that I consider unsafe.

It's now safe to write freely.

What changed?

ME.

Outtakes

2006-11-26T18:13:00.000-08:00

I recently purchased an Ergo Baby Carrier so that I can wear Zander for long periods at a time. I love having him close to me as I go for a walk or shopping. Because the Ergo works so well and costs so much ($100) I'm selling my other carriers.

Greg took pictures of Z & I so I could post ads on craigslist.

Click here for the ads: https://post.craigslist.org/manage/240232957/e7qkq https://post.craigslist.org/manage/240243621/3j5c6

Below are the outtakes of our photoshoot...enjoy!

Airplanes kept flying by, so most of the following pictures were taken during their flight overhead.

Here Z & I are looking at the plane instead of the camera.

Bad models!! :)

Here's Z signing airplane in his baby-sign kind of way. The actual sign looks like a flying I Love You.

Another plane flying by. Another opportunity to show the sign.

In this picture I look like I'm trying to imitate a duck! In actuality, I'm signing NO to our friend David who happened to be at the house while we did this photoshoot. I'm glad he was there because he danced around in silly ways that got great smiles from Z.

You can probably guess what I'm signing here. Or if you don't know the actual phrase, you get the idea. "All Done" The sign starts with both hands on either side of the head, palms facing back. Flip hands around like you see me doing in the picture and you're signing All Done.

That's all the outtakes pictures I am willing to show. The others are just too darn embarrassing. **smile**

(Let me know if you're interested in purchasing any of the slings shown. Click on the links for the craigslist ads for contact information.)

THE SHOW was a Success!!

2006-11-12T18:36:00.000-08:00

(Greg & Zander with Big Tom who put the show on.)
I'm not even sure where to begin...the show was a success!

The beginning:
It didn't start until 2p, so Greg, Zander and I were able to wake up at a normal time and have a lovely family morning. We hung out in the sun room talking, stretching, listening to an Abraham-Hicks CD while Greg drank his coffee, I had my usual large glass of water and then Z and I split a tasty banana, strawberry smoothie. We were finally ready to go to the The Center at 11a to meet Michele and JB.

Our wonderful support:
Michele is a very good friend, we call her family by choice. In fact, it's hard not to think of her as family because she was my step-son's mother's father's companion for many years. That may seem very far removed. In our world it's very close. That relationship ended only because Jack decided he was done being here in the physical form. Michele is also our partner in another project.

(Michele, in purple, available to help.)

JB is the eldest son of Greg's best friend, Craig. Greg helps Craig and both of his boys with their cars. JB was showing his appreciation by helping us set up at the show.
(JB, in black t-shirt, helping Greg set up.)
The power of manifestation:
With over 80 artists needing to schlep their wares into the The Center, Greg manifested the two closest parking spots to the main door. THANK YOU, GREG! Our spot was as far away as you can get within the auditorium, so not having to walk the whole length of the parking lot as well was a relief.

The set up: (Greg, JB & Michele setting up the display.)
It took the four of us 2.5 - 3 hours to set up. That included:

Bringing EVERYTHING inside from Greg's van and my wagon (there were even 2 volunteers that made a few trips back & forth to help out)

Position the tables with table cloths, attach the 'walls' and their vinyl coverings, hang the pegboard from the organ box, position the roll around cart and it's vinyl coverings

Unpack each piece and neatly roll up the bubble wrap to be placed under the tables for easy finding later

Hang 5 large pieces from the 'walls'
Carefully balance 3 medium sized pieces on the top of the organ box

Artfully display all the rest of the pieces on the table tops, sides of the organ box and sides of the roll around

Place the price tags near each piece

Hang the "Show Special: 25% off" signs

Dust table tops

Stand back to look at the space as a whole and move stuff around

Stand back again and move more stuff around

Ditto

Done

Two o'clock came and we were ready. Well, everyone except Greg...he was still in his set-up clothes. So, I sent him out to the van to change and bring back the business card holder with him. Then we were ready.

