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It’s a wonderful thing when you pick your head up, look around, and feel in your soul that yes, life is good.

I’ve had a very happy few weeks. For no particular reason really. Just experiences that reinforce gratitude for the people in my life. Who I love. Who love me. And who I can count on to bring a smile to my face and contentment in my heart.

The experiences have a few similarities – time with people I love, moments that break up the routine of regular life, and often involving time with nature. There really is nothing like a beautiful sunset or view to bring contentment.

My first moment was a date night with my husband. We went to the Salish Lodge last minute and enjoyed a short hike (a few times) to the Snoqualmie Falls waterfall. Is there anything more majestic than a waterfall? I think not. It was a beautiful afternoon in the middle of the week (playing hooky from work is so exciting!!). The sun was out. The walk through the woods was beautiful. When we reached the bottom of the hike and looked up at the waterfall, I laid down on a large rock, put my face up to the sun, and reminded myself how very lucky I am. Content.

Last week-end I drove my son to Portland for a basketball tournament. I love 1:1 time with my kids. As they are getting older, it feels increasingly special. Not a lot of nature in this trip – the 180 mile trip took 6.5 hours (ugh!). It largely rained the entire week-end. I even ran indoors on the hotel treadmill (typically avoided at all costs). But we had a great week-end. I love seeing him do something he loves with great buddies who happen to have super fun parents. Luckily we enjoy each other and can have mini-parties in the hotel lobby at night while the boys run havoc in the hotel. Or, in this case, hole up in a room to play Fortnite. I’m really hoping I got cool mom points for life as our room became the Fortnite room. My son brought our Xbox (which is also kind of cool because it is a special edition “I Made This” console I received for being on the Xbox team when it launched) and 10 stinky boys set up shop in our room. Including on my bed. Ew. But I love him. And seeing him happy makes my heart sing. Content. 

The day after we got back from Portland we were back on the road for a few nights for a special mom/son end-of-school year celebration. Same dynamics – great friends, beautiful location in eastern Washington, and joy at seeing my son in his element. It’s rare I get so much 1:1 time with my son. Amazing. And yes, Content.

My take-away? In life, sometimes it doesn’t take much to remind you that content is an easy end-state. All it takes is being grateful for what you have.

Often the end of school year feels hectic, crazed, and stressful. This year – I can honestly say, not so much. I now have 2 of 3 my kids out of school (including my now sophomore!) and I’m relaxed. Content. And ready for much more summer fun. Bring it summer…I’m ready for you!

Today started with a peaceful walk in the woods. Well, it’s an arboretum – in the middle of Seattle – but it feels like the woods. Particularly if the woods have a nicely manicured trail.

But anyway. There are lots of trees and flowers and overgrown greenery. It is peaceful and quiet. I love it.

During today’s walk, I was already feeling calm and content. It’s been a good week-end. Peaceful without a lot to do, yet filled with some of my favorite things – time with the ones I love the most, some yummy dinners, girl talk, a few runs, and a few things that make me feel accomplished. Sunday this week was leisurely – with absolutely nothing that had to be done. These are rare in our family, so I love to soak it up when I have the chance.

There were a few things on my mind….

The exuberance of youth. Early on our walk, a little boy comes sprinting to us. Full on sprint. Huge grin on his face. The kind of run that makes you nervous as a mom that the kid is running so fast that he will bite it hard. He stopped right before us, looked up, and said, “TODAY’S MY BIRTHDAY!!! I AM FIVE!!!” He was so excited he was doing a little jig – full of exuberance and life. It was awesome. Such a big day! Five is a huge birthday.

And then I pondered…..how amazing would it be to go sprinting down a hill, full speed, with a huge grin on my face, shouting “TODAY I AM ALIVE! I AM 43!!!”

Unlikely. But why? Shouldn’t every day be a day to celebrate with the same exuberance as the little boy? He gave me a spring in my step and a smile on my face. It was a great reminder to celebrate each day.

