What I'm Thinking About: September 19

My husband tells me our
dog, Gyro, feels
neglected now that
we have two kids.
So I post her picture
today to make her (and
him) feel better...

Quote of My Day...

"The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience."
--Emily Dickinson

What I'm Thinking About Today...

Ecstatic experiences. Until today I never really thought about them. What exactly would be considered an ecstatic experience? For some I guess this type of experience would be climbing Mt. Everest or skydiving. So I thought about this for awhile and I realized two things: 1) I am able to find the ecstatic in the ordinary; and 2) I don't want to be the kind of person who needs to skydive or climb the highest mountain in the world in order to have an ecstatic experience.

So here is my list of what I classify as a few of my "ecstatic experiences" now that I am a mother...

Note: this is a random list and the order of the experiences is insignificant (except number one)

1. Getting married
2. Days when my husband gives me the afternoon to go see a movie
3. Having two sons after failed infertility treatments (i.e. "on our own")
4. Getting a new floor in my hallway and bathroom
5. Getting a mini-van when my husband had determined us to be "non-minivan" people
6. Having my son, Sam, meet his great-great grandmother, Teed, before she died at the age of 100, just a few months shy of her 101st birthday
7. Getting dinner on the table, two kids fed, bathed and in bed without a major meltdown (them or me).
8. Making a great playlist on iTunes and watching my son dance to the tunes in the livingroom
9. Finishing a book in a day
10. Finishing a chapter in a book in a day
11. Finishing a page in a book in a day
12. Beating my mother at scrabble (rarely happens)
13. Winning a game of Spider solitare on the difficult level
14. Capturing a great shot of my children with my camera
15. Grocery shopping alone, without children in the cart
16. Getting to watch one of my shows (Gray's Anatomy, Rescue Me, Desperate Housewives, Men in Trees--new show!--) without a child or husband needing me
17. Having a husband who loves to clean my car
18. Still having a cat that loves to cuddle me even after I brought two kids into his world
19. Getting a few really good burps out of Henry after he drinks a bottle
20. Reading late at night in the quiet stillness of the night with my cat on my lap

What is Making Me Happy Today...

This video, snagged from another blog, is making me very happy. It is just too funny! Anyone who has a boy needs to see this. Check it out:



Baby Product I Love Today...

Once again, this product doesn't really classify as a baby product but I use it because I have babies (and dogs, and cats), so I think it counts. Today I really like "Spot Shot." It is a great stain remover for carpet. Gets out milk dribble spots on my carpet from when Sam throws his sippy cup around. Gets out drool spots (both dog and kid drool). Gets out puke (dog, cat and kid puke). Gets out coffee dribbles (husband). Basically, it is a great product and today I love it because after I ran the vacuum cleaner I went around hitting all the stains with my Spot Shot. Now the can is empty. Another thing to add to the grocery list since I am going shopping today (alone--without children!)...

Baby Product I Hate Today...

I hate binkies. I know that they are now a SIDS prevention item, but I hate them. I can't get my son to keep it out of his mouth. I think the binky is why he is not talking yet. His mouth is always stuffed with a binky! Not only that, he steals Henry's binkies every chance he gets. I have binkies all over my house. I find them under the beds, in the couch cushions, in the car, in the yard--I am being invaded by binkies. And today I don't like it....

My iTunes Kid Picks of the Day...

• "Everyday People" by Sly & the Family Stone
• "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd
• "Don't Go Back to Rockville" by REM
• "Mambo Italiano" by Rosemary Clooney
• "Smile, Smile, Smile" by Dan Zanes (can you tell I like this guy's music?)
• "We All Need More Kindness in this World" by Guy Davis