I, too, want to visit far away places. I, too, want to live by the sea. And I, too, must do something to make the world more beautiful.
Showing posts with label childhood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label childhood. Show all posts
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Thursday's child: Dinosaur
I've gotta say, even as a grown woman I still get really excited about dinosaurs. Something about them is just so fascinating and fun to me. They are mystical creatures that really did exist.
When I have kids, you can bet your buttons they'll be dressed up like dinosaurs about half the time.
Do you have a favorite animal that just screams "childhood" to you?
Friday, June 15, 2012
Happy {Father's Day} Weekend!
Tehe.
But really. ;)
We're spending the weekend with my father-in-law (and mother-in-law, of course!) and its going to be a blast! It's been several years since we could be with either of our dads for Father's Day, and that makes it a little more special when these things work out. My dad will get a phone call, and later, after Father's Day, because I'm terrible at this stuff, he'll get a present and maybe a card. I've got the presents already, but sending them was apparently asking too much of me.
That's why we're not celebrating "daughter's day."
I love you dad(s)!
Have a wonderful Father's Day Weekend, everyone!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Thursday's Child: Books
One of the greatest gifts ever given me was a love of reading. When my parents (or maybe my sister?) taught me to read, it opened the door to more magic than any trip to Disneyland, any movie, any toy ever could. The ability to use my imagination in combination with the written word is priceless. I love movies, but they almost never live up to the beauty, the glamour, the fun, the excitement that goes on in my own mind when reading a good book. Even bad books (hello, Twilight) are more tolerable as books because my imagination makes up the majority of the story. I could go on and on about the benefits I've received from reading good books. A better grasp of grammar, a larger vocabulary, a never-ending source of conversation, etc. So read your children books! And when they're old enough, teach them. Teach them to read, but also teach them to love books.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Thursday's Child: Dirt
"In the Spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt."
Margaret Atwood
What child wouldn't agree with this quote?
I planted several pots of flowers yesterday, and the dirt under my finger nails made me feel so good, in such a Spring sort of way.
Today Phillip had the afternoon off, and we went out to the Red Rocks Ampitheater to run the trails in the sun. I came home with my ankles covered in red dirt and such a satisfied, sunburned, exhausted feeling.
When I was a little girl, my older sister once arranged for a mud-ball fight between my younger brother and I. On a fine Spring day, when the mud was just ripe and we were unsupervised in the backyard, she lined us up across from each other and told us to throw our mud balls on the count of three. Over and over, Isaac and I slung the globs at each other, laughing and crying out in delightful muddy joy at the sheer mess and wildness of the game. Katya stayed well clear of the flying muck, but seemed to take just as much joy in watching the disgusting ruckus.
But the fun was not meant to last, and my mom was eventually attracted by our shrieks. She must have known that we sounded a little too happy and were all getting along a little too well. Her face, when she came out the back door and discovered us covered head to foot in rich black soil, was slightly horrified, but I'm pretty sure her lip twitched just a little in amusement. But then, she settled down to business.
She lined us up for her own game. And she started with me. I was hosed down with freezing cold water, and suddenly the Spring day lost all of its cheer. The sun was no longer warm, mud was no longer funny, and Katya was in big trouble. We have a hilarious picture of Isaac and I following the mud ball fight. I'm dirty and drenched and sobbing, my pigtails dripping muddy water, while Isaac looks on and laughs. He's still covered in mud, and he hasn't quite grasped just how cold the water is going to be. But I just smile when I see that picture. I don't mind his laughter. Because I know: he's next.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Thursday's Child: Indians
This episode of Thursday's Child is brought to you by an embarrassing story from Phillip's past. Don't worry, he'll never know, since he doesn't read this anyway!
Phillip grew up in Farmington, NM. His mom worked for the Public Health Service in Shiprock, right on the Navajo Reservation. In case you didn't know, NM is full of Native Americans. Farmington is no exception, in fact, there is I think an even bigger percentage of Native Americans there due to it's proximity to reservations.
Needless to say, Phillip had been around his fair share of Native Americans. But to him, as a small child, they were just people.
One day, his parents took him to a Navajo festival of some kind. It involved a big parade. They were standing on the side of the parade, surrounded by a huge crowd, watching the dancing, costumed people march by. As his mom tells it, they were the only white people for miles. And they, as a family, probably really stuck out, because they are all exceedingly blond-haired and blue-eyed and fair-skinnned.
As the parade continued, Phillip got bored. He looked up at his parents and began to complain in a very loud voice.
"Mom! When are we going to see the INDIANS!?!?"
She leaned down and whispered "Honey, these are the Indians."
Apparently, everyone was extremely gracious and thought Phillip was the cutest thing ever.
I love that little kids are so slow to notice the color of a person's skin.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Princess Art
Have you all noticed that there is some awesome princess art out there? Everyone is embracing their inner child and reinventing the Disney princesses. I love the two above, they're like prom princesses and hipster princesses!
But I love these even more.
Historically accurate princes costume drawings. I would proudly hang these on my wall, for sure.
Isn't this artist talented! I love these!
