Reverb10: Days 14-25

 Time to play some serious catchup on Reverb10.  Since I have so many days to make up for (darn those busy holiday preparations) I am going to make these answers as short as possible.  In my heart I know the full answer, so I don't even feel bad in the slightest about keeping this abbreviated.  


December 15 � 5 Minutes. Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010. (Author: Patti Digh)


I want to remember all the milestones my son hit this year, all his new words and achievements, and all those moments that made my heart melt.  I want to remember learning to sew because it now brings me so much joy to be creative in a way that is more usable on a daily basis than painting.  I want to remember the new responsibilities I learned this year at work because for having the same job title I do nothing of what I use to do this time last year.  Everything else I can forget.  I just want to remember all the joys.  


December 16 � Friendship. How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst? (Author: Martha Mihalick)


My friend Sarah always helps me put life into perspective as we share the ups and downs of our respective lives.  She and I don't live near enough to see each other as often as we would like, but I "talk" to her more by email than most friends I actually see on a regular basis.  Sarah is the one I can count on through anything.  


December 17 � Lesson Learned. What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year? And how will you apply that lesson going forward? (Author: Tara Weaver)


I learned that if I don't take time for myself, I will literally lose myself and possible a little of my mind too.  Going forward I will make sure to carve out a little time for me everyday to help center me and bring me back to some level of calm.


December 18 � Try. What do you want to try next year? Is there something you wanted to try in 2010? What happened when you did / didn�t go for it? (Author: Kaileen Elise)


In 2010, I wanted to try out sewing.  Honestly I thought it was just one of those things that would fall by the by and get lost in the rush of the things that HAVE to be done.  After a few very stressful months, I decided to take more time for me and took a sewing class.  It changed everything for me.  I feel in love with working on a sewing machine and was fortunate enough to have a husband that supported me when I decided to buy a new sewing machine.  


In 2011, I want try dressing up more often.  Usually I tend to dress down in simple outfits of Docker's style pants and a comfortable top.  Next year I want to wear more skirts, and get brave enough to wear red lipstick on an average day.  I want to find a new job, something where I have a chance at moving up through the ranks.  It is time I start dressing for that goal.  To through a little something extra in the mix...I would love to work in more vintage items into my wardrobe.  I don't scavenge Goodwill often enough.  


December 19 � Healing. What healed you this year? Was it sudden, or a drip-by-drip evolution? How would you like to be healed in 2011? (Author: Leonie Allan)


I feel repetitive, but again, being creative has really been a "healing" force in my life the past few months.  It has slowly started to bring me out of my funk and gives me another reason to be more happy then stressed.  


In 2011, I would like to heal my health by getting into some shape other than round.  


December 20 � Beyond Avoidance. What should you have done this year but didn�t because you were too scared, worried, unsure, busy or otherwise deterred from doing? (Bonus: Will you do it?) (Author: Jake Nickell)


I should have started looking for a new job already.  One thing holding me back in that I am scared of rocking the boat.  I have a steady, stable paycheck and I worry for risking that by openly looking for other work.  It is something I have to just get over because moving onward and upward is worth the risk.  Will I do it?  I sure hope so.


December 21 � Future Self. Imagine yourself five years from now. What advice would you give your current self for the year ahead? (Author: Jenny Blake)


Stop spending your time worrying, wishing and wondering and just live.  Get out and do more new things, meet new people and make new friends.  Life could be over at any moment, start living the moments you get.


December 22 � Travel How did you travel in 2010? How and/or where would you like to travel next year? (Author: Tara Hunt)


Travel...HA!  I didn't travel in 2010.  We didn't have any money to travel this year, and after Chris hurt his knee playing softball this summer we didn't have the ability to travel.  Next year I would like to get a passport card and go to Canada to visit my niece and see her first apartment.  I would also love to do some simple trips with my family to get out of town for a few days here and there to escape the usual routine.  


December 23 � New Name Let�s meet again, for the first time. If you could introduce yourself to strangers by another name for just one day, what would it be and why? (Author: Becca Wilcott) 


If I could start again I would introduce myself to people as Lin.  My Mom and sister call me Lin.  My sister's name is Melissa and she went by Lis when we were going up and so Melinda became Lin since our names were so similar.  I actually like Lin and would like to go by that more.  For some reason it never really caught on among my friends to call me by that name, so it is still something only my family calls me.  Even my husband won't call me Lin.  


