A Mindful Life

To my readers who have baby-proofed their home, and in particular have installed cabinet latches — the type that you press down on as you open the door so it doesn’t catch:
How long until I stop forgetting they’re there and attempting to open the door only to have the latch catch and practically rip my [...]

Claire’s bedtime ritual includes saying goodnight to the Mirror Baby in her room. (Her closet is a sliding glass mirror.) Then she says goodnight to the Mama Moon drawing I made just before her birth (actually, it’s a small framed photo of the work).

Tonight, she waved at Mirror Baby as she said goodnight.
She’s so [...]

From Claire’s birth people have asked me, “Whom do you think Claire looks like?” I have always replied, “Why, she looks like herself!” But really, it’s human nature to want to see family resemblances. I dug up some old photos for reflection. First, here is a photo of me when I was 18 months old. [...]

Increasingly I live in the time called Now. My days are full; as Claire becomes more active and engaged, the more present I become. Oh, I do think about future things (my tasks for the next day), and I find past ruminations intrude often. When I “come to” my mind gnawing a past experience like [...]

The Super Yard we bought just didn’t cut it. I had trouble with opening it (and it was too tall for me just to lean in and put Claire down or pick her up). It was hard plastic on the side, and dull gray. It looked like a kennel.
So Husband did more research and [...]

There are no words to convey what I feel tonight. We said good-bye to Claire’s great-grandma and grandma. Claire’s great-grandma will be 86 years old this year. She made a long trip from Houston to see her first great-grandchild. They depart early in the morning, and this moment feels bittersweet. It was a wonderful visit. [...]

The next week will be rather light with posts. Claire’s grandmother and great-grandmother arrive this afternoon (Husband’s mom and grandma).
Happy Wednesday!

The reason lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place is that the same place isn’t there the second time.
–Willie Tyler

So many times I fail. I fail to get my child to nap properly. I fail to keep the house decently clean. I fail to cook. I fail to keep clean clothes ready for myself. I fail to get enough sleep. Tell me, what is success?

As soon as I write a post about what a happy baby Claire is, we experience our first temper tantrum (if one can call it that) and an all-around difficult day.
In the past week Claire has napped less and less well. I read the blog of someone who is months ahead along a path [...]