Little Black Dress

Can you believe that summer is just right around the corner.

When the heck did that happen?

Where has this year gone?

As it grows hotter here in Florida my standard summer attire, well, year round attire is flip flops, shorts, tank tops.

Since I homeschool I don't really need any other pieces.

I have been looking for dresses to wear in the summer, just something light and comfortable. I was told about Fresh Produce.

The dress I selected was the Cafe Wrap Dress (size M) in Black.

The material is 92% Rayon and 8% Lycra

which makes it breathable and soft, perfect for the summer heat and humidity. 

If you have a bigger chest I recommend a cami for underneath. 

The Cafe Wrap Dress comes in an array of colors.

The design of the dress is quite flattering as well. It accentuates any figure impeccably. 

It was the perfect birthday dress to wear out with friends!

Fresh Produce has a variety of lines for every woman.

Need a fresh new outfit for vacation check out their cruise clothing.

Or

if you are tired of the same 'ole tank and shorts look through their california dresses everything from beach fun to date night.

Fresh Produce now ships to over 200 countries, so women outside the US can enjoy the colorful styles, too.

 I plan on ordering another Cafe Wrap dress, the hard part will be deciding on a color;-)

What I've Learned This Year

Each year right before my birthday I begin to reflect on what I have learned the past 365 days. Each year I feel that I grow a bit wiser, less insecure and more assertive. I've maintained my 50lb weight loss, my confidence has shone through but so has my weaknesses which isn't a bad thing. It makes me human.

What I learned to be human?

Make mistakes and learn from them.

Let yourself fall so you can rise above.

Let others help you grow.

Know when to say good bye but cry your eyes out because it hurts so deeply.

Let yourself feel.

It's okay to crumble.

It's okay to stand tall and be proud.

There are no regrets just lessons learned.

Knock down those walls.

But it's alright to hide behind a few of those bricks every now and again.

Imperfection is beautiful.

Life is hard, no one said it was going to be easy.

Forgiveness, Appreciation, Love should be in your vocabulary.

Stop caring what others think, only One truly matters.

Faith is like oxygen.

Hope is like blood.

You need the two to survive.

Smile to the haters.

It's alright to have someone take care of you for once.

Play by your own rules.

Cry your eyes out until you have nothing left then pray and give it to God.

Know who's important in your life and treasure them.

Be inappropriate.

Be hilarious.

Be You!

Right now stop what you are doing, walk outside, inhale deep and let the sun wash over you. Feel the wind between your finger tips.

Smile.

Breathe.

We all go through growing pains. I know I did this year. Some more emotionally outwards than others. The cuts and bruises I held inside have been healed but they were mine to bear. And that's alright. 

Growing up

Growing emotionally

and

Growing spiritually 

is a journey we all take in our own time.

I'm blessed to share my journey with some pretty gosh darn fabulous people. 

I say farewell tomorrow to 31 and hello to 32.

I look forward to another fantastic year! 

Good Life -WILW

There are moments in life when I sit back, inhale deeply and feel overwhelmingly blessed. The boys and I sat on the patio at Cantina Laredo in the shade taking in the Florida heat eating delicious food. 

However, Phil found it to be the perfect opportunity to inform me of a schedule glitch:

What are the the exact dates of when your parents will be here?

  The 23rd to the 26th, why?

Well, that's the week that the CEO is coming. (insert big cheesy grin)

Good thing I have a margarita coming. 

We don't have the exact dates so it could be the beginning of the week.

On cue the waiter placed the beautiful liquid sedative in front of me.

What can you do? Yeah I would love for Phil to be able to take a couple days off while the rents are here but in the grand scheme of things I am thrilled that he has a job, one he loves, one he kicks booty at, one that allows me to stay home and homeschool our son.

Yes, we are blessed.

I sat back in the metal chair gazing at my boys eating and enjoying themselves. I love to see them smile. I love to see them happy. I love to see them carefree. 

I memorize their dimples, the lines that form when they laugh, and how they drift off in to daydreams.

With my birthday just around the corner I can't think of anything that I don't already have with my family. 

eh hem Coach Purse  

In this time of my life I am quite content, I couldn't ask for anything more. It truly is the little things that matter. Simply watching the Magnolia's open up the morning or our neighborhood Cardinal family taking a dip in the bird bath, it places a smile upon my face and my soul.

So what am I loving today?

My life.

What are you loving today?

What I'm Loving Wednesday - I'm Baaaack

I have been absent from WILW most of this month. I have been in reality denial and wanting to return to our Savannah getaway. It is amazing how relaxed one becomes away from every day life. It was nice to just sit with my Phil and talk about other things besides work, writing and homeschooling. Logan was in his element in Savannah soaking up all of it's historical wonder.  

Anywho......

What I'm Loving this Week:

I DVR Fact or Faked for Logan Tuesday nights and then Wednesday morninsg we watch it together, it's our early morning bonding time over ghosts, big foot and breakfast;-)

Homeschool Mosaics

My column Quirky Philosophy 101 drops the 30th...check it out along with other FABULOUS homeschool mamas.

