A Contest Entry

Being new to blogging I've found that other bloggers often participate in contests, giveaways, and other such giddy madness.  It's kind of like gambling, you know your odds for winning are incredibly small, but a little part of you whispers, "yes, but what if I won?!"  

Well, I've found myself a contest to enter.  Below is my entry.  Thanks to the ladies at TodaysMama!

This is contest entry for those crazy folks at TodaysMama and Cricut. Be sure to check out Cricut's cool new cartridges and the chance at $30,000 in travel for you and your friends at the Great Gypsy Escape site! http://bit.ly/FWcud

Great Escape Meme
1. If you could escape to anywhere in the world where would it be? 

Beachly delights:  Bora Bora, Bali, or Tahiti   

Mountain retreats: Switzerland, B.C. Canada, or Scotland.
2. What song do you play when you are by yourself in the car? 

Right now I'm totally hooked on "Hot Air Balloon" by Owl City.  Funny, it's a bit about escape too!
3. If you had a night to yourself, and money was no object, what would you do? 

If it's just me I'm heading to the spa for the works: massage, mani/pedi, maybe even hair & makeup too.  Then I'd grab the Mr. and we'd go out: dinner at our favorite place,  the Melting Pot (mmmmm, fondue), theater of some kind, find some stars to gaze at and just talk.

4. What is your guilty pleasure? 

OK-I'll come clean.  I'm a TwilightMom.
5. What is the farthest place you have traveled away from your home? 

Farthest East: Berlin, Germany

Farthest West: Oahu, Hawaii
6. Last book that you couldn't put down? 

The Actor and The Housewife, by Shannon Hale
  7. When you want to escape into another time, what movie do you watch? 

Pride and Prejudice (BBC version please) OR Lord of the Rings/Pirates of the Caribbean.

8. What is your favorite local escape? 

Zuma Beach or Griffith Observatory if I don't have a lot of time, Huntington Library & Gardens if I have more time, Disneyland or Big Bear if we have a whole day.
9. How do you escape on a budget? 

I have a library card.  A whole universe of adventure and escape that fits in my purse!  It's like magic.

(Beaches, Griffith, local gardens and open space is all free here!  I know - SPOILED!)

Best food you've ever had while on vacation. 

Single Best Dish:  Huli Huli chicken at Duke's, Waikiki Beach, HI.  Someday I WILL get back there.

Best Overall Food Experience: Disney Cruise Line.  My family would cruise with them again just for the food.  YUM.

And, true to form I can't seem to narrow it all down to just one answer.  Life has too many exciting options, I want them all!  It's good to have dreams, right?!

Sick Bed Sweetness...

I've spent the last week and a half coughing until everything hurt, and then coughing some more.  As I watched the toys, papers, and laundry pile up around me while I sat helplessly gasping for air, I was reminded of my dominant feeling about being sick.  Anger.  The Mr. sat chuckling at me the other night after I ranted about the vagaries of being sick.  

"You're funny when you're sick."  He said.  "You get mad at being sick.  It's funny."

I wanted to shout, "Look around you!  This is what happens when I'm sick; we drown in a wasteland of our STUFF!  We eat chicken nuggets and cereal for dinner!  I forget Important Papers that come home from school!  You have no clean socks or underwear!"  

Instead I had a coughing fit.  

Somehow, in my hyperventilating state, I was able to find some beauty in life, even though I myself was far from being able to provide it.  And, since I'm a big fan of lists (I love lists like Kermit loves Miss Piggy, I could probably write a whole paper on why I heart lists), I shall provide my bits of beauty in list form:

1.  After a particularly bad night of coughing and sleeplessness I woke up with a "feel better" card on my tummy and a bright smiley Big Sis delighted to see me and give me a hug first thing in the morning.

2.  Good friends who showed up bearing delicious food and good wishes just because they heard I was sick and wanted to help.

3.  Ahhhh, Nyquil.  My friend.

4.  The girls both being in school so I could drop them off and come home and go back to bed.

5.  The Mr.  who slept on the couch for 5 nights in a row so that I could be comfortable and get some sleep without worrying about my coughing fits waking him up.  He must love me.

See?  Life is good.

What's in a name?

In my previous post I mentioned Cherry Hill House.  

“What's that?” you say. 

It's the name I've decided to give my house.  

“Why name a house?” you say.  

I'm tempted to flippantly answer, "Because I can."  

Or more accurately, "Because it's mine."

I've always been attracted to the idea of living in a place so distinct that it has its’ own unique name.  Being an incurable anglophile, I swoon for estate names like Althorp, Chartwell, Osborne House, and Kedleston Hall.  As a lover of books, I dream of places like Pemberley, Mansfield Park, Thornfield, or yes, even Hogwarts.

