NOW that I'm Jinx-Free!

(Christmas, 2011!)

Sooooooooooo! That whole thing about life's challenges propelling us forward... YES. It is THE best way to look at it - as it usually does prepare us for our future, besides. I believe I've finally found the ideal drop-in child-care situation!!!!!! HALLELUJAH - sing with me (hall-le-eee-lu-jah!) I know I'll depend on this more in the summer months - as I become busy with processing wedding photos again - and so - I've already got the littlest one enrolled for the remainder of this winter season. I'll choose a day when the older girl is in school for the day, and drop off the littlest lady at the new spot for the day - freeing-me-up! 

It's drop-in care with no commitments or minimums, is affordable, and through a well-renowned school district nearby! WOOT! My biggest hang-up with delving into this was trusting the people who would be caring for my kiddos. Now that this hurdle is no longer in the way - bring it on! It's an answer to my prayers - as I not only need this time for my brain to occasionally have the luxury of functioning without interruption, while enabling my internal energy-stores to be re-charged, but I need it for keeping up with life as well.

I was chatting with a close family member (who doesn't have children, but has experienced some of the 'trials' with us when we were young, and our children) about having found this diamond-in-the-rough. She congratulated me on locating this, and recognizing that I need this for myself. While it may deserve a pat-on-the-back in some regard (since I know that many wouldn't realize or accept this need), I reminded her that ANY parent "needs" this opportunity. I am a free-spirit, with perhaps a greater overall need for time to myself... but all parents need time away from their beloved children to be better parents. Quality over quantity! 

Let's get one thing straight & clear: I ADORE my babes! I've been dreaming about being a "mother" since I was old enough to convey that message... and I'm grateful beyond words. I'd do nothing differently, and wouldn't change it for the world! My priorities are creating a meaningful and lasting bond with these amazing people whom God has entrusted to me. I LOVE the fact that I can be home with them, while also thriving on a part-time career (2 now!) that I also thoroughly enjoy - also contributing income toward the family's goals. With that said, it doesn't change the fact that my brain needs a day to function on a regular basis - without constant interruption. I don't really think that's asking too much. I think that many parents would agree. In fact, I know of many who choose to work outside of the home so that they have greater balance. That is their prerogative, and to each their own! But for me, I knew I wanted to be their full-time care-giver. It's a truly FULL-time job (as in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!), and I do require a tiny bit of 'vacation' in there - to listen to my heart and rejuvenate! So now - I can look forward to that no matter what is going on. I need not depend on one person to provide that luxury any longer. This is a hurdle-overcome! 

TIP: Sometimes we need a gentle "nudge" or push in the right direction. So heed that, and do what you gotta do!

A QUOTE: "Be real, Be free, Be happy." ~ Unknown

WHIDFML: Spent the week both girls were at home for holiday break doing special projects with them! That's for another post :)

"Twas the Night Before Christmas...

and all through the house... little creatures were stirring and making noise with their mouths. They acted as though they had never been taught, the prims and the propers of misbehaving-not. They screamed and they wailed, and they stomped and they cried... until mommy and daddy were fit to be tied. We damn-near imploded from the adrenaline and fatigue, until at last, we were able to intermingle some glee. We survived the hours leading to the holiday family-affair, and finally, at last, joy so fleeting and rare. Mommy and Daddy were sure not to cave, and little sassy girls now remembered just how to behave. Though cookies and treats were off-limits that night, the girls learned to enjoy other Christmas delights.

All of the Christmas spirit that was building-up inside of me, was abruptly consumed when Christmas Eve arrived in all of it's child-hysteria-laden glory. AH. Did I SERIOUSLY jinx this shizz yet again via pre-blogging?!? What THE??? The entire day... (entire... read "ENTIRE") was filled with visions of Prozac, Chocolate, and Wine dancing in my head ;) 

Bus seriously - we hadn't experienced that kind of hysterical crying and outbursts in ages - and never in such consistent succession - and by BOTH children at once! Adelyn literally cried and screamed (and not just howling - SCREAMING) for over an hour after her nap. I was ready to catch a flight to the Bahamas right then and there, yo. [Or Delaware. Or ANYwhere.]

Evidently, they got that all out of their system. Every year I think, "Ah - this will be a good year for _______________!" (Insert preferred event, such as "Christmas"...) As they get older, they don't necessarily get "easier", per say. Their challenges (and yours) simply change and evolve! And so - I too must continue to change and evolve with the times. So be it. For the record, Christmas was good overall. We didn't have to rush all over creation, and we had spaced things out quite well. And it was fab having a church service on that Friday eve! Bonus. Another bonus? The girls and I got a reindeer-pulled sleigh ride before the service! It was Donner (a GIRL-reindeer!) and Blitzen. There was no snow this year (yet another bonus - though a white Christmas is always welcome...) They had placed wheels on the sleigh! Hahahaha - good memories nontheless. 

