It is quiet

I am sitting on the couch at my parents' house in South Carolina. The same couch where I sat for much of the first four months of this year. But this moment is different. It is quiet in the house at this moment.

Today we celebrated the Baptism of my young nephew, my sister's first born child. It has been a whirlwind weekend. First the long drive, then visiting with old friends and family. Throw in Thanksgiving, a couple of people with a stomach bug, watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and the Baptism celebration and you have got two tired parents and two exhausted Rosebuds.

I have not had much time to check email or to blog in the past week or so. It has actually been really refreshing to step back from the computer and to just live my life. Mr. Rose finished his travel assignment just before Thanksgiving, so we have been having some great family time.

But now, I am sitting on the couch, alone in the house except for Lil' B who is asleep upstairs in her crib. It is so nice to have silence and to be alone with my thoughts. I made a cup of coffee and started reading a book about writing, "Writing Down the Bones" by Natalie Goldberg. Something that she wrote in the first few pages really hit home with me.

This book is about writing. It is also about using writing as your practice, as a way to help you penetrate your life and become sane.

At several points over the last year, I have questioned myself. What is the point of writing this blog? Why am I doing this? Why do I put some of my most intense feelings and thoughts out on the Internet for anyone to read and comment on? Well, I think Ms. Goldberg has answered these questions for me: "to become sane."

Over the next year, I am really going to focus on my writing. I need to find a quiet time and place each day to get my thoughts out of my head, onto paper, and then onto this blog. Because after all, I could definitely use a little more quiet and a lot more sanity in my life.

Traveling with kids: Long car ride edition

I cannot believe how fast this year is flying by us. Before I know it, Mr. Rose will be home and we will be getting ready to go over the river and through the woods to Grammy's house for Thanksgiving. I am simultaneously looking forward to and dreading this trip. I love the holidays and I especially love being with my family during this time. Living so far away from them (a 10 hour drive), makes this a difficult task. Hence the reason why I am dreading the trip.

Driving for 10 hours with a three year old and a 15 month old, just isn't fun. In fact, I become a waitress, cruise director, and stewardess all rolled into one for the entire 10 hours. Between changing movies in Miss H's DVD player and constantly keeping Lil' B occupied with different toys or snacks, simply riding in the car becomes even more exhausting than normal.

I fear that this time we make this trip will be especially frustrating. Even though Lil' B is one now, she does not weigh enough (only 17 lbs!) for us to turn her car seat forward facing. She has been increasingly fussy the last few weeks in the car. She is not a car sleeper at all and she really isn't into watching tv. All of these present me with a unique challenge when trying to figure out how to keep her entertained.

Today I purchased a new mirror for the back seat that has lights and music for her. I also picked up a couple of new toys that I hope will keep her entertained for awhile. I think I am even going to borrow someone's portable DVD player to hook up for her to watch. Having two DVD players going at the same time will be interesting, but Miss H will use headphones.

I really do not want to end up riding in the 10 inches left over in the backseat between their car seats in order to keep Lil' B happy. If you have any suggestions for keeping these kiddos happy, I would love to hear them!

Erin

More than a Mommy group

I have been feeling drained the last few weeks. Drained physically, mentally, and emotionally. I feel like I work from sun up to sun down (and beyond!) non-stop. Making and feeding meals, dishes, laundry, diaper changes, cleaning the house, playing with the kids, reading books, going on outings, and more. I have sewing projects and blogging projects that I want to work on, but there is absolutely NO time during the day. I am lucky if I can log on to the computer to check my email for 5 minutes, much less write an intelligent blog post.

In addition to being tired, I feel isolated. Being alone with two kids under four all day every day leaves me longing for adult interaction. I know I am not alone either. I know there are so many other moms out there who feel the same way I do.

Something that I have really been missing since we moved to Big Town Suburbia, Florida, is a good group of like-minded Moms. I have mentioned before that I am not a "mommy-group" type of person, and that is true. What I am missing is something more than a Mommy group.

When we lived in North Carolina, I belonged to a Women's Bible Study that happened to be comprised of mostly women with young children. It was such a blessing in my life to be able to have some adult conversation and learn more about my faith on a weekly basis. Since we have moved, I have not been able to find such a group.

This past Sunday, I found a flyer in our church bulletin for a new Mom's group that is forming. It is called Moms PLUS (Providing Love Understanding and Support.) How great is that! Anyway, tonight was the organizational meeting and I met some fabulous other moms from our church. They are planning to have a monthly program along with weekly playdates, a Bible study, and the occasional Moms Night Out.

It was only a one hour meeting, and yet, I feel completely refreshed. I hope and I pray that this group will be a source of fun and friendship for me on a weekly basis. Having time to renew myself is so important. I know this and yet it is a continual struggle for me to set aside time for myself. A New Year's Resolution for 2011, perhaps? Sounds good to me!

Holiday entertaining: St. Nicholas Celebration for kids

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As we enter November, I am getting more and more excited for the holidays. I have been planning outings for my family and a couple of rejuvenating activities just for myself during the season. But one event in particular has my full attention right now: having a St. Nicholas Celebration for my children and their friends.

Every year as Miss H gets older, she becomes more and more focused on what Santa is going to bring her for Christmas. Mr. Rose and I do our best to keep the focus on Christmas as Jesus’ birthday, but even we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

source

December 6 is the Feast Day of St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas was a Bishop in modern day Turkey in the 300's and is remembered for his generosity to the needy and his love for children. Families around the world have been celebrating his feast day for centuries as a way to connect Santa Claus with the Christian themes of love, hope, and giving. 

On the afternoon of December 5, the day before St. Nicholas Day, Miss H and her friends will gather to learn a little bit about this amazing man. We will munch on traditional Speculaas cookies and apple cider while I read the book A Special Place for Santa, which seamlessly describes who St. Nicholas was and how he became the Santa Claus of today. They will learn about how St. Nicholas generously provided the dowries for three girls to be married by throwing three bags of gold through their window, which landed in their stockings set out by the fireplace to dry. (Sound familiar?)

During the party, the children will be asked to leave their shoes in our front entryway. When they go to leave, they will find their shoes filled with gold coins (representing the dowry money) and candy canes (representing the bishop's staff.)

To encourage the spirit of giving and reinforce the lesson of generosity, each child will be asked to bring a toy to donate to a local toy drive to help give another child a Merry Christmas. My hope through hosting this holiday event for the children is that I remind them of what this season is truly about, and that we all have fun while doing it!

Erin

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