Sonrisas: 4/27/12

Someone asked me yesterday if I had posted any small graces lately, and my answer was “no, but I should”.  So… let’s get back at it:

1. 12 pounds lost.  This weight loss has been an unexpected perk of Whole30.  Swimming in my current wardrobe means I can start to think about buying clothes that fit.

2. Today while I was at the front desk in my office, I saw little head peek around the corner of the work station — a smiling, precocious little girl darting away, peek-a-boo style.  My smile caught her smile, and she confidently walked over to ask me my name.  I squatted down to her level — trying not to topple over in my heels — as she told me her name is Arianna, and she is three, and her birthday is in December.  After spending my morning in a staff meeting and stressing about the next fiscal year budget for three areas that I oversee (among other things that were on my mind), this little girl melted my heart and made me think twice about my stress as she asked, with a very serious and furrowed brow, if I had any babies.  ”Yes, I have two babies, but they aren’t little babies any more.  They are much bigger than you now.”  Thank you, little Arianna, for reminding me of what’s important on a Friday in late April.

3. A few minutes later, I headed out to my car to pick up salads for me and Kay, our front desk assistant, and the first song on the radio was “The Humpty Dance” — which always makes me laugh because it reminds me of my college girlfriends.  As I ended up posting on my girl Christen’s Facebook wall: “There is nothing wrong with liking your oatmeal lumpy, getting busy in a Burger King bathroom and grabbin’ ‘em in the biscuits over the noon hour…”

4. On the way back to the office with salads and drinks in hand, Sisqo’s “Thong Song” came on… and I have to admit I sat in the car with this blasting for a minute in the parking lot, not because of the song, but because I needed to give myself a pep talk to shake the funk and move forward.  And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but that song also reminds me of hitting the dance floor with some random guy in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, 12 years ago while at a graduate student conference, probably 24 hours before my first date with R.  So, yeah, the thong song. Niiiiiiice.

5. House showing.  After a crazy lull in showings, we finally have one tonight.  Now, what to do with myself while Mariah and Bubba are at Moco’s soccer practice and I can’t be in the house…

Sonrisas: 5/26

1. Bubba’s last day of preschool – bittersweet!

2. I cried listening to Bubba and his class recite their daily prayer followed by the Lord’s Prayer.  It warmed my heart to hear those sweet voices!

3. Moco spent most of her free time this week creating a memory book for her class.  Tonight she emailed it to her teacher, asking if she could make copies for everyone but she understood if it was too much.  Her creativity and tech savviness amaze me!

4. Putting on jeans and flip flops after a long day in a new shirtwaist dress and heels.

5. One week into having a sitter at our house, I’m wondering why I didn’t do this sooner.  Don’t get me wrong, we have had some great childcare experiences over the years, but having Jenny here is awesome!  Hopefully the kids don’t drive her too crazy this summer… :)

Sonrisas: 5/15

One of these days, I might actually write a real post again… but reflecting on a few quick moments that made me smile through the day is easy, and it helps me focus on the good things in life!

1. After working graduation Friday night and 4 hours on Saturday, I was a little bummed that there wasn’t much time left in the weekend.  Moco’s travel team was scheduled at 12pm and 2pm for games out of town today, so Bubba and I packed the cooler, and we headed out with R and Moco.  I knew there was a chance the games would be cancelled, and we had just topped off the car with gas when the call came in from Moco’s soccer coach letting us know: games cancelled!  We were a bit bummed because Moco missed last weekend’s tournament, and then this one was cancelled — basically, season is over!  But… we had the rest of the day to enjoy together!

2. We hit the mall, and Moco and I got new swimsuits at Old Navy, thanks to Oprah’s 50% off coupons that were good through this weekend!  We spent less than $25 on two two-piece swimsuits… not bad!!!  Now we just need the weather to cooperate so we can get good use of our ‘kinis.

3. Speaking of savings… I planned out a trip to Walgreens and got $79.21 (pre-sale prices) worth of items for $26.07 plus $4 in Register Rewards and a free Redbox rental.  I love scoring good deals!  Moco’s face was priceless when she saw the total go from $52.54 (with sale prices) to $26.07.

4. Moco and Bubba belting out Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep”… love their sweet, sweet voices!

5. You know you made a delicious supper when all you hear is the whole family chewing… baked tilapia fillets (lemon juice, salt & pepper and Mrs. Dash original), strawberry spinach salad with cracked pepper Almond Accents (our favorite salad as a family), and flaky biscuits!

Sonrisas: 5/13

It’s Friday the 13th, and it’s raining… but there are still some bright spots in the day:

1. R has been on full-time daddy duty this week, especially because I have been working a lot.  Drop-offs, pick-ups, getting kids fed (so what if it’s take-out?  At least they’re eating!), getting them to bed.  We ♥ having him home!

