Happy Birthday JB

Today is my husbands 35th birthday! He took the day off of work. We celebrated by going out for breakfast at what used to be our favorite local spot back when we could still go out to eat more than once a year. Right now he is on a field trip with Enzo and his preschool and later we will enjoy homemade birthday cake after an early dinner this evening.

JB enjoying coffee at breakfast this morning

birthday breakfast

The boys giving him our handmade card

Enzo and Sal made him a hand print painting

First haircut

Sal got his first hair cut on Saturday. He will be two in May and we haven't even given him a trim yet. His hair was super long and lately he begged daily for a "pony" to keep his hair out of his face. Between the food and the snots getting stuck all over his head I felt it was finally time to give him a trim. He looks so different now though I am ready to let it grow out again already.

Before

After

Just Breathe

I have an adventures next two weeks coming up. Monday will be a mellow day and then my challenges as a mother begin. They start on Tuesday when I take Enzo to the Dr for his 5 year check up. He is 5 1/2 now so we are a bit overdue. The issue with this weeks visit is that he will be receiving shots for the first time in a few years. As a parent it is so hard bringing your little infant into the Dr to be vaccinated. You never want to see you child in pain. Luckily though they are young enough to not know what is coming. Then the shots stop for a while. The next round is at age 5. They are older, more aware and more resistant. It will be so hard to watch him be so scared but I can do it.

Next up this week is on Friday. Sal will be visiting an Orthopedic Pediatrician for some leg issues he has been having. It is normal for most children around 18 months to walk pigeon toed (feet pointing in). Most grow out of it. Sal however is now 21 months and his right leg is turning in more than his Dr likes so she thought we should have him looked at by an Orthopedic Dr. I am a bit nervous about this because as a child I had a severe case of this that I did not outgrow. By the time I was in 6th grade the Doctors were telling me the next step would be surgery and a full body cast to correct the issue. At the same time several other orthopedic issues sprung up with me and I ended up being hospitalized twice at Mass General in Boston. The second hospitalization was surgery. My fears for him come from my own long history of medical issues. Nothing life threatening but for various issues I have been hospitalized 6 times and I have had 4 surgeries. I never want my children to feel the pain I went through. Isn't that every mothers wish?

Next week on Tuesday is Kindergarten registration for Enzo. Kindergarten in my town is public and full day. He is so ready for it and I am so excited for him to be taking this next step but I can't deny I feel a tinge of sadness to be taking this first big step in letting go.

The day after we register Enzo for kindergarten we have an appointment for some special testing. Enzo has a slight stuttering and articulation issue that his preschool teacher thought we should get tested before he starts school. She told us she doesn't think he will even qualify for help because it isn't that bad but she just wanted to be proactive. He is a super bright kid and in my heart I know he will either grow out of it or just need some minor help with it. Again though as a mother you never want your child to feel insecure. Sending you child off to school even perfect has its risks of childhood ridicule. We all went through it and turned out fine I know. I can't help wanting to protect him from the world though.

So yes I know these are not things to really complain about. Of course I know how lucky I am. I am thankful every day believe me. But I am human and I am a mother and I worry every single day about these kids. So tonight when I go to bed I will breathe a little deeper, say a few extra prayers and look deep within so I can stand tall next to them these next few weeks and be strong and unafraid.

If any of you read my studio blog you will know I had a huge craft event tonight. We had to make the tough decision this morning to postpone it. They had been predicting another big storm for us today and into tonight. When we woke up this morning it was messy as all heck and the forecast for the rest of the day into the evening looked even worse. The event was supposed to run from 5-8pm with live music, a cash bar, food and of course lots of handmade goodness to look at (or buy). Since the event was after work and we feared most people would want to head right home because of the storm we decided it was best to postpone it for two weeks. So it has now been moved to Friday March 16th. I am glad we had the option at least to postpone it. It makes me very sad. I worked my butt off to get ready for tonight. At least we don't take the risk of having it tonight and now one showing up because of the weather.

Of course it stopped snowing. frickin' New England weather.

Comcast can kiss my

Our local cable company Adelphia got switched to Comcast. We received a happy letter from Comcast on Monday saying on Tuesday our cable services would be officially switched over and they then went and listed all the wonderful benefits we would now have because Comcast has entered our lives. Cable is honestly not something I care too much about. We rent DVR though them but we only have basic cable. We were so sick of Adelphia that I actually welcomed a newcomer. Hoping maybe there would be some good changes. I was wrong.

My kids don't watch a lot of TV. When Enzo does watch TV it is on PBS. On Wednesday I went to turn on a show for him on PBS and a message came on my screen saying "This channel is not available. Call this number to order" So I called customer service to find out about what I thought would be a mistake. Oh no. Vermont PBS is no longer available in our channel listing. I said "WHAT? You canceled PBS? Who in their right mind would remove PBS?" I was told some round about bull answer. She pretty much had no idea what to tell me. There is another version of PBS available but the Vermont PBS station is not. I am a Vermont resident and I cannot get Vermont Public TV? Insane.

Issue # 2 happened today. Since PBS was out of the question I decided to check out the "On Demand" listing. Free kids shows from various stations are available. So I turn it on to browse through the kids listing and blaring in the left side of the TV is this super violent preview. In Adelphia you only got those if you chose to enter the movie section. Now with Comcast it is there in your face while just searching through even the kid stuff. I called to ask if it can be turned off and of course the answer was no.

I am over Comcast and I cannot wait to ditch them. I am very fortunate to have an alternative available to me in about one more month.

Burlington is extremely lucky because as I type the city is being set up with an alternative. Burlington Telecom is providing a state of the art telecommunications network for the city of Burlington. What this means is we finally have an option. We now have another choice for our cable, internet and telephone needs. I have one more month to wait until the services are available in my neighborhood. I can't wait to say goodbye to the big corporation.

So bye bye Comcast crap. Take Vermont PBS away from a Vermonter and you are taking business away from yourselves. Burlington Telecom is offering it. I can imagine there will be a lot of angry parents and other fans of VT PBS who will do the same.

being sick sucks

I have never been a good sick person. Many people I know can get a cold and go on with their lives. Ever since I was a young child a simple cold will put me in bed for days. Sunday night I started to feel a bit congested but since I have chronic allergies I thought it was because I had worked in my basement all day. I woke up Monday morning and realized I was wrong. I had a cold. I sent JB to work and just stayed mellow and indoors with the boys all day. By the time JB got home from work I was wiped and needed to lay down on the couch. I was sick indeed. When I woke up Tuesday morning I had to make the tough decision to have John stay home from work.

