Kids say the darndest things. Which a lot of times are repeats of what they heard their parent’s say. Some of Max’s current phrases, words, exclamations are:
An inquisitive “So…”
An exasperated “Oh, Man!”
An inviting “C’mon let’s go”
A decisive “How about…”
He’s now 2, but when he was around 20 months old, he would often exclaim “Oh, no!” – such as here when Sarah gets stuck. And stuck again.
He tends to lean towards a serious note. Like when he’s playing flash cards or any number, alphabet games. And his “Oh, no!” exclamations were always under a serious tone. So, I just had to lighten him up about it.
I think it’s imperative to have a good sense of humor. The ability to laugh at life. And at oneself. He picked up on the concept quickly. Oh how true it is they are sponges – soaking up their surroundings. We must be – as selective as we can – in what they experience.
And if you feel you are lacking in the sense of humor department – I found a random article on how to enhance your sense of humor. There’s even a WikiHow on how to get a sense of humor.
Or you could move to Bhutan where the Gross National Happiness is more important than their Gross National Product (for real!).
And if none of that helps, buy a ticket to Timbuktu and send a postcard. Seriously.
Angelina’s decision to share such intimate details with the world is both gracious and humble. I’m a firm believer in sharing information – both tragedy and joy – with others. It’s the only way we can grow as a human race. What good is it if we all have to live and learn each heartache or enlightenment on our own?
I’m not saying you have to share every detail of your life with the whole world, but if you share insight and knowledge – just within your circle of friends and family – now those words can help others and also spread the globe. To me, we should always be moving towards better understanding, knowledge and a “we’re in this together” attitude.
I’ve mentioned this theory of mine before – back in 2011 when I was grateful to the women who had shared their information with me on how to get pregnant:
I’m happy there are women out there who share their personal journeys with others so we can all benefit. Women who are embarassed, or trying to appear perfect, or just hoarding good news to themselves can go to hell! Or at least go to some some deserted island. Where they can sit around giving each other the stink eye all day. I say get over yourself! We’re all in this (life) together. We may as well help each other out instead of holding each other back.
As you already know, I was Angelina’s double so you may think that I’m just bias. But, I’m not. If I didn’t believe in her – I wouldn’t blog about it.
Now, as to what everyone can do with the information she has shared? That’s determined by the individual. It may help someone feel better about their own double mastectomy. It may prompt someone to get tested. It may inspire someone to be more accepting of their loved one who is going through the same thing. Whatever the article did for you, I’m sure you can find a way to pay it forward.
Since the test that Angie mentions is $3,000 – I won’t be getting it done anytime soon. But I am curious if I too have that gene. My maternal grandmother (still alive and well at 98!) did have breast cancer, but survived. And an Aunt as well. So… I don’t know. Maybe I too may have this gene? Hopefully someday testing will be available to everyone. Maybe someday health insurance will cover the testing as part of a ‘well, routine visit.’ But that’s getting into a whole other blog post.
It’s been really hot here in Los Angeles the past couple of days and it got me thinking about the ocean, sun, wind, sand… It’s always about 10 degrees cooler at the beach and something about being near the ocean is so relaxing to me. I always leave there feeling relaxed and… well, a little like summer.
Getting to the beach is easy when you live on the coast, right? In theory, yes. It’s only about a 20 minute drive for me (with no traffic). But actually getting to the beach with two little ones, is not so easy. Next year will be much easier. They’ll both be old enough to run around and make sand castles. And throw sand at each other – ha!
I have a cute grass umbrella and a blanket that I keep in my car – just in case I’m ever on a job or audition near the ocean. That way I can easily make a 20 minute pit stop and soak up a little summer. And then just say I hit traffic on the way home. =)
But, keeping my beach umbrella in place is often not easy since it’s almost always windy at the beach. And an umbrella on the loose getting blown around? Not a good idea. Definitely a safety hazard.
That’s why The Noblo was invented! A couple of mom’s wanted something to keep their beach umbrellas safe from getting blown around and… voilà… The Noblo was born. It’s such a simple, great idea! Martha Stewart included it in her 20 summer must-haves. And I have to agree. I now keep one in my car with the umbrella and blanket. Because beach time, should be chill time. No worries. Just relax. And The Noblo helps you do just that.
I had a fun Mother’s Day. It involved a little ‘me’ time which I used for some quiet reading and to attend my favorite work out class, RIPPED, at the gym. Then a lunch date with Joe – without the kiddies. And then some hang time with the kiddies.
Trying to get a photo of me, Max and Sarah – with us all holding still and looking at the camera – was nearly impossible. We did it, but I always find the other ones – the slightly chaotic looking ones – so much more interesting.
Since Max does such a good Frog impersonation, I was inspired to do a Frog themed birthday party! It was a combo deal. Meaning we celebrated Max turning 2 and Sarah turning 1. I was not having two birthday parties 3 weeks apart! Are you nuts? It will be a combo deal for as long as I can get away with it. So basically until one of them complains.
I rented the wading pool and tables at the park down the street which also has two jungle gyms, swings and a basketball hoop. We also brought a frisbee, bubbles, beach ball frogs, and some yummy food. Thankfully the weather was perfect. But, you know, your chances of that are pretty high living in Los Angeles.
Making it even more fun, was their Grandma and Grandpa (Joe’s side) there to celebrate! We knew they were coming to visit that week, so we decided to party it up while they were here.
Funny thing, I think Max was the only kid who wouldn’t get in the pool! Ha! Oh well, he had fun playing with the beach ball frogs at least. And Sarah is game for anything. So far anyway. We’ll see what she’s like when she turns 2!
We had a great time and I hope everyone who came out to celebrate with us did too. Here’s a couple of my two favorite pics of the birthday kids – on the day. Sarah posing in her pretty dress among the trees and Max on frog duty.
