Archive for February, 2008
Someone asked me recently how I came up with the nicknames “fuss” and “bug”. Well, my son was born and I promptly had a massive haemorrhage that was undetected until I lost consciousness an hour later. So, I was not well for a very long time after. In the hospital, where I was for several days, my son was horribly crabby. He would go for long periods of crying and we couldn’t figure out why. In addition, my husband and I spent several of these days deciding what his name was to be. Well, my husband was deciding. I knew and there really wasn’t an option, but fuss is his son also, so I thought I should make it feel like he was deciding as well. During that time of supposed indecision, we called him Fussy-Mussy. We still call him some derivation of that to this day. Fuss, fussy, The Muss, etc…..I’m sure he’ll go off to university with one of them!
Bug, well, she just is! I actually don’t have as concrete a story. However, my children are themed (don’t ask why) and her’s is ladybug. Fuss’ is bee, by the way. So, we call her The Bug. As lovely as she is, she often lives up to her name, much to her brother’s dismay!
I particularly love how the nicknames came about totally organically. They were never planned, I didn’t even think they would have nicknames before they arrived. Fuss’ is so endemic that his friends and his friends parents call him that! It’s just sort of his name. Poor kid.
Enjoying the journey, Amanda
February 24th, 2008
…but I think babies enter some sort of uncapturable state when they are sleeping.
I went into my room the other afternoon when Bug was having her nap. She just looked like she was radiating positive energy and was just so peaceful. A sort of peaceful that people dream about when they are studying meditation, but just never achieve.
Now, I’ve seen her in this state before. As well as my son, when he was smaller. He still looks absolutely lovely when he’s sleeping, but not this otherworldly-ness.
Every time I see this, I run for the camera. Doesn’t every parent want those adorable photos of their sleeping children?
When these photos return from developing, they are very cute, and it’s certainly a sleeping baby, but the state I find her in is not there.
So, I think I’ve captured all the photos I need of my sleeping babe and will now just endeavour to spend time in her peaceful presence when I find her that way.
Enjoying the journey, Amanda
February 24th, 2008
I was tidying up the basement yesterday, namely my scrapbooking room and I was just tossing everything I couldn’t identify into the garbage. I tossed one handful into the bin, but then something caught my eye! I pulled a sheet of printer paper out and - look at that! - Fuss had written his name all over it. I wasn’t even overly confident he could spell his name, much less put it in writing. I was shocked. Of course, I saved it and put it in the pile of things to scrapbook.
There are all sorts of homeschooling conferences and gatherings being planned at the moment. I’m finding that they are all so expensive for what they are. There is a local one here, and it looks great, but it would cost about $800 for two and a half days, and that just isn’t reasonable. As much as I would love to meet other unschoolers, I don’t believe that is the best way at this time. Especially with my kids being so young. It would really only be me who was benefiting. Our travel money is likely better spent at Kalahari next January.
The final Live and Learn conference is in South Carolina this year and I’m very tempted to attend that one. It’s up in the mountains, which would be a wonderful experience for my guys since mountains are certainly not plentiful around here.
Plus, Scott Noelle will be speaking and I would love to see him. We’ll have to see how the summer goes - as long as other travel opportunities come up, I think we’ll go!
I’ve caught up on my scrapbooking for the moment although I’m waiting for December & January’s photos to be developed. Supposedly they’ve been shipped, but with the snow we had this week (tonnes!), the mail delivery has been rather non-existent.
I’m knitting a playmat with a girlfriend of mine. It’s the one found in Living Craftsmagazine. I’m so glad I found this publication. It’s rather like the Martha Stewart magazine for the crunchy set. Apparently the spring issue is waiting for me in my p.o. box, so I’m eager to see it. I’ll post photos of the playmat squares as I complete them. I know I’ve been saying that I will post photos of various things (like Fuss’s lapbooks!), but I’ll try harder. I’ll be so thrilled with myself for doing the project, that I’m sure I’ll be anxious to share.
I’ve decided to start a book club for some local mamas. I’m really excited to get started and have a social evening while discussing books. Our first book is The End of the Alphabet by CS Richardson. It promises to generate a lot of discussion, which is what I wanted. I am also reading a book, unfortunately due to be read the same time as the book club one, for Barnes & Noble. It’s an advance reader copy (free!), that a group of us get to gab about on a forum and the publisher and author jump in here and there. It’s called The Sister and I will write my thoughts on it when I’m finished.
I’m just going to finish Pullman’s His Dark Materials this weekend. I love how a writer’s strike helps me get reading done - what irony! Except that my secret vices are starting in earnest - namely reality shows. Yep, I’m a closet Survivor, Apprentice and Big Brother (and Amazing Race) watcher. But, I hesitate to admit it!!!
That’s all for now. The kids are very busy playing with fridge magnets. They are making a movie with them. I hardly know what to do with myself.
Enjoying the journey! Amanda
February 8th, 2008
