The behind the scenes of a single picture

Today, I posted a photo to my Facebook account that had my daughter in her back carrier labeled, these children will never be too old to be carried. The picture was a momentary peaceful image with both of us full of smiles and displaying utter happiness and content. Like all snapshots do, that only capture a single second in time. However, the picture is not always reality. 

Yes, the reality was, she was full of smiles, but why was she in the carrier in the first place?

Well, it started because we were going to hike through the woods to the nearby pond to throw rocks in the water -like we have done thousands of times. My son eagerly marched his way to the front to lead the way. But my daughter stopped and sat on the ground, not wanting to walk, but to be carried. I'm always up for negotiations within reason and being the peaceful parent that I am, I didn't threaten or punish her for behaving poorly. Hell, I've been known to behave poorly on occasions. I simply pulled out the carrier and we continued with the journey. 

Until the walk back...

Her boots were full of mud and her pants were soppy from playing by the water. Also, her brother wanted to take a spin in the carrier for the walk back. They both started crying and pleading their cases until I decided that no one was going to be carried. Her brother was content to walk as long as someone held his hand and as long as his sister wasn't getting any special treatment. But my spirited 5 year old was not content with my answer. She cried and sobbed like a 15 year old who was just told she couldn't date the quarterback. I walked, she kept up, but not happily. I kept reassuring her she was a big girl and able to make the trek back. I even made several attempts to play games like, 'last one there is a rotten egg' or 'can't catch me'. Although, she wasn't having any of it. Basically, she behaved the way any normal, tired, 5 year old would. 

We arrived back home, my daughter still at my side, now whining, as she continued to say she wanted to be carried. I hugged my little girl and told her how happy I was that she walked by herself. I understood that she was tired and still young enough to not accurately control her emotions like people believe children should. And I also understand that children think differently than adults, they're very linear. She wanted to be held and her brain clouded any rational thinking beyond that. 

My daughter quickly perked up and moved past her meltdown, again, like all children her age do. I didn't find any logic in harping on the incident. I addressed the issue with empathy and showed her lots of love and support, like I always do. At 5 years old, she didn't need a lecture, she needed a hug. And she did, lots of them... 

...And an early bedtime, which was welcomed. 

With social media being one of the biggest revolutions in technology, it's no wonder people base their parenting expectations off of a single picture. People are bombarded daily with lovely, perfect images set out for the world to see. And some of us, ponder how they're done. But what we don't see, is what happened before and after that picture perfect image, because, everything has a story to be told. But just know that reality is also very beautiful, even with the imperfections.



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Mid Week Humor: Laundry

The sometimes reality of laundry is when you just replace one dirty pile of clothes with a clean pile, then that becomes the pile where everyone dresses from... Motherhood.



**Remember to submit your own humor parenting quotes, either by commenting or hashtagging #thehappydayshumor 

Until summer...

The snow is falling outside the window and our heat is turning on every few minutes. Winter is still vibrant in the outside world. But inside, my daughter is sitting on the floor in front of our record player with a handful of vintage records sprawled over her lap and my son is twirling around to the music... The warmth of this scene will keep me comforted and content until summer arrives.

Mid Week Humor: Humor challenge!

I've thought about this long and hard. I was trying to figure out a way to have a weekly challenge to engage more conversations on my blog. So after much consideration, I've decided that I'm going to start a weekly mid week humor challenge. Each Wednesday, I'll submit something humorous or silly that has happened in my parenting world. Then, you all could join in on the conversation by adding your own humor stories to the comment section on the original post over on my blog. Or, you could hashtag it with #thehappydayshumor on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter (be sure to follow me on those sites as well to continue the conversation -you can follow me on those sites by clicking the appropriate icons in the right side column of my blog's page). Maybe, even add a photo and the hashtag... Humor is one of my main crutches with being a mom and I'm excited to hear all your relatable experiences too. This way, we can all laugh at the joys of parenthood together...

To start, here's my Mid Week Humor Post...

After my son sang about 3 nursery rhyme songs, back to back, I pushed my luck by asking for one more. He then replied, "ugh! I can't right now momma, because my legs are sooooo tired. I need to take a break." Not his voice, but his legs were tired... Children say the darndest things.

*Now add yours to the comment section...

Cold April day

I step out my door and feel the warm sunshine on my face and expect the air to be warm. Instead, I lose my breath as the 20 degree temperatures enter my lungs. My children run past me, eager to play in their sand that they scattered all over my pavement. Freezing temperatures never seem to phase children the way adults are affected. They find that their water table is frozen solid and they try everything to crack the ice. My daughter runs over to our forsythia bush to pick some more flowers for her bedroom. Her past ones are still vibrant, but most of the petals have fallen off and the floor is laden with small curled yellow flowers. About a quarter of the bush hasn't bloomed yet and with all the frost we've been having, I doubt it will flower this season. My son shrieks when he sees that our day Lily green sprouts are toppled over, then he grabs some leaves and tries to bury it to help the little plant warm up.

Yes, the sunshine is beautiful and yearned for, but we're craving warm outdoor air. Air that we could breathe all day and cleanse the indoor stale air that lingers deep in our lungs... For now, we'll pick those brightly colored flowers and place them in vases throughout our house, pretending summer is here, and imagine all the fun that is waiting for us in the outside world.

