Letters For Lucas

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

A Month Long Celebration

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It really pays to have a birthday IF you are signed up with as many loyalty programs as I am.

I’ve always been a sucker for loyalty programs at both restaurants and my favorite places to shop and one way companies that offer incentives and discounts in exchange for your repeat patronage is by acknowledging your birthday. This year I was hell bent on not letting any free stuff expire, like I’ve always done in the past. As a result, my family and I been celebrating my special day all month long!

SIDE NOTE: If you’re a fan of loyalty programs too, but don’t want to carry a bunch of cards in your wallet or have them annoyingly dangling from your key chain, I highly recommend getting the app, Key Ring. It’s free and super easy to use and will keep all of your loyalty cards in one convenient place, right on your smart phone. Plus, it alerts you of current offers, discounts and sales!

If you have a iPhone 4s or higher, there is also a pre-installed app called Passbook with similar features… or so I’m told.

Anyway, here is a short list of all the cool stuff I’ve enjoyed for my birthday month:

Free burger at Red Robin
Free bagel and cream cheese at Bruegger’s Bagels
Free beverage at Starbucks
Free small frozen yogurt at  Pinkberry
2x the bonus points on all purchases all month at Ulta
30% off at Cost Plus World Market
Complimentary cookie at Boudin
Free birthday sundae at Ruby’s
15% off entire purchase at Anthropologie
$5.00 off entire purchase at DSW
20% off entire purchase at Muttropolis
Free dessert at True Food
Free dessert at Island’s
Buy One Get One at Soup Plantation

Who doesn’t love free stuff? 

Click on image for source.

Click on image for source.

The makers of Key Ring did not endorse this post, nor did they acknowledge my birthday in any way.

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Things I Did While I Was 40 – Update

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A year ago today, I shared a list of things I wanted to accomplish while I was 40. On the eve of my 41st birthday, I thought I would reflect and update.

The items that are crossed off I made happen with enthusiasm and I’m not going to beat myself up about the other stuff.

I’m a work in progress!

  1. Watch all 550 minutes of The Planet Earth DVDs.
  2. Run at least four 5Ks.
  3. Sell my parents house in Arizona. Yay!! 
  4. Find a new house here, buy it and move in.
  5. If we aren’t going to move, finish decorating our living room.
  6. Raise a puppy. More on this later.
  7. Have a baby or at least get and stay pregnant by June, 2013. I am SO ready to get off this roller coaster.
  8. Read one book (at the very least) per month. Barely!
  9. Stop letting so many phone calls go directly to voice mail. I think I’m getting better at this.
  10. Successfully potty train my son. It’s time, yo! 
  11. Finish writing my father’s story. You can read it here.
  12. Go easier on myself. In general. In all matters of my life. This is an ongoing struggle…
  13. Resume my yoga practice.
  14. Walk the 1000 steps in Laguna Beach. This morning!! Twice! With the dog.
  15. Purge my stuff. Meh.
  16. Have an epic garage sale. See above.
  17. Drink more champagne.
  18. Take Lucas to the beach by myself. Just once.
  19. Schedule more one on one time with my sister.
  20. Take Lucas on the Radiator Springs Racers at Cars Land just as soon as he grows one inch taller. 🙂
  21. Eat more salads than sandwiches. At home.
  22. Spend less time blogging, tweeting, status updating, pinning and playing games. For reals! Hanging my head in shame.
  23. If I have to be on Pinterest, start trying some of the shit I pin. I have a entire board dedicated to Pinterest projects I’ve tried! 
  24. Meet more local bloggers in person.
  25. Make out with my husband more.
  26. Reach out to my family across the country more often.
  27. Lower expectations across the board.
  28. Cook more. I was on a roll for a while and then got lazy.
  29. Try new restaurants… Pizza Ortica, Chow, The Deck, Rooftop, etc.
  30. When eating out at the same old places, try something different on the menu for a change. I’m a creature of habit, what can I say?
  31. Never lie about my age.
  32. Give paddle boarding a whirl. I have been once and I am going again on my birthday!
  33. Go camping.
  34. Consider hiring a trainer.
  35. When moisturizing, never forget my neck!
  36. Mail medical insurance claims before my husband has a cow.
  37. Volunteer in Lucas’ classroom.
  38. Leave the phone in the car and really BE in the moment.
  39. Spend more time outdoors.
  40. Stop making lists! Not going to happen!!

