Happy New Year!

I’m sitting next to the luxury suite of terrariums, staring at a bearded dragon named Ozzie and wondering if she’s really comfortable sleeping on a jungle vine. That’s not a joke. That’s what is really happening in my house – and in my mind – right now.

Proof that anything is possible.

I wanted to share some words of wisdom on this final day of 2014. I wanted to tell you about all of the things that I’ve learned, all of the self reflection that I’ve done, all of the new-found wisdom that I can now flaunt like a fabulous new pair of red shoes. But, sitting here staring at this little dragon, it occurs to me that I am not Buddha and I don’t really have any infinite wisdom to share. I can only tell you that, at the start of 2014, I never would have guessed that this is where I’d find myself at the end of 2014.

Life is an unexpected journey.

May there be unexpected happiness and hope for all of us in this new year!

Sharing Space With a Dinosaur

I feel like I should be gearing up for some year-end insight. Reflecting on the year that was and resolving to do more, to do better, to do something in 2015. But all I can think about is our new dragon!

Little Ozzie arrived this morning.

She’s a cute little thing. Is it strange to refer to a bearded dragon as cute? I’m new at this. This whole experience has been reminiscent of bringing home our first-born. Obsessing over when she’ll arrive, what her name will be, where she’ll sleep, what she’ll eat….what color her poop will be!

It’s interesting.

I’m sure we’ll all settle in and get used to sharing our space with this little dinosaur. Until then, please excuse the obsessive happiness brought on by our newest addition.

Right Where We Left Off

We pick up right where we left off.

That’s it. That’s all there is to say about today because that’s the only way to explain it.

This is a friendship born out of a random meeting and built on impromptu play dates. We – the kids and adults alike – can go months without seeing or speaking to one another, yet immediately pick up where we left off.

It’s fun, it’s comfortable, it’s easy. It makes me happy.

We’re Expecting

There’s nothing quite like the excitement of ‘expecting.’  Expecting family at Christmas or friends on New Year’s Eve; expecting a promotion or a raise at work, expecting a special delivery in the mail.  And, of course, expecting a new baby is the crown jewel – the mother – of all expecting.

Over the last three months, three friends have shared the news of that last form of ‘expecting.’  Yep, three new little babies are going to appear in my life in 2015.  That makes me so happy.  I’m teary-eyed just thinking about it!  But, that’s not what we, here in my house, are anticipating – or expecting – this year.  No, no, in my house that would be known as a challenge.  Instead, we are expecting something a little different, a little smaller, a little scalier, a little less difficult to potty train.

We are expecting a bearded dragon.

Call me crazy, call me loony, call me weird, call me whatever you like!  But, somehow, after months of resisting the pleas of my oldest daughter, I find myself anxiously awaiting the arrival of our newest resident.  We’re expecting our little dragon to make her debut on Tuesday morning.  I can’t wait!

And, as if three new babies and a bearded dragon weren’t enough happiness for this one post, there’s more.  It seems that my youngest daughter has discovered her talent for storytelling and, inspired by none other than moi, she has decided to open up her own blogging space.  You absolutely, positively have to stop in and read her latest post titled The New Hairy Monster.  We’re expecting great things from this little girl. 🙂

A Crappy Start

My day started out pretty crappy, leaving me with less than stellar expectations for the rest of my day.  You see, I woke up exhausted.  Exhausted and crabby and cursing that little dog who spent the night with us.  It was his fault.  He woke me up twice in the middle of the night with his barking and whining.  I didn’t care for being woken up in the middle of the night when it was my own small child calling for me so, as you might imagine, this barking dog definitely did not make me happy.

It was a rough start.

Sometimes it’s difficult to recover from a day that seems challenging from the outset.  Sometimes it’s easier to throw my hands up in defeat and simply wait for a new day to begin.  But it was a beautiful December day in the northeast and I wasn’t about to let a whiny, overnight house guest ruin my whole day.  So, instead, I packed up my own kids, adopted two additional kids, and took our non-whiny, non-barking dog out for a two hour hike.

My dog is now passed out next to me, my own kids are still entertaining the two adopted kids who joined us earlier today and I am happily enjoying some me time.  Quite a turn-around from my crappy start of a day.

Something To Look Forward To

I believe it was Maya Angelou who said that there are just three things we need in life:  something to do, someone to love and something to look forward to.  It’s that ‘something to look forward to’ that has me feeling happy tonight.

