The Face of Success

I just couldn't stand to look at that cat photo any more (ick) and decided another post was necessary, tonight.

This photo is much more pleasant: one of my preschool students, right after he conquered a major food aversion.

That is the happy face of a child who just overcame a huge obstacle.

That is a child who knows he can do hard things.

That face is why I totally love my job.

A Good Day

Today, we woke up to the first snowfall of the year.
Then, the stars aligned and all the kids went to school, a playdate, and a swap all at the same time. I found my lucky self sitting down for a (quiet/lovely/rare) lunch with Kasey at the Green Bean.

Locals, have you been to this place? It's only open for lunch, but it is quite the gem.

Who thinks to put blackberries, red peppers, blueberries, black grapes and avocado on a hummus on a mesquite smoked turkey sandwich? The lovely little lady who owns the Green Bean, that's who, and she knows what she is doing. She might as well have spread a layer of crack all over that sandwich because I can't stop thinking about when I will be able to go back for another.
The bread for my sandwich was still warm when I ate it.
The pecan bar was devoured instantly. Twice. Because I bought a second one.

The company was excellent. I highly recommend lunch anywhere with Kasey.

The rest of the day included:
-cleaning my kitchen (I've been an organizing fool lately and it is finally starting to pay off)
-a phone call to my sister (hollah Amy! I miss you!)
-a nap
-a surprise package from my parents' trip to London. I had to use serious self restraint to keep from eating the entire package of McVitties cookies (mmmm delicious...and digestive)
-receiving some good advice about having charity (from my friend who knew I needed to hear it today)
-re-mopping a path of about 200 sets of snow covered footprints that ran back and forth from the ourside door to the hallway (right across my clean kitchen floor. I should have known it would snow as soon as I mopped. That'll hopefully teach me to put it off a little longer next time). The kids loved the snow.
-friends coming over to play
-hot chocolate and marshmallows
-a dinner that was served, with love, from the freezer (bless my parents for talking me into that purchase. I don't know how I lived without it.) to my family.
-Relief Society Meeting.

I came home to find everyone asleep and a book waiting for me on the sofa.
It might be 17* outside, but it is a toasty 75* in my living room.
Not a bad Thursday.

Valuable Time

I had a killer cold/sinus infection/fever on Sunday and Aaron had his nasty toenail removed Friday (wait...can you hear that? I think it is a choir of angels singing!). Luckily, I had already packed away the Christmas decorations and put the house back together, so we basically spent the entire weekend in pajamas playing the wii, lamenting over the terrible remake of the Smurfs (the kids loved it, that's what matters), eating NYE leftovers (yum!) and reading some good books.
Those lazy days were just what the doctor ordered!

I started The Last Lecture on Monday, and even though some of it is a little t00 cliche/self-help-ey for my taste, I am enjoying and learning from the insightful reminders to enjoy living and to evaluate how each minute is spent.

The author (diagnosed with terminal cancer and only months to live) shares one particular little story about finding out he had been double charged at the grocery store. He knew that to be reimbursed for this mistake, he would need to spend 15 minutes filling out a form at customer service.
15 minutes matters to a dying man.
He left the store an unnecessary $16 poorer, but a wealthy 15 minutes richer.

Great lesson, right? This story, and the circumstances of a couple friends, really brought back to my attention the importance of being present in each moment and enjoying them for better or worse.

Yesterday was a really great day.

Yesterday, I witnessed two miracles that were attitude altering. Life altering.

January 3rd ain't got NUTHIN on me.

Also, I am finally not a liar, as this Winter has lived up to what Arkansas winters should be. The freak show display that the last two winters threw at us were starting to make me think I had been hallucinating the 4 previous winters, and that 50* days were only a figure of my imagination.

I'm not in denial. I know the cold is coming.
I know we will spend a week+ literally "iced in" our home.
I'll enjoy those days when they happen.

But today, oh today! I had a dreamy time soaking up the warm winter sunlight with the kids today.
And then I sat down and discovered that a corner of my sofa had been preheated by a warm and cozy ray of sunshine coming through the sliding glass window.

I curled up with Quincy and we read a book and took a 2 hour nap, snuggled together in the sunlight. Wouldn't you do the same? If I discovered I only had months to live, I am happy to say I would not have changed anything about how this afternoon was spent.

