Nov11

30 Days of Thanks: Friends

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Six weeks ago, I got to spend a day with some of my oldest friends. Last week, I got to have lunch with my college roommate. Yesterday, I got to spend part of an afternoon laughing with some of my favorite women. Tomorrow, I get to spend an evening with some of my dearest friends.

I am so very lucky.

When the Bean talks about her friends (both boys and girls) she tells me a lot how one person is mad at another person for playing with a 3rd person. I hear her and her friends saying to each other “I’m not your friend anymore.”  I get that it’s completely age appropriate and that this giving and taking away of friendships will settle down, as it has for Scorch, but every time I hear those words come out of her mouth, I want to point to all the amazing women that line my life and tell her- see, see what friendship is really about?

It’s about being able to laugh with friends that you’ve had for 26 years- friends that loved you during your bad perm years, who snuck out of houses with you all while terrified of getting caught, who know your family and all your secrets and love you for them and despite them.  It’s about being able to pick up where you left off with an old friend, but instead of complaining about professors, you’re complaining about pediatricians and finding that balance between work and family. It’s about having a group of women who you see at every practice and game, at school drop off and randomly at the park that have your back, mother your kids when you’re not around and keep you sane by reminding you that it’s just a phase.

I want so very much for my kids- more then I could ever list. But if I did write that list, the joy of friendship would be near the very top. I hope that my daughter surrounds herself in crazy strong women who lift her up, make her laugh and always, always wants what is best for her- just like I have.

Nov6

30 Days of Thanks: A List

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After 5 minutes of sitting here, thinking about what I want to be thankful for, I still can’t pick one. So I’m going to share them all.

-> Obviously democracy and our ability to vote- along with the sweet, elderly poll workers who made such a fuss over the kids tonight as we waited in line. Such a great fuss, in fact, that the Bean cried when she realized we could only vote once.

-> I’m thankful for kids who think breakfast for dinner is the best thing ever and don’t realize that eggs and pancakes = a mommy who didn’t plan ahead.

-> Scorch and I had a morning where he wasn’t happy and I wasn’t happy with him. While I think I handled things as well as I could have, I was still beating myself up while he was at school for not having all the answers for my kid and not being able to make all his worries disappear. Hearing Scorch say during prayers tonight that he was thankful that God gave him the best Mom in the world made me so very thankful for the resilience of youth.

-> I was so thankful to see the sun out today. It had been 11 days- ELEVEN DAYS, PEOPLE- since we saw the sun. Even though it was only 38 degrees out, I wanted to take a blanket outside and lay on it to soak up the rays.

-> I’m thankful that it’s 7:52 pm and both my kids are asleep, leaving the Hubs and I all night to obsess over the election results without having to answer a million questions from the kids.

Nov5

30 Days of Thanks: Community

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I’m sure I’ve told this story before, but when the Hub’s job transferred us back to NY and we were trying to figure out where to live, he suggested our current town. I believe my response was something akin to “Who the hell wants to live there?!”  “There,” of course, being where we’ve lived for the past 10 years- a small college town without a mall or even a Starbucks.  To say that I was a little underwhelmed when we moved here would be an understatement.

But a decade later and this is Home. This is the place where it’s impossible to run to the grocery store without seeing at least one person you know. Where the kids sporting events are also social events for the Hubs and me as we catch up with friends and get to know classmates parents betters. A place where I look forward to monthly PTA meetings (yes, really!) to try to figure out how to give back to the school.

It’s not easy making a life in a new place as an adult- a place where you don’t know anyone.  Where we live now isn’t a utopia, but it’s become Home. It’s a place I’m invested in as it’s the place my kids will grow up in. Sure, it may have snowed here for the past 3 days (*sob*)- but it’s still a place I’m so thankful to have found.

Nov1

30 Days of Thanks

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Time fo 30 Days of Thanks- my most favorite thing to do on this blog! It brings out my inner Pollyanna and really forces me to think about all the blessings in my life.

Today I’m thankful for progress- specifically, Scorch’s progress.  I don’t know if I’ve ever written about this, but last year Scorch started to struggle with some moderate anxiety. It wasn’t debilitating, but it was frequent enough to be bothersome to Scorch (and the Hubs and me). His anxiety made getting to school every single day a struggle and it made bedtime a challenge every single night.  After a lot of back and forth, the Hubs and I finally decided to find a therapist for Scorch to talk to. We had no idea if his anxiety was even bad enough to warrant seeing a professional, but we figured we had nothing to lose.

Best. Decision. Ever.

Last Friday, Scorch had a crappy day at school. He got in a spat with a friend and it spiraled into a Big Deal like only a 1st grade argument can. All weekend long I was dreading the return to school on Monday- all I could think about was how nervous Scorch was going to be that morning. But you know what? He didn’t say a peep. Not a single complaint of a stomach ache, no tears, nothing.  I was shocked- and so freaking proud of that  kid.  The progress he has made in the past few months is astounding and I couldn’t be happier.

