the creative mama

Be Selfish

Amy — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:16:26 +0000

That’s right, I said it — Be Selfish. When it comes to your creative life, who do you create for? Be honest. Has it gotten away from you? Are you creating for clients? Creating for family members? Creating for your children? Did making those home-made valentines for you child’s classmates feel your soul? Did that quilt you made for last month’s baby shower spark your excitement? That wonderfully decorated living room — be honest, is a little bit to show off to your friends and family. That amazing home-cooked dish you took to the last potluck — it was to demonstrate your skills and please the guests. Living a creative life often means sharing your gifts (literally sometimes) with others.

I decided to make something for myself. Purely for ME. And one way to be sure it was only for me? It’s a sweater. Knit specifically to my size.

This has made me happy. I’m not saying you can’t be inspired by that necklace you made as a birthday gift, or that you can’t enjoy the delicious desert from Sunday dinner. But how long has it been since you planned a project solely for your own interests and your own enjoyment? You should. Today. Pick something simple and easy and quick. Maybe something outside of your typical creative life (I am a novice knitter). I don’t care what that silly groundhog said this year … spring is just around the corner. So while there are still some cold nights to stay indoors … pick a project for YOU. You won’t regret it.

Just Say No

Marci — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:00:13 +0000

This past month has been an incredible time in my blogging career. God has opened doors I’d never even imagined. Exciting opportunities have been coming my way. New blogs, new projects, consulting opportunities, conferences, chances to become partners with awesome people…all good stuff.

What I need to remember now is that not all good things are the best for me. A blogger is not all I am. I am a wife and mama first. I need to remember what my priorities are. I need to be careful that these new opportunities, no matter how good they are, don’t become a distraction. At some point, I need to say “No”.

I’m sure most mamas can relate. There are so many opportunities and good stuff available for us and our families. Classes, sports, blogging, careers, volunteering, groups, events. It is so easy to fill our schedule up with good stuff that we loose sight of the most important. If we are constantly on the go or constantly distracted, our relationships suffer. Aren’t our relationships what really matter? Sometimes, to protect these we just need to say “No”.

So, this week, I am saying no to a couple of really good opportunities, because they are not the best for me and my family at this time. Am I kind of sad? I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. I won’t stay sad for long. I know I’ve made the right decision.

What about you? Are there somethings you need to say no to? Are there any good things distracting you from the most important things?

DIY Indoor Succulent Garden

Shannon — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:00:39 +0000

I remember calling my mom a few weeks after moving into my very first apartment and asking her how to keep a plant alive. Within a few weeks, my 21 year old self had managed to off several.

Her answer: “Get a succulent.”

More than a decade later, the succulent is still my favorite plant and I happily have them displayed all over our home. They are the absolute easiest way to bring the outdoors in without much maintenance or thought. Since their current rise in popularity, it is now much easier to find wide varieties at your local big box store or farmers market.

This is a perfectly quick project to add life to your office space or to take on as a family in anticipation for Spring! Just be careful, it’s terribly addicting…

Supplies:

· mini succulents (check your local farmer’s market)
· glass container (IKEA and Michael’s are a great source)
· small rocks
· charcoal
· cactus soil
· orchid bark
· spoon
· spray bottle

Start by adding a layer of rocks in your glass container. I like to keep my layers as even as possible just for visual purposes but you’ll want at least a full layer with no holes. Follow this step by adding a layer of charcoal. I found both of these supplies at my local nursery.

Next you’ll add a little bit of your cactus soil. Nestle your plant in the soil and continue to build soil around it using your spoon, patting the soil down around your plant with your fingers as you go. Finally add a single layer of the orchid bark over your soil layer and give a few mists of water to quench your plant’s thirst! Depending on the humidity in your home and where your plant is placed will depend on how much water it needs. In our home, a few mists every 2 weeks seems to do the trick!

Here are some fun variations from our home to add some pep to your succulent garden:

Spray paint one of those boring containers from an old florist delivery.

Search out fun vintage glassware at garage sales or antique shops to use as vessels.

Add a little fun for the kids by adding some painted toys. This garden resides on the window sill in our playroom! I just loved the painted dino terrarium idea from Harpers Happenings so I added them to our succulent garden.

