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Monday, July 30, 2007

What? I have a blog? Part Deux.

So…I’ve been SWAMPED…

I’ve not blogged…

Or scrapped…

Or much of anything, really, except work, spend time with the family and try really hard to get my little one to sleep through the night. Just for reference our slept-through-the-night-at-one-month-old child has decided that sleeping is over-rated and that he wants to wake up and have a go at playing in the wee hours of the morning. Mommy is not pleased….

I’ve been gathering new websites to put in my little inspiration sections over there----------->

I’ll be trying to update those over the course of this week…

I did manage to finish the last Harry Potter…great book…makes me want to go back to the beginning and read them all again.

Mr. Jay-man has been discovering a bunch of new things…like the tea drawer, which he ceremoniously empties of its contents at least twice a day, one tea bag at a time. (We buy those individually wrapped bags, so he can toss them all about the kitchen and get loads of laughs without actually ever touching or tasting the tea.

He’s also come up with a myriad of new noises to delight us…we have been quite pleased with this little question he seems to ask, “Aye????” with his little hand out, palm up…as if to ask, “Right?” He stood in the doorway to the back yard in the POURING rain on Friday night, getting his little fingers wet and then turning around to look at Scott and say, “Aye??????”

He’s getting good standing-still balance…he will definitely be walking WELL before his 1st birthday…sigh…sometimes I wish he’d just slow down.

Other than that, our life has been quite boring and not at all like the glamorous life I’d imagined for myself at this point in my life…ha!

Hope you all are well…

I’m going to be updating as the week goes on…perhaps I’ll actually post something inspiring, rather than all this drivel about my non-existent personal life…

It’s in the plan, anyway!!!

Peace, everyone!!!

Friday, July 06, 2007

New layouts...

I put some layouts in my gallery...

You can find it over there -------------------------->

This is the latest...

Mr Jay and the REMOTE!

(It runs in the family)

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Family Planning

Subtitle: No this isn’t about any more babies…

I received a wonderful e-mail shared by my friend Donna from the DailyOM. It was about what “Family Planning” means.

The challenge was to think of family planning far beyond the questions of how many children, when to have them and how do we afford it all. Instead, it encouraged us to think about what kind of people we would like to raise – what sort of qualities do we want to foster in our children.

This is an outrageously wonderful idea – especially in this age of technological fast-forward, the ME TOO mentality, the overwhelming greed and lack of moral fiber that seems to be pervasive in our current culture.

I’ve always said that the job of a parent is to raise an emotionally, physically, and mentally healthy adult. No small challenge, this concept.

Perhaps because we think of teaching our children all the things we learned – how to ride a bike, how to throw a ball, how to swim, how to do long division, etc. – we think of all the great things we have to offer a child. We focus on all of our good qualities and how much the world is a better place for us being in it.

It was sobering for me to remember that this process of teaching my children all the things I have learned could also include how to fight dirty, how to be easily offended, and how to speak disparagingly about myself or others. It could include how to shamelessly flaunt my body, how to consume alcohol in alarming quantities and act like a complete idiot, how to hurt somebody else with my words just because I can.

I’ve got these experiences in my arsenal of knowledge, just as I have how to properly balance a checkbook.

Sometimes the behavior I could teach would be neither good nor bad, just somewhere in the banal and inactive middle – talking about things that should be different but never having the courage to really change.

I think we all like to talk a big story about the “right” way to raise a child…we all have ideas, not least of which is avoiding the seemingly huge mistakes our own parents made.

The unfortunate reality is that children learn by living with us and observing how we behave rather than just doing what we tell them to do...

You see, my child will grow up thinking that the way things are in our household and in our extended family is the way things are in the world. We teach him how to respond to those things by how we respond to them behind closed doors. Hmmmmmmm….

So, this e-mail my friend sent was so refreshing because it approached the mechanism of training our children up in the way they should go.

And I thought with glee…I could grow MYSELF up this way too.

If I want a generous child, I can act in generosity and teach the concept at the same time. This might be making a dinner and taking it to somebody in need. It could be baking cookies for the people at work. It could be creating a scrapbook album for somebody from my heart and just because.

By incorporating enriching experiences into my own life, I can experience the art of living and teach my child to do the same. We can learn how to share, to form new friendships, to thoroughly nourish the old friendships, to appreciate music or art, to open our mind to learning and new ideas, to be a soure of support and encouragement to others, to try new athletic endeavors, to contribute to the health of our community, to develop healthy boundaries and respect the boundaries of others and the list goes on and on.

How exciting to think of all the things I can adjust, learn, and change within my own life all in the pursuit of teaching my sunny little boy how to live in a healthy and whole-person-building way.