Happy Tuesday, everyone!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
A simplified list of {favorite childhood Christmas traditions}
2. Waking up and staring impatiently at the clock, and that moment when you're finally allowed to rush down to open your stocking
3. Mom putting every single hair tie from her stocking in her hair at once
4. Getting to be the person to pass out all the presents
5. Shaking and squeezing boxes in order to try and determine what they are
6. The whole family singing beautiful Christmas carols around the tree on Christmas Eve
7. Pumpkin pie
8. Hanging around for hours in PJ's and Christmas socks
9. Eating candy before breakfast
10. Surprises
11. Rotating slowly in front of the fire so that you stay warm on all fronts
12. Crunching across snowy fields in boots
13. Dad reciting funny Christmas poems in a low British accent
14. Mom insisting on curled bangs and every little girl hating them (I'm looking at you, Tiana)
15. Watching the Nutcracker and ballerina-dancing with my sister
16. Shoveling snow in my bright yellow coat
17. The littlest child lisping out the Christmas story from Luke
18. Christmas dresses
19. Gathering all your presents together and carrying them off to your room to gloat over them like a hoarder
20. Attempting to get a nice family picture with everyone smiling
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Thursday's Child: Star Wars
Today's Thursday's Child post is brought to you by one of my very first loves, Star Wars. I cannot stress how much I love that Darth Vader/Princess costume. I want one just like it!
I think Star Wars has some very good things to teach both parents and children. I plan on immersing my children in the Star Wars culture from a young age, I know they'll be better for it.
May the Force be with you!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Thursday's Child: A Private Playhouse
I adore the idea of having a special playhouse area, either inside or out, where kiddos can hide away and create their own private wonderland home. My parents built a secret room in their house (shhh) that my dad planned to use for storing luggage, but it is definitely empty of suitcases, as it's been appropriated by the kids as a secret playhouse. There's nothing more magical than a private playhouse! And although these ones aren't actually secrets, they're certainly fun and beautiful!
Don't you want one?!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Thursday's Child: Costume Craze
I love all of these adorable costumes so much! And I think you could make every single one! Sigh, dressing up an adult is just not as much fun. Which one is your favorite?
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Thursday's Child: cheerful, airy, bright
This week is my friend Arielei's birthday and also her baby shower! She's getting so close to her November due date, and I am so excited to see her as a mother, I know she'll be so wonderful at it! I can see her putting together a super stylish nursery like this. It's light and airy and cheerful. I especially love those yellow handles on the white dresser and the scallops on the walls. So cute! I won't get to be there for Arielei's baby shower because I can't afford another trip back to NM right now, but I'll be there in spirit wishing my dear friends well as they enter this exciting new stage in life! Congrats!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Thursday's Child: Tree House
When I was a little girl, my daddy built me a tree house. I guess technically it was for all of us, but I feel like I played there far more than any of my siblings. It certainly wasn't anything fancy, but in my imagination it always transformed itself into a dreamy castle in the air, a perfect hideaway, completely defensible against the outside world. We built "furniture" for it and dressed up it with swooping fabric and huge bouquets of wildflowers.It was a perfect summer haven for imagination and girlish dreams.
Apparently the tree house is not longer standing, because it got too old and sappy and rotten and had to come down. But I keep telling my dad to build it back, because I'm definitely going to be bringing my kids over to play, and we're going to want a tree house to play in!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Inspired by {colored hair}
Once upon a time, when I was a young girl of 16, I was a wee bit rebellious. I didn't sneak out of the house or do drugs or any of that, but I did occasionally see how close I could get to that invisible line before my parents would step in. One week, my mom went out of town. My dad has always been a little less strict in the parenting department. I decided that, in the absence of my mother's watchful eyes and stricter rules, I would try a little hair dye experiment. With the help of my older sister, I bought a bright red dye at the store and proceeded to apply red streaks to my dirty blond hair. I'd been allowed to dye my hair "natural" hair colors before, so this extremely Ariel shade of red was just a very small step beyond that, right?
Wrong.
Not only was I dying my hair without permission, which was apparently against the rules, it didn't actually come out red at all. It was an unmitigated disaster, a sunset of orange and pink. Hot pink, in fact.
My parents, needless to say, were seriously displeased. When my mom got home, they conferred, and my punishment indeed fit the crime.
I was required to wear hats over my new hair every time I left the house, so that no one could actually see my rebellious streaks. Frankly it wasn't a terrible punishment. I look pretty cute in hats, although I did get rather sick of them after 3 months or so. It took a little longer than I would have liked for all the pink to fade out, and I was left with rather hideous blond streaks which made my hair look fake and my (real) tan faker.
I learned my lesson, though. I never again dyed my hair without permission.
Unfortunately, however, I didn't actually learn the entire lesson. Honestly, I loved those pink and orange streaks, I thought they were really cool. And now that I'm grown and married and jobless, I am filled with a strong temptation to dye my hair another interesting hue. I find all of these images so inspiring and fun and girly!
What do you think? Have you ever/would you ever dye your hair an unnatural color? If so, what color?! Should I risk it, or am I too old now?
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