The quiet of the night: Post from the past

Originally written August 2011 though I thought it more fitting for the quiet that only comes with a cold winter night.
*************************

Late in the night has always been my favourite time of day.  I love to wander the house at night while the world is quiet and soft.  The only noise is the tick of the clock, the noise of my footsteps and the breath of my companions lost in their dreams.

Even when I go to bed at a decent hour, I rise in the middle of the night.  It's been this way since I was young.  I never wanted to sleep at night.  It always seemed as though I was missing something.  As I grew older, I realized what it was: the night time.  I use the night time for soul searching, for relaxing, to recharge.  I use the night for getting things done, for doing nothing and for thinking grand thoughts or none at all.

My old house mid-winter night

My mother used to do the same.  She would always go to bed at the same time as my father.  He worked early and long days, so they would go off to sleep together -- we could hear the quiet tones of discussion that encompassed the day's events and the week's plans.  Then, when my father slept, my mother crept from the bed and wandered the house in the quiet.  She would write letters to friends, she would cross stitch, she would read -- but mostly, she would revel in the time alone.

I was in my teens before I consciously noticed her habit of wandering during the night.  I am sure she did it throughout my life.  It seemed to me she liked best to sit at the table and write.  She was known for long letters to friends and family -- tidbits about her day and ours; funny thoughts and observations; deep thoughts and words of advice.

It is in the middle of the night I feel closest to my mother now.  I like to think of her sitting in the compatible silence recharging her batteries and finally relaxing for a few minutes.  I like to think of her there, quietly writing as the dogs, the children and the husband slept in the other rooms.

As I sit here and write -- to my friends and family -- I like to think of her and thank her for the love of the quiet of the night.

Pinterest things I would give: The sister edition

I have loved Pinterest since the fateful day I started scrolling through it's glorious pages of recipes, home decor, and purchasey goodness.  Last week I showed you what I would buy everyone for Christmas if I had the time, money, and - well - inclination.

Today, I'm showing you what I would buy my sisters (including my sister-in-laws). I am forever sending my sisters (the 2 on Pinterest) links to cool things I wish I could actually buy them in real life, but totally never would. It's like I'm saying "See this? I want you to have it. Except... not really! ENJOY!!"

For my sister LynnieC, I would get this necklace. Which is on sale for $0.01 and $5 shipping. You would think I would get it for her, but you would be wrong. Suck it, Lynnie! Of course, my other SiL Melanie will be so choked this isn't for her. She and Lyn fight over who gets the owls.

via

For my SiL Kelly, I would buy this necklace or anything this woman makes. Kelly always has the greatest statement jewellery and I always want to see what she finds next.

via

For my sister Ky, I would get these earrings. She is always a sucker for putting a bird on it, so I want to help her do just that.

via

Finally, for my other SiL, Melanie, I would get her this scarf. She has such a love affair with mustard and she's one of the few people who looks phenomenal in it.

via

I love how Pinterest lets me shop for all my family without ever leaving the comfort of my couch and without actually spending any money. What would I buy for you? Stay tuned to find out.

Follow me on Pinterest! Bronwyn_MayB

Being a baby is hard work. Babysitting might be worse.

On Sunday night, I agreed to babysit for my cousin's little girl, Elizabug aka Lil E. It was a busy weekend for the family with E's birthday, getting over a cold, having a party for 15 little kids, and being topped off by her mom's birthday on Sunday.

We're buds here.

Sunday evening, I headed over to start my work as baby wrangler extraordinaire.  I walked in the door and knew exactly how my night was going to go.  E took one look at me, grinned her face off, and burst into tears. It would be the night of the bi-polar baby -- happy and then OH SO SAD.

It quickly became a battle of wills. E is pretty adorable and feisty.  What she didn't count on is Auntie Bronwyn is meaner than her. I've lived longer, and I've got more insurance.

First we had supper -- that part went pretty well.  I gave her a spoon to play with and while she was trying to put it in her mouth, I shoved food in there. She ate almost the whole bowl. It wasn't until we were moving on to other things when suddenly she decided there would be NO MORE OF THIS and started screaming.  Problem with that is it was time for meds and I knew it would be easier if she was strapped in.

I was wrong.

I put the syringe full of medicine near her face and she turned. No problem. I got it in her mouth and put the tiniest amount past her lips. She drooled it onto her chest. I used her spoon to put some in her mouth. She spit. I wiped it off her face with my finger and decided to sneak it in that way. She bit me. Finally, I got as much of it in her mouth as down her shirt and in my hair. I figured it was close enough.  On to bath time.

