Memoirs of a Rebel Mommy

Well, I finished it a few days ago, and just now getting around to taking pictures. I love my new bathroom, but most importantly… my princess loves it too. She stayed with her Nana and Papa while I did the staining and decorating portions of the project. When Lyric saw the finished bathroom her reaction was: “Wow, mommy your bathroom is so pitty. You did good job.” She loves the polka dots. Her faith in me makes me beam with happiness. The cabinets were a tan brown color and the walls were off white… yuck. I took a mirror from another room and painted polka-dots, and a $1 toothbrush holder from Wal-mart and also painted it. The piece that hangs on the cabinet door is one of my pieces I made several months ago. I wasn’t going for Polka-dots when I started, was going for a more vintage look, but because I couldn’t find the EXACT style of mirror that I wanted, everything ended up spotted. Here is the finished project:

Dropping the electric sander while it is still on is a major “America’s Funniest Home Video’s” moment. I think my hand just went numb and I forgot I was still holding on to it. I am redecorating my bathroom… the tiniest bathroom in the world. Did I mention my husband is a plumber. He often describes these exotic bathrooms that he builds or repairs all the time and I just pout about my teeny powder room. So I decided if I’m going to have to live with the smallest bathroom in the world, it should be the most extraordinary and radical bathroom I can create. So I got some paint for the walls, stain for the cabinets and my painting clothes on. I painted yesterday and the color is awesome (will post pics). It was left over from my recent redecorating spree in the living room. A beautiful teal color. Sanding was a challenge as I have already described. The actual process was quite easy to be honest, just not the best job for an intuitive klutz. I bounced around my tiny bathroom as if a cowboy

Rachel is a long time friend of mine whose daughter is having a birthday party tomorrow at a skating rink. My hubby, Eric, worked at this establishment for a few years while in high school…and of course thinks he is the king of skating. He has proven to be quiet an impressive skater though the bragging is just a bit ridiculous. I haven’t been skating since the 6th grade or so… so this should be interesting. Wait no; I did have some roller blades in high school, which I rocked. But this isn’t regarding me nor Eric. My daughter has been sliding her feet around the house for a week; “I’m Skating mama!” She is so very excited to go skating…for the first time. Certainly momma is a bit nervous, and I hope out Master Skating Daddy will keep tight grip on her hand while he shows her the basics of the skill. I want to skate with her of course, it will be tons of fun; however Eric said, “I would like to teach her something before I die.” I think he gets a bit jealous coming home everyday to her

On occasion I get a crafty bug and I just spew it all over the house. It drives my husband crazy sometimes. I have stacks of canvases in the corner of my workout room. I always have very random ideas and just go with it! Here are a few things I created during the few hours of “me time” I get when my daughter sleeps.

Could I have a better life? Sitting in the sun watching my daughter swim in her tiny kiddy pool; Taking her for a walk down the road to see the goats, lama's and cows (very country); playing dress-up; talking in our own "blahblahblahhhhhablabh" language driving daddy crazy; eating M&Ms while chillin’ in 'mommy's car; all before naptime. What a busy yet entertaining day! But I did get my car cleaned!

She was so amazed by those “fishies”. Little things can make her day so amazing and impact her so much that it creates a week’s worth of conversations. She will talk about those “fishies” for days now. Why are most adults not so amazed with life’s beauty? I myself could watch fish swim, stare at the beach, gaze at the mountains and enjoy the flowery scenery from the highways for hours. But some, like my husband for example, just drive on by without a care. Sometimes I think we are too busy and have too many worries to see. Both my husband and I have noticed these things a little more now that we have a wee one to point them out to us. You really come to appreciate the small things. It is remarkable the simple life lessons you can learn from a two year old.

A few days ago I was relaxing on my couch (which is an unusual occasion with a 2 year old), watching the Importance of Being Earnest. Why? Because I too have an ‘inner dork’. I love old Victorian settings, and classic literature/plays. Near the beginning of the movie (with Collin Firth,:)), they spoke of “Cucumber Sandwiches”; something I had heard of in several movies though never seen one much less tried one. Cucumbers are not appealing to me and the thought of them on a sandwich brought my thoughts to one expression…”gross”. I had thought too soon. My sister, who has all too often amazing ideas, made cucumber sandwiches (among other yummy English treats) for her daughter’s Birthday ‘Princess Tea’ party I spoke about in my last post. I tried one of these ‘cucumber sandwiches’ and then another and then another. Then I grabbed the wheat thins and ate a few of those with slices of cucumbers. Okay more than a few. I never imagined falling in love with something I ‘KNEW’ I didn’t like.

