A small list of indulgences

1. My new haircut and warm "I don't have bland hair" highlights - came complete with hours of "me time" (I took that highly coveted time to read Vogue, Vanity Fair, Elle - ad nauseum) followed by a decadent lunch at Paris 66 with hubby.

2. Coffee (just bought a new DeLonghi espresso maker -reasonably priced so... not a true indulgence at all... just braggin' about my frugality again ;-).

3. Ate two (count them - 2!!!!) 365 degree Whole Foods brand frozen coconut bars right in a row (4 grams of fat each - high five - you could take that either way - I realize....) AND allowed myself 15 min with the neck massager while the kids occupied themselves.

4. Took kiddos to Chick-Fil-A where I allowed myself some tasty strips as well - dipped them in ketchup with my little ones - drank Coke - the whole bit - then sat and read and chatted with another mother while they whooped it up in the play area.

5. The gym - the gym, the gym, the gym!!!! Love it. OH - and.... on the way there... or while there running on treadmill (OK - sometimes I "fast walk" on aforementioned treadmill), listening to bands that I am barely aware of, but... sound tres 80s to me so ignite love at first listen - like Japandroids, Yacht and their cover of X's Nausea, Whitest Boys You Know and the Fred Failke Remix, the Wavves .....

In closing, speaking of music..... Are you looking for something for your kids that you might be able to stand too? Do you want to participate in a good cause? If so, then go here for information on how to do that - my friend and fellow blogger, Angry Baker, can push it much better than I can - complete with requisite urls, etc.

Photos: The haircut, my coffee area and beloved french press, and my new bicep - in profile ;-).

Still resting myself, but... I have a task for YOU :-).

If you've been reading Amy at Callapitter like I asked you to, you will know by now that the treehouse that she is trying to build in her kids' memory (Kate, 6, and Peter, 4, died last year in a car accident - Amy continues on with bravery, love and hope - currently, in culinary school, she is a world traveler AND, hopefully, an urban developer in a sense. Digressing...) is being temporarily halted by protests from, apparently, Regent Square residents (come on, neighbors) AND sharp-tongued, misinformed staffers in a certain city council office. So... please check out the link from my last post - read Callapitter and That's Church - both on my blog list .... AND, email this guy with your support of the project: doug.shields@city.pittsburgh.pa.us

Certainly, we don't want to encourage a mob mentality (because that rarely gets productive results), and... there are actually some valid points on both sides, so.... it would be nice for everyone to send some informed and rational thoughts on solutions, thoughts, concerns to this office.

Thanks!

Morning

My Lilliana is on our deck, playing with her sister, Olivia's, old Barbies. The air is cool - it is quiet & sunny - pine branches hang over our railing (we have a BIG hemlock next to us that provides such a pretty backdrop to all our dinners on the deck, late nights with the chiminea and toasty marshmallows, etc.). I don't feel bad today - do have to get some writing / editing done, but... I'm glad she has this alone time - in the morning - outside.

I have a lot of outdoor memories as a kid - dirty feet, voices on the air after dark as we play hide n seek, etc., but... today - I'm remembering a day when it seemed my mom was preoccupied with my brothers, and... I had to be young because I think one of them was still a baby - the other too young to come out and play with me, so... she let me go into the back yard - early morning - much earlier than usual. Our backyard was full of old apple trees (our house was built on the grounds of an old orchard), and we had a patio, so .... I remember taking off my brown sandals, and walking on the cold ground in my bare feet - so cold it made my shins ache :-). There was dew on the ground - apples - and.... because I wasn't used to being out so early, the shadows the tree branches made looked different. I was a little cold in this shade, so I ventured into the yard just a little bit - tempted by the woods and a field just beyond our backyard - because even the birds and other animals sounded different to me, and... of course, I was curious.

I'm wondering if Lil is feeling the same thing - a lot of birds singing (we have babies perched on a nearby house porch) - no tree branch trimming today - very little traffic, so.... on this cool morning, with toys she's never seen before, the backyard familiar but different.... today.... does she feel something special in the air. Spring? Comfort of Mom and big brother nearby? Does she smell coffee from the house, basil from the herb pots - what? Hard to tell...;-).

Good cause: I saw this boy on a commercial (and, now, apparently, there is a story on him); he has Muscular Dystrophy, and his family has a local peanut butter business to raise money for the disease. Check it out.

Good point: For women, the fact that Nike consistently backs their misbehaving athletes is a problem. Read here.

Good clothes: To get the retro brown sandals (and I've touted these before), the little white button-up sweater I had on the day of my above story (and I know you all probably had one too) and more, go here.

Misc. Mother's Day and Spring "Stuff" to remember: Pittsburghers (and others, of course), don't forget to register for "The Race for the Cure" - can do so here. Also, kinda cute idea for a Mother's Day photo shoot (for those of you - A. pregnant and B. so inclined to travel to Chicago - or - C. able to find a similar solution in your own area) from Belly Dance Maternity. And... time to get on those CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture); our local pick is Harvest Valley Farms.

One quick rant (as I close): Yesterday, we went to the park and were ACCOSTED by a bunch of much bigger, much older, very rough kids - all from a nearby school, celebrating Earth Day (school has no playground). I do appreciate kids being kids, and I think everyone should enjoy the city parks, but .... it is not appropriate for 140 + lb. kids to jump on baby swings while babies are swinging - it is not appropriate to knock a little boy backwards down the slide (which happened) - it is not appropriate to use abusive language to tell a 3 year old girl to get out of a tunnel (which also happened). Some of the teachers were paying attention - some were not. Some were VERY aware that the kids were being too wild with all the little ones in the park - also celebrating Earth Day on a beautiful sunny morning / afternoon. I left with a group of parents and kids, some threatening to call the school - some just upset - ALL the little kids intimidated. I think, as warm / outside play weather really gets going, we should all try to be kind, accommodating and gentle with each other (and this from the mother of some very spirited, tough kids). Again... my two cents... for what it's worth....

And, with that.... I've begun following a blog on "free range parenting" on my page - sort of an experimental thing for me because I do not condone hovering, but... I also think that sometimes "letting nature take it's course", etc. can be a bit cruel (bullying and all that), but... it came up twice this week with two of my friends (you guys know who you are - so thanks for the links, heads up), so... I thought - enough thinking about it - time to post / follow :-). Let me know what you think - opinions REALLY appreciated, as always.

Photo: Lil playing alone in her room - something she seems to like to do.