a view from the front pack

This post originally appeared on the Moms of Douglas County blog

P.S. Doesn’t my mom look gorgeous?!

Mother’s Day this year brings about new thoughts and emotions for me because I now have a little one of my own (who will someday very soon actually be saying “mama”). It’s definitely a beautiful feeling to know that I am his, and vice versa.  And when I sit down and really think about what that means, I get a little teary eyed.

The funny thing about becoming a mother is that it makes you realize your own mortality. The carefree days of your youth are suddenly burdened with the realization that death does actually exist, and you will one day not be there for your child, at least in physical form.

A reassuring thought for me, though, is that the bond between a mother and her child is eternal and will stay with Liam long after I am gone, just as it will with my own mother.

And whenever I think about this type of deep, eternal love, I think of E.E. Cummings poem: i carry your heart with me (i carry it in). It’s perfect for Mother’s Day, I think.

 i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

my heart)i am never without it(anywhere

i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done

by only me is your doing,my darling)

                                                      i fear

no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want

no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)

and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows

higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

This post originally appeared on The Moms of Douglas County blog site. 

Recently I’ve noticed a hand-stamped clothing trend on my social networking sites. Being the shopper that I am, I found a lot of great items, especially hand-stamped baby leggings. I was shocked to find that some were priced upwards of $35. So naturally I decided to make my own. They are the perfect pant for a play date or a day outside in the dirt.

Here’s what you need:

1 pair of solid cotton leggings ($2.50; Walmart)

1 rubber stamp ($9; www.creatiate.etsy.com)

1 fabric stamp pad in a contrasting color ($8.14; VersaCraft, www.amazon.com)

1.Wash your leggings.

2. Practice stamping on an old t-shirt

3. Start stamping on your leggings – you can be as random or as precise as you’d like. It depends on your style

4. Let dry for 4 hours, then stamp the back side

5. Once both sides are dry, the ink must be “heat set” by ironing the leggings inside out on a high heat setting.

6. Put them on your little one, take a lot of pictures, and relish in a job well done.

Tip: to keep ink fresh, hand washing is best, followed by laying them flat to dry. Otherwise, wash them inside out on cold and lay flat to dry.

I’m going to be on the lookout for more fun rubber stamps. The possibilities are really endless – hand stamped onesies, burp cloths and hats. Plus if you get really good, they make a very cute and very personal baby shower gift.

Happy stamping!

Seven months later and I’m still feeling the effects of pregnancy and all that comes after. My hair is literally falling out. It’s normal, but frustrating. There is hair everywhere – John says he finds several strands hanging from his beard every day at work (which is actually kind of funny), and Liam is probably eating an average of 3 to 5 hairs a day, too. It’s unavoidable though, and I’m patiently waiting for the day when this hair loss thing slows down.

I’m also at the stage where my “baby hairs” are coming in along my hair line. John kindly told me that I “should probably wear my hair down for the next few months” while it grows out. Probably good advice, just not so tactfully stated. Nothing a little hairspray and a headband can’t fix though.

Speaking of headbands, I just ordered the cutest ones from my instagram friend Lauren @raincitycloset. Too bad it’s not ok for little boys to wear headbands because she makes cute ones for babies, too! I feel like Liam would resent me later in life if I stuck one on his head.

Nothing makes my heart happier than seeing these two together. John is usually going a million miles a minute, so when he settled down next to Liam for a little reading session, I made sure to grab my camera. It was a cute moment. Liam loved it. In fact, he loves all books and magazines (read: he loves to put them in his mouth and eat them). I don’t know if that means he’s going to be a scholar or be the weird kid in class eating paper. I guess we’ll see

Happy Tuesday!

I wasn’t ready for Easter this year. Apparently no one in our family was. Typically my mom has baskets carefully crafted for everyone, my great aunt has deviled eggs ready to consume, and there’s lots of snacks and card playing at my parents’ house (I know that’s not the true meaning of Easter, but that’s how I grew up).

But with my parents still being down in California (since they are snow birds now), John and I were forced to make stir fry and chicken fajitas and watch Zero Dark Thirty until 1 am. Liam did get some good play time in with Mr. Bunny in the front yard, so not all was lost.

On a completely unrelated note, I have been pretty obsessed with Etsy lately. People are so talented, it’s nuts. Here are some of my favorite finds…

The Printed Palette: Check out their fun graphic tees

Thief & Bandit and Thief & Bandit Kids: Check out their maxi dresses, jewelry and baby leggings

Creatiate: Need a cool rubber stamp to add to your stationary collection or perhaps for your upcoming wedding invitations? This is for you.

The Little Spoons: They also have cute baby leggings. Liam just got these

Happy Monday!

Watching this tiny human develop in front of my eyes is quite the experience. I mean, he just got his second tooth and I thought about throwing a party. Plus! We’re eating solids like a champ and on the verge of crawling. Not to mention we’re allllmosssssttttt sleeping through the night. I’m a pretty proud mom. I know – it sounds silly for me to be proud of something so natural. It’s all just a part of growing up, after all…but still…I’m proud.

And yet, I’m a little sad. I know I’ve said it before, but I’m constantly amazed. It’s going by so fast. And when people in the grocery store stop to “chat” with Liam and say, “Awwww, they grow up so fast. Enjoy it.” I want to kick them. I KNOW. I’d prefer to not have to be reminded by every passing stranger.  It’s kind of a nice way of saying, “The next 18 years of your life are going to go by super fast and then you’ll be old like me and have kids that don’t need you anymore.”

