new gig

Things always have a way of working out.

Chris got promoted at work.

His flexibility went from a bunch to hardly any.

Which means I need to be way more flexible.

At my current job that just wasn't possible.

So I started talking to people.

It is amazing what that can do.

A simple conversation here and there.

I happened to run into a friend of mine the end of July.

A few conversations and a personality test later,

and I have the job of my dreams.

Business Manager for Prosper for Purpose.

http://www.prosperforpurpose.com/

I will be doing a little of this and a little of that.

And I get to work with two fabulous women.

And a bunch of fantastic clients.

No joke.

Welcome to my new office.

Yep.

My very own dining room.

Oh.

Here is my new co-worker.

He is so cute.

But a titch lazy.

I think I will be covering his butt a time or two.

captured in a photo

This is so her right now.

Hair in a messy pony.

Half rubbed off tattoo on her hand.

Chipped nail polish.

Ready for any excitement that comes her way.

Ready to throw her hands up and ride the waves.

All of these are my very favorite things about her.

At least at this moment.

This parenting thing?

It just gets better and better and better.

remembering

Summer is just getting right by me.

I don't like that.

Time goes so dang fast.

Why does it have to do that?

I mean, I sneezed and it was the end of July.

My girl and I,

we have struggled a bit this summer.

She wants me home.

Heck.

I want me home.

But it is just not in the cards.

So before I forget,
I want to remember her how she is.
Right this very moment.

She is funny.
Good gravy that girl makes me laugh.

Her hair is never fully brushed.
Ever.
Never Ever.
Drives me nuts.

Nothing she wears matches.

She loves baby polar bear.
And barbies.
And her scooter.
And ice cream.

She is good at softball.
Like, good.
Her little arm is still not strong enough to throw it very far, but watch out when it is.
She is on a co-ed 6-10 year old team.
Yes.
10 year old boys on her team.
I'm not scared anymore.
She can hold her own.
She lifts her chin up when she strikes out.
She wants to cry.
But doesn't.
Cause there's no crying in baseball.



She is convinced she will be the first female American Ninja Warrior.
And we never miss an episode.

She's excited for school.
But mostly cause it means new shoes.
Lord help me.

She is so pretty.
And I struggle not to tell her every single time I look at her.
It's a fine line.
Wanting her to know how gorgeous she is.
But wanting her not to care at all.

She is so strong!
She can do things I could never do.
Ever.
Shimmy up a rope.
One armed push-ups.
Girlfriend is fierce!

She is sensitive.
To the point of distraction.
This worries me to no end.
Her feelings get hurt so easily.
Just like mine do.
And I know how hard that is.

She is almost half way through 7.
I like 7.
I like that she wants to be around me.
I'm not sure how much longer that is going to last.
 I like her.
That will last forever.

can i have some cheese shets?

I have been waiting for this moment since the day she was born.

My little toothless wonder.

I went to pick her up from camp last Friday and she came running up to me all closed mouthed yet smiley.

When she smiled, her little toothers were gone!

2 in one day!

Apparently, a little girl in camp has a mom for a dentist and coached Ellie through pulling them out.

Thank goodness!

(They were at that gross, really dangly, discolored stage.)

We talked about it and I high fived her.

But was slightly disappointed in her lack of speech impediment.

Then she got in the car and asked for some Cheez-its.

"Mom?  Can I have some cheezshets?"

I burst out laughing.

There it was! 

The funny sounding esses!

She laughed too and we spent the rest of the trip home finding funny things for her to say.

I love Jeshus!

Shassafrash!

Shelly shells sheshells by the sheshore!

7 might be my favorite age so far.

what i know for sure: things i am loving right now

Well would you look at that.

2 days in a row.

I'm a rockstar.

Here's what I''m loving these days:

 

 

Ice cream dinners.

 

 Ellie's outfits.

They are beautiful disasters.

My husband.

He somehow looks better now than he ever ever has.

He is HOT.

 

Cool breezes through the bedroom window at night.

 

The fact that Downton Abbey season 3 is now on Amazon Prime.

Hello!

 

No less than 12 books on my nightstand.

 

SYTYCD

Love the pixie haired blond girl.

And I love that I have to save it to watch with E.

