The conversation between me and Lex concerning love;

Lex-How do we love our friends? Are we supposed to love our friends?
Me-Yes! Jesus told us to love one another. We love them by wanting whats best for them and being kind to them.
Lex-But not kissing!
Me-Right. Not kissing. There are different kinds of love. The kissing kind of love is for when you are with someone you think you might marry or you want to spend a lot of your life with them or for when you are married. For friends we love them by being good and kind to them.
Lex-Our hearts grow to be able to have all that love for all our friends. We can have more friends because our hearts will keep growing and growing to give more and more love.
Me-Right! We can have really really big hearts and love all the people in our life.
Lex-But not kissing.
Me-Right, not kissing. But the kind of love Mommies and Daddies have for their kids means lots of cuddles and kisses and hugs. But that’s different than the “kissing” kind of love.
Lex-Wow, we are going to have really big hearts!

He sure makes my heart grow!

Doing the Dance of the Children With Lots and Lots of Love~

Yesterday was such a beautiful and relaxed day! I took many little pieces of it and tucked them into my Heart Envelope. That little envelope is becoming full and cushiony and I love to place things into it and revisit what’s in there. I believe everyone should be conscience of their Heart Envelope and fill it up bit by bit. You know, that little place inside your heart where you store the bits of Good Stuff that you draw from in the times of life when nothing seems to be going right. Deciding to grab those good things and save them has been a key tool for me.

Yesterday I put in a relaxed conversation with friendly companions, the smell of the ocean (though this one was already in there. I like to have some duplicates), the feel of the ocean breeze (another duplicate), a bike ride with one of my daughters and a laugh over a silly one-liner. From time to time I go open that envelope and check on the contents-A rock thrown at a window from an admirer when I was a teenager, the zing of holding a crushes’ hand for the first time, a drive near the water in a convertible, a ride on the back of a motorcycle, standing on an overlook with the kids and watching Clay vertrep, riding a bike with no hands, being at a Rod Stewart concert, doing an interview, holding my newborn babies, the pure joy of my lil one when he wakes up to my voice, listening to and watching the pure joy of the St. Greg’s guys after graduation while they sang their hearts out, spending the night alone in a hotel room, etc. etc.

These are the important pieces that keep me from sinking low in the times when life gets hard. I’m always able to peek inside that envelope and remember that the tough times are just mere snippets in this life that’s been cushioned with the contents of that Heart Envelope.

Don’t forget to grab your moments and tuck them away. I promise you’ll find a reason to smile whenever you open your Heart Envelope up!

Here’s to the beauty that life gives us and to holding onto and drawing from it~

They are here until Monday and then they both head back. What a surprise!

I got up early, went to Starbucks for coffee (and to surprise my sister with the sight of Kateri) and then came home and have been working away like a busy lil bee. It’s funny the mode I go into when everyone is home. I’m instantly a better cook, better cleaner, better M.O.M. I whipped up a lunch of grilled chicken sandwiches, with all the fixins (grilled onions included) for 12. It seems that whenever Kateri and JJ are home, the house becomes full of guests, the table becomes full of game playing, music playing, song singing, hungry folks. I love it! I LOVE a full house! I LOVE to entertain! I love putting out the food and having a ton of people show up to eat it! Somehow time stops a little bit while they’re here and we manage to grab ahold of extra moments. I don’t know how to explain it, but I’ll take it!

Me and Kateri enjoying the feel of the ocean air today

My sister and her roommate joined Kateri and I for coffee and a walk to the beach

JJ posed for a picture before he headed out for a haircut

Doing the Dance of the Children and Enjoying Them All~

The kids woke up early and were anxious to get on their costumes and get to school for the carnival. I ended up with 4 Sailor Scouts, Superman, a Mad Scientist and Mark Surge-A Lego Hero Factory Character and I was Minnie Mouse.

Everyone had a great and tiring time at the carnival and I want to say THANK YOU to our good friend, Maria for making the girls’ costumes! Over the years, she’s made so many costumes and dresses for my kids that she deserves a public round of applause!

My high schoolers collaborated with friends and they dressed the part of the Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask, from Sailor Moon.

Everyone was so cute!

