I've been managing summer life with a toddler pretty well, I think. The key, especially when it comes to naptime, is to make a *simple* schedule. Apparently that's the key to a lot of things, parenting-wise. Heh. Who knew?
We're missing our neighbor, George, who recently passed away. He was in his nineties, but the last time I saw him he was doing so well and asked us all in to hang out with his family. I'm so glad we took the chance to do that. The unadulterated joy in his eyes watching Hadley run around and play and discover was something I'll never forget. He was, by far, the most sensitive, kind-hearted man I ever met (which always surprised me, given his age and the toughness of his generation). On a bit of a side note, I'm also missing my grandfather since, well, I find myself always missing his presence since he passed earlier this year, but particularly with the 4th of July upon us. Any patriotic holiday does that to me, I guess. And when I watch "Yankee Doodle Dandy", I'm sure to enjoy it along with some tears.
I've tried to take a bit of a break from thinking lately. Does that sound idiotic? I mean, I'm an over-thinker, so it's nice to just kind of stick with the aforementioned toddler schedule with a few fun or productive activities thrown in for good measure. I fall into a guilt-ridden abyss when I don't try to do something productive, so I'm taking my mom's advice to try to do something fun and something off "my list" each week. I'd say that sounds good, especially knowing that once I get my "something productive" done that I can just kinda chill...unless the energy hits me to do something else. ;-)
Be it naptime or after the munchkin hits the hay at night, I've slowly but surely been creating his little felt food. It has taken FUH-REV-ER, but it's worth it. I had some confusion when I posted an image of a lowly "fried egg" the other day. Yes, I'm making him fake food made of felt. There are toys all over the interwebs for sale, but I like to do one handmade gift a year (if not one for his b-day, one for Christmas). He happens to be obsessed with pretending to "cook" and "mix". I guess if folks could hear how adorable his little energetically mouse-like voice as he "tastes" his "soup", rubs his belly and says "Yum, yum, yum!" they probably wouldn't question how much he is going to L-O-V-E these toys. Dave saw a slice of "bread" I sewed the other day and wouldn't stop talking about how much the monkey will enjoy them...which is really all that matters.
I just hope I can get a ton more done before next weekend (his birthday); gah!!! Lots more planning and getting ready to do, too, so yeah. I'm a tad stressed. Just a tad, really. Gotta find a cake recipe that suits Hadman but that will be tasty enough for the rest of the guests to enjoy, too. (Like, I would do a lemon-blueberry cake but I'm not sure if that's universally liked, y'know?)
Speaking of searching, I'm still looking for new leads on my Ancestry.com search. My "world" membership, which gives me access to a buttload of new material from our European ancestors, just began. So, needless to say, I'm excited about this. My goal is to see how far "up" the tree I can go through my more recent European ancestors (like the majority of my relatives on my mother's side), most of whom came from Ireland in the mid- to early-1800s.
I'm also newly interested in my paternal grandmother's family. They're part of the only line that has lived in the U.S. from pre-Revolutionary War times. I had found some who were in the British nobility (which makes me think of Downton Abbey, but in Medieval Times) and some part of the Dutch settlers of Manhattan Island, so any additional information with regards to the heights of the tree will be simply thrilling. If I could do this stuff all day long, I would.
What's "currently" going on with you guys? How's your summer going? Are you managing/missing/thinking/creating/looking lately? ;-)
Linking up to Ot & Et and Harvesting Kale. Check 'em out!
We're missing our neighbor, George, who recently passed away. He was in his nineties, but the last time I saw him he was doing so well and asked us all in to hang out with his family. I'm so glad we took the chance to do that. The unadulterated joy in his eyes watching Hadley run around and play and discover was something I'll never forget. He was, by far, the most sensitive, kind-hearted man I ever met (which always surprised me, given his age and the toughness of his generation). On a bit of a side note, I'm also missing my grandfather since, well, I find myself always missing his presence since he passed earlier this year, but particularly with the 4th of July upon us. Any patriotic holiday does that to me, I guess. And when I watch "Yankee Doodle Dandy", I'm sure to enjoy it along with some tears.