Am I the only one that makes these kinds of crazy lists or do you too make goals for yourself upon turning a new age?

Notice, there’s not a list for my 41st year.

IMG_2474

May 20, 2013 – The first time I took Lucas to the beach solo! There have been two additional trips.

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Four

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Lucas,

You are an amazing kid.

Sure, you’re my son and I am totally bias, but you really are and I wish everyone could meet you so they could see for themselves.

You have magical powers, making me laugh when I want to cry and pushing me to be more patient with myself and the world around me. I hope you will continue to be patient with me, too. Always expect better from me.

I love singing Taylor Swift’s “22″ at the top of our lungs as we drive around town, reading tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Peter Rabbit, speaking in British accents, sitting next to you sharing a turkey and Swiss on wheat at Subway and cuddled up close on our couch for movie nights.

You’re smart, considerate and funny and for the life of me, I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you but whomever I owe, I’ll be forever indebted.

My love for you is immeasurable and I am so lucky to be your mom. One of my greatest joys has been becoming your mother and watching you grow and change and learn and bloom.

Wishing you, my sweet and precious boy, a very happy fourth birthday!

Love,
Mommy xoxo

PicMonkey Collage2

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I Remember When…

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Lucas was just 5 weeks old when my wonderful and talented photographer friend, Stephanie came to our home and took these photos.

It’s hard to believe he was ever this tiny.

I mean, his entire body fit inside a basket!

Swoon…

sap2

sap5

sap6

Oh, don’t mind me, I’m feeling nostalgic and ooey gooey this week as my once and not so long ago five week old is about to turn FOUR!!!

We will celebrate with a birthday party next weekend with family and friends. This is the first time Lucas has asked if he can invite all his classmates, along with just about everyone else he meets to his party. 

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Birthday Wishes

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Our Christmas tree is still up. I haven’t the heart to take it down yet.

We are still receiving holiday greeting cards.

Christmas carols are still stuck on a loop in my head.

Our stockings are still hanging from the mantle.

There is still a basket of classic Christmas books by the fire place.

We haven’t yet found homes for all of our gifts or written thank you notes.

I have yet to connect with my friend about our New Year’s Eve plans, but I have an awesome recipe for champagne Jello shots I want to try and I have already started thinking about all the possibilities 2013 holds.

All of that will have to wait because today is my husband’s birthday.

Poor guy gets the shaft every year having a birthday squeezed between Christmas and New Year’s.

Today is about him as it should be.

Today we celebrate Lucas’ Daddy, my husband, the father of my son and one of the greatest men and partners I know and there will be no red and green wrapped packages here.

Happy Birthday, Todd. I love you.

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40 Things To Do While I’m 40

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So, like many of you I have a Bucket List of very lofty, somewhat expensive and sort out there things I would like to do before I die, but in the meantime, I have 40 immediate goals to tackle over the next 12 months (seeing as I have sort of missed the boat on things to do BEFORE turning 40).

Actually, I am very happy with my life, the way I look and the items that fill our family calendar. Oh, sure, I wish I had my pre-pregnancy tummy back, fewer gray hairs on my head, and a lot more free time, but I’m really okay welcoming a new decade.

