Tag: acceptance

children, gratitude, happiness, kids, life in pictures, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting

Amazing Energy

WFAM
hard at work, or something like that

The energy disparity between me and my boys has always been quite extreme.  Since my wisdom tooth debacle and following slow recovery, this energy chasm has widened.

As I slowly walked the boys over to a friend’s house to see if she could come over to play, I was amazed by two things.  The first being that since it was my first time outside in almost two weeks, the air seemed lighter and the sky seemed brighter even though it was drizzly with rain.  The second, as my boys rocketed ahead of me at intense speed, was how much faster they move through life than me.  Even when I was small and filled with that natural energy little people possess, I always stuck close to my Mom and was extremely introverted and quiet.  An exciting day for me consisted of listening to my ‘Annie‘ movie soundtrack, doing arts and crafts and lots of time spent alone in my own imaginary, wonder-filled world.   My boys are so different.  They are outgoing, boisterous and love anything rough and tumble.

Today it didn’t matter to me.   Yes, I’m the lady in the neighborhood with the two wild boys.

And that is perfectly fine with me.

In fact, it’s kind of amazing.

Related Articles
children, gratitude, happiness, humor, kids, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting, self care (or lack thereof), self-discovery

Find ‘Me’

WFAM

When Mad Dog travels, like he did over this past week, my life with the boys becomes slightly more adventurous.  Thankfully, lately, I have been appreciating these adventures more.  I also managed to miraculously schedule two dinners with friends (one I invited to the house after the boys were asleep) and a lunch with my mother-in-law.

I haven’t had that much social activity since the early nineties when children were a twinkle in my eye and my hair was taller than a full-grown palm tree.

It was rather strange.  While I was physically stretched to the max maintaining the family routine and meeting my social obligations this week, my spirit felt completely full. 

I’m learning that as my children grow and need me less,  I need to embrace this (as much as I can because it hurts ever so) and find myself a little more each day. 

That’s what friends and a fabulous mother-in-law are for.

children, gratitude, happiness, humor, kids, life in pictures, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting

Pinch Me

WFAM

More often than not, Mad Dog and I have these surreal moments, especially as a weekend draws to a close, where we look at each other in disbelief and say, ‘the boys were really well behaved, weren’t they?”  It’s almost like we need someone to pinch us or that we need to thumbprint our kids to make sure that they are really, truly ours.

When public outings for so long have been a battle ground, it’s refreshing when they simply become enjoyable.

I didn’t see that coming at all.

And, for those who read this blog regularly, I bet you didn’t either.

Fun at the Alligator Farm.
children, gratitude, happiness, humor, kids, life in pictures, marriage, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting

Merry Christmas!

WFAM

It’s Christmas morning and the presents are already unwrapped.

The cookies for Santa are gone, the new toys are already in play and the waffles made by Mad Dog already eaten.

Things start early on Christmas day when your kids are young.

We had some new traditions and kept some old.

on our way to Christmas Eve dinner at a Japanese Steakhouse.

 

the official reading of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' in our Superman pjs

 

two very excited brothers get ready to sleep in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would appear.

T.Puzzle announced that ‘Jinker Bells’ was his favorite holiday song.

Full Speed summed up his Christmas Eve experience at church as ‘good AND boring’.  It was good because he made a lot of new friends and it was boring because he had to keep ‘standing up the WHOLE time!’

For the introspective lot such as myself, it is a time of reflection.

Some of it sad, like missing loved ones you’d like to have near and most of it glad because of the loved ones you do have with you on this special day.

Mad Dog shows off his new office art.

Life is like a Christmas tree. 

Compared to others it may not be the tallest or the brightest.  It may not have the most presents or look exactly the way you want it.

If you embrace it for exactly what it is and appreciate how special it is because it is the only one you have, then maybe, just maybe you will realize that you have the tree and the life you were meant to have.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

children, gratitude, happiness, life in pictures, marriage, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting, self-discovery, self-image/self-acceptance

Yes and No

WFAM

My gut reaction is always ‘no’.  I do not like to be spontaneous.  I like plans and think that sticking to them prevents meltdowns and unnecessary drama.  This is my weak attempt at controlling life.  Do routines and plans give me comfort?  Yes.  Do these routines and plans always work out how I want them to? No.

Part of evolving as a woman and a parent you have to look at yourself and try to make some changes.  You have to look at all parts of the whole.  Some of these parts are not so great.  How do you know when you’ve found a not so great part?  When you examine it you feel uncomfortable in the pit of your stomach.  That uneasy feeling is your signal you’ve hit pay dirt.

My hidden issue is control.  Growing up I learned to endure an often challenging environment by becoming an impossible perfectionist.  Spontaneity doesn’t really jive with this.

So, why did I marry someone like Mad Dog?  He is at heart a spur-of-the-moment kind of guy.

I married him because somewhere deep down I knew my cookie-cutter ways needed to be challenged.

Yesterday when we were on our way to the outlet mall to buy Full Speed some long pants Mad Dog said, “Let’s see if we can find you a dress and take the boys to a nice dinner.”

Oh, well let me tell you every part of my being screamed ‘no!’.  I was in exercise gear, no make-up and hair disastrously unwashed (I was wearing a baseball cap no less!).  I tried to imagine finding a flattering dress, trying it on, having it actually fit all the while keeping my boys from wreaking insane havoc on the store and its patrons.  I started to sweat, my heart rate increased and my anxiety shot through the roof.

But, I didn’t say no.

I made the conscious effort to know this is my first instinct, and while it has been my coping mechanism in the past, my life is such that I don’t need ‘no’ as a crutch in the same way.

Okay, there was one point when I was agonizing over the size and color of the dress and T.Puzzle and Full Speed were running boisterous laps that I was about ready to throw my hands up in defeat.  Instead I pushed through.  I found a dress, we grabbed some nice shirts for Mad Dog and the boys and went and had a fancy ocean side dinner.

Change is good.  In fact, it’s ocean breeze-awsome scallops-good wine-great company fantastic.

Related Articles