The New Me

On Friday night Marlo didn't wake up until 4:00 am which meant that I got 6.5 hours of uninterrupted sleep.  And I felt FABULOUS yesterday!!  I seriously had an extra jump in my step.  I had energy to give, which is unique.  I was the mom that I want to be.  Because I had so much energy and was on cloud 9, we had such a wonderful Saturday.

I made blueberry pancakes and bacon for breakfast.  After breakfast we all took a nice walk through the neighborhood, and then Joe took Liam for a bike ride while I put Marlo down for a nap (and she napped for 3 hours!!!!)  We then hung out at the house for a while.  I set up Liam's paints which kept him busy for a solid hour.  For lunch, we had a picnic in the backyard.  This is such a simple thing to do and it made Liam so happy.  I mean, I was making sandwiches for us already.  I just had to throw a blanket out in the yard and call it a picnic - easy!  But on the days when I am overly tired and stressed, this simple act of entertainment and family time seems like too much effort...so lame.

Look at this happy face - I vow to have backyards picnics more often.

 After lunch Liam and I picked lemons from our lemon tree and made homemade lemonade.

We've lived in this house for 10 months and I no idea that our lemon tree had such gorgeous and delicious lemons. 

Lemonade stand this summer, here we come!!

After Marlo woke up, both kids played nicely inside with Joe, while I prepared dinner in the slow cooker (3 for 3 on prepared meals! go me!!)  We then headed over to Treasure Island Beach, the gorgeous beach in Laguna right by the Montage.  The kids played in the sand, the view was beautiful - it was just perfect.

See that small figure out on the rocks? That's my husband! 

Picture speaks for itself, does it get any cuter than this?

When we got home, dinner in the slow cooker was ready!  I felt like such a rock star.  I always want to be this mom - the creative type who is making the best out of the weekends for her family.  I am reading this book about family traditions right now and it emphasizes that what our children will remember the most are the rituals, the traditions.  It's not the expensive vacation to Hawaii or the highly desired birthday gift that my children will remember when they're adults.  It will be that I made pancakes every Saturday (I don't do this, but I'd like to) or that I always sung "A Birdie with a Yellow Bill" when I woke them up in the morning (my mother did this to me).

Yesterday was a wake up call for me.   I realized a few important things. 1.) I am sleep deprived enough that it is negatively affecting my mood on most days.  I need to go to bed earlier or find other ways to get more rest.  2.) When I am happy, and more present, my family is happier, which then makes me giddy with delight.  Win, win.  3.) The amount of effort it takes to keep Liam occupied and happy is really not that much.  It takes some organization and more effort, but it's nothing out of control.  And he is so much happier and better behaved.  4.)  When we are having a great day, the fact that the laundry didn't get done, or the living room is a bit messy, doesn't bother me one bit.  Instead of a mess being a reminder of my inadequacies, it is a reminder of a happy, and wonderfully busy family.