Yesterday morning, my daughter was to attend my niece’s fifth birthday party. My niece, Alanna, had wished for a “Princess Costume/Tea Party”. Lyric informed me and her daddy that she wanted to dress up as ‘Princess Lyric’ for the princess tea party! Expecting her response to be something like ‘Snow White’, her daddy asked her, “who is your favorite princess?” My angel responded in one beautiful word… “Mommy”. She danced around the house the entire morning jabbering on about the princess tea party! Needless to say, she ended up having an absolute BLAST dressed in a pink princess dress and her twinkle toed sketchers. I am so proud to have a little punk rock princess.

• Lyric is 2 ½ and makes me proud daily with her very intellectual way of talking. “Mommy sit down let’s talk about daddy.” She is too smart for her own good. • Losing my job was the paramount moment in my life. Having the opportunity to be a stay at home mother is something I never dreamed of doing. However now that it is here before me, I am cherishing every moment. • I am considering ADHD medication. Not even sure if I have the disorder. I really think I’m OCD too. • I am lucky to have a husband who supports my dreams and is cheering me on along the way… • I have also been blessed with a small freelance position that allows me to make a little extra money and Spend all day with my daughter • My husband recently obtained his Master Plumbing License and his business is going great! • I have gained 3 pounds which may not sound like much… but 3 pounds on a smaller person is 100 times harder to lose than 20 pounds on a full figured person. Of course no sympathy. • Applied for graduate s

My husband... like I have explained... is a redneck. I was born and raised in Texas so of course I appreciate Old school country…however, I would rather pull out my hair one by one than listen to Willie nelson sometimes. Tonight it is Johnny Cash Blasting from the Music room. My husband and I are both Musicians and music lovers… though our genres of choice differ tremendously. I’d rather be listening to the Clash or NOFX, but he is more of a Texas Country guy. So how does it work? Well, Now for example I keep my mouth shut and just roll my eyes at the Johnny Cash (Mind you, I have to listen to all the time when he is home)… Then he changes it to the Beatles! Yes, something we can both agree on! It is hard for a stubborn girl like me to not go in there and just change it myself… but marriage is work… everyday. Not always tolerable work. There will always be things I don’t like. But I would much rather not argue over something as silly as having to listen to Johnny Cash yet again Even th

Producing meals, which are less than 300 calories that still hold an enjoyable flavor, is not an easy task when you have children. It is too easy to heat up some spaghettio’s. I love to experiment with new yummy low-cal foods to create tasty meals for me and my princess for lunch. Here is one I made today: I just call them soft tacos, nothing fancy. Whole wheat Tortillas (they are fat free and perfect for mommy’s and others watching their waistline) Lean Ground Beef (93/7 if available) Lettuce Tomatoes Shreaded cheese (made with 2% milk) Picante Sauce. (Always good for you) Brown the ground beef in a skillet and drain all excess juices. Then the rest should be self explanatory : ) Eating healthy isn't that hard after all.

Oh, how she is eager to jump in! I remember the "younger days"; when jumping in the pool in February for me was no big deal. Me and my pal Shelton would swim until our lips turned blue. Since the weather in Texas is so unpredictable we may not be swimming for a few weeks. Children have no worries; fun is to be had at no expense... I am so thankful she has my adverturous free spirit.

Mother’s day is this weekend and I have asked my husband for a……wait for it....Food Dehydrator. Yes a Food Dehydrator. Why you ask? Well…Being a smaller fit mom, it’s a little ridiculous I know, but I can be a little psycho when I gain a few pounds. Since I have become a ‘stay at home mom’, looking past my title as Personal Trainer, I have a hard time not eating my daughter’s yummy snack foods. This seems to cause excess fat a lot faster nowadays, in greater masses, and it is also 100 times more difficult to shed those obnoxious few pounds. So what does all of this have to do with a Food Dehydrator? I want to be able to eat fruit and veggies and it feel like I’m really eating potato chips. : )

One of my daughter’s favorite things in the world is going to the Library and to the park in a nearby town. We live close to a city called Sulphur Springs which has an amazing children’s park with a gigantic playground. Lyric goes absolutely crazy when we are within close proximity to the park. So last week this was my intention: Go to the Library and then the park then hit up Wal-mart for some overdue necessities. The plan was going great until we drove by the park which was overtaken with school buses unloading about 200 middle school kids. Let’s just say I drove right on past. With a questioning two year old in the backseat drove to a park I had only heard about. There is a walking trail around a small lake down the road that I used to run at daily. I never visited the other side of this “park” though heard there was a playground for children. As we pulled into the other side of what is called Coleman Park, I realize there is no playground; though the beauty of this location could n