grateful

I am grateful for my family.

My hubby (hereinafter called Dennis, like Dennis the Menace - he's a bit of a prankster) and my daughter Olive are two of the greatest people I know. We have so much fun together, just hanging around the house, running errands, wreaking havoc. Sure, we have our moments where we all get fed up with each other but we also have some really great times where we look at each other and can do nothing else but smile and laugh. These are the times that make life worth living. It's the little things...

I have a dear friend who has two young children that have both been battling separate health concerns. She has been in and out of the hospital with them and spent as much time with doctors lately as she has with her kids. When I'm having a moment of frustration and feeling sorry for myself, I try to think of others. Many others are going through much tougher times than me and it makes me feel grateful for health, home, and happiness. So if today you have a moment where you want to scream, think of all the people who are having a really tough day, and maybe you can pause long enough to give your loved ones an extra hug and extend your patience. I know this helps me.

**As an aside - please notice that hubby is referred to as Dennis and daughter is called Olive - these are fun, endearing names that describe their unique personalities. Real names have been changed to protect the guilty, so please refer to them by their "fun" names in your comments. Thanks!

Celebrate Mama!

Celebrate Mama! is an event founded by a mama in Silver Spring, MD that "celebrates mamas of all ages and stages". This has become a national event with several locations. Many of the celebrations are held this Saturday, May 3rd. Others are being held throughout the summer and fall (check the website for an event near you).

Events are being held in the following locations this weekend:

Bethesda, MD

Vienna, VA
Monterey, CA
Huntsville, AL
Valley Forge, PA
Powell, OH (Sat., May 10th)

I will have a booth for my company at the Bethesda, MD event where there will be over 100 vendors, prizes, arts and crafts, face paintings, giveaways, Mother's Day goodies, and entertainment (Rocknocerous and Miss Belle - children's entertainers). There will also be goodie bags given to the first 300 people (stuffed with 30 items). It is from 11:00-4:00 this Saturday at Bethesda Row (Woodmont Ave., between Elm and Bethesda). Rocknocerous starts at 11. Hope you can make it out to support this great effort. If you do come, please stop by and say hello to me!! If you can't make it, shop my store online at http://www.littlepinkpansy.com/.

For more information on this event, visit http://www.celebratemama.com/. What a great way to celebrate being a mama and also get a jump start on your Mother's Day shopping!

Free Ice Cream at Ben & Jerry's

Ben & Jerry's is offering free ice cream cones today, Tuesday, April 29th to celebrate their 30th birthday. To see a list of participating locations, visit http://benandjerrys.com/scoop_shops/.

You can find me at the local scoop shop today. Happy eating!

serenity how?

Today is one of those days where it seems like everything is getting on my nerves. I feel frustrated and disorganized. And on top of that, I feel like it will never stop raining!!

It's on days like this that I wonder how to achieve some semblance of serenity. A surprising little thing that has helped me so much lately is tea. Any kind of tea but my latest is a little flavored tea, especially iced tea. I have been buying some of those green or white teas with flavoring at the store (by the milk in the refrigerated section) and they are surprisingly delicious. A few sips and I feel like a new person. Something about it just makes me feel at ease. Needless to say, I am sipping some now. Some days it's nature or the weather that helps me relax. Today it is tea. I picked this picture (taken by my dad - what a photographer!) because I think this alligator looks so at ease and relaxed. He's lying there basking in the sun, content to just be. Think that's what I want to do this afternoon - just be.

A lucky find

Yesterday, I was lucky. While walking with hubby, Olive, and dog, we cut through a nearby parking lot at an office building, empty since it was Saturday. I happened to look down at the sidewalk and lo and behold, a $10 bill was lying there, waiting to be claimed. I bent down, picked it up, examined the amount, and then grinned. Yippee, it's my lucky day! Hubby starts looking around, trying to locate the hidden camera. I look around too and realize there is no camera. Besides, it's a totally empty parking lot and the money was lying on the sidewalk, about to blow into the grass. If I didn't pick it up, it would go unused and fly away, possibly becoming a snack for the enormous Canadian geese that live nearby (which Olive affectionately refers to as "big honk-honks"). So it was imperative that I become $10 richer. Woohoo! This kind of thing never happens to me. I must have done something right and the universe is repaying me. Like I say, "it's the little things..."

