Essential Ingredients: Life-Motherhood-Career-Simplified

Happy Christmas

During the coming Christmas season

May you be blessed

With the spirit of the season, which is peace, 

The gladness of the season, which is hope,

And the heart of the season, which is love.

 

 

Brag Book

There is an awesome book hitting the shelves in December that you need to check out!  In the spirit of full disclosure - the author is my sister and this labor of love is a must read!

 

Hope you are as excited as I am for my Amazon order to arrive!!

 

 

 

Beginnings and Endings

 

This month has been a whirlwind (tornados and all) of activity - some of it good, some bad, some bittersweet.

The back-to-school ritual went off without a hitch.  All the new activities, classmates, and routines were for the most part celebrated and embraced.  To see my former preemie board the school bus with confidence and fearlessness was astounding to me.  She greeted the day as if there were hundreds of new adventures waiting just for her.  As I stood there bawling after the bus pulled away, it felt  as if every conversation, activity, word of praise, and word of correction was all for this moment.  And it was.

This new beginning corresponded with an ending.  My grandmother passed last week at the age of 93.  As a family, we came together to care for our matriarch and support each other.   Her five-week hospitalization was exhausting for all of us, yet somehow it was filled with resilience, hope, and ultimately, peace.

So now, another beginning is upon us - the beginning of our family minus one.  Even though my grandmother had been declining for some time, she continued to be the glue that brought the family together.  Whether at the assisted living facility, the nursing home, or the hospital, we gathered and celebrated the occasion du jour (birthday, holiday, Tuesday).  No matter the locale, we were her raucous bunch of granddaughters catching up, great-grandkids racing about, and sons and daughters-in-law most certainly bragging about our latest accomplishments.

I have no doubt we will continue to be “glued,” but in a new way.  My hope is that we will create it with that same excitement and sense of what-is-yet-to-come of the school bus adventure. 

Cinema Al Fresco

I am not what you would call the handy type, but recently I constructed a backyard movie theater, and I was so proud of it.

All it took was a white sheet, binder clips, my laptop, the office LCD projector, and speakers.  I closed off the curtains on three sides of our backyard gazebo, removed the nature that was living in the curtains (yuk), and hung a white sheet on the back wall using binder clips.  Then, I hooked up my laptop, LCD projector, and speakers and, viola!  Instant family-friendly entertainment under the stars.

Who knew office equipment could be so much fun!

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
  

 

Another Rare Moment

Evidence of Fun

I have just finished my daughter's nightly bath and bed routine after a long day of summer fun.  At this late hour, I have come to a realization. 

It seems to me that the amount of fun in any given day can be measured by the volume/kinds of residue that is washed off in the tub.  For example, this evening there was scrubbing off of:

• Chocolate ice cream
• Green paint
• Dirt
• Grass
• Bug spray and...
• Macaroni and cheese

The data suggests that this was a day filled with good food, outside play, and arts and crafts.

Not too shabby (especially after a good shower)!

Independence Day

This past week has been momentous.

 

My daughter has accomplished so much in such a short time – swimming in the pool without gripping several floaties, needing to leave the pool for not apologizing for an accidental dunking, and riding a big-girl bicycle in the Fourth of July parade.

 

These summer rites of passage have all the more meaning when I think back to when my former preemie was hooked up to every imaginable monitor.  How amazing it is to see her strength and resilience (and faux pas) now that the leads and tubes are long gone.

 

These steps to independence bring joy (and consequences) for both of us.  She is proud of her accomplishments and is learning from her mistakes.  I am remembering how far we have both come and celebrating the little victories.

 

Together, we are soaking in the moments and I am reminded daily of what really matters.

 

Summer Uniforms

One of the questions that plague me every morning is, “What am I going to wear?”  Not only do I have to answer that question for myself and be out the door by 8:30AM, I have to answer it for my daughter too (and have her out the door as well).

