Shaken or Stirred, I'll take it

To My Friends and Family who sent me emails and comments about the blog, thanks for the nice words and the updates on what "ya'llve" been doing. You've been on my mind too! I feel like I've been hibernating for the last year...without the sleep part. So recently (a whole two weeks ago) I decided to "get a life" and make time to do fun, not always productive, adult stuff at least once a week. Sam is really supportive and when I'm not around, Skye doesn't have the "need" to nurse because Daddy's dry. Sam sometimes tries to pretend nurse Skye just to see her laugh. Oh yea, Big Hairy Nipple. Yum, Yum!! I must admit, with my 40 year old hormones, I've been getting hair popping up in weird places.

My inspiration came from Kim (thanks again) a friend who loaned me the book, "The Three Martini PlayDate, A Practical Guide to Happy Parenting." It's a light, tongue in cheek read but makes it points. It covers such topics as the Childproof House: How To Know If You've Gone Too Far (I never locked the toilet seat down, thankfully); Screaming: Is It Necessary?; Child Labor: Not Just for the Third World; Karate, Little League, and Ballet: Your Child's Eighty-Hour Work Week; Television: Is Six Hours a Day Too Much? If you are not familiar with the book, it has helpful hints: On Having your Cooking Appreciated; Fiscal Planning and Your Tooth Fairy; Do-It-Yourself After-School Enrichment Program and Recipes: Our Little Tot's First Martini and Lemonade for Grown-ups. All kidding aside she writes: One day, when the kids are grown, you will need friends, a social life, and perhaps a hobby. You will not have these things if you have spent the last seventeen years alienating your friends and neglecting your social life. Do not make your children your only hobby or you might begin collecting porcelain frogs (my mom did) and feeding stray cats (could be me) when they are grown and gone.

So with my wake-up attitude I've been to a Shakespearean play and then a bar, wine tasting with one child in tow (there was a scavenger hunt for kids) at our botanical gardens, and my best friends progressive church on a SATURDAY night http://www.theroc.com/. I'm looking into weekly horseback riding lessons and open to suggestions . Not a lot yet, but the new mindset does improve my mood and the kids might appreciate a happier mom. This week's heat has melted my enthusiasm for fun a bit. When it's 104 degrees and equal humidity, our pool is more like a hot springs. I think I burned my hand on the mailbox.