Happy Long Weekend!
5.27.2010
Back in a few!
I'm heading to this general vicinity for a few days to visit a great friend.But I'll be back just in time to kick off this:
Happy long weekend!
5.25.2010
Sing Along: Maya 15 months
*I love that even as I was viewing this to make sure it would play in the post, Maya was singing along with herself, singing along in the video.
Crystal B.
By now it's no secret that I have a favorite Etsy seller. Her name is Crystal B. She's a fellow SoCal dweller, and we've become good virtual friends (hopefully one day we'll get to meet up in person...maybe in the fabric district). Check out these beauties that I've recently acquired. Crystal will be one of our Giveaways next week during the Guidebook launch. You won't want to miss it! If you haven't visited Crystal's Etsy shop, do:
5.23.2010
Filling up slots!
5.21.2010
A Day in the Life (warning: this is a REALLY long post)
I always get a good chuckle when I get comments and e-mails referring to the idea that I make things look easy, or that I am able to balance so many things. :) Let the record show that my house has been a complete disaster most of this week. And if I am being totally honest, when I focus on a project, something else takes the back burner—laundry, the dishes, the cleanliness of my toothbrush holder. So it's more like I am juggling things, not actually balancing them. I admit I have a bit of a disorder. I cannot NOT have a project. Even if I were to cut the strings on every creative project I have in my queue right now (which actually sounds insanely great on a superficial level), I would soon start to, well, kind of lose it. It's a funny thing, because when I am working too much I start to get a little wackadoo. And I know it's time to slow things down. On days when Wes comes home and takes one look at me with "that" expression, I know I need to scale back. But if I have NO projects going on, I start to, well, kind of lose it. Even when faced with a totally incapacitated computer, I somehow found creative projects that HAD to be done. So there is a part of me that I cannot turn off. I will always be a little stressed (sometimes a LOT stressed) over the amount of work I am doing, and maniacally enjoying it at the same time.
I'm sounding delusional, I know. I am in a bit of a different situation than I have ever been in in my life. I am basically enduring the equivalent of single parenthood, thanks the miracle of Higher Education. But I am like a single mom who also works at home (yeah, it's self-inflicted work, but still). I don't know any other work-at-home single moms. But if you are one, let's be friends, because I am sure we can share some stories! Granted, I do get to actually see my husband at the tail end (or very early beginning) of most days. And when he is home, we are usually distilling our conversation down to the essentials (which are usually Wes's thesis, and the fact that Finn has whittled his already picky palette down to breadish items). Sometimes we get to make out. If we're lucky. ;)
On top of the usual things I'm already doing, my schedule would normally be spent doing entire-family related activities like eating meals together, and going places/hanging out together. Also, since we're on a crazy budget, I am not getting my hair done, or going out to the gym, or to lunch, or to the movies that often. This will resume in the future. But for now I am left with unusual pockets of time in which to start an insane number of personal projects. And Wes isn't really around to complain about it! If I decide I would rather lose my mind at the hand of the blogosphere instead of the laundry basket, he just lets me go with it. He understands when I'm too tired to do the dishes, or vacuum for 8 days. Every once in a while he comes in and says, "Wow, this house really is a disaster." But he's just stating the obvious, not passing judgment (usually it's something I texted him that morning, anyway). And then he goes and does the dishes that are starting to take on a life of their own. After 14 hours at class and on set, working equally as hard as I have been all day. He helps when he can, and he doesn't complain. And sometimes he does nothing around the house because he has personal projects, too. And he affords me the same respect. Sure it means sometimes I'm in my PJs all day. But for all he knows, maybe I JUST put them on before he came home.... heeeheee. We're a wild bunch over here at the Johnson household. Crazy—every last one of us.
So how DO I keep from slipping into insanity? I have a few things that I try to do on a regular basis. They work for me, and help keep some semblance of order in our lives:
#1. I try to do 1 load of laundry a day (thanks to my good friend Mel's advice). That is WASH and DRY one load. I don't fold, or iron, or put away. I throw it in a basket right out of the dryer. Then Sunday evening I sit and fold and iron and watch a movie or two. Which leads me right to #2.
