weekending

Posted in familyness, weekending by ElaineMarie

you know there was a time in my life when i went full steam ahead from one activity to the next. i thought life was to be measured by the number of places i could visit, or concerts i attended. i thought i had to be “doing” something to make my life notable.

becoming a mother slowed me down and made me take time to focus on things other than what new restaurant i went to or what band i saw. although those things are still a part of my world, they no longer have the emphasis they once did. i’ve sharpened the skill of finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. this skill has given me the gift of being happy in the moment and i believe another name for that feeling is contentment.

these are my extraordinary ordinary moments. these are my moments of simplicity that i hope to look back on when i’m older and be reminded that my life was bursting with wonderful experiences and i was at my best when i could see the magic in the everyday.

like….

the enthusiasm and excitement on darla’s face when she saw her new bed. she said “i have a whole new view on the world from up here!” and she told me she might not even need her dreamcatcher anymore since “bad dreams probably can’t reach all the way up here.” she seems to really love spending time in her own space now and that was what we were hoping for her. with all the new changes about to come, it’s nice to know she’ll have a special space of her own to retreat to and *fingers-crossed* cultivate some more independence.

like…

watching her show off her new hula hoop and practice her hooping skills.

like…

pulling up some of the first of the harvest from our own garden and slicing up a bowl of crunchy radishes for darla as a snack at her request.

like…

preparing a special corner. i spent time gazing into this corner wondering just what my future holds in these next few weeks.

like…

celebrating husbeau’s radness and dadness.

like…

laughing at the absurd number of pillows required to provide a good night’s rest at this point in pregnancy.

i also want to remember the wonderful simplicity of baby shower brunch with friends and the generosity of yet another visit from my parents. i want to remember that i couldn’t stop talking about the weather all weekend because it was simply gorgeous. i want to remember how good it tastes to make muffins with cream instead of milk.

these are good, ordinary days.

* i hope you enjoyed some good, good days of your own this weekend *

3Jun2014

weekending

Posted in weekending by ElaineMarie

i can only hope that darla’s last few weeks of life as an only child will be much like this past weekend which was pretty close to perfection. we packed it in with that beautiful weather going on. and for me, i hope these last few weeks will contain more donuts like the salty caramel one i picked up at the farmer’s market.

i want to put down here for darla, in the event that she ever read this blog {good luck friend}, that she is an incredibly lucky girl to have a father like mike. he’s been putting in long hours and days at work but is never short on energy or attention for d when he returns home. i keep waiting for the bottom to drop out but he consistently pulls more energy out of thin air to take darla out to the park, or errands, or to a social gathering after coming home thusly giving me a much-needed break or to high-five while i head off to work or commitments with clients. i’m so grateful for that and i hope that one day, darla will be too. and i also hope that energy holds out when we have a second child taking up residence in our lives.

we’re all making it through somehow, huh?

and also, there was nelsonville music festival…which is deserving of its own post. so that’s coming sometime. you can look forward to seeing pics of me dressed as a watermelon!

* i hope you enjoyed a wonderful weekend and that your week is off to a great start*

19May2014

weekending

Posted in familyness, love and happiness, pregnancy, weekending by ElaineMarie

before i jump in to talking about myself, let’s talk about you. how was your weekend? was it a good one? i hope so.

we experienced a nice midwestern weekend here. our time was spent soaking in things like farmer’s market visits, mother + daughter coffee dates, yard work, snuggle fests on our one morning together as a fam and rain. we soaked in lots of rain. and a visit from grandparents. isn’t it grand when ordinary life moments come together so nicely? my parents and my husband helped me catch up on rest. this bump is really wearing me out these days. i’m crossing my fingers for nicer weather this week so we can get outside and run off excess energy {for darla, not me. the only thing i have an excess of is a need for sitting down}.

and hair! i have an excess of hair. which brings me to the next development of this blog…

lustrous pregnancy hair

the next few months are going to be a celebration of voluminous hair. i’m going to enjoy this until this baby is born and my hormones shift back and all this hair falls out. i’m living in a hair dream right now and i’m gonna talk about it, dammit.

*my hair and i are sending you our best for a superb week. we hope you see some sunshine*

5May2014

weekending

Posted in doula work, familyness, love and happiness by ElaineMarie

all the frustration from last weekend over arrested productivity melted away this weekend. it’s hard not to feel enthused about a weekend that begins with donuts. and it’s hard not to feel productive during a weekend that you’re hosting such helpful visitors. my parents are such a support and a help to my growing family. i was very thankful and happy to have them visit us this weekend. months ago, when we had just moved into a new house and i subsequently found out i was growing a person, i felt a little at loss at how i was going to pull everything together.

and to be truthful, it’s not all together but it’s getting there. i can see the light at the end of the tunnel. and i’m feeling like we MIGHT just have a good deal of life progress completed before we settle down to meet this new human. i’m not quite ready but i’m feeling confident that i will be soon. which is more than i can say for when i was expecting darla.

