Sing. Sing a song. Sing out loud. Sing out strong.

Tonight with the little one's in bed I took a rather grown up and unpleasant phone call outside in the driveway. Well, the grown up part is a little debatable... but none the less... when I returned to the house my 7 and 9 year old were sitting in the living room with the TV off and do you know what they were doing? Singing. Just sitting there kind of harmonizing. I stood in the kitchen for a few minutes listening to them talking about the tea they were drinking and singing.

I guess it's moments like that that mean a lot. There's a peacefulness. A hope about their happiness. I would tell you now that although my life is a thousand times busier than it was a year ago, I couldn't be happier. I think as adults we're conditioned to roll through the trials awaiting the glimpses of happiness that appear regularly to let us know it's ok to take a breath... The rest is a mixture of heartbreak, disappointment, challenges and bullshit. That combined with regular doses of mis-interpretation and political maneuvering can make for a bleak existence. Witnessing the singing, or a random act of kindness from the children is renewing on even the toughest of days.

As parents it's easy to overlook such a thing. Or a picture they drew in school. A contest they won. An "A" they got. Even the simple gratitude shown to me by the 4 year old today... she thanked me for calming her down. It was genuine and sincere and I loved how beautiful it was. Getting too wrapped up in the noise of life drowns out the songs. Gotta keep listening for 'em.

chiggity check yoself...

No one ever said parenting was going to be easy. There are those who play up the gratifying elements as you thoughtfully pat your swollen belly with the first one... but after that, there are no punches to be pulled. It's hard hard work.

Parents of blended families have the added challenge of co-parenting with often times less than agreeable non-costodial parents. There are the basic conditions... when to pierce your daughter's ears, soccer season schedules, the importance of homework completion... yearly physicals... and then there are the more difficult issues... discipline, PG-13 movies, bedtimes, what constitutes an appropriate babysitter, an acceptable period of time before introducing the latest girlfriend. Either way, it gets tricker... especially when there is a vast moral difference between you and your ex. Even with the loving support of a dedicated partner the conflicts with the non-costodial parents can be draining. In our case, the moral compass of both the exes points almost 180 degrees opposite our own.

So you stand up for morality and goodness and honesty. All the while trying not to express to your growing children that one of their parents is a stark raving sociopath who directs their energy solely to the gain and benefit of themselves alone. (*counts slowly backwards from 10)...And you pray. Pray that they pick up the good that they can from their brief exchanges every other weekend. Pray that they have an ounce of the common sense you're sure they must have inherited from you... and that the stable home you work so tirelessly to provide wins out.

My money's on the good triumphing over immorality... I've gotta make that bet.

Peace and Quiet

Peace and Quiet. Two of my oldest and dearest friends have been long absent over the past year... At least in the middle of the afternoon. The older ones are at school, the toddler at pre-school, the baby napping, and the dogs tired out from a walk. So many choices to make... Do I nap? Do I blog? Do I clean? Do I poop alone? Or do I just sit and enjoy the brief and fleeting moment that is the sanity of this sunny, springy Monday. Well, for those of you who know me... you know I'm gonna do it all.

blue plate special

So today the recipe for the melting pot went a little something like this...

*breathes deep*

Coffee brews around 6:15am... send text to supervisor to insure appropriate payment for part time job. Find out later supervisor uses cell phone as alarm clock and was awoken by said text... mental cringe.

Anyway, coffee: check. Baby awoke screaming an hour prior to the coffee brewing, so there was an hour or so to fade in and out of the news and cuddle with the dogs before the elder children tumbled out of their rooms...

Kix, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Instant Breakfast, blueberries, strawberries and baby cereal mixed with yogurt... kitchen cleanup #1. Check. Phone calls to potential customers made from the sanctity of my 10 year old Honda, a.k.a. "office". Check.

Invite from friends to lunch at the best taco joint in town... ummm... YES PLEASE. But first... meatball making with the girls... Pork, Beef, roasted garlic, chives, parmesan, and little hands to do the mushing and rolling... perfect. I'm not advocating child labor, but they do make perfect meatballs. That, and cooking with the children is literally one of my favorite things on earth to do.... Lunch for children, and kitchen cleanup #2... check.

Shower prior to lunch with friends, sadly no... meatballs took longer than expected... teeth, blush, and new lipgloss almost make it look like I did though... Check.

Put baby down, and beg children to get dressed and go outside PUH-lease! It's 75 degrees! Check.

Then organizing weekend last minute charity fundraiser, about a dozen Capri Suns, deli sandwiches, work, and soccer practices later, there's baths, showers, a movie with the older ones... check.

And finally, a bottle of Turn Me Red, snuggle time with the man...whom, by the way, this day would not have been possible without... and at long last, a shower...

And it's only 12:15am the next day...

A long recipe? Yup. A happy family? Yup. Doin it all again in 6 more hours? You can bet on it.