#2. I TAKE SUNDAY OFF. It's the one day I don't work. I go to church, sometimes I take a NAP (sweet bliss), I read, I watch movies. I make dinner. I relax. I call my Mom. And sometimes I do a little laundry (the folding, and ironing part). Yeah, I know it's kind of like doing work. But I sit and watch my favorite girly movies, and actually feel pretty good about domesticity. But really, other than my good friend Lybi (who I greatly admire for doing so), I can't go a single day without doing something around the house (even if it's small) because then the scale would tilt into a deep abyss. And we'd all go with it.
#3. I multi-task like NONE OTHER. I will load the dishwasher while I feed Maya lunch or dinner in her highchair in the kitchen, and sort through the mail. I eat lunch on the couch and check e-mail while watching last night's episode of The Office on Apple TV. Tonight I gave the kids a bath, and gave myself a pedicure at the same time. Try it! Soak your feet in their bubble bath. Then opt for nail polish brands that are quick-drying. I'm now sporting a plum pedicure.
#4. Sometimes I have groceries delivered. Did you know they only charge a $5 delivery fee, and they aren't allowed to accept tips? SCORE. (www.vons.com for those of you in SoCal)
#5. In fact, much of my shopping is delivered. I order diapers from diapers.com (free delivery). If any personal shopping is going on, it's usually online. And Amazon.com has great deals on books in the "new and used" section. They are from sellers other than Amazon, and you can often find brand new books for a fraction of the cost.
#6. I try to pick up every night. Not all-out clean. Just pick up. And Finn is now old enough to help. Threatening to throw away his toys helps jump start things. And I am never above bribery. :) My pick-up secret: Use a small laundry basket while you go around picking everything up, then sort it all once the floor/table/counter is clutter-free. Instant gratification will start to set in. And if you have to, you can stash that laundry basket in your bedroom if someone's coming over eminently.
#7. I do something completely indulgent every day, even if it's for 15 minutes. (Note that "indulgent" is all relative to situation.) Lately it's been watching an episode of Glee every day. Sometimes it's just reading all of the new blog updates on my blog roll. Or eating 5 spoonfulls of Nutella. (Trust me, you'll burn it off with #8.)
#8. Clean the house "for reals" once a week. I recently tried the steps on THIS SITE. It seems like common sense, but I'm telling you—it works! It also helps that we have itty bitty living space right now. My cleaning secret: The Steam Shark Mop! OR an iRobot if you're elite.
#9. I try not to beat myself up about things. I use TV as a babysitter so I can take a shower. I don't worry that my kids are going to wither away if they eat mac n cheese or Wendy's some nights. It's hard to orchestrate real mealtimes for 2 kids at different eating stages and myself, and a husband that has a sporadic schedule. There's a lot of eating in stages. I'm OK with that right now. As long as they eat.
#10. I usually hire a sitter once a week for 3 hours (justified by my online work habits). It means I can run errands, or do secret "me" things. This is a recent addition. I live for Tuesday mornings. It makes the rest of the week a little more manageable.
Oh, and I don't sleep.
What are YOUR tips? I would LOVE to know!
POST EDIT: I am happy to report that for a few months now, I have been doing at least one load of laundry every day. Usually one light, one dark. I fold it right out of the dryer. And it means smaller loads, as well. Then I leave it to put away either on Sunday, or when I have a free moment, or the rare inclination to do laundry-ish things (like I said: RARE). I also love the new dryer "bars" that stick to the inside of the dryer (similar to a dryer sheet). My clothes are SO much easier to fold/wrinkle free now that I use that. It's even better than dryer sheets. Bounce makes them. Find them HERE.
