Eeeek!  Summer is careening to a quick end, and there are still so many things I want to do with Real OC Daughter.  It seems like there is just never enough time!

So, in our final days (14, to be exact), here are the must-do’s:

1.  Make homemade ice cream.  We have an ice cream maker that does not get very much use.  But it’s time.  Real OC Daughter needs to know why homemade ice cream is just so much better than store bought.  We will start with a good traditional vanilla.  I’m thinking this recipe from Alton Brown will be the one we use.

2.  Go to the beach.  I’m embarrassed to say that we haven’t yet visited the beach.  We live fairly close, but it still seems like such a major outing to me, so I don’t make it a priority.  We’ve been to the pool and the park a bunch of times, but not the beach.  We’re going to suit up, grab some buckets and shovels, and hit the sand.

3.  See an old friend.  I have a dear friend from college I haven’t seen in years.  She lives in Woodland Hills, works part-time as a veterinarian, and has two young kids, so it’s tough to find a time to get together.  But get together we will!  I’m determined to see her, catch up, and smile as our kids play together.

4.  Play outside in the sprinklers.  We have a hopscotch fountain that I bought on clearance at Target that Real OC Daughter just loves playing in.  I hook it up to the hose, and we jump to our heart’s content together in the water.  Water balloons, bubbles and popsicles will also be part of the fun.

5.  Make homemade sparkly play-dough.  This recipe looks pretty easy, and it’s definitely something we can do together in the kitchen.  Then we’ll take the play dough outside and whip up some lovely creations together.

Now, there’s my to-do list for the rest of the summer.  But that’s not to say we haven’t done a lot of fun things this summer, either!  Real OC Daughter and I have had a great time together, and I feel really, really lucky that I’ve been able to spend so much time with her this summer.  She’s still young enough to think I’m fun to hang out with, which may only last a few more years.  I’m going to savor every single moment of that for sure!

Blah, blah, blah – that sums up my week.  I’ve been under the weather, over the housework, and through the ringer.  No fancy meal plans happening around here.  No great craft projects, no major organization, no fantabulous parenting.  Nope. None.

The week started off with yours truly feeling rather pukey (no, there is not going to be another member of the Real OC Family – just a bug I picked up somewhere along the way).  The bug meant I was lethargic, exhaustapated, and totally devoid of any energy, oomph or lustre of any sort. So, I went with it.  I cut my Monday morning workout short, neglected my Monday evening walk, and did absolutely nothing that day.  I picked up my daughter from her morning camp, made her a gourmet lunch of grilled cheese sandwich and fruit, and laid on the couch and slept while she played with her American Girl dolls.  Have I mentioned that she’s an amazingly awesome only child who is capable of entertaining herself quietly for hours on end? Yeah, I know, I’m really, really lucky.  But it also makes me feel really, really guilty.

I took her to gymnastics in the afternoon and proceeded to spend two hours on Facebook/Twitter/Amazon while she was in class.  Yup, more productivity. And for dinner that night?  It was just her and me, since hubs had a late meeting, and I had no appetite whatsoever, so I heated up some leftovers for her while I dined on crackers and ginger ale.  We watched an episode of Cupcake Wars while we ate since I did not have the energy to sit and converse.  Mom of the Year, I tell you!

Yesterday was a little better, but given the disaster that was Monday, that’s not saying much.  I went to work while daughter was in camp, then I picked her up, took her to lunch at her favorite spot, Ruby’s, and then over to the library to stock up on a new batch of books.  We enjoyed some nice conversation and time together, but by the time we got home, I was wiped out.  Could have had something to do with my diet from the day before, plus my body was still fighting off the random bug.  I did manage to plow through the laundry (5 HUGE loads) that I had been putting off for over a week, so that was a big accomplishment.  Dinner involved the same leftovers from Sunday evening and Monday evening.  No cooking for this mama.  And we ate in front of the TV again.

