"Guilt... It's A Beautiful Emotion"

That happens to be one of my favorite lines from "Steel Magnolias."
By "favorite" I mean I quote it more than the other 342 lines I know.

Yesterday, the boy and Dan/Daddy treated me to:
1. a very full mug of coffee in bed (the kind of "full" where you have to sip it off the top in that gross slurping sound)

2. a new charm for my bracelet and 2 sweet cards (Well, Dan/Daddy's was a little inappropriate, but he thought it was a riot.)

3. homemade waffles and bacon for breakfast

4. a lunch of shrimp, salad, and baked potatoes

5. a nap

6. a clean car (and the fun of hearing Dan/Daddy tell the boy to "hurry up and get over here before the soap dries!")

7. pizza out at our favorite place and a trip to Sonic on the way home

Want to hear something nutso? I felt guilty. Especially when they were washing my car.
I know, I know. It IS crazy. Mother's Day only comes once a year, and I am usually the one doing EVERYTHING around this joint.
So enjoy it, right?
I did enjoy it. With a side of guilt.
It's the way I roll.

But I do not feel guilty about stealing kisses from the little man who calls me "mommy" or "momma" or "mom" (if his friends are around).
Nope... I will never feel guilty about that.

Everybody Deserves Some Appreciation

If I have my facts straight, this week we should have celebrated:
1. Teacher Appreciation Week
2. Nurse Appreciation Week
3. Military Spouse Appreciation Day (woo hoo)
4. Cinco de Mayo
and
5. Mother's Day (tomorrow)

Seeing as how I am (or have been at some point) 3 out of 4 of those, I am expecting the FedX man to show up at any moment with all my gifts and presents.

As for #4, I am not Mexican, but I do enjoy the food and beverages of Mexico. Ole'.

I hope you thanked your children's teachers. I hope you treated them to a spa day and a trip to The Bahamas... because they deserve it. I hope you remembered the teachers that made a difference in your life. Some of us old high school pals on Facebook thanked a few of our teachers in our status updates, and they answered back with the kindest comments. Teachers make a difference, folks.

I also hope, if you are a nurse, you received a bunch of flowers and a couple of lunches out and tickets to Hawaii. I have so much admiration and respect for people in the medical field. They are heroes every single day, and I have my little boy's life to show for it. Thank you, nurses.

As for the military spouse... I know some of the most amazing wives of soldiers. They do it all. All the time. They are strong, brave, loyal, patriotic, and smart. I am humbled to call them my friends. (With an equal shout out to the military spouses who are husbands.)

And last, but not least... Moms!
Here are 3 of our favorites.

Dan/Daddy's mom (Nana)...


My mom (Baba) and sis-in-law (Aunt April)... 2 of the best moms I know...


Happy Mother's Day to all my mommy friends and family!

So get out there and show some love. All of the people in these positions - mother, nurse, teacher, and military spouse - are deserving of thanks...

And greatly underpaid.

10 on Tuesday

Today's questions are from Mrs. Roots and Rings herself.
They are also nice and simple and required very little thought. Which is a good thing for me today.

1. What is the weather like in your city today?
The truth? 86 degrees and sunny.
My opinion? Too hot already.

2. Do you like the zoo?
LOVE it. I took the boy last week.
We had a great day...


We also fed a giraffe, and he had a great day.



3. Do you eat coconut?
Yes.

4. Have you ever hammered a nail? Are you good at it?
Yep. Especially picture-hanging nails. I hammer them all the time.
Because I am an Army wife, I hammer them in and take them out and fill up the nail holes and move to a new house and hammer them in all over again. And again and again and again. Can you guess what's on my mind?

5. Does your family have a vacation destination that you visit often?
Any sort of beach. Water and sand.

6. How many pillows do you sleep with?
Too many, according to Dan/Daddy. I like 2 under my head and one by my tummy. If Dan /Daddy is snoring, I have one over the top of my head.

7. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
Flip on the news. My friend, S, called me a "news hound." I like to be aware.

8. Will you send your kids to summer camp?
If he wants to go. (Gulp.)
As long as I can chaperone. Or be a 40 year-old camp counselor.

9. What do you put in your baked potatoes?
Salt, pepper, butter, sour cream.

10. Did you take swimming lessons as a kid?
I did. I remember vividly wanting to be able to "graduate" to the upper levels...
Because you got to wear a cooler color swim cap. I was obviously more interested in looking cute than in learning to swim. But I do know how to swim, so I must have paid attention at some point.

Spring Break Day 4

Chocolate chip pancakes at IHOP.

Spring Break Day 3

This boy could fish until there were no fish left.





Told you I packed lots of camo.

Spring Break Day 2 or The Day I Forgot The White Shirt

In the Deep South, Easter Sunday takes on a life of its own.
We may believe in the Resurrection of Jesus, but we also believe in new clothes and ham.
And all the stuff that goes with that.

Because our little family of 3 is living "apart" right now, Dan/Daddy met us at my family's for the weekend. Which meant I was responsible for bringing his Easter finery for that all-important day.

Well.
Khaki pants? Check.
Navy jacket? Check.
New lime green tie that perfectly matched my dress and the boy's shorts? Check.
White dress shirt?
White dress shirt?
"Uhhhh. Honey? Where's my white dress shirt?"
Poop. It took me .5 seconds to realize it was back in the closet at our house. 264 miles away.

Dan/Daddy was a lot calmer than me. I ranted and raved about my failures as a wife and a mentally capable adult for a few minutes before I pulled myself together.
And remembered the true meaning of Easter.
And then I remembered that I had a LOT to pack up.
And then I remembered that all the stuff I packed consisted of Dan/Daddy's turkey hunting gear and approximately 76 firearms.
(You see, because we are moving in a few months, I brought some things to keep at my parents' house during the move. Like my plants and guns. The movers won't move either.)

So I blamed my forgetting of the white shirt on all the unnecessary weaponry I was responsible for.

We had a wonderful Easter Sunday after all, and Dan/Daddy looked completely appropriate in his casual shirt. He should have worn camo. I packed plenty of that.





Look closely. Yes, my son wore Converse tennis shoes to church.


The "guys" (Dan/Daddy, the boy, the nephew, my dad, my brother)


#1 Sis-in-Law (a.k.a. "Martha Stewart")


I could just pinch his cute little cheeks, but don't tell him that.


The "girls" in this rowdy crew are way outnumbered.


And how about that bruise on the boy's knee? We like to keep it real.


Hope your Easter was blessed.

Easter Shenanigans or Spring Break Day 1

And yes, I had to google that word to make sure I was spelling it right.

shenanigans: Silly or high-spirited behavior

Bring on the multi-colored stained fingers for church!


And the boredom while you wait on your eggs to reach that perfect shade


Why is the smallest person in the room the most "in charge" of the activity?


"No Uncle Daniel! Don't drink the purple tea!"


We also took time for the more meaningful activities of Easter.
Like dunking Peeps into liquid chocolate.







Perhaps the only thing happier than a row of Peeps is a row of Peeps with chocolate booties.