Haiti

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My heart has had so much to say yet it seems recently my brain hasn’t been able to find the words. Lost perhaps in the oblivion of my internal spinning wheel I have emerged an introvert. Perhaps it is the rut so many of us stumble upon coming off the high of holidays, or maybe it could have something to do with the fact that the temperature has been changing around 40-60 degrees on what seems like a daily basis… and today’s forecast was cloudy.

My husband referred to me today as a sunflower and I think that might be the perfect assessment… it seems when the sun is away I tend to become lost in the clouds.

My need to write has quietly wisped away leaving me plenty of time to be in my head… processing. Wrapped up in the warmth of pajama pants and the safety of the Disney channel in the background I can watch the images of Haiti. I can combat this intense heartache with small doses of joy. If only we could all escape to joy when reality became just a little too scary… and for that I am intensely grateful and beyond humbled. Daily my heart has been touched by these heroic individuals called to service in such turmoil and feel awe and envy of their giving spirit----all the while sitting down to tea with my favorite dynamic duo. How is that I am playing tea party while another at this exact moment is helping to calm a broken tiny child that has just lost her entire family in destruction?

So I am processing---processing a world that is much greater than my tiny life. Taking a moment to hone in on the key emotions that connect us all and praying with my whole heart that these people, in a world so different than my own, are feeling at least a moments love during their hard and scary day---even if it is love from one overly-dramatic often times ungrateful housewife a million miles away---- cause Lord knows I am sending it in abundance…


Yet, somehow it just doesn’t seem like enough.

So if you too want to feel inspired beyond words and greatly humbled too send prayers this way… every little bit helps, right?

*http://www.benandkatieinhaiti.com/

*http://bleshblog.wordpress.com/

*http://livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/

Musical May Day

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It seems that in the spirit of starting fresh this 2010, the May Children are sharing a nice little GI bug. Nothing like cleaning out your system, eh? As a result of said germs, we have not left the house in two days--- (well, technically I was able to escape to book club last night but other than that...) The first day was a really fun play around the house day. Today we were STIR CRAZY.

Today was a giant lump of sibling friction, frustration, boredom with MAJOR spurts of insane energy. Molly totally could have made it at school today. But alas, she was home and we were all a bit intense. Only one thing to do to change our circumstance- DANCE PARTY 2010.

Thank you, Pandora - you really saved the day!
After the DANCE PARTY started to die down, Molly serenaded us with her beautiful music. Such a talent, no?

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Molly and her music = love.

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Nice to end a LOOOONG day with a very pleasant afternoon...

Get your sk8 on!

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This weekend we celebrated my niece's 7th birthday at the roller rink! I know what you are thinking---- are we crazy for taking toddlers?! I have to tell you though---(much to my shock!)--- it was incredible and they did GREAT!

And for the birthday girl, what a FUN way to celebrate seven! I have to say that seven might be one of my favorite kid ages. I mean really, what is not to love? You have the tooth fairy, sleepovers, girl scouts, sports, bubble gum and the ability to play Nintendo DS. Life just can't get any sweeter... at least, here's hoping for our kids!

Happy Birthday, Kenz!

Roller skating with our kids was an adventure. It is funny because everything is the same as how you remembered it from childhood but suddenly you feel a little overwhelmed... the flashing lights, kids on wheels suddenly brings chaos when you are trying to keep track of two very INDEPENDENT Mays with skates for shoes.

I can't believe they have skates as small as they do (toddler size 6). They can lock the wheels so that the little ones are more independent with their movement. Gabriel and Molly took this to mean that we in NO shape or form had to hold on to them. Did I mention the millions of kids on the rink? Fun times!

It took us a few attempts to get the right size (mainly because they kept giving us two right skates...) but we made it...helmets and all!

This was about the only time Gabriel let me touch him. Mr. INDEPENDENT. Can we say hello almost two-year-old?

Molly did fantastic. She skated, she danced and even did the cha-cha slide on wheels. I was oober impressed...

Gabe did great but he was a bit overstimulated and thus called upon his battle cry. If you have yet to witness the battle cry--- consider yourself lucky.