The other thing on my mind was the gutsiness of youth. Not entirely sure that is a word, but you know….gutsy. Brave. Unquestioning. This lesson was courtesy of my son.

Like his mama, he is a writer. Except a blog would be way old school. He writes music – rap songs, to be specific. He and a buddy from his basketball team (who attends another school) started writing songs together, performing them, putting them on Soundcloud, and have developed a bit of a local following amongst their age group. I thought this was really quite cool – and gutsy – because some people are not kind online.

And then – they were invited to perform at a birthday party of one of his buddie’s classmates. For real. An actual real live performance. I was nervous for him, but didn’t say so.

But this kid, he couldn’t wait. He practiced with his buddy. They jumped on a real live stage. Rapped their hearts out to about 50 kids as lights and a DJ spun behind them. The crowd went crazy, kids had their phones out taking photos, and he even signed autographs. Crazy.

I only got to see the crowd’s reaction because a few videos were shared. It would be super uncool to have your mom at the performance. But I will treasure these videos. They make my heart so full. Of pride. Of joy. And of curiosity.

What if I approached my days with this same confidence? Never shying away from the opportunity to jump on stage – even if I am still learning? Even if someone else may be better? Why not me? That is the lesson from my son this week-end. If you get the chance to jump on stage, you jump. And you make a lifetime memory – no matter what. 

Hello old friend….just like that, a few weeks went by. I had the fun I promised myself and was so busy having fun I didn’t make time to write. And I have been consumed, consumed, consumed with the final stages of my house remodel.

I had nearly resigned myself that this blog might just go on hiatus until I finished the remodel. But tonight I missed writing and returned to one of my favorite recent books, Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic, for inspiration.

I opened the book to an interesting part – highlighted in pink pen, of course, because I am a nerd. I love to highlight what I read so I can revisit and easily see my favorite parts.

Big Magic is all about embracing your creative self. No rules, no expectations, just creating. Because.

Her book spoke to me because it encourages you to throw off expectations and just create. With purpose or without. With substance or frivolity. Whatever makes you happy.

The part I flipped to was about having an affair with your art. Likely provocative by design, the uber point is that people persist with efforts in life because they are in love. For creators? They need to treat their art like an affair. From Elizabeth, “When people are having an affair, they don’t mind losing sleep, or missing meals. They will make whatever sacrifices they have to make, and they will blast through any obstacles, in order to be alone with the object of their devotion and obsession – because it matters to them.” 

She encourages, “Let yourself fall in love with your creativity like that and see what happens. Stop treating your creativity like it’s a tired, old unhappy marriage (a grind, a drag) and start regarding it with the fresh eyes of a passionate lover. Even if you have only fifteen minutes a day in a stairwell alone with your creativity, take it. Sneak off and have an affair with our most creative self…..don’t think of your art as burdensome; think of it as sexy.”

I never thought about this blog as sexy! But WOW – now through an all new lens. I say this in jest – this will not be a sexy blog. But I love the push to embrace this blog with renewed passion and also per her encouragement, to write about what I know. And keep investing in your art – for whatever purpose makes you happy.

In many ways, designing a home from top to bottom has become my creative outlet. It will end soon. Along the way, I’m going to try to remember to visit this little lover of a blog with passion, reminded of the joy it has brought me.

It’s Mother’s Day 2018 and here’s a shout out to all the Mama’s that make the world go round.

Here’s to the Mama’s that ever decided to have a baby. There is nothing normal or easy about carrying a large bowling ball – and then delivering it – from your human body. This whole motherhood thing started out this side of crazy and it just keeps delivering.

Here’s to the Mama’s that have their hearts bursting with love. When their sweet young children make your heart ache with their open arms and innocent eyes.

Here’s to the Mama’s that have sullen teenagers. Who forget how to hug. Or answer questions beyond a syllable or two. You Mama’s rock.

