It's back to school soon!!!

Breath, breath… Can you smell it? What what?! You know what I mean. The smell, this smell just now; the smell of new pens, new binders, new crayons and markers, the smell of new backpacks, new clothes, and you know what that means. It’s almost back to school day!

When kids go back to school. The heavens open. The angels sing, and I get to dance with joy.

Morgane will be entering her 2nd year of kindergarten and Arthur will be in his 1st year of elementary. Morgane is keeping the same teacher as last year. I adore her teacher. She's kind and hands on, and very sweet with the children. Now, myy biggest hope is that Arthur will be happy with his new teacher.

Remember on Mary Poppins, when Jane and Michael wrote a letter and asked for the perfect nanny? The dad was stunned when Mary Poppins handed him the list that he had thrown into the fire. It went something like this:

 “If you want this choice position, have a cheery disposition; rosy cheeks, no warts; play games, all sorts. You must be kind, you must be witty, very sweet and very pretty; take us on outings, give us treats, sing songs, bring sweets.”

For more than a month now, this song has been going through my mind. That famous wish list.

I have a wish list of my own, and it goes like this:

Wanted:  TEACHER. Must be sweet, even-tempered, hip, funny, pretty, smart, young, experienced and energetic. Must never yell, get mad, throw things or lose her temper. Must be very patient, wear stylish clothes, have a lovely laugh and smell like fresh baked cookies.

I’ve met Arthur’s new teacher once before school ended last June. She’s young but does she have all the other qualification? Only time will tell… I only hope that she is committed to her job and to the kids. I’ll hope she’ll have time to know my child inside and out: that she’ll listen when he talks about what he likes and dislikes, what he cares about, that she’ll push him to be independent, self-sufficient, confident and responsible. That she’ll guide him when things don’t go his way and will laugh with him (and applaud) when they do. That she will push him until he reaches the potential that we know he has, and that she will be there when he falls, to pick him back up, dust him off and start him back up that hill.

It’s a bit a definition of being a mom, but after all, the teacher has the privilege to spend more time than I do with the children, and even if I often complain, these time are precious… So I hope she’ll step up to the plate, and that everything will run smoothly…

Sometimes my Other Half is right about stuff…

It kills me to admit this, but sometimes my Other Half is right. That means that I am sometimes wrong. So, as we approach our 5 year wedding anniversary, it is my duty to be honest and admit that sometimes I am the a(biiippp)hole.

So here goes the top 10 things Other Half is usually right:

1. Yes alright. Fine. I haven’t noticed that my tire is almost flat. But hey, it’s not like using the GPS or having a flashing light or a really loud beep or anything that tells you that you need to check it out!.

2. What the *BIP?! Not it’s not that time of month. For the love of God, what are you talking about? I am not being bitchy and I have no idea what you're talking about. Of course, I do not need to look at the calendar. Oh... Oops… Ok so maybe I’m a little bit on the edge right now…

3. I spend too much money at Zara for the kids and myself  on clothes that maybe we could live without. But your children are growing really fast and sometimes those tees at  € 15 are really awesome.

4. Of course you do tons around the house, I mean it, and you really do. BUT I still do more … OK, it’s true, without you it would probably all fall apart. Or at least be a lot more embarrassing than it already is.

5. While I totally disagree that 4 times a week is average, I do agree that we should always be looking to keep our stats up.

6. I actually do have some idea where that new Zara bag came from.

7. Of course I listen to you! I know exactly what you just said. Something about some new sci-fi series?! Alright... Maybe I do tune you out sometimes but its only after a long day of hearing annoying people chatter at me constantly and asking me to get them things and telling me that someone did something that they shouldn't have and it just gets really tedious and ohey! Hello?! Are you listening to me?!

8. I never snore. It's the dog. Or the ventilator, maybe you should have it looked at before it—alright alright fine, it's me.

9. I'm on the phone too much?! How dare you?!-- Oh! That's my mom. Hey Mom! What were you saying?

10. You are totally a bossy boss-man sometimes and I am --- often worse. I'm just used to talking to the kids all the time and they're supposed to do what I say. But I get it - and I swear every time I hear myself using that tone of voice with you, you get to slap my ass. And every time you use that bossy voice with me I get to go to Zara... without limit on my spending, deal? Deal.

My Life List.

We all have things we want to do before we die,a Life List if you will.

Some things simple, and some others not so simple.

I prepared this list 10 years ago, and decided that it is time to share it… Who knows – maybe I’ll be blessed with someone who will be able to help me achieve all that is in my list.

