Lazy Sunday

It's a rare thing to have a day with no plans. No list of have-tos or we shoulds. This type of day reminds me to think like a three year old and look at things like there are no time limits. Be lazy and silly. Dance in the living room while singing off key and poo-poo those that say noon is too late to be wearing your jammies.
Giada, the real three year old, is an expert at this and has taken to being sillier than ever. She's putting fake bugs in places hoping to surprise us but secretly knowing we're being dramatic when we scream at an over-sized plastic roach or spider. She continually sings made up songs and bounces her way around the house.

excuse the dust please....as I've said it was a lazy day


When you are three, your best friends are ones you never have to set up a play date with. They are there at your disposal and they are content to be thrown, squished or used as a pillow.

It's important to photograph your dearest friends.

Flying is something you can do without getting a passport. Any adventure that involves using things other than intended is a vacation and is reason to celebrate.

I wish I could bottle this happiness.

Morgan is all "I see that and I'm not sayin' a word"

The sun was shining nice and bright and we had a touch of spring fever here. Each day, coming and going, we pass a carved bear holding an ice cream cone. We have dubbed him, "Ice Cream Bear"....creative, I know...and he is Giada's favorite landmark. We stopped to wish him a good thaw today and took some pics to document the occasion.

Lastly, what says happiness and spring more than some pretty cupcakes like these ones? These lovelies are courtesy of a friend who was sweet enough to send them home with me to share with Kris and Giada. Who could resist them?
Our Lazy Sunday was full of happenings but lazy none the less.

taking a break

tuned in

Sometimes I just randomly think of someone. There are times when I know why. Maybe it's a song on the radio that trips a memory or maybe it's the crooked smile on the guy at the coffee shop that brings me back to that place that I thought I forgot. Then there are the times that I just don't know why but I can't get a person out of my mind.
I have found that paying attention to these instances is incredibly important for me. Maybe I'm tuned into my friends or maybe it's just mere coincidence (possibly a bit of each) but I love when after thinking of my friend all day, I pull my phone out of my purse to see that she's called. Sometimes it's good, sometimes not but to know that she's far away and I still know when she needs me is deep-down-feel-it-in-your-bones GOOD.
Then there are the times when I don't know why, but I just reach out to someone. No agenda, no real reason why and that is precisely the time that they needed a friend. This has happened to me quite a bit lately and I can dwell on the how's and whys and dissect it like I would a frog in 7th grade science class but right now, I just bask in it. I love that my friends think enough of me to share their stories and they can walk away knowing that they have a confidant.
I like think I am an independent person...I think we all like to believe that, but I need my peeps. I need to know that there is someone that just 'gets' it without me having to spell it all out.
I recently read another blog where the author described the group of friends she has. One of the group had termed them "The Net" because they were there to catch each other when they fell. I love that. Even though my Net is smaller than hers, I love that I have one of my own.
So, on this rainy Friday at the end of a cold and snowy February, I wish you all good things and time with your besties. xoxo

read to them when they're young

I've been waiting for the day that I can do what I need to get done without being interrupted. The second I am distracted, all bets are off. The laundry basket will sit half-folded for a week, the vacuum is in the hallway still plugged in and a cup of coffee will go cold while I help locate a lost Barbie shoe.

I ran down to the kitchen armed with some dish towels and an empty cup to find my husband engrossed in a game of Angry Birds. As frustrated as I could be with this, I have to say that I really didn't mind. I had my own things to do and he rarely sits still to do something so mindless. I teased him for a minute and then realized that it was just us. No dog, and no chatterbox of a 3 year old in sight or listening range. Panic immediately set in as it does for me the instant I even consider the "what if" of any situation, especially if it involves the aforementioned chatterbox. ..... "ummmm....where is she?"....."she was with you"....."no...."....."well I don't have her" I immediately ran at top speed up the stairs to her room while thinking to myself that she may not be there because I was just by her room to put laundry in the washer and I didn't hear a peep.

