Back to the Future

There are times we all see pictures of our children as babies and we're immediately transported back to those sweet days of cuddling, nurturing, wishing for all the good things in life for them.
There are days we want to freeze frame and stop them from growing up at all. And then there are days when you catch a glimpse from the corner of your eye and you don't even recognize the little person they've become. We're so anxious for our kids to start walking, and before we know it, they're standing on their own two feet and walking away from us.
Instead of longing to pull Aidan and Camryn back to me,
I've decided to look forward to what my greatest gifts are going to become. These pictures are those that transport me forward.
Every time I see them, I see a spirit captured, a timeless soul, on the verge of great things.

Aidan is a thinker. His intelligence is only tempered by his time on this earth. Someday he will be instrumental in big change, for he always finds a different means to the end. He's not defiant, but never thinks there's only one right answer.
I'm sure he'll be on the Debate Team. His quest for knowledge is insatiable. I'm hoping to teach him the value of love, trust, and honesty, and other things you can't Google. I know he'll find a new way, a better way, or maybe a cure that will change the world. He does this for me... From him, everyday, I learn.

Camryn is an artist. Not a day goes by that she doesn't beg to paint. She is constantly creating ... with food, cosmetics, dirt, clothes.

Nothing remains as it should be. Camryn has to make it her way. She'll be the child who cuts four inches off her skirt at the bus stop.

She gets dressed in the morning and reinvents herself before we can get out the door. She is so confident and proud of herself. She'll probably travel the world, live from her back pack, and be discovered as a super model, when she would rather be the photographer.

She's a wild Irish rose with a true gypsy soul. I have to teach her about boundaries,

rules, and being beautiful on the inside too. Everyday she reminds me to appreciate life's miracles and to take time to smell the flowers.

It's so exciting to think of all the experiences they have in front of them, all the things they can become. Everyday is taking them in that direction. They're growing up before our eyes and all we can do is tell them we love them, hug them tight, and let them go into the future. Hopefully they'll turn back and wave.

Remember Punky Brewster?

Remember Punky Brewster? That funny little girl that had a flair for fashion? Well her two year old counterpart lives at our house. I just never know what that child is going to put on next. Yes, she does get dressed in "normal " clothes every morning, although I'm not sure David believes me, but she is never fully clothed for long. For the most part, I let her wear what she wants, but this outfit never left the house.

Things to Make You Smile

Yikes!

Have you ever been taken aback by a sight in your own house? This just made me laugh out loud. I was letting dough for pizza rise and boy did it ever. There is a dish under there somewhere!

RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS

(The names in this post have been omitted. They're not important to those of you who aren't neighbors, and the rest will know who I'm talking about.) This morning. I sent Aidan off to the bus all bundled up for the 20 degree temp. I watched him lallygag down the sidewalk, but he looked cold. Our little neighbor girl came out to make her own way to the bus. This girl is older, wiser, and hurrying to get to school.

As she approached Aidan, they had a little conversation and then she stopped, turned toward Aidan and zipped his jacket up the rest of the way, the way a loving parent would do, not a ten year old girl. I was so moved, my heart was warmed. It was such a small gesture, but in my eyes, a huge show of caring. I only hope my kids treat their peers in the same way, when they don't think anyone is watching. This girl's parents should be proud. She's growing into a fine young lady and I was lucky enough to see it this morning. Please pass it on in your own actions.

Powder Puff

Is this the face of someone who looks guilty? Well she is... and I have the incriminating footprints (and handprints) to prove it. That's what you get for leaving powder within the reach of a two year old, so I guess I'm the one who is

really guilty. I guess I'll never learn.

Oh, and because I couldn't let this day go by without trying to teach Aidan something about the historical significance of Barrack Obama taking the oath today, we had a little dinner conversation last night. It went something like this.

Mom: Tomorrow's an impotant day in American history, do you know why?

Aidan: Barrack Obama is going to President starting tomorrow.

Mom: That's right, but do you why that's important?

Aidan: Because he got the most votes.

Mom: Right, but he's also the first African American President.

End of conversation until I'm doing dishes and Aidan and Camryn are coloring. I try to pick up

where we left off. Maybe I can put it in simpler terms.

Mom: Aidan, did you know that 60 years ago, your friend Victor wouldn't be allowed to go to

the same school as you?

Aidan: Mom, I've known that since I was three! Mom look, Camryn colored an African

American Mickey Mouse. His face is brown.

