Thank you humanKIND!

A colleague and friend of mine emailed a group of us and asked "what are you thankful for?"

I had trouble writing my email back. I just teared up and was flooded with all sorts of feelings!!

Just two years ago, the kids at Sandy Hook were taken away. Like 9/11, that tragedy really shook me up and tuned me into a vibration where I live a little more sad and a little more scared... Sad as a mom, and scared of the unknown and the unexpected...  Daily, we hear heart wrenching news... and sometimes it gets to be quite heavy and quite a lot to process... Just this week, how many moms and dads are totally trying to piece together enough strength to survive the next 5 minutes in Pakistan...  

All those feelings make me cherish the little things...  I'm thankful for the moment my little ones give me a hug in the morning. I'm thankful for the moment I hand my husband his coffee to take along in the car. I'm thankful for the call to my family while I'm driving to the post office, for the hot tea I can drink while I work or the text message from an old friend. I'm thankful for all those little, tiny, simple but precious moments...

But what makes me feel truly better is when I take a minute to think about the GOOD I see in the world!  When I do get overwhelmed, I can quickly think of organizations, people, small and large businesses that each, in their own way, mobilize behind a cause or a person or an issue.  Together we make big differences and even the smallest act can affect big change.  So the spirit of giving keeps me hopeful and thankful...  So thank you ALL good peeps out there. Thank you for being soldiers of hope and joy.  Thank you for staying strong.  Thank you for even the smallest act of kindness.  Thank you for being humankind.

I wish you peace, love and joy this holiday season.

May your life be a long string of little (and big) precious moments. And may we appreciate, find hope, and relish in the sweetness of the small things, because in the end, they aren't small afterall... 
 
Happy Holidays,
xo
Lori

Eggo wins today.

I did it. 

I mustered the courage to leave my leadership role.  I left the job that made me so happy in one area of my life but left me longing in another. I spoke up at the risk of being rejected, of being tossed aside. I spoke up although I was scared of the financial reality of leaving my job.   

I didn't quit. I reshuffled. I decided to think in 6 month increments while I take a lifetime view of things... 

I gave up 50 percent of my salary for 100 percent of my sanity.

I am on a new journey.

It's day 4. I will work 20 hours a week in an industry I love (real estate), but I will spend the other 80 hours  a week in a life I love (home with my family).

I won't be in the thick of it at work. I won't be on any fast track, and that was hard for me to calibrate in my head. There will be financial concessions too. 

I have called this the power struggle between Ego and Eggo....

Ladies maybe we can't have it all today, but I believe we sure can over the course of a lifetime.

Let's not feel like we have to check every box every moment of every day.

The reality is, we will need to hit the gas, or the brake or just coast in career at various points of our lives, for money, for ego, for the love of what we do, for a title, for a baby, a toddler, a teenager, a parent or spouse or OURSELVES.

It's all ok. All of it.

I first had to forgive myself for not being able to be all things to all people. Then I needed to assess who I needed to be to those who need me the most.

Then I swapped my blazer in for my yoga pants.

Eggo wins today. And that's ok.

Sanity and meatloaf

Some days you just need to go easy on yourself. Those days when one munchkin is on antibiotics, and the second is a week or so behind, both with sniffly noses.

It's not the day for "eat your veggies", it's the day for "want ice cream for dinner?"

I went into the day with both boys whining and bickering. They were feeling icky all over and that makes them slightly irritable... Their voices go up a few octaves, the piercing whine occurring at about 8 minute intervals for reasons like one took the spot the other wanted on the sofa or the other looked at him crooked. I get it. I know it's not easy to be sick.

I looked at my husband and I said  " I have two goals for today, 1) sanity, and 2) meatloaf, in that order."

(You know, you can't ignore those 2 pounds of organic beef in the fridge that NEED to be cooked, but sanity is critical...)

Setting ultra low expectations and ignoring the pounds of laundry that had piled up over the week and the gazillion toys that needed to be put away allowed me to muster the energy to avoid the screeches and ensure the smoothest day for all of us!

Two trips to the park, one Halloween Curious George movie, one hour of raking and jumping in leaf piles, one hour of painting toy trucks, two mega spinach & banana shakes, 4 Popsicles, lots of crackers, one visit with an old friend and yes some time in the kitchen later, I had survived the day.  I maintained my sanity AND made a delicious meatloaf the kids actually ate. (Thank you ketchup and Parmesan cheese)

I feel good.  They have gone 11 minutes without a fight. They are in their pj's. They have had their cough medicines, their bellies are full... Maybe I'll sneak in one more Curious George. Just one more.
Ahhh....
The next two goals are 1) laundry, and 2) a glass of wine... Ok, maybe not in that order...

Hug-in-a-box

I did it! I made my hug-in-a-box lunches for my little guys! I've made lunches two days in a row, and my time has already improved by half! (That may be because it took me about one hour the first time... But who's counting?!)

Day 1 was a breeze. Both smiling, and posing for the camera!!  My 4.999 year old was happy as a clam... My 3.001 year old was so proud of himself stating "mommy, I didn't cry, I'm a big boy"...

Course, I felt the need to tell him that big boys cry too sometimes, and that it is ok to cry, but that I was very proud of the strength he showed.

Today was Day 2... Eldest hops out of bed and is ready to go! My little one looked surprised! Wait, school again? But I already went to school... I go again?  Poor kid... So, today,  he cried.... A lot... It made me so sad...

