Mid Week Humor: Eating healthier... Or am I?

I'm one of those people who buys hummus to try and eat healthier. But then, I end up eating the entire container in one sitting and I'm left thinking, I should have just had that cupcake. Because, at that instant, I'm assuming they're equal... So in the end, it's kind of a moot point.

The Happy Days Blog

Beautiful weather causes lapses in posts...

As the weather quickly becomes more beautiful than the days before, I find myself falling into my spring pattern. My blog posts may become infrequent and inconsistent, but what remains consistent is, every year I seem to go into hiding when the first spring flower blooms. 

Blog posts become scarce and Instagram posts are far and few in between...

We become so home bound through our winter months, that even mid 40 degrees feels like summer to us. So, I instinctively begin spring cleaning and trying to fit every kind of outdoor activity into our day. Then, I actually <strangely> become overwhelmed at the thought of doing everything in one day -and become exhausted at sunset. Even though that is silly and it's not even realistic.

The beautiful weather has come at a perfect time too. Somewhere between us being sick, a blizzard, and freezing cold weather, we've all started to bump heads. I think for a second, our 1600 sq/ft home became too small.

My daughter and I were beginning that infamous, everything I say she has to disagree with phase. Which started from sun up to sun down, and has been delightful to say the least <insert sarcasm>. 

My son has begun following, Erik Erikson's initiative versus guilt stage, where he is asserting his independence ten fold and also doesn't understand the depths of apparent dangers when he attempts to do things like, stand on top of the cozy coupe while his sister pushes it, or something similar -then, I'm the bad guy when I try to stop him. 

My peaceful parenting has been tried, tested, and stretched. But in the end, we made it. With patience and understanding --And some early bedtimes. And LOTS of cupcakes (for me, not the kids).

And, as the rebirth of our earth transforms and new change emerges, the home dynamics begin to shift. Our days are now spent outdoors, exploring, pretending, and roaming without the constraints of artificial walls...

Perfectly timed, too.

Spring is the unofficial kick off to better, brighter times, and less stepping on each other's toes, times.

A time where my coed softball begins and my daughter's softball begins and her indoor ninja warrior classes are ending. 

A time when we move our rope swing and rope latter out of our basement and attach it to our outside tree. And our crocs are waiting, lined by the back door. Big wheels are parked outdoors and cozy coupes are now on grass. And, our patio is filling up with roller skates, scooters, and chalk...

And pool weather is just right around the corner.

So when we finally get used to the weather and the urge to not waste a single moment of outdoor air wears off -and it always does- I'll get back to blogging my three times a week again. But until then, I'll definitely keep it up at least once a week.

Because, I'm always so flattered when I lapse a week or so and people reach out to me saying, how they miss my posts or even asking, if everything is ok?

I'm grateful for you people... 

And, this is why I started blogging in the first place. To help parents through their days, just like other bloggers did for me. 

Because without all you lovely people, I would just be a blogger, writing to the sound of silence.

And thank you all for that :) 


**I wrote a previous post about voting for me on Top Mommy Blogs -You can view my post here for the details -->  Top Mommy Blogs Post 

Top Mommy Blogs Post...

Hey all. I just wanted to send out a reminder that for awhile now, I have been blessed with the opportunity to hold standings within the Top Mommy Blogs community. And, in the right side column of my blog, there is a Top Mommy Blogs icon hanging out there. I don't think you can see it through mobile version, so you'd have to switch over to web version...

Here's a screenshot of what it looks like

It's over there ----------------------------->

I'd appreciate it, if all you lovely people, could click on that sucker a few times a week, or whenever you head over to my site to read my posts... 

Each time you send that vote, it ups my ranking over on their site. And, the higher the ranking, the more views my blog gets.

And that would be awesome. 

