Spring is on the forecast

My daughter stood with her face pressed against the glass slider door and asked, “Is it ever going to get warm enough to play outside all day?” Well, that would be the million dollar question there kiddo.

For the past five months, give or take, my children have been cooped up on a daily basis watching the outside world through glass. On occasions, we would brave the outdoors just to feel the crisp air. But sometimes the ordeal of dressing two children head to toe in snow gear just wasn’t even worth the amount of time they spent outside.

With being forced to stay inside that long, it’s hard to be creative and occupy the minds of a toddler and preschooler for that many months. I believe I ran out of ideas two months in. So our days were spent playing imaginative play, dancing, and computer games.   

However, April is fast approaching, with that is the hope of warmer weather on the horizon. Just in time too, because I’m not sure how many more times I could hear YouTube Nick Jr songs.

The kiddos are eagerly awaiting the warm outside world to bask in the sun all day and run freely with their hair blowing wildly.

And I’m eagerly waiting to feel the sun against my indoor-stricken winter skin.

It’s something about the arrival of warm weather that pulls everyone out of their winter blues –the shades are pulled up for hours, the days are getting longer, and children appear to have an extra step in their giddy-up.

So as we all wait and marvel at the 7-day forecast (or press our faces against the glass), chomping at the bit, remember, it has to get warmer eventually… Right?

Mid Week Revelation: Bedtime stories

I've realized that some nights it takes reading the same story 8 times in a row to make my daughter happy -and this mommy of course obliges... Motherhood, it's not for the weak.

Music moves the soul

Growing up, I was extremely lucky to have music as such a huge part of my life. In my home movies, the record player was always spinning in the background with the newest song bleeding through the speakers. It’s not surprising, considering my dad was a rock and roll band manger when I was younger.

I had a guitar and would try my hardest to teach myself how to play and I attempted a few different musical instruments, but I just wasn’t musically inclined. My dad had a skill -he was great with music and instruments as well as all his brothers and father were.

I would tag along with my dad to his daytime events and even danced on stage with a band for my 7^th birthday. I tried my hardest to blurt out the words to every song –never hitting a proper key. But that wouldn’t stop me from being an entertainer. It was something that moved me, something that was a part of me, something that I had to explore –and my parents never once discouraged me.

I knew every song circa 1960-1990s, but cannot tell you the songwriter. My one skill is I’m able to know the song by the first or second note that is played –partly because these songs were ALWAYS in the background. But nevertheless, after exploring, my only musical contribution was and is to dance wildly and sing off-key –but my heart was in it every step of the way.

Fast forward 32 years later and my home is filled with the same music and the same talents developing. Both of my children are drawn towards anything music related and instruments of all kinds. My son empties the tote with all the instruments at least 10 times a day and knows what to do with every piece. He’ll tap his foot to the beat (staying in sync) and wave his hands in the air, all while humming as if he was actually singing the words.

My daughter started off like that, drumming to the beat and playing her recorder. But now not a moment goes by when I don’t hear her singing every word to one of Sheriff Callie’s short emotion-themed song (or any other child’s song). She’ll stop whatever she’s doing and run into a room just to dance to a theme song –her dangly arms flailing and all. She even has my dad dancing and singing along with her.

Looking at her is like looking into the past. I’m seeing me in her shoes, dancing wildly and all smiles, but she sings more on key than I ever did.

Her and my son both are continuing the pattern of music in our family, maybe one of them will be a manger, singer, or songwriter –or maybe they will be like me and have to take a backseat. 

Whatever it is, I hope they pursue it because music is freeing.

Music can elevate mood.

Music can connect a room full of strangers.

And most of all, music has the ability to bring you back to an exact moment in your life. 

Mid Week Revelation: Children's songs are catchy... Aren't they?

I've realized I know way too many lyrics to children's songs and I find myself singing them out loud when my children aren't even in the same room as me... Motherhood, it's not for the weak.

She demonstrates leadership skills

I recently read a quote on social media that said, “I want every little girl who is told she is bossy to be told she has leadership skills.”

I absolutely love this statement.

I tend to use this as a way of describing my daughter. My little girl is at a stage where she is opinionated, steadfast, and fighting her way up the alpha pole. She knows what she wants and how to get it, but not in a defiant way.  She doesn’t use strategies like throwing tantrums, whining, or batting eyelashes, she just bluntly states her case and backs it up with in-depth explanations.

