Letters For Lucas

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

A New Year

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2010 was a year of highs and lows for our household. Luckily the highs outweighed the lows and in many cases I shared them on Letters For Lucas

Here are (just) the highlights:
January – Leah moved to Los Angeles.
March – I got my third tattoo.
April/May – We took a very memorable trip to Australia and New Caledonia, where I got to see my dearest and oldest friend, Sophie again after 10 long years.
May – A fun girl’s weekend to San Luis Obispo.
August – Lady Gaga in concert with Leah.
August – Letters For Lucas turned one.
September – Todd started his new business, European Classic Cars on PCH.
September – I gave Seattle another shot, fell in love and got to see my friend Siobhain again after 25 years.
October – I participated in my third Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk, second with my sister and I got to cross ‘walk over the Golden Gate Bridge’ off my Bucket List.
December – We moved to Orange County.

December – Leah and I took Lucas to Disneyland for his visit time.

Looking forward to 2011, but not a big proponent of New Year’s Resolutions per se, my goals tend to be very similar from year to year:
  • Exercise more
  • Read more
  • Cook more
  • Be present no matter what I’m doing or who I’m with. Be in the moment.

And this year, I am on a mission to declutter our home starting with Lucas’ toys and books, but more on that in another post.

What’s on your agenda for the next 364 days of the year? Let’s make ’em count!
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Project Smile – December

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year
It’s the hap-happiest season of all.
– Andy Williams

1st – A photo shoot that I won’t soon forget. Thank goodness I can smile about it now.
2nd – Finally ordered holiday cards after much fretting.
3rd – Spent the night in our new home just for the fun of it.
4th – A long overdue visit with a friend and the discovery that we now only live 8 miles apart!
5th – A much needed trip to the nail salon.
6th – Lucas turned 18 months!
7th – An overnight visit from Grandpa.
8th – A farewell dinner with my Mommy & Me friends.
9th – Looking around at all the boxes laughing and wondering how we will ever get it all done.
10th – Pizza. Enough said.
11th – Date night with neighbors.
12th – Our bittersweet last night in our home.
13th – Moving Day!!
14th – Falling into bed after a very long, very stressful day. Oh, and my sister organizing my closet.
15th – Christmastime at the Happiest Place on Earth! Lucas’ first time at Disneyland.
16th – Front row seats to the annual Newport Beach Boat Parade.
17th – A new library. A new library card.
18th – Unpacking. Organizing. Settling in.
19th – Chickmas, an annual tradition my girlfriends and I have to celebrate the holidays.
20th – Finished Christmas shopping and wrapping presents just in the nick of time…
21st – Bags packed and made it to our flight on time. Whew!
22nd – Seeing Lucas follow his cousins around in complete and utter awe.
23rd – Husband and sister arrive at in-laws for the holiday.
24th – Spending the holiday with family.
25th – Lucas’ face when he discovered what Santa left him under the tree.
26th – A long car ride home with a very happy toddler makes all the difference in the world. That and zero going home holiday traffic.
27th – Getting back to reality.
28th – New nanny’s first day!!
29th – Celebrating Todd’s birthday with cupcakes, bowling and beer.
30th – Sick in bed. All. day. long. Not much smiling going on here until I see Lucas’ face.
31st – An old year to learn from and remember and a new year to ring in and embrace.

I hope every day of December found all of you smiling as well!

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 November reasons to smile here.

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My Greatest Hits

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As 2010 comes to an end and with over 340 blog posts to my credit this year, here are my Top 10 favorite Letters For Lucas posts of the year.

I didn’t pick these because of their popularity or amount of comments/traffic they did or did not receive, but because they were heartfelt, some very difficult to write and because I learned something from each one of these experiences. Thank you for accepting my words and letting me share myself with you.

If you missed any of these posts, check them out and tell me what you think!

In order in which they appeared:

Ink – March 21
I got a very special tattoo while on a girls’ trip in Vegas.

We Did It! – May 19
We survived 85 days of Lucas wearing a Doc Band thanks to the help of a precious baby boy.

I’m Losing It – June 2
Dealing with the challenges of motherhood.

Guilty As Charged – July 6
Mother’s guilt. Enough said.

Miscarried – July 12
A very sad day.

