Happy With What We Have February 24, 2009

When the headlines mention the failure of our economy every single day, it’s certainly hard to stay positive. Layoffs, foreclosures, heightened crime, declining stocks… these are things we don’t want our children or grandchildren to believe are a normal part of life.

For the past couple of years, Jeremy and I have been focused on what “more” do we need to be happy.  More house.  More yard.  More bathrooms.  More community.  More savings.  More kids (ha ha ha – this one has been put on the back burner indefinitely!)  More, more, more!  But in these lean times, we now focus on what “less” do we need?  What can we do without?  Less new clothes.  Less eating out.  Less extracurriculars.   Less brand names.   Less, less, less.

As the reality of our current economy has set in, we have been forced to find more joy in what we have.  We have jobs (for now).  We have a home that is cozy and warm.  We have food on our table every night (even though our kids won’t eat it).  And most important of all is that we have amazing family and friends.

I started this blog with the thought of finding good in every day.  It gets hard sometimes.  I try to focus so much on the grand “good.”  But there are so many little “goods” that I often look past.  So in the spirit of the Facebook phenomenon “25 Random Things About Me…” I decided to write 25 things that make me happy (big or small).  It is mostly a list of what I am thankful for, but what could you be thankful for that doesn’t make you happy?  Nothing, right?  So this is my list of happy things.

1.  Jeremy – he is my rock.  I love laughing with him every night.

2.  Mason and Cooper.  No matter the stress they put on us, I love their hugs, kisses, and smiles.

3.  My family – from MD to VA to WV to NC.  I am thankful that we all enjoy each other’s company and make a point to see each other as often as we do.

4.  Our home – it’s small, but cozy.  Heck we once had 13 people eat Thanksgiving dinner in our upstairs room, which is now the master bedroom.   My favorite place in our house, though, is the dining room (when the table is not covered in clutter!)

5.  Chocolate.  I don’t go a day without eating any.

6.  New England – if I had the guts to deal with the winters, I’d easily move there.  But since I don’t, memories and plans for summers in Maine will have to do.

7.  My sister – I love talking to and hanging out with her.  (If only it were more often!)

8.  Real Simple Magazine.

9.  Chic flicks – they always put a smile on my face (usually after the crying – “It’s a happy cry!”)

10.  Musicals – who isn’t happy while singing along to your favorite musical?

11.  Chocolate – oh wait, I already mentioned that, didn’t I?  Ok then – chocolate chip cookies.  Ha!

12.  Foot rubs or having someone else brush my hair.  They are both so relaxing.

13.  Fall – my favorite season.

14.  My mom – she always lends an ear on the not-so-happy days.

15.  New table linens, towels, pillows or sheets – an easy way to change the look in a room.

16.  Getting a letter or card in the mail.

17.  Gerbera daisies and hydrangeas.

18.  Leaded glass windows – they help add the coziness to our home.

19.  HD HGTV (This is a luxury that I’m most likely going to be giving up soon, so I’ll enjoy it while it lasts.)

20.  Walking to the park and the grocery store with my family, especially now that we have new sidewalks!

21.  Getting a hug from Jeremy – he gives great hugs!

22.  Baking for others (and getting a few snitches for myself.)

23.  Chocolate…..  ha ha ha  Seriously, though – brownies with mint ice cream.  I think there seems to be a pattern here.  All things in moderation, right?

24.  Freshly cut grass – now that we have a nearly finished front yard (curb appeal, baby!), I love coming home after the grass has been cut and just enjoying the beauty of it all.

25.  And finally, (you’re expecting me to say chocolate, aren’t you?)…..

Watching my kids grow up.

Friday Nights February 13, 2009

Friday night – the end of another work week and the beginning of the weekend.  Yay!

Here at the Lake household, we have created a tradition that makes me even more excited about Friday nights.  Movie and Pizza Night!  The movie is always a kids movie (most likely from Netflix since we use that as our testing ground before buying a movie), and it is usually something even Jeremy and I want to see.  (Although when Jeremy travels, I use it as the excuse to watch more girly movies with Mason.  ex: Princess Diaries 2, High School Musical, etc.)  Some of our recent Friday nights have included Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, Wall-E, Madagascar 2, and some other less enjoyable movies.

