don't blink

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Don't Blink

I turned on the evening news
Saw an old man being interviewed
Turning a hundred and two today
Asked him what's the secret to life
He looked up from his old pipe
Laughed and said "All I can say is"

(CHORUS) Don't blink
Just like that, you're six years old and you take a nap and you
Wake up and you're twenty-five and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife
Don't blink
You just might miss your babies growing like mine did
Turning into moms and dads next thing you know your "better half"
Of fifty years is there in bed
And you're praying God takes you instead
Trust me friend a hundred years goes faster than you think
So don't blink

I was glued to my TV when it looked like he looked at me and said
"Best start putting first things first"
Cause when your hourglass runs out of sand
You can't flip it over and start again
Take every breathe God gives you for what it's worth

(CHORUS) Don't blink
Just like that, you're six years old and you take a nap and you
Wake up and you're twenty-five and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife
Don't blink
You just might miss your babies growing like mine did
Turning into moms and dads next thing you know your "better half"
Of fifty years is there in bed
And you're praying God takes you instead
Trust me friend a hundred years goes faster than you think
So don't blink

So I've been tryin' to slow it down
I've been tryin' to take it in
In this here today, gone tomorrow world we're livin' in

(CHORUS) Don't blink
Just like that, you're six years old and you take a nap and you
Wake up and you're twenty-five and your high school sweetheart becomes your wife
Don't blink
You just might miss your babies growing like mine did
Turning into moms and dads next thing you know your "better half"
Of fifty years is there in bed
And you're praying God takes you instead
Trust me friend a hundred years goes faster than you think
So don't blink

Naw, don't blink
Life goes faster than you think

Time

Wow! My kids are going up so fast. (The lament of every mom??) Last night Alex and Rachel made dinner for the first time. Alex made breaded chicken strips, and Rachel mad the salads and yogurt/berry appetizers. A surprise for their daddy's birthversary week. Our big girl Alex, with her large striking brown eyes, is now in fourth grade; beautiful, strong and bright. Freckle-faced Rachel is in third; smart as a whip, artistic and creative, and cute.

Learning to Stand Up

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Some of the values that I want to teach are girls are tolerance, diversity, and standing up for what you believe in--not sitting back assuming someone else will take on the status quo to effect meaningful change. Even if that change isn't about you personally - but about inequality and basic fairness. Stand up for your neighbor - one day you may need them to stand up for you.

We want to teach them to appreciate what they have—their lot in life. They were born to two educated parents. Live comfortably in one of the most beautiful (albeit expensive) cities in the country. They have two committed and dedicated parents who love them, food on the table, clothes on their backs, books, toys, and dance and soccer and..., For these things we should all be grateful. Our children were born with more opportunities and material things than 90% of the children in the world.

They are not entitled to these things. A lot of life is who you are born to and where you are born. Kids in war-torn Afganistan and Iraq are no less deserving than Rachel and Alex. Kids born to single moms, or poverty, or drug addicts, or abusive parents, or with disabilities - none are any less deserving than our children.

Along with tolerance, diversity, and courage, we want to teach our children to help others. People who face challenges in life that our kids won't. From the kid who is being bullied on the playground to the family who doesn't have enough food to eat or money to buy holiday presents.

Tweeting on the Blog

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OK - Have I forgotten how to write a reasonable blog post??

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Tuning In

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To many times I seem to find myself putting my kids off, asking them to wait while I finish this phone call, conversation, email or text.

2012: Tune in.

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Colorado Rocky Mountain Sky

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I just love the Colorado sky - so much character and color! Earlier this week the girls and I saw what looked like a hurricane in the sky.

It was amazing!! So glad I had my camera handy ;-)

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My little bug

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Birthday Hugs from Little Ray!!

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2012 & Three years from 50

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Today I turned 47. Wow that's a big number!

There are several things that I've been meaning to do for the past several years. Things that I know would make me happy, make me a better person, a better mother and wife. But...,

We all have that little word (but) that holds us back from going after what we really (or think we really) want. For me it boils down to a fear of failing. Which is crazy because by definition, not trying at all is the biggest failure there is.

And, if I'm being honest, a bit of laziness too. On this challenge I really need to just suck it up, make up my mind to move and get started.

So what are those things??

1.) Creating, launching, building my portrait photography business.

2.) Getting healthy. Exercise and diet.

Neither of these should be insurmountable. Neither of these are insurmountable. It's just a matter of getting started - starting now.

Words for 2012: Fit & Frugal.

Goals and milestones? I'll get back to you on this by Friday of next week.

Also - I'm reading the Happiness Project, which I hope will help spur me on.

xoxxo,
C

Exploring Colorado

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We arrived in Colorado more than 6 months ago and have easily survived what everyone is telling us was a 'very mild' winter. Spring seems to be coming our way - early, thankfully. The grass is starting to turn green and the weather is beginning to brighten and warm.

This weekend, the girls and I took an exploratory drive around Boulder County and found wonderful, happy things....,

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Absorbing family values...,

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Earlier today, the girls and I set out to give boxes of girl scout cookies to the homeless folks down on Pearl Street. On the way Rachel said, "Momma, I know it seems like they don't have anything, but they do have something. They have love - they can love, give love. So they do have something."

It was a day of lots of discussion. Alex asked if people were born homeless and I was about to answer her with all the adult issues of homelessness and its plethora of causes, but I stopped mid-sentence. "Yes, sadly, some babies are born to mommies and daddies who don't have homes." "We're lucky," she said. "We have a home. When we give them the cookies, I hope it makes them happy."

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