Personal Stuff

It has taken me a few days to let the horror of the unfathomable events of the Boston Marathon fully sink in. I wish I had something profound to say, but at times like this, there are no words quite appropriate other than to express Boston is in our hearts and will continue to be so in the days to come.

I pray for the families of those lost and for those injured, I also pray for the runners.

Marathon runners are special people. 

I am a runner. Not a marathon runner, but a half marathon runner so I can relate on a very small scale to what this event must have meant ~ a celebration of goals attained, hours sacrificed and the ability to do something not many can do.

These events really are a celebration of the human spirit and what is possible when you make a goal and put in the time and work get there.

I hope in the aftermath of this tragic event we can take a moment to celebrate the runners’ spirit. It is the strong spirit of the runners and the city of Boston that will heal and triumph over this tragedy.

Please join me this morning for a moment of reflection for Boston ~ whether you offer up a prayer or send your loving thoughts their way.

XOXO

The day started off like any other Wednesday driving to school.

My five-year-old daughter was tucked safely into her car seat, quietly “reading” a book.  The radio was turned low to a kid friendly station. My eyes were barely open, but everything was stable. No coffee yet, but I was so close.  So close.

Then, my daughter looked up, opened her mouth…and started the Spanish Inquisition. Scout’s honor, this is what came out of her lips.

“Mommy, how does a baby get IN the mommy’s belly?  I know a mommy and a daddy decide to have a baby, but HOW does it get IN.  I need to know.”

(I freeze. Obviously, we were passing the “when a mommy and daddy love each other, they decide to have a baby phase.”).

Okay.  Deep breath.

(Literally, as I’m opening my mouth to babble some brilliant response…I’m sure it would have been brilliant), she then hits me with, “And, mommy?  HOW exactly did Jesus die on the cross?  I know he’s on the cross, but how did he die?  What’s “die?”

Are you kidding me, kid?!  Our commute to school from home is exactly 16 minutes.  We had 13 minutes left. Oh, Mother Hubbard! (my favorite kid-friendly phrase).

Okay.  Deep breath.

“Oh, and mommy?  How do sprinklers work?  I mean, how does the water come OUT?”

Ding, ding, ding!  I’ll take the sprinkler question for 500.

I calmly explain how sprinklers work. Verrrryyyyy slowwllllyyyyy.  Okay. Deep breath.

Just as I’m about to embark on babies and crosses, she starts singing to the “Jake and the Neverland Pirates” theme song.  Distraction!  I blast the song.  We pull into the parking lot.  Score!  I made it.

But, what happens when she asks me after school?  Mother Hubbard.  Call the husband and explain.  Better be on the same page.  Oh, and moral of the story?  Delegate. HE can figure out the brilliant, age appropriate answers!

Any of you mamas out there have funny Spanish Inquisition moments lately?

A few weeks back I did a post looking for local moms interested in becoming regular contributors at Tiny Oranges. It was such an inspiring process to hear from so many moms, every one of which had amazing ideas to share. A special heartfelt thanks to everyone that contacted me, you know who you are, and your interest meant so much.

I am thrilled to announce there will be two writers joining us this month with lots of fun posts to share with you.  So let me introduce you to one of the new members of our Tiny Oranges family…Aimee!

I wanted my readers to get a chance to know her a little better, so I had her answer a little “Meet Aimee” questionnaire! Here are her answers…

The Basics 

Where were you born?

Connecticut

What’s your sign?

Capricorn

How many kids? Ages?  

I have two kids. My son, Eli, is 6 and my daughter, Georgia just turned 4.

Where do you live?

Laguna Niguel

How long have you been married? 

8 Years

Fun Stuff

What is one of your favorite quotes or sayings?

I like this short and sweet one: Eat Well. Travel Often.

What was your first job? 

I scooped ice cream at Friendly’s.

What is your favorite form of exercise?

Hands down – Yoga! And, Corepower Yoga is my favorite
studio to practice.

What phrase are you known to use the most?

Lately  … “Did you hear me?”

What is the one food you could never give up? 

Cheese

Where is the prettiest place you have ever visited? 

Montepulciano, Italy

How did you meet your husband? 

In high school, but no, we haven’t been together since then!

What’s one thing on your bucket list?

I want to spend a summer in Italy and be able to speak fluent Italian while I’m there.

What are three words your best friend would use to describe you?

Loyal, sensitive and hopefully FUN

Mom Stuff

Do you think it is easier or harder being a mother now than when you were growing up? 

I’d have to say harder. My mom came from a very big family and they were all such a great support system for each other. I think it was rare for anyone at that time to move away from their hometown. Now, for better or worse, people are much more apt to move away from home and that in itself can make parenting a little trickier to navigate. I also think there is a tremendous amount of expectations that moms put on themselves now that may not have been there while we were growing up.

What’s one of the funniest things your child has ever said or done?

It’s so hard to narrow that down, but this is one of my favorites: “Mom it’s raining pour out there” Eli, age 3

What’s one of your favorite places to take your kids in OC? 

We love going to the beach and since my husband and I both grew up on the East Coast we fully appreciate being able to take trips to the beach all year round. We especially love Crystal Cove in Newport Beach!