Simply wrap some hemp or twine around a glass container for a more rustic look! Just tie or glue in place.

Weekend Links: February 18th Edition

Bree — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 09:00:53 +0000

I love Valentine’s Day. My mom always made Valentine’s Day very special, and now I do the same for my children. Sometimes, I feel that my efforts go unnoticed, but this year was different. The kids came home from school and saw a decorated Valentine’s Day table, with these adorable chair backers. Ava ran over to me, threw her little arms around my waist, and told me that it was the prettiest table that she had ever seen. She was so happy. I got teary. My efforts do not go unnoticed. It is these little things that I do for my children, that my mother did for me, that they will remember forever.

Here is what I am looking at this weekend:

1. I am saving my pennies for this baby. I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

2. I am heading to Nashville this week to be a Community Leader at this event. If you are there, say hi. I would love to meet you.

3. I am so excited about going to Nashville, I have always wanted to visit. I am using this as my guide, and hoping to hit up a few of these spots.

4. I am a HUGE instagram lover. This new app is totally fun.

5. Fat Tuesday is well, Tuesday, so I will be baking up one of these. And making this. Just because. We are having a chili cook-off on my street this weekend. I am making this and this. Totally going to win.

Have a great week!

Preschool Stroller Games

Bree — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:00:42 +0000

I was cleaning out my garage the other day when I came across a little notebook tucked inside the baby jogger. It made me smile and a flood of memories came back to me. It was just used last year when my littlest one was five and still home with me all day. When all three kids were little (sniff, sniff) and I needed some fresh air and exercise I’d head out for a run or walk, or more frequently a run walk. As the kids got bigger it wasn’t as easy to keep them entertained in the stroller so we came up with some fun stroller games that they’d play while I could interact with them in between catching my breath.
The first one was the “Mailbox Game” and we played this in the neighborhood. Every time we passed a mailbox we’d take turns calling out the numbers on the side of the mailbox. We’d even see how far ahead we could read the numbers. I started this game with my kids when they were old enough to recognize numbers and it really helped them learn them quickly, especially those pesky 6’s and 9’s. This kept them entertained for a while and along the way we even had our favorite mailbox’s that we looked forward to seeing each week.

The other game we played in the neighborhood or at the path around the lake was a scavenger hunt kind of game. Just before the run, while I was stretching, I’d think of some things we’d see while we were out and made a list of them. The things we might see could be a dog, a cat, a bird, a truck, a red car. I’d made a little square next to each item and then strapped them in and handed them a crayon and the list. It was their job to find these things and check them off before we were finished. When they were littler I drew pictures (don’t worry if you can’t draw, just remind them that “no, it’s not a cow…..it’s supposed to be a dog”) and as they got older I used a picture with the word next to it. Some of our favorites were someone smiling (what made that fun was that they had to smile at people passing and before long someone would see them and smile back), an American flag and a squirrel in a tree.
When we first started out, I’d let them walk or run beside me for as long as they could just to help them get some exercise. Then, on the cool down at the end, they could get out and run or walk beside me too. And you probably already do this, but I’d also be sure to pack something to drink and a little baggie of Cheerios or raisins.

Get creative and make up whatever you think your child will like. But, if you’d like I made one here for you to print off and enjoy now…..and go enjoy that little one before you’re like me and wish they were still small enough go for walks in the stroller!

Gretchen is a photographer in the Central Florida area. She is happily married to the greatest guy (my mom always says she couldn’t have picked anyone better for her), and have three kids who hold her heart. After graduating from college she entered the Marine Corps and spent five years on active duty as a Communications Officer. After her first son was born, she left active duty and began taking even more pictures than before. After her second son was born she took a photography class at a local college and thus began a love of things behind the lens, mostly faces and feelings. You will find her trying to garden, in the kitchen, with a good book, behind the camera and hanging out with those she’s been blessed to call her family and friends.

The Play’s the Thing

Samantha — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:00:18 +0000

In honor of St. Valentine’s Day–and brought to you by my favorite Valentines four-feet-and-under–may I present an interview with my three sons: a series of questions about love posed to my very contemplative seven-year-old Oscar; the embodiment of feeling, Edgar, age six; and he who is eager to show off his burgeoning language skills, two-and-a-half-year-old August.