Don't let her innocent face fool you.

It's been a long time since I bathed a baby, so I was a little concerned about making it too hot. I knew the rule of thumb was luke-warm, but I have to admit I was on the luke side of warm. E let me know this as about 5 minutes after I put her in the tub she started shaking and clacking her teeth together. Was the water actually that cold? No, she just wanted me to know she wasn't pleased. I pulled her out, warmed up the water, put her back in and life was good.  We had 15 minutes of pure joy.

Except she started to doze off.  I figured it was a sign, so I pulled her out of the tub. She came willingly until she saw the lotion I had to put on her. FREAK OUT. She went stiff as a board and tried to lay down on top of me.  She wailed and sobbed and moaned.  I mean, until she saw her pjs and then she got distracted.

It alternated like that for the next 10 minutes.  I would put the lotion on the baby (or she gets the hose again) and she would be FURIOUS until something shiny happened and she forgot she was supposed to be mad. The diaper went on while she was standing because there was no convincing her otherwise. It was hard to keep a straight face while strapping RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION baby into her footy pyjamas.

We got her done, she calmed down, and we went to warm up her bottle to prepare for the night.  I let her stare at the microwave while I warmed the bottle and checked to make sure it wouldn't burn her.  We sat down in the rocking chair and started to read a book about the Little Owl. It was adorable. E was not impressed. She wanted the other book. Fine. I like Goodnight Moon. Except she didn't like that one. She wanted the Owl one. No, the Moon one. NO. THIS IS NOT RIGHT.

Fine. No more books. I got her bunny out of the crib and her swaddling blanket. She bit the bunny by the ear and growled. Then she screamed. I was sure the neighbours were going to call on me by this point. She had done little but scream bloody murder between laughing fits for the last hour. But I was not to be deterred. Blanket on, bunny in hand (and teeth), bottle given, I walked away from the crib -- only to hear the bottle being flung across the room.

Howling ensued. I waited a few seconds and turned back. She had wrapped the blanket around herself in a way that would cut off circulation and was trying to stand up. The howling had turned into  hyperventilating. I picked her up. Crying ceased. It was like one of those dolls from the 90s. Put her down - cry; pick her up - happy.

Grumpiest baby to ever have grumped

Finally, I held her, wrapped in her blanket, and we sat on the rocker. I rocked (the face of calm) while E strained and struggled, howled and sobbed, growled and moaned. She got close enough to my sweater that she bit the neck edge and held it in her teeth for dear life. If she could have gotten skin, I have no doubt I'd have bled.

She fought going to sleep harder than any baby I've seen in a long time. She alternately bit her bunny and my sweater as though we were her captors she had to battle. Finally, she slumped in defeat. It was not a giving in to tired as much as it was a giving up because there is NO POINT TO LIFE ANY MORE. If she could have rolled her eyes and HARUMPHed, I'm sure nothing would have expressed her opinion more clearly.

She fell asleep despite herself and only woke when I placed her in the crib to give me one last growl and bite her bunny firmly on the ear before falling back to sleep.  I backed out of the room slowly holding my breath.

I had won, but it was a tenuous victory.

Ardently admired: Traits of my friends

This week's task for harnessing creativity and balance in life comes from looking at people who nurture your creativity and whose personality traits you admire.  Again, this comes from the book The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron.

There is nothing more beautiful than a cheerful giver.

The tasks I chose was to make lists of people who 1) nurture my creativity, 2) encourage me, 3) possess traits I admire 4) possess traits I would like to cultivate in myself.  I'm not going to share who was on my list (they don't need swollen heads) but what I thought was interesting was the similarities in their characters.

1. Person 1: tells me the truth, reminds me I am capable, works hard to attain her goals while being completely free to be lazy, is independent (more so than she knows), and is brilliant despite being unconvinced about it
2. Person 2: is easy to be around -- non-judgemental and supportive, encourages me to do things that are good for me, is kind and silly and thoughtful
3. Person 3: is kind and helpful, positive and encouraging, is competent without being insufferable, and has a great sense of humour
4. Person 4: is gentle and kind at all costs, is wise and mindful, and never complains
5. Person 5: worked hard, was loyal and loving and fiercely protective
6. Person 6: hard working, determined, kind and gentle, giving and considerate

These are people I admire.  People whom I would be honoured to be more alike.  Hard-workers.  People who are kind and honest. People who meet all challenges with a sense of humour and who don't give up.  People who are loyal and who will help those in need.

