My Mya

I celebrated my 8 year wedding anniversary yesterday.

I got no flowers, no card, no gift, had take out at my in-laws for dinner & nursed a bloody busted lip of my sweet Henry.

Jeri has a LONG list of AMAZING qualities but being romantic and planning, well anything really, is not one of them. It is no secret that this characteristic trait has always slayed me our entire relationship.

So as the hours passed yesterday & I was trying to determine if I was going to allow myself to take that turn to negative town I reminded myself of something.

I might be one of the luckiest women on the planet to have found this man & to have married him. He is one of those rare guys that just gets it. He understands what it means to be a partner.

He is respectful of my life before him and my life outside of him.
He hands down is the most amazing father. His love for those boys is unmatched & his dedication to molding them, nurturing them and showing them how to be little men is unyielding and is a constant as breathing.
He has a young heart whose mission in life is to keep mine young when it so often forgets and wants to age.
He has loved me with an extra 30 lbs, a job that I put before him & my children, an ache in my heart that wanted to me live anywhere but AZ. He has loved me for me.

I may not get flowers, cards or showered with gifts but I get 110% of him everyday.

Love you Mya

Glenda's

Babysitter is a powerful word in our house. For Jeri & I having children has not reduced our love of a social setting & adult interaction. If anything, the need for balance between being a parent & remaining true to our self and our interests outside our children is stronger than ever.

The challenge is finding and respecting that balance. At the end of the day being a good parent really means self sacrifice for the betterment of your child and who doesn't want them to be the best they can be. After all, they are a reflection of us & we don't want our image tarnished.

For me, one part of being a good parent means I know when I need to be away from them. I have learned to be more self aware & know when I need to nurture some other aspect of my life, which in turn allows me to function better as a parent vs. wanting to ring their sweet little necks.

Que the babysitter...

So in our quest to develop independent, smart, well adjusted children we seek this sometimes mythical being that seems to float into our house in a bubble and save the day. Again with the balance as the key is finding Glenda the Good Witch of the North & not the Wicked Witch of the West cuz we don't leave our munchkins with just anybody.

I have been blessed to find a small handful of Glenda's, a huge thanks to Kelly Richmond for introducing me to the sweetest, most mature, loving sitters a girl who loves to go out & drink could ever ask for.

They help me to be on my A game at all times and I am truly blessed to have them.

Cheers!

Big Boy Bed

Our house forever changed this weekend.

We no longer have a home with a crib. We now have a home with not 1 but 2 big boy beds.

Nothing pleases me more than having had a successful transition weekend to start this new chapter in his life but my heart aches as he grows so fast.

My little gubba is a little boy.

I just want my lunch

Meeting schedule permitting, every now and then on a Friday I like to treat myself by getting out of the house & picking up some lunch from Paradise Bakery. It reminds me of the days of office life & having friends around to have lunch with.

Overpriced - yup, which is why it is a special treat because honestly $9.00 for soup & salad is retarded!

Worth every penny - ABSO-FREAKING-LUTELY!!! I love it so much I could use a smoke after I eat my Fire Roasted Tomato Soup & Greek Salad.

However, as much as I love, love, love this treat what I don't love...Paradise F-ing Bakery!

Without fail it is always busy & I'm always behind a line of 20 Gilbert Stay at Home Moms with a minimum of 3 kids a piece that have ZERO control of their children.

WTF? Don't you crazies have jobs?

I'm sure you just had to stop in for that low-fat salad & diet coke because you are just famished after a long morning of working out, getting your nails done & shopping for that perfect handbag that is cute enough to go out with but also serves the functional purpose of holding a sippy cup.

Call me a hater...I am one.

I come in for that same low-fat salad and diet coke...it tastes great & doesn't make my ass big but I'm on a schedule here people. Move your ass & keep your kids off my shoes.

You would think that because I have children that I like other children...yeah outside of the SMALL select handful that have earned my love & respect, not so much.

Consider this a warning to all of you crazy children that act ridiculous in public. I have no tolerance for you & shame on your parents for caring more about your outfit than if you know how to act in a restaurant.

Ahhh but then I got my yummy lunch to-go & all was right with the world.

A Date Night

I'm in my 30s, married for almost a decade & have two kids.

One might think that I would get over the allure & excitement of going out on a date.

Nope.

It never gets old & I never want it to.

"Be willing to be your own best friend, and talk to yourself that way too."


Meredy

LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE

Ladies & Gentlemen:

In this corner we have "Mommy" a loving mother who places all her focus on her sick little one. Holding him, rubbing his sore chest & oh so sweetly hugging away his body aches. She wraps him in security and sweet kisses.

And in this corner we have "Kelly Rhoden" - Sr. Manager Clinical Migration Lead to migrate 745K members off a decommissioning platform to a new enterprise system. A force to be reckoned with.

Round 1-
Mommy delivers a solid blow to Kelly Rhoden consisting of 3 hours at urgent care & a trip to the Wal-Mart Pharmacy.

Mommy wins by KO.

Getting it done

Over the years as I was growing up I would watch/assist my dad with alot of hard, manual work around our house in IL. We had a pretty good size chunk of land....looking at that lot today...a TON of land. With that land came massive upkeep, commitment and hard work. During those work sessions the sweat would run off my dad's nose & he would always say "you know your getting it done when it's dripping off your nose."

My entire childhood I played & excelled in sports. Now as an adult I exercise, I push myself and overall I consider myself an above average worker, meaning I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty & do some manual labor. However, one thing has alluded me in all of these efforts.

Sweat never runs off my nose....ever.

Yes, I do sweat plenty, it is an AZ requirement, but never at the capacity that reminded me of the days working outside with my dad.

I was recently exposed to a little exercise alternative called Bikram Yoga.
A snip it...
90 mins
108 degrees
40% humidity
breathing, stretching, flexing and balancing yourself into pure greatness.

I have to say it is one of the hardest things I have ever done & I am a pretty tough cookie so this has commanded my full attention & respect. It brings a level of clarity to my mind that allows me to push myself and go farther than I ever thought I could.

Mentally & physically it is moving in a manner that I really have not learned to describe yet.

The one thing though - the sweat. It doesn't drip, it doesn't run, it pours off my nose. In my 90 mins of finding peace, strength & harmony within inner self I can't help but smile as I try some to hold some funky pose that my body is rejecting because as that sweat pours off my nose I am certain of one thing.

I'm getting it done.

Because I have all this free time...

Check...
Donskies...
Mission Accomplished...
100% completion in my project plan...


I have finally sat down(along side one of the primary support pillars in my life) took the time and created a place just for me.

Why you ask? Gut response...What else would I do with all my free time.

Honestly though it is because through all the homework, show-n-tells, bath times, story times, dinners, babysitters, presentations, status reports, laundry, gym, yard work, poolsides, bills and trips I just wanted a place.

This my place.
My tiny spec of technology that allows me to love it, hate it, dwell in it, question it, joke about it, anything I want because it is just for me.

My life is a balancing act & this is my tightrope.