my words to live by

On this eve of the new year and decade, I'm offering to you some of my mantras to digest. I'll admit that I don't always follow through, but I aspire to carry these over into all the relationships in my life.


1. BE A FRIEND A FRIEND WOULD LIKE TO HAVE-
This comes from a Tim McGraw song called "Live Like You Were Dying," and really hit me the first time I heard it a few years ago. To me, it means making the effort to follow through on an email, phone call, dinner meeeting, or whatever. It also means going beyond to help a friend in need. This one is really important to me.

2. TAKE THE TIME TO LET SOMEONE KNOW THAT THEY'VE DONE THE JOB WELL-
How often are you willing to take the time to let a supervisor know when you've been dissatisfied by the service or treatment you've received? If you're like me, you probably don't keep quiet when you've been wronged by a service provider. Nor should you. But let me ask you this...when was the last time you took the time to let a supervisor know when you received OUTSTANDING service? You know what I mean...that guy at Starbuck's who gets your coffee ready for you as soon he sees you walk in? Or the guy behind the cheese counter who takes the time to give you tastes of 7 different cheeses in order to find the perfect one for your dinner party? Of the physical therapist who ROCKS and got you back in tip top shape faster than anticipated? You know how you feel when your boss tells you that you've exceeded expectations? Well, PASS IT ON!!!

3. BE PRESENT-
This is my parenting mantra, and I honestly remind myself of it multiple times per week. To me, it means not being glued to the TV, my phone, or my chores (and I STINK at that last one) when I'm playing with Emerson. When I'm with her, I need to be WITH HER, and give her the attention that I would want. I honestly think this is the single most important thing I can give her, and I continue to work at it all the time. Now, this does not mean that I don't try to get things done around here during the day, but when I'm playing with her, I strive to give her my full attention.

4. DEAR GOD, PLEASE GIVE ME THE QUIET IN MY HEART TO HEAR YOUR WORDS AND THE PATIENCE AND GRACE TO LIVE YOUR WILL-
I spent a lot of time thinking on this one over the summer, and created this little prayer to remind myself that I need to let go of the reigns and allow God's will to be done in my life. And remember that sometimes, God's timetable is a bit different than mine.

Here's to a happy, healthy 2010! Happy New Year, everyone!
a.

Our Christmas card

Make a Smilebox greeting

This year, we're not going to be sending out traditional Christmas cards. But I still wanted to share Christmas Greetings with you! Merry Christmas from the Girlings. Thanks for reading the blog!

scenes from a smoothie

Last week, Herself decided that she wanted a smoothie for her afternoon snack. Do you think she enjoyed it?

musings from a frigid day

Since the "real-feel" temp never got above zero here today, we were home bound. And that makes for a looong day. But Emerson was full of giggles today, and having a friend over to play definitely broke up the monotony. Here's some thoughts that popped into my mind today...

*When the recipe for homemade playdough says it'll keep in an airtight container for several months, that does not mean 8+ months. Guess I'll be making a new batch tomorrow.

*I hate that while Emerson is looking at playtime as a fun adventure, I'm looking at it from the perspective of how much mess I'll be cleaning up. I really need to lighten up on that one.

*Vacuuming inside the closet while the cat is sleeping there can lead to a heart attack on 2 counts...the cat and the vacuumer, who pert near got run over as said cat fled to safety.

*This pregnancy has seemingly ruined salmon for me. It just does not taste good anymore, and I'm sure even after I deliver, I'll remember this odd-taste. Bummer, 'cuz I used to like salmon.

*I'm sad that all day, I looked forward to cleaning the kitchen. Again, I really need to lighten up.

*Being home bound has it's advantages...the house is vacuumed, the sink is scrubbed, the kitchen is clean, and I did 5 loads of laundry. AND I got lots of playtime with my little girlfriend.

*One of my biggest accomplishments of the day was that Emerson only watched one 1/2 hour episode of TV ALL DAY!!! You don't know how tempted I was to just turn it on all afternoon...

*I {may} explode from heartburn any day now. I woke up @ 3am to a volcanic eruption in my chest. I H.A.T.E heartburn.

*After spending time with a friend with a 2 year-old and an infant, I realize that I'm completely unprepared to have 2 kids. Oh Lord, please give me strength. (And give some to Shanna while you're at it, Lord. Or sleep...I know she'd appreciate that.)

*I'm really enjoying Christmas carols this year. And yes, they're Christmas carols. Not Hanukkah songs or Kwanzaa carols. Deal with it.

*It's really funny to me that Emerson is now old enough to actually play WITH a friend, as opposed to parallel playing. She kept saying things like "Come on, Greta. Let's go to the jungle," or "Let's go to the mall" (both of which involve walking ad naseum around the dining room table, by the way) And bless Greta's little heart, she'd do as Emerson commanded. Em loved being "the leader."

*One of my favorite moments of the day came when I had a tea party with two 2 year-olds, and a stuffed penguin, polar bear, and moose. It really is the simple things in life. Moments like that make me count my blessings that I get to stay home with my little girl.

Stay safe and warm tonite.

some pics

Here are some Project 365 pics of late.Jeff's dad has given us a number of Egyptian ornaments over the years, and we like to hang them from our dining room light fixture.

This is one of my faves of the season. Em and Grammy playing with the train. Pure bliss, on both parts.

We usually put up our tree over Thanksgiving weekend. This was the first year that Emerson helped out. Her attention span wasn't the longest, but it was wonderful to decorate the tree as a family.


Jeff came up with an impromptu project on Saturday night. Who doesn't love a giant piece of paper, stickers, markers, and fuzzy pompom balls? We worked on our family tree and hung it proudly on the front door.

Another Christmas tradition that Emerson was able to partake in...The Charlie Brown Christmas special. I'll admit that she didn't love it (I mean, there was no Mickey Mouse involved), but still.

So we were at the mall today, and Emerson had a little treat from the candy store. It left her mouth quite blue, and I caught her hamming it up in the mirror. This was one of those numerous moments this year when I was so glad that I had my camera with me.

That's about all from here. Hope you're not buried under 4o feet of snow wherever you are.

is this normal?

In the last few months, we've definitely observed the development of Emerson's imagination. To see her creativity develop, literally before our eyes, has been tremendously cool for us. And as much as people say that television is a negative for young children, I have to say that it's been instrumental in helping her think imaginatively. She frequently reenacts scenes from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with her stuffed animals {aka: buddies}, and I just don't seen anything wrong with that. So I mostly share the rest of this post in mock horror. But, do all 2 year-olds do this?

During the last week, she's taken it to a whole new level. Her favorite musicians are Laurie Berkner and her band, and there happens to be 3 members: Laurie, Susie, and Adam. She's declared that she is Laurie, I am Susie, and Jeff is Adam. She calls us by these names, and speaks about herself in the 4th person (??). For example, "Laurie is eating cereal for breakfast." Or "Laurie's Grammy has a vacuum in the closet." She even woke from a nap last week and called our for me by saying "Mam...Susie- I'm awake!"

This week, she's shifted to another of her favorite TV shows...Jack's Big Music Show. Another show with 3 main characters: Jack, Mary, and Mel. Jeff=Jack, I am Mary, and Emerson is Mel. And sometimes, she's working double duty, saying things like "Adam is Jack." It's all in fun, and she loves it, so it must be good for her, right?

this one is for adri

You know what happens when the boys eat blueberries? Well, the same thing happens when Emerson eats Kiwi. And yet, I continue to feed it to her, oh, 3 times a week. It's one of only a handful of green things that she'll eat these days. That, and peas. I'm open to other suggestions...