Life as usual

I'm actually thankful to report that there's nothing to report! Life has been pleasant, happy, and good. We stopped house-hunting, divorced our realtor, and focused on what matters - us.

I have a good balance (for now) going on between work, home, friends, me. One thing I've been repeatedly thankful for is my healthy, happy daughter. I heard one of the doctors talking about putting a 4 year old on a diet. A 4 year old. It blew my mind. An obese child. Every kid I know runs around all summer and wants to be outside come rain, hail, or snow. I watch Lilah gobble up carrots and hummus, broccoli, asparagus, basically any fruit, and gulp down water and coconut milk. Her appetite seems insatiable, but she eats like she moves - constantly. Don't get me wrong, my kid asks for cookies for breakfast and cake pops nearly every day of the week. The difference is, she doesn't actually get them. She's been denied suckers at the doctors' office (yes, the one I work at) for being naughty. She's thrown fits over desired cakes or cookies, but she still doesn't get them. As we speak, I'm watching her "sneak" around the corner (in full sight of me still) and scoop hummus out of the container she was asked to put away. Straight into her mouth. Our eyes meet.

"I'm just tasting it, Mama." Raised eyebrow. "Well...you said it was good for me." Touché, little bird.


We were eating dinner tonight and she started completely scarfing down her baked vegetable chips, so we made it into a teaching point.
"Are those good?"
"Yeah! I like them!"
"I'm glad, babe. It's good that you like them. But do you know what happens when we eat food we like really fast?"
"What, Mama?"
"We don't get to enjoy it. It goes straight down into our tummies and skips our tongue. And our tongue is what helps us taste food. So we eat it, but we don't enjoy it."
"I want to to enjoy my chips, Mama!"
"I do too. Let's practice slowing down, okay?" And we did. Took small bites, chewed well, swallowed. She beamed at me.
"It tastes better!" I smiled back. "Can I enjoy a cookie?" It's hard not to laugh when she tries so hard to be crafty.


While out and about, Lilah has been more often making use of what I've been telling her since she could speak. She asks questions faster than I can answer them, so I always tell her, "Tell me what you see." I like forcing her to observe the world around her. And she notices everything. In the car next to us today: "What's that girl doing, Mama?"
"Brushing her hair, it looks like."
"What kind of a girl is she?"
"I'm not sure, sweetheart. I don't know her. What kind of a girl does she look like to you?"
"A smart girl. You know why? She's a smart girl because she's makin' her boy drive." Sure enough, the male companion was driving. I'm not sure what that says in light of feminism, but she knows I dislike driving! I'm thankful every day for our wonderful family, our private rituals, and our happy summer evenings together. There's nothing terribly exciting going on lately, but after the "excitement" last summer, I'm happy to revel in the mundane.