December 24 Prompt � Everything�s OK What was the best moment that could serve as proof that everything is going to be alright? And how will you incorporate that discovery into the year ahead? (Author: Kate Inglis)


I have been mulling over this question and I am not sure I have a good answer for a single moment that is proof everything is going to be alright.  For me it is more a person that makes me feel everything is going to be alright...and that person is my son, Ian.  He is all full of potential and possibilities that I can't help but see myself moving through the years just to see what he will become.  Nothing is so bad I would want to miss a moment of watching Ian grow into a man.  

December 25 � Photo � a present to yourself - Sift through all the photos of you from the past year. Choose one that best captures you; either who you are, or who you strive to be. Find the shot of you that is worth a thousand words. Share the image, who shot it, where, and what it best reveals about you. (Author: Tracey Clark)

Me in all my goofy glory.  If there is one thing about myself that I hope I don't lose it is my sense of humor.  This picture is a self portrait of me making the notorious "duck face" pose that seems to be so popular on Facebook these days.  I often giggle when I see those pictures and decided that I should have one of my own, even if that meant displaying my face, flaws and all, for the world to laugh at.  If you can't laugh at yourself, then...doom on you.

Merry Christmas 2010

No Way Mom

Wednesday Ian had an allergic reaction to something.  We think it might have been a candy cane he ate, because nothing else we can think of was new that might have triggered the hives that flared up all over his face, arms and torso. 

After calling the doctor, I rushed out to get some Benadryl for him.  Usually Ian takes medicine so well but from the get go he wanted nothing to do with the Benadryl.  It took both Chris and I to get him to take the medication by force.  Not really something you want to do to your kid when they already don't feel good but what choice do parents have really?

I was worried about Ian napping at day care and them having to fight with him to give him the Benadryl.  So I picked up Ian on my lunch hour Thursday and brought him with me to work for part of the afternoon.  The rest of the afternoon I took some personal time so I could take him home to nap.  Ian loves being at my office.  He gets to flirt with all the ladies and show them his Toy Story toys.  He even somehow managed to manipulate a cookie from one person. 

While at work I had to give Ian his next dose of Benadryl.  I anticipated the struggle and the likelihood of crying so I took him down to the bathroom to give him the medication.  As soon as he saw the syringe I got from the pharmacy coming at him, he ran into one of the stalls and crammed himself in the corner behind the toilet to hide from me. 

I tried my best to give him the medication right there, with me leaning over the toilet and trying to pry his mouth open to get the syringe in between his tightly pursed lips.  Meanwhile he is thrashing his arms around in defense.  Naturally the syringe full of Benadryl ended up floating in the toilet. 

Great!  Now what? 

I had to get him this medication because the hives were coming back with a vengeance.  So I pored another dose into the little measuring cup that came with the bottle.  After prying Ian out from behind the toilet I held him over the sink in the bathroom and poured the Benadryl in his mouth a little at a time with each holler he let out.  

The poor kid is going to hate medication for life at this point.  But by Joe I got that medication in him and the hives started to fade again within the hour. 

Thankfully the hives seem to be flaring up less and less each time the medication wears off.  I am hopeful whatever it is will be out of his system by the time the weekend is over. 

The things we have to do for our kids!  Not many other things in life put you in the position to force feed someone else medication in a public bathroom, or give you a reason to fish things like a medication syringe out of a toilet.  

I You

This morning I said to Ian, "I love you, Ian!"

Ian turned to me and said "I you."

I am pretty darn sure that means he loves me.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On our way home today I was singing along to Ian's Phineas and Ferb DVD that was playing in the car.  The line of the song ended in a long "ahhh" sound.  As I sang it, Ian pipes up from the back "No Ah!"  The next line of the song ends with a long "ohhh."  Instantly Ian says, "No Oh!"  I couldn't hold it together from there and laughed the rest of the way home.

Reverb10: Day 14

December 14 � Appreciate What�s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it? (Author: Victoria Klein)


I have come to really appreciate having a little "me time."  For a while there I was doing all the things that I "had" to do and it left no time left for me to just do things that make me happy.  Now I let go of a few of those things I thought I "had" to do and make time for things I like to do and I am a lot happier for it.  


One of my favorite "me time" activity is being creative.  So since just being creative is something I appreciate, I make things for other people.  It is my way of being grateful for the time to myself.

