And What Does Daddy Teach You?

Last month Sawyer spontaneously started telling me what each member of our family teaches him. 

"Mommy teaches me to be kind... Amma teaches me to write the school way..." 

And what does Daddy teach you?

"A lesson."

There's a group of diaper commercials going around that shows a stereotyped mom being more permissive and comfortable with a second baby than a first baby (less hand sanitizer, more grease and dirt the second time around). It's funny. And pretty accurate. But isn't that how we all handle the "second" anything? That first marathon training program I followed to the digit. I think I missed two runs, and I agonized over each of them. A few months later I ran a 1/2 marathon and pretty much did half the scheduled workouts. You just understand what you can get away with after you've done something once. 

And the other thing you realize the second time around? That you really know nothing. If you can survive something following every rule, and then survive it again following only half the rules.... the thing is just survivable no matter what you do, or how you do it. I was SO judgmental of other runners while I was training for that first race. And maybe it's time I admit that I had a fair amount of things I thought about (that I thankfully didn't say out loud to) other parents when I was just a mom-of-one. 

But by now, "whatever works, dude," is pretty much my life motto. Second baby = second race = second career = second time around at anything... It hits me constantly that the terrible Jersey Shore motto of "you do you" is actually pretty brilliant.  

If you add to all of this that "you" is unique in every moment, at every time and stage, "doing you" can turn into a really zen directive. 

Today's lesson: you totally got this. Whoever "you" are. Whatever "this" is.

Have I Told... You Lately.....

...That I Love...

My job???? Internet, it's been almost 10 months since I've worked a full day, and I've missed it so much. I didn't realize how much I missed working until I had my hands on my 3rd of 6 clients this afternoon and I heard that soft snore that so often accompanies a really good massage, and it hit me, this person is REALLY enjoying what's going on right now.

Le Sigh.

11 years ago I made a huge shift from a desk(ish) job that was clean, and computer-focused, to this amazing life, on my feet, touching people. The desk(ish) job was good, and fun, and I worked with some of the most talented people in the world. But the quiet moments I get to have one-on-one with people while they are at their most vulnerable humble me so much. I'm in awe of all the wonderful clients I have who place their trust and their bodies in my hands for a few hours a month and just let their bodies rest and heal. It's such an honor to get to work with people in this way.

If I had a billion dollars and never had to earn money again.... I would actually work MORE and just give people the gift of massage for free.

I would also rescue more animals.

And shop at Lululemon at least once.

Things I Want

**NOT in order of importance

-New running shoes
-The baby to sleep through the night
-To run outside
-To walk outside
-To do anything outside
-To fit into my smaller pre-Adam jeans
-A self-cleaning fish tank
-Time to read a book
-Scandal to be on Hulu so I can find out what my friends are talking about
-To lay on a beach by the ocean and get a guilt-free tan

Not Making this Sh*t Up....

I'm not sure what prompted the blogger.com Adult Content Rules to be changed, BUT never fear humans!!

So back to your previously scheduled Contento della Adulto**!!!! Enjoy!






**I totally made that up. It's not a language. I'm still just that tired.

Kitchen Boss

Or Overheard: I think I ruined cookies forever.



Me: These chocolate chip cookies taste funny.

Him: Yeah, they do. What's different?

Me: Nothing at all. But we haven't had any processed sugar, white flour or margarine in, like, three months.

Him: This is your fault. Just like with the "all-natural refrigerated" peanut butter. You get me totally used to this real food, and then the delicious fake food just tastes gross.



So.... I win?? Chalk one up for health? I've been making gigantic strides in the kitchen lately thanks to these people at Thug Kitchen and their amazing cookbook . My most favorite part is the week-long process of putting together vegetable broth. Now all my vegetable scraps get saved until the end of the week and boiled in water before moving down to compost, so I have a seemingly endless supply of fresh, FREE broth whenever I need it!

Broth. Sometimes, it's what's for dinner.

How Tired Were You?

This morning I was so tired...

I wore my husband's pants for three hours (to the grocery store and then pre-school pickup) before realizing I hadn't simply "lost a bunch of weight in a really weird way."