Ergo:
I wanted to help out as much as possible at the show, so I sold my slings & carriers I had to wear Z in & bought an Ego Baby Carrier. I had to sell all four (2 Maya Wraps, 1 Mei Tai Baby, 1 Moby Wrap) just to pay for the Ergo - and it was worth it! I wore Z most of the day. He took 2 naps in the Ergo, he nursed in the Ergo, he went around and talked to the other artists and attendees with me. I never would have been able to do that with my other carriers. Thankfully Michele hung out with Z a few times during the show so that I could better help Greg & rest my body. (Z asleep in the Ergo. Adorable!)

Feedback:
Everyone who came into our space laughed or smiled. Most people made a comment about how much they loved what they saw. One man looked Greg in the eye, shook his hand and said, "You have the best stuff here!" Can it get better than that?

(Greg standing at the roll around cart.)

Friends & Family:
We have some wonderful friends and family. Everyone who said they were going to come showed up and a few who said they weren't sure stopped by too. THANK YOU! We loved seeing you at the show and sharing our first time out with you!

(Jene, Kalika & Michele having a good laugh.)

Thank you Kalika for purchasing the VW Bug Key Holder. I now know of something else we have in common.

Thank you Jene for getting the candle holder. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Thank you Auntie Helner for buying what you did. (She bought it as a Christmas gift and the receiver might read this. So, you know, it's on the hush and hush. :)

It's such a treat knowing that some of Greg's artwork is now in your home.

Playing:
A lot of Greg's pieces are interactive. Push a button and you might see a light blink, hear a buzz or see a fan twirl. I had fun showing these pieces to friends who had never seem them before. The most fun was holding 'Sparky' at kid level for Kian and Nalani to push the button. At first they weren't sure. After seeing mom do it they were willing to step closer and give it a try for themselves. They seemed to get a kick out of it. They both took turns pushing the button for longer and longer periods to see the light blink and hear the buzz. I really enjoyed seeing the their faces light up, especially Kian's since he wasn't feeling well.

(Looking out of our space to the right. Kian holding mom's hand, Mary Jo. Nalani being held by dad, Brian.)

Artists & their websites:
With Zander safely snug in the Ergo & my animal print business card holder in my hand, he & I went around the entire show with a mission: how many links can I get for our website http://www.gregsstudio.com/?

I asked most of the other artists at the show if they would be willing to link with our website. Our wonderful website guy told us that the more relevant links you have on your site the higher you come up in search engine results. Everyone I spoke to was willing to do so, though a lot of them either don't have a site up yet or don't like the site they do have up. I was surprised. At the same time I was relieved because I was starting to think we were the last ones without an active site!

Since I was wearing Z and couldn't make notes on their business cards, I'm not sure what the final count actually is. When our site is closer to being up I'll contact them to see what their status is in cyber space. If you have an art related web site and would like to link up, let me know!

(Greg & Z enjoying The Show.)

The End:
The show went until 7p and slowed down considerably around 6:15p. At this point I was sitting on the floor hiding behind the roll around feeding Z apple/pear sauce. Michele was standing nearby and reassured me that it was not me sitting there that was causing people not to come inside are space. She could see the whole auditorium from where she was standing and could see that some artists were actually packing up early.

We waited until 7p to pack up. Michele & Zander packed all the price tags. I actually got Z on video putting one in it's plastic bag. Cute. While Michele chased after Z throughout the room Greg and I packed up all the pieces that were going home with us. Then one of the volunteers helped Greg take everything out to the cars. The packing up was not quite as organized as the setting up. It didn't take as long though - only about 2 - 2.5 hours. We were the last ones to leave.

Rest, Food, and Reflection:
It was drizzling when we got outside The Center. It only took a moment to figure out where we wanted to go though - Mama Testa's. We got there pretty quickly considering we had three cars to park in Hillcrest on a Saturday night. I had my usual yummy avocado tacos, Greg had his potato tacos and Michele ate fish tacos. As usual the beans, chips and especially the sauces were terrific.

Michele said she heard a lot of people talking about how fun all of Greg's pieces are. She also said people commented most on 'How Do You Like Your Hippo' and 'Roadside Out'.

