"He who is brave is free"

Just a short, shameless bragging post tonight.

When I sent the boy to his room to get his pajamas on before coming to my room for a story before bed- I was a little surprised to see him bring not only a book, but his night-light as well. I figured the bulb had died, and I was franctically trying to remember if I had bought more. Instead, he surprised me by offering it to me and saying "I am ready to be brave in the dark"

I am very proud of him, and also sad. Yet another sign that I don't have my baby anymore. He no longer drags teddy bear along with him everywhere, he is beginning school in just over a month, and now he no longer needs his night light to sleep. My baby is turning into a little boy!

Somebody make it stop!

"I don't have pet peeves. I have whole kennels of irritation."

Today is just one of those days. Everything under the sun is irritating me. So I figured it would be better to vent about it here than to take it out on my family.

1. It annoys me to no end that it is more expensive to eat healthy foods than to eat junk. Whether it's going out to eat, grabbing fast food, or even at the grocery store for the most part. Healthy meals cost more in general than stocking up on junk food. I hate that if we are out and about and stop to get fast food somewhere- it costs me more to substitute water for soda, more to substitute salad or fruit for fries- more for the grilled sanwhiches than for something deep fried and terrible for me.
2. I hate, hate, HATE the weather here in Vegas! I can't even take The Boy and The Girl outside most days- they get so hot and uncomfortable within 5 minutes that it's not even worth it. Plus, it's too hot for them to run, the playground equiptment burns them, and they are dehydrated or sunburned within minutes.
3. It annoys me to the point of wanting to pull my own hair out that The Boy and The Girl have a knack for needing something the very second that I sit down. If I fix their breakfast, and then mine- the second I sit down, The Girl is out of milk, or The Boy wants a second helping. If I have been cleaning for an hour, they are content to play. The second I sit down to take a break- they are bored and want something to do.
4. I hate that The Puppy chooses to go into whichever room I have just finished cleaning to promptly pee on the floor. Or that she will climb into a basket of clean, folded clothes, covering them with hair and dog smell and making them unwearable.
5. I find it incrediably annoying that, instead of another adult in the house, it mostly feels like I have a third child. I am the one that washes That Guys clothes for him, makes sure he empties out his gym bag, makes sure that he has razor blades, deoderant, soap, etc... I cook all his meals and pack his lunches, I even log his calories for him. I clean up after him since he is apparently incapable of putting something away once he has used it. Seriously, sometimes I think The Boy and The Girl help me more around this house than That Guy does!
6. I cannot stand it when people become self-proclaimed pretentious experts. Yes, there are people who know quite a bit about certain subjects. And yes, an avid interest in a subject probably means that the person is more knowledgeable than the average layperson. But once they lable themselves as an "expert" they suddenly become so pretentious that any conversation with them is unbearable.
7. I find it irritating when people try to deliberately provoke negative attention or stir up drama. I also find them to be very sad and amusing individuals. I alternate between pitying them, wanting to laugh at them, and being so annoyed that I would gladly smash their face with a mallet.
8. I hate it when people underestimate me, and assume that I am clueless. Especially when I know for a fact that they are sitting there, looking at me, and talking to me like I have no idea what is going on.

"Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance."

The Boy and The Girl love to dance. And I love to watch them. Partly because I am a mean, mean mommy, and I get quite a bit of amusement at watching them. And partly because it's so fun for them- and they don't care that Mommy is giggling on the couch- they are going to jump and twirl and spin around the living room until they cannot stand anymore. After a brief break lying on the floor, they will get up and begin again. How fun it is to be so young!

"Your imagination, my dear fellow, is worth more than you imgaine"

Yesterday The Boy donned a pair of khaki pants, his dress shirt, and That Guy's desert hat. He then proudly informed me that he was Indiana Jones

I have to say, I am absolutely in love with his creative and imaginative nature. He has a lot of costumes- super hero's, pirates, a karate outfit- and he wears them frequently to act out teh stories in his head. More fascinating to me though, are the days like yesterday- when he takes ordinary clothes to become someone new.

Give The Boy some yarn, and suddenly he is Spiderman, shooting webs all over the house.