Reverb10: Days 11-13

More catching up with Reverb10:


December 11 � 11 Things What are 11 things your life doesn�t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life? (Author: Sam Davidson)
1.  Self Doubt - I need to own what I want and go for it.
2.  Dead End Job - Time to rework that resume and start looking for work outside my comfort zone.
3.  Extra, Unhealthy Weight - I am already modifying my diet and I need to find a workout that I can stick with for the long haul.
4.  Guilt - I have to get over the guilt I have for not being able to do "it all" and just do what I can with a smile.  There are only so many days on this earth, I shouldn't waste any of them worrying that my bathroom isn't clean while I play with my son.
5.  Drama - Other peoples drama should be amusement and not another reason to feel more stressed.
6.  Not Asking For Help - My house is a mess, there is clutter everywhere...I need to make the effort to demand help instead of just doing it myself to get it done.
7.  Clutter - When I look around my house I see so many things we do not need.  We need to work on weeding those things out and donating them or having a yard sale.  More stuff means more to clean.
8.  Missing a Close Friend - In 2011 I am going to visit her more.  We both deserve more time together than just emailing back and forth every week.
9.  Chemicals - There is no need for chemical cleaners in our home anymore.
10.  Paper Products - We have been using paper plates and plastic cups out of convenience.  I think that we are ready to eliminate this waste from our lives and the landfills.
11.  Ian's Begging - Currently my son will go to the cabinet and beg for snacks.  He insists upon being held up so he can get a snack himself.  It is amazing how stressful something so small can be and I am so very over it.  My plan is to get a little cabinet to put all the snacks down at Ian's level.  Then he can pick what he wants from what I provide to him and we can eliminate that stressful begging time.  He won't get anything I don't want him to have because those things will not go in this snack cabinet.

December 12 � Body Integration This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn�t mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present? (Author: Patrick Reynolds)

I feel kind of sad because I can't think of a moment where I was really "alive and present" this year.  Moments that would come closest would be times when I am down on the floor playing with Ian, when other things I should be doing where not clogging up my mind.  Hopefully I can carve out more time to truly be in the moment in 2011.

December 13 � Action When it comes to aspirations, it�s not about ideas. It�s about making ideas happen. What�s your next step? (Author: Scott Belsky)

In order to answer this question, I have to be totally honest.  I hate my job.  There is nothing about it that feels challenging or fulfilling to me.  If only the need for a paycheck was not so great I would leave this dead end job for just about anything.  I cannot afford to take a pay cut and relocating isn't an option for my family due to my husband's job.  So my next step is to rework my resume, and continue looking for a job that will be more a career than a job.  I have been looking casually, but I need to step up my efforts and perhaps look into commuting to find something that will give me a reason to get up in the morning.  This is going to be a top priority for me in 2011.

Reverb10: Days 8-10

Catching up with some slightly abbreviated answers for Reverb10:


December 8 � Beautifully Different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different � you�ll find they�re what make you beautiful. (Author: Karen Walrond)


The thing that makes me feel the most different is the way I tend to look at the world.  Yes, I have opinions like everyone else, but I prefer to see the world as if I am looking through a window.  It is an interesting perspective to view topics from an impartial view looking at all sides.  I find that it really helps me to form a solid opinion about a topic without putting emotional or religious views in the mix.  Although there are still some things I can't help but allow my emotions to dictate my opinion.

December 9 � Party Prompt: Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans. (Author: Shauna Reid)


I am NOT a party person so we don't have or attend very many parties.  I prefer more intimate gatherings of friends to big blow out parties.  So my favorite party this year was a smaller gathering of some of my closest friends.  I was selected to host a Hasbro Game Night party.  So we had about 10 people, including 3 kids, over to our house to play games that Hasbro sent for the party.  We had dinner, played games and even had a funny hat contest.  It really was a lot of fun and I wish that we had more opportunities to have game night parties like that with our friends.  


December 10 � Wisdom Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out? (Author: Susannah Conway)


The wisest decision I made this year was to invest my money and time into crafting.  It has been a rough year for me where it comes to stress and I really needed an outlet.  Crafting, sewing and painting have really been great stress relievers for me and I really wish I had started taking time to create sooner.   

Reverb10: Day 7

December 7 � Community Prompt: Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011? (Author: Cali Harris)

Last year I reluctantly signed up for Twitter to learn how it worked and see see what the fuss was about.  Honestly, I didn't have a very high opinion of Twitter back then.  It didn't take long for my opinion to change.

Over a year later I have adopted a small group of people I am really close to via Twitter.  They are a supportable, inspirational group of individuals and I think they are awesome.  When something cool happens, I want to tell them right away.  When things are rough, they are there and have a few words of wisdom to help guide me.  They inspire the creative side of me.  I may not have met a single one of them in person but they are my friends none the less.  My community.

Reverb10: Days 5 and 6

Two answers today because I am a little behind from the weekend.

