Friday Favs

1. These nachos. Yesssssss.

2. I’m eating this oatmeal almost every morning. It’s amazing and delicious and amazing.

3. Flatbread pizzas. I could eat these beauties every day of my life.

4. I’m obsessed with mugs and this would be great for my ever-growing collection.

5. Speaking of needing things, this burger. SERIOUSLY.

6. This shirt...because every mermaid needs to be saved.

7. I love me some sangria. Yum.

8. I NEED this sign for my house. NEED.

9. Looks like I need to learn to make sushi. This roll looks ah-mazing!

10. These breakfast sandwiches need to happen immediately.

Can’t

I loathe the word “Can’t” and K says it ALL. THE. TIME. It drives me bananas. If there’s anything that I’ve learned in my 31 years on this earth it’s that if you think you can’t then you most definitely won’t be able to do whatever it is you’re trying to do. I tell my minions that I’d rather them try and fail at something then sit there and tell me they can’t do something.

K wanted to stand on this little wiggly thingy (I have no clue what else to call it) at the park the other day and she sat there for a minute, laughing and having fun, and out of nowhere got all serious. I asked her what was wrong, I asked her why she stopped trying to stand up and she told me, “I can’t do it Mom. I just can’t. It’s too hard.”

She asked for my help. I said no. She pleaded for me to help her. I said no. She said she would fall and hurt herself if I didn’t help her. I said no.  And I looked at my darling girl and told her to eliminate the word “can’t” from her vocabulary. That she CAN do anything she wants to do and yes, it’s easy to doubt yourself and yes it’s hard to take the leap knowing you can fail but if you fail, you get right back up and try again. Shake things up, find a new way to approach whatever it is you’re trying to do and do it. Because “can’t” isn’t an option. And then I told her the simplest, most powerful thing and probably what she needed to hear most “I believe you can do it.”

And she did.

Monday Morning Coffee Date

If we were having coffee this morning I’d tell you that I was a complete mess last week. That life is absolutely crazy right now and I typically wake up exhausted just knowing what has to get done on a particular day. And last week, was just a bad week for me. I’m not sure I even recognized myself but then I found out that my sister-in-law was having my sweet baby niece and I realized that the chaos is part of life and I can either cry about it and be a complete wreck or I can embrace it.

I’d tell you that my new baby niece is absolutely perfect. She has 10 fingers and 10 toes and the most pinchable cheeks in the world. I know we’re going to have the best adventures together because I’m her aunt and that means we can do what we want.  I can’t wait to watch her grow and see the interaction between her and my minions. And she still has that new baby smell. I love that new baby smell.

I’d tell you that I finally made it to my happy place, the place that soothes my soul, makes me feel refreshed, and instantly happy. I laid in the sun, listened to the waves crash against the shore, and to the sound of my kids laughing. As my man Zac Brown says, “I put my toes in the water, ass in the sand, not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand, life is good today, life is good today” 🎶

If we were having coffee this morning, I’d tell you that I finally took a leap of faith and did something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time now. I’m taking my blog and moving it from its home here  to its own little website. In the next week, I’ll be working hard on making this new website my blog’s new home and I hope you’ll follow me over there. But until next Monday, you can still find me writing here. It’s a big step for me, something I’ve been dreaming of doing for years now and I’m beyond excited!

If we were having coffee this morning I’d give you a huge hug because I wouldn’t want you to leave. I wouldn’t want this coffee date to end. We’d talk for hours about everything from our favorite TV shows, to the songs we love, to how crazy and scary our world is.  We’d laugh until the coffee shop was closing and we’d have to go home. And then I’d pose the question, “Wine?” To which you would respond “My house or yours?”

The Secret Group of Kids

I think kids have a secret group they go to to conspire against us parents. Have you ever wondered how all kids know the exact moment you sit down so they can run up to you and ask you for something? OR you sit down to do something important and they, all of a sudden, have the urge to tell you something important. And that something important is telling you a story about how the fast cars beat the slow cars.

They just know. Which leads me back to my original point of kids having a secret group that they attend to discuss ways to drive parents crazy. Like, “Hey dude…I sense your mom has a massive headache so I think you should run around chasing your brother and screaming the entire time.” And “Hey girl. Fight with your brother all day. I heard your mom LOVES that.” Sometimes, they resist the group, they miss the meeting and they’re the sweetest kids in the world. But sometimes…they go to the group multiple times a day.

So the next time you’re wondering how on earth your child knows you just sat down so they could come ask you for a snack or why they’re running around screaming for no reason what-so-ever…Remember the secret group. When it feels like they’re reading your mind and doing the opposite of what you’re thinking, remember the secret group because chances are, when they do the unexplainable, they just got back from a secret group meeting and have all sorts of new ideas that make you wonder how they always know just the right buttons to push.

The secret group of kids…it’s a thing. Parents be warned.

The Interesting Thing About Salads

I’m not sure there’s any interesting things about salads but can we talk about salads for a minute? I LOVE salads. Like big ole puffy heart LOVE them. Not because they’re healthy because, let’s face it, I trash up my salads with cheese and crunchy things and yummy goodness which is why I love them so much.

But damn I hate making them. I mean, you gotta chop up everything and if you want hard boiled eggs on them, you gotta plan ahead and let’s not forget the bacon that has to be cooked and the perfectly ripe avocado and some sort of chicken or shrimp. SO MUCH WORK for one meal. And it’s usually lunch and I hate…HATE…spending time making lunch. It’s my most boring meal of the day. and if I could eliminate a meal I would eliminate lunch. You could always do a big brunch followed by snacks and a nice dinner.

That’s not a bad idea.

Alas, my kids cannot skip lunch and neither can my husband so it seems eliminating lunch isn’t an option…for now (lunch be warned. You are on the chopping block).

Then it came to me. A bunch of my friends have been doing this magical thing called meal prep. Prepping meals and snacks so that the week goes by a little smoother. YES. I think I’m going to be starting this weekend. Because it would make it possible to have salads ALL THE TIME. Completely trashed up, magically delicious salads and easy and delicious and non-crap snacks for everyone too. A little more planning on my part but I think I can do it.

So here’s to meal prep. Have any tips? Send um my way. Lord knows I’m gonna need ‘um.