Author Archives: Mindy

Highlights From My Week

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–My little guy started preschool and was bubbling over with excitement when he told me all about the fruit cup he had for snack.

–I saw a pregnant lady earlier this week and decided that I definitely want another baby. I shared this news with my hubby who assured me it is not going to happen.

–I am pretty sure I need a Silhouette cutting machine. I entered the giveaway at Blue Cricket Design. Since I am trying to increase my odds of winning, I also entered the giveaway at Twigs and Thistle. I know I am decreasing my odds by spreading the word, but that’s what friends are for.

–My friend Sarah has gathered some fun Halloween and fall decorating ideas on her blog, www.sheekshindigs.blogspot.com.

–I’ve started gathering Christmas crafting ideas. I want to make these mini gingerbread houses I saw last year on Not Marta.  I also plan to download this DIY ornament wrap from the Twig and Thistle Etsy shop.

—I love this article on the value of a sibling. It reminds me that we’ve given Evan the gift of a sister, even if the transition can be rough. 

–I have deemed Wednesday afternoons Kitchen Concoction time and have a whole slew of activities I plan to do with my little guy. I’m hoping Madelyn will enjoy watching from her Bumbo seat. Tune in on Thursday to see our first try. Send me your kid-friendly crafting and cooking ideas at mindylng (at) yahoo (dot) com.

 

Freelancing: National Punctuation Day

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Everyone who loves grammar will want to take time to celebrate National Punctuation Day tomorrow. Some cookies shaped like commas or cupcakes decorated with exclamation points would be wonderful treats in honor of the day. I’m not quite sure how I’ll celebrate yet, but I hope to come up with something creative. Here is an article about the day from the St. Petersburg Times in Florida. 

Concocting A Mess

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Evan is into Spiderman these days. As in, he can’t get enough. We play Spiderman, read Spiderman books and watch Spiderman on t.v. He is going to be Spiderman for Halloween, but I just ordered his costume yesterday. Later in the day Evan asked me if he could paint. I said sure, got out the paints and gave Evan some paper. I went about making dinner, which means I was in the kitchen with Evan, but had my back to him quite a bit. Imagine my surprise when I turned around to find this: 

He can even shoot webs. 



His feet got in on the action, too. 



Dinner was late. And I am still cleaning up red paint. Luckily it was washable. 


 

Creating: Fun Photos

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Have you used Picnik yet to edit your photos? You can add borders, text and all kinds of fun effects. The best part is that it is free! You can upgrade to the premium service for about $25 a year, which I am going to do. It is so quick and easy to make a few small changes that really improve the look of your photos. So, if you haven’t tried it, check it out at www.picnik.com.

 

Creating: An Athlete

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My little guy is growing up. Sometimes the reminders are subtle, but other times I look at him and his latest achievement and realize that he is a kid—a real kid—and there is no baby left inside of him. Saturday was one of those days. Evan and Bryan embarked on a father/son ice skating adventure. They hit the ice and neither one of them looked back. Seeing my guy out there made me realize he is getting bigger and bigger every day. Luckily, I was too busy smiling, laughing and taking pictures to feel sad about how quickly time passes. There are so many things I miss from Evan’s baby and toddler days, but making memories like this…



helps ease my pain. Then I hold on tight to Madelyn, kiss her chubby little baby cheeks and try to get her to promise that she won’t ever grow up. She hasn’t answered me yet. 

Living: Rushing Toward Christmas

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Evan woke up today thinking it was Christmas. Really, he did. He jumped out of bed and couldn’t wait to see what Santa Claus brought him. I explained over and over again it was not Christmas, but he insisted on finding out for himself. He held out hope until he walked into our living room. The fact that Santa hadn’t come didn’t phase him all that much. “Let’s just look outside and see if it snowed,” he said as he lifted the blinds. I was happy that he thought Christmas could have come without ribbons, come without tags, come without packages, boxes, or bags, but my poor little guy had such disappointment in his eyes when he looked outside and saw it hadn’t turned to winter overnight. 

It’s my fault, I suppose. We’ve been talking a lot about Christmas travel plans lately, plus I’ve been singing Christmas carols since June. It all started with Madelyn, who was quite the crier when we first brought her home. I sang and sang to try to calm her down. After I went through my repertoire of children’s songs, I turned to Christmas carols. Little Miss developed an affinity for Let it Snow, so I’ve been singing it about four times a day for the past three months.

Then Evan started asking me to sing it to him at bedtime. Little did I know it is apparently the gateway carol. A few weeks ago he started asking for hard-core carols. Last night I did four renditions of Santa Claus is Coming to Town and three of Jolly Old Saint Nicholas with a quick Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer thrown in for good measure (my guy had a hard time settling down last night—hence all the singing). As I was tucking Evan in he told me he couldn’t wait for Santa to come. I had no idea he thought it would be so soon.

