The Ducks

Quacking at our front window at half passed 6 tonite, were two little ducks who were trying to get our attention. They wouldn't leave, so we finally caved and gave them something to drink. This same little pair comes around every year, about this time, and walk through our neighborhood. They went to our neighbors door last nite, and yelled until he fed them. I felt bad not to offer something, after all I always talk about being kind to all creatures. I felt like they were our guests. When they finally slipped away we were actually sad. They brought an energy to our house tonite and we loved it! How they ended up at our house we're not sure, but they definetly brightened our evening.

The Big Girl toddler bed!

We changed Olivia's crib into a toddler bed on Sunday, with the help of Dave and papa Gary. Olivia was very excited to have this new freedom, and she ran around the house shouting about her big girl bed, and shes still excited a few days later. Since she has all this freedom she is using it by getting up 2 hours earlier every morning! Ack. Guess I'll have to walk her back to bed just like my mom used to do to me. :)

NKOTB reunites!

I know this may seem cheesy, but the band that used to make my heart go a flutter is reuniting! Can you believe that NKOTB is giving it another shot, 15 years later? They are going on tour this summer, and I almost, sort of, want to go. Looking at this picture of these guys 15 years later still makes me feel like an overexcited tween, who is begging her parents to let her go to the concert. I don't have to ask my parents, but tell me how I"ll explain to Dave that I have to get tickets. lol. I'm sure that he would be less than thrilled, so I'll just have to rely on utube to fill me in on what I'll miss. Joey Mcintyre is still my fave.

www.nkotb.org

Sticky Situation

Livy loves stickers, and loves putting them on the carpet, her clothes, walls, and wherever they will stick. Notice them all around her chair, and on her sweater! I love how "laid back" she is in these pics, just chillin on her chair with her feet up after a long day of running around the neighborhood!

Happy Spring!

A few recent pictures of Olivia, age 2.5 going on 7! I don't know how to put into words all of the ways that she is growing and changing. Today she wanted to know the name of a little girl who was talking to her, and after hearing the name she looked at the girl and said "Thats the most beautiful name I ever heard!" ha! When she loves something she will say "Oh this is my best!" Her current best is a turkey & Cheese sandwhich, and when I serve it to her she'll immediately say "Oh this is my best mama, and you never did make this in awhile!" ha! She goes once a week to a 2 year old class and the teachers have a host of Oliviaisms to tell me about when I pick her up. She is figuring out her world by asking alot of questions now, including "Where do we come from?" I always answer her honestly, but i really had to think about how I wanted to answer that. We have our interesting times too...like the toddler tants where she is none too happy with most anything, which shows up alot after naps and if she doens't like whats for dinner. Olivia loves to see other kids, especially older ones and really wants to be included in what they're doing. She introduces herself right away, and just wants to join in their fun. I babysit for Hannah once a week, and Livy really adores Hannah. She calls her "my best!" Hannah tries to teach Livy new things, and if its going over Livy's head she just screams in delight and starts running around the house. Its quite a sight to watch. Hannah is older and just a delight to be with. She appreciates Livy's personality and watching their friendship blossom has been pretty special as a mom. They have conversations that blow me away, and they actually ask each other questions about things. I have a few recorded on video and they will love to watch it someday. Livy also loves to play with Avery, and will ask for daily updates on Avery's whereabouts. She sometimes plays pretend games and make Avery show up. She likes to hear the play by play on the Thompson clan, including what Shilo is up to! Its quite sweet.

So thats an update on my peanut! She is going to pre-school in the fall, and I just turned in all of her paperwork. Time is moving along, and I'm trying to hang on, an enjoy every moment of her. My job is still allowing me time to do that. I get creative with my scheduling to maximize and balance my home time. I usually have at least 2 full days at home, then I work 2-3 afternoons a week, still leaving my mornings with Olivia. Being home with her is my sanity, and I go insane if I'm away from her too much. I also go insane if I'm with her too much, so working a few hours is good for me, but too many makes me feel out of balance. I have a rythmic dance that I do to balance work and home, and some weeks it feels like I have three left feet, and other weeks it feels perfectly in sync, and I'm guessing that most of us feel that way too.

