Kookie Krums

this year.

We dropped her off together, yesterday, the hubby and I. Neither of us wanted to miss the starting day of first grade. No longer a kindergartener, she told us, "I'm one of the big kids now." She walked up to the gate with confidence, this year. She didn't need her Mama for a shield, and she held my hand with love, and no fear, this year. She went in with a wave, and skipped her way to the middle of the playground, with no need to hang close, this year.

My mind immediately re-wound the film, and started playing my favorite scenes again. Beginning with Kindergarten graduation. Where my little girl marched confidently down the aisle, knowing she had achieved something special. She spent the summer in camp, meeting new friends and learning to navigate the world of one room with kids from five to ten years old. When she complained about one girl being particularly hurtful, and then told me she was her best friend, she matter of factly told me it was because there was a "lack of options." Sometimes you have to learn to take what you can get.

Our first family vacation to a place other than a Disney park took us to a cabin in Georgia for a few days. Playing board games and card games, I pushed the thought away that my girl was getting bigger. Tubing down a river confirmed that she was coming into her own when she almost fell out of her tube and got the sparkle of adventure in her eyes instead of the younger tears.

Shopping for school supplies was a lesson in specific preferences this time, instead of just fulfilling the list. "Not the blue folder, and no thank you on the kid scissors." "Not pink, Mama, it's purple now. I like purple now." When I shopped for her shoes by myself and brought them out of the bag, the "Oh, Mommy, these are so awesome, you're the best" made me secretly do a fist pump and a "yesss!"

So when she called me at the shop when Daddy picked her up yesterday, and was close to tears, I was floored. "Mommy, it was awful, I don't want to go back. First grade is terrible." My heart sank. And my mind started racing. What could have happened? Should I call the teacher? You have to go to school, you have no choice, what am I going to do? We talked for a few minutes, and then I had customers, and had to go. I felt that Mommy guilt come on when I had to hang up with her. She was so ready, and now it was terrible. Dreams dashed. Hopes shattered.

I had a plan. We're in gymnastics now, but we haven't yet gotten the "real" outfit. So I planned to bribe her. It was as easy as that. I would take her shopping after work, and tell her if she would agree to go back to first grade and give it another shot, I would buy her the outfit she's been eyeing. It had to work. It just had to.

When I called on my way home, my hubby immediately said, "you need to talk to your girl." She was crying. Only it wasn't tears of sadness. "I tricked you, Mommy, I tricked you! I love first grade, it was AWESOME!" She was laughing so hard she had to think about breathing. And I could see, even through the phone, those tears that come when she has a really good belly laugh, streaming down her face.

It's going to be one heck of a ride, this year. And I'm already taping in my mind. I want to savor every minute, this year. Enjoying this funny girl that I am just crazy in love with. Holding on to every single second, this year.

 

Unwrap more gifts with me over at Emily's Chatting at the Sky.

tuesdays unwrapped . . . the card

The card. It was nothing fancy. Just a card. It was the words, both written and unwritten, that just gripped my very soul. Here's how the card came to be.

My sweet hubby has such a heart for people. He's a pretty quiet guy, overall, and he really cares about people. And he would not want me to be telling you about his part in this. He's just like that. He was mowing our grass on Sunday, and noticed that our neighbor's grass was in need of mowing as well. He went ahead and mowed the side that connects with our yard. He told me the neighbors weren't home, and it needed to be done, and now they would just have to do the other side of the house.

As soon as the neighbors got home, hubster witnessed the neighbor on the other side of them come right over and ask when that side was going to get mowed, because he wanted it done now. Seriously, I just don't get cranky neighbors. Of course, my hubby felt awful that he didn't just do the whole thing and save the woman from the cranky neighbor attack.

We both went over to her house, me to encourage her, and hubby to tell her he would do the other side for her as soon as the rain stopped. We don't know our neighbors, and have never spent time with them. They are renting the house, and it's been rented several times since we've lived in the neighborhood. In talking to this precious woman, she told us a little bit of what's on the overflowing plate she's carrying. 

We went back to our home with hearts hurting for this family. We've all been there, when life just seems to come crashing in around you and everything goes downhill at once. I made a mental note to make up some cookies to take over.