1.       Own a house

2.       Have a walk in closet

3.       Own a ridiculously expensive handbag

4.       Stop drinking soda

5.       Go bungee jumping

6.       Watch my daughter get married

7.       Watch my kids live happily ever after

8.       Be able to see my abs again

9.       Learn to Tango (almost did!)

10.   Travel to Australia

11.   Travel to Japan

12.   Join an online dating service

13.   Have a family of my own

14.   Have a tummy tuck (yeah, I’m vain, I know…)

15.   Return to the Maldives for our 10 year anniversary

16.   Open my own catering business or catering school for kids

17.   Take my parents on a vacation.

18.   Have a closet that lets me display all my shoes and purses

19.   Take Italian lessons (always been my dream)

20.   Visit every country where I have relatives

21.   Teach my children to be confident and kind

22.   Take a girls trip somewhere cool

23.   Go Skydiving

24.   Start a blog

25.   Grow a garden (without killing it)

26.   Have my kids and my Other Half know Jesus

27.   Have lunch with Tom Cruise (what? A girl can dream right?)

28.   Learn to shoot a rifle

29.   Have a personal trainer

30.   Live in a home that looks as though you stepped into a Pottery Barn Catalog

31.   Go in a hot air balloon

32.   Overcome my fear of flying

33.   Bask in under the Tuscan sun

34.   Write a thank you letter every day for an entire year

35.   Become debt free

36.   Participate in a giant food fight

37.   Make a quilt for my daughter that I’ll give to her when she moves out

38.   Sleep in a treehouse

39.   Swim with dolphins

40.   Get a tattoo

41.   Donate blood

42.   Learn CPR

43.   To assist people who need it, asking nothing in return

And at the the top of my list?

Steal ALL of my mom’s fabulous recipes

It’s not because you’re on a diet that you can’t look at the menu!...

Or: it’s not because you’re married that you can’t watch HOT  beautiful (sounds better right) men!!!!

I have another secret: I’m obsessed with vampires or more specifically with True Blood.

Why you’ll ask? – Well here are my top 10 reasons:

Just picture me writing this down while watching an episode with my Other Half:

 1. Oh my God, Oh my God!!! It's ERIC MOTHER(BIP)ING  NORTHMAN!!!!!!  Hellooo, helloooo! (Do I need to say more?)

 2. Did you know that vampires and humans can’t make babies? Yes I know that in Twilight they can, but shhh!!!! In my world they only have sex but no babies. And where did I get that theory from? Well, I suspect that a vampire probably could not handle four months of colic and reflux without an unfortunate incident taking place. So dear True Blood producers, keep as much sex scene but please don’t spoil it with Sookie saying “ I’m pregnant” in the next season..

 3. Sookie lives alone. ALONE!  In a quiet house.  All by herself. Sigh… That’s nice.

 4. I confirm they don’t care about fashion in this serie :o) No clothes needed for most of the scene. It’s all for the art of course (*insert cough here*)

5.  Jason Stackhouse, it’s not your fault if you’re having erotic dreams.. Stop trying to control it!

6. That’s it! Now I can’t decide which of them I prefer: the werewolves or the vampires!

7. Lafayette, dude you’re cool!

8. FANGTASIA! Wouldn’t it be a great place to hang out? No, no it’s not as dirty as it sounds…

9. Wait?! Pause it right there! What are Sookie, Eric and Bill doing? I’m pretty sure that’s illegal in most US states. Or at least not allowed on daytime  TV. Can you pause it for another  sec?

10. Yeah there will be another season after this one!

I'm Glad I Have You...

Best friends know the little things about you.

Like your quirky quirks and yet decide that she’ll be your friend no matter what.

I have a best friend like this.

And I love her.

 

You are one of the kindest, best people I know.

You are an amazing Mommy.

You are an example of strength.

You give me confidence.

You make me feel loved.

You make me feel special.

You are the best listener.

You are truly beautiful.

And I am grateful for your friendship.

And because you are one of the few people who understands my sense of humour, I'll add this:

A friend is like a good bra: hard to find, comfortable, supportive, always lifts you up, makes you look better, never lets you down or leaves you hanging, and always close to your heart.

A song for my Daughter…

...My Wish by Rascal Flatts.

Have you heard it before?

Let me sing it to you in my most beautiful voice (just kidding)...

I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow

And each road leads you where you want to go

And if you're faced with the choice and you have to choose

I hope you choose the one that means the most to you

And if one door opens to another door closed

I hope you keep on walking ‘til you find the window

If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile

But more than anything, more than anything

My wish for you

Is that this life becomes all that you want it to

Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small

You never need to carry more than you can hold

This song really warms my heart...

I was watching a video of my cousin getting married and how she looked so in love, I also saw my Uncle and Auntie being so proud of her, thanking the Lord for blessing her with this beautiful life ahead… Then I thought of my beautiful life as well, and as I was sitting next to my Other Half in bed, I told him that I hoped that our Lord would grant our children the same beautiful life as we have and even more…

When I sit back and think about THE WISHES I've had for MYSELF, I realize how relative they are now that I am a mommy.My wishes for ME have become my wishes for HER:

LOVE Jesus

A healthy and beautiful life

Go to the best schools

Make good friends

Make good choices

Respect

Work Hard

Find your passion

Go off to college

Be successful

Get Married

Have a family

I know as a her Mom, it is my job to create her road map, her foundation.

I am responsible for paving her way… Let's hope that I'm not doing too much of a bad job...