He was right. I taught him about Civil Rights his first year of pre-school when he wanted to know why he couldn't go to school on MLK JR. Day. I used segregation to try to explain civil rights. And yes, Camryn had colored Mickey in her coloring book brown. To Aidan it was as simple as that. It was then I looked at David and just gave up. He either really gets it or doesn't get it at all, but I just didn't have the words to teach him. I'm going to leave it to the professionals and history.

I Have a Dream....

On this day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the day before the United States of America inaugurates it's first Black President, I have a dream. I dream there will come a day when all people remain as color blind as the day they were born. That all human beings have the same value, no matter the color of their skin, their religion, or their socio-economic background. That describing someone as black, would be as crazy as calling someone purple, or green, or polka dot. It won't happen in our lifetime.

As much as I've tried to insulate my children from prejudice, it's just seeped in through the cracks. I overheard someone who is refusing to watch any of the inauguration coverage, thinks they'll throw up if they see even a moment. I can't imagine hating something so strongly, hating the future before it happens. I wanted to know what was so repulsive, the person or the political party. I didn't trust myself to keep quiet, no matter the answer.

Tomorrow will be a day of celebration for many, a day of mourning for many more. For me, I've always thrived on change. I get bored without it. I'm looking forward to a changing future for our country and our children. I dream of a day when Martin Luther King Jr. was not a black man, but a man, who saw a future without boundaries, without sides, without a ceiling.

You're home today, with your family, because a man had a dream for his own. This day is in his honor. Tomorrow another man will realize a dream and I can't wait to watch every minute of it. The gravity of it is yet to sink in, but maybe 100 years from now, Barrack Obama's Birthday will be a National Holiday. People will spend it at home with their families, and they'll remember when "Black" was the measure of a man and not just a color in the crayon box.

No matter your views... times are changing. You can either close your eyes, hold your breath and try not to throw up. Or you can appreciate the history being made tomorrow and teach a lesson to your children. Tell them not to be afraid to wish for big things, to imagine the unimaginable, because sometimes your wildest dreams really do come true.

Ten Honest Things about Myself

I've been tagged to tell 10 honest things about myself, so here goes.

1. I had no idea how to get this image from my email to my blog. Thanks Amanda for the first step. In conclusion, I've very computer illiterate.

2. I could easily live without a cell phone. If it wasn't for my husband nagging me to have it with me, I'd always leave home without it.

3. I want my kids to fit this "perfect kid" picture in my head. Star soccer player, always polite, smiling with no cavities, clean faces, always happy. I fight everyday to know that it's OK to let them be who they are.

4. I can not start my day without coffee. I don't think I can form a thought without my first cup of coffee. I made my own pot of coffee at 2am, in the hospital after Camryn was born, because I couldn't wait 'till morning.

5. I like having breasts that fit into a training bra. I save a lot of money on sports bras.

6. I'm a cancer survivor.

7. My husband is my moral compass. If I question my own thoughts or actions, I always think "What would David do?" He's saved me from some big mistakes.

8. For the first time in my adult life, I'm nervous about the future. So many things seem out of our hands. It's forced me to look for the real value in my life.

9. I miss Michigan winters.

10. I love Facebook. It's made my world so much bigger. I don't go a day without hearing from a friend, seeing a relative, or just getting an unexpected laugh.

Thanks for tagging me. A little honesty never hurt anyone.

Perfect Street, U.S.A.

This is where we live. It's why we wanted to live here. The beautiful houses, the happy families, the manicured lawns, the cute kids, the sidewalks with people walking their dogs, and the matching mailboxes , all lined up in a row.

Today, I was sitting at my kitchen table looking down the street at those mailboxes. Some have patriotic bows, some have silver crosses on the side, some are just plain old black mailboxes. All belong to our neighbors on Perfect Street.

Life just isn't perfect here. The patriotic bows are for a "Mom" called to duty in Iraq. The silver crosses are for a "Dad" diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. Another mailbox belongs to a family caring for a daughter with cancer. Another mailbox will be filled with sympathy cards for a loved one lost over the weekend. Many mailboxes will soon receive mail for new families, as neighbors move away.

No matter the mailbox, one thing is the same. Every mailbox belongs to a family, with a story and a life.... probably not so perfect.

There probably is a Perfect Street somewhere. Maybe on your way to Easy Street. I know I'll never live on either one. My life isn't perfect or easy, and those bows and crosses are reminders that no one's life is. They are also reminders that life can change in a day, a moment, an instant. Live each one to it's fullest, hug your kids, and wave to your neighbors. If anyone does happen to move to Perfect Street in their lifetime, I'll send you a Christmas card from the Real World. Until then, I'll see you in the neighborhood!

