Real Rules?

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I am a sucker for slide shows that give tips. I was a major sucker for this slide show with Instagram tips. I break some of the Instagram "rules". I am trying to decide if my Instagram misbehavior is a big deal or not. I am not in it for popularity and massive amounts of followers, but still.

Wednesday Giggles

I came across this picture today and it gave me an adolescent giggle.  For your enjoyment.

Thought-Provoking Thursday: A Glass in Hand = What Type of Mother?

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Here is a confession that is not likely to make me win awards in many mothering circles: I drank while pregnant with both Grayson and Lu. Maybe it is ironic that I drank during my pregnancies, given my background in public health. But I think my maternal health background is what gave me the confidence to know that my babies were going to be okay. I had read so much research about the effects of alcohol and knew the politics behind the Surgeon General's warning. Maybe I was cocky to think that my wine with dinner would not cause a problem, or maybe I was exactly right. My pregnancy drinking was never extreme, just a couple of glasses of wine a week after the first trimester. Sometimes I went as far as to drink wine in public. We actually had a special bottle of wine that we opened when I was in labor. Since my labor was vague and herky-jerky, we ended up buying replacement wine for the first bottle of the labor wine. 

I have wanted to market Labor Wine. Labor is such a fun and exciting time. It makes it all the more memorable to have a special bottle of wine to go with it. Can you tell that I have already devised a marketing scheme for this wine? Unfortunately, I don't think my Labor Wine would ever take off in the States. I would have some groups coming after me, and all the other folks would likely be too scared to buy the wine. Maybe this research would help my business.  

What do you think? Is alcohol during pregnancy okay, or too much of a risk?

We Invaded

This past weekend Lu and I crashed guys' weekend. John is such a good husband; when he was offered a guys trip to Colorado he said he would not go unless I was able to tag along. While the guys fly fished, I spent a day reliving my youth in Frisco with Morgan, and then Lu and I took on some high altitude adventures together.

I was expecting the weekend to be relaxing, which it was, but an added bonus that I did not expect was that I got to know Lu better. I hated to leave Grayson in Georgia while the rest of the fam was gallivanting through the mountains, but the trip was too short and would be too expensive to justify him coming. I am not a fan of taking trips without the entire family, but this trip may have changed my mind a little. It seems like everyone won. Grayson had a blast while we were gone, and I feel like I was able to bond with Lu even more. It was so great to see Lu's sense of adventure and curiosity. She is a very fun travel companion. Maybe our future does include some weekend getaways with one kid at a time.

Here are some photos.

Woman of Intrigue: Tao Porchon-Lynch

Have you heard of Tao Porchon-Lynch? I just learned of her today. The pictures alone are remarkable.

Playmates

It seems like each week keeps getting past me before I am able to post. There are actually a number of things I would like to post about, but time is a major factor. Hopefully sometime soon I will get back to fully rolling in the blog world.

One of the major factors in my time lately is the kids. No big surprise, yet for some reason I still catch myself being surprised at how much time and energy it takes to raise small children. A friend stayed the night at our house earlier this week and he commented, "Is this normal? Is every evening this busy with the kids?" John and I laughed. The evening did not seem too chaotic to us. I guess in some ways we have become immune to the chaos. I realized recently that I have become the woman who carries on a phone conversation with a screaming child in the background. I used to be so distracted when I talked to women who talked over their toddlers, but now I know it is the only way to have a conversation. I am also the woman who consistently goes to work with baby poop on her clothes, but whatever.

In the midst of the chaos and redirecting, there have been many great moments. Grayson and Lu have started playing with each other more. They both share admiration for each other that warms my heart. I love seeing their bond grow. I love the moments when Grayson follows his big brother instinct to make sure Lu is treated fairly. I love watching Lu gaze at Grayson and smile at every little thing he does. I love listening to giggles turn into belly laughter in the back seat of the car as Grayson and Lu share an inside joke. So many days I look at Grayson and Lu and I sit in wonder about what is to come for them.