"If I were a mermaid.." and Daddy's Little Fire Engine

I am so incredibly blessed to have two beautiful girls who continue to crack me up! They each had their own funny moments today....

"If I were a mermaid.."

Eva loves to share all of her stories all day long to anyone who will listen. Night time has proved to offer the most moving and humorous stories of them all. Being mom, I'm the lucky one who gets to hear them every night. Tonight was not lacking....

While clipping Eva's nails before bed she said, "Mommy, If I were a mermaid I would travel the whole world under the ocean. I would learn all about the human world. I would have my own special cave for my collection."(Disney buff or not, we all can see where this is going) "Then, I would hear a boom. I'd swim to find him and I'd carry him to dry land. To the beach. And then I'd give him wake up medicine."

Oh, if medicine could cure all! How easy life would be. It's amazing how their minds work. :)


Daddy's Little Fire Engine

Today we made a family shopping trip to the mall. Definitely a special treat. We usually don't have Daddy along for the shopping. While walking through one store we were turning all heads in sight(or at least Adelina was). There was not a single person in the store that couldn't hear us coming with Adelina's repetitious "wwhoooa. wwhoooa. wwhoooa." And the volume on that girl! She might as well have been on her way to an emergency. This continued for about five minutes. There was no stopping her! Fortunately, all the turning heads were laughing as they watched her roll by. She certainly had Mommy and Daddy laughing too.

Does life make things hard for us? Or do we make life hard on ourselves?

Today started out kinda rough. I hit a few hiccups and wasn't feeling very happy about myself, or things in general. I even broke down a bit on the phone with a good friend of mine(full knowing there really was nothing to be so upset about). It was she who offered up the above question. I quickly agreed that it was a mix of both. But, after reflecting on her question the rest of the day, I am in full belief that we make life hard on ourselves.

We all see the shining examples of those that have major ailments or handicaps and still seem to embrace each moment, good or bad. We all are in awe of their strength and want that for ourselves. The reality is, we already have it. We're just choosing not to embrace our own moments. Each moment is a test, a lesson, another step in our journey. Weather we want it or not, it's ours. Each moment defines us. It's as easy as flipping that switch in our head to hopeful from hopeless.

So what in the world is wrong with me!?! I am ashamed that it has been so hard for me to flip that switch and instead I've chosen to wallow in self pity. Granted, I have good moments as well as bad. Lately the bad have clearly been winning out though. This simple question was really the kick in the pants I needed. For the first time in a long time I felt like I enjoyed my day(what was left of it at least). I was present with my girls instead of consumed with less important things. I took time appreciate my life. Why can't I do this everyday? I can. I must do it for my own sanity and that of my family. I'm tired of feeling like everyday is a race to get things accomplished. By the time the kids are in bed I feel like I didn't get anything done anyway.

My goal is to be present everyday. To be living my life instead of watching as each day slips by in chaos. I have the strength to embrace each moment as it comes, and to be happy knowing it is making me into me. Most of all, I can't afford to set a bad example to the two girls I hope to mold into some of the strongest women this world has ever seen. We are reflected in the attitudes and actions of those around us. Not only do I not want to be surrounded by grumpy people, I want to know that my impact on this world, however small, is a positive one.

This is why we surround ourselves with great friends. :)

It has been awhile.....

Well, I am quite the blogger. Amazing that it took almost four months to get back on here. I missed the most important part of the year, Halloween, Eva's birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas. So, I'm back for Valentines Day! Yay! This year(maybe because it was my first with two children) the busyness of the holidays and everything else really kicked me in the butt. I'm still trying to catch up and get back on top of everything here at home. Fortunately, my loving husband and beautiful daughters have been patient with me.

Truth be told I have been spending so much time reading other peoples blogs that I have neglected my own. Thanks to my wonderful friend Jen, I have taken up the art of couponing. What a beautiful thing it is!! Any day you can get something for free or super duper cheep, is an exciting day. If anyone has any questions on how to start, please ask. Eventually when I get this blog going I'll have some great links to the blogs I've been spending all my time reading.

All that being said, I'm officially back. Goodbye neglected blog, hello happy blogger!

"Mommy, I have to go potty."

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh...... What's any mother's most dreaded phrase while in the middle of shopping? Without a doubt, "Mommy, I have to go potty." While every mom pushes to get their tot on the toilet and is so quick to reward and take joy in their 'big boy/girl', there are moments where we(selfishly) wish the days of diapers were still here. Yesterday, I had one of those moments.

I was so excited to have a girls day with both my daughters (Eva almost 5 and Adleina 5 months). It was our first leisurely shopping trip in months and a sunny gorgeous day outside. After picking up some sweet smelling items at Bath and Body Works we headed next door to Pier 1. With my five year old helping push my five month old in the stroller, we just managed our way to the back corner of the store when Eva says..."Mommy, I have to go potty." Being that Eva is known to wait until the last minute and then run to the bathroom, I start to panic inside. We head toward the door as quick as possible. For anyone that's ever visited Pier1, you know that this is no easy task with a stroller. The small odd isles FILLED with breakables make even walking slowly nerve wracking(as we quickly passed a manager I think even he was nervous).

"Whew. We made it outside. Now just to get to Borders next door and to the bathroom." High tailing it as fast as the stroller would allow, we made it to the bathroom. "Alright, we're almost clear." While I covered the toilet with toilet paper(public bathroom OCD) and Eva got ready to get on, she said,"Mommy I can't hold it any longer." As I reached for her so she could make it to that one final spot, pee shot across the floor.....just missing my foot. I still put her on the toilet although futile and started wiping up the mess, thankful at least that she missed my foot. After cleaning things up I then went to assess the damage with her pants. To my amazement, her pants were completely dry. Somehow(by and act of God I think), her being bent over allowed the damage to shoot out behind her and miss her pants entirely. I was thrilled to say the least. We walked out of that bathroom as if nothing happened.

Our shopping day could have easily continued after we were saved by the crazy pee, but I was a little worn out with all the excitement. As we drove home I let Eva know I was proud of her for at least making it to the bathroom, but even prouder that she managed to save her pants(and my foot) somehow. That pee, will be one for the record books.

Every Day is a WILD One

Despite the "normal" label any outsider might assign my day to day routine, it seems to be all but "normal". Each day brings its own laughs, tears, excitement and challenges. Are my days so different than any other other busy mom or woman out there? Probably not. However, I do try not to let the WILD moments outshine life's most precious simple moments. This being a hard task for any woman or mother. Through blogging I hope to focus on my blessings even more by making sense of the constant chatter running through my brain - Not to mention quiet things down so I can discover the real ME behind it all. I love my life! What better a thing to share with anyone who wishes to partake in reading my simple thoughts. Many happy writings to come......