2. Graduation… it’s always exciting to see students walk across that stage and knowing that you impacted their lives in one way or another.  I have worked with almost all of our current international students from admission to graduation, so I especially love watching them receive their diplomas!  It’s always awesome to see the accomplishments, the perseverance and hard work finally pay off.  For some of these students, it was easy.  For others, it was quite the struggle.  For some, they still have to pass summer classes before they officially graduate!  Nonetheless, their pride and excitement and that of their family and friends is re-energizing on a Friday night!

3. Dressing up.  I wore a dress and heels tonight; therefore, I have maxed out on my dress up quota for the year!  Bubba looked at me and said in the sweetest voice, “Where are you going looking all snazzy?!”  I love compliments from my 5-year-old!

4. Moco’s Chick Journal.  Her class received 18 eggs, and they have been observing them as they prepared to hatch in an incubator.  Moco loves animals, and she absolutely loved this project.  Her smile and excitement were contagious as she described a chick falling asleep in her hands… maybe she’ll be a veterinarian one day!?!?

5. Auntie Mariah brought me a very nice, thoughtful card and a package of Oreo Cakesters today in my office.  My favorite parts of the card say, “I believe in you” (pre-written Hallmark sentimental cheesiness) and “I love and appreciate the f*** out of you!” (100% Mariah).

These adventures with Moco, Bubba, R & Mariah provide plenty of laughter, jokes, memorable quotes, and plenty of memories.  I really can’t ask for anything more!

Sonrisas: 5/9

Today was a less than stellar day… everything just seemed off.  Plus it’s warm and muggy tonight, so the kids are having a hard time sleeping — and it’s after 10pm!!  Needless to say, I’m ready for Monday to be over, but I need to remind myself of the bright spots in the day:

1. R being home to take both kids to school and pick them up.

2. Herr’s Ketchup Chips – courtesy of a co-worker, who bought me a whole bag of my own to keep in my bottom file cabinet drawer (it it a normal workplace thing that we all have our snack stashes in the bottom drawer of our filing cabinets?!)

3. Mid-afternoon coffee break with R

4. Tonight’s supper: Grands! Taco Melts, Avocado Cucumber Toss (without the tomatoes), and strawberries with fresh whipped cream

5. Best Bubba word-of-the-day (Australia edition): You-ga-lipsis (eucalyptus)

Sonrisas: 5/8

1. The first five words I heard on Mother’s Day: “Mom, the toilet needs plunging!”

2. Breakfast in bed = Eggos, strawberries, orange-mango juice and a Starbucks latte.

3. A framed painted picture of me a la Moco, accompanied by a sweet letter of why she loves me and a card from Bubba.

4. A dozen long-stemmed red roses from the crew.

5. Not overcooking supper and not mixing up ingredients for a skillet cookie, like last year’s Mother Day.  This year, I made delicious beef enchiladas with plenty of toppings (avocados, onions, tomatoes, cilantro and extra cheese) and a fruit pizza cookie, baked in the cast iron skillet for redemption.  I even tasted the sugar before using it, to verify that it was not salt!

Happy Mother’s Day!!!

Sonrisas: 5/6

When I woke up this morning, I found myself face-to-face with Bubba, who was grinning ear-to-ear and anxious to tell me something important: “When you come to the Mother’s Day Tea at my school today, you’ll know where to sit because there will be a name tag that says ‘Grayson’ and next to it another name tag that says ‘Grayson’s Mom’!  There will be tea for you to drink.  Well, there will be lemonade and water for the kids.  But there will be tea for the moms to drink, but you can have lemonade or water if you want, too.”

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Bubba informed me that he had to dress nice for the Mother’s Day Tea.  Considering we lack somewhat (okay, a LOT) in the formal clothing department, we settled on the white button-up shirt and tie combination that we bought at the last minute for his Christmas concert in December.  He has grown enough that the shirt wouldn’t button at the neck so that we could clip-on his tie.  Instead, we loosened the collar and used another tie, loosely knotted around his neck — dapper yet casual.  My handsome little man!

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I made my first stop in the drive-thru at Gloria Jean’s, which just opened and is very conveniently located on my way to the office.  I placed my order, paid, then waited for my latte.  And waited.  And waited.  And waited some more.  The employee at the window finally handed me a frequent buyer’s drink card, completely punched: “The barista got distracted and forgot to make your order, so here’s a free drink for the next time you visit, and we apologize for making you wait.  He’s making your drink right now.”

Sweet!  Normally, I would be totally annoyed from waiting, but this morning the sun was shining, the skies were blue, and I didn’t really have a care in the world… and hadn’t even noticed there was a back up of cars behind me!  So… one delicious, freshly made mocha amaretto latte and a free drink coupon later, I was on my way to work.

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Later in the morning, I received a visit from a former student who I haven’t seen in a year.  During a three hour meeting with him last year, it turned out that we know several people in common:

Me: “I also know Coach C——-.”
Student: “HE CRAZY!  COACH C——- IS CRAZY!”
Me (in a straight-faced deadpan): “He’s also the father of my children.”
Student (mortified): “Forget I said that! Please don’t tell him I said that!”