Here we are at Wednesday night.  I still haven’t made it to a grocery store this week, so we’re scraping the barrel for dinner options.  I pulled some chicken breast out of the freezer and marinated it in Italian dressing for hubs to throw on the grill (he’s home tonight – yay!).  I do have the pillow-sized bag of spinach a-la-Costco in the fridge that I will turn into some type of salad or side dish, and then maybe some rice?  Although that sounds like an awful lot of effort right now.  Maybe just a focaccia I have stowed away in the freezer thrown on the grill, too.  Have I mentioned I’m feeling blah this week?  I might step it up a notch, though, and eat at the dining table tonight, maybe even engage in some family conversation…

The good news is, my house cleaner is coming tomorrow.  That means I must pick up stuff laying around the house tonight (yes, I clean for the cleaning lady).  It also means I’ll have a sparkly house this time tomorrow, which might just make me feel better!

So, for my readers who think I’ve always “got it together”, spend loads of quality time with my family, or whip up fresh, healthy meals every night, I just wanted you to know.  Sometimes, I just have an off week.  And this is definitely one of them.  I am, after all, a Real Mom.

My husband is a wonderful father, and I am proud to honor and celebrate him today.  He is kind, generous and thoughtful with our daughter.  He loves her wholly and unconditionally, just as he does me.

Two nights ago, she came and crawled into our bed in the middle of the night.  She doesn’t do this very often, and though it means I get kicked and punched the rest of the night, I still love the feeling of her warm little body snuggled up against mine.  But on this particular night, I woke up the next morning very, very early, while she and her dad were still asleep.  I turned on my side so I could watch the two of them in restful slumber.  They look so much alike, especially when they are sleeping.  The corners of their mouths turn down just slightly in the exact same way.  And as I lie there watching, they both stretched up their arms and turned their heads toward me at the exact same moment.  I giggled quietly, enjoying a peaceful, silent moment of being a wife and mom to two incredible human beings.

Watching my husband be a father makes me love him more and more each day.  He treats our daughter with kindness and respect.  He listens and speaks to her as an intellectual equal.  He thoughtfully and firmly disciplines her only when necessary. He hugs her and compliments her daily, making sure her self-confidence grows and thrives.  And he teaches her so many wonderful things.

So on this day, I would like to remind him how much I love and adore him.  And to say thank you to him for being an amazing Dad.  Happy Father’s Day, Honey, and enjoy your special day!

It’s Wednesday, and for the first time in a really, really long time, my daughter is sick.  We’ve been really fortunate this year on the illness front – she’s stayed pretty healthy most of this school year.  But now she’s home with a nasty cough and my heart breaks a little every time I hear her start hacking.

Last night, she couldn’t fall asleep.  She started coughing and just couldn’t stop.  I had tried just about everything – warm water with honey and lemon, soup for dinner, cough syrup (seriously, I’m giving up on that stuff – full of yuckiness and does absolutely nothing!), a steamy shower.  Nothing seemed to work. So, in desperation, I dropped some more organic Nasya Oil into her nose, and plugged in the humidifier (with some Nasya Oil dripped into the water) and voila!  Within 5 minutes, her coughing subsided.  Within 10 minutes, she was fast asleep.  Seriously, I cannot believe the amazing-ness of this stuff.

So, here we are Wednesday morning, and she’s home in bed, watching TV.  I got her all set up in our bed, surrounded by pillows, her lavender aromatherapy heart, a tray with snacks and water, and more Nasya Oil in the nose.  She seems to be coughing less, but we’ll see what tonight brings.  Poor little dear – she says her tummy is sore from coughing so much!

Luckily I have an excuse to not leave the house, which means lots of catching up for me…laundry, organization, answering e-mails and phone calls, making summer plans, and some blogging.  Maybe I’ll even come up with some fantastic idea for a Father’s Day gift for hubs.  I have on workout clothes on the off chance I feel like squeezing in some at-home exercise.

But in the meantime, I need a little cheering up.  Okay, I’m procrastinating.  But here are some things that made me smile and feel inspired today:

Source:  WeHeartIt.com

Source:  Crate and Barrel

Source:  Bakerella

Source:  Polyvore

Source:  Martha Stewart

By the way, I found these images on a really fun website, Pinterest.  It’s like an virtual pinboard, where you can mark collections you love and follow others who have great taste.  It’s a bit of a time suck, but it really does get those creative juices flowing!  If you’re interested in Pinterest, email me for an invitation (no cost to you, no financial benefit to me, just a fun way to get inspired).

