Coolest. Thing. Ever.

Well maybe not THE coolest, but certainly, one of the coolest lately!
That's me! With great hair! Oh and with JODI PICOULT!!! Can you believe it???

I was so excited to meet Jodi Picoult, live and in color this week! I went with a new friend and had a great time! (can't you tell by all the exclamation points, that this wasn't just an ordinary day in the life...?!?)

She did about a twenty minute reading from her new book "Handle with Care" - which you will see on my book list as soon as I start it. I have never been so lucky as to hear an author read their own work. It was inspiring and really brought the story to life.

When it was my turn to be rushed thru the line (thank-you University Bookstore-Mill Creek, you were so prepared for this event - I really hope you read that with sarcasm), get my brand new birthday copy signed (thanks Beast!) and pose for a quick photo (jeez, I'm so cute), Jodi was nothing but sweet to me!

Ah...what a fantastic day!

Be jealous.

Today...

Today is my birthday, and instead of going on about how depressing it is to get older, or how it just feels like another day, I will take a different route. I would like to allow myself to take a moment to acknowledge some of the things I am accomplishing and that I like about me.

Today, I am a more honest me.

Today, I am a more aware me.

Today, I am a more rational me.

Today, I am a more vulnerable me.

Today, I look fear in the face and am not as scared as I once was.

Today, I recognize my strength.

Today, I am learning to love myself.

Today, I am a more real me.

Today, I give myself permission to just be.

Today, I have hope for more days like today.

Searching for Serenity

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change;
Courage to change the things I can
And wisdom to know the difference.

This, in all it's wisdom, is truly my saving grace.

Milestones & Memories

What a week it has been. I realize it is only Tuesday when I am posting this; I am talking about what an interesting ride the last 7 days have been.

The Boy has found his flow. Yes, that flow. He will stand on a stool, lean over the toilet holding onto the uplifted seat and lean in to mark that bowl with all his might. He is becoming a pro! He'll be three May 1st, and I have certainly been feeling the "be a perfect parent" pull toward pushing him a little too hard. I learned that lesson the hard way with The Girl, so we have been more lax with The Boy, convinced that when his time comes, he'll master it on his own. Well, turns out that theory worked. Yay toilet training! Now if we can figure out a way to get him to stop stripping all his clothes off and running around making "psssss" noises while he aims at his disgusted sister...
In other news, The Boy has also learned to put his shoes on himself, put on his pull-up himself, and scare mommy half to death by jumping down THREE stairs onto the landing, precariously tottering toward falling head-over-feet down the remaining 8 or 9 steps. Way to go BOY!

The Girl is certainly not without milestones this week. We had a fun time shopping on Saturday at one of her favorite, albeit rarely visited stores. She received a generous gift card for her birthday and in the three weeks since, that card has not only burned a hole in her pocket the size of Texas, but has incinerated every article of clothing that has dared cross it's path. She made some wise decisions after struggling a bit to shop all on her own, and having a friend and me step in to help her "create". She ended up not only spending that card, but almost all her cash on a gotta-have-it spring skirt that makes her look sweetly young and gracefully grown-up all at the same time.
The Girl is certainly coming into her own.
There is also an instance that I am sure I am not allowed to talk about here, we had a close encounter of the puberty kind this week...more of a discovery really. A permanent one, as the Girl learned very quickly, so I won't. Because I am really hankering for that Mom of the Year Award.
Tonight we had middle school orientation. I am convinced someone has swapped my little girl with a pre-pubescent tween. Middle School? MIDDLE SCHOOL??? We listened to the school staff tell all about the coming curriculum expectations in very exciting long, boring detail. I even allowed her to sit with her friends, instead of forcing her to sit with me...it was hit or miss there for a few minutes, until I realized that her six friends were sitting parentless and I was among the "old people". After the lengthy class, club and athletic program discussion, we got a mini-tour of the school. As we walked down the locker lined halls, memories long suppressed came flooding back. Then, as I shared with her that she was lucky because when I was in middle school we had to share lockers, I realized in that moment just how little she cared about my story and had already moved on in creating hers.

Happy Creating, baby. I am both scared and ecstatic to see what happens next. As is she...

Eavesdropping: Award Style

Beast and I spent an hour this evening watching The Girl's soccer team receive their award and medals for placing second in their Division this last season. (Way to go girls!!!) Since the season was spent bribing encouraging The Girl to do her best with the promise of ice cream after the game if she scored a goal for her team, I figured Baskin-Robbins was a great way to end a special night. After The Girl ordered her single scoop chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, in a waffle cone, we got back in the car to take it home.
The only noises coming from the backseat were those of an eleven year old winner enjoying her prize.
Until this...:

"My taste buds are singing." Said almost to herself.

All I could do was laugh. And as I did so she sang "Haaaallll-eluyah!" as the cherry on top.

Doth Mine Eyes Deceive Me?

A Wordless Wednesday and a Love Thursday all in the same week!?!

Yup, that's right. Seeing is believing!

It could be said that I am having a productive week, being all attentive to your needs.

Or...I am feeling guilty about not having given my best effort to my poor blog and bloggy followers (there are a few of you out there I think).

Either way...YOU WIN!

Technically, this is a Love Thursday post.

Technically, I am writing it on Wednesday.

I am not into technicalities, so you'll take it. And you'll like it!

