Teach Me How to Mommy

Can you find Colin?  I don't think we had enough "stuff. While Colleen and her family headed north to Maine, the Hayes' headed North to Cranberry Lake.  We weren't headed as far away (the GPS says it only takes 5 hours), it took a full 7 hours each way, we were still far enough to leave our "normal" life behind. Lots of extra hands, lots of beer, lots of food, and lots of late night family fun made for a long overdue weekend of amazing-ness.  This was our first family vacation since Colin was born (other than short RI weekends), we we tried to enjoy every moment of crisp, clean, Adirondack air. We packed our car LITERALLY to the brim an drove off into the sunset and when we came home, we were refreshed, and I was ready to tackle SUMMER! There is NO service in Wanakena, and while we did have a bit of WIFI in one house.... who needs it when you have lake views, and snacks!  I did make sure to send Colleen some pictures while we were there.... but...

Like everyone else on the planet Amy and I are trying so hard to adjust to the school schedule that we  almost missed the fact that today is our One-Year Blogiversary! One year ago (today) we took the plunge and started this thing.  Throughout this year we have learned a lot about each other and also our "fans".  We are different, but the same.  We love our kids with our whole hearts and we make a lot of mistakes.  We are way too hard on ourselves, but we are also doing a pretty job of enjoying this chaotic time in our lives.  We are moms doing our best.  We are all living it, Amy and I just write about it. Doing this blog is an extra thing on our to-do list, but it's become a necessity.  It's added a whole new layer to our friendship and it is a major source of stress relief (a rewarding one at that).  We plan to continue forever.  Yes, that's right this will live on and on and on.  How else will we survive these turbule...

Wednesday 8/3/16 You guys! I'm the worst. Twice a week, during the summer, I bring Colin to daycare. The "rules" tell me this is wrong....that I'm required to feel guilty about this.   I don't.  When I tell people he's going to daycare, I VERY quickly go into a canned response about how, "it's only for lunch and nap time," "I think it's good for him," "It'll "save his spot for the fall," "It keeps him on a schedule," blah blah blah..... but you know what .... while that's all true,  DO YOU REALLY want to KNOW WHAT... even if it wasn't true, I want to bring him. I need those few hours!  I look forward to them. You how I know this... because Colin hasn't been to day care in almost three weeks. They have been an amazing three weeks.  We had NO schedule, we watched too many hours of Winnie the Pooh and Minions together, we Snapchatted WAYY too much, had too many snacks, we skipped ba...

Today, I cried. That's not new.  Anyone who knows me, knows this about me.  If I'm too happy, I'm crying.  If I'm too sad, I'm crying. It was why I cried that threw me for a loop.  I've had a few very happy phone calls over the last month.  With each phone call, I was crying.. Tears of pure joy.  I was crying with my head in the refrigerator (making Colin's lunch), I was crying giving Colin a bath, I was crying at Stop & Shop (in the cheese section).   My people -- the ones I care about the most -- are thriving! So then, when I heard there were new babies on the way, I was ecstatic! I want to impart ALL my wisdom upon these new Momma's.  I want to tell them to start wearing maternity clothes immediately (because boy will they miss them).  I want to tell them to eat ice cream, and carry tums everywhere, and drink coffee if they want to, go to the beach (even if they DON'T want to).  I want to tell them to go to every singl...

Don't mind my face in the picture.    I had just spent over an hour putting Colin's train table back into perfect working order.It doesn't usually bother me when it's played with and out of order.  But for sommmmmme reason, it drove me nuts the other day.  Colin and I were playing... he was Chugga Chugga Choo Chooing away, and I was putting some tracks together for him to play with... and then next thing I know... I  was alone in the front room, Brian and Colin were snuggling and watching Elmo two rooms away, and I was crawling around looking for missing pieces.   I found the pieces, I was trying to put it together without the directions (because I thought I was a ballllller mom), I failed, and used the directions.   An hour later -- order was restored in the world of the train table. and then........ Colin came running in --  Chugga Chugga Choo Choo -- there goes Mommy's hard work.   Thank god I got a pic...

Whew!  What a busy weekend! This is as centered as Colin gets... scribbling on the waiver forms.... And yes... that is a Nirvana shirt...  because he's cooler than I am, and that's what rock stars wear! Colleen and I kicked off our Saturday morning with a little Mommy & Me Yoga session!  Our recent guest poster Kelly (you can read her post  here , and check out her blog  here ) invited us to her one day only CT class!  Colleen and I both though, yesss!  Babies and Yoga, what could go wrong..... oh wait.. we don't have babies...  so instead we brought our Toddlers. The other mommies and their gorgeous babies looked ethereal, centered, calm..... They were bonding, Kelly was effortlessly guiding them, and they were all graceful enough to laugh with us (we think) at the crazy kids we brought along.  The other mothers had babies under 5 months old... when they get bigger they will fondly refer to those months as...

How many of us have New Years Resolutions?   Resolutions are HARD... specifically if you have to tell people about them.  I once read a study that said that even though we THINK telling people about our goals will keep us accountable, it really doesn't change our success rates.  You have to have the true internal desire to really achieve.  Telling people you want to "lose weight" or "read more" will only happen if you make the time for it. I have struggled with making a resolution since my epic resolution of 2010 (the year I vowed not to listen to Lady Gaga... yup.. THAT was my major problem in 2010... ohhh take me back!!!   I really liked her music, but I was so overloaded.. with her meat dress and weird egg/pod thing.. I Needed A Break... It was a silly resolution, and honestly it was really hard to keep, but I did! no joke... I also hate myself for even admitting to this!  haha) Last year my resolution was Survive.  Survive Colin's 1st year,...

