tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847296404725244881Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:21:27 +0000contestteethchiropracticbirthdayfeminismmoviesbookssicknessriechristmasmilestonesnamebreastfeeding battleslanguagegratitudeschoolsubversive mommiescraftsmarymy big opinionsbirthing from withinpreschoolsave the planettravelphotoadvent conspiracywordsfamilydaycarenewslettermiscarriagevideosleep trainingbabywearingpotty traininglife beyond Gwenbloggingparenting is hardwritingworkworking mother guilthttp://bloggingfortwo.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (adequatemom)Blogger665125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847296404725244881.post-446882129310895417Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:45:00 +00002012-01-24T08:21:27.659-08:00newsletterDear Gwen,Today you are forty-five months old. You are SO big!The last month has been full of a great deal of adventure, and I’ll pick up where the last newsletter left off and discuss the various Christmas shenanigans. To set the scene: there is an exchange in the movie “Love, Actually” where a child tells his parent that he is going to be a lobster in the Christmas nativity. The parent, http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~3/Bq5XpcRNUYk/dear-gwen-month-forty-four.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adequatemom)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~4/Bq5XpcRNUYk" height="1" width="1"/>http://bloggingfortwo.blogspot.com/2012/01/dear-gwen-month-forty-four.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847296404725244881.post-3232752126888093521Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:40:00 +00002012-01-13T10:21:19.480-08:001. I never had nosebleeds as a kid (and don't remember my sister having them either) so to me they are mysterious and FREAKY. Gwen had one on Wednesday night as she slept, as evidenced by the dried blood on her face the next morning. Judging by Chris's response to this (calm, cool, unruffled), this ain't no big thang. Still I find it CREEPY! When I picked Gwen up from school that afternoon I http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~3/A_65WCNbFi8/friday-five.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adequatemom)2<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~4/A_65WCNbFi8" height="1" width="1"/>http://bloggingfortwo.blogspot.com/2012/01/friday-five.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847296404725244881.post-1611815748968817023Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:51:00 +00002012-01-06T10:25:17.876-08:00photoparenting is hardI enjoyed a lovely coffee date (well, hot chocolate date, actually) with a friend earlier this week and we shared stories of our Christmases. She told me about her young niece asking for - and receiving - a training bra, which caused us both to reflect on how eager children are to grow up, and how if they really understood what was waiting for them in the grown-up world, they might feel http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~3/P4xepVJ4H4Y/woozy-snoozing.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adequatemom)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~4/P4xepVJ4H4Y" height="1" width="1"/>http://bloggingfortwo.blogspot.com/2012/01/woozy-snoozing.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847296404725244881.post-7794461034058551913Sun, 25 Dec 2011 14:24:00 +00002011-12-25T06:24:00.247-08:00video http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~3/LmpylJbMSgE/merry-christmas.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adequatemom)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~4/LmpylJbMSgE" height="1" width="1"/>http://bloggingfortwo.blogspot.com/2011/12/merry-christmas.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847296404725244881.post-1213900223926348296Sat, 24 Dec 2011 15:08:00 +00002011-12-24T07:08:00.188-08:00newsletterDear Gwen,Today, you are forty-four months old.This month, it has really seemed that you and Christmas are made for each other. You are so social and love taking part in all the exciting activities at this time of year; you are thrilled to have any opportunity to dress in a fancy dress; and you are at a perfect age to really get what Christmas is all about: the Christmas story, giving to others, http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~3/bv8VfEX21-Q/dear-gwen-month-forty-four.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adequatemom)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~4/bv8VfEX21-Q" height="1" width="1"/>http://bloggingfortwo.blogspot.com/2011/12/dear-gwen-month-forty-four.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847296404725244881.post-873630930428368842Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:58:00 +00002011-12-15T07:32:35.349-08:00christmasTo follow up yesterday's Santa pictures, I am reposting a blog from 2009 about Jesus and Santa because it's one of my favourite posts. Hope you enjoy.It’s pretty hard to raise a kid in North America avoiding all exposure to Santa. Though some people are bound and determined to try. Frankly, I am still in the “I don’t see the harm,” camp. But to explain why, I have to share a little bit more abouthttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~3/9RCRNT2R1XY/in-defense-of-santa.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adequatemom)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~4/9RCRNT2R1XY" height="1" width="1"/>http://bloggingfortwo.blogspot.com/2011/12/in-defense-of-santa.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847296404725244881.post-3454642914035437341Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:50:00 +00002011-12-14T06:50:01.038-08:00 20082009 20102011http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~3/Xszd7mwJgnc/wordless-wednesday-santa.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adequatemom)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~4/Xszd7mwJgnc" height="1" width="1"/>http://bloggingfortwo.blogspot.com/2011/12/wordless-wednesday-santa.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847296404725244881.post-4358016809696150608Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:57:00 +00002011-12-07T06:57:00.408-08:00 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~3/Xsezgkxb2m8/wordless-wednesday-cousins.