Fresh Air

You know that feeling you get when there is change in the air? It's a feeling like you're standing in the middle of an intersection and you can venture down any of the four roads or you can just stand still and wait for cars to come and make that decision for you. There is so much possibility, yet so little predictability and it's scary and exciting and overwhelming all at the same time.

That's where I am. I feel like Tom Hanks at the end of Cast Away.

As if being a full time stay at home mom, caregiver, fundraiser, wannabe super wife, mother, friend, daughter, tax payer, independent voter, (you get the picture) wasn't enough, I've gone back to the world of paychecks and W-4's. Yes, that's right, folks, I've gone back to work.

And that loosely intertwines within my crossroads-Cast Away reference.

I've returned to the company I started working for right after Christian was born. It was ideal, at the time, because it afforded me the opportunity to work from home. When Christian's accident happened, after realizing the extent of care Christian would need, I resigned. Now a little over a year and a half later I had the opportunity to go back and still work from home. With this undertaking there is also more opportunity for therapies and travel to other states for treatments we might consider.

Needless to say, there's been a little adjustment to get used to. It's been hectic to say the least.

Despite the chaotic schedules, we decided to get out of the house today and attend a long awaited playdate with our red-headed triplet buddies and that was so needed! Just getting out of the house is always a good thing. And I love when my kids' hair smells like outside - fresh air, mixed with a little heat, with a hint of old graham cracker. It should be bottled, I tell ya, because every time I take a sniff of Lola's hair after she's been outside I instinctively close my eyes and feel love and calm and all good things.

During our play date we had some home spun OT. There were some bucket seats at the park and I put Lola and Christian back to back in them. I should have taken a picture of this as it's probably hard to visualize. But bucket seated swings have four holes in the bottom. Each kid has two legs, they were back to back - can you see it?

Well, Lola didn't mind at all because she usually isn't fond of the big kid swings. Frankly, they scare her. So she was content having the security of big brother while watching her buddies swing. Christian was a little miffed at first, but as soon as he was in, it wasn't half bad. The only thing was that he's so tall, his giraffe legs reached the sandy ground beneath the swing so it was a little hard to actually swing. But, more homespun OT directs us to remove socks and let toesies feel the sand while swinging. Sensory all over the place. Christian was chill about the whole idea. Settled right into it, in fact.

It's amazing what a little fresh air and time outside can do for kids. Lola was beat and Christian was pretty relaxed, too. And things were so calm when we got home I didn't even turn on the TV for fear that I would ruin the zen of post playground-tuckered out kidlet bliss.

And at the aforementioned park, I was delighted to see a slew of Ben's Bells "Be Kind" stickers on a handful of random cars. It made me feel like part of a club. Every time I see one on a car, I think "they're part of the Ben's Bells club."

This is what they look like. Only the original ones say "Be Kind." This design is revamped due to the tragedy that happened in January.

So it is with great pride that I direct you to Jenny's page! She's holding a fundraiser for her daughter, Christian's friend, Cici and half the proceeds will go toward starting a Denver chapter of Ben's Bells. To say that I'm excited would be an understatement. If you can donate an item for bidding, please donate! If you want to bid on really cool stuff and help not only little Cici but also the Denver chapter of Ben's Bells, please bid!

And if you can get outside, do it! Do it now! There is this new perfume out there that smells like sun, fresh air, kid sweat, and a little bit of old graham cracker that's all the rage.