Category — Friday Blog Roundup

Guess who is phasing out of baby food? Quentin Aeneas is now a big boy, and we’re weaning him onto adult food. He likes it because Quentin pretty much likes everything with the exception of birds. He passionately hates birds and still growls whenever he hears one, which is about 30 times per day. And then he looks at me as if to say, “Am I wrong?” And I respond, “I know. Birds are the worst.”

He still loves Josh so much and gets excited when he comes home. Bedtime is the best. That makes him so excited that he has to popcorn around in a circle and yank all of his hay out of his bowl. Just because. And then run through it because there is that much joy in his heart.

He is super patient when I’m doing yoga, and though he often talks to himself, he never begs for his vitamin C cookie until I’m finished and closed the iPad. He loves the weekend when we share an apple for breakfast. And while he will eat carrots, peppers, and cucumber on his own, he likes an audience when he eats lettuce, and he’ll sometimes wait until I can sit down with him to begin eating, even if it means waiting a long time.

But best of all, he loves having his head rubbed, and he finally does what I loved so much about Beorn: He rests his head in my palm while I stroke between his eyes. I love to watch him get blissed out and then become so happy that he has to run around in a circle to let it all out.

Be yourself, Quentin!

*******

Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

And now the blogs…

*******

But first, second, helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. To read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• “On the Road with Those Who Get It” (The Next 15000 Days)

Okay, now my choices this week.

Another blogging milestone. No Kidding in NZ reached 15 years of blogging. I love this thought: “Thanks for reading, being here, writing in parallel on your own blogs, being part of my No Kidding life. I’m not sure how much longer I will continue, as blogs seem to fall out of favour, and readers dwindle. But if I can reach one new person, it’s worth continuing.” It is about reaching one person at a time. And very happy to be one of those people who have learned from you.

Lastly, Middle Girl writes about meeting up with her cousin, whom she hadn’t seen in decades due to divorce. She explains: “While we are close in age, we have people and experiences in common, the second half of our childhoods and a large chunk of our adulthoods were spent in separate worlds. Her memories and my memories did not align.” It’s a story with a bit of a twist, and it brings out thoughts on family and the meaning of those ties.

The roundup to the Roundup: Eternally happy Quentin Aeneas. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between November 7 – 14) and not the blog’s main URL. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week. Read the original open thread post here.

A long time ago, especially when the kids were little, I loved switching the clock back in the fall. Spring was awful, but we got an extra hour of sleep in the fall. Not on Sunday — on Sunday, they would wake up at their normal time. But on Monday, they would sleep in. And by Tuesday, we would all be adjusted to the new time.

That is not what happens to my body anymore. Sunday morning is fine. By Sunday evening, I’m exhausted at a ridiculously early hour according to the clock. So it says 10 pm, but my body thinks it is 11 pm, so I am falling apart. This continues on longer and longer into the week. This year, I was still struggling with the time change on Wednesday. Wednesday! Or maybe I notice it more than I do when I travel because we do not have the distraction of seeing and doing new things.

In any case, not a fan of time changes anymore. At all.

*******

Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

And now the blogs…

*******

But first, second, helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. To read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• “Where Do I Belong?” (No Kidding in NZ)

Okay, now my choices this week.

The Road Less Travelled’s blog is now an adult. She writes, “18 years ago tonight, after the last trick-or-treater departed and we turned out the porch light, I hit ‘post’ on my very first entry here.” Go over and congratulate her on hitting the milestone.

Scientist on the Roof asks about splurge dreams, what task you would hire out if you had disposable income. I’ve solved the personal stylist thing by buying 20 of the same shirt. You never have to think of what you wear when you only have one look 🙂 It made me think about my splurge dream, and it would probably be a personal assistant to make the phone calls I don’t want to make or take care of tasks that always seem to linger on my to do list. It’s fun to think about.

Lastly, Jewish IVF had bad news both before and during her beta. She writes about this end of an era: “Unlike all the other failed transfers, I can’t comfort myself with a resolve to try again soon. This was our last embryo and there are no more chances.” Sending a huge hug.

The roundup to the Roundup: Not great at falling back. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between October 31 – November 7) and not the blog’s main URL. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week. Read the original open thread post here.

We bought our Halloween candy last weekend. On Sunday night, I told Josh I was opening the bag and having one piece. Thus started the slippery slide of eating through the Halloween candy before giving it out tonight.

Listen, it’s an enormous bag. The kids are not going to go without their treats. But I needed the Snickers. I needed the Almond Joys. I even needed the mini Butterfingers, even though they flake all over you when you bite into them, making them sort of annoying. The only thing that was not in this bag was my absolutely favourite: Three Musketeers.

Luckily, Halloween candy goes on sale this weekend. I can snatch those up for myself.

