Surviving the Domestic Jungle

Today was a really great Sunday. It started with breakfast with just Avery and I which was really enjoyable. I don’t get as much one on one time with her as I would like and it was nice just to chit chat with her! It was a rainy day today which meant MOVIES! My favorite! So I drove to the nearest RedBox and got some chick flicks and settled in to watch. Hailey came and fell asleep in my bed while I watched movies so I figured I would follow her example and took a nap too! I swear a 2 hour nap can regenerate you for a month. After naps I feel so refreshed and ready to take life on. 9 times out of 10 I wake up tired in the morning so a nap every now and again on a rainy Sunday is just what I need.  After we watched movies and had dinner I went on a walk as I do every night. It was sprinkling when we left but it quit a couple minutes later. The sky was just amazing! It was bright orange and red in some places and really made for a lovely walk. I realized tonight that I spend most of my walk looking at the sky. I used to look at the houses but I have walked the same area so many times I have pretty much memorized each and every house so now I look up. When you live in a big city, I think looking up becomes a thing of the past. Who looks up to see the stars when you can barely see them?! As I was walking the last little bit of my walk, I noticed a cloud that looked like a heart over this orange and red and pink streak and I thought it was so magnificent I had to share.

It was really a great day topped off with a beautiful display of Love! Well, cloud shaped love but it was the first time I have ever actually seen I cloud look like anything other than…… a cloud!

A couple of days ago I had recorded this show called “What would you do?” and finally got to watch it last night. It is a fantastic show about set up scenarios that really put the average person to the test. Last night the scenarios were a woman telling her friends she was going to marry a man she had known for a couple of days and she was older than his mother. That one was silly. There was one with an elderly man who was obviously confused and the question was would people intervene and stop this man from driving but the one I was intriged by was the scenario where they had a creepy guy at a park talking to a little girl who was all alone. The man and the girl were both actors and the point of it was, could the man get the little girl to leave with him or would anyone step in. Some people were instantly on high alert. Some people did nothing. I was shocked by that. As the mom of two little girls, being on high alert kind of comes with the territory. If I ever saw a creepy guy talking to a little girl and asking her to leave with him, I would instantly step in. Most people are good people but some people are really bad people and over my dead body would I allow a child to go anywhere with a strange man without talking to that child’s parents or the police. I just kept thinking of my girls as I watched this hoping and praying that should my kids ever be in any situation where a stranger is talking to them and I happen to not be around that someone would step in. We have to do this for each other parents! Sometimes people get scared to say things in awkward situations but in this case, step in every time. Children are so willing to believe that all people are good and they cant even imagine the awful things that some adults do. As adults we are all to aware of what can go on in this world and we must protect the children! Anyway, it shock me up a bit to say the least. If you ever want to watch a show where you are left thinking about what you would do in difficult situations then you need to watch this show. Some of the people (unaware of the scenarios being set up) are really hero’s. The show can actually make you emotional because there are such good people out there willing to take a stand and willing to help their fellow person. Its a great show and it really has taught me to speak up when things don’t seem right!

Today was a good day for the simple fact that today we released the butterflies into the wild. We of course waited til 8 at night because it is just way to hot to go anywhere but places with AC during the day, and then walked to the park because Avery believed it would make a lovely home for her butterflies. We opened their little home and she set each of her butterflies free. It was actually a beautiful moment and it made me want to run home and order more larvae just for the moment of their release. I felt great and Avery felt great and it was a special experience. I feel like Avery learned a little something about responsibility and I discovered how much she actually loved having the butterflies. Everybody she knew got the Butterfly Garden story and we even had some kids go up to her room to look at them after they were ‘born’. All in all, I am so glad we did it. I think it is an excellent thing for kids and even moms! On the walk home, I was scolded for not bringing my camera and she is totally right. I cant believe I didn’t capture it on film. I didn’t know how special the moment would be and I promised her next batch of babies we would photograph from beginning to end. I’ll share it with you! Stay tuned for that in a couple of weeks!

On another topic, I have come to discover that a northern winter and a southern summer are exactly the same in the way that you don’t really go outside all that often. However,  I think a northern winter actually permits more outdoor time! This summer is brutal and it may be that we had AC troubles or it may be that I’ve become more of a whiner. Either way, it’s hot. I’m getting so tired of it. Here’s how ridiculous it is. Last Saturday I was frustrated with the kids always coming out around the end of the day and figured that being outside in the afternoon would be good for them so we headed to the park. This isn’t just a little neighborhood park. It’s a major park! Anyway, we arrive at 3 on a Saturday and there are literally 3 children playing!!!! 3!!! I couldn’t believe it. I knew it was hot and my kids were sweatballs within ten minutes and after 30 minutes of running around I was worried about Hailey because she was just covered in sweat and bright red. We left but I was still in shock that the middle of summer on a Saturday at 3 there were no children at the park. I guess I am not the only one who is borderline nocturnal!