Give The Boy a red winter jacket, and he can transform into Iron Man with a moments notice.

Give The Boy a Batman cape and That Guy's hat- and he has become ZorroGive The Boy a green t-shirt and some ordinary camo shorts- and he has become Daddy.

Give The Boy a robe belt, That Guy's belt, a toy gun and the pieces to a connect 4 game and he becomes... ok, well, I'll admit- I don't get this one either!

It's a helluva start, being able to recognize what makes you happy

I tend to dwell on the things in life that I don't like. I don't like living in Las Vegas, I don't like not having a job, I don't like that I never finished school - on, and on, and on. There comes a time when even I am sick of my own attitude- and I hate to imagine what the people around me must feel!

Every now and then, though, my kids remind me that there is so much in life to be happy about. Yesterday they had so much fun painting, that today I decided to think of something else fun to do with them. I decided on an outdoor photo shoot- for several reasons. One- they love to play outside. Two- I love to take pictures. Three- we haven't had "portraits" done since December. So I got the kids dressed and we traipsed outside to enjoy the sunshine for a little while.

I'd say that photography is pretty much my only hobby- although recently I acquired photoshop, so picture editing has been fun to learn as well. Sometimes I daydream about pursuing photography as more than just a hobby- but it's hard to justify taking pictures when I am still paying for an (incomplete) paralegal degree! So for now it's just something I enjoy when my kids are willing to be subjects.

They were, surprisingly, very cooperative today. I think because they got to be outside for it. The sun was shining, some flowers blooming, and they were able to explore an area they normally don't play in. The Boy is my best portrait subject- he'll sit still where ever I ask and smile- although his forced smiles are sometimes more comical than beautiful. It usually takes teasing him to get him to relax enough for me to see the real him.

The Girl is more of a challenge- she hasn't been still since the day she first learned to crawl. But it's fun to try and capture her in the moments that make her who she is- on the move, exploring, curious, and thoroughly in love with life.

Today was just a good day- for them, and for me. It was nice to step back and stop stressing out about business law, paying the bills, finding a job, etc... and just play in the sun for awhile. It was nice to finally be able to recognize what makes me happy- and to spend one spectacular afternoon running around outside with them.

I am an artist. I am here to live outloud.

It's been a while since we had art time in this house- so I pulled out the paints and papers this aftenoon. I'm very glad that I did, The Boy and The Girl had a blast. The art bug pops up every now and then in our family.

My grandfather was an artist- a painter, to be exact. You won't find his works in museums, but several of them are proudly displayed in our home. When we would visit my grandparents in the summer- I used to love to go out to his workshop and examine the paintings he had- so many of them- some just stacked on a shelf or in a corner- a few framed and hung in the house. My mother had quite a few of them herself- at least one hanging in every room of the house.

As a child, I used to dream that I could one day be an artist like my grandfather. Unfortunantly, I didn't have the required skill. I enjoyed taking art classes though. In high school I frequently skipped classes- and would show up in the art room, either to work on the pottery wheel or on a painting. Our high school had a fantastic art teacher-an amazing woman who always encouraged my efforts, but never sugar-coated her opinions!

One of my sisters did inherit quite a bit of talent. If my grandfather was still with us, I am sure he would be very proud of her. She's actually studying art restoration in school right now- and has had the opportunity to work in several great internships. Last I heard from her she has a summer filled with either summer school (she is hoping to graduate early) or internships in different parts of the country- very exciting stuff for her. It kind of makes me jealous, to be honest. I am very proud of her, but part of me wishes that I had gotten that talent as well.

Whether the artistic gift has been passed along to my children has yet to be determined. I, of course, am a great admirer of their work- to me it's sheer brilliance. The rest of the world hasn't been impressed yet. I will say though, that I hope their enthusiasm for creating continues- even if they don't possess great talent. Whether they paint like my grandfather, appreciate like my sister, or just dabble, as That Guy and I do- I want them to continue to find joy in creating something- to put their mark on the world in some way.

I could, however, do without The Girl putting her mark on my walls- but that's another matter all together.