So, if you read my blog yesterday, you know all about the awesome women in my family and my lovely Mother’s Day with them. What I neglected to share with you all was what happened that night.  It’s a bit gruesome, kind of funny, and another adventure in the world of parenting…

Hubs heated up a nice dinner for us that night.  He and Real OC Daughter offered to take me out, but after enjoying a fancy brunch out, nothing sounded better to me than jammies and some quiet time at home.  Leftovers were totally great with me, as long as I didn’t have to heat, serve, or clean up.  He executed beautifully!  We enjoyed a mellow dinner together, had some nice family conversation, and then began the night-time routine.  I decided it would be a good idea for Real OC Daughter to head off to bed early, since she seemed pretty wiped out, and I figured it would be a great start to our week.

I tucked her in, then headed downstairs for a little couch potato time with hubs.  We had lots of DVR to catch up on, and dessert was waiting for me – a perfect evening, really.  We settled in, fired up 30 Rock, and got ready to laugh.  About 20 minutes into it, though, I see movement out of the corner of my eye.  There’s a little sneakster tiptoeing down the stairs, trying to spy on the grown-ups and see what action she’s missing out on.  I look over at her, and the guilty look on her face says it all…..oh, I SO remember doing the same thing when I was her age!

Then she quickly makes up an excuse – she needs some water.  She proceeds to get herself a cup of water, then drink it, ever so slowly, in tiny sips, in the kitchen.  All the while she is craning her neck to try to see what’s on the TV (nothing – we have it paused).  Then she comes over to us and tells us her teeth are hurting.

I ask her which teeth are hurting specifically and can I take a look at them.  She cranks open her mouth, tilts back her head, and there, right in front on the bottom row, there is a tooth that is laying horizontally and surrounded by bloody gums.  She then announces, “I think this tooth may be ready to come out.”  Hmmmm…you think so?  Truly a moment of brilliance.

She then says she thinks she’ll just pull it out.  So she reaches into her mouth, grabs the tooth and yanks it out.  I know, if I hadn’t seen it myself I wouldn’t have believed it.  Seriously.  Disgusting.  I am so not cool with this whole losing teeth thing anyway, but watching her reach in and pull it out herself took my disturbance to an entirely new level.

Now, I’d like to point out that the tooth was not that loose in the morning.  So I quickly realized that, for the past 20 minutes, she had been laying up in her bed violently wiggling her tooth to get it to come loose.  Um, no wonder it was hurting!  What I still can’t figure out is whether she was just fidgeting while trying to fall asleep, or really just wanted another visit from the Tooth Fairy (who had just been there Friday evening, by the way).

Once we got the bleeding to stop, we took her back up to bed and tucked the tooth safely into her tooth fairy pillow.  She was asleep within 5 minutes, looking forward to finding a treasure under her pillow in the morning.  And she now has a giant gap in the front where her top front teeth are missing, along with gaps on either side of her center bottom teeth.  Eating has become a little more challenging than it already was, to say the least.

Ahhhhh…the joys of motherhood.  Nothing says “I love you, Mom”, like a freshly yanked tooth!

Well, it’s Monday morning again…my how the weeks fly by!  I’m enjoying some quiet early morning time before my family wakes up. The coffee just finished brewing and it smells divine, I’m in the comfy white chair in my family room, it’s raining ever so lightly outside, the sun is just coming up and I can hear birds chirping happily.  This truly is one of my favorite times of the day.

And as I sit here, enjoying the smells and sounds of early morning, I reflect on yesterday.  It was Mother’s Day, and I am so very grateful to have such a wonderful extended family to honor.  You see, almost every year on Mother’s Day, we spend a little bit of time with my “big” family – Mom & Dad, Aunts & Uncles, cousins.  We usually have brunch reservations somewhere so no one has to work in the kitchen, and we give little gifts (nothing extravagant) as tokens of our gratitude to these wonderful women in our lives.

I am an only child, just like my daughter.  It was more unusual to be an only child when I was growing up, yet I never felt awkwardly different because of it.  I had this amazing family unit which included grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, along with my parents, and I felt completely loved and secure.  I always had kids around to play with, whether they were my two cousins or the neighborhood kids, and I never had to compete for my parents’ attention.  It was pretty amazing.