TIP: While threatening to take away 'treats' on Christmas Eve may seem 'strict' - if you'd lived in this house for 10 minutes that day, you'd agree it was necessary! And, if we were taught one thing in our Love & Logic class - it was consistency (also meaning: follow-through). Once that 'threat' was made to attempt to control the ensuing chaos, and the chaos did continue to ensue, it was then required that no treats be doled out to the offending children. I think it was a quite fitting lesson, actually - and one that they chose. We gave them the option/ the warning. It wasn't heeded, and not by our account. 'Twas their choice to disregard our authority... again.

A QUOTE: "Let`s be naughty and save Santa the trip." ~Gary Allan

WHIDFML: Convinced myself that blogging is not going to jinx me any longer! I'm seriously not allowing anything (or anyone with ill-wishes) to negate my happiness! Always been very independent, and will continue that trend - thank you very much! Happiness stems from within. Your attitude about the things that you cannot control really do affect your reactions to things. You can choose to be happier. While we all have moments, and bad days - your choice to resolve your issues in ways in which you are able, help propel you forward through life's challenges, and enable you to grow on a spiritual level.

MomMe-Day!

So today, I got to spend a great deal of my afternoon enjoying a massage. YES! SOOOO relaxing. I totally was ready to just revel in that moment (all 80 mins of it!!) Deep breath in... and exhale... ahhhhhhh. I freaking LOVE the Aveda Institute! Then, I ran some errands, picked up the neighbor girl from school for her momma, and spent the evening listening to Christmas tunes, surrounded by candle-light (still am) ;) - and wrapping gifts! Ahhhhhh. SO interesting too, how I had merely 3 minutes to browse the magazine while I sipped tea awaiting my massage appointment... and yet I took in just enough - something to blog about! It's so integral. It was discussing the way we as a culture are programmed to use every waking moment to do something "constructive" - and how much we need to just take the time to really BE. How, you may ask?? Well, by doing... (ready for this??) NOTHING! Yep. Nada. Nilch. Zilch. No-thing. NOTHING! It referred to this as a "novel idea". Indeed! It started to go into further detail about the how-to's and the benefits of such 'activity' (or lack thereof), stating that our medical personnel refer to this as "Constructive Rest". Hells-yeah! Cheers to that! Oh my gosh - how I wish I had stolen that magazine! ;) hahahah. But seriously - I wish I had at least asked to borrow it, so I could finish that ever-enlightening column that I had barely begun. But I think the overall concept was brilliant enough... don't you? 

TIP: I didn't let my mind wander - AT ALL today while enjoying my momME-time... This massage COMPLETELY revitalized all of my senses! I kept just focusing on my breath, relaxing, the music, and the serenity... Well-deserved, much-needed, and well-timed. Tomorrow (Thurs) is our "Friday" - since Joel is off on Friday this week. AWESOME! Can't wait to spend the day with the fam at the MOA - soaking in the holiday glimmer adorning the digs, and just doing a bit of window-shopping (the best kind), and people-watching, lunch-feasting, and exercising - all-in-one! NICE. Then, onto reindeer-watching (and a possible sleigh-ride if enough snow remains from this recent smattering) prior to the Christmas service at our church! Bring it.

A QUOTE: K - actually - - 2 qoutes!! 

"Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop."  ~Ovid

"No one can get inner peace by pouncing on it."  ~Harry Emerson Fosdick (Woot!)

WHIDFML: Ummmmm... this entire post!!! :) 

This is Christmas....

This is Christmas to a 3-year-old:

Any Questions??

So, she set up a Christmas 'tea-party', and invited Santa and his "friends" to the celebration. So cute and innocent - and yet this scene is so terrible.... Terribly funny, that is! Addie has a weird thing about naked dolls. All babies, princesses, & Barbies are de-clothed regularly. Not sure where it stems from, or what the motivation may be - but Santa and his sheep don't seem to mind. ;) 

The best part? 

She happened to set this all up in front of a depiction of the manger-scene. KIDS!

TIP: If you kiddos don't like milk, try Chocolate flavored almond milk. Super good. You can even add Ovaltine to make it extra-chocolatey, and enhance with some more vitamins in that process. What the hey?

