Life's Little Pleasures

Not much out there on the job sites these days, the dreary Fall rains of the Pacific Northwest have returned and Miss M was up all night last night. An early trip to urgent care this morning confirmed that my tingling mommy senses were correct; the dreaded toddler ear infection rears its ugly head.

Here’s your amoxicillin and have a nice day.

All in all it’s been a pretty CRAP day. So in an attempt to bring a smile to my face, I thought I’d dedicate this blog post to things that… well… bring a smile to my face.

Enjoy, and if you’re having a crap day too, I hope this helps.

My favorite time of the day is when my hubby puts the Munchkin to bed (and not for the obvious reasons known to all SAHMs). Bedtime in our home is Daddy Daughter time. Each night, Madeline blows me kisses goodnight and her Daddy takes her upstairs. They snuggle into her rocking chair, with her favorite blankie and chosen book, and her Daddy reads her a goodnight story. While they have their special time together, rocking and cuddling, I sit downstairs and listen to the man I love reading to our precious little daughter. I can hear them over the baby monitor. I can hear Colby lovingly acting the story out with enthusiasm and silly voices. I can hear his little girl squealing and giggling with delight over her Daddy’s cleverness. Then, when the story is finished, I can hear Colby carry her over to her crib, give her kisses and hugs and whisper “I love you Princess”.

Every night it brings a smile to my face and warms my heart.

One of my favorite guilty pleasures is reading in the bathtub. I am a voracious reader. I love filling the bathtub with scalding hot water and reading until the water turns cold. Then I love filling it with hot again so I can read some more. While some children spent their allowance on candy and frivolous trinkets, I could often be found at the local bookstore looking for the latest installment of “The Babysitters Club”, or newest horror tale from Christopher Pike or R.L. Stine. My parents can attest to finding me many nights hidden under my covers, flashlight in hand, pleading to be allowed to finish one last chapter.

Not much has changed since those days. I can still be found hidden under the covers, with my book light, trying not to disturb my husband, while I finish that one last chapter.

I read for relaxation and enjoyment. When I pick up a new book I want to loose myself in the story. I want to laugh out loud when it’s funny. I want my heart to race when it is scary or action packed. I want to cry when it is sad or heartfelt.

While on a camping trip when I was thirteen, everyone else was asleep, and as usual I was awake with my flashlight finishing just one last chapter. I was in the middle of a particularly suspenseful scene in the story. I had completely lost myself in moment. I was so absorbed in fact that when finally the climax arrived I physically jumped in surprise.

It’s because of these types of stories that I am a slave to the written word.

I love life’s little pleasures…

• Sneaking tastes from the peanut butter jar while I’m waiting for my toast to pop.

• Watching “Wizards of Waverly Place”, “Sonny with a Chance”, “Hanna Montana” and various other Disney Channel shows meant for tweens, regardless of the dork factor.

• Using the excuse of having laundry to fold so I can lock myself upstairs to watch old episodes of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” on Netflix.

• Occasionally spending my daughter’s naptime doing absolutely nothing but surfing the internet, watching TV and daydreaming.

• Video conferencing with my parents and seeing the love in their eyes as they interact with their granddaughter.

Finally, I love reading my past blog posts. I know there are lots of writers and entertainers out there who can not stand their own work, but I love remembering when and why I wrote each post. I get a thrill ever time I see my writing “published” for the world to read. I am thoroughly enjoying experimenting with this new creative outlet and I hope you are all having as much fun as I am.

What are the little pleasures in your life?

Trying to remember to find joy in the little things,

Mandy:)