It’s hard to have candy in the house.

*******

Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

And now the blogs…

*******

But first, second, helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. To read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• “#MicroblogMondays: I dreamed a dream…” (The Road Less Travelled)

Okay, now my choices this week.

All & Sundry has deep thoughts about how we get accustomed to new situations. And yes, the pain is still there after a loss, but it’s about the pain becoming manageable instead of being overwhelming and blotting everything else out. I especially liked this paragraph: “I am alone enough now that I often think about the differences of shared experiences and whether one state is intrinsically better than the other … There is such a huge difference between being lonely and being alone.” Yes, you’ll have to click over to read what comes in between, but start at the top because it’s a great post.

Lastly, Jewish IVF has a post about her final embryo transfer, a carefully orchestrated plan that went sideways when everything she put in place bumped up again people who hindered more than helped. The takeaway clinics need to hear: “I was so frustrated that no one paid attention to what’s important to me as a patient. There was no discussion between the clinic and the OR to communicate the limitations I had shared.” My heart hurt reading it.

The roundup to the Roundup: Don’t open the Halloween candy too early. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between October 24 – 31) and not the blog’s main URL. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week. Read the original open thread post here.

We’ve been inside Buckingham Palace twice since they started renovations in 2017, and both times, we’ve been amazed by the care extended to the rooms and objects inside while modernizing the space. You can feel the history in every room while also knowing that once upon a time, the palace did not have lights. Modernization and historical respect, hand-in-hand.

You know where I am going with this.

I am super sad seeing the photos of the White House, and it makes me want to avoid the area downtown. I am glad I have photos from some of the rooms destroyed in the rebuild. It was the way I entered the White House the first time I went. (And the hallway the first time I met Bo.) I’m sad to see that history gone forever. You can’t build it back.

*******

Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

And now the blogs…

*******

But first, second, helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. To read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• “40 ans” (Des méandres aux étoiles)
• “Päckchen” (Elaine ohne Kind)

Okay, now my choices this week.

Infertile Phoenix writes about being an observer or an experiencer. She explains: “The Experiencer is the part of you that is experiencing a situation complete with your thoughts and your feelings and all. The Observer is the part of you that is removed from the situation and can see it without everything that comes with experiencing it.” She applies it to a thoughtless conversation with her mother, but it’s a useful tool to process any difficult situation or conversation. Go over to read about it in action.

Lastly, Finding a Different Path keeps back what she really wants to say after an insensitive assumption/comment. She doesn’t say anything at all, realizing that she doesn’t want to be flippant or explanatory. She writes: “I thought how I don’t really know two of the four people at the table, and did I really want to brandish my losses at the bowling Grand Hurrah? Was it necessary? Would it make life better for anyone? Nope.” Sometimes what we don’t say is as profound as what we do say. And yay to “adorable guinea pigs and a satisfying hobbit-y existence.”

The roundup to the Roundup: Can’t get it back. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between October 17 – 24) and not the blog’s main URL. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week. Read the original open thread post here.

We just got back from visiting the kids, so I’m in that downward emotional slump that comes after a good trip. I keep reminding myself that it only hurts this much because we enjoyed ourselves this much. That this is the inverse — the price we pay for laughing that much and hugging that much.

We went up three mountains, got apples at a farm stand, visited a town I always wanted to see and never made time to do, explored a free Barbie exhibit, hiked to a brook that looked more like a river due to the rain, browsed books, ate ice cream three times, watched Taskmaster, and took hundreds of photos.

And then the long drive home, pick up the guinea pig, and unpack. Big sigh.

*******

Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

And now the blogs…

*******

But first, second, helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. To read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• None… sniff.

Okay, now my choices this week.

All & Sundry talks about the dissolution of a marriage. It is a weird term to use with a marriage because all of the artifacts and memories of the marriage remain; they don’t disappear into the ether. She has found a lot of peace in the afterward, and she writes: “There is nothing left but acceptance, and the love that helps build anew.” Amen to that.

Finding a Different Path had an anniversary surprise trip, which sounds and looks idyllic (with the exception of the grandparenting war). Click over for beautiful autumnal photos.

Jewish IVF is on her final embryo. She writes: “Whether it sticks or not, this transfer will mark the end of an era for us.” She is in a place of peace, hopeful but accepting of whatever comes.

Lastly, I echo Scientist on the Roof in wanting a break from adulting. Everything here sounds good: “I would like to eat snacks, read something for fun, and take naps. I would really like someone else to take care of meals and all kid-related activities. I would like the house to be magically tidy and organized (and pretty, too) without any effort from me.” I don’t think it’s too much to ask at all.

The roundup to the Roundup: The greater the trip, the harder the landing. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between October 10 – 17) and not the blog’s main URL. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week. Read the original open thread post here.