Tonya

For The Love Of Elmo

Posted on February 3, 2011 Written by Tonya

Today is a special day.

It’s Elmo Monster’s birthday!

Why I know this, is somewhat disturbing to me, but I guess it comes with the territory when you’re a mom. I’m blaming Twitter.

We are big Elmo fans in our home.

Well, one of us is.

With all of the Elmo merchandise we have purchased in the last year, I would hope that the adorable furry red monster is having a pretty terrific day. Assuming he gets royalties. As I type this, a certain little someone is enjoying Elmo’s World Happy Holidays for the 36th time. Yeah, I know it’s February 3, I just can’t bring myself to delete it.

Lucas has even dressed for the occasion.

Happy Birthday, Elmo! Thank you for making this little boy very happy.

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In The Blink Of An Eye

Posted on February 2, 2011 Written by Tonya

Dear Lucas,

It’s hard to imagine you as a teenager when you are currently in diapers, learning your colors, letters and numbers, trying to ween off the bottle, temper your temper tantrums and are about to begin potty training (God help me!).

But, in the blink of an eye, you’ll be there: adolescence. I am so excited for you and all the wonderful things you are about to experience.

You are a delightful toddler and bring so much joy my life. Although we have had our struggles, our bond is strong in large part, I’d like to think, because I let you be your own person. It took a while, but I soon realized that you needed your independence in order to thrive. You have had a strong disposition and character from the moment you were born and both have earned my respect. I hope we always have this comfortable unspoken understanding and that we remain close.

I also hope that you are as sweet today as you were when you were small; that you smile and greet strangers, are polite, kind and considerate and that you never lose your sense of curiosity.

You are in such an amazing time of your life; not quite an adult and no longer a child. You are growing physically and emotionally, so be patient with yourself because being a teenager can be confusing, frustrating and stressful, but also a whole lot of fun! In other words, don’t be afraid to get into trouble every now and then, just no collect calls from jail, please.

No matter what you are going through, your dad and I will always be here to answer any questions you may have and we will do it openly and honestly, with only your best interests at heart. Come to us with anything, day or night. Just know that sometimes the advice we offer, you won’t want to hear. Try to trust us, we were teenagers once too.

The friends you make and the experiences you are having right now will shape your future. Think twice about the decisions you are faced with, seek advice when needed and along the way, explore, enjoy and endure. It goes by so fast.

Please remember how important family is and that we want to be there for all your highs and lows. For as long as I live, or as long as you’ll let me, I will support you, clothe you, feed you and be your biggest cheerleader, no matter what you do.

I love you more than words can express. Today and always.

Love,
Mom

This post is for Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop: Prompt 4.) A letter to your future teen.

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The Ultimate Time Sucker

Posted on February 2, 2011 Written by Tonya

I told myself I wasn’t going to do this again.

I don’t need to get one. more. thing. done.

I don’t need to get sucked in any further.

I’ve spent enough time with technology today and the Internet will be here tomorrow.

What I need to do is rest.

I’ve had a headache all day and I told myself that I would crawl into bed as soon as Lucas was asleep. Todd is out with friends and I just started a terrific book, One Amazing Thing by Chitra Divakaruni. I was really looking forward to reading some of it tonight as I drifted peacefully off to sleep for a full eight to nine hours.

That was almost five hours ago.

Instead…

I am visiting blogs, commenting on them, brainstorming posts of my own, Tweeting, responding to e-mails, sending texts, updating my Netflix queue and Goodreads bookshelves, playing Scrabble with three different people, catching up with friends on Facebook, posting photos to Shutterfly, making play dates for next week, researching, Stumbling articles and chastising myself for letting another day go by without doing laundry.

All the while, the battery life on my lap top dwindles. It started in the black at 100% and is now in the red at 18%. That’s just embarrassing.

Please tell me I’m not the only one that does this!!

The Internet, I’ve decided is evil. It’s the ultimate time sucker, pure and simple. One simple search leads to five hours of poking around and digging further and before I know it, I have nine tabs open and wonder how did I get here?!

I’m obsessed, that’s how.

The better question is why?

Well, I am done with it. I’m stepping away from the computer. For tonight at least.

Lucas will be up and have his ‘take me to Disneyland’ face on in six hours, IF I’m lucky. Hmph, so much for nine hours of blissful sleep.

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15 Items Or Less

Posted on February 1, 2011 Written by Tonya

As I was checking out at the grocery store recently, I thought… clearly I only had one thing on my mind during this visit: Lucas!
Here’s what I came home with: yogurt, a gallon of milk, string cheese, apple juice, bubbles, wipes, chocolate chip granola bars, wipes, goldfish crackers, Elmo crackers, blueberry waffles, grape jam, peanut butter and Diet Coke (okay, that’s for me!).

Now, what on earth are his dad and I going to eat this week?