By the way, she’s only 3.

I get flustered parenting a child with such a strong personality. I feel like the bantering back and forth should be saved when she’s entering into puberty. There are times when she’ll argue a case with so many different examples (and proof), that she ends up winning (because it makes sense).

I often find myself saying, “yes, you are correct. That makes sense.”

She definitely isn’t a wallflower –She doesn’t have the ability to sit back and follow everyone’s order play by play.

She’s a girl with her own plan and charisma to back it up.

She is a girl who doesn’t follow the trend...

She is a girl who isn’t afraid to speak her mind.

She is a girl who wears her mermaid costume to the grocery store.

She is a girl who wears Jake and the Neverland Pirates underroos under her pink pants.

She is a girl that takes someone’s hand and leads them in a different direction.

When I think of a girl and how I would like her personality to be, I think of my daughter and her display of strong leadership skills. Sure, it’s tough now because everyone expects their children to just do whatever they say without presenting another way of doing it. But I find, by allowing her to have an opinion at such a young age, she is developing the ability to think for herself. And that is a skill with immense importance later in life.

So if someone were to ask me if my daughter is bossy, I will reply, she is a leader who isn’t afraid to walk a different path from the one other people want - And that skill makes me proud.

Mid Week Revelation: Exercising as a parent

I've realized exercising has to be done creatively when you're a parent. For example, I now have to walk with one of my two kids strapped onto my back with the Ergo (while my husband has the other one), plus all this has to be accomplished without me eating a tasty-cake at the same time... Motherhood, it's not for the weak.

A letter to parents

When the days blur into night and they seem to last forever...

When you feel like you can’t rock your child another minute…

When you could cry from being so exhausted…

When the fifth meal attempt just wasn’t good enough…

When you can’t hear another question…

When you feel like you’re never doing it good enough…

When you feel like you’re able to crumble into a thousand pieces, every day…

When you feel this, keep in mind that in this moment of time, you are this child’s whole world.

You are their reason for existence.

Their reason for love.

And one day, so soon, they will no longer need so much from you.

Parenting the first five years is demanding and exhausting -But once it passes, the years click away like the second hand on a clock.

It’s easy to get caught up in today.

To try to accomplish too much and push off time with your children –thinking, I’ll always have tomorrow.

But tomorrow comes too quick and those days are lost.

Relish in today…

Enjoy the neediness, the chaos.

Indulge in the unexpected, realizing you’ll never get it right every day.

Some days you’ll feel like you can’t breathe and other days, you’ll 
wish you could breathe in it all.   

Mid Week Revelation: Leaving the house

I've realized the seas would part if I could leave the house in under a half hour, that would include packing everything and dressing the kids... Motherhood, it's not for the weak.

Morning play time

I wake up almost the same way every day -with my daughter hovering over my sleeping body -whispering words like "mommy pleeeease wake up, I've been sleeping forever" (it was probably more like 8 hours, but I guess that's forever for a 3 year old).

I take a quick glance over to the video monitor to see what my son is doing and 9/10 times, he's usually still sleeping 13 hours later. But on occasions, he's awake and contently playing nicely in his crib - singing, yelling, or stacking cups –all by himself.

That is my usual scenario.

However, I’m guessing the maturing of my son has finally made him more appealing to my daughter. He’s able to walk, throw a ball, push ride toys with his feet, and turn pages in books. She is slowly (and I mean slowly) becoming more intrigued by him.

So I wasn’t too surprised when I was woken up in the morning by the sounds of giggles and laughter coming from my son’s room. I rubbed my eyes as I peered into the video monitor, seeing both of my kids in the crib.

I sat on the edge of my bed watching the two of them as she was reading a book to him. She would ask him a question and he would answer with the appropriate sound –i.e. “What does the doggy say?” he replied, “woof woof.” She would giggle with pride as they high fived and he would lean his head over onto her shoulder with a coy smile.

I realize this isn’t an everyday occurrence and I shouldn’t expect them to be best friends every minute of every day. But watching them interact with such kindness and love actually made my heart smile.

I’m hoping this is a big step forward in their life of friendship.

And, I’m hoping I wake up to more images like this in the future.