Back Where I Come From

(Blog Challenge: Your parents)

On October 31, 2009, I became a mom...a parent. I accepted the challenge to be responsible for another human being's life. To teach them, watch them grow, love them, guide them, discipline them...in short, I agreed to be her everything. I often look at Jani and think "Wow! She is part me! How cool!" Then reality hits me and I can't even believe that I was privileged enough to be given this gift.

When I became a mom, I looked at my own parents differently. I saw myself in my mother and my father. I understood how my mom must have felt when she welcomed three girls into the world. Through Doug's eyes, I was able to see how my dad must have (and still does) looked at us...his girls. It was a monumental moment. It made me feel like I would NEVER be able to thank my parents enough for all they have done for me...for who they have made me. In short, my parents rock. They are the best parents in the world. That sounds so cliche but I feel like they were truly everything parents were meant to be. Kind and gentle yet they had expectations and standards for us. Their parenting has taught me so much about the kind of parent I hope I can be. 

My mother is one of my very best friends. We were most definitely cut from the same cloth. Many of my friends talk about how they had a period of time where their relationship with their mother was strained. I never experienced this. We fought about things (like the fact that I needed to finish eating my supper) but I can't say I was ever so angry with her I wanted to run away, never speak to her, or rebel against everything she stood for. We are two peas in a pod and I appreciate and love her more every day. I can hardly make it a day without talking to her and if I have to go a week without having coffee with her I go into withdrawal.

My father, the silent leader, is someone I look up to and strive to be more like. Doug often tells me that my dad taught him that silence is okay. This is something I love about my father. He is a man of few words so the words he does say are worth listening to. He knows how to have a good time, he goes to church every Sunday, and he puts his family first. He visited my grandfather every day until the day he died. I always admired his loyalty and devotion.

My parents are my foundation. My foundation is strong. It is because of them that I am the person I am today.

And They Call It...Puppy Love

(Blog Challenge: Describe your first love...)

I'm truly a romantic at heart. I read a variety of series growing up and always loved the plot line that dealt with the budding romance. Lurlene McDaniel, Ann M. Martin...I created perfect relationships in my mind and decided that my love life was going to be epic. I would have great loves. Not just simple loves but great ones.

One of the first memories I have goes all the way back to preschool. We carpooled out to my preschool. Higglety Pigglety. There was a small group of children whose mothers rotated each week. We'd pack into the car, backpacks ready to go, and chat all the way down the gravel roads. One young boy, let's call him Boy A, had my undying love. I vividly remember coming home from preschool one night and getting ready to take a bath. I always had the best talks with my mom while getting ready for the bath. I'd usually perform a dance or two to my Little Mermaid soundtrack, have a discussion about how to do my hair, decide which roll-on soap to use (thank you Avon), you know...girl stuff. This particular evening, though, my mom informed me that Boy A's mom had talked to her about having a play date. I was elated. I could not believe I was going to get to go over to his house! After an extensive conversation about the event, I remember telling my mother,

"I think I should bring Swiss Cake Rolls. That would really make him happy."

When the day arrived, I packed my little sack up with Swiss Cake Rolls and practically bounced to his house. It wasn't epic. Pretty sure we played with baseball cards all day. But it was the beginning of a long line of puppy love memories. 

Elementary school, middle school, and high school brought it's own set of great loves (or so I thought) and great heartaches. I don't think I ever prepared myself for that. We'll put Boy B, Boy C, and Boy D in there. In the stories I read there was always a happily ever after (except in Lurlene McDaniel...those usually just ended tragically). It never crossed my mind that my heart could be broken. And it was. In the worst way. My first love was in high school and in my mind it was epic. I fell in love and I fell hard....never thinking that I would be faced with heartache. Boy E. I don't really want to write any more than that. I think it's pointless to dwell on the past. When I remember high school, I remember it fondly. I look back on those years with no regrets. I loved, loved hard, and was taught great lessons about dusting myself off when I got knocked down. 

And it brought me to Boy F. He doesn't need to remain nameless. Without all those other roads, I never would have made my way to Doug. And we'll save that love story for another day.

It's All In The Name...

(Blog Challenge: Dirty details about the name of your blog)

Doesn't every little girl dream about a happily ever after? We grow up watching Disney movies...watching as the heroine ends up with her knight in shining armor. She encounters some sort of challenge and is swept off her feet and saved. I was pretty partial to Belle. I felt like she was the only brunette, the only one who liked to read, she was in France (and I loved France). I related to her. She could have been my BFF.

Fast forward many years to the day I met Doug. I remember my friends talking about how huge he was...not only in size but his personality as well. He definitely made his presence known. He had long scraggly hair and if you had the pleasure of seeing my hubby when we met you know he was nearly twice the size he is now. He always jokes that he was the beast and I was the beauty.

And so the name of this blog is born...Our Happily Ever After. It evolved after Jani was born and we added A King, A Queen, and a Little Princess. We are enjoying life, living our dreams and being the leading stars of our very own love story. I may not end up in a castle but I think what we've got is pretty special :)

 

 A blast from the past....like 7 years ago!!! What a beast :)

Let Me Introduce Myself...

I agreed to do a blog challenge with a friend. After looking at many blogs today, I see quite a few people are embracing June as the month to do a challenge! We'll see how it goes. I've tried to do this before, just write everyday but I sometimes lost focus, lacking anything blog worthy. Not that what will come from me will be worthy of reading, but it gives me a focus and will keep me writing. So....here goes Day 1. A recent pic of myself and a description of myself in 5 words....

 Here's me finishing Run Like A Mother. I was pointing at Jani :)

5 words? Just five....I have never been good at being succinct. These will not be related in any way. Just 5 random words.

Forgetful  -  Social  -  Maternal  -  Romantic  -  STRESSED!

I'm just describing myself at this current moment in time :)

My Free Spirit

Stay Classy

Have you ever said "I will never be the mom who...(insert act you once thought disgraceful but now think is perfectly appropriate)"?

As the warm weather has hit us, I was having quite a few of these thoughts...

I will never be the mom who...allows her child to run around barefoot...in the dirt and rocks, eating anything she can get her hands on.

Yeah right.

I will never be the mom who...lets her kid run around naked in the neighborhood, playing in dirty water buckets, drinking the water she was probably just peeing in, and not wearing sunscreen and bugspray at all times!

Living in a dream world.

I will never be the mom who...tries to bribe her child with food to buy just a few more moments perusing the clearance racks at Target.

Fail.

I will never be the mom who...allows her child to throw an all out screaming fit just because she doesn't want to ride in the shopping cart, who continues to do her grocery shopping while her kid flaps around on the floor, and who doesn't have the parenting skills to force her child to be quiet at all times.

Yeah....I said I wouldn't be that mom.

Yet here I am, loving the fact that my child is a healthy, well-adjusted, free-flying 18-month old.

I have also figured out it is unhealthy to set these unrealistic goals for yourself.

Embrace the craziness, the nudity, the screams, the fits, the laughs, the tears, the dirt.

It won't last for long!