New Projects

I've been working on a new project for myself.
Yup- something just for me.

Do you feel like being a mom these days requires a whole new set of skills?
I mean that in addition to mending, cleaning, baking bread, and gardening there is a new modern skill set mothers are required to have.
I do.
I look at friends, family members, and especially other blogHers.
They seem to be able to do...and have the energy to do... everything well.

Not only can they can, and sew curtains while they wait for a dryer cycle to complete, now they are experts at Photoshop, making money while blogging, serving their families vegan/gluten free diets, supplying their children with new crafts or activities each day and refinishing a good will dresser into a robin egg blue charming vintage entertainment center with anthro knobs.

At least that is how I start to feel sometimes.
Sometimes it makes me frustrated with how little I get done in a day.
And how exhausted I am just doing those few things.
And how I am not good at most the things I do.

There is one thing that I feel I am doing that has me holding my head above water in matters of new age mom skills.

That is Photography.
I am not the best photographer.
But I have enjoyed it for the better part of 10 years.
Majesty bought me a swanky D-SLR last year for the day of my birth.
It only made me better, and love it more.

Sometimes I forget I love it.
And that it really makes me happy.

Recently I have remembered.
And whilst I was in the mood, I created an online gallery/ portfolio.

I thought you all over here my care for a minute.

crystalfreemanphotography.com

Hop on over, and be a follower please.

It will surely make me feel New Age Mom Skill Adequate for a good few minutes.

Do you have New Age Mom Skills?
Really this is anything.
A great new recipe, craft, you can even post that goodwill furniture re-do.
I want to see what you are doing?
What are you good at?
What are you doing just for you?

Can I see?

Link to your post here

Happy Birthday

Today is my birthday.
28 and I feel it.

My birthdays are always great.
Growing up I shared my birthday with both a twin sister and a father.
I didn't know how grand a day to celebrate just you could be until I was engaged.
Majesty always plans something to make me feel special on my special day.

These two started my cake two days early and are whispering about secret surprises.


I can't wait to celebrate with them.
This guy will be there too despite his lack of help in making my cake.

We will actually spend most the day driving to Sun Valley, ID.
For our vacation.
I think this means we are going to pretend it is my birthday the whole rest of the week.

Love Life

I know I am not going to get around to posting today.
I have out of town guests, work, the kids by myself and a meeting and mutal tonight.

Instead of leaving you empty handed...

Click on over to my family blog
get to know me a little more by reading my post there this morning about my hubby and my 1st date which occurred eight years ago from this week. It is interesting to me at least.

What it is for.

Mother's Day is Sunday, and this will likely be my last post until then.
It is hard to put into words how much I love those two pictured above.
Really they are why I do anything I do.

Having small children dependent on me is what really drove me to begin my own family's emergency preparedness journey.
Planning and preparing things for our children is what we mothers do everyday in small and big ways.

Whether it is a schedule of the days events, a healthy meal, a fun activity, check-ups at the pediatrician's or structured time for teaching.

Planning is what makes us good mothers.
It is a process of intention and dedication.

My blog has been largely about emergency preparedness and the planning I do for the unexpected, the planning I do so we are living a provident life.
As I grow in my experience as a mother I realize that a mother's job is largely this thorough thought we spent on our family's well being.
And though we can't really plan everything for our family, and we surely can't expect everything to go as plan.
We can show our love, nurture our families, safe guard our homes, teach our children, and prepare for the unexpected.
All it takes is this planning, this process of intention and dedication.

Here we go!

It will be no surprise to those who know me best that I am starting this blog. I spend may to much money, energy and time, in emergency preparedness already, why not make a blog about it (which will inevitable take even more time).

I am not sure where the interest in emergency and disaster preparedness started.
My entire life I have had nightmares of the Armageddon. They never really bothered me but remain and give me something to picture or think about.

I worked for a food storage company in college briefly where I met all kinds of obsessives. The type who had underground homes in Virginia stocked with a 30 year supply of food in case the country was hit by a nuclear bomb. I didn't get it then.

When I young and married, I watched hurricane Katrina ravish New Orleans on television. I made us a 72 hour kit in a hiking backpack and kept it by the door. I wanted to be ready but mostly it was by the door because we were poor and lived in a very small house with no other place to store it. I put emergency blankets, food, flashlights in this backpack. It was a good idea, but we were young, fit and healthy. We could have easily survived with no food and the clothes on our backs.

My husband has been the Scout Master for our local troop for seven years. He involves them in a lot of safety, disaster, and emergency type learning. But I am not too involved with all of that either.

Then I became a mother. I started to lay awake at night worrying about everything and anything. I can remember before I had really done anything to prepare for emergencies being very stressed about the "what ifs". I couldn't take it anymore. I spent three straight days building a shelving unit and shopping specials at Costco and Wal-Mart to build a food storage that would last us for at least three months... and I felt much better... and I didn't stop there.

When I do something, I do it all the way. In fact this blog in a way to keep (hide) my obsession from my personal blog. I am not really a pessimist, but preparing for the "unexpected" seems an unrealistic term. I expect the unexpected, and life goes a lot smoother.

The-Girl-with-the-Plan