A messy Friday

Daddy was out of town this week and Mommy was not feeling 100% so we decided to end the week by making a big ol' messy mess! The girls had a blast and Mommy got a clean bathroom.

We found this recipe online and in a few minutes the girls had a muffin tin full of beautiful paint to decorate their bath tub.

2 T. cornstarch

1/3 C. liquid soap

Several drops food coloring

Smidge of water to get a good paint consistency
I gave the girls some paint brushes but they had more fun with their hands (no surprise there).

Before playtime was over the tub was covered in a fresh coat of paint. I loved their art work but listening to their songs while creating made the whole evening a blessing. Both girls thanked me as I took them out of the bath... it made a long week end on a perfect note.

After they created for an hour or so it was time to clean up. This lasted another hour. They may of had more fun cleaning then they did creating. The best part... I never asked them to clean and they did a better job than I would have!

Broadway Babies

The girls performed at the Cardinal's Stadium this past weekend.

They had their curls, they had their smiles, they danced their best and above all else, they had a blast!

We were so proud!!

A fairy + glitter = MAGIC

We have a visitor.

She comes into our house in the middle of the night and leaves behind magic dust and a link to the paper chain in the girls playroom.

The girls have named her The Playroom Fairy and she has visited our house twice this week.

And twice this week the girls have cleaned the playroom so that it is fit for a queen.

They put away all the toys (even the ones little brother has left out).

They vacuum.

They spray room freshener.

And most importantly, they make sure the ceiling fan is turned off (fairies don't care for ceiling fans).

Tonight they even left notes and gifts.

I love that the girls believe in fairies.

I love that a little sprinkle of glitter brings magic into our home.

I love a clean playroom.

Curly Sophie

"The girls will need Shirley Temple curls for the next dance show." Really? Have you not noticed my little girl has the most perfect perfectly straight hair?!

Yesterday we purchased these and after some sweet dreams we ended up with the sweetest Sophie Curls.

There was this boy...

Running to be a better ME

I am a runner.

Tonight I ran my first run of the New Year. It was awful. My lungs burned. My legs ached and a coyote ran with me for what seemed like forever. I hate the first run after a much too long break. It is as if your body has forgotten the previous 7 months that you spent fine tuning every muscle in order to earn the label of runner.

Oh well. Tonight was the best run of my life. Truly. It was.

As I was trying my best to keep my feet and body moving at a reasonable pace I thought back to an essay I wrote while in college. I cannot recall the specifics behind why the essay was written but I do remember the first line.

I am a runner.

The essay was not about the runners high some achieve once their feet hit the pavement, instead it was about the literal definition of running. To flee or escape; to leave a place with the intention of never returning.

I have an awful pattern of fleeing situations, relationships or commitments that take me outside my comfort box. If I am stressed, I escape. If I am overwhelmed, I escape. If I am uncomfortable, I flee. And if something changes in my life I run. Not exactly a trait that I want to bestow upon my three young children.

Writing the essay gave me pause but the process of writing and sharing my words with my professor was not earth shattering and it certainly did not change the course of my life.

But tonight as I ran I was trying to figure out how it could possibly be 2009 and why I am in the exact same place that I always am. And it hit me like a ton of bricks. I am a runner. Of course. Given the opportunity to escape, I run.

This year I will continue to run. But this year I will no longer run from life. This year I will run toward a better life. This year I will run to be a better mom. a better wife. a better daughter. a better granddaughter. a better sister. a better aunt, a better niece. a better friend. a better neighbor.

This year I will run to be a better me.