...Sunday is our July F2F Phila'Burbs get together. Have lunch with some nice folks and catch a showing of what promises to be an interesting movie! :)
Click here for more info and to RSVP.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
F2F July Get Together
Join the Face 2 Face Philadelphia Suburbs group for lunch and a movie! RSVP through our Facebook Event Page or via email.
Date: Sunday, July 1, 2012
Lunch: 11:30am at Max and Erma's in Oaks
Movie: Magic Mike at 2pm at the Oaks Regal
Come out for a relaxed afternoon of conversation and fun!
please RSVP by June 30th
Date: Sunday, July 1, 2012
Lunch: 11:30am at Max and Erma's in Oaks
Movie: Magic Mike at 2pm at the Oaks Regal
Come out for a relaxed afternoon of conversation and fun!
please RSVP by June 30th
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
How Preemie Moms Are Chosen
I've seen this going around and thought I'd share, since it was rather touching and gave me a smile on this gray, rainy day. :)
How Preemie Moms Are Chosen
by Erma Bombeck
Did you ever wonder how the mothers of premature babies are chosen?
Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth, selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to take notes in a giant ledger.
"Armstrong, Beth, son. Patron Saint, Matthew.
Forrest, Marjorie, daughter. Patron Saint, Celia.
Rutledge, Carrie, twins. Patron Saint...give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."
Forrest, Marjorie, daughter. Patron Saint, Celia.
Rutledge, Carrie, twins. Patron Saint...give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."
Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles. "Give her a preemie."
The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy."
"Exactly," smiles God. "Could I give a premature baby a mother who knows no laughter? That would be cruel."
"But does she have the patience?" asks the angel.
"But does she have the patience?" asks the angel.
"I don't want her to have too much patience, or she'll drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it. I watched her today. She has that sense of self and independence so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has a world of its own. She has to make it live in her world, and that's not going to be easy."
"But Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."
God smiles. "No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect She has just the right amount of selfishness."
The angel gasps, "Selfishness?! Is that a virtue?"
The angel gasps, "Selfishness?! Is that a virtue?"
God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she will never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't know it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a spoken word. She will never consider a step ordinary. When her child says momma for the first time, she will be witness to a miracle and know it. I will permit her to see clearly the things I see-- ignorance, cruelty, prejudice-- and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side."
"And what about her Patron Saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in the air.
God smiles. "A mirror will suffice."
Friday, June 8, 2012
Time
It's funny how sometimes time seems to fly by and, before you know it, it's been damn near a month since you posted anything meaninful (or over that, if you consider both Maya's congregational speech and my last race pointless) :)
I want to say that I've missed blogging, but I havent. That makes me sad... That lack of missing it. I miss catching up (and, when I do read blogs it's this sort of FAST FASTER FASTEST thing so that I can read as many as my short time will allow and comment where I feel compelled). I miss feeling like I could come to a place and lay it all out. I miss the compulsion to blog. And, truly, the time. I miss the time.
Days havent gotten shorter, but they are more full. As the weather has warmed, we've found ourselves exploring the backyard more, playing more. I'm soaking them up, very aware that in 3 short months, but babies turned toddlers will be actual preschoolers, leaving me two mornings each week to spend a few hours with two teachers and a dozen kids their own age...without me. It's sobering. It makes it much harder for me to steal time to blog (or anything else).
That's not to say there isn't a lot going on at Casa Haytko. There is. So much. And there's been so much I've wanted to blog about but, again, there's that time... When I can barely find time to read and answer email, it seems more difficult to sit and actually blog! As it is, the kiddos are napping and I should be cleaning the kitchen. But I promised that TODAY WOULD BE THE DAY I'd sit and blog again!
In no particular order...
Mother's Day was lovely. I cooked (which I enjoy) dinner, but for breakfast, the kids and Peter took me to The Local, a place that feeds not only our culinary inclinations but also our love of local, substainable foods. They gave me a gorgeous statue, Our Lady of the Unborn, which is a 3 foot recreation of one at the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa. What makes this gift all the more special is that I spent Mother's Day gardening. I planted four small rose bushes (2 reds and 2 pinks) for P, D, Z, and G and three larger ones (pink,red, and white) for Nicholas, Sophia, and Alexander, underneath this larger rose bush that was here when we moved in and from which we take roses to place at the statue of Our Lady of Grace that is in a small shrine at the front of our house. I planted before I knew of my gift, so it was extra special to put her there
I'll get a picture (eventually, I'm sure).
On the note of pics, May pictures are up. We took a trip and visited cousins in New England, and the kids had a ball. Note the pictures of crazy Maya deciding to climb over a 7 foot-ish swing set (and the goofy, proud grin of her papa! She gets her crazy from him!)