I'm sounding delusional, I know. I am in a bit of a different situation than I have ever been in in my life. I am basically enduring the equivalent of single parenthood, thanks the miracle of Higher Education. But I am like a single mom who also works at home (yeah, it's self-inflicted work, but still). I don't know any other work-at-home single moms. But if you are one, let's be friends, because I am sure we can share some stories! Granted, I do get to actually see my husband at the tail end (or very early beginning) of most days. And when he is home, we are usually distilling our conversation down to the essentials (which are usually Wes's thesis, and the fact that Finn has whittled his already picky palette down to breadish items). Sometimes we get to make out. If we're lucky. ;)
On top of the usual things I'm already doing, my schedule would normally be spent doing entire-family related activities like eating meals together, and going places/hanging out together. Also, since we're on a crazy budget, I am not getting my hair done, or going out to the gym, or to lunch, or to the movies that often. This will resume in the future. But for now I am left with unusual pockets of time in which to start an insane number of personal projects. And Wes isn't really around to complain about it! If I decide I would rather lose my mind at the hand of the blogosphere instead of the laundry basket, he just lets me go with it. He understands when I'm too tired to do the dishes, or vacuum for 8 days. Every once in a while he comes in and says, "Wow, this house really is a disaster." But he's just stating the obvious, not passing judgment (usually it's something I texted him that morning, anyway). And then he goes and does the dishes that are starting to take on a life of their own. After 14 hours at class and on set, working equally as hard as I have been all day. He helps when he can, and he doesn't complain. And sometimes he does nothing around the house because he has personal projects, too. And he affords me the same respect. Sure it means sometimes I'm in my PJs all day. But for all he knows, maybe I JUST put them on before he came home.... heeeheee. We're a wild bunch over here at the Johnson household. Crazy—every last one of us.
So how DO I keep from slipping into insanity? I have a few things that I try to do on a regular basis. They work for me, and help keep some semblance of order in our lives:
#1. I try to do 1 load of laundry a day (thanks to my good friend Mel's advice). That is WASH and DRY one load. I don't fold, or iron, or put away. I throw it in a basket right out of the dryer. Then Sunday evening I sit and fold and iron and watch a movie or two. Which leads me right to #2.
#2. I TAKE SUNDAY OFF. It's the one day I don't work. I go to church, sometimes I take a NAP (sweet bliss), I read, I watch movies. I make dinner. I relax. I call my Mom. And sometimes I do a little laundry (the folding, and ironing part). Yeah, I know it's kind of like doing work. But I sit and watch my favorite girly movies, and actually feel pretty good about domesticity. But really, other than my good friend Lybi (who I greatly admire for doing so), I can't go a single day without doing something around the house (even if it's small) because then the scale would tilt into a deep abyss. And we'd all go with it.
#3. I multi-task like NONE OTHER. I will load the dishwasher while I feed Maya lunch or dinner in her highchair in the kitchen, and sort through the mail. I eat lunch on the couch and check e-mail while watching last night's episode of The Office on Apple TV. Tonight I gave the kids a bath, and gave myself a pedicure at the same time. Try it! Soak your feet in their bubble bath. Then opt for nail polish brands that are quick-drying. I'm now sporting a plum pedicure.
#4. Sometimes I have groceries delivered. Did you know they only charge a $5 delivery fee, and they aren't allowed to accept tips? SCORE. (www.vons.com for those of you in SoCal)
#5. In fact, much of my shopping is delivered. I order diapers from diapers.com (free delivery). If any personal shopping is going on, it's usually online. And Amazon.com has great deals on books in the "new and used" section. They are from sellers other than Amazon, and you can often find brand new books for a fraction of the cost.
#6. I try to pick up every night. Not all-out clean. Just pick up. And Finn is now old enough to help. Threatening to throw away his toys helps jump start things. And I am never above bribery. :) My pick-up secret: Use a small laundry basket while you go around picking everything up, then sort it all once the floor/table/counter is clutter-free. Instant gratification will start to set in. And if you have to, you can stash that laundry basket in your bedroom if someone's coming over eminently.
#7. I do something completely indulgent every day, even if it's for 15 minutes. (Note that "indulgent" is all relative to situation.) Lately it's been watching an episode of Glee every day. Sometimes it's just reading all of the new blog updates on my blog roll. Or eating 5 spoonfulls of Nutella. (Trust me, you'll burn it off with #8.)
