Neighborhood-Kids All Local. All for Kids. All the Time.

I think that Joy has a really good vocabulary for a girl her age - largely because she bravely tries out new words that she doesn't totally understand, putting them in sentences to see how they work.

Last night as we were falling asleep (I should say, I was falling asleep and Joy was tossing and turning and asking for water and talking incessantly about anything she could come up with), Joy was digging for gold with her finger so far up her nose all you could see was her last knuckle.

I asked her, "Are you searching for treasure?"

"No, I'm trying to find my destiny."

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Cross-posted from singlesupermama.com

During the first years, holidays as a single mom were really hard. Especially mother's day and birthdays. There's no breakfast in bed or sleeping in. No help with the laundry or break from diaper changes... but I'm finally getting the idea of how to enjoy the holidays instead of wallowing like a spoiled brat. It's to get us out of the house for the day so that we all enjoy ourselves!

When a client asked me what we were doing for this Mother's Day, I was excessively honest (as I always seem to be, for better or worse). I'm having brunch with my ex-husband and his wife, and his parents. And our combined kids. She asked me if I was joking. Which I wasn't. (Why I can't just answer with something simple like "having brunch with family, thanks for asking" is another topic for another day...)

We had a great mother's day out and about. I didn't have to cook or do any dishes. And I was reminded once again how amazingly blessed I am to have such a unique family, full of people who love me and my kids regardless of how odd we might look from the outside.

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Cross-posted from singlesupermama.com

I am forever in search of "easy dinners." The kind where you can get off work, pick up the kids, get home, cook dinner and have it on the table ALL BEFORE 6:00. If it so happens that the dinner is also healthy and everyone likes it, all the better. I have a few staple dinners that I make every couple of weeks because they meet all of these criteria. This is one my mom used to make, and the first time I made it in college I remember thinking, Seriously? Cooking is just mixing a bunch of stuff together - That's IT?

EASY CHILI
Mix together the following in a big pot and heat it up:

• 1 lb. hamburger, fried with 1/2 chopped onion and drained
• 1 large can tomato sauce
• 1 can tomato soup
• 1 can diced tomatoes (throw in the whole shebang)
• 3 cans kidney beans (drain first)
• 1 package chili mix

We like a dollop of sour cream on the top, and/or some grated cheddar cheese. It's easy to play around with - put more sauce if you like it saucier. And I usually put a tupperware of it in the freezer for later. Oh, and we always like this with corn bread and honey butter, yum.

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Cross-posted from singlesupermama.com

I recently heard about this local project, Faces of Bellingham© - a local artist, Lea Kelley, has been taking pictures of folks around town and collecting them in a blog. It is fascinating to look at. In fact, I can't stop browsing through. I recognize many of them, people who frequent the downtown streets, or the coffee shops, or the farmer's market. But some of them are just faces I haven't seen before. Some friendly faces, some worn faces, some young faces. There's just something about looking at faces that are so bare like this, and I keep staring at them like they are a puzzle I'm trying to figure out... Are you happy? Do you love someone, and do they love you back? What do you do when you get home, and do you seem to manage it all better than I do?

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Cross-posted from singlesupermama.com

Joy found this book at my parents' house called What is a mother - I think my mom must have gotten it as a gift about a hundred years ago. It's a little disturbing, and Joy has been reading it out loud and doesn't seem to be as worried about it as I am. She recently read this one to me:

A mother is a woman that God made. When a man goes out to work the mother stays home and cleans but if there was not a mother the man would have to stay home one part of the day.

I said, "Joy, is that how our family is?" "I dunno." "Well, do I stay home and clean during the day?" "I dunno."

Anyway, it was a real gem of a teachable moment - super educational. I think she's probably going to become a women's rights activist now.

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Cross-posted from singlesupermama.com