It has been one of those weeks when every night I breathe and say, "I survived." Nothing specific happened, I am just drained. Take that back.  I made a student cry, twice, in class on Tuesday.  I felt so bad (even though he was the one totally in the wrong) that I called home, talked to mom and eventually I was the one that apologized. So there was that.  Then also, it's December 2nd and I haven't purchased any presents. So there's that too. PS Colleen Here Was about to write about surviving this week too.  Amy and I are normally on the same wavelength, but this week it is unreal.  I almost cried in class this week.  Let's get real - I did.  The weird thing is I didn't even feel it coming - it just did.  My voice cracked and my eyes watered.  I got that weird look from kids like, "shit this teacher is really going to lose it."  I recovered and journeyed on - that's what we do.  The best part is that Amy and I wil...

Thursday Thoughts 11/18 A Mighty Woman with a Torch. Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" The New Colossus By: Emma Lazarus Emma Lazarus wrote the above poem and it is inscribed upon the beautiful Statue of Liberty.  This past week, I have thought about this poem many many times.  In fact, I thought about the Statue of Liberty many times...

You want to know what a fun weekend morning looks like??? Here is it!! Yesterday, I work up with Colin and we came downstairs to play while we let Daddy sleep in.  Brian has been on Mommy/Daddy duty a lot lately with my kidney breakdown, Saturday Academy, and late Powder Puff practice. We appreciate and totally understand his need to catch a few extra Zzz's!  Colin and I must have read and put away each of these books about 500 times!  What you can't see is that I created a huge pile of blankets for us to snuggle in while we read!  It was the best two hours! Colin was calm, happy, and very snuggly.  THIS is the product of our happiness and memories.  (p.s.  if you want to know where Spot is.. just ask me.. because I can find him with my eyes closed!  Literally)     Now, before we let you go back to your #SundayFunday here's a few things from Colleen & I!   We have some awesome things coming up these ...

PPBoys stole my heart! <3 A cheerleader I am not.  In fact, I am terrible at all sports.  If you have ever participated in the Turkey Bowl then you know this for a FACT (sidenote:  FRIENDS -- we need to decide on a turkey bowl date!) A few years back, as the ruler of all things positive at Platt (the school where I work), I was asked to help coach the Powder Puff Boys Cheerleading squad (aka -- PPBoys).  Yuuuuup.  Me.   I still laugh at the idea, especially now as I’m in the middle of PPBoys season! Three years later -- I’m still at it. You need to know this though…..THIS is my absolute FAVORITE part of the year.  I love every single second of the day this time of year.  I know that no matter how bad my day went, how exhausted I am from teaching a full day -- I get two hours after school with the peppiest (yep.. that’s a word!), nicest, cooooolest boys in town!     Oh -- you don’t know what PPBoys do? ...

Transitions  11/2014 - the last day of my maternity leave. I’m probably the WORST person to talk about transition.  I’m terrible at it.  It’s not even that I “hate change”  I’m just terrible at life during a time of change. I have always felt like I am cut from a different cloth than many of the people around me.  I honestly don’t even know how to explain what that means… or I didn’t until I had Colin.  I was VERY nervous to give birth.  I was terrified of the pain (horrifying, and NO you don’t “forget” the pain after you see the baby).  I was terrified of having a c-section (worst fear realized… because that’s exactly what I had), and I was terrified of post-partum (check again.. but that’s a WHOLE other post).  Colin changed everything about how I saw the world, but it took me a very long time for me to realize that he made me a better version of myself.   I read a LOT of mommy blogs, and forums, and books, and saw tv sh...

Five Things I NEVER Thought I'd Say.... until I became a Mom. Five Things I Never Thought I'd Say... Five Things I NEVER Thought I'd Say....  until I became a Mom. 5.  Let me taste one of those cheerios  to see if they're stale. This is clearly in reference to the large amount of cheerios in and around my son's car seat. He likes them to be in his cup holder, and so that's where I stash them. Today, for some reason, he got great joy in shoving Cheerio's in my mouth as I was buckling him in.  Cheerios   is making a killing from our household! I buy at least two boxes a week. I think at least one ends up in the backseat of my car! :) 4.  How did you get a dinosaur in your diaper? I admit we were playing with our mini dinosaurs for multiple seconds today before we moved on to a new activity..(taking all of the books off the bookshelf.. the same books that we just put ON the bookshelf)... And so in the 35 seconds we were playing with ...

Tuesday Tale - 11/2 Sunday in one hundred words (and a picture) His fingers grip the cold iron as he stares through the spaces between the rungs. The green grass stretched before him... He spends a moment watching the birds soar and calling to the sly black cat slinking by.   Suddenly the wind changes, he turns, looks down, and smiles at her.  Forget the birds, forget the cat.  Right now it’s the ten mini-pumpkins at his feet topping his to-do list.   It’s pure joy throwing those mini orange pumpkins off the ledge the day after Halloween. She doesn’t stop him.   How can she when the shriek of happiness cures all her worries.

#MCM Mom Crush Monday Instagram Edition +Jessie James Decker    It's #MomCrushMonday and this week we're crushing hardcore on all the c-section mommies out there. C-Sections are no joke, literally.... I actually busted a stitch trying not to laugh when Colleen, Megan and Alissa came to visit me in the hospital two days after my own c-section.  There is a stigma associated with C-Sections... and unless you've had one it's really hard to explain...  Which is why we are SO in love with Jessie James Decker.  She threw down this week, and we LOVE her so much for it! Jessie is a real life singing superstar, an Instagram QUEEEEN and rocks it on E! with her Husband in their reality show.  She is also a c-section mommy.  Jessie documents her life on Instagram in the most real way!  She shows her home life, her mommy life, her working life, her go out and have fun life!  We love that about her and she makes us want to crack open a bottl...