This week’s photo challenge theme is “By the Book”
Archive for the ‘Snapshots’ Category
I Heart Faces: By the Book
Monday, January 23rd, 2012Snapshots: botched bilingualism
Thursday, January 19th, 2012snapshots: a photograph (or several) and an isolated observation (or several) about the past week (or so)
There are so many neat things about raising a bilingual kid. They can ask you for a cookie in Russian when you’ve just said no to her request for cookies in English, for example.
She mixes her languages in odd combinations that make sense only to her, adding an “s” at the end of a Russian word to indicate possession or plurality, producing sentences in which one word is in Russian while the rest are in English.
It’s all weird and fabulous and adds a whole other dimension to “kids say the darnedest things”. Combine that with her emerging sense of self and empathy and she makes me giggle all day long.
“Mama, yummy vkusno?” (vkusno the Russian word for tasty) she asks me. I guess she really wants to make sure I’m enjoying my meal as much as she is.
I bet if she just got to spend more time with these people she wouldn’t be as adorably confused…
Snapshots: emerging empathy
Thursday, January 12th, 2012I came across the amazing blog of Nici Holt Cline probably over a year ago. I’ve come back to her words and photos time and again and find myself nodding my head in agreement and wanting to giver her a virtual high five.
She inspires me, and probably thousands of others.
One of my favorite things she does is the “hump day nuggets” series, which in her words is “nuggets: little bit of the season in photos and words”. Being kind and supportive she encouraged her readers to give this kind of post a try, so I did.
As I recently confessed I am not great at follow through so I was fairly inconsistent about getting these together. However looking back over my blog these are the kinds of posts that make me so happy that I do this blogging thing.
This time with my little one is fleeting and my memory is so spotty that without a record of what we done did, I got nothing. (In related news, I think Aliza’s placenta ate my brain and I fear it will never regenerate)
My bloggy resolution is to just suck it up and do this thing, but I’m renaming it “snapshots” because that’s what they will be: a photograph (or several) and an isolated observation (or several)
So here’s what’s up in these last few weeks.
Aliza is beginning to show the first signs of empathy. She frets over us and asks about our state of being constantly.
Whatever she does, she asks if we would like to do it too.
If she’s eating she wants us to eat the same thing. If she’s “reading” a book she wants us to read it too. If she’s on the potty…well, you get the idea.
I love this. It’s the sort of thing that makes this whole parenting journey worth while. When she asks if I’m hungry or if the dog is thirsty I think I actually feel my heart melting.
Snapshots…
:we are finally able to go on walks as a family, not that we do this mind you, but we can…
:I am equally thrilled to report that when we’re not all together she is (finally!) content to play on her own for a little while…
: of course playing on your own is not nearly as much fun as reading Goodnight Moon 3,459 times in a row, baby girl knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to ask, read it again!…
:she is incredibly independent and opinionated. I know kids whose moms dress them well into their teens, heck my mom STILL dresses me, but Aliza? Just try and put something on her that she thinks doesn’t match.
Rock on with your pink, punk self sister, rock on!
See you next week with a fresh batch of snapshots.
happy new year (and the 2011 blog wrap up)
Saturday, December 31st, 2011Happy New Year everyone!
(For a great explanation of why this Jewish girl is putting up a Christmas tree and what on earth it has to do with New Year’s Eve look here)
Happy New Year! from yuliya p on Vimeo.
It’s time for the annual what I done blogged about this past year.
Please to enjoy.
- In January I reflected on starting a (mildly insane) 365 project where you take a photo every day for a year. This proved to be rather challenging for a perfectionist such as myself but I credit it for helping me become a better photographer.
- I think all of my posts in February are fabulous, really you should just read them all. But as a nod to love and some such nonsense here is the tale of the first and only time I was wrong in the presence of my husband.
- In March I was lucky enough to guest post for two fabulous bloggers, I shared the story of my mom army with Cheryl of MommyPants and the woeful tale of immigrant assimilation with Liz of BelleBeanandChicagoDog.
- April was kind of a wash, we can skip it. Instead check out my most helpful post ever (as determined by me) how to take better photos!
- In May I explained the purpose of me being in America is to make my parents cry.
- June took me back to school and had me contemplating the possible past incarnations of my tyrant daughter.
- In July I was serious (for a moment) and debated whether being just a mom was enough, I still don’t know the answer to this question.
- I was fortunate enough to attend BlogHer this August and it was a whirlwind. However some of the experiences I had there led me to question everything about bloggy friendships.
- In September I taught all of you how to WIN at blogging. You’re welcome.
- Things a turn for the sad and the serious in October and as tempting as it is to sweep these things under the rug I opened up and talked about depression. (If that’s too heavy check out pretty pictures of food instead)
- In November I began a very important project a friendship test designed to help you weed out the weirdos and form lasting relationships. I also made some Jolly Rancher Infused Vodka and people seemed to dig it.
- And that brings us to December in which I shared five inventions that are sorely needed to make life with a toddler easier.
Looking for some more rad blog reading? Check out Parenting by Dummies Best of Life and Blog linky!