 

 

 

 

Oct30

Playing Catch Up

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The Good

> Hell week at work is over. My project was out on time and with minimal bumps. Doesn’t mean the work is over (it’s never, ever over) but I’m over the first hurdle.

> We had a fantastic weekend. My parents picked up the kids after school on Friday because the Hubs and I had a wedding to attend 6 hours away on Saturday. We spent Friday night at home (I was coming off a 16 hour work day)- we went out to dinner to celebrate and were in bed by 10. My idea of a perfect evening. We got up and out on Saturday and drove to my favorite city (DC) for a quick 24 hour visit. The wedding was beautiful, we had a great time and the car ride was blissful with no kids to worry about.  It always makes me very, very happy to be reminded of how much I like spending time with my husband.

> We were spared Sandy’s wrath. The forecast was not looking good yesterday during the day- we were told to prepare for 3-5 days without power, but a last minute turn in the storm means we got hit with exactly nothing. Some rain and some wind, but nothing crazy or life threatening. My heart goes out to all those hit hard by the storm.

> Halloween tomorrow! I’m ignoring the ugly weather we’re going to get (40’s and pouring rain) and just focusing on how excited the kids are!

Now, for the bad…I have 7 loads of laundry to fold. Blech.  Back tomorrow with a more coherent post…promise.

Oct24

Dropping The F Bomb

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This past weekend we were at a birthday party for a kid in Scorch’s class.  As the kids were sitting around the kitchen table, they started talking about bad words they knew.  Most of them were pretty innocent- stupid, dumb, etc.  Then, looking at all the rest of the kids around the table expectantly,  one of the kids stated that his father says the “s” word all the time.

The rest of the kids looked at him blankly.

“You know, the s-word.”

More blank stares.

“S…..h…..i….”

Thankfully the kids are crappy spellers with a very limited vocabulary, so they still didn’t get it as the parents rushed in quickly to change the subject.

The kids are quiet for a  few minutes they finish off their cake when all of a sudden Scorch pipes up.

“I say the “f” word a lot at home.”

You could have heard a pin drop in the room as all the parents got really quiet and stared at me.  Once I got done laughing, I explained that in our house the only “f” word was fart and yes, Scorch does get in a trouble a lot for dropping that particular f bomb in more ways then one!

Oct22
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This week is just nuts. Between work (hello 12 hour days!) the kids (gymnastics, birthday parties, swimming, oh my!) and the normal wife/house keeper/chef/TV & book junkie parts of living, don’t expect to see me until next week.

To make up for that, I’m going to gift to you Time Magazine’s Top 25 Blogs of 2012. Some I’ve heard of, but most I haven’t.  So I hope you find good reading- I’ll be back after things slow down or when the kids come up with something too funny not too share. 🙂

Crazy Life, Crazy Me, Neglected Blog

Oct18

Pre-Planning

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I think there is something wrong with me. Let’s look at the evidence:

1) Last weekend, I ordered our Christmas cards (they arrived today- they are gorgeous!).

2) Tonight instead of putting together a meaningful blog post and/or folding laundry, I’m creating Christmas lists for everyone (think “everything Star Wars from Target” is specific enough for what to get the kids?).

3) I’ve already purchased a few Christmas gifts- mainly for my niece because she’s 1 and clothes for little girls are my kryptonite, but still, I have gifts regardless of who they are for.

I don’t normally worry about any of this until after Thanksgiving. It’s not even Halloween yet. Am I maturing? Growing? Learning to be someone who plans ahead? I just don’t know who I am anymore- and it’s scaring me.

 

Oct14

I Don’t Do Scary

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We ordered the kid’s Halloween costumes a few weeks back and when they came, the kids wanted to wear them all the time. So much so that I finally hung them up in Bean’s closest so they would last until the end of the month. I figured it was a safe spot as we very rarely go in there and I knew the kids wouldn’t stumble on them by accident and dig them back out.

What I didn’t count on was me forgetting about the costumes, opening up the closet and almost peeing my pants in fright.

 

(Bonus points if you can tell what both kids are being from this pic.)

~*~*~*~

We were invited last weekend to go on a Haunted Hay Ride. I quickly declined because I don’t do scary at all- and, quite frankly, even a high school version of a haunted hay ride may be too much for me.  But just because I don’t like being scared doesn’t mean I don’t like seeing other people be scared.

Here are some pictures of people going through a Haunted House in LA (I think). #4 and #19 makes me giggle every time I see them.

And this is from a few years ago when Ellen had one of her writers go through a Haunted House. I laugh because I would have gone through the same exact way- talking to myself, psyching myself up, screaming at crazy times and and ultimately needed a new pair of pants when I was done. Love it!