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So, yesterday morning, it was a cold and rainy day…so River decided it was definitely a morning for Cream of Wheat…so while we were getting ready for breakfast, we spent about a half an hour singing “The Cream of Wheat” song. It was great fun..though in the video, I am the one doing most of the singing……
Then I spent about twenty minutes making the cream of wheat and adding the brown sugar and the butter and cooling it down and then putting it in front of River. And then…..
One of the blogs I frequently read is ashleyann photograph. I love all her bright photos and inspirational images. Today, her post was all about leaving proof by taking photos with your kids. I found it inspirational. This is quoted directly from her site:
Here is a brief summary from the flickr group dedicated to this…it is well worth your time to read it. The below is written by Emilie Ahren:
“Many scrapbookers knew Aleida Franklin. She was a wonderful wife and mother and a brilliant artist. I didn’t know Aleida personally, but she taught me something I will never forget.
She emailed me last year to tell me she loved my blog and to ask if I liked my short hair-cut. This lead to a series of emails which eventually led me to remark that I really loved how often she posted pictures of herself with her children on her blog. And she replied to me, “Have you ever seen a photograph of your own mother and thought to yourself how fat she looked? Or how she wasn’t wearing make-up? Or wasn’t dressed in a glamorous outfit?” Of course my answer was no.
She then responded with saying that she made it a goal to take a picture of herself with her children at least once every month. And that to use excuses about how we look, as women, is ridiculous, since our children will never care what we looked like, but only that we had physical evidence of the bond between mother and child.
Aleida tragically and unexpectedly passed away in an auto accident in September of 2008, leaving 2 small children and a grieving husband. After she passed I thought of how those children must feel to have those precious photographs. I have made it my personal goal to follow her wise suggestion and I try to take photos of myself with my children….double chins, make-up free, bed-head and all.
I invite Mothers everywhere to take Aleida’s Challenge. To photograph yourself with your children each and every month. And to post them here so that we can see Aleida’s legacy unfolding.”
So, here are my photos from today………
Wow…my third what’s hot and what’s not post! I can’t believe it. Writing a post every day has helped me alot. It makes me think about what I am going to write and makes me focus a bit more. I am continuing the loobylu tradition and continuing the what’s hot and what’s not posting.
What’s hot:
-Candy corn…We keep it in a little halloween container and my 2 year old daughter has figured out how to “steal” the candy while no one is looking..or so she thinks!
-Fake 100 dollar bill…my father gave us this…it is an advertisement for a company on the one side, but the other side looks like a real one hundred dollar bill. We have all been having a lot of fun tricking people with it.
-My new ipod! It gets loaded with tons of great music and movies for the car rides that are not so fun!
-Microwave popcorn…we’ve been eating too much of it..maybe it’s the cold weather….
-Chocolate and white chocolate chip and coconut swirl cake…too delicious..especially the fudge like icing!
-Sweaters waiting to be made into woolies..
-Mail…my daughter has acquired a little mail box and every day she waits anxiously for “mail!”
-Games…games..and more games…my daughter wants to play them all day long!
What’s Not:
-Microwave popcorn…we’ve been eating too much of it..maybe it’s the cold weather….
-Chocolate and white chocolate chip and coconut swirl cake…too delicious..especially the fudge like icing!
(I had to write those two in both spots!!!)
-A hardwood floor that has been newly discovered under a worn out rug…but it has glue all over it and needs fixing up!
-A still dying plant..that doesn’t know what to do with itself!
-School forms..it seems that every time I turn around there is another form to fill out for school!
I finally managed to rearrange the art room and drag the easel up from downstairs. I have been meaning to do it for a long time now. River has decided she loves to paint. Every time she wanted to paint, it would turn into quite a mess….so the easel was the solution, but it is so big, I was afraid it would take up too much space. But with some creative furniture moving….and grunting and groaning from the stairs..I was able to set it up. She immediately loved it and set to work on a “masterpiece!” After painting for a half hour and asking me every three seconds, if I loved it, and telling me how much fun she was having…she promptly finished and said, “Mommy, I never want to use this easel again! I want to use my desk again!” And proceeded to yell and scream when I told her she had to use the easel to paint from now on! Well, you just can’t win…..
While she was painting, I couldn’t help notice how familiar this “picture” looked…..I had to dig up some old photos from about 8 years ago…I should have put her in the same smock…..
River in 2009
Tuesday in 2001
My goal was to write a post every week day during October…I already failed..Friday I didn’t have time! Well, instead of beating myself up for it..I will just move on..with a new post for the new week. This weekend felt like one of those weekends where you actually get so much done! Not only did I accomplish productive things, but we had lots of fun. We got out all our Halloween decorations and decorated the house and put away all the mess. We went to Six Flags…a first for me in about 25 years! River had a fun time. We had my niece and her boyfriend over for dinner which was a lot of fun. And we relaxed! I got some painting time in! I am determined to finish this mural by Christmas!
Okay..today is one of those days. Not that I’m complaining…I am grateful to have this day. I am just trying to breath and get through it. As my daughter says, “chew and swallow…chew and swallow..” It has become my mantra lately.
River has not been feeling well. Today the &*$#* seems to have hit the fan. She is grumpy about everything. It doesn’t matter if it is changing her diaper, getting her lunch or taking her to the library…it is all about the grump. I am trying to just remember to chew and swallow.
I finally got her down for a nap and I thought I would check on my bank account. My bank has been having some online problems…..well…they have gotten worse. Someone has decided to use my account for their purposes. So, instead of getting a lot done around here…I got to talk to the bank for an hour or so. Now I have to go to the bank and continue to get it straightened out….oh the joy..chew and swallow..chew and swallow..
I did manage to get a little bit of sewing done….a new design that I am working on. I am trying to get some Winter themes worked into my woolies and this one is adorable!
Chew and swallow…chew and swallow….
River had a rough weekend. She wasn’t feeling well the whole time. She finally got a good night of sleep last night…but she seems even grumpier today than she’s been all weekend. I guess some days you just don’t want to do anything. She did not want to model for me..but I convinced her, I thought, to model just one woolie for me. She cried and pouted the entire time. Poor thing. Now she is painting and much happier!
Now I am off to finish up two custom orders!
It is only October 2nd…..and I already am having a hard time doing another blog entry. I am determined though to do one every day this month….except weekends! Today I just keep going back to my sewing desk….starting something and then get interupted. It has not only been that kind of day, but it’s been that type of week! I feel like I have gotten started on a lot of things, but never really accomplishing anything. One hour at a time. River has had a cold all week, so that has slowed things down. She started out great with the potty training, but I think her cold has made her lose her determination! She keeps telling me tomorrow…tomorrow…tomorrow….
Anyway, here is a shot of my desk…..with a milliion things on it….waiting to be finished….Have a great weekend…
Lately, I have been coming across a lot of posts in different blogs about displaying artwork. I love having all my kids artwork all over the house. River is always quite anxious to have her art creations immediately displayed. So, I hung string across the fireplace and used clothes pins to display her work. We rarely have a fire in the fireplace and it is right in the same room with her art desk and all her books. She loves being able to help hang it. And she also loves to show it off!
It always makes it extra challenging when you have a little “helper” always by your side! Sometimes when I go somewhere without my little one, I forget what it is like to do something alone. River loves to be right by my side all day…and even at night! ha ha.