 

Lately, my daughter has some strong opinions about her clothing options – short vs. long sleeves, capris vs. leggings.  Many a morning includes intense negotiation of appropriate attire - not a great way to start the day at all.  Taking a cue from the boy in my life (suit, shirt, tie, or blue shirt, khakis, no tie) I decided there needed to be a summer uniform for the girls too.

 

In keeping with my summer mantra (food, clothing, shelter, fun), I decided to tackle the summer wardrobe debate.  Why was it easier to figure this out in the fall, I asked myself?  Well, said I, because I have my fall go-to outfit:  dark jeans, t-shirt, jacket, boots, and variations thereof.  I needed a summer go-to outfit that would be as easy.  Enter Old Navy and Ann Taylor Loft (my go-to stores).  I decided that this would be the summer of khakis, tees, sandals and variations thereof.  So far, morning outfit-picking has been easy, and I can focus time and energy on other priorities.

 

Next, I needed to come up with a similar system for my daughter.  Enter Children’s Place (my go-to-store for her).  They have this great line of matchables (same concept as Garanimals was when I was her age) and a monster sale to boot!  I bought various items in her favorite colors and made a blue pile, a pink pile, and a purple pile.  This system eliminated the “this-doesn’t-go-with-that” ritual morning pain point.  She can’t wait to pick out her clothes, and announces with color-coordinated glee that it is a pink day or a purple day. 

 

With these new systems in place, she and I are way more efficient (and pleasant) in the mornings, and we have more time to play, read, or have a spontaneous dance party.  Granted, we look somewhat similar to the day before…but who cares, it’s summer, and we are having fun!   

The Basics?

We have just come back from a relaxing weekend at the beach.  Re-entry to the work week was sad on this lovely sunny day, but part of me is happy to just be sitting at my desk, although I am pondering why I feel achy all over.

 

In reminiscing about the weekend, I’ve come to realize that it was the packing and unpacking of the beach basics that has caused me to need a masseuse.  For a quick weekend getaway involving my daughter and me, here are the items that were deemed critical to load and unload, and load and unload, etc.:

 

My items:

 

1 tote bag with beach essentials

1 cooler with food essentials

1 basket of laundry

 

My daughter’s items:

 

1 play kitchen

1 toy crib

3 babies for toy crib

1 toy stroller to be shared by the three babies

1 chest of dress-up clothes

3 magic wands

1 bag of tub toys

1 bag of sand toys

2 favorite stuffed animals

2 pairs of sunglasses and

1 barking toy dog

 

In the essentials/basics category – I had everything we needed.  In the fun category – she wins.

 

So…whose list was better?  Hard to say.  But I should have put 1 massage reservation on my list!

Summer Systems

Summer officially begins this week, but it is already in full swing at Casa Casey.  There are new routines and rituals to be developed (now that school is over), work and home to balance (if that is possible), and family to spend time with and care for.

The big lofty goals I had planned for the summer are scaled back in order to focus on the main priorities of the day/week.  My now-simplified plan for the summer is going to be: Food, Clothing, Shelter, Fun.  If those categories of chores, tasks, and good times are attended to and created, then a successful summer is in store.

Here is my first major accomplishment to kick off the summer!  My goal lately has been creating systems in the house that will allow more time focused on the Fun part of the summer mantra.  My latest creation is a repurposing of a piece of furniture that was once a toy box and is now a command center to get ready to play outside.

 

The toys were consolidated (to be sorted through at a later rainy date) and the shelf became the place we now house our go-to items for outdoor prep and play.  Sunscreen, bug spray, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, flip-flops, water shoes, and a tea set seemed to be the items I was scrambling for before stepping outside.  Now, all items live together, and we can get out the door and into the bug-free sunshine in record time!

Like getting all your ingredients together before starting a recipe, or having all your supplies at your desk as you start a project, this outside play command center allows for greater efficiency, smooth transitions, and increased Fun time.

 

What can you create to allow you the same this summer?