The little things...

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about a tragedy that struck too close to home.  A boy in my son's first grade class died in a horrible accident.  It's been difficult over the last couple of weeks to write about much, especially about the funny, obnoxious or annoying things about being a hockey mom or just a mom in general.

When someone just down the road is experiencing the unimaginable grief of losing a child, it seems trivial and unnatural to try to write something witty about the life I'm living. Because, at the end of the day, even with all the mess, frenzy and silliness, my life is nothing short of amazing.

Finally, last night, after a couple of weeks of just feeling sad, I got the itch to write something and it still didn't seem right to pen something about the smell permeating from my kids hockey bag.  As I thought about what I wanted to write, I became very aware of what was happening around me and what I'd want to share with my millions of followers (insert crazy laugh here).

What I thought about were the little things that make me a mom in training, because after all that is what this is about really.  I could be a hockey mom, a dance mom, a music mom and I'd still be learning as  I go, no matter how many kids I have or how much they've grown.

Here are the top 10 things that are awesome about my everyday...

1. Children's belly laughs are the absolute best.

2. Cereal for supper doesn't make you a bad mom. It's basically nutritious, kids love it and they will probably remember how cool it was that their mom let them eat cereal that one time.  Bonus: I get to spend the 30 minutes that I would have spent on supper enjoying their company.

3. Dinner time in general is the best part of a week day.  We go around the table and say our peak and pit of the day, we've done it since our oldest was three or so. He loves it and so do we. It's one of the only times we slow down, sit down and just enjoy those few moments to talk about nothing in particular. You never know what they're going to come up with and you learn a lot about your kids in that brief moment where they express themselves freely.

4. Things kids say when they're 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are precious. This certainly comes as a shock to no one, but it's worth remembering. No matter how silly they seem at the time, record and cherish those memories. Some day they will certainly know more than you and they might not share as much.

5. You always have time for a hug. Even when there is laundry to be done, dishes to wash and floors to sweep-a hug takes 5 seconds-hug them back.

6. Overhearing the stories your kids tell each other in the back seat is a window into their little souls. They say things to one another that they would never say to me or their dad. They teach each other what they know about life. It's innocent and sweet and it makes all of the times they chase each other around threatening to hit one another with a hockey stick worth it.

7. Staying up 20 minutes past bed-time to catch a few minutes of a hockey game, a favorite tv show or read a book isn't a tragedy. Should they go to bed on time? Yes. Can those memories made by having special time with their parents be worth it? Without a doubt!

8. It's okay to cry in front of your children. I've cried a bit in the last couple of weeks. I've cried thinking about the grief of others, I've cried at a loss to our community, I've cried at the fleeting thought of experiencing a similar tragedy.  It's important that your kids know you're strong, but they should also know you're human.

9. Dancing with your kids with no one else around is better than a margarita. It's amazing how free you feel when you just get silly with your kids. It lets them know that they can trust you to be both their rock and to be fun and carefree. I love margaritas, but crazy dancing, definitely wins.

10. Children arguing isn't really so bad. I have three kids and we drive a honda civic. Any mom whose ever driven any distance with three kids side-by-side in a car knows where I'm going with this. They do nothing but bicker, poke each other, and get downright ridiculous in the back seat.  There have been times when I have wished somebody would throw mama from the civic. These past few weeks I've thought about the parents that wish they could hear their kids bickering for just a moment more, and suddenly I've learned to appreciate it.  Sure, give me another few months, and I'll hate it all over again, but for now...priceless.

These are just my completely random thoughts about how much I really love my life. Love my kids. Love my husband.  I even love the crazy, just a little bit.