Go-Go Mommy

My 30 days: 30

Well, this is it. The end of my little exercise on capturing "everyday" moments. I wanted to make this last post about something cataclysmic. I wanted to end my soul search for recognizing the beauty in everyday with some incredibly articulate and thought-provoking words and yet, today's everyday moment defiles the very thing I had hoped to achieve.

Tonight, KB and I are watching Airport '79 and all I can say is that if you haven't seen it (or if it's been almost 30 years since you've seen it) it's a MUST rent!

First, you'll love the male chauvinist/1970's "liberated woman" dichotomy as well as the internationally-mixed (Russian and American) couple depicted in the movie. (You'll recognize a lot of old stars, too). But the best part was when the pilot who was flying the Concord opened a window, depressurized the entire plane, got his handgun, pointed it out the window while flying the plane completely upside down, and shot down one of the missles that was headed toward the plane. I am still gasping for air! And to top it off, the big fireside sex scene involves none other than George Kennedy with some actress that had such a "poodle perm" she actually made him look young!

The movie goes on and it's too much to even think about writing more about it.

Suffice it to say, I enjoyed the moments of reflection, poetry, and simple discoveries made by myself as well as the girls. It has been wonderful to look at my family in a new light and approach life in the same way. Cheers to all and here's to new beginnings for all!
(PS: Hope you enjoy the movie! PPS: We fast-forwarded a heck of a lot!)

My 30 days: 29

Sweet Pea is growing up so quickly! Today's moment was watching her go down the slide by herself for the first time.

My 30 days: 28

Poppy is still telling everyone who happens to look our way at stores, music class, ballet class, etc. that she "just turned 4 and had a chocolate cake with pink frosting." She knows that Mommy's birthday is a couple of days after hers and so I'm teaching her that if anyone asks my age, she can just tell them that I'm 25.

Poppy's reply:

Mommy, can we pretend you're 21?

My reply:

Why sure honey, I like that number even better!

My 30 days: 27

Just like every dog has it's day, every girl needs her pedi!

Yesterday was my time to have some girl-time (and extend my birthday celebrations) with my uber cool friend, Xiaolin Mama. Thanks for taking care of the girls KB!

My 30 days: 26 (Confessions of a wanna be "Mock".)

Surely you've heard of SAHMs (stay-at-home moms), WAHMs (work-at-home moms), mompreneurs (mom entrepenuers), and a whole lot more mom-type acronyms. I have one of my own that I secretly wish to become and that is a "Mock" or a mom-jock.

I want to belong to the ranks of moms who wear cool workout gear (ala Title 9), comfortable running shoes, and sport easy to maneuver jogging strollers not just out of laziness comfort, but because those items are really used.

I want to be one of those moms who has upper arms with great definition and no "jelly shake", who can drop the summer skirts and actually wear shorts, and who can take the kids to the pool without having to worry about constantly having a towel or other camouflage covering the area from the belly to the knees. And now, with spring around the corner, it's definitely crunch time - literally!

I'm still on my "everyday moments" blogging project (see here) and yesterday morning included a great moment for Poppy, Sweet Pea, and me. Through my city's Parents' Club, we got the opportunity to get an incredible workout at one of our local parks with a group called Stroller Strides. Not only did we connect as a family, but it gave us the opportunity to meet some great moms and their kids too.

The workout was so much more than I expected: you didn't have to feel bad for whatever fitness level you are currently at - exercises are modified for each level, you didn't have to feel bad if you aren't a natural born runner (definitely me), no part of the body was neglected (we worked on legs, hips/thighs/buttocks, arms, and abdominals with lower back stretches too), and encouragement & motivation were generously given throughout our time together.

To top it off, we were given great "goodie bags" with coupons, treats, and even a small gift for the little ones (Poppy loves her Crayola "explosion" marker):

Thank you to Wendy and everyone at Stroller Strides for providing me this incredible time to take care of myself. My goal as I join the group on upcoming workouts? Keep up with Poppy!!!

My 30 days: 25

I've just been informed that Poppy no longer needs a nap since she is "4 years old now and a big girl." So while Princess Sweet Pea was asleep, we decorated a castle.