This post is for Wordless Wednesdays and if you want to link up or see some really beautiful photographs, visit Alicia at A Beautiful Mess. This week, she shares her personal favs.

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It’s All In The Application

Posted on February 1, 2011 Written by Tonya

My mother wore very little make-up and everything I learned about it, I learned from her. In other words, I never learned much more than; a little blush, a little mascara, a little lipstick. Done. She made it look effortless, flawless and easy. It really is anything but.

I didn’t have an older sister or friends with older sisters that were willing to use my face as a guinea pig.

I got my first Maybelline* eye shadow and blush kit when I was in the 7th grade and while I loved the idea of wearing make-up and I coveted my make-up bag, I think I only used it once or twice. I had no clue what I was doing. I would looking like a circus clown, so I gave up.

I don’t know what my friends and I were doing that we didn’t sit around practicing the fine art of make-up application. I suppose we were too busy lip-synching to Wham and Duran Duran.

I really wish I knew how to apply make-up.

I love the way in can transform a face, especially one that has become a mother and is tired, worried and growing older by the minute.

I love it when my friend Nancy offers to do my make-up for a special occasion. She was kind enough to do my make-up for my wedding and has dolled me up for Vegas many times over the years.

I don’t even own any eyeliners or eye shadows.

I wear the absolute bare minimal. Because that’s all I can handle.

My entire make-up routine takes a total of 6 minutes, if that. And trust me when I tell you that without these items, I look dead:Still loyal to Maybelline Great Lash mascara, I have expanded my make-up collection to include a lot of Bare Escentuals* products. If you haven’t jumped on the mineral make-up band wagon yet, I highly suggest it. Talk about transforming your face; it’s fantastic stuff. Plus, the starter kit and DVD with explicit step-by-by instructions was perfect for a make-up novice like me. 🙂

How did you learn to apply make-up? What are your favorite products?

*This post was no way endorsed by Maybelline or Bare Escentuals. Sadly.

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Project Smile – January

Posted on January 31, 2011 Written by Tonya

Count your smiles instead of your tears; count your courage instead of your fears. – Unknown

January was full of ups and downs for us; a new year, a new home, good news, followed by bad, but I’m grateful that I found something to smile about every day:

1st – The first day of a new year full of possibilities.
2nd – Work out routine resumed after three weeks off. Ouch!
3rd – Getting out of the house despite the rain.
4th – Pretty in pink nail polish.
5th – Believing that miracles can happen.
6th – A new path to walk.
7th – There is nothing better than a PB&J to put a smile on my face.
8th – Four loads of laundry, grocery store AND Target, washed and dried my hair, started a new book. It was a VERY productive day.
9th – Lunch and movie with a girlfriend.
10th – Gorgeous walk along Newport Beach strand.
11th – I bought my domain name.
12th – A visit with an old friend and a wonderful compliment.
13th – Today, we have lived in our new house for one month and slowly but surely are making it a home.
14th – Taking time to stop and smell the flowers.
15th – We hung our first picture!
16th – Golden Globes and Thai food with a fellow movie lover.
17th – We rode Becky the elephant!
18th – Today was not a great day, but snuggles with my son always make me feel better.
19th – The wonder of nature.
20th – My sister.
21st – A visit to an old neighborhood I used to once frequent a lot and delicious quiche.
22nd – Champagne brunch with my sister, Aston Kutcher (in the movie No Strings Attached) and shopping for shoes!
23rd – A bowl of cereal makes a great dinner.
24th – Play date at our house.
25th – Covering up the grays, finishing one book and starting another.
26th – Meeting a newborn, visiting our old neighborhood and wine time.
27th – A beautiful walk along the coast and lunch.
28th – A fun day at the Irvine Ranch Park with friends and spend a lot of time thinking of my dad today with love, he would have been 64 today.
29th – Blowing bubbles in the backyard with Lucas.
30th – Dinner with friends and all our kids! Pure comedy.
31st – The first day of a new round of music class.

I hope every day of January gave you something to smile about and that your 2011 is off to a great start!

Alicia is the beautiful brain child behind this wonderful monthly meme. Be sure to link up at her blog, A Beautiful Mess or check out other people’s reasons to smile.

You can see my December reasons to smile here.