i remember mike and i having a conversation on the way to the hospital for my birthing time with d and discussing how we hoped it was a false alarm. we were not ready. there are days that i’m still not ready for the force that is Darla in my life but this moment in time feels…bear with me for this analogy… like the effects of a shot of warm liquor*. it spreads through you reaching to the tips of your toes and fingers slowly until you’re warm all over and you have this calmness that says “this is right and this is good.” that’s what the conclusion of this weekend feels like. i’m feeling right and i’m feeling good.

and i wouldn’t be in this mentality if it weren’t for all the helpers and support i have in my life. my parents, my husbeau, neighbors and friends and even my little helper that helped {somewhat, sometimes} getting projects accomplished this weekend. my weekend even consisted of helpers i’d never met before since i attended the birth without fear meet-up on saturday. it was an inspiring day and it helped me put a finger on some of the things i’m working through with this pregnancy.

oh gawd. you know you’re in your 3os when you are looking back at your weekend and are excited about the gardening and painting instead of the parties and the concerts.

but it was fulfilling and it was progress and i am thankful. and i am in my 30s. so this is right and this is good.

*ok, so disclaimer: i haven’t had a shot of warm liquor in YEARS. a more accurate description of this would be what it used to feel like when my body could tolerate that lifestyle more. a shot of warm liquor would probably feel A LOT different now, not nearly as poetic. in case i forgot to mention this…i’m in my 30s now.

28Apr2014

weekending

Posted in familyness, love and happiness, weekending by ElaineMarie

these are the moments i want to remember. i fear i give moments like these too little importance in my mind. it’s hard when so much of life seems to be planned around big events, get-togethers and commitments, which have their rightful place in life. but i am in love with the moments like these from our weekend:

like remembering that husband is my daughter’s chosen companion in the early morning hours. making coffee and breakfast for my family during our weekend mornings. darla receiving a music history / art history lesson over the breakfast table. listening to one of my favorite voices in the world in a friends living room. seeing richard buckner’s living room show this weekend was a highlight {if you have a chance to go to a living room show at some point, please do}. going on a tea & scones relaxation date when we were feeling squirrely {she} and unsatisfied with productivity at home {me}. husbeau gifting us with patti smith’s easter and singing along with darla, who had been listening to gremlins on her player earlier. but my most cherished moments of the weekend were going through saved baby items and uncovering little pieces of the past. like those boots. gawwww. i’m tearing up over here writing and thinking of how big my little girl is but one time, long ago, she stomped around in these when she first got to stompin.’ and now i’m going to put another baby in them.

life just kills me with the small moments. thanks for taking in these ones that mean so much to me.

*hope you had a wonderful weekend. wishing you a stellar week*

11Apr2014

plant plans

Posted in Run Da House by ElaineMarie

who doesn’t get excited about a big plant sale. obviously darla does. we picked up a few new green friends the other day and it got my nesting feathers ruffled for more updates to our space. i love adding more life to this house be it green babies or human babies. my only problem is i don’t really seem to have a green thumb yet. i don’t know much about taking care of house plants. i need to have someone come over and give me a private houseplant lesson. yeah, i’ve pinned a lot to pinterest to look over and read up a bit but learning in person seems to be my forte.

anyway, the pics of me re-potting a plant are superfluous but they were taken by darla so i thought i’d include them as a keepsake. good luck with your weekend. here’s hoping sunshine comes your way this weekend for you and all your growing things!

28Oct2013

weekending 43

Posted in weekending by ElaineMarie

photo 57C8F68C-B75C-47B6-B837-0A715B8FA13C-23718-000010D246E61793_zps69c77694.jpg

alright, can we just pause here before we move on to the rest of the pictures to recognize how utterly “big-kid” like this little girl of mine is getting to be. her best friend turned 5 this week and her younger cousin turned 4 which means that everything is speeding by way too fast and i want to figure out how to put these kids in one of those little terrariums that you wear around your neck so they can stay small and safe forever. that’s normal, right?

she’s busting out her big girl moves all over the place these days and while I AM SAD, i’m also happy for her too. she’s just truly amazing. i spend a good chunk of time lately feeling completely unworthy of the companionship of such a lovely little person. she’s still wild as can be but there are times like tonight when she looks at her dad before bed and books and says “i think you and i need some time apart” in the most grown-up voice and it sleighs me. i had to hide my face under the cover so she couldn’t see my laughter, not because i don’t want to encourage her but because i want her to feel free to behave that way again.

and then part of me is afraid i’m losing that wild, uninhibited little girl. i spend a lot of time trying to teach manners and social boundaries but now that they’re sinking in i’m wondering if i really want those things to go away.

gawwwhhh parenting!!!

