Month: January 2016

Hoping for snow.

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What did you do this weekend? We spent as much time outside as possible, skating, sledding, making snow angels and shapes in the snow. 

The reality was great (minus the freezing toddler fingers! Any mitten suggestions that work/stay on??). But as Pooh tried to explain, the anticipation was half the fun… 

“‘Well,’ said Pooh, ‘what I like best,’ and then he had to stop and think. Because although eating honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it was called.”

– A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

 

Why not?

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“Mama, can we go outside and play?”

“No silly goose, it’s dark out!”

“But mama, we have flashlights!”

It is 7pm on a Tuesday night in November, pitch black and COLD. But hey, she has a point. Why not?

Since that one night, the idea of a wintertime-evening-outdoor-romp has evolved into a new tradition of ours. We have gone for a skate on the pond at 6:45pm. We have taken a stroller ride around town at 7pm. We have gone to see the twinkling white lights on the tree on the common at 7:30pm. Last night we were out in the dark in the snow, making snow angels and tracing shapes in the untouched powder. We have a flashlight after all. And we have coats.

This new tradition embodies the open-minded enthusiasm that children bring to our lives, it is a snapshot of parenthood at its best. Who else could have the power to drag me off the cozy couch to go outside in the cold, in the dark? No one but my three year old.

Big talk

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My mom and I are different in many ways – so much so in fact, that she often remarks “where did you come from?!”. Yet we have this apparent paradox in common – we are introverts who love connecting with people.

I would classify myself as an introvert because in general I restore my energy best while being alone, as opposed to going out with groups of people.

Yet I often find myself most energized and inspired after a solid gab-fest with friends. And not only close friends, but also new acquaintances who I truly connect with.

So perhaps it’s not so much the people that exhaust me, but the inconsequential drivel of fleeting conversation. It is, in fact, connection that I crave.

The end of a New York Times article from last week has stuck with me – titled “The End of Small Talk” by Tim Boomer. He writes:

“Why can’t we replace small talk with big talk and ask each other profound questions right from the start? Replace mindless chatter about commuting times with a conversation about our weightiest beliefs and most potent fears? Questions that reveal who we are and where we want to go?”

I am planning to employ some of his suggestions – instead of asking “where have you travelled?” I’ll ask “what place most inspired you and why?”. Instead of asking “what do you do for work?”, I’ll ask “what work are you passionate about?”.

What do you think?

Read the full article here:
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/fashion/dating-the-end-of-small-talk.html?referer=

What’s on your plate?

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Tonight our 10 month old took down an entire filet of sole. And yet she was still hungry. We call her our little bottomless pit for a reason!

Feeding kids is right up there as one of the biggest stresses alongside the battle for sleep. We have found that offering them exactly what we are eating from the very beginning has helped keep their minds open to all sorts of foods.

What are your tips for feeding kids?

This is it.

~ emmaakoch ~ 1 Comment

My plan. My resolution if you will. A place to record everything – a digital diary. Ive never been very good at diaries.

Do you ever feel like a mouse on a wheel, running, yet going nowhere? Unable to keep pace, overwhelmed, while at the same time bored by the repetition?

Let’s remember to stop. Reclaim moments to be still. Look for sparks of simplicity and find inspiration in the mundane.