Yesterday was a great day. I felt loved, a little spoiled, immersed in a favorite past-time, and eventually, a little guilty. However, the party is over and today is another story entirely. On the morning following a celebration of the role I cherish most, I feel spent and sad and exhausted. Lost homework turned into WW III, big changes have presented new and confusing challenges, this might be the busiest week of life so far, and Mom exploded on the (late) ride to school.
None of the concerns that I loudly voiced on the way to school were incorrect. Everything was something that needed to be said. My kids are getting older and even though they fight it, sometimes they have no choice but to rise to the challenges that face them. If they can, I've done my job.
And I know that they will. That somehow, just when they think they can't, they'll realize they can. That they had the power all along, right inside. It's my responsibility to make sure they discover that inner power as soon as possible and help them harness it to use in whatever way their dreams lead. So, sometimes I'm tough and tell them what they need to know, once again, because it hasn't sunk in quite yet.
Then they hop from the car, obviously tired of my words, possibly feeling their sting just a bit. As I watch their tiny (and huge at the same time) bodies walk away and into the world, my heart falls deep, deep down into a place I hate to go. Why do I ever yell at them ever? I just love them so much it hurts. Literally.
I can't imagine growing up in the world that they face. Technology and its implications beyond imagination, more pressure to succeed than ever, and growing requirements and expectations at every turn, are just some of the things they face. And they're just little kids. Kids who, more than anything else in the whole wide world, I just want to be happy.
I know that I'm good at this job, most of the time. And I'm human, so I have to forgive myself the mistakes I make, just as I forgive my kids. I mean, how can we improve if we never falter? So here's to falling, getting back up and being better than you were before. Every single day.
________________________________________________
Interested in some past Mother's Day posts? Here are a few:
Just in Time for Mother's Day
Mother's Day Breakfast
Mother's Day 2009
Monday, May 14, 2012
Friday, May 11, 2012
why pinterest rocks
I wouldn't call myself an early-adopter. It takes me awhile to ramp up an interest in something new in the virtual world. I waited a long time before venturing onto Facebook and just started Tweeting last week. (Follow me @MollyLoganAnder.) But Pinterest, for me, is another story.
I've been wondering what it is about this seemingly pointless online bulletin board that continues to hold my attention week after week. I look for pockets of time to spend searching through not only my Pinterest friend's boards, but also through the "Everything" category, where I can peruse thousands of endlessly generating pins from folks throughout the world. I could easily spend forever on this site. Here's why I love it:
It's so pretty
It feels as if the most hip and stylish peeps in Internet Land combed tirelessly through the net and came up with this perfectly categorized collection of PICTURES of the best of everything on the planet and then called it Pinterest. From home improvement solutions, to fashion finds, to travel inspiration, to garden ideas to, MY FAVORITE: recipes; Pinterest has it all sorted out, depicted and labeled for our searching pleasure. One word, like "chandelier", results in a veritable banquet for the eyes and endless suggestions for whatever it is you're looking, without the stuff you don't want to see.
It's like shopping
For someone who writes a column about frugality each week, limiting shopping is key. However, I like to shop as much as the next girl. I've found that a good twenty minutes on Pinterest leaves me feeling like I've actually spent some cash. And the money-saving ideas and organization suggestions offered, help save time and money, too.
It's usable
I've implemented or tried so many Pinterest-found ideas, I can't even count them. It's my go-to source for new recipes now, more than any other site. The images make the decision for me and so far, most recipes have been delish, with some even being adopted as family-favorites. I've got a stockpile of garden projects in the works, like this cucumber trellis and a plan to make our builder-grade bathroom better with some simple woodwork.
It's inspiring
The best part about Pinterest is that it gets my creative juices flowing. In terms of interior decor, design, fashion and food, I absolutely love the style-provoking ideas from pinners that I follow. They don't inspire me to copy, just get me thinking about my own style and how to create a home tailor-made and designed by me. And the quotes, well, I'm a sucker for a good quote any day of the week. Love them. My boards feel like the ultimate vision collage - don't you remember making those works of art a million years ago?
But the jury is still out on...
Businesses. For now, it's an instant turn off to see a price tag on the corner of a pin. I've read about how brands big and small are getting on the Pinterest bandwagon and I just don't get it. The last thing I'd put on my bulletin board is an ad from the Gap (even though I'm a big fan!) My Pinterest boards are for ideas, styles and design, of any type, from non-retail pinners, that speak to me. I look back through them as a reminder of what makes me happy and to inspire me to make all walks of my life more authentically me. So, for regular old folks like you and me, I get sharing who you are through your pins. But for big brands with sales on the brain, the jury is still out.
