Anita VP

Typically, I have no shortage of words.  But today it seems right to just leave this here and speak for itself. #AnitaVP #muse #fallperfection #fall #fall2019 #pumpkin

In round two of kids saying quippy things, I bring you this dialogue from today: Me, to Human #1: "You're full of it! Do you know that?!" Human #1: "You're full of it!" Me: "You're full of bologna!" Human #1: "You're full of honey ham!!!" She may not be wrong... *shrug*  From her lips to God's ears. #AnitaVP #kidsdaythedarnestthings #4yearold #4yearoldwisdom #bologna

While at our "new" local library's little kid story time, the leader was helping the children to get their wiggles out in between stories.  She exclaims, "Let's all pretend we are beans!"  Inside my own mind, I scratched my head.  Okay.....  "Green beans! Jumping beans! String beans!"  Then one bright young soul suggests, "Coffee beans!"  You, child, are my people!  Good on you. #AnitaVP #coffee #coffeebean #fouryearoldwisdom #storytime

The concepts of simple living and minimalism have been conversation points and sources of inspiration for my husband and I for years now.   While we’re for sure a long ways a way in many regards, I think the pursuit to live more simply and with less is a noble and worthwhile one. Thanks to a Facebook group that I’m in I stumbled upon a pretty good podcast, Simple Families .   I love her approach.   Two good episodes are SFP 153: Simple Living + Free-Range Parenting with Big Kids [with Tsh Oxenreider of The Art of Simple] and SFP 169: Too Many Toys? .   I would say it’s worth the listen/checking out – I’ve definitely added a new podcast to follow! #AnitaVP #simpleliving #simplify #parenting

Perhaps our present culture is over-saturated with images.  In fifty years, we can all tell our grandchildren deep thoughtful stories along the lines of "this was my pumpkin spice latte and I really liked the foam feather on top - it got lots of hearts on Instagram."  My family  photobook for the year my first was born could have been titled, "Human #1 & People Holding Human #1."  I pretty much refuse to participate in those Facebook posts taunting, "Make my day!  Show me your 7th photo in your camera roll - no matter what!"; chances are my 7th photo is a screenshot of something I should remember, or a picture of the light bulb I need from Target, or a snap of the mess of my son's bloody nose (actually this right now). Yet in all of these pictures, it's somehow increasingly hard to come by the informal family photo.  "You're taking the picture..... You need to take a family picture..... No, really..... We're taking a picture -

There's something just plain fun about having a neat auntie or uncle to do story time every now and then.  It can be the same story, heard dozens of times before; yet with a little auntie or uncle magic, new life is breathed into a story.  The lines are funnier and the dialogue more amusing.  Bed time has become revolutionized! Three cheers for aunts and uncles - they certainly make life more fun!! #AnitaVP #aunt #uncle #morefunthanmomanddad #morefun #reading

Today, I took on a title I never would have predicted taking on – homeschooling mom.   *Gasp*   Aside from lacking many of the superficial common denominators homeschool moms often possess, I just never foresaw myself in this role.   And yet, here we are.   And here we come, Kindergarten!   Why homeschooling?   For this year, it is chiefly to meet her unique set of needs.   Perhaps this won’t always be our forum.   (Actually, no.   This will definitely not always be our forum.)   However, for now, it’s the right choice for her and we are grabbing the bull by the horns. After our first official day, of her own fruition, she blazed through the tall grass and wildflowers in the backyard, one fist held high in the air, shouting gleefully, “kiiiiinnnnnndddderggggaaarrrrteeeeennn!”   I may not be ready for my new title, but she certainly is.   You get it, girl!   #AnitaVP #kinder #kindergarten #kindergartenherewecome #watchout #firstdayofschool #homeschool

As of late, a frequent statement in my household has been, “Don’t you want to be four?”   And it clearly is because my four-year-old makes being four look just that good.   My dad said it best years ago: “There is something just magical about being four or five.” When you’re four, the world is big, complete with wonder, and filled with friends and future friends.  You’ve got a few things figured out (now that you’re not just a little peanut anymore), yet there is so much to be explored.   With so much unknown yet unknown when you’re four, challenges abound still; but there’s undeniably a distinct-to-four-years-old enthusiasm with which all challenges are met. The colors, now that you know all their names, shine bright, perhaps just for you.   The sun, moon, stars, and lights twinkle and glimmer, perhaps just to light up your face.   The music around you drums and beats, perhaps just so you will dance. Here’s to you, four – man, you look good! #AnitaVP #fou

