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.

Reading: Someday

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I received Someday by Alison McGhee and Peter Reynolds as a gift when Miss Madelyn was born and it has become my favorite children’s book of all time. It is the sweetest book about a mother and a daughter, and I’m not ashamed to admit that it made me a bit weepy the first 20 times I read it. Okay–and about 30 times after that. I’ve been reading it to my baby girl, but it also makes me think of my mom and my grandmother. Publisher’s Weekly called the book an "understated yet emotion-charged expression of a mother’s love and hopes for her child." Oh how I love it! Now, I need to head over to the book store and read every other children’s book by Alison McGhee. I also need to pick up extra copies of Someday as it is my new go-to gift for any friend who is having a baby girl.

Creating: Apple Puff Pancakes

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Apple Puff Pancakes are easy, good and will definitely get you in the mood for fall. Our fresh apples made it even better.   

 



The Pancake

1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 Tablespoon melted butter

Mix ingredients until smooth. Pour into a greased 8-inch square pan and bake at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned.

The Apples

Two cups chopped tart apples
1/2 cup apple juice
1/8 cup sugar
1 tea. cinnamon

Combine in sauce pan and simmer for 15-20 minutes until tender and syrupy. 

Cut the pancake in fourths and serve with the apples. 

What is your favorite way to use a bounty of apples? 

Reading: Goodnight Nobody

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I should have been reading any one of the many baby sleep books that are lining my shelves, but instead, I treated myself to Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner and I am so glad I did! I love when I come across just the right book for where I’m at in my life right now.

I know I would have liked this book even if I had read it when it first came out in 2005. But that was back before I had kids. Before I experienced walking onto a new playground and learning that some mommy circles feel like high school all over again. Before I schlepped through my neighborhood hanging reward posters when my little guy lost his special bear. Before I cried real tears of joy when I finally found that ratty old bear. Before I became the type of person, like the main character in the novel, that would hand over everything I own except my child’s lovey if I were mugged. Now that I am knee-deep in mommyhood and living in the suburbs, I appreciate the main character in Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner so much more than I would have before my own many readings of Goodnight Moon. 

In addition to all the little mommy-isms I could relate to, I liked the plot and the humor. A quick run down of the book from the back cover: "When a fellow mother is murdered, Kate finds that the unsolved mystery is the most exciting thing to happen in Upchurch, Connecticut, since her neighbors broke ground for a guesthouse and cracked their septic tank. Even though the local police chief warns her that crime-fighting’s a job best left to the professionals, Kate launches an unofficial investigation — from 8:45 to 11:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, when her kids are in nursery school."

Now, let me add that I always worry just a little bit when I share that I loved a book. I get visions of folks I know reading it and then thinking I have really bad taste. But, I will say it again—I did love this read. I also like Weiner’s blog: http://jenniferweiner.blogspot.com/. I can’t wait to read her latest novel, Fly Away Home. But first I need to finish some of those books that promise to teach me how to get my kiddos to sleep. 

 

Reading: Goodnight Nobody

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I should have been reading any one of the many baby sleep books that are lining my shelves, but instead, I treated myself to Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner and I am so glad I did! I love when I come across just the right book for where I’m at in my life right now.

I know I would have liked this book even if I had read it when it first came out in 2005. But that was back before I had kids. Before I experienced walking onto a new playground and learning that some mommy circles feel like high school all over again. Before I schlepped through my neighborhood hanging reward posters when my little guy lost his special bear. Before I cried real tears of joy when I finally found that ratty old bear. Before I became the type of person, like the main character in the novel, that would hand over everything I own except my child’s lovey if I were mugged. Now that I am knee-deep in mommyhood and living in the suburbs, I appreciate the main character in Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner so much more than I would have before my own many readings of Goodnight Moon. 

In addition to all the little mommy-isms I could relate to, I liked the plot and the humor. A quick run down of the book from the back cover: "When a fellow mother is murdered, Kate finds that the unsolved mystery is the most exciting thing to happen in Upchurch, Connecticut, since her neighbors broke ground for a guesthouse and cracked their septic tank. Even though the local police chief warns her that crime-fighting’s a job best left to the professionals, Kate launches an unofficial investigation — from 8:45 to 11:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, when her kids are in nursery school."

Now, let me add that I always worry just a little bit when I share that I loved a book. I get visions of folks I know reading it and then thinking I have really bad taste. But, I will say it again—I did love this read. I also like Weiner’s blog: http://jenniferweiner.blogspot.com/. I can’t wait to read her latest novel, Fly Away Home. But first I need to finish some of those books that promise to teach me how to get my kiddos to sleep. 

 

Creating: A New Tradition

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Our weekend was filled with fresh air, apple orchards and a drive in the country. We loaded my little guy’s wagon with two pecks of Royal Gala and MacIntosh apples that are destined to be slathered with peanut butter for our afternoon snacks, sprinkled with sugar for apple pies and diced up for apple puff pancakes. This was our second annual apple picking adventure, and I think it is destined to become a new tradition. Stay tuned for a few recipes as I use up these little red beauties. 

Living: One Big Blur

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This week may go down as one of the busiest we’ve had in a long time! Here are the highlights (that I can remember–at least):
 
One popsicle party hosted by my friend Sarah. 
One well-child two-month check up.
Two surgeries (my hubby said goodbye to two large kidney stones and my baby girl’s hemangioma got zapped).
One dentist appointment.
An oil change.
One story submitted.
People watching in Times Square.
One corned beef and pastrami on rye and a slice of cheesecake at Carnegie Deli. 
More loads of laundry than I can remember. 
Twenty one late-night feedings for baby girl, which also means 21 late-night diaper changes.
 
Whew! Time to do the dishes and get to bed!