Being sick a few years ago when I was working full time was different. If I was so sick that I couldn't (or shouldn't) go into the office JB would drop Enzo off at daycare, go to work and I would rest all day in a quiet house. Now I have two kids and I no longer have that luxury. It is exhausting staying home full time with two kids. It is even more so when you don't feel well. There is no such thing as nap time for mom. So when I woke up Tuesday morning I told JB that if I was working outside of the home there is no way I would go in to work. Because I was this sick I had to ask him to call out from work to stay home so I could try and get some rest. Although I couldn't check out completely (it is hard to sleep when all you hear are children screaming and running around downstairs)but I did manage to nap twice and rest a lot more.

So now it is Wednesday and I did the same. It is so weird how in this country we feel so incredibly guilty when we get sick and need to take care of ourselves. I firmly believe that if people would stop at the first sign of a cold, get in bed and take care of themselves for the first few days, they would heal faster and spread less germs. Instead because of the pressure they feel from their company and or lack of sick leave policies people push themselves, go into work sick, spread all their germs, end up being sick for longer and getting half of their office sick too. Just because you think the company will crumble without you for a couple of days you instead hurt the company more because so many people get sick.

I have to say I am glad to not deal with that office shit anymore. I hated seeing people push themselves to the limits. Someday we will realize the healthier we are in mind and body the more productive we are at our work as well.

Listen to you bodies, trust your instincts and take care of yourself.

off to sip some lemon tea with honey now.

peace

Weekend update

I love when weekends feel complete. A complete weekend for me is when I feel like I had a balance of family time, me time and house time. These weekends are rare, but when they come they feel wonderful.

Friday started out the festivities. Enzo and I had a date night. Our local science center has special events for pass holders when they are opening a new exhibit. They invite all pass holders to a special preview of the exhibit on a Friday evening. This time it was for an event called Frog World. We received the postcard in the mail a week ago and Enzo has been counting down the days ever since. We have been trying to do more alone time with each kid and Enzo is loving it. He very seldom ever gets me all to himself so it was a special treat. We ate pizza with JB when he got home from work and then we took off for our Frog World date night. It was a blast.

Saturday morning I headed out at 8:30 am with two of my girlfriends for a day of kid sale shopping and followed up with a baby shower for a mutual friend of ours. I had done all my food shopping on Friday so I could be gone for half the day and not stress about it. We stopped at a local baby/kid boutique that resells clothing and other goods. They were having a mega sale. I picked up a wooden two sided art board for the kids for $15.00. It rocks. We had a broken table top one but they could not use it at the same time. I was psyched to score this. After the shopping spree we headed to a baby shower. The shower was for a former coworker of mine so just about everyone who attended I knew. It was so great to hang out with friends. Oh if I didn't mention this earlier I left both boys home with JB during this Saturday exhibition. Even more I enjoyed the car rides with my friends. I usually don't get a chance to talk to anyone without the boys tugging at my legs. It was a wonderful outing.

Sunday we stayed around the house. JB and I took turns working in the basement. We are working on turning a section of the basement into a studio office. I have been using it as my jewelry studio by working on an old table down there. We finally moved this incredible work bench that was left when we bought the house from one end of the basement into this space. This work bench will now be my jewelry work area and JB is going to set up a desk so he can have a space for working on his projects as well. I am so excited to finally get this space finished. The basement itself is not finished so it is cold in the winter but it is so great to have a space for my work. I will post pictures as it starts coming together more. Sunday night I stayed up way too late to watch the Oscars. I thought my allergies were bothering me from working in the basement all day but low and behold when I woke up today it feels like more of cold.

Oh well. Welcome to Monday. At least the weekend was good.

small reminders

I just found this poem I wrote a few years ago. It is the perfect day to have found it. I really needed to read something like this today.
---------------------------
when days are long
and tears run far
and all seems to go wrong
just reach out.
Touch that sweet gentle face before you
wiggle their tiny toes
hug them tight and remember.
how little they once were
how much crazier things have been
how much you have learned
and how strong you now are

it is amazing
this trip we are on
when at times it seems so tough
I stop for a moment and smile
and I feel so thankful
for all I have
and for who I now am.

Leave my child alone

You may not know it, but under a little known provision of No Child Left Behind, public high schools must hand over personal information about students -- including minors -- to local military recruiters, or risk losing federal education funding. I think it's a real invasion of family privacy and local school control.

The good news is that I just found some great information and a useful online tool that makes it easy to "opt out" our children from these lists. Just go to:

www.leavemychildalone.org

You can also help change the law that lets military recruiters prey on our minor children without parents' explicit permission. Hope you find it useful!

Where can I find the actual military recruiter provision in No Child Left Behind?
The requirements are contained in Section 9528 of PL-107-110, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (codified in 20 USC 7908):

Read it here

Valentines Day blizzard

**Update - they are now saying this is the second biggest snowstorm in Vermont history. We also just set a new record for most snow fallen in a 24 hour period in VT.

The first three pictures were taken yesterday at about 4:00pm. By that time it had been snowing nonstop all day. JB started shoveling around 2:00pm to get on top of it. At 2pm we had about 12" two hours later when he finished and I snapped these pictures were up to about 16". The snow kept coming and by 8:30pm we were at about 22". The final tally now is 25.7 inches.

The last two pictures I took this morning after the snow had stopped.

I haven't seen this much snow in a long long time. At one point last night I started to feel a bit claustrophobic as I watched the snow pile up and cover our doors. We had to keep up with clearing out our gas meter and our gas exhaust vent. The fire dept already made several trips to homes last night because of exhaust vents being covered in snow and high levels of carbon monoxide were found in a few of the homes. I know one person was brought to the ER because of it. Then at about 7pm our heater stopped blowing hot air. It would only blow out cold. I got a bit nervous at this point. We have a wood stove so I was not worried about getting heat. I just wanted to make sure our heater was not faulty in anyway. Of course the gas company was flooded with calls. We ended up restarting the heater, vacuuming out the filter and making sure our exhaust was clear. luckily this worked. We put the kids to bed, opened up an incredible bottle of wine that a friend brought us from Chili several years ago (thanks RS) and toasted to an eventful Valentines day.

