Surfing for Sanity

I am sitting here surfing the internet, mostly looking at other people's wondrous creativity, in hopes to stave off the inevitable descent into madness that accompanies having a mini-adult in the house. Oh my goodness. When the Terrible 2s started at 18 months, I was relieved, thinking we'd be out of the woods earlier too. Hardy har har. Here we are past 39 months (that's nearly 2 years later!), and the woods are closing in around me, people! She has not outgrown the tantrums. Instead, she has refined and enhanced them to take fit-throwing to a whole new level of insanity-inducing mania. The thing is, to the untrained eye, she is still WORLDS ahead of most kiddies her age. Most parents who've been through this age (or are going through it now) would wonder why I'm so fussed (unless they are party to the actual fit). You see, typical toddler/preschooler behavior has never been her thing. She knows EXACTLY what buttons of mine she wants to push, and she knows EXACTLY how to push them. I like to say that you always wish for your children to be very smart until they are. I was done for by the time she turned 2.

Anyway, today I thought I'd share some of the sites I browse. I often find great sites linked through other people's blogs, so maybe there will be something here for you too.

Geninne's Art Blog. I don't remember how I discovered this blog or her work, but I enjoy it so much! I have two prints from her etsy shop, and even the bubble-wrap mailer she sent them in was pretty. Now and then, she posts pictures of her house, and everything is clean and inspired and lovely. My house is currently buried in kiddie mess and I want to hide from it under the bed, so hers is particularly appealing!

lovelydesign. I've been following her personal blog for a while now. I found it through her work. She made a beautiful address file from assorted found papers that was so simple and beautiful that I tracked her down online...only to find she wasn't making them anymore. I did snag one of her journey books, and when I opened it up, it is so lovely that I'm reluctant to use it. A handmade work of art! Her blog has led me to discover other artists I enjoy, and my personal space is filling up with small art that gives me joy!

SouleMama. I seem unable to resist this blog despite the fact that it makes me feel inadequate. She has just home-birthed baby #4 (part of the draw for me, I know...I love little babies and pregnant bellies!), home-schools the other 3, creates constantly, runs a small non-profit and has published a book with another due out soon. How are these things possible? What hours in the day I am failing to utilize? At any rate, she takes lovely photos of her life and family, and I do enjoy browsing her site. I discovered her blog after buying her book, Creative Family, and the book is well worth owning if you parent littles.

The Pioneer Woman. She just makes me laugh! We are girlfriends separated by half a globe who have never met, but she is a girlfriend nonetheless! She also parents and homeschools four kids, but her life seems much closer to my reality and her humor is infectious.

dooce. Sometimes she's too over-the-top for me, but on my rough days, I appreciate her bluntness and sarcasm.

small notebook. After our most recent move, the staggering amount of STUFF we own hit me full force. Being raised by a pack-rat (and what's worse, a MILITARY pack-rat wherein the philosophy is if one is good, four is better), I have been hoarding for years. The paper chain Ellie and I made for our Christmas tree is from pre-cut scraps that I saved from a project I made during my teaching job EIGHT YEARS AGO. We're talking about scraps of paper, people. That should give you an idea of how scary the stuff pile is over here. I enjoy this woman's blog because she has said no thank you to all of that and lives small with her husband and young daughter. While I cannot reach where she is, I am inspired by it and often enjoy her posts.

Quadville. Just when I think I can't take it anymore, I read this and relax. She has FOUR. If she can survive, I can too.

And I just found this last one for Quinn. You're often stuck out here in Mama-Land when you check this blog, but I appreciate you checking on in me anyway! I do still have many many interests that I don't choose to write about, and it's nice to know my good friends trust I'm still in here somewhere.