Margaritos anyone?

This was a funny note I received in my inbox today.

I thought it summed it up pretty good so thought I'd share...

(and you must read this with that fake doctor woman voice-over voice that you hear ala commercials for the new wonder drug to cure whatever ails ya.)  

Important Women's Health Issue:

Do you have feelings of inadequacy?
Do you suffer from shyness?
Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist about Margaritas.

Margaritas are the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident about yourself and your actions.

Margaritas can help ease you out of your shyness and let you tell the world that you're ready and willing to do just about anything.

You will notice the benefits of Margaritas almost immediately and with a regimen of regular doses you can overcome any obstacles that prevent you from living the life you want to live.

Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past and you will discover many talents you never knew you had. Stop hiding and start living, with Margaritas.

Margaritas may not be right for everyone. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use Margaritas. However, women who wouldn't mind nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it.

Side effects may include:
Dizziness, nausea, vomiting, incarceration
Erotic lustfulness
Loss of motor control
Loss of clothing
Loss of money
Loss of virginity
Table dancing
Headache
Dehydration
Dry mouth
And a desire to sing Karaoke

WARNING:
The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you are whispering when you are not.
The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.
The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to think you can sing.
The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite sex without spitting
Please share this with other women who could benefit from Margaritas.

Hmm. Margaritas may be in order.....soon.

(oh, and I had to title it Margaritos as that's what j. coined them when he was 2-ish. )

Get Down On It.

There are lots of reasons why I love my husband.  But here are just a few that I was reminded of today....

One of my guilty pleasures is watching Dancing With the Stars. It's corny, cheesy, pretty much a waste of perfectly good reading or sleeping time; but I love dancing, and it's usually pretty entertaining.  Tonight I was reminded that Kool & the Gang's "Get Down On It" was the inspiration to a family favorite of ours, "Butt Cream On It"...you know the tune. Isn't this in every family's repertoire?  

Not really sure when and how it began, but I think when j. was about 2 this became a favorite during particularly ouchy diaper changes....and has become an automatic melody hummed whenever the jar of Aquaphor comes out.  ("Butt cream on it, uh, uh, butt cream on it...get on it.")  During the show tonight, I watched and not until my lovely husband started singing our version did it even click....Oh, yeah!! That's the ORIGINAL version....the way it's supposed to sound. 

We also have a "thankful box" that my MIL gave us last Thanksgiving.  It's just a pretty box that houses a small spiral notebook and pencils for jotting down thankful thoughts. (along with a deck of cards and other random things that have found their way to this catchall now.) Today, I was looking through our spiral and found this lovely entry: "I am thankful for a funny wife."

My sweet J, Thankfully, someone sees through it all and ALWAYS brings humor to my life........ 

LOVE HIM!!! :)

artsy, shmartsy, fever, shmever....

Little a. had a fever for two days. Some lethargy, disgruntled babyness (you know the kind when they throw everything, or want to be held, want to be down, want to be held...), fatigue (slept 5 hours one day) and general blahs....he's fever free today but there are signs that something just isn't right. He still has the crabbies, no appetite and a little tiny rash.  Now, I try, really I do - to put my natural fears on hold and just let it go...not to worry, not freak out over everything. Not google it...

When do mommy fears click in as intuition? It's hard not to worry when there are SOOO many things out there to worry about.  The least of which are scary, pandemic flus wiping out towns. Ugh.  I KNOW, as hubby said, the chances are slim to none. No, I haven't taken him in to the doc...yet. There isn't much to say.... "he just isn't right"?!  Yeah, THAT's a medical term...

So, we'll just play it by ear...per usual.

On another note, yesterday while J and I pulled weeds in the yard, big brother listed off the things he wished to be when he grows up:  Astronaut, Doctor, Professional Baseball Player, Pro Golfer, Artist...all really great, right?! Pretty typical stuff boys dream of...three of these were on hubby's childhood list as well.  (I won't tell you which, you can probably guess.)   Don't we all just want our kids to pick things they love and be happy with them?  I think most relatively sane and supportive parents would agree; choose what you love to do and make it work for you. That's how hubby and I were raised......and while I am thankful for this TO A POINT,  a part of me (kind of like a weird alter-ego part, the undeveloped country within...) wishes I had a bit more of a "practical" upbringing and education. I'm all for supporting dreams...just make sure you can actually do something with them.  Sorry, personal rant.

The artist thing surprised me for sure. He has never shown much interest. Inside my thoughts, I was simultaneously saying  "yeah, that's my boy...good for you!  and......NOOOO!!! GO be a doctor...do something good and worthwhile." How crazy am I? 

I asked him which he thought he would be best at. He said, "probably being a golfer or a baseball player "(2 things he is pretty good at right now).  Funny side note: he also said DADDY could probably show him how to be an artist. Ha....what am I? chopped liver?  Oh, yeah, I'm "mommy".

Ahh, childhood dreams........... 

Do you remember yours?

