my secret hideaway

secret hideaways seem to be a part of childhood. i clearly remember mine from the house i grew up in and lived in for 18 years- the corner of the dining room where no one could see you as they casually walked down the hall toward the bedrooms, the walk-in closet in my sister's upstairs bedroom, the walk through attic that connected both my sister's and brother's upstairs bedrooms from tiny doors in their closets and contained windows that peeked out onto the street in front of our house (this was by far the coolest spot to go), the closet in my parents bedroom, the nook under the stairs in the basement. i would weave magical tales in those spots. have conversations with imaginary friends. make my plans for what type of store i was going to convert my basement area into next.

harper appears to have found a few niches of her own in our tiny abode. we really don't have a lot of unique corners and crevices and tiny caves for her to crawl into, but she has managed to create a space for herself either way. and it's in these places that i hear her singing the songs we sing together in music class or in the rocking chair every night before bed. i hear her "reading" her favorite stories, mimicking the voice and words we recite daily. i see her chit chatting on a cell phone and chatterboxing away to her friends and family, and texting the latest gossip to her bff (i can only imagine where she gets this from...)

and here, as i am preparing dinner in the kitchen, harper decides that she needs to find a nook in the same room as me, just so we're not apart. she, all on her own, clears the boxes of cereal and pancake mix, cans of oatmeal, bags of granola out of her way and nestles right in. not an ideal location of comfort, but in my opinion, a fine job of making room for her beautiful little self where there wasn't room before.

is it selfish to wonder why if harper can manage to find plenty of hideaways, why can't i have mine? oh, well, i guess i do. they're just different kinds of nooks and crannies. i call them blogging, photography and mom's group. and the last one is nowhere to be found in my house. last night, we had our monthly mom's group meeting, and the topic was on no child left inside, i.e. bringing the plugged-in child outdoors. one of our members mom's gave an inspiring presentation on reasons to get children outside and fun activities you can do while you're out there. gave me lots of ideas for the upcoming spring break and summer months off from school when i'm sure we'll be searching out things to do. it was fun, and an energizing few hours away to chit chat with moms who are in the same rocky ocean as i am- navigating temper tantrums, loss of sleep, meal planning, nutrition, organic and healthy living, green cleaning, hobbies, exercise, husbands. the list could go on and on. but it brings us back to each other every month to do it all over again and be inspired with a different topic. (next month is creating your own invitations by a very crafty friend, and i am uber-excited about this one, as harper's 2nd birthday is coming up in less than 4 months and my mind is already starting the planning process!)

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and this has nothing to do with secret hideaways, but i just love this quick and raw shot i took of harper tonight. post-pizza dinner, pre-bath beautiful little harper.

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in this big bold world we all live in, it's comforting to be able to carve your own space. it appears that harper is learning to do this already, and i can't wait to see where it takes her.

~e