Written by Candace on August 14, 2015 | 2 Comments

The Weekender

Here is a weekly review of my thoughts and findings from the week.

Coffee: As a new mom, I am desperate for a cup of coffee first thing in the morning. It’s usually the only cup I drink in the day so I try to savor every sip. We keep one container of medium roast beans and one container of dark roast on hand and we grind it up each morning. We prepare pour over and drink it as black as can be. My current fave is Verve’s 1950’s Blend which we purchased from our favorite coffee shop across the bay, Cafe 4. I soooooooo wish we lived closer and could enjoy their space more frequently.

Life Hack: Vitaliy and I are on a mission to live a slow cooked life. That’s a post on it’s own which I hope to write about soon. Actually I hope Vitaliy will write about it because it’s really his concept. But think slow, savoring, and peaceful. A bit of trial and error to achieve these. This week we’re trying something new in our daily routine and so far it has been perfect for us. We found that our evening routine was just too busy and overwhelming. Trying to prepare a big home cooked meal while also trying to get Rose fed, bathed and ready for bed felt all consuming and exhausting by the end. So, we decided to change things up! A big lunch, nightly routine for Rose, followed by a snacky type dinner and rest for Mom and Dad. Win, win for everyone! I realize this won’t work forever, but it fits for this season and I feel like I’ve cheated the system and come out on top.

Small Home: We are still living in our 350 square foot in-law unit with our 6 month old baby daughter. I remember when we first moved into this space we weren’t sure we were going to be able to make it work with just the two of us. We’ve now been living there for almost 3 and a half years and we’ve added a baby. It’s crazy, but we make it work! Unless you live in the bay area, it’s hard to understand why or how. And don’t get me wrong, there have been many days these last few months that have been consumed by discontentment or envy. But I’ve been working on my thought life and my heart and I have a new fondness for our little home. So, I was super inspired when I came across fellow entrepreneur and small home living Sonnet James founder Whitney Lundeen’s apartment tour.

Date Night: We’ve got quite a few work events coming up that we need babysitters for so we’re trying to save babysitter requests for those. So, this week we went to a local outdoor movie in downtown Redwood City, Movie On The Square. First up, it’s free! Secondly, the movie plays at sundown which correlates with Rose’s bedtime. It wasn’t perfect, Rose did wake up twice during the movie. But it was a statement. I wanted Vitaliy to know that I still valued adventures with him even though we have a baby and can’t be quite as adventurous as we once were. We held hands and enjoyed a beautiful night together.

Crafted: Earlier this week, Vitaliy enjoyed a night out with the boys. I wanted to relax in front of the TV, but didn’t feel inspired by the usual run of shows. I was in the mood to learn something and felt drawn to watch a documentary. I scrolled my Amazon prime options and found a short documentary called Crafted. 25 minutes long, perfect! I rarely can last longer than an hour these days without falling asleep. It was just what I was looking for! Three stories about fellow creative entrepreneurs. As a small business owner, I felt so inspired and encouraged. Three takeaways that I could totally relate to: 1. Running your own business is hard, some days you will just want to quit. 2. There is always a level of dissatisfaction in the creative process. 3. You don’t do it for the money, you do it for the joy and the lifestyle it affords.

There you have it! I hope you all have a great weekend!

Photo: Friday family work day

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Written by Candace on August 12, 2015 | 7 Comments

Rose Svitlana
3 Months Old

We are only days away from having a 6 month old.

So, I thought we better get around to sharing a few of Rose’s 3 month baby photos. Obviously, we take fun photos of Rose all the time with our phones which you can see on our Instagram accounts here and here. But Vitaliy and I also decided to take 3 month, 6 month, 9 month and 12 month photos of Rose with our “big camera”. After culling through these images, I’m so happy we made this commitment. There are so many milestones throughout a child’s first year of life and now we have them captured for memories sake.

These totally happened on a whim. We were nearing the end of her third month and decided everything else needed to be put on hold so we could make what was important to us as a family happen. We didn’t buy new clothes, we didn’t get hair and makeup done, we didn’t scout out locations. We worked with what we had and made it happen. I really love that we decided to stay at home to take these photos. For one, we get beautiful natural light in our bedroom which is perfect for photos. But more importantly, I never want to forget this time in our little home with our little newborn enjoying our little family.

And before I go, I want to thank you all so much for your love and genuine support of my last post regarding our anniversary. The response was incredible! Thank YOU!

Dear Rose, you have left a huge mark on Mommy’s body and heart. I’ve never worked harder at anything in my life than caring for you. And I couldn’t be more thankful! You are worth every single hardship and every hour of sleep lost. Your scream is loud, your independence admiring, and your touch invigorating. I love that, as of right now, you look just like your daddy. You are my new favorite thing and this is only the beginning.

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Written by Candace on August 5, 2015 | 12 Comments

9 Years, In Sickness and In Health

I promise to love you in sickness and in health. Those were part of the vows we promised to one another 9 years ago today.

When I spoke those vows 9 years ago, I honestly imagined the “in sickness” part would apply to us much later in life. I imagined one of us aging more gracefully than the other and the stronger one taking care of the weaker. I envisioned gray hair, weak bones, and wrinkles. But I was wrong.

Year 9 of marriage was definitely a test of loving through sickness. It’s easy to love in good health. But when one partner has nothing to offer the other, when there is not a mutual giving and receiving, that is the point when real love has the opportunity to deepen and grow yet stronger.

Along with the normal impact giving birth has on your body, I suffered two injuries when delivering Rose in February. This resulted in a very painful, long and hard journey that followed. A journey I did not envision when bringing my newborn baby home. The only thing I was capable of doing those first few months was feeding Rose, and even that was difficult in most positions. But Vitaliy did more than just rise to the occasion.

Going through his own personal challenges of becoming a dad and grieving the absence of his parents in such a momentous time of his life, to say he was struggling would be an insufficient description of his state of mind. So, what do you do when one person is sick and the other is feeling weak? This is precisely why love is not a feeling, but a choice. And why marriage is a solemn vow.

Vitaliy did as he has been instructed by God to do, he laid down his life for me. He put his own needs and feelings aside, and he tirelessly served me and Rose. Morning, noon, and night. Day, after day, after day, he made the choice to love. Never complaining and never asking for anything in return.

Everything I have learned these past 9 years of marriage, I have learned from Vitaliy. From his example. I watch the way he loves me, and I try to push back my selfishness, and mimic him. His love continues to soften and change me. I hope I can love him as unconditionally through the years as he has loved, and continues to love, me.

Vitaliy, though you often doubt your leadership ability in our home, let this be a written and verbal confirmation of all that you do. Jesus was the ultimate example of a leader. One who loved and served and ultimately laid down his life for us. But aside from God’s word, nothing has taught me more what that means and looks like then the way in which you love me. From all that I’ve heard about your father, I can see that he too was an example of this kind of love by the way he cared for your mother. I hope we have a son one day who will continue the line of loving husbands. But for now, I’m thankful to know that Rose will grow up knowing what to look for in a man by watching how you love her mommy so well. I’m one lucky gal. Love, your CP.

Previous anniversaries: 8 Years; 7 Years

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