Posts from the ‘Blogs and my brain’ Category
I am late with the running update! The ankle sprain really messed with my rhythm. I did run the Marathon. It was beautiful and everything I had hoped for…. until about mile 21. After over 4 weeks off, I really had no idea how I would perform OR how my ankle would hold up. Well, my ankle held up (it was weak, but ok!), but my training had suffered. I bonked. I walked. I shuffle-ran across the finish line. Really not a big deal, but I am determined to claw my way back into shape and run another marathon at some point… soonish.
My sisters dominated their relay. I think fitness-goal trips are an amazing thing to do together. Maybe we can do a cool hike or cycling trip next?
Racing is so much fun. Especially ones through the trails – the people, the mud, the gnarly terrain, the smell of the woods. I ran one yesterday, grinding up the hills and laming-out on the downhills. Yes. I got passed big-time on the downhills! I forgot to tape my ankle and stressed the entire time about re-injury. So I have vowed to take this rehab thing more seriously – strength-training, icing, taping – because the nutty, marginally-controlled downhill sprints, over rocks and roots, is one of the best parts of the sport.
If you are looking for inspiration, try reading this book. I am about half-way through and am trying to figure out how to fit rambling five-hour runs into my schedule. That, and I have to cook beans more often.
This blogging thing. I am not sure how much longer it’s going to last. My days with the kids are different… more about pick-ups and drop-offs and fitting everything in. We are evolving into an older family (gulp!). And really, everything else we do you have seen before, so it seems kind of silly to keep posting about it (felting, growing sprouts, making hats and shirley dolls, etc. etc.).
My mom made me two(!!) amazing books of the last two and a half years of left-handed scissors. For Christmas. It’s so great to read though them and see how much fun we have had over the past few years. We have done so much! What a great archive of stay-at-home momhood!
I would still like to post about homemade clothes and trips and such (maybe even the development of our urban farm), so I’ll keep this site up for that… a less-regular archive of family adventures. So, please do check-in – but maybe weekly or monthly?
The sun is shining. Time to head out.
So I have settled a bit. No more stressing. AZ has this beautiful, relaxed, earthy cousin who once said about work and motherhood, “nature has a way of filling up space”. So, basically a natural career step will present itself when we have more time to spend on it. And if cash ever becomes a huge issue, we’ll figure that out too. I was talking about all of this with a girlfriend who is in the same situation. We both agreed that it only takes one small success or concrete goal to eliminate this feeling that we have become professional dishwashers and snack-makers. Does that make sense? In the meantime, we’ll just plug away, savoring the minutes with these hilarious people we have created. And savoring these new bits of time (preschool!) where we can run and grocery shop without strollers and goldfish crackers.
These are old photos, but I thought I’d stick them up anyway. We had these old wooden signs in the shed. E and I painted and stenciled messages on them. For the cars that whip past our driveway (often driven by teenage hoodlums):
You will have to excuse me while I dump a wee bit. I haven’t really dumped about this since my old blog, so here goes… W is going to be a full time school-boy next year. I have put a ridiculous amount of pressure on myself to find the following work situation:
- Must finish at 2:30 pm, so that I am available at 3pm for motherhood.
- Must not stress me out, so that I am emotionally available to handle motherhood.
- Must be enjoyable/challenging enough to justify juggling motherhood.
- Must make enough cash to justify juggling motherhood.
The craft business wasn’t right. I did a few parties, but felt more like a party clown than a community builder. That, and I have decided that I am not big on marketing myself. I did not make business cards and basically told all of my friends not to call me. Until/unless I can define exactly how I want to structure such a business, forget it. Though, if any of you really want me to haul buckets of dye out at your block party, give me a call – but you have to be willing to have fun and get messy. Unpretentious, creative, inclusive. How do I structure a business that encourages people to embrace this ethic? Our world needs more friendship hikes and tie dye parties.
Librarianship: still working on it. Over the past six years, I have had part-time fabulous and part-time soul-sucking. I am willing to wait for fabulous, but it looks as though I will be competing against hundreds of applicants. There are lots of unemployed librarians at the moment. Hanging in there!
At my father-in law’s party there were four moms with school-aged kids. All four of us have graduate degrees. All four of us have decided to stay home with our kids full-time. Our spouses work evenings and weekends and travel often…. and thankfully, make enough cash for us to stay home (I keep forgetting that the reason my mom was able to go crazy at work was because my dad had a predictable schedule). Anyhow. My point is that I know I am lucky (lucky!!) to have the choice to stay home with my kids. I just can’t help but feel unsettled (chronically). I really have to learn to meditate. Yes. My children need me to meditate.