I had a birthday. It was yesterday. :) The wishes I received from everyone were really touching and I had a lovely midweek. Peter took Wednesday off and we dated. The kids spent the day with my in-laws and, after a lazy morning together, Peter and I went to Phoenixville, a borough about a half hour away where we hit up lunch at a bistro (good food, not so good dessert or coffee), rectified the dessert issue with a visit to Bridge Street Chocolates- OMG DELICIOUS and the owner/chocolatier was a dear, then had a GREAT cup of coffee (and some yummy sourdough and a bag of beans for the road) at Soltane, a community focused coffee shop and bakery. It was perfect. Afterwards, we went to my in-laws for dinner with them, the kids, and Peter's aunt and cousin. I was spoiled with a giftcard to a local bike shop we like, some running gear, and a bottle of wine, in addition to two masterpieces from my little Picasso's. :) Yesterday, on my actual birthday, Peter was home as well and we just spent the day as a family: visiting the Shrine, playing at a local playground (2 actually), lunching at Whole Foods. I made dinner (a recipe off the cuff of some spinach pasta mixed with shellfish that I sauteed with garlic (LOTS OF), white wine, butter, and unfiltered olive oil...yum...) I had a run, I chatted with my mom (who made me weepy when she choked up and said she remembered being at the hospital, 32 years before, waiting for me to be born... It's a memory that I feel honored is a part of my life.)
My dad visited for his birthday, on Tuesday. That was fun. The kids had a blast playing with PawPaw and Maya practiced her Happy Birthday song several times so she was ready to bust it out after dinner when the time came!
Bobby's speech amazes me every day. And not just that, but his reading. He has started sounding out words and reading. Sometimes it's just one word a day, other days a few. He blew me away last night by reading and saying "Peter". He was looking at something that said "Peter Nicholas Haytko IV". Peter pointed and said "Nicholas", to which Bobby put his finger on the first name and said "Peter". We just looked at each other in awe; we dont refer to Nick by his full name, so we were both quite shocked. Bobby loves to sing; he will sing and sign his favorite songs. Amazing kid, I tell you. In three months, he's gone from so few words to an actual vocabulary that he is using. And we're getting into sentences. It's pretty damn cool. Next to Maya (who talks a mile a minute clearly), it's clear that they arent on the same page verbally, but how much of that is his personality and how much of it is a lack of verbal skills is now my common thought. He knows words. He can say them. So it's a matter of how much he wants to talk.
Maya... Chatty Maya. Loves to sing. Loves to tell folks off. Her favorite phrase? "I'm sorry". Dont think she's apologizing. It's this manipulative, sugary sweet "I'm sorry" which really means "Kiss my butt, I'm going to do what I want to do and I'm ooohhh so sorry but you arent getting your way." Seriously. She's a 22 year old trapped in a 2 year olds body.
2... I wont be able to say that much longer. In 3 months, they'll be 3. I'm shaking my head. Blows my mind.
I read the "50 Shades" trilogy. Yeah. I dont know that there's too much to say about it. The writing wasnt all that great (but neither was what it was initially fan fic for) and I didnt find it that risque. So shoot me. As Sarah says, I guess I'm not the typical housewife for whom it was directed. True that, I suppose.
I also (gulp, gulp) received a book contract. Normally, I write nonfiction (and I havent written too much of that recently!) with a yoga or religious slant. Articles, stuff like that. This is fiction, and it will be published under a pen name. Details to follow (maybe...) ;) I just signed the contract and dont have a release date, etc., as of yet, but it was quite a lovely birthday gift! (well, Mother's Day gift,I suppose, since I got word that I would be getting a contract just before that).
We're going on vacation in August before the kids start school. Looking forward to 9 day as a family. I love when Peter is with us and we're together.
Still training for the MCM. Up to 15 miles. It's not quite 5 months away, so I'm sure I'll be fine, but I do still worry, LOL! It's 26 miles, after all!
All in all, suffice it to say, I'm happy these days. Busy, but really lucky and really, really happy.
I'd love to write more, but the kiddos just woke up, so I'll be going for now. I'll try to not be too much of a stranger...
I want to say that I've missed blogging, but I havent. That makes me sad... That lack of missing it. I miss catching up (and, when I do read blogs it's this sort of FAST FASTER FASTEST thing so that I can read as many as my short time will allow and comment where I feel compelled). I miss feeling like I could come to a place and lay it all out. I miss the compulsion to blog. And, truly, the time. I miss the time.
Days havent gotten shorter, but they are more full. As the weather has warmed, we've found ourselves exploring the backyard more, playing more. I'm soaking them up, very aware that in 3 short months, but babies turned toddlers will be actual preschoolers, leaving me two mornings each week to spend a few hours with two teachers and a dozen kids their own age...without me. It's sobering. It makes it much harder for me to steal time to blog (or anything else).
That's not to say there isn't a lot going on at Casa Haytko. There is. So much. And there's been so much I've wanted to blog about but, again, there's that time... When I can barely find time to read and answer email, it seems more difficult to sit and actually blog! As it is, the kiddos are napping and I should be cleaning the kitchen. But I promised that TODAY WOULD BE THE DAY I'd sit and blog again!
In no particular order...
