Every year my husband’s parents pick a day to spend with each of the grandkids for their birthdays. They go to a special event, go shopping for their birthday gifts, or just spend quality time together. My son LOVES to spend time with his Mimi and Papa and has been counting down the days and hours until his special day.
Today was the day and his excitement was boiling over from the moment he woke up this morning….at 3am. Yes you read that correctly, he woke up at 3am so excited that he couldn’t fall back to sleep. I rubbed his back for a few minutes and explained that he wasn’t going to get to their house any earlier if he was to get up now or go back to sleep. I’m sure he feel back to sleep shortly thereafter. Then to my surprise, when I got out of the shower he was sitting on the couch fully dressed for the day with his bed made and anxious to go. I didn’t make him wait long and before we knew it we were at Mimi and Papa’s house being spoiled with a delicious breakfast!
It is so wonderful to see the love and bond between grandparents and their grandchildren. I remember the excitement of going to my grandparents’ house for the weekend and how I always felt like a princess when I was there. My grandmother and I had a special relationship and I thank my lucky stars for each moment I spent with her. I am so grateful that my son cherishes each moment with his and that he isn’t “too old” to show his excitement.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Salsa
I received an email from a friend this afternoon asking if I wanted to take a free salsa dancing lesson tonight at a dance studio near our house. I jumped at the opportunity as who can resist an evening out and the chance to learn something new! I had no idea what to wear or what to expect…heck, I didn’t even know where this place was but I couldn’t wait. I was picturing the Dancing with the Stars practices where the girls were wearing workout clothes with dancing heels. I went through all my heels and found one pair that has an ankle strap and are only about 2 ½ inches high. Then I put on a pair of black capri yoga pants and black t-shirt. I mean I want to be comfortable if I’m working up a sweat and it would be impossible to dance in gym shoes! So I’m already to go when my friend called to say she was on her way. At the last minute I thought to ask her what she was wearing and she tell me jeans and heeled boots, the same thing she wore to work. D’oh! I frantically ran back into my closet and changed into jeans and boots as to not look like a complete idiot. And thank goodness I did as EVERYONE was in jeans!
The class was so much FUN! We learned the basic front back step, side to side step, and then a turn. My partner has taken dance classes at this studio before so he was helpful and we had a blast spinning around. They kept the music slow so I have no idea if I’d actually be able to keep from stepping on my feet in a club. And it was much harder to get my hips into it then what I thought it would be. But who cares, I salsa danced!!! I came home ready to teach my husband and son. Watch out boys! :)
This dance studio offers an array of classes and you don’t need a partner, so I left with a class schedule and a coupon. Now I just have to decide what dance I want to learn first!!
The class was so much FUN! We learned the basic front back step, side to side step, and then a turn. My partner has taken dance classes at this studio before so he was helpful and we had a blast spinning around. They kept the music slow so I have no idea if I’d actually be able to keep from stepping on my feet in a club. And it was much harder to get my hips into it then what I thought it would be. But who cares, I salsa danced!!! I came home ready to teach my husband and son. Watch out boys! :)
This dance studio offers an array of classes and you don’t need a partner, so I left with a class schedule and a coupon. Now I just have to decide what dance I want to learn first!!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Parenthood
Some days I ask myself how I went from being a single woman in my late 20’s to the mother of a pre-teen almost overnight. I fell in love, that’s how. But falling in love did not prepare me for raising an almost teenager. I haven’t had 11 years to work up to this point, I’ve had three years!! Three years!!! Then again, I’m learning that nothing prepares you for your child’s attitude changes when they hit fifth grade. I’ve had friends and relatives tell me that the maturity and independence that hits in fifth grade is so remarkable that you will sit back in awe. When? When will that happen? My son has 3 more months of fifth grade and we’re going backwards instead of forwards.
Last night when I tucked my sweet boy in, he was in a bad mood. He had his face covered with Tiger, his favorite stuffed animal, and had his back to me. I climbed into bed with him, began rubbing his back, and starting talking. I talked about how important it is to talk to his parents about things going on in his life…how sometimes just talking will make everything seem better. I told him about a comment I read years ago in the Sunday paper and has always stuck with me. It said that people tend to treat strangers with more respect then their loved ones. There is so much truth to that observation. We forget to say please and thank you to the individuals in our house but we are always polite to the barista at our favorite coffee stop or the checkout clerk at the grocery store. If someone at the office asks, “how is your day?” We answer with a smile and talk about the positive and always return the question. If someone at home asks that same question, we state every thing bad that happened from hitting snooze one too many times to burning dinner. Or even worse, we give a one word answer like “fine” and don’t return the question. I know that I’m guilty of this and it’s something that I remind myself of daily because the people that I love deserve the most respect that I can give. I am not entitled to their respect, I have to earn it each day and to earn it, I have to show it in return. Just like love…no one is entitled to it, we have to earn it and keep earning it daily. I hope some of what I said sunk into my little boy’s head and if not, I’ll just keep talking until it does.
