J'adore Paris!

So when Michael and I got married, we said that we would visit Paris for our 10 year wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe, but 10 years is here and we kept our promise! Only seems like yesterday. Our anniversary is actually in September but it was easier with the kids and such to go during the summer.

Paris is beautiful and full of history, majestic beauty, diverse cultures and beautiful people. We navigated the Metro system thanks to an iphone app. Also ventured out on the train. We walked and walked and saw so much but still left many stones unturned. I even spoke a little French. We will definitely return.

Places we visited: The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, the Grande Arch, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysees, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Pantheon, Musee du Cluny, Palace of Versailles, Musee National De La Marine

Happy Birthday Camille

Four years ago today at 7:58pm, my number one daughter, Camille Lorraine, made her debut! My pregnancy with Camille was pretty uneventful. Of course I was a little more tired because I had to keep up with her big brother but I was never sick, too achy, or experienced any of the other unpleasant feelings some pregnancies can bring. It was darn near perfect.

Camille's first year of life was spent with her family of course but also with her extended family of faculty and students at San Francisco State University. Yes, my baby was helping mom bring home the bacon at three months old. She is highly gifted you know. We made the commute, traveled to meetings in SoCal, taught classes together (she had 15 or so baby sitters in my class)...Camille was my road dog! I loved it and so did so many folks around us. I think her presence made coming to work for everyone just a little more enjoyable. Camille and I were able to build such a strong attachment and I am convinced that she was such a mellow baby and now a loving child because I literally wore her for 6 hours a day. Thanks ergo!!!

I won't go on with years 1 to 3 but I will say my Camille continues to bring so much joy (and a little frustration) to my life. She is beautiful, independent, loving, curious and a serious HAM!! Happy Birthday to my favorite girl, my sweet baby...

Homer J. Simpson

So the Simpsons has been on television since I was a teenager. One of the episodes that cracks me up centers around a birthday gift purchase Homer made for his wife Marge. For her birthday, Homer purchased a bowling bowl... not a terribly awful gift. The kicker is instead of engraving her name on the ball, he lovingly places the name Homer on the ball. Now I have had some Homer gifts in the past and it always makes me think of this episode.

Today, I asked Miles what we should get his dad for Father's Day. My son replies, "I think dad really wants another legos game for the Wii or a new DS". I guess Homer sleeps upstairs in the body of a my soon to be seven year old...

Things Fall Apart

So this year is the 50th anniversary of the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. I first read this book for an African History class at Cal, then again at some point in my later 20's. I read it for a third time a few weeks ago for one of my book clubs. If you haven't read this book, it has simple text and is really a great read. I think this time, the book really stuck with me. I am older and a little more introspective. The book also made me think about how a single moment, action, interaction can completely change your life. Things can fall apart but they can also change for the better.

Mother's Day

Although I have been at this motherhood thing for almost seven years, sometimes I trip on the fact, "I am somebody's mama"! It is still hard for me to believe on occasion. I absolutely love being a mom. It has brought me so much joy, hours of laughter and challenged me in a way that only those who raise children can understand. When I was pregnant with Miles, my friend Greta, advised me to "enjoy these moments for they are like magic, the time you have is so short, relish every minute". I have shared this sentiment with many friends as they have transitioned into parenthood because it impacted me tremendously. Being a mom and watching my kids grow continues to be magical.

At the same time, being a mother is also a scary journey. Poor parenting can really mess up a kid you know?! So many folks seem to have "family of origin" issues...just a fancy way of saying mom and dad may have given us some baggage. We all know folks with these issues and we maybe some of those folks, lol. Trying to get the parenthood thing "right" sometimes feels like assembling furniture without directions...you know what you want in the end but getting to that end can be challenging (sometimes the word challenging doesn't capture the experience, freaking hard is more appropriate depending). This is not easy even with the magic.

One of my Felicia-isms is "parents teach us how to be or how not to be". When my kids reflect back on how they were raised, I hope there are more "how to be" moments in their memories.

Just because you can...

So I really want to be a DIY'er in the various aspects of my life. Why pay someone when I can do many things myself? I am not a jill of all trades when in comes to home improvements. I grew up mostly a renter. When there was a problem, mom called the landlord. As a homeowner, I have for some reason gotten it into my mind that I should be able to take care of some things. When I lived in Oakland, I had a few snafus with painting (thanks Trading Spaces) but I am convinced that I can paint rooms in my new house. I started my latest venture on April 23rd and yes I am still painting. To be fair, in my kitchen there was some unruly border that took DAYS to get down (and I got sick). I tried everything...vinegar, fabric softener, the goop they sell at home depot...finally a wall streamer did the trick. It was during this particular task that I said to myself once I stopped cussing, "self, just because you can do, doesn't mean that you should."

Paranormal Activity

Ok, my house is haunted. The ghost is not telling me to "get out" like in Amityville Horror or pulling blankets from my bed while I sleep. This ghost is more treacherous...

Like many folks, I am on a quest to lose about 10 pounds (the BMI scale says I need to and I am going to listen, no metabolic disorders for me). Now keep in mind that I've wanted to lose this weight for oh about 2-3 years. Since returning to my southern roots, I have been afforded the opportunity to exercise regularly. I am very thankful for this fact to get stronger and healthy. I mean your girl is usually at the gym 4-5 days a week for 1-2 hours. So I feel like I am putting in some work. I feel great!!

Now how does Casper (my ghost) fit in?? Well like I said I am putting in work at the gym, watching my food, etc. so losing ten pounds, no sweat! When I step on the scale there is not much downward movement. What the frankfurt?!! After thoughtful analysis, I have come to this conclusion...Casper steps his big ass on my scale when I weigh myself thus thwarting my attempts at weight loss and personal triumph. This is the only logical explanation as I have a carefully planned and mostly orchestrated plan to blast these 10 pounds.

Now this is how the saboteur operates. Call A&E and Bravo because Casper puts spells on me at certain times of the day (and dare I say it, certain times of the month) that make me consume foods that stifle my goals. For example, when I go grocery shopping typically a list is involved...fresh fruits, veggies, healthy snacks...you get the picture. For some strange reason, my shopping cart becomes drawn to the frozen food section for Blue Bell Ice Cream or the baking section for brownie ingredients. Again, I have a plan for weight loss but Casper has a different one. Maybe that same thing happens when I consume said treats for a post-dinner surprise??

Hmm....well I ain't afraid of no ghost and the pounds will melt....eventually.