There are many moments in my life where I wish I had the ability to have a photographic memory. Moments after my children were born, moments where my children hit their milestones, moments I had with my grandparents, moments with my parents, moments when I was a child with my siblings, and so many more. I long for the days where my children were tiny and fell asleep on my chest, the warmth of their little bodies putting me into a satisfying sleep. I know how wonderful that feeling was, but I wish there was a part of my memory that was able to make it more real and clear |
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I had this big empty wall in our upstairs hall that was a bit boring and was longing to be useful. In a moment of pure genius I decided to turn it into a giant bulletin board so that I could easily hang and change out snapshots and R.J. and Lily's artwork. I mentioned this to my mother-in-law and she suggested that I use old ceiling tiles; not only was I able to get some for free they worked perfectly. I covered 12 of them with different fabrics by folding the fabric over the back of the tile and adhering it with hot glue. I used paneling adhesive to attach each panel to the wall (just know that if you do not want this to be permanent you should find another way to put them on the wall); you just need to hold each panel for a minute or two before the adhesive grabs hold. I found some pretty straight pins in the sewing section of Walmart and my bulletin board was ready to go.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small percentage of the sale if you make a purchase using this link. If you did not read my post about the obsession to be thin and fit (I wrote it yesterday) read it before you read this post: http://www.clemscrazycritters.com/my-thoughts/the-obsession-to-be-thin-fit
I have still been thinking about what I wrote and there a some things I would like to add, some things that I should have put in there yesterday because they are important. This post is about something I think about often, but never say anything about because I do not want to offend any of my friends. However, it is how I feel and so here goes...
Before I had my two children I ran six to seven times a week, a short run was never less that five miles and a long run was at least ten. There were a few years in there that I was equally obsessed about what I ate and how much I ate; I look back on those days and realize that I definitely had tendencies that were not healthy even though from the outside I was the definition of health. We are lucky enough to be able to visit the beautiful North Shore of Long Island whenever we want because my parents and aunt and uncle live there. The past few years we have made our trip for a week at the end of June/beginning of July and are able to see the firework show that Dolan puts on yearly. Since my dad has a boat we take the boat out and anchor just off the tip of where Billy Joel lives and we have a perfect view. Three summers ago he was married on the Fourth so we were treated to music from his party, fireworks from Dolan, and the release of paper lanterns.
Summer break just began for us, we are actually on day two, and I have very little planned. The kids will be attending swim lessons and then 'Camp Invention' for a week at the end of June, and we will visit my parents on Long Island (we stay for a week every summer), but other than that we are just hanging out.
There are moments when I feel like I should be doing more with my kids, taking them to different places and planning activities, but then I remember how all of that is totally not me and honestly is just too much. I will be happy with staying home, the occasional friend coming over to visit, and sleeping in late. This will not be a long post, but if any of you are looking for a simple set of furniture for outside I may have found it for you. The set is only $199 and if you use the code MAYSAVE you will get free shipping and 15% off.
I just ordered the set this morning and the code worked perfectly. I will update this post as soon as I get the furniture to let you know what I think of the quality. Visit this site if you are interested - https://www.worldmarket.com/product/belize-4-piece-outdoor-occasional-furniture-set.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn Update: The furniture went together easily with the help of my eight year old, but I will be purchasing new cushions. These cushions are a little thin and the off-white color probably will not last more than a week! It does not take much to make me happy. Really. About all I need is some time at home with the people I love the most. Nothing special needs to be planned and the less I have to do the better. I do not enjoy being busy and do not see what there is to gain from the stress that comes along with a packed schedule. Simple is best for me and simple is what I think is best for my kids. Of course we do have activities and sports, but those things definitely do not dictate the scheduling of our lives. This past weekend was perfect. Friday after school was rainy so we were able to watch a movie together on and then I was able to sleep in a bit on Satuday. Since there had been so much rain the baseball game was cancelled and that freed up some time for us to just be at home . The weekend ended with a Sunday of perfect weather and since the weather was so nice we were finally able to plant part of our vegetable garden. The kids helped without us having to ask and are now planning their own garden that will be filled with every viney plant you can imagine. Pumpkins, watermelons, canteloupes.... We still have a bunch to plant, but at least we got this small section done and out of the way. I always have the intent to make nice markers for each row of plants, but I end up not doing it and then never know what type of tomatoes or peppers we have. This year the kids found a bunch of rocks with a flat side and they wrote the names for all of the veggies we planted. They used a Sharpie marker and then I used Mod Podge so that the marker would not wear off. I think they look great, we even made a few that say, "The Clem Garden". It takes very little to make me happy, I really just want to be with my family and spend the time with them. When the weather is nice being home and outside is all I need and I definitely got that this weekend, it was perfect. Life changes in an instant. Sometimes we are on the good side of this change and others on the bad. Right now my life is on the receiving end of some shit information. In my heart I believe that it will all be okay, but my head tells me that the chance of it not working out is highly possible. We spent RJ's first and second & Lily's first Christmas in New York with my family, but I thought that it was important for us to stay in Indiana and stay home for each Christmas since. I miss my parents and my aunt and uncle, but I needed us to be able to do our thing and start our traditions. It is always a little sad, but it is nice not traveling and rushing around. It is nice waking up at home and having our coffee while the kids open gifts, our Christmas morning breakfast of steamed buns & eggs, and Christmas dinner usually with a few extra friends, but this year was just us four. Simplicity is something I cherish.
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Libby ClemHere you will find my thoughts on various topics. Often cynical, never apologetic, deal with it. Archives
January 2020
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