The Cupboard (Behind the Scenes)

Welcome to Behind the Scenes, the link up hosted by Crystal, where we share real life. Behind every perfect picture there's a story - what REALLY happened that led to the cute photo.

Or in this case, the "look how clean my cupboard is" photo. This is under my sink. This morning at 6:30am. While the girls and I are getting lunches packed and breakfasts made and backpacks ready.

"It's empty?" Oh, hmmm. You noticed that, did you? It's not usually empty. Or clean like this. Well, I can't even say it's clean because I am not quite done.

This morning I went under there to get a new trashbag. And discovered that my dishwashing soap - the giant Costco sized bottle of Palmolive - yes the GREEN gallon sized one - had tipped over. And leaked. ALL. NIGHT. LONG. Well, really I guess it could have been tipped over since earlier than last night, but I'm trying to convince myself that I must have knocked it over last night when I put the windex away.

So, there was a very sticky layer of green liquid soap over the whole bottom of the cupboard. Gross. Clean, but gross. I've never been more thankful that I keep most of the stuff under there in plastic buckets - so I needed to wash the bottom of the cabinet and the bottoms of all the bins, but other than all my remaining dishwashing soap being spilled, I didn't really lose anything.

It may, however, smell like Palmolive in my kitchen for the next two weeks. Or longer.
And - my cabinet is nice and clean.

The Hero (Behind The Scenes)

Welcome to Behind The Scenes, the link up hosted by my friend Crystal. Where we show you real life, not just the perfect (or imperfect) snapshot of reality.

This week, we had a delightful time celebrating with the hero of the elementary school.

Our school makes a big deal about "Zero the Hero" (see the 0 on his shirt?) He comes every 10 days to school to help the kids learn about place holders. They do different exercises on the morning news show each time, and he comes specifically to the kindergarten classes so they can learn about counting by 10's and all sorts of stuff.

Then the 100th day of school is a HUGE celebration. They put sidewalk chalk down the whole road as you lead up to the school. They have special songs and all the kids make a big deal about it. The 5th & 4th graders especially love to show the younger kids.  The kindergarteners made special crafts, and a zero the hero super-hero cape that they wore all day with the 100 on it. It was a riot. And the 100th day was REALLY LATE this year. Because we've had 13 (yes, seriously) snow days. 

So this week, I wanted to show you the PE teacher who dresses up for these kids every 10 days, and then on the 100th day, he stood on the corner in the AM, in the freezing cold, to jump up and down and welcome all the buses, and get our kids excited about the power of zero. 

Thank you, Zero the Hero, for being a hero to our kids. Every 10 days. 
 

The Slippers (Behind The Scenes)

Welcome to behind the scenes, where life really happens. Snap, and share, that cute picture:  but you don't see all the ... mess, chaos, fun, disaster ... that happened around the actual picture moment.  You can visit Crystal and friends over here to learn more, and to read some other adventures about life lived behind the scenes.

This week, the photo is from our Christmas adventures in Jersey with my family.

The photo:

The story: Those slippers are ones where the ears stick up every time you take a step. If you put your heel down just the right way. My mom loves cute slippers. My girls have their love of slippers from their Nana. These are the favorites. Brand new, under Nana's tree and they wore them ALL. DAY. LONG. With dresses and PJs. For playing and naptime.


And because it takes a little work to get those ears to stick up, instead of the quiet feet that slippers normally bring, these are LOUD FEET STOMPING slippers.
"Mama, look at this!" *stomp, stomp*
"Uncle Jeff, did you see what I drew? I will come show you!" *stomp, stomp*
"Grampy, can you read me a story? I will bring you the book." *stomp, stomp*
"OK, time for resting time..." *stomp, stomp, stomp* ... up 13 steps ... both kids ... *stomp, stomp*

and we loved every minute of it.

Rain Delay (Behind the Scenes)

It's Behind the Scenes Day. Behind the Scenes is a link up where we tell the real story - the actual life behind that perfectly framed photo.  Link up here to read more fun adventures.

