A day of reflection and planning

Dare I say I'm ready to make a switch.  I've been researching blogging platforms and web design.  I just feel like something isn't right with this blog.  Like that peddle I'm pushing has been touching the floor for a while now but I'm still maxing out at an impressive 2.3 MPH.  Discouraged, anxious and dedicated ...{if there can be such a combination}... I'm considering making a big change.  Like upgrading from my golf cart to a sleek new Jag.

Todays dose of randomness

The other night my Husband and I were imagining the day when our little guy will loose his first tooth.  It's a long way out ...{I hope}... The thought reminded me of a tradition in my family as we grew up.  When each of the three sisters had their first loose tooth my mom made a huge deal about going to JoAnn fabrics for some special fabric and ribbon.  We'd eagerly head home to begin work on a new tooth fairy pillow.  Oh how I love family traditions.   As I mentioned the story to my Husband he laughed trying to play down the fact that he wished he had such a creation when he lost his pearly whites.  Oh men... he's convinced tooth fairy pillows aren't for boys.  While I was perusing some of my favorite blogs this morning I came across something amazing with the most perfect timing.  you guessed it... a super wonderful DIY tooth fairy pillow and wait there's more this awesome mom blogger created this pillow for her... SON!  Perfect.  Do check out this awesome DIY toothfair pillow by Ashley of The Handmade Home. This couldn't have been scripted better had I paid a hollywood script writer to help me prove my point.  You better bet that when our little man gets that first wiggly tooth I'm packing the whole crew up to head to JoAnn's ...{Daddy and all}...

Back to work on my new blog design and banner.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Make it happen...

Okay so lately I’ve been on an up and down super busy roller coaster of emotions.  I’m happy, I’m proud, I’m confused, I’m not doing enough.  I’m not perfect yet I’m proud.

I’m so hopeful that I’ll eventually get this blog off to the point I feel it deserves to be.  In an effort to give myself a gentle nudge to keep going, keep working, keep dreaming of a reality I’ll one day have I’ll be adding some encouraging posts in the coming days.

So here's to hopping up and making it happen!

...{The Letter 4}...

Please stop throwing stones!

So this post goes off topic from many of my recent posts but for a very valuable reason.  I just read a very hurtful blog post from a woman who very cruelly writes about how "miscarriages are NOT baby deaths."   If you really want to read her post{keep in mind by licking you might get upset and you will certainly help boost the number of people who have viewed her blog} here it is.  I very strongly disagree with her post and this mentality that a baby lost during pregnancy isn't a baby.  I took a considerable amount of time crafting my comment to her post and am proud of what I have to say on the topic:

106. Erica says:

     Your comment is awaiting moderation.
     

     March 30, 2012 at 11:04 am

     
     I respectfully disagree with your opinions on this delicate topic. I truly had no idea that a parent could be so confident that loosing a pregnancy does not by virtue of what it is include loosing a child.
     
     As a VERY PROUD mom of two boys {one in heaven and one here on earth} I feel it is my obligation to speak from my experiences. To throw out a blanket statement as you do “miscarriages are NOT baby deaths” is incredibly hurtful to me and plenty of people who have and have not lost a child. What’s wrong with imagining for a moment that a death whether it occurs at 15 weeks or 15 years is in fact the death of a child?
     
     As a blogger myself I take considerable care when crafting a post because I’m concerned about how my words may impact others. The way you so cruelly discounted the words of those who consider a miscarriage to be the loss of a baby shows me that you don’t take the same care!
     
     My question to you is why do you feel so passionate about this that you discount the sadness and grief of parents and the life of a child?
     
     I’m so happy to see that a number of people have taken the courage to comment and share their stories in the hope of encouraging people such as yourself to stop throwing stones. I would like to remind you that you’ve been given the ability to communicate with others. Please use that to do good rather than to judge and belittle the life of innocent babies who pass away before they can be properly welcomed into this world.
     

 

Seth's footprints

 {So apparently I'm a terrible mom~ I can't find Damon's footprints right now}

I found a lot of other items from our hospital stay but no footprints.