After hugging him and trying to show him mr. Potato head, and admiring his art work from his first day, bringing him his lovey, talking to his teacher, trying to make him laugh, giving him one uber long hug, then another, I needed to leave for work... 

My husband, suspecting drop off would be tougher today, drove by the play-school on his way to work and saw my car parked outside... He stopped and texted me... "I'm outside if you need me".

When I walked out, it was so nice to see him, waiting in the car - my very own hug-in-a-box.

Hang in there sweet mamas! Wishing you tear free drop offs, all around.
Xox

While Mommy's at Work book is ready to be shared!!

Hi all! After two years, and many 30-minute snippets stolen from the wee hours of the night, my little book is finally here! While Mommy's at Work is a gift to my two amazing kiddos, Doug and Greg! But now I want to share it with moms and dads, uncle and aunts and grandparents and all that love a child from afar.

 It is on amazon at http://amzn.to/1CjiyhS

 I have always wanted to explain to my kids that they should feel safe and secure knowing they loved "always and all ways", when at school or daycare and when we are apart. This little book is my attempt to tell them just that! ;)

I want to thank my family, friends and endless cheerleaders in my life who have encouraged me along the way, read endless drafts and edits and been so encouraging in this process.

I want to thank the friends who have allowed me to include their children in this book. All the kids in this little book are growing up alongside ours and it's been beautiful to watch these wonderful friendships take form over the last several years!

Thank you all for liking my Facebook page and for all your encouraging words!
Enjoy my little book!
Sending you all love (bubbles)!

Lori
Ps: If you are outside the US, it is cheaper for you to contact me directly at tomloriconnor@gmail.com and shipping will be $8.00 which is half of Amazon rates!

Making school lunches doesn't need to feel like Iron Chef!

Is anyone else stressed out about Back to School? My eldest is going into preschool and my littlest is going into playschool/day care... And I'm feeling such anxiety about the first day of school...

You know, the basic anxieties surrounding such questions as:

How will the first day drop off go? Will I cry too?

Are they going to have teachers they like? Please be a loving, wonderful, giving, amazing teacher...No pressure!

Will they make friends? Please have nice, sweet friends and be a good friend!

Will they be happy? 

That's all there, running through my mind... But those aren't the biggest sources of anxiety... The biggest source of anxiety is related to being organized enough to pack their lunches.....

Where will I find those 15 precious minutes it takes to prep?

What will I make, day in and day out?

Am I organized enough to plan for a whole week?

Do we pack lunches the night before? Day of?

What if they don't like it, will they starve?

Do I need labels? Thermoses? Tupperware?

Ziplock or reusable bags?

Love notes in each one?

It's enough to cause slight hyperventilation...

Then I realize they are psyched about the cartoon lunch boxes I got them! They love my smiley cheese and tomato faces so, I can pack do-it-yourself smiley faces! I should try to be environmentally conscious cuz heck it's the right thing to do... I'm not going to get every lunch perfectly right and maybe in my tactical approach to this, I'm missing a big opportunity! 

Yes, the purpose is to nourish my little men, and I've been doing that for a while now... But these lunches can also be a nice way to make the distance between us feel a little smaller during the day... This doesn't need to feel like Iron Chef!

I can find my unique ways of making it so when they open their lunch boxes, they find a little bit of home inside... In the way I slice the cheese or the way I spice up the tuna sandwich. A little something familiar in an unfamiliar place. A kind of lunch that feels like a hug...

Ok... I'm feeling better... I can do this... I can find those 15 minutes and pour my heart into a tuna sandwich. I will survive lunch prep... One hug-in-a-box, full-of-love, homemade lunch at a time. 

Sand with a side of blueberries

A few Fridays ago, I had the day off, and decided to be spontaneous and scoop my boys and toys and towels and chairs and snacks and drinks, and diapers and sunscreen and bug spray, and hats and just whimsically jump in the car and head to the beach! After 90 minutes I was ready to go!

 A good friend came with her 3 girls. We had 5 kids under 5 to two of us. I felt vulnerable...

The walk from the car to the beach was epic. Together, she and I looked like we were Sherpas to a team of 15 explorers rising to the top of Everest.  We scuttled through a crazy crowded beach, and settled at the water, arms pulsating from carrying our cargo, sweat on our brow.  All our mini travelers arrived safely, walking through the lanes of cars and over the hot sand. Not a tear shed along the way - a miraculous feat!

Some want to swim, some want to sit, some want to eat blueberries that become slightly sandy, some want to eat sand, with a side of blueberries. We spray sunscreen, put on hats, more spray, please keep your hat on....   You need to go potty? But we just did 15 minutes ago, trek to the slightly yucky public bathroom again and again, over hot sand, can I pleeeeease tell my child to pee in the ocean? Don't step on that sand castle, no I didn't pack the blue shovel, I packed the green one and the white one.

I came home in need of a chair, a beer, and a moment of silence. But in the midst of it all were the slivers of sweetness that I had had a hankering for that very morning.

The kids were kind to each other, holding hands here and there to navigate the cars and the crowds. They created, imagined, dug and sculpted. They discovered a love of splashing in the waves and a crab in their bucket (dead maybe, but they didn't let it spoil the magic.)
 My eldest played frisbee and made a new friend. My little one giggled as we played in the sand.  My eldest and I shared "I love you" winks from afar, and my little one, nestling his head in the crook of my neck, gave me the sweetest, tightest squeeze...

And so it was, my perfect day at the beach.