#8. Clean the house "for reals" once a week. I recently tried the steps on THIS SITE. It seems like common sense, but I'm telling you—it works! It also helps that we have itty bitty living space right now. My cleaning secret: The Steam Shark Mop! OR an iRobot if you're elite.
#9. I try not to beat myself up about things. I use TV as a babysitter so I can take a shower. I don't worry that my kids are going to wither away if they eat mac n cheese or Wendy's some nights. It's hard to orchestrate real mealtimes for 2 kids at different eating stages and myself, and a husband that has a sporadic schedule. There's a lot of eating in stages. I'm OK with that right now. As long as they eat.
#10. I usually hire a sitter once a week for 3 hours (justified by my online work habits). It means I can run errands, or do secret "me" things. This is a recent addition. I live for Tuesday mornings. It makes the rest of the week a little more manageable.
Oh, and I don't sleep.
What are YOUR tips? I would LOVE to know!
POST EDIT: I am happy to report that for a few months now, I have been doing at least one load of laundry every day. Usually one light, one dark. I fold it right out of the dryer. And it means smaller loads, as well. Then I leave it to put away either on Sunday, or when I have a free moment, or the rare inclination to do laundry-ish things (like I said: RARE). I also love the new dryer "bars" that stick to the inside of the dryer (similar to a dryer sheet). My clothes are SO much easier to fold/wrinkle free now that I use that. It's even better than dryer sheets. Bounce makes them. Find them HERE.
5.20.2010
Letting the cat out of the bag a little early
Noticed how I haven't photographed my kiddos since I got back from Texas? I am a bad blogging mom. I admit it. But I have good reason. I've been working on something for YOU. It's a new little something that my business partner (from Beautify My Blog) and I have been working on. It's called The Blog Guidebook. It's a friendly forum for all bloggers, to help you connect with your interests, as well as showcase your personal blog(s). The Guidebook offers a free listing to all bloggers. And personal and business spotlights, as well as giveaways, will be regularly featured. Our official launch week is the first week of June. And it's going to be great—lots of giveaways and interviews with notable bloggers. We are building up the Guidebook right now, so that it will be all fat and happy come June 1st. So buzz on over and add your blog! It's FREE.
On another note, if you are one of my LDS readers/followers, please send me an e-mail (or leave a comment with your e-mail). There's another great project I want to tell you about! Please put "LDS" in the subject line. Don't worry. This project is something that EVERYONE will know about soon. There's just some initial information being gathered. I will be able to share this project at the beginning of July.
_________________________________
On another note, if you are one of my LDS readers/followers, please send me an e-mail (or leave a comment with your e-mail). There's another great project I want to tell you about! Please put "LDS" in the subject line. Don't worry. This project is something that EVERYONE will know about soon. There's just some initial information being gathered. I will be able to share this project at the beginning of July.
5.19.2010
Video tutorial on creating your own button (with & without code for your readers)
I have a new How To! It's a video on creating blog buttons. I had a request for that, and thought it would make for a good video how-to (rather than posting a million screen shots). So find the video HERE. Enjoy! Send me requests for more! You can always view other videos in the series HERE.
**A little note: I show you how to create buttons to offer to your readers in your sidebar, and include the code for this. I also show you how to make just the button that links to another site. They are both installed in your sidebar as an HTML/JavaScript widget. You can, of course, upload your new button to your sidebar as a photo widget and insert the link by hand. But if you are wanting to upload a photo widget with a png file (which I reference in the video), you might need to upload it once and look at your site. It it looks blurry, re-upload it from the same widget. It will be clear. It's an extra funny step, but a png file is often clearer than a jpeg. Especially when using GREEN! And you can have a transparent background with a png, which you can't get with a jpeg.
Don't want to mess with all of this, but still want a button? I can design you a custom button for $40 over at Beautify My Blog. Just visit the site, and contact me:
**A little note: I show you how to create buttons to offer to your readers in your sidebar, and include the code for this. I also show you how to make just the button that links to another site. They are both installed in your sidebar as an HTML/JavaScript widget. You can, of course, upload your new button to your sidebar as a photo widget and insert the link by hand. But if you are wanting to upload a photo widget with a png file (which I reference in the video), you might need to upload it once and look at your site. It it looks blurry, re-upload it from the same widget. It will be clear. It's an extra funny step, but a png file is often clearer than a jpeg. Especially when using GREEN! And you can have a transparent background with a png, which you can't get with a jpeg.
