Day 4 of Thankfulness: The New Tree and Me

Today I am thankful for the walking/biking paths that run through campus.  When we first moved here from Oregon, it was hard to leave the breath taking scenic nature that fills almost every inch of that beautiful state.  It was difficult to find that beauty in a place where you can drive for hours and never leave city.  I was used to driving 20 minutes from where ever I was and ending up in the middle of nowhere.  Of course there were immediate benefits I embraced here, such as all the insanely delicious authentic cuisines found from all around the world on nearly every corner as well as the invigorating feeling of life that pours out of a big city like San Francisco which are blessed to be so near to.  However, overtime, I have learned to love what this place has to offer in a different way.  Throughout campus, walking and biking paths intertwine between buildings.  The paths are usually lined with trees.  Trees you can tell have not been around for long.  Trees that seem a little out of place because the space in between each is almost too symmetrical.  Today I took comfort in the newness of these trees.  Their newness in this world reminded me of how I often feel; A little awkward, naive, timid even.  But they are grounded.  Standing tall.  Ready to be what they were made to be.  Recyclers of life.The awkward space in between them left on purpose, giving them room to grow.

Today I am thankful for the walking/biking paths that run through campus.  Today I took my Frankie and Elenita on a long walk along these paths.  By the end, they both were asleep, and I felt at rest.  Appreciative to have these paths right outside my door.

Today I am thankful for the walking/biking paths that run through campus.

Day 3 of Thankfulness: Nick

Today I am thankful for my husband, Nick. At first I thought, another obvious choice right? But is it? It seems being thankful for your significant other should be obvious. However, the more I reflect on the kind of father, the kind of husband, the kind of son, the kind of brother, the kind of person my Nick is I realize how truly blessed I am. I have been sick all week. I have asthma so whenever I get even a cold it moves into my chest and I become utterly useless. I spent the last four days mostly on the couch watching Felicity re-runs on Netflix (I highly recommend this show when you are sick, the fever induced state of mind makes it all that more entertaining). Anywaaaayyyys, while lying on the couch watching teen drama re-runs may seem like a completely normal thing to do while sick (or is this just me?), this luxury usually gets lost when you have a 2 1/2 year old and 3 month old at home, especially if your significant other is in graduate school. However, Nick stepped up, took the kids to play outside for the better part of the day while I just got to be sick. The thing is this behavior is very usual for Nick. This is the kind of person he is. He wants to be helpful. He wants to be dependable. And he does these things without thinking twice. Or if he does think twice he doesn't let you know about it. He actually enjoys helping people move, and is the first one to offer to be there when someone is in a bind. And he does these things in a way that makes a person feel like they are doing him a favor by letting him help.

Today I am thankful for my Nick. Today I will get both kids ready for bed and put them to sleep myself. Usually he takes Franklin and I take Elena, but tonight I will take on the bed time responsibility while he relaxes and reads all his favorite sports blogs that I too often complain about. This may not seem like much, but as I mentioned before, with a newborn and a toddler in the house these are the small luxuries we have grown to appreciate and miss.

Today I am thankful for my Nick.

30 Days of Thankfulness

I could go two directions concerning Thanksgiving. The first could be a rant about its inaccuracy and racist nature. However, that would just make people who thought that way already nod their heads in agreement, and those who disagree never read my blog again. The second could focus on the sentiment of thankfulness that seems to bloom during this time of year. I think I will choose the later. The later is what the me who is trying to be more positive would do. The later will ultimately let me grow. The later is what really changes the first. Therefore, I am beginning a 30 Days of Thankfulness Challenge for the month of November (yes I know I am already a day late). Each day I will post something I am thankful for and why I am thankful for it. Each day I will also try to use what I am thankful for by either taking time to appreciate it or by blessing others with it. For example, if I am thankful for delicious pumpkin cupcakes, I will make some for a neighbor. Get it? Got it? Good. I encourage you all to join and write about your experiences in the comment section to each post. I look forward to learning from your entries as well as growing from my own reflection of thankfulness.

Today I am thankful for my children (since I am behind one for yesterday and one for today). I know these seem a little obvious; nevertheless, these two small beings have turned my world upside down. They have changed my perspective on life.

Today I am thankful for my children. I am thankful for Franklin’s giant heart. He cares so much for others. This past week I have been pretty sick, and every morning the first thing he ask me is “How are you feeling mama? Are you feeling any better?” I am thankful for his thoughtfulness. His thoughtfulness is what makes me strive to be a more patient mother. One who is trying to take the giant pile of toys on the living room floor as a sign that my children are happy, and learning, and not waste time worrying about the messiness. Today I will sit and read with Franklin for as long as he wants. I will not say “Just one more” with no real reason for the cut off. I will just enjoy this precious time with my little boy, who before I know it will be a man.

