um, exsqueeze me... you did NOT just say that!

you can never be prepared for the day that your son says to you,

"hush your mouth... (wait for it...) ... ho."

yup, "ho"

after an in-depth conversation, he has no idea what it means. thank goodness.

but still... ho?

i guess it's a good thing he's not an angry teen spewing hatred at me. i guess it's better that he's four and has no idea what it means. i guess.

he attends a private christian school... which is where he picked up that lovely line.

how much more protective can i get? what will happen when/if he attends public school... what kinds of things do kindergartners learn these days?

pine cones and forced distraction

i'm so tired of the news, the economic crisis, and the political race.

i usually make it a point to avoid such things, yet as of late have found myself utterly wrapped up in the mind-numbing mix.

so... i'm done. what will be will be. i've cast my ballot and i'm moving on.

to pine cones.

yes, pine cones.

i walked into the store today and my nose led me directly to these heavenly smelling cinnamon scented pine cones. i wish you could smell them.

go get your own, and you can.

they remind me of everything i love about this season, and make me smile every time i walk past them.

it's a little piece of heaven on earth.

Life...

today i had to explain to z the concept of not always getting what we want.

he is used to getting a toy EVERY time we go to the store... dependent upon his behavior. in hind site, not the best way to get a child to behave. but hey, it worked. and you learn to do whatcha gotta do.

but... times are tough. my new single-mom budget is down to the last dollar. literally. so, even a $5 toy seems excessive these days.

i've been breaking him into it gently... explaining that i'm very proud of him for doing so well, but we can't always get a toy.

i think i took it a little too far today though, in my stress-ridden state. as i carried him screaming from the store, because he wanted a bear that he saw, and was terrified that some other child would get it, i told him that some other child WILL get the toy and that is life, and he will just have to deal with it. "sometimes we just don't get the things we want, and sometimes other people do, and that is just life." ... i think is how i put it.

to which he replied "i don't want life then"

yeah... i get that.

lord help us!

another weekend almost gone...

week after week... time seems to be slipping away. we just started a new month, and the new year will be here in the blink of an eye....

i remember the days, pre-motherhood, that i use to look forward to the weekends of relaxation, long baths and getting lost in a good book.... starting back to work on monday rested and refreshed.

boy how things change. now my weekends consist of cleaning crusty cheerios off my dining room furniture, figuring out how to get gum out of the carpet and melted purple crayon out of my vacuum cleaner... not to mention meal planning, grocery shopping, washing the sheets... and all the other household chores we all do.

weekends are much busier than weekdays now.

today, i found an interesting stash zach's been collecting in his bathroom drawer... it consisted of an earring, a sharpie lid, a spool of thread, a barrette, an eraser, a straw, a cotton ball, and the plastic tray that lifesaver gummies come in, but instead of candy it was filled with coins. strange. it made me think of thimbletack, from the spiderwick chronicles. it also made me smile, and cherish the uniqueness of the precious little gift God has placed in my life.

as much as i miss the carefree days... and boy do i miss them... i wouldn't trade the life i've enjoyed as a mother for anything in the world. as challenging as it can be at times to balance a full-time career/full-time mother lifestyle... i know that all too soon i'll be sending him off to college and have nothing to do but take long baths and read books. with that in mind, my goal is to not only cherish the beautiful moments of motherhood, but do my best to create meaningful moments we'll both hold on to forever.