"thirty minutes of wonderful"

Tamia- my something wonderful

This morning, I woke up later than usual and had very little time to spare. You see, I have to leave home "at bedtime" which is how Tamia refers to it since it's still dark when I am leaving my house. For this reason, I try to make as little noise as I can while I'm getting ready because I don't want to wake anyone up. I want them to sleep for as long as they can, but what I really want is to be left alone, to be able to get dressed and ready for the day without interruptions, without distractions. Well, this morning, Tamia woke up very soon after I did, and immediately I felt like my time had been encroached upon, and my little sweet five-year old was the intruder. Before she could even utter the word "Mommy", I found myself saying to her, "go back to sleep, Mommy has to go to work." I kept doing what I was doing; I just wanted to get out of the house without "having to do something" for anyone. I kept moving while she struggled to hug me, and then she went back to bed. I finished doing what I was doing, and exited the house. I thought, "Yes, I made it," but as I was walking to my car, Shelby from Steel Magnolias spoke to me, and as clear as day, I heard her say, "I'd rather have 30 minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special." At that moment, it dawned on me that I had not been enjoying my "something wonderful", that instead, I had been allowing everything and everyone else, the real intruders, "the nothing special" to encroach on my time. I know what you're thinking, "Shelby isn't a real person, Tamara, you're just thinking too much." And really you might be right, she isn't real, but her situation, her circumstances are. So my message today is to take the time to enjoy your "something wonderful" because nothing outside of that is worth it.   

Steel Magnolias

A Labor of Love

Five years ago on Labor Day, I gave birth to a sweet baby girl. So this weekend was pretty special because we got to celebrate the 5th birthday of our little handful, Tamia. I wanted the day to be fun filled, so keep reading to see how this Mama made the day a success!

Here's the Rundown

Up First: The Morehead Planetarium

Our day of fun began with a show at the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center. Since Tamia has shown a real interest in science, I thought it would be great to take her to see a star show, and it was pretty cool. We saw "One World, One Sky" (appropriate for 4&5 year olds, and some adults, lol). The visitor center took very good care of us. Be sure to visit this local venue for some family fun!

Sesame Street's "One World, One Sky"

The kids playing in the moon sand was one of the highlights. 

We enjoyed it so much that I looked up the recipe! 

Tamia enjoyed herself!

Next up: Mellow Mushroom 

After the show and exploring some exhibits, we headed down W. Franklin Street 

to replenish and celebrate at Mellow Mushroom, and let me tell you, the scenery was perfect!

We had the patio pretty much to ourselves, which was lovely. 

We ate lunch, b-day cake, and opened presents!

  

Tamia was over the moon!

Destination #3: Kidzu Children's Museum

The day did not end here! We headed on over to Kidzu Children's Museum 

for some creative play. I am amazed at how few Chapel Hill natives know this place exists, which is really a shame! The kids had a wonderful time! 

 

It's amazing how a little person can change the direction of your life and make you forget what life was like before she came on the scene. It happened for me the first time in 1995 and again in 2010. I can only thank God for giving me such gifts. 

Thanks to all of our family and friends who joined in celebrating our sweet girl's 5th birthday. She loved each moment of it!

thoughtfully,

5 on Friday... Been busy living

Summer is off to a great start for me and my crew, especially the wee one! We have had an exciting week, and it's only fitting that I share it with you!

1- Favorite Experience: Our week kicked off on Sunday with us going Plum Crazy at the Kidz Bop Make Some Noise Tour at the cutest theater in the Triangle, The Carolina Theater. We had a great time with friends jamming to the vocal talent of the Kidz Bop Kids. Tamia and I dressed similarly and she loved it (Plum coordinates)! I secretly enjoyed the show just a bit too much, but I do love music!

           

Shop our Plum Crazy Look for Kidz Bop.  It will not break your budget!

2- Favorite Outing: On Monday, we ventured to Holly Springs to see the Holly Springs Salamanders take on the Wilmington Sharks, and boy did they "tame those Sharks"! The game was exciting and I even won an ACME Pizza for winning the "Who can be the loudest?" Who would've thought I could be so loud. The pizza was fabulous, and not to mention FREE, just how I like my pizza! We had an awesome time, and we will go again!

3- Favorite Deal- Regal Theater's Summer Movie Express! By now, the $1 movies are no secret, but I still have to make it my duty to share and remind every mother, sitter, and childcare provider about the Summer Movie Series. On Tuesday, we went to see the Nut Job for just $2! It was close to 100 degrees outside, but the theater was nice and cool and the popcorn was fresh. Grab your Regal Card and get a deal on the popcorn too! 

4- Favorite Meal! I'm truly a Slow Cooker fan especially when it is as hot as it is. So this week I made one of my family's favorites finger-licking good Baby Back Ribs. They are too easy not to cook, and they are delicious! I have nothing against grilling, but I gotta tell ya, Slow Cooking is much cooler!