Don't want to mess with all of this, but still want a button? I can design you a custom button for $40 over at Beautify My Blog. Just visit the site, and contact me:
5.16.2010
New life for an egg carton...
...more 3 year old excitement than I would have thought!
Finn helped me paint this "school bus." I love his color choices. You'd think he had artists for parents, or something. I wish I had a photo of it in use. But rest assured all of his Paymobil vikings, mermen, and dragon slayers fit in the compartments perfectly.
Finn helped me paint this "school bus." I love his color choices. You'd think he had artists for parents, or something. I wish I had a photo of it in use. But rest assured all of his Paymobil vikings, mermen, and dragon slayers fit in the compartments perfectly.
5.12.2010
Seeing the Everyday
I received a sample of this magazine today. They did not ask me to do a review. They just sent it along because they thought it was up my alley. OK. I can't even describe the fantasticness (is that a word? it is now...) of this magazine. I was shocked when I opened its graceful pages. It is 100% ad free. And it's GORGEOUS—a work of art. The entire issue was filled with personal stories, quotes, poems, and full-page amazing photographs—all relating to special family moments. I cried and laughed my way through the entire issue. Not to mention that the design almost made me call them up and beg for a job. Exquisite. It's so subtle and defining. It is IMPORTANT. Visit their website to learn more HERE. I'll let these images speak for themselves.
5.11.2010
How To: Posting Multiple Photos on one line—no Photoshop needed!
I've been updating and filling up the reserves over at Beautify My Blog. Specifically the How To section. Here is a tip I posted today. The abbreviated version is below.
Wider layout: Your blog's "main wrapper," or posting space, is 650px. So if you are posting 2 photos, they need to each be 310px wide, with a space bar "space" in between.
Basic Minima Blogger layout: the magic number is 195.
I just saved you a big math headache. I love you, too.
Basic Minima Blogger layout: the magic number is 195.
I just saved you a big math headache. I love you, too.
Now, follow these steps:
1. Upload your photos with the settings as "none" under layout, and "large" for the size:
2. Click on your HTML tab. You will need to delete the height—including the semi colon after it—of each photo (below in orange), and then enter the value of the width in place of the original width (below in purple). It will look like this (if you have a basic Minima template, your width will be "195px"):
3. Click back on your Compose tab and see the results. I had to add a space between the two, and voila! Two on one line. You may have to tweak this a little bit to get the exact size and spacing, but once you determine the right size for two images (or three, etc.), make a note of it!
5.10.2010
A sickling and a fledgling
This cutie has bronchitis and TWO ear infections! Poor little guy. So while I'm busy mothering, I'll leave you with two Maya moments a la iPhone video.
Maya Walks:
Maya Mothers:
Maya Walks:
Maya Mothers:
5.09.2010
Quotes and happenings
I won't pretend that I had the most amazing Mother's Day ever. This just wasn't a good Sunday to have Mother's Day in our house. We have a rather sick boy and a recklessly fearless toddler, and an absentee husband (and a backed up sink/dishwasher/washing machine because of stupidity on my part). But I got a sweet note from Wes. And honestly I seem to receive and give the same amount of love and appreciation regarding my role as a mother every day around here. I know I will have more traditionally special Mother's Days in the future. But this year I am just happy to hear every one else's accounts of super special days!
Here are two quotes that I heard today from Finn (between coughing fits) that really cracked me up. They were delivered with a very straight face:
"Today means 'NOW', and tomorrow means 'SOMEDAY.'" (In response to when Finn will be pooping on the potty, to which his reply is always "tomorrow." Now I understand...)
"Mom, you have two options. Either the whale or either the dolphin." (In response to me saying "You have two options: Either stay in the bath and DON'T splash, or get out.")
