Moving...again

Hey friends. We've taken this whole blog, and put it in another place...annoying, I know. But there ya have it. And here ya have it: Girl Gone Valley

See ya there!

Summer daze

We've been here, there, and everywhere over the past few weeks, soaking up every ounce of summer that we can. The homefront has been sorely neglected (and the darkening sky says I'm not going to get to the grass cutting today) but we are content in the knowing that there is always a tomorrow.   One month till the kiddies go back to school...we'll cut the grass then. In the mean time, we're busy having fun! 

Most of us

Most of us are not the Mothers or Fathers you hear about on the 6 o'clock news. We're not the ones leaving our kids in the car while we head into the salon for a 45 minute mani-pedi. We're not the ones letting our 6 year old stay home alone with only an iPad to keep them company while we head out for our midnight shift at the bar. We're not even the ones who let our kids ride around town on their bikes, unsupervised for hours on end. Most of us are good, if not great parents. 

Most of us trust our kids. We've taught them about strangers, about safety, about what to do in the case of an emergency. And how to be responsible. 

And most of us great parents sometimes make choices that others may deem irresponsible. We leave our kids in the car for a few minutes here and there; to pay for gas, when we only have two hands and three kids. To run into the bank where we can see our car from the road. But they're OUR kids. And our decisions to make. 

Most of us are smart, and have the same values we've taught to our kids - responsibility, evaluating the danger of a situation and making responsible choices. 

And yet, strangers on the street judge our choices, without ever having met us, or our kids. 

Trust us. Trust that we are good parents that love our children and want the best for them. Trust that we know our kids better than you. 

And if you think a kid may be in danger, or distress, of course, reach out to help. 

Helping means "can I help you carry something, so you can hold your child's hand?" "Can I give you my grocery cart, so you don't have to run across the lot to grab one with four kids in tow?"  Helping means watching a child for signs of distress. A kid in a car, playing on an iPad in the shade is not in distress. 

Of COURSE there are times to get the authorities involved, but most of the time, everything is just fine. 

We've all made it this far. Most of our parents made choices that we'd shudder at, yet we're all still here. 

So, seriously. Trust us. 

Bedtime Snuggles

For the past few nights, Corben hasn't been interested in his bed. I think he's figured out that the living room is where it's at, mostly because it's where mama is at, after Mama is done snuggling...but Corben is not. So he creeps quietly down the stairs, hoping I don't notice him (which is practically impossible) and quietly snuggles in. 

I love it, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.  And I want to remember these moments, so I write about them. That is all. 

(And Corben is right, his bed sucks. Poor kid.)

Just a minute.

Corben came to me this afternoon, while I was in conversation with other adults. He had a complaint, about some other kids (one of whom was his brother,) who didn't want to share toys with him. Mid conversation, I had my attention elsewhere and didn't answer him right away. 

"Mom" he tugged on my shirt a few minutes later. 

"Mom."

"Mom, can you give me some advice, like you usually do."

Whoa, that got my attention. This kid isn't coming to me to bother me in the midst of my conversation, he's coming for a bit of guidance. A bit of helpful, loving, grown-up words of wisdom.

And that I am totally happy to give. 

Sometimes I feel like my kids need all of me, every minute. And there are times that they certainly do. But most if the time, especially as they get older and more independent, there is less of that. Usually, they only need a minute. 

Intertwined

Steve has been away for nearly 2 weeks now. There is very little that I enjoy about him being away, but there is one tiny pleasure that I look forward to. 

Night time snuggles with my boys. 

When he's away, we do random nights where the boys get to sleep all night in the "big bed." We co-slept with both boys, and it's nice to have them in our luxurious large bed to snuggle with again. 

Corben in particular is just lovely to cuddle up with. (Nothing against G, but he's all long and gangly limbs, plus he grinds the hell out of his teeth.) Corbie curls up into a ball and likes to snuggle up in the crook of my arm. His arms tangle with mine, and he finds my hand to hold. His legs get wrapped up in mine too. We are tangled up together, like we used to be in the days when he grew inside me, boy and his Mama. 

I know these days are fleeting. My boys won't always want to curl up with me in the night. So while they do, I'll hold them tight; the tops of their heads wil be the last thing I kiss goodnight in the evening, and the first thing I kiss good morning in the light of dawn. And I'll curl up with them, tangled up in sweet dreams of sunshine...at the same time, looking forward to having the man that brought these precious gifts to me back in his rightful spot! 

Reset

Today could have gone very poorly. In fact, it started out that way. I had barely been up for 10 minutes before it started heading south. But then, on my way home from dropping Griffin off at school (nearly half an hour late, after a very tumultuous morning) I made the decision to start over. To not let my shitty morning take control over my entire day.

Take two. Hit the reset button. Start the day fresh. 

And damned if we didn't have the best day ever! 

It's all within our control. Attitude is everything. (And the sunshine doesn't hurt either!)