SAMANTHA. Okay, boys, here is the first question for you–a simple one to ask but a hard one to answer. Ready? What is love?

OSCAR. I know this one. It’s a big feeling–something you feel that’s very, very big.

EDGAR. Love is something for people and animals–and the trees.

AUGUST. [yelling, naturally] I LOVE COLLEEN’S and UNCLE LEN’s! (Colleen and Uncle Len take care of August during the week.)

SAMANTHA. Excellent. Next question. Ready? Who do you love?

OSCAR. Well, I have to tell you that there is a boundless list of people I love. [He proceeds to list dozens of family members, friends, and teachers.]

EDGAR. I love Sophia and my mom because they’re beautiful. (Sophia is Edgar’s Kindergarten colleague.)

AUGUST. [as loudly as he can] GRANDMA! GRANDPA! POPPOP!

SAMANTHA. Nice job, boys. Okay, here’s another one?

OSCAR. How many more, Mom?

SAMANTHA. Counting this one?

OSCAR. No, after this one?

SAMANTHA. Three. We’re halfway there.

OSCAR. Are you sure?

SAMANTHA. Yes, I wrote the interview.

OSCAR. Oh, well that makes sense. Next question then.

SAMANTHA. Thanks! The next question is Who loves you?

OSCAR. Mom, Dad, and all of the above (referencing the “boundless” list from his previous response).

EDGAR. You, Mommy, and Dad and Oscar and Dolores and August. (Dolores is our cat and apparently ranks ahead of his younger brother.)

AUGUST. GRANDMA! GRANDPA!

SAMANTHA. Anyone else, August?

AUGUST. I WANT SNACK!

SAMANTHA. Next question! What does love feel like?

OSCAR. I think it feels like a beat in your heart . . .

EDGAR. It feels like a tingly thing . . .

AUGUST. I don’t know! Like sharing . . .

SAMANTHA. That was beautiful. Really beautiful. Thank you. Two more questions! Oscar, Edgar, and August, how do you know when someone loves you?

OSCAR. The grin on their face. They smile when they see you.

EDGAR. They hug me.

AUGUST. They play with me.

SAMANTHA. Perfect. Now, for the final question . . . What’s the best thing about love?

OSCAR. The best thing is when someone loves you back in an equal way.

EDGAR. Well, hugs and kisses, of course.

AUGUST. AUGUST!!

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When adults ask children what they think–and why they think it–myriad lessons emerge, not the least of which is the depth of a child’s ability to feel and comprehend complex emotions.

At each of my son’s adoption celebrations–when they were just infants–a good friend of ours uttered her wish for each of them: May your ability to love surpass your desire to be loved.

I hope that when she reads this piece she will be proud.

Happy Valentine’s Day! May there be a “boundless list” of people you love who “love you in an equal way.”

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Please visit the “Red Thread” in The Washington Times Communities section. Andrea Poe is featuring an adapted post from My Three Sons entitled “Do You Love Us All the Same?”

The Blessings Journal

Tiffany — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:00:10 +0000

Over a year ago, we made some big decisions to simplify our life. Four months later, we received some devastating news about my dad’s health – he had cancer and was given a 50/50 chance of survival. Because we had already sold our home and were in the process of packing, we moved anyway. But not to the idealistic little mountain town we had dreamed of.

The little townhouse we call home now is a rental, a couple miles from our old house. It allowed us to stay close to grandpa, making the necessary trips to chemo and continuing our Sunday family dinners.

In many ways, 2011 was not the year we planned. It was wrought with uncertainties, disappointment, and frustration. But amidst all of that, there were many blessings.

At times, I forgot the favor I’d been shown, the bounty in our life.

So I started our Blessings Journal. A notebook that sits in our living room allowing us to quickly jot down those things that brighten our day, the tender mercies we’re given, anything we are grateful for.

And when one of those days inevitably shows up, where life disappoints or fear abounds, I pick up the journal, read through it and remind myself that I’m not forgotten.

The latest addition to the Blessings Journal? Two weeks ago, my dad was declared cancer-free. Our many, many blessings.

Note: I made my journal through Minted, one of my favorite paper goods sites (new customers can get a $25 credit here) but I also love the ones at TinyPrints and Paper Coterie.