Monday, June 30, 2008

Pull this thread as I walk away...

If you don't get the reference, it's a Weezer song from the 90's that goes something like this:

If you want to destroy my sweater,
whoa o o o
pull this thread as I walk away,
as I walk away,
Watch me unravel
I'll soon be naked,
Lyin on the floor,
Lyin' on the floor,
I've come undone.

This is the song that represents my life since last Friday.  Sure it happens as soon as I write that life is going great...Analia has totally hit the terrible-horrible-monstrous twos!!  I can't believe she used to be my sweet little girl.  Seriously it was overnight.  On saturday she just went nuts...biting, scratching, and stomping on Maya, screaming not to go to bed, she was up for 2 hours in the middle of the night crying that she wanted to sleep with me in the big bed.  NO WAY.  We had to keep up the fight, but eventually I just laid down with her in our guest bed until she fell asleep.  She whines and cries all the time and nothing we say or do seems to help.  She's stubborn and doesn't forget the thing she's crying for.  UGH.  I am definitely at the end of my rope.   

Any suggestions from you experienced moms??  I need some help here!

Friday, June 27, 2008

A Journey of a Thousand Miles...

This past week and a half, the girls and I have been vacationing in Utah.  We had a blast.  Seriously, this had to be one of the funnest vacations for me.  Even though I was basically a single parent, I loved it still.  Each day was jammed with seeing people and doing things.  We had family reunions, family dinners, play dates, bridal showers, receptions, and weddings.  Whew.  I didn't think I would ever rely so much on Coke to get me through the day -- in a happy mood!  

This trip, in all of its fury, turned out to be much more for me.  It was a proving ground for me as a mother and a woman.  I felt in control of my emotions and my actions.  I felt in-charge of my life.  I felt like I was doing good for my kids.  And this feeling came home with me.  It is so nice to remember what is important--and I've discovered that it's all about my family and spending time with them.  Especially with my kids.  I've just loved each day with them, and now that I'm home, I feel rejuvenated and re-motivated to make each day great.  For instance, instead of watching T.V. after dinner and letting Analia run around us, we play outside, eating ice cream or swinging on the swing set, or walking around the neighborhood.  Now, I know that this energy will run out sometime, but it really feels great--in my guts--to live my life this way.  Not letting things drain away my time--like the T.V. or the computer (my two biggest time wasters!)  

Ahhh.  

The other thing it proved to me is that I'm a strong woman.  I can care for my kids and give them the things they need....for the most part.  They still need their dad like crazy, and I do too.  But it is sure nice to know that when I do it alone, it works out okay.  

Traveling also proved to me that I don't have to have things all planned out.  I basically started with a general game plan, but it morphed and changed as I went along, and I just flowed with it.  Not much else I could do, actually.  But I found that this is the easiest and least stressful way to travel.  It made the vacation fun.  So I hope I can carry this with me as I go across the world in a month.  

This trip to Utah almost didn't work out, but I'm so glad that at the last moment, it did.  And I was able to learn so much about myself and how I want to live my life.  Thanks everyone for making this a fantastic vacation.  Kisses.

(I'll get some pictures posted later...)