Monday, January 30, 2012

Balance

I have one resolution for 2012. I'm quite certain it's the most unoriginal a person can have but here it is none the less. My 2012 resolution is: find balance (or some semblance of it at least). Balance between work and play, laziness and exercising, spending money and saving pennies, putting things away and living among the chaos, chocolate and vegetables, beer and wine, you know, the essentials. Ironically, this new goal is what has kept me from blogging for a while. I've been too busy trying to live my daily life to take any time to record it.

I heard a great quote the other day that sums up my new mentality: Live in the moment, not the memory. Instead of trying to get the greatest photo of Maci so I can blog about it later, putting the camera away and just being present in her presence. Instead of having the perfect meal out with Shawn, being okay with driving around lost for an hour only to arrive at the destination and realize there's an hour wait. Instead of offering to correct a mistake at work so as to ensure perfection, accepting something as "good enough" so I can get home to see my family. Instead of waiting until I've returned to my pre-pregnancy weight so I can fit back into my old clothes, buying new clothes to fit my new physique and even greater still, being okay with it because damn it, I sure do feel much better about myself when I wear clothes that actually fit.

That last example, about money, is probably the hardest with which to find balance. Shawn and I, for better or for worse, are planners. Painfully so. And it isn't any more apparent then in our quest for a new TV. Initially, I was just going to buy one, bring it home and surprise Shawn for his birthday. The more I thought about it though, the more I feared getting the "wrong" one and spending such a big chunk of our money without getting his opinion. Inevitably, I caved and told him about my plans. After some mild persuading, he agreed to the purchase and we returned to researching the latest, greatest, fancy models but have yet to actually buy a TV. His birthday was December 19th. We're stuck between 2D and 3D. (I'll let you take a guess at who wants what.) I struggle with wanting to save money and be "safe" or just splurging and living life and rewarding ourselves with things we like, ie a TV. My Dad made it through some very, very tough financial times with hard work and a lot of budgeting to end up debt free by the time he was 50. He took his life a month before he would've turned 51. It's a blunt, painful example but it's also just that, an example. As I've heard so many times from so many people, you can't take your money with you when you go so you might as well enjoy yourself while you're here. We're too level-headed to take that to the extreme but it's a good theory to at least dabble in once in a while. Keep it in your back pocket for the day you finally allow yourself that trip to [ENTER DESTINATION HERE] while your husband's off to Canada, fishing, for the third year in a row.

Whether to save money for the "what ifs" or spend it on the "why nots" is only a drop in the bucket. I struggle to find balance on an hourly basis. Do I clean up the house or watch a movie with Shawn? Do I try and entertain Maci or help her learn to exist in her own space? Do I eat a donut or choke down an apple? Do I go to yoga or take a nap? Do we work on the house or go on vacation? Should I be proud of my cynicism or work on being positive? And the thing that trumps all other things when it comes to trying to find balance: how does one be a mother, a wife, an employee, a woman and an individual, all at the same time and all without getting completely sucked into the vortex of one or two of the above. Unfortunately, as with all wonders of the universe, I fear there is no right answer. As someone of the type A persuasion, this is hard to swallow. I fear open-endedness. Pretty sure that's not a word but maybe with the hyphen I can get away with it? Enquiring minds want to know: How does one achieve balance? I'm actually asking you dammit!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Eyes

In the words of yoda, slacking I have been. Every day I have the intention of penning a new post and every night I trudge my tired, sorry ass to bed having completely given up on the blog for yet another night. One of these days I will catch a second wind, crack the whip and get to writing but in the meantime, I'll upload photos of Maci. Cause let's face it, that's what you're all here to see anyway. Tell me I'm wrong. Yeah, that's what I thought.

So I was downloading some photos from the ol' busted up point-and-shoot the other night and noticed a trend. Maci's eyes. She got her Dad's best feature. Well, he has a mighty fine tushy as well but that's just my personal opinion. Too much information? I told you I was tired right? Well, so is my filter. Okay, anyway, back to the beautiful baby and her blues…

Birthday suit time… she LOVES being nekked.

If that 'aint the most angelic, sweet-potatoed face…

Orange and blue happen to be complimentary colors.

Even when they're tired and red from the shower, they're still bright and blue.

Even her eyes smile (don't mind the matching blue feet… the color comes back eventually)

She looks a little stoned here, but John Mayer says that's okay so we're good.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Unrequited

Dog haters avert your eyes.

The following is a sequence of photos depicting a recent meeting between baby and basset.


Maci starts interested, intrigued. She makes eye contact.

Norman seems disinterested, disengaged. He's playing hard to get.

All of a sudden, he has a change of heart.

He goes in for the kiss. Maci is alarmed.

Her fright continues. Apparently his love is unrequited.

But that doesn't stop him from planting the big one.

I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Recommendation

It's no secret, I can't stop raving about our daycare. Recently I was asked to write a recommendation letter for Bree so I thought it only appropriate to share my thoughts (again) with everyone.

To whom it may concern,

I met Bree Bielejeski at my previous employment, where we worked together from August 2008 until May 2011. She opened Owl Tree Daycare the following summer and I enrolled my daughter Maci in September, when she was just eight weeks old. As a new parent, my priority was safety and security. Since day one, Bree has exceeded at providing not just that but so much more.

I believe the greatest feature of Owl Tree Daycare to be its open-door policy. Parents are welcome any day, any time, which to me shows Bree’s confidence in the care she provides in her home—a home that is very safe, clean, organized, warm and cozy, boasts an impressive, wonderful, bright space just for the children and sits right next to a new greenway that leads straight to a park.

While Bree provides everything you might expect from a daycare: daily art projects, story time, outside adventures, music and free play, it’s her unexpected gifts that constantly remind me, Maci couldn’t be at a better daycare. The most rewarding of these are the photos I receive on a daily basis showing just how much fun Maci is having and how much she is loved at her home-away-from-home. Maci is also sent home every day with a log sheet communicating all the important facts (diapers, meals and naps) and then some (the day’s activities, upcoming events, fun notes or requests for supplies). Bree was brave enough to take on cloth diapers with us and was instrumental in teaching Maci how to self-sooth and put herself to sleep for naps. Another gift is Bree’s nonstop communication via email, text, phone or in person. She never stops asking questions or having conversations about how things are going and how she can improve upon her part. Her relentless desire to provide great care never goes unnoticed or unappreciated for this new and adapting mother.

Bree is personable, flexible and shows her love of what she does through her interactions with my daughter. Maci is currently six months and thriving, thanks in part to the extended family Bree has created with Owl Tree Daycare. I simply could not be more satisfied, happier or feel more at ease dropping Maci off every morning where the first thing she does is smile at Bree. I have nothing but great things to say about Owl Tree Daycare and would highly recommend Bree to anyone.
Sincerely,
Kali DeBoer

Click here to learn more about Owl Tree Daycare by viewing Bree's post on Craigslist.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Someone

…discovered a love of wrapping paper.

…turned six months old.

…and went on a little vacay.

So much is happening on a daily basis with Maci Mae, it's hard to keep up and even harder to keep track. The abbreviated version is, she's growing, rolling, laughing, talking, screaming, scooting, smiling, pinching, biting, drooling and sticking anything she can find right into the toothless abyss. She's happy, she's healthy and she's got a sweet spot for her father as of late.

Right now, my sofa beckons, but I vow to return with all things Team DeBoer just as soon as I can catch my breath, hug the hubby, pet the pooches, smooch the squirt and most importantly, take a shower. I have yet to bathe in 2012. I think I'll declare that my first resolution…

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