Mother's Day was lovely. I cooked (which I enjoy) dinner, but for breakfast, the kids and Peter took me to The Local, a place that feeds not only our culinary inclinations but also our love of local, substainable foods. They gave me a gorgeous statue, Our Lady of the Unborn, which is a 3 foot recreation of one at the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa. What makes this gift all the more special is that I spent Mother's Day gardening. I planted four small rose bushes (2 reds and 2 pinks) for P, D, Z, and G and three larger ones (pink,red, and white) for Nicholas, Sophia, and Alexander, underneath this larger rose bush that was here when we moved in and from which we take roses to place at the statue of Our Lady of Grace that is in a small shrine at the front of our house. I planted before I knew of my gift, so it was extra special to put her there
On the note of pics, May pictures are up. We took a trip and visited cousins in New England, and the kids had a ball. Note the pictures of crazy Maya deciding to climb over a 7 foot-ish swing set (and the goofy, proud grin of her papa! She gets her crazy from him!)
I had a birthday. It was yesterday. :) The wishes I received from everyone were really touching and I had a lovely midweek. Peter took Wednesday off and we dated. The kids spent the day with my in-laws and, after a lazy morning together, Peter and I went to Phoenixville, a borough about a half hour away where we hit up lunch at a bistro (good food, not so good dessert or coffee), rectified the dessert issue with a visit to Bridge Street Chocolates- OMG DELICIOUS and the owner/chocolatier was a dear, then had a GREAT cup of coffee (and some yummy sourdough and a bag of beans for the road) at Soltane, a community focused coffee shop and bakery. It was perfect. Afterwards, we went to my in-laws for dinner with them, the kids, and Peter's aunt and cousin. I was spoiled with a giftcard to a local bike shop we like, some running gear, and a bottle of wine, in addition to two masterpieces from my little Picasso's. :) Yesterday, on my actual birthday, Peter was home as well and we just spent the day as a family: visiting the Shrine, playing at a local playground (2 actually), lunching at Whole Foods. I made dinner (a recipe off the cuff of some spinach pasta mixed with shellfish that I sauteed with garlic (LOTS OF), white wine, butter, and unfiltered olive oil...yum...) I had a run, I chatted with my mom (who made me weepy when she choked up and said she remembered being at the hospital, 32 years before, waiting for me to be born... It's a memory that I feel honored is a part of my life.)
My dad visited for his birthday, on Tuesday. That was fun. The kids had a blast playing with PawPaw and Maya practiced her Happy Birthday song several times so she was ready to bust it out after dinner when the time came!
Bobby's speech amazes me every day. And not just that, but his reading. He has started sounding out words and reading. Sometimes it's just one word a day, other days a few. He blew me away last night by reading and saying "Peter". He was looking at something that said "Peter Nicholas Haytko IV". Peter pointed and said "Nicholas", to which Bobby put his finger on the first name and said "Peter". We just looked at each other in awe; we dont refer to Nick by his full name, so we were both quite shocked. Bobby loves to sing; he will sing and sign his favorite songs. Amazing kid, I tell you. In three months, he's gone from so few words to an actual vocabulary that he is using. And we're getting into sentences. It's pretty damn cool. Next to Maya (who talks a mile a minute clearly), it's clear that they arent on the same page verbally, but how much of that is his personality and how much of it is a lack of verbal skills is now my common thought. He knows words. He can say them. So it's a matter of how much he wants to talk.
Maya... Chatty Maya. Loves to sing. Loves to tell folks off. Her favorite phrase? "I'm sorry". Dont think she's apologizing. It's this manipulative, sugary sweet "I'm sorry" which really means "Kiss my butt, I'm going to do what I want to do and I'm ooohhh so sorry but you arent getting your way." Seriously. She's a 22 year old trapped in a 2 year olds body.
2... I wont be able to say that much longer. In 3 months, they'll be 3. I'm shaking my head. Blows my mind.
I read the "50 Shades" trilogy. Yeah. I dont know that there's too much to say about it. The writing wasnt all that great (but neither was what it was initially fan fic for) and I didnt find it that risque. So shoot me. As Sarah says, I guess I'm not the typical housewife for whom it was directed. True that, I suppose.
I also (gulp, gulp) received a book contract. Normally, I write nonfiction (and I havent written too much of that recently!) with a yoga or religious slant. Articles, stuff like that. This is fiction, and it will be published under a pen name. Details to follow (maybe...) ;) I just signed the contract and dont have a release date, etc., as of yet, but it was quite a lovely birthday gift! (well, Mother's Day gift,I suppose, since I got word that I would be getting a contract just before that).
We're going on vacation in August before the kids start school. Looking forward to 9 day as a family. I love when Peter is with us and we're together.
Still training for the MCM. Up to 15 miles. It's not quite 5 months away, so I'm sure I'll be fine, but I do still worry, LOL! It's 26 miles, after all!
All in all, suffice it to say, I'm happy these days. Busy, but really lucky and really, really happy.
I'd love to write more, but the kiddos just woke up, so I'll be going for now. I'll try to not be too much of a stranger...
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