A Little Insider Information

Hello there fellow readers.  I would like to address a few aspects of my life to keep you up to date with my inner thoughts!  Ha-ha, sorry I am so weird!

So, today I woke up at a decent hour, but not as early as I would have liked.  Considering my only "job" is caring for my son and I do not have a responsibility to be somewhere at a certain time...I have managed to wake up when Noah wakes up for the day which often varies.  This morning it was 10:30 AM when I got out of bed to pick up the little one from his crib.  Daddy went off to school and Noah cried as he watched him drive away; it was quite sad.
I then started to pack his bag to go to Nana's for a couple of days so that some cleaning could be accomplished at home.  We have managed to completely clear our living room and kitchen area since the move...and Noah's room is nearly always clean, but our bedroom...wow it is like a hurricane has run through there.  You would have thought that since I am home all the time that I would be able to go through all of the papers and too small clothing, but that has not happened.  I am either completely exhausted from cleaning after Noah all day long or I am playing with him; which leaves the piles sitting there.

When Daddy came home from school we gathered ourselves and hit the road to meet up with Nana.  I know that I have needed this break for a while so that I can get some things done, but the moment came down to take the little monkey out of my arms, I really didn't want to let him go.  The day that a job does come along is going to be such a blessing for us, but so sad because I will miss Noah every single second that I am not with him.

Steven got called into work, so our evening of alone time together didn't get to happen.  The other day I had written some new house rules on the white board (we do this every so often to keep our lives somewhat organized) and so far Steven has not added anything other than what I wrote.  Pretty much it was that I would start running every MWF and doing yoga or meditation on the other days.  Today was the first Monday since the rules were written and it couldn't have been a better day to start the running.
I absolutely love running in the rain and today was the loveliest rainy day!    
I got my blackberry and my headphones to set the running jives and then once I put that sports bra over my other bra (have to have that extra support, sorry guys!) the veins just started pumping.  I walked out the door and one of our neighbors had just pulled into his driveway; I gave him a wave and once I hit the end of the driveway my ran began.  It felt so good and I felt like I was in my old body again.  I wanted to keep running forever, but I decided that since it was the first day on the running I would only do one lap and walk one lap.  I ran the entire neighborhood and waved to everyone who I passed or passed me driving.  I felt like I was actually doing something good for myself.

It was funny earlier today when I stepped into the bathroom.  I usually weigh myself at least once a day if not more...well I hadn't weighed myself in about a week shockingly and today I took the plunge.  I had lost 3 pounds without even doing much of anything different.  We will see what the change in rules does for me.  I am hoping that I stick to them!

Lastly, as for the job we are all waiting on...it will be another 2-3 weeks to get an interview with the Vice President and Director.  Hopefully that will be the last step in the hiring process (considering it has been over a month already).

Hope to get back to you all soon!  Don't forget you can always leave comments on my blog, just click below the post on the comment part and it will let you!  :)  Thanks for reading!

Solicitors

Now that we have moved to a home-owners neighborhood and we are the only couple renting a house on our street.... solicitors seem to show up all the time.  They think we are homeowners and that we have money to put into all of these organizations, but unfortunately we do not.

Well, this morning a solicitor came to our house and rang the doorbell.  I have learned to not answer the door unless it is someone we know!  So I didn't answer and I peeked out the window to see who it was.  It was a man (probably in his 20's...the typical solicitor age) and he was buttoning up his yellow collared shirt.  Then he opened up our screen door to knock and I still didn't answer.  I was watching him through the window and then...oh my...and then...he took his empty water bottle and put it on our porch and left!  HE LITTERED ON OUR PORCH!

Seriously, it is a horrible thing to litter and he had to just do it on our porch.  He is one lucky man that I am such a nice person to not say something to him.  This irked my nerves to the extreme!  Well, as I waited for him to hit the next house I just contemplated on why he would do such a thing...and once he was gone I went to pick up his trash.  I was highly disappointed and am now considering a 'no soliciting' sign for our door!  I always thought those signs were rude, but now I just feel it might be necessary.

A Bit of Fun with my Son

These moments of my son's life are to be cherished and I want to absorb every moment with him that I can. I enjoy his smile as if it were planted inside of my heart.  He is such a sweet boy and he is filled with so much happiness...maybe everyone should look up to a child for inspiration!  I hope you enjoy the video!

Noah's Meal Time Jig

Refer to the previous post about Noah dancing during his meal...this is a small clip as an example to what he does!  It is absolutely adorable because he does it all the time!!!