New Job!

I have been meaning to update about my new job, but its been such a crazy ride that I haven't yet had time to blog about it. The quick version of the story is that I woke up one day in January and decided that I was sick of working weekends in a germ infested hosptal, and I dearly missed my family time with Dave and Livy. Dave is at RIT 1-2 nites a week and combined with me working 16-18 hours a weekend, it left little family time. So I woke up on a cold January morning and said to God, "I'm done working weekends, what else have you got for me?" I jumped out of bed and proclaimed that I was done working weekends. Within a few hours my friend Deb emailed me that her agency was hiring. Coincidence? Maybe, but the timing was something to note. Whatever happened in the universe that day happened for a reason, and I started my whirlwind new job 4 weeks ago. I call it a whirlwind becuase I have felt like a fish out of water for the 1st time since graduating from college. I am working for a private agency that provides Early Intervention Services. I was hired as a family therapist 15 hours a week, working in the homes of families of children with special needs. My office is at home, and I travel house to house. I work on teams of 4-6 other service providers who are also in the home.
Counseling people in their homes is fascinating for me. People are so comfortable there, and so are their kids, which means that behaviors and issues tend to show themselves pretty quickly. I left one home tonite where I was following mom around the house as she was trying to get her developementally delayed tot to brush his teeth. The battle of the wills was on, and this tot was screaming his poor head off and running up the couches and tables to escape. I was along side mom addressing the behaviors, and making suggestions to empower her in her parenting. She was about to break down but the team was there to encourage her in the intervention. Many times I'll see parents when the kids are napping becuase they just need to vent and discuss the difficult issues going on with their child, but I always make a plan to come back when the kiddo is wide awake and ready for action.
The kids have multiple medical, emotional, and behavioral issues. My eyes start to well up during at least one point in every visit, not becuase I'm sad, but because of the love parents have for their kids, and the lengths that they go to. They don't know my eyes are tearing, but I can feel the moment that my heart is tugging as they're telling me what they live with. I see the other therapists have these moments too, and we often have it when we're talking to each other about something that happened in the home. We're dealing with families who are trully on a pilgrimage, and trying to survive and thrive in their lives, yet living with a mountain of pain right now.
Adjusting to this job has been absolutely crazy. I'm out on visits and trying to learn the lingo of the interventions, treatments, team members, and a whole new part of Social Work. Its a new expierience for me, and one that I will need if I want to have my own practice someday. But the adjustment to this agency hasn't been easy. Because none of the staff go to a central office things can be very confusing for a new person like me. I told my boss the other day that I feel "so green." I'll get through it, and I'm pretty thrown off, but thats life sometimes and as Ethel says, this too shall pass!

Pictures

Quick funny story. Olivia and I headed out to shovel today, and I had just finished the back breaking job when Olivia looked at me and said " Looks like you have a ways to go yet!" ha! I thought that I had done an amazing job of shoveling the entire driveway, but she took one look at it and felt differently.

My friends

Along the way I have made many wonderful friends. Some have come and gone, but they all have a special place in my heart. I think of people that I met years ago, preschool even, and the way they touched my life, and I appreciate them for being a part of my life. Friendships are so important to me becuase during my childhood I had to say goodbye to most of my friends before the relationships even blossomed. We relocated constantly, and moved almost every year of my school career, except high school, where I finally stayed in one place for 4 years. Too make up for craziness of moving so much during my youth, I always dreamed about growing up and having lifelong friends, taking trips together, and making awesome memories together. I finally have those friends, and I appreciate them more than they'll ever know. I can't put it into words often because its so dear to me that even the thought of it chokes me up. I have a wonderful group of friends from many walks of my adult life, and I love having them in my life.

The reflection today happened because my dear friend Jen Labella came to town. Seeing her beautiful face today, and her sweet husband Chris, reminded me of how blessed I am. Hearing their beautiful news today, and sharing that joy with them felt so perfect! I truly love my friends, and sitting with them, and Ethel today, made me pause and thank God for my blessings. My friends are true amazing souls, who are kind and living great lives. I'm in awe of each of them for their gifts to this earth, and I am so happy that I got to spend time with my them today. Love you guys!