Costco Food Court, here’s to you And your endless refills of Mt. Dew. Your pizza with too much cheese, The tiny humans it doth please. Your churros, spicy and sweet, Prove a likable treat for all to eat. All in the land to you will run For a hot dog, relish, and bun. Only you, dear Costco, can feed a family of four, For ten dollars and no more. So cheers to you, Food Court of Costco; After each shopping trip, we must go! #AnitaVP #costco #lovecostco #momlife #parentingwin

It's fair to say that I can identify with Snoopy, especially in the sentiment above.  Some days the juices are flowing; some days the well is running dry.  Hay, at least I'm not alone - and at least some days I do the Snoopy-dance! #AnitaVP #Snoopy #sometimes #thewellisdry #writemore

Stemming from the original term " weblog ", first used in 1997, the word "blog" as we know and love it today, was coined by a grandfather blogger, Peter Merholz , who as a joke divided the word “weblog” into “we blog” in 1999.   "Blog" soon took on both noun and verb form, thanks to Pyra Labs who created the blogging service Blogger . Blogs have taken the past score of years by storm, allowing professionals and laymen alike to share their voice.   From political pundits to mommy-bloggers, everyone seems to have something to say.   And why not?   The readership is there. All the way back in 2006, Pew Research found that, “Thirty-nine percent of internet users, or about 57 million American adults, read blogs.”   That’s a truck-load of people!   And the number of internet users has only grown since then – to the tune of 4.1 billion people worldwide in 2018!   Blogs can serve an array of purposes from driving business to discipling to servin

One year ago today, I had this ray of sunshine on my own birthday.  I really couldn't imagine a better birthday gift, from God to me, every single year.  Like a little beam of light, he brings joy to any room he enters.  And he has definitely brought overwhelming joy (and cuteness) to my life. On his (our) birth day last year, things were a busy, hectic, painful, wonderful blur.  This year, we are able to relax a tad more and really enjoy the day.  I realize now that this in turn means the ushering in of a new era of birthday traditions for me - celebrating each year with the finest of gifts. Happy first birthday, Sunshine. #AnitaVP #birthday #happybirthday #wildone #sunshine #firstbirthday #baby #babyonmybirthday #beach #beachbaby #beachbum #maui

Our long awaited and longtime coming move from Colorado to Washington has finally come to a completion.  We've successfully made it in to the new house and have a majority of our things in. It'll take some time to get straightened, but today our new house has really started to feel like home.  For the first time, we were able to go on our regular morning walk and I enjoyed my first cup of coffee here.  Let me tell you how sweet and perfect that first cup is! For a long time, I've pondered the complete range of emotions that one must feel with a move of this magnitude.  With confidence, I can say that I'm able to better completely understand the gamut of emotions of this all (for the sake of my picture book manuscript about  moving, if for nothing else).  Nonetheless, the finish line brings a distinct sweetness and plenty of musings. #AnitaVP #moving #writemore #movingday

As someone who desires to be a published author one day, it's a regular debate in my own mind if I actually have anything worth saying.  The forces of resistance within my own mind talk unkindly to me and say, "well no, of course you don't." Good ol' Thumper's refrain of "If you can't say something nice, then don't say nothing at all" plays in my head.  Perhaps an even more valuable phrase would be something like this: If you don't have anything worthwhile to say, don't say nothing at all.  Nice is a relatively wide gate; worthwhileness weeds out a lot of "nice" things that perhaps would have been better left unsaid (or unread). There is nothing new under the sun, but perhaps anything that is worthwhile of being published will be something that blows the reader away.  How do you actually blow readers away? I'd argue that occurs by appealing to emotions. Books that make the reader laugh, cry, surprised, excit

Today, in the spirit of authenticity, I bring you this moment: My son sees some books.   He’s very excited for these books.   He looks so adorable looking at the books.   He points.   He coos.   He smiles.   This lasts for a complete four seconds.   He crawls away to get the better of some house plants.   Goodbye books – see ya later! I guess good thing I’m fast with a camera!   We’ll keep trying for reading that’s longer than the blink of an eye. #AnitaVP #realtalk #reading #readmore #baby #parenting #littlecritter

