9 Extra Floors...

Valentine's Cards and Crooked Hearts

2010-02-14T22:19:00.000-08:00

Not long ago I found a card I made for my father for Valentine's Day when I was about 6 years old. The crooked heart on the cover, the slanty handwriting, the mis-spelled words...some serious work went into this card. I loved reading it.

I think of the cards my boys will make for me through the years and the thought warms me.

My 5 year old Jack with his precise printing and my 3 year old Hudson so proud of his "H's". They put a lot of thought into their art.

There will come a day when the artwork isn't so plentiful. When it doesn't come in on a weekly or even monthly basis. There may come a day when they are too cool to give mom a Valentine's card or (big sigh) it's from a store.

I have to say some 20+ years later (oh all right 30+ years later) it's nice to know the card I made was appreciated.

I want my boys to know that I appreciate their cards, their artwork and their efforts right now. That what they make for me is cherished and loved.

Happy Valentine's Day...love those cards!

Giving Thanks...

2009-11-21T14:14:00.000-08:00

November is one of my favorite months of the year. The leaves are at the peak of their gorgeous “fall look”, the weather is chilly but not too cold and the stress of December is still an arm’s length away. But the best part is on that last Thursday of the month when we give thanks and eat a crazy amount of delicious food.

November makes me feel warm and cozy. November is happy.

Maybe November is such a warm and fuzzy month because we give thanks. It’s practically required with a holiday called “Thanksgiving”. We express our gratitude for our health, our children and the food on our table.

We are reminded of all the good things in life. Thanksgiving forces us to be in the present and think about what’s good now. Not what used to be good or what could be great in the future but focusing on the present. Today.

Research consistently finds that gratitude is good for us.

According to Dr. Robert Emmons, Ph.D., (a professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, and author of the book Thanks!: How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier) practicing gratitude can actually increase happiness levels by around 25%.

Emmons says, “The most common method we use in our research is to ask people to keep a “Gratitude Journal” where you write something you feel grateful for. Doing so 4 times a week, for as little as 3 weeks, is often enough to create a meaningful difference in one’s level of happiness.”

So if writing in a gratitude journal can make me a happier person. I’m in!

I am grateful for my sweet family, for my friendships and the cute things my boys say.

So start your gratitude journal this month! Give thanks at dinner. Incorporate gratitude into the bedtime routine. Isn’t that what life is all about? Being present and knowing the present is good.

When I Grow Up I Want To Be...

2009-07-20T17:45:00.000-07:00

My 4 1/2 year old son's future profession changes daily, actually hourly. Sometimes even by the minute.

When I grow up I want to be...a construction guy, a farmer, an engineer, captain of a boat, a cowboy, a pilot, a painter and on and on and on.

Last week he was having a great time at Space Camp, where of course he decided he wanted to be an astronaut.

"Momma, I want to be an astronaut," he said.

"Well when you get older you can go to space school where you learn all about being an astronaut," I replied.

"I already am! I'm going to Space Camp!" he said.

How cute is that!

All I want to do is encourage that freedom. I want my boys to know that they can be anything they want to be.

The possibilities are truly endless.

Books! Books! Books!

2009-07-09T13:42:00.000-07:00

I have been the worst blogger...ever! I can tell you what I've been doing, I've been reading. Every spare moment (which are few and far between with a 4 and a 2 year old running around) my nose is in a book.

A writer friend told me (bless her) that they say (I'm not exactly sure who 'they' is) writers should read 4 hours everyday. So that's helping me with the guilt just a little (although if I do get in 4 hours a day it's between 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 in the A.M.).

I'm still coming up with ideas, I'm still jotting them down but I'm just not elaborating on my thoughts. I'm lost in my little world of reading. I don't know, maybe this is my version of writer's block...or is it a writer's pause?

In any event, I'm hoping all this reading helps my writing in the long run.

Washing Rocks!

2009-05-25T09:20:00.000-07:00

Being the mother of boys...is washing a pocketful of rocks in the washing machine. :)

7 Picture Books!

2009-05-07T22:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it! I have 7 new stories. Of course, all are in need of some serious love and a LOT of editing and revising but they are out of my head and on paper. Yeah! My topics are all over the place...a bat, a train engineer, a super-hero, friendship, a mime, a crab fisherman, etc.

I found the process easier and harder than I thought it would be. Easy to come up with the story ideas, hard to finish them.

