butt bubbles

8 Reasons Why Toddlers are Awesome

When you're in the thick of parenting a toddler the meltdowns and general bad behavior make it easy to bemoan this stage. They don't listen. They won't eat. They sass back, they hit, they bite, they pee their pants, and get into everything. Then there are those moments, usually when she is curled in my lap asleep, that I remember how fast the last two years have been. As tough as those 2 a.m. feedings were, I miss that time.  Just the two of us wrapped in dark, snuggled together breathing each other in. I know deep down there will come a time (possibly far, far in the future) when I will miss these toddler days and wish I had stopped to appreciate them more, so with no further ado I give you 5 reasons toddlers ROCK!

1. They return the favor and cheer when you go pee pee on the potty like a big girl.

2. "Look! A plane!" Everyday sights are new and wonderous.

3. They embrace nudity and love their bodies in a way I wish I could.

4. A toddler is free to follow their bliss with zero cares about what other people think or want.

5. The moments when you find your kid talking to thin air and are reminded of the epic technicolored world inside your own childhood imagination.

6. Toddlers are gangsters. They are not afraid to call your bluff and dare even the sternest mommy to do something about it. Sometimes I wish I had those cajones.

7. Toddler speak. There is nothing that brightens my day faster than my daughter's mixed up consonant sounds.

8. The moment when you walk in the door and they screech your name and come running.

Summer Bucket List

The past few days have been so nice it's been hard to reel in the summer and remind myself that it's only April. That being said out came the flip flops and I started making plans in my head for things I wanted to do when the warm weather is here for good. Then, I realized that everything on the list was for the kids. That's when I decided I needed a mommy summer bucket list. A list of at least 10 things I wanted to do for myself this summer, so here goes:

1. Go to the beach by myself for a day. Sit with my feet in the water, read my book, listen to my music, and not have to talk to anyone for at least 4 hours.

2. See a sunrise over the lake.

3. Get dressed up and go out for drinks and dancing. Maybe even show some cleavage.

4. Go on a date to the drive-in and make out during intermission.

5. Have a sisters slumber party

6. Go Kayaking on the Saco and camp out

7. Make ice cream

8. Have a bonfire in the back yard

9. Sleep until noon

10. Explore some cute little town

11. Complete a 60-day photo challenge

12. Learn to cross stitch

13. Take a vacation in Wolfeboro

14. Decorate my bedroom

15. Lose 10 pounds

 What is on your summer bucket list? Does anyone have suggestions for things I should add to mine? I promise I'll keep you all updated as I check items off. Here's to one amazing summer.

Mommy Blogger

When I started this blog my bio read something like, "Laura is a single, twenty-something, who is decidedly childless, much to her mother's chagrin." Yet, here I am; a married, nearly mid-thirty, mommy of two, who hasn't written a word since the birth of my first bundle of joy two and a half years ago. I mentioned to my friend earlier today that I wanted to get back to blogging and she immediately said with a grin, "Oh you're going to be a mommy blogger!" For some reason I recoiled at the idea. At the heart of it, yes, I am now a mommy blogger, because well, I'm a mom and I'm a blogger. Also, because I'll probably end up writing about what it is that most moms who are bloggers write about: poop mishaps, dopey spouses, projects I haven't yet lost interest in, mishaps involving poop, random rants about bad parkers, and yes probably more mishaps involving human waste. But, in so many ways this blog isn't about being a mommy any more today than it was when I started it 8 years ago. The difference is that I know now that being a mommy doesn't and can't define me anymore than being single and childless did back in 2008. My voice is unchanged.

I used to have dreams. Things I wanted to do and places I wanted to go. My hiatus from this blog and the dwindling of posts before then seem to signify a time when I turned my eye from the world and stopped thinking about somedays. The here and now needed too much attention. Today I feel like I'm stepping outside on that first truly warm day in late winter. I'm back here and writing again because I need to remember that just because I'm a mom with the proverbial overflowing plate and a thousand responsibilities doesn't mean that I shouldn't be thinking and hoping about what is to come next. Balance is key. I can live in the present. I can be grateful for my blessings and not wish the minutes past. I can also dream of the future, setting goals and moving towards the me that will be writing a decade from now. The wiser me who will be shaking her head at where I am today and all the distance still to go.