^^^ getting help from dad during craft time ^^^

and then there are times like this last picture that i’m pretty sure i don’t have to worry so much about those idiosyncrasies disappearing just yet. this was taken at darla’s last dance class. this session was her first time taking dance at the community center and it went over pretty well. i have to say i don’t think we could have found a more perfect atmosphere for her. i love that the girls can wear whatever they want and even bring their teddy bears out on the floor with them. i love that she is free in these classes. i love that she is learning that dancing is fun, above all else. lessons should not be work at this age. they should be fun. and that is exactly what the community center has delivered to us every time. i’m so thankful to them and look forward to signing darla up for a few things this winter.

thanks for letting me share those bits of our weekend. hope yours was grand and i hope you got to put a donut in your face.

21Oct2013

weekending 42

Posted in familyness, gratitude adjustment, i dig music, it's cool to school, love and happiness, parenting apparently?, weekending by ElaineMarie

it’s boot weather. this weekend was very much out and about. friday is looking to be our family day this fall. we braved the homecoming crowd to take in the blues for smoke exhibit in the afternoon. this was a precursor to our friend’s performance there friday evening with Lonnie Holley. Both performances blew my mind but Lonnie gave me a new catch phrase that’s been stuck in my head: thumbs up to mother universe.

between the two wexner events we walked past a new little donut spot {literally named the little donut shop} and had to stop in for some tasty maple bacon goodness. mike got a samoa and darla got her standard sprinkles special. those last two pics are us as cheerleaders for the columbus marathon. this was my first time as a spectator at a marathon and it was more inspiring and entertaining than i thought it would be. that might be due to the pair of sideliners dressed up in the horse mask, followed by his friend clapping cups behind him up and down the road. it was fun to cheer on the runners.

i guess this is the only time of year we visit the wexner center since the last time we went was about a year ago. it’s a great way for me to make observations about darla’s cognitive progress, though. last year she didn’t really want anything to do with looking at the exhibit. this year she was just really motivated to look at only the things she wanted to take in, which is pretty wonderful in my book. no standardized tests needed here!

but it does make it a bit hard for mike and i to have a personal experience. luckily, the wexner offers free tours on thursdays so we can return again at a later date.

but what i mainly want to say about life thoughts from the weekend is how thankful i am to have this little family that runs around getting involved in so much life. i can let myself get pretty stressed out at times about the fact that laundry piles up, dishes don’t get done and there never seems to be enough time to clean up all the messes. and then i remember that’s a sign that i’m living my life. i’m not simply maintaining it. a clean house is life management, not life. we get out there. that may be our strongest area as parents up until this point, we get darla out for experiences. she’s done a lot in these short years. she’s learned to be the master of her own universe. she’s learned to seek out life. and for that i’m thankful.

14Oct2013

weekending 41

Posted in advantageous adventures, familyness by ElaineMarie

this past weekend was kinda like we just lived this weekend over again. we traversed back to mike’s home town for this annual event, the last county fair in ohio for the year.

so let’s talk about the fish darla got at the fair. no, first let’s talk about the fair. ummmm it was fun and darla got a fish.

there, now we can talk about the fish.

you can see in that pic how happy she is to have her first pet. she’s really, really happy. i trusted darla to hold the fish on the way home. we made it to about 35 min in, less than 10 min from home, when i heard a pop from the back. i used jedi-like reflexes to scoop up the burst bag with just enough water left for the fish to {maybe?} survive. we sped along after that with darla yelling in the back and mike undesiring of pulling over to refill the water. this means i spent the last 10 min of our fun-filled day in complete anxiety that this fish was going to die in front of my eyes. this is a foreshadowing of how this animal is going to exist in our house, me thinks.

we made it. and gilbert winston falbert now lives in a big vase until i can find time to make the rounds to the thrift stores in hopes of finding an affordable tank. and i’m not entirely sure he’s eating correctly. and i can feel myself stressing about this fish already. i know i need to let it all go.

so i’m asking of you and the universe to help me to remember this is a learning experience. and that my girl is really happy to have her first pet and that’s what matters. she’s invested in this experience and has enjoyed taking care of him. she’s learning how to care for a goldfish thus far through youtube. we have plans on checking out some literature during our weekly library trip. so this is a big opportunity for growth.

aaaaand, thankfully she’s really into dead things so when this fish dies in a week it’s not going to be a big deal.

16Sep2013

weekending

Posted in familyness, let me let me update ya, weekending by ElaineMarie

our weekend looks a lot like just darla’s weekend in pictures. let’s be honest, we’re really just along for the ride here. we returned to sweaters with some fall-ish weather these past few days. it’s welcome, i can tell you that. the weekend was mostly uneventful which was also welcome.

we went on walks with very interesting clothing choices.

darla attended her very first ever dance class.

we listened to Happy Together by the Turtles on repeat because it’s someone’s favorite current song {so long video killed the radio star} and a very nice father found a 45 of it as a gift.

we built tent forts in the back yard and

made the first apple crisp of fall.

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