Comfort and Joy

So the Thanksgiving holiday didn't go exactly as planned. Julia decided to nix any type of sleep. I ate too much. Steve enjoyed many Yuenglings and cleared leaves with Jerry. And then my migraine arrived Friday afternoon. Unfortunately I'm still feeling the leftovers from that killer. My January lesson plans still aren't finished, I didn't get to see everyone I wanted to see, I ate too much and slept too little. Grump, grump, grump.

However, it was so nice to be in a comfort zone. Although it wasn't my legal address growing up, I was home - the place where I spent a lot of time growing up. I can be me there. I can have conversations about life and receive honest, heartfelt advice. Julia is loved because who she is and not because she is the "granddaughter". Love my child, not the label or ideal of "granddaughter". Needless to say I didn't see any of my biological family. It was nice not to have to worry about it. It was nice to be free of that burden. Especially since I felt like crap for the last half of the visit.

Anyway...it took me a long time to realize that safe havens are important necessities in life. Feeling comfortable in your own skin is important to your well being. That's why I love going 'home'. I have a bad day and it's okay. No one tries to provoke me. No one tries to make me feel bad because they are having a bad day. My soul feels safe. Do you know where your soul feels safe? Good for you if you can think of a place. Just make sure you don't forget it's there and visit it frequently :) Peach (from Finding Nemo) said it best when Darla was banging on the tank: "Find a happy place, find a happy place, find a happy place!"

Now it's time to celebrate Christmas. Thanksgiving is over. Replace Fall decorations with festive Christmas and Winter glitz. I'm ready to break out my snowmen army. Steve's ready for the chocolate mess-ups from my Christmas orders (shameless plug for www.sweettidings.com). Oh, it's the most wonderful time of the year. Make sure you find time for your comfort and joy (your happy place)!

Many Blessings

Many blessings to you and your family. Eat a lot, laugh much and watch football :)

A Mozzarella Snowman, A Refrigerator Doctor and A Bottle Leaf Blower

It's obvious that I love our daughter's imagination. Now that she's a non-stop talker we get to hear her take on life. We make sure we engage her in imagination conversation and play. It's a lot of fun to view what's inside her little mind.

Last winter we ordered pizza and an antipasti salad from our favorite Italian place, Tony's. The salad had everything, meats, marinated veggies and an assortment of cheeses. When we placed the salad on the table, Julia immediately said "Mama! Papa! Snowman!" Now, if you've ever seen our house during Christmas/Winter you know that it is a snowman haven. So it wasn't too much of a surprise that she was telling us that a snowman was in the area. But she kept saying it and pointing to the salad. So we moved it closer to her. Sure enough there was a snowman. The circular fresh mozzarella was sliced on top of the salad and arranged like a snowman. The next few antipasti salad orders after that night contained a snowman but she has since moved on to "Mama, Papa, more yummy cheese please".

During our fridge/freezer fun this past week I was in the middle of a conversation that went something like this (while I was washing the shelves and Steve as at work):

J: "Mama, Papa has an ouchie"
H: "Oh, he does? Where is his ouchie?"

J: "Papa has an ouchie toe. It's very ouchie"

H: "Oh dear. Does Papa need a band-aid?"

J: "No. Papa needs to go to the doctor."

H: "Are you going to drive him to the doctor?"

J: "No. Papa goes to the doctor in the refrigerator."

Update: I still haven't found the doctor that apparently is in the refrigerator. But I'll keep looking...

Yesterday afternoon was a good day to stay inside and gather leaves. Yes, I typed that correctly. Apparently our living room was in need of a good leaf blowing. She commandeered an Ocean Spray bottle, a paper towel roll and my under the couch duster. Using her toy hammer, this was quickly assembled into a leaf blower. Safety first: she put a sock on hand (it was a glove). Then it was off to blow the leaves out of the living room - complete with the 'buuuuurrrrrrrr' sound -

My Own Mighty Mighty Bosstone

Preface: During my junior year at Shippensburg, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones came to Heiges Field House for our entertainment. The concert was awesome. Watching the punk and plaid moshpit was equally entertaining. So as soon as I saw Julia's outfit, my thoughts immediately went to the Mighty Mighty Bosstones :)

Wednesday night the freezer in our upstairs fridge/freezer stopped working. Steve and I packed all of our frozen items into coolers and place them on our back patio. Thursday morning I opened the fridge and felt only slightly cool air. Oh, great! The next three hours were spent running up and down the stairs to the basement fridge, clearing out non-essential food and then taking out all the shelves/drawers to clean. Yes, it really took three hours. Julia thought running up and down the stairs was a game, so that added more time. Julia had to help take the organic food to the compost pile - more time. Julia needed to help wipe out the fridge (and disassemble the shelves on the door - UGH) and wipe the drips on the floor - more time.