Here’s to the Mama’s that see the best in their kids. And light up at their gifts and encourage, encourage them to pursue their dreams.

To those who see the worst in their kids too  – and keep pushing, pushing their kids to be their best self, learn from their mistakes, and make the world a better place.

Here’s to the Mama’s that see the best and the worst, and love it all regardless.

Here’s to the Mama’s that celebrate the wins and soak up the tears from the losses.

Who are the softest shoulders to hug, the best listeners when the chips are really down, and the best option when you need to be your most vulnerable self.

Here’s to the Mama’s with kids who have needs that are special – and who see their unique gifts to the world. With the utmost of love and patience. You, Mama’s, are my heroes.

Here’s to the Mama’s that sacrifice most of their free hours to drive, drive, drive. To school. To friends. To activities, activities, activities. Drive, drive, drive. No awards here, but wow, there really should be.

Here’s to the Mama’s and their devoted spots on the bleachers, at the baseball and soccer fields, basketball and volleyball courts, at the track and more. Rain, wind, or shine – you Mama’s cheer your precious athletes on, regardless of talent or skill.

Here’s to the Mama’s that encourage other gifts – singing, acting, creating, computing – whatever it may be, most of the time there is a strong Mama behind it.

Here’s to the Mama’s that are so tired! Because you never get enough sleep. You are the soother of nightmares, the cuddler extraordinaire, the custodian of nighttime barfs,  smoother of hair, turner of pillows, and house story teller/singer.

Here’s to the list makers, the worriers, the memory makers, the curfew keepers, and the rule setters. Mama’s keep lists like no other – both physical and mental, and their brains are always full, full, full of To-Do’s.

Here’s to the meal makers, the snack providers, and the endless lunches. Oh the endless lunches! Whether healthy cuisine or endless pasta or PB&J’s, this one also deserves an award.

Here’s to the Mama’s who support each other. Without judgement. With support, with laughs, and endless appreciation.

Here’s to the Mama’s who have seen every dream come true. And even more to the Mama’s who have had their hearts broken.

On this Mother’s Day, here’s to all who mother or have mothered. It’s the world’s most rewarding – yet hardest. job.

And I am so very grateful for my three children, who made me a mom. And for the village around me who helps my world go round.

And also, especially, for my own mom. Who taught me everything I could ever hope to know about being a mom. Balancing instruction with education. Cultivating a work ethic with a spirit of endless fun. The importance of being kind. Generous. And a good person to all. Gratitude for your gifts. And perseverance through your trials. Thank you, mom. I love you.

And for the other mama’s this Mother’s Day – I hope you had an amazing day.

 

The self-declared Happiest 5K on Earth delivered this morning. SO MUCH FUN!!

If I could do a Color Run every morning, I totally would.

Today’s was extra special because it’s Mother’s Day. And my oldest daughter agreed to run with me. Even though it meant getting out of bed at 6:50am – on a Sunday. We had never run a fun run together and as a lifelong runner, today is now one of my favorite running moments ever.

My whole family was going to do it together – my one request for Mother’s Day. But my son’s basketball tournament landed a game this morning, so it was just my oldest daughter and I. And did we ever make the most of it.

It was a beautiful morning with the sun shining brightly and the sky so very bright blue. The starting line was full of energy with a great DJ/host and the crowd singing everything from Sweet Caroline to Best Day of my Life. We were dancing and being silly and singing loudly and taking selfies. Once the run started, it was more of a trot. It is such a fun run that they don’t even time it. I love it. The whole goal is to simply enjoy. 

We ran through clouds of color mist and bubbles. We watched our white t-shirts become tie dyed with green then yellow then blue and more. Each rainbow of color squirted at us and we were ridiculously messy by the end of the 5K.

And then the real fun began! They have a DANCE PARTY at the finish line. This is my kind of run. After several songs, they have a massive color dousing where packets of color are thrown in the air. We were completely coated in color.. And it was the best thing ever. My shirt was a million colors. My hair was mostly red with touches of blue. My legs and arms were coated in color powder. It was simply amazing.