The photo:

The story:
Last Saturday, the girls and I were supposed to go to a baseball game at Nationals Park. The Nats were going to play, keep their playoff hopes alive, get us a Curly W, AND after the game, we would have the post-game concert hearing Montgomery Gentry live. We were SO EXCITED. And the weather ... well, the weather did not cooperate. But, thanks to the madness that is the last 10 days of the regular season, MLB gets to "assist" in if a game is postponed. So, the game was "on". And in a rain delay. The picture above was taken by my 5yo - proudly showing off her galoshes. And so, the rest of the behind the scenes story is that we waited. 7 hours. Until they called the game at 11:15pm. No game. No concert. My girls met a whole bunch of "mommy's baseball friends" and we had a hilarious adventure on the concourse. The kids proclaimed it the "best not-a-baseball-game-trip-to-the-park". Then they qualified that - "except for Opera in the Outfield, mama. Because then we still get to see some other stuff. But this was fun and your friends are great."

So, now you can see our adventure in photos. As I present "the photo essay of a rain delay - through the eyes of a 5 year old".  Enjoy.

*DISCLAIMER. I am not swift enough with this posting stuff to make these pictures show up aligned or in a pretty order. It's raw. It's real. It's scattered. Sort of like our adventure.

learning selfies

The unfolding of a wrestling match behind us

Finding a Little Normal (Behind the Scenes)

It's Behind the Scenes Tuesday (on Thursday for me). Where we tell you the real life behind the picture. sometimes funny, sometimes weird. Sometimes unbelievable, sometimes sobering.. Sometimes heartwarming. Always real.  Feel free to link up with Crystal to share your story or read a few others.

This week's picture:

Hi, friends. You may have heard on the news about the tragedy at the NavyYard on Monday. At least, I would assume you did. Hard for me to tell, since I live in the midst of it, so I am not sure what national coverage existed beyond the DC metro area.

Hit really close to home - literally - and figuratively for me. I have a college friend who works there. Thankfully, he was in training in California this week. I have a new acquaintance (thanks to Twitter meetups and my beloved Nationals) who works there. Thankfully he was ok. But 12 people were not OK. And their families are now dealing with the aftermath.

And that NavyYard? That's a mere few blocks from Nats Park. Where we go ALL the time. The Navy used some of the parking lots as staging for families to reunite with loved ones. And as the uncertainty in the following hours ensued, the Nats game was postponed. Two thumbs up to the Nats and MLB for recognizing that safety was important, and that life is bigger than baseball.

Tuesday the Nats were back at it, playing a double header (to make up Monday, plus the regular Tuesday game). And they came out to play. Swept the double header (WOOT!) from the Atlanta Braves (WOOT WOOT!).  But what struck me Tuesday was how much the community - the Nationals community - embraced our NavyYard neighbors. The word passed quickly through the social media networks to wear blue and gold. (For you non baseball readers, the Nats are mostly red & white, with accents of blue. Nice, patriotic, fitting for DC - but not US Navy colors).

I put my usual Nats attire away and instead chose my US Olympic shirt (from the Torino games ... yeah, my shirts are old), and since all my gold is tied to black (Vanderbilt), I went for the "mom save the day stash". I have a box of ribbons and beads to make hair ribbons for my girls. Covers a multitude of "need to dress like a _____ day" school projects. Sure enough, lots of blue and yellow/gold to be had in there. So I whipped out a hair ribbon and donned it proudly.

I headed out to the ballpark with tons of other folks sporting the Navy Blue and Gold as well. Embracing the community, and standing together to support our neighbors.

To the families of the men and women lost on Monday, your loved ones served us -- all of us -- well, and we are thankful for them, and sorry for your loss.

To the Nationals community - thank you for putting aside baseball and being real neighbors. And thank you for coming back to the game we love, allowing us to look for a little "normal" and find some joy on the day after a very terrible day.

I'm proud to be a Nats fan, never more so than this week.

The Hands (Behind the Scenes)

It's Behind the Scenes Tuesday, where we link up with Crystal and share the real life behind the "nearly perfect" (or not nearly perfect) snapshots of our lives. Read more about it here.

The picture: 

The story:
Today was the first day of school. My oldest is in 3rd grade, and my baby is in kindergarten. (Mom is still slightly in denial). A (the little) has been pretty excited all summer about school, but the past few days I could see the anxiety setting in. So I wasn't sure how day 1 would go.