Perhaps the coolest thing for me – who is afraid to look stupid while trying something new (darn that perfectionist attitude!) – I can try new things and laugh about my ineptness with my child all in the name of teaching.

And perhaps he will learn that the goal is not to worry about how good or bad we are at something, but to be seeking to find new and fun ways to make our world a better place to live.

Perhaps he will learn to laugh at himself and just keep going.

Perhaps he will learn that you never really stop becoming who you were meant to be.

And, I pray, he will learn that the saying “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Is more than just a saying…

Happy day, everyone!

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Uncle Sam Wants You...



This cracks me up completely. I heard on the radio this morning that some people didn’t even slow down.

Out of Florida this morning and in honor of Gina’s post:

Courtesy of the Orlando Sentinel :

Uncle Sam stops red light runners

posted by Walter Pacheco on Jul 3, 2007 7:01:07 AM

UPDATED: Location of morning traffic operation.

Uncle Sam wants you to slow down today or face hefty fines or even a day in jail.

An Orange County Sheriff's Office deputy dressed as Uncle Sam will be on the look out for red light runners and speeding drivers this morning at the intersection of Alafaya Trail and East Colonial Drive and later in the afternoon as part of a holiday traffic enforcement operation.

The red light running operation is part of the sheriff's office innovative program in which a deputy disguises himself as a popular holiday character and stands on the side of a major road while clocking drivers on a radar gun. In the past, deputies have dressed themselves as Santa, an elf and other popular characters.

Deputies conducted a similar operation last week on Oak Ridge Road and stopped 451 vehicles, issued 241 traffic citations and arrested 26 drivers, according to sheriff's office records. Deputies added that one traffic stop on Oak Ridge Road could help detectives with an ongoing homicide investigation.

A ticket for speeding nine miles per hour over the posted limit may cost a driver at least $80.50, deputies said. The fine for speeding 10 miles over the posted limit increases to $155.50.


Have a safe and peaceful day, everyone...

Monday, July 02, 2007

Listmania, communication, and cruisin’

I have listmania – that thing I get where I get ultra-into checking things off a list.

If it’s not on the list it doesn’t get recognized, purchased or completed.

I love that…

Of course, I’ve heard there should never be any more than 10 items on your “to do” list at any one time. THIS is obviously a statement made by a man. Because no sensible mother, especially not a sensible WORKING mother, would have only 10 things on the list.

And besides its fun the tick them off and say “WAHOO….DONE!”

Jay has started to say “AAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY” (think YEAAAAAAAA!) with his little expectant smile and his eyebrows up. The PROPER response, of course, is to give him your hands so he can grab your thumbs and clap your hands for you. Then we all say “YEAAAAAA!!!”

So…beyond the crying when he wants out of the crib, the uh-huh-uh-huh-uh-huh when you ask if he wants food or milk, the grunting that is a side-effect of crawling and pulling one-self up on furniture and the mamamababababadadadadalalalalala that apparently means “I like this banana and rice cereal combo.” THIS is his FIRST TRUE communication with us. He makes his demands known and fully expects a specific response from us…how Blessed are we that his first mimicry-communication is our special way of celebrating. (We clap our hands and say YYYEEEEAAAAAAA!!!!! every time he does something cute or smart…or if he falls down – to which we clap, cheer and say “Jay you are a good faller-downer!”)

Along with this, his new favorite song is apparently “If you’re happy and you know it.” I’m sure the connection is obvious…

He’s still trying to grasp the concept that his own hands clap. We’re working on this one. So far, our hands are required for the clapping.

And finally, we now have a CRUISER!!!

On Saturday morning, he was pulling himself up on the coffee table as usual…and noticed a lovely remote full of very pushable buttons…and took two little side steps before falling flat on his bum…(YEEEAAAAAAAA!!!!! Clap clap). He tried the same maneuver several times over the course of the weekend.

By Sunday he was doing laps around the table…sort of…he gets a good three or four steps into it and tumbles (YEEEAAAAAAAA!!!!! Clap clap). And then pulls himself back up and goes for it again.

He attempted the single-hand cruise a couple of times – because one hand was holding that blue donut from that peg game, of course…one simply cannot abandon the blue donut just to cruise.. He found out rather quickly that he does not yet have the skill to cruise one-handed. Not to say that he didn’t attempt it several times before tossing the donut aside and using both of his chubby little hands.

He also tried to climb the entertainment center.

To which Scott chortled, “I wouldn’t free climb that. You need to rope up!”

Ah…

Ever so fun having a daredevil cruiser and a comedian living in one household.

YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

Peace, Ya’ll