Thursday, June 16, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
June and a Half
A dear college friend of mine, Erin Wunker, wrote an excellent post about reaching and setting goals yesterday on Hook & Eye. Although her post is targeted toward academic professionals, her words hit home to me too. Summer doesn't mean the same things to a stay-at-home-mom/writer/former-future teacher as it does to a current academic professional, but there are similarities. Both situations lack immediate pressure to actually accomplish anything, as well as immediate consequences for not accomplishing anything. Hey--you could even say SAHMs are on summer break year-round--although I doubt most of my SAHM friends would describe it that way. In any case, summer doesn't promise the juicy break it did when I was teaching, but since I finished my manuscript and sent it off I have felt as though I am on (a well-deserved) vacation from writing poetry for awhile. But as I posted at the beginning of June, there are things I want to do this summer.
I decided to follow Erin's advice to take the next step from posting about my goals and plans for the rest of the summer and actually write them down. All of them.
The list isn't terribly legible but I defined "summer" as today until the end of July. I included things I want to do between now and then under different headings: Amelia (learn about potty training); Writing (find books and brainstorm ideas for two writing projects I have been daydreaming about); Blog; Home; and Health. My favorite thing about the list is that it actually includes boxes to check. I think the idea of tracking progress for summer goals, or any goals that lack much outside pressure for completion, is a fabulous idea. It's easy to do but (hopefully) incredibly effective.
Although I just made the list today, my June plans have been progressing pretty well. I have been running and going to yoga about 2 times a week so I would like to up that a bit. I have posted every day of June except one. I have been reading a couple of times a week, not as much as I wanted but more than I was reading before. And I have not been cleaning! Much. The house is messier but not that bad. I am pleased with my June so far, and glad to have found an idea to help me get more specific with my goals for the rest of the summer.
I decided to follow Erin's advice to take the next step from posting about my goals and plans for the rest of the summer and actually write them down. All of them.
The list isn't terribly legible but I defined "summer" as today until the end of July. I included things I want to do between now and then under different headings: Amelia (learn about potty training); Writing (find books and brainstorm ideas for two writing projects I have been daydreaming about); Blog; Home; and Health. My favorite thing about the list is that it actually includes boxes to check. I think the idea of tracking progress for summer goals, or any goals that lack much outside pressure for completion, is a fabulous idea. It's easy to do but (hopefully) incredibly effective.
Although I just made the list today, my June plans have been progressing pretty well. I have been running and going to yoga about 2 times a week so I would like to up that a bit. I have posted every day of June except one. I have been reading a couple of times a week, not as much as I wanted but more than I was reading before. And I have not been cleaning! Much. The house is messier but not that bad. I am pleased with my June so far, and glad to have found an idea to help me get more specific with my goals for the rest of the summer.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Mount Sniktau
Dean and I went on our first Amelia-free hike yesterday! It was probably the longest period we have spent together away from her since she was born.
We climbed Mount Sniktau. It was a morning of false starts. We had planned to go on another hike, one that involved driving up to Guanella Pass, a pass that just reopened after being closed for over a year due to an avalanche. Yikes. But when we got to the road for the pass, there was a sign that said it was closed from 8-11 and 1-3. This was about 7:30 am, and we knew we would have to be back to the car by around 12:30 to avoid being stuck there till 3. We decided to go to Sniktau so we wouldn't have to be rushed.
It was a good choice. First we spent about half an hour hiking on the wrong trail, and then we started out hike on the correct trail, up a steep "hill." A very steep "hill."
This picture does not capture the steepness.
If you read the description of the hike on the link above, it sounds pretty easy. But it's Rocky Mountain easy, which to people like me means it's still pretty hard. I had a difficult time on the beginning of the hike. Even though it's "only" 13,234 feet high (really, website author? "Only"?) I got out of breath pretty quickly. It's a crazy out of breath feeling, too, not like you have been running too long, just like you took about 5 steps and you can't catch your breath. But Dean was patient and we finally made through the first section of the climb, up to a point at about 12,500 feet of elevation. We hid from the wind behind some rocks, had a snack and enjoyed the view.
Then we got started on the second leg of the trip, to "point 13,152."
It was cold! And very windy.
We climbed along this ridge. It reminded me of a black and white cookie, which should give you a clue about how many times we stopped to eat a snack.
After the initial climb, the hike was much easier, even though we still had a climb. I think the beginning was so hard because I wasn't used to it. Once I got through the first climb I was more in the hiking zone.
These mountains are a winterscape. This is Torrys Peak, a 14er.
This is another shot of our trail along the ridge.
This is a view of interstate 70 from the summit. You can see the Eisenhower Tunnel, tiny from this view.
After another snack and rest at the summit, we made our way back down the rocky trail. On our return trip, we noticed tiny patches of wildflowers. Such a harsh place to live!