Time for Tea

I recently wrote this article for the Holistic Moms Newsletter. See below.

The power of tea. Tea has the ability to calm, excite, focus, provide peace, and encourage a personal single moment of bliss. This bliss is what I experienced for the first time during a Holistic Moms Leaders meeting. Deborah welcomed us into her home, and put on a simple pot of Rooibus tea. Prior to this meeting I drank green tea because I knew that it was said to be good for me, but I didn’t enjoy a single cup of tea until I drank it with wise women. We sat around and drank endless cups of tea while planning 2008 meetings, and ended our meeting with story telling from our youth that had us roaring in laughter while we clutched our tea. The tea was offered as a drink to bring us together, and it provided a space between all of us that helped weave together our stories and our lives. With our tea in hand we made intentions for the coming year, circling in the visions of our heart for our local Holistic Moms Network.

Since that meeting I have drank and enjoyed tea with many friends, and on my own. I make tea while I’m in the midst of cooking dinner, with my toddler underfoot and my husband busily telling me stories of his workday. The secret that my husband and toddler don’t know is that even while my kitchen is bustling, the tea in my cup is offering me a quiet calm that sustains my womanhood. I wish I had known about the power of tea to be so enchanting, and deliver me peace starting at the very sound of the water hitting my mug, but until I drank it with women, I might have never known the power it can offer.

What did I drink before tea? Coffee in the form of 2 cups of day for much need pick me ups. I’ve met friends for coffee and enjoyed coffee most of my life since age 18, yet it never offered me the power of peace. Now as I drink my tea, I feel as though my cup contains life energy, sustaining me and offering a possibility that coffee may have lacked. I enter tea rooms and tea aisles in stores as a child might enter a candy shop, full of possibility, hope, and wonderment. Tea has changed me and brought something to my life by its very essence, and the essence came alive through the women that I drank it with. A few days ago I drank tea in a circle at work, with women I had just met, and each sip gave me a moment of calm that brought focus to my mind and sparked ideas that led the way for a project I am working on. Tea is a journey, a mystery, and a new path for me to discover more about who I am. It started with the power of women joining together for a common goal, and has now entered my life forever. My daughter and I share tea together in the afternoon, and I watch her while we drink, and together we share a silent space that is joyous and peaceful for both of us. Tea and womanhood together are a combination extroadinaire! I am currently reading the book “Three cups of tea” and am learning that I am joining into a habit that has been enjoyed for thousands of years, and its power can only be measured by the peace in our heart.

Sick...Sick....Sick

This family has been sick, and I mean sick! Ack. Why do these things hit one family member, and then tear through the rest of them like a tomahawk missle! Geesh. I have some awful, terrible, no good severe cold, and so does my husband. We're not supposed to be sick together! Last nite noone slept. Dave and I had a tissue box in bed with us and I felt pathetic as we were both coughing, sneezing, and blowing our noses all nite. We were a sight! There is no rest for the weary because Livy kept hearing us and getting up and down several times. By some miracle Dave got up feeling better, and he actually forced me to call in sick at work. I had a fever and couldn't move, but somehow I was convinced that I could make it to work. I showered, and then realized that I felt so sick this might be pneumonia ( I exaggerate everything when I'm sick, but I really felt bad.)Staying home and avoiding the Highland Madness was the best thing because I slept from 11-2, which is exactly what I needed. It was hard to fall asleep as I was having stress thoughts pop in my head about not getting paid for today, but sometimes you just have to lose some money in order to get better. Dave kept telling me to rest, but then I would hear Olivia running & jumping around the house, ready to play. I felt so bad that I had a day off and couldn't be downstairs enjoying it with her. Dave finally took her to Walmart for a few hours, and I grabbed some sleep. Please pray that our cold's go away soon. My poor husband has a midterm tomorrow. Luckily I perked up alittle this afternoon, and he got to spend several hours studying. Good luck Hon! Rock the Midterm!