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Fortunately, no Gabe attitude can withstand the power of cake ...

or video games. What is it with boys and their video games... geez...

So our rollerskating adventure was a success and we will definitely be back for more skating fun... helmets and all!

Advice?

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Well I made it. This morning I was at the gym at 5:50 for a quick little workout... after several snafus this almost didn't happen. While at the gym I was for one shocked at how many people were there and secondly realized once again how much I am NOT a morning person. It was hard but I made it through it and I plan to do it again Friday. After I buy a new alarm clock.

Here is where the needing advice comes in... I need music ideas! I know that I will not be able to make there in the morning without some awesome tunes to get me moving. So, if you don't normally comment... no biggie... just comment this one time and then return to just reading... I could just REALLY use some suggestions on your one favorite song that gets you moving or makes you happy! If you have several songs then bring it on! I promise to download whatever you recommend as I am open to all types of new music!

I really figure this topic could help others as well as I bet I am not the only one trying to get in shape around here...

Can't wait to see what you like! My workout thanks you... and so does my husband (he may not have to listen to me whine now as I get out of bed...)

Off to take my achy cranky body to get some breakfast.

Bathtub Bonanza!

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The evolution of the bathtub routine at our house just fascinates me! Right when you think you have it mastered BAM... you are teleported to the next level and resume your mission to seek comfort. On-going for sure and never a dull moment in our one tiny, little box of a bathroom.

Level One: Tiny newborns and bath time were incredibly scary at first. I mean, I don't know that it is ever really a good idea to give an extremely OVER tired new mommy this wiggly, whimpering, (in my case--- hairiest child EVER) to bathe by herself. Don't even get me started on the nasty looking umbilical cord mid-fall off... UGH. But you get through it... forget about long enough to be back there again with new baby... and then you get through it again.

Level Two: Tiny wiggy naked newborn is now a daredevil toddler, and my case with a lot more hair. Licking the wall, swimming under water and REFUSING to sit down. Good luck. Mastering this phase really felt like an accomplishment.

Level Three: Hairy-Naked-Daredevil lets IT go in the tub. No warning at all and resulting in new bath towels. If I recall correctly,this level had some pretty angry theme music... like when you were running out of time in Mario Brothers.

Level Four: Wiggy-naked-baby is back but this time accompanied by older-naked-hairy-daredevil toddler. Fun times. Especially when daredevil-baby wants to "help" wiggy get clean.

Level Five: Sassy-Naked-first-baby and New-Chubby-Naked-Daredevil think it is pure joy to discover how different their anatomy is the bath tub. Chubby Devil stands up and pees. Sassy Naked cries. Survivable---but tough.

Level Six: Chubby Devil has now surpassed Sassy Naked in size and thinks it is really funny to try and sit on her in the tub...accidentally sits on Ariel bath figure and cries REALLY sad tears. Sassy Naked gets mad at Chubby Devil for touching her princess and begins to cry. Mommy gets some wine.

Level Seven: Sassy Naked and Chubby Devil help to give tiny furball a bath... trying REALLY hard to listen for directions...
with one ALMOST time-out...

Sassy Naked scrubbed away...

while Chubby Devil monitored all temperatures (bath water, tiny furball, the toilet water) before grabbing the toilet scrubber and "washing" the walls.

Tiny Furball feeling scared...

but maintained her forgiving...

overstimulated, "Melon Ball Medori" smelling furball self throughout it all.

Next level, please.

Almost Over It.

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Last week in the heart of all the Merry-Christmas-almost-Happy-New-Year hoopla something horrible happened... my camera might have taken a vacation to Jupiter- the permanent kind.

It left very suddenly without telling me and I am so hopeful that it was not kidnapped and will come back to me soon. I have looked everywhere so the only logical explanation is that it has vanished to some place FAR away which is sad because let's face it--I don't travel so much these days. I am trying really hard to make myself believe that it is just lost and it might one day resurface... much like my right black pump did in February and the way that bangs continue to make their comeback again and again. But as the days go by this dream is slowly dying and it just might be time to accept the cold hard truth that my camera is not coming back. Sad.