I’ll never forget singing “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana with my daughter. Jumping around and dancing like maniacs. While color rained down. An epic moment. An epic memory.

It was such a reminder to seek out epic moments. I’m going to start looking for the next one.

This past week was a lovely reminder that sometimes you just need to stop for a moment and breathe.

Preferably surrounded by girlfriends.

After a few crazy weeks, I was ready for some relaxation. It is so important to set aside responsibilities on occasion and just be. Juggling a career and a family is tricky stuff. If not careful, you realize you’ve been hard charging everywhere, and not simply being enough. If you don’t take a moment to be, you end up not bringing your best self anywhere. 

So late last week I went in search of my best self. I think I found her on Whidbey Island.

It was our annual Book Club get-away. Two nights away with an amazing group of women who have been my friends for almost two decades. Usually we stay at a lovely home with the most beautiful beach views on Whidbey Island. Last year we did it up in Vegas. It was one for the books.

This year, we returned to Whidbey. It was the perfect pace for me this year. I was ready for a few great meals, girl talk, a drink or two, and nothing on the agenda but pure girl time.

It was bliss. We met at a dive bar near the ferry boat and laughed and talked over pub food and pitchers of specialty beer. After hours of conversation we finally boarded the ferry boat and arrived at Whidbey around 10:30pm. Then, it was more laughs and silliness and 80s music. My night capped with a sleepover in the bunk room with two dear friends. We talked like teenagers until 2:30am. Amazing.

After sleeping in, I woke up for a run around my favorite Whidbey loop – the last mile or so on the beach. We had a late leisurely breakfast, followed by sitting in the sun and sharing more stories. Eventually, we got ready for the day and went into the little town of Langley for shopping and lunch. You know you’ve had an amazingly lazy day when lunch ends at 5pm. Of course, lunch extended from appetizers to salads to a few rounds of my very favorite Island White wine from a local Whidbey winery. The sun was shining, the laughs were plentiful.

Our next agenda item was our annual summer wine test – designed to locate the best summer wines. Typically heavy on rose’, everyone brought a bottle for a blind taste test. We arranged a circle of chairs in the sun, enjoyed our taste test and talked and giggled straight through the evening.

Two nights. Two sunny days. Seven girlfriends made it this year. I left refreshed, renewed, and full of giggles. My best self found.

Thank you, yet again, book club.

I had a few different blogs in my head today. I really meant to write something uplifting…instead I’m going to hopefully write something thoughtful.

All my possible blog topics went out the window when I went downstairs to hang out with my oldest daughter. As often happens, she was FaceTiming with a friend and we started chatting. He was very polite and after asking about my day asked a brilliant question, “Did you have any fun today?”

Such a great question.

I paused. And paused some more. And then thought super hard. And I had no answer.

It kind of stopped me in my tracks. Of course I should have had some fun today!

But, I really didn’t.

I had an accomplished day. Wrapping up a big work project that I’ve been working on for months. Usually I really like what I do. This was not one of those projects. I was super ready to wrap this project with a big bow and send it on its merry way. So, yay! Project complete. High fives all around! But this one was not really fun.

I went in early to kick my project out the door so I didn’t get a work out or anything energizing and fun to start the day. Hmm. I did listen to some amazing music on my commute in, but that really shouldn’t make the cut.

When I got home I had to hustle to the house project to meet with a patio/landscape designer. Kind of fun?

Then it was running kids around to various activities, grabbing dinner…and then… the FaceTime conversation that made me pause.

I need to have some fun right now!! A day should not end without fun, right? 

So tonight my fun is going to be writing this little blog, enjoying a large glass of wine, and curling up with a book I love. It’s a true story and a motivator, my favorite kind. Not kick up your heels fun, but enjoyable.

