Mama Sweet: Yeah! School is in!! I borrowed a friend's idea and created 1st day of school signs. The girls decorated their respective "First Day of 1st grade/Pre-K" signs and we took pictures in our same place by the front door. Since they each started on different days, we hung the poster in the entry way for everyone to see. They were so excited! The girls will be able to put their pictures in order of the signs and have a visual growth chart. In Pre-K, I was below the doorbell. By 1st grade, I was taller than the doorbell. Such a sweet school journal!I also started a survey a few years ago where they have to answer the same questions every year. A few of the questions include: favorite color, best friend, favorite activity and the meaning of life. They also have to write their name. It has been so fun to compare year after year how much their answers have already changed. I can't wait to give them a completed book upon their college graduation so they can answer their own question, "Mama, what is the meaning of life?"
Mama Sour: My girls have been missing and asking so many questions about my mom who became an angel almost two and a half years ago. It breaks my heart every time I have to explain that she lives in heaven and we live here and that we won't see her anymore. To help them, I had them each create their own memory boxes. They painted and stickered them and made them very special. Inside, they placed pictures and trinkets that remind them of her. It has been such a helpful tool for everyone and a tangible place for them to visit.
I also saw "EAT, PRAY, LOVE" this week and was so moved by one particular line. Julia Roberts was envisioning a scene with her husband where she says goodbye and he says, "But I'll miss you." She says, "Go ahead and miss me. Then, send me love and light and be done." First, I started bawling...then I realized, I need to make sure my girls (and I) have the chance to feel all the emotions we need to embrace such a loss. Once we have done that, we need to send our love and be done. So, I've added the Sweet and Sour Mama spin and told the girls, "it's natural to miss her but let's also be sure to send her lots of love and light." We have now started the "love and light" dance where we throw lots of kisses and happiness her way together. It is such a sweet sour and a happy dance we'll always remember.


