Back to the Grind

I love weekends. Especially sunny, warm, Mason-filled weekends. Why does tomorrow have to be Monday already? Ugh.

Best of Both Worlds

A playground in the sand. Mason liked this place almost as he liked playing in the ocean.

Architect

After the lighthouse, we went back to the hotel and Mason wasted no time in building this:


The likeness is incredible.

Going Up

The Barnegate Light has always been one of my favorite parts of LBI. This year, Mase saw the lighthouse for the first time.




We took a little walk out on the rocks first and then decided to climb to the top. All those years going to the lighthouse and I've never been inside. It was a first for both of us.


That's the only picture I have of Mason climbing the stairs because he climbed about 3 stairs, total. Out of 217. That means for 214 stairs, I carried myself and a 34 pound 3-year-old.


Eventually, we did make it to the top. The view was beautiful.




And my little buddy immediately wanted to go back down.



I couldn't walk for days.


Still worth it.

Pick-Me-Up

Lately I've been realizing I beat myself up - a lot. It's easy to be hard on yourself and to focus on all the things you wish you could do better. Sometimes I feel really guilty for having to work and take Mason to daycare, especially recently since we're both still having a hard time adjusting to my new job and new hours. Deep down, I know I'm a good mom and I've never tried as hard at anything as I do to be a good mom to Mase. So here we go, real quick - to cheer myself up a little before bed.


10 Little Things that Make me a Good Mom:

1. I let Mason sleep with me even though he kicks me in the head and steals the covers all night.

2. I make a new train track every morning that's different and better than the day before.

3. I cook healthy meals and don't let my irritation show when Mase says he's not hungry.

4. I stay up until after midnight doing school work so I can spend as much time with him during the day as possible.

5. I read Green Eggs and Ham every. single. day. and don't skip [hardly] any pages.

6. I let countless cups of coffee get cold because I'm making blueberry pancakes or putting puzzles together.

7. I dread taking Mason to daycare and I'd be completely happy if we were never apart.

8. I never act bored pushing Thomas and his friends endlessly around the track.

9. I make sure I teach him new things every day.

10. I answer every single "why?" and "how come?" to the best of my ability.

Study Buddy

I'm pretty anti-Zombie Box... but when you just have to get some studying done, a little Cat in the Hat on TV never hurt anyone, right? Especially when you get to cuddle up on the couch with this cutie:

Writer

I knew Mason knew how to spell "Mommy". But when I walked into the living room the other day and saw this:


I couldn't believe it. First of all, it was completely unprompted - I'd never asked Mason to write my name before. So, either Mason's getting really good at this whole spelling/writing thing or my house is haunted and the ghost has it out for me. Seriously though... after his own name, "Mommy" is the second word he's ever written on his own. :)

Waking Up To...

Is it June Yet?

I always thought I hated serving and bartending, but having my entire day free to just spend with Mason and only working every other night when he was sleeping anyway was the way to go. I don't know how full-time 9-5 working parents do it. I miss my kid more than I ever thought possible and I know he misses me too. If I could find a way to stay at home 100% of the time until he went to kindergarten, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

My next day off is almost three weeks from now. Terrible.

Your Red Neck is Showing

This morning we were eating breakfast at the truck stop and I said hi to a guy I knew.

Mason: "Who's that?"
Me: "His name's Jeff."
Mason: "Is his race car here?"

While I fully take all responsibility for the fact that we were having breakfast at the truck stop, I'm blaming my mother for my three-year-old's knowledge of Jeff Gordon. He certainly didn't get that from me.

Morning Walk

When I was younger and we went to the beach as a big family, my grandma and I used to get up before anyone else was out of bed and go for a walk on the beach together. Those were some of my favorite memories of the beach, and when we were at LBI this summer I saw the same houses and dunes and jetties that I remember seeing when the two of us walked the same beaches fifteen years ago.

This year, I ventured out on my own the first morning. The sunrise was gorgeous and the beach was so quiet. The second morning, I took Mason along.





We both got soaked and sandy, we barely made it two blocks up, and Mason's favorite part was watching the big tractor that cleans up the sand. The morning was cloudy and our walk on the beach was far from quiet.


Still... I'd take that over a quiet walk alone any day.

Heart Breaker

Two days of my "real job" down. I'm teaching Alternative Ed at the high school, the only downside being it doesn't start until after regular school lets out and it lasts until 8pm.

Maybe I'll get into my new job a little more some other time. Maybe not. Privacy and whatnot. In any case, I was away from Masey 13 hours on Wednesday and 8 today. Luckily, the norm will only be 7 hours a day. Hopefully.

But today, when I was explaining to Mason that I had to work again and he was going to daycare, he said:

"But... if you go to work and I go to Georgi's... then we won't be together.."

Ugh. Just rip my heart out.