The Beast planned a sweetly romantic outing on Valentine's Day which I tried to ruin because I hate surprises. We had a picnic at a nearby beach park that Beast found by putting his super investigative powers to good use. While we were walking along the beach we happened upon a shelter of sorts. It was apparent to us that teenagers most likely built it, but damn those teenagers are talented! I, of course, go nowhere without a camera (count your blessings) and was lucky enough to take too many a few photos.

Rear view snicker as we stumbled upon this awesome shack:

Full Frontal snicker again:

The requisite 'self timer' photo (we don't have many of us that we both like so YAY!):

It's all in the details:

And a true Love Thursday (Beast now understands why I have sidewalk chalk in my camera bag-he'll never doubt my sanity again):

Love Thursday to all. Give yourself a little love this time around, ok snicker, giggle, snicker?

Wordless Wednesday, a day early

Oh...and...not exactly wordless either.

Wordless Wednesday coming backatcha! Chances of a post making it up tomorrow are slim so look at me being all generous and sharing a day early!
Enjoy Fat Tuesday everyone!*

Eavesdropping: Texting Style

So, I have a dilemma. I'm sort of in a pickle, as some may say.
If I participate in a conversation, can I technically call it "eavesdropping"?
Probably not. But guess what?
My blog.
My rules.
Take that evil blog rule thinker-uppers.
Kachow!

The following is a portion of a text conversation between the Creative Director (or CD as she'll be referred to below, who by the way is very, very pregnant and a mommy of a soon-to-be two-year-old girl) (sorry...but you are...you know who you are) and me.

CD: God I wish I could go for adult drinks...big ones...With lots of alcohol!
Me: Day is going well huh?
CD: You have a 2 year old...you know. Is it legal to put them in the dryer? What if I don't turn it on?
Me: I would suggest washing machine
CD: (text came with a photo attached -- green glop on a kitchen table -- thanks for that) Want some already been chewed asparagus? Mmm. Tell me, why bother chewing all your food if you are just going to spit it out.
Me: I understand her feelings there...but can't say I blame her. lol
CD: It wasn't just asparagus. All she's eaten is half a pound of jojo's, a cup of rice-a-roni and half an apple fritter. At least I try to tell myself its a fruit and vegi. lol
Me: Sounds fine to me. lol

Needless to say, we probably won't be getting those "Best Parent in Town" awards this year either.
Damn. I already dusted a spot on the shelf for the giant trophy shaped like a Mondo Margarita.

Maybe next year...

Really? Pee-pee HAS to be the focus here?

I am trying desperately to catch up on the blogs that I used to be so GREAT at reading on a daily basis...to no avail.
However, I did read the Bloggess today...(you gotta love a woman posts about dead hobo fingers, especially when you later discover she is right...there really IS a use for dead hobo fingers) and I totally decided to copy her. I figure that if she is going to link to http://www.wordle.net/, that's just like giving me express permission to copycat. Yeah, I'm going with that theory.

You can view mine on the sidebar (cuz I'm not cool enough to have figured out how to actually save it...and I'm too chicken to ask her). If you click on it, it will take you directly to a bigger picture of my coolness.

Enjoy!

Being Alright with Falling Behind

Disclaimer: this post is not full of sunshine and daisies, but maybe by the end I will have come up with something entertaining, heartfelt and maybe a little inspirational.

That is certainly the area I need a lot of help in this week my friends.
I bet you thought I didn't love you anymore. I do. Really.
I am still just trying to adjust, ya know? Adjust to a new schedule, a new bedtime, a new routine for everyone in my household.

And I am not used to it yet.

I am not adjusted.

Most days, I feel pulled in so many directions I am unsure of where to start conquering all the tasks and duties I have convinced myself must be conquered. Then, when I force myself to use the tools at my disposal, center myself and take a giant leap back and just take in the situation from a different, calmer perspective, I realize, the only person tugging at me...is me.

So doesn't that mean that the only person who can change the situation is also...me?

I beat myself up over the smallest things. Whether the kids got baths today, whether the laundry is folded or just hanging out waiting for it's third de-wrinkling cycle in the dryer, whether I have expressed to my family that I love them and appreciate them, whether I have blogged, taken a photo today, have I written in my journal...boy the list just goes on and on. I have this ongoing list in my head of things that just HAVE to get done. Yet, when I attempt to think about the things I actually HAVE accomplished, that list is harder to compile. I can't give myself credit for the things I am able to conquer.

That is what I want to change. I want to be okay with just living. I want to feel like it is alright if I don't get everything done on my list, if I fall behind. I want to feel like my world isn't crashing in on me choking out my every breath if I forget one...small...thing.

Deep, deep down, in my heart, I know its okay if I'm not perfect; I just want my head to believe it too.

Today, all I can tell you for certain is that one day I will find, outside of my heart, that inner peace, that sanity, that serenity...

So, I leave you with this handy little excerpt from "The Language of Letting Go", because today...I found it helpful and intriguing.

Enjoying Recovery
What a journey!
This process of growth and change takes us along an ever-changing road. Sometimes the way is hard and craggy. Sometimes we climb mountains. Sometimes we slide down the other side on a toboggan.
Sometimes we rest.
Sometimes we grope through the darkness. Sometimes we're blinded by the sunlight.
At times many may walk with us on the road; sometimes we feel nearly alone.
Ever changing, always interesting, always leading someplace better, someplace good.
What a journey!

Today, my Higher Power, help me relax and enjoy the scenery. Help me know I'm right where I need to be on my journey.

And, I put a hand to my heart in hopes that you are right where you are supposed to be on your journey at this very moment...