While we watch the movie, we break some rules.  The kids get to eat in front of the TV, we eat in the living room, sometimes the kids stay up later than usual, and most likely there is a special treat to go along with the movie and pizza.  Sometimes there is even a little “naked time” for Mason and Cooper, although that is not really a treat because they have naked time almost every night before bed.  Cooper walks around in his diaper patting his big belly, and Mason runs around in her underwear shaking her booty.

"Naked Time" Moment

The pizza changes every week.  Sometimes we do homemade pizza, other times we order it from various “pizza stores” as Mason likes to call them.  What does not change is the fact that Cooper never gets to see the end of the movie.  He’s usually so wound up and fussy after dinner that he goes to bed early.  We pause the movie while getting him to bed and cleaning up, then we get to finish the movie snuggled up on the couch with Mason.  I look forward to the days when Cooper can handle staying up later with ALL of us snuggled together.   But for now, it is still a special time for Mason, Jeremy and I. 

I go to bed on a Friday night exhausted from the week, but refreshed after such a fun evening and looking forward to the weekend.  And going to bed knowing that you get to eat chocolate chip pancakes at Woodside Deli the next morning is even better!  There is no better way to start off a weekend for me than pizza and movie night followed by chocolate chip pancakes at Woodside the next morning (followed by the guilt of eating way to much crap!)

Waiting for pancakes at Woodside

Have Key, Must Workout February 9, 2009

I don’t think anyone could be happier to see a treadmill key than I was today.  It was a glorious moment when I heard Jeremy yell out “I found it!” 

Over a week ago, I had started a new lunchtime ritual of working out.  While it would never be more than a 30 minute workout, I realized that it was the only time I could really get it done without feeling the pressure or stress of everything else that should be getting done.  Not only would I get the exercise in, but it would give me the energy I need to make it through the rest of each day.  So when I came home last Wednesday, I excitedly changed into my workout clothes and headed downstairs to the treadmill.  I started up my iPod, went to grab the treadmill key, and oh…  it was gone!  No treadmill key = no working treadmill.  I asked Mason where it was (she was home that day with Nana), and she said Cooper took it.  I started digging around the basement – through toy bins, dollhouse furniture, Legos, crayon bins – still no treadmill key.  I called Jeremy who told me Mason had it last before he told her it was not a toy.  When I asked Mason again, she again blamed her brother (already learning to pass the blame!).  She said, “Let me ask Cooper.  Cooper, did you take it?  Yes?  Mommy, Cooper said he took it.”  Lovely – that will get me far.  Still no treadmill key, so I went back to work defeated with little energy to finish my day.

Over the weekend, we cleaned the basement and still didn’t find it.   I was close to succumbing to the thought that the key was lost in the kid and toy abyss.  But tonight Jeremy suggested we have fun with the kids and let them dump all the bins in the basement in hopes of finding that darn key.  After dinner, we raced downstairs, but before the dumping could begin, Jeremy opened a drawer in a little side table we have, and low and behold, I heard, “I found it!”  Yes, those sweet, glorious words, and I couldn’t have been happier.  Not only was the treadmill key found, but we had avoided letting the kids dump all the toys on the floor!  Who knows how we missed looking in this very obvious drawer, but I guess we just needed the fresh thinking.  Now I have no excuses – I have the key back, I must workout.

Speaking of working out…

Come and get it, ladies!

 

Burn those calories, Princesses!

First Word! February 3, 2009

I posted earlier that Cooper was saying “uh oh.”  While “uh oh” is technically in the dictionary, we didn’t feel comfortable telling him 30 years from now that his first word was “uh oh.”  And yes, he is saying “Mama” and “Dada,” but come on… every baby says that first.

So we were elated when his first real word came out!  What, you ask, is this real word?

BALL!

He actually holds a ball in his hand and says, “ball.”  I think that’s official enough for us.