Everyone popped out of bed early, got ready to go, grabbed their backpacks, and then headed out the door. We walk about 2 blocks to school, so this makes mornings easy, and gives us some flexibility on departure time. A & S (the oldest) posed for all the pictures I asked for. And then A grabbed S's hand, said "Mama, S has got me all covered. BYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"  They set off down the street, with nary a look back at me. They did ask me to walk all the way to the school door with them (I am thankful they let me come that far!) and then they disappeared into the fun adventure of a new school year. No looking back. No tears. No nerves. Just glee at the thought of a new year, a new day, a new teacher, new friends, and a very familiar big sister to help her through it all.

While mama stood on the sidewalk, teary eyed for a few minutes. With a smile in my heart, watching my two (not-so) little ones: brave, loving sisters tackling the world together.

The Pitch (Behind the Scenes)

Behind the Scenes is a link up with Crystal (and some others) where we share the real life behind the perfect (or not-so-perfect) pictures we post for friends, family, and the internet to see. The story behind the instagrammed beauty. Come link up. Or just read our adventures. Some of them will make you nod your head: been there, done that. Others will make you smile.

Today, here's a look behind the scenes of "The Pitch".

The picture:

The story:
You may know, or may have guessed, that I'm raising some baseball fans in this house. Trying, anyway. We get to several games a year, and the rest I go with my friends, or alone. I love baseball that much. A day in the park, even when my team loses, is still a better day than a day without baseball.

My girls are troopers and they're starting to get more engaged in the games. We went Monday night, and had a couple of really cool moments. S (she's 8) took the picture above while she was experimenting with the zoom function on my cell phone camera. She was THRILLED to catch Tyler Clippard at the moment of his release.  (See sequence below). She was even more excited when she looked at our Nationals calendar the next morning at breakfast when she noticed that it's the very same shot (except zoomed in close) that  is captured (of course from another game) on the August page. "That's SO COOL, Mom, isn't it?":   Yes, I agree. So cool.

We had a visit from "Mrs. Charlie" - the wife of one of  the Nationals'  ["our"]  radio play-by-play announcers.  Fun to try to get all of our faces in one "selfie" picture. She's a gem. I love how the fans and the support folks, and even the players, all get engaged around here. Very approachable. And very real people.  I am delighted to have met Tina and to have gotten to know her a little better. The girls thought it was hilarious that we were having a party in section 404 while Charlie was working. They loved waving to his press box window.

 

And here's the rest of our pictures from Monday. The girls had as much fun documenting our time as they did watching on Monday. My favorite is the one at the end - we love that you can see the landmarks of DC right from the ballpark. There's no better place to spend a night, than with my girls in the city I love, seeing history made, and remembered, both on and off the field.

practicing pictures. Laughing the whole time

A likes to get close to the camera. I need to stretch my arms!

S took this one, view from our seats

we love it up here, mom!

getting sleepy, but still watching her favorite guys

notice the monument in the background. We love DC!

The Postcard (Behind the Scenes)

Since I Five-Minute-Friday'ed on Tuesday, I'll Behind-the-Scenes on Thursday. Schedule modification. (Thankful for grace in posting delays!)

Behind the Scenes is coordinated by Crystal, who helps remind us that life is real - not just what you see in our perfect excerpts on facebook, or twitter, or instagram (I don't even know how to do that!).

So, you post the picture, and then you tell the REAL story, and share with the gang over at Crystal's place.  Ready? Good.  This week, I present "The Postcard"

The Photo:

And The Story:
I got this in the mail this week. Made my heart melt. My girls have been away for TWO LONG WEEKS. I am missing them something fierce.  (Side note, I am in the final 26 hour countdown until I can hug their necks .. Thank you, Lord, for getting me through!)  The message (translated for spelling and spaces) = we saw some pioneer things and Indian things.  Poiner looks like Poineh and this reminds me of HOME (where I grew up ... northeastern accents... yay!)  I laughed, and cried, when I got it. Laughed for the fun they're having with grandma and grandpa, and visiting cousins and family and making memories, and for the hilarious accent reminder of my own Nana, who with her Boston roots never met an R at the end of a word that she wasn't willing to dispense with.  And cried - for how much I have been missing my kids since they left. Note to self, two weeks seems to be way too long for this mama to be without my littles. They will be a foot taller at least when I see them. Summer flies way too fast. Can't wait to get them home and slow things down a little. 