Is This Heaven? – August 5
Time Out at a book store? Yes, please!

Letters For Lucas – August 27
A touching letter from Lucas’ dad on my one year blogoversary.

That’s Not Going To Pay For College – September 2
Photos of Lucas putting everything but coins in our coin bottle.
The Briefcase – October 11
I never realized how powerful an inanimate object could be.

These Are My Confessions – November 11
This is me; the good, the bad and the ugly truth.

And because one of these is technically a guest post written by someone else…

The House That Built Me – December 13
A tearful and loving departure from our first home together.

Thank you for returning to read my words and helping me through this crazy thing called motherhood. I honestly don’t know where I’d be without you some days.

And to all of you new followers, welcome, it’s wonderful to have you.

I wish everyone a truly fulfilling New Year.

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Top 10 Favorite Posts Of The Year

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I wish I could dedicate more time to reading my favorite blogs. For a list of the ones I try to visit as often as I can, go to my Favorite Blogs button on my Home Page.

I didn’t pick these posts/bloggers because they need the traffic or because they are my friends, I picked them because they made me laugh out out loud, shed a tear, nod in agreement or stuck with me for days after the fact. These women inspire me each and every day.

Here are my Top 10 favorite posts of the year, in no particular order:

1. Liquid Gold by Coreen, The Adventures of Captain Fussypants, Little Miss and Caleb the Wonder Dog

2. 30 Things For 30 Years by Morgan, The Little Hen House

3. After The Honeymoon… by Sheri, Old Tweener

4. Goodbye, My Friend (A Letter) by Natalie, Mommy of a Monster

5. A Foreigner In My Own Kitchen by Cheryl, Mommypants

6. That Time In The Public Restroom by Liz, A Belle A Bean & A Chicago Dog

7. 16 & Pregnant by Natalie, My Crazy Busy Life

8. {Guest Post} ~ My Pink Bundle ~ by Tara, Blondie ‘N’ SC

9. Because It Was Grassy And Wanted Wear / But Still… Christmas by Nichole, In These Small Moments

10. When Private Goes Public by Leah, LA ‘n’ LA

And for good measure:

11. A Blogger’s Gifts and the entire Back to School Back to Blogging series by Gigi, Kludgy Mom

If you don’t already follow these gifted and talented women writers, you should! Or at the very least, read these posts for a taste of their magic.

Tune in tomorrow when I share my 2010 Top 10 Letters For Lucas favorites.

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You Know You’re A Mom When-sDaze

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You know you’re a mom when…

  • No matter how many solo flights you take with your child, you are amazed at what a great little traveler he is. I think the new toy, book and endless snacks help a lot! Oh, and the fact that it’s only an hour flight to Grandma’s.
  • Playing Santa is really fun and Lucas’ face on Christmas morning was priceless.
  • You don’t care if you give your child your cold, you will not, under any circumstances stop hugging and kissing him.
  • Seeing your son run across the backyard with his face lifted to the sky makes you realize how much you, too have missed the sun.
  • You are thrilled beyond belief when your child takes to a new babysitter.
  • It’s December 29 and you’re still watching the Elmo holiday special because you don’t have the heart to delete it from TiVo.
  • You think to yourself every day, I could not love this child more and then do.

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You Know You’re A Mom When-sDaze

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You know you’re a mom when…

  • It is perfectly acceptable to pick up your child and smell his butt.
  • You are trying to discipline your son and are crying you are laughing so hard because he’s is spinning round and round in his ‘naughty chair’.
  • You are not only in the midst of unpacking and settling into your new home, but also gearing up for the holidays and you stop everything to take your child to Disneyland!
  • You are about to head out the door with a ‘To Do’ list a mile long only to find your tot asleep on the couch.
  • You end up eating your meal with your hands because your son just has to have your utensils.
  • No matter how close to the event (party, flight, etc) you dress your child, he still manages get something unexplainable on his shirt.
  • You can’t wait for your child to go down for a nap but then also find yourself anxious for him to wake up so you can play.