If you're pinterested... follow me on Pinterest via the pin in the upper right corner!
I've been wondering what it is about this seemingly pointless online bulletin board that continues to hold my attention week after week. I look for pockets of time to spend searching through not only my Pinterest friend's boards, but also through the "Everything" category, where I can peruse thousands of endlessly generating pins from folks throughout the world. I could easily spend forever on this site. Here's why I love it:
It's so pretty
It feels as if the most hip and stylish peeps in Internet Land combed tirelessly through the net and came up with this perfectly categorized collection of PICTURES of the best of everything on the planet and then called it Pinterest. From home improvement solutions, to fashion finds, to travel inspiration, to garden ideas to, MY FAVORITE: recipes; Pinterest has it all sorted out, depicted and labeled for our searching pleasure. One word, like "chandelier", results in a veritable banquet for the eyes and endless suggestions for whatever it is you're looking, without the stuff you don't want to see.
It's like shopping
For someone who writes a column about frugality each week, limiting shopping is key. However, I like to shop as much as the next girl. I've found that a good twenty minutes on Pinterest leaves me feeling like I've actually spent some cash. And the money-saving ideas and organization suggestions offered, help save time and money, too.
It's usable
I've implemented or tried so many Pinterest-found ideas, I can't even count them. It's my go-to source for new recipes now, more than any other site. The images make the decision for me and so far, most recipes have been delish, with some even being adopted as family-favorites. I've got a stockpile of garden projects in the works, like this cucumber trellis and a plan to make our builder-grade bathroom better with some simple woodwork.
It's inspiring
The best part about Pinterest is that it gets my creative juices flowing. In terms of interior decor, design, fashion and food, I absolutely love the style-provoking ideas from pinners that I follow. They don't inspire me to copy, just get me thinking about my own style and how to create a home tailor-made and designed by me. And the quotes, well, I'm a sucker for a good quote any day of the week. Love them. My boards feel like the ultimate vision collage - don't you remember making those works of art a million years ago?
But the jury is still out on...
Businesses. For now, it's an instant turn off to see a price tag on the corner of a pin. I've read about how brands big and small are getting on the Pinterest bandwagon and I just don't get it. The last thing I'd put on my bulletin board is an ad from the Gap (even though I'm a big fan!) My Pinterest boards are for ideas, styles and design, of any type, from non-retail pinners, that speak to me. I look back through them as a reminder of what makes me happy and to inspire me to make all walks of my life more authentically me. So, for regular old folks like you and me, I get sharing who you are through your pins. But for big brands with sales on the brain, the jury is still out.
If you're pinterested... follow me on Pinterest via the pin in the upper right corner!
Thursday, May 10, 2012
i wish i didn't hate may
I shouldn't hate May, I mean, May marks Finn's arrival into our lives, but I growl inside every time another May appointment - game - concert - event - anything must be put into the schedule. My calendar software chuckles at me (literally, with reminders beeping about something new every 15 minutes) as I try to find spots for necessities, as if it holds the secret to making it all fit, but refuses to share it. I feel like the frog in that archaic video game, Frogger, do you remember it?
I begin the day at 5 AM, staring at a full lineup of overlapping meetings and responsibilities and I hop here and there, backtracking and side-winding, just trying to get where I need be (asleep) at 10 PM. I'm not dodging cars and trucks, I'm dodging teacher requests, celebrations of any type and new season start-up meetings. And I don't get three lives like Frogger. I only get one.
It's honestly laughable to imagine Mother's Day plopped in the middle of this mix - what a joke! Although I fully intend to enjoy a full day of garden-dirty hands, and get my floral and vegetable fix, I can't imagine where the time or energy (or money) will come from. If I write one more check for an end of year t-shirt, appreciation item or unexpected activity expense, I think I might just throw in the towel.
I've said it before and I'll say it again - MAY IS WORSE THAN DECEMBER!
I begin the day at 5 AM, staring at a full lineup of overlapping meetings and responsibilities and I hop here and there, backtracking and side-winding, just trying to get where I need be (asleep) at 10 PM. I'm not dodging cars and trucks, I'm dodging teacher requests, celebrations of any type and new season start-up meetings. And I don't get three lives like Frogger. I only get one.
It's honestly laughable to imagine Mother's Day plopped in the middle of this mix - what a joke! Although I fully intend to enjoy a full day of garden-dirty hands, and get my floral and vegetable fix, I can't imagine where the time or energy (or money) will come from. If I write one more check for an end of year t-shirt, appreciation item or unexpected activity expense, I think I might just throw in the towel.
