'A portrait a week of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013'
Soren say's 'Cheese!!!' He calls it the 'cam! cam!' He is getting so big. Soren's vocabulary is growing by the minute, even if he can only snag the first syllable.
Patience or Lack of Sleep
The last three days have been especially trying. I feel like my fuse has been super short and unfortunately Rick is at the end of it. I don't know how many more times I can apologize to him - I feel awful about it. I fidget and pick fights about the silliest things. Why the last three days?
The week before I was on 'vacation'. It's in quotes because like most of my vacations - I still had to go into the office (briefly) and still had to work from home. Not really a vacation, but I didn't have any rehearsals or concerts and didn't have to go into the office regularly. I went back to work (a day earlier than planned...) on Wednesday. Then it started.
Back to bringing work home and feeling looming deadlines while trying to give Soren my undivided attention. Back to working while trying to schedule dinner and errands for the evening before the big 'baby swap'. Yes - I try scheduling meals for the week, but it NEVER works (does anything work well for you? Help?!). And with my job - I really begin to feel as if I am at the will of a whole slew of other people. I am beginning to think my pseudonym should be 'damage control' (currently, it's Batman. 'Central Parkway Salad and Small Latte with almond milk for....er...Batman!')
I fix performances, take out coughs, put people in rooms they didn't perform in, edit VO's, EQ voices so they will translate on radio, fix library numbers - not to mention, clean paint out of carpet, mop up water spills in the bathroom, put the books back on the shelf for the 20th time, choose a sensory play activity and oh yeah! fix dinner.
I'm exhausted. Which brings me to this point - is it my patience that I am losing or is loss of sleep causing me to be more impatient? It's both. I need to get more rest BUT I also need to change my frame of reference or perspective. I like this quick article - it really struck a chord with me. I like the idea of my walls being like Jello - more flexible. and I especially like the idea of getting 7-8 hours of sleep. My goal is to create some kind of structure or schedule to help me be a more patient respectful partner and mother.
Do you have an unpredictable/erratic schedule? How do you cope with work and motherhood?
image courtesy of scriptmag.com
Avoiding a World of 'No!'
I am beginning to feel like a broken record these days (coincidentally - Soren managed to scratch two arias on my Tosca Record - boo!). No! Don't get into the matches... No! Don't spray paint all over the carpet... No! Don't pick up that pile of dog poop. The more important No's are don't run away from Momma, don't run down the driveway to the street, don't climb - it's not meant for that or No, sit - you'll fall off your chair.
I hate it. No really - I do. I feel like a) the bad guy and b) that I am setting up a world of negativity when I want Soren to explore and learn. Where is the balance?! It's not like he throws a tantrum every time you say it. In fact, I think he is growing out of the phase. Nope - now he laughs. Yep! Laughs.... And yes, he has one of those really adorable belly laughs that you just instinctively join in with. But the problem with that? He never, NEVER takes me seriously and we are getting to the point when he really needs to. For his own safety.
I want him to experience boundaries on his own, but there are things that are better left to parental discretion. So, on top of trying not to join in with his contagious chuckles - I am having the hardest time getting him to listen. I don't want to yell, spank or do a time out (our version is going to lay down and when he is ready to listen he can get up), but I am at my wits end!!
I found this great article on Dr. Sears website. It's been super helpful. One of the tips is to get out - go do something in a world of yes'. So that is exactly what we did and had a blast. We have these gorgeous woods behind our new place so we put the lead on August and went exploring. It was 45 minutes of yes', great jobs! and 'whoa....so cool!' (my personal favorite).
how do you address 'no' situations with your toddler? any tips or helpful articles?
Rainy Day Bubbles
The past week has been a mix of snow, sleet and rain. Due to the weather's erratic behavior and the muddy ground we've been stuck inside. I used it as an opportunity to work on the apartment, thankfully - Soren is good at reminding me to take a break.
He found a bottle of bubbles from his cousin's b-day party and pleaded - 'PLEEEEASE!'. I was happy to comply. We went through the whole bottle. Soren even came close to blowing a few himself!
We had so much fun - I can't wait to try a couple of these homemade bubble recipes!
10/52
'A portrait a week of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013'
No... I didn't pose this. This genuine adorable-ness naturally occurs in the wild. The move has been a long one - but I am finally starting to feel like we are creating a new home. This is in the woods behind the carriage house. It's beautiful and soon to be one of Soren's favorite places to play.