Recipe

5- Favorite Image: Tamia is getting a hang of taking pictures. She took this one of her feet and the anklets she made earlier that day. I love her little feet! Baseball and bare feet = Summertime!

  

I hope you enjoyed the rundown of our week! 

"every 40 seconds"

Now that summer is finally within reach, people are gearing up for those long-awaited family vacations to theme parks, the beach, or just an outing somewhere local, like a baseball game or a concert in the park. The venue is really not that important just as long as everyone has fun, fun, fun. Well, whatever your plans are, please make it your ultimate goal to keep your family, especially your little ones, safe because "every 40 seconds, a child goes missing," and this is not fun. We all would like to think that something like this will never happen to us, and as a result, we form a false sense of security.  But it is because of this complacency, that I experienced the fright of my life. 

Not too long ago, I lost sight of my 41/2 year old for 2 minutes while we were at the lake, and in that 2 minutes, my world literally came tumbling down. My mind struggled to even understand that she might be missing, but I knew I did not see her. After I yelled her name out for what felt like the 100th time, I immediately became a bumbling fool. I did not know in which direction to move. My body was heavy. I was a ball of emotions. All of a sudden, I had become that mother who turned her head away for a fraction of a minute and had lost sight of her child. A fraction of a minute was all it took. As I scanned the play area to find her, everyone I saw had instantly become "the big bad wolf". No one was to be trusted. All sorts of thoughts flooded my mind, and the ache in my heart was inexplicable as I experienced a pain I wish for no other mother. And then, I saw her. She was perfect, she was fine. She had been looking for me while I was looking for her. I hugged the older gentleman responsible for setting my world right again. I hugged him tight. My heart was happy. I was relieved, but forever changed.  

Now that it's all over, and I finally mustered up enough courage to tell my husband that I lost our daughter (not a happy conversation), I can share my experience with you. I want others to know that anything that takes your attention away from your child is a distraction none of us can afford to have. As parents, we must always be on alert; it's our most important job. 

Useful Safety Tip 

Ways to be a Cautious Parent

1. Put the cell phone down, pay attention to your children, and your surroundings.
2. Teach your children your personal information: your real name and your cell phone        number.
3. Drill your children how to behave when they are separated from you. 
4. Visit your local Police Department to have officers speak with you and your family  about safety.
5. Take frequent pictures of your children when you are vacationing. Take one every morning if you are traveling.

Remember, the best way to have fun on 

any vacation or outing is to keep your family safe.  

Follow Tamara//while i was busy thinking's board I'm a Cautious Mama on Pinterest.

"what's a holiday?"

I am always amazed by the many types of questions that Tamia asks me.  Some of her questions are just plain weird, such as, "Do rats eat people?" While others are as simple as "Do you love me?"  She is curious about so many things, and sometimes, I don't have an answer to give her.  So when she asked me "what's a holiday?"  I was surprised that she asked me a question that I could actually answer.

Tamia: Mommy what's a holiday?
Me:     Well, a holiday is  a day like any other day, it's just more... 
           (but before I could complete my thought, she chimed in)
Tamia: "special"
Me: That's exactly right, Tamia!

How the idea came about...

#1- Every year Tamia decorates a 3 ft. personal-sized Christmas tree for her bedroom, and for the past three years she has used my old ornaments to decorate her tree.  

#2- One of my colleagues shared with me she and her family were giving each other retro Christmas gifts, and that she was going to give her brother painted Christmas ornaments with superheros on them (pinterest-inspired).  Immediately, I was hooked because I love the Avengers.  So right away, I thought that idea was pretty cool, and I filed it away to explore later.  At the time, I was thinking that maybe Tamia and I could make ornaments with a Disney Princess theme (Thanks, Karen).

Marvel and DC Comics

#3- So, when Tamia asked me the question "what's a holiday?", I decided to alter the idea Karen shared with me and have Tamia decorate a holiday ornament for each month of the year.   At which time, she and I would have a mini lesson about the importance of the holiday and then I would her ask her to share with me why she thinks the holiday is so special.  

(FYI, we will be substituting off months with family member birthdays).   Once we are done, Tamia will have 12 new ornaments (of her own) to decorate her Christmas tree.  Cool, right? 

The Idea in Action... (a 4-yr old's work)

So for January, Tamia made an ornament in honor of MLK holiday, and much thanks to her preschool teacher, Tamia had a lot of information to share with me about Martin Luther King, Jr.  

She said that "he wanted everyone to be the same."  It was a proud mama moment.  She went on to tell me that he was killed, and added "that's sad, right?".  Then I shared that Dr. King had 4 little kids like her when he died. She then asked me one of the best questions ever, "who took care of his children when he died?"  She's a sharp one:)

Check out her ornament.

    

    

Completed Work

She's always making me think (as if I needed any assistance- ha!).  

Ornaments (acrylic, kid-safe option) from Amazon

Tempura Paints (kid-safe paint) from AC Moore and Michael's

February ornament share is coming soon, so come back!

thank you kindly,