MamaManagement

My Sweet Cooper I know I should be writing a real blog post right now. Something useful like a recipe or a craft. I have a book recommendation more than half written, but I just can't bring myself to finish it right now. Both kids are at school. I'm in one of my favorite writing spaces. I have a nice cup of hot coffee inches from my right hand. I even got a good table today. But it's gray and foggy outside. And it's been a rough month for me. I'm feeling a little blue. My eyes and my body feel heavy and tired. And, I guess I have blogger's block. I think I have too much "life stuff" swimming around in my brain today. I can't seem to clear it away to make room for anything else. So today you get a journal entry instead of a real blog post... So here's my laundry list for the month: my grandfather passed away; my sweet 9 year old dog, Cooper, has been having some problems and we just discovered he has a cancerous tumor in his bladder; an

There is this wonderful little children's picture book that you may have heard of, Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A guide to Daily Happiness for Kids , by Carol McCloud. I think this is a wonderful book for kids (of any age) and adults alike. (Check it out here, if you haven't already: Have You Filled a Bucket Today? ) The basic idea in the book is this: We all carry with us an invisible bucket in which we tote our happy thoughts and feelings. Our bucket is filled when others say and do nice things for us, as well as when we do and say nice things for others. When we are hurtful to others we dip into their bucket (and ours) and take away some of those good feelings. When our bucket is full, we feel happy. When our bucket is empty, we feel sad. So, when you do and say nice things to other people you fill both their bucket and your own. Lesson: Make filling people's buckets a daily goal and everyone will be happier. I love this concept, and think it's so true, bu

First, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who read my post last week about by grandfather and shared your thoughts and sympathies with me. I really appreciate it. It was a tough week, but we came together as a family and had a love-filled send-off for my Papa. He will be remembered fondly and greatly missed. And then, as it should, life has a way of going on... So, today I realized that it's been a little while since I shared a recipe. And as the weather starts to get a little cooler I always find myself inspired to make more homemade soup. I tried this new, delicious recipe yesterday and everyone enjoyed it so much that I thought I'd share it with all of you. Thanks to www.cookingclassy.com for sharing it with me! So, here you go... photo from cooking classy.com Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup 1 c. uncooked wild rice blend (I used Lundberg's Wild Blend Rice) 1 c. chopped onion 1 c. chopped carrot 1 c. chopped celery 7 tbsp butter, sliced and d

My Papa & Grandma at my aunt's wedding circa 1975. Don't they look marvelous. I lay in bed just an hour after hanging up the phone with my mother. Just an hour after shedding tears on my husband's shoulder. Just an hour after hearing the news of my Papa's passing. Once my mind has quieted a bit. Once my brain has made its to-do lists...the appointments that must be moved, the teachers that must be notified, the outfits that must be found, the drive home that must be driven. Once I've flitted onto the topic of how to tell the children that their Great Papa has died...only to flit away again. That is when the memories come. I don't think of the last few years. I don't think of the older, more frail and more distant Papa I've visited of late. No, I think of My Papa . It is like slowly wandering through a photo album. I take my time. I linger with each image, each memory and the feelings it brings with it. I remember my Papa as a big man. Wit

How do I show support for a neighbor family whose daughter has Leukemia? A few months ago I heard through the grapevine that one of our neighbors' children had been diagnosed with Leukemia. Since we had only recently moved to the neighborhood from out-of-state, I had only met this "down the street" neighbor a couple of times. At the time, amongst the sea of all the new people we had met since moving, I couldn't even remember their kids' names...and I only remembered the mom's name because she works at the same company as my husband. I now know. Her name is Lydia. She is 2 years old. And she has an older brother named Owen. When I heard this news, I felt small . Small because I knew there was nothing that I could really do to fix anything for them. Small because I wanted so badly to be helpful, but I didn't know where to start. Small because my introvertedness kept me from marching right over to their house and taking action in some way. Small b

It's Top Ten Tuesday , people! You know you missed it this summer! How did any of us survive without my random top ten lists? It is one of the great mysteries. But you need not suffer any longer. The ages-old wisdom is back. And I thought I'd kick-off this season's top ten lists with one that's extra random...my Top Ten Favorite Smells . I know, I'm so weird. But here you go... Top Ten Favorite Smells 10. Farm-fresh, ripe fruits...like red, ripe strawberries warmed by the sun, or perfectly ripe peaches 9. Fresh lavender and rosemary in the garden...just lean in and...aaaahhhhh 8. Fresh laundry, warm from the dryer 7. Baby (you know what I mean) 6. Freshly cut grass 5. Aveda salons (Shampure smells divine) 4. Mirepoix (cooking onions, carrots and celery in butter...the start of so many good things to eat, makes the whole house smell divine) 3. Brewing coffee 2. Baking bread and baking cookies 1. Fresh from the bath and jammied children (bury your nos

Okay, so, in actuality, that would result in an unpleasant stickiness. So, instead, try this: It's Weleda's Citrus Hydrating Body Lotion . I picked this up at a little "green products" shop while on vacation in Northern Michigan (I had forgotten to pack my body lotion for the trip). And though the scent is actually called "Citrus," I would say it's more accurately described as "Tangueray and Tonic with Lime." I went through a phase in my 20's where this was my drink of choice when out socializing with friends at the bar. And now, many (many) years later, every time I slather on this lotion I am smelling those G&T's on a rooftop bar in the summer. What a lovely little memory . It's also a great, light body moisturizer. (I really do love it...smell and all.) And it's all natural, which I love. Until next time, find a product with a scent that takes you to a happy place ...and go there.

Good-bye Summer. Welcome back to MamaManagement. Welcome back to the school year. Welcome back to schedules and routines and more structure to the days. Welcome back to time at the coffee shop to write. Just welcome back! **awkward silence** Okay, so, I lied. Full-on, total and complete fib. And, though I'm not totally sure, I think I might have even known I was lying it when I did it. You see, back in June, I said that I was going to cut back on my blog posts for the summer. That was NOT a lie. But I also said that I wouldn't be stopping completely. ...Um, yeah, that's where the red warning light flashes: Blink: *Lie* Blink: *Lie* Blink: *Lie* Oops. Soooooo, I took the whole summer off. Nothing wrong with that, right? I just found that with zero kid-free time (no school + babysitter out-of-town most of the summer= no alone time), it was stressing me out trying to find time to write. And that went against what writing is to me-- it is one of my stress