To my extreme relief, I found her doing what I always beg of her to do. Play. Be a kid. Enjoy that I'm not asking you to do chores. Soak in every minute of not having responsibility. And boy is she good at something when she puts her mind to it. I stood in the doorway taking it all in and when I finally spoke and asked her what she was doing she said, "I'm reading to my babies".



captive audience


story time


her babies

what's your sign?

I've never been good at choosing something that symbolizes me. For eons, I just knew I wanted have a tattoo.. The difficulty for me became where to put it and what it should be. You want it to be unique but what's the point of being unique if nobody sees it? More importantly, what would I want people to see that would tell them something about me? Do I want to be known as cool, intelligent or funny and is there a way to combine all of them? So, here I sit, a tattoo virgin and I am so thankful for my decision based on indecision.

Everyone is so worried about image. Don't get me wrong, it is important. You are judged on that before you ever open your mouth but the ones so worried about image are the ones screaming their opinions from the rooftops. Wasn't Bambi taught," if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all"? So, if that is the case, why are there a million t-shirts and bumper sticker that say inappropriate things? Sorry, but "Bitch on wheels" does not give me a good impression of you, especially when I see your car in the parking lot at daycare. Not really wantin' to be your friend, honey.

All of this and more came rushing though my head this morning when I saw something that made my day. The car in front of me had the back window decal-ed as follows:

God Bless America
and
Have a Nice Day

After just chatting with a friend about being frustrated with the way people drive, I thought after I saw this that I didn't care how slow he was going, he made me smile.

bright ideas

I'm not making this up. If i were to go to the doctor and ask them to diagnose me, they would surely say that I have a severe case of klutzy-itis. I used to be so ashamed of it. I would do whatever I could to cover it up and all the while silently pray that nobody saw me. I have finally gotten to the point where I embrace my inner klutz. I own it now. Did you ever notice that old people say whatever is on their mind? They don't give a flying fig who hears them or who they may be offending. I am realizing that it must start the minute you have an inkling of self confidence.
Armed with this knowledge and a touch of athletic background, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and try.....hold on to your seats....ZUMBA. I said I didn't care how much I messed up. At least I was getting off my butt and doing something. I'd heard bits and pieces about it and even seen some after hours infomercials on it but still, I forged on, confident that this was for me. First class in, I was hooked! I was ready to buy all the appropriate gear and fashionable clothes to look my best while summoning my (non-existent) Latin roots. It's not easy and I did trip over myself trying to stay with the instructor but it was awesome. As long as nobody was watching me, as far as they knew I would be taking the Latin world by storm. I was actually so good that I would be teaching my own class in no time! Then I took class two.
During my Zumba high, I convinced my 8 week postpartum friend that this was the path to better health and would be a huge step in my effort to run a 10K later this year. We got to the class and the instructor decided that we all needed to kick it into high gear that night. Oh, my poor friend. Outside of the fact that I could barely follow the new moves, I was still enjoying myself and hoping that someday soon I would catch on. Then my friend whispers to me, between gulps of water, " You really don't like me as much as you say, do you?" ugh.... really? We still had 50 min. to go.

mail! real mail!

I got this little goodie in the mail the other day. How often do we get postcards? Like....uhhh...never and we got only postcards that day. This was the shining star though because it was from a dear friend (warm heart) and it was funny (because it's true).

i heart her

Day by Day

The last year has been one of growth for me. To say that it was easy wouldn't exactly be accurate. Just as anything, it had it's ups and downs but at the end of the day, I am left with the best things possible. I don't know if its age or experience....or maybe a combination of the two...but I have been doing a lot of reflection and I feel that it has enriched my life. I don't claim to know the answer to anything but I do know that opening my eyes to different ideas & experiences while embracing (literally and figuratively) my favorite people has made me a happier and more fullfilled person.
This is not my first blog but I start this one with more direction. With more of a voice. I am so excited to, once again, share my stories with you all.