These are the characteristics I want to have more of in my life.

Who do you admire?

Name, rank, disorder: Post from the Past

This post is a combination of two I wrote in September of 2008 
************************************************************

I have a super power. I have an invisible force field around me that draws in people with "issues". They can sense my force field and are inexplicably drawn to me. They pour out all their problems to me as I stand stunned in an aisle at Wal-Mart. They talk to me on the street, on the bus, in restaurants, at coffee shops. I can't do anything about it. I have a sign that flashes above my head in neon reading "Please, tell me your life story, I care. I really do."

I really don't. However, since I can't turn off my sign or stop the drawing energy of my force field, I am compelled to meet a bunch of odd and troubled people. Maybe that is why I went into the field itself -- this way I get paid for what I was already doing for free.

Cuba baby head statue

For the most part, I do care about people and their problems. My family and friends? Heck yes! I want to hear the stories, share experiences and offer advice, etc. Strangers I meet on the street while I am minding my own business?? Not so much. And yet, it is unavoidable.

This is part of the reason I try to avoid downtown. The downtown attracts all the sorts of people one would think it does. Along with the hipsters, the artists, the yuppies, the cool people, it also draws the street people and the crazies. And sometimes, both in one.

I work in a place where I come in contact with street people on a regular basis. They may not know "me" as a civilian, but rather only can place me when I am filling my occupational role. I am cool with that. However, I still run into them in my non-work hours. I never seek them out, I only acknowledge them when they do me (that's the rule I follow) but I do stumble across them.

I had a run in with an interesting young man who introduced himself to me in one breath."Hi, my name is Jacob* and I have a mental health disorder and a low IQ." I had to pause at that. It is not the first time I have come across someone who has introduced themselves like that. They provide their name and a run down of their challenges, illnesses and disabilities.

"Hi, I'm Gladys and I'm bipolar."
"I'm Bob, I have HepC. This is Janey. She's slow."

It's very interesting what people identify themselves as being. I think we should all do that. I've decided to introduce myself to new people this way.
"Hi! I'm Bronwyn. I'm an emotional eater and have unresolved issues of rage."

Imagine how free our society would be.

"I'm Bill. I wet my bed until I was 15."
"Hi, I'm Maisey. I'm into necrophilia."
"Hello, I'm Gerald. I have uncontrollable flatulence and a mother complex."

How would you introduce yourself?


*Names and disorders have been changed to protect any privacy issues that may arise.

Pinterest gift ideas: Things I would give

As promised, I have been scouring Pinterest looking for things I would give my family and friends.  Now, don't get me wrong, I have no intention of actually giving these gifts, but I totally would. Like I said, it's the thought that counts.

I would like to get one of each of these adorable animal coffee cups for everyone I know. I could also do a DIY version of these if I had the gumption.

via

I would give all my Scrabble friends a set of these ornaments by Winterberry Originals.

via

And then, I would give everyone one of these brightly coloured cell phone pouches. I love them!!

via

What would you like to get from me for Christmas? It's not going to happen, but you can dream! Follow me on my Pinterest page. You won't be disappointed. I mean, unless you actually want the stuff.

All I want for Christmas giveaway!

It's that time of year again!  Christmas is coming.

Gifts, travel, parties, and decor! A time of love and family and laughter. Wouldn't it be nice to have a little bit of extra cash to go with that?

I was thinking about what to get you all, so when my friend Tara from Suburble asked for volunteers to be part of the GIANT CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY!! I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to give back to my lovely readers!

$200 in Paypal cash to spend anyway you can.  The perfect gift for everyone!

So here it is.  You could win. All you have to do is enter! 

$200 PayPal Giveaway

Hosted by
Suburble / Fynes Designs / Satori Design For Living / The Learner Observer / The DIY Dreamer / Garden Therapy / Vin'yet Etc / Northstory / Lifeovereasy / I, MayB / 2 Little Superheroes / Now At Home Mom / Just A Trace / Pink Little Notebook/ Tales of a Ranting Ginger / Frugal Mom Eh / Inspire Me Heather / 365 Days of Crafts
Giveaway is open world-wide!
Void where prohibited.

Giveaway runs from 12:01 am on Monday, December 2nd, to 11:59 pm on December 7th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway