Ahhhh.....

here are things in life that simply make you go ah, that feeling of yeah, this is exactly what it’s supposed to be and life it good.

When we were kids, "ah" moments didn't come to often, we were too busy getting on with life.  I do remember one "ah" moment as a child, when you're be out playing, or swimming, or running, or just going full force doing something and would stop for some food, a snack of your favorites - that first taste after all that exercise, your taste buds go, "ahhh."  As adults since we've lost our taste buds to age, create different "ah" moments.

My son sang this weekend with All County Chorus and sitting and watching 100 children sing was that “ah” moment.  There is nothing sweeter than children’s voices as they sing together - it is one of the perfect moments of innocence.  Not the happy birthday we always hear at a party, but a sweet lullaby or classical song with a conductor and the perfect of practice with professional.  If you’ve never listened to a children’s choir, you’ve never had that “ah” moment.

That first sip of coffee in the morning, it’s still dark outside, and you’re sluggish.  But that first sip brings warmth to your body, good taste in your mouth and a slow “ah” from a brain that understands, “oh yes, now it is time to wake up.”  This is why I invest in good coffee, I want a more prolonged “Ah” moment, want to move it from “ah” to “ahhhhh?”  Time it just right and watch the sun rise with that warm goodness in your hand.

A great shirt.  Marilyn Monroe once said, “your clothes should be tight enough to show you’re a woman, loose enough to show you’re a lady.”  The perfect shirt creates this “ah” moment not because you found the bargain/deal/perfect item but how it makes you feel.  It’s that piece that makes you feel sexy, that moves you from the soft sweatshirts of a Mom to a woman, that says, “yeah, I can start my day with this, I feel confident.”

And who can leave out that Moment, that “ahhh” moment with the one you love.  Get your mind out of the gutter, it’s that moment where you look over and think, “damn, I love that guy.”  Nothing like watching a man hold and tend to a baby, or when you realize that they’ve left the house on a Saturday morning with the children and you’ve WAY overslept, or of course when they look at you in your perfect shirt and say, “you look beautiful.”

“Ah” moments are those moments of little things, the sweet sound of a child’s voice singing, a moment with yourself as your body slowly starts awakening, anything that builds confidence and of course a simple moment when you realize you are blessed.  Take the time to find these moments in your day and at the end as you sink into the bed and reflect, I’ll guarantee you’ll be thinking, “ahhhh.”  What happens after that is totally up to you.  What are your “ah” moments?

What do you get when you mix TSA with Children?

Rules for traveling with children:

Be completely clear with your children - put the bag down must be followed by a "pick it back up and put it on the security belt."  Otherwise you'll spend 30 minutes explaining to TSA that you left a bag by the security belt followed by the full body cavity search.  (Jeff was very excited.)

Champagne is considered good breakfast food when traveling with children.  It made the full body cavity search a little easier and when the people turn around and yell at your kids to "stop kicking their fing seat" you can just look at them and laugh.

If you have some free time in the airport, hang at the moving sidewalks.  Enjoy watching your kids run back and forth falling each time as the sidewalk ends while saying to the person next to you, "who's kids are those?"

No matter how many electronics - DVD players, iPads, iTouches, DS's you have, it is much more fun to wrestle in their seats for 5 and a half hours kicking the seats in front of them while you sip on champagne!

The size of the drink sitting in the cup in front of you is directly related to the number of times your children will kick the tray in front of them and almost spill it.

"Why did they make the shades go up and down on the window, if not to move them up and down?"  You say with a smile and champagne in your hand to the businessman asking they stop putting the shade up and down.

Once the plane arrives at the gate the ding of the bell is a signal for kids to try and get to the front of the plane even if that means pushing all women and children and businessmen out of the way.

Bags?  They are meant to hit everyone on the way out of the plane, not for packing things.

Politely ignore the comments that most are thinking but no one is saying, like, "what smells so bad." or "why isn't this line moving faster," or "that lady with the purple bag is holding up the line."

The joy of arriving without divorcing your spouse, or with one less child combined with the excitement on their faces when they see the snow covered mountains - yeah, it's worth it!

What are your rules for the road when traveling with children?

What Skeletons are in YOUR closet?

I feel that I have to come clean, this stomach bug that I have makes me feel as if I am about to die so in order to make it in front of St. Peter, I’m spilling the beans

1. I refuse to eat Okra, its gooey inside reminds me of, well, you know.I took Splenda from Panera, yes, I did it.  I justified it with the thought that since I just paid 3.52 for a cup of coffee I can add 4 extra Splendas to my pocket to bring the tally a little closer to even.
2. Sometimes I don’t listen to my children because honestly, with some of their stories, I really don’t care.  I do always listen to my husband.  (I think he actually reads my blogs)
3. I still eat Captain Crunch and Twinkies even if I pretend to be ultra fit in my eating habits.
4. Life goes a little easier at night with a glass of wine.
5. I still have a few books left over from my foray into into erotic writing, complete with one of my favorite bodice ripping romance novel of all time.
6. I don’t get the draw of a lot of Classical Literature, give me a good old Stephen King anyday.
7. I have an addiction to office supplies, show me a new pen made from recycled plastic bottles and I’ll have a Big O.
8. I hate people who workout much less than I do and say, “it’s hard to find a size 2 these days,” while I work my ass off and in the morning it’s come back to visit me with fat friends.
9. I will pay another $15 when Fast and Furious 15 comes out because to me it’s money well spent.

Well I feel much better now, really, my stomach is feeling much better.  So much better than I’ll follow this list with the disclaimer that none of it is true.  Do you have any “untrue” confessions in your life?