musings of Mother Hood

Weekends Are My Favorite

You've Heard of "Falling Off The Wagon"

This is what it looks like. 

Count them. Three Sonic cups. Three. LARGES. In my defense, I think one of them was still on my desk from the day before. I think. But I know I got one on my way to work and one during Happy Hour. I don't even want to do the math on that. 

I quit drinking Diet Coke two years ago - even before I was pregnant. I can't remember why exactly, but I remember that it sucked. It took weeks before I didn't get daily headaches and months before I was truly quenched by plain ole water. But I got there. And I stuck with it throughout my pregnancy and then the entire time I was nursing. But about a month ago I took a diving leap off the proverbial wagon and into a nice, convenient cup of DC. And I have not looked back. 

Each cup is equal parts guilt and satisfaction. Neither is winning out at this point so I continue to have my daily dose and rationalize it to myself as something I "deserve". An intervention may be necessary.

For What It's Worth

And that's why you're here, after all. If you wanted facts, you'd turn to Us Weekly. Or Facebook herself. But here my friends you receive the Opinion O' Sarah. And here it is. I LIKE JON & KATE. There. I said it. And I'm starting to get a little lonely here on my side of the fence. 

Honestly. I have been a fan since their first hour-long special. And I completely fell in love with them during the early years of the show - when it was about grocery shopping with a pile of coupons. And going to the dentist. And which kid picked each other for Christmas. I can do without the constant product placement and celebrity you-scratch-my-back-I'll-scratch-yours action that has completely taken over my favorite show. 

During the last several months, when things have been getting - umm - dramatic, I've had to stop myself from sitting down and writing them an email. 

Dear Jon & Kate: 
You really need to pull it together. You have the most beautiful family and you are letting "people" tear you apart. Go home, take care of yourselves, and play some hide-and-seek. Life is too short for the mess you're in. Hug your munchkins and blow bubbles and go to the beach and never watch TV again. 
Sincerely, 
Your Biggest Fan (Seriously. All of those other "Biggest Fan"s are imposters.)

I think we would be friends. Me and Kate. I watched Monday night, along with most of the world, and saw a family completely falling apart for reasons public and private -- and I feel so horrible for them. They are A FAMILY. Not a sideshow. And I wish they would retreat into their lives and let people forget about them. I've been saying for months that I think this will be their last season. And now it seems pretty obvious that it's true. The good news is that Kate now has fodder for another book. And I will totally read it.

***

Semi-related note: If one more person tells me my hair looks like Kate's, I am going back to my previous hairstyle. Pronto.

***

Less-related note: I've found a new TV show. LOVING Edie Falco's new show Nurse Jackie. I wish the shows were an hour long - I can't get enough. Be warned that it is not for weak stomachs. Or virgin ears...

***

Now, in an attempt to undo the pollution I just created, here are a few delicious pictures from our weekend in Little Rock/Arkadelphia/Smackover with family.

Above and below left: My baby toddler at the water park in Arkadelphia. Does he look old or WHAT? Below right: Colt with his cousin Eric. Colt sat longer on Eric's lap that day than he has sat on my lap collectively his ENTIRE LIFE.

 

Below: The Hood boys. Jeff's first Father's Day. Pop's 50th! Father's Day. (Someday I'll get a picture of these three in which all are looking/smiling and not desperately ready for naptime.)

Worth a Thousand Words

In my next life I want to be a photographer. A portrait photographer. I want to spend all day taking candid, unscripted photos of babies and kids and couples and families.  Laughing and playing and smiling and snuggling. *sigh* In the meantime, it's me and my camera and a few Photoshop tricks I've picked up from my friend Nancy (or by complete trial and error). 

This past week/weekend I spent some time updating my photo albums. And I've alllllllmost got them all done. They were taking over a little - so I listed them differently. Over there. On the right. They're all still there - just not so overbearing. And, actually, I added two new ones. I had to close down "Colt - 6 to 12 Months" in favor of -- you guessed it -- "Colt - 12 to 18 Months". And in the process realized that there are nearly 100 more photos in the 0-6 album than there are in the 6-12 album. 100! What the hell? So I'm on a mission to be better about taking photos and posting them. I was once doing that on a weekly basis and now it's - well - anything but weekly. 