Today I am thankful for my children. I am thankful for the women Elena is encouraging me to be. I look at her sweet smiling face, so perfect, filled with so much possibility, that I cannot help but want to be the kind of women she looks up to. I am still in the process of figuring out who that is, I probably always will be, but I am thankful that she makes me continue to strive for more. Today I will just lay down next to Elena on a blanket of toys and simply focus on her. I will resist the temptation to “get something done” because she is playing so happily by herself. Instead, I will chose to spend that happy moment with her.

Today I am thankful for my children.

Simplicity.

There is a simple comfort in making something yourself from scratch.  Even when it is uncomplicated.  No, it does not have to be an apple pie, or a Thanksgiving turkey.  This comfort can be  as simple as coffee creamer.  I have a guilty pleasure that exists in coffee creamer.  Vanilla, hazelnut, caramel, each adding an intoxicating nudge of goodness to my morning lifeline of coffee.  I often find myself telling Franklin the phrase "a little goes a long ways.”  From paint to glue, or even kindness, even the smallest bit can make something good even better.  And there is something extra special about that little bit of goodness being so simple.  Uncomplicated.  Pure.  After reading the ingredients that went into my store bought coffee creamer (there were nearly a dozen!  A dozen!)  I decided to make my own.  I narrowed the ingredients down to four.  Four ingredients that I could pronounce, and could find growing in its natural form if I wanted to.  So tonight this delicious pure and simple goodness sits in my refrigerator waiting the morning, that will come much too soon.

Vanilla Coffee Creamer

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup honey

2 tbsp pure vanilla

1 quart half-and-half

In a medium pot mix brown sugar, honey and vanilla together over medium low heat only until sugar melts.  Do not over heat or cream will not mix well. 

Turn heat off and leave pot on burner while whisking in half-and-half.

Store in glass container in fridge and enjoy! 

*Original recipe found at http://www.liverenewed.com/2010/07/homemade-vanilla-coffee-creamer.html 

We went to visit the farm today.  Daddy is at a conference all weekend and we needed to get out of the house! One of our neighbors invited us to tag along on their weekly trip to the farm, so we jumped at the chance to go.  Have I mentioned I have the greatest neighbors ever?  Well I do.  We live in student family housing and it is basically like living in a commune. Our back doors all face each other and we share a large "backyard".  We borrow flour and gather together for hours each day while our children play together. Grow up together really.  Some families only stay a year, and it is always hard to say goodbye.  But others, like us, are here for the first half decade of our children's lives.  They learn to walk together, go through the "terrible" twos together (or as I like to call them the "discovering their voice twos :) and sometimes even start school together.  I have grown so accustomed to raising my  children in this community I am a little afraid to ever live anywhere else.  Luckily we still have quite a while before we have to :-)

Ode to the Postnatal Workout

I did my first real work out since the baby last night.  I remember why it is such a thing now.  The first work out after having a baby is like admitting your ready to ditch the maternity yoga pants (Ok may be not ditch them, but cut it down to like twice a week).  Now do not get me confused with one of those super workout women who lose all their baby weight in like 5 minutes.  I am not one of those ladies who run because it's "relaxing" or treat carbs like the plague.  I have to force myself to run, and bread and I are soul mates.  I do not work out to be a size "2" again (have not actually been one since I was like seven), neither do I feel the need to be.  The extra belly is kind of like a badge of honor, like "Yeah I carried a human being in my abdomen, what of it?!”  Although I would like to feel cute in my "little black dress" again, it is not my main motivation.  Truthfully, those 30 minutes of blaring the Black Eyed Peas on my iPod while gliding on the elliptical behind the 20 year old Angelina Jolie look alike who is also probably a rocket scientist (like for reals since its at the Stanford gym), turns out is a pretty alright way to get some "me time".  So, here's to me keeping up the workout and not ditching it for some "me time" at the ice cream shop instead...

Raspberries or Worms?

For some reason or another it is impossible for my little family of four to get out of the house in under two hours time.  Impossible.  Trust me we have tried.  Each Sunday we plan to get to the farmers market early. Early so we can start the rest of our day, and early so that we are back in time for Franklin to nap at a regular time.  We have yet to ever meet this goal.  Instead, somehow, no matter how  hard we try, we barley make it out of the house by noon (keep in mind the farmers market here closes at 1pm, which I don't  get, but whatever), often passing our neighbors on their way back home with bike baskets filled with goodies as we are barley making our way there.  I have often envied families who have dinner by 6:00 p.m. and have the kids in bed by 8:00.  No matter how hard we try, we just are not that family.  The other day, Nick said something that put me at ease about our time situation, and I haven't worried much about it since.  He said we are who we are and it works for us.  So I am going to embrace my little family that takes forever and a day to get ready.  We may not eat dinner until 8:30 p.m. most nights, but by golly we do it together!  Oh yes, back the original point of this post.  Due to our inability to get to the farmers market early this morning we arrived shortly before everyone started packing up thus scoring us this 1/2 flat of raspberries for the closing time bargain price of $10!  So the early bird may get the worm, but the late one gets the raspberries.  And I don't know about you, but I would rather the later.