Hold me day.

Today was what I like to call a "hold me day".
Koen insisted that I hold him almost every minute.
So, I said to my baby,
"Okay Koen, today is your day!"
I hiked up my hip and floated through my house
with my little one perched on my left arm.

I decided to ignore
all the parenting books
that stress the importance of
not over-indulging your baby.

I put the housework on hold to hold my baby
and discovered in the process
that I can do just about anything that a 4 year old
could possibly request
with one available hand.

Fancy Housewife

We ventured out to Reed's Odds and Ends
out on Macon Highway.
It's always fun to rummage through all of their junk.
I found a vintage apron and decided to take it home.

Which I'm so thrilled to have because I like to pretend
that I look like this lady.
She is dazzling with her pumps and her lipstick
and her perfectly coiffed hair.
She loves her home
and probably is great at keeping up with laundry.

I am my own version of a woman who is proud of her home.

I load the dishwasher in bare feet.
I haven't showered since Saturday.
I can't even find my lipstick.

Yet, I'm one step closer to being a fancy housewife.
Me and my apron are really adding some class to the place!

I decided to play with my Holga

Watermelons at the Watkinsville 4th of July Celebration

Backyard pool fun

4th of July Parade

My little cowboy!

Addict

It's all my fault, I know it is. My son is officially addicted to video games. I knew in my heart that I was creating this monster and I did nothing to stop it. It's easy to justify, I mean, I played video games like crazy when I was kid and I turned out okay, right? Don't answer that!

It's in his genes, video games really could be part of his DNA. Roger owns every play system from Atari to Wii. As a matter of fact, it was our love of video games that united us as a couple. It's rare to find a lady that digs playing Grand Theft Auto as much as I do. It keeps the spice in our marriage. So, we let Griffin play anything that is rated "E for Everyone". You should see him, he plays better than some 13 year olds. It's amazing.

At the end of my pregnancy I was as big as a house and pretty much went limp when it came to video games and TV. I shamelessly let him watch hour after hour of the horrid television while I laid on the couch and moaned. I was in survival mode and the TV was our life line-and the baby sitter! Same thing after I gave birth. There's no one more fun than "Uncle Spongebob" to watch the kid while I take care of our new baby.

This decision has officially bitten me in the ass. He begs ALL the time to play video games or watch Nickelodeon. In the car, driving home from an errand, he'll lay down the groundwork.

It goes something like this...

G: "Mom?"
Me: "Yeah Honey?"
G: "Can I play video games when we get home?"
Me: "No, you're gonna play with a toy and use your imagination."
G: (Yelling) "NO, THAT"S STUPID!"
Me: "Don't yell at me please, it's not smart to yell at the person who can let you play video games!"
G:" Sorry Mom."

Pause

G:"Mom?"
Me: "Yes?"
G: "Can we get a TV for the car? I'm bored!"
Me: "No way, look out the window...make shapes out of the clouds."
(then I make a pathetic attempt to engage him in this activity).
"Oh, look up there, that cloud looks like Mickey Mouse!"
G:"No it doesn't, that's dumb. Spongebob is cool!"

Silence (I've gone limp)

G:"Mom?"
Me: "NO YOU CAN'T WATCH SPONGEBOB WHEN WE GET HOME!"

Then he cries all the way home. I'm determined to break this addiction. I feel like I was the gateway to this. By sheer laziness and survival, I enabled him to get to this point. Well, no more. This Mom is engaging with her kid from here on out. I mean, I can breast feed and build with Lego's, right? I can change a diaper and pretend to be the red Power Ranger at the same time.

Maybe just a little TV? PBS is educational, right?

This is going to be hard but it has to be done!

Words to meditate on

I'm all into playing silly Blog games
with my friends these days.
It makes me feel like
I'm part of a "Blogging community."

So here is my latest dip into trying to be cool.

Reply to this post using words, and I’ll give you 5 words that remind me of you,Then post to your own blog with your meditations on those words, inviting others to ask you for words.

Supergirl Saves the World gave me this assignment:

Mother. Self-reflective. Witty. Nostalgia. Selflessness

The kids are in bed and the hubby tucked in early too. I have a moment to myself. Whew.

What better way to use my well earned free time to not only complete this task but to also post images by my absolute favorite artist of all time Nikki Mcclure ? Yeah...cause I'm just that creative.

Mother

I've always wanted to be a Mom. When my husband and I were dating, I told him that I knew that it sounded crazy but I really wanted to be a stay at home mom. His mom stayed home with him and he was thrilled that I wanted to do it too. I think that we both knew at that moment that we were going to get married and raise a family together. It was exciting! Two kids later I am so glad that I made that decision. I have a heart that was made to love my children. Some people are brought into your life to challenge you, while others swoop in and teach you what it means to truly love someone unconditionally. My son's teach me everyday just as much as I teach them. It's overwhelming and humbling to have so much respect and love go back and forth each day.

Self-reflective

Self-reflection is a gift and a curse. When I was a teenager and I had some sort of issue, my mother would suggest that I go in my room and write about it in my journal. Then, after I had figured out a solution, she would take me out to dinner and we would discuss my reflections and discoveries. What a gift she gave me in that. I learned to look within at an early age. If I experienced heartache or embarrassment my mom would say "What have you learned from this experience?" It made me fearless because every horrible moment would be followed by a lesson that I carry with me to this day. It's those moments when you look within and discover strength and dignity. On the other hand, too much reflection can make a girl crazy. It's a very delicate balance.

Witty

When I was growing up, my dad was a clown. He was even Ronald Mcdonald for a while. He was also a magician, mime, and a puppeteer. He did birthday parties and often times, I was his handy assistant. I think that this gave me a leg up in the witty department. I also think that it's important to be able to find the humor in life. This is a strong part of my marriage. When things get really hard, it's crucial that my man and I can just look at each other and laugh.

Nostalgia

I have a strange thought sometimes. I think about myself as a child, my little legs and curly hair. My freckles and silly teeth and I miss that little girl. I mean, I'm still the same person but that little girl is physically not on this earth anymore. That is nostalgia to me. It's an ache for once was and a yearning to see that little girl just one more time when I look in the mirror.

Selflessness

This is a hard pill for me to swallow because I am not a selfless person by nature. I mean, if I have two slices of cake left and one slice is the corner piece that has all the frosting, you can bet your sweet ass that I'm taking the piece with that yummy frosting. I'll find no shame in handing you the crummy slice with just a little bit of icing on it. Trust me, just ask my husband, the poor guy hasn't eaten a decent bite of cake since the moment I walked into his life! My children have taught me what it means to be selfless and I have to fight to do it everyday. The tricky part is to pull it off without becoming a martyr. Nobody likes a martyr. If dinner is on the table and my baby starts to cry because he's hungry, I put down my fork and feed my son. No questions asked. Then, I have to try real hard to not return to the table and feel sorry for myself that my food is cold and I'm too damn hungry to heat it up. Isn't is amazing that I just managed to associate the word selflessness with food? Hmmm...perhaps I should reflect on that!

A gift

Griffin gave me a handmade gift this morning.
To an adult it may just look like a wad of Play-doh
but to a 4 year old it is a treasure.
He gently extended his hand to me and said

"I found a star that's awake during the day
and I grabbed it for you."

Then, my heart melted.

Makeover

My little Blog needed a change.
We had a makeover today.
Now she feels pretty!