My 40 things, in no particular order:

  1. Watch all 550 minutes of The Planet Earth DVDs.
  2. Run at least four 5Ks. The first one is coming up on July 4!
  3. Sell my parents house in Arizona.
  4. Find a new house here, buy it and move in. Whew!
  5. If we aren’t going to move, finish decorating our living room.
  6. Raise a puppy. More on this later.
  7. Have a baby or at least get and stay pregnant by June, 2013. I am SO ready to get off this roller coaster.
  8. Read one book (at the very least) per month.
  9. Stop letting so many phone calls go directly to voice mail (are you reading this, Leah?).
  10. Successfully potty train my son. It’s time, yo! 
  11. Finish writing my father’s story.
  12. Go easier on myself. In general. In all matters of my life.
  13. Resume my yoga practice.
  14. Walk the 1000 steps in Laguna Beach.
  15. Purge my stuff.
  16. Have an epic garage sale. See above.
  17. Drink more champagne.
  18. Take Lucas to the beach by myself. Just once.
  19. Schedule more one on one time with my sister.
  20. Take Lucas on the Radiator Springs Racers at Cars Land just as soon as he grows one inch taller. 🙂
  21. Eat more salads than sandwiches. At home.
  22. Spend less time blogging, tweeting, status updating, pinning and playing games. For reals!
  23. If I have to be on Pinterest, start trying some of the shit I pin.
  24. Meet more local bloggers in person.
  25. Make out with my husband more.
  26. Reach out to my family across the country more often.
  27. Lower expectations across the board.
  28. Cook more. I was on a roll for a while and then got lazy.
  29. Try new restaurants… Pizza Ortica, Chow, The Deck, Rooftop, etc.
  30. When eating out at the same old places, try something different on the menu for a change.
  31. Never lie about my age.
  32. Give paddle boarding a whirl.
  33. Go camping.
  34. Consider hiring a trainer.
  35. When moisturizing, never forget my neck!
  36. Mail medical insurance claims before my husband has a cow.
  37. Volunteer in Lucas’ classroom.
  38. Leave the phone in the car and really BE in the moment.
  39. Spend more time outdoors.
  40. Stop making lists!

Happy birthday to me.

Look for updates!

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I’m Ready!

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No matter what anyone says, turning 40 is a big deal.

You spend your whole 39th year thinking about it.

At least I did.

Especially the last few months, weeks and days.

In just four more sleeps I will wake up 40.

40.

It sounds so… foreign.

You thought I was going to say old, didn’t you?

Hardly. I feel anything but old. Besides, isn’t 40 the new 30?

Some of my best friends are 40 and are doing it fabulously!

What you don’t think about are all the changes that happen to your body, your life, and your mind, ready or not. Life is definitely happening and I think 40 means you’ve got more of an opinion (for sure), more experience (debatable), more resources (thank goodness), more responsibility (ugh) and maybe even new dreams (yes!) of your ever changing future.

A lot of reminiscing and accounting takes place leading up to the big 4-0. I’ve been asking myself what I have accomplished in the last 10 years and what I’d like to tackle in the next 10. I can’t wait to experience what this new decade has in store for me.

In many ways it feels like it was just yesterday that I turned 30.

This decade has gone by so fast and it has been both the best and worst of my life.

I celebrated my 30th birthday at a favorite local restaurant.

It saddens me that of the 10 people at that table back in June 2002, two are dead and seven I no longer speak to with any sort of regularity. These were people I thought would always be in my life.

My marriage was falling apart and becoming a mother was the furthest thing from my mind. The one constant has been my sister, who I am eternally grateful for.

So, although the cast of characters has changed a bit, I am blessed to be surrounded by love, support and good people.

I’m ready for a new era, new beginnings and new adventures.

I’m ready to celebrate how far I’ve come and look forward to what lies ahead.

I plan to keep strutting my stuff and doing the best I can to be a good wife, mother, sister and friend.

Bring it on, 40.

I’m ready!

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Three

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My one and only Lucas,

Today you turned three and I am still walking around with my jaw on the floor honestly not knowing where the last 1095 days went. They were gone in a flash.

Some so much quicker than others.

The smiles, joy, hope, love and magic you have brought to my life are immeasurable and if I’m being honest, that goes for the frustration, worry and confusion too.  

This motherhood thing is tricky and there are many days I feel as though I am learning as I go. Hopefully I’m getting a little better each day. Either way, I will forever be grateful to you for your trust and patience.