Thanks, Aunt G, for the gift. Hope you like it! (And hope Poppy makes it to bedtime!)

My 30 days: 24 (Happy Birthday to Me.)

Yes! I made it another year! And being older and, of course, another year wiser - I opted for the "birthday flower" instead of plain old birthday cake. What 'cha think?

This morning's birthday memories:
I got a beautiful, retro-looking Tiffany bracelet from KB and the girls.

Sweet Pea and Poppy are again at opposite ends of the kiddie spectrum. Sweet Pea still has no idea why today is different from any other day, and Poppy cried this morning and told me I upset her because it was still her birthday since she hasn't had her friends over yet. (Poppy's party got postponed this weekend due to the lovely cough and cold virus that has been making it's second round in our household this winter.) She did, however, apologize at lunch for being "nasty" this morning and not wishing me a "Happy Birthday". How could you not love this kid?!

My mother shared a new story with me about when I was a baby. My brother, D, who is 4 years older fed me some salami when I was still a very little baby. Apparently my mother saw me gnawing at something in my mouth and found it. D told my mom; "I gave her salami because she was crying and hungry." If it's good enough for a 4 year old, why not the baby?

More memories to be made today...

My 30 days: 23 (Banana peels and other ways to lose "cool points".)

All families have a favorite past time. One that usually tops the list in any family is telling "Remember when..." stories. These are stories of stupid funny things that people in the family have done over the years. Of course, as a child, we especially love to remember and laugh at the times when mom (or dad) are the brunt of the joke and believe me, I've had my fair share of teasing my mom.

To this day I will never forget when Mom, Dad, and I were in the car and my father was driving through Mt. Clemens where the main road splits in the heart of downtown making two "one way" throuroughfares around the circumference of the town. I can still hear mom's lovely voice as she asked my father "Daddy (after 10 kids they fell into the "mommy/daddy" habit), are we on this side of Mt. Clemens?" Of course my father couldn't resist; "No, we're on that side."

Or the time when I was looking at a beautiful photo of my mother (who is also from a very large family) with her three sisters taken sometime around the late 40s, early 50s. They all had the 1940's "jitterbug- do" (shoulder length hair and controlled waves; think "Boogie, Woogie, Bugle Boy"). It is an awesome photo which really marked the era and showed the love they shared. This feeling triggered my question to my mother: "Mom, were you close to Aunt Helen?" (Aunt Helen is the oldest sister - my mother is the youngest.) To which she replied; "Well, we were standing about 3 feet apart." Ah.. memories!

Unfortunately, I found out today that the tables have turned and I am now the mommy who will long be remembered as the brunt of a family joke thanks to my almost 4 year old who has the memory of an elephant. And not just any joke, but undoubtedly the most overdone cliche in the book!

Breakfast went something like this... (as I'm cutting up a banana for the girls like I've done almost every morning since "the incident" happended 6 months ago) "Mommy, do you remember when you slipped on the banana peel?" [spit take] [OMG! I think the question is do you remember it?]

Okay, okay, I admit this sounds totally made up but believe me I only wish it were since I'll probably now be reminded about this for the rest of my days. But yes, it did happen and here's my side of the story: it was in the parking lot behind the California Avenue Starbucks, where they "conveniently" put a dumpster right by the parking, which (of course) had recently been emptied (hence the offending peel left in the middle of pedestrian traffic), and I had a wriggling 12 month old Sweet Pea in my arms and couldn't see around her.... [Please send me any other excuse you can think of so I can add it to my list entitled "Reasons why I slipped on the banana peel" - I'm definitely going to have to be better prepared for Poppy the next time she asks!]

With my mind racing and telling me to "be cool" so this doesn't become a consistent family joke, I finally gathered my composure enough to say; "Yes honey, I remember."

Oh who the heck am I kidding?! It was hilarious, and just thinking about the picture of me with Sweet Pea in my arms saying "WHOW" as my foot slid uncontrollably and I almost landed on my butt with her (Lucille Ball had nothing on my physicial comedy) made Poppy and I laugh uncontrollably for about five minutes. And I have to admit, it was pretty incredible sharing this memory with her, even if it is the memory of mommy acting like a total buffoon.