Then Maya woke up today, on MOTHER'S DAY, and decided to start mothering her baby dolls. It was the most precious thing ever! "Oooooh, Daydee." Since she doesn't yet pronounce "B's" she can't say Baby. Then she proceeded to try to repeatedly climb to the top of a dangerous chair, causing me to remove it to the back room. Along with the coffee table. I've got side tables and small chairs in the living room arranged just so she can't get behind and on top of things. It probably looks like some awkwardly subtle attempt at Feng Shui. This was after I heard her coughing this morning, only to enter the kitchen and find her eating handfulls of vanilla flavored powdered sugar. It was EVERYWHERE. I'm going to have to start strapping that child to me. Sheesh.
Sorry for the lack of new photos lately. My kids hate to stop long enough for me to produce anything more than a blur of bright colors.
Here are two quotes that I heard today from Finn (between coughing fits) that really cracked me up. They were delivered with a very straight face:
"Today means 'NOW', and tomorrow means 'SOMEDAY.'" (In response to when Finn will be pooping on the potty, to which his reply is always "tomorrow." Now I understand...)
"Mom, you have two options. Either the whale or either the dolphin." (In response to me saying "You have two options: Either stay in the bath and DON'T splash, or get out.")
Then Maya woke up today, on MOTHER'S DAY, and decided to start mothering her baby dolls. It was the most precious thing ever! "Oooooh, Daydee." Since she doesn't yet pronounce "B's" she can't say Baby. Then she proceeded to try to repeatedly climb to the top of a dangerous chair, causing me to remove it to the back room. Along with the coffee table. I've got side tables and small chairs in the living room arranged just so she can't get behind and on top of things. It probably looks like some awkwardly subtle attempt at Feng Shui. This was after I heard her coughing this morning, only to enter the kitchen and find her eating handfulls of vanilla flavored powdered sugar. It was EVERYWHERE. I'm going to have to start strapping that child to me. Sheesh.
Sorry for the lack of new photos lately. My kids hate to stop long enough for me to produce anything more than a blur of bright colors.
For Mother's Day...
I got one walking Maya! I decided that as soon as Maya is walking as much as she is crawling, than I can call her a walker. And the past couple of days she's been opting for walking more than crawling! And then there's the climbing, and standing on high furniture, and magically getting into the bathtub fully dressed when you turn your head to shut off the water after it's done filling up...
5.07.2010
I miss you.
First off, Happy Birthday to my dear friend Abby! {Insert sweet photo of Abby holding 6 day old Maya that was too elusive for me to locate on my computer...boooo.} It's a Very Important Birthday, for a Very Important Friend. Abby has hiked the Appalachian Trail, she's braved the ER as a PA, she's traveled great distances to keep our friendship kindled, she's sewn quilts for both of my babies, and she always loves our family no matter what. Abby, we love you more than you know. I miss you.
You know who else I miss? My husband (who honestly only seems to take profile shots, while he pensively ponders the horizon...usually in a fedora):
{I rest my case}
He's gone all. the. time. As in I feel like a single parent a lot. And I am mostly OK with that because it's part of the deal while he's pursuing his dream. A deal I agreed to and in fact encouraged. Guess what, Wes:
You're doing just that. And I'm so proud of you for it.
Two recent Wes quotes:
"I used to think that my brother and sister putting in 3, 12-hour shifts a week was INSANE. I remember thinking that so specifically. That I couldn't imagine doing that. But lately 3, 12-hour shifts actually sound kind of luxurious..."
(Wes's bro and sis are in the medical profession, and he's not downplaying their time commitment here...he's just marveling at the situation. And probably gaining empathy in the process.)
"Wait. Mother's Day is when? Oh crap...You need anything?"
(At which point we both started cracking up because: 1. It was kind of a joke. And 2. It kind of wasn't. Good thing Wes has some really great Mother's Days under his belt, and I can allow him to have this year "off" while he's loving me long-distance from the other planet known as "on set.")