Silly April days

Mother nature can't seem to decide what season we're supposed to be in. It was just yesterday that I was outside with my children, basking in the warm air, going on adventures and picking brightly colored forsythia's for our home. But today, our outside is blanketed with fresh powdery snow. 

My children and I hiked through our back woods. My daughter wanted to play "mystery" and she and her brother had to find clues throughout the forest. My son picked up every small detail that his little feet stumbled upon and said, "look momma! Here's a clue!" My daughter was more imaginative and thought up a scenario that the silly Leprechauns have hidden items for them to find. The already found ones were in a bag that was slung over my shoulder. 

We played and walked as we ventured further and further into the depths of the woods. My daughter took a break and sat on a old downed oak tree. She shimmied her small frame up onto the thick trunk and I sat down beside her. My son was in front of us, kicking leaves around with his feet, trying to find a lost pine cone. My daughter and I talked about what other things the Leprechauns would be leaving in the woods. I said I wasn't sure, but we could continue to search. She replied that she wanted to leave the items behind for another day. She didn't want to find everything and be bored the next time we came back. 

After helping my son find that lost pine cone, I placed the last found items into my carrying case and we headed back out. I walked in between my son and daughter, with our hands tightly intertwined together. We sang some Alvin and the Chipmunk songs as we maneuvered our way over the rocks and under the fallen branches. My daughter sings right on key and always remembers all the correct words, I'm sure she'll do something beautiful with her voice one day. While, my son sings out of key, hums some parts, and adds a few extra words to the song -He inherited those lovely skills from his momma. 

So, with our snow covered grounds and frigid temperatures, today was a lazy day. One of those days where time doesn't click as fast as it normally does and you spend more time talking about the day, instead of participating. But, by the end of it, the snow was patchy with tall grass poking through. Brown branches were now speckled with white. And, the wind was blowing harder and the air was getting colder. 

Nevertheless, remembering our adventures searching for hidden Leprechaun treasures is what kept me warm inside. I hope my daughter and son never lose their imagination and always try to find the fun in everything they do. I hope they continue to always seek adventure and never let grass grow under their feet... So even though today was a lazy snowy day, we still had the fun carried over from our outdoor adventure. And in a few short weeks, the snow will be packed away for the season and more beautiful forsythias and other various flowers will color in the brown tones that were somber during our winter days.    

Temporarily unplugged from the cyber world

I'm sorry for vanishing this past week or so. I unintentionally "unplugged" myself from my computer and phone. It seemed that engaging in the present moments with my family just got away from me. However, I didn't do it as a righteous act or as a lent objective. I just simply didn't get around to using technology. That sounds pretty bizarre in a world where technology is just as important as breathing. 

Currently, I have four blog posts half written and patiently waiting in my drafts. One is about recess and an incident that has happened, one about my husband and him being away, another one is about my flusters of motherhood, and a final one about my children and their differences with learning.

With each one, I eagerly sat down at my computer and flushed out thoughts on each subject. But lately, I've been a bit of a scatter brain and forty million thoughts are running through my mind at any given second. So after a few dozen lines or so, I hit a block. Then as life has it, I was pulled away from my writers block and just didn't return.

The past week or so have been spent running around during the holiday madness, spending loving time with family and just being with my children over spring break. My daughter has been having more contention with recess and visually upset more. My son appears to be mulling through the terrible 3s, which is a lot to handle, especially since I never experienced this with my daughter. I have been taking time to talk with them and focus all my attention on them and not sporadically viewing my phone intermittently. Also, when my children show any type of behavior issue, I take that as a cue that I need adjust something in my parenting world. Hence, some of my evenings were spent being alone and objective and pulling out my old behavior modification knowledge from deep inside my brain.

So, by the end of the night, when my children were asleep, instead of blogging, I have also been spending uninterrupted time with my husband -watching our beloved DVR shows. Something I have taken for granted since having children.

This time away has also been more of a reflection of things I want to either change or tend to more. I found with the winter days, I spent more time scrolling through my news feed, than participating with tasks in front of me. And spending more one on one time with my husband is moving higher and higher up the list --Maybe that's another blog post too?

I love blogging and I relish this space to jot down my thoughts to have forever stored in the cyber world. However, every once in a while, it does feel good to unplug from it and eliminate all the time restrictions. And I know with the warmer days approaching, I'll spend less and less time unconsciously viewing news feeds and more time breathing in the beautiful moments around me. Annnnd, blogging quietly in the still night. So hopefully over the next week, I'll get to finishing those four stories and you'll all be able to share the experience with me...

...Until then, enjoy your Happy Days!

**And thank you all who commented, asking how I was, or if everything was ok. I greatly appreciate that you all enjoy hearing my stories and have personally made a connection. I'll get those four stories out the quickest I can and I cannot wait to converse about them with you all. Remember, pass my blog onto a friend and maybe they can relate to something I have written as well. Feel free to share some of your favorite stories, but remember to tag and provide a direct link back to The Happy Days. Also, you can join my blog's site or any of my social media sites by going to my blog's main page and finding all the options in the right side column. Thank you again for your continued support!**