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For The Love Of Children – Part 1

Posted on January 29, 2011 Written by Tonya

Today, I want to share some of my favorite quotes about children:

“A two-year-old is kind of like having a blender, but you don’t have a top for it. ” – Jerry Seinfeld

“Remember that children, marriages, and flower gardens reflect the kind of care they get.” – H. Jackson Brown

“If you bungle raising your children, I don’t think whatever else you do well matters very much.”- Jackie Onassis Kennedy

“Having a baby is like getting a tattoo on your face. You really need to be certain it’s what you want before you commit.” – Elizabeth Gilbert

“The rules for parents are but three… Love, Limit, and Let them be.” – Elaine M. Ward

“There is no friendship, no love, like that of the parent for the child.” – Henry Ward Beecher

“It kills you to see them grow up. But I guess it would kill you quicker if they didn’t.” – Barbara Kingsolver

“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” – Elizabeth Stone

“Children make you want to start life over.” – Muhammad Ali

“The soul is healed by being with children.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky

“It is an amazing opportunity to be able to ruin someone from scratch.” – Jon Stewart

“A child is not a vase to be filled, but a fire to be lit.” – François Rabelais

“Children begin by loving their parents; as they grow older they judge them; sometimes, they forgive them.” – Oscar Wilde

“While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.” – Angela Schwindt

I saved my personal favorite for last:

“Remember, you are not managing an inconvenience; You are raising a human being.” – Kittie Franz

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Gone Too Soon

Posted on January 28, 2011 Written by Tonya

It’s been 1201 days since my parents died.

1201 days? That seems like an eternity to me when I think of all they’ve missed.

Then again, 1201 days really isn’t that much time at all when I think of how fresh the loss is in my heart.

I often worry that I’ll forget what they sounded like and looked like, but both are etched in my brain and woven throughout my memories.

I carry them with me everywhere and I ache to hear their voices again and dread each and every single anniversary, birthday and other special occasion they are missing. But it is the mundane everyday life events that they are missing that make me the saddest.

1201 days later and I am still pressing on.

I press on for my sanity, for Lucas’ sake and for them, because that is what they’d want me to do.

My father would have been 64 today.

Michael Stephen Adams

January 28, 1947 – October 15, 2007

Rest In Peace.

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XOXO

Posted on January 27, 2011 Written by Tonya

My dearest DC,

Nothing gets me going like you do.

To me, you are quite simply… perfect.

You are my strength and my weakness.

You are one of the very first things I think of when I wake up in the morning because it is then that I need you so.

Our relationship began when I was in college and while others were touting their need for coffee, I stuck by your side never giving coffee another thought.

You make my heart beat a little faster and my eyes twinkle a little brighter.

I’m no fool, I know I’m not alone in this love. I know that you have lots of admirers, but when it’s just us, my world quiets and I feel like I’m the only one. Thank you for that.

Thank you, too for always being there on my grocery list and in my refrigerator, because I don’t think I could go a day without your smile. It’s true, I have a jealous streak and have even warned family members and babysitters alike never, under no circumstances to take the last of you or there will be hell to pay.

I know I don’t tell you often enough how much you mean to me with your no calories, no sugar and sweet wonderful help-me-get-up-and-go chemicals I can’t pronounce, but it is your secret formula that does the trick every time. I so enjoy the pleasure of your company.

I hate to admit that I have been unfaithful when you weren’t available, but Diet Pepsi nor Diet Dr. Pepper are nearly as refreshing as you. It’s your effervescent personality that keeps me loyal today and always.

Yours truly,
Tonya
xoxo

This post is for Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop: Prompt 2.) Write a love poem to afavorite food. It was not a food, but a drink, Diet Coke that I chose to profess my undying love to. I have written about my obsession once (I Heart Diet Coke) or twice (I Don’t Like Coffee) before.

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Always Go With Your Gut

Posted on January 26, 2011 Written by Tonya

There are many mommy moments when your patience is tried, your strength tested, your heart strings pulled and you are forced to make a from your gut decision.

The scariest thing happened to me today and I am so glad that I went with my gut.

I took Lucas to San Diego to visit a friend, who just had a baby and on the car ride home, he fell fast asleep. 30 minutes into our hour long drive, he woke up and started coughing and I can only assume got scared and then started crying.

From the front seat, I reminded him that we were in the car and on our way home and asked him if he was okay. Typically he would say “yes” and then work on clearing his throat. Today, his coughing turned into choking and as I looked at him in the rear view mirror, I could tell that he was really having trouble breathing. I turned around to get a better look and he was banging his hands on his car seat and gasping for air.

I started to panic.

Here I was, going 80+ mph in the car pool lane, five lanes from the next exit, which was less than a mile away.

What’s a mother to do?

I had no choice.

My son was choking!

I went for it!

I put the hazards on, crossed the double yellow lines risking life and limb, not to mention a hefty fine, crossed five lanes of traffic like I was Mario Andretti on his best day all in an effort to help my son.

Just as I whipped into a gas station parking lot, Lucas threw up all over himself, thus clearing his air passageway. He could breathe!! I rushed around to get him and he threw up again.

After I cleaned Lucas and his car seat, changed his shirt and held him for a while, we sat there in the parking lot sharing a turkey sandwich. He was fine. It was a trying few moments for both of us and while I know I didn’t do anything that heroic, but he sure looked at me like I did.

I’m proud of myself for going with my instinct even if I did break all kinds of laws in the process.

Have you ever had to do anything potentially more dangerous than the current situation you were in, in order to help your child?

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