Letters For Lucas

Wonders, Mishaps, Blunders and Joy.. commentary on my life as a mom in the form of letters to my son

I’m A Celebrity Look-Alike

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My friend, Morgan from The Little Hen House is the mastermind behind the latest blog-hop and since I played along with I was a Senior Hottie and Rockin’ the Baby Bump, I thought why not?

Here is I’m a Celebrity Look-Alike… what do you think? See any resemblance? 


My father used to mail me photos ripped out of magazines of Sigourney Weaver with her jawline, cheekbones or smile circled with a note attached saying something like, I see it, do you? or There’s definitely a resemblance, but you are much prettier. Aw…

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I have one friend that has always told me that she thinks I look like Elizabeth Hurley. 
Don’t laugh! I don’t see it either, however, I do appreciate the compliment.
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Another friend makes Blake Lively comparisons.

I wish!

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And recently, someone put a link on my Facebook wall saying Kate Middleton was my doppelganger. 

Hmmm…. maybe? Maybe not. What do you think?

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Do people tell you you look like someone famous? If so, link up here and join in on the fun, even if you think they’re crazy! 

Speaking of crazy, this is my 600th post! 

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Things Overheard At The Park

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20 Things I’ve Overheard (or said repetitively) at the Park:  
1. “Please don’t throw sand.”
2. “Be still so I can put sunscreen on you.”
3. “I’m going to have to call you back.”
4. “You need to share.”
5. “I said, ‘no throwing sand!’.”
6. “Stop right where you are, that’s the street!”
7. “Be careful!”
8. “Shake it off, you’re okay.”
9. “Those aren’t your snacks.”
10. “No, we didn’t bring Goldfish, we have Bunnies”.
11. “How many times do I have to ask you to stop throwing sand?”
12. “Sand is not for eating.”
13. “I’m sorry, I didn’t bring Goldfish, we have Bunnies.”
14. “Great, did you poop?”
15. “Slides are for going down, not up.” 
16. “Wait your turn.”
17. “Say, ‘excuse me’.”
18. “STOP THROWING SAND!! You can get a Time Out anywhere, you know?!”
19. “Someone’s going to need a bath tonight.”
20. “Okay, that’s it! Nap time, let’s go home!” 

This post was featured on Natalie’s blog, Mommy of a Monster, in her weekly feature, Monster Likes #24 on Saturday, June 25, 2011. 

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Empty

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Lucas has only been to my parents house one time.
 
Given the circumstances, once is enough.

He was almost five months old and it was a trip made out of necessity. There was much work to be done.

He’ll never even remember the six days we spent in Tucson and for that I am grateful.

We were there almost a week and each day proved more difficult than the previous. Thoughts of what should have been swirled my mind and consumed me with grief.

My parents house had been cleared of all the knick knacks and furniture, books, clothing, linens, pots and pans; cleared of all of the items that make a house a home.

There was a fresh coat of paint of the walls that used to adorn family photos and souvenirs from around the world. Now the walls are scarce and a boring egg shell white.

Some of my favorite photos of us were taken in the backyard during that trip. The desert always makes for a beautiful backdrop with it’s sun kissed purple majestic mountains and our blue eyes against the  Arizona sky.
Lucas saw his first cactus on that trip. He had a bath in the kitchen sink and played on the bed my parents used to share.His laughter filled the halls and lifted our spirits because he didn’t know any better.

Never had I dreamed of being in that house with my son without my parents there too.

Aside from all the things that are missing, the house is void of all the warmth, light and love it once held. Cherished memories that I can recall in an instant of Christmas mornings, chocolate chip cookies cooling on the kitchen counters, family debates around the kitchen table and countless summer bar-be-ques.
 
This was one trip that should have been the first of many.

The house is empty now, it’s occupants have been gone for over three years.

There is still some work to be done, but I don’t know that I can ever take Lucas back to that house again.

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Happy Father’s Day!

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The other day I overheard my husband tell someone that being/becoming a parent is mostly about the person you choose to do it with. It’s one of the nicest compliments I have ever received.

If in fact he meant he choose correctly by choosing me. Hmmm… maybe I should have asked for clarification. 

Well, I know I sure did.

 
I am so grateful to have such a wonderful, understanding husband that has more patience than anyone I have ever met and has embraced parenthood with so much love and joy that it makes my heart swell.
 
