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.