The three of us decided that we had a very successful show. We had a great display, though we do want to do some tweaking. We got better feedback and than I was expecting. Better in that I heard more consistently how great it all was. We added people to our email list. We sold a few pieces. And...we had FUN!

Here's to the next adventure for Greg's Studio...

THE SHOW is Coming!

2006-11-08T13:55:00.000-08:00

Greg is doing his first art show this weekend. Admission is Free!

Food & drinks will be available such as: Margaritas, nachos, hot dogs, veggie dogs, sodas, bottled juices & water, and other snacks.

There will also be entertainment. The very accomplished "Bass" from Solana Beach, singing his beautifully balanced melodies -- a master of the soft touch who will entertain everyone all afternoon. He wowed the crowds at the Pride Festival this past summer. There will also be another musician from San Diego - "Jareb" - a young singer and guitarist who will be serenading the crowd as he weaves his way thru the different areas, inside and out, later in the afternoon. Currently he's featured on Saturday evenings at "The Espresso Garden", a new coffee on Park Blvd. near Henry's Market.

The show promises to be a great place to have fun and to buy some early, unique Holiday gifts. It's a sold out show with close to 80 local San Diego artists. Please come and check it out!

When: Sat, Nov, 11th, 2006, 2p - 7p
Where: The Center in Hillcrest at 3909 Centre St.

Greg's space is in front of the stage near the concession window.

Look for the Greg's Studio sign.

Hope to see you there!

Getting Ready for THE SHOW

2006-11-07T17:17:00.000-08:00

Oh my! There is so much to do to get ready for an art show... Especially if you've never done one! Here's a partial list of what Greg & I have been doing over the past month:

Making each piece salable - is it clean? is it signed? is it named? priced?
Setting up the display space - Greg made 2 'walls' to hang his vertical pieces.
Accepting money - setting up a merchant account (I wont get into all THAT research I did!), getting cc slips, receipt book, etc.
Taking pictures of each piece - once it's sold, it's GONE!
Packaging each piece - did you know that bubblewrap takes up an entire small bedroom?!
Logo - we've been working with an awesome website guy and his graphic artist.
Business cards - these will be finished tonight, right on!!
and on and on and on and on...

Amazingly, Greg and I have been doing great while getting all this together. Every once in awhile it would get stressful and then we would realize that we had the time to get it all done. We have a commitment that anything related to Greg's Studio be fun and enjoyable! Sometimes that meant taking a break and eating something delicious. Or going for a walk or taking a nap.

(The picture is a close up of one of Greg's pieces called The Whistler.)

The Blue Angels

2006-10-12T18:21:00.000-07:00

Here's an excerpt from a journal I keep for Zander:

10.12.06 Thur

Blue Angels
The Blue Angels fly in an air show over the military base every year. They were practicing today for their shows tomorrow & Saturday & Sunday. As cool as they are to watch - they are LOUD! I'm confident your morning nap was short due to them flying over the house.

Daddy & I decided to take you for a walk. Daddy pushed you in the Quinny. You were fine until the Blue Angels few overhead. Daddy & I decided at the same instant that it was going to get very loud and lunged toward you to cover your ears. So not only did you have this very frighteningly loud noise that you didn't understand, you also had the two peo0ple you trust the most freaking out!

Your eyes went wide, your mouth dropped open, you sucked in your breath to let out a wail, but just like how we see the Blue Angels & then hear them moments later, no sound came out until I had you wrapped up in my arms. WWaaaaahhhhhhhh!

"Oh, baby. It's loud, huh? Scary? I've got you. It's the Blue Angels practicing. I'll cover your ears so it's not so loud. I love you."

7 weeks without a name

2006-10-07T21:25:00.000-07:00

We didn't name Zander until the day he turned 7 weeks old.

Our midwife's assistant asked, "What do you call him?"
I answered very casually, "He, Him, Baby, Charm, Prince Charming, Sweetie, Sweet Pea."