What are your "Remember when..." moments? How did you successfully recover your "cool mommy/daddy" points or were they forever lost?

Cross-posted at Silicon Valley Moms Blog.

My 30 days: 22

We've hit another toddler milestone with Poppy: the "I'm-acting-like-I'm-working-on-my-coloring book-but-I-want-you're-attention-while-you-are-on-the-telephone-so-I'll-just-give-my-hair-a-trim-with-my-colorful-toddler-scissors" stage.

Here are the scissors:

Here is the hair:

And here is the result: (Not as bad as I thought it would be.)

My 30 days: 20

My current reads, as told by my nightstand....

(By the way, don't you love the "mama dress" Poppy made for me?)

My 30 days: 19

No "soulful" journey could be complete without a little respite with a glass of vino. Here in California, my town has a wine bar/restaurant in a quaint Victorian called Vino Locale which features and sells only wines from our county and one neighboring county. Who knew the Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties have over 70 wineries between them?! The restaurant also beautifies the surroundings with art provided by a local artist. It is definitely a win-win-win situation: wine, art, and great people.

Needless to say, when I received my "Vino Locale" February newsletter offering a five-week course on wine, I knew this was meant to be my Valentine's gift to KB. Who can resist wine and a few hours to re-connect with each other? It worked great last weekend but this weekend KB was out of town so my good friend, E, joined me. Thanks for the fun time, E, and the banana bread recipe!

My 30 days: 18

"Before and After"

I know, I know, this is something that is SO everyday we even hate to see it posted on a blog. So here I was, facing your typical mom chore tonight after my little girls were tucked snuggly in bed when I wanted so desparately nothing more than to be tucked into my own bed. Yet, here I am, and here is the laundry. So, I stared at it for a while and since it wasn't disapprearing on its own, or folding itself when I snapped my fingers (ala Mary Poppins), and no elves were in sight (as per the "shoemaker" - I guess I'm reading too many bedtime stories), I decided it was time to fold the laundry myself.

Once I dove in and started to fold, I began to notice the little things: the smell of Dreft and Bounce fabric softener; the bright colors and cute patterns; how a folded shirt fits neatly into the palm of my hand (and no, I don't have "man hands"); exactly when Sweet Pea last wore her "overalls" - we had so much fun at the park! Needless to say, I realized that the days of these cute, little, and very sweet baby and toddler outfits are numbered. And that fleeting thought made my "everyday" moment tonight very bearable.

Lesson learned: embrace the mundane.

My 30 days: 17

My next project: felted bowls. With any luck I'll get one finished sometime before fall.

My 30 days: 16

Working on Valentine's Day cards.

Poppy:
Precious
Optimistic
Precocious
Problem Solver
"Yes" to Life

Sweet Pea:
Simply Beautiful
Wonderer
Earnest
Eager
Tough

Peaceful
Embracer
Answer to a Prayer

We love you both more than you'll ever know!

Happy Valentine's Day!
Love,
Mommy & Daddy

My 30 days: 15

Not quiet your everyday moment - this was a quite a special "everyday." Disneyland came to give the Silicon Valley Mom's Blog team and our families a private party. The incredible part was, while I waited for "the pitch" from Disney, it never came. Instead it was our "everyday moment", albiet a crazy one, with our family and blogging friends.

Poppy had a wonderful time getting her face painted, coloring a picture of Ariel, putting together a "Disney" themed Mr. Potato Head, and best of all... meeting Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and Cinderella for the very first time. Here they are lost in a typical girly conversation about Poppy's birthday party...

Of course, Sweet Pea had a great time too. She actually did pick out some potato head pieces of her own. The rest of her time, however, was spent honing her "fast walking" skills as she nimbly slipped in and out of the crowd catching anyone over 5 feet tall off-guard. (Sorry again, everyone, for the little 2 foot firecracker who was on the loose!)

In the midst of all this madness wonderful fun, KB and I split up and spent our entire time "refereeing" our little ones. So, while we didn't get to enjoy yummy hors d'oevers, a delicious spread, and sparkling conversation with my incredible fellow bloggers (I even missed the group photo), we did get to bask in our "everyday" moment of watching two incredible girls light up with wonder as they were introduced to the magic of Disney for the first time. And yes, Disney certainly does know how to make you feel like a kid again!

