Goin'

I'm packing my bags and I'm headed to the big city for a weekend spent with my best friend, doing some of my favorite things, in celebration of her birthday. And I am excited.
I am excited to go to bars and talk to strangers. And I am excited to dance so much that my legs feel wobbly underneath me. And I am excited to eat delicious food and drink too much and to laugh and laugh and laugh.
But in order to do these things that I love, I have got to leave some people I love, my little people. Because sometimes the things you love are mutually exclusive. Babies in bars aren't cool.
So this weekend my mama will wake to comfort my little boy while I ride the subway. This weekend my dad will read to Sena while I calculate the tip on our tap. This weekend someone else will kiss Gus when he hurts himself while I walk without a sling or a stroller.
And I'll miss them. And I'll be glad to come home, but while I'm gone, I'm gonna live it up.

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And Just Like That...

Dear, sweet October is over. October with her nostalgia and smell of leaves. I couldn't make her slow down and wait for me to get used to the bittersweet changes she brought: a baby taking clumsy first steps, a boy who after years without finally has grown a front tooth. No, she didn't wait for me. She brought me another birthday and happiness, but she left so quickly, too.

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But October always saves her best for last; she holds out till the end, closing with haunted houses, costumes, and piles of candy. 

I miss her already. 

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Wanted/ 03

I want my children to be grateful. I want them to say thanks for all that they have and all that they are.
I know that they will not always be happy, that hard times will come, and a smile just won't fit on their souls. But even in those times, I want them to remember how good they have it. Remember that they are safe. That they are loved. That they have no real needs, only wants.

I think about those mothers in Syria and Somalia and in so many other corners of the world, whose children aren't safe, whose children have needs. And I am grateful that my heart doesn't ache like theirs do, day in and day out.
And I want my children to know that they are so fortunate, that they are so blessed, and that they had nothing to do with those blessings. That it was just the luck of the draw, and their cards came up winning. And to not appreciate this life, to not appreciate all that they have, all that they are, is  just plain wrong, deeply wrong.

Sometimes I think that the only person more fortunate than my children is me.I'm grateful for my messy kitchen, and I'm even more grateful for kitchen mess makers.

More Wants:

Wanted/ 01
Wanted/ 02

What do you want for your children?

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Pumpkins and Pot Roast

We aren't week night people. The morning comes too early at our house. Weeknights are for family dinner and reading books, wrestling on the floor, maybe a TV show. But we don't do much socializing. most Mondays through Thursday. We never wander far from home. I try to keep my kids under-scheduled so we can enjoy a little peace, a little stillness, at least as much stillness as a wild man and his easily provoked sister can offer.

But this season there hasn't been enough time for all the things that fall brings. We haven't gone to a pumpkin patch, made our way through a corn maze, or ridden on a single wagon. And so I'm desperately trying to add a little last-minute autumnal magic.

Tonight with a little help from a care package from a sweet friend and a few visitors, we had ourselves an almost party. We carved some pumpkins and ate some pot roast and added an October memory into the mix. Plus, there was pie.

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This Weekend We- The Halloween Party Edition

Sometimes it is easy to sit down and find the words that perfectly convey the happiness and the contentment that come with one of those magical days spent with friends and family. Sometimes I feel like I know just how to express that feeling of peace and satisfaction, the feeling that I am/ we are really good a livin' life. I don't have those words today; I just have a happy heart and pictures of kids who were such good sports when we had to change costume plans last minute, pictures of friends posing as Janis and Jerry, pictures of oyster shucking, pictures of my super creepy daughter, and pictures of general merriment, Halloween style.

Well done, Ben and Maggie. Your party was just perfect.

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