Celebrate

Mine certainly was. I had more celebrations last week than a girl should be allowed to have. There are a couple more celebratory lunches this week, too. I'm spoiled. And feeling loved. And I like it.

And, thanks for all the birthday love in the comment section. Ya'll are too kind. Really.

In addition to my b-day, we celebrated Priya and Deven's first-ever science fair last week. Daddy went all out...it was his thing to do with the kids...and together they all had a blast. Deven assessed the effect of lemon juice and sugar on pennies.

Gotta love the pose.

Priya made rock candy...well...some crystals began to form in an attempt to make rock candy.
Next year we won't start so late with our projects.

At least we brought samples of what it's supposed to look like.

And, Trevor?
Well, he came along for the free snacks
provided by the Student Council.
Go figure.

Another highlight of the week was getting to hear this amazing woman speak. What a gift it was for me to listen, learn, and see in person someone who has provided me with much insight and inspiration as a parent and person via blogland. Hooray for you, Brene, and I'm happy that I might get the chance to hear you speak again next month.

"I know the world looks good when everything is stuffed into neat little boxes, covered in shiny wrapping paper, and tied with big, crisp bows (I like the Pottery Barn holiday spreads as much as the next person). The problem is that, despite our desire to stuff ourselves and the people around us in those convenient compartments, I've never met anyone who really fits in one neat box. We're all more complex than that. Plus, the gifts – joy, gratitude, hope, love, resilience, grace – are inside those boxes. We’ve got to rip off all of that stuff to get inside. Unwrapping, ripping, and untying lots of seemingly mismatched boxes is a big mess. A big, wild, authentic, wonderful mess." --Brene Brown

Well said, Brene. That's me. A big, wild, wonderful mess. Striving for authenticity. Daily. Hourly. By the minute.

Saturday I woke up feeling icky. Stuffed up. Deep, painful cough. How lucky for me that my hubby was to board a plane later that day and leave me alone with the kids for 8 days? I told my doctor husband that he had better call me in some good stuff before he left town or else. Not really with such a threatening tone. But kind of. He happily obliged. Day 3 of the Z-pack and I'm on my way to recovery.

It promises to be busy while Daddy is away. After 2 days of his absence, it already has been. Today included the boys' visit to the doctor--which culminated in an allergy skin test for Trevor (he was so brave), hair cuts for my shaggy sons, a trip to Wal-mart, a trip to the floor store to get wood samples for our pending house transformation, homework, baths, books, and bed.

While at the doctor's office a Highlights magazine informed us that this week is National Pancake Week, so we celebrated for dinner. This is week 3 of having breakfast for dinner at least once, and I'm likin' it.




And, I wouldn't be a loyal Honorary Indian if I didn't give a shout out to the Academy Award winning movie Slum Dog Millionaire. Animesh and I have made two separate attempts to see this film, but something has always prevented us from doing so. Having visited this poverty-stricken country 6 years ago...I am so happy for the cast, crew, and the entire Indian population for this success. Now I just need to see the movie!

My 7 year old went to her first full-blown sleepover this weekend (and didn't even feel the need to call home to be picked up early), my 5 year old is reading books like crazy, and my 3 year old is using phrases like "no worries" on a daily basis.

My own 3 little Indians are growing up to quickly for my liking. But, they're happy. And thriving. In spite of my flubs and stumbles as a parent.

And, that, my friends is real reason to celebrate.