Sharing Some Smiles

Naps

Lately, his book of choice is Curious George Rides a Bike.  We settle into the glider, snuggling and reading until my voice coaxes him into slumber.  Every once in a while, the backseat grows quiet, Abbey succumbing to a much-needed nap.  After our half marathon, but before picking up the kids, Ryan and I stole a brief, luxurious nap before noon.

 

Happy Grandma

After years of putting everyone else's needs before her own, my mom retired this September and had their kitchen cabinets and counters replaced, a project she's been talking about for a long time.  She deserves fourteen kitchens for the sacrifices she's made throughout the years, but this one makes her smile.

muffin recipe courtesy of Move Over Mary Poppins

visit for the recipe but stay for her amazing storytelling

Pumpkin

My mom's pumpkin bread kicks off my Christmas season, but until she begins baking, I seek out the flavor in other goodies-the pumpkin spice latte from Biggby Coffee or the above Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins are my favorites this year.

 

Playing Outside, Before Gloves Become a Necessary Accessory

Equipped with Diet Pepsi, a Toy Story bottle of water, my ever present writer's notebook, a little leaf picked by small fingers "just for you, Mama", and a kleenex for slightly runny noses, we are soaking in the remaining outdoor weather that doesn't require wrestling Abbey and Dylan into snowsuits.

Photos courtesy of Pinterest

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Fall Fashion

Dresses with tights and boots, jeans and cozy scarves, warm neutrals and pops of color.  I'm finding myself drawn to casual looks this fall, jeans with cute accessories (though I just can't get away from a good heel!)  With two little ones, and only one who enjoys shopping, I haven't made any of my fashion dreams a reality yet this fall.  There's still time, right?

This week at just.be.enough. we're talking about Five Things That Make Us Smile.

What made you smile this week?

Every MONDAY join us…
Write, post, link-up, share your story and your voice. Be part of carrying the weight of confidence, empowerment and share our mission
to empower, inspire, and remind women, parents and children
that the time has come to celebrate ourselves!

Next week’s prompt: The truth...

(Remember you can also write on a topic of your choice.)

Her Hiding Needs Work

Today starts my co-hosting week over at The Red Dress Club!  Please come over to visit today, where I'm talking about overcoming fear in writing, and the rest of the week.  Don't worry; I'll remind you again!

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With Dylan soundly asleep in his crib, Abbey curls into my side, bringing a book or two or a pile to read, a combination of trusted friends like Angelina Ballerina and new books from the library. 

Minnie Mouse.  Cinderella.  Vera Rides a Bicycle.  Her head grows heavy against my arm, and I take a moment to inhale her hair; our moments alone, calm and still, are fleeting.

Napping is out of the question.

Some days, the books lull her into relaxation, and she wants to watch "a little TV," which means an episode of Angelina or The Cat in the Hat or WordWorld.  Those days, I steal a little time with the laptop on the couch, letting her lean into me and point out her favorite parts.

Other days, reading rejuvenates her, and we have quiet adventures - crafts, trips to her imaginary zoo, well-known games, and those she invents as we go along.

And so began our hide and seek adventure, a game quiet enough to play with a sleeping toddler paces away, our giggles muffled into hands and pillows, rushing back to the counting spot in the kitchen if we grew too rambunctious.

She's an excellent seeker, despite (or maybe because of) her varying counting times.  She counted to fifteen.  She counted to three.  She counted to eight.  And then eleventeen, which she continues to use no matter how often we talk about it not being a number. 

Standing in the middle of the living room, she scans the room and checks possible nooks and crannies until she discovers me with a teasing: "I fooouuund you!"

But we need to work on the hiding.  She has three strategies.

 

1) Hide behind the couch cushions, burying her head and using the "I can't see Mommy, so she can't see me" approach.

2) Hiding in the exact spot where she just found me, sometimes as I am walking to the kitchen (our counting spot).

3) Telling me where she's planning on hiding.

We need to hone her hiding skills before she starts playing with people who don't pretend that it's tough to find her.

behind the couch cushions is her favorite hiding spot 

she fits under there much better than I do 

sometimes she thinks if she can't see you, she's invisible 

like I said, she likes hiding behind the cushions 

coat closet 

she turned into a princess while I was counting to fifteen