Life

An Occasional Flash of Brilliance Is All It Takes

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If you follow me on instagram (which, by the way, if you don't, you should), you may have seen this picture of the "special snack" we sent to preschool a few weeks ago. Now, if you saw that picture, you might think that I'm an awesome mom who does all sorts of Pinterest-worthy stuff with her kids. But then you may have read the caption. Yes, it's true. We totally rocked the letter S. But when we had the letter C, I sent a tube of crackers, prepackaged cheese sticks, and storebought cookies. Total Special Snack Fail.

But here's the thing: Micah doesn't expect me to be awesome all the time. An occasional flash of brilliance is sufficient for her. She thinks I'm amazing, even when we're doing the same old ordinary, normal things we usually do in the same old boring way we always do them. More often than not, I'll send crackers for special snack, but in the end, Micah won't remember all those times. She'll remember that one time we did something truly awesome.

I'm a recovering perfectionist, so trust me when I say that it's hard for me to simply let things go, but crazy, stressed out mommy is no fun. Just ask my kids. In the past four and a half years of mommyhood, I've learned that not every day is a day for something as extraordinary as an Easter Egg Dyeing Party. Every photo opp won't result in picture perfect images. And you know what? That's OK. I'm totally convinced that it's alright to be ordinary most of the time - as long as you're spectacular every now and then.

If you're a mom like me trying to keep up with all the stuff you see posted on Facebook and Pinterest, just stop. There's no way to win. Instead, choose to maintain your sanity and strive for an occasional flash of brilliance. It works for me!

What's your most spectacular flash of brilliance? I'd love to hear your stories of occasional awesomeness in the comments.

Until next time, grace and peace.

Meeting Little Miss Maggie

This post is about a week overdue, but with my freak medical malady last week, I just didn't have it in me to write it. Better late than never, right?? So, without further ado, I'd like to introduce my almost brand-spankin-new niece: Maggie Kathleen. Isn't she the sweetest?

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There's nothing sweeter than a baby girl, you know. I might be a bit biased about that. Maggie was born on a Wednesday, but we couldn't make the trip to Atlanta until Thursday afternoon, and I didn't get to see her until Friday morning. She was totally worth the wait.

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My girls, Kendall in particular, were completely enthralled by her. It was the first time that Kendall had really been around a baby, and she wanted to hold her. And when I say that she wanted to hold her, I mean that she completely flipped out if someone else in her presence was holding Maggie and she was not.

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It was incredibly sweet. When the screaming wasn't driving me crazy, that is.

I did take a picture with the proud mama (my sister), but I don't think she would appreciate me putting it on the internet for all the world to see. It wasn't a particularly good photo of either of us (totally not the photographer's fault, Dad!).

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On a completely unrelated note, it really doesn't seem like that long ago since we made the trip to Atlanta to meet my nephew, Will (sitting next to Kendall up there in the "cousins" photo). But it's been three and a half years already. Where has the time gone?? Atlanta is a long way from central Mississippi, and I don't get to see my sister that often. This trip was particularly bittersweet. I loved visiting with Stacy and loving on sweet little Maggie, and I hated to go. I'm already trying to figure out when I can see her again. I don't know when it will happen, but I hope it's not too far down the road.

Until next time, grace and peace.

The Week that Was: Spring Break Edition

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It's Spring Break here in Mississippi, which means that half the state is off gallivanting on the beaches of Alabama and Florida. We, however, had no such grand plans. After a whirlwind trip to Atlanta to meet my sweet little niece, we were going to have a staycation. My master plan included an excursion to the children's museum, lunch with my aunt and uncle, and a trip to the salon for Micah to be pampered.

And then life happened.

Specifically, a persistent toothache drove me to the dentist Monday afternoon. She couldn't localize the pain, but suspected an old filling was the culprit. So I headed off to the endodontist yesterday morning for a probable root canal.

Except he couldn't localize the pain either. So he did some more investigating and discovered that my jawbone has somehow pushed its way through my gum, causing extreme pain and sensitivity. Apparently it happens. I just thought there was an ulcer back there. Turns out, it's the source of all my problems. Well, my tooth mouth pain problems anyway.

Fun times, right?

Instead of playing at the children's museum, the girls played in the waiting room at the dentist's office. Instead of lunch with my aunt and uncle, they ate peanut butter sandwiches in the car. Instead of a trip to the salon, we went to Walgreens for my pain medication.

But they also explored the city park with Dennis and built duplo towers and enjoyed lunch with Gran and watched lots of Disney Junior. So as far as they're concerned, it was the best Spring Break ever.

Hopefully, next week will be a return to normality (and regular posting). After the visit to the oral surgeon at the beginning of the week, that is. Such is my crazy life.

Until next time, grace and peace.