knittens

20 :: 365

I'm in the process of making some changes to how I blog.  I'm pretty sure that within the next month i'm going to be shutting down this blog and opening it up over at my other web address.  Also, I'll be adding another feature to that blog that corresponds with the flickr PPD group that I created.  

In regards to the PPD group and how it works with the blog, I'm going to be posting a Daily Dose from the group pool, I'm going to have bi-monthly "articles" on PPD, and I'm going to be featuring monthly guest posts.

BUT until then, if you want to see it grow, and see where happiness, encouragement, and support can take us, join the group and invite your friends!

More on that soon :)

xo

meg

19 :: 365

Thaya and Brie both got hair cuts this weekend.  I love both of them.  Again, I cut my own kid's hair out of necessity (well, lack of funds, anyway).  Thaya refuses to wear anything in her hair, so we've both decided that it is for the best that we keep her hair short.

For every one shot I get like this, there are about about 15 or 20 that are just... well... not this.  She LOVES to make crazy faces to spoil my picture taking mojo.

And, to get this I have to bribe.  Her bribe for this shot was that I wouldn't make her wear the flower anymore.

I purchased the headband from this shop: www.etsy.com/shop/Millylillyrose

Also, this shot of Brie was just TOO cute to pass up!

18 :: 365

They grow closer and closer everyday.  It warms my heart :)

17 :: 365

You know, just when you think your heart is full and you can't quite love them any more than you already do, they go and sit in the window and something catches their attention, and they just sit and gaze, and the light is just PERFECT then you see her reflection, and her soft little lips, and you grab your camera, and the focus is PERFECT, and then...

well...

your heart expands to let in more love because there is just no other option.

SO, on another note, we are SO happy to announce (no, I'm not pregnant, lol) we are FINALLY going to be going to France! We are so excited we can't even contain ourselves.  We are going to be spending a week in Paris and then we'd like to spend another week doing a road trip of sorts.  So, my question to you is, can you recommend any "must sees" throughout the French Countryside?  And any tips on how to learn French in a year?!  I dont want to be THAT person who goes and can't even say "thank you very much, you are so kind!" yah know?!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

16 :: 365

Yesterday we went to the Baltimore Aquarium - we had a blast.  The timing of the whole trip was perfect and it allowed all of us to have a very relaxed and enjoyable time.  We seemed to move at a good pace, took some well timed breaks, and just let the girls explore.  We also got there early enough that the crowds weren't too bad.

I walked away with some fantastic shots from the jelly fish exhibit which I'm looking forward to editing.  Most of the shots I got of the girls weren't "perfect" - lots of noise, unbalanced exposures, poor compositions.  If it wasn't one thing it was another.  But, that's ok.  It was about being with the family and capturing some memories.

And I'm ok with that!

15 :: 365

(first, thanks for the info on the resolution. I'm going to change how I bring in pics from flickr so that they fit the screen.. mostly.  I'll fix the 365 pics but I'm too lazy to fix the rest.)

Everything I've been editing lately has been pink pink pink.  I've decided to head in a different direction today :)

See Thaya's right foot?  She has tight ligaments that cause her third toe to go down and her second to pop up.  It was supposed to work itself out, but hasn't yet.  I guess I should see if the doctor has some advice...

I hope everyone has an amazing Friday and an even more spectacular Saturday and Sunday.

Any plans?!

We're going to try to beat the blues by doing something special as a family tomorrow. We're thinking a trip into Baltimore to the aquarium and one of our favorite vegan restaurants.

14 :: 365

(Before i get into the post for today, just do me a favor and leave me a comment letting me know if you see the full image that I post or if it gets cropped.  Thanks!)

Momma confession: I have a fickle temperament which is made really unpredictable by PPD. My husband and I talk about going to see someone about a mood stabilizer from time to time, but I really believe in the power of positive thinking and the support of others can help me work it out. In fact, i've been getting better every day.

I'm a HALTer. In case you dont know, HALT stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired and are key words used in addiction recovery. I'm not addicted to any substances in that sense, but there are people who believe that you can become addicted to being depressed. It sounds crazy, but coming from where I've been, I can see it.

Anyway, I try to be aware of what my body is telling me to in order to avoid meltdowns or blowups. I try to be patient with my kids, but if I'm HALTing, forget it. I get irritated (especially when I'm saying something for the 20th time) and need a release. It usually comes in the form of me scolding or putting them in time-out. Scolding? Not effective. Time out? Very effective. They know that we all just need to walk away and take a deep breath. We don't use it as a punishment, but rather a cool down. That doesn't stop the mommy guilt though. After I snap at them, or stick them in time out, I ALWAYS feel guilty.

I think that there are a gazillion of things that I could have done differently to avoid it getting to that point. But then I look at the picture for today and I realize something. For all of the meltdowns or blowups that i wasn't able to avoid, there are probably two or three that i did.

See that little cherub? She has a temper worse than mine. But, I recognized it starting up and I sat her down with a bowl of bunnies snacks. Crisis averted. So, I guess that if i continue to be aware of my body, of what my kids are telling me, or where the situations are heading, I can continue to increase the amount of patience, love, and nurturing.

And that's a good thing.

(beautiful headband from www.flickr.com/photos/millylillyrose/)

(crossposted at http://www.flickr.com/photos/7565577@N04/4274562000/)

13 :: 365

My kids eat lunch in front of the TV and judge me all you want it is what keeps me sane.

I take the time while they are eating to clean up the kitchen, tidy up their toys, and prepare their room for nap.  We then have a smooth transition into their room for their siesta.

They wake up to a warm and tidy house for afternoon snack and then proceed to tear it all apart again so that by the time daddy arrives home it looks like a bomb went off.

But, as the TV plays and my kids stuff their faces, we sing, talk, and interact about what they are seeing.  We watch channels with no commercials that have toddler specific programming.  I feel like it's what I do to make it "ok".  My almost three year old knows every color, can recognize half of the letters in the alphabet, and can compare characteristics of opposites.  My 16 month old knows the lyrics to Down by Jay Sean, as well as the alphabet, have a vocabulary of over 50 words, and is now jumping with both feet off the ground.

I must be doing something right, TV or no :)

(cross posted at Flickr)

12 :: 365

Thinking about getting a jump on Valentine's Day because... well... holidays + kids = fun.

And really, whats the point of decorating if you aren't going to enjoy them for awhile?

So, today we made these hearts.  I should have listened to the advice I was given to put a towel between the wax paper and my iron because... well... lets just say that my iron is now probably devoted soley to wax paper crafts.  Oh well. The things is over a decade old anyway.

I love you all, and thank you so much for your kind words so far on my 365 project.  It really does help keep me motivated.

Speaking of, I think I'm going to loosen up a bit on the project. I wanted to document my girls and their relationships and then put them together into a book at the end of the year.  Now I'm thinking just our daily lives.  I'm just going to shoot for an equal amount of tea and brie and what we do daily.  Sounds good to me :)

11 :: 365

It was nice to have time with just Thaya today.  We had a lunch date at Panera. It was great to be able to focus on just her and share some little moments together.  She is such a goof ball :) As we were finishing up, she said to me, "Mommy, lets be Silly!"  So cute.

Hugsy made it into Bench Monday this week.  This penguin sure does get around :)