Oh - and the other new album? 12 month photos. They are possibly my favorites of all time. Nancy took them for me a month ago, but I've had to save them because they were part of a Father's Day gift for Jeff. There are ENTIRELY too many of them - and different crops, etc. - because I just couldn't help myself. So I apologize now for the excessiveness of it all. Here - let's see if I can pick a few favorites to post here --

 

 

See? Couldn't just pick a few. Love that boy.

This Message Brought to You by the Number 1

18 June 2009

 

Dear Colt:

Buddy, today is equal parts amazing and ordinary. Exciting. Bittersweet. Overwhelming. And just plain wonderful.  Every day of the last year has meant growth for both of us. You have grown from the 6lb 6oz lump of love that I met at 3:06pm, June 18, 2008 into the 12-month-going-on-3-year-old live wire that you are today. And I have changed each day right along with you. I never knew there was a Mama inside of me. But you did.

 

You’ve slowed me down. And I didn’t even know I needed that. Overnight, you single-handedly reprioritized my life. I live for our evenings and weekends. My absolute favorite part of the day is 7:30 - when we rock and chat and you have your goodnight bottle in your jammies. I tickle your feet. You hold my hand. I let you trace my face with your chubby little fingers. Sometimes I hold you long after you’ve fallen asleep, just because I can. (And because you only sit still on my lap if you’re asleep...)

 

 

You have been here an entire year. Wow. A year ago tonight the three of us were in our hospital room, trying to figure out what to do with each other. Your Paw was trying his best to sleep, but you and I were up most of the night – just talking. I had no idea what the next year would hold for us – I was more focused on getting through each day. Each hour! And we did. We got through each hour and we got through each day. And then we started measuring time in weeks. Then months.  And now… years. This last year has meant lots of smiles, some frustration and tears, lots of your Paw and me watching you do something – then turning to each other with wide eyes and shrugged shoulders as if to say, “don’t look at me, I’ve never done this before either.”

  

I am so proud of our little family, and my heart just bursts when I try to wrap my head around all of the memories we have yet to make in this life.  But every day is special. The sleep-through-the-night days, the runny nose days, the swinging in the park days, the exceptionally wiggly and uncooperative days. Every one of them.  Sometimes we just sit and stare at you, laughing at the faces you make as you play or eat. You are a wonder. And though I cannot wait for the day I hear your sweet voice tell me you love me or the day you reach up and hold my hand when we walk, I am constantly reminded that life is short and I am enjoying everything as it is now. Every smile. Every mess.

Happy birthday, sweet boy. You have brought happiness and God-sent distraction to a family who needed it more than they realized. You are truly a gift.

Love Mama

Daily Puppy

I needed a little Daily Puppy in my life just now. And thought you might, too. Enjoy.

 

 

Quick Update from LA

• Still in LA. Still desperately missing my family. Home tomorrow.

• Having a good time, but the research we're doing is making me want a dog reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeal  bad. So. Yeah. We'll see about that.

• Today is June 11th. A year ago today I was officially 40 weeks pregnant and DUE.

• I received my weekly Babycenter email last night -- and instead of "Your Baby - XX months, XX weeks" it said "Your TODDLER - 1 year". I almost fell over.

• Home tomorrow. Did I already mention that?

Blue Jean Baby

I am an inconsistent pack rat. Our attic is literally full of boxes of stuff I cannot bear to throw away - old forensics trophies, yearbooks, junior high band camp tshirts. It's a treasure trove, let me tell you.  But at the same time, I accumulate trash at an alarming rate. Jeff is always amazed at how quickly I can fill up our kitchen garbage can. He probably feels like he takes it out every day. We don't go a week without him having to make a trip to the car wash down the street to throw a car-full of boxes in their dumpster. So -- attic full of "keepsakes" yet incredible output of trash. Hmm.

But in the pack rat column, give a me a check mark for this: my jean jacket. It's a fav. Any of you who have known me for any amount of time know that it's an absolute staple for me. And here's the thing. I've had it for AT LEAST 8 years. In fact, here's a picture of me wearing it on our trip to NYC when Tom graduated from the Prep School in summer 2001. (Oh look, it used to button...)

