The Best Day of My Life.

Yesterday was a day I wasn't always sure would happen. A day that I have envisioned and dreamed about for some time, but which was not a certainty. What would happen, if it did occur? What would it feel like?

Well, the day I have dreamed of for a couple of years now has finally arrived. I am Anna's legal parent. So is Heidi.  Yesterday, Heidi and I adopted her, and so the law has officially caught up with the reality that we are Anna's parents. Needless to say, we are both thrilled.

Family photo, June 2012

It's Okay to Say No

Really, this title could apply to a number of things: saying "no" to requests or demands for our time, so we don't extend ourselves; saying "no" to our kids when they shouldn't have or do something; saying "no" when we're asked to give money because we just don't have it.

But, those are all topics for other occasions. Today, I'm writing about an article that I read on cnn.com about telling our kids that it's okay to say "no" to relatives and friends who may want their affection.

This is something I'd never thought about, but it's an interesting and important thing to consider. The author of the article suggests that not only is it uncomfortable for our kids when we insist that they hug a grandmother or uncle even though they don't want to - but it's also sending a very negative message. It's telling our kids they should do things they don't want to do with their bodies just because they are asked to do them.

And that's just not okay.

Photo from seniorjournal.com

Recipe For Fun: Backyard Beach!

There's something magical about summer. We want to soak up the sun, relax and sometimes get wet.

The actual beach

The problem is that many of us, myself included, often suffer from a deplorable level of laziness. Which brings me to a recent, warm and sunny weekend afternoon, during which we wanted to be outside but couldn't pick between the beach, the park, the dog park, or the lake. Since all of those options required more effort than any of us cared to give, I came up with an alternative:  the backyard "beach."

Photo of the Week: Spider-Girl!

I'm sure many of you have secret superhero identities. I'd divulge mine, but, well....it's a secret, right?

Anna also aspires to superherodom. (Is that even a word? Probably not, but I don't care.) Last weekend, we attended our local Pride festival, where she was delighted to find a face painting booth.  It took her about two seconds to choose her design. May I proudly present:

SPIDER-GIRL!

The hardest part of being a superhero for Anna (aside from sitting still for the painting process) was remembering that if she rubbed her face against anything, she'd quickly lose her Spidey-ness and turn back into a mere mortal 3 and a half year old girl. She made it a good 6 hours with the makeup intact!

Stay tuned for further adventures of Spider-Girl in the future, if you dare!

Friday Fun: Adventures of Crazy Felines

Happy Friday! We've (okay, I've) been slacking on our Friday Fun these past few weeks, but I've been saving this one because I love cat antics.

The back story: in order to install a dishwasher in our kitchen, we had to have some of the cabinets beneath our counter gutted. Because the cabinets were not intended for this, there remains a slight gap between the bottom of the dishwasher and the floor.

Personally, I could care less about this from an aesthetic perspective. I'm just glad we have replaced our old "dish washer" (me) with this machine that saves me lots of time and energy.

Our cat, however, finds this to be a source of continual frustration.

Photo of the Week: Road Trip Friends

This week's Photo of the Week is definitely an oddball. Recently, Anna and I visited a local coffee shop that sells a number of essentials other than caffeinated beverages - including magnetic finger puppets.

Predictably, Anna decided she wanted one of the puppets. At first, she attempted to choose a figure that looked like the devil, which of course I immediately vetoed. She then chose this, a much better selection:

That's right, folks, we're now the proud owners of a magnetic Gandhi finger puppet. If nothing else, it presented an opportunity to teach Anna something. And it was nice to have a friend along on our journey to visit Uncle Keith last weekend. :)

Were They Really The "Good Old Days"?

This one's for all you working moms. Yes, there are many working dads as well, but I'm venturing back into ye olde 1950s for this post, when most men worked and most women stayed at home with their kids. No gender discrimination meant.

Recently, I read a newspaper article about a working mom who started a company that provides contract legal services. She has a part-time job and also manages her company, all while raising two beautiful young children. The article discussed how her company fills an important void because it enables professional women - and men - (lawyers, in this case) to use their professional skills in a way that allows them to earn money while, at the same time, it creates a better work life-balance for them. Work and time with your kids....and they said we couldn't have it all.

My Birthday Wish

Today marks the beginning of my journey on the slippery slope that is the latter half of my thirties, my entry into a new demographic category, as I can no longer choose the bubble for "19-34"......yes, I am turning 35 today.

I am choosing to look at this questionable milestone with a glass-half-full perspective. Just for today, I will try to look at myself through Anna's eyes. So, I have but one birthday wish for myself:

May I always be as intelligent, invincible, wealthy, energetic and impervious to injury as my daughter thinks I am.

Welcome to 35.....

Have a great day, everyone!

A Little Morning Outrage

The title says it all. And when you finish reading this article, I bet you'll feel a little morning outrage too.

I hadn't even finished my first cup of coffee when I came across this ridiculous story about a mother who left her five-week-old baby - strapped into a car seat - on the roof of her car and then drove off. ON THE ROOF. And she DROVE OFF.

First of all, why the hell would you put your child on the roof of your car to begin with?! And second of all, how could you drive away and "forget" to put your kid in the car - and not realize it until you got home? Seriously?? Thankfully the baby, who fell into an intersection still in the seat, is "okay," though I'm not sure how that is possible. A miracle, I guess.

I'll keep my comments about how tragic it is that some people can reproduce to myself.

It's Our Anniversary!

Happy Monday!

I just wanted to start off this new week by noting an important milestone. Yes, Heidi and I are very happy to have celebrated our 7th anniversary on Friday, June 1, and we're really proud of that. But I'm talking about the blog - we have an anniversary too!

June 1, 2011 was the first day I posted anything on My Life With Pie. I had a vision of what I thought the experience might be like, but I never could've imagined then that it would be as fun and as challenging as it's been to maintain this blog. I didn't know whether my words would resonate with people, how large (or small) an audience I'd have, what the response would be, how much material I was capable of generating - it was all a big question mark.