Friends

I live far away from most of my good friends. I go through long stretches of time where I don't communicate with them at all. Then spurts of several long messages back and forth. I know of course that were we to live closer, I still wouldn't see them all the time. I have some friends that live close and it's amazing how you can promise each other to get together again soon and then suddenly realize it's been four months.... but the difference there is you know you could get together, if you really wanted to, or needed to. They are within reach.

But they friends that are out of reach... It warms my soul to read their messages and the see the heart emojis and xoxo's. But it saddens me immensely that that's all we can do.

Oh Sh*t

The second I step inside this morning (just got back from the gym) Lou goes:
Mooooom, can you wipe Ellie's butt?!? She has poop in her pants, I can smell the poop in the my nose!

So could I, and quickly proceeded to change the diaper. Lou was watching over my shoulder, equally disgusted and intrigued.

"She always takes poops in the morning.... So much shit!"

This was true, and I didn't reprimand her language.
There was a lot of shit.

BK - This is the difference

I have to go to Italy in a few weeks to attend a training and couple of meetings. Right now we're trying to nail down some kind of schedule and arrange for when we all need to fly in and out. I am looking a draft agenda that would make me busy Wednesday and Friday. Which sucks. My immediate reaction is, of course "so what am I supposed to do all day Thursday, just hang out in Rome!?!"
This is life after kids.
Before kids, I would have been like, I get to go to Italy for work! And, best part is I don't even have to attend a meeting one of the days so I can just hang out and see Rome. Lucky me!

Ah how life changes.

I spy with my little eye....

... a working mother on the loose.
I had an appointment downtown and figured it made no sense to ride all the way back to campus for another couple of hours work.
So I brought the laptop and now I'm working from the coffee shop right around the corner from our house. I happened to sit right in front of the window and the way the sun was shining I put my sunglasses on.
Also handy should a family member walk by and realize I'm enjoying hot coffee and a scone. 

Happy 4th of July

The smallest American gets to wear a red shirt with white starts and blue shorts to match.
The toddler American gets to wear whatever the hell she wants because I'm not taking that fight. The party is at our house so whatever... she's cold, hot, uncomfortable, she can change.
Mom American ordered a red and white dress which turned out to be much too small, so she's going to wear something else.
Dad American is like toddler American, responsible for his own outfit.
So yeah.... I think Ellie is going to be the only one in red, white and blue.
Oh well.

New rule

If you insist on letting a 3 year old wait up till 8:30pm to have dessert (only because company is coming over) then you are also putting said 3 year old (now sugar high but also tired monster) to bed.
That's only fair.
Last night was not fair.

Life downtown

I enjoy living downtown. It's only been a few weeks, and summer is probably going to be the time of year I enjoy the least. It's not like we have Lake Coeur d'Alene outside our bedroom window, so to enjoy grass, parks and such... we have to travel a little. But another apartment complex probably wouldn't have been that different. And summers can be short.

It's good. It's ours. Not to own, but the contract is ours. We decide when we move out.

There's a lot of relief in that.

Last night after dinner I put Ellie in the umbrella stroller and let Lou ride her little bike to the main square where the city has put up a little portable pop-up playground. The sun was out and people too. Even though I'm a worn out mom of two with no other plans for the late evening than maybe Netflix unless I fall asleep first, it feels good to be among the city life for a bit. I think. I like it.