I'll update once I've found them. Ha ha

Damon's footprints 

 

I believe very strongly that the only way that people will begin to understand the true loss of a child who passed away during pregnancy is when parents {like me} talk about their experiences.  I guess the point I most wanted to get across in my comment was what good does posting something so hurtful do?  Okay so say the entire world agrees with her that a miscarriage isn't the loss of a baby would she feel satisfied that she changed the world for the better?  What if the entire world agreed with her except one brave couple who experienced this loss and cared enough to see their child as a baby rather than "the idea of a baby" (as was suggested by that blogger).  Would she try to convince them that their child wasn't truly a baby?  And in the end what good would that bring about?

...{I'm so proud to be the mom of Seth Alexander and Damon Brent.  

I am confident that without knowing and loving each of these babies my life wouldn't be as complete and full of perspective as it is.

I pray that I can do great things in my life and make these kiddos proud}...

DIY: Robin Inspired Wreath

Yea, I'm so glad you're joining me for this wonderful spring DIY wreath.  You'll be sure to impress your guests with your style.

...{Supplies}...

for the wreath

a grape vine wreath {I made my own but they also sell them at craft stores}

1 can of spray paint {I used Kyrlon Blue Ocean Breeze}

 cardboard or a drop cloth

& for the super cute eggs

3 perfectly cheap plastic eggs

hot glue and a glue gun 

jute or a natural looking yarn

First

Lay your wreath on a drop cloth or piece of cardboard

Start shaking your spray paint {follow the directions for the best coat}

Second

 Paint your wreath 

{I like the shabby chic look so I didn't stress about getting the coat perfectly even}

Third

Let that baby dry

Turn on your glue gun and begin working on your eggs

Fourth

Start at one end of your egg and apply a dot of glue.

Press one end of the jute onto the warm glue

Continue working around the egg adding only as much glue as you can wrap before it dries.

Turning my vision into a reality was easier with the help of a sharpie. 

Switch it up: I used three different patterns for my eggs
{one wrapped lengthwise, one wrapped diagonally around the egg and one
with a swirled pattern}

Completely wrap each egg delicately cutting off the jute at each end.  

Leave your glue gun on.

Fifth

Hang your wreath to find the perfect orientation.

Once your wreath is hung lay the eggs onto the wreath and pick the composition that looks right to you.

Grab your glue gun and put a dot of glue on each egg.  Then secure it to your wreath.

Sixth

Impress all who come to your home!

...{If you enjoyed this post please consider sharing it}...

And as always let me know how your project turns out.
...{thanks ~erica}...

Good night moon!

Damon was amazed by the last full moon. Prior to that I'd never noticed him point at it or talk to it.  Once he noticed he wasn't about to forget.  His first words the next morning were "moon, moon" as he pointed towards his window.

For the last two weeks he's been chatting amount the moon.  Living our in the country we're spoiled with great views of the night sky.  ...These blurry pictures certainly don't do justice to our view.  Last night we saw a glimpse of the moon between clouds and today as Damon and I were playing he noticed the moon out our front window.  We laid together admiring the moon for 10+ minutes ...{way longer than this little man generally stays still}...  

 

As he waved "bye bye moon" I imagined how so many things will change in his lifetime and how so many will stay the same.  He'll see trillions of innovations and new technologies come and go.   He'll hopefully know a world where terrible things no longer happen.  A place where people have learned to coexist with one another and with our plant.  And he'll always know that this moon... the one we so love... will always be in the sky smiling down on him.

Our little moments

Yesterday when I dropped my little man off for a day of fun in the toddler room at school my heart sank.  My sweet cuddly full of kisses and ever smiling little man wasn't acting so sweet.  Actually he was being mean... unintentionally of course.  He's 20 months old and still not quite sure of the best way to show his frustration.  My mommy intuition leads me to believe he was upset because I was about to leave him for a day of sorting prom dresses and meetings ...{more about that in a future post}... anyhow he grabbed one of his best buddies on the cheek.

Red in the face and full of shock I bent down and used my calmest mommy voice to remind him that he wasn't being very nice or gentle.  After mommy asked him to be gentle he kissed his friend and ran off to play with a puzzle.  There I stood embarrassed and full of guilt.  For hours after I left him there... in that room... I stressed and beat myself up.  

Yes, I know he's 20 months old and doesn't always think before he acts but I was convinced that it was all my fault.  I must be doing something wrong.  I must not have read the right book about parenting a little boy.  I grew up with sisters.  This boy thing is entirely new to me.  The closest to this got growing up was sparing without our gear on.  ...{my sisters and I are proud 2nd degree black belts}... So it wasn't until I was searching for some writing inspiration that I finally got it.  I'm a great mom, my husband is a great dad.  And Damon is a great little man.  