An article from CBC entitled It's never been safer for kids to play outside — or more dangerous to be inside caught my attention. Maybe it’s true?   Being outside is wonderful for children.   It helps them explore the natural world around them.   It encourages unstructured free play.   Smelling fresh outdoor air is also good.   There’s something about bare feet outside that’s good for the soul.   On and on. Maybe it’s not?   There are countless beneficial activities that occur almost exclusively inside.   Baking together, reading, coloring, and so on.   In my opinion as a mother, long gone are the days where (in most cities and towns) it’s a good idea to “send the kids to the park by themselves.”   See where this is tricky? I’ve reasoned that one thing that makes parenting young children today uniquely more challenging than most other times in history is all of the rigmarole involved with car seats.   There’s almost no way a child will be out of a f

I feel like this photo is a phenomenal internet meme in the making.  At a loss for what's really the right caption, as there are too many options.  Open to all suggestions.  Nonetheless, this is pure gold.  (And he is adorable.) Of all ironic things, on the day when I believe I have captured the world wide web's next greatest meme photo, I run into technical difficulties.  I bring my humble offering as payment in return to the internet gods, and they cast me out.  Geez!  Harsh, cold, cruel inter-world. Perhaps it's not to late.  Perhaps it is.  So much in life is all just a matter of timing! #AnitaVP #parenting #baby #nakedbaby #meme #puregold #nsfw

The words “a beautiful day in the neighborhood” cannot be said in my mind - they must be sung.   Like so many children, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood enchanted me.   Now, both the adult and child in me are excited for the upcoming movie A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood .   (Catch the trailer here .) I also came across an interesting article regarding Fred Rogers’ approach to talking with children, Mr. Rogers Had a Simple Set of Rules for Talking to Children from The Atlantic.   As a mother and aspiring author, I love the following sequence of thought on “Freddish” (i.e. his special way of speaking with children): ”Per the pamphlet, there were nine steps for translating into Freddish: “State the idea you wish to express as clearly as possible, and in terms preschoolers can understand.” Example: It is dangerous to play in the street. ​​​​​​ “Rephrase in a positive manner,” as in It is good to play where it is safe. “Rephrase the idea, bearing in mind th

Although we’re not big into screen time around my house, we do indulge Human #1 in small doses.   Things, be it shows, movies, etc., that have educational elements in mix certainly are much more likely to be approved in my book. One of my favorite resources at present is a website of educational games called ABCYA.com .   It’s a balanced collection of little subject-based games that appeal to children.   Their home page is obviously laid out so that you can quickly select the appropriate level for your child.   While computer games are of course not the end-all-be-all for teaching any content, they can definitely be a nice addition!   If you’re looking to have your kiddo kill a little time or buff up in a particular area (or both), ABCYA is a nice free option!   Check it out! #AnitaVP #freeresouce #educational #games

Certainly every parent has those hit-like-a-brick-to-the-face moments where all of a sudden the tiny human is not looking so tiny any more.   The next phase of development has snuck up overnight, like a thief of Neverland.   “When did you get to looking so big?!” Furthermore in my particular present situation, learning to read is catapulting my oldest into the next chapter of childhood.   Although teaching her to read is not coming without full and complete effort on my part, it feels as though I blinked and here she is saying, “NO! I’m going to read this part myself!” I’m not one to gush, but she read two sentences yesterday!   Not one, but two, folks!   Wowee!   What a big girl!   Where have I been all this time!? #AnitaVP #reading #read #readinglessons #learningtoread #kingergarten #biggirl #timeflies #Tuesdaythoughts

Since we’re staying with my husband’s parents while in between houses, the tiny humans and I have had much more time than ever before to observe and enjoy things from his years growing up.   The current decided favorite of mine from his past is a library of informational, mostly-nonfiction books put out by Walt Disney. With topics ranging from science to riddles to shapes and colors, these books each highlight the titled subject matter in true nostalgic Disney fashion.   Presenting the material in an age-appropriate and balanced fashion, these books really feel like the most adorable vintage read.   Perfect for the young child.   My personal choice thus far has been the It's A Small World book, inspired by the ride itself, highlighting children in countries around the world. Perhaps equally sweet is the cursive note inside from his grandmother and his subsequent claiming of the books – his own name written in chunky red marker, letters perfectly bent by the hand o