The next morning, hubster found the card on our front porch. It was so much more than a thank you. It was a sharing of her heart, wanting to share her gratefulness from somewhere deep inside her. And it has just moved me. Out of my comfort zone of my family, and my circle. To give what seems like so little, because to someone else it might be so much.

I will hold onto it, this card. Because it means so many things.

Unwrap more gifts with me today over at Chatting at the Sky.

Pssst . . . wanna know a secret?!

 
  
There's something about secrets that make everything amazing. It doesn't matter what the secret is, just the fact that it's a secret. Secrets are exciting, fun, and daring. Around our house, I have learned to use this to my advantage. Hey, a mama's got to do what a mama's got to do.

If I tell one of my girls I have a secret for them, and then whisper in their ear "go get your jammies on, and then Mommy will be in to tuck you in," it's suddenly an adventure. Their eyes light up, they whisper back an excited "ok!" and they're off to jump into their jammies. On the flip side, if we just say, "time for jammies," in our normal, regular voices, it's so not an adventure. It's the exact opposite, whatever that is. It's "but I don't know where my favorite nightgown is, can you help me, I can't do it by myself, I'm really not tired <yawn> not tired at all, I'm thirsty, can I just tell you one more thing?!"

Secrets are cool. They have special powers, at least with three and five year olds. There's nothing like the feeling of a child trying to tell you a secret, but they're super excited, and usually giggling, and they end up getting your ear kind of wet when they tell you. It's so gross, but so fun at the same time. Few things hold that kind of power.

In this picture, Hailey's friend Jackson is telling her a secret. They were eating ice cream, watching people, and something was worthy of a secret. I have no idea what it was, but the picture is drawing me in the same. I really want to know what he was telling her! The looks on their faces are beyond precious, and remind me it's the little things that bring pure happiness.

 

Unwrap other gifts with me this Tuesday over at Chatting at the Sky.

taking time to play

This is one that's hard for me. I always feel like there's so many things to get done, I have a tough time being content to just stop everything and play for a while. My hubby is fantastic at this, and I love that about him. He can sit on the floor and play with the girls and completely block out the rest of the house. It's a gift, and one that I don't have. I sit there and notice all of the things that I never noticed when I just walked by the playroom instead of sitting down in it. I mentally add those things to my list while we're sitting there playing, then it's not long before I just have to get up and do something.

This past weekend we were invited to spend a weekend in Orlando playing with some friends. I was absolutely giddy with excitement! With my hubby and I both owning our own businesses, vacation seems like a foreign language to us. We decided to put this weekend on the calendar and just make it happen. I am so glad we did.

Playing in the pool with the girls, watching my five year old have no fear going down the big slides, seeing my three year old want so badly to be a big kid, and then completely panic on the big slide, having no set schedule, it was pure bliss.

We've decided we need to make this happen more often. I read an article saying that people who take several short, mini vacations feel more rested and relaxed than those who take one long vacation. Thankfully that statistic works in our favor, since long vacations aren't an option!

Looking back at the pictures from the weekend just makes me take a deep breath and relax a little. I'm realizing that taking some time to play is just good for me. Renewed connections with my family, renewed energy, renewed inspirations. Hmm, where's my calendar?! I need to schedule another weekend to play!

 

Unwrap other gifts with me today over at Chatting at the Sky.

Tuesdays Unwrapped . . . finding the time

Obviously this is still something I struggle with too, right along with you. Has it really been two weeks since I first talked about this, suggesting we join forces and help each other find the time for those things that really matter to us? It's been on my mind so often, and yet my thoughts have not made it to paper. Maybe becausae I don't feel qualified to offer advice on the subject. Maybe because I see so clearly those things that just don't get done in my life, and those are bolder to me than those things that do get crossed off the list. Or maybe it's just because I haven't made the time.

Just last night one of my most favorite girlfriends and I were discussing the importance of finding the time for things that nourish us. How getting our toes done, or a fresh haircut, or an evening out with a girlfriend is so refreshing, and so inspiring. It truly does make us better women, wives, and mothers.

I talked with my hubby about this subject, and whether taking care of me was a luxury that I just shouldn't afford at certain stages of my life. He made a statement that I haven't been able to stop thinking about. He said, "If you choose not to take care of you, then what incentive do I have to take care of you? If it's not important to you, it's not going to be important to me." Hmm, as I keep thinking on that rationale of his, I'm tempted to call him wise.