The Mom, the Witch, and the Big Girl Bed

Yes, these are drawings on my kitchen wall. (Linzi, make a note to secure all writing utensils out of reach), but this story is NOT about toddler creativity with markers, nail polish, yogurt, toothpaste..... This is about Camryn and her Witch. I'm capitalizing Witch, because Witch is now part of our family. Camryn had been talking about the witch in her room for quite some time, Saturday after Thanksgiving to be exact. Black Friday was my last night of uninterrupted sleep in my own bed. Every night since, I have been either woken by Camryn calling to me or just slept in her bed with her. I know many of you are thinking that she is using the witch to sleep with Mom and Dad, but I'm not sure that's the case. The first time the witch showed up, it was in the afternoon. Camryn was "scared" of the witch in her room. I told her witches weren't real, they were just cartoons. Every time after, she would tell me she wasn't scared of the witch in her room, it was just a cartoon, and then wake in the night crying about the witch. When I told her she couldn't leave her Big Girl bed and come in Mommy and Daddy's room to sleep, we found her sleeping on the Hardwood floor outside our room. It broke my heart, so I decided that making her feel safe was more important than the stigma of a child that won't sleep alone. Over the last couple of months, Witch has shown up in the kitchen mid-day, in the corner of her room, on the ceiling in the hall, but always out of the blue. We've swept Witch out the back door, vacuumed Witch up, scolded Witch away, but Witch has become a permanent resident.

The great thing about Witch is that "she" is not scary or mean. She's purple, with long hair, and a girl. After being asked so many times about Witch, Camryn finally decided to draw her (maybe life-size) on the kitchen wall. I'm sure she'll eventually go away, but until then, every day, as darkness falls, pajamas are put on , Camryn asks me "you sleep in my Big Girl bed?". And I do... hoping that night will be my last. So if anyone would like to adopt a nice, female, purple witch with long hair you can inquire under Camryn's bed. She's free to a good home!

Welcome Baby!

Big Sister Abbe Sito ( pictured with my babes) welcomed her baby brother to the world this week ! I've been a little delayed posting because I'm embarrassed to say I've forgotten the exact stats, even the exact date. I think it was Wednesday the 7th, around 8:30 pm, 7 something pounds, 19 inches-ish. It seems like a bad thing... I forgot the details, but really it's because I love my friend so much, I was listening to her voice, the pure joy when she spoke, the baby sounds in the background, the electric excitement over the phone line. She sounded great and so happy. I knew we'd go over the details again later, but for the moment, it was heart to heart, woman to woman, mom to mom.

So here he is Oliver Edmond Sito, lucky son of Anne and Jarrod, baby brother to Abbe. I can't wait to hold you, smell you (wish you could bottle that), and count your little fingers and toes. Oh yeah- Did I mention have a beer with your Mom? You see, I flew all the way to Florida to lay on the beach with my friend Anne, who lives in Cleveland, and lo and behold, she was finally pregnant, the best news ever, but so much for the beers on the beach. I'm still waiting to cash in my "rain check".

When the Cat's Away...

My little mice played. When I was so wrapped up in Facebook the other night, Aidan and Camryn decided to take a trip to the beach. They got dressed, packed their bags, and travelled around the house. These pictures were taken at 8:59pm. Yes, I forgot to put the kids to bed that night too! I found them "pretend sleeping" on the couch, dressed like hobos, with dress up clothes from one end of the house to the other. Am I the worst Mother ever? Oh well, at least I've stuck to my resolution about letting my kids "just be".

Cotton Shortage

I really don't intend to use this blog to endorse or critique any area businesses, therefore I won't use names for the following story. I'm just so disturbed by it on so many levels and it's really no big deal. This is why it bothers me. It was a random act of unkindness, it was directed at me (but it would have made me mad no matter who was involved), it scares me to think that things have gotten to this point in both the quality of work environments and resources available, this is a place I go to everyday. The GYM. This is what happened.