Cheesecake (Behind the Scenes)

 Details on Behind the Scenes below.

The photo:

 

The story:

I love baseball. Specifically my Nationals. There's no place I'd rather be on a summer afternoon. I bring my girls a lot, but this week they're with Mamama and Dadada, so I am all on my own. I decided to go to the game last minute, and since it was a special giveaway (Davey Johnson bobblehead, anyone?) I went early. Nats park has a restaurant called the Red Porch, which I've never been to. My kids are all about the Shake Shack and cotton candy. Since I went alone, I thought I would check it out. It opens when the first gates open, and serves REAL FOOD - not just ballpark fare. And DESSERT. Oh, yes it does. So I had a table all to myself, with this view of batting practice, and I got to eat a whole piece of cheesecake. No lovely little girls sharing with their forks, or my fork, or their fingers. A little haven of rest in my favorite local getaway destination. Let's play ball - and eat cheesecake!

WHAT IS THE "BEHIND THE SCENES" LINK UP? 

Social media and online relationships can make us feel like everyone else has it all together. We're edited, proof-read, Pinterest-perfect versions of ourselves  (or so some might think!) when - in reality? There is an unfinished pile of laundry around the corner. That cute toddler smiling for the camera just had a massive meltdown seconds ago. That yummy breakfast-for-dinner you just showed us on Instagram? It's because the cat licked the chicken that was supposed to be for dinner. 

"Behind the Scenes" is a fun link up where we show those photos - but tell the real story behind them. The sneak peek behind the scenes, a look past the edges of the photo to the real life behind it. Read more here!

 

So, come link with Crystal and read our adventures. 

 

The Beach (Behind the Scenes)

I should have posted this Tuesday. I did take the picture on Tuesday. But, we're on vacation and I've been avoiding the laptop (YAY) and I am not savvy enough to post from my phone or the iPad. So, I'm posting late. (What else is new?!)

Behind the Scenes, courtesy of Crystal, is a fun way to see life as it really is. Lived outside the snapshots. Check it out here, and read about real life adventures beyond the perfect (or not so perfect) photo.

The picture:

The story:
For the past 4 summers, I've been going to the beach in Florida with my folks & my kids. We have some friends with a lovely place on the Atlantic Coast and they graciously let us run away and vacation here. It's been a transformation for my girls. They used to be really tentative around the sand and the waves. A (my littlest) used to just sit on the wooden beach access steps and wait for us to be done. I used to have to beg them to give us 15 minutes in the sand. As the years passed, they've gotten better, and as the week goes on each year we are here, I see their fears subside as the waves and sand become a little more familiar.  But still, it's ALWAYS been a struggle. And the beach part has never been what they wanted the most from the trip.

BUT. Sometime in between last summer and this summer, something changed in both of them.  We arrived Tuesday afternoon, and after dinner we thought we'd start with a walk on the beach. My mom, dad, and I thought it might start to ease their fears just a bit if we walked before our first play day on Wednesday. We walked down the steps, and they took off like lightning. Fear?! What fear?!?!?!

What was supposed to be a gentle walk on the beach turned into full out frolicking in the waves. All dressed up. Sandy and salty and sopping wet. Not at all dressed for beach play. Tuesday night was a victory for all of us. Kids were thrilled. I let go of some control, decided to be a "yes mom" for that moment, and let them have at it, despite being dressed for dinner and not for a free-for-all.  I only wish the picture could have captured the delight I saw sparkling in their eyes along with the glee in their bodies as they ran toward the ocean - embracing everything that used to scare them silly.

HELLO, NEW CHAPTER! HELLO, VACATION!

--------------
A little more about Behind the Scenes:
WHAT IS THE "BEHIND THE SCENES" LINK UP? 

Social media and online relationships can make us feel like everyone else has it all together. We're edited, proof-read, Pinterest-perfect versions of ourselves  (or so some might think!) when - in reality? There is an unfinished pile of laundry around the corner. That cute toddler smiling for the camera just had a massive meltdown seconds ago. That yummy breakfast-for-dinner you just showed us on Instagram? It's because the cat licked the chicken that was supposed to be for dinner. 

"Behind the Scenes" is a fun link up where we show those photos - but tell the real story behind them. The sneak peek behind the scenes, a look past the edges of the photo to the real life behind it. 

