Truths

1. I will never get sick of my kids handing me wildflower after wildflower. They do it every time we're outside. "Mama, you love flowers! Here you go. I picked you one." Dandelions, buttercups, violets. I love them all.

2. Grandparents (and great grandparents) are the sweetest people to exist. When we visited my Pop Pop this week, he says: "Hey, you better not lose much more weight there, you'll blow away!" Haha. Thanks, Pop Pop. I assured him I hadn't lost any more weight since last year at this time. It made me smile because Steve's Gramp Pease was telling me the same thing a year ago. You gotta love a grandparent's concern!

3. Hummingbird feeders, and bird feeders in general are the cheapest entertainment available. We love, love, love feeding the birds at this house. When the bears woke up, we put the bird feeder away and put out the hummingbird feeders. Our tiny feathered friends started arriving immediately! We enjoy it so much we have two feeders- one in the front yard, and one we can watch out our back window when we're in the kitchen. It's so much fun to see the hummingbirds dive in for a drink! It's easy to make the hummingbird food with this recipe.

4. Speaking of recipes, this one for kabobs is a winner. Yay for grilling season!

5. It feels good to be rewarded. Pampers, Pampers, Pampers. We've been buying them for almost four year straight (no, I would rather not calculate the cost on that). We've tried almost all the other brands of diapers, but this is the brand that's been most reliable with the fewest leaks. For almost four years, I've been diligently entering in the reward points off every single pack of diapers. Turns out, after this long, we finally had enough points to get the "top prize"- a PlasmaCar. I ordered it and it came in just a few days later! It's as much fun as it looks.

What truth did you discover (or rediscover) this week?

The Need

There are so many little things we can do to help people in need. Giving blood is one of those things- and it's free.

The Red Cross is having trouble getting people in to donate. I was only their 10th person in the 3 hours they'd been there. Just a week earlier they were at UMass and only got 9 people.

Nine.

That's not a lot when you think of all the people, all across the U.S., who need blood every two seconds.

I'm only a year into donating on a regular basis (and by that I mean 2-3x a year) but I was amazed again today, at how quick and efficient it was. I was in and out in 40 minutes. I checked in, answered questions, had a mini physical and then donated blood. All things considered, it took barely any time out of my day at all.

It's such an easy way to make a difference.

I urge you to make an appointment to donate blood today. You can find a location close to you at this website: http://www.redcrossblood.org/donating-blood

It's a no-brainer that makes you feel good.

This Day, Last Year

Today marks a very special day for me. It was exactly one year ago that I stepped on the scale and saw a number I never thought I would see: 149. In 10 months time, I had lost 60 lbs.

Today I stepped on the scale and saw 151.

I rejoiced.

I have managed to maintain my healthy weight through an entire year which included a particularly long, hard winter. Now some might say, "But wait...you weigh 2 lbs more than a year ago. So technically, you haven't exactly maintained it."

Not true. I know my body now.

I know that just within a day, my weight can fluctuate 2-3 lbs.

I know that some days, weight gain is just from bloat.

I know that it's not realistic to hover right at a single weight for an entire year.

What's more realistic is that I give myself a 5 lb range to stay in (149-154). For most of the year, I was able to do this easily. I won't lie, though. Parts of this super cold winter got to me. Some days I ate a little too much, and was less active than I'd like to be.

Truth be told, I saw 156 on the scale at one point this winter.

It scared the heck out of me.

I redoubled my efforts and came back down.

While eating healthy in itself is not a struggle for me, I know now that I really need to watch myself in the colder months. I'm not moving as much, which means I can't afford the extra calories I can sometimes get away with in the summer.

This past year has been a learning experience. There is always room to improve when it comes to living healthfully. In the meantime, I'll keep stepping on that scale every other day. It keeps me in line and it keeps me accountable.

I will never return to my old ways. I've worked too hard for this.

Friday Five

Here are the things that made my week:

1. Recipe- Oregano & Garlic Chicken Marinade. I came across this marinade recipe last summer and it's my favorite, by far. It is absolutely terrific on grilled drumsticks. I start marinating the drumsticks in the morning, so they can seep in the flavor all day. Yum! I served it with cheese tortellini tossed with pesto, and roasted asparagus.

2. Book- Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaves. A very timely book for me, because as I've gotten busier, I have not done as much praying as I was doing in the winter months. Note to self: Always make time for God, and continue to be thankful for every little thing...

3. Snack- Dill Pickle Wheat Thins.  I don't buy many cracker-type snacks (except the ever present Goldfish that somehow my children have not grown sick of yet), but this caught my attention. I love most things with dill flavor. These were no exception!

4. Song- "Chantilly Lace" by The Big Bopper. What can I say? I'm a sucker for the oldies! I grew up with them and listened constantly to Hartford's Big D 103 radio station. I also happened to marry a man who grew up with that station as well, and loves the oldies as much as I do. We all go through phases when it comes to music, and right now I'm on a wicked oldies kick again. Good stuff!

