Archive for motherhood
Moms Rock
Posted by: | CommentsToday I saw a post on facebook from an old co-worker. I haven’t seen her in years, but thanks to facebook, I know she has a little girl and lives in Ohio. She seems super happy. I always liked Kerri, and enjoyed working with her. (We also had fun on her 21st birthday, but we won’t talk about that now).
So, Kerri actually left the bartender life to become a pilot. But now, here she is, at home with her little one. What does she do? She starts her own at-home business (becomes a MOMtrepreneur). She started making hair clips and bows. They’re so cute! And definitely something you can’t find just anywhere. As they say, a picture is worth 1,000 words:
Aren’t they cute? I’m a little jealous, though. Why? Well first off, I’m not that crafty. Not in real life, anyway. I can be crafty on my handy dandy laptop, but not with actual MATERIALS. Look: I made this ninja over the weekend:
Cute, huh? But I digress……
So, I’m jealous that she’s crafty. And I’m jealous that her daughter will actually wear hair clips. Not mine. Not for longer than 30 minutes, anyway. But, I’m not very much into accessories, so I guess I can’t expect my kids to be into them.
But I think it’s awesome that she started a business. So, you should check out her blog, Elle Belle’s Bows! And us moms? We’re like that. I’ve been a virtual assistant, hocked my t-shirts online (still do that), and done all the boring paperwork gobbidy-gook for the restaurant from home. Oh, and gone back to school. My friend watches kids for extra cash. One of our waitresses also bakes cookies on the side. You can’t keep a mom back. The internet has opened up all sorts of opportunities for moms, and I love to see a mom start something new. Or finish something they started. Or go back to school. Or keep on working outside the house. Anything but that whole stereotypical fifties mom wearing an apron and having a martini and dinner ready for her husband as he walks through the door.
Nothing against the boys. They’ve been starting businesses forever. But to juggle the kids, a business, the house, the laundry…you get the idea. Moms really DO rock.
And that’s all I have to say about that 
Fast Friends
Posted by: | CommentsUm, I’m not sure if I have stepped into somebody else’s life or what. Today, my kids slept in. After we decided that it was too hot to go to summer rec, they played. I got things accomplished. They played. There were no fights about what we were going to do with the rest of the day. I was going to take them to the movies, but there was nothing to see (because we’ve seen Toy Story 3 twice now). They said they wanted to go to Giggles and Smiles. OK, I could handle that. A quick trip to Lowes (and there was no complaining!), and we headed to the mall. A quick lunch (and there was no complaining about sharing a drink!), and I dropped them off. An hour to myself. It was an hour in a mall without spending any money, but hey…I was alone! After I picked them up, we walked around the mall a bit. I even splurged on a couple of tees for them at Justice. (Granted, everything was 40% off). They smelled some lotion and candles with me, and off we went.
Next stop? Grocery shopping. They wanted to go into the Eagle’s Nest (which is a little child care facility inside of Giant Eagle). Fine with me…more alone time. I was so happy with their behavior, I bought them some silly bands to split. We came home, they played more. There was NO FIGHTING. They agreed on what they wanted for dinner. They ate nicely.
Would you like to know what they are doing right now? They are doing their Summer school work. Without complaining. Dare I even say, enjoying it?
If I was transported into another dimension, I’d like to stay here, please. Next I’m going to see if they clean up like they said they would. Then it’s our favorite summertime show…Wipeout. (Oh my gosh, as I type this they just shared their candy!!!!!!!!!!!)
They Can’t Be Babies Forever – Thank God!
Posted by: | CommentsWell, as I sit here on the last Friday of school, I’m thinking about the summer and the girls going to school in the fall. I’m very much looking forward to summer. I love that the girls will sleep in a bit. No more 6:30 a.m. wake ups. I love that they can stay up a little later, and they don’t get all crankified. (Yes, I made up a word.) I love stopping for ice cream, catching an afternoon movie, and visiting with friends and family that we’re too busy to visit with while school is in session.
