Getting To Know You.

Firstly, THANK YOU for all the great advice about my Sn(ugly) Chair. It was great to read all of your responses and tips, and I learned so much. For instance, I had no idea that there was such a thing as upholstery spray paint! I looked it up over the weekend, which of course led me down a rabbit hole of weirdness that took strange turns at things like interior car detailing, "after" shots of upholstered chairs that were far WORSE than the "before" ones, and finally a fantastic how-to on how to, get this...paint a wing back chair.

Not with spray paint, either. I'm talking real live actual brush-on paint. It's crazy. And dare I say...fantastic.

I'm still investigating it more to see if it will work for my chair, but it feels like this could be a real possibility. Don't laugh at me yet...just wait for the reveal, then I'll tip my hat off to you and you can go gangbusters as you clutch your sides and the tears roll down your cheeks from laughing.

It shall be great fun! Or something to that effect.

Meanwhile, I'm now nursing myself back from the land of the living snot-infested dead - as my sweet little children were so kind as to share their germies with me over the weekend. I have this mental image of them, walking towards me as snot droobles down their vapid, lifeless faces and they shriek their battle-cry of, "Mama! Mama! I love you!! I vant to suck your bloooood!" (Wait. That's totally not zombie, is it? Great, now I've gotten my undead monsters all mixed up, way to go, George.) and then they infect me with their grossness...

...but I digress.

The point is, that I am two degrees away from death exactly THREE days before I am scheduled to go away with my galpals for a insert drumroll here....Women's Adventure Weekend!

I'll share more about the trip upon my return, but I do want to say it's something that I've never ever done before. It's way out of my comfort zone (my comfort zone being marathon shopping, not marathon outdoor adventuring), but it promises to be a weekend full of great memories made with a few of my most favorite people. Provided I can get better, of course. Did you hear that, body? It's time to STOP BEING SICK. NOW.

It's hard trying to make your body better when you're chasing a toddler around - as I am sure you are well aware. Unfortunately, I was one of those poor naive sods who was living under the misguided notion that once my eldest child was in full day school I would have oodles of free time on my hands...my GAWD, how wrong that silly thought was. I feel like I have less time than ever!

My days are now spent in a sort of revolving-door that involves drop offs, pick ups, and trying to cram in as many errands and activities as possible in between. I feel badly about hauling Nissa along for a lot of the not-so-fun daily chores, but at the same time, I'm enjoying our alone time a great deal. The downside is that there is less time than ever for me, which includes blogging. It's a problem, people...but I am working very hard to keep this creative outlet. I need it for my own sense of sanity, for my own sense of self.

In the meantime however, I am lucky enough to get lots of alone time with this delightful little girl:

I'm learning all about Nissa during our time together - and I have to tell you, she is certainly one cool chick. Nissa has become my little bestie, we hang out and share inside jokes wherever we go, making the most of her perpetually good mood (except for when I miss nap time - which tends to happen when we're having too much fun!).

 

A special date with Daddy, who also gets to spend lots of alone time with Nissa on his day off.

I had honestly forgotten what a joy two year-olds are to be around. There is a sense of maturity to Nissa's being, she is fiercely independent (more so than her sister was at the same age), yet she still likes to be smooched in public. She is adventurous and bold, yet easy-going and laid back. She's always up for whatever the day has in store, and I find our time together flying by as I discover more about her blossoming personality. I wonder who this bouncing little sprite will become, what her likes and dislikes will be, how she will view the world and her own very special place in it...

 

(Only a two year-old would think that cleaning up is fun. Partay time!)

We don't say cheese. We say, AHHHHHHHH! It's what all the cool kids are doing.

Inara always asks what Nissa and I did together while she was away at school, and on some days we have a lot to share. But on other days, the ones where we haven't gone to music class or grocery shopping or to the library, the days when we just get to be together, those are the days that are harder to describe... and yet they are far richer in experiences. Nissa and I always give each other a look on those days, and then shrug. "Not much", we say...but we mean something else entirely:

 

DANCE PARTY! or, "Shay-kah shay-kah booty!" as Nissa likes to say.

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I love being with you, kiddo. I love everything you are, in this very moment. I love that you are my daughter, and I am so lucky that I get to be your mama.