I've said it before and I'll say it again - MAY IS WORSE THAN DECEMBER!
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
my take on fifty shades
I'll just put it out there.... I've read Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. I've read the second one, too and I'm half way done with the third. Curiosity got the best of me after I heard about it in every corner of my life and I just had to know what it was all about. Then my book club adopted it this month, actually swapped it out with another read, and we discussed it last night.
All month long, I've worried that a.) my book club would think me a total pervert for suggesting it, b.) my children may suddenly peek over my shoulder and catch a glimpse at what I was reading and c.) the media concern and coverage of what many outlets are touting as disturbing is likely a total waste of air-time.
The fact is that Fifty Shades of Grey is mindless entertainment at its best. Promoted as steamy erotica for suburban moms, Fifty Shades is exactly that and nothing more. In my opinion, it's not disturbing or degrading in any way. It's not the great American novel either, but it's thoroughly engrossing for sure. If anything, my curiosity is satisfied and I'm more educated and less judgmental about a consenting-adult lifestyle that I previously knew nothing about.
As someone who has never read ANYTHING like this, the initial scenes, descriptions and subject matter were a little shocking; but shocking in the same way that we like to watch steamy love scenes in movies or people wiping out on American's Funniest Videos. No, this is nowhere near a PG-rating, but does everything need to be?
Fifty Shades was a true departure for me and everyone in our Book Club, but it was completely refreshing to experience and partake in the discussion that followed. It's unlikely that this book is saving marriages as I've read in the press, but I think I can say that for some, it's heating them up and reminding us all of a time in our lives when passion, not the carpool schedule, was first and foremost on our minds. What's wrong with that? And discussing it with a group of friends might just be the funniest few hours I've ever enjoyed. (Imagine quips about Fifty Shades Charades, strong pelvic floors and multi-use chip clips - it was nothing shy of hilarious!)
I've also heard concern that exposure to this book will lead women down new paths in their lives that they never intended to go. Let's give women a little more credit. It was interesting, fantastical, ridiculous, provocative, and a little inspiring, if I'm being honest. But on the flip side, I have no desire to change my lifestyle as a result of this book. I found parts of it annoying, repetitive and desensitizing, too.
Finally, Fifty Shades does not belong in the hands of youngsters, probably not even college students - they already have enough out-of-the-box ideas and activities in their lives. The thought of my daughters reading this in the years to come is appalling and I wouldn't recommend it until they know themselves very, very well.
Other than managing the ages of the eyes that fall upon it, Fifty Shades of Grey should not to be analyzed to death and taken so seriously. Instead, it should be taken on vacation and devoured. Purely for the complete departure from reality and the plain and simple fun of it.
All month long, I've worried that a.) my book club would think me a total pervert for suggesting it, b.) my children may suddenly peek over my shoulder and catch a glimpse at what I was reading and c.) the media concern and coverage of what many outlets are touting as disturbing is likely a total waste of air-time.
The fact is that Fifty Shades of Grey is mindless entertainment at its best. Promoted as steamy erotica for suburban moms, Fifty Shades is exactly that and nothing more. In my opinion, it's not disturbing or degrading in any way. It's not the great American novel either, but it's thoroughly engrossing for sure. If anything, my curiosity is satisfied and I'm more educated and less judgmental about a consenting-adult lifestyle that I previously knew nothing about.
As someone who has never read ANYTHING like this, the initial scenes, descriptions and subject matter were a little shocking; but shocking in the same way that we like to watch steamy love scenes in movies or people wiping out on American's Funniest Videos. No, this is nowhere near a PG-rating, but does everything need to be?
Fifty Shades was a true departure for me and everyone in our Book Club, but it was completely refreshing to experience and partake in the discussion that followed. It's unlikely that this book is saving marriages as I've read in the press, but I think I can say that for some, it's heating them up and reminding us all of a time in our lives when passion, not the carpool schedule, was first and foremost on our minds. What's wrong with that? And discussing it with a group of friends might just be the funniest few hours I've ever enjoyed. (Imagine quips about Fifty Shades Charades, strong pelvic floors and multi-use chip clips - it was nothing shy of hilarious!)
I've also heard concern that exposure to this book will lead women down new paths in their lives that they never intended to go. Let's give women a little more credit. It was interesting, fantastical, ridiculous, provocative, and a little inspiring, if I'm being honest. But on the flip side, I have no desire to change my lifestyle as a result of this book. I found parts of it annoying, repetitive and desensitizing, too.