Last night when I tucked my sweet boy in, he was in a bad mood. He had his face covered with Tiger, his favorite stuffed animal, and had his back to me. I climbed into bed with him, began rubbing his back, and starting talking. I talked about how important it is to talk to his parents about things going on in his life…how sometimes just talking will make everything seem better. I told him about a comment I read years ago in the Sunday paper and has always stuck with me. It said that people tend to treat strangers with more respect then their loved ones. There is so much truth to that observation. We forget to say please and thank you to the individuals in our house but we are always polite to the barista at our favorite coffee stop or the checkout clerk at the grocery store. If someone at the office asks, “how is your day?” We answer with a smile and talk about the positive and always return the question. If someone at home asks that same question, we state every thing bad that happened from hitting snooze one too many times to burning dinner. Or even worse, we give a one word answer like “fine” and don’t return the question. I know that I’m guilty of this and it’s something that I remind myself of daily because the people that I love deserve the most respect that I can give. I am not entitled to their respect, I have to earn it each day and to earn it, I have to show it in return. Just like love…no one is entitled to it, we have to earn it and keep earning it daily. I hope some of what I said sunk into my little boy’s head and if not, I’ll just keep talking until it does.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Over Sleeping
Sleep…how much sleep does one person need? For the first time in months, maybe years, I am sleeping well at night. I am literally falling asleep the second I hit the pillow and I’m not even moving until about 4am. The problem is that I should be getting up at 4:30 to go to the gym and I’m not. I’m staying in bed until almost six and then rushing to get out of the house and to work by seven. This is the latest I have ever slept in the morning. I’ve always been one of those people who are up by five and in bed by nine. Maybe that’s where the problem is though, I’m not going to bed at nine. I’m going to bed at ten or ten thirty because our son won’t go to sleep if we go in our bedroom. He wants us to stay up and we listen. I miss crawling in bed after I put him to sleep and waking up at 4:30. I know it might sound odd to miss it but I do. I used to look forward to my quiet, uncomplicated mornings where I’d get up, dress for the gym, prep dinner, and be out of the house by five. Then I’d get a good hour workout in and still make it to the office by 7:15. Now I’m sleeping in, rushing around like a mad woman, and completely skipping my workout because I don’t seem to make time in my day. How many days does it take to make something a habit?
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Reading
I started a new book while I was home sick and haven’t been able to put it down. Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos is a follow up to her novel Loved Walked In. It’s been three years since I read the first novel and the story came back to me almost instantly. I love when a good book can capture your mind and soul as if you were a living character in the story. Her words read like poetry and I get swept away instantly. I love to read and can get lost in a book for hours on end while the world passes around me.
Tuesday evening I took my son to the library so he could pick out a book to read this week. After a frustrating hour of walking up and down the junior aisles lost in a sea of books, he picked a collaboration of short stories. On our way home I tried to explain to him why I wanted him to pick a novel. The character development, setting, plot, climax, theme…being able to comprehend what he reads and to see the story unfolding in his mind as he reads. I told him that when I read I become a silent character. I don’t just read a book, I see the words dance on the page and imagine that I’m there in that little town walking down the street with the raining hitting me in the face. I smile, I laugh, I cry, and I shake my head in disbelief. I get completely and utterly lost in each and every book I read but I love it! It’s like going on a vacation and seeing a whole new world! That’s what I want for my son, I want him to be able to get lost in a book so much so that he remembers it for the rest of his life…not just the story but how he felt when he read it.
Tuesday evening I took my son to the library so he could pick out a book to read this week. After a frustrating hour of walking up and down the junior aisles lost in a sea of books, he picked a collaboration of short stories. On our way home I tried to explain to him why I wanted him to pick a novel. The character development, setting, plot, climax, theme…being able to comprehend what he reads and to see the story unfolding in his mind as he reads. I told him that when I read I become a silent character. I don’t just read a book, I see the words dance on the page and imagine that I’m there in that little town walking down the street with the raining hitting me in the face. I smile, I laugh, I cry, and I shake my head in disbelief. I get completely and utterly lost in each and every book I read but I love it! It’s like going on a vacation and seeing a whole new world! That’s what I want for my son, I want him to be able to get lost in a book so much so that he remembers it for the rest of his life…not just the story but how he felt when he read it.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Help!
What a few days it's been! This cold turned into the worst sinusitis I have ever experienced. We spent our Valentine's Day in the urgent care so that we could get antibiotics because I could not take the pain one second longer. My husband is also suffering from bronchitis so we're a healthy bunch over here. Wanna come over for dinner?
Friday, February 12, 2010
Sweets
Thank goodness it’s Friday!! It’s official - I’m no longer coming down with a cold so much as this cold has taken over my body! I feel as if someone lit a match and threw it down my throat! Not that I’ve ever experienced that or would like to…but in my imagination this is exactly how that would feel. Have I mentioned that I’m ready for the weekend? My son was an angel last night and fell asleep without a peep. He was his normal, goofy, playful, in his own world self this morning as he got ready for school. It was a wonderful way to start the day even if I already felt like a bomb had gone off in my head. While sitting at my desk wishing I was home in bed, the delivery man surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of lilies in shades of red, pink, and white! I’m not a red rose person as I think they’re cliché, especially for Valentine’s Day, and I so love that my husband knows this about me. He is the best at surprising me with a grocery store bouquet of mixed flowers that I look at lovingly for days on end. I’m a simple girl when it comes presents as it’s the thought that counts and I feel so very special that someone is thinking about me. As I glance at the sparking red vase full of closed buds, I can’t wait to take them home to my dining room table and watch them unhurriedly open until the petals are pushing for a breath of light.
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