Proud and (not so) Proud Moments

This blog is turning out to be just a lot of words about my experiences in motherhood. I guess that's appropriate since that is where I am in life right now. My days consist of the joys, sorrows, drama, silliness, and profound moments of raising children. They are not all good...and sometimes, I wish I could borrow someone else's life for a day, but not for long....look what I would miss....

Those profound moments come along and sometimes make me grateful and sometimes make me heavy in heart.  They always offer me the opportunity to look inward and ahead and realize that I just need to chill. 

Most of my thoughts of my youngest child are very bread and butter. Basic. Just doing what needs to be done, enjoying the little things, making sure he's healthy (a bit of a stress) and just enjoying his baby-ness.  Most of my thoughts of my eldest child are about his person...his character, who he is, who he will become, and how to best reign his energy while nurturing his gifts and giving him structure while riding the balance of his needs and his desires.  This is a much more difficult job and I struggle daily with it.

While being one of the most difficult children I have ever known...he is a great kid. He has a pure heart and a pure soul.  He loves and feels deeply.  He can fly off the handle with the greatest of ease as well as impart wisdom beyond his years.   

He has done much and given me many proud moments in his young life. But, none so much maybe as something he did yesterday.  He was out playing football with some neighborhood kids (you know the ones from an earlier post...ahem.) During dinner, I asked about his time playing. How it went. If swear words were flying......you know, the usual.  

j: "No, but S. (a fifth grader) was calling G. (a kindergartener) an idiot". 

me: "Wow ... That sure is not nice."

j: "Yeah, that is why I told him to stop calling my friend names".  

Wow. Mom moment here.... tears in eyes....heart swelling, hand to chest.  Sweet boy of mine, you just made my month!

Okay, here's my not so proud moment....

After giving him a big hug and telling him how proud of him I was.  How this was such the right thing to do, etc. blah, blah.  He was pretty happy, blushing a bit...smiling ear to ear...

j.: "Did you hear that, daddy? Mommy said she was proud of me."

Heart.... Stops..... Beating.

Little j....I could never tell you enough how proud of you I am.  You make my heart swell...I am sorry I don't tell you enough.

Bird flippin' trees and other nonsense

Sometimes I see pictures in things.  

What I mean is,  usually when I am looking at something with a pattern in it: wallpaper, plaster, tile floors, marble, cork board, old ceilings...well, you get the idea....I can typically find 15 or so different faces, or animals, or elves.....

A lot of people do this with clouds.  For some reason, I can't do it with clouds as easily. But give me some bathroom tile and I can go to town. 

I always wish I had a sketch pad with me to draw what I see at the time.  It would be a good creative exercise.  But, typically, it's when I don't have my "tools" on me.  Like in the bathroom. TMI?? (yeah, probably.)

I was the kid that took plastic baggies and turned them into dogs.  Random shapes ALWAYS turn into something.  I have a tattoo of a dolphin "morphing" into an angel that's wrapped around in a semi-circle...most people think it's a palm tree.  Even unintentionally, I morph something it seems. Ha.

Today, J. and I were sitting out on our back porch enjoying lunch in the sun. (YAY SUN! whoooop!!! Can you tell I am sun-deprived?)

Well, I have noticed this before but it really struck me today and made me laugh.....

This is really tricky to see in these photographs, but if you look close, really close,  the new growths on each of the pine branch tips...especially the ones alone in space....those new twiggy things that look a bit like fingers? (Look at the far left of the bottom picture).....What do you think?  

Or maybe, I AM truly losing it.....

Note to self : keep the Easter Bunny out of the pantry.

This picture was taken Easter 2 years ago.  It's crazy to see the difference in little j. (I also see the difference in myself, but let's not talk about that.....) He's growing up so fast- literally before my very eyes. I remember thinking in this picture how he was getting huge, no longer my baby...4 going on 8.  He's now 6 going on 28. What happened???

The crazy concepts he comes up with and understands are beyond me. It is really hard to remember sometimes that he is just 6...(almost 7) and can act accordingly.  One minute he's discussing that the hebrew calendar is different therefore there might be a discrepancy between the actual resurrection day and the Easter Sunday we celebrate (which he later figured out was not the case - meanwhile, I was like, huh?!? )  In the next breath he's hyperventilating because he is embarrassed he had been calling one uncle another uncle's name... on top of "losing" at croquet. (No-one else was keeping score.) He's a paradox for sure. So much just a little boy with all these big thoughts going on....

 

Hunting for eggs has become twice the fun in our house.  j. became a pro this year.  No longer overlooking them but really seeking them out. It was pretty fun.  He was great with his little brother..."helping" him find them and then cheering for him when he did.  j. got lots of candy, (of which I tried to use as bribery, but didn't work since "he doesn't like any of it anyway". Sooo, who do you think will be eating it???) books, a puzzle, and other odds and ends. a. got books, bubbles, and Annie's Honey Graham Bunnies in his basket.... to which j. exclaimed. "I guess the Easter Bunny had to raid our pantry again..."  Geesh...