Today, I shared a lemonade with Corbin, napped with a warm Quincy, and I just finished playing a glitter-loving toothfairy to a slumbering Reese.

I am grateful for these moments, both big and small: miracles and lemonades, that give me a reason to just enjoy every day for everything they have to offer us.

So Much to Say:

This blog is lacking. it must be September. Here's where I'm spending my time:

-Preschool. It's going so well. I love my classes (as if there's any possibility that I wouldn't?) and like every year, I can't believe I ever considered taking a year off. I also originally worried I might regret the choice to teach twice a week, but I don't at all. I really love having the children separated into two separate age groups. We're having a preschool pajama party up in here, this week! Fun times!

-Soccer. Two consecutive late nights a week do not make for happy girls by wednesday. Reese rocked in her game tonight and played her hardest. The kids had good fun cheering for her. Quincy kept cheering for her own team "Go Team Beat! We got the Beat!" and Corbin enjoyed a nice box or two of Red #40.
Reese is really fast! I need to take her running and see just what kind of fire she's got in her. I might sort of really super love the idea of a potential little running buddy.

-Not that I am running lately. Cuz I'm not. Like at all.
-and to bust any questions, it's not because I'm pregnant. Cuz I'm not. Like at all.

-Pumpkin! Pie, muffins, bread, pancakes, I don't care what it is, just bring it to me and watch me eat. I promise you won't be disappointed. It's quite a show.

-Crafting. It's fall. I feel a crazy need to create, organize, clean, and make pretty things. Anything that uses creative energy. I suppose the blog could stand for me to put some of that creative energy toward writing and blog something that isn't a complete waste of your time.

-Yardwork. Under those ugly bushes were 2 tons of awful gravel. We killed ourselves digging and hauling it outta there on Saturday, and now I'm debating whether or not it is worth the money to put in a little flagstone retaining wall. The weather this week is PERFECT, so if I'm gonna do it, it should be now.

-Immunization Awareness. I really need to do something to spread the good news in my community, but I don't know what to do. Did you know that the national immunization rate is sitting at 74.9%? Did you know that the rate in Utah is only 66.7%? California is just as bad. Come on guys! Do some research. For every person that believes a conspiracy and tells false rumors that vaccines will give you cancer, an extra finger, autism, or a mullet, there needs to be 5 educated, sane people telling the truth. Vaccines are safe, and they work, but they're most effective if the entire community participates, so bully up, people. Your friends that are "opting out" for "personal reasons" are making a "personal" choice that affects YOUR health. That's not very fair, now is it? So let's change it, and speak up! Educate your friends, and let's work together to fortify our blanket of protection. As a family that has personally been affected by a communicable disease outbreak, we felt totally helpless when the girls got sick. I thought that by getting the vaccine, I'd done everything I could. Wrong. Tell OTHERS to get their vaccines, too. It's a collaborative effort. It's a civic duty.

I literally feel sick every time I hear an anti vaccine argument. Why? They are NEVER based on true information. "Vaccines gave my kid____ ." False. I have no problem telling you to your face that you are wrong, so do not try to sell me this argument. It is weak and unsupported. Do some research, your kid had ______ before the vaccine.

-Books. Still reading The Count of Monte Cristo, and I will be for the rest of my life. I should have known better than to start such a long book. I am not a "one chapter a night" kind of reader. I'd much prefer to rock the sweatpants, serve pb&j for dinner and devour a book in one day, and a few weeks later devour another book. I'm like a snake. Don't they eat one fat rabbit and then they're good for a month? I feel that way with books. I like to keep busy and let's face it, I should be mothering my small children instead of reading all the time. Monte Cristo isn't exactly a "one day" kind of book...not for me, anyway, so I've been attempting to read when my kids go to bed, but I think I'm still less than 10% though. I do enjoy the book, but reading in little spurts here and there is like snacking all day and never indulging in a real meal. I feel completely unsatisfied with this style of reading. I might have to take a break and read a short little book one day to give my ADD a fix.