December 5 � Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why? (Author: Alice Bradley)

In 2010, I totally let go of myself and allowed myself to gain way too much weight.  The short story version is that I tend to treat stress and depression with food, and I have had a lot of stress and depressed days this year.  (Hello, major work changes, hormone related problems, and Chris dislocating his knee)  Rather than whine and make more excuses for what I have let myself become, the heaviest I have weighed in my life, I am going to focus on the things I can change.  I have already started to modify what I eat, and will leave the Nutella alone when I have a bad day.  Next I have to get back into the swing of being active in any way I can.  We can't afford a gym membership but I can use my Wii, and rent workout videos...and I should.  I will. 

December 6 � Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it? (Author: Gretchen Rubin)

The last thing I made was a little pouch to hold the various stuff in my purse.  I am just getting started learning to sew and I love it! 



This pouch was made with a tutorial I found via a Google search at Make It Modern.  I modified it and added a wrist strap.  I used a fabric quarter I found at Joann Fabric for the outside and lining, and a feather weight fusible interfacing in between to give it more stability.  The strap was just a tube of the same fabric ironed into the side seam.  It wasn't necessary but I had a lot of that fabric print left over from the quarter and one strip was just the right size for the strap.  No waste.

My next project is going to be either a tote bag or an apron, I haven't decided which.  Any thoughts on which you think I should make next?

Reverb10: Day 4

December 4 � Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year? (Author: Jeffrey Davis)



Viewing life through my son's eyes.

Reverb10: Day 3

December 3 � Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors). (Author: Ali Edwards)

The moments that make me feel most alive are when I can get down on the floor and play with my son.  Getting down on his level, acting like a kid and being silly make me feel young inside...even though I might need a little extra time to get myself back up off the floor than I use to. 

One of our favorite games to play involves me being the jungle gym for Ian.  He climbs all over me: walking on my back, using my bended legs as a slide, or riding around on my back like I was a horse.  I might need a hot shower and some Motrin to get over these play times but my heart soars to get playing with my son, and being the one to make him giggle.

I will get down on the floor, laying on my stomach to entice Ian to some and play.  He usually takes a few moments to realize that I am willing to be his play buddy and then he wastes so time climbing up on my back.  After a little while of just climbing and rolling over me, Ian will usually sit on my back.  This is the point when I carefully get up on to my hands and knees and nay like a horse before taking off at a very slow and slightly painful speed across the room.  Ian clings to my shirt and begins to slide off to one side, because he doesn't know how to grip with his legs, giggling all the while.

Once I have just about had it being Ian's noble steed, I drop to the ground and when Ian bounces away I roll onto my back and lift my knees so my feet are flat on the ground.  While I recover Ian climbs up and scoots down my legs as if they were a slide. 

When I can't take anymore, and my knees are beginning to swell, I sit up and Ian tries with all his might to push me back down again to play some more.  His toddler stamina is far better than my 30-something self can handle.  I might be in a bit of pain from his knees, elbows and heels but I am smiling and happy inside. 

There is nothing better than the sound of a child laughing.

Reverb10: Day 2

December 2 Writing.
What do you do each day that doesn�t contribute to your writing � and can you eliminate it?
(Author: Leo Babauta)

What do I do each day that doesn't contribute to my writing?  The short answer would be everything I do during the day at work!  Short of giving me a few small stories to share on Twitter, my 8am to 5pm does almost nothing to improve my writing.  Sadly, I can't do without the paycheck so unless I can win the lotto or inherit money from a rich, long lost family member we don't yet know, I am not eliminating my job anytime soon.

On a rare occasion I am happily able to draft a letter or policy at work that lets me stretch my writing muscles a little.  That doesn't happen often, partly I think is due to the fact that my job has nothing to do with the degree I received in college.  Perhaps my employers have forgotten that I am educated in both journalism and advertising and would have the skills to write most anything they require.  Instead they prefer to have an intern fumble through that work. 
 

Reverb10

Several of my online friends (@showmyface and @randomsideizzie) are participating in reverb10, which is another daily posting event.  Reverb10 calls it an opportunity to reflect on your year and manifest what's next.  I can get down with that, so I am going to give it a go and try to participate daily.  My plan is to do short posts daily for the reverb10 prompt and also scatter a few other posts in along the way.  So December 2010 may contain the most posts in one month ever at Days Like This.

Today's prompt:
"Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you�re choosing that word. Now, imagine it�s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?
(Author: Gwen Bell)"

Transition

This year was very much a transition year for me.  I moved on from being the mother of a baby to the mother of a very active and talkative toddler.  My job has been flipped upside down and turned inside out so much that this summer I essentially started a new job within the same office.  I started being creative again after years away from having an outlet.  Now I am painting, sewing and crafting more than ever.  Life is exhausting and chaotic but I really feel like it is because everything around me is changing and sometimes change is hard to keep up with.