When I left the preschool carnival and took Luke-Xavier over to the big carnival at the main school, I started to look around for Gabi. I wondered if she’d be ok, wandering around and checking out all the booths. All the kindergartners were over there, but I was just nervous that she may not find what she wanted to do, or know to go get her drink and snack, etc. After I stood in line with Luke-Xavier for a few games, I finally saw Gabi. She was with Tristan (my 5th grader) and a couple of his friends. Tristan was holding her gloves and goodie bag for her and they were all making sure she had gotten her snack and that she was having fun at all the games. I was so impressed and proud! These 11 yr old boys were kindly helping a 6 yr old girl and when they saw me, they didn’t run over and ask me to please take her, because they’d been taking her and could they please just go around together now and not have her tagging along! It was one of those parenting moments where you know your kids are going to be ok. That somehow all the times you’ve gotten after them for being mean to each other or not helping each other have actually made an impression on how they think. Not once did Gabi come looking for me or did the boys walk away from her! Everyone had a great time.
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After we got back from the carnival and picking up the high schoolers, I asked if I could, please lie down for 1/2 an hour. About 10 minutes into my rest came *knock, knock, knock*. It was Gabi. Very calmly, she said, “Lex is playing with fire”. When I opened the bedroom door, I could smell that something was burning (or had been burnt). Sure enough, there was paper on the floor that was completely blackened and there was a scorch mark on the floor! I told Gabi that this was EXACTLY the right time to tattle!

I had a talk with Lex and this was his 4 year old thinking-”I caught the paper on fire and I tried to blow it out, but it kept coming. So I thought I needed water, but I couldn’t reach it and I knew I needed to yell out for an adult, but I thought I’d get in trouble”. I pointed out that he ended up in trouble anyway and that whenever there’s trouble or something scary that he needs to “yell out” for someone.

Scary!

Doing the Dance of the Children and Feeling Proud of Gabi and Tristan’s Decisions~

Here’s a little trip from down Memory Lane-

Soon before Gabi’s arrival into the world

Kateri, watching me give birth to lil Gabi

Newborn Gabi-girl, heading home from the hospital. I hadn’t had a girl in 8 years and was excited to be buying pink again!

Gabi today, happy with her new umbrella.

Happy Birthday beautiful lil Gabi! You have so much life ahead of you! We’re happy you’re here and love you SO MUCH!

So, here I am, one more day, a little speechless.

It’s Wednesday and the schedule is full and busy, as always. Tristan, proudly, received his Parvuli Dei medal last night and tonight Anna and Maddi will be honored, with the rest of their teammates at the school’s Sports Awards Banquet. The end of the school year is rapidly approaching and I have 2 girls graduating 8th grade. There’s much prep to do! I MUST MUST MUST began their memory boards!

Yep, my head is full and scattered and my heart is heavy with joy, pride and even sadness.

One more day of Doing the Dance of the Children as time speeds on to each new milestone~

I hope you can each find something good about this Monday too! For me it’s one step closer to Doing the Dance of the Children with all of my kiddos back in San Diego~

This morning Max brought me his Mothers Day gift that he’d made in school. It was wrapped in tissue paper and had his name on the front. This is what was inside. It made me smile so big to read through all his thoughts on what I’d be if I was a flower or music or a food, etc.

I can see where a chair is a good choice for me as a piece of furniture. After all, my lap is well used. I’m not a fan of cats or bacon, so we’ll have to talk about turning me into those things. But I love that if I was music that I’d be rock. Ha! I’m surprised he didn’t say “kid songs”! And I especially like that of all the women in history, he’s got me pegged as Mary, only twice as nice, fun, attractive and beloved. Whoa! That’s a tall order!

It’s been a day full of Motherhood, for sure! I’d also like to mention the beautiful cookies that Maddi made and decorated and the time that she’s demanded that I take for myself (without which, this blog would not be getting written).

I hope each of you Mamas are enjoying all the handcrafted pieces of artwork and hand written notes that you’ve undoubtably been given today, along with the pampering and love.

Happy Mothers Day~

When I got up this morning, I found this note waiting for me on the kitchen counter.

But wait! There’s more!

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All the lunches are packed and waiting! THIS is going to be a good day! Maddi, the Lunch Fairy has visited and left behind some love.

It doesn’t get much better!

Have a great day~

I have a friend who’s getting ready to deliver her first baby and she’s so excited, scared, frustrated and ready to meet her little one. I remember what that feels like-how the end of the pregnancy comes and it’s all a big guessing game. You’re never sure of when the big day will arrive or if all the aches and twinges you’re feeling mean that you should go to the hospital or if you still have days to wait. It’s exciting and scary. No matter how many times I had gone through it, I was always a little scared. You just never know exactly what’s going to happen, but you know you’re there for a beautiful result. There is truly nothing in the world like the experience of seeing your brand new baby for the first time! Nothing!

