this week's lessons

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  • Josh's disease-fighting "guys" are not as tough as he thinks they are. He WILL get sick like the rest of us.
  • Chocolate-covered strawberries will not keep and should be eaten as soon as possible.
  • Chase makes a fantastic Abraham Lincoln, and will knock the socks off his first grade class.
  • Rediscovering The Phantom of the Opera on DVD makes me happy, and makes running on the treadmill go by like THAT (insert finger-snapping sound here).
  • It really does make me feel old that my baby brother is now somebody's father. (CONGRATS ANDY AND MELISSA!!)
  • I do love my new cell phone, even if it's a nasty, bright pink.
  • When running late, I will always make wrong turns and get stuck in traffic.
  • Cleaning the bathrooms will ALWAYS be a chore I detest. ALWAYS.
  • I cannot start reading blogs in the morning when I only have 20 minutes to shower and get out the door. I will be late, and I will end up looking like a mess.
  • When strangers in the grocery store start asking you about baby back ribs, DO NOT, under any circumstance, admit that you use bottled sauce. It will make them angry.
  • Favorite gadgets this week: TIVO and my camera.

Having a girl changes EVERYTHING

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I took stock of my life yesterday - and realized I am a completely different person than I was five years ago. Where did this dramatic self-introspection take place, you ask? It was none other than the very poetic, very thought-provoking T-Mobile store in La Jolla. Let me explain...

Five years ago, my closet was filled with khaki, white, black, and gray - and for those days I felt really wild - maybe red thrown in. I opted for a simple, blending-in kind of look. Maybe not the most fashionable, but I was a mother of two boys and - truth be told - didn't have much time or inclination for frills. My life was spent making sure these rough and tumble boys were safe. Heels would NEVER have worked as I chased after them, saving them from passing cars. I never got manicures and pedicures. There was nobody to tell me my earrings didn't match my shirt. Nobody shoved me out of the way so they could get to MY make-up. We never had to have matching plates and cups. Nobody cared what color our hand soap was. Nobody wanted to hang up hundreds of Valentine's Day decorations.

I was in control.

And I had a black cell phone.

Fast forward to today - my closet is filled with all the colors of the rainbow. Yes, I even wear pink now and then. ME. The person who ordered loving grandmothers not to buy anything in pink for their new granddaughter. I now have my outfits critiqued by a four-year-old who would dress like a Disney princess every day. I get weekly mani/pedi treatments. I wear shoes that were not designed solely for comfort. Things have changed. I now have this tiny, talking shadow. I have a daughter.

And this precious angel, with powers of persuasion stronger than any communist interrogator, TALKED ME INTO GETTING this phone yesterday:




I was powerless to resist. The store clerks found her hilarious and charming. They just don't know her like I do. They don't know that I have surrendered complete control of my life to this CHILD. She has a way of nagging/pleading/asking until you will give her whatever she wants - just to get THREE MINUTES OF QUIET.

While I certainly don't attribute my new self solely to this little person, I do feel glad to have some girly company in my otherwise boy-oriented life. I look forward one day to many Broadway shows, shopping trips, and spa days with this little friend. (I also feel certain that someday McKay and Chase will fully appreciate having a sister as they will not be forced along on these kinds of outings).

Yeah, I do love her to pieces. Even if I have no say in the color of my cell phone.

last week's lessons

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So I enjoyed doing this one so much last week, that I've decided to make it a weekly column, if you will. Here are some lessons learned:

  • A third-grade squid dissection is not "gross;" it is "interesting" and clearly I don't have a very "scientific attitude."
  • It will rain all day Sunday, except for the time you spend at church.
  • Strawberries always taste better with angel food cake and whipped cream.
  • Making a beard like President Lincoln's is not as easy as it looks.
  • Playing baseball with my family is really, really fun.
  • I should always check to make sure the shower head is actually pointing INSIDE the tub, and not at my face, before turning on the hot water.
  • When your husband asks you out on a date and you assume he's asking your four-year-old daughter - it has been WAY too long since you've been out.
  • Babysitters are worth their weight in gold.
  • When cleaning out the garage, do not be surprised that you will throw out more than you thought you had to begin with.
  • Getting takeout is always better than cooking.
  • Favorite stores of the week: Costco and Banana Republic.

Anything you've learned that you'd like to share?