 
It has been such a thrill to watch Todd become a father and a really good one at that. Lucas is lucky to have such a sweet Daddy and role model. 

Happy Father’s Day to Todd and to all the hardworking, supportive and loving fathers out there.  

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101 Things To Do With Your Toddler

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I first saw this list on Pinterest and then the blog, Counting On Me and Lucas and I are slowly but surely working our way through it. 
If you’re ever at a loss for what to do with your tot, and who hasn’t been, surely you will find something that you both can enjoy. 101 is my favorite. 🙂
  1. Color
  2. Blow Bubbles
  3. Play Hide-and-Seek
  4. Peek-a-Boo
  5. Play Chase
  6. Do Finger-plays
  7. Sing a song
  8. Collect rocks in a basket
  9. Make an obstacle course out of cushions and/or furniture
  10. Make a fort out of cushions and sheets
  11. Go for a Walk
  12. Make a Car out of a Box
  13. Read a book
  14. Go to the park
  15. Finger-paint
  16. Play with Play-Dough
  17. Toss Bean bags into a Bucket
  18. Play the shell and pea game
  19. Dance to music
  20. Download games for toddlers from the Internet
  21. Practice putting things in and taking things out of boxes and bags
  22. Make a temporary slide out of a table leaf and your couch
  23. Roll a ball back and forth on the floor
  24. Scoop dirt or sand into a child’s bucket (or use a serving spoon and bowl)
  25. Practice climbing by stacking boxes on top of each other (only with adult supervision)
  26. Put on a puppet show
  27. Go fishing with a yard stick and yarn
  28. Make a Horseshoe game
  29. Make a Shape Puzzle
  30. Play paper basketball
  31. Run through a Sprinkler
  32. Play with a bucket of water and a sponge
  33. Make a Drum out of an oatmeal box
  34. Play with a kazoo
  35. Wash windows together
  36. Bang on Pots and Pans with a spoon
  37. Brush each other’s teeth
  38. Play dress-up with stuffed animals and your child’s clothes
  39. Stack canned or boxed food on top of each other
  40. Let child stack mixing bowls inside each other
  41. Make a playhouse out of a large box
  42. Let child play with a sticker sheet (make sure your child doesn’t eat them!)
  43. Put stickers on fingers for finger puppets
  44. Play a musical instrument together- i.e.recorder, piano, etc.
  45. Go on a Smelling Hunt
  46. Frost cookies
  47. Plant a flower or vegetable plant together
  48. Roll a tennis ball into an empty trash can or bucket
  49. Draw on a mirror with dry-erase markers
  50. Play hide and seek together – trying to find a stuffed animal or other object
  51. Have a splash party together in the bathtub
  52. Put a leash on a stuffed animal and walk around the house
  53. Record each other on a tape recorder (great for scrapbooks or journals!)
  54. Make and try on paper hats
  55. Give a piggy-back ride
  56. Play “Horsey”
  57. Talk into an electric fan (it distorts your voice)
  58. Play tug-of-war with a blanket
  59. Collect flowers (felt, artificial, real…)
  60. Make a camera and go on a Safari
  61. Play games with frozen juice lids
  62. Disconnect your phone and pretend to make phone calls to relatives
  63. Leave your phone connected and really make phone calls to relatives – let your child talk too
  64. String large beads onto or along a shoelace
  65. Squirt each other with squirt bottles
  66. Glue shapes onto paper
  67. Make sock puppets
  68. Make paper puppets
  69. Fill an old purse with toys
  70. Use a paper towel tube as a megaphone
  71. Make binoculars and go “Bird Watching” or “Stuffed Animal Watching”
  72. Put snacks in different fun containers (paper sacks, empty canisters, etc.)
  73. Act out a story from a book
  74. Walk on a balance beam – use a 2×4 placed on the ground
  75. Draw with chalk on the sidewalk
  76. Sketch an outline of your child on the sidewalk or paper with chalk
  77. Paint child’s palms with tempura paint and blot on paper. Makes a great card for loved ones!
  78. Put lipstick on child and kiss a mirror
  79. Make a puddle on cement and splash barefoot in it
  80. Let child decorate and eat an open peanut butter sandwich
  81. Make a toilet paper barricade for child to go under, over, or through
  82. Do the Hokey Pokey
  83. Make a super-hero costume out of household items
  84. Do Knee-Bouncing Rhymes
  85. Play “Red Light, Green Light” saying “Go” and “Stop”
  86. Make a shoebox train for stuffed animals
  87. Make a pillow pile to jump on (keep it clear from any hard surfaces, including walls!)
  88. Make an easy puzzle with felt and Velcro
  89. Make bracelets or collars for stuffed animals out of pipe cleaners and jingle bells
  90. Learn numbers from a deck of cards
  91. Play the matching game with a deck of cards
  92. Make a domino chain
  93. Have a picnic in the park, backyard, or living room!
  94. Play dress up in Mommy or Daddy’s clothes
  95. Make a tin cup telephone and talk to each other in it
  96. Make a nature collage
  97. Mirror each other
  98. Make a “Mummy Mommy” with toilet paper
  99. Make a tape recording of short music selections and instructions to move in different ways
  100. Make and walk along a toilet paper trail
  101. TAKE A NAP!

