Wordless Wednesday: kisses

- mamma pie

vintage ((spring)) giveaway

Today I have a giveaway of the finest sort.
I'm offering one reader an item of their choice from my etsy shop, shipping included. You can pick whatever suits your fancy, you can keep it for your own cherubs or give it away to be loved by another dearie.
There are dresses (lots of dresses!) perfect for Easter or summertime, a couple boy items and two sweet dolls handmade by me.

To enter, hop over to my etsy shop and peek around, come back here and tell me what you would pick if you win. I happen to love all the sweet items I have over there so I hope you do too.
If you are the winner and the item you've selected is sold by the time I close my giveaway I will ask you to select another item or give you store credit equivalent to the item's price.

This contest will be open until March 30th and is open to residents of the US and Canada.
For additional entries, tweet about this giveaway (up to twice a day) and link to that tweet (in your RSS twitter feed) in your comments. Also for 3extra entries (each) you can follow my blog publicly and/or favorite my etsy shop.
Please leave a separate comment for each entry.

And...comments are open!

A little heads up

My fantastic SIL the MilkMaid has been blogging on and off (mostly off :) for the past few years but has recently started again.
She is living the farm-life, homeschooling my two beautiful nieces and SHE MAKES HER OWN CHEESE.
And right now she has a very sweet giveaway up on her blog "12hats and a sombrero" for reusable cloth feminine products by an etsy shop Cre8tive Mama. Please go give her blog a peek and be sure to enter the wonderful giveaway. But not too many times because I want to win for myself.

Three steps forward

Want to know a little secret? Pappa Starbucks and I, after months of heated disagreements, are now seeking help from couples therapy. There are many levels to this decision, from things we cannot agree or compromise on (parenting choices) to things we have said that deeply hurt our partner, to past actions left unforgiven, therefore unresolved.
It's called couples therapy but that's not really right. It's about learning what makes my individual person "me" and what makes his "him," and then learning how to interract on an adult level as opposed to an "adolescent" or "child" level. It's about modeling mature communication for my own child to see and enjoying the benefits of being an adult (making my own choices about my own body, and understanding what I am and am not comfortable with, since this IS my body).
I'm starting to love the freedom that comes with new knowledge- freedom to say "your words make me feel angry" or "the way you spoke to me in front of your friend made me feel like you would rather I'd stayed at home." And he loves being able to talk about things we've been putting on 'autopilot'- and instead of fighting about them, working to find "the win-win" solution, the one that makes neither of our wants/desires/wishes a "Lose."
It's actually still a very new thing for us. But it is empowering: it has already helped me mind my word choices and has enlightened him into the nuances that cause us conflict. We read and reread the book "Snow People World" and it has helped tremendously already.
If you find that interracting with other people leaves you feeling angry/vulnerable/confused/etc you should check this book out.
Tell me, what makes you uncomfortable in other people? Is it quietness, "authority," pushiness, people with different gender identities, different values or beliefs? Is it "flashiness" or showy attitudes? Or maybe you're comfortable with everyone (come on, really? Share!!)?

At the end of the day

I lifted my baby into my lap last night. She was warm and sweet, smelling of the days little mysteries and many adventures. She settled in, snuggled into mismatched pyjamas, one freckled over with puppy dogs and one with ponies. Her teeth brushed and flossed, tired out from day-long playing, laughing, growing.
We spent full hours in the sunshine together, bicycling round our neighborhood, eating watermelon while we watered our container garden and hung laundry in the sun. She chased shadows around and giggled at a sneaky lizard stealing the warmest place in the sun for itself.
Her laugh tinkled through the apartment as she ran back and forth, inside, outside: free-reign over the tiny spot we call a yard, freedom to run across a square of grass without holding someones hand.
I never foresaw this as being my life and yet it fits so perfectly, just as she does onto my lap. Her legs now dangle far too long and her chin tucks only on my shoulder, too big to kiss and cuddle her plumsized cheeks at once, her hair clings to the back of her neck now, longer and curlier than I foresaw in any dream. She is beautiful and sweet, gentle with her friends and dogs. And each moment mothering her is perfect.
Winding down, she croons at first a letter-song: g, b,q,s. A,a,a, two-three-four-five-eyes-ears-teeth-Oreo. Dog.
And then she sleeps, blissfully and deeply settled into my arms in a way that only my daughter can. This is one of those sweet sweet moments I will miss when her figure stands a tall as her pappas and her voice loses it's honesuckle sweetness, but for now, I hold her; I am mother-comfort, and I am grateful for the job.


- mamma pie