Category — Parenting

JSmo requested a preview of Caelyn’s 2nd Birthday Party plans. I’m not sure if I should oblige. I mean, what if seeing it before makes it less exciting when you see it in real life? What if what I really do ends up way uglier than the samples I’ve already made? What if you hate my ideas and decide not to come?

But, really, are those good enough reasons to deny my only sister anything?

Plus, it’s fun. So, here ya go, JSmo!

(If you don’t care about making stuff, you should probably skip the text and just look at the pictures.)

Note: I don’t have a “theme.” But I’m using purse imagery to honor Caelyn’s unquenchable love for all things accessory, most especially purses. Last year, I kept things soft, pretty, & pink — like Baby Caelyn. I’m kickin’ the color up a notch this year to match kicked-up Toddler Caelyn and the feel of the location. Also, Caelyn digs bright colors.

Invites Resemble:

This is a prototype and an iPhone pic, so it’s not exactly what they’ll look like. The back will have a 2-layer info card attached.

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Something happens to me when I start working on a new project that I actually care about.

I get focused.

I work on it in my spare time. I read about it in my down time. I think about it when I’m supposed to be doing something else, like blogging or sleeping or coloring.

Yesterday, I had a pen in my purse, so I took notes during church. Here’s a sample:

The Gospel shouldn’t be reduced to the afterlife.

Polka dots . . . or buckles with Cs?

Why were they, who thought they would be accepted, rejected?

• “I never knew you.” “Did not do my father’s will.”
• Didn’t have the relationship required to act in his name.
• Didn’t have the authority to act in his name.
• Used his name in vain by using it selfishly.

Pizza? Chickfila? Subway?

“Do not be like these.”

• Pagans, Scribes, Pharisees
• Contrast between religious and authentic

Lipgloss? Candy? Mini cupcakes? Crayons?

SotM revolutionized the law — heart became the central issue.

In case you can’t tell, those are notes about the closing of the Sermon on the Mount and Caelyn’s birthday party, which will be happening in just a few weeks. (The birthday party, not the Sermon on the Mount.)

No, I’m not crazy enough to think you really care about what I’m thinking about during church. I’m just sharing this bit of info to let you know where I’ve been.

Or at least where my mind’s been.

My body’s been right here on the couch during nap time, just like always. I’ve even had the laptop open. But I’ve been looking at party stuff. I keep thinking that I’ll just look for a little bit and have plenty of time leftover for blogging and commenting. But you don’t need me to tell you that it never works out that way.

I’m kinda at a standstill, though. I’ve figured out how to make the invitations, but I can’t make ‘em until Chris reserves the locale and we confirm the guest list. I’ve figured out how to decorate the tables, but I can’t buy the supplies until the plates get here and I can match the colors and until we find out what kinds of tables we’ll have and how many. I’ve figured out the favors, but I can’t make them until I have the guest list. . . .

Sensing a trend yet?

Anyway, I figure it’s high time I fill you in on the last few weeks. But actually doing it would take more time than either of us cares to give. So whatdaya say to a list of highlights, in no particular order? (I promise comments/responses will be appearing the next time I hit the computer.)

I’m only doing 10 and I’m just gonna type ‘em as I think of ‘em, because if I tried to cover all the things I’ve made mental notes to blog about, we’d be here all afternoon. And I won’t mention Claire’s first birthday, since I already have.

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Yesterday, Lex wrote about putting the self back into self care. That’s something I’ve kinda been thinking about lately. I wouldn’t say that I’ve been thinking about the word “self care,” and maybe what I’ve been thinking about isn’t even the same as what Lex has been thinking about.

But either way, it’s got me thinking.

In a related post, Lex mentioned the notion of “productive selfishness.” In yesterday’s, he mentioned making sure that what he does for self care actually lines up with what he values, needs, and enjoys, not necessarily what he has heard other people say is the best way to take care of yourself. As I already said on his blog, I like that idea a lot.

If you knew me in my school years, you know I don’t have trouble procrastinating. I mean, I had high standards. I wanted to make A’s, and most of the time, I did, but I was pretty bent on getting those grades my own way: studying during the class before the class with the test; writing 30-page papers the night before; taking the best, messy notes you’ve ever seen; testing my limits (not as in pushing myself); figuring out creative ways to get by with the right grade, etc. I didn’t have any trouble procrastinating with other stuff — like dishes and laundry — either. And, obviously, I’ve spent plenty of time listening to music and watching television.

All that might make you think that I’m great at relaxing, at doing stuff just for me just because I want to. But I’m not. I’m not even very good at doing stuff just for me just because I need to. I process most things through my value system and I have a hard time putting enjoyment and relaxation at the top of my value list.

And I’m really not good at saying, “My needs are just as important as your needs; to do the best job of helping you with yours, I have to make sure I’m taking care of mine too,” and meaning it.

I’ve had a few (hard) occasions to get better at it, and I think I have, but when you add a kid to the mix, everything (or so it seems) gets renegotiated.

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Walt started the day confessing how not being in school has made him dumber, and unintentionally (I’m assuming), reminding me that the same is true of me. I thought about commenting on his post, which would’ve probably been the right thing to do, but instead decided to think it through in my own post.

My short response would be: “Yeah, I know what you’re talking about, wh. And I think, maybe, having one or more small children makes you dumber too. Anyway, good thoughts on being a novice after being a master. Oh, and my spelling has gone downhill ever since I quit working for McGraw and being forced to look up any misspelled words in quickly written phone messages.”

“Pregnancy brain” is a real thing, you know. Documented, studied (though never conclusively found to be anything more than perception). But what they don’t tell you is that “infant brain” is worse.

Words are my thing. Short of trying to capture how intensely I feel about something/someone, I’ve never had trouble putting my thoughts together into cohesive sentences and speaking or writing them (though I’m admittedly better at the writing part).

But now? I say things all the time that don’t make any sense. The day after Caelyn was born, my friends Amy and Jonathan came to visit us in the hospital. Before they got there, Chris asked me why they were in DFW. I think I said, “stop by” and that’s it. I thought an entire sentence and only said that part of it. Then they got there and I kept doing the same thing.

You’re probably thinking, “That doesn’t count. You had just produced another human being from your body.” And if you’re in the know, “You were on major pain meds for the c-section.”

Those are reasonable thoughts. I thought them too and then I got home and spent the next 21-months not making sense.

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I gave you fair warning, but I guess it’s still possible that you’ve been wondering where I’ve been, so:

The familia’s been keeping me busy all over this city (er, metroplex).

Chris went to Indianapolis this week. My sister and niece came in on Tuesday and stayed through this morning. (My brother-in-law joined them, after finishing up business in Shreveport, on Thursday.) My parents came in on Thursday evening, as did my grandmom. And they all corralled at my Aunt and Uncle’s house in Dallas.

I was wrong about them not gracing my doorstep, though, so it’s a good thing I cleaned. Here’s a brief itinerary:

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