The many talents of Ambrose...

Ambrose: hair dresser. Ambrose: musician. Ambrose: fix-it man. Ambrose: scholar.

Note:

Espresso fudge chocolate-chip brownies before bed DO NOT I repeat, DO NOT make for a well-rested mother and child. What was I thinking?!

Happy Half-Birthday, Ambrose!!!!!!!!

My little fatso is six months old. My, how time flies. Recent photos of my little fatman (mmmm-MMM! Makes me wanna squish him just looking at these!): (I put him in one of the swings at the park last week...he pretty much maintained this expression the entire time.) This is my awesome sling. :-) Eyes so blue.... *sigh*

lame. (a rant).

A few weeks ago, I stumbled across a suitcase full of old cookbooks that someone had apparently discarded while I was taking the trash to the dumpster. I mean, really, really old--like from the 1920's & 30's. The recipes are interesting enough, but I'll tell you, what's most fascinating about these books are the advertisements in the back. The way they appealed to women back then is so different from the way they appeal to women now. For example: "Good hostesses prefer delicacies by Raffetto!" "Every good housewife want things to look bright and clean! Use SAMOLINE, it cleans everything!" "Is it any wonder that all good housewives of today prefer Ball?" Jars? Seems to me like any company trying to market something to women using a phrase like "good housewife" or "good hostess" would probably lose business anymore, if not get sued by some crazy feminist who decided it offended her. What's sad, to me, is that women today no longer take any pride in femininity. Our culture has been so poisoned by feminism, and women are no longer allowed by society to take pride in being a good hostess, in being a good cook, a good housekeeper, a good mother. Instead, we're told that we should be some sexy, sassy, high-end, high-mainenance, degree-earning, pants-wearing, dominating man-eater. There's no room in our culture to appreciate the beauty of fertility, to celebrate the new life that God creates in a woman. In fact, the widespread use of contraception has both told women that they ought not "create too much", thus robbing them of their most beautiful God-given gift, and has left them to find some other means to prove themselves as valuable contributors to society. And so they try to be like men. And that's lame. America, I am so sick of you.

ramblings...

Ambrose's second tooth poked through this morning. Also, while I was vacuuming a few minutes ago, he managed to grab hold of my leg from the exersaucer and then reach his little hands up for me, which is a first. It was so cute! He looked so proud of himself--and quite pleased when I responded. *sigh* I've finally gotten the hang of using the baby sling! Up until now, I've used the Snugli carrier--which is great, but awfully confining for Ambrose. Anyway, I've been wearing it (the sling) while out and about over the last few days. To my suprise, it seems to get some sort of response out of almost everyone I meet. It's usually pretty funny--I hadn't really expected that a woman carrying a baby in a sling would be so foreign to people. Feedback usually falls into one of the following categories: 1. The teenage girl/ childless woman who looks at me like I am W-E-I-R-D and says something like, "Doesn't it get HOT in there??" 2. The mother who says "Oh WOW, what a great idea! I need to get one of those!" 3. The woman who says nothing, but looks at me like she's wondering why people even have babies anyway, or the man who says nothing, but stares for a long time trying to figure out what in the world that thing is, and what's in it. 4. The old woman who tells me what a great invention it is, and insists that they didn't exist when she had babies. I've been suprised by this a number of times, and have never had the heart to say that women have been carrying babies this way pretty much forever. Anyway, Matt's working super-duper long days this week, so I'm off to find the best way to fill up so many hours. We've been planning to make a trip up to Michigan this weekend (which would be GREAT after these last couple of weeks) but there's been murmurings of possibly cancelling it due to the huge amount of work. :-( Keeping my fingers crossed.

on Mother's Day.

This year is my very first Mother's day (well, at least the first that I'm actually a mother), so this year I appreciate my mom more than ever. Like never before, I understand the joys and the pains I've brought to her life--and it's made me think a little more about the ways my mom has really impacted my life. So, here's to my mom, who always told me that I could do anything I wanted, so long as I was willing to work for it. Who always pointed out my talents and strengths and always encouraged me to be the absolute best--but who showed me every single day, through the owiees, the 1,071 "pretty pictures", the tears, the endless loads of laundry, the chickenpox, the sticky kitchen floors (and the rice krispies that adhere like super-glue to every surface they come in contact with), through the utter failures, and the tiny victories that she always managed to make seem like the most supreme--that what she did was better. It was better than anything else I could ever aspire to do. So thank you, Mom, for working so hard. Thank you for your patience, your wisdom, your guidance, and your forgiveness when I ignored them all. I hope it pays off somehow when I say that the truth is, Mom, I just want to be you.

whoops.

Renee just informed me that I've had my comments set to "team members only"...whoops. Apologies to anyone who may have tried to leave a comment; it's fixed now.

too poor for garage sales.

(Note: this is a pity party.) No, seriously. I am. Not only that...but there are at least THREE neighborhood garage sales going on AT THIS VERY MOMENT that I know of, and I'm not at any of them. It's crushing my soul a little every time I think of it. If, at any point during the day you hear the faint and far-off sound of someone sobbing, you'll know it's me. Send your condolonses, if you wish.

I went to the zoo this morning.

And so did my mom, my sisters, and a few friends from their (and my former) homeschooling group. It's so beautiful outside! Ahh....I love it! I have so much more energy when the weather is nice, you know? My mom & Ambrose. Sari & Ambrose Sari, staring in awe of a horse. Alea, carefully doing her paperwork. I think they were on a scavenger hunt of some sort.... Hope, quacking at the ducks...that crazy girl. She's really growing up, and becoming so much more of a young lady than a little kid (she's 6). It makes me a little sad. And of course, my hilarious baby. Most of the pictures I've been getting of him lately are of him with his arms outstretched for the camera as if to say, "Hey mom, I'd like to eat that." In other news, I think my house is nearly fully recovered after two weeks of neglect (during the icon workshop). I have a few more "I'll-deal-with-this-later" stacks to take care of, but for the most part, I'm back on track...and that's always a relief.