A QUOTE: "The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live." ~George Carlin

WHIDFML: Inspired by my fave gal-pal, I'm fixin' to start some mediation. I'll start with 10 mins/ day - and just free my mind and breathe! Yeah, baby! Diggin' on that New Year's resolution~

Salsa Authentica

We visited the local Mexican restaurant recently to enjoy a celebratory dinner. It was a good day, and I was feeling especially up-beat and light-hearted. This disposition seemed to readily feed into the giddy-mayhem that unfolded during our meal. Luckily, we were seated in the LAST booth on the far end of the restaurant.... since we somehow missed that boat named "I eat out at restaurants - just with kids now". (Those who follow my babblings know what that is referring to!) While one child is shimmying to the authentic Mexican jive, exclaiming, "My boobies are moving!" - the other boogies-out a big-girl-sized-fart, promptly announcing, "My spooted!" All I could do was laugh, while Joel attempted to 'shush' them to no avail! Somehow, this was all funnier yet when sipping an authentic Margarita on the rocks! Yes, the real-deal does tend to treat me right. For the record, I was already in a good mood, as described above. Taking kids out in public, and enjoying an adult beverage only enhanced that mood! Until we meet again - Adios!

TIP: Tall booths make for decent sound barriers. :) 

A QUOTE: "I feel a blog coming on!" ~ ME

WHIDFML: Decorated for Christmas!!! Gosh, I feel organized.

Patience is a Virtue...

Patience... I have come to realize over the years that I have more than I give myself credit for. The problem lies in dealing with repeat episodes of, say, drama, over extended periods of time that don't encompass a solid break for me... and wallah - the patience is worn thin. It's to be expected. I haven't been able to consistently count on my highly-appreciated and not only desired, but truly required mommy-days for a number of months now... It's been hit or miss... a day here, a day there... Much more scarce than I've grown accustomed to. Even when I can manage to talk myself out of 'stress' psychologically, I can't seem to stop my body from experiencing it. Son of a! I darn-near missed out on the opp to merely wrap gifts without the eyes of the recipients nearby. That would have been a slight bit stressful, indeed. My 'back-up-plan' retired just before the summer months. I had gone online to seek a new back-up plan, and I couldn't find anything. I reluctantly decided last Wednesday to make a point of devoting some of my extra-valuable and fleeting time to trying this again. I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were multiple ads offering part-time/ drop-in care options! It must be the difference between summer and the school-year, I reasoned. Makes sense! I have renewed hope again - and 3 emails out to various prospective part-time care-givers. I also have 2 more phone numbers stashed in the case that the emailed nannies don't fit the bill in some way, or reply to my queries. IN as much - I actually have the name given to me by the previous 'back-up' day-care lady back in June! I never did call her, because I knew absolutely nothing about her. I felt like the squeaky wheel (that would be me) was simply receiving some grease when this number was given to me. But maybe it's meant? Who knows. I do know that I am "meant" to have some designated ME-time... to regroup, catch up on things, and just - BE. I need that to recharge. When I don't get it consistently, I start to get a little jumpy - even with the hubby. Me-time isn't a selfish thing. It makes me a better me - and a better mom and wifey too!

I'm definitely not wired to go without this time for too long! 

Time to find some new- new chosen family once again! Life. Gotta keep changing right along with it, right?

TIP: Don't just 'settle' when it comes to recharging your batteries. When challenges arise, find a solution. Get creative and you can solve nearly any prob! (That's a snippet from another fave quote!)

A QUOTE: "Life's problems wouldn't be called 'hurdles' if there wasn't a way to get over them."  ~Author Unknown (Did I already use this one?? I may have, but I think I'm thinking of using it on FaceBook previously!)

WHIDFML: Sipped on some Eggnog - blended with Kahlua'. Mmmmm. It's a seasonal thing!

Laugh 'Til You Pee!

So if you've been following me - you probably already know that I'm determined to try snowboarding this year. Nothing major - I surely won't have the necessary skill to go beyond the bunny-hill! But I still want to try this! Always have. So - we're making it happen. This is major motivation for me to consistently work-out at home. It seems to be working pretty well. I mean - you know you're working your abs ultra-hard when you are jumping, lifting weights, and laughing at America's Funniest Home Videos on the TV! Now that Tom Bergeron (sp?) hosts, (and not that annoying-ass that used to ruin the show altogether for me) - I can watch again. We had it on during my power-work-out, and it amped things up that much more. So much more, that I PEED my dang pants! Whoah! I mean, not full-blown, but when you laugh that hard, and you're already in the midst of exerting yourself - I dunno - what can I say!? Must be working! Another good sign... I bowled a freaking 206 last time I subbed!! Double-WHOAH! Woot-woot!

TIP: Laugh, jump, lift, bowl, do... 'til you pee! That's how you know you're doing it right.

A QUOTE: "Peeing your pants is the coolest." ~Billy Madison 

WHIDFML: Enjoyed some GLUTEN-FREE Gelato, compliments of my mom and dad! O.M.G. 

And, it's some more motivation for those work-outs!