I’m going to have to tone down the Christmas talk or else the next few months will be torturous for my little guy. I do love Christmas and I love getting a jumpstart on the planning, but this little episode reminded me not to rush the fall. I think I’ll plan a trip to the pumpkin patch and get some Halloween decorations down from the attic. Time goes by fast enough on its own without wishing it away just so we can get to Christmas.

Living: A Multitasking Mess

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I shouldn’t multitask. It can have unhappy consequences. Like earlier this week when I slipped this pan of cookies in the oven, then interested Evan in some toys, put Madelyn down for a nap and started in on a work project. It wasn’t until the smell of burning sugar and butter made its way from my oven, through the kitchen and into the next room that I remembered I had even made cookies…let alone put them in the oven. It was a sad, sad day at our house. And I didn’t even have any cookies to help make me feel better. 

Creating: A Full Summer

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Labor Day has come and gone, the neighborhood pool is closed and school is starting, which means it is time to say goodbye to summer. For us the summer of 2010 was jam-packed. We…

-Welcomed a new life and marveled at our tiny miracle

-Discovered Spider-Man

-Roasted marshmallows

-Rowed in a canoe

-Visited nine states in nine weeks

-Reminisced and joked about our first-time-parent jitters when Evan was born

-Made new friends

-Cheered on our little guy as he found new independence

-Laughed

-Cried

-Longed for more sleep

-Spent time with family…

…and at least one thousand other things. It was busy. It was memorable. It went by in the blink of an eye. Even though we packed in as much as we possibly could, there were several things we didn’t get to do enough of. Next summer I hope to drink more lemonade, spend more time at the pool and read as many novels as I possibly can.

What is on your to-do list for summer 2011? 

 

Living: My Baby Girl

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My Dear Sweet Madelyn,

It is hard to believe you’ve been with us for three months already. You are such a joy! Your brother, dad and I are all enamored with you and spend hours talking to you in singsong voices and making funny faces in an attempt to make you grin. You love to smile and I couldn’t be happier that I have a happy baby.

This week you rolled over from your back to your tummy and your brother could hardly contain his excitement. He clapped and cheered you on as you were trying to make your move and then he gave you a “little high five” on your balled up fist. You are already racking up a few ‘firsts’ and I know this is just the beginning of the many accomplishments your life will bring.

We have taken three road trips to New York this summer so you could have laser surgery on your vascular birthmark. Only a few minutes pass from the time the surgeon takes you from my arms until he brings you back, but the wait is excruciating. I sit and listen for your little cry, which lets me know I’ll be holding you again soon. As soon as I get you back, I fight back my own tears while I dry yours. I do my best to calm you. Then I bend down so your brother, at his insistence, can attempt to kiss away your pain. Although I’m so sorry you’re hurting, I love seeing him try to comfort you. I know one day you’ll do the same for him.

Miss Madelyn, I love the feel of your hands and fullness of your cheeks—not to mention the fat rolls on your thighs. Every little inch of you is absolutely perfect. Thank you for being a part of our family, for being so sweet and for just being you. I can’t wait to get to know you better as we continue on this little adventure together.  

Love,
Mommy

 

The Byline

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I once had a woman tell me that only journalists notice bylines. She may have been right. But, no matter how many times I’ve seen mine, I still get a kick out of it. The first time I saw my byline in something other than my college or high school paper was when I was interning for a weekly newspaper in Salt Lake. I walked into a bagel shop to grab a sandwich and saw a stack of the issue my story was slated to run in. After weeks of managing the calendar that ran in each issue, I’d finally been trusted with a real story. I grabbed a paper, flipped through the pages and saw my name. I wanted to point it out to everyone in line with me, but I didn’t. Instead I grabbed a stack on my way and hand delivered them to all of my relatives within a 120-mile radius.

I don’t get that excited anymore, but now it almost means more. It reminds me that I am earning my living as a writer—something that had been my plan since I was a teenager. It also reminds me that the leap of faith I took when I decided to hang my own shingle has paid off. I’ve been a full-time freelancer for two years this month and I’ve worked harder for myself than I ever did for anyone else. Of course I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Having my byline arrive in my mailbox also reminds me that, with the particular publication that arrived this week and is pictured above, it also arrived in the mailboxes of just over 25,000 other people. I like knowing something I researched and wrote has been sent out into the world. I just always hope that people like what they read.

The best part of my job is when people read an article takes the time to visit my website and leave a comment saying they liked what they saw. I can’t tell you how big of a smile that puts on my face.

So for all of you non-byline-reading folks, give them a gander once in a while. And, if you like what you read, let someone know! I bet it will make his or her day.