I spent the entire month of December fretting over what to buy my husband for Christmas.  I walked into a million different stores and perused a million different websites;  I had a million different thoughts and a million different bright ideas, but none of them stuck.  Sure, he could use a new hat, perhaps a new jacket.  He is in desperate need of some decent jeans and he always needs new socks.  But I wanted to find the perfect gift, not the perfect pair of Hanes Signature socks.  I was close to giving up, close to calling it quits and telling my husband that I had simply decided that his gift was me saving money instead of spending money on a gift for him, when suddenly it hit me.  There was one thing that my husband needed more than anything else:  time.

My husband works long, ridiculous hours that should not be required of any human being.  On top of that, he is rather challenged when it comes to taking time for himself and for enjoying the life that his long hours afford the rest of us.  Oh sure, he complains about his hours, but he rarely does anything to relieve himself of the stress brought on by those hours.  Even on his days off, I find that I have to remind him to sit down and just chill out.  He simply isn’t wired for chilling out, though I know how happy he is when I force him to do just that.  So, I thought, what better gift to give him than a chance to do just that?

Sometimes I am brilliant!

And so, thanks to a little help from my parents, my husband and I will get a chance to spend some time together with plenty to do – or nothing at all to do.  We’ll have a chance to enjoy the gift of time. 

For both of us, that is definitely something to look forward to.

The Christmas Miracle

My kids didn’t fight today.

It was a Christmas miracle!

Alright, maybe they fought a teensy bit, but not much.  It’s difficult to bicker and complain when you realize how truly blessed you are.  And blessed we truly are.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight.

My Little Bubble

I like my space here. It gives me the chance to escape the chaos of life and simply focus on the happy. I suppose this is my daily meditation.

Some days, though, the world makes it difficult to find the happy. Sometimes I need to collapse in on myself, ignore the world around me and simply live inside the bubble of my little family.

I’ve been spending a lot of time in my bubble this holiday season.

Sometimes I think the entire world has gone mad. Sometimes I think humans have forgotten that rational thinking (along with opposable thumbs) is what separates us from the animal kingdom. Sometimes I wonder why it’s so hard for humans to act like … humans.

*heavy sigh*

This Christmas Eve, I’m happy to have my little bubble to escape to. And I’m hopeful that the world’s humans will think about the new year ahead as a chance to redeem themselves.

Merry Christmas people…and may there be peace on earth.

How Did That Happen?

I’m beginning to feel like one of Santa’s elves – though I tinker in chocolates instead of toys.  You see, I’ve been on a chocolate making binge this past week – making tins of salty, sweet happiness for nearly everyone I know.  I’m hoping Santa will adopt me as his official chocolatier. Is that a thing?

Less than an hour ago I filled the final tins, but I still have this pile of excess chocolate.  How in the world did that happen?  A Christmas miracle?  Dumb luck? Strategic Plan?

I’m going with a happy, Christmas miracle.

Made In The USA

An impromptu invitation from some friends has turned into a holiday tradition in our house.  I love it when that happens.

Three years ago, we joined a group of friends at a local glass shop.  That’s not exactly where you would expect to find families of young children spending their time, but the shop owner encouraged our visit and we accepted.

Prior to that, my one and only experience in a glass blowing shop came in my 20’s while on a trip to Ireland with a friend.  We stopped in at the Waterford Crystal factory and were given the grand tour – we were kept safely behind a glass window so as not to cause any damage.  Of course, I felt that their precautions were unwarranted, but the curators insisted on it.  What-ever.

These days I would, undoubtedly, force a group of 20 year olds walking into my glass shop behind a partition as well.  Only hindsight can give you that sort of insight.

Anyway….my experience was a whole lot different than the one my kids now call tradition.  You see, on our family trips to our local glass store, we don’t simply stare in awe through a glass partition.  Oh no, no, no.  We don safety glasses and are given full access to the giant stove that heats and molds the glass and we create these beautiful ornaments.  Yes, these ornaments pictured right here were made by my very own children in a tiny, little shop in a quaint, little town just 5 minutes from our home right here in the good ol’ US of A.

How cool is that?

I absolutely, positively love the fact that our friends thought to invite us along three years ago.  And I absolutely, positively love that my kids now look forward to this day each holiday season.  And I absolutely, positively love that this little glass shop welcomes us year after year and has happily agreed to let us expand our glass blowing party next year so that more friends can join the tradition.

Can you tell that this tradition makes me absolutely, positively happy?