Ok I have to mention these new “denim” looking diapers. I think they are absolutely ridiculous! If you want your child to LOOK like they are wearing jeans, well Daisey dukes, then put them in JEANS and not dye filled imposter’s. We all know that my favorite diapers are the Seventh Generation good for your baby and the environment diapers. I feel like these diapers are the exact opposite of those. I am not diaper expert and I have no clue of how they are manufactured but it just doesn’t seem healthy to put a baby in something that heavily colored. The only thing these diapers, in my opinion, have going for them is the commercial. My kids are captivated by this commercial every time it comes on. I mean stop what they are doing and stare with their mouths half open and eyes as big as saucers. If they had money and a car they would be on their way to the store to buy those diapers and wear them everywhere! Actually that’s most things they see on TV (Butterfly Garden anyone…) but these diapers and that commercial are just like candy to them.

Not that I want to advertise for these diapers because I think they are ridiculous but because my kids love it so much I have to comment. I wish that bedtime was as appealing to them or perhaps listening to me in general……

Today has been a pretty good day. It started off with the birth of 4 butterflies! The Butterfly Garden kit worked! They emerged from their little cocoons this morning and I felt so proud. It was neat to see them come full circle. Especially for Avery who took the caterpillars with her EVERYWHERE! They were with us when the AC went out and we will be there to set them free just as soon as the instruction booklet says we should. It is a couple weeks worth of commitment but it is totally worth it for the kids and overzealous parents like myself. I felt like I became a grandmother! Other than the birth, I had another successful cooking experience. Well, I suppose ‘cooking’ is a tad bit of a lie but still, I feel accomplished nonetheless. I made fresh spring rolls which have been a personal favorite of mine for at least 10 years. It was surprisingly simple to make and all the necessary ingredients were at my local grocery store. I always assumed they were made with some exotic something that I would have to travel to Asia to find but nope, right there next to the pasta. I chopped up some chicken, some lettuce and some basil and made some vermicelli noodles and let the deliciousness begin. Needless to say, I overate but at least it was healthy overeating and not like I had 6000 french fries. So between kitchen triumphs and the birth of my winged grandchildren, I have had a good day. There was a moment this morning where I felt a little self pity but who can feel sorry for themselves when they make awesome spring rolls? Not me!!

Avery is starting school in the fall and it is starting to cause me anxiety. First of all, I can’t believe how quickly time has flown by with her. Just yesterday she was a baby and now she will be 6 in a couple of months! She is growing up so quickly and I fear every time she makes an effort to grow up Im going to make an effort to keep her my little girl. She has been begging me to take the bus which scares me to death. Isn’t she too little to take public transportation all alone? How will she know where to go when she gets to school and what if the bus has an accident or what if they’re are older kids on the bus and they’re mean to her!!!! STRESS!! I think I will be driving her until my anxiety about all this settles. The thing I do look forward to is for her to go to school everyday and learn. She loves loves to learn and I look forward to the day when she can read to me. I worry that she is going to get sick but I think I have taught her how to be clean and wash hands and I think the schools do their best to keep things sanitary. Those teachers must have immune systems of steel! I worry that kids will be mean to her but I think she can handle it. For as girly and feminine as she is she is still a very strong individual and is not easily shaken and the great thing about her is she tells me when she has been hurt. She doesn’t hold it in which is so important. She comes to me and tells me exactly what happened and how she feels and I do my best to make her feel better. I hope she continues that trait of openness as a teenager! Bottom line is I am terrified. As much as she is stepping into the unknown, so am I. I’m stepping into the first part of letting go and allowing her to grow up. She is taking steps towards independence and I really am excited to see who she turns out to be. I know so much of her personality that I can only imagine the character that she will end up but for now, as we are about to step into a new world together, I am holding on to her being little and not letting go…..until schools starts and they make me leave!!

Last night I watched ‘Robin Hood Prince of Thieves’ and I have to say it was a really great movie for being almost 20 years old! Kevin Costner looked so young! Anyway, as I am watching this movie I can’t help but notice how many people die. And die painfully! Between the arrows and swords and being hung, these people had it pretty rough. I am surprised the earth even had a population at the time! Between the risks of death from childbirth, the risk of infections and disease, the constant threat of someone wanting to kill you, the lack of food and the unfair punishments of the people it is shocking that this earth even had people! Of course I’m sure things are all over dramatic for the movie but still, the people of the past had just a grim existence by compared to the pampered lives of today. I know people who if the grocery line takes to long they will have a meltdown. How long do you think someone like that would have lasted in the 1200′s?? Not very! I cant imagine what women went through when it came to childbirth. Unsanitary conditions would be terrifying to a germaphobe like me. The PAIN without an epidural is borderline torture! The only thing they had going for them was they had smaller babies but even then you still have to give birth and it is not like a 4 or 5 pound baby doesn’t hurt! Women were truly special back in the day. What they had to go through just to survive is mind blowing to me. I don’t think it mattered if they were royalty or poor. Either way, women had to endure some seriously awful things. I have watched quite a few “period pieces” recently and it has really struck a cord with me when it comes to how rough life was for people and then I think about my life and what stresses me out and I never like to trivialize anyone’s feeling but things just don’t compare. When I was pregnant with Avery, my fear was would I be able to make it to the hospital on time not will I die! I never worry about having enough to eat to feed my children and making it through a cold winter or being sick and needing a doctor just isn’t a fear of mine. I didn’t have to marry at 17 and I wasn’t forced to marry someone I didn’t love just because he had money. I know how to read and write and can’t cook! My point is, when I think about the women of the past, I feel weak in comparison. I always wonder how I would do back then. If I would die on my first day or if I would be a survivor. I have to believe that I would be a tough chick just because I am a woman and I think programmed in all of us somewhere is that intense will to survive and to protect our children. I am definitely grateful for how easy I have it and every time I watch a movie of the past, it is a reminder that I am a pampered princess next to my ancestors!