Enter dark and twisty clouds.

I definitely spent a good portion of last Tuesday and Wednesday in the a required mourning period where I really didn't talk to anyone and bargained with St. Anthony pretty much all day... shamefully bargained... it was very sad.

Don't you worry though, I am almost over it. In the spirit of embracing optimism in 2010 I am going force myself to move on. At least I had already downloaded pictures from Christmas so the damage could have been much worse... oh wow, imagine the bargaining I would have done with the loss of Christmas pictures... at least I am still left with the most important part---- the memories.

The week after Christmas was so much fun! I like to think of it as friend fest 2009- the last ditch effort. We had so many people we love in town and had a really great time catching up. At this point, I would have loved to show you the wonderful dinner we spent at The Cooper Family Farm! My pictures would have depicted me hugging my college roomie (whom I hadn't seen in 1.5 years!). There were fantastic shots of my kids riding tractors, digging up seashells, feeding the locals, and playing with 2 cute blond boys and an adorable redhead! Since I no longer have my old camera, I will just have to rely on my mad art skills... thank goodness I have such artistic talent to rely on in these tough times...

Cooper Farm warms our hearts.
The next morning was BLUSTERY but it didn't stop our fun at all! With Kelly home all week, we stole away to the arboretum for an awesome dance party for one VERY special 2-year-old named Maggie! Dance party with gloves, hats and mimosas. My kind of dance party. We loved hanging out with our favorite New Jersey Family and can't wait for them to come back and play some more! Or perhaps they should just move back to Texas...

Finally, we spotted my camera for an incredible price on Craigslist and went for it. Still missing the other pictures but at least I have a camera to document my very special memories of 2010... like hanging out with the Senator.

I know I am talented and all but I don't know that my art would have accurately depicted Molly's intense joy with holding her tiniest friend.

So I guess it all works out in the end. I still have a perfectly functional camera and some tiny alien in space has a nice copy of my family photos from July to December 2009. Sigh.

For this decade

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2010. A new decade.

Does it seem like it was just 2000 to anyone else?

I have to tell you I am VERY excited about this year for no other reason than the fact that it is an even number. In my vast repertoire of quirkiness lies a big love of even numbers--- and solids when playing pool which for some reason my brain equates to an even number. …

wow, I am strange. I digress.

New Years is always such a cataclysmic opportunity to lump all my resolutions into one GREAT ball of change ready to bounce in action--- however, in many cases it often bounces far out of reality into the happy little world of “never gonna happen”. I have quite of a collection of sparkly shiny new year’s balls there. And I have to tell you--- I think there might be a bunch of us sending them that direction.

This year, I am going to try a different approach. Looking back I have to honest here and say that 2009 was pretty great. In fact, so was 2008. There were definitely challenges for sure -- like when Molly refused to turn her underwear the right way for 3 days and when Gabe discovered his battle cry, there were scarier times -- the day Molly spiked a 106 with the Swine Flu or perhaps when our niece drank a full bottle of Motrin on Kelly’s watch but additionally there were some really great days -- our kids meeting the beach, book club, hot springs and discovering New Flower.

Our year was a nice little smorgasbord of chaos… and one I wouldn’t change for the world now but probably would have tried to at the time. So perhaps it is a good thing that I lost sight of my resolutions...

I think making goals to better take care of myself and the people around me is important… but just not at the start of a new year, this should be an every day necessity—not a resolution. In all the years past my “goal” for the new year never really materialized. For 2006 we wanted a dog and instead found a Molly. Now in 2010 we have a dog and we are so thankful that there is a Molly here to run around with her.
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Sometimes, the plan we don’t foresee ends up being the greatest path to happiness.

So this year I really don’t have lofty resolutions…no metaphoric balls to propel into oblivion. I think all I need is to maintain a lifestyle that is essential to my health and wellness, and surround myself in moments that warm my heart a bit.

Like planting flowers…


eating Popsicles…
and a GREAT deal of Eskimo kisses.
Hear that 2010? Quite simply, bring on the love.

Happy New Years!