It looks like Poppy is finally ready - it's time to start planning our roadtrip to Disneyland! Many thanks to you, Disney, for my extra-special "everyday" moment!

My 30 days: 14

Today's Poppyisms:

"Oh, I'm so excited!" (pronounced x-kited)

"Mommy, you're not going to believe this..."

(Singing) "Felice mommy hop." (instead of "Feliz Navidad")

"Daddy, do you have a blanket at work like I do?" (referring to her security blanket,
known as the "soft blanket" that goes everywhere with her)

"Mommy (or Daddy), I need some love."

Daddy: "Hey look at those guys over there. I think they work for Facebook."
Poppy: "They look like the Jonas Brothers."

(Did I mention she's not even 4 yet?)

My 30 days: 13

For those of you just joining in, I am almost to the mid-point of my "30 days of everyday" project. You can catch up on how this homage to the "everyday" came about by reading this short post.

Poppy and Sweet Pea fell asleep in the car (again) today after our morning errands. As I got ready to carry Poppy up the walkway, this tree which lines our walkway just begged to be photographed. It's in the mid-60s now, and the sun just seems to be kissing everything right now and waking up the trees in anticipation of spring. Don't you just love the berries?!

My 30 days: 11

Time to hunt for food.

My 30 days: 10

Burford, England

Today we (Poppy, Sweet Pea and I) spent the morning running errands in preparation for Poppy's birthday party. While I was hoping to get some great photos at our local bakery while ordering the cake, the usual mom thing happened - I realized as we were about 5 feet from our car that I didn't snap one shot.

Even though I missed capturing the moments on film (or xD-card) where Poppy looked with wonder and eager anticipation at the cakes rotating in the beautiful display case, or when she saw the heart sugar cookies and insisted that I get a red heart and she would like a pink heart, or watching Sweet Pea's face as she gazed with awe at all of the beautiful cookies and pasteries lined up like perfect little soldiers in the display case, I know I'll carry today's moments with me forever in my heart.

All of this got me reflecting on the subject of capturing past moments - which, of course, is what my "30 days of everyday" is all aboout. And I thought to myself, what about looking forward to future memories? With little ones we are naturally focused on what needs to be done right now and what our children are doing at this moment in time (learning to walk, talk, eat with a spoon) that it seems beyond our imagination to picture the time when they are dressing themselves, taking their own shower or bath, or getting up and getting a snack for themself. Even more unimaginable is the time when they will be old enough to travel to far off destinations where they can truly enjoy the adventure of learning about life in other parts of our world. (And can make it through a "tour" without needing to stop for a nap.)

I have always wanted to travel to the UK but now that my little ones are still so small, I know this won't happen anytime soon. So today, my "everyday" moment turned into a meditation on future moments as I gazed lovingly at the pretty photo of Burford, England (a brother of mine traveled to Burford for work last year and he snapped this shot) and imagined what future memories await us in England when my girls are a bit older, a bit more independent, but still amazing me as they always do.

My 30 days: 9

One of my favorite places on our California coast.

Today my everyday moment was one of self-indulgence:
A warm bath at the end of my day with a L'Occitane green tea fizzy
sugar cube followed by gobs of Concentre de lait lotion.

It took me right back to the peaceful and soul-filling moment
the coast evoked.

Don't forget to do something special for yourself today.

My 30 days: 8

I did it! I can't believe that in just a few days of "stolen moments" (when Poppy and Sweet Pea were napping or in bed for the night) I finished the hat.! Here is it ... along with a photo of how I left it for Poppy to discover in the morning. Poppy laughed and squealed with delight when she saw her new dog, Missy, wearing her new hat and scarf. Luckily, she loves it and I'm going to start a matching hat for Sweet Pea.


In JoJo's Circus (what can I say, I AM the mommy of an 1 and almost 4 year old!), she always sums up the story by a short monologue on what she learned today. So, in the spirit of one of Poppy's first female hero's, here is what I learned:

That it is possible to find time for yourself throughtout your day, and when you take the time to "feed" your soul, you can get a double return. Not only do you receive your own sense of peace but it is wonderful to delight in the happiness of others as a result.