But I had fun and I'm glad I did it. It was some serious good exercise for my brain. :)

Thanks Paula Yoo (paulayoo.com) for creating this challenge!

National Picture Book Writing Week

2009-05-02T17:19:00.000-07:00

NaPiBoWriWee...It's National Picture Book Writing Week! Sort of along the same lines as National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in November but for Picture Books. Write 7 picture books in 7 days and you win the contest! And by winning I mean you now have 7 completed picture books. Yeah!

As of today, I've completed 1 picture book...6 to go!

The Kindness Of Strangers

2009-04-28T19:12:00.000-07:00

The other day my 2 1/2 year old son and I were out running errands. Our first stop was the Container Store (love that place!) where H. fell in love with a pink (not just any pink...it was fuchsia) plastic piggy bank. I told him we weren't going to buy it and had him hand it to the cashier. The next thing I know a kind lady in the next checkout stand is handing him this pink pig. She had purchased the piggy bank for him and plopped in 75 cents! She said H. reminded her of her grandchildren and she wanted him to have the bank. It was such a kind gesture.

Of course, then I felt guilty. Should we be taking a gift from a complete stranger? Should I have said "no" or done something for her in return? I'm not sure how to handle this type of situation. But she genuinely seemed like a kind person that really wanted to give this pig to my son. So I let it happen. H. was beyond thrilled and the coins made the loudest clatter ever so he was really happy...and loud.

Our next stop was the grocery store where H. insisted on taking the pig into the store with him. I figured what's the harm and let him. As we shopped people commented on the pig and then to my surprise would drop money in his bank! By the end of the day that kid had collected over $3.00! My husband was calling him a panhandler but don't panhandlers ask for money? My son wasn't asking for a thing. He was just enjoying his pig. :)

I was thinking this would be the perfect way to earn a little extra cash...have your kids bring piggy banks with them on your errands. Kidding! But seriously it was so nice to see such kindness in folks that really just wanted to make a 2 1/2 smile. To make him happy.

So my thanks to the kind people out there. I will pay it forward best I can....

The Chaotic Morning Routine

2009-04-27T08:10:00.000-07:00

We all have one. Some are more organized and structured than others but in one form or another we all share the chaotic morning routine.

The time when your house turns into complete and utter chaos. Everything seems to take longer than it should and nothing goes smoothly.

If I ever actually made a list of the things that have to be done in the mornings before preschool, I’m not sure I’d get out of bed.

Unfortunately, neither of my children feels a sense of urgency. Putting on socks can take an hour and combing hair turns into a game of chase.

Sometimes it feels like an exercise in futility but everyday I get them dressed in clothes that are not only clean but also look like they might actually go together. I make a nutritious but quick breakfast. I pack a snack. I gather all the school notes, money, projects…your basic preschool list of things to remember. I help with brushing teeth or more accurately in the case of my 2-½ year old…wrestle an alligator and try not to get bit while brushing his teeth! I wet down and comb two heads of crazy bed hair. I notice that my 4-½ year olds fingernails are way too long and pull him aside for a quick clip.

I request (plead, bargain, etc.) a quick potty break before we leave and remind them to wash hands (I’ve told my kids it’s the law!).

I load everyone up into the car avoiding all possible distractions on the way out…bicycles, interesting box of stuff, the trash can (you get the picture).

Add another 8 minutes on to the morning routine because 2-1/2 year old decides that he not only wants to climb into the car seat by himself but wants to buckle it up as well.

I’m in the drivers-seat, everyone is in lockdown (and by lockdown, I mean securely buckled up in their car-seats and unable to wander). I breathe an audible sigh of relief.

And of course, at some point during this process I’m supposed to get ready and look presentable as well.

But even with all the craziness I know these are the years I’m going to look back on and cherish. These are the days I’m going to miss. And I’ll wonder how they went by so quickly. Just thinking about it makes me treasure and appreciate the here and now.

But for now…just think tomorrow, it starts all over again.

Morning time saving tip: Get the kids dressed before breakfast and keep their clothes clean by having them wear an Eating Smock*.

*(An Eating Smock is an adult t-shirt cut up the back so it can easily be worn over their clothes.)

Homemade Haircuts

2009-04-17T22:12:00.000-07:00

When did kid's haircuts become so expensive?

I truly wish I could take a class on how to cut boys’ hair, just a quick class that gives some basic instruction on trimming hair.