Tomorrow night I will kick up my heels. It’s book club overnight!! We’re escaping for two nights and I plan to have lots of fun. Then on Sunday, I’m going to do the Color Run with my daughter. That, too, will be lots of fun. Then next week, I’m meeting my very favorite girls (my mom and two sisters) for an epic trip that I had a lot of fun planning. I cannot wait. That will be amazingly fun!

So the good news is that there is lots of fun on the horizon!

But today was a good reminder that every day should have some fun. On a day like today, I’m going to remember this conversation, and make sure I have a great answer to the fun question next time.

 

Today’s post is as frivolous as last night’s was heavy. It’s a good balance, right?

Today I did one of my very favorite things – a mani/pedi. I love pretty nails. They make me feel more polished and put together. You can choose whatever colors you want. And the whole experience is just luxuriating.

When I walk in the door of my local spa (and I use the term spa loosely here – it’s in a strip mall and not fancy, but I like the ladies who run it), I am in immediate relaxation zone. There is no checking my phone (unless urgent message from my kids). There is no responding to emails piling up in my inbox (even though it can be tempting to multi-task). There is no talking. There is simply just sitting, getting pampered. While I watch HGTV on infinite loop. They massage your feet, legs, arms, shoulders and hands. It’s really pretty much heaven.

While I was getting my nails down today, I nearly fell asleep. Multiple times. Head nodding in the big comfy chair. The poor woman that was holding my hand to paint my fingernails had to prop it up multiple times. That, my friends, is total relaxation.

Of course, like many ordinary things, the mani/pedi experience is extraordinary to me. Symbolic of the importance of prioritizing myself.

Years ago when my kids were smaller, I would get to the end of the week-end and be completely wiped out. I worked hard at work, played hard at being a mom, and was 100% present for both. Then you throw in the house/life stuff like laundry, groceries, etc. and I would be exhausted rather than refreshed. I took great pride in my ability to juggle being a great mom with a career until I finally realized I was dropping a very important ball – myself.

I would pause and try to remember what I had done to relax and recharge over the week-end. As I finished the week’s laundry at 10pm after the kids went to bed. For weeks I literally couldn’t think of anything. Except a run here or there, which was for me, but also just important for health.

So one Sunday I decided to try something new. I decided to paint my nails after I put the kids to bed. So silly that it had to even be a decision. But it became symbolic. You can’t work on the family calendar with wet fingernails. Or fold laundry. Or do a million chores. Or send email. Instead, you have to sit still. It’s forced relaxation. So I started painting my nails every Sunday night. I enjoyed having pretty hands and I loved the discipline of my forced relaxation.

This sounds incredibly lame as I type this, but I swear it worked! It was the first time I looked up after becoming a mom and reminded myself that I, too, matter. I deserve to be happy, I deserve to be refreshed, and I deserve to do things – even frivolous things – if they bring me joy.

Since then, I’ve found more ways to prioritize myself along the way. A few years ago I switched from self mani’s to my little neighborhood spa. With the advent shellac (a special polish), I really only need to go once every three weeks. Which is super efficient. But I miss my Sunday night discipline a bit. Not enough to skip the spa, but the lesson remains.

The lesson here is not the importance of pretty nails. It’s about prioritizing yourself. Making time to do something that makes you happy. Because we are all so worth it. 

So here’s to doing whatever you want – at least a little bit each day. I don’t view this as a weakness or luxury. I view it as fortitude, strength and that’s right, the toughness, to know that you matter too.

It’s 11:48pm on Cinco de Mayo and I’m so ready to bid an energetic adios to this day.

Not my usual blog demeanor, but in the spirit of keeping it real, I will share that I really don’t like this particular day.

This year I’ve had more time to think than usual, as my boys are out of town at a basketball tournament and my oldest daughter has had a full plate of social plans, including a sleep-over at a friend’s house tonight.

So I tried to keep myself busy with my youngest. Going for walks in the brilliant sunshine, running a few remodel errands (yay for finding the perfect tile for my master bath after at least 8 stores and hours online!), and summer clothes shopping for the both of us.