There are parts of summer that get a little trying, though. Although Becca and Chloe generally get along, there will be afternoons where they can’t be in the same room together without being mean to each other. I’m sure there will also be lots of “I’m bored!!!” and “There’s nothing to do!” I’ll take it though. I think I’m ready. But if you talk to me in August, I might be singing a different tune.
My friend Marlo asked me yesterday if I was going to be sad that they are both going to be in school all day come the fall. You know what? I’m not. I don’t mean that in a greedy way, though. I will definitely miss all our little conversations and cuddles. And I WILL like to have some time back to myself. But more than anything, I’m proud of them. I’m proud of they way the girls became great friends on vacation. I’m proud of they way they made friends in the pool. I love that they are buddies, and ready to take on the Primary School as a team. I’m proud that they’re not extremely annoying or mean to other people.
I really think that I will enjoy watching them flourish, watching them make more friends, help people and become more confident. I’m excited for the unknown that will happen as they grow older. I will mention, though, that my tune may again change when they are older…like 13 and 15. I can’t see that being too easy.
Have a great weekend, and GET READY FOR SUMMER!
Adios, Preschool
Posted by: | CommentsWell, after a crazy week of returning to my regularly scheduled life, Chloe graduated from preschool. I can’t believe that she’s going to be in kindergarten. I can’t believe I now have a five year old and a seven year old. Crazy.
Chloe’s graduation ceremony was very cute (her teacher has always done a great job!). It will be strange not driving to the preschool…I’ve been driving there for four years. Here’s a little clip of Chloe. She must have still been on vacation mode, too. She yawned through the entire thing.
And here’s a little clip of her getting her preschool diploma:
I am ALMOST back into the swing of things. However, after a very fun pool party at our friends’ home, I was a bit sluggish today. Those frozen concoctions were going down way too easily! So, now that Memorial Day Weekend is almost over, we’re gearing up for summer. I think we’re all ready for later bedtimes and a bit of sleeping in. Talk to you all soon!
Kennywood’s Open (No, not your zipper)
Posted by: | CommentsI hope you had a great Mothers’ Day. We spent Mothers’ Day at Kennywood. It’s our new yearly tradition (second year in a row). Mothers’ Day weekend is opening weekend at Kennywood. Seems that people have other things to do on Mothers’ Day, so the lines are pretty light. Not to mention that there was a high temperature of about 52 degrees.
But we had a blast. We went on the kids’ favorite, the Jackrabbit at least three times. We hit all of the classics…the Paratrooper, the Kangaroo, the Pirate Ship, the Turtle. We went on Noah’s Ark, which completely freaked Becca out. (Chloe was a little scared too, but she just hides it better). I think that most of Becca’s problem was having a couple of 11 or 12 year old boys behind her, making extra noise. Becca was actually tall enough for the Racer and The Exterminator. Which she thoroughly enjoyed (although, because The Exterminator is dark, she just sort of clenched my hand in fear the entire time. But when we exited, she was really excited about it.). The kids played games, won stuffed animals, got their cotton candy and had an overall great day.
Because the lines were so short, we really had ridden all that we wanted to ride by 4:30. So, we headed home. On the trip back, I asked the girls what their favorite part of the day was. Chloe said it was winning the stuffed animals and riding the Jackrabbit. Becca said stuffed animals and the Racer. Then I asked what their least favorite part of the day was. I was expecting Becca to say that it was Noah’s Ark, but she threw me a curve by saying that it was riding the three rides she rode in Kiddieland. Chloe agreed.
There’s a little part of my heart that is sad about that. They used to be so excited to get on those rides. They look at me, so proud that they could ride something on their own. That day, however, they looked at me like I was making them watch a documentary on making cheese. I guess I can’t avoid the fact that they have to grow up. At least I get to ride the fun rides with them!
Speaking of that, I had the opportunity to cross something off my bucket list (the Skycoaster). Problem was, they were only accepting triple rides (meaning you had to have three people to go). The girls were tall enough to go on, and I actually pressed it a bit. Chloe was more than willing, but Becca wasn’t so sure. Then Tony looked at me and very gently asked, “Do you want to be the Mom who scars them for life on Mothers’ Day?”
OK, guess not. I’ll have to try another day…