-Preparations. I feel winter coming. Like an animal about to go into hibernation, I've been obsessing over making sure we are ready for it. Everything from: Are we prepared for an ice storm? Do the flashlights have batteries in them? Do we have enough firewood? How is our food storage looking? to making a list of indoor date ideas (we always end up just going to dinner and getting a redbox once winter hits), finishing up outdoor projects and painting things before it is too cold to complete them. I do hope winter stays away for another month. My squash (squashes?) are about 3 inches long and I'd love to get one good harvest in before the frost arrives.

-My kids. They are so amazing. They are growing so much so fast and it is thrilling and heartbreaking at the same time. I love them and I am so happy to be a mother.

-Cooking, baking, and most importantly, eating. Food is good, y'all. How sad would life be without bread and cheese? Mmm or chocolate? Or crisp grapes? And we have access to all of those things every day! We have so much to be grateful for. Have another cookie.

It's Good to Be Meg Willardson

It's good to be me.
Today I:

-started our summer reading program

-felt guilty that Henry's garage has not opened in 72 hours (another post. wait for it.)

-waited all morning for the A/C guy to show up. At 11 I called him and he acted all put out as though it was my fault he was so busy and wouldn't be able to make it after all (um, ya think? You were supposed to be here an hour ago.) He said he miiiiight be able to squeeze me in next week, but this week is too busy. Well, Mr. Fixit, you may have come highly recommended by friends, but that is what you told me last week, and that is WHY we had an appointment this morning. I had my Mom come pick up Quincy and take her to a birthday party for me, and I moved Reese's doctor appointment to the afternoon to make myself available for you. You didn't even call me to tell me you weren't showing up, so I think we'll be better off with someone else.

-fished Cowboy Boots out of a toilet bowl. No, not those kind of cowboy boots...
This kind of Boots...he's a cowboy. (yeppers, those are salad tongs.)

-moved that shirt to the "recycle bin" after seeing that photo.

-panicked after eating dinner, because I thought Aaron had taken the dirty "toilet tongs" out of the dishwasher to use them to take the hot dogs off the grill. (He didn't, but we all had a good laugh. Yes, I am just going to buy new tongs. Yes. You can come over for hot dogs.)

-lost a bunch of friends because they read my blog. hahaha! No really. Can we still be friends if you use my bathroom and find Boots in my toilet? Just tell me now ;)

-yelled numbers at a machine recording until it gave up and put a real representative on the phone to activate my new debit card (we canceled the other one because we thought it had been stolen, but it turns out I am just an airhead and remembered the cause of the high dollar mystery purchase-Quincy's ER visit for the quarter--less than 1 minute AFTER the old card was canceled. oopsie.) After forevah on the phone, my "immediately activated" card didn't work when I tried to buy lunch Chick-Fil-A. I have a hot date with customer service tomorrow for some PB&J's and troubleshooting.

-melted when temps hit 95* today. Ew.

-hit this cat with a rock before taking this photo. In my defense, I thought it was dead (he was sleeping). Aaron got him with the shovel. (in Aaron's defense, cats are disgusting and won't leave us alone.) Kitty got away. Point: Smelly Cat.
Dear irresponsible owners of the cats that think they live at my house,

I can't type what I really think about you and your disease infested felines because this is a family blog. Maybe on day when I haven't reached my word limit.

Until then, listen up:
Your cats flock to my yard like owls to Number 4 Privet Drive. There is now a $10 bounty out on your pets, and I will pony up some decent cash for anyone who permanently removes one of them from my yard. Dead or alive, I do not care. I am convinced that most cats sold their souls to Satan a long time ago, so I'm not really concerned about their mortality.

The traps are set,
Meg

-Took Reese to the doctor (ear infection). She did a great job waiting patiently for an hour to see the doctor. When she got home, she ran straight to her "good news journal" to write about her visit and put the sticker inside.

-Started a reading program with Quincy. She has a lisp, so I am going to go with a phonics program for her and see if it helps with her speech as well. Today we worked on some of the letter sounds that she doesn't know yet. Reese enjoyed reading the little books that came with the set.

-Filled a bunch of water balloons. It IS summer after all. The first two balloons lasted 30 minutes and were carefully cradled and carried around the yard. The rest were gone in 5 minutes of pure childhood bliss.





-Consoled the first water bomb victim. (Don't be fooled by the pathetic face. It's a ruse and she gleefully retaliated on her opponent just moments after this photo was taken.)