FYI - if your exhaust gets covered with snow or ice it can build up a dangerous level of carbon monoxide in your home. Whether or not you live in a wintery place - you NEED to have a carbon monoxide detector on every level in your home. We had horrible tragedy happen here about a year ago where a faulty heating system killed one student and injured many others in an apartment building due to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Vaccinations

I did vax both of my kids. I chose to do selective and delayed vaxing however. What this means is I educated myself on each of the vaccinations that were going to be given to my child and I chose which ones I wanted to give them and which ones I didn't. I also chose to have some separated out instead of always giving 4 different ones at the same time. Selective and delayed vaxing is becoming a common for parents who are the fence about vaccinations. In case anyone is interested - I delayed the Hep-B until the kids were older than infants, I spread out a few of the clusters of multiple vaxs at once and I completely opted out of giving both of my children the Chicken pox and the flu vax.

I will never preach to anyone that you should or shouldn't give your children vaccinations. I believe every parent has to do what feels right for them.

But I will preach about educating yourselves so you can make the right choices for your family. Remember that when you walk into your pediatricians office you have the right to ask about any shots they are getting that day. You have the right to ask any questions and even refuse if it is something you are not sure of.

In the news lately has been the vaccination for HPV. It is already mandatory in the state of Texas. I know a rep in VT is now trying to pass a bill to have it be mandatory here as well. I urge everyone to read and educate themselves on this new vaccine as much as possible. I am not for or against this vaccine yet. I just get worried when Merck comes out with a new vaccine and then goes on a huge campaign add selling it as a "cancer" vaccine scarring America out of it's wits, then all of a sudden every state is making it mandatory for young pre puberty girls, Merck makes millions and we don't even know the long term effects of this drug . I just think we need to be careful and cautious.

Also in the news today the FDA issued a warning on an infant vaccine for childhood diarrhea. Read the story here.

I have recently found myself in a position where I may have to find a part time job temporarily. Because I cannot afford childcare for two (and I would like to avoid it) I will need to find something that offers nights and weekend work.

Even more aggravating than having to do this has been the reaction I get from working parents when I express my feelings about having to take this step. When I express how hard it is going to be to stay home with the children all day and then leave to go to another job at night I am blown away by their response. I think sometimes my friends and family forget that I worked full time outside of the home 5 days a week until Enzo was 4. I do know how hard it is. I know the stress of drop off and pick ups, pumping in the bathroom between meetings, making lunches and getting absolutely nothing done during the week at the house.

Then I went to the other side. I am not here to judge or say that one is better than the other. The fact of the matter is they are both incredibly hard. I have lived in both worlds. For me personally the stress of trying to balance both a full time career and mothering was too much stress on my body. I needed a change. I had my second child and along with the cost of childcare for two being insane I also wanted to try staying home full time.

It ain't no pile of pancakes I can tell you that. Anyone who thinks it is is fooling themselves. I thought I would have so much time to get the chores done, appointments made, food shopping done etc. A good week is I get a few loads of wash done and put away. A typical week is the basket of clothes I washed on Monday are still sitting in the basket unfolded come Saturday. I still do the food shopping on the weekends because it is much easier for me to go by self than it is to tote two kids with me. Appointments for the kids are easier but anything for myself goes undone. I have to make JB take time off from work if I need to go to a Dr appointment or something because I have no one to watch the kids.

I absolutely do not miss the stress and rat race of working outside of the home full time. What I do miss the most is going to the bathroom by myself, sitting down to eat lunch, being able to take a break or two and the downtime in the car.

So yes I do understand how hard it is to work full time outside the home and raise children. Just don't judge me and think I have it so easy.

Give me a break

On Thursday Feb 1 Bush said the following about childhood obesity.
"Childhood obesity is a costly problem for the country. It puts stress on American families. And we believe it is necessary to come up with a coherent strategy to help folks all throughout our society cope with the issue". read the story here

What a frickin' joke. It is because of his No Child Left Behind act that our children get about 5 minutes of play time outside at school. Physical education is being cut so students can prepare for his stupid tests. No I don't think it is only up to the schools to get our kids in shape but since they spend the majority of their days at school it sure would help.

How about this for a plan?

1. Gym and outside time is a requirement for school systems to make the grade from now on.
2. Soda and candy machines be banned from schools
3. School lunches get an overhaul
4. How about we start grading our schools on the how healthy are kids are instead of his standardized tests? You can pump these kids full of testing all you want but if they continue to stay as unhealthy as their futures consist of more issues than where to find a job.
5. Parents wake up and realize their kids eat like shit because they allow it. Model good eating habits at home. No we can't control our kids every move when they leave the house but at least if they are eating well at home they have a better shot.

Am I dreaming?

To start this off I have to tell you that I am knocking on wood as I type this. My youngest son Sal made leaps in bounds in our bedtime routine this week. I won't complain too much because I have had it pretty good I know but I have experienced my share of sleep issues with this child. It took me one year to get him to nap anywhere but on me. For a year he napped one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon in my lap. After that he napped in his crib twice a day until a few months ago and then he cut out the morning nap and stuck to a one hour afternoon nap still in his crib though.

I have always been lucky with both kids getting them to go to sleep at night. Enzo went to bed at 7pm as a baby and slept through the night always. Sal also goes down no problem at 7pm but he has been night waker for the past twenty months. My bed time routine has consisted of the following:
1. bath and or get in pjs.
2. read books in his room
3. shut off light
4. walk around room & rock in chair while singing songs until he falls asleep
5. put in crib once asleep

Sometimes he would go right down, other times I have to pick him up and repeat the walking around and singing a few times.

This week however he threw me for a HUGE loop. Three days ago I was putting him to bed. We read books, I shut out the light and said "ok now we will rock and sing some songs". Before I could even sit in the rocking chair he said "bed". My response was "what?" Again he repeated "bed". I said "You want to go in your bed?" He said "yes". Then I said "are you sure you don't want to sing any songs?" His response was "bed".

So I put him in his crib, kissed him good night and walked out the door. I went downstairs in complete bewilderment. This has now gone on for three days. I am sure it won't last but I will hold out hope that our bedtime routine is just finally sinking in and he feels so comfortable that he is now ok going to sleep on his own.

It felt so freeing but also a bit sad at the same time. One small step in his growing independence.

Yesterday was hat making day.

Here we are in all our glory.

14 moves in 15 years

I have figured out that I have moved 14 times in 15 years. That count starts from my first apartment in college after moving out from the dorms until my present location. JB and I alone have moved 5 times since meeting in San Francisco almost 8 years ago.

