Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Scherenschnitte

Have you ever heard of, or created, scherenschnitte? My brother and I made it (Somehow? How did we do that? Why did we do that?) once when we were kids, and most of the joy was in saying the word and giggling endlessly.

Scherenschnitte is German for "scissor cuts," or the art of cutting paper designs. I'm not sure why I chose Spanish classes over fun languages like German or French in middle school. Oh that's right, everybody chose Spanish and I wasn't ready to be unique yet. Kind of like how I intentionally spelled myself out of the last round of the spelling bee because I didn't want to win and have all of that attention. Oy vey.

That's all I have to say about that, except that I am posting links and quotes AGAIN ... so I felt the need for at least a little creativity in my title. Enjoy.

* * *

* * *


Kristen Bell has such smart things to say in this interview. She and Dax Shepard are one of many celebrity couples on my dream list of people to have dinner with. (See also: Jim and Jeanne Gaffigan, Chip and Joanna Gaines, etc.) Love this: 
"You do better in the gym with a trainer; you don't figure out how to cook without reading a recipe. Therapy is not something to be embarassed about ... I thought I had this life thing down pat when I met my husband. I didn't realize that I needed a much bigger toolbox to have confrontations and disagreements with people."  
[Kristen Bell]

* * *


Glennon Melton on Why the World Needs The Mentally Different ... BRILLIANT TIMES INFINITY. (Worth reading the whole article.)

"Because yes, I’ve got these conditions—anxiety, depression, addiction—and they almost killed me. But they are also my superpowers. I’m the canary in the mine and you need my sensitivity because I can smell toxins in the air that you can’t smell, see trouble you don’t see and sense danger you don’t feel. My sensitivity could save us all. And so instead of letting me fall silent and die — why don’t we work together to clear some of this poison from the air? 
What we who are mentally different need is respect. We know we need help managing our mental differences, but what we ask for is a shift in your approach to helping us. Instead of coming at us with the desire to change us because we are inconvenient to the world—come at us with the desire to help us because we are important to the world. We want you to see that with a little help, we can be your prophets, healers, clergy, artists, and activists. Help us manage our fire, yes, but don’t try to extinguish us. That fire that almost killed us is the same fire we’ll use to light up the world. " 
[Glennon Melton]


* * *



{One-year pictures of my little love. TECHNICALLY 13 months, because who can remember to schedule pictures on time. Maybe you can. I did not. Today he is 14 months.}




"slow down.  put away distractions.  make a cup of morning tea and sip it while sitting.  watch your babies prance on the couch.  put a couple drops of lavender oil in their bath and make them giggle.  have a day where you only let him wear diapers and sun hats.  take lunch to the library or park.  watch them smile.  feel yourself smile back.  hold them close when they ask for snuggles.  hold them closer when they don't.  teach them how to read by flipping the pages one by one.  sit back, and watch them try.  get carry out for supper.  show them how to really eat chips and salsa.  hoist them up on your hips and belly and back, they are only so little for so long.  let her put your make up on.  let her wear your heels.  take time to show them little things like peeling a carrot or folding a towel.  let them run barefoot everywhere and wear snow boots on sunny days.  if she sees a puddle, tell her to go for it, laundry takes all but a minute.  slow down.  savor life.  hold onto these moments tightly." 
[from the mama watters blog]

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

dawn etc

I'm not sure what it was about this short film, but it moved me. Art is the best.

{DAWN from Make Films on Vimeo.}


some other unrelated thoughts ...

- why do kids try to eat mulch and rocks over and over again?

- one thing i dislike about becoming a parent is how there was so much emphasis on pregnancy and giving birth, and after that: SEEYA, you're on your own kid! except now you're not a kid, you're the parent and you should just suddenly know everything you're supposed to know and without anyone telling you anything.

- like what are the rules for sunscreen? and the playground? it's confusing. as we visit playgrounds i find it interesting to see the variations in parenting styles. and yet, confusing.

- dax was eating cheese and he dropped a piece. lance: "that's right, you better pick that up. we don't waste cheese in the peifer family." one second later, lance drops a piece of cheese out of his mouth AND out of his hand. and i repeated exactly what lance just told our one-year-old.

- wish list: make a fairy garden! garden. have a garden. have a property so that i can actually have a garden. be able to identify lots of plants effortlessly. greenhouses are my favorite. so relaxing. ultimate dream: have my dining room in a greenhouse.

- if anything makes me feel lazy, it's thinking about the amish. i have one kid and a townhouse and i find that to be enough to manage. i drive by amish farms and there's a mom getting her garden ready with who knows how many children around her, and i just know she is accomplishing 547 more things in a day than i am in probably a month.

- i am in a workout rut. just not enjoying it or looking forward to it like i used to. i would like to join crossfit again, but it's too expensive now and no childcare. what i reallllly want is to be in stroller strong moms again ... columbus, i miss you! hmm, onto more feasible solutions?

One night a friend asked his handicapped son, "Daniel, when you see Jesus looking at you, what do you see in His eyes?"

After a long pause, the boy replied, "His eyes are filled with tears, Dad."
"Why, Dan?"
An even longer pause. "Because He's sad."
"And why is He sad?"
Daniel stared at the floor. When he looked up, his eyes glistened with tears. "Because I'm afraid."
[from the book Abba's Child]