I have had the simplest and most wonderful of mornings. With 3 kids, two of whom are older (meaning, not babies or toddlers), life is so busy. School, sports, carpool, commutes, activities.... It's go, go, go all the time. Working part time in addition to that makes things that much busier, but this morning, I had a morning that reminded me of when Matthew and Champ were little - it was just a simple, lovely morning. And while years ago I probably would have considered it a pretty average day, today, it was super special to me - because these simple mornings are so few and far between.
First, I got up at 5:15 and met Debbie for a run which felt great. I came home, got lunches made, breakfast cooked, and waved goodbye to my boys at 7:10. The second they stepped out of the door, I locked it, turned off the light and headed upstairs to my bed. I jumped right back into bed for 45 minutes of blissful sleep, until I heard Brooke starting to stir. So, I hopped up, showered and went into her room. Picking her up out of her crib is just awesome. She's warm and snugly and so sweet - I never tire of doing this. We enjoyed oatmeal and blueberries together. Then we played for a few minutes and went to Publix.
She delighted in holding her purple Publix balloon all the way through the store. Even something as silly and normal as this - a child with a balloon - brought me IMMENSE joy as we made our way through the store. She was so happy to have her balloon. On the way home from Publix, we stopped at the Park and played for 45 minutes. I have taken her to the park twice, I think. It was a daily excursion for the boys when they were little, but Brooke's "park" time now has three letters in front of it - N, Y, and O. Today we went to the kids' park and she had a ball! She climbed up stairs and went down slides - she loved the swing - she ran around as happy as a lark. It was wonderful!!! Then we came home, had lunch and this is what she's doing now.
To relax and enjoy life with no cell phone, computer, newspaper - was therapeutic for me this morning! So, if you have older kids and you're looking for this kind of peace, go on and make another baby! Ha - only joking. I do hope that you can find moments to sit back, relax and just enjoy beauty and life for the purity of it.
Speaking of beauty, I wanted to share a couple of my favorite things. First, is this tinted moisturizer made by Aveeno. I started using this last Summer mostly for the SPF. I think I bought it without realizing that it was even tinted. This stuff is GREAT! I don't wear foundation or pressed powder or anything - I just mix a squirt of this with my regular moisturizer and smear it onto my face - it makes my skin look smooth and even. I highly recommend it!
My next favorite thing is Rao's sauce. I picked this off the shelf from Publix a while back because I loved how few ingredients it had. I warmed it up and was so excited by the taste. Oh my goodness, is this stuff good! It tastes like my Italian great grandmother made it (though I don't have an Italian great grandmother - but if I did, this would remind me of her cooking). It's better than my homemade marinara, that's for sure. So, when I want a meat sauce, I season and cook the beef and then let it simmer with the sauce for a couple of hours - spoon over pasta or a spaghetti squash - delicious! I bought a jar this morning for $8.69 from Publix. Below is what the jar looks like (I copied this picture from the website - you can order in bulk straight from Rao's - which I may do, after we move and I have more space). Rao's makes a bunch of other sauces and dressings - the only other one that I have tried, in addition to this marinara sauce, is Rao's Balsamic Vinaigrette - which is phenomenal. My friend, Irmela, taught me how to make my own Balsamic Vinaigrette, and this tastes just like it - it's delicious.
And lastly, while I'm on the subject of enjoyment for the sake of enjoyment, might I suggest that you start watching Parenthood, if you don't already? This comes on at 10:00 on Tuesday nights, I believe - on NBC. I'm usually asleep by 10:00 so I DVR it and watch it as I have time. It's a great show - really for everyone, but I, as a parent, can really relate to some of the characters and happenings on the show. It has something for everyone - it's got a very REAL quality about it - so check it out if you haven't already!