Super. Sounds awesome.

Excuse me while I go find a pause button….

(They sell those at Target, right?)

Just kidding. We’re just moving 30 minutes away, but I wish it was to someplace warmer (at least until summer hits Douglas County).

I hate moving. I want to keep every last thing we’ve accumulated at this house (wedding decor, books, magazines, knick knacks that we definitely don’t need). I always think that I’ll miss it when it’s gone, even though I probably wont. My childhood bedroom is a living time capsule – I even have some love notes from John circa 2002 stuffed away in a dresser drawer. I’m trying not to be a hoarder in my married life, but it’s so hard for me to let go of stuff. What would a therapist tell me? I don’t think I want to know….

I was sitting in Liam’s nursery yesterday and got a little sad thinking about packing up his room. I spent a lot of my pregnant life making it just perfect for him. I can’t tell you how many paint samples I purchased to find that right shade of blue. And the look on Liam’s face when we go play in his room brings tears to my eyes – he get’s this wide-eyed goofy grin (much like the one in the photos above) – and I can tell that he loves his little corner of the house. I know, I know – he’ll adjust to his new digs, too. I’m just sentimental.

Anyway, Liam is loving all of the empty boxes strewn across the living room – so we had a morning photo shoot. Best way to celebrate a Monday in my opinion.

Oh and if anyone wants to finish boxing up my house for me, just let me know. We pay in baby snuggles and cookies.

xoxo

I haven’t blogged in a while, but in my defense I’ve been catching up on my other blog (that I actually get paid to keep updated) after taking a week off to visit my parents in California with Liam.

Speaking of vacationing with Liam – we had a grand time. He was the perfect baby traveling to and from Palm Springs. Not a peep on the airplane. Such a relief! He even got a handful of compliments from some grandparents at the airport about what a good baby he is. I don’t know if I can take credit for that yet, but it made me feel like I’m headed in the right direction as a parent nonetheless.

I took Liam in the pool for the first time. He absolutely loved it. I think he could have splashed around for hours, but I figured when he turned into a prune, it was time to get out. I had a hunch he’d be a water baby based on our experiences with bath time. He loved his first bath, and every bath since. Hey, I don’t blame him – it’s warm, bubbly and smells clean.

Aside from pool time, Liam got a lot of grandma time in – which she loved. And let’s be honest, I loved it, too, because it meant I got a little break to enjoy the sunshine. I came home feeling like a refreshed person. Funny how a little Vitamin D can change your attitude. Is it summer yet?

Cheers to sunny vacations with grandma!

“If it doesn’t get all over the place, it doesn’t belong in your face.” — Carl’s Jr. commercial circa 2003 (still rings true today, in my opinion)

It’s been pretty awesome watching Liam’s reaction to what’s been on the spoon. We tried pears last night (which he couldn’t get in his mouth fast enough), and today we tackled prunes. I think he’s a fan.

I’m hoping this will help him sleep through the night better because this lady needs her zzzzz’s – it’s been far too long since I’ve had a solid six hours. Fingers crossed everyone!

xoxo

This post was originally blogged  on the Douglas County Mom’s page for the Roseburg News Review - check it out here!

I am tired of  staying home alone and feeling afraid for my safety. I am a stay-at-home-mom, after all, so it seems silly to live my daily life jumping at every thump and bump that occurs throughout the day.

I’ve decided to purchase a handgun.

This is no rash decision. I took a women’s handgun class at the Roseburg Rod and Gun Club a few years back, which piqued my interest, but my husband was the one who planted the first seed in my head. John, who is an avid gun owner and believer in the Second Amendment, has been lovingly nagging me for years to have my own gun and to learn how to use it safely and properly for my protection. I used to laugh at him and say, “It’s your job to protect me. You’re the man, I’m the woman.”

Then I became a mom, and that seed my husband had planted finally came to fruition.

If I’m not protected, Liam is not protected, and that’s a really scary thought for me. I am this little boy’s line of defense against danger, especially during the day when it’s just the two of us. We live out in the country (30 minutes from Roseburg) and dialing 911 wouldn’t do much good in a home invasion.

What’s even scarier is that there have been several break-ins on our road in the last few months, and they’ve occurred during the day.

I’ve also realized that I need to be smarter about keeping my doors locked and not opening them whenever there’s a knock. The other evening I realized just how easy it I made it for a stranger to get into my home.

My husband, John, called me on his way home from work and told me he’d be home in twenty minutes. Great, I said, and hung up. About twenty minutes later I saw lights in the driveway and assumed they were his (it was completely dark at this point). Most of the time John uses the opener and goes through the garage door, but sometimes when his hands are full he comes to the front door and knocks. I thought it was one of those times.

There was a knock (our front door is made of etched glass, which is impossible to see out of). With Liam in one hand, I unlocked the door and flung it open expecting to see John. Instead there was a strange man staring back at me. Luckily he was just lost and looking for an address up the road. I shudder when I think of what could have happened, and I get mad at myself for putting my life and my son’s life in danger.

Enough is enough, I say. I’m not going to be the damsel in distress anymore – I can’t afford to be because the consequences are too great. So if you need me, I’ll be taking control of my life and making sure that I’m prepared to protect my family.