We got back to the car around noon, so we drove through the town of Dillon to eat lunch (delicious portabella and pepper cheese"steaks" and fries!). It's a lovely little town beside a lake, much warmer than the mountains so close by. See the avalanche paths on the mountain in this picture?
Despite the challenges, or maybe even because of them, it was a really nice day. It was great to hike with Dean without worrying about Amelia or listening to her make her Marge Simpson "get me out of this backpack" noise. (And this hike was definitely too cold and windy for her--plus she had a fabulous time with her Ewee and Inna). I couldn't post yesterday about the hike because I had what I deemed exposure exhaustion. The sun, wind, cold and elevation really take something out of you. But the feeling of being at the top of a mountain after a long climb is like nothing else. It's a kind of freedom. I am glad I have a partner whose idea of fun is climbing tall mountains, because otherwise I might not do it, and I would be missing out on something incredibly beautiful.
We climbed Mount Sniktau. It was a morning of false starts. We had planned to go on another hike, one that involved driving up to Guanella Pass, a pass that just reopened after being closed for over a year due to an avalanche. Yikes. But when we got to the road for the pass, there was a sign that said it was closed from 8-11 and 1-3. This was about 7:30 am, and we knew we would have to be back to the car by around 12:30 to avoid being stuck there till 3. We decided to go to Sniktau so we wouldn't have to be rushed.
It was a good choice. First we spent about half an hour hiking on the wrong trail, and then we started out hike on the correct trail, up a steep "hill." A very steep "hill."
This picture does not capture the steepness.
If you read the description of the hike on the link above, it sounds pretty easy. But it's Rocky Mountain easy, which to people like me means it's still pretty hard. I had a difficult time on the beginning of the hike. Even though it's "only" 13,234 feet high (really, website author? "Only"?) I got out of breath pretty quickly. It's a crazy out of breath feeling, too, not like you have been running too long, just like you took about 5 steps and you can't catch your breath. But Dean was patient and we finally made through the first section of the climb, up to a point at about 12,500 feet of elevation. We hid from the wind behind some rocks, had a snack and enjoyed the view.
Then we got started on the second leg of the trip, to "point 13,152."
It was cold! And very windy.
We climbed along this ridge. It reminded me of a black and white cookie, which should give you a clue about how many times we stopped to eat a snack.
After the initial climb, the hike was much easier, even though we still had a climb. I think the beginning was so hard because I wasn't used to it. Once I got through the first climb I was more in the hiking zone.
These mountains are a winterscape. This is Torrys Peak, a 14er.
This is another shot of our trail along the ridge.
This is a view of interstate 70 from the summit. You can see the Eisenhower Tunnel, tiny from this view.
After another snack and rest at the summit, we made our way back down the rocky trail. On our return trip, we noticed tiny patches of wildflowers. Such a harsh place to live!
We got back to the car around noon, so we drove through the town of Dillon to eat lunch (delicious portabella and pepper cheese"steaks" and fries!). It's a lovely little town beside a lake, much warmer than the mountains so close by. See the avalanche paths on the mountain in this picture?
Despite the challenges, or maybe even because of them, it was a really nice day. It was great to hike with Dean without worrying about Amelia or listening to her make her Marge Simpson "get me out of this backpack" noise. (And this hike was definitely too cold and windy for her--plus she had a fabulous time with her Ewee and Inna). I couldn't post yesterday about the hike because I had what I deemed exposure exhaustion. The sun, wind, cold and elevation really take something out of you. But the feeling of being at the top of a mountain after a long climb is like nothing else. It's a kind of freedom. I am glad I have a partner whose idea of fun is climbing tall mountains, because otherwise I might not do it, and I would be missing out on something incredibly beautiful.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Today's Post
Rearranging elements on the blog counts as posting, right...?
Not really. But one thing trying to post every day has taught me is that I really don't have something to say every single day.
On the bright side of that is that I have been reconsidering what I do have to say and how I want to say it. Hence the sudden changes in the blog, changes I have been considering for some time.
A couple of months ago I read an article about "mommy blogs," and it really upset me. More on why I was upset later, but for now, I will say I am trying to reconfigure this blog and webpage to better reflect myself--as a writer, a person, and, yes, even a mommy too.
Thoughts?
Not really. But one thing trying to post every day has taught me is that I really don't have something to say every single day.
On the bright side of that is that I have been reconsidering what I do have to say and how I want to say it. Hence the sudden changes in the blog, changes I have been considering for some time.
A couple of months ago I read an article about "mommy blogs," and it really upset me. More on why I was upset later, but for now, I will say I am trying to reconfigure this blog and webpage to better reflect myself--as a writer, a person, and, yes, even a mommy too.
Thoughts?
Friday, June 10, 2011
Changes
I am making some changes to my blog. You can probably find some already!
One of them is the web address. Over the next few days the url for my blog will be kimberlyoconnorwriting.com. You will still be able to find me through questionair.blogspot.com, but I don't know how long that will last, so make note of the change.
