This is what 5 looks like

My girl.

VOTE

It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles.  But they did not believe the women, because their words seem to them like nonsense."
Luke 24:10-11

We are all products of our environment.  I grew up a in a conservative town raised by middle-class Christian parents.  I am now a middle-class woman, back in that same town, raising my daughters in conditions similar to my youth.  The people from my childhood probably still see me very much as that young girl, much as I will always see my daughters as they are now. The danger with this is people change as they grow into adulthood, and friction can occur -- teenage rebellion, for example -- when one has grown and changed into something new, and is not being taken seriously as they are, instead being seen as another believes them to be.

This is what 2.5 looks like

Today sweet Elle is two and a half!

She is the craziest, silliest, most hilarious kid in the world.  She is fearless, unafraid to try anything new, like jumping in the deep end, without her floaties on.  While her mom helps the big sister put goggles on.  Hypothetically speaking. This is the one responsible for my wrinkles and my new gray hairs. 

Patriotism: A His and Hers Rant

A few weeks ago, I noticed the first of fall's leaves scattered across my front yard. Even though it was 85 degrees and sunny, it was a quiet reminder of an inescapable destiny...fall is coming, and with it, a new routine, shorter days, a national obsession with everything pumpkin spice, and football.

Last summer I went to Chicago for training with a voice coach from LA. He was hilarious, gave great insight and was worth every penny.  About midway through our session, I was going through a script, a little voiceover spot for a major retailer, and as I got ready to record, the easy, free-flowing way I spoke turned awkward and halted.  Inside my head sounded like this: Do I seem like an actor?  Am I remembering my technique?  Am I smiling on my inhale?  He stopped me, gave me some pointers and we tried again, but lo and behold, I was awkward and over-rehearsed once more.  Am I relaxing my tongue?  I'm reading copy for the role of a mom, do I sound like a mom? Do I want to sound like a mom?  Maybe if I succeed at this, I will book a big job and then I won't feel like such a phony.  As he stopped me, he said, "You have to stop trying so hard to control it, and just let it be."

This is what 2 looks like

She's something else, isn't she? 😀

21 Days In

Guys--we've made it 21 days and I haven't thought about pizza for a solid 5 minutes!😜

...fire roasted with buffalo mozzarella and fresh tomatoes and a bottle carafe glass of zinfand...make that 2 minutes 😑.

One Week In

We've made it a week and guess what -- this isn't that hard!  The first few days were an adjustment, but now it feels almost easy.

I said almost easy.  We still have these two to consider.  Please note Elle's high heels. 

Here are some things I've noticed thus far:

This is what starting almost Whole 30 looks like

Who the actual hell let these two infants make major life decisions

Once upon a time lived a young couple who had no children.  While they both had careers, they made sure to prioritize their health, each attending different exercise classes and the gym multiple times a week, preparing unique recipes that had words like antioxidant rich in them, blissfully ignorant what their future lifestyle and metabolisms had in store. 

The Distraction Series: Episode 2

Nearly three months ago, in an attempt to not get swallowed up by the daily onslaught of insane news headlines, I wrote a blog post about things that "provide distraction, bring joy, and are easily accessible," and at the end of the post I was like, "I will be back next week with more great things!"  This time I'll say, "I will be back in twelve short weeks with some fun things!" 😑