One year after meeting we were married in June of 2000. Two weeks after our wedding we packed a U-Haul truck and said goodbye to San Francisco as we headed East. We have managed to save all of our moving boxes from those 5 moves broken down in our basement. We have always kept them around because we were used to moving so often it was easier to just keep reusing the same boxes. That has all changed as of today.

This spring will will celebrate 5 years in our present home. If you are doing the math that means we moved 4 times in two years before setting here. We rented our house for the first 4 years of our occupancy and finally bought it in Dec of 2005.

So today I decided the boxes must go. Partly because I am working on creating my studio in my basement but also partly because we have been holding onto the idea that one day we would move back to CA. I can't do it anymore. I cannot live my life like this is my temporary home. I have two children now and I finally feel like I am becoming a part of this community a second time around (I lived here pre- kids, pre-JB, pre-California).

So off to the dump I went today to recycle the boxes. To me however I recycled more than cardboard. Those boxes represented moving back east with my new husband 7 years ago, 4 wonderful places we have lived in since that move and more importantly - feeling like I am finally able to grow some roots here. Even though one day we may move again - for now this is our home.

The wonder of fruit salad

My oldest kid has always been a great eater but he is now 5 1/2 and getting picky at times. A few months ago he decided he didn't like oranges anymore and refused to eat them. So instead I pumped him full of other fruits and stayed clear of the oranges for awhile. Until yesterday. For lunch yesterday I decided to try something new. I cut up all the fruit (including oranges) put heaping spoonfuls into bowls, placed the bowls on the table and called "Come on boys, fruit salad on the table". They came a running "fruit salad, fruit salad" they both screamed and devoured their entire bowls. My oldest who previously was on an orange strike told me while munching them down "wow I do like oranges." Kind of reminds you of a little book called Green Eggs and Ham perhaps?

So lesson #1 for today is don't give up if you kid insists he doesn't like something. Just give it some time and then present the food differently.

And now for an update on my post Junk in the Trunk from the other day:

Lesson #2 for today is don't let your kids run the show when it comes to their nutrition. The only juice we have served in our house is orange juice. that is what my oldest kid grew up on. He gets juice with breakfast and that is it for the day. One day while grocery shopping I gave into his request to try a new juice. We ended up buying some grape juice and he loved it. The problem was once I tried to switch back to orange he insisted he did not like orange juice anymore. I actually let it go for several months but last week I decided to take the situation back again. I much prefer serving orange juice because it is healthier and has less sugar. So last week when I was shopping I bought a new container of orange juice (Minute Maid Kids+ because it is pulp free and extra vitamins) told him this is what we now have, told him it was a new kids juice and served it up. Guess what happened? He loves it now.

So go with your gut. If there is a nutritional choice you feel is important for your family - go ahead and do it.

Junk in the trunk

An article came out today by the Associated Press called Students saying yes to junk-free lunches. It talks about how some schools are taking the junk out of school lunches and replacing it with healthier options. The article goes on to talk about how children are accepting these changes and will eat the healthier foods when they are offered.

I just have to say something now - Duh.

I have nothing against this article but it seems like lately there have been many articles and news specials on this topic. I just find it very hard to believe that the information is being presented as if it is revolutionary.

Here is a simple fact that it should not take a 20/20 special to wake you up to.

If you offer junk food in your home and in school your kids will eat it.

Kids are no different than the rest of us. Many adults have a difficult time avoiding sweets and staying healthy. Imagine if you were a young child or growing teen. What mixed messages we are sending them. The message of how obese our youth are becoming but yet we still manage to stock our home cabinets and school cafeterias with sugary and fatty foods.

If we are going to make a change it starts in the home and at school. I firmly believe that children will eat healthy if given the option to do so. I can't stand it when people say "my kid won't eat whole wheat bread or my kid won't eat low sugary cereal" My answer to that is - they will if that is all you have for them to eat or start them out right with these foods before their small bodies become used to the sugary overly processed foods .

I am not talking about strict dietary changes but if your children are small NOW is the time to start. If you feed them healthy from the start they will never know the difference. In my house my children grew up on getting juice only for breakfast, soymilk for lunch and dinner and water in between. I don't have kids screaming for another bottle of juice because they have just learned that juice is for breakfast. The same goes for other foods. Both kids grew up on plain yogurt. No Yo Baby or other heavily sweetened brands.

I am not claiming to be a nutritionist but here are my suggestions:

1. Only offer juice in the morning. milk (cow, rice or soy) at lunch and dinner. Water in between meals.

2. You should aim to have your breakfast cereal sugar content be 5 grams. Read the box.

3. Cookies, cakes, ice cream etc should not be a common daily food. If saved for special nights or occasions you will find children appreciate the treats more.

4. Don't offer dessert with every meal. If you are doing this because you use it for leverage for the kid to finish her meal you should change your ways. A child should learn to appreciate her food and not eat it only because they know they will get a cookie after. Plus, if you want bedtime to go better I would cut out the sweets at that time of night anyway.

5. Try to avoid buying foods that contain hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats). They are used solely for the purpose of prolonging shelf-life and the are in everything. Prepare more food from home instead of store bought versions or look for alternatives in your local health food store. If you don't have one near you lots of the big chain grocery stores are now offering a "natural section" of foods in their stores. The food industry must begin to produce foods that nourish rather than non-foods designed to enhanced profits because they have a longer shelf life. They profit, we lose.

Future Pro

We took Enzo snowboarding for the first time over the holiday break. I was his instructor. I was such a proud mama.

Iron Bell

I had to share this picture of Enzo that I took the other day. He insisted on being buried up to his neck in snow so he could pretend to just be a head. He managed to still give me an award winning smile.

This picture just took my breath away. It reminded me of how big he is getting. He is growing up so fast. I thought I would share this song I wrote about him after he was born.

Iron Bell

You were a peanut
and I was your shell.
You wanted life
I was your iron bell.
You needed me / as I needed you
You grew inside me
and I just knew.

Second comings
A second chance
A life lost long
Another glance at
life and all its possibilities
I prayed long -
and you came back to me.

Is it fate or was it just meant to be.
A child small / five hours of pushing
You finally came when I called
So little and brown
A head of hair - a body long
My tears burn as I sing this song
of life as its meant to be
My little angel
My little angel thank you for choosing me.

Grocery Store Gripe

Has anyone noticed that grocery stores don’t have baggers anymore? I don’t know about where you live but where I live they are almost non existent. It is driving me crazy lately. I feel bad for the cashiers who have to ring in my enormous order and then turn around to bag it all. I hate it because it wastes time and I hate it because I always feel guilty. Like I should be helping or something.