I think deep down inside I'm a frustrated hairdresser (Hairstylist?). I love to cut hair! I love the feel of the scissors in my hand. That little move that hairdressers do where they comb the hair, pull it up and then snip – I just love that!

When I have a pair of scissors in my hand I become a little bit Edward Scissorhands. And because I feel so comfortable with the scissors it gives me a very false sense of confidence, which is dangerous, and probably just a bad idea.

But I’m tired of paying so much for my boy’s haircuts. Each haircut is $18 plus add a tip (a really cheap tip) and the outing ends up costing about $40. If we went as often as we should that would be $40 every 6 weeks! I know this sounds selfish but if anyone is going to spend $40 on their hair...it's me! Right now I’ve got some serious roots.

We go to one of those salons that specialize in cutting kid’s hair (that may be my first mistake). They have a little play area in the waiting room (also known as the petri-dish…those toys really don’t look all that clean) and while their hair is being trimmed they get to sit in a racecar, fly a jet plane, ride a pony (you get the idea). They watch DVD’s and when it’s all done they get a sucker (which is a big treat in our house).

To be honest, I haven’t even looked into going to a barbershop- they’re probably cheaper.

Nope, instead I just went ahead and cut their hair myself.

Last night, I said to myself “how hard can it be?” I pulled up a barstool, wrapped a towel around my youngest son’s shoulders, put on a trusty Curious George we had Tivo’d and handed him a sucker (always a good bargaining tool). With scissors in hand and my confidence level at an all time high I start snipping away.

My cute husband was home watching me in action (I’m sure I looked about as close to a professional hairstylist as humanly possible) and said, “Do you actually know what you’re doing?" I smugly replied, “How hard can it be?”

Let me tell you it's hard! Well the actual cutting was easy but making sure that both sides are even, that you can’t see any obvious cut marks, that it looks decent – well that’s a challenge.

My 2-½ year old has very fine hair- every cut I make shows. Whereas my 4-½ year old has a lot of hair with a ton of crazy cowlicks (thanks Mom!) so it needs to be cut where it lays just right.

Obviously I don’t know how to do any of this.

The boy’s haircuts aren’t perfect that’s for sure. There are a few pieces that are too long, some that are too short and some definite scraggly bits. But overall, I must say it’s not that bad.

Who knows what it will look like after a few days of grow out but right now it looks fine.

My boys are young enough that they don’t even think about their hair so I have some time to perfect my hair cutting abilities. The good news is I can only get better! And I’m practically giddy over saving so much money, now maybe I can get something done about my roots. :)

10 Things About Me

2009-04-16T21:25:00.000-07:00

The divine Luci at DivinelyWritten tagged me a while back. So here are ten things that not everyone knows about me...

1. At one point in my life I wanted to be an actress. I worked as an extra in Los Angeles on movies and television shows and crossed my fingers on a daily basis that today would be the day I was discovered. My most memorable experience was being in a movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Yes, those rumors about him being a groper are all too true.

2. I have terrible guilt issues- I feel guilty and responsible for everything! Even if it has nothing to do with me.

3. I LOVE television! Comedies, dramas, reality...you name it I love it! With two kids I don't have much time for t.v. so thank God for Tivo!

4. I don't like to part with my stuff. I tend to keep everything. You never know when you're going to need it. :)

5. My husband was my 19th blind date and on that first date I just "knew" he was the one.

6. I had a 10-pound baby (9.13...close enough to 10 lbs!) with no drugs.

7. In 12 years I went to 13 different schools (that's 8 cities and 4 states). Nope we were not in the military and as far as I know we weren't running from the law.

8. And although I'm just slightly past those teenage years (ha!) I am a huge fan of the Twilight series.

9. My favorite fruit is mango. Mango was also the name of my favorite cat.

10. I have two sons - one has beautiful dark chocolate brown eyes and the other has gorgeous slate blue eyes.

Someday I'll be the writer I'm meant to be...

2009-03-07T15:55:00.000-08:00

I’m a writer...I think.

I write a little bit everyday but does that really make me a writer?

Some days I feel amazing, I’m in a grove and I can’t believe I ever doubted myself. Other days I feel like a fraud, who am I to think I can actually write and that anyone would want to read it…oh the nerve!

Getting good at anything requires a lot of …well doing. A lot of practice makes one a success at something. So that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to write. A lot.

So here’s to the the start of my becoming the writer I am meant to be.

Thanks for joining me.