He Loves Me

Chris wore this shirt out to the beach on Valentines Day.

Cheesy maybe.....endearing definitely.

Be Mine

 

Be Ok

A few weeks before I came across the song BE OK by Ingrid Michaelson, I was having a particularly low week. I really felt crummy. My aches and pains were growing worse and I hardly had enough energy to function. When anyone asked if I was feeling better I responded with,"sure." Which really meant no, but I thought it kind of me to spare them the same old "I just don't feel well" story.
It was frustrating that I couldn't just make myself feel better by my own strong determination. I knew that despite what others thought was wrong with me, putting a band aid (Prozac) on a symptom of larger problems was not the answer. I knew that "whatever" it was that was wrong would involve a long climb out of the sunken pit I had fallen into, but it was something I was capable of doing.
I sat on the bed one morning pleading with myself to put on my running shoes when all I could think was, I just want to feel OK. I had given up on feeling great. OK was good enough for me.
So when I listened to Ingrid's song for the first time the words sang right to my heart.

My New Bubbly

I've been clean from diet coke for 3 weeks. Yea for me!! I thought that the first week would be the hardest. I fully expected to have a few migraines and the urge to relieve it with a diet coke. I thought it was going to be the caffeine I would crave the most and therefore would be the hardest to part with. Sadly I've realized over the last few weeks just how addicted I was. I have really craved that bubbly brown. More than wanting it for the caffeine, what I crave the most is the sweetener. That constant desire for something sweet has been the hardest part of my diet coke detox.
I knew that if I was going to survive I would have to come up an alternative. Water was not going to cut it because as odd as it may sound, I don't like water. So I picked up some Sparkling Mineral water which I believe is the closest healthy alternative to soda. ( Not to be confused with other Sparkling Water that still contains artificial sweetener.) Drinking mineral water is an acquired taste, but I've learned to love this bubbly thirst quencher, maybe not equally to soda but enough to pull me through.

My hair and skin have never been so happy.

Benefits of Drinking Mineral Water:

Mineral water is extremely helpful in replenishing not only water that is naturally lost from the body, but it also helps to balance electrolytes due to the fact that mineral water is full of electrolytes (minerals) which naturally dissolve in the water.
Mineral water is also known to help combat bacteria and funguses.
Mineral water is consumed by many on a daily basis to help detoxify the body of potentially harmful substances. These substances are usually known as toxins and can affect the body negatively in many ways.
Finally, many individuals that drink mineral water on a daily basis do so for its therapeutic properties. Many believe that mineral waters can reduce pain, aches and swelling due to the inflammation of muscles and joints. Others believe that mineral water can play a role in curing certain types of diseases and chronic conditions.

glaswater.com

Just like a delicious bowl of Ben and Jerry's Pistachio ice cream, very naughty I might add, this bowl of garden roses is just as yummy! I think I going to hang it on my refrigerator. I'm hopping when I look at it I will be just as satisfied.

photo credit

The Happy Pair of Rain Boots and the Boy who Wore them.

When my mom gave Jack a pair rain boots for Christmas I thought he'll love them but those boots will never see a puddle. We live in Southern California where it rarely rains. A few years ago we went close to 300 days without a drop of rain. Even when it does rain it's usually not enough to create big puddles for splashing. A couple of weeks ago we had record rains and for a solid week.

Jack and his pair of rain boots were over joyed with not only the puddles to jump through but also with the streams running down the gutters.

Mom on Strike Report

I woke Saturday with Kate climbed into bed next to me and asked if I was back. And only seconds after I told her I was back and gave her a hug Thomas walked in to complain about some injustice. I rolled my eyes, pulled the covers up over my head and thought oh brother what did they possible get out of yesterday? For me personally I enjoyed many hours reading in my bed. It was lovely. When one of the kids would ask me for something all I had to say was "strike" and they left the room. I never felt so powerful!

I lamented a bit that my kids were not magically changed into perfectly happy non complaining children. At least that is what I hoping for after a day on strike. And then a small but profound thought came to me. They are little works in progress and they have imperfect parents showing them the way. Okay, okay I get it. I'll be patient, and more loving, and I will listen more. The last one probably the most important.

As I thought about the previous day I do think there were some very good lessons learned for all of us. I think my kids realized how much I do for them and how much they rely on me. They also realized how capable they are and how much they can do for themselves. For example Kate was proud of herself for walking allllll the way home. Before that I don't think it ever crossed her mind that she could walk all that way with out me and now she knows if she really needs to she can. Thomas already does a lot for himself but I think he realized just how much I do for him running him around to all his activities and lessons and that I am not the keeper of all this things.

I think going on strike did have it's payouts even if they were small.

I'm sure it wont be the last time either.