morning gruel

people get ready

It seems that time is shrinking, in that its availability keeps getting smaller. But I don't mind. You see, although I feel busy and a bit tired, I got this way by doing the things that I want to be doing. And what I most want to be doing right now is getting the world (or at least myself) ready for our baby.

I can say however, that one of the great things about feeling tired is food. You see if I'm tired but still have stuff to get done, no one can blame me for indulging in a little caffeine and some sweet treat to get me through the rest of the day. In fact it works so well that I'd be willing to promote the combination of tea and banana bread as a cure-all.

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By the way, feel free to check out my latest post in our shared blog...

to do list

patch cast-iron tub
paint baby's room
study details of my role as birth partner
work
paint living room
paint bedroom
study some more about my role as birth partner
work more
decorate baby's room
keep studying so that I can finish that very thick birth partner                                book before the baby arrives

(this gap represents the very long list of other baby prep minutiae)

write blog

life with you

Here at morning gruel, life can be any combination of silly, erratic, emotive, embellished, or under-baked. But the main theme is it's all about me.

However, the truth is that even my own life isn't all about me; Morgaine and our baby hold an equal place in my consciousness. We're like a three-tiered pastry tower at high tea: Each tier on its own is satisfying enough, but combined we are extra tasty! extra satisfying! extra fancy!

And so to allow you to see more of the pastry tower, we have a new blog: life with you. This is where you can follow along with what we are experiencing, thinking and feeling around having a baby. It's the place to go to for regular baby updates, our own individual observations, and extra fancy pastries...

not exactly solzhenitsyn (addendum)

There's something that I neglected to mention in yesterday's post about having my childhood trip diary censored; Somewhere along the way, we ended up owning one of those very same dispensers.

After reading my post, my brother dug it up from who knows where and sent me this photo to share with you all:

Note the care he took in lighting it and finding a good angle.

By the way, I searched on the internet to see if these eunuch unique dispensers are still for sale. I found one at a web-based store under the heading: gadgets, subheading: for drinkers/smokers. Now that's class.

not exactly solzhenitsyn

As you know, I've been thinking about how I want to encourage my child -- creatively, spiritually, intellectually, etc. And so I've been thinking about how I was encouraged and/or discouraged in my own childhood and how that has impacted my life.

I found my old trip diary the other day when I was unpacking a box of books that had been in storage. My parents bought me the trip diary when I was eight years old to record my thoughts about our travels together. They figured that this was a potentially great creative outlet and told encouraged me to write in it every day as we journeyed across North America in our motorhome. I was required to write one page every day. At the time, I didn't find writing terribly exciting and so I wrote big and double-spaced. Anyway, every day my parents would ask me what I had written. I suppose they were just interested in seeing how I expressed myself, who knew that they would find my writing censor-worthy. I found a few passages that were crossed out by order -- the following entry has my favourite one. Here it is, typos and all:

Sun. Dec. 30

My mom and oma went to church and we didn't but my opa did too go to church when My dad, my brother and I went for a walk we saw a liquor dispenser and it was a boy holding his penus and it go's liquor instead of pee in your cup. That day we got to Las Vegas, Nevada but I was asleep and I woke up and saw a nice Circus Circus sign.

I only used thirteen pages of the two hundred or so in the book. And it was a very long time before I showed any interest in writing. Perhaps I was afraid of continued censorship. More likely, I simply preferred playing with my new Vic20.

music is my life

I've been thinking lately about how I want to raise my child: What do I want our life together to be like? What worked for me in my own childhood? What didn't work?

One thing that I've really appreciated having in my life is music. I remember going to family reunions where there were guitars and accordions and harmonicas and singing. And it was so much fun. If you're Mennonite, you likely know exactly what I'm talking about. If you're not Mennonite, just imagine a folk music concert in your kitchen.

As a child I was encouraged to explore my musical abilities. I have had some level of education in organ (it was the 70s), recorder, guitar and trumpet. And let's not forget all of those many, MANY years of choir practice, from the Winnipeg Mennonite Children's Choir to just about every day throughout high school, plus vocal jazz class. So I can sing, I can read music and I have a solid understanding of how musical instruments work. I love being able to understand music.

But for the last many years, I have not made music a priority. I haven't picked up an instrument or sung anything in years. I would love for my child to grow up with music in their life like I did but I would feel like a hypocrite encouraging them to practice when I don't. And I really want music in my child's life as well as my own.

So I think it's time to pick up an instrument again -- and stick to it, lessons and all. The question is: What instrument? This is where you come in. I've narrowed my choices down to a few but before I make any decisions, I'd love to hear from YOU. What instrument do you think would be awesome for me to learn? And more importantly, why is it awesome?