road maps

i recently ran across this photo that showed a mother and her absolutely flat (and tan) stomach and check out that caption.

i read this saying to a friend of mine and explained how i call my "stripes" my road map. 

i call it my road map because well, it's basically a map that says where i've been. 

it says i've been in labor and delivery-3 times.
i've been up nights nursing and rocking and soothing.
i've been to countless zoo's and and parks and chuck e. cheeses.
i've sat in pediatrician offices and held tiny hands while tears welled up during annual shots.
i've placed many candles on frosted cakes.
i've said no more times than you can imagine and yes probably more times than i shoulda.
i've tied laces and wiped faces.
i've clapped, cheered, given the, "i know you can do it" pep talks and the "oh man you were awesome" high fives.
it says i've hugged and loved harder than i even knew i ever could.
i've reasoned and bardered successfully and unsuccessfully.
ive worn wings and left money under pillows. ive hidden eggs and taken bites out of cookies left on santa plates.

i've been a mom.
my road map says i've earned my stripes. every. last. one.

tattle tuesday

Although it's not tuesday, it is mama's day and here is a useful tip for all the mama's out there. use it, pass it on and have a beautiful mama's day!

growing up in a family with lots of kids my mom got so completely sick of hearing us all tattle that she dedicated just 1 day a week for tattling. this fell on tuesday, was officially named "tattle tuesday" and was absolutely the only day of the week you could rat your siblings out. actually, growing up i really thought it was an actual day ya know like easter sunday or ash wednesday. It was very official biz in my house.

i was probably the biggest tattler of all (being the baby) so having only 1 day a week in which i could "let mama know the sins that were takin' place all around her" obviously destroyed my world. i mean, i could hardly do my usual paroling and then be expected to keep this all in until tuesday! didn't she know i had a job to do?! of course i tried to slip in a tattle or two on other days of the week and the worst was when i tattled on a wednesday because there was just no way in my busy life of bike riding and fort building it was gonna stay contained in my head for an entire week.

this is one of the tricks i learned from my mom. i used this with my own kids for years until we got through the main daily tattles like,  "he's looking at me when you leave the room" or "she said you found me by a dumpster" or my all time favorite made up by my son about my oldest daughter, "he said i was born with a tail and you all have it in a jar in the attic".  i sooo get the importance of tattle tuesdays now. thanks mom-pass it on......
what tip did you learn from your mama that you can pass on?

take your blonde to work day

oh, you didn't know? 

sure, it's totally a real day.

i made a very loose promise to not take (what she calls) "weird" photos.

 this is where i started to lose her. she could tell stuff was about to go down.

aaaaand she's out.....

come back blondie, i won't be weird