On the picture book manuscripts that I’ve written thus far, I typically have not gotten “stuck,” per se.   I usually find that I’m able to craft a beginning, middle, and ending.   Not sure if they’re any good… but complete nonetheless. I’ve been toying around with an idea for a picture book playing around with the use of color words associated with emotion.   As adults it’s easy for us to understand what it’s like to feel blue and see red.   For children, perhaps not as much.   I think expressions like this are natural to use in everyday speech, including conversations with children.   “Are you just feeling a little blue?”   Especially for the very young, how confusing must that be?!   Feelings are hard to understand and then the idiomatic expressions are even more cryptic!   Woah – poor confused kiddos! Since my oldest has no shortage of feelings and needs all the help processing them, I feel that this concept of playing around with those expressions we use in picture book

I asked my husband, “What should I write about tonight?”   Since this was immediately following a conversation regarding menudo, the dish (not the band), he chuckled, “Oh, write about menudo.”   While the topic of “trying new things” is something that I’m passionate about and merits being accoladed in writing, pondering and extrapolating our conversation on menudo is probably nothing to “write home about.”   Nonetheless, whether I’m writing about menudo or my kids or my daily musings or the price of cheese in Nova Scotia, there is catharsis in writing.   The act and art of writing, in any medium or form and in any length, perseveres in proving its benefits for me, if for no one else.   It’s my burning heart’s desire that one day my writing will succeed in blessing a wide audience; but in the interim, I’ll be thankful that writing continues to be good in return to me. Because brevity in writing is something I greatly value, I’ll just leave it at that – writing is wonderful,

"Mama is turning into a weimaraner!!!"  My four-year-old squeals and giggles.  Little does she know before she can blink she will too be plagued by gray hair and more gray hair. Perhaps gray is some sort of mark of wisdom, perhaps not.  But certainly there are worse things than being likened to your dear ol' doggo.  After all, a dog is the only person who loves you more than he loves himself. #AnitaVP #doggo #dog #weim #weimaraner #50shades #gray #grayhair   #truelove

All aboard the reading lesson train again!   Now that we’re quasi settled in between leaving our Colorado home and finding our new one, it’s back at it to so-called “regular” life for tiny humans. As I mentioned in another post , we’re learning to read over here using Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons .   “What’s the first sound?” “Now the next sound.” “Are you a snake?... SSSsss” I can appreciate that this is genuinely the most complex thing that my four-year-old has ever had to take on – and there’s decided challenges in that!   In my child’s case, the comprehension of the material is there without question, but the desire to be compliant and obedient was seriously lacking.   However, I think that it might be fair to say that at this juncture I am perhaps the one who is learning more.   Patience.   Flexibility.   Persistence.   Endurance.   More patience.   I may have garnered a point this week in parenting agility .   Leveraging what she loves, I remind

Today’s entry is brought to you by the Little Red Hen: Over the past several days, I profoundly learned the sentiment behind several idiomatic expressions.   Cherries make for good teachers.   Picking all that I planned on using myself and then turning around to do anything productive with them is in fact a time-consuming process; time-consuming processes allow ample space for contemplation. I put on my shoes.   I got the bucket and the ladder.   I walked out to the tree.   I picked.   I discarded the bad.   I de-stemmed.   I washed.   I pitted.   I divided into groups – freeze, jam, crumble.   I bagged.   I chopped, stirred, and jarred.   I fixed crumble topping and baked.   I washed my hands.   I ate. First and foremost, let’s be thankful for orchardists and anyone picking fruit (and God’s good green earth).   Secondly, I used to understand the term “low-hanging fruit” primarily in a sales context; I now appreciate it in a literal context. Thirdly, on a le

A song that my husband and I first loved about ten years ago, Easton Corbin’s Roll With It , came on the radio yesterday.   As I sang along, I realized that perhaps what “rolling with it” meant to us a decade ago looks so vastly different than it does now.   To say this season of life, with a preschooler, a baby, moves, developing careers, etc., is crazy suffices as an understatement.   As we try and adapt our lessons of “assuming positive intent” and “agility” from what we’ve learned in a business capacity and apply them to our “regular” life, we’re constantly being tested and pushed.   No one sufficiently prepares you and your spouse for the amount of time spent in this stage of life that you will exchange glances with the singular look of “what in the heck?!” “Did you read that paperwork the car insurance mailed?” “Which reading lesson are we on?” “Did you make a payment on this already?” “What’s in her hair?” “I thought we already placed that order on Prime.   C