There was a moment during my stairs running where I was able to find her something else to do. I pulled out one of those huge Crayola coloring books that I found on clearance at Target. It was new to her so it immediately caught her attention. She quickly took her crayons and book to the playroom, settling on the floor.

During my madness, I didn't notice that she had also raided her dress-up clothes. As I finished my last run, I heard her talking away to an imaginary friend. I popped my head in and asked who she was talking to..."I talking to Grammy". Sweet! Okay. But it was the outfit she created that really caught my attention. It also gave me a laugh that I desperately needed that day. What do you think?

Happy Birthday, Jesus

This post will be short and most definitely sweet. But it was something that made me smile and I had to share.

Due to one of my teaching coworkers not reading her curriculum I am now in charge of the December bulletin board. This is a little stressful for me. Our boards are at the entrance of the school - seen by all...including those who go to church there on Sunday, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, etc. They ask us to take time since they reflect the program. I did a funny pumpkin board for October. I thought I was done until March. NOPE. And, of course, it's over the holiday season. OH JOY.

Being part of the United Methodist Church, we are asked to focus more on the real reason for the season - Christ - and not so much the commercial stuff. Fair enough. But the only ideas I had for the bulletin board included cotton beards, cuddly snowmen and handprint Rudolphs. Great. But after a quick Google search I decided on a large birthday cake and the kiddos would make the candles (painted handprint for flame, pipe cleaner for wick, kiddos can customize their candles). Maybe a few holly leaves to fill in the space. Heading "He's the LIGHT of our world - Happy Birthday, Jesus!"

After class today I went to the craft room to gather all of the supplies. One of my coworkers was there and we started to talk about the bulletin board. I explained the layout and, of course, Julia listened intently as she played with the many egg cartons that seem to take over the craft room every once in a while.

Flash forward - three hours - after an active lunch/play time at Chick-Fil-A with Sandy and crew. Here's the conversation as we walked to the car:
J: "Mama, are we going home"
H: "Yes, it's time to go home"
J: "Oh. We go home to make a birthday cake for Jesus?"
H: "No, Cheeky, we're just going home to relax"
J: "No, Mama, we make a birthday cake for Jesus"

Her memory amazes me. Her expressions and annunciations while she's talking make me laugh. Maybe for Christmas we'll make Jesus a birthday cake.

On a side note - here's a site that you should visit (thanks, Luci!). It supports Mom-preneurs and their business. Look close and you'll find http://www.sweettidings.com/ and http://love2decorate.uppercaseliving.net/ as well as other cool businesses ready to help you with your holiday shopping list.

Balance

Yeah, I know. Five weeks...

Natalie, a fellow MOMS Club member, is a personal trainer who is helping me with my fitness routine. She's very supportive and understands that it's hard to fit an exercise routine into the life of a Mom. The last two sessions she's helped me with my physical balance. Which basically means torturing me with Bosu Ball and Gliding Disc activities. I'm sure with enough practice I'll get better. I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel for this balancing act. But emotional balance? That's another story.

Shortly after my last post, Steve and I went to the Poconos for a bit of rest and relaxation. It was time for us to reconnect as a couple without the little girl. It was fabulous! And Julia had a great weekend with Grammy, Grampy, Aunt Jess and Ruby. She's still talking about the events of the weekend. And trying to give Jimi a "smack down" (Thanks, Jess. You're fantastic.).

It was hard to come home but nice to return with a renewed spirit. That lasted for a few days. And then the families reared their ugly heads. It's no secret that I've never felt close to my biological family (except Eric). After having Julia I really don't understand them. Now, as a mother, I really don't understand why people do the things they do/say to their children. Parenting is tough at times but it's okay to walk away for a breath when things are a bit hairy and to recognize that you'll always love them...you may just not like them at that time. And if there is something that happens that you're not proud of - it's okay to tell them that you're sorry. And ALWAYS tell the ones that you love that you love them. And mean it. If you don't, then don't lie. It just makes things harder down the road. I'm tired of the constant 'flare-ups' and uneasiness of what was going to come around the corner next with my family.

So, here I am sitting on the couch with a sick Julia watching "Cars". God is telling us it's time to slow down. Snuggle on the couch, watch silly movies and make sure we wear our pajamas all day. The living room is covered with toys, shoes, papers, animals and blankets. Do I care? No. Cleaning will be for another day. If I was running around cleaning I would miss Julia's giggles when the tractors are on or her "Mater funny!" expression when he's driving backwards and then when he's in the fancy helicopter. And they're not worth missing.

It's been a roller coaster ride lately. Balancing life, and its surprises, is tough. I don't think I'll ever get to an even point (but I will conquer that stupid Bosu Ball) but I'm learning to take a moment here and there. It's been a long learning journey but little moments are something that will help make the rest of the journey a little more enjoyable.