I stay home full time so I already feel like I work a 14 hour day without pay. The last thing I want to do is go grocery shopping with my two kids in tow and work more for free. When I shop at our big Hanford's store i don’t feel as obligated but when I shop at my local health food/coop the guilt sets in.

Because I am a member of the coop I feel like I have more of an obligation to do this. When I didn’t have children I would actually help bag my own stuff all the time. When I had just one child I would still help out sometimes but give me a break. I have two kids now who are usually at their breaking point buy the time I reach the check out line. I have all I can do to keep them in sight just trying to pay. It drives me frickin’ crazy when the cashier just stands there expecting me to help. I can’t always help you people. Why can’t they just hire more people to help bag?

When I was in high school the grocery stores were flooded with kids working part time jobs bagging groceries. I was one of them. Is it beneath high school kids now? What is the deal?

New Biz Logo

Thanks to my friend Chris Varricchione for designing a wonderful new logo for me. He did a great job. I am very pleased with the results. I highly recommend him if you have any design needs. You can contact him at Chris Varricchione Illustrations chris@cvillustration.com

I have also been busy updating my website myself. I am embracing the creative buzz I now get through hacking code. Check out the new look at www.subsixstudios.com

Baby Lotion Product Review

I have to share when I find a great product. This time it is a baby lotion I just love.

First let me say that I am picky about what products I buy to put on my kids skin. Call me a snob, freak, hippie or whatever but I don't like fragrances, artificial colors, animal ingredients or testing, and paraben. I usually have no problem finding products without these ingredients at my local health food store but usually the cost is high. Especially now that I have two kids and we go through the products much faster.

My littlest has very very dry skin. I have been on the search all winter for a lotion that helps heal his skin but does not break my bank and I finally found one.
Rainbow Research creates a whole line of baby products. I tried the shampoo and body wash (hint: you only need the body wash for both the body and hair. They contain the exact same ingredients) because my local Hanford's supermarket actually carried it in their little "natural foods" section. The price was right and I ended up loving it.

The next week I went back for the lotion. Within one day of using it I saw an incredible change in my son's skin. It is the first thing I have found so far that has worked this well for him.

So there you go. Lather up.

Business plug

I was featured on Miss Malaprop today!

I feel very honored. I am a daily reader of her blog. MissMalaprop.com supports small business, independent designers & artists, and people & organizations who are working to make the world a better place. Thanks Mallory

To read more about her and to check out the wonderful words she wrote about subsixstudios go to www.missmalaprop.com

Happy Holidays

We had a wonderful holiday. We were going to be alone this year but we ended up having last minute guests and it was such a nice treat. My mother decided she really wanted to see the boys open their gifts from her so her and my father came up on Saturday the 23rd and spent the night. I made home made pasta sauce (I am trying to master my great grandmother's italian recipe) and had a feast. The boys were excited to be able to open some gifts early. I was sad to see them go on Christmas Eve but they headed home to be with my sisters family. It was nice that we got to see them at least.

Enzo was excited to leave homemade cookies and soymilk for Santa and an apple for the reindeer on Christmas Eve. We read the Night Before Christmas and sent two very excited boys off to bed. Sal is still too young to really get what is going on but Enzo is at the perfect age where everything is so magical. It is wonderful reliving the magic of my experiences through him now.

I was up before everyone Christmas morning. I kept waking up every half hour from 5:30 until Sal and Enzo finally woke up at 7:00am. It was torture for me. Enzo was floored when he came down the stairs and found the tree house Santa had left for him. We had a nice morning opening gifts.

JB has an Aunt who lives an hour from us and we ended up inviting them last minute to have Christmas dinner with us. She had just lost her father and her partner had lost his mother all in the span of a week so we thought it might be nice for them to get out of their house and join us. They were thrilled to come. I made a sweet potato strudel, stuffing, green beans and a salad. It was a hit.

New Years Eve was quite. We stayed in. After putting the kids to bed JB and I pigged out on chips and tex-mex dip. By the time the ball dropped our bellies were full of a food and a few beers so we hit the hay with belly aches. New Years resolution was definitely to eat less and exercise more. Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays

traditions old and new

I love the holidays. Especially now that I have children. Children bring back the magic of Christmas for me. I can now relive those magical moments through the excitement of my kids. Being far away from our families is hard on us though. We hold onto family traditions that JB and I had in our families and we are starting to create new ones. Here are a few I would like to share.

1. Both JB and I were given some of our childhood tree ornaments when we got married. We love pulling out our box of tree decorations each year. We open each one and hang it on the tree with stories to tell each other. It is nice to have little bits of our childhood to add to the magic of our tree. My mother always got us an new decoration with our names and the year on it. At the time it didn't mean much. Now it means the world to have these and I have started the same tradition with my kids.

2. Christmas morning we let the kids open their stockings and then we stop to make a big breakfast of eggs or pancakes before we sit down to open all the gifts. This tradition came from JB's family. With his family being so far away it is nice to do things that help him feel a bit closer to them.

3. Each year the company we work for (ok I know I don't work there anymore but I can't stop saying it) has a kids holiday party. It starts at the end of the work day and they have pizza, snacks, a craft room and of course santa comes for a visit. It is such a big event now. The company has grown so much so there are a ton of families who come to this. We don't take Enzo to the mall or anywhere else to see Santa so he now looks forward to this party each year as his time to give Santa his Christmas list. The one he made that I posted below made it into the hands of this Santa.

3. A tradition from my family is letting the kids open up one small gift on Christmas Eve.

4. For the second year in a row now we have gone to a holiday gathering at our neigbors house. They are wonderful neighbors and we feel lucky they have chosen to include us in their yearly tradition of getting together with friends to share a meal. They have been doing this since their children were small since so many of them have family out of town. Since we do too it is nice to be surrounded by others in our situation. Their children are grown now but they still get together each year.

5. This brings me to #5. This year will be the first that I do the above with some of my close friends. Two of our close sets of friends live just a few streets away from us. One has a 6 month old and the other couple is about to give birth to their first child in the next few weeks. We will be getting together this week for our first holiday potluck. Our hope is to make this a new tradition for all of us.

6. Baking. My children and I love baking together. I love nothing more than to bake bread and cookies to give to friends during the holiday season.

I hope you enjoy what ever traditions you have for your holiday season.

peace.

