Best Intentions

One of my favorite blogs is Free Range Kids. Today's parents are so overly concerned about what their kids are doing every single second. I want my son to be independent and confident. I refuse to be a helicopter parent.

The Sunday before Thanksgiving my church had a wonderful brunch after service. The food was incredible. :)

Marshal loves church and I love how comfortable he is there. He rarely panics if he can't find me right away, but at three he has had his moments.

Well, on this particular Sunday we were all sitting at tables and eating (our church meets at a high school and we are in the common area) and Marshal wanted to go play. I told him that was just fine...go for it.

Dancing with my boy in public.

So he starts looking for another kid to play with and he wanders a ways off - but I could still see him. Then he gets to one of the double doors to go outside. I'm still watching him and I was absolutely fine with him venturing outside. Practically the whole wall is glass and I could easily see him if he was outside. He is a strong little kid and started pushing one of the doors open.

And an adult interferes and brings him back over to my table. I tell her it's okay...he can go outside if he wants. She looks a little surprised but accepted it just fine. This happened a couple of times with other adults.

So he continues to play and ends up outside with another little kid for a few minutes. It was pretty cold so they were going in and out. She ended up inside and he was on his way out again. He was doing just fine outside by himself...and I could SEE him.

Next thing I know he's under the arm of one of the older ladies. She actually PICKED him up and was carrying him over to our table to ask who's child he was. [I'm actually surprised he tolerated being picked up by a stranger.]

It was all I could do not to be sarcastic but I told her that I knew what he was doing and I was watching him and he had permission to go outside. She looked at me as though I had two heads, set him down, and walked off muttering.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm glad that our church is so close and that people look out for each other and our kids. I just found it amusing. Yes, he's three and most of the other three year olds are right next to their parents. But I don't WANT him to be like other kids.

I want him to grow into a confident and independent adult. I wasn't letting him play in the road or anywhere near the road. There weren't huge crowds of people. I could still see him. He wasn't panicking. He was being an independent little boy.

I also let him climb and explore at the play ground on toys that are considered "unsafe" for his age. I figure if he has the confidence to do it I'm not going to stop him.

Going on the BIG slide at the fair. It was pretty scary but he did awesome.

Gift Giving Ideas for Ladies - Jewelry

It's that time of year again...my very favorite time of year. I love getting pretty and unique gifts for my friends and family. I really like to find JUST the right gift for each person, which is what makes Etsy such an amazing way to shop. They have all kinds of unique gift ideas for everyone from the littlest baby to the biggest. =)

Obviously jewelry is going to be a big hit for ladies. Not everyone will find my jewelry style to their liking (though I'll have a separate post with suggestions from my own shop!) but Etsy has you covered there too. From hippy to chic you will find all styles of jewelry!

I've known Sylvia of Sylvia Swasey Designs for many years. We met at a craft show and hit it off. She makes great jewelry using mostly dichroic glass and crystal. Her style is very distinct and she is now on Etsy. She's a local gal too but she travels around Washington, Oregon, and Montana - and she's in over 200 stores!

Another local gal, from Chehalis, Washington is Wendy of Sand & Sea Designs. I love the colorful pieces she puts together using gemstones and glass. As the name implies she has a very beach, ocean theme going on.

If dainty metal is more your or your lady's style then check out Rebekah of Burnish from Alaska. Her pieces are simple but stunning.

For some real outrageous glamour head over to BijouxOdalisque where the artist caught my eye several years ago with her amazing photos and jewelry. She has an amazing eye for gems.

Etsy even has the Steampunk jewelry scene covered. This is another artist I found who lives in Washington state, up in Seattle. London Particulars specializes in Steampunk and Gothic jewelry.

As you can see, there really is something for everyone on Etsy. I encourage everyone to support handmade artisans this year for all your gift giving needs.

It's Been Awhile and We Have News

I thought it'd actually been two months since I'd updated my blog but really it's only been a month. So at least that's some thing.

It was hard to stay away but I knew if I tried to blog all I'd want to talk about is being pregnant and we didn't tell people until Thanksgiving day when we announced the news to the family.

This was our announcement ...

My uncle noticed first. Then my little cousin who proceeded to shout "Are you pregnant?" so everyone looked over.

Marshal is so excited to be a big brother and he seems convinced that he's getting a sister. We have no way of knowing yet what we're having as it's still a little too early. In fact my first ultra sound is today.

I'm sure this blog will get very boring with pregnancy news but I do want to document our progress...like a diary. :)

Now that the secret is out I won't have to stay away.

I got Marshal's shirt on Etsy from this awesome shop called Zoey's Attic.