Qualified or not, perfect at this or not (and mostly not), I'm going to dive into it anyway. Jump in with me, won't you? As our schedules get filled and our time in a day seems shorter and shorter, I want to be determined. I want the time for the things that are important to me. I think there are simple, and then not-as-simple things we can do to find the time. For whatever we need the time for. Being productive. Getting things done. Taking care of our families. Running our businesses. Nourishing ourselves.

My biggest thing right now is getting rid of clutter. I'm definitely in a "purge" state of my life, but I'm finding that clutter makes me feel much busier than I truly am, and certainly much more overwhelmed than is necessary.

There is freedom in de-cluttering, no doubt. Want to start feeling less busy, and more under-whelmed?! Try decluttering. No reason to go crazy, you're just giving it a try. Just pick an area. You know which one it is. That cluttered space that makes you hold your breath when you walk by. That you can't bring yourself to tackle because you don't know where to start. Here's what I recommend:

• Pick your spot. My spot recently has been that corner of the kitchen counter where everything piles up that you're not sure what to do with. Mail that you need to address, pictures the kids have drawn, reminders about phone calls that you need to make.
• Give yourself permission up front to throw things away. I cannot even tell you the wonderful release this gave me. My bet is you won't be too far into the pile when you'll realize you never remembered some of those things were there to begin with, and a lot of them have been there for way too long with nobody missing them.
• Keep in mind, you are not obligated to keep every scribble your child makes on a piece of paper. It does not make you a bad mother to throw it away. I no longer feel like the parent police are going to show up when I sneak out to the trash bin with the latest drawings, and take the time to stuff them down so my daughter doesn't find them. I keep the ones that are meaningful to me, or to my children, and that's it.
• When you find scraps of paper with reminders of phone calls you should make, appointments you should write on the calendar, etc., write them on one piece of paper. Throw the scraps away. Don't try to get all of those things written on the calendar, called back, or put in the mailbox right now. It will just distract you from what you're trying to do.
• Anything you do need to hold on to, separate into stacks as you sort. Kid's drawings that are going in the memory box, bills that need to be paid, papers to be signed, things to discuss with hubby before responding, etc.
• When you're finished with that spot, put your stacks away. Right away. You'll be tempted to see your stacks and feel so much better already that you want to just stack up your stacks into one neat stack. But remember, we're decluttering, so we don't want any stacks at all!!  Some things need to stay out to be addressed, of course, but that will be a small pile compared to what it was, and we can live with that.
• Make a list of what you need to do to fully take care of that space, and then start doing it. Mine usually goes along the lines of "clean up counter, pay bills, mail cards, return phone calls, reminders on calendar, talk to hubby, take out trash."
• See how the first item on my list was something I did before I made my list? That's the one thing about me that always makes my hubby laugh. My to-do list ALWAYS includes something I've already done. I love to cross things off a list, and this way I can cross something off right away. Then I'm already off to a good start.
• When you're finished with your list - throw the list away!! No need to hold onto it, even though you want to because it's a list you have everything checked off of, for once!

I feel I can breathe a little easier, I can get inspired to purge some more clutter, and I can feel more productive and successful when I take the time to do this. It may seem like a pretty simple thing, and it is. But when your home and/or office is filled with clutter, your spirit is cluttered. My home, my business, and myself all function better when my spirit is not cluttered. Well worth the effort, I assure you. Doesn't this just feel much calmer already?!

 

Unwrap some ordinary gifts with me today over at Chatting at the Sky.

 

Firsts and Lasts

A year of firsts, and a year of lasts. All wrapped up into one. First day of school, first day of kindergarten, first day of feeling like a "big kid now." Last year of naptimes at school. Last year of being the littlest kids on the block. Last year of homework being a brand new thing. At the same time I am so proud of my little girl, and so excited to see her little wings opening, I'm still so wanting to hold on tight for just another minute more. Oh I know, she's only five, and we have a long time left, but I just don't want to blink and miss a minute  of it. I have to say, it was very surreal as we put on her long white dress for graduation, watching her eyes sparkle and her mouth break out into a big grin when she twirled, that for a second I felt my world fast forward twenty years, thinking of the next time she'll put on a long white dress, with her eyes sparkling, and a grin on her face as she gets ready to walk down the aisle. Like I said - a surreal moment for me!!