What’s the best parenting advice you ever received?

Get your baby to fall asleep on their own.

If you could give one piece of parenting advice to a new mom, what would it be?

I think one of the best things about becoming a mom is realizing that raising kids is all about doing what works best for you and your family, and that is completely different from one person to the next. That said, I try and tell friends to do what feels right, and not to be too hard on themselves.

Tiny Oranges

What topics are you most excited to write about on Tiny Oranges?

I love exploring new places, restaurants, local shops and sharing what I’ve discovered with friends. Now, I think of the readers at Tiny Oranges as my new friends and I can’t wait to share my findings with all of you.

Welcome to the family Aimee! So excited to start working with you! If you have any more questions for Aimee, feel free to comment below! Stay tuned to meet Christy next week!

[Photo credit: Kristin Eldridge]

I met Fawn, creator of the Happy Wives Club, last fall at Bloggy Boot Camp and was immediately fascinated by the empire she has created celebrating happy marriages.

Her goal is to find at least 1 million happy wives from all over the world who enjoy being a wife, adore their husband and are still head-over-heels in love.

I am member of the Happy Wives Club, because I genuinely AM a happy wife, so when Fawn emailed me this week telling me she is doing a link-up with bloggers who want to share the reasons they love their husbands, I jumped on board. Here are some of the gazillion reasons why…

1. He puts our family first.

2. He is the most selfless person I have ever met (see # 1).

3. He is the best dad. Ever.

4. He is really handy and can fix just about anything.

5. He is my biggest fan.

6. He is really easy to be around; I love being in his presence.

7. He’s the first person I want to call when something funny happens.

8. He’s the first person I want to call when something not-so-funny happens.

9. He makes me laugh.

10. He is fiercely loyal.

11. He is a no frills, salt-of-the-earth, type of guy. What you see is what you get.

12. He is more handsome today than the day I met him. Which is saying a lot because I thought he was the cutest guy I had ever laid eyes on when I saw him standing in front of the jukebox at Malarky’s on February 20th, 1998, the night we first met. It really was love at first sight.

13. He does the grocery shopping every weekend.

14. He’s quietly confident and secure in who he is.

15. He thinks I’m funny.

16. He embraces my quirks and loves me anyway.

17. He vacuums. And cleans the kitchen. And does his own laundry by choice. Sometimes I think I won the husband lottery in the “help around the house” department.

18. He has a lot of integrity.

19. He knows how to play cribbage.

20. He is my soul mate; the perfect person for me

Are you a member of the Happy Wives Club? Take a few minutes to write your husband a letter or email today on the reasons why ~ it will make you smile.

Sometimes it is really easy to get caught up on the negative things in relationships and the things that drive us crazy or bug us. But when you sit down and think of all the reasons WHY you LOVE your husband, the negative things seem to fade.

You can follow the Happy Wives Club on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest for all sorts of positive inspiration on celebrating happy marriages.

Why do you love your husbands? Please comment and share!

Lately I have been wondering a lot about when is the right age to pierce your girl’s ears so I thought I would put it out there to get your feedback on this topic.

That’s my Emma. She’s 6  1/2 and likes her accessories. A lot. Scarves, head bands, necklaces, you name it. Given that fact, she has been asking me daily when she can get her ears pierced.

Those are clip-on earrings in the photo.  If you ask me, they don’t seem that comfortable and are leaving lasting red spots on her cute little lobes come the end of the day.

She begged to get them pierced right before Kindergarten started, but to me that was a firm “no.”  At that age I didn’t feel like she was mature enough to take care of them during those first 6 weeks, and then be responsible for not losing the little earrings.

My gut at that time said she wasn’t old enough.

The rule in my family was that I had to be 9 years old to get my ears pierced, so I thought that seemed like a reasonable family rule, so I told her she had to be 9.

But now I am in a parenting dilemma because at 6 1/2, she is much more mature than she was at 5.

We have talked at length about the responsibility of pierced ears: keeping them cleaned, turned, and then of course taking care of the earrings when the initial phase is over.

She follows a nightly tooth cleaning routine that is surprising to me on her own. She will floss, brush and do a fluoride rinse without me even reminding her.  Now she has started to put Vaseline on her ears each night as part of the routine to clean and practice “turning” her pretend earrings. Lord help me. She is all business about this.

So I ask you – when did you decide what the right age is to pierce your girl’s ears?

Is it bad parenting if I go back on our “family rule” and allow her to get them done earlier than 9 years old?

My husband feels like it is not a good message to send her ~ if she begs enough she can get what she wants. Which I agree, but at the same time I regret setting a random age back when she was 5 because I didn’t know who she would be at 6 1/2.

Note to self.

And between you and me, I would rather she wore those little pierced earrings vs. the clip-ons now that she insists on wearing them everyday!

Help! Do I let her get them done? Do I say for her 7th birthday? Or do I stick to my original 9 year old rule? What do you think? 

If we do decide to get it done sooner than later, where do you suggest we go to get a girl’s ears pierced in OC?

I was reading some Yelp reviews and some things scared me.  I know many go to the mall, but I have actually heard a tattoo / piercing parlor is almost cleaner. Yikes.  What have you heard? I need info!

Thanks friends…

xo