Must have children's music

Music is big in our house. I play the guitar. My kids both have guitars plus a large basket filled with various musical instruments. JB and I are both huge music fans and have a large collection of all kinds of artists. Although we play all kinds of music in our house there are times the kiddies require kid specific music. We have had few in our collection that we break out from time to time. Unfortunately they tend to be quite annoying. The ones we have at least.

Until now . . .
Justin Roberts writes songs that kids love and adults love to listen to. He has a soothing voice, lyrics that kids relate to but are not dumb and melodies that hook even a music fan like me. Justin knows how to write a catchy song and he has caught our family. We are fans for life now.

Start out with Great Big Sun. This was our first CD that we purchased about a year ago. This CD is highly addictive.

I am pushing this guy because I think he is a wonderful musician and a great alternative to the normal children's music. If you have any opportunity to see him play live in your area - go. I am trying like mad to get him to come to my town now.

My kid's Christmas list

Working Mama

I attended my first craft market this weekend. The Burlington Handmade Holiday Craft Market. The turn out was great. We had a steady flow of people from 10am-5pm. Lucky for us the article I posted below came out the morning of our market. It drew a lot of traffic our way.

It was wonderful to finally get out into the craft market scene. I loved it. I think after coming from working in sales and doing very large scale trade shows in Vegas and California while working for the big "B" I felt very much a home. It has been a year now since I left my job. Since deciding to stay home full time I have not for one second really become a SAHM (stay at home mom). Instead I really should call myself a WAHM (work at home mom) because that is what I have been doing. Leaving my other job has allowed me to focus more on my jewelry biz. I have a lot to be proud of. I got my jewelry into my first boutique this year, registered my biz name, signed up for tax license and helped organize the newly formed Burlington Craft Mafia (featured in the article below). I sometimes feel like my head spins more now than when I was working outside of the home full time.

It is different though. For me it was time to venture out on my own. Take all I have learned working in customer service, sales and project management over the past 9 years for the same company and apply it to my own business. I could not be doing what I am doing now if it wasn't for that experience. I loved what I did but my passions changed. Now I can still use the side of my brain that loves to create by designing jewelry and also use the side that lives and breaths sales and marketing.

It has been wonderful to see Enzo embrace my business as well. He actually helped me practice setting up my table for my craft market. He came up with what I used as my earring display. When I called midday to check in while I was working the market he made a point to shout out to JB and ask how many necklaces and bracelets I had sold.

I am tired and mentally beat after all the prep work involved in doing the market. Well worth it though. I look forward to taking some downtime now and enjoying the holidays.

In the News

From the Burlington Free Press
Published Dec. 1, 2006
“As the founding members of the newly formed Burlington Craft Mafia, the women are focused on supporting each other as crafters and promoting the do-it-yourself, handmade movement in the region.” Read full article

Arrivederci

Saying goodbye is never easy for me. Last weekend I traveled alone to my family home to help pack it up and say goodbye. With my video camera in hand I walked through the house and yard telling stories of my childhood memories while fighting back without much success many tears. I also left a note on my old bedroom wall for the new owners. The new owners are in their mid thirties and have a young daughter. I also found out the mother will be starting a balloon business in my fathers old shop. The thought of this young family moving in and starting to create their own memories made me feel a tad bit better.

I made it through a very tough weekend. It was nice to come back home to my boys eagerly awaiting my arrival. We enjoyed a nice quite Thanksgiving together. I learned that my memories will always be with me regardless of where my parents are living.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Despite having to let go of so much this week I have an awful lot to be thankful for - and I am.

Going Home

I will be heading to my parents house this weekend to help them pack. I will be bringing my camera and my video camera with me. I plan on walking through the house and yard documenting as much of it as I can. This will be the last time I have access to the house.

My emotions are a wreck. My levels of stress and anxiety have been high this week. The stress of the moving logistics, the anxiety of saying goodbye to my house and most of all the double anxiety of leaving my family here for the first time ever.

The only time I left Enzo was when I was hospitalized for a week while pregnant with Sal. Sal is 18 months now but I have not left him yet. I am so sad to leave them. I know JB will be fine (especially because his mother will be here) but I just don't like the thought of not hugging them each night. I know this trip will be good for me in so many ways. I will be staying with a friend of mine at night so I will have a chance to unwind a bit and have some girl time.

Wish me safe travels and strength so I can get through this weekend.

Woman kicked off Burlington Flight for Breastfeeding

Read the story here.

I hope Freedom Airlines (Delta) gets blasted for this one.

When will the American culture change? It is acceptable for the female body to be exposed as long as it is for the pleasure of a man. If a boob is seen as anything else the people suddenly feel offended as the stewardess of this airline said. Offended because someone won't cover up their babies head while nursing? Aren't there more offensive things to get in a tizzy about? Pornography, Hooters, strip clubs, excessive violence against women, global warming, the war in Iraq, President Bush, gun control - I mean come on now.

I have had enough.

Holding on

This is old picture of Elm Street. Back when Elm trees lined the street. Before pavment, before traffic. The house on the left is the house my mother grew up in. The house I grew up in in two house down from it. My grandparent owned all three houses on the left until my parents bought one from them. My grandfather (Salvatore) died when I was in highschool. When my grandmother died three years ago the other two houses were sold. My house was the last one. Two more weeks and it will be gone. Another family is waiting to move in and start their own memories. I don't know if they have children or not. I like to think they do. Perhaps 30 years from now their children will be looking at pictures of this old street - reliving their own memories, holding on to their past with a tear in their eye.

goodbye sweet elm

Sorry I have been away so long. I left my job as a project manager one year ago and here I find myself managing the most stressful and emotional project of my life.

I have posted a few times over the past few months about how my parents have our family home up for sale. It is the house I grew up in and it is on a street called Elm street where for the past 60 years my family members have lived. Our house, this generation is the last to occupy this old street where Elm trees once lined the sidewalks on either side of the street.

After being on the market for almost a year they received an offer last week. This is good for many reasons. The house is now too big for them to take care of. My father is not working anymore so it is also a strain on them financially. The crazy part to all of this is they have to be out in three weeks. Now we are talking about two people who have lived in this house for I will guess close to 34 years. Even after my sister and I moved out our old rooms and closets are still filled with our stuff we chose not to take with us when we move out. Luckily I went down in May and cleaned out most of what I had left there.