I've tried to take a bit of a break from thinking lately. Does that sound idiotic? I mean, I'm an over-thinker, so it's nice to just kind of stick with the aforementioned toddler schedule with a few fun or productive activities thrown in for good measure. I fall into a guilt-ridden abyss when I don't try to do something productive, so I'm taking my mom's advice to try to do something fun and something off "my list" each week. I'd say that sounds good, especially knowing that once I get my "something productive" done that I can just kinda chill...unless the energy hits me to do something else. ;-)
Be it naptime or after the munchkin hits the hay at night, I've slowly but surely been creating his little felt food. It has taken FUH-REV-ER, but it's worth it. I had some confusion when I posted an image of a lowly "fried egg" the other day. Yes, I'm making him fake food made of felt. There are toys all over the interwebs for sale, but I like to do one handmade gift a year (if not one for his b-day, one for Christmas). He happens to be obsessed with pretending to "cook" and "mix". I guess if folks could hear how adorable his little energetically mouse-like voice as he "tastes" his "soup", rubs his belly and says "Yum, yum, yum!" they probably wouldn't question how much he is going to L-O-V-E these toys. Dave saw a slice of "bread" I sewed the other day and wouldn't stop talking about how much the monkey will enjoy them...which is really all that matters.
I just hope I can get a ton more done before next weekend (his birthday); gah!!! Lots more planning and getting ready to do, too, so yeah. I'm a tad stressed. Just a tad, really. Gotta find a cake recipe that suits Hadman but that will be tasty enough for the rest of the guests to enjoy, too. (Like, I would do a lemon-blueberry cake but I'm not sure if that's universally liked, y'know?)
Speaking of searching, I'm still looking for new leads on my Ancestry.com search. My "world" membership, which gives me access to a buttload of new material from our European ancestors, just began. So, needless to say, I'm excited about this. My goal is to see how far "up" the tree I can go through my more recent European ancestors (like the majority of my relatives on my mother's side), most of whom came from Ireland in the mid- to early-1800s.
I'm also newly interested in my paternal grandmother's family. They're part of the only line that has lived in the U.S. from pre-Revolutionary War times. I had found some who were in the British nobility (which makes me think of Downton Abbey, but in Medieval Times) and some part of the Dutch settlers of Manhattan Island, so any additional information with regards to the heights of the tree will be simply thrilling. If I could do this stuff all day long, I would.
What's "currently" going on with you guys? How's your summer going? Are you managing/missing/thinking/creating/looking lately? ;-)
Linking up to Ot & Et and Harvesting Kale. Check 'em out!
Nap time comes easier for us if I let her run crazy outside for about an hour before it's supposed to be nap time. *insert evil laughter* I love the little felt foods and toys, but the prices online are somewhat insane! Kudos to you for the patience to make them yourself. I've been planning that for about 2 years... haven't even started. Ha! I did Ancestry.com for a little while. I found a photo of my grandparents before they had any children! I'd really like to do the Ancestry DNA and see what I could find out.
ReplyDeleteI have done the Ancestry.com DNA test. It was cool, and I found out things about my genetic ancestors that I won't have know otherwise. Not surprisingly, I am 46% British, but when you have surnames in your family tree like Hutchinson, Clark, Armstrong, Walters, and Osborne, what else do you expect? Also, 12% of my DNA is Western European, but I do have a great great grandfather Fritz Aicholtz that came over from Germany in the 1830s. The biggest surprise was that 18% of my genetic ethnicity is from the Iberian Peninsula (Spain/Portugal). There is no record of that in my family history. The theory that my family has come up with is that maybe on both sides of my family we are descendants of the survivors of the Spanish Armada that shipwrecked off the coasts of Ireland and Scotland in 1588.
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