I was born and spent over half of my life on the east coast of Canada. The other half of my life, I have been in Texas…sweating. There are times when the cold of a Canadian winter sounds so much more tolerable than the heat of a Texas summer. I really genuinely miss the four seasons. Snow at Christmas, leaves changing colors in the fall and just spring in general. Here it is pretty much summer from March through November. About a month to two months for winter and maybe a week of spring. I suppose certain people (mom) would say that I forget what the winters are like which maybe so but looking back it never seemed so bad. I always had fun playing in the snow and the summers weren’t that chilly at night. I may glorify days gone by when I feel like I may sweat to death and drinking a gallon of water is necessary to sustain my life but, I really miss it. I wish my girls could see snow and make snow angels and build a snowman and own sweaters! To be able to experience a snow day! I haven’t felt in the Christmas spirit since I was a teenager and that’s mainly because for me, shorts don’t really go with Christmas. Neither do flip flops. Maybe one winter I will travel north just to test out my desire for a four season environment. I did go to Boston on February 1st a couple of years back and LOVED it. It might have been the awesomeness of Boston or it may have been the crisp air or perhaps it was the familiarity of the landscape but I felt at ease. At home. Yes I was cold but I had purchased sweaters off the internet because I could not find sweaters in any of my usual stores in January when I did my shopping. I thought that was crazy but I got some great cozy sweaters and still wear them all about three times a year now. I had my hat and my scarf and mittens and loved every moment of walking the freedom trail freezing my booty off. It was wonderful and just added to my desire to be up North. I suppose it is one of those grass is greener situations and it will probably never come to fruition but a girl can dream. My life is here. My family is here. I’m not going anywhere……for now!!

I was on one of my favorite celebrity websites the other day and read this quote from Drew Barrymore, “From my perspective, there’s no reason to be afraid of aging, because if you age, you’re lucky! The alternative is death.” I just can’t get over how true this is and it never even occurred to me. Obviously if you don’t age, you’re dead!! Bring on the wrinkles and sagging and loose everything! I’d rather live wrinkly than die! We ALL have those moments of worry when we look in the mirror and see that maybe some of us (me) could use a little botox in the Marianas trenches we have on our forehead. I will take those cute little wrinkles over death anytime any place anywhere! In some ways I look forward to aging and in other ways it scares me but all in all I do not mind the idea of aging. I look forward to seeing my girls get married and have babies. I look forward to seeing how the world changes (hopefully for the better) and I look forward to who I will become. That simple little quote has created so much thought process me. I think about it all the time mainly because I had never viewed aging as even having an alternative. It really put all the petty worries I have into perspective for me and even though I will still have stress about my boobs touching the floor, I now look forward to aging. I never really feared it per se before but now it is a welcome process. As long as most of my wrinkles are laugh lines then bring on the aging!

Last night I watched this movie called “In-Laws” and it was fantastic! Funny as could be and not a shred of reality. The basic story is this guy and girl are getting married and her parents are the uptight fanny pack wearers and his dad is a CIA agent. Of course craziness ensues and surprisingly the fanny pack comes in handy. As I am watching this movie, I can’t help but think how I want to work for the CIA because it looks like so much fun and then I realized how insane that thought was and then I remembered that movies are really good at making completely crazy things look normal and easy. They make being a hit man seem glamorous and falling in love with Mr. perfect even easier. They make giving birth seem just awful but being a CIA agent they make seem like a humorous adventure that is full of expensive gadgets that get you out of every sticky situation. I think that’s why I enjoy movies so much because all the things we wish we could do or try are made to seem totally attainable. It gives you hope that you can make that phone call to the CIA and sign up as a new recruit or that walking down the street you will bump into Mr. perfect and know you love him instantly. Or perhaps the insanely hot person you thought of as your plain, boring best friend you magically see them as beautiful and realize you love them. Well, unfortunately life is not so easy or romantic. It has its moments of perfection but all in all life is nothing like the movies and I guess that’s ok with me because if life was like the movies, what would our movies be about???