Naturally Optimistic

I did it! I just completed my first one-month challenge! I wrote at least 750 words in my "journal" (online at 750words.com) every day for the month of September! It wasn't too tough but there were a few days I forgot & remembered after I was already in bed. Good thing I'm a fast typist! A silly little goal for myself that I actually accomplished. Not sure WHAT exactly it accomplished, but at least I did something I set out to do!

I haven't posted much about August's progress & am feeling like such a bad-Mama for that...so I thought I'd update a few things. August is a MOVING MACHINE. If he is restrained, he is unhappy. He wants to be walking, running, climbing, crawling, whatever - all. the. time. It is exhausting. I am longing for our old backyard which was all grassy & fenced in! I would love to just let him run, but we don't have much space! I took him to the library today for story time and he just ran & ran in the open room. He loved it. Also - climbing on chairs. Good grief, this one will be the death of me (oh and he just now WALKED down the backstairs to the backdoor. Ay yi yi. Need to be more vigilant about shutting that door! He now says "no" quite well (& frequently). His other words are Mama, Daddy, "Dahlia," hot, uh-oh, he can sort of bark for a dog... Not a ton of words, yet, but he babbles all the time. I think Dahlia was saying a LOT of words b

Yesterday in the car as we were driving, Dahlia said "S-T-O-P Stop!" I was so proud of her! She spelled! Eeek! The other day she pointed out "B-O-O" in a book & read it. It's so cool and yet she's growing up SO fast. Eeek. On our walk yesterday we drove by a back hoe/bulldozer (which August thought was the coolest thing EVER). She then informed me that she wants to be the following when she grows up: 1) A Cowgirl; 2) a Ballerina; 3) a Truck Worker (ie: construction worker); & 4) a Mama.... all noble pursuits, eh? I love kids. Today as she was supposed to be napping, she wasn't. She was playing & not even playing quietly, but I didn't care. At least she was in her room & I had a few moments to myself. She started yelling for me after about an hour "MOMMY!" (after not sleeping at all) "I took a WONDERFUL nap! I am done napping now! I'm reading to come downstairs. You don't have to worry about me being crabby tonig

Michelle & I enjoyed a beautiful day last Saturday & took the kids to Bayfront Park/The Lakewalk for multiple festivities. It was such a fun (free!) day. We got a free kite for Dahlia courtesy of the Kiwanis, we got our passports stamped at various tables along the lakewalk & turned them in for free ice cream (Dahlia's having the fireman sign her book below). I bought a pound and a half of red potatoes & a green pepper for $1.90. We danced the Maypole. We got sun-tinted pink, walked thousands of steps. Dahlia painted Lake Superior rocks & "went fishing." (we were too tired to check out the zoo animals at Fitgers, go for a hayride or get our photo taken -next year!). What a great family friendly (cheap!) day. Can't wait til next year.

while driving back from the Zoo yesterday... "When I grow up I'm going to be a Cowboy....no, FIRST, I'm going to be a Mama.... No, I'm going to be a COW MAMA!"

(stolen from my today's 750words.com entry) All I want to do is make. Make things. Create. Construct. I cannot stop myself from exploring new ideas & new things to make. I could make these things as gifts. I could make them to sell. But I have to make. Make make make. I'm pretty sure it drives my husband absolutely crazy as I have more supplies than I really know what to do with. Sometimes I think I should really get down to brass tacks & decide what I REALLY want to specialize in. Is it knitting/crocheting? Is it sewing? Is it paper crafts? Is it jewelry? What is it? Because I love to do all of these things. So I keep exploring. I keep making. I keep ending up with great ideas that sometimes don't turn out all that great. In fact, sometimes I end up with all the supplies for a certain project & then I end up just chucking it all after years & years because I've lost interest, come to my senses, had a baby & have no time, etc. When I lived in