Cragmama "Not all who wander are lost…" JRR Tolkien

Category Archives: Reflections

Musings on life based on my personal experiences.

Hey Moms, Slow Down!

Hey Moms, Slow Down!

Most of my runs these days are done behind the wheels of my trusty jogging stroller.  I leave the house in my running clothes, drop Big C off at preschool at 9 am, and if all goes according to plan, Baby Z is drifting peacefully off to sleep right about the time I pull back into the driveway.  I shuffle her into the stroller as quietly as I can, and I’m off – pounding the pavement for a 4-5 mile respite while my little girl enjoys her peaceful slumber. Sometimes I’m able to squeeze in a solo run on the weekend, sans…Read the rest of this entry →

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A Stick is an Excellent Thing…

A Stick is an Excellent Thing…

Recently while at the library, we checked out a book of poems geared towards encouraging outdoor play, entitled “A Stick is an Excellent Thing.”  It’s by Marilyn Singer, with charming illustrations by LeUyen Pham.  One of my favorite poems is the one that the book is named by.  I love it because it creates a beautiful imagery of what happens when children are allowed to let their imaginations run free during unstructured outdoor play times (what we refer to as “green hours” around here.)   Specifically, it reminds me of this special stick that C found out at the crag…Read the rest of this entry →

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The Newborn Days w/Baby #2 – Keeping Your Sanity the 1st Month

The Newborn Days w/Baby #2 – Keeping Your Sanity the 1st Month

Wow, just 6 short weeks ago I shared my last preggo update…10 days later I gave birth to a magical little girl, and today she is celebrating one month of life!  The past 4 weeks have been a whirlwind of eating, sleeping, and not sleeping…and showering every now and then.  Slowly but surely we’ve started to get into a groove with life as a family of four.  There have been a few key strategies and pieces of gear that have helped us find our stride, so I thought I’d share them… 1.  OLDER SIBLING ONE ON ONE TIME –  The…Read the rest of this entry →

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Why the Second Baby is Easier…and Harder

Why the Second Baby is Easier…and Harder

From the moment we told the world we were pregnant again, it seemed that everyone that had been there, done that more than once, felt obligated to express their opinions.  It seemed like everyone clearly fell into one of two camps – the “Number 2 will be a breeze compared to Number 1” folks, and the “Number 2 makes life really complicated” people.  With such a wide range of (unsolicited) experiences to take in, we really didn’t know what to expect.  (And considering that our number 2 is not even a month old yet, we hardly qualify as experts when…Read the rest of this entry →

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4 Years and 1 Proud Mama

4 Years and 1 Proud Mama

The other day I was cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast, and as usual, there was a children’s folk song station playing on Pandora in the background.  C had been painting at his art table, and had just left the room to go get some more paper, and a song came on that I’d never heard before that stopped me in my tracks.  I felt a wave of emotion come over me as I listened to the words that described EXACTLY what I felt about my little guy.  Then right on cue my sweet little boy came bounding around the…Read the rest of this entry →

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“Not all who wander are lost.” —JRR TOLKIEN