You can only vote once a day. But thanks for the attempt at multiples -You get an A+ for effort. And, I'll send a virtual hug <3

Thank you all... I always greatly appreciate the support you all give to me. Because, without your support, I'd just be a mom blogger, blogging to the sound of silence in the dark air :) 

A memory of an ever-changing story...

This image is a duplicate of the ones that are forever ingrained in my memories. They wait there, opened, like a field of daisies just waiting to be picked... I could remember walking past this door and seeing a toddler among a sea of books, her tiny pony tail standing high above the pile and her little fingers thumbing through page after page, pretending to read each one. As the years passed, the image stayed the same, but the content changed with the time. My little toddler..., turned into a little girl and that pretend reading, turned into actual reading. Now, when I pass this door, after my home becomes too quiet, I see her sitting in her desk chair, facing the opened windows, with a chapter book in her hands. Her eyes are focused and her body stiff. She's lost somewhere among tree house adventures, bratty first graders, and mysteries. And I stand in this doorway for a few minutes, before I'm even recognized. And in those few minutes, I'm able to relieve the short transformation that seemed to matriculate before my very eyes...

Mid Week Humor: Mom brain...

That awkward moment when you grab your grocery list, pack your son in the car, and head out to the store, only to arrive at said store, and realize you left your wallet at home... And apparently, your brain too... Motherhood.

The Happy Days Blog

Our annual Spring exploring...

After a blizzard producing a 22 inch snow fall and a winter that seemed to drag on and on, today's 68 degree weather was warmly welcomed... It was just warm enough for short sleeves and pants, but cool enough to hike around in our back woods without the bugs pestering us. 

The sky was crystal blue and the air was quiet. However, the scene was still barron, with not a color in sight. Only tiny buds showed their presence on the tips of the trees, but the brown dried leaves still heavily blanketed the ground.

My son and I donned our boots and we coaxed our German Shepherd to join us on an exploring adventure. My son likes to pretend she's our search and seek partner and asks her to "sniff out" clues. So, we wandered the grounds, stepping over fallen limbs and uprooted trees, as I carried a plastic ziplock bag with rocks, sticks, and pine cones piled inside. We would stop and empty the contents to see if anything resembled a clue, and I would related some object to something we passed and he would get excited, as that meant we were getting closer... To what, I never found out. 

Mid way, he would stop and say, "I think there's a dragon over there." Then I would stop and call for our dog to stop and pretend we were on high alert. And we all got quiet... For about a second -that's about how long my son can handle... He picked up a stick and said, "I got this mama!" Then, he ran towards the "dragon" and scared him off. You know, being the brave explorer protecting his followers.

Periodically, he'd reach for my hand, to help me navigate through the woods. Saying, "here mama, let me help you." But, I think it was more for his stability. Either way, I thanked him and reminded him how much I was grateful for his hand. 

We climbed deeper and deeper, so our home was just a white speckle between the trees. Our dog was now laying in the leaves, taking a break from her 10 year old legs. And, he and I pretended to set up a camp fire among the tall oaks that sat high above us. He used his sword stick to roast marshmallows and I cooked mac and cheese. He chatted about our next course and how we needed to find more dragons to keep the area safe. Then, we would head back home...

I could remember doing this same thing with his sister every spring. After the winter months, our stagnant bodies craved the outdoor air and our minds yearned for some adventures. But lately, pretend adventures aren't really her thing anymore. She humors us every once in a while, but she'd rather turn the logs and obstacles into an American Ninja Warrior event instead. 

So I take the changes with stride, I'm now becoming a professional at that, and I make sure to integrate both children with all the activities at the same time. It takes skill, but we make it work. And I know that I'll probably cry the day all this stops and the Spring season doesn't mean we go out into the woods to slay dragons, or save princesses, or even, look for clues. But today, it does. Today, it means, we walk the grounds and play together... 

And when Spring becomes just another day on the calendar, I'll always have these wonderful memories that will forever remain in the forefront of my brain... 

And at that time, the memories will be just as special as the real thing.