While I was pregnant we were 51% sure we were having a girl. Greg wanted to name her Cooper. I think that would be a very cute name & I had agreed to it BEFORE I got pregnant. Once I found out I was really going to have a baaaaby, I realized that I wanted a much different name for a girl: McKena.

I love how McKena goes with our last name - Duncan. I really love all the nicknames - Kena (my favorite), Ken, Kenie, even Mac or MK.

So now you might be wondering why we didn't use Cooper since it is a boy's name. Well, Greg had it in mind for a girl's name for so long that he couldn't wrap his brain around it for a boy's name. And I didn't like it enough.

During those first 7 weeks we tried on many names. Even going so far as introducing Z to people as that name. The one we liked the best was Vaughn. Unfortunately most people spelled and pronounced it like Vons the grocery store - Ugg! The worst part about having that as a first name is the initials - VD.

So after weeks of reading baby name books, visiting countless web sites & watching the credits to every movie we watched, we finally decided on Zander. When we told our neighbor, his 4.5 year-old reply was, "Now all you need is the Alex." His name is Alexander. :)

I think we accomplished what we set out to do: find a name that is unique, but not weird; familiar, but not so common. And he's got some great nicknames - Z (my favorite), Zan, Zany, and Sweet Pea still sticks, too.

Rampage of Appreciation

2006-10-03T19:09:00.000-07:00

Today is a beautiful day...The air smells nice & is refreshing...The park was clean and Z & I had fun swinging...There weren't very many cars on the street when Z & walked to and from the park...Lunch, which was left overs from last night's dinner, was scrumptous...I like how my desk looks when it's organized...I love looking around my house & seeing my husband's art pieces...I love looking around my house & seeing the effects of Z existing in my life...Z has the cutest, softest behind...Z's breath is the purest thing I have ever smelled...I'm grateful for my health, my house, my car, my plants, my computer, my TV, my running water & electricity, my cordless mouse & wireless internet connection, my headset, my nursing shirts, my book Ask & it is Given...I like how friendly my letter carrier is...I have a very cute denim jacket...I'm glad it's getting cooler so I can wear my denim jacket...I'm glad winter is coming so I can use the seat heater in the car, snuggle by the fireplace, watch the sunset in the early evening, wear sweaters and socks & shoes...I enjoy knowing there are people out there who know how to make home births safe, fix things, build things, knit and make delicious raw food...

Do NOT go to the Zoo on Founders Day!

2006-10-02T14:39:00.000-07:00

We don't have a pass to the Zoo and I don't think we're going to get one soon, so I thought I would take advantage of the Fee Entrance on Founders Day. I sent an email inviting a few friends, some with kids, some without. Only one friend and her two year-old son joined us. Now I know why the others chose not to come...the Zoo is incredibly CROWDED on the first Monday in October!

Since my wrist hasn't completely healed (I strained it putting a highchair away one-handed at a restaurant a couple of weeks ago) I decided to put Zander in the Quinny instead of wear him. It was easier for me, though I don't think it was much fun for him. The Zoo isn't really set up for kids in strollers. There were very few exhibits where he could see the animals. Not that he seemed all that interested in the ones he could see! :)

At the top is a picture of Z (on the right) and his friend, Charlie, fast asleep at the end of their day at the Zoo.

Inspired to blog again

2006-10-01T10:09:00.001-07:00

I've been surrounded by blogs lately...and been loving it!

I set up my husband's - www.GregsStudio.blogspot.com, and helped a good friend set up her's - www.InSearchOfMyMetaphor.blogspot.com. Another friend started a fresh new blog to chronical her wild time in El Paso - www.ElPasoAdventure.blogspot.com, and I've come across a few that have encourged me in my Raw Food dreams - www.KarenKnowler.typepad.com, www.WeLikeItRaw.com, and www.RawFoodRightNow.blogspot.com.

All of this reading has inspired me to continue this blog I started way back when. I have 'written' so many posts of the last few days in my head: as I'm driving, nursing my almost 14 month old son, Zander, or doing dishes. The only problem is that I haven't figured out how to telepathically get those posts here so you can read them. :)

Well, it's breakfast time here. Zander and I are off to have a banana, strawberry smoothie with Udo Erasmus oil water and ice...yummy! If daddy wakes up in time he may be able to enjoy some with us.