I also had these wonderful female role models in my life.  There was, of course, my Mom, who is amazing.  But I also had two incredible grandmothers and two aunts who loved me like their own child.  My grandmothers died way too young, but I am so grateful to have had them in my formative years.  They were strong, capable, self-sufficient and confident women.  And my aunts were the same, which is not surprising, since they were raised by these amazing women.  I was surrounded by female wisdom and strength, and for that, I am so grateful.

So yesterday, I woke up to my wonderful husband and daughter.  They gave me very nice gifts and cards, and we shared a simple, light breakfast together.  We enjoyed some coffee, the Sunday newspaper, and some time together.  Then we got dressed up nicely and headed to brunch with my extended family.  It was so lovely to see them, and as I looked around the table at my mom, aunts and female cousin, I thought about how lucky my daughter is.

She, too, is surrounded by good female role models.  These are women who are survivors – divorce, miscarriage, building careers at a time when it was not popular for women to work outside the home, and caring for their own dying mothers.  These women have seen a lot in their lives, and they are more beautiful for it.  Somehow, even though they are stronger than you can imagine, they are still tender and loving.  They are real women, real moms.

And now, as my daughter sleeps peacefully upstairs, I realize that no matter where her life takes here, what path she chooses, she will carry the DNA of these amazing women with her wherever she goes.  What a wonderful gift we have passed down to her!

So to my husband, daughter and entire family – thank you for a wonderful Mother’s Day and for enriching my life every day.  I am who I am because of each and every one of you.

When we are young, we believe our parents know it all.  And most of us are fortunate enough that our young kids are still in that phase of their lives. Because once they become teenagers, parents know nothing at all.  They have no clue, don’t understand and have never, ever been in their shoes.  Then teenagers grow into adults and something funny happens – they begin turning to their parents for advice again.  They see the wisdom and experience their parents have to offer.  It’s a happy day when it all comes full circle!

Now that I am a closer-to-40-than-30-year-old, I am so thankful for the wisdom and experience my parents have passed down to me.  And there is hardly a day that goes by that I don’t hear the echo of my mother’s voice in my head with some sage piece of advice instilled in me since childhood.  Sometimes, when we’re together, she’ll pass along the advice again, out of habit, and we will have a good laugh about it, because we know she’s said it at least a thousand times.

So Mom, here’s to you.  A list of some of your greatest and most memorable advice.

1.  Make your bed every day (sorry mom, I don’t always do this, but I do see the wisdom of it – even when it’s been a horrible, awful, terrible day, walking into your bedroom and seeing the sanctuary of a prettily-made and welcoming bed makes everything feel just a little bit better).

2.  Wear lipstick.  When you don’t have time for a full makeup job (and let’s face it, most of us don’t!), lipstick will perk up your complexion and do wonders for your smile.

3.  Don’t walk through the oil spots in parking lots.  That’s sticky dirt, and once it’s on your shoes, you’ll just track that sticky dirt everywhere (usually your carpet or floor mats in your car).

4.  Don’t spend more than you earn.  Having credit card debt is like hanging a large gray cloud over your head.

5.  Don’t wear every emotion on your sleeve.  No one wants to hear you gripe and complain about your problems – save that only for your closest friends.

6.  Be kind to everyone – the checker at the grocery store, the parking lot attendant, the house cleaner, everyone.  It doesn’t matter what their “station” is in life, they are helping you, and it’s the least you can do to smile and say thank you.

7.  If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.  Period.

8.  Don’t ever lie.  If you are known as an honest person, your friends and family will always have your back.  But if you lose their trust, they may not be so willing to stick up for you.

9.  Eat breakfast every day.  It’s the most important meal and starts your day off right.

10. Holidays are important, so don’t let them pass by without celebrating.  Decorate, give cards or small gifts, make a special meal or dessert to mark the day.  Birthdays and anniversaries count too.

11.  Don’t embarrass your children.  My mom made a deal with me at a very young age – if I didn’t embarrass her, she wouldn’t embarrass me.  That included not sharing mistakes I made with everyone or disciplining me publicly, (as long as I didn’t embarrass her publicly).