So being the farthest away I have been given the job of project manager (fitting). It is good because it makes me feel like I am doing something to help since I can't be there physically every day. I am going down for one weekend to help empty the house out before the movers come. With all the craziness of phone calls and planning I have not really had time to digest that my house is selling. Next weekend when I go down it will be the last time I ever see it. I can't go down again for the closing.

In so many ways I know I am lucky. Most everyone I know lost their family home long ago or some never even knew one. I know I am lucky but it still makes it hard. I am a very sentimental person. I even debated buying it so many times. It came at the wrong time because I just bought my house a year ago. Also, I wonder if I would have been buying it for the wrong reasons. I always swore I would never move back to that town. It is amazing how things change. They will be moving in with my sister in another town for now, until we find them a place to go. There is a good chance they will not be moving back to Milford. This means saying goodbye to a whole lot more than just my house. Saying goodbye to a town my great great grandparents from Italy chose to come to at the ripe age of 18.

So I will bid a farewell to the three generations of my family living on Elm Street. Goodbye sweet house, goodbye backyard, goodbye to all the secret forts we built, fairies I played with, trees I climbed, hills I sledded on. It was more than shelter. It was a place filled with love and adventures, family gatherings, fights, celebrations and grief. A place of first loves, breakups and friendship.

farewell.

Happy Halloween

Lockdown

My kid had his first lockdown drill today. He is in freakin' preschool! If you don't know - lockdown is what schools now practice incase there is a potential school shooting or other act of violence against a school. On one hand I am happy they are doing this considering we just had a school shooting a few months ago. On the other hand reality hit me when we were told this morning they would be having their first drill. Has it really come to this?

The room is to remain locked and the children are brought to a "safe" part of the room, lights are turned off and the children are taught to stay calm and quite. I showed up at the time it was supposed to be over and the Halloween party was to begin. I walked right in the building and right in the preschool room - both of which should have been locked but I thought the drill was over. Well it wasn't. Apparently the person walking around the school to make sure everyone was doing the drill properly unlocked the preschool door to go in and left in unlocked when he left. Dumbass.

Wow I feel safe now.

little pumpkins

We went pumpkin picking last weekend. To a spot we have been going to since Enzo was about three weeks old.

Giving Thanks

Today I asked Enzo what he was thankful for this Thanksgiving season.

His response was

"I'm thankful I am still a kid."


I am so thankful for him.

Big News!

Big news today!

I am in the local newspaper called Seven Days. They did an article on Vermont fashion and interviewd the owner of the store Made Boutique & Gallery where I sell my jewelry.

Check it out.

Seven Days article

New Etsy Shop Address

My etsy shop had my old business name so I just finished setting up my new shop.

If you used to visit purpleelm.etsy.com that store is now closed.

My new Etsy shop is subsixstudios.etsy.com

Stop by for a visit.

If you had my old shop bookmarked or listed on your blog please change it if you can.

1st day of preschool

Enzo started preschool today. It was such a big day for both of us. He grew up in daycare and preschool but he has been home with me full time for the past year so it was a big transition for both of us. We were both so nervous for such different reasons. I am glad I have had this past year home with him. I feel like I got a chance to know him a lot better. He just turned 5 and missed the cut off for Kindergarden so I was hoping I could find something for him this year. We were able to find a wonderful place that we could afford. Three days a week/ two hours a day. He desperately needs some social interaction. He went from all day daycare to being home with me full time. It has been wonderful but I don't know anyone with kids his age so I do feel like he has been missing out on that part of it.

I dropped him off rather quickly to make for a better transition but those old feelings of guilt hit me like a ton of bricks. This time the new fear of schools in general because of all the recent school violence left me with many new anxieties. We both made it through and he was so happy when I picked him up. They even celebrated his birthday today. He told me he thought the place was "really cool."

Birthday Boy

My sweet boy Enzo turns 5 years old today. He is an absolute angel in my life. He was born exactly two years to the day that I miscarried my first child. Life is a full circle I believe.

He has grown so much over the past five years. He has always been a very independent child. Smart beyond his years. He has the best of both sides of JB and I (and some of the worst). He is a good mixture of art and music with the love of science and math and learning about the world around him. He loves books. Most recently we have been reading him the Larua Ingalls Wilder series. The past month he decided he wanted to play chess so he had JB teach him. JB has been trying to get me to play chess for 6 years and it just hasn't happened yet. Chess has never sunk in for me. Take my five year old though, teach him the rules and he and JB now play every night before bed. They have routine down. They play chess for a certain amount of time and then read. He amazes me.

He is becoming everything I wish he could become and more. I wish the world for him. I wish for health and peace him. I wish for him knowledge and joy.

Happy Birthday my sweet boy. I love you so much.

Exciting News!

The boutique where I have been selling my jewelry now has an online store.
Made Boutique & Gallery
Some of my jewelry plus other wonderful indie artists can now be purchased online.

she is offering FREE SHIPPING during the month of October!


Thanks Sara.

Identity crisis

I am going through an online identity crisis. There are just too many blogs, websites and myspace pages to update in one day. I currently have this blog, one specifically for my jewelry, my My Space page and a natural parenting/birthing website

I can't take it anymore. I need to combine some of these somehow to make life easier. I have been keeping my creative life and my parenting life seperate but do they have to be? They coexist together in my life at home so why not here.

So be on the look out for some changes. I am not sure what yet but one of these days two worlds might become one.

Harvest Moon

harvest moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the date of the autumn equinox in the Northern Hemisphere.

Harvest time is here. I love this time of the year. I love getting my yard ready for the upcoming winter months. I love fall vegetables, making chili and soup, drinking apple cider and crunching around in the leaves with my kids. Fall is a great time to get outside and into your community. It seems like the one time that most towns and cities offer a variety of community events. Harvest festivals, apple picking and Halloween events fill our newspaper. I wish I could do them all. This is the time of year for slowing down.

Being a vegetarian and whole foods advocate I tend to shop mostly at my local coop and farmers market. I am lucky to live in a state that has many wonderful local organic farms to buy from. Through our local farmers market all summer and fall and at our coop market in the winter months there is almost no reason to not get my produce there. Especially now. With the recent E Coli outbreak on the CA spinach I feel it is more of a reason to buy local and inseason produce as much as you can. Not only are locally grown vegetables healthier (they contain more vitamins and minerals because you are eating them at their freshest point) but they are also safer.

There is also something to be said for how people used to eat seasonal foods. People didn't have the option to eat lettuce in the winter months if they lived in a cold climate. Today however we are so used to going to the grocery store and buying what we want when we want it, but we don't stop to think at all how and where that food was grown.