But, I've decided that even though it's not a noble estate surrounded by gracious grounds, or the setting for great events, my little house is actually quite special. It's a special place because we have made it so.  

When we purchased this house a few months ago it was a bit of a disaster.  Abandoned and neglected for more than three years, it was dirty, dilapidated, and seriously outdated. We looked past the exterior flaws and fell in love with the layout, the yard, the location, the trees, the sheer potential of it all.  We spent a month cleaning, scraping, patching and painting, carpeting and planning.  We didn’t finish all the projects we had planned, nor do we have the time or money to get it all done in the immediate future, but by our own sweat, blood, and yes, tears, we have truly made this house ours.  

Therefore, I christened it Cherry Hill House.  

Cherry, for the bright red cherries I love; I use them in decorating, I love to eat them, they are sweet and tart all in one (a bit like me), and they are cheerful - just like I want our family and memories in this house to be.  

Hill, for the hill the house sits on, and for the Hill (me, Hill-ary) who is keeper of the hearth here.  Cherry Hill is also a place in Utah, where I’m from and where our family lived and was begun.  

House, because it’s neither a grand palace, manor house or hall, nor a cottage, cabin, or farm; it’s simply a house, a place for a family to live and to grow.  

I love my little home.  I feel like it’s a bit like me at this stage in my life; not so new, falling apart just a little bit, and a work in progress, but (hopefully!) great potential lurking in the corners.  A place and a person in transition, with great expectations for the coming days.  And, we're getting there, one step and one project at a time.

Now, back to work!

I found this little gem while I was looking around at house names.  I couldn’t resist it!

On Naming a House

(by Christopher Morley) 

WHEN I a householder became

I had to give my house a name.

I thought I'd call it "Poplar Trees,"

Or "Widdershins" or "Velvet Bees,"

Or "Just Beneath a Star."

Or "As You Like It," "If You Please,"

Or "Nicotine" or "Bread and Cheese,"

"Full Moon" or "Doors Ajar."

But still I sought some subtle charm,

Some rune to guard my roof from harm

And keep the devil far;

A thought of this, and I was saved!

I had my letter-heads engraved

The House Where Brown Eyes Are.

There's No Place Like Home

I have nothing really profound to say today, but I did want to say this: for the past week or so there's been little pieces of me that feel empty, not quite right.  I should say, all of us here at Cherry Hill House have been feeling that way.  The sheer tension of disjointedness has had us all on the verge of meltdown at a moments notice.  And, there were meltdowns.  Oh, were there meltdowns.

But, then last night something wonderful happened.  

The Mr. came home.  

He walked in dragging his suitcase full of dirty laundry and backpack full of bribe offerings for his womenfolk, and we nearly knocked him down with the enthusiasm of our welcome.  We all could hardly sleep for the pure joy of being together again.  Our family is again whole, and so am I.

POST EDIT:

My jet fueled nemesis from the other night made another appearance tonight as we made our way to bed.  Needless to say, my Knight in Shining Armor has chased the octo-beast down and he has at last met his watery end in the porcelain fountain of death.  I can at last rest easy without a fat pillow wedged tightly against the headboard.  Oh, how I've missed the Mr.!  He is always and forever my hero!

Now I'm awake...

I wasn't going to blog today.  I was heading to bed, tired after a day of housekeeping, child keeping, and sanity keeping.  I came into my room and to the side of the bed, over the alarm clock on the wall by the head board was a spider.  !!!  He was big and black and there was NO WAY he was going to be living much longer.  I hhhhaaaatttee spiders.  Always have.  I had nightmares about spiders as a child.  Me and Ron Weasley are kindred spirits.  

As Mom I have to don the cape and swoop to the rescue of my children when the spiders appear.  I am tough and dispatch of them without a quiver under the watchful eyes of my daughters, showing them, "see? Nothing to be afraid of."  All the while inside I'm shrieking and doing the Flip Out dance-----you know, the one with the prancing/jumping on tip toe, hands flapping, saying "ew! ew! ew!"  If the Mr. is home, I make him do all of the spider eradication, no matter how small.  And, it's not enough just to squash them.  No, no.  They must be squashed and flushed down the toilet for insurance.

So, to come into my bedroom and see a fairly large spider on the wall next to my head board gave me the quivers.  The Mr. is still out on business.  I'm on my own.  Gulp.  However, I gathered my courage and told myself to buck up.  I put on my shoes (you choose your armor, I'll choose mine) and a great wad of toilet paper, and with my nightie billowing around my ankles, I carefully approached said spider.  I got close and moved the alarm cord out of the way.  It ran.  FAST.  Aaaagggghhhhahhhhaaaaa!  