But I here I am. As Cinco de Mayo is winding down, with a preoccupied mind and a heavy heart.

You see, Cinco de Mayo is an anniversary of sorts. For the last nine years, it has been the anniversary of finding out my daughter’s health diagnosis. Last year, my beloved grandma died on this day. So I kind of want to give the 5th of May a super rude gesture most years – this year, more than ever.

Nine years ago it was a normal day. I was wrapping up my maternity leave/sabbatical from work – almost eight months of time to focus on being a mom to my new precious baby and her two older siblings. This time was such a gift. Taking my daughter to pre-school. Taking my son to Little Kickers soccer. Cuddling my baby. Endless tea parties and super heroes and dress-up. It was busy and wonderful and it was coming to an end, as I was going back to work in a few weeks.

I was in the house alone with my baby when the phone rang. I didn’t think anything of it. Her doctor had noticed a few developmental delays and suggested we get a MRI. At first, I resisted. She would have to go under anesthesia and at only 5 lbs 10 oz at birth, she was a tiny little thing. And I was certain – so incredibly certain – that she was fine. I even said, “You see Dr., she is a third child. She is in her car seat far too much chasing after her older siblings. Don’t worry, we have this parenting thing down – I’ll do more tummy time, blah, blah, blah.” I honestly was a bit embarrassed, but not worried.

So the phone rings and I’m holding my baby, in the house by ourselves in her room – I remember it like it was yesterday. I had called the pediatrician the day before requesting a final report. I had actually called several days prior after the MRI because I was heading to Vancouver to run my first post-baby half-marathon and wanted to make sure it was OK to leave her with family for a night. The radiologist said, “yes, everything looks fine. Nothing to worry about.” So off I went for a night – ran a half marathon – and came back home. Seriously, not worried. At all.

So the phone rings. And I answer. As if it is no big deal. It’s the back-up pediatrician on call returning my call because my pediatrician was on vacation. “Oh hello,” I say, as I make silly faces at my baby.

He introduces himself and asks if I’m driving. What? And then he asks if there is anyone else with me. What?? And I start to feel frantic. And I tell him to tell me what he called to say. I am not driving and I am alone with my baby, but I need to know. Now.

He says, “Your baby has a neurological condition called agenesis of the corpus callosum. This means she is missing the part of her brain that connects the right and left hemisphere. I don’t really know what it means. I’ve never seen this before. I think you need to see a neurodevelopmental expert at Children’s.”

WHAT??? What did you say? How do you spell that? You’ve actually never seen another child with this? WHAT???

I was shocked. Terrified. Heartbroken. With the certainty that her life, my life, and the life of our family just changed in an instant. I knew nothing else. But I knew everything had changed, with certainty. 

As he was describing what he had read on the Internet, I flew downstairs with my baby and also searched the same Internet. WHAT?? Could this be possible?

I was healthy. Only 32 when she was born. She had extensive testing done in utero. Clean bill of health. Normal birth. WHAT??

The Internet terrified me so I closed it down. Looked down at my smiling baby and tried to make sense of this crazy. I was panicking and crying and trying to remain calm. I knew I needed to call my husband but so didn’t want to destroy his world. How do you tell your husband his precious baby is missing part of her brain? And you cannot fix it??

But I did. And I tried super hard to be calm. And completely lost it about one second into the conversation. He came home immediately, we held our baby, and tried to optimistically believe that she would be fine.

It was very probably the very worst day of my life.

And then last year, on the very same day, my beloved grandma died. While she was not in great health, she was so smart, so sharp, and so amazing. I loved her so much. I got home to my mom as soon as I could and we focused on sending her off with all of the love she deserved.

But ugh. Cinco de Mayo. What. A. Day. 