You're invited to join in - we'll write up our posts & link up on Tuesdays! Read more here!

Girls' Night Out (Behind the Scenes)

It's Behind the Scenes Tuesday. Link up here to play along.  (further details at the end of the post)



The photo:

The story:
I met up with my friend Amy on Sunday night for dinner. Met her at in(RL) last year, and while we live less than 20 minutes apart, we just don't get together like we should.  My kids are away this week, so I decided it was high time we made some girl time. Turns out Amy's been in the midst of a move and she needed an escape from the parade of cardboard boxes. Perfect timing.

We had a lovely dinner filled with laughter and catch up conversation, and grown up share your heart conversation. None of it interrupted with "mom, can you please ... " We both love our kids more than you can imagine, but dinner was a welcome respite. After dinner, the humidity had broken a little bit, and we had a few extra minutes, so we decided to grab coffee, sit by the fountain and continue the conversation. I think I rocked Amy's world a little bit with the plethora of movies I've missed seeing so far, but she gave me a wonderful list of films to start with. And I've found a chick-flick kindred spirit.

Then, lightning streaked across the sky. Looked like a storm was brewing in a hurry. So we got up and started the walk back to our cars. And that is when the evening took a turn we weren't expecting. There's a divot in the crosswalk. A sneaky little hidden divot. Just the right size for part of my foot. And so, in the middle of the street, I went sprawling. Flat out on the ground.  (My OneWord 365 is grace. I have learned that this is not the same as graceFUL.) Scraped up my knee, both my palms, and wounded my pride. Because there was a whole family walking up the sidewalk that saw it happen. How embarrassing. Amy helped me collect myself, and all my stuff that had strewn across the street - keys, leftovers from dinner - coffee cup (thankful it was empty!), and then we had a great laugh. And the first thing we both thought of was "oh, this will make a great story for Crystal's link on Tuesday."  The serene picture of two friends who've enjoyed a lovely night out - after one of those friends has collected the other from being face down in the street.

Thanks, Amy, for your friendship and for putting me back together. Side note: both my shoes AND my skirt survived the fall intact. My knee is down to one band-aid and only one hand is still bandaged. Should be good as new by tomorrow.

My mom always says if you can laugh about it later, you might as well laugh about it now. Mission accomplished all the way home Sunday night.


For those of you who wonder... WHAT IS THE "BEHIND THE SCENES" LINK UP? 

Social media and online relationships can make us feel like everyone else has it all together. We're edited, proof-read, Pinterest-perfect versions of ourselves  (or so some might think!) when - in reality? There is an unfinished pile of laundry around the corner. That cute toddler smiling for the camera just had a massive meltdown seconds ago. That yummy breakfast-for-dinner you just showed us on Instagram? It's because the cat licked the chicken that was supposed to be for dinner. 

"Behind the Scenes" is a fun link up where we show those photos - but tell the real story behind them. The sneak peek behind the scenes, a look past the edges of the photo to the real life behind it. 

You're invited to join in - we'll write up our posts & link up on Tuesdays! Read more here!

The Tooth (Behind the Scenes)

My life is lived behind the scenes ... you know, in the real that is behind the picture you post without commentary?  My friend Crystal decided it would be fun for us to share REAL with each other. It's fun to find solidarity in the reality behind the pictures. So this week, decided I would share one, too.


The Photo:

The story: A's first tooth came out at the end of one of the longest weeks EVER. We'd all had the stomach bug, which gave me umpteen extra loads of laundry. That I had not had time to fold. And left me so wiped out that I could hardly to get her tooth under the pillow, much less hunt down the tooth fairy and have her arrive. Somehow in my exhaustion I managed to get it done. And then my precious A, my dearest child who sleeps like her Uncle and NEVER gets up too early unless prodded by her big sister, she decided that 5:02 AM on a Saturday was the time to announce the tooth fairy had come, and left her moneys. She came in my room, climbed up on the bed, got right in my sleeping face and at the top of her lungs proclaimed: "Mama, you HAVE TO SEE IT NOW! IT IS THE BEST! WHO IS THIS GUY? ISN'T IT SO SPARKLY?!?! TAKE A PICTURE PLEEEEEEEASE!!!!!"