Also, I am going to try out some different templates and designs. If you particularly like or dislike something, please let me know in the comments!
One of them is the web address. Over the next few days the url for my blog will be kimberlyoconnorwriting.com. You will still be able to find me through questionair.blogspot.com, but I don't know how long that will last, so make note of the change.
Also, I am going to try out some different templates and designs. If you particularly like or dislike something, please let me know in the comments!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Food and Drink
It's been one month since Amelia was weaned, and over two weeks since she last asked about milk. We really are done!
The whole thing went much more easily than I thought it would. The hardest part was definitely making up my mind to do it. I had anticipated fits and tears from Amelia, but overall she handled it pretty well. She probably drank more chocolate milk and orange juice than most doctors would recommend for awhile, but oh well. Maybe she still does. She loves both. But if those are the worst things she eats, we're doing pretty well...
sadly, they're not the worst things she eats, though. I bought her some Oreos today in Walgreens to distract her from "sitting a minute" in the car when we got home. It worked and for lunch she had three Oreos and two pieces of roasted tofu. Small pieces. Oh well. I try to have a fairly relaxed attitude about junk food. Sugar doesn't seem to make Amelia crazy and I grew up being able to have small treats fairly regularly. I think it made me less obsessed with candy than some of my friends whose parents were super strict.
Amelia's eating is still unpredictable. One day she will eat one or two or even three healthy, well-balanced meals, including lots of friuts and veggies, and another day she will eat only rice. Or only crackers. Or only nothing. Last night for dinner she had a sippy cup of orange juice. She chugged the juice, then picked at the lovely plate of food I made for her (rice, beans, cabbage, grapes, cheese--all things she loves (even the cabbage, weird, huh)), and then she proceeded to sit on my lap the rest of dinner time reading the same two board books over and over. Well, I read them. With help.
Another thing I tend to be relaxed about is when and where Amelia eats. I love the idea of the whole family sitting down to eat together at the same time, and we will definitely do that when A is older, but it does not work for us right now. For one thing, Amelia sometimes eats more when she is allowed to wander. I often put her food out on a low shelf in the kitchen, where she can reach it, and she has what I call "Amelia's traveling buffet." Probably not the safest thing to do choking wise, but we stay with her and watch her, and she doesn't run around, just kind of wanders. And no forks. Also, Amelia gets hungry between 4:45 and 6:00, and sometimes she eats dinner before Dean even gets home. It is fairly easy to put together a healthy meal for Amelia to eat that early, but I couldn't make something for all of to eat then, plus Dean and I aren't really hungry that early. And eating with Amelia is stressful. It makes my stomach hurt. Dean and I are hanging on to our peaceful dinners for two for now. While we can.
The whole thing went much more easily than I thought it would. The hardest part was definitely making up my mind to do it. I had anticipated fits and tears from Amelia, but overall she handled it pretty well. She probably drank more chocolate milk and orange juice than most doctors would recommend for awhile, but oh well. Maybe she still does. She loves both. But if those are the worst things she eats, we're doing pretty well...
sadly, they're not the worst things she eats, though. I bought her some Oreos today in Walgreens to distract her from "sitting a minute" in the car when we got home. It worked and for lunch she had three Oreos and two pieces of roasted tofu. Small pieces. Oh well. I try to have a fairly relaxed attitude about junk food. Sugar doesn't seem to make Amelia crazy and I grew up being able to have small treats fairly regularly. I think it made me less obsessed with candy than some of my friends whose parents were super strict.
Amelia's eating is still unpredictable. One day she will eat one or two or even three healthy, well-balanced meals, including lots of friuts and veggies, and another day she will eat only rice. Or only crackers. Or only nothing. Last night for dinner she had a sippy cup of orange juice. She chugged the juice, then picked at the lovely plate of food I made for her (rice, beans, cabbage, grapes, cheese--all things she loves (even the cabbage, weird, huh)), and then she proceeded to sit on my lap the rest of dinner time reading the same two board books over and over. Well, I read them. With help.
Another thing I tend to be relaxed about is when and where Amelia eats. I love the idea of the whole family sitting down to eat together at the same time, and we will definitely do that when A is older, but it does not work for us right now. For one thing, Amelia sometimes eats more when she is allowed to wander. I often put her food out on a low shelf in the kitchen, where she can reach it, and she has what I call "Amelia's traveling buffet." Probably not the safest thing to do choking wise, but we stay with her and watch her, and she doesn't run around, just kind of wanders. And no forks. Also, Amelia gets hungry between 4:45 and 6:00, and sometimes she eats dinner before Dean even gets home. It is fairly easy to put together a healthy meal for Amelia to eat that early, but I couldn't make something for all of to eat then, plus Dean and I aren't really hungry that early. And eating with Amelia is stressful. It makes my stomach hurt. Dean and I are hanging on to our peaceful dinners for two for now. While we can.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)