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adequatemom)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~4/Xsezgkxb2m8" height="1" width="1"/>http://bloggingfortwo.blogspot.com/2011/12/wordless-wednesday-cousins.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847296404725244881.post-972320429313329648Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:09:00 +00002011-11-30T07:09:00.146-08:00photo http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~3/MudNOl35XTo/wordless-wednesday-at-parade.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adequatemom)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~4/MudNOl35XTo" height="1" width="1"/>http://bloggingfortwo.blogspot.com/2011/11/wordless-wednesday-at-parade.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847296404725244881.post-4516014788368208036Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:20:00 +00002011-11-29T19:20:32.461-08:00craftschristmasA while ago I posted a picture of a journal I had covered to Facebook, and a friend asked me how I did it. It's pretty easy, actually, and you only need one piece of specialised equipment, which is the spiral border punch from Stampin' Up. It looks like this: (Actually, that is the model from a few years ago, and the new punches are much slimmer and more fancy-looking. But this one does the job http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~3/bBCuBg5iXx0/how-to-make-covered-notebook.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adequatemom)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~4/bBCuBg5iXx0" height="1" width="1"/>http://bloggingfortwo.blogspot.com/2011/11/how-to-make-covered-notebook.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847296404725244881.post-27557339794627792Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:11:00 +00002011-11-28T06:11:00.296-08:00For NaBloPoMo, I decided to update my old "100 Things About Me" list and run 25 items for each of the Mondays in November. Here is part four.Practical jokes and gags make me very uncomfortable. VERY.Someday I will do another marathon.The best advice I’ve ever been given was, “Do something every day that stays done.”I lived in one house for my entire childhood until I moved out when I was 20.My http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~3/QQGd2uCCPRk/meme-monday_28.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adequatemom)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~4/QQGd2uCCPRk" height="1" width="1"/>http://bloggingfortwo.blogspot.com/2011/11/meme-monday_28.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847296404725244881.post-4076022356096787655Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:03:00 +00002011-11-27T07:03:00.093-08:00video http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~3/3XLcFZrud50/snow-angel.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adequatemom)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~4/3XLcFZrud50" height="1" width="1"/>http://bloggingfortwo.blogspot.com/2011/11/snow-angel.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847296404725244881.post-8653785299793138533Sat, 26 Nov 2011 22:02:00 +00002011-11-26T14:03:48.596-08:00 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~3/jN2oEe-viww/two-years-ago-vs-now.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adequatemom)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~4/jN2oEe-viww" height="1" width="1"/>http://bloggingfortwo.blogspot.com/2011/11/two-years-ago-vs-now.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847296404725244881.post-120660317000376329Fri, 25 Nov 2011 17:43:00 +00002011-11-25T09:43:00.926-08:001. NaBloPoMo is almost over! (A sigh of relief from all.) It's been kind of fun, and interesting, to post every day. I really enjoyed the challenge and especially leaning on little routines like "Friday Five", "Wordless Wednesday", and "Meme Monday" to get me through the 30 days. I noticed - and others did too - that my writing improved over the course of the month, and I'd like to say I will usehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~3/FXGirP-dPsU/friday-five_25.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adequatemom)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~4/FXGirP-dPsU" height="1" width="1"/>http://bloggingfortwo.blogspot.com/2011/11/friday-five_25.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847296404725244881.post-2261895558553900858Thu, 24 Nov 2011 14:52:00 +00002011-12-21T10:10:01.739-08:00newsletterDear Gwen,Today, you are forty-three months old. You are officially on the road to being FOUR. This is no surprise, as you have been wearing size 4 (and even size 4X) for a while now. You are a long, tall girl and there's no way around it. Fortunately, everyone loves buying you adorable clothes and as soon as you outgrow one item, there are two more to take its place.This is the first year that http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~3/PHYQOg9R6CY/dear-gwen-month-forty-three.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adequatemom)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~4/PHYQOg9R6CY" height="1" width="1"/>http://bloggingfortwo.blogspot.com/2011/11/dear-gwen-month-forty-three.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847296404725244881.post-8998585559988877456Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:46:00 +00002011-11-23T06:46:00.546-08:00 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~3/3BCDvqHgqzo/wordless-wednesday-snow.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adequatemom)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~4/3BCDvqHgqzo" height="1" width="1"/>http://bloggingfortwo.blogspot.com/2011/11/wordless-wednesday-snow.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847296404725244881.post-6190223765242321072Tue, 22 Nov 2011 14:22:00 +00002011-11-22T06:22:00.515-08:00A small glimpse into how my brain works. Over the past week I have been the recipient of two remarks, one of which wounded and upset me and one which didn't. In both cases, the results are surprising.Remark #1: I was telling a colleague about my recent trip to Seattle. She remarked, "Well, I'm really glad that even in your current situation, you can still do things like that." For days, I could http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~3/EIwUmKFmAGk/offhand.