everybody.

All children have creative power.

~brenda uleand

they do. i believe that. if i see my little ones creating something...anything-it instantly has me smiling and happy. pride fills me up and i want more, more, more. i wouldn't say that i am naturally inclined in the arts, but i certainly appreciate and enjoy many kinds of one's creative workings.

so, when my kids looked so bored one day that their eyes might literally fall out of their heads, i knew i needed to intervene. stop what i was doing and help the little zombies out. so, fumbling around the kitchen with no inspiration or ideas...i spotted some ice cream cones and i'm not sure an ice cream cone planter will work, but i'll let you know as soon as anything sprouts...

ice cream in the florida heat pretty much makes my little ones dance for joy...wish you could have seen the happiness. i gotta say, ice cream is pretty powerful stuff...edy's mint choco chip...dude, that stuff's been known to cure any kind of ailment i may have. it works, try it!!

and after we needed to wash the glue, neon paints, and glittered hands, hair, and feet, so a carefully angled shoot of beckham's first shower all. by. himself. had him cracking up and me beaming with pride. my little guy is...heaven- even if he is starting some temper tantrums and sass talk. we're working on it.

***

and being busy has become common ground for us since the kids began school this year, so when we are invited to chill with friends who have become family in this little town...we grab the opportunity and run crazy with it. i got the text...

"hey, how about lucarelli's tonight? 6:30!"

so, in record time i re-brushed hair, called hubby to let him know, and put socks and shoes back on the kids. of course, i've been having major what-to-wear-issues these days, so ten minutes into getting ready, i was all, "i've got nothing to wear, I need some new jeans, and shirts. nothing fits!" wah wah wah. likely story

with multiple eye-rolling from jeff and with a i-don't-want-to-hear-it look stuck on his face...i conceded and found what i now lovingly call my, biker babe look! i didn't have cute boots to wear, but it is florida after all and hotter than the dickens!

unbeknownst to me, my faded black, never-worn before jeans had BIG, HUGE bright silver lightening bolts on each pocket on each butt cheek of my jeans. in my haste to leave the house, i never looked behind me so this is what i got...

"mama, why do you have lightening on your butt?" while feeling little beckham trying to scratch the glitter off.

to beckham, "hmm, what do i have on my butt?"

"shiny lightening!"

"jeff, do i have lightening on my butt?"

"um, yes! (laughing)"

"is it big?"

"um, yup. it's pretty big!"

"mommy, i don't like lightening."

i was faced with a few choices...

1. hide in embarrassment,

2. go home and change, but miss out on some fun,

3. rock out those lightening bolts like no one's business & shake what my mama gave me!

i chose 3. what choice did i have?

and it was worth it...because the room was filled with fellow mama's and babies. mamas and babies that we love and we all happened to be there on the same night...if we had planned it that way...it wouldn't have happened.

it was sweeter this way as almost every single time the door opened to the deli and pizzeria...it was a familiar face and a little one. even if we didn't sit down and talk to every single person, i couldn't help but notice the comfort and safety we felt amongst each other and each other's kids...

...and i felt lucky to live where we do...

...i felt lucky that this pasta was so delicious,

and that our husbands found their way back to laughing at the wives in a loving, yet, 'what is up with those crazy girls' kinda way.'

and the kids...so many babies and kids and although chaotic...it is wonderful to see them grow up together and even better watching them act like we own the public property between restaurants where the grass is still scratchy, but it meets the little pond that houses three fountains, and where the boys skipped rocks and the girls compared blinged out shoes.

our babies took pictures of us...

and we laughed at how much they reminded us of us at work!

babies everywhere!

green light.

red light.

a bet was made...

sides were drawn.

and let's just say...we had fun, but i think i kicked her ass because i cheated. i didn't mean it though!

***

hoping you find your lucarelli's with friends this weekend! we are off to plan our day and we are throwing words around like; beach, nap, borders book store to find a new chapter book for peyton, AND my sister surprised me with a visit so we are hangin' like monkey's the whole weekend. so happy she is here, i can't stand it.

i read every single comment on the last post and was excited to hear new things that get us mamas out of bed. i think the top answer was...

*coffee. totally get that and there is nothing like an early morning dunkin donuts run!

and of course...

*babies in the morning! absolutely.

some get-going-in-the-morning-inspiration...

*kate said her hubby makes her coffee every morning...oh, i love that.

*patti's ten year old brings her tea each morning.

*heather: another favorite of mine was the chocolate chip pancakes. yum.

*mummy, mummy, mumm...oh my goodness!

*oh, lynne said she starts her day with a grateful heart. oh, i loved that one so much.

*nursing a little one in the morning in a quiet house...i remember those days.

*good blogs with a cup of coffee.

* knowing that today is a new day and the possibilities are endless.

*angie said, a bare bottomed baby!!!

*being pregnant.

*bacon!!!

*what gets me motivated in the morning..seriously...the mooing of cows and the crowing of roosters. HA!!! it is like they are saying "morning star shine the earth says hello."

*the one that made me laugh the loudest may have been this one:

What motivates me in the morning? A shot of bourbon and some Xanax, of course! Hee. Kidding. KIDDING!
Definitely seeing AJ and Lila's cute little monkey faces and hearing about their Buzz and Tink dreams. And a venti iced Cafe Americano never hurts...

xo

LOVED them all. every single one. i felt so inspired and that was the point!

to new readers with such sweet messages...thank you.

and i wish i could give everyone a pendant from tina steinberg designs. i really do, but random.org selected

Bree: little babies....the best motivation in the world!!

congrats. bree, please send me your contact info and i will forward it on to tina steinberg.

all other followers of this blog are entitled to free shipping from tina steinberg designs

simply use coupon code: freeship, at checkout.

xoxo