I managed to keep the screaming to myself and leaned the headboard back as far as it would go.  No spider.  I shoved the bed out of the way and moved the headboard all the way out of the way.  No spider.  I moved all the bits of things under the bed away from the wall.  NO SPIDER!  It's disappeared.  I can't sleep in this bed with a rogue spider on the loose.  Especially a turbo charged rogue spider.  I'm currently down at the other end of my bed facing the wall and keeping my eye out for the little jet fueled demon to reappear.  

When I came in to go to bed I was already half asleep.  Not anymore.  Hello, Insomnia.

Here We Go Again

Today was the big day.  Anticipated all summer by the littles, anticipated for several years by me.  The day I would install my offspring into their classrooms and walk away a free woman.  

I planned skipping.  And jumping.  Projects.  Cleaning.  Decluttering.  Painting.  I had Big Plans.  There was a list a mile long of what I was going to get done as soon as I had some child free hours to myself in which to accomplish it all.  I was going to relish my newfound free time and really make it count for something. 

I was worried there might be tears.  And clinging.  (I dread the clinging.)  Instead, both children were deeply disappointed to learn that they would be escorted to class this first momentous day.  "Mom," they said, "we know where we're going and what to do, just drop us off."  In the nicest way possible, I said, "Fat Chance."  I could barely keep up as we crossed the playground to drop off Big Sis first, (that may or may not have had anything to do with the two grocery bags FULL of paper, glue, tissues, wipes, and various other supplies for each child, I was carrying; I'm surprised my arms didn't fall off in the process).

The scene was nearly the same at both classrooms: obligatory posing for photos by the backpack, looking around for friends, "K-byemomIloveyouseeyouafterschool," rushing off to play on the playground, me standing there, them turning around to see me with a look that said "are you still here?", me still standing there, standing there, standing there, and finally deciding it was okay to go.   

As I finally made my way out of the school and slowly walked to my car I pondered these independent little gals.  What had happened in the night to transform them from Nervous Nellies to Daring Divas?  Where did that come from?  Surely I was proud of them.  Relieved that we had avoided the tears and clinging.   I kept waiting for the release, for the sense of Freedom to descend upon me, for the skipping and jumping.  

It didn't come.

I returned to the quiet house, waiting expectantly for me and my Big Plans.  I just stood in the doorway, unsure.  In all of my waiting and planning for this day I never imagined that I would feel so...so...lost.  Suddenly I realized that maybe I wasn't ready for this emptying nest.  In all my preparing my children for this day, I had neglected to truly prepare myself.  They were ready and anxious to get on with their new adventure and leave me behind, and I realized that I'm not quite ready for it.  

So, as I struggle to figure out, once again, who I am and what I'm doing in this new stage of motherhood, I've realized that there will be tears.  

And clinging.  

Definitely clinging.

Back to School Bonanza

Today was the last day of Summer at our house.  

Tomorrow we are back to school.  

We spent much of today in preparation for the Big Day.  I cleaned out old clothes, making way for the fresh new school clothes.  We chose the special First Day of School Outfits and they are as bright and bold as the girls who will be sporting them.  This afternoon we spent some time at the school getting to know Big Sis's teacher, classroom, and playground in an effort to help her with the changes.  After that meeting we went to Kindergarten Orientation for Lil' Sis and she was all nerves.  She kept curling up into a ball on my lap.  It's such a strange experience to see my little fireball subdued into a little match flame.  She usually fills up any room with her very presence.  She must be nervous indeed.  

After all of the meetings we went to the PTA Ice Cream Social to have a popsicle and hang out with friends we haven't seen all summer.  It's a nice Farewell to Summer and Hello to School event, a nice way to end the summer on an exclamation point!  Sometimes it's easier to make the transition when there is an event to signal the change from old to new, something in our brain makes the shift more easily when associated with a party or celebration.  

It's all wildly exciting, but tonight as I decorated pencil boxes and packed the new backpacks with requested supplies, I couldn't suppress a little quiver of anxiety.  

I'm nervous for them.  It's a new year with new challenges, new friends, new teachers.  For Lil' Sis this is a big change...this is It.  Kindergarten.  The whole enchilada.  How will it go?  How will they do?  Have I taught them enough?  Have I prepared them enough for the Big Bad World?  I have to hope so, because tomorrow they embark on their new adventure, ready or not.  I should have more faith in my two little spitfires.  They both came into this world on their own terms and in their own ways, and have carried on that tradition.  They'll be fine.  

But, will I?