The Vaccine Book

Another reccommendation...I'm full of them this week! ha. If you're a parent of small children, do your kids a favor that may save their life, buy this book! www.thevaccinebook.com or The Vaccine Book by Robert Sears. It isn't a freak you out, scare you, fear based never vaccinate your kid kind of book. Its a clear, accessible, easy to read gem of a book that guides you through the vaccine mystery, giving clear and consise information, even setting up a schedule should you choose to postpone vaccines a bit. I have tried to read many books on this topic, and most of them left me feeling like I was floating alone, in the ocean, without a raft. Not to be cheesy, but my raft has arrived now, and its a cruise ship taking me back to land. I love this book and feel blessed to have purchased it. If we have another child I will vaccinate them differently than Olivia becuase I have found my answers and I don't need to look any further. I never say that about anything, but Robert Sears has done decades of research to write this easy to read book, and it really should be called "The Vaccine Bible." If you have a baby, consider yourself so lucky to have this resource becuase I floundered on my own, researching government data, and poorly written scare tactic books! Thank you Robert Sears! I know some people turn a blind eye and would rather just trust their pediatricians on this issue, but Robert Sears is a Pediatrician, and one who started on a quest for answers. He received those answers and is sharing them with parents in this amazing book!

Juno

Do yourself a favor, go and see this movie. Its wonderful and probably one of the best movies that you'll see this year. Tonite Dave and I went to the Little to see it, and afterwards I called Jenn and insisted that her and Keith go and see it tomorrow! I am so glad that we decided to see it, and yes even my husband loved it. Dave is a tough one to please, and he loved Ellen Page's performance. Its an wonderful movie! Its a comedy, but it had me choked up towards the end. I came to love the characters, and I'm not even a movie buff. Go see it, I insist! Happy New Year Everyone!!
http://www.little-theatre.com/moviePage.php?filmID=692

Twelve Days of Christmas

For those of you looking to deepen your Christmas celebration, check out this website.

http://www.innerchristmas.com/072.html

Wacky, Crazy Holiday, Part II

I was feeling rather hopeless that I wouldn't find my happy medium this Christmas. All has not been lost, and I'm blogging to remind myself next year that I need to protect my energy. Sadly I have chosen to forgo our weekend plans where we usually attend my aunt's Christmas Extravaganza, and see all of my moms family. The date is always the weekend before Christmas, everyone comes bearing gifts, and holiday cheer. They've all phoned me for Olivia's size, favorite toys, etc, and sadly we won't be there after all. Its a 4.5 hour drive, just outside of Albany. With the way I was dragging on about my stress level, the least I could do for Dave and Livy was decide that we should stay home.

After I made the descision to stay home, something miraculous happened. I started decorating my house, ideas were flowing into my head about how I wanted the house to look, and I just started going through decorations and placing them where I wanted them to go. Prior to making the descision not to go to my aunts, I was paralyzed from enjoying Christmas becuase I was on overload. I was stunted from decorating. There as a huge block, and I couldn't even think about decorating. But I freed the block! Wow..how liberating!! Sure I will be missing a really fun party, but I was comprimising so much to make it happen, and not to mention traveling with a toddler. Staying home means having a weekend off to prepare for Christmas day Brunch, which is another area that I was stressed about. Its my 1st year doing Christmas and I'm nervous as heck, and I mean nervous. I never wanted to host Christmas becuase I feel like its too important a holiday to screw up! ha. Now with the Albany Trip canceled, I can just focus on getting ready for Christmas day, and now I'm excited. I'm happy to be hosting this glorious feast day! I'm so elated that my family will be here, and they will expierience their 1st Christmas Day Brunch. Our family wanted to have us host a 4pm dinner like they've done for the passed 50 years, and well, I don't think that sounds very fun so I took back Christmas and said , "We'll do something fresh and fun, we'll do brunch!" I just think that it sounds so wonderful to eat French Toast Casserole, Scrambled Eggs, and drink fresh squeezed orange juice as everyone mingles around. Much better than a stuffy sit down dinner.