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adequatemom)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~4/EIwUmKFmAGk" height="1" width="1"/>http://bloggingfortwo.blogspot.com/2011/11/offhand.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847296404725244881.post-7428320030317734907Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:06:00 +00002011-11-21T06:06:00.391-08:00For NaBloPoMo, I decided to update my old "100 Things About Me" list and run 25 items for each of the Mondays in November. Here is part three.The best way to my heart is through my funny bone.I have always known how to spell.I don't like talking on the phone in front of other people. I don't know why.Also, I only use my left ear when talking on the phone.My parents sent me to a psychiatrist when http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~3/8xqEBFZUTd4/meme-monday_21.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adequatemom)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~4/8xqEBFZUTd4" height="1" width="1"/>http://bloggingfortwo.blogspot.com/2011/11/meme-monday_21.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847296404725244881.post-2711436189136991570Sun, 20 Nov 2011 16:15:00 +00002011-11-20T11:34:53.745-08:00 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~3/sQKxyt8mZpk/aunts-go-marching.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adequatemom)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~4/sQKxyt8mZpk" height="1" width="1"/>http://bloggingfortwo.blogspot.com/2011/11/aunts-go-marching.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847296404725244881.post-6837396677128207188Sun, 20 Nov 2011 00:04:00 +00002011-11-19T19:33:42.453-08:001. I have an Etsy store now. I sell things like the above, all handmade by me. Please come check it out and pass on the link. Also, if you actually know me in person, you can buy direct from me and save paying the Etsy commission. Not only is this an excellent creative outlet for my stressful life, but it's kind of nice to make a bit of pocket money.2. I have to talk at church tomorrow. I did nothttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~3/KrDj61HACQo/three-quick-takes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adequatemom)2<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~4/KrDj61HACQo" height="1" width="1"/>http://bloggingfortwo.blogspot.com/2011/11/three-quick-takes.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847296404725244881.post-4733661611344138889Fri, 18 Nov 2011 17:40:00 +00002011-11-18T09:43:59.060-08:00Five things I've been feeling grateful for:1. I had a terrific time in Seattle with my mom and sister. We had excellent shopping and a lot of laughs together. The concept of going Christmas shopping together, picking out stuff for each other and then getting an immediate yes/no, as well as making suggestions about what our kids and husbands would like is ... in a word ... awesome. Definitely needhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~3/RMBm2xSEsrg/friday-five-gratitude.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adequatemom)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~4/RMBm2xSEsrg" height="1" width="1"/>http://bloggingfortwo.blogspot.com/2011/11/friday-five-gratitude.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847296404725244881.post-3110699717991595287Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:13:00 +00002011-11-25T11:34:52.938-08:00Right around the time Gwen started school (and Chris started working weekends), I made this: It's a very haphazard calendar, and it hangs above Gwen's bed. It's made up of photographs of the many places and activities in Gwen's week, and a pointer that we move from day to day. In this particular picture, you can see the pointer (which is Gwen's tiny face and a red arrow) over Wednesday.I really http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~3/21gPt4W3RFk/calendar.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adequatemom)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~4/21gPt4W3RFk" height="1" width="1"/>http://bloggingfortwo.blogspot.com/2011/11/calendar.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847296404725244881.post-1925010536872294608Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:24:00 +00002011-11-16T06:24:00.314-08:00 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~3/dQAqZUVn2Lw/wordless-wednesday-dad-daughter.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adequatemom)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~4/dQAqZUVn2Lw" height="1" width="1"/>http://bloggingfortwo.blogspot.com/2011/11/wordless-wednesday-dad-daughter.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847296404725244881.post-2059550080097581336Tue, 15 Nov 2011 19:42:00 +00002011-11-15T12:17:08.942-08:00My awesome friend Amber sent me this article called, "Yes, I Have Only One Child" thinking it would be about the dumbfounded-ness people respond with when you confirm that, you know, you only have one child. It was, but only a little bit. The writer's situation is nothing like mine, and in fact I imagine that her many ambivalent feelings about the potential second child cause her to feel the http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~3/jxmaAFj33GM/public-parenting.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adequatemom)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~4/jxmaAFj33GM" height="1" width="1"/>http://bloggingfortwo.blogspot.com/2011/11/public-parenting.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4847296404725244881.post-740991825499547940Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:02:00 +00002011-11-14T07:02:00.394-08:00For NaBloPoMo, I decided to update my old "100 Things About Me" list and run 25 items for each of the Mondays in November. Here is part two.I have never (yet) owned a dog.I have an ex-husband and a whole previous life that most of my current peeps don’t know about.I have a lifelong hate-hate relationship with my hair.If I had a prettier face, I'd shave it off.It kind of irks me that it matters http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~3/YVJJS4_Fo6s/meme-monday_14.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adequatemom)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/CmMng/~4/YVJJS4_Fo6s" height="1" width="1"/>http://bloggingfortwo.blogspot.com/2011/11/meme-monday_14.html