Wednesday, October 29, 2014

The lesson I learned from my little girl

So, She spent much of the day crying. Crying because her cup ran out of water. Crying because I wouldn't give her another "treasure gummie" (Gummie vitamins). Crying because her sticker stuck to the floor. Crying because I wouldn't let her go outside in just a diaper. The list goes on and on... 
She wanted nothing more than to sit on the sofa, watch tv, and eat snacks all day long. I, of course, made it clear that this was not an option. So, in protest, I got to hear her cry all day long. 
But as the night wore on I got to thinking, why? Why did I say no to tv and snacks? She was in a terrible mood. There are plenty of days that I would like to snuggle up on the couch in my pjs, grab a not so healthy snack and watch a good movie. 
All the logical "mom" reasons came to me... Snacks all day are not healthy. I shouldn't just give in to her every whim. Tv all day is no good for her. Getting dressed is what normal people do... But are all these reasons about what I think other moms are doing? Do I feel like I'm doing my child a disservice by spending the day watching movies and eating snacks? My conclusion is, yes. I think all those things. But SHOULD I think them is the real question. 
Instead of spending our entire day yelling at each other and getting  frustrated, maybe we should have built a fort, made pop corn, and put in Frozen.
I spend an awful lot of time worrying about what another mom might possibly be doing with their child and assuming that other moms days are probably going so much smoother than mine. I spend more time worrying about other moms than seeing my own child and what her immediate needs are.
When I think of needs I think food, clothing, diapers, safety, ect... not emotional all the time.
I think what Bitty needed today was me and my time. I see that now. It only took all day, and now she's asleep. Now I know, though. Now I know that everyone, including a two and half year old, have bad days. That every once in a while Frozen and pop-corn in not only okay, but necessary.

Monday, October 6, 2014

Sneaking Around Charleston


Sneaking Around Charleston...

The city of Charleston SC wasn't quit ready for the four of us! Myself and three friends made the drive from Raleigh, NC to Charleston for a girls weekend! We left behind our husbands and children for the weekend, and made our way south. I was apprehensive about leaving my toddler for the weekend... something I had never done... But I knew she would be happy and safe with her daddy. (Who, by the way, is awesome for encouraging this much need trip away!!) 
As we rolled into this city, I just knew we were going to have a great weekend! We got to our hotel, The King Charles Inn, in the historic downtown area, we were given a key and our bags were brought to our room by a very informative bell hop. We were greeted in our room by a bottle of white wine and a yummy cheese plate. We promptly made our selves at home and toasted to a great weekend!
I will just post a few of the highlights from our trip before I get down to my favorite part of the trip... The architecture! 
We ate out for every meal, and were able to get some amazing food! We went to Bubba Gumps for shrimp, Tommy Condons for drinks and awesome entertainment. We also made our way to the Open Air market. We tried to capture some pictures of ghosts on our tour of some the the oldest cemeteries, and went on a horse and carriage tour of historic Charleston.

Ralph... Best tour guide ever!
My very favorite thing, next to being with my awesome friends, about this great city was the architecture. I was overwhelmed by awesome! I was ready to move there... Pack up the truck, send for the family, hire a Realtor kinda ready. One major problem... Anyone have several million dollars I could borrow? Yes, even on the "wrong" side of Broad street, you were looking at close to a million. So, I'll have to settle for some great pictures and amazing memories...

Just one of many fantastic views from the piazzas 
I took this picture on a day that was very windy
this was the only house I could get with a great view
of the flag too

A stained glass window in a catholic
church 
This looks like it should be hanging in a
beautiful dining room somewhere. Not in Charleston...
this one is outside, lighting a beautiful front porch.
"Outside the garden gate"... where I took most
of my pictures...
Also inside one of Charlestons many
beautiful churches
There were so many more photos to choose from, but I'm just posting a few of my favorites... I had such a relaxing time in South Carolina. I don't think that I have been that relaxed since before my two and a half year old was born. We didn't rush... we did like southerners do... we strolled.