I’ve already decided that next year will be different. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life wasting a day of the year being sad. We are going to throw a huge Cinco de Mayo party. It is going to be awesome. I will surround myself with friends. I will eat guacamole and chips and salsa until I explode. I will enjoy several Corona’s. It will be amazing.

Because I’m ready to take back Cinco de Mayo. Sometimes in life, you just have to. 

And now, it is 12:11am. Which is officially May 6th. The day has passed and I am going to have the most amazing May 6th ever.

Lately I’ve had a case of the blah’s. What are the blah’s you ask? The blah’s are when you can’t quite seem to shake a dark cloud over your head. Your shoulders feel weighty, smiles are harder to come by, you may be grouchy at odd times for no apparent reason. Nothing has gone horribly wrong. But the blah’s…..they remain.

It could be because I just barely survived the rainy season – April is my least appreciated month in Seattle. It could be because I’ve been juggling a lot at work – including some projects that aren’t my favorite. It could be because I’m still consumed with the remodel and making a ton of choices which started out fun, but are now becoming wicked time-consuming – just this week I’m finalizing the details on over 60 lights – yes, 60 – for our house. That is an awful lot of lights. And I love lighting.

Or it could be for a number of other reasons. But anyway. Blah. Blah. Blah.

So this blog is devoted to my top ways to cure the blah’s. 

1. Watch your favorite movie, hopefully one that makes you laugh. Check out for the night. No working. No social media. No laundry. No nothing but sitting on the couch. Focusing on doing nothing. For me, the choice was easy this week. Couple’s Retreat, obviously. This may be the best movie of all time. Vince Vaughn. Jason Bateman. A ridiculous storyline about a set of couples that have been married awhile and need a spark, so off they go to Tahiti. Not only does it make me want to go to Tahiti, I laugh out loud. Many, many times. Every single time. This is an old movie at this point. So old I couldn’t find it on Netflix. So I bought it from Comcast for $6.95. This may be the best $6.95 I’ve ever spent.
2. Watch something else that makes you smile and reminds you of the ridiculousness of life. This one is easy for me too. I have a huge crush on James Corden of the Late, Late Show. I rarely watch him live – only on YouTube. I could seriously watch Carpool Karaoke skits for hours. He is so ridiculously funny. And he gets the musicians to do silly things where they all crack up. Laughter is contagious and he makes me laugh. A close second is Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake’s History of Rap. Also epic and awesome. There are like six different versions – the first few are the best. The songs of my youth all mashed together in hilarious fashion. Amazing.
3. Cuddle with people you love. One of my favorite ways to end the day is hanging out in my oldest daughter’s bed. We’ll talk to her friends on FaceTime, look at ridiculous meme videos, and watch YouTube. It’s ultimate chill time. And if I’m lucky, her brother will join us and we’re like puppies piled into a bed. And Zoe of course. Because wherever I am, so is Zoe. Who is really a big puppy in the bed.
4. Dance party!!! I love music. I love to dance. I’m sure I always will. Even when I’m an old grandma and just rocking it at weddings, hopefully in a cool “rock on grandma!” kind of way. You can really have a dance party pretty much anywhere. My car is an awesome dance party location. I’m not fazed at all if people stare. I just smile and add more energy. It’s best to have room to move though. So my living room is my best option currently. This can be done to any music you like. Right now, my youngest daughter is really into this crazy fitness instructor called the Fitness Marshall. He teaches you how to dance while giving you a work-out! And he is silly funny and says sayings that make me laugh like “Toot your horn! No one else is going to!”
5. Exercise. It’s really true what they say about endorphins. They give you a boost. Heavy things don’t seem that heavy anymore. I met my girlfriend for a run the other morning and it was immediately mood-lifting. Both the run and the girl talk. Tomorrow morning I’ll have to go solo, but I know I’ll have more energy, more smiles, and less blah’s because I’ve started my day on the move.

So there you have it! I hope you never have a case of the blah’s. But if you do, these five steps are full-proof ways to shake them off. Promise.