So then I began pondering what to do with my winnings. Do I use it to buy something for myself and indulge a little - perhaps a manicure or a latte? Do I give it to charity or church and share my good fortune with others? In the end, I decided to use it to go to lunch with a friend today and I've gotta say, it was well worth it. While chatting with my friend and hearing her tales of the single life and dating, I was entertained and endeared and it was a great break for me to get out and do something fun that involved nothing to do with husbands or kids. I hope that at all times in my life I will always have at least a few single friends to help me keep my focus and sanity. Again, it's the little things...

Hope your weekend was filled with lots of great little things!

Why I don't cook

Yesterday I decided to make dinner for my family - the whole deal - entree, sides, even a salad. While this may seem like everyday fare for most people, for me it was a bit of a bigger deal. I don't really like to cook. Well I don't mind it and sort of enjoy it if I'm trying a new recipe but I prefer to bake (unfortunately this does not yield healthy meals). Whatever interest I have in cooking, however, is quickly thwarted by the pure agony of preparation. Yesterday's meal went something like this:

2:00pm - cut up chicken, broccoli, etc. during naptime and clean up the kitchen

3:45pm - Daughter (who will hereinafter be referred to as "Olive" after her current favorite food - she is called "Chiquita" by her grandfather because she used to start each day with a banana but currently olives are the object of many temper tantrums) is up and hungry and ready to start eating, so I start cooking up the food. To help my sanity and give me a little space, I turn on a Dora DVD and she is happy. For about 4 minutes.

3:49pm - Olive returns to the kitchen and is screaming for a snack so I give her a few blueberries. She is happy and returns to Dora.

3:53pm - As I'm turning around from the stove, I trip over a toy that Olive had brought in and left right behind me.

3:54pm - Olive returns, begging for milk. I comply and she returns to Dora.

3:55pm - The dog, who is literally RIGHT under my feet, takes one wrong step and I trip over him.

3:59pm - Olive returns, this time screaming screaming screaming to be held. I pick her up and put her on the counter away from the stove and she is happy.

4:00pm - Olive decides to start pulling all the fruit out of the fruit basket on the counter and peeling off all the stickers. Therefore, I now have to cut up the pears, bananas, etc. because they are now open and exposed.

4:05pm - I put Olive down and tell her to go play with her baby stroller. She objects and starts screaming at the top of her lungs and pulling on my legs and pulling down my shorts and begging to be held. I cannot hold her as I have 3 things on the stove top so she screams and throws a little tantrum. Finally I pick her up, she is happy.

4:10pm - Oops, the broccoli got a little overcooked. It was looking great a minute ago...guess I got distracted.

4:30pm - Dinner is ready, but she won't eat it. Finally, I smother everything in cream cheese and she becomes a champion eater.

4:45pm - Oops, totally forgot the salad. Better chop it up and prepare it.

5:00pm - Salad is done, but I'll put it back in the fridge so it will stay fresh until hubby gets home and we can eat it.

5:45pm - Oops, forgot to take the salad out of the fridge to let it come to room temperature (hubby doesn't like it ice cold)

6:00pm - AAHHH....hubby and I eat, Olive plays nearby, the dog rests on the couch. Perfect quiet and harmony...

6:30pm - Hubby and I decide we should have some of the Jell-o No-Bake dessert so I whip it up (this is a much faster process) then stick it in the fridge and go upstairs to put Olive to bed, leaving the kitchen a total and utter disaster.

7:15pm - I come back down and the kitchen is clean, the food is put away, (thanks hubby!) the kid is in bed, and we have the rest of the night to ourselves. AAHHHHHHH

But from start to finish, this took many hours, and it was a really simple meal. One of these days I will learn to enjoy cooking, but for now, I don't think it's always worth the stress. Think I'll call Domino's... ;)

Rush Hour Part 3

Ok...I'll admit it...I failed today, in so many ways...my patience was short, my words were tense, and my exhaustion immense...no excuses...just wanted you to know that as easy it as it was yesterday to relax and let go, today it was not. What can I say - I'm not perfect... ;)