Merry Christmas Everyone. I have removed a block and the world looks alot brighter now. :)

Crazy, wacky, Holiday

I don't even know what to say about this 2007 Christmas season. I have been filled with tension over getting it all done, buying the gifts, planning the meal, tying up travel plans, whether to travel, whether to surrender and stay home, and what to stop doing right now! Aaaaah. Breath Lisa....just breathe. Great...now I'm talking to myself...this will really help my tension right now. Next year Jenn and I decided that we're starting our shopping in July, and that December will only be about planning the food, and sending out Christmas cards. Sounds good to me...sounds delightful, except that I still can't help but feel like Christmas is all consuming. And for what?? I love cultural rituals, many are beautiful and bring families closer together, but I have to say....does Christmas really do that? I believe that Christmas might be more beautiful if it were simpler. Perhaps there are still ways to savor Christmas, and take it back, without the mass market commercialized madness, and actually have a spiritual expierience. Isn't that what its supposed to be? Aren't we supposed to be rejoicing over the birth of Christ? If we look at other cultural rituals, or holy days, they are days of fasting, and then an enormous feast. Christmas is all messed up with Santa, shopping, eating for the whole month, becoming worn out, and then planning a two day meal extravaganza...oh and don't forget to stop in church and pause for alittle while.

Do I sound cynical. I'm not...actually my brain is just rewiring to bring back some of the beauty of the Holiday. I am still yearning for something deeper...and I've found a few things that I could incorporate in the years ahead thanks to my Holisitic Moms Group. One idea was to give Olivia 3 gifts, just as the wise men gave Jesus, and have them represent Mind, Body, & Spirit. I love that idea, and we could really put our hearts together to find some thoughtful high quality gifts that would carry her into the future. I have also searched for spiritually inspired books to give her, that would be age appropriate, and I've found a few that she'll be given this year, along with Mr. Potatoe Head and tub toys! ha!

Thanks for reading my rant. I love Christmas, and I'm just trying to establish what it means to me, and what I want to impart on Olivia.

Quote

I saw this quote on a friends blog, and I had to pass it along. Marianne Williamson is one of my favorite authors, and spiritual teachers. Hope this resonates for some of us...I will need to sit with this one awhile.


“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” ~ Marianne Williamson

Jolly old St. Nick

If you have a chance this holiday season, please visit www.stnicholascenter.org. The origins of Saint Nicholas are amazing, and fun to read. Its a beautiful way to bring something authentic back into this holiday season. I'd much rather celebrate a Saint than the over commercialized, mass marketed, Santa Claus & Reindeer idea. Yes its all in good fun, but Saint Nicholas will actually give you something to celebrate, something authentic, and spiritual. He was a devout Christian who sold his inheritance and belongings to help the poor, all inspired from the walk of Christ. He performed several miracles throughout his life, and all of which contributed to his doctrination into saint hood. The website does a beautiful job of giving ideas on celebrating St. Nicholas day. Its a fun place to visit!

Peace and Joy!
lisa

Lunch Bunch

Here is Lulu, Almond butter and all, enjoying our last lunch outside during the latest string of beautiful, warm weather! Please warm weather...don't be gone long! We love you!!!

Lets Bake!

I decided to try a science expierment and see what baking with Olivia would be like. It was too rainy/cold to go outside after dinner, and she was really needing alittle excitement before ending the day. I had some pumpkin puree left over from another recipe, some banana's, and oatmeal, and I really really wanted to make oatmeal, pumpkin, banana cookies. The combo sounded great to me so I made up the recipe as we went along. The pictures were taken when it was Olivia's turn to stir, but instead she thought that it was her turn to taste! Despite Olivia pouring in way to much of some ingredients, and eating others before they made their way to the bowl, I was happily surprised at how good these cookies came out. I had alot of fun baking with lulu and can't wait to make Christmas Cookies together.

Renaming the Blog

I wish that I could rename this blog. It has turned into Olivia's blog. That is a beautiful and amazing thing, and it should be called Olivia's Zone. For now I am blogging fun things here, and only occasionally under my "Living for Peace blog." It is in my profile. I only blog there when I am posting something that comes from somewhere other than my outer self. I want it to be a deeper expression of who I am. I can post the other fun, family news here. The "Living for Peace Blog" represents my story to reach Peace, peace within myself, and this world. My hobby is entering spiritual journey's to reach truth and Love, by going nowhere other than within. More on that over there.
Love Lisa