This is an amazingly beautiful album, one that I have graced my iPod with. It is a mix of classical, jazz and pop and she has the most beautiful voice. Victory and Dreamer are my favorites.

I am very much excited about this movie coming out. I have the original Robert Redford 

::Swoon::

And from the stills of the updated one Leonardo DiCaprio is looking quite dashing (as usual).

 

I was lucky enough to see the theatrical portrayal when we lived in Minneapolis and it was divine. Two thumbs to my husband who surprised me for our anniversary that year.

 

Well, back to it I suppose otherwise it will keep calling like an annoying telemarketer;-) 

What are you loving this week?

Of Course My Kid is Dope

Over the past few weeks something has awakened inside my child.

This new land of "Let's try to new things" is wonderful.

From trying a corn muffin to sitting in front of a room of people whom he only knows maybe 5 of them to wanting to zip line for his birthday and most recently attending his first movie outing in more than six years. 

What the heck is going on?

Logan is extremely sensitive to touch and noise *sensory processing disorder*.

The touch aspect has been difficult over the years as his father and I want to tickle, hug or just cuddle him. At a tolerable level Logan could do it but we never pushed those boundaries. Lately he has become more favorable to embracing and cuddling AND expressing his emotions i.e. saying I Love You back. It was always "Me too" and he wouldn't hold eye contact. 

We know he loves us more than anything, that's not a doubt for us, it was his comfort level. I feared that if we pushed those limits we would lose his trust and that was far too precious to lose. We have adapted over the years and now this fresh breath of newness has swept through our house and it's filled with solace and elation.

I know there are many who know what I am talking about and for those who don't please remember and absorb oh those "little things" that children do that sometimes seem not so important but trust me when I say they are. All those little things accumulate to "vast things". To hear my son say "I love you too mom." With a hug AND eye contact is so emotional I can barely breathe. 

He wrote a blog post today about his movie experience over at The Quirky Mustache.

I Did It 

I do hope you read his words.

He has so much to say and I am thrilled he is sharing his world with you.

 

Friends Don't Let Friends Drip Snot

Last night our homeschool group held a meeting about families who have children with special needs uber quirks. Myself and two others were on the panel (my bestie chick being one of the other two) we introduced ourselves, our kiddos and.....

~TEARS~

I knew I would cry when I read Logan's "What Autism Means to Me" article. 

~rising dinner in throat~

Reading my son's words filled me with pride and distress. My eleven year old has more compassion then some adults, more love and spirit. He sat next to me as I read, his choice, he wanted to come up with me which took me by surprise. His best peep was up there as well. I beamed with joy listening to Matthew read what he wrote about Tourette Syndrome and what it means to him. 

~Bravery comes to mind~

Raw emotion was displayed which is absolutely terrifying. For me I am exposing myself and my family to a group of people who some I met for the first time last night. I am opening myself up for judgement, ridicule and criticism. My knees shake, my voice quivers, I feel flushed, my eyes pool with tears, inside I pray.

~The wave passes~

I do this for my son.

I am his advocate.

I am his voice.

I am his mother.

BUT

Logan is my strength (as is GOD)

He fights so I fight.

His words are my words.

His empathy is my solace.

My dear friend Doreen spilled emotion when speaking of her son and in that moment I wanted to do more then just wrap my arms around and tell her "We'll get through this." I wanted to take it away, she's my like my sister and seeing her upset tightened my heart. She looked at me and I knew what she was thinking, I've bee there. The open wound for all to see, the exposure, the raw emotion set before others on a silver platter. 

The strength we carry deep inside emerged victoriously last night as we shared with others our stories, our thoughts, opinions and attempted to answer questions (to the best of our abilities). Each child is different, each family is different, each situation is different. I wish I had all the answers, I wish I could make it better, I could ease their frustrations and worries.

I can't.

I can offer support, encouragement, an ear, a shoulder, laughter, tissues, chocolate and coffee.

As I was reading Logan's words my nose began to run and I thought

Oh no please don't let snot run out of nose!

Without hesitation Doreen said

"I would have caught it for you, friends don't let friends drip snot!"

The most comforting words I had heard all night.

*****************************************

Thank you to those who have emailed or messaged such fabulous words of support and gratitude. They truly mean the world to myself and to Logan.

Vacation Brain

We returned home on Friday from our trip to Savannah, Ga and I am slowly (slowly being the key word here) getting back into the swing of reality ie schooling, laundry, cleaning, writing. Not that our trip to Savannah wasn't educational because it definitely was, I finally finished loading the pictures last night. 

To say we had a fabulous time is an under statement and we absolutely adore Savannah and looking forward to returning next year.

The architectural details of the city are breathtaking and transport you to a different era.

 

*Forsyth Park*

*Cathedral of St. John the Baptist*

*The Olde Pink House*

*The Marshall House - where we stayed*

And of course we did a ghost walking tour.

Orbs? Hmmmmmmmm

We indulged in decadent food.

 

I really didn't feel all that guilty due to the fact we walked 3-4 miles per day ha!

When heading home Logan told us that he would rather visit Savannah then Disney any day, he's our little history buff and this my friends is how our school rolls;-)