He was super nice and didn’t embarrass himself this time around, but I couldn’t help but laugh at the memory of his insert-foot-in-mouth expression…

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At mid-day I left for the Mother’s Day Tea at Bubba’s school.  He begged me for weeks to be there because he honestly thought I show up.  I’m not sure why he thought I would miss out, but he was very, very concerned about my attendance.  Every single day he  made me confirm that I have cleared my work schedule to be there, and I had to reaffirm my promise daily.  I do not lie when I say this happened EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.  I arrived early and scored rock star parking right outside the front door to the school.  I sat in the second pew in the church and had a great view.  (I forgot my camera, but cut me some slack, people!  There was nothing about picture-taking in the agreement, just that I show up to the Mother’s Day Tea!)  I made sure that Bubba could see me (the relief on his face was precious).  The combined classes sang five songs that were absolutely adorable and off-key and totally not in unison, which made it that much better!  I also love when one or two kids are totally into it, singing their hearts out and making the funniest facial expressions.  Bubba looked absolutely bored (or maybe it was a glazed over stage fright expression?), but he sang every word of every song.  One little girl kept lifting up her dress as she stood on the first step, and when she would put it back down, it would go over the head of the little boy sitting at her feet.  I had tears in my eyes from trying to control the giggles.

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Now just waiting for R to get home… :)

Sonrisas: 5/5

Cinco Sonrisas… Cinco de Mayo!

1. Frozen pizza and homemade margaritas – the closest I’ll get to any Cinco de Mayo celebration tonight!

2. Third time might be a charm on the babysitting front!  I hired a summer sitter last night, and I’m almost afraid to jinx myself.  I hope the kids didn’t scare her off with their level of ridiculousness in the last 15 minutes of her visit with us, especially when Bubba created a two-second video of himself saying “Poop!” using Photo Booth on the iMac, and then played it over and over and over again (it made him laugh harder each time).

3. I came down with a sudden cold or allergies yesterday and was miserable, but after using the NeilMed Sinus Rinse (seriously, that thing is a lifesaver), a couple capsules of Tylenol Sinus Congestion, and a good night’s sleep — I’m feeling much better than even I expected!  I still sound stuffy, but that’s so much better than a terrible, lingering cold!  *fingers crossed*

4. This morning Bubba begged me, “Can we go to the Usher concert?!”

5. I have added a couple new blogs to my blogroll.  I love when I can reflect on my own life through the journey of another.  I worked with Lisa from Diapers, Coupons, and Bills, Oh My! during my days in the residence halls.  She shares her journey in new motherhood and married life and discovering and redefining who she is along the way!  Daily Life‘s Aleysha and I graduated from high school together.  We were reconnected by Facebook, and she is new to blogging, but I already know she has a lot to share!  It is so awesome to be connected with these women and to learn more about them and hear their stories!

Sonrisas: 5/2

Bubba: “Mom, do you want your eyebrows whacked?”
Me: “When you put it like that, no.”

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Bubba called out, “Can you wipe me up?” at the same time I heard rustling downstairs and figured it was Deacon getting into something in the kitchen.  I yelled, “Deacon!  Here, boy!” to get his attention and to make him come upstairs where we could keep an eye on him (darn naughty dog!), and as soon as I did, Bubba was whimpering, “No!  Mommy, no!”

I walked into the bathroom and saw Bubba, pants around his ankles, backed up into the corner against the shower.

“No!  Mommy, no!  Don’t let Deacon wipe me up!”

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud…

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Fun with Wikki Stix:

Purple moustache and a little goatee…

Mariah says Bubba looks like Hitler, but I disagree – I say Charlie Chaplin!

(Cell phone pix… sorry for poor quality!)

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Bubba made his own sandwich tonight to pack for lunch tomorrow — two pieces of wheat bread, a slice of Colby jack cheese, and a slice of meatloaf.

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The most ridiculous dog ever, relaxing because he’s getting a belly rub:

Sonrisas: 5/1

Moco’s class had a friendly competition on Friday with trivia questions that covered material they have learned since the beginning of the school year — and she won first place!  Her prize?  A meal from Subway tomorrow instead of hot lunch or a home-packed lunch!

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As tired of the rain as I may be, one of the after effects of the showers is all the green, green grass — and lots of it! — on the soccer fields.  The field that Moco played on twice today  had uneven patches and clumps all over, which made for some entertaining moments as the kids would run right past the ball as it slowed or completely stopped in the taller sections of grass!

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The community soccer complex is always colder and windier than the rest of town, so Bubba didn’t last long sitting on the sideline watching Moco’s games.  He insisted that we go back into the car.  We kicked off our shoes, and I had my feet on the front passenger seat where he sat, and we watched the game together from our warm, cozy parking spot next to the field!

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Bubba (pointing to a picture in the Sears weekly ad): “What kind of tool is that?”
Me (reading the description): “A reciprocating saw, but I don’t know anything about these things, so don’t ask me what it does.”
Bubba (with a devilish giggle): “So… what does it do?”

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Bubba: “How many cheeks do you have?”
Me: “Two.”
Bubba: “No!  Four — butt cheeks!”

Oh, how I love five-year-old boy potty humor…

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