For those of you who don't know the GYM, it is a GYM belonging to a private golf club which we pay to belong to. This isn't the YMCA. I went to the GYM to a sculpting class today and left my exercise mat home. Instead of laying on the germy mats that are there for use, I stopped in the locker room and grabbed a shower towel. For those of you who do not go to this GYM, let me reassure you, the shower towel is only different from the other towels in size. It is not luxurious thick cotton, it's just bigger. While setting up for class, I opened the towel to lay it on the mat and was interrupted by the "male attendant" coming into the studio . "Do you really need to be using a large towel?" I immediately explained the reason and then stood there in shock.
This bothered me for these reasons. We pay a lot of money to belong to this club. This attendant called me out in front of a lot of people. Quite frankly, it was embarrassing for us all. Did he think I would fold it and put it back? My workout was ruined. My mind was wandering. What circumstances led to his need to stop me from using a large towel? Do they frequently run out of large towels? Has he been asked to keep the loads of laundry to a certain number? Is the water bill too high? Does he hate folding large towels? Or is he just mean and lazy? I'm not going to publish what I feel the reason is , but I will tell you this , I laid on that white towel (which felt more like a white elephant) and tried to figure this all out. Like I said, it really is no big deal that I've been trying to deal with all day.
So tomorrow when I go to the GYM, I'm going to be very mature and not use a large white towel.... I'll use six small ones instead.

Avalanche!

If you're wondering why my posts will fewer and farther between,it's because I've gotten caught up in this crazy snowball called FaceBook. My girlfriends kept pestering me to get on board and I finally took the time to setup a pic and profile. Before I was even done, I had seven "friends" to confirm and comments on my "wall" to read. I got through all that, added friends, made a few repy comments, went to shut down and had more email confirmations pop up. Two hours later, after confirming , commenting, talking "wall to wall" ( and trying to find a better picture of myself because everyone and their brother checks you out on this thing) I finally just signed off with unfinished business. You know the old saying "and they'll tell two friends, and they'll tell two friends"? They need to post a warning that Facebook is addictive and you may neglect your family, friends, housework, pets, and your blog if you sign up. I'm sure the frenzy will die down eventually, but in the meantime, Aidan is going have to limit my computertime. Afterall, how many different things can a seven year old make his two year sister for dinner?

Bonus Day

It's here. That last day before the kids go back to school, my last day with Aidan home, my first day with David back to work (since 12/17), my last day working overtime. With two extra bodies, I mean "dear loved ones", in the house, everything is more work. Four opinions for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Making sure four people eat breakfast lunch and dinner, or at least two of the three. Days with hours of opportunity to change clothes, make messes, make plans, make fun, make LOVE, (forget that) too much war over everything else. Plus there's golf to be played. I'll breathe a sigh of relief tomorrow when Aidan gets off to school and Camryn and I settle into our old ways. But today I want to focus on Aidan. It started out great. Homemade pancakes for breakfast, Aidan dressed appropriately for the weather. You see, Aidan has a habit of wearing a long sleeve sweater when it's 75 (and cloudy) and a T-shirt and shorts when it's 55 (and sunny). What do you want to do on your last day home? Make cookies? Go to the library?

See a movie? Ding-dong, doorbell rings at 8:30am. I haven't seen much of him since. I can't believe he doesn't want to spend his last day with me, then I realize he's as ready for things to be back to normal as I am. He needs a little less attention, a little more room, a little less Mom. So I let him go, just let him be. He'll come home when he gets hungry (although unlikely because a sweet neighbor Mom will feed him). In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy my own bonus day. Hope all you Mom's are too! Note: The picture of Aidan is because he thinks there're too many of Camryn. Gotta make things even.

Just Another Ordinary Day

No, I didn't take up abstract art as one of my New Year's Resolutions. This is a firework seen from our front porch tonight, set off during an impressive thunderstorm. Just when you think things are getting normal, no major events pending in the near future, Mother Nature decides to mix things up a little. We had to abort our grilling because the lightning strikes were frequent and very close. Then if things weren't interesting enough, we heard the boom of fireworks above the thunder. Usually pyrotechnics are cancelled due to inclement weather, but they were beautiful raining down with the rain. Another extraordinary event today - I actually sewed something to completion. As mentioned , one of resolutions was to try to sew some things for Camryn. I went to the store, bought some fabric, a pattern, some "notions" (whatever that means) and got right to it . After following the directions meticulously for a couple of steps, I started to modify, add to, take away, and eventually realized this sewing was actually fun and relaxing. I put in about 5 hours from start to finish. I couldn't wait for Camryn to wake up so she could try it on. It is perfect on her. I've already got my next project designed in my head. I can already tell I won't be much of a pattern follower since on my first ever sewing project , I managed to change the neckline, the sleeve length, sleeve style, and waistline. Watch for Camryn wearing some of my creations in the near future. I might even feel confident enough to spend more than a dollar yard.

I'm glad I didn't make the pants. They look a little big through the rise!