So glad I get to be the mother of our beautiful kiddos! Oh, and for Mother's Day you bought me a new black dress for my brother's rehearsal dinner. It's just what I wanted! How did you know? ;)
*****
You know who else I miss? My husband (who honestly only seems to take profile shots, while he pensively ponders the horizon...usually in a fedora):
{I rest my case}
He's gone all. the. time. As in I feel like a single parent a lot. And I am mostly OK with that because it's part of the deal while he's pursuing his dream. A deal I agreed to and in fact encouraged. Guess what, Wes:
You're doing just that. And I'm so proud of you for it.Two recent Wes quotes:
"I used to think that my brother and sister putting in 3, 12-hour shifts a week was INSANE. I remember thinking that so specifically. That I couldn't imagine doing that. But lately 3, 12-hour shifts actually sound kind of luxurious..."
(Wes's bro and sis are in the medical profession, and he's not downplaying their time commitment here...he's just marveling at the situation. And probably gaining empathy in the process.)
"Wait. Mother's Day is when? Oh crap...You need anything?"
(At which point we both started cracking up because: 1. It was kind of a joke. And 2. It kind of wasn't. Good thing Wes has some really great Mother's Days under his belt, and I can allow him to have this year "off" while he's loving me long-distance from the other planet known as "on set.")
So glad I get to be the mother of our beautiful kiddos! Oh, and for Mother's Day you bought me a new black dress for my brother's rehearsal dinner. It's just what I wanted! How did you know? ;)
5.06.2010
Motherish
Find me over at Favorite Things today, talking about motherdom:
(I've revised some posts from this blog, so it may look familiar)
(I've revised some posts from this blog, so it may look familiar)
5.05.2010
Tortoise and Hare Designs {AKA} Humanity: Making my day a little brighter
I have a story about this beautiful passport case (and goodies) from Cassie Payne of Tortoise and Hare Designs (visit her shop HERE). But I want to show this to you before I start to ramble on. First of all, 100% of your purchase goes towards her daughter's medical bills (you can read more about her story on her Profile page). Her designs are lovingly handmade: "I make beautiful things inspired by my daughter, for my daughter. Join in on the beauty and shop with Tortoise and Hare." (What a great shop for Mother's Day!)
Now for the story. Lately I have not been on the receiving end of kindness around town. That never fails to surprise me. I have "please be nice to me, I'm on the verge of a meltdown" written all over my face when I am out in public with my kids. My 2 children combined in public are the equivalent of having 4. (OK, often times I am fairly in control. But who wants to be mean to a mom braving the world with 2 little ones trying to escape from a shopping cart?) Take yesterday: I loaded them all up in the double stroller, equipped with sippy cups, snacks, toys, and forced promises that they would behave at the passport office. I knew I had quite the wait to get my passport taken care of. It was the third time I had been back. The first time the lady was on break, the second time I forgot my birth certificate (admittedly my fault), and the third time I was ready to get this thing taken care of. Except that I didn't realize that "Bring a copy of your ID" meant "Bring a PHOTOCOPY of your ID." Maybe I was just an idiot, but that didn't seem very clear to me. The Passport Lady thought it was a great time to point out my idiocy to everyone in line, and suggest I take my two children over to the liquor store next door to make a copy. "I'm not taking my two kids into a liquor store. For a couple of reasons." Well that elicited quite a response from the Passport "Lady." Ahem. She called out some berrating comments about my personal competency, and then sent me off with "Good luck getting back here by 4!" I called something rather uneffective back at her (along the lines of "Don't worry about ever seeing me again...") as I made my swift exit. And by swift I mean crashing into the "automatic, but not for me" door with my double stroller, spilling Finn's new toy on the mat. "MY WHALE!!!!" Ugh.
So I gave up on the passport thing yesterday. I tried again today. I went to a NEW passport agency a few miles farther up the 5. The man was SO kind and SO helpful. He had crinkly eyes when he smiled, and an accent. He said with a grin, "I'm only giving you 5 minutes and I'm kicking you out!" ?? "You should never have to wait more than 5 minutes to get your passport taken care of!" He complimented me on my organization and good handwriting. Then he told me, "Don't tell anyone that they'll never have to wait in line for a passport again if they come to me...or the secret will get out! Well, ok, you can tell only family and friends." It was a redeeming experience. Then I walked out of the passport office into the main area to see two young men—LDS Missionaries—smile over at me. (I'm a convert to the LDS faith, for those of you that don't know...but that's another post.) A nice little coincidence. It was a funny, warm feeling to have such a pleasant, easy experience this morning. I sent a text to Wes. He sent one back: Humanity.
