Friday, July 29, 2011

Every Moment is a Chance to Start Over

This last week has been a little rough for Xander and me. Nothing really seems to be going our ways, and we really just haven't been getting along. Morning routines trying to get everything done and get out the door in time have been a complete disaster every morning, and have just been ending in yelling on my part and crying on his. And it has been over the simplest of things really. Like yesterday morning... The night before, we were eating dinner and Xander said, "This is the BEST dinner EVER! I want to have this for me lunch tomorrow!" Of course that made me happy, but I had to ask, 'are you SURE this is what you want for lunch? I'm going to make it, and you can't change your mind at that point. So you need to be sure that this is what you really want." His answer was that yes, he definitely wanted the leftovers for lunch. Welp, I'm not sure how I predicted this one (maybe because it's happened numerous times), but as soon as he woke up, he said, "I don't think I want that stuff for my lunch." I told him that wasn't an option and he had already decided on his lunch choice. He claimed that he said he MAYBE wanted that for lunch, and now he doesn't. UGH! So at that point, he wouldn't do anything at all because he was so upset about lunch. The clock was ticking and I was getting more and more annoyed at every passing second. Finally, I just couldn't take it anymore. There was a half opened container of processed/unhealthy chef boyar-puke in the fridge. That's what he wanted, and that's all it took for him to get his butt up and continue getting ready. No, I shouldn't have given in. Those canned foods are for when I didn't make dinner the night before that he could take for leftovers. But I didn't have anything else I could do.

Anyway, so that's just an example of one of the ways we haven't gotten along this week. Today I decided to turn things around until he left for the weekend to stay with his Grandma Jean. I was exhausted anyway, so I took most of the day off. I was sitting in bed just checking emails and whatnot when my little bug poked his head around my doorframe. "Hi Mama" his little voice said. And I decided today had to be a good day for us. He climbed into bed next to me and we snuggled for a little bit before he had to get dressed and eat breakfast before school. There wasn't any arguing about what to eat for breakfast or lunch. Today was park day at school, so he got a PB&J (his fav) anyway.



I took him to school and was planning on going back in a couple hours for a little program he was supposed to have, but that ended up getting cancelled. But I still met the kids over at the park for lunch and a little playtime. It was so fun to see him play with his friends. He really is becoming such a big kid, and I'm so happy to not see him involved in all the cliques that have already formed... in PRESCHOOL, mind you! He seems to be friendly with everyone, which is great. He did mostly play with his friend Ideen though. They played a lot of tag and other imaginary games that only kids understand.

I love that I made his day today. Ellie sitting next to him at lunch spotted me first and tapped Xander on the shoulder... "Xander, your mom's here!!" He turned around so fast with the biggest grin on his face. All the other kids were excited that I was there to see Xander too.



All in all, I'm so happy that today was a new day. This week as I've struggled with Xander, I've had to keep reminding myself that this moment is new. It's a chance to start all over. One minute Xander and I could be having a scream-fest, and really, who has the ability to fix things? I do. He could too, but he's only 4. I know better. I need to keep reminding myself of this, but it only takes a few seconds to take a breath and think of something funny or positive to say. That's all it takes for a 4 year old. You don't have to start over the next day or the next week. Make the change NOW. This applies to everything in life. Going to the gym, eating better, stop yelling at your kids, being more positive, etc. Change NOW. YOU have the power, and it is something that I do my absolute best to live by. Stop making excuses for why you have to wait until Monday morning or the New Year. Did you know that your life can be amazing NOW?! It's just that easy!



Well, I think it's time for some midday swimming. I brought Xander home early so we could have fun in the pool. Grandma's hopefully coming over to swim with us, and Tiff will be home soon and hopefully joining us as well! What a fun day today is. A much needed break from the stress at work!



So the lesson for today?? Anything in your life that you are unhappy with? Change it. Make a SMALL change (or big if it's feasible). Any sort of change to better your life. What are you waiting for? Make today a great day!

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Red Butte Gardens





Welcome to our new blog! It's been a long time since I've kept a blog, and I think it's about time I get back to documenting mine and my family's life. It's not that we do anything extremely exciting, but I'm definitely of the thinking that it's the little moments that make life meaningful. So here's to a blog full of the little moments... the funny moments... the yummy food and drink we consume... the silly games we play... and the hurdles we leap.

So today we decided to go on a mini Sunday afternoon date to Red Butte Gardens up by the University of Utah. Before heading up there, we stopped by the store to grab a couple sammiches, some fruit, chips, and cookies so we could have a little picnic up at the Gardens. One of the first things we noticed next to our table was the smell of lilacs. The next thing we noticed was movement above those lilacs. There were bees everywhere! I don't think either of us had ever seen quite so many bees in one spot. Normally I would be freaking out about all the bees, but there were in their own habitat, and they were just fine keeping to themselves with the lilacs as long as we left them alone. So we went about eating our lunches, and realized we weren't going to be able to finish our fruit. Luckily there was a little girl and her mom that thankfully accepted our strawberries and blueberries.



We walked around the trails and saw SO many different types of plants. There were flowers, herbs, and lots of things I had never seen or heard of. It was really interesting to see everything - all very beautiful. And then as we were walking, a lady coming towards us with her kids mentioned that they just saw a snake! A big one! She stretched out her arms to a much larger length that I was comfortable with. So for the next five or so minutes, I was freaking out just a bit and a little on edge. Luckily I quickly forgot about it once we got to the Children's Garden. No, we didn't have Xander with us, but it was still fun for us!



The only problem with the day was that it was SOO insanely hot. Like really, it had to have been one of the hottest days so far. It was almost miserable! But I did my best to stick it out and enjoy everything around us. So we were just walking around towards the end of everything, and then there was a big bumblebee sound in my ear. I didn't want to freak out. So I just turned my head and kept walking. But it was still there.... So I kind of started freaking out a bit. So Tiff came over and rescued me and my mini freakout. So she's thinking she's all brave for coming to my rescue when all of a sudden the bushes next to us started rustling. There was DEFINITELY something in those bushes. We ran out of there like two scared little school girls! So much for us trying to be brave!



All in all, it was a fun time. Despite the heat. Despite the monster in the bushes. Despite the bee trying to eat my ear. It was fun, and I enjoyed some much needed time with my honey as we were surrounded by beauty.