I'm pretty sure I had the jacket in high school, though I can't find a picture. (Also - see the shoes I'm wearing? -- yep, still have those, too.) But the story gets better! I bought that jean jacket 8 years ago. At Walmart. For FIVE. DOLLARS. FIVE! I can't think of a single thing I own I'd consider more cost-effective than that. 

I most recently wore it last week when I met Nastia Liukin at the Walmart Shareholders Vendor Fair, and I probably wore it to dinner last night. And I probably would have kept right on wearing my $5 Faded Glory jean jacket if it weren't for my good friend Erin. I haven't told her this and she'd probably be embarrassed if she knew, but she inspired me with her recent post about jean jackets. Nevermind that her post was about jean jackets coming back into style, and I've been proudly wearing mine straight through the better half of the last decade. (Erin, I've got a LOT to learn.) But her post got me thinking about the need to update my favorite piece of clothing. So I did it. I made a slightly-larger-than-five-dollar investment in this:

My new jean jacket. It's the same, really, which is kinda the best part. But it fits me much better than the original (it buttons and everything), is a much prettier blue (since it has yet to be washed 600 times), and it has POCKETS - which was always my only true complaint about my old jacket. 

It will take some getting used to, but I'm sure the new jean jacket will be a regular in the rotation in no time. And according to Erin, who is easily one of the most fashionable people I know, I will be in style -- for the first time since OWNING a jean jacket. So right on! I hope this doesn't mean I have to get rid of the old one. Can't it join the other relics in the attic? 

Friday Afternoon.

I got this in an email this week, and thought it was nice for a Friday afternoon. Everyone enjoy the weekend.

***

Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, "How about going to lunch in a half hour?" She would gas up and stammer, "I can't. I have clothes in the dryer. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast. It looks like rain." And my personal favorite: "It's Monday." She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

Because we cram so much into our lives, we tend to schedule our headaches. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect.

We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get the baby potty-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of "I'm going to," "I plan on," and "Someday, when things settle down a bit."

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, "We'll do it tomorrow."? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die?

When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift. Thrown away. Life is not a race. Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.

Now - go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to - not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?

The Walmart Experience

That's right folks. It's Shareholder's Week here in NWA. And for the first 8 summers I lived in Fayetteville that meant staying as far away from campus as I could manage during the first week of June. But this year I decided to brave the craziness. My team at work created two different booths - one for Iams and one for Pringles - so I went today to check in on them. I have been TOTALLY missing out all these years! 

The Iams booth was a game show -- that's me in the middle, and my Creative Director as the host (in shorts - go Andy!) -- and it was fabulous. 

All of the pet booths were together inside the Tennis Facility on campus, and this one was by far my favorite. These pictures do not do it justice - it was the cutest thing EVER.

Yes, that's what you think it is. Dog poo. The idea of this game was to use the pooper scooper to fling the brown bean bags into various buckets for various points. Kinda like dog poo skee ball.

Tuesday night - before the vendor fair - I met up with my friends Mary and Autumn for some free Brad Paisley and Sugarland action in Bud Walton Arena. SO fun. Sugarland opened and was amazing. They were truly studio-quality -- which is hard to come by with live music. That girl can SANG. The only weird part of the concert was when she had an abrupt and confusing costume change with the addition of a red sequin stocking cap thing. She was dressed all hippie chickie cute with her long tunic and slept-in hair -- then all the sudden BAM. Red sequins. It was so distracting. And I wish I had a picture of it. But they were wonderful. And Brad Paisley is just adorable. And the man can play. The. Guitar. Wow. Gotta love a free concert! 

It worked out well that there were two nights of concerts -- one I wanted to attend, and one that Jeff wanted to attend -- because this year, with Colt, we had to switch-off. So Wednesday night Jeff went with some friends to see Foreigner. I honestly don't think I could name a Foreigner song if my life depended on it. But Jeff said they were awesome. Good choice, Walmart.

Also of note, there were several non-singing celebrities in town for the event. AT&T brought in Darren McFadden and Nastia Liukin, and though I didn't see him, I heard tell that Chad from the Alltel commercials was lurking around. Is he a celebrity?

Here I am with Nastia - who has the special honor of being the first celebrity I am following on Twitter. Slippery slope, my friends.