5. Realization- Single parents are my heroes. No, seriously. This week has been very, very busy around here and it's just been the kids and I for 48 hours now, with two and a half more days to go (Steve has a lot of end of the year meetings, and a Warrior Dash on Saturday!). I love our munchkins, but handling every single one of their needs, from dawn 'til dusk, without another parent stepping in at the end of day? Exhaustion city. I know how single parents do it- they have to- but my hat's off to them.

Three Years Ago

Three years ago this week, I woke up knowing I should take a pregnancy test.

It seemed like a crazy notion. After all, I had just stopped pumping breast milk for Rosie. After all, it had taken almost a year and a half to get pregnant the first time.

I waited the recommended amount of time, then tiptoed back into the bathroom to take a look. There was the evidence, plain as day- a very dark line forming a cross in the little white indicator circle.

I was pregnant.

I was thrilled and a little bit terrified. It had happened so easily this time, without even trying. Just a mere nine months after giving birth, my body was yet again home to one of our children.

I wept with joy. Rosie herself had been such a blessing after months of trying, and here was another blessing already. I started to do the calculations in my head, figuring the two would be about 18 months apart.

(Not quite. Turns out I was already 8 weeks pregnant. Our kids would be about 16 months apart).

As the reality shift tried to take hold in my mind, I heard Rosie's cooing from her crib. I went up the stairs, and opened the door to find my baby girl smiling away. I took my nine month old into my arms and whispered through my tears: "You're going to be a big sister!"

Then sad thoughts filled my head... she wouldn't be the baby for very long, should we have waited, how could I love another child as much as I love her...

(None of those things turned out to be an issue, because everyone adjusts (even 16 month olds), and a mom's heart is only capable of expanding, nothing less).

Before I knew I was pregnant, I had grandiose plans on how I would tell the news to Steve this time.

Didn't happen.

Instead I called him up as soon as I brought Rosie downstairs, and through more happy yet slightly anxious tears, I blurted out the news. He was as happy as I was.

While our little Buddy was not planned, per say, we always knew we wanted more children, which is why we didn't try to prevent it after Rosie was born. God knew it was time that we added one more blessing to our family.

Of course, He was right. Buddy came exactly when he should have. And while it seemed a little crazy at the time, with how close in age they were, it has all worked out for the best. If I could do it again, differently, I wouldn't.

Friday Five

We had five beautiful, warm days in a row this week. Five. It made yesterday's raininess bearable, and maybe today's, too.

This week I tried to really take in the little moments:

1. I marveled, again, at how good that first sip of coffee tastes in the morning. If I have that cup of heaven, and a little quiet before the nonstop day beings, I am off to a good start.

2. And at the end of the day, there's nothing like slipping between silky feeling sheets and feeling sleep gently take me away.

3. Freedom is being alone in the car, music turned up, windows down, and feeling the warmth of the sun.

4. Speaking of the warmth of the sun- just taking a minute or two to sit out in it (safely, with sunscreen) while the kids play next to me with their watering cans, a bucket of water and lots of giggles? Another slice of heaven.

5. Sitting next to my husband at the bar on date night, laughing and talking in full sentences not interrupted by requests for more milk? Priceless. I love how we can get so into our conversations that the world seems to dissolve around us.

What moment(s) did you savor this week?

One of the Best Things

I think I’ve figured out one of the very best things about parenthood.

You can take what you want from the childhood you experienced,

And leave the rest.

Hanging plant as the best mom’s day gift? Taking that. Trips to Hampton Beach? Taking that. Hours upon hours of playing outside? Taking that.

Spanking? Leaving that. It’s completely contradictory. Dessert after dinner every night? Leaving that, too. I want my kids to think of dessert as something special, not a given. Not teaching my kids to swim? Leaving that. I will not pass my fear onto them.

My point is, once you’re a parent, you can pick and choose what you’ll continue and what you won’t. It’s rather empowering.

Here's an example: the kids needed crayons. I have no idea what happened to the last box I bought, but since we have a Golden Retriever with a penchant for crayons, I wasn’t too surprised. So Buddy and I went to the store, and we eyed all the Crayola products.

I wanted to buy them all.

Remember when the best thing in the world was a brand new pack of crayons, colored pencils or markers? Yeah. I still feel like an 8 year old when I look around the arts and crafts aisle.

I narrowed my gaze to the crayon selection. Choices: 8, 16, 24, 64 or 96. OK, I’m not actually sure those were the choices, I’m relying on what I remember from 23 years ago. My eyes immediately went to the box of 96.

The one I never had.

I wanted to get it but I hesitated. Why was it that my parents didn’t get it for me? Is it unnecessary? Is there just as much fun found in a box of 64?

Maybe, but at age 31, I wasn’t taking any chances. I needed to see inside this box of 96. I wasn't disappointed. Neon, glitter, and regular crayons of every shade imaginable were inside that box. Rosie and Buddy’s eyes nearly popped out of their eyes when they saw all of them.

If this is spoiling, so be it. Drawing and coloring improves fine motor development. I don't think you can spoil too much when it comes to that.

Picking and choosing which aspects you'll keep from your childhood:
It’s one of the very best things about raising kids.