12.  Be fiercely loyal to those who warrant it.  Be willing to walk away from those who don’t.

13.  Read what you enjoy as often as possible.  Reading is good for the soul.

14.  Take a little time for yourself and take good care of yourself.  It makes you a better wife and mom.

15.  Support your family always.  Listen to them, encourage them, help pick them up when they’re down.  Let them know they can always count on you.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom – I love you!

the upcoming royal wedding.  I must admit, I’m not super interested in this “event”.  I’ve avoided much of the media hype, and I’m not convinced I’ll actually watch any of it.  I am kind of interested in her wedding gown, but that’s really about it.

However, two nights ago, I was flipping through television channels, and PBS was showing a special about William and Kate. I came in on the part where they were talking to Kate’s parents.  Specifically, they were talking to her father about the fact that he is going to walk her down the aisle.

And all of a sudden, I had a funny thought.

Here are these parents of a young woman who is marrying the future King of England.  When she was born, I’m sure they were thrilled to have a healthy, beautiful daughter.  And, much like myself, I assume they had thoughts throughout her childhood of what her future would bring.  They may have hoped that one day she would marry.  And her father may have hoped he would be lucky enough to walk her down the aisle.  But never, ever, in his wildest imaginings, did he think he would be walking her down the aisle of Westminster Abbey with 2,000 people there, and much of the world watching.

I wonder what that must feel like?  I know, I know, no one will really be looking at him.  But seriously, can you imagine his nerves?  He seems like a pretty average guy, so probably not an experience he was prepared for. I’m guessing he hopes he doesn’t trip, or faint, or sneeze…It’s just kind of funny to think about that.

People are often surprised when I tell them I write a mommy blog.  They will see me with my laptop and jokingly ask, “are you going to blog or something?”. And when I answer yes, they are thoroughly shocked.  I don’t really know why.  If I knew any of them well enough, I guess I’d ask.  But then again, if I knew any of them well enough, maybe they wouldn’t be so surprised!

It does give me pause, though, and make me think about why I blog, and why I enjoy it.  It all began as a hobby for me – a way to pass the time while my daughter was in gymnastics class.  But a year has gone by now, and I’m still doing it, and not just while she is in gymnastics.  Sometimes I get up extra early to get a post out before the sun is up.  Others, I stay up way too late writing away because something is on my mind.  Frankly, my dedication to my blog has surprised me.  It certainly doesn’t pay well, so it must be for the sheer enjoyment of recording my thoughts or sharing information I think is useful.

Oh, and the feedback.  Honestly, hearing from you all has been amazing.  I love nothing more than having someone tell me how I helped them out with something, or inspired them – it’s truly rewarding.  And the fact that someone would actually want to read something I have to say is still a shock to me.  I’m just a regular gal, doing the day-in, day-out stuff all moms do.  I mean, let’s examine the name of my blog for a moment…Real OC Mom.

It was kind of a joke.  Hubs and I were sitting around one night brainstorming about this whole blog idea, and trying to come up with a name.  Pretty much any idea either of us had was already taken.  I threw out “Real OC Mom”, figuring, first of all, I am NOT “Real OC” in any way, and second, surely that was already taken.  But strangely, it was available!  So then I had to take it…the irony was just too much for me to pass it up.

Then the more I thought about it, the more I realized how perfect that name really was.  I thought about my friends and the other moms I know and very few of us will ever be splashed up on Bravo along with the Real Housewives, nor will we appear in the social pages of Coast or Riviera magazine (I know a few, but they are not the majority).  We are just moms, doing our mom thing.  We drive regular cars, live in regular houses, wear regular clothes and live regular lives.  Yes, we see the “other side” from time to time, and we may even dabble in it or splurge once in awhile.  But at the end of the day, we are just moms, just doing the best we can.

And honestly, those moms you think of when you think “Real OC”?  Most of them are pretty “regular” too, once you get to know them.  They just want to raise happy, healthy kids like the rest of us.  They may have more money to do it with, but at the end of the day, they want the same things we do.

So, I guess that’s why I blog.  To talk to all the “real moms” out there, regardless of what kind of car they drive or where they live.  I want to chat with the moms who like to have dinner with their families, go on outings, do crafts, have stimulating conversations.  The moms who care more about the happiness of their families than anything else.

If you’re one of those moms, I applaud you.  And I hope you enjoy reading my blog, Real OC Mom.  Please comment, share, and pass along.  Because we all have a lot in common – we’re real moms!