This fall and winter I look forward to embracing the seasonal vegetables more, slowing down and enjoying this magical season.

For more info check out this wonderful new book Full Moon Feast:Food and Hunger Connection

Art Hop Necklace

This is the necklace I made for the Burlington Art Hop. It was displayed at Woodbury's of Vermont

The focal point is a dichroic glass tearshaped pendant. It is surrounded by vintage looking sea green/blue and smaller blue glass beads. Strung on nylon coated stainless steel wire and finished off with sterling silver crimp beads and a sterling silver toggle clasp. The necklace is named after my mother.

It is available for sale in my shop

Enough is enough

One day - two gun incidents close to home.

1. In Montreal yesterday a gunman kils 1 and wounds 19 at a local college.

2. Same day right in my own neighborhood a 19 year old was shot in the leg in front of the local middle school which is only blocks from my home.

Enough is enough

I feel sad for this world.
I feel sad for our children.
I feel sad for the people who refuse to see that tougher gun laws are needed in this country.

"No thank you"

This weekend we took the family down to the Art Hop. We stopped in a small cafe to get some waters. I bought Enzo a lemonade and as I was paying for it I noticed some yummy looking chocolate chip cookies so I asked for one. I then asked Enzo if he wanted one also and he said "No thank you." The girl behind the counter said "did he just say he didn't want a cookie?" Yes I told her. She seemed shocked. I felt proud. My almost 5 year old has been raised to appreciate sweets as special treats and because of that he sometime just doesn't feel like having them instead of hoarding them every chance he gets.

I chalk this up to how we have raised him. We limited sugar and sugary foods until he was almost three and now when we have them they are a special treat. Oh he loves icecream, cake and cookies - don't get me wrong but he doesn't go crazy when he has then because I think he values them more than is addicted to them. More than often he wont even finish the portion of icecream or cake given to him. If fact the last time we had cake at a recent celebration I gave him a second helping and he ended up not finishing it because he said "I think I am done. I can feel the cake in body and I need to stop."

On the flip side my son who once ate anything and everything I put in front of him has become a very picky eater. I used to feel so proud that he grew up eating plain yogurt and not flavored, gobbled up tofu and veggies, rice cakes, hummus and soymilk. My sister used to ask me how I was able to get my kid to eat whole wheat bread and tahini and jelly sandwiches. Because that is all he knows I would tell her. Feed them well from the beginning and they will eat well. Feed them junk and that is all they will crave.

I shouldn't complain because in general Enzo does still eat like a dream. He loves fruit, yogurt, nuts, rice cakes, salad, cheese, crackers, soymilk and tofu. He has however become a bit more picky. Things have to be plain. Where I used to make lots of casserole type dishes in-order to pack the most mix of veggies and protein he now will not touch. Meals have to be plain and the food has to be separate. Tonight he told me "Mommy I can't always like everything you like." This comment brought back memories of me sitting at my parents kitchen table saying "everyone has different taste bud you know."

Raising vegetarian children has it's challenges but what is most important to me is the fact that we are raising them on as much "whole" food as possible. Even though Enzo is going through a picky phase I feel proud that he still has no idea what a fast food restaurant is. He helps me cook meals in our kitchen, he picks herbs from our garden to add to our meals, he is excited to help me compost our food scraps each night and recycle our cans and bottles. He is learning the responsibility we have to recycle and reuse. He has learned that there are days when his body just doesn't feel like having that chocolate chop cookie I just offered him.

Biking Rocks

For some reason it has taken me all summer to get on my bike. JB rides to work every day and takes the boys in the bike trailer on the weekends sometimes. We live very close to an amazing bike path that runs the length of our city along the lake. I think was has kept me away all summer was my headache and allergy issues. I simply have not had the energy or feeling of health to exercise. It is the reason why after 16 months of giving birth I still find myself more comfortable in some of my early maternity clothing. But when one wakes up each morning with a headache and fog that lasts the entire day it is hard to want to go outside and be active when I can barely get through my days with two kids.

Today however I made the choice to get on the bike. JB and I only have one car and he needed it today for an appointment. On Thursdays in our neighborhood is our weekly farmers market which I cannot miss so I decided to ride there instead. So after breakfast I thought I should go on a test ride first since I have never pulled the bike trailer before. So I saddled up the boys and off we went. We rode down my street to the bike path. We rode a few blocks and stopped a friend's house to say hello, then did a loop back to our house. We rode for about 30 minutes.


I felt free, alive and young. It was wonderful. I wondered the entire time why I had not done this sooner. Enzo loves the ride. Sal is still a bit young. He slumps over and is not super comfy in it so the rides have to stay short at this point. So now I am excited to take our afternoon ride to the farmers market this afternoon. For physical, emotional and environmental reasons - biking rocks.

More News

In other news I will be displaying a new necklace at our annual South End Art Hop this weekend.

Art Hop is a two-day festival featuring local artists, businesses, shopping, eating, and celebrating. Held Friday September 8 and Saturday, September 9, the South End Art Hop is now in its 14th season. Rated a Top Ten Fall Event for the fourth year in a row by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, the unique south end opens its studio, gallery, and business doors to the public to feature over 350 local artists. Art Hop will include workshops, demonstrations, artist-designed mini-golf, food, a silent auction, a fashion show, a juried show, a community art project, and original art. There is something for everyone, including an outdoor party on Friday night with dancing, food and performance art, as well as lots of hands-on activities for the whole family on Saturday.

Check out the Art Hop website for more info
I have an artist bio under the Who and Where section.

Working Girl

I am refreshed and rejuvenated to start my week. I spent most of my weekend (Saturday and Sunday) working. My jewelry is being sold at at local boutique Made Boutique & Gallery. She had a Labor Day sale this weekend and asked me to set up a table outside of the store with all of my other inventory. It was a great opportunity to sell more stuff and attract people into the store. I was excited to do it but nervous how I would feel being away from the family two days in a row.

It ended up being an amazing experience for me. It felt so great to get out of the house and do something for me by myself. To talk to adults all day and get out of my routine of breakfast, sweeping, snack, sweeping, lunch, sweeping, snack, sweeping, prepare dinner and all the other stuff in between. JB was excited to be home alone with the kids too. They had a blast. Saturday night I came home, dinner was made and it was simply delightful. The sale went well and it rejuvenate my spirit. I am learning that I need breaks like that in order to be a better mom.