Girl is obsessed.

 

Sunny afternoons and flip flop tan lines.

 

Planning a patio.

 

Grilled food.

 

Fresh Fork.

This is our local CSA and so far I am VERY impressed.

 

Robin egg blue nail polish.

And the fact that Ellie can paint them for me.

 

Fantastic babysitters.

 

 

 

 

 

what i know for sure: things that drive me nuts

It's time for another rousing edition of "What I Know for Sure."

This time it is about the current things that drive me bonkers.

Ok, let's get started, shall we?

Patio guys that don't show up when they say they are going to.

Treeless backyards.

Mollescum.

Being in a group of people and everyone is buried in their phones.

I really hate that.

Weeds.

Unloading the dishwasher.

Hard popcorn kernels that you bite on wrong.

Sore joints.

(Seriously.  It's like I'm 80.)

Dirty kitchen floors.

Dirty bathroom floors.

Dirty everywhere floors.

Having to work in the summer.

Sunburned noggins.

Dogs that poop in my yard.

Having to get gas.

(I try really hard to time it for when Chris is in my car.)

Paying a small fortune for said gas.

Bedhead and a tenderheaded girl.

It's not a good combo.

Softball practice or games every night of the week.

So on and so forth.

Wow.  I sound crudmudginy.

Maybe tomorrow I will hop on here and do what I am loving right now.

Cause there's a whole lot of that right now too.

Can you imagine?

A post, 2 days in a row!

homesick

We had grand plans,

Chris and I.

A whole week without a kid.

In our own house!

We were going to golf and watch movies.

Go out to breakfast and relax.

Ellie was staying at Linda and Wayne's.

She was so excited!

Like, rambled about it for months, excited.

She was going to go to Bible School and swim and see her cousins and eat ice cream and take scooter rides.

Then we left.

And the proverbial excrement hit the fan.

The first night she started texting me at 10:30.

"I woke up with a bad dream."

"I'm sad."

"I miss my home."

Then she face timed me at 12:15 with crocodile tears.

"I need you, Mommy."

(Knife to chest, twist, repeat.)

(Note to self, no ipod touch allowed in bed.)

We decided that night to see how the next day went and we would re-evaluate.

I didn't sleep well.

 

The day went great!

She loved Bible School and spent time with her cousins.

I got smiley face texts and all was well.

But then it was bedtime again.

Cue the crocodile tears.

 For the first time in her life, I was MAD at her.

Mad that she wasn't willing to stick it out.

Mad, cause I knew she could have SO MUCH fun if she would just let herself.

Mad that Linda had to deal with this irrational kid.

And if I am being perfectly honest, I was mad that I didn't get my week.

Cause I can be a baby about stuff like that.

So I had a choice.

Do I teach the "stick it out, you will be so proud you did" lesson,

or the

"I am your mama and I will always be there when you need me" lesson.

I chose the latter.

 Because she is 7.

And she was sad.

And for whatever reason, founded or not, she wanted to come home.

We left at 9 in the pm to meet Wayne half way, 2.5 hours.

At 2 in the am she was all snuggled in her own bed.

Happy as a lark. 

 

Wayne is our new hero.

Thank you Wayne.  We love you.

I vividly remember being homesick as a kid.

A lot.

I think what made it worse was knowing how utterly sad she felt.

Even though it was nuts.

Knowing she felt all alone in the world.

Even though there were no less than 25 people in a mile radius that love her to pieces.

Homesickness is for the birds.

The ugly, rotten, stinky birds.

She and Chris were talking yesterday and Chris was explaining what homesick meant.

She replied:

"I didn't even know you could get that.  It is awful!"

And when she talks to people about it, I realized she thinks she got sick.

She doesn't say "I was homesick."

She says "I had homesick."

Hee.

There are so few of these little kid mistakes anymore, I hate to correct this one.

 

So now she is home.

And we have hit the summer routine.

And I think she has only occasionally wished she stuck it out.

But overall, I think we made the right decision.

So thank you Indiana family for trying REALLY hard to show her a good time.

We really appreciate it!

She just had a moment.  

A "cry for your parents til you drive me 5 hours in the middle of the night" moment.

Parenting is hard.