My three babies are slowly becoming wonderfully independent. Check out this lunch they made together:
But they still need me… in so so many, more complicated ways. My 91 year-old grandmother always talks about how kids need you more when they are teenagers. I love that she says this. I love being a mom.
Funny, I was thinking about how most men wouldn’t understand how it feels to take 10-15 years off paid-work (during their 20-30-40s) to care for their kids. It isn’t generally something they would ever consider. For example, I know many men who wouldn’t even take a few weeks of Parental Leave because of the effect it would have had on their careers. Then, I got to thinking about the few men I have met in the stay-at-home dad role. I always assume they have some cool home-based business in the works. Or some bent for photography or art. Hmm… there is a thought. Cool, home-based business… photography, art, sewing… man. I am all over the map here.
I kind of feel like I am due for a brain dump. I have been ranting and raving and complaining about way too much lately. Not here, in real life. I know that all I need to do is ditch all of the unnecessary bullsh$# I keep getting myself into, enjoy my kids, keep running and stop worrying. I have been taking my stress out on my kids. Yes. It’s true. Today, AZ had to pick up the pieces when he got home. It happens I guess, but my job is to be here and be happy. Gentle. Cheerful… Bah! Tricky, when all you really want to do is call in sick and pout.
It wasn’t all bad. W had two sweet friends over. They made car jumps with scrap wood.
W and I will sew tomorrow. Relaxing stuff. No driving. No rushing around.
I am trying to adopt a Zen lifestyle. Calm and relaxed. This helps… Port Renfrew, BC:
Next time, I swim too.
Okay! You get two posts today because I have to tell you about something I have been working on… a job-thing that will hopefully generate some income and keep me fulfilled and available for my kids. I have started an event planning business. Left-handed Scissors. It is basically a formal version of what I have been doing already: community tie dye parties, bath bomb nights, shirt-painting nights and whatever else. It’s based on my whole community-making-stuff-together ethic. I have been hesitant to share it with you here because I am still waffling over how I want to market myself. I don’t want to come across as a birthday party clown. Does this make sense?
SO! I would like to supply folks with buckets and dye and rubber gloves (for their own alleyway parties)… I would like to teach women to felt and drink wine at the same time…. I would like to coordinate Wish/Prayer Flags for honoured guests… I would like to teach people how to create fancy Easter Eggs. I would like communities to rediscover the joy of making things together: kids AND/OR grown ups, sharing ideas, being creative and embracing nerdiness.
This is my super cool logo, designed by Emily Haggar of Anthem Design Lab:
I have been published in the March/April “Best of Vancouver” issue of Vancouver Magazine (page 74 and here). Gulp! How cool is that?! Last weekend, at the False Creek Community Centre, I taught eleven 11-year-olds how to felt. It was so great. Each kid went home with their own felting kit (shameless self promotion here: at least two kids said “This is the BEST party ever!”). Yay!
This is it for now! I will do this for a while and see how it goes. I would welcome any business advice and/or comments and concerns about my website. I hope to evolve, slowly figuring out what works and what doesn’t. My email address is: megan@lefthandedscissors.ca. Feel free to contact me if you would like to plan a party!
Last thing: Thank you Jenn, for nominating me as a favourite Vancouver mom blogger. I was having a cloudy “what am I doing with myself?!!” sort of day and took it as a sign that I should just keep doing what I am doing. You made my night!
We were lacking in positive energy yesterday. There were tantrums, there was whining and there was zero patience from me. I truly believe that negative things happen to negative people. Which explains why the four of us got stuck in traffic for two hours.
The best thing we did all day was to jump in cold water. A river. We smiled and laughed and encouraged each other to walk farther and swim longer. If only we could start every day with a river swim.
Some of you may have heard that we are planning a move. Whooopi! We are selling our house. Now, I really don’t want to jinx it by talking too much, but I will say that, if all goes well, our move will involve access to more swims like these. We have been in our house for 8.5 years. There are many ‘pros’ to staying, but many to leaving as well – namely, fresh air and space. I can’t wait. Cross your fingers for us! We should know within a week or two.
I got a camera for my birthday. Please bear with me as I learn to use it. That, and my loves picked some flowers for me.
I haven’t been sewing and crafting enough lately. I’ve been running too many errands and spending too much time at meetings. Yuck. Time to stop the madness and enjoy some time at home. I don’t deal with stress well.
AZ spent time tonight cruising the alleyways (looking for treasures) with these lovelies… this is what I should be doing more of…