Finally, Fifty Shades does not belong in the hands of youngsters, probably not even college students - they already have enough out-of-the-box ideas and activities in their lives. The thought of my daughters reading this in the years to come is appalling and I wouldn't recommend it until they know themselves very, very well.
Other than managing the ages of the eyes that fall upon it, Fifty Shades of Grey should not to be analyzed to death and taken so seriously. Instead, it should be taken on vacation and devoured. Purely for the complete departure from reality and the plain and simple fun of it.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
setback
My head is killing me. Well, not literally, but it feels like it sometimes! It's definitely killing my joy!
My initial rush of excitement about the right meds doing the trick on this noggin of mine is starting to fade, with a sudden increase in the severe migraines that I typically only experience once or twice a year. I've had three in the last four weeks, on top of my regular headaches, and they are not reacting to the abortive medicine, Frova, that once worked for me. I called the doctor to today to let them know that things are sliding. Hope to hear back soon. I fear the word "injection" is on the horizon.
This migraine thing is a challenge. I feel like a complainer. I hate saying, yet again, "Please be quiet, Mommy has a headache." What a bore. I really just don't want a headache. Is that too much to ask?
The last round of information was that our current plan seemed to be working, and that I needed another EEG to see if an abnormal brain wave and low seizure threshold had corrected itself after two months of a new medicine. Another tidbit of unwelcome news: I'm not allowed one drop of alcohol for about a year! I'm not a big drinker, but hearing that it was totally out of the question feels a little bit restrictive. I mean, really? It's summertime!
As Mike and I prepare for our first weekend away in years, I'll be ordering a Perrier, I guess. And that trip with our high school pals on the Kentucky Bourbon trail in July? Well, that won't be quite what I imagined. But at least the group will have a designated driver in tow.
This temporary personal prohibition really isn't a big deal. It's the thought of a headache arriving on vacation that is worrying me sick. I'll do anything to have a headache-free, marriage-building weekend away. Cheers to the doctor calling soon.
Oh, and there is some good news: a new pal seems to be an expert on the best non-alcoholic beveridges around. Can't wait to try her favorite, Buckler, St. Pauly Girl NA, and surprising top-choice, Busch NA, sometime soon!
My initial rush of excitement about the right meds doing the trick on this noggin of mine is starting to fade, with a sudden increase in the severe migraines that I typically only experience once or twice a year. I've had three in the last four weeks, on top of my regular headaches, and they are not reacting to the abortive medicine, Frova, that once worked for me. I called the doctor to today to let them know that things are sliding. Hope to hear back soon. I fear the word "injection" is on the horizon.
This migraine thing is a challenge. I feel like a complainer. I hate saying, yet again, "Please be quiet, Mommy has a headache." What a bore. I really just don't want a headache. Is that too much to ask?
The last round of information was that our current plan seemed to be working, and that I needed another EEG to see if an abnormal brain wave and low seizure threshold had corrected itself after two months of a new medicine. Another tidbit of unwelcome news: I'm not allowed one drop of alcohol for about a year! I'm not a big drinker, but hearing that it was totally out of the question feels a little bit restrictive. I mean, really? It's summertime!
As Mike and I prepare for our first weekend away in years, I'll be ordering a Perrier, I guess. And that trip with our high school pals on the Kentucky Bourbon trail in July? Well, that won't be quite what I imagined. But at least the group will have a designated driver in tow.
This temporary personal prohibition really isn't a big deal. It's the thought of a headache arriving on vacation that is worrying me sick. I'll do anything to have a headache-free, marriage-building weekend away. Cheers to the doctor calling soon.
Oh, and there is some good news: a new pal seems to be an expert on the best non-alcoholic beveridges around. Can't wait to try her favorite, Buckler, St. Pauly Girl NA, and surprising top-choice, Busch NA, sometime soon!
Monday, May 7, 2012
shoestring living: making mother's day more meaningful
Here's my most recent Shoestring Living video: Make Mother's Day More Meaningful!
Look for links, like this one, to my latest published articles, columns and videos in the coming months.
Look for links, like this one, to my latest published articles, columns and videos in the coming months.
gymnastics state meet 2012
Just had to share these fabulous professional shots of Riley at this year's USAG Level 4 State Meet in Peoria. She competed fabulously and ranked 8th All Around in a super-tough age group. She also placed on beam and floor and put up her personal best on bars as well. She's a star and we are SO proud of her! Mostly, we just love that she's founds something she loves so very much!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
