I was asking myself which way I should make my bed. Just pull the duvet up and toss the pillows on or fold the duvet over and style the pillows nicely. Maybe I will be a total rebel, revel in all sorts of willy nilly and not make it at all, I think to myself. I was feeling like I could justify ignoring my bed a bit. I had a sink full of dishes, babies to feed and bite and three other kids with a long list of summer adventures filling their daydreams. I decided to fold the duvet over because whenever I ask myself those kinds of questions, I always end up taking the "extra mile" route.

It's kind of like me with shopping carts. I am generally mindful to run the shopping cart back. And even though I park next to the Shopping Cart Return to simplify, there are those few occasions where I don't. Where the kids are going nuts, the babies are fussing, and let's face it; I'm just wanting to get home ASAP. I will tell myself that just this once it is okay to leave the cart. But then it comes. That guilt over the fact that some poor kid is going to have to work extra hard in the heat/cold to wrangle all the stray carts. And maybe, just maybe, my extra cart will be the one to send him into a fit, make him quit his job, and never go to college. So I sigh and return the cart anyway.

Okay already! I will make the bed pretty! I looked at my bed with satisfaction. Such a fluffy welcoming bed that tells me I don't hang around as much as I should. "But I have five kids and a set of twins.", I tell it. "But look how soft and pretty I am now that you dressed me." "I know bed, I know. There will come a time when I will visit more often." "Just for a minute?!", the bed pleads. And then it happened. I gave in. Just like that I fell right into my soft pillow and into sweet bliss. As quickly as I hit the bed I began negotiating the terms of my stay. Two minutes and that's it! I started bouncing my thumb on my hip in thought. There is definitely more bounce on this hip then there should be I think to myself. I need to get on that. Then I think about breakfast for the babies. Stonyfield yogurt and pureed berries I thought. I laid there staring into the ceiling fan. There is a slight, slow mechanical wallop sound and I think to myself that even my fan has a southern accent. The shadows on the ceiling change quickly as a group of clouds moved over head. I think to myself that I should blink.

"Pssssst!". Stinky Pete has slithered in silently and is now staring at me sideways. He leaps up on to the bed effortlessly and immediately begins to jump. "Hey, Mom! Loot at me!" Then he starts into his signature break dance moves. He tells me to "Look!" repeatedly so I won't miss his next trickier trick. All the while he has that look on his face. That look of I am so cool becauseiamabreakdancerandiloveitwhenmymomcheersmeon look. Then he asks me to MC a break dance show on the bed for him. I smile and grab my imaginary mic and we are set. "Wasssuuuup yo! Welcome to the greatest break dancing event in history. Tonight the Red Devil will blow you away........" My two minutes in bed turned into more like fifteen (because after any good dance-off there has to be tickling. Lots of tickling). Soon, Stinky Pete moved on to his next conquest and I was energized. Thanks bed. 'Til we meet again, bed.

I have pigtails!

Memory lane...

I am a big time thrifter. I don't have much time to run around but I have been lucky to find some really great treasures. The kind that make you gasp with delight. Yesterday, I found some Fisher Price Little People sets. It was an instant rewind to my childhood. For a couple of bucks each, it was a great find.



I LOVED playing with these sets as a kid. Anyone else?

La Floride!

I have heard the word sugar used to describe the sands on Florida's beaches but I didn't realize how true it was until last week. Shawn and I took the kids for a mini getaway to Panama City Beach. We had planned on staying in Pensacola which is not quite three hours from us. With the issue of oil dotting some of the shores, we decided to go a bit further. It was a good decision and we loved our time at the beach. I had fallen asleep in the car and I woke up to Shawn saying softly, "We're here." We were on the final stretch that runs along the beachfront. In the most cliche way, I rolled down my window, closed my eyes and just let the sound and smell overwhelm me. I don't just love the ocean, I am IN love with it. I always have been and I always will be. It is a friend and a comfort to me. And no matter how long we are away from each other, we always pick up where we left off. I turned with tears in my eyes, and feeling like a complete nut asked Shawn if we could stay forever. He smiled and without teasing me for my emotional display, simply put his arm around me and said, "Yes." He knew I would eventually return to reality and figured humoring me would harm nothing. He's cute like that.

Naptime for Twins

The twins are finally napping. Sam is teething and Charlotte was overly tired and therefore having a hard time falling asleep. When they were smaller, I could rock them both to sleep in my arms. Now that they are bigger, we have to take turns. Though they each have a turn now for me to shamelessly moon over them, I can't help but be ever aware of the other baby standing in their crib with that "what about me, mommy?" look on their face. The one consolation to this dilemma is that a lullaby can reach and soothe them both. There is a reason that the power of a lullaby stretches beyond just a tune or string of words. I love that in one breath, I can convey what would otherwise become a wordy message. I can tell them there is peace and calm and safety all around them. I love that a mothers (fathers, aunts, etc.) voice may be weak or strong, controlled or raw, but all that little one will hear is love. There are times where my mouth sings the words though my mind is still detained by the craziness of the day. There are other times though, where I am aware of each little finger and toe and revel in the classic battle between their minds desire to be awake and their body begging for rest. Where I can let the magic of watching a little one fall asleep completely surround me. Why , oh, why do they have to grow so fast?!