All I Need is a Lemonade and a Rocking Chair.....

I'm sitting here with the Lakers/ Kings basketball game playing in the background (and despite being a King's fan...hoping secretly that the Laker's actually win so that I don't have to hear my dear husband curse up a blue streak....) also doing one of my new favorite past times: Kiera- watching.  She has noticably gone through a huge developmental stage since February.  At about six months, within just a week she was holding her own bottle and discovering that she could play 'bongo' on every surface imaginable and even sit up unsupported and quite wobbly!  Now, at nearly eight months, she is even more fun to play with- one of her new favorite things is to roll around.. all over.  From front to back, back to front and even left and right, she rolls around all over the place (note to self: get the carpets cleaned and fast!) exploring things that she encounters in her small little world- like spots on the carpet or the many toys that we place around her.    And she's fast.... like a little Tasmanian devil rolling all over the place.  Her first few attempts to roll over unaided were a slow and frustrating process; but once she figured out to fling the arm up she's now a champion flipper!  She has also found her voice within just the last week and obviously has something to say!

I love to listen to her tell us all about her day in her gravelly baby voice,  'dadaaa daaaaa da'  she says and looks up so proud.  Of course we know that she is telling us about her fantastic day at either Nanny Barbara's or Gwamma's.... and we pretend that we completely understand.  I'm thoroughly entranced by watching life thorugh my daughter's eyes.  I love to watch her get so excited when she sees one of us for the first time in the evening; or how her BFF- Gyaffgyaff pacifies her; how she makes a funny face at the first bite of her solid foods or the wide-eyed wonder of watching Dusty cat stroll on by.  The simple things... pure innocence.  I hope that she gets to stay that way for a long time- innocent, happy, gentle and sweet.  I also hope that I can protect her from the big, bad world out there and that she keeps happily rolling through her day.........

Good Enough

How do y'all do it?  How can you possibly stay sane and feel like you are giving 100% to everything that you do?  Life was hectic before Baby Kiera blessed her with our pressence; and it's still the same, but I just want to make time stop so that I can spend every waking moment focused on her and spending quality time with the one thing in my life that matters most.

I feel torn; I feel torn between the "professional" me- trying to be a good employee, and a good business-owner with my direct sales business; and then the "personal" me- a loving mommy; a good wife; a loyal friend- there just aren't enough hours in the day for me to accomplish things perfectly.  I asked a dear friend who has a few kids and works part-time how she does it and she says that the best advice she ever got when she had her first baby was to aim for 'good enough' and move on.  Now, that's some very practical adivce to ensure that I really don't go insane!  However, my history of following good advice has not always been on target.

And my goal this year to be an awesome blogger?  Um.... no the last post wasn't really dated a month ago....not because I don't have anything to say (I'm sure Jason is thinking to himself, "that will be the day!") or Kiera hasn't done anything fabulous; it's just trying to find the time to write a quality blog entry, or actually upload the pictures that I've taken and put them to some enlightening words!

There are so many things in addition to bloging that I have to do on my 'to-do' list- actually that has been my first step in helping to manage my craziness is pulling out the old planner.  As much as I *heart* my trusty iPhone, there is so much benefit to having my life in a little book that I can look at even if I have a dead battery.  I even found a new planner when I went to Tar-shay to pick up the inserts... go figure: get two new planners for a little over $10 or one set of inserts for $15!  So far, the organization thing is helping a bit.... but there is a still alot to be desired- sometimes I take a look at that lengthy list, and toss the planner in the corner.....

... and sweep up little Kiera in my arms and mentally cross of the A1 item on today's page: spend quality time with my daughter.  This isn't good enough... it's heaven....