Have a fantastic Sunday!

Diaper Bag

2005-10-20T18:22:00.000-07:00

(I'm still typing and retyping...Hopefully I'll get over this embarrassment soon.)

When I first started this post Z was sitting on my lap goo gooing at me and waving his arms around. I wish I could understand the story he told me! Now he's nursing on top of two Brestfriends wrapped around my waist. Sounds funny, but it works. :)

Okay, the Diaper Bag. This has been such an issue for me recently. While I was pregnant I 1)imagined how I would use a diaper bag, 2)watched other mom's that I admired, and 3)did a bunch of research online. I found what I thought was the perfect diaper bag. And it almost was. I exchanged it only because the one backpack strap didn't work for me. I found another bag of a similar design with two straps from the same company. I'm now exchanging this one due to a manufacturer's defect. I decided to get the same bag all in black instead of the really cool looking camel & black two-tone (I'm told toddlers can get really messy).

My only complaint re this bag is how heavy it gets. My back really hurts after wearing it for a bit. I have a dream of wearing Z in a sling in front & carrying the diaper bag on my back. With Z & the bag both weighing about 10 lbs, I'm not going to last long. :(

One reason the bag weighs as much as it does is because I want what I want when I want it. Got it?! So, in this bag I carry the essentials such as diapers (Tushies disposables & cloth), wipes, and a change of clothes for Z. I also have 2 blankets, grooming stuff for Z (brush, nail file & clipper), and a bunch of things I want - business card holder, mints, lip gloss, nail file, mirror, 2 energy bars, wallet stuff (cards, cash), keys, sunglasses, hand lotion, and water bottle.

The perfect diaper bag would:

be really cool looking - some might know it's a diaper bag, most wouldn't
have lots of pockets to hold lots of stuff in an organized way
be durable and last many years
be light weight....hehe!

My dilemma is trying to figure out which of the following to choose:

Continue as is
Carry same bag with less stuff = less weight
Carry smaller bag with less stuff
Carry small bag & keep this one in car with items not used often
Perfect solution I haven't thought of yet :)

Until option 5 presents itself, I'll check out option 2. What to remove????

I'll start with the brush, nail file & clipper for Z. In the last 10.4 wks I've not used them once. I'll also remove the 2 extra changes of clothes & socks as well as 1 of the blankets. I'll only carry with me as many diapers as I think we'll need for any given outing rather than the 10 I've been carrying.

I just weighed the bag...Wow! It lost 3 lbs.

Z and I have a date tomorrow afternoon. I'll be able to check out the new design. Stay tuned...

(BTW, if you have any suggestions, please leave a comment.)

1st timer & purpose

2005-10-19T22:11:00.000-07:00

So, how do you start one of these things? I've already typed and retyped 3 paragraphs! I'm feeling a bit shy when I think about others reading this. I guess that's why I've aleady decided not to tell anyone about it. So, if you've found this & read it, please leave a comment letting me know how you found it & anything else you'd like to say.

The purpose of this, really, is for me to jot down - to journal - about things I woud like my son to know about.

At some point in my early teens I realized how little I knew about my mom & decided I would start keeping track of my life for my future children. I tried journaling and found that I was bored when re-reading it or I wrote way more than I wanted anyone to know about. *smile* I also attempted using photographs to show my life. This format ended up being a bit laborous for me, especially since I had to rely on others for supplies - camera, film, developing (obviously pre-digital days), photo albums, etc. When I did have all the supplies I seemed to either forget the event depicted in the picture or get tongue-tied. *grin* So, I ended up saving everything else - movie tickets, notes from friends, school letters & reports, art, etc.

So, obviously the format that works for me isn't going to work here. :) I've decided to attempt journaling again. This comes after a couple of months of reading another woman's personal blog. Though we did meet once, I don't really know her and through her posts I have a sense of who she is. I want my son to get a sense of who I am. So, here goes...