Do you...laugh or cry?

When I look at my children, my heart fills with such love that it aches.  There are other times when I don't know wether to cry or laugh when dealing with them.

Why do our children make us want to scream one minute because they are defiant and just plain stubborn and the next moment they are as cute as a button and saying the most darling things?  I don't know why this is such a common occurrence with parents and offspring.

One minute a child is screaming like a banshee and the next they are doing a happy jiggly dance, naked around the living room.  As a mother, I often find myself hiding behind my hand, trying to suppress the laughter that bubbles to the surface.  I know that at that point I should be disciplining the child about the importance of modesty (try explaining that to a five year old) and having some sense of decorum.  But, all I can do is giggle helplessly as I try to come up with a somber voice to tell the kid to get some clothes on!

Decadent Pleasures

What's your decadent pleasure?  Chocolate?  Time alone?  A trip to paradise?  All of the above?  I have to admit that while chocolate has at one point in my life, been a very good friend to me, it doesn't quite have the same pull it once did.  Perhaps I need better quality?  Regardless, it had come to my attention that I don't have much in terms of decadent pleasures, but I recently did endulge in what could become one.

Daniel gave me gift certificates for massages as a Christmas present. I may have found something that is for my own decadent enjoyment.  I have spent a half an hour each week, enjoying the benefits of this relaxing treatment.  For a mere 30 minutes, my mind goes blank and all I can imagine is the stress and chaos that has built up in my shoulders, slowly ebb away.

Some people are what I call high maintenance.  They get their hair done every six weeks, eye brows waxed, nails polished, and alway in tip top shape.  I can't say that I even have eyebrows to wax, and if I do, they are much blonder than my dark hair.  My hair, now much longer than in times past, gets neglected and often shoved into a pony tail.  My toes are not polished, but are chipped and horribly ugly (thank goodness it's winter and not sandal weather).  But due to my new exotic (for me) pastime, does this now make me high maintenance?

Is having a massage any different than partaking of a particularly sweet and tasty piece of chocolate?  Is it any different than spending money on perfectly manicured toes?  I don't think that it is.  Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy each of these things at times, but they aren't the thing that I seek when looking for the "me" moment.  I suppose we each have our temptations.

WOW!

A very short post tonight, just to say that I have finished a book that I LOVED!  Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon.  You may have seen a post about her a couple of weeks ago when I was finishing up the first in her Outlander series.  This is the second book and amazing!  Daniel thought I was crazy to get so emotionally caught up in a book when he literally saw me sobbing towards the end of it!

Nigel was adorable and got me tissues and kept asking if I was okay.  Of course I am!  I just forgot for a moment that it was fiction and I wasn't living in pages.  I have book three but I'm resisting for a bit until I can recover from the emotional roller coaster.  Of course book two left a cliff hanger of an ending and I need to get going to find out what happens next!!!!

What do you do?

I have a quandary.  Do I sit and fester in the mire of negativity or do I brush it off and walk forward, excited about prospects in other arenas.

Today, the "muck" of other's opinions and unsolicited opinions really had me bitter, to the very taste of it in my mouth.  You could see my lips make the pursing line and my nose scrunch up in disgust.  I wondered what type of day this person had or what gave him or her the presumptuous idea to play omniscient towards others, treating them as minions.  Something else I wonder, does this mean that this person has a very small self-esteem and they enjoy making others feel discomforted to ensure self-fulfillment?

The dichotomies of these personalities gives way to the thought that these personalities go hand in hand and aren't all that separate.  Do all those who are the football captains and head cheerleaders (sorry for the stereotypes) really harbor feelings of insignificance or is it just this person's maniacal regard for all things in his or her domain that precipitates the meanness.

Thinking long and hard over the dilemma, I've decided that truly there is no other avenue but to take the higher road and brush it aside.  I've complained and vented here and without naming names have felt the load lift off my shoulders.  Really, isn't it this person's own burden to bear, that he or she can't be nice?  It isn't my load to shoulder and I have enough of my own foibles to rectify.  

It was a good time to have the mirror of self-regard turned towards me after experiencing the biting words from this person.  Do I ever come across this way???  I hope and pray that I will be aware before my actions or words do to a person what this one did to me.

I survived, barely.

I'm not quite sure how I did it, but somehow I survived the Saturday chaos of Abbie's birthday party.  As the day wore on, I wore out, but the energy of 18 girls, some with imaginations, some with little interest in anything other than being entertained was a sight to behold.  I don't know if the party could be called a success or not, but I'm glad that it is over.  Abbie made out like a bandit, partly from my own negligence in forgetting to say "no gifts" on the invitations.  She loved it though.

How does one get to this point of acquiescing to throw a party for this many girls?  I don't know.  The things we do for those we love.

Now if I can avoid having that many boys for Nigel, I will be very happy.  He is now interested in having a party of his own.  I think one every 5 years is plenty, at least for this mommy!!!

Do you ever feel like this???

Do you ever feel like you are barely keeping your head above water?  I do.  This week especially, I feel like the pig, with the snout just skimming the surface of the water.

With all the crazy things going on at work and the crazy schedule at home, I've managed to maintain my water treading ability, but I worry that the birthday party will cause me to sink. 

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm excited about the party and how happy that Abbie will be.  I'm just not too sure how I'll do it all.

So, this picture is to remind you and me that regardless of what life is throwing at you, or what you've signed up for, just keep swimming!!!

My new reading fascination

I have read an amazing book by Diana Gabaldon and am hooked on her series called Outlander.

Such a yummy read!  Now, those of you who know me well, know that I am a voracious reader.  I have tried to find the next book in the series in a number of places and just can't seem to catch a break.  I was getting really frustrated and ended up at Amazon.com to order Dragonfly in Amber, the second book in the series.  Today I finaly (after what seemed like forever) the UPS man brought me my next installment of time travel in Scotland.  Don't let that very poor description cause you to bypass these books!  I devoured the first one in a week and loved it.  Now for my next guilty pleasure!!

Hmm, I wonder why one image is larger than the other when I sized them the same???  Sometimes I don't get this Blogger bit.  I've always had an affinity for Scotland, so my heritage must be showing.  This is just whetting my appetite for more of the Highland images.  Perhaps I'll go there someday.  That is my dream vacation.  Forget sandy beaches and warm tropical breezes.  Give me the heather and wind rippling off the loch and I'll be happy!