Now that preschool is over and summer is here, I feel like it’s time for reading some new picture books!   While I’m a longstanding lover of the classics for children, a little bit of fresh meat is always good.   I’ve found this awesome list from Brightly called The Ultimate Summer Reading List for Kids Ages 3 – 5 that we’ll be working through this season.   I’m very excited for some of these titles, especially HIGH FIVE from the DRAGONS LOVE TACOS duo. What newer picture books are on your kids’ summer reading list? #AnitaVP #summer #summerreading #readmore #picturebooks #preschooler #preschool 

Perhaps one of the sweetest sides of fatherhood for a dad of young children is evening story time.   After a long day of work for dad and a long day of being with mom for the kids, curling up together and delving into picture book magic land produces a win for all.   Creative voices, funny looks between page turns, and observing all of the little details.   And as a mom, it’s so pleasant to watch your kids and their dad bonding this way. So to my husband, the father of our two humans, and to all story-reading dads, I bid you Happy Father’s Day! #AnitaVP #fathersday #dadsday #fathersday2019 #father #dad #storytime #picturebook

Last Friday, we left Colorado.   I’ve written here quite a bit about my move – how my orchids have anything to do with it , why I’ll miss my sink , what to pack , etc. etc.   Yet, when I sat down to write to the prospective homeowners, I stared at a blank screen for a quite a bit. To bring my story full circle, please allow me to share what was finally worth saying to them: Welcome home!   When we moved into this house in 2013, it certainly looked a bit different – nearly every wall was yellow and the outside was a super faded yellow.   Our lack of furniture was nearly comical!   Fast forward a few years and add a few gallons of paint, it transformed into a home for us. Moreover, at the time we moved in, we had no children; subsequently, we’ve had the blessing of bringing both of our children home here. While there’s certainly a million little things that I would like to share with you about this home, I’ll just leave you with two thoughts.   First, this corner is sup

Today, I bring to you something slightly different, inspired by my years of working as an editor in corporate America: Have something short that you’re writing in a hurry and no second set of eyes?   It’s still important to mind your Ps and Qs.   Here are seven quick tips and fixes for reviewing your own words: -           Change the font size    and/or type while you review. o    Perhaps nothing as drastic as the above is needed, but it certainly caught your eye, didn’t it?   There’s something about an error in text that will stick out differently when you’re reading it in Comic Sans .   -           Actually use the spell check feature. o    It can be easy to mentally filter out those little red, blue, and green squiggles, but spell check is your friend. -           Walk away. o    Even just departing from what you’ve written for five to ten minutes can mean the difference in catching a huge glaring error. -           Read your document from bottom to t

I prayed that my orchid flowers would be beautiful for home showings.   And they were.   Oh, they were completely wonderful.   I had one plant that had over thirty flowers.   Truly something that sings to my soul. I recently happily took on the role of orchid babysitter for my girlfriend who took a long trip.   Upon discussing her flowers and their state, I explained that, “orchids go through natural bloom cycles and it may be a while until they bloom again.” Very first thing this morning, I noticed that the first flower had fallen from my recently uber productive plant.   Today also marks one week out from our move to Washington. Perhaps my buddies, the orchids, just knew that they needed to show off their best for lots of prospective buyers – and that now again it is the time for change.   Naturally occurring symbolism in the everyday around me is one of my favorite things.   Well played, orchids.   Well played. #AnitaVP #orchids #wellplayed #symboli

Presently, I reside in packing purgatory.   With our move date scheduled out about ten days from now, my house is dismantled, without a lick of décor, and far too many plastic totes everywhere. For some time, I’ve considered myself to be a “closeted minimalist.”   Not my actual closets; think of this as being a reflection on my dabbling in the world of minimalism without full public commitment.   Nonetheless, whether I suppose we have less than some and more than others, the fact remains that I do not miss much of what I’ve had packed for months. Now that we’re getting down to brass tacks, I’ll just ponder packing what truly matters. This is the most important box of what we have – ketchupy faces and all.   (All the other stuff is just stuff.) #AnitaVP #packing #moving #washington #colorado #whatmatters #parenting #Human#1 #Human#2 #minimalism