In this moment, while I'm feeling mushy and gushy over my sweet girl, I'm caught up in thinking of all the moments of the past year. Listening to her choose shirt colors for her uniform and watching the kind lady's face take in this adamant five year old: "You can just put the black away. I will not wear black. And no, I will not wear red, I don't wear red. I wear pink. Blue? No thank you, I don't think so. Ok, I guess we could do the light blue, but I won't wear it much. White? Plain White? What else goes on it? You better give me that dress to go over it to cover it up a little bit. I really just like to wear pink." Hearing her bare feet scurrying across the wood floor the morning of the first day of school, as she ran into our bedroom with a "Mama, get up and help me get dressed, I'm going to kindergarten today!"

"My best friend? I don't really have a best friend in my class, I like all of my friends, but a lot of them I can't remember their names yet." "What do I want to be when I grow up? I don't know, right now I'm just learning to write." "Mrs. Ray loves me because I look so cute when I go to school every day." "Mama, do you want me to show you how to write in cursive?" "Can we play I Spy in Spanish this time?" "I want to go to a different school for high school, because at my school, after being there this long, I still don't know where the high schoolers put their backpacks." "Can I please be in the play, Mama, it's going to be Peter Pan, and I think I'm going to be Wendy!" "The best thing Mrs. Ray taught me this year was how to read, because I sure do love to read." "The thing that I am not happy about with going to first grade is that the teacher's name is going to be different because she's getting married this summer."

We made it through this first year of school, with many first, many lasts, many tears, and much laughter. A sweet and special year that I will forever hold on to. As my precious girl walked down the aisle at graduation, and I met her at the end to accept a rose from her, she wrapped her little arms around my neck and squeezed tight. And then, as if she could read my mind, she held on tight for an extra minute, whispering "I love you, Mama, I'm your girl." I'm so glad I didn't blink, because I wouldn't have wanted to miss that for anything.

 

 

Tuesdays Unwrapped . . . my flower

I'm going to be honest and admit that I was struggling with today. Tuesdays are all about finding the gifts. On Emily's site today she has a quote from Susie Larson that says "Sometimes you'll need a loaves and fishes miracle, other days it will be enough to see a flower in the crack of the sidewalk."

I'm a loaves and fishes kind of girl today. My hubby is out of town in New Jersey for work since Sunday, I've had a nasty stomach bug since Saturday, my five year old is having meltdowns because Daddy's not home, and my three year old just keeps asking if Daddy's coming back. My five year old also slept in my bed with me last night, and is one of those that has to constantly be touching you when she sleeps, so I'm tired. Just plain tired. When hubby texted me with "I'm in New Jersey (with accent)," I replied with "I'm sick (with whine)."

But then I'm putting this order together. A beautiful, perky spring basket with bright colors and a sunshiney bow. Going to a hospital. And as I'm writing the card, I read (in part) . . . Smile and stay strong and keep your faith! You are a fighter and are doing remarkable! I am very proud of all your accomplishments and victories!

There's my flower in the crack. And I am thankful.

Want to see what else is being unwrapped today? Head over to Emily's Chatting at the Sky.

Tuesdays Unwrapped . . . a little of me, a lot of her

Sunday afternoon my girlfriend and I took our girls to Michael's for their craft activity. The activity of the day was painting ladybug flower pots. The girls were thrilled. The four of us enjoyed a "just the big girls lunch," as my sweet girl braggingly called it, then headed over to get the creative juices flowing.

Hailey was particularly excited about this craft because it was with flower pots. She's always been enamored by all of the different designs on the flower pots in the shop, so to hear she was going to get to paint her own just put her over the top. To hear her tell someone later that she got to do "just what Mommy gets to do at the cookie store" was beyond precious, even though I do realize that I do none of the painting of the flower pots and have no artistic talent along those lines. I took it as a sweet bonding moment anyway. Sometimes we just take what we can get!

The girls concentrated on painting their pots just how they wanted them. Red bases, with black dots made with "the very special dot maker" (a little pom pom dipped in paint), formed the body of the ladybugs. Then they painted a saucer black, added some googly eyes and pipe cleaner antennae, and glued on some foam wings. Voila - adorable little ladybugs for our little ladybugs!

The girls have already planned their next project . . . pink octopuses made from larger flower pots. Following that is going to be blue sharks made for their daddy's for Father's Day. They've got it all scheduled out, and it's really quite an exciting schedule.