It's so hard to imagine how much he's grown in just 20months.

Imagine our bedtime routine after taking his vitamins and brushing his teeth we usually read a story together.  Mommy cuddling Damon as Daddy reads.  Then we carry Damon into his room share a bunch of kisses and lay Damon into his bed.  He'll let out a little whimper just to remind me that he loves me and each minute we spend together.  Brent leaves he's Mr. Logical convinced that Damon should cry himself to sleep if necessary.  Mommy on the other hand hums and gently rubs Damon's back.  Sure I see the value in Damon falling asleep on his own and without the company of mom but there's something so special about those few minutes we spend there in the dark.  I remember our day and the fun we've shared, I think about the many cute messes around our home waiting to be cleaned and I imagine our future together. 

Still not convinced?  Take our recent outdoor adventures for example.  Damon's newest thing is to grab my finger and run me around the yard.  I love it.  There's something so special about that bond when he's literally sharing his enthusiasm and excitement for life with me.  As we're running I do my best to see it from his point of view.  ...{Where did all of that white stuff go?  Now there's these tiny green things popping up and whoa this one has purple on it. Look mom look!}... As he playfully steps on my crocuses. 

Minutes before I began writing this post I'd been battling that feeling that I don't have much to contribute that what's flying in my head doesn't matter to anyone but me and that I'm not succeeding.  I struggled and struggled to find some inspiration.  I added a couple pins, caught up on several of my favorite blogs, drafted a long to do list for my future blogging endeavors still I was feeling off.  Then I came across this guest post on one of my favorite blogs Little Miss Mamma.  

I swear the way guest blogger Casey wrote about her experiences as a proud mommy spoke to my heart.  I teared up and began writing.  Thanks Casey for reminding me that mommy-hood is such a beautiful blessing.

Immediately I knew I must capture some of our little moments.  The sort of things that make each of my days beautiful and full of life.  I hope you enjoyed!  

 

Oh one last thing...

I'm not going to make it a habit to blog about my day job but tomorrow I'll be super busy.  In 2009 I orchestrated my first prom dress giveaway.  This year will be our 4th annual event.   On Wednesday we received a total of 207 donated dresses.  ...{That's right two hundred and seven dresses not to mention a couple bags of shoes}...  This huge day of donations came from community members a bridal shop and students at a local college.  It's safe to say that this years collection event has topped all of our other years.  Hopefully the giveaways will impact more students that ever before too!  I'll be posting more about our Prom Closet soon.

Here comes the sun!

As a proud Central New Yorker I'm so excited for days that are 70degrees in mid-March.   
...{The warm spring air against our cheeks the bright sun warming our hearts and dedicated crocuses popping through crumpled leaves}... 

I hope your part of the woods is equally beautiful this time of year!

Enjoy our week in pictures and feel free to link to your springtime posts!  

I'd love to see what you've been up to!

 

Family night in the kitchen making eggplant calzones.

 Offering a helping hand with our ceiling repair project.

 The first extra warm weather day with a lone patch of snow.  Finally it's melted.

 Our first signs of spring emerge from Seth's memory garden.  

Very fitting and obviously so much appreciated.

 Damon is constantly amused by himself.  He loves snuggling beneath the quilt on our bed.

We are so truly blessed to have such a happy and healthy little man in our lives.

 Silly mickey Mouse glasses.  We've owned these since our trip to Florida last year.  

I'm so glad that he finally enjoys them.

 What a beautiful day for a boardwalk adventure.  

Damon loved tossing pine cones on the mossy forest floor.

 

We had a blast decorating for Easter!

 We had a potty first this week.  As to not embarrass Damon in the future I'll just say I'm proud to announce our little kiddo is making progress!

 I painted this with watercolor pencils.  If it looks familiar it makes up part of the mysOnflower logo.

 While pulling weeds in Seth's memory garden I inadvertently disturbed a few crocuses.  They now have a beautiful home in this Peter Rabbit planter.

 Last but not least my newest wreath inspired by the beauty and brilliance of a robin's nest.  This concept has been bouncing in my head since the snow began to fall months ago.  

A limited number are available in the mysOnflower shop.  

Stay turned I will be posting a DIY for this beauty next week.