A Moment

A moment like this can never be taken from a mother.  When their child sees her from a distance and starts running with arms wide open.  It is a moment from a storybook; a true bonding moment where nothing matters except for that person.

The sun shone bright on a troubling day, a day where many people were sad, crying, and disturbed...but a little boy knew that his Mommy was there and that she continually cares about him.  In this moment, a realization occurs for the parent, an epiphany of trust in love.

When, as a friend, parent, sibling, or relative, do you become aware that love is an allegiance between two souls?  The attachment to another person has been a desire in my life in which I used to bombard others with. Yet now, I have my own little being walking around...and when I walk into the same room or space, a split second of pure bliss opens the air to tender devotion.  I will never be perfect and I will not always know what to say, but I will always be here and I will always support every endeavor in his life.

I took a step away from the pain and looked across the big yard to see my son skipping around with his Pop. A breathe of fresh air, I feel, I escape into the world of happiness and take a squat lower to the ground.  Our arms wide spread, open to the touch of love in only a matter of a second.


A sense of purity and satisfaction - I feel his head tucked into my shoulder as his right hand pats the other immediately showing me that everything is okay.  A child can sense the inner emotions when a parent tries ever so hard to keep them a secret.  We know this from the generous love they devote to us in the moments we need it the most.  Even when things get out of hand there is always love and simplicity.  All it takes is a split second to break down the complexity to a simple warming hug.  This moment is when a child nurtures his or her parent rather than vice versa.  A reality of which many of those who are not parents have not experienced.

Difficulties in life arise like a hurricane creating disaster and fiasco, but when you take a step out of the trap - you feel sane.  Nobody can take a moment like this away and to imagine the end of this love is a terrifying experience.  I cannot understand, fathom, or perceive how one can abandon this pure love between a parent and child.  It is disappointing and reckless, but at least now I have created this bond with my son.  I know the feeling and comprehend the experience of love.  I sympathize with those parents who have given up on this attachment because the receiving end is so rewarding.  It is an unmeasurable honor to be a mother of a child who has the ability to show so much love.

Bad Eating Habits Change to Miracle Work

This was when Noah was 7 months old and we were on a vacation in the Hamptons at my Uncle's beach house.  Noah was throwing a fit about eating; this may seem quite normal to many families who have children to see this on occasion.  Well, for my family seeing this has been daily for quite some time.

Noah is 20 months old and loves to eat on the go.  He will eat in the car, his room, running around anywhere...but stopping to eat at a table has been something of some sort of past life.  We would have stages here and there when sitting him in the high chair to eat was a wonderful and happy experience, but those times were more rare than the others.

Today, after just two days of training him, a miracle has occurred.  We were tired of having Noah only eat finger food...he would only eat "meal food" when we went out to eat.  So, for the past two days (going on three today) I have forced him to sit in his booster seat at the kitchen table.  I figured it wasn't going to go smoothly at first and shockingly it went somewhat smooth.  There were a couple of attempts where he was not interested in eating and I just let him go, but overall the experience has been an easy ride.  He has managed to eat organic mickey mouse nuggets, organic sweet potato fries, all natural gold fish, organic whole wheat english muffin with organic butter, and all beef uncurred hot dog since we began this journey.  Sounds like a lot of bad stuff, I know, but the point was that if he was willing to eat all of the finger food...eventually he would move back to meal food again.



So, Steven was paid today and we decided to treat ourselves to lunch at Wood Grill Buffet.  I told Steven before we got out of the car that we were going to leave the high chair out of the picture and let him use a booster to avoid upsetting him from the get go.  (The past couple months he has been refusing high chairs when going out)  The woman walked us to the booth and Noah didn't want to sit down at first...so Steven held the table and ordered our drinks while we went to get Noah's plate.  Noah pointed at the grapes while I was walking with him on my hip to get a plate.  I walked over and laid the plate on the side so I could get the grapes with my left hand while holding Noah on my right hip.  He was enthused out of his mind about the grapes.  Then I got him some chicken and a small bit of macaroni and cheese.  When we were walking back to the table, Noah picked up a grape and popped it into his mouth like an adult would with popcorn.  He grinned and that made Mommy grin.

When we got back to the table the jumped onto the booster seat and just ate away.  He refused that macaroni until everything was gone on his plate except for that.  I had put one noodle onto the fork in hopes that at some point during the lunch he would pick it up and eat it.  HE DID IT!  Noah had known how to use a fork and a spoon for quite a while now, but has been quite stubborn since he was refusing to sit an eat.  Steven was able to get his food in peace and eat...I was able to do the same!  Noah was smiling and eating his food, he would stab each noodle individually with the fork and turn it upside down to eat it.  Of course there was music on in the background and Noah is unable to stop himself from dancing when he hears music; so he would eat a bite and then do a little jiggy with his shoulders and waist.  Steven and I joined in with him from time to time.

