do all the things

i love fall. i love the holidays. i love eating all the food & shopping for all the things.

my goal this year is to stop & enjoy all the things.

the husband always tells me that i like to "be busy". clearly he is crazy because i'm probably one of the laziest people you will ever meet. no, i do not like to "be busy"- but he is correct in the sense that i'm always on the go. i may not "like" being busy but i'm always "being" being busy. does that make sense?

"hey, can someone do this?" OMG ME!
"hey, can you make 13 cakes & 20 dozen cookies?" OMG YES!
"hey, i really want this for Christmas..." OMG I WILL MAKE IT & OR BUY IT ASAP!
"hey, brynn's birthday is coming up." OMG THIS PARTY WILL BE EPIC!!!!
"hey, Thanksgiving dinner...?" OMG TURKEY & MASHED POTATOES & BOOZE!

you get the idea. i'm busy & i say yes & stretch myself too thin & forget to step back & take time to enjoy all of the things with the people i love. i'm not saying you can't be busy & enjoy- but for me there needs to be a balance. i need to learn to say "no" or just accept that others can accomplish things on their own. my way isn't the only way (omg. did i just say that?!?!)

it's sort of like when the girls get really tweaked over something. & then another thing. & then that. & then OMGMELTDOWNYOUDON'TLOVEME&IHATEALLTHETHINGS!!!!

so i call a time out, chill out & take a breath. damn kid.

so i guess this year i'm putting myself in a timeout. chill out. take a breath. damn trina.

yes- there are still things that need to be done & will be done my me. but not all of it. not so much that instead of relishing the experience i'm bemoaning it. not so much that i can't see past my annoyance to the joy of my children & others. not so much that people see a raving lunatic instead of a slightly frazzled working mother of 2 who badly needs a haircut but is still pretty stoked with life.

this is my plan. & i'm voicing it to remind myself.

i know very well that Pinterest will try & foil my plan because she is an evil temptress with her DIY's & delicious calorie filled desserts & my birthday is better than your birthday pins- but no. time out.

this may also be bad timing on my part seeing that i'm leaving for a short work trip to Raleigh tomorrow & what else is there to do on the plane besides PIN ALL THE THINGS...!

Lord help me.

trick or treat

this was the first year we've actually taken the girls trick or treating. they were finally old enough to "get" it & thanks to KB we were actually able to go to a neighborhood where houses were within reasonable walking distances.

the only con? we'd been without power since Monday & i was dragging. laundry, dishes, cleaning, no shower, etc etc. i was so close to saying, "no, let's just wait until next year." but then i thought of the girls & i realized how unfair that would be. they're only little once & just because i had dirty hair & was compensating for my lack of showering with perfume, didn't mean they should miss out.

thankfully, the power came back on Wed afternoon & KB had the girls at her house all day. so she bathed them & i rushed home to plus things in, throw clothes in the wash & pick out costumes. princess costumes. of course.

it didn't matter how much i stated, "no princesses!" in my mind- it was inevitable. the girls adore all things princess. so over the last year i've decided to just roll with it. why hate on something that brings them so much joy? in 10 years they might decide that the only color option in their closet = black & then i'll be crying for those princess days. so yeah- princesses work.

i gathered their digs (no costumes for mom & dad this year, although considering our lack of showers & clean clothing we may have passed as hobos) & headed over to KB's. a couple more of the girl's friends were there so 5 excited little girls ate pizza as a game plan was laid out.

costumes on- drive over to the selected neighborhood- park the cars- get pictures- start trick or treating.

6 o'clock = DARK in our neck of the woods. so you'll have to excuse my flashy pictures. the girls still look cute regardless.

as you can see, Pocahontas & Princess Jasmine made out like bandits. some bargaining was done on the way home & 1 package of pretzels, 1 Tootsie Roll & 2 lollipops were consumed in all.

they're not all that impressed with Kit Kat's & Snickers- but lollipops, pretzels & raisins are their jam.

costumes came off, teeth were brushed, stories were read & 2 slightly sugar rushed children were tucked in. tightly.

it was awesome.