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You Know You’re A Mom When-sDaze

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You know you’re a mom when…

  • You physically walk a toy out to the dumpster so you never have to hear it or trip over it again.
  • You will never move a block, an hour or a state away with a toddler without booking a babysitter for 72 hours.
  • You have been sneezed on hundreds of times. In the mouth.
  • You swear you will never climb through the McDonald’s PlayPlace again. It may say that it is “suitable” for adults, but it’s really not.
  • You consider the person who invented the sippy cup a genius and an idiot. Does one exist that doesn’t leak?!
  • You start to sound like your child.
  • You know for all the awful, annoying, patient-trying, frustrating roller coaster ride of moments, there are, every once in a while, scattered throughout the day, small moments that are pure magic in the life of being a mom.

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You Know You’re A Mom When-sDaze

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You know you’re a mom when…

  • You believe battery companies are still in business because of all the noise making toys in your home.
  • You go to get your child out of the car even when they aren’t with you.
  • You overhear your husband say, “Ay caramba, kid, that’s a fiesta!” as he changes a poopy diaper.
  • You have to hear your son talk about your friend’s dog for days after visiting her; “Soda, Soda, Soda”, or is he saying, “Santa, Santa, Santa”? We really aren’t sure.
  • You scurry across four lanes of traffic to the shoulder of the freeway during rush hour because you are certain your child is either choking or is going to lose his lunch all over the backseat of your car.
  • Cutting your child’s fingernails and toenails seems like a form of torture from all their screaming and carrying on.
  • Nothing sounds better than hearing “read” and being handed a book, even though it’s one you’ve read 1354 times before.

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You Know You’re A Mom When-sDaze

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You know you’re a mom when…

  • You wear Thomas the Train stickers out in public with pride even though your child is no where in sight.
  • You find toys in your bed at night and don’t even think twice about how they got there.
  • You would have sworn before you had children that the words: “please don’t lick the floor” would never have come out of your mouth. Never say never, right?
  • You will do anything to take away your child’s pain, whether it’s a bonk on the head or a cold that lingers on and on.
  • Not a morning goes by that you don’t feel like you could sleep for another hour or two longer.
  • You think there is a strong possibility that the people that create Yo Gabba Gabba are high on drugs and wonder if you are sending your child the right message by airing it in your home, but still find yourself recording it and even enjoying it.
  • You delight in the joy on their face as they listen to a story being told.

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Project Smile – November

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A smile is the light in the window of your face that tells people you’re at home. – Author Unknown

Another month of reasons to smile!

1st – Last day of our Kindermusik class. This was our fourth session
2nd – I voted!
3rd – A glorious walk along our beautiful ocean with my beautiful friend, Jenn.
4th – A happy little traveler.
5th – Officially in escrow!
6th – Enjoyed a nice long lunch with a dear friend and Lucas turned 17 months!
7th – Celebrated my niece’s golden birthday.
8th – I got to hold my girlfriend’s newborn baby boy and remember back to when Lucas was so tiny.
9th – Took a peaceful walk along the beach and saw dolphins. A walk is always better with dolphins.
10th – Remembered my mother with love. She would have been 62 today.
11th – Finally got my hair cut and colored. It had been almost THREE months. So long, grays!
12th – Daydreaming about a brilliant future.
13th – Lucas found a mud puddle and he was happy as a clam to play in it.
14th – My best friend’s birthday and a fun day date with my husband complete with movie popcorn.
15th – Exercising my freedom of speech.
16th – Epic carrot cake.
17th – Dinner, wine and good conversation with a dear friend.
18th – Children that take three hour naps.
19th – Family.
20th – I threw a little shindig and brought some of the coolest bloggers together that I know: Kludgy Mom, Surfer Wife, Mommy of a Monster, The Little Hen House, Mommypants, Not Just Another Jen, A Beautiful Mess and Mamaondago
21st – A visit to the bookstore and train table.
22nd – Oprah’s final Favorite Things episode.
23rd – Hiring a mover.
24th – Catching up on TiVo.
25th – Family, friends, good health, a little money in the bank and a clean kitchen.
26th – Sushi and pool with our neighbors.
27th – Dinner and a movie with my sister.
28th – Family picture in front of our new house.
29th – Story time and shaking our sillies out at the library
30th – Donating three huge bags of clothes and other household items to Goodwill. Purging feels so good!

I hope I wasn’t the only one that found so many reasons to smile this month!

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

You can see my October reasons to smile here.
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