When I recieved my order from Cassie, I was only expecting a cute passport case. What I wasn't expecting was the sweet custom monogram. Or her final choice of the owl fabric that happens to be so special to me. I have quite an affinity for owls because I call Maya my Little Owl—except I say it in Danish. I will be traveling without my Little Owl this summer. I think I felt a lump in my throat when I opened the package. Then she threw in all these other little lovelies that were a Thank You for my order. This is why I love the blogosphere (and Etsysphere, for that matter). Humanity. Now when my Passport arrives ("They say 4-6 weeks, but you tell me if it's not there in 3."), it will have a new, happy home! I hope you'll check out Tortoise and Hare Designs. It's a great little give-give kind of a place.
Now for the story. Lately I have not been on the receiving end of kindness around town. That never fails to surprise me. I have "please be nice to me, I'm on the verge of a meltdown" written all over my face when I am out in public with my kids. My 2 children combined in public are the equivalent of having 4. (OK, often times I am fairly in control. But who wants to be mean to a mom braving the world with 2 little ones trying to escape from a shopping cart?) Take yesterday: I loaded them all up in the double stroller, equipped with sippy cups, snacks, toys, and forced promises that they would behave at the passport office. I knew I had quite the wait to get my passport taken care of. It was the third time I had been back. The first time the lady was on break, the second time I forgot my birth certificate (admittedly my fault), and the third time I was ready to get this thing taken care of. Except that I didn't realize that "Bring a copy of your ID" meant "Bring a PHOTOCOPY of your ID." Maybe I was just an idiot, but that didn't seem very clear to me. The Passport Lady thought it was a great time to point out my idiocy to everyone in line, and suggest I take my two children over to the liquor store next door to make a copy. "I'm not taking my two kids into a liquor store. For a couple of reasons." Well that elicited quite a response from the Passport "Lady." Ahem. She called out some berrating comments about my personal competency, and then sent me off with "Good luck getting back here by 4!" I called something rather uneffective back at her (along the lines of "Don't worry about ever seeing me again...") as I made my swift exit. And by swift I mean crashing into the "automatic, but not for me" door with my double stroller, spilling Finn's new toy on the mat. "MY WHALE!!!!" Ugh. So I gave up on the passport thing yesterday. I tried again today. I went to a NEW passport agency a few miles farther up the 5. The man was SO kind and SO helpful. He had crinkly eyes when he smiled, and an accent. He said with a grin, "I'm only giving you 5 minutes and I'm kicking you out!" ?? "You should never have to wait more than 5 minutes to get your passport taken care of!" He complimented me on my organization and good handwriting. Then he told me, "Don't tell anyone that they'll never have to wait in line for a passport again if they come to me...or the secret will get out! Well, ok, you can tell only family and friends." It was a redeeming experience. Then I walked out of the passport office into the main area to see two young men—LDS Missionaries—smile over at me. (I'm a convert to the LDS faith, for those of you that don't know...but that's another post.) A nice little coincidence. It was a funny, warm feeling to have such a pleasant, easy experience this morning. I sent a text to Wes. He sent one back: Humanity.
When I recieved my order from Cassie, I was only expecting a cute passport case. What I wasn't expecting was the sweet custom monogram. Or her final choice of the owl fabric that happens to be so special to me. I have quite an affinity for owls because I call Maya my Little Owl—except I say it in Danish. I will be traveling without my Little Owl this summer. I think I felt a lump in my throat when I opened the package. Then she threw in all these other little lovelies that were a Thank You for my order. This is why I love the blogosphere (and Etsysphere, for that matter). Humanity. Now when my Passport arrives ("They say 4-6 weeks, but you tell me if it's not there in 3."), it will have a new, happy home! I hope you'll check out Tortoise and Hare Designs. It's a great little give-give kind of a place.