I got a few new books too. Twilight, the Director's Notebook. My equally obsessed friend (who shall remain unnamed because of her secret obsession) got it for me for Easter...(Ha - we are BOTH pathetic.)

But I do look forward to reading it. 

Staring down the jackass in the mirror

I confess. I have had a rotten attitude.  (ha!, as if you haven't noticed....) 

I have been struggling with fear, doubt, regret and entitlement. Wrap these words up neatly in a bow and they become a present of anger.  Beware of the wrath to be unleashed....

These are all really un-fabulous qualities for anyone; let alone a mom, wife, friend, girl who claims to be a Christian.  These are not qualities that I am proud of.  

I am not sure when or how this attitude of entitlement took hold.  Maybe I never have truly felt gratitude. (I do hope that isn't the case. )  Maybe, over time, my attitude changed my gratitude. Maybe it has just slowly festered deep inside of me, slowly gaining power...that's how insidiousness works you know...  if you aren't continually aware of your negative thoughts and take them captive at their onslaught, they can turn on you and just take over. Before you know it,  POOF!!,  you look in the mirror and wonder who is staring back at you. (wicked step-mother anyone?)  I know this is true of me.  I am a work in progress for sure. One step forward, three (or five) steps back.....

In an effort to take the Negative Nilly out of me, I will be thinking, naming and claiming my amazing blessings.  Who in their right mind wouldn't be thankful for:  

and 

little j.....

is funny, loving, sensitive, smart, beautiful and healthy!  What more could I ask for?

little a.....

is sweet, funny, adorable, cuddly, and HEALTHY!  Again, what more do I need?

Big J......

is patient, loving, kind, funny, smart, hard-working, loving, kind, patient, healthy, loving....did I say PATIENT?   (Oh,  I also think he's pretty hot.)  Best of all, he loves me....even when I am entirely unloveable.   So, say it with me...what more do I need?  

Oh yeah, and having a God that is loving, forgiving and BIG doesn't hurt either. 

"Forgive me for my grumblings when things go wrong, and remind me of how many things go right too."

(semi) Thankfulness

I am on "Spring Break" and I am about to revolt, or bolt... one of the two anyway.  I am thinking that mother nature is playing a joke on me.

( Because, of course, it is always all about me.... I have a problem with that...thinking it's always a joke on me. I am really quite selfish.  But that's another story....again.)

 I don't know whether to break out the sleds or the water wings. Today it snowed. Wow. Snow in April in the South. If you don't know, that's weird.  Really not normal.  It didn't snow all year....it waited until April. Until Spring Break. And this was no snowman making snow, it was blowing, "wintry weather".  And if you know me, I am solar-powered!!  On the bright side, in a few days it will be in the 70's again and I will be basking in the PLEASANTNESS.

 I have a friend who will be celebrating her birthday at a rooftop restaurant nearby and I am hoping to make it.  I am so lucky to have many old friends in my life.  This friend I have known since 6th grade! We haven't been in touch for years, but lucky for me she lives here and we get the chance to hang out again.  I am reconnecting with so many old friends lately and I am so thankful for that.  If I can't be thankful for snow, I CAN be thankful for my friends.  At least I am not totally a lost cause.....:)

Ode to a dishtowel...and simpler times.

This is my favorite dishtowel. It's looking a little sad these days. (I know, it's weird to have a favorite dishtowel and to like it so much that it might inspire a blog post. But, I am sure weirder things have been written about...and I am sure I will write some of those.)

So, back to my point. I love this fabric. I love all fabric that is from this era.... circa 1930s, however, the dishtowels and tablecloths are my favorite. I have stacks of cloth that my mother-in-law gave me that were her grandmother's. This dishtowel was her aunt's and probably from the same collection. How lucky am I?

I love the bright contrast of colors that earlier decades didn't favor. I love the simplicity of the colors and almost woodcut-like shapes and the color printing process that later decades made more complex. It was utilitarian, but fun. They needed a little brightness and fun in this era. It's interesting to note, this was Depression era. 

Here we are, similarly in a state of depression (depending on who you ask..) from an era of prosperity much like the 1920's into the 1930's... and we all could use a little brightness and fun in our daily lives. However, many of us have never really known the word, need.  But still, we are all having to find ways to be thrifty. Find ways to enjoy the smaller things. See old things in a new way. The autumn 1930 Sears Catalogue said that Thrift is the spirit of the day... hmmm..interesting. Sounds like something I've heard recently.

I don't use the tablecloths very often, but I do (obviously) use the towels. They add just the right amount of color and fun to my very serious grey kitchen. :) But sadly, I have to retire this little beauty. I don't want to throw it away! EE-GADS! The horror! After some thinking, I think I might have some way to re-purpose it and enjoy it longer. I'll let you know if I get around to it. After I finish this...

and this....