Right now, the ladybug sits right next to my girl's bed, where she wishes it goodnight before she goes to sleep and touches it gently when she wakes up.

This Mama is giddy with excitement that my girl shares my love for anything creative. I am anticipating all kinds of things that we can do together! My dad shared his creativity and talent with me, and it is beyond precious to me. The best gift I can give my girl is to pass that along to her, and I'm so glad to see it's already started!

Unwrap more gifts this day with me over at Emily's Chatting at the Sky.

Tuesdays Unwrapped . . . a Friday night sleepover

Kahlee could hardly contain herself. "So cited Mommy, so cited." (translation: so excited, Mommy, so excited) Her little hands would cup her cheeks, she would giggle, and then start over again. "So cited Mommy." Hailey was little miss mommy, explaining how it all works. "Now Sissy, we're going to have a sleepover. That means that I'm going to sleep in your room. And we're not going to sleep in our beds. Oh no, it's Friday night, and that means we can sleep on sleeping bags. Daddy's going to bring the house in, and we're going to sleep in the house. You and me, we're going to have a sleepover together. With our babies. Did you get your baby? I got my baby, Sissy, go get your baby." "Oh, I so cited, Yaya, I so cited."

See, we have this tradition with Hailey. Every Friday night since she turned five, she gets to stay up a little later, and she gets to sleep wherever she wants (except for Mommy and Daddy's room, that one didn't go so well). She loves to pick really odd places, under the little table in her room, on the floor in the closet, etc. Don't ask me, I don't get it at all. But it makes her happy, and she waits with anticipation for Friday to come.

This past Friday, we thought it would be fun to let Kahlee in on it, so we asked Hailey if she would like to invite Kahlee for a sleepover. This was a first for Kahlee, hence the my-body-can't-stay-still excitement. We set up the three parts of their playhouse in Kahlee's room, with blankets and sleeping bags for the girls in the middle. They snuggled in with their babies, and had the perfect sleepover with eachother.

It was absolutely precious to listen to them talking and giggling in there. Surprisingly enough, after about 45 minutes, it was quiet, so we snuck in to take a peek. Here's what we found . . . . doesn't get any sweeter than this!! I love how both the babies are in the middle! These two may not have been born sisters, but they are definitely sisters at heart.

Join me to unwrap other ordinary gifts today over at Emily's Chatting at the Sky.

Tuesdays Unwrapped . . . what I never thought would be a gift

Today I'm choosing to unwrap a gift that I never thought I would be thankful for, my sweet little one being sick. I know it sounds strange, it's never good when your children are sick. They just break my heart when they're not feeling well. They just look tinier, they talk in these soft, small voices, and they just have that look on their face that makes you want to scoop them up and hold on tight.

Hubby and I both had to work today, so when the little one woke up not feeling well, we decided to tag team it. I went in to the shop to get the day's orders out, then closed up and came home so hubby could go to work. I found myself frustrated for those few hours I was at work. So much to do, but I needed to leave. Worry over customers that may come or call and find the store closed. The chaotic rush as I tried to work quickly so my hubby could get to his job as soon as possible.

But then I came home, and the little one lifted up her arms and gave a weak tiny smile. I curled up on the sofa with her and we snuggled while we watched Sesame Street and Elmo. I rarely, if ever, sit down with the girls during cartoons. I don't know why, other than that there always seems like a million things to do and watching cartoons, as an adult, just seems like a waste of time. But today, I realized it wasn't a waste of time at all. It was the perfect time to snuggle, and talk here and there about the funny parts, the colors, the letters. We had some very precious time with just the two of us, time that happens way too infrequently.

Then when my big girl got home from school, the little one was ready for another nap, so we got to play a game together for a couple of hours uninterrupted. Just for the record, Monopoly Jr. is a lot of fun!

At the end of the day, I am thankful for this day, and thankful for my time to love on my little one, and spend time with my big girl. And yes, very thankful that she is feeling better and back to her regular self!!

I listened to my big girl's bedtime prayer tonight with a smile on my face: "Jesus, thank you for today, and that it was such a wonderful day. And thank you that Mommy and I got to play Monopoly, even though Mommy won. And please keep K with us forever and ever. And thank you for such a wonderful day. And for Monopoly. Amen."

 

Unwrap more gifts this day with me over at Chatting at the Sky