I’ve been thinking a lot about that and even though I am not going to be personally delivering any babies anymore, I would love to be there for women who are. What a great thing to be there to help women through their birthing process! To be there the moment they meet their baby for the first time! I think I want to be a Doula. No, I’m not going to run out and start Doula training. This isn’t exactly the time to take anything else on (I’m barely making it through the Dance of each day as it is). But in the future, when things settle down and I’m not Doing the Dance of the Children quite as much, THEN.

I was able to travel to Northern California this weekend to be a part of a friend’s memorial and it’s really had me thinking of life; how it begins, how it ends and all the in between, where we’re supposed to be living it. It was wonderful to be at a service where so many people were celebrating a life well lived! It got me thinking about all I want to pack into the days of this life that I have left.

Have a great day…today and EACH day~

I’m facing the fact that I’m getting older. This means that all the people I’ve grown up with are also getting older which, in turn, means that all of our parents are getting older. This means that many of them are facing health concerns, ailments, illness and even death. It feels like it’s happening all at once. On the one hand, it’s scary and sad and on the other hand, it’s bringing people closer together. I know that 20 years ago when we were all meeting at friend’s houses for movies, games and visiting that we didn’t think of this time. But here it is and it’s bringing us back into each other’s lives. It’s also giving me a reminder of how important friendship and love are and all the people we bring into our lives who we treasure and cherish. We are all born into families, but we also end up building another family around ourselves that’s made up of all those people who touch our life. I had 3 really nice phone calls tonight that refreshed my memory of all of this.

It’s a shame that our days get so filled with daily life, worry and work that we forget to truly live each one. And that we get so complacent that we forget to tell those around us that we appreciate and love them.

Here’s to another day full of life and loved ones!

Good night~

Yes, I’m a mommy of many and yes, I love each of the kiddos for all of their talents and potential and all that each one brings to the family dynamic. But sometimes I get a little burst of lovey-doveyness for one kiddo or another. This week it’s been Luke-Xavier.

He’s been such a lil trooper since starting school. He’s become a boy overnight, instead of my baby. He runs around with all his new friends, making up games and being all tough and rowdy. He sings me “silly” songs that he learns at school but will still come and cuddle up and say, “I love you so much”.

I took the above picture, a couple of days ago when he insisted that he needed to wear the goggles. He said they helped him see people and clouds better.

Just gotta love him, in all his 3 yr. old cuteness!

Good night~

Each time I leave, I ask myself why it feels so good to go in there and to deal with the staff.  I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s passion.  There’s something intoxicating about dealing with people who are passionate about what they’re doing.  It’s contagious and makes everyone who’s around feel great!  I see this when people talk about anything they truly love and believe in, whether it be their children, their business, food, travel or even…..working at the Apple Store!

Let’s each strive to find a little passion in this day! Not only will it make each of us want to get the most out of the day, but it will rub off on those around us and there will be a whole lot of people stepping a little lighter and smiling a little broader.

Have a great day~

It’s true!  I love these!  I came across them a few weeks ago and stocked up.  I’ve always been an avid gum-chewer because I’m phobic of my breath being bad, so coming across these was perfect!  But judging by the Colgate Wisp website, they weren’t counting on M.O.M. thinking they were so great.  The last thing I’m doing with them is keeping them handy in my evening bag so that my breath can be fresh on the dance floor.  LOL!  I DO keep them in my purse so that when we get to school in the morning and one (or more) of the 6 kiddos I have with me asks, “do you have any gum?” because they forgot to brush their teeth (or maybe they just prefer the gum), I can hand them one and feel confident that the time and $$ I’ve poured into dental care isn’t going down the drain.  Honestly, I think they feel better than a regular toothbrush.  

I even got to declare my love of the Wisp at the Schecky’s Girls Nite Out, San Diego for a promo pic.  Whoo Hoo!  Got to keep that pack.  ;-)

Have a great day, but do it with fresh breath~

Max-Mom, you’re a millionaire.  Millionaire Mom.

Me-Wow Max!  I like the sound of that!

Max-It’s cuz that’s what we should pay you for all you do.  Millionaire Mom!  Millionaire Mom!

Me-Thanks Max!  I feel like a Millionaire Mom.

What a great way to start the day!

I hope you each have  a great day~