From our Cowardly Lion to yours, Happy Halloween.
Mumday Monday
October 31, 2011 by · Comments: 3 Comments
A Mile in a Mother’s Shoes
October 11, 2011 by · Comments: 4 Comments
To the mom who has the snotty-nose kid
who could eat another dinner from the crumbs on his face
who just threw a tantrum in the grocery store
who appears to have worn the same clothes for a month
whose hair looks like a nest
who only wears one shoe
whose volume knows no mute
who is two sizes bigger than his britches
To the mom who has a pile of dishes in her sink
who is always late
who is 4 laundry loads behind
whose disheveled appearance frightens
whose baby is screaming
who sheepishly must thank the cashier for wiping her kid’s nose
who is one frazzled step away from the loony bin:
I get it now.
I’m truly sorry I judged.
Three years ago, I was the best mom ever. Then I had kids.
The Makings of A Family Photo
June 22, 2011 by · Comments: 12 Comments
My Groupon for Canvas On Demand was about to expire and I needed a high resolution pic for some wall art. But getting a picture where we’re all looking at the camera, smiling, have eyes open and don’t look goofy is a very impossible feat. So, I created one.
This picture was a possiblity: I liked how Thatcher was actually looking at the camera. What I didn’t like was the gap between Michael and Pierson.
This was possibility #2: I loved how there are 3 of us looking at the camera, but Thatcher didn’t get the memo.
So, my solution was to cut and paste! Hahah! I took Thatcher from one picture and glued him on to the second picture using photoshop! It took a lot more work than just ‘cutting and pasting’ to make it realistic, but you get the idea. Don’t look too hard, or you’ll see mistakes!
My computer isn’t calibrated and the colors were wonky when I tried to upload it to Canvas On Demand. I tried to fix it with no luck, so I eventually opted for the Black and White version.
A family photo may not be as first appears. The end.
Beauty of the Mundane
June 16, 2011 by · Comments: 1 Comment
We’re at a small plastic playground attached to the local school, no more than a glorified Little Tykes play area. But, Pierson enjoys running, climbing, & exploring there. As he plays, he reaches down to pick up what I suspect to be a flower.
He fists the item and proudly brings it over to me. “Mommy Hold It?” I take the flower- an ugly, half-blown dandelion. A smile creeps onto my face. Exultant eyes look to me then ask, “Mommy Smell It?” As I reach my nose down to smell the spent dandelion, a littler face nudges even closer and loudly exhales through its crinkled nose, an action Pierson equates to smelling. “MMMMM smells good!”
He’s proud of his flower. I show him how to blow the little seeds and his eyes sparkle with discovery. He gallops off to find another flower.
Many of my days are like that dandelion. I’m half-spent. Like the ocean’s waves, lies perpetually whisper in my ear that beauty is evasive and cannot be attained. Often my parenting days consist of frantic wandering, just trying my best to stay afloat. But as I ponder the situation, I am quickly reminded that it’s in the mundane where beauty is found. And that the life I live, albeit most days unremarkable, is truly beautiful.
Thanks for the lesson, son. I love you.
Mumday Monday
June 13, 2011 by · Comments: 1 Comment
Two years ago this weekend Pierson met his great-grandparents.
Grandpa, you are missed.