My 30 days: 7

An outing at the park:

5, 6, Poppy picks up sticks.

My 30 days: 6

Reading with Sweet Pea.

My 30 days: 5

So here is the "prose and poetry" part of "My 30 days" project - or in this case "prose and prayer." I am currently reading a few books (and I say that with pride because now that Sweet Pea is finally sleeping through the night, I can squeeze in a few pages after checking email before I go to bed). One of these "nightstand readers" is a book called "What Every Child Needs, Meet Your Child's Nine Basic Needs for Love" by Elisa Morgan and Carol Kuykendall.

In the introduction of that book, the authors include a prayer that was sent to them by a mother of three which illustrates the conflict that often exists between a child's needs and a mom's/parent's needs. Here is the prayer which I copied and posted on my bathroom mirror today so I can read it as I begin each day for the remainder of my "30 day" project. I think it will be a great start to my day and a great way to celebrate, rather than run from, those everyday occurrences.

I hope you find it as funny, beautifully written, and brutally honest as I do.

Lord,
When they scribble on the walls, please help me to
see a rainbow!
And when I've said something a hundred times,
please give me the patience to say it a hundred times
more!
And on those particularly annoying days when I
tell them to act their age, please help me remember
that they are!
And while we're on the subject of age, Lord, when
I gein to lose my temper, please help me to remember to
act mine!
And through it all, Lord -- the fingerprints and
runny noses, messy rooms and unrolled toilet paper, de-
stroyed videotapes and broken knick-knacks -- please
help me to remember this:
Someday, these will be the days I will long to have
back again.
by Angela Thole, "A Mother's Prayer", 1996

My 30 days: 4

Go-Go Mommy's soulfood: taking 20 minutes for myself to knit a hat. I started this proiect in 2006 when I decided to teach myself how to knit during my 5 month pregnancy bedrest (with Sweet Pea) and haven't picked it up since. Wish me luck!

Open Question: What hobby/interest can you fit into your day that you haven't had time for in the past year?

My 30 days: 3

I was led to this article which ended up inspiring today's "everyday" moment:

Oh me, oh my,
how quickly time goes by.
My little loves soon to be
self-sufficient adults, just like me.
But before that comes to pass
it's time to review today at last.

My Poppy and Sweet Pea:

Greeted daddy at the door after a weeklong trip
with eyes shining bright, squeals of delight
and arms open wide, ready to hold on so tight.

Poppy helped clean up for daddy with grace.
Shared her "cozy" chair with 'lil sissy,"
excitedly showed dad her new dog "Missy,"
and planted many loving kisses on my face.

Sweet Pea woke from her nap in inconsolable pain,
its' origin unknown, I got peed on while dad phoned.
The urgent care diagnosis: simply congestion again.

A trip to Borders divided in two - before and after dinner.
Sweet Pea only wanted to go up and down stairs,
while Poppy's "energetic" voice caught customers unawares.
Both left mommy and daddy feeling like beginners.

Then the simple act of love shone bright
During our evening meal out, Sweet Pea turned about,
grabbed my hair, and face to face, held on so tight.

My 30 days: 2

Our morning sustenance.

My 30 days: 1

Lately I've been constantly reminded that "gratitude is an attitude" - how true! As part of "my soulful journey" this year, I've been inspired from a few different sources to put that little quote into practice and begin my own 30 day project right here on Go-Go Mommy. Cyber hugs and hearts go to Soulemama for giving me this place to begin: looking at the everyday with new eyes and capturing the moments I see.

As a SAHM with a 15 month old and almost 4 year old, the everyday can be a bit of the same: very loud at times, very trying at times, and very rewarding most of the time but always fleeting. It's time to feed my soul by opening myself to what is happening right in front of me and capturing those fleeting moments of everyday living. As Albert Schweitzer said:
"In the hopes of reaching the moon men fail to see the flowers that blossom at their feet."

So here is the first of My 30 Days. Some moments may be photographed, some reflected in poetry, verse, or prose. All will reflect the moment of "seeing" each day. Hope you enjoy this crazy ride!

"SETTING UP FOR THE GIG"