I was a born morning person, but you know how it goes with babies who still wake in the night. Morning now comes with sticky eyelids and sore arms and a bright blue eyed little girl ready to play at 6:30 am. In order to get a good start to the day I really cling to morning routine that cures the mind fuzz.
It is true that to raise strong women of our own, we must have witnessed what strength looks like. This post is a little bit about the impact of the women before me. How my grandmothers and my own mother paved the path with grace for many of us trying to walk behind them…
(Lucia with her two oldest boys. Rocco looks so much like my Uncle Pete on the left!)
(My grandmother Margaret holding my mother as a baby.)
I am so excited to be able to be a part of this series that Julia and Kim put together! Tonight we are showing you our favorite room to cozy up and lounge in at night after the kids are in bed. It’s a place we can unwind and (tightly grasp onto) a little quiet. You will have to check out the rooms of the other bloggers involved to see some of the cozy spaces for ‘A Night In’! Here is a little more about our space…
Since we bought our first home last year, Gabe (the green thumb in this relationship) almost immediately put shovel to clay dirt and planted all kinds of fruit trees. This year, we took advantage of the old garden beds that came with the house and planted even more vegetables and fruits to give our kids a chance to start gardening! You know, that whole fulfilling thing of working with dirt and seeing the work bear fruit;) We made these DIY garden stakes to keep track of the young starts. They are super simple to make, but such a fun gift to give for the green thumb in your fam!
I’m so thrilled to be able to share an artist with you today and offer you all some free fancy schmancy desktop + phone wallpaper downloads. Thank you Marina Dunbar! Here is a little bit from her about her process, which I find fascinating…
May is always a jam packed month of occasions to celebrate. Graduations, Mother’s Day, Teacher Appreciation, etc. To be honest, looking at my calendar right now gives me minor anxiety. So many dates to remember! To make sure I was prepared this year, I went ahead and made a whole bunch of these simple and pretty paper wrapped plants to use as gifts for every occasion. These are fun to hand out to your favorite mothers, teachers, and graduates with a personal note.
I definitely leaned towards the side of being a helicopter parent when Gabriel was little. It was mainly out of fear. Fear of messes, fear of catastrophe, fear of any harm coming his way. Since my hands are no longer as free as when I had one, I have slowly learned how to accept these little independent initiatives as opportunities for them to come into their own. It’s also been a good exercise for me to understand I am not in control of every situation. I have noticed that when given the chance to try something new, they start to make choices on their own and become more confident about trying new things.
When they grow up, and are on their own I hope they are confident in who they are and the decisions they make as well as being able to bravely determine right over wrong. Since I now have children in all different stages, and 4 out of 5 are experimenting with new ways to be independent, this topic is on my mind quite often. I thought I would share some ways I am encouraging independence in our home, but I would love to hear your ideas as well! Let me know your favorite books, blogs, or resources on this topic!