Lucas, you are my greatest accomplishment, my favorite person in the world (next to your dad, of course) and I am so blessed and honored to be your mother. Seeing the way your face lights up chasing bubbles in the backyard, taking that first bite of an ice cream cone and pedaling down the sidewalk on your new bicycle assures me know that life is beautiful, no matter what heartaches or struggles I may face.

Because of you, I channel my inner child and sing silly songs and make funny noises, all in an effort to hear you giggle.

Because of you, I am reminded daily how important it is to love and be loved. 

Because of you, I want to be a better person, a great mom, lead by example and offer you every single opportunity I have had and more. I want to show you the world and watch how your make your way through it.

Because of you, my life is richer.  

You know how to make me laugh when I want to cry.

You are a wonder to behold and witnessing you grow and change and explore is such a pleasure. Each day brings new adventures.

My heart and soul belong to you, Lucas and today I am wishing you the happiest of birthdays.

Love,
Mommy xoxo

My love. Flying home from vacation June 5, 2012.


 

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It Was Perfect

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Hi.

Let me just clear away the cobwebs.

It has been a while and I need a few more days to catch my breath…

I didn’t even have my Letters For You guest yesterday. Never fear, my weekly series will resume next week and stay tuned, because I have every Wednesday booked from now through September. I should also add that I haven’t been to visit any of my favorite bloggers lately either. Hopefully soon…

What a crazy, wonderful whirlwind of a week I have had so far!

My best friend, Sophie visited me from New Caledonia as an early birthday present from my husband and we had the best time together. Sophie and I have known each other since we were 14 and this week it was as if we were teenagers again.

We reminisced, caught up, laughed, cried and then laughed some more.

We shared secrets, parenting tips, gifts and hugs. 

We went to a Dodger baseball game, spent the day at the spa, went on an epic shopping trip (on which we both found jeans!), had dinner with my girlfriends and watched the sun set from a Duffy boat while eating cupcakes.

I posted a lot of photos on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram of our time together and more are below.

It was perfect.

And now, I’m left missing my friend, of course but I have the biggest smile on my face and my heart is full. The memories of this week will last a lifetime.

After being sick last week and MIA this week, Lucas and I need to get reacquainted. Tomorrow we head to North Carolina to attend a friend’s wedding and spend some quality time together as a family, so Letters For Lucas will be quiet again for a few days.

I hope you are enjoying your summer and loved ones too.

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Face-to-face

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My awesome husband and my oldest and dearest friend, Sophie have been conspiring for months to plan her visit to Southern California for my big 4-0! While she can’t be here in June for my actual birthday, she will be here later this month.

And when I say later this month, I mean in like FIVE days!! I am BEYOND excited!!

Sophie and I met in The Gambia, West Africa in 1985. We became instant best friends and partners in crime (literally and figuratively) and were inseparable for nearly three years. I never had met anyone like her before or since. When we moved in 1988, I was devastated.

I wouldn’t see Sophie again until 2000, but it was as if not a single day had gone by.

Sophie and her husband and two darling daughters, Emma and Noemi live in New Caledonia, off the coast of Australia today and Lucas and I visited them there in the spring of 2010. You can read all about our trip here. Once again, we picked up right where we left off, which I am convinced has to be the mark of a beautiful friendship. We are wives and mothers now and still have a very strong bond even though it is via e-mail, Facebook and Twitter.

Best friends and their children, New Caledonia, May 2010

This will be Sophie’s first visit to the United States and with that comes a lot of pressure! If you had never been to the U.S. before, what “must see” and “must do” items would be on your list?

A planner by nature, I do have all kinds of fun things organized for us to do while she’s here, none of which I can reveal now because Sophie does read my blog, but what I am looking forward to the most is sharing several bottles glasses of wine, sitting in the backyard and talking. Face-to-face.

What a lovely (early) birthday present! I can’t think of a better way to kick off my 40’s.

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