Just the Girls

Tonight I had a dinner date with some girlfriends and brought along my Roo for her first girl's night. She was exceptionally respectful and well-mannered - and even had a little playmate there to share in the fun. It probably helped tremendously that we picked a restaurant that was low-key, a bit loud and had a gracious enough server who brought bowls and bowls of chips. She and her little friend probably could have stayed all night devouring the salty tortilla crisps and the somewhat spicey salsa. They seemed to enjoy each other's company and didn't care at all that us gals were just gabbin' away.

I was very impressed by her mannerisms, despite having a full day at school and turning right around to accompany me to dine with the gals.

Certainly, there are nights when I could be just fine having a "me" outing - but this was one super special evening because it made me such a proud mama to watch my little girl eat and converse with the best of us. Many years ahead for her to really get this, but she's on the right track!

Jealous Much?

Our little baby boy is truly growing up so fast - and his personality is certainly showing at every conceivable moment. The other day when I was picking him up from school, I had him in my arms, and took a few minutes to chat with his fellow baby-buddy. He obviously did not appreciate me speaking with another child in his presence and made it known! He quickly stared at me and made me turn my head toward him so that I would quit talking to his competition. Once I turned his way, he smiled so brightly, and sweetly, mind you - and was happier than a kid in a candy store. The two little teeth and smirky grin filled his tiny little face, and he knew that at that moment, he won a small battle.

At some point in our kids' lives, they learned that other people in mommy and daddy's every day interaction was either going to be a good thing, or straight up competition. I suppose you can't blame them for you to pay them a little bit more attention to them, especially when they don't see you all day. But to adamantly show like/dislike for something is surprising, and heartwarming at the same time.

What's for Dinner

Those words often plague me as much as deciding what not to wear. Weekends are usuallly the days when I can find a few minutes to figure out what to cook, and also prepare for the week. We often find ourselves eating out a bit more on the weekends. Hitting up the Waffle House for breakfast or grabbing lunch at Sam's or Costco while we are running our errands (and spending gobs of money buying bulk items). Our ultimate favorite has to be the bbq from Sonny's - where we can enjoy the yummy chicken and ribs, while kids eat free (Saturday nights). Not to mention, the kids can be just as loud as they want to be, and no one really minds.

Weekdays are meant to have quick meals. We just don't have enough time to really devote energy to prepare a full-scale dinner. I enjoy cooking one big thing on Sundays so that we can reheat for the rest of the week. This summer, I've also found great joy in finding quick 30-minute meals to throw on the grill (Rachael Ray would be psyched!)

I find that my best friend is truly the crockpot for weeknight dinners, and the oven is the absolute necessity for Sunday preparation. I know planning ahead takes a little bit of extra thinking on my part, something that I hesitate to do after 5:00 p .m. on Fridays through Sunday. But it certainly makes my life that much simpler when I have more important details to catch up on - or run after, that is.

Sweet Moments

This morning, I woke up to a glaring alarm and quickly dismissed it to snooze back into that ever-loving-deep-sleeping coma you can only get when you have turned off the alarm. Shortly thereafter, Y was stirring and summoned his daddy to come collect him. I'm certain that Josh was still tired, and so he brought him into our bed to get a few more minutes of sleep. Upon their arrival, Y quickly crawled over to my face, found my face and pillow and gently laid his head upon mine. How sweet was that? I couldn't have asked for a better wake up call honestly.

It's these short moments in the wee hours of the night, or early minutes of the dawn that truly remind me how wonderful life is as a parent. Certainly, I have my moments of frustration when things aren't going as smoothly as I want them to be, but all in all, life has become rich with love and warmth from my two kids. At this moment, I wouldn't trade any of this for the world.

Four A.M. Wake Up Call

You know, when your baby beckons you during the day, it can be a very sweet, endearing moment. But when the clock barely ticks 4 a.m., and you feel like you just went to bed, it can be a big ole pain in the rear to drag yourself outta bed to see what's troubling the pint-size peanuts across the way.

Our house is a split plan - with the master bedroom on one end and the other two bedrooms where the kids are across the house. Thankfully, that does give us enough time to sort of wake up to see what's going on as we stumble out of bed and labor into their rooms to calm them down.

After a nice, relaxing week of vacation time away from our usual, daily grind, the kids were certainly in for a rude awakening - or shall I say, we absolutely were! No scheduled naps, meal times or anything that resembled normal was in place while we were away. And that's sort of the idea when you are on vacation right? To take a break from the norm and enjoy what's in store for each day...that's the overall theme for vacations - for the most part.

Our little Y was OK with very little structure for the first few days, but I found myself keeping him to his schedule a little bit better than for Roo. For one, it was easier for him as he was the only baby and he didn't need all of that sun exposure. Plus, he was genuinely tired and begging each day for his two naps. Roo on the other hand, had so much fun with her cousins and just playing that daily naps were the least of her worries.

By Sunday evening, we tried to get back into a rhythm. Dinner, bath and bed. Going to bed was a bit of a struggle, but staying in bed was even worse. Not just for her, but for both of them. I suppose we had de-programmed them for a solid week, and returning back to the originally scheduled program was not what they had in mind. At least, not last night.

This morning's drop-off at school was so tearful, I felt like I was betraying them for leaving them. The screams and cries stayed with me for the first few hours in the office as I tried to weed through the hundreds of unanswered emails. By lunchtime, I had no choice but to call the school to ensure they both were OK.

Despite the craziness of the previous week, I'm sure they will settle back into their little routines and sleep through the night again. At least, I keep praying that as I try to get a few snoozes before my two alarm clocks begin their cries before I'm scheduled to get up to start a new day.

Time To Get Away

Just a few days away from the daily grind can absolutely rejuvenate the soul. If you can't do a real vacation any time soon, try a stay-ca-tion, or visit a nearby coastline not riddled with the oil. The salty seabreezes with the faint smell of coconut slathered all over are just what the doctor ordered for a bit of sanity. Certainly you can't turn it all off - as the kids still need tending to - but it certainly is nice to not have to worry about returning phone calls, teleconferences, e-mails and meetings isn't it?