Bacon

I just read a blog post about a woman who hasn't eaten meat or meat products in months.  Her opening statement actually said, "I haven't eaten bacon in months."  Which is cool.  I'm all for vegetarian consumption as long as I still get a burger and some hot wings now and again.

That said, this weekend I ate half a package of bacon...by myself.  It was one of the best days of my life and that either means I need to get out more or  I like bacon too much.

A lighter version of me

I've been trying to focus on the lighter version of me.  No, not my weight, just my whole, well...self.  It's so easy to get bogged down in the worries, ponderings, wishes, hopes, disappointments, frustrations, and general downer side of things.  There's a lot of pressure not to to air these parts of ourselves as well so at times I think I linger in rawness just to spite people who think the purpose of life is to be happy.

I know, I know, that sounds a little harsh.  I don't mean it to.  It's not that I'm adverse to happiness, I love it.  I seek it.  I hope for it.  I'm lucky enough to say I even find it quite a bit.  But I don't think it's my purpose in life.  I think my purpose in life is to leave things a little better than I found them (don't look at my kitchen right now).  I think my purpose in life is to be a true and honest and caring wife, mom, sister, daughter, friend, neighbor, etc.

In some ways being relived of the need to be happy all the time makes life feel a little less stressful.  It allows me bad days, fat days, tired days, non days, and quiet still days.  All this said, however, I need to be careful to take a little extra time now and again to sit with the lighter side of life.  The slow mornings with PJ's on till noon.  The automatic setting on my coffee machine.  A Modern Family episode. A date night with my husband.  Aasta telling Jenna she loves her.  Jeans that fit.  You know, the really good stuff.

I feel like I have had some rough spots as of late and I want to give the crap it's due and I also want to remind myself to take some deep calming breaths now and again and get over it.  So I'm spending a moment with the lighter version of me.  The one that is about to crawl into bed and read a book with the word "hedgehog" in the title donning my granny glasses and some kick ass velour pants!

Irony?

My daughter is not what I would call a "champion sleeper." At some point between 1AM and 5AM we hear the pitter patter of tiny footsteps as she makes her way to our room.  She usually crawls in with us where she remains until morning.  Occasionally I wake up and put her back in her room but most nights I don't even realize she's made the transition until I wake up with her feet in my face.

The only real down side to this process is that I tend to be the one who winds up with the least amount of space in the bed.  Aasta somehow manages to either rotate so she is perpendicular to Mike and I or nuzzles up against me pushing me ever closer to the end of the bed.  As a result, I end up sleeping on my left arm to keep it from dangling off the bed.

Needless to say this isn't tenable over the long term.

Solution?  Buy a bigger bed.

So we did.

Our King arrived a few days ago and wouldn't you know it,  since then Aasta has decided to sleep through the night in her own bed...   *sigh*

To blog or not to blog, that is the question...

I have a question for all of you. Or maybe I have a whole bunch-o-questions.  


I need to get some feedback.  What does one write about in a blog?  I have used this blog primarily as a platform for my random thoughts about life, my occasional vents about parenting, and a way to espouse my general wisdom, or lack thereof. 


I've intentionally steered clear of topics like politics, religion (mostly), and other "hot topics."  But I'm beginning to feel like I haven't been altogether myself here.  After all, I have very strong opinions about, well...ok, about everything.  But  I've honestly been wary of branching out of what I consider to be relatively safe topics. 


The thing is even my safe topics have received some pushback.  Granted, not a lot, but what's that saying, "it takes seven compliments to negate one negative comment."?  I would argue it takes 477, but that's just me. 


So I've become skiddish, even disheartened by this whole blogging thing.  


So I'm bringing it out into the open.  How much do you share and how much don't you share?  In a day and age where we can actually subscribe to a video blog called Drunk Cooking do we worry about how we are perceived?  Do we share who we really are and risk making people who know us uncomfortable or do we stay safe and try to make everything sound like it's "ok." 


Why do you read blogs in the first place?  What are you looking for?  


I feel like I need to know.

Elf on a shelf?

What, pray tell, is an elf on a shelf?

Don't make fun of me.  I was out to dinner once with a couple and they mentioned a band that I didn't know about so I asked who they were.  Both of the individuals droped jaw and stared at me for a very long time then said, "Only, perhaps, one of the most up and coming bands of the decade."  I responded, "does it happen after seven, because if it does, I'm sleeping."

I still can't remember the name of the band but everyone keeps talking about an elf on a shelf, even how they use it to bribe their children into good behavior.  (Maybe they haven't heard of M & M's)

Help me out people, bring me into the loop, I'm floundering out here!!

Advent

Our church sends out e-votional's over lent.  I've always loved Henri Nouwen and this is a reminder why.  He writes, 

To wait open-endedly is an enormously radical attitude toward life.  So is to trust that something will happen to us that is far beyond our own imaginings.  So, too, is giving up control over our future and letting God define our life, trusting that God molds us according to God’s love and not according to our fear.  The spiritual life is a life in which we wait, actively present to the moment, trusting that new things will happen to us, new things that are far beyond our own imagination, fantasy, or prediction.  That, indeed, is a very radical stance toward life in a world preoccupied with control.”

Toys

I have struggled a bit with toys.  Kids tend to have a lot of them so by default so do their parents.  The best part about toys is that children love them.  The hard part about toys is that some of them are great but only in limited quantity, i.e., the toy key chain I gave Aasta that has six different sounds...all of them loud and fairly annoying.

I love this blog by a Geek Dad from Wired Magazine.  I have to agree with Jonathan but would like to also add 6.) A big tub of tupperware and 7.) A cat or other animal to chase around.

There is little better than watching my child get lost for hours with something I was going to recycle on Thursday.