Sisterly Love

I am one lucky woman. I have been blessed with two of the sweetest girls in the world. Am I being biased? Of course I am! That is my right as their adoring mom. Are my girls perfect? Nope, which is a relief because then what would they need me for? But if there is one thing I have learned in my nearly six years of motherhood is that my kids are my teachers and if I don’t learn anything from them then I am not paying attention.

Almost every evening we have our bedtime ritual. It goes like this: pj’s, teeth, stories, tickle monster, bed. I am responsible for stories. It’s a nice time to end the day and share the love of reading. Each girl picks a book and we snuggle on “the big couch” to enjoy. Last night, my oldest, Marley, picked one of my favorites. It’s a book about two sisters that celebrate their likeness, differences and love for each other. I get misty when I read this book because I did not grow up with a sister. I have an older brother whom I love and adore and a best friend who is my sister from another mister, but I didn’t have that sisterly bond growing up so it has always fascinated me. I marvel at their relationship and how close they are. They are empathetic and compassionate and yes, sometimes mean to each other, but they always make their way back to the friendship.

When I finished reading, my youngest, Alexa, who is nearly four, turns to Marley, nearly six, and says, “I love you”. To which Marley smiles and says, “I love you, too.” Dude! Can I get a Kleenex!? I could not have been more proud to be their mom in that moment or humbled to witness this special moment. When Marley started Kindergarten this year I was concerned about how the separation would affect them. They both cried when they said goodbye and Marley told me, tearfully, that she wished they were twins so they could go to school together. Hearing that felt like a knife in my gut and all I could say in that moment was that I was sorry, too. Now, a few months into the school year they have both thrived from a little independence and always reconnect at the end of each day.

My wish for my little princesses is that they will always have one another to remind them of who they are, where they come from and that no matter what, they are never alone. I know adolescence is in the not too distant future so this foundation will most likely be rocked but sometimes a shakeup is the best reminder of what you really have. So what did I learn from my girls? I learned what it means to be a good sister and friend and that I am really lucky to enjoy watching their relationship flourish.

So, go tell your sister how much you love her…and that goes for your sisters of the heart, too. And now I will take this moment to tell all of you sisters of my heart that I love you and that I am blessed by your presence in my life!

That's right...I said HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

As promised, here is my holiday rant. Ok, not really a rant, a frustration? Not really a frustration but an observation…and ok, yes, a little frustration. I would like to be VERY clear about one thing: there is no intention of disrespect on my part for anyone’s holiday affiliation. Actually, that is pretty much the point of this post. All right, now that I’ve blown my proverbial wad, here goes…

‘Tis the season, right? I don’t know about you but I start to get excited about this time of year around Thanksgiving. As many of you may already know, I LOVES me some Thanksgiving. It’s a great day of family, abundance, togetherness and most importantly, thankfulness. Did I have a great Thanksgiving? You bet your bippy I did and hence my holiday glow began. Yet here I am, one week into my holiday glow flow and I keep bumping up against this message that is really starting to stick in my craw: when did it become a problem to wish someone a happy holiday as opposed to assuming everyone celebrates Christmas? I mean, yes, Christmas is pretty much the dominating force this time of year (it’s marketed to us starting in September, for crimony’s sake!) but it is not the only holiday that is being celebrated. I have heard nowadays that saying Merry Christmas is tantamount to “a curse word”. Really? Seriously? Are you going to go there? I can think of a few other religions that are getting pretty bad press these days that may disagree. I do understand the importance of Christmas and I respect it. But what about the importance of other faith’s holidays? I am by no means a religious scholar but I am aware that Hanukkah, Ramadan and Kwanza are significant celebrations/times of reflection. What about Yule? Doesn’t that count, too? All of these faiths, and many that I am ignorant of, have meaningful holidays that deserve well wishes. So, I wish them all well.

Please know this, when I wish you a Happy Holiday, it isn’t a cop out. It is a true wish, from the bottom of my heart, that you enjoy the celebrations of this time of year in whatever incarnation brings you peace. I hope you enjoy the season and find a moment for reflection to reevaluate what makes your life blessed and uniquely yours. Sending you much love and of course….HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

What the hell...why not?

I've been intrigued about blogging for a while. It's not that my life is very interesting but I've always been a blabberer about my feelings so why not give this a shot? A little about me...let's see. I am a bit profane, crass and real. I am sarcastic, irreverent at times and not a supporter of all things "normal". I am happily married with two awesome kids. My family kicks ass but can also be the source of frustration, hilarity, tears, learning and reflection. I will most likely use this as an outlet for voicing my opinions and experiences. Feel free to read or not. It's all good by me.

So, let's see, today my oldest daughter got her first loose tooth. She's been "wanting" a loose tooth for a while so I didn't buy it at first but sure enough that bugger is wiggling. To celebrate (because we have to celebrate EVERYTHING in our family) we decided that it was a great night to go out to our favorite corner haunt, Michael's Diner. We fondly call it Michael's Dinah because it's just funnier to listen to my youngest say it with a thick New York accent. Every meal we share is rampant with talking too loudly, reminding each other to not talk with our mouths full, oh, and actually being reminded to eat but I found a moment to sit back and take a mental picture. I learned the power of "the mental picture" on my wedding day. Someone very wise, I can't remember who, (sorry, whoever you are. I owe you one) suggested that I stop and take mental pictures to imprint the images of the amazing and crazy day that is a wedding. So, now that you are with me on the mental picture tip, back to this evening...take a look, if you will, into the eyes of two kids addled-brained with the effects of faux "maple" syrup and the promise of a lolly-pop and see the essence that is my family, my crew, my posse, my peoples. Life with four different perspectives that somehow mesh into one single goal - to love the hell out of each other. I am not going to say that we don't have our moments when the frustration levels are off the frappin' charts but our truth persists, the truth of love. It's that simple and that hard and any parent will tell you it's what gets them out of bed everyday.

Trust me there will be more posts about my family and the things that I learn from them but that was tonight's enlightening moment. Enough for post numero uno. I feel a holiday bitch session coming, so stay tuned. Be well.