Content

This last week has been stressful.  Too many decisions to make.  Too many decisions made by others that have affected our lives. Blah.  Blah.  Blah.
Some friends invited us to head to the beach Saturday and I wasn't going to go.  Baby Girl had been sick and I wasn't sure if her cough would get worse in the cool, moist air.  I didn't want to drive over there.  My back hurt.  Whine.  Whine.  Whine.  Cry.  Cry.  Cry.

But when Saturday morning came around I decided we should all go.  We loaded the car and headed out into crazy Southern California traffic.  We had never been to Crescent Bay and we got a bit lost at one point... but, it was worth it...

Lots of playing on the beach.  Then, because it was one of the lowest tides of the year, we were able to really explore some of the tide pools.

At the end of the day the kids were finally done climbing on everything.  No one was throwing rocks, playing where they shouldn't, or fighting over toys.  And that's when it happened.  Just for a moment... really, less than a minute, I felt peace.

Unfortunately, screaming children pulled me out of my reverie.  But I was thankful for that brief moment.  There is just something about the beach...
Do you have a place like that?  A place where you can go and just feel peace... even if it's just for a moment?

It's Raining, It's Pouring...

It's been a bit wet here in the currently not-so-sunny Southern California.

One moment you think it's letting up...

And then it really starts to come down...

Which, of course, means that I'm taking lots of pictures...

I want to remember that once upon a time we saw rain here in the desert.  It has even been kind of cold... for Southern California.  (38 is cold for here!)  I wish I could absorb this coolness and take it with me into the 120 degree weather of July and August...

Unfortunately the rain starts to gather in areas that don't have great drainage...

People aren't taking their time as they try to get from one place to the next and there have been accidents because of the rain.  Many of the roads are closed due to flooding.  I watched some ducks swim in what used to be a grassy spot (much like the one in the photo above).  We've been leaving early for everything and getting home late.  School buses are off schedule.  We were supposed to go to Disneyland this week... but it was a little too soggy for our tastes.  Everything just feels a little off kilter with this downpour.

But even with all the craziness... I'm still loving the rain!

So, what's the weather like in your neck of the woods?  Are you seeing rain?  Snow?  Blue skies?

And the Winner is...

I didn't know. No, really. I had no idea that my children could be so devious. Apparently they've been planning this for a long time, but I'm just barely catching on. They are having a contest amongst themselves to see who can be sick the most days this year.

So far Little Bug is in the lead with 10 days.

Baby Girl has 4 days - including today.

And Red is seriously lagging behind with just 1 day- that would be today.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to step in and be the "mean mom" and put a stop to this little game they are playing. The fevers, the coughing, the hours in the bathroom... I'm putting my foot down. No more contest!

I'm sure that they will whine and complain, but I'm okay with that (as long as the whining and complaining isn't accompanied by germs). A mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do! Right?

Photo: a feverish Baby Girl and a completely exhausted mama.

All Weird

I love having one on one time with each of my kids. It gives me a chance to talk to them... see how they're doing... and play around a little bit. I usually walk away from these moments feeling pretty good. But, every once in awhile I hear things that just don't sit well with me.

For example... Baby Girl and I were conversing the other day and I made a some silly comment. She gave me a rather puzzled look and this was the conversation that followed...

Me: "Baby Girl, you should know by now that your mom is a little weird."
Baby Girl: "Oh no, Mom. You're not a little weird. (At this point I thought she was going to defend her wonderful mother... but then she continued...) You're a whole lot weird. You're all the way weird."

All the way weird? Really... I thought I had a few normal traits... but apparently not. I wonder if she realizes that by having an "all the way weird" mom that the possibility of her being "normal" are slim to none? Poor kid. She never stood a chance.

Parable of the Squished Frog
Once upon a time there was a mom. She was a fairly typical mom. Nothing too amazing about her, and yet she wasn't a total slouch either. But things began to pile up for this mom ... as it often does for most mom's. The kids had been sick for a long time - taking turns, sharing germs... you know the drill. This mom had also been sick. Lack of sleep was piling up, as well as the laundry, dishes, and the muffin top whenever she put her favorite jeans on.

One day she decided to change everything. She got all the laundry done. She vacuumed. She got dressed for the day. She spent some time doing Wii Active. The only dark cloud on this day was the fact that one of her kids was sick and had been sick for over a week. He was entertaining himself quietly while she went about her business.

While she was working out she had the thought, "You should really go check on your kiddo... see what he's doing". But this day was about HER and she was totally in the groove doing lateral shoulder lifty things. So she waited. Once her workout was done she tracked her sweet boy down only to to find that this little guy...

an aquatic frog (read: has to stay in the water or he dies) was on the kitchen table. He wasn't moving and her little guy was kind of poking him. Trying to get him to jump. There were water marks all over the table where he had been previously jumping.

Now, you need to understand that this sweet boy was not being mean. He wasn't torturing the frog - he just wanted to play with him. He didn't understand that his actions would actually hurt the little guy.

But mom... well, mom kinda freaked out. It was the proverbial straw that broke the camels back. Because, you see, she felt a lot like that frog. Lifeless and kinda squished. She put the frog back in his tank and watched him float there. She began to cry. She sent her son to his room before she said something that she would regret (it's a bad habit she has). She called her husband and he tried to comfort her, but she was a little too busy wallowing in self-pity.

Depressed and just a little bitter, she watched the dead frog floating in his tank. She berated herself for not checking sooner. Which led her to examine all the other ways she felt like she had failed. The list was long and varied. But then... something happened. The little frog moved.

At first she thought it was a trick her eyes were playing on her. But no, he moved again. Slowly, but surely, he started to swim. Soon he was zipping around the tank. And the mom was amazed.

Somehow this frog had fought his way back. He had been unintentionally tormented and squished. His chance of survival was nil. And yet... he did it. And it occurred to this mom... she could still be like this frog. Yeah, he's still a little squished looking... but he was alive and moving.

And so, I'm here to tell you... I'm still alive. I feel a little squished and like I'm being tormented by things beyond my control. But, in the ever so wise words of Dory, from "Finding Nemo", I'm gonna "just keep swimming".