big as the sky: Last Blink

Well, Bee's relaxed a bit with her bedtime routine, only asking for a reasonable few items and drifting off to dreamland a little easier. One of the items must, however, be me. Or Daddy. Or Meemaw. Or whoever seems to be in charge and over 100 lbs. Yesterday at nap I was rewarded with an elusive sight at our house, watching her fall asleep. I've seen her in pre-sleep many times (spaz out mode), and in post-sleep (so adorable I want to eat her), but have rarely seen her fall asleep. Is there anything as lovely as that last. Long. Slow. Blink? I don't think there is.

I would have taken a picture, but my lens is loud and would have awakened her. A death sentence in our house.

Big sister was downstairs inventing a new recipe. It's called "Strawberry Chocolate Honey Milk Popsicles". Sound good?? I think it's for the five year old palette :)

Speaking of food, I'm on a new eating plan. It's called the "Eat More Vegetables, Fruit, Whole Grains and Drink Lots of Water and Exercise Some Daily" plan. Ever heard of it?? It's going well. The most difficult part is being organized. My meals are usually eaten at the fridge while the girls are already buckled in the car. Lots of peanut butter. And cheese. And chips. Not good. Lots of grilled cheese crusts. Cut those out, too. Exercise is usually a quick class at the YMCA, which my oldest hates, but life goes on. I love my yoga class. I endure my Body Pump class. But! If you are thinking Yoga is the dainty debutante of the exercise world, think again. I am shocked every time at the level of pain I can achieve while listening to massage music. Instructor, in a gentle voice, "And . . . place your foot as close to the back of your head as you can. Breeeeathe." I am in a silent scream. But as anything, it takes practice, so I keep going.

Here's dinner from the other night. Very easy. Angel Hair pasta, diced tomatoes (from the can), zucchini (steamed a la microwave), basil (fresh in the plastic container from the produce section), and olive oil. Yum! We also had . . . are you ready?? A salad!! Inspired by my vegetarian friend, Shannon, we are attempting to have salad with dinner as much as possible. Romaine lettuce (half of a head chopped, bag lettuce is yucky to me), orange peppers, cucumbers, a couple Tablespoons dressing from the fridge. Welcome, vegetables, to our home. May you unclog our arteries and decrease our chances of colon cancer while tasting yummy for years to come.

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Little person gems of the week.

Bee (you kind of have to hear these, but . . .)
* Her new affirmative, "Yep" (emphasis on the "p", adorable.)
* Her greetings. Running, bouncing, screaming, "Mommy!!!!" She has managed to beat the dog as best greeter of the house, and Daisy has held the title for many years.

My oldest -
* "Mommy, these are the three things that are not real in The Lion King. 1) Lions killing each other. 2) Lions and hyenas being friends. 3) Oh, and animals talking." (the last one got me:)

* "Mommy, I'll bet Daddy thinks of you as a big heart full of loves."

* "Mommy, I love Bee. And not for pretend. For real." (a high complement for an older sis:)

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Thought for the day.

The discrete processing nature of our brain creates the illusion that we are going somewhere and becoming someone, while in fact we are actually just experiencing a flowing stream of present moments.

Hmmmm. I think this would have been considered a smart mouth answer to my high school career counselor. But an interesting concept. Put another way, "Where are you? Here. What time is it? Now."

Happy Wednesday.