-Stuffed a couple water balloons in my shirt when Aaron came home for lunch and waited for him to notice. It was hillarious. I'm ten.



-I probably will not be laughing when one of my little girls copies my behavior and stuffs their shirt next week. It was still worth it.



-washed and dryed 4 loads of laundry, but didn't fold or put away one single item. My sheets are in the dryer and Aaron is happily asleep in a heap of towels and a spare blanket (love him.) I'm calling it good enough for tonight and will fold the lot tomorrow.



-the good news is that I found Aaron's pile of socks. I know that sounds crazy, but he's been missing ALL of his black socks for a week, now. They were under a lone shirt at the bottom of the whites basket and kept getting overlooked. Gross, but I am glad I found them because it means I am not crazy. I mean, who loses 10 pairs of identical black socks all at once?



-saw Something Borrowed with my mom. Laughed until I cried on the way to the theater, laughed in the movie, and laughed some more on the way home. Cute movie, great company.

-the hot, fresh, tiny cinnamon donuts weren't bad, either.


-called the police.

Yeah, you read that right. After the movie I dropped my mom off at her rental and headed home. There was a little old lady wandering down Trafalgar road. Some people were trying to talk to her but she wasn't speaking coherently. After they gave up, I rolled down my window and though she clearly had no clue where she was (or who she was, really), she waved her wicker handbag at my van to "get away". I left her, but felt uneasy the rest of the drive home. I called the nonemergency number and the police said they would send someone over to find her and make sure she is ok.

Did you lose your grandma? She's headed south/southeast on Trafalgar, near Commonwealth.



-researched how to clip the hens' wings. I may attempt it tomorrow.



I'm loving summer!

Good Mail

I got a little surprise in the mail yesterday from my friend, Angela.

Have you tried chocolate Pop Rocks?

You must, they are fantastically superior to all other PopRocks varieties.

Not only are they a delicious, fun, snappity poppity sensory infused treat, the chocolate is actually GOOD chocolate.

Chocolate PopRocks = A+

Sweet surprise notes from friends = A++ (does the A++ actually exist? It should.)

It made for a giggly afternoon, and some very chocolately faces.

Thanks, A, for making our day!

Today.

The windows are open and a fresh breeze is blowing fiercely through the house.

The kids are caked in mud, leaves, lunch, and grossness.

There are cookies (yeah, the break and bake kind. we're fancy.) on the counter.

I had lunch with a friend while our children ran wild.
We just sat at the table, stuffed ourselves with chips and hummus, and narrated what we saw the children doing through the window.
We are quite funny, and our kids are awesome.
Then, we went outside and played some more until it started raining.

I talked to my Mom, today.

I scored some books at the Borders liquidation sale.

I babysat sweet little Claire, this morning. She makes me so happy.

I drove Reese to school an hour late.

Another friend called about an hour ago and we had some good laughs about ordinary things.

I got a pedicure a week ago and my toes still look fab.

Aaron and I have a date tonight.

It's 4:30 and the kids are dressed and ready for bed.

Aaron dropped in for lunch.

I read for awhile and did some laundry.

I made running plans for tomorrow. At least 7 of us are meeting for a training run on the course for the Bentonville Half. Go runner girls of Bella Vista! We really need a name for ourselves.
I heart that my "short" run is 13 miles. But I'm also feeling the toll of the longer runs and I've already burned through the running shoes I bought in September.

Corbin didn't take a nap, is cutting teeth, and has a wicked diaper rash, but is still the happiest baby guy ever. And the cutest ever. Especially right now, with dried mud on his nose, sunkissed cheeks, sweaty hairline and sticky everything.

I showered, but put on the same outfit I wore last night. (it was cute, alright? Don't act like you never do that. Plus, I rock at being gross, remember?)

One of my potted plants from last year had tulip bulbs in it that never sprouted, but i discovered 4 little 1 inch sprouts today.

It smells really good outside. Like rain and fabric softener.



Today was a perfect mix of events that were totally ordinary and not so ordinary at all.

I love a day when I can just hang around and enjoy sweet kids and good company. Nothing spectacular or miraculous needs to happen.

My life is a miracle that I choose to see.