I said to Steven about halfway through, "Is a miracle happening?"

His response was, "I'll let you know when it's all done."

Noah's smiles and dancing made us so happy, but what made us even happier was that he remained in his booster the whole time.  He ate all of his food and behaved!  Mommy and Daddy were able to switch off to get a plate of food without him screaming as one of us walked away AND we were able to eat all of our food too!  There wasn't any getting up and walking outside, eating with a toddler/baby on your lap, screaming, or anything.  It was officially declared a miracle.

We got up and Noah followed us to walk out of the restaurant without wandering!  Plus, he got into his car seat with no complaints!  I looked at Steven as I buckled, "So...can we declare this a miracle?"

"Yes, this was a miracle."

Don't Be a Begger

When we were in the process of our move from our crap apartment in Bridgewater to our nice duplex home in Harrisonburg, I had to make a trip to the laundry mat.  I have always despised the places.  People sitting around eating snacks, watching the television, speaking other languages, and staring at you.  I felt completely out of place. I walked in there with my black trash bags full of dirty clothing and then realized I forgot the detergent in the car.  I looked around at all the creepy people and wasn't sure if leaving my laundry was safe.  I had to suck it up and go get the detergent and luckily when I came back my laundry was where I left it.

After waiting around the 25-32 minutes for my loads of laundry to finish in the washer, I walked over to the coin machine to get some more quarters.  I was on a severe budget!  We had to pay double rent for that month along with closing off bills and starting new ones.  I had only a few dollars and had no idea what a laundry mat would cost.  A child bumped into me and nearly knocked the machine over.  The little girl's clothing was way to small for her and she had junk food all over her face.  She was running around playing with another girl and they were speaking different languages.

I moved my laundry to the dryer and after I put it in I just stood there watching it go round and round.  Then, this woman comes up to me and she is wearing faded pink sweatpants, dirty white shoes, and this tank top that I have no idea the color because it was filled with dirt.  I looked at her as she kept her eyes on my feet and said something very softly to me.  It was jumbled and so quiet that I had no idea what she said.  I replied, "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you."  She repeated back to me just in a whisper this time, "Do you have any spare change?"

Oh my gosh, I was so frustrated.  Seriously, coming to the laundry mat to hit people up for an extra quarter.  I blatantly said, "No, I can't help you."  I believe that people should help themselves through situations, there is always someone they can go to or something they can do to fix their situation.  I then went to getting my laundry out of the dryer and folding it.  When I walked out of the building I saw the same ragged woman sitting on the sidewalk with a scroungy man walking towards her.  They then pulled out their zip-lock bags with coins and talked for a few minutes.  McDonald's was directly across the street and that was the direction they headed as I started up my car.

I was completely frustrated with these people.  I was pretty positive it was all an act just so that they can scam people into giving them money.  I think it is wrong and people should work for their money or make friends who can offer a hand or have family help from time to time if absolutely necessary...

     

A Dolphin Massacre

This is an undeniably disturbing hidden manifestation of dolphin genocide. I am torn deeply by the innocent dolphins being murdered in our ocean. What I speak of is the truth driven out by Ric O'Bary with his Oscar winning movie, The Cove. This activism continues with the television series Blood Dolphins. As they thought there was a stray of hope...it was soon found to be solely a delay in the killing. The news teams and public broadcast of the act had delayed the fisherman in Japan from the September frenzy. As Ric O'Bary soon found...this delay was far from an end to the dolphin massacre. They did set free multiple dolphins, but it seems it was just an act to make the public eye go away...when behind the scenes the blood began to emerge. 

We have to do what we can to stop these dolphin captures as they are leading to the killing of those who are unwanted. These Japanese fisherman are calling this tradition and see nothing wrong with it as the slaughter is legal in Japan. Although it is legal, they still hide it to the small area known as, The Cove. I ask that you inform yourself on the subject and put yourself towards the cause. I have added the petition to my blog for you readers who may be urged to sign. Please act upon your feelings. This IS a genocide and it is depressing.

I go to bed wondering why they cannot free the unchosen and ponder how the captured dolphins feel as they deceive us with their natural smiles. The next time you see a captured dolphin, whether it be Seaworld or a more private resort, make eye contact with that dolphin and feel the undeniable connection to see what they really are feeling. Dolphins are intelligent beings and deserved to be saved. To learn more about the cause go to this site: http://www.earthisland.org/