The ones in bold, we’ve done or do on a regular basis. Have fun! 

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GNO

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I have always been blessed to have a lot of friends in my life. Some of whom I would call as close as family ~ wonderful women that I confide in, trust, enjoy spending time with and without whom, I don’t know where or who I’d be.
I have friends from high school, friends from college, single friends, divorced friends, mommy friends, friends I gained through my first marriage, friends that I gained through my second marriage, colleagues that became friends, neighbors that became friends and one very dear friend, Sophie that lives clear across the globe.

I also have a ton of friends that I have never even met (yet), thanks to blogging and Twitter. 🙂

 

My core group of friends consists of five women I see on a regular basis… for play dates with our children, walks without them, lunch, happy hours, dinners and the occasional overnight escapes get-aways.

 
My friends and I like to celebrate each others birthdays in big ways, usually involving a trip. My husband always gives me a hard time about it, but if we didn’t, there’s a chance I never would have met him. More on that in a later post… 
Anyway, my last girl’s night out was last weekend, on an overnight in Palm Springs! We celebrating Lisa’s birthday, my beautiful underwater friend above. In fact, all the photos used in this post were taken over the weekend. 
We did what all good friends do; laughed, drank, ate a lot of mini cupcakes, talked about our kids, our jobs, our families, our spouses, or lack there of and had a great time. I’m already looking forward to our group’s next birthday… mine!
Apart from my friends, I’ve even luckier that my husband understands how important my friendships are. 
This post was written for Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop, Prompt 1.) Girls Night Out! Describe the last time you got to hang out with your friends. What stops you from doing this more often?

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Mannequin

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I loved sneaking up on this encounter.

What a brave boy!

This post is for Wordless Wednesdays and if you want to link up, or see some really beautiful photographs, please visit Alicia at Project Alicia. This week, she is sharing photos of her daughter’s cool new “tattoo”.

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Rockin’ The Bump

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I loved being pregnant. Every. single. minute.

Of course, I had the perfect pregnancy. No morning sickness, no heart burn, no swollen ankles. It was strange, wonderful and amazing to feel and watch my body grow. And grow. And grow.

At times, especially towards the end of the 40 weeks I felt HUGE, but for the most part I was strong and beautiful.
I can’t wait to do it again soon. Here’s hoping the second time around is as great as the first (she says with nervous laughter).
As part of Shell’s, Things I Can’t Say: Rockin’ The Baby Bump Link Up, here are some of my favorite pregnant shots.

 

New Year’s Eve, 2009 – 16 weeksCanyon Ranch trip, February 18, 2009 – 23 weeks

Pregnancy Photo Shoot, March 29, 2009 – 29 weeks
My favorite! – 29 weeks

Our “babymoon”, May 25, 2009. Just 10 days before I delivered! – 37 weeks

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Pet Peeves

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According to Wikipedia, a pet peeve is described as a minor annoyance that an individual identifies as particularly annoying to him or her, to a greater degree than others may find it.

Mine are ever changing but this week, these five top the list:

This post is for Jessica (My Time As Mom), Kate (Mommy Monologues) and Elena’s (Mommy is in Timeout) meme, Vlog Talk. The prompt I chose was #2: pet peeves (submitted by Multitasking Mumma).

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