babyfruit: the (mis)adventures of mommyhood

Lucky girl

At bedtime, 5yo said, "I'm very lucky to have a good mommy and daddy who take care of me when I'm sick."

Missing me

The other day, before I left on a business trip, I was getting the 5yo ready for school. I ended up braiding her hair "wrong" & put socks on her feet that were "too big." She started sobbing. 

"What is it?" I asked. "The braids?" She shook her head. "The socks?" She shook her head. Then it hit me.

"Are you going to miss me while I'm away?" She nodded.

And I started to cry, too.

Honoring her heart

One thing I promised myself as I struggled with motherhood early on is that I would strive to hear my little girl's personality coming through & encourage her to be true to herself.

I try to honor her taste in clothing, her attempts to express herself, and work really hard to uncover what lies beneath her distress when she gets upset.

I still remember when she couldn't speak yet & kept crying "Oweeee!!" I went down a list of body parts that might hurt & she shook her head no to all.

Then I realized she started fussing as soon as her Dad left on a hunting trip. "Is it your heart?" I asked & she nodded. She was missing her Dad.

I never want to ignore when her heart is hurting.

What I want for my daughter

I want her to be adventurous and not afraid to try new things, never afraid unless it is prudent to have a small degree of fear. I want her to know her limits but to push herself to do more, to be more. 

I want her to take big leaps with maybe only a peek so she doesn't convince herself she can't do something, but also sees the terrain so she can make quick choices with good judgement.

I want her to be athletic, mobile, skillful, agile, graceful, strong. I want her to soar.

I want her to believe in herself.

What do you want for your child?

My next book: Mom, Incorporated

I'm gearing up for another book tour, this time in support of my 9th book. It's called Mom, Incorporated, and it is geared toward moms and moms-to-be who want to plan for, start or grow a business from home with a baby or small children in their midst.

I co-wrote the book with media maven Danielle Smith, and together we shared our own stories about business and life as well as interviewed over 80 women whose stories, advice and quotes fill the book.

You can learn more about the book at MomIncorporated.com or pre-order the book (official online pub date is October 9, in stores Oct 15). You can also learn more about our book tour starting October 1 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. 

Are you a #MomInc? Would love to hear your story!

Striped socks and self expression

Yes, I let her go to school like that. She has a quirky, vivid, free sense of style, and I love it.

My dad once commented that he thought it was amazing that I let her wear her unique combinations of clothing to school, even back when she was in pre-school. I said I couldn't imagine quashing her creativity over some funky, mismatched clothes.

He said it was incredible that I let her do it, and he pointed out that he and my mom didn't let me.

I guess I'm also living vicariously through my daughter who is excited about stripes and polka dots and plaids, mixed up and unmatched. She is braver than I.

Running to the bus

Our driveway is short enough that we don't have to get in a car to drive to the end of it to get to the road where the school bus picks her up (some folks around here do have that), but long enough that we can see or hear when the bus is coming so can't stay inside the house for a few minutes longer when it's raining or when it snows.

It's too long to run down it and hope to catch the bus if it is just getting to our driveway.

When it snows, we'll still have to trudge down the drive to wait by the road for the bus which comes at 7:53am, plus or minus 10 minutes. 

When it is 30 degrees below zero, even 40 degress below zero (yes, the school bus still runs and schools are open when it gets that cold), we'll still have to trudge down the drive to wait by the road for the bus.

At that point, I think I'll want to drive my car a few seconds down the driveway and sit in it with the heater blasting to wait for the school bus. Of course, it will take 20 minutes to warm up the car in those temperatures so it will be moot.

I asked my husband to build a little shelter for us at the end of the driveway. Like a guard's booth. With a chair, and a blanket, and a heater. He's thinking about it.

Big girl pack

Her backpack is bigger than half her body, and she loves it.

She doesn't really carry much in it. A change of clothes. A green laminated folder that contains the school work she does each day. And her lunch. That's all. 

But she is incredibly proud of it, and refuses to use one that fits her. This is her "big girl pack," and she's sticking with it.

The end of summer

For you, the end of Summer means a long, crisp Fall. 

For those of us in rural Alaska, it means a too-short Fall, a quickly descending darkness, and very soon... Snow.

Getting my Vitamin D, Sam-e and Happy Light ready.

Pulling Thumbs Apart

Trying to explain an optical illusion to 5yo. I showed her a trick that looks like you are pulling your thumb apart (learned it from my dad many years ago).

"Does it hurt?"

"No, it's a trick," I explained and showed her the behind-the-scenes, how you bend one thumb and bend the other and put your fingers over them to give the illusion that you are pulling your thumb apart. "See?"

She watched me do this from the back end. Then I turned my hands around and showed her the illusion from the front.

"You did it again! Does it hurt?"

Amazing how her brain can process some things but something like an optical illusion seems totally real to her even after the whole thing has been explained. She is so convinced I can pull my thumb apart. Fascinating.

Found a video of the trick: