In Life we believe,
We can choose who to love.
Convincing ourselves,
It’s a gift from above.
We know it takes work,
For a relationship to grow.
Yet, we’re missing an obvious
Piece of life’s flow.
The best relationships
Aren’t built on struggle and pain.
Compromising ourselves,
With nothing to gain.
The truth of the matter,
It’s easy to do.
When you don’t choose who you love,
You let love choose you.
by Erin Cooper Reed
It started out as a joke.
“Mom could I just stay home from school today?” Rocky asked.
“No.” I replied.
“Why not? Just this once?” Rocky begged.
And this is what came out of my mouth, “In the words of Taylor Swift, cuz you don’t know what you don’t know!”
“What?” Rocky bellowed, “Don’t quote Taylor Swift.”
I laughed.
I have also found that there are plenty of situations that I could bestow some of Taylor Swift’s powerful insights into life onto my growing boys…ya know, seeing that it was so well received.
Like the time that Kevin was teasing Marc…
“Mom tell Kevin to cut it out!” Marc demanded.
I quickly replied
Kevin stopped harassing Marc and said, “Mom, stop quoting Taylor Swift.”
“Yeah mom, it’s so annoying.” Marc chimed in.
Through the years it has become a joke in our house. The boys say something. I reply with a quote from Taylor Swift, met with an eye roll, a sigh, some laughter and an in unison demand…
“MOM, STOP QUOTING TAYLOR SWIFT!”
I mean, I would but there are so many song lyrics that seem to fit any occasion.
I would boys, I really would, but…
Love you,
Mom
This is MY BLOG!
I’ll write what I want.
I’ll write how I feel and what I’m thinking about or going through.
If any of this offends you, or if you feel compelled to contact my ex-husband and make derogatory comments about how I am handling things in my life, I suggest that you find something else to read.
Thank you.
This has been a public service announcement.
I have to say that I was feeling pretty bad about myself after putting on a few pounds over the last six weeks.
Until one of the chefs at work asked me, “How many pounds did you win? Four? Five?”
I laughed.
“How many pounds did I gain?” I replied, “I’m not sure.”
“Oh, my God!” The chef said, “You look great!”
So, I’m just going to go with that.
Instead of mentally beating myself up for gaining a few pounds, I think I’ll just go with…
“WINNING.”
Curvy Girls, I got your back!
I spent the last six weeks in bed recovering from a torn, ACL, MCL, meniscus and a stress fracture down my right shin. In that time, I have finagled my bills, worried a lot and took myself to the depths of despair.
I am yet to have surgery, but went back to work to bring an income into my household. After returning from work tonight, John and I decided to just get in the car and grab a little alone time.
Ten missed calls later, on each of our phones, I received a text from my teenage son that read, “Where are you, it’s late?”
Are you flipping kidding me? Do you understand how many nights I cried in my pillow worrying about your safety and your whereabouts until the sun came up?
I have spent six weeks in bed, and just for the record, I haven’t had a vacation in 5 years and it is blatantly obvious that I never go anywhere.
Where in the world do you get off telling me that I’m late?
I appreciate the concern, but my teenagers have led me to the total brink of destruction and have no idea the heartache their actions caused.
Wasn’t it only last week that I added a Silver Alert to my unknown bucket list which included:
A visit to my home, from:
The DCF
Channel News 12
A Military Investigation
The local police
And, well can I say…It’s never boring here…by any means.
So, before any of my son’s put out the Silver Alert on me, just know that I am home safely and I just wanted a little breathing space.
And, just for the record….
Sorry I’m late.
You know what’s so great about being a mom? Well, everything, of course…but Mother’s Day is our day! A day that we are finally recognized and celebrated for all that we do for our children, day after day, 365 days a year.
No matter the age of your children, it is always heartwarming and interesting to see what they will come up with to show you their appreciation for all of the bandaged knees, nights without sleep, skipped showers, car pools, sporting events and emergency room visits that you have endured over the past year.
I love the hand written cards, flowers stolen from the neighbor’s garden (Yes, that really happened…and she was pissed) and all of the kind childlike gestures that kids come up with to give you a gift on their zero budget.
As I reflect on my Mother’s Days past, I recall the year that I taught Marc how to wrap a present. Marc was an eager student and a quick learner…this resulted in Marc’s new obsession, wrapping gifts to perfection! I was amazed by all of his effort and by how precisely he was able to wrap a gift at such a young age. Of course, Marc enjoyed gift wrapping so much he took it to the next level, wrapping anything and everything that he came across and giving it to their respective owner while he watched in delight as they opened it. “Oh, MY toothbrush! Thank you Marc!” I would say, smiling as I held back my need to laugh.
This idea of Marc wrapping up a family members own possessions and standing, grinning in his own satisfaction, while they unwrapped it, went on in our home for about a year. All of us played along lovingly until we were unable to find household items that we used daily. All of this resulting in a rise in our stress levels throughout the day.
“Mom, do you know where my mouthpiece is for hockey?” Rocky bellowed.
“I don’t know. Ask Marc if he wrapped it?”
Needless to say, I received my own costume jewelry, wrapped to perfection, as a gift from Marc for Mother’s Day that year.
Yet, I would have to say that my most memorable Mother’s Day took place when Kevin was a toddler. At the time, we had two dogs, a golden retriever named Lerxst (Please don’t ask about the name – Okay, I’ll tell you. My ex-husband lied to me and said that was what the breeder named him. Actually, years later I came to find out it was a nickname given to one of the members in my ex-husband’s favorite band, RUSH. Whatever. Enough said.) and an adorable wheaten terrier, named Taylor. (You guessed, I picked the name Taylor, he was a rescue dog from our local pound.)
That Mother’s Day, I was sound asleep, enjoying the comfort of my bed. I guess Kevin was up bright and early with his two sidekicks, Lerxst and Taylor in tow. I never even heard any commotion in the kitchen so I was surprised to open my eyes to see little Kevin standing next to my bed with a tray bearing some food and and a drink.
“Happy Mother’s Day Mommy.” Kevin said with a smile.
My heart melted.
“Thank you baby.” I smiled, as I gave Kevin a big hug and a kiss.
It was then, in the dim early morning light that I notice that Kevin was covered in peanut butter.
“Eat it mommy.” Kevin said.
I glaced down at the tray balancing on my lap and stared at one of the most unappetizing sandwiches that I had ever seen.
The peanutbutter and jelly were oozing and the bread was crooked. I picked it up and slowly lifted to towards my mouth…wait…is that hair?
Luckily, the motion of lifting the sandwich was enough to convince Kevin that I was actually going to eat it. He was off to play in a flash.
I moved the tray, slowly got up and walked towards the kitchen. My intuition was already telling me exactly what I was about to find.
There on the kichen floor was a cutting board, a butter knife and four slices of bread remaining in a bag that was an entire loaf when I went to sleep the night before.
And Lerxst seemed to really be enjoying the peanutbutter…
As was Taylor…
Needles to say, I didn’t eat my Mother’s Day Breakfast but I loved all of the thought and effort that went into it, as did our dogs.
Whatever your Mother’s Day brings this year, cherish the moment, the memories and know that you are loved and appreciated for all that you do.
Have the Happiest of Mother’s Days!
Erin Cooper Reed 🙂
When I was pregnant with my first child I knew that I wanted to breastfeed. Breastfeeding is a personal decision. Still, friends, family and co-workers often express their opinions for or against your pronouncement. Research shows breastfeeding provides ideal nutrition, giving your baby the perfect amount of vitamins, fat and protein needed to grow.
Breast milk contains antibodies, helping your baby fight off bacteria and viruses, as well as, lowers your baby’s risk of developing allergies and asthma. Plus, babies who are breastfed exclusively have fewer respiratory illnesses, ear infections, and digestive problems including diarrhea. They also experience fewer trips to the doctor and hospitalizations. Being able to give all of these benefits to my child sounded great to me, and I was eager to get started breastfeeding after Kevin was born.
Thankfully, Kevin took to breastfeeding like a Champion.
Daily, my ex-husband would return from work to find me nursing Kevin. He would kiss each of us on the head and ask, “How was your day?”
“Fine.” I’d reply, “And yours?”
“Great!” My ex would excitedly state. “I stopped at Bob’s after work and ate dinner there.” (Bob was a coworker. My ex and Bob commuted daily, taking one vehicle, to save on gas.)
I asked, “What did you have?”
“Chicken Marsala.” He replied, “It was AMAZING! Candice is such a great cook… why can’t you cook like that?”
“Oh, I don’t know… because I spend most of my time nursing, pumping, changing diapers, cleaning, doing laundry and throwing together a quick meal,” I replied. “All on very little sleep. I’m exhausted.”
The following day was more of the same. My ex came home bragging about Candice’s lasagna.
The next day, her home-made mac & cheese.
The day after that her delectable country fried steak with white gravy and mashed potatoes.
And of course, her secret recipe, spaghetti sauce.
A week passed, as the list of Candice’s fabulous meals grew.
Like most new nursing mothers, I spent my time worrying if I was producing enough milk, storing enough and if my son was getting enough to eat. I had questions.
My ex made the suggestion that I have Candice over to give me some insight, after all, she was a mother of three children.
After some convincing, I reluctantly agreed. I’ll admit, I was a bit intimidated by “Candice the breastfeeding wonder and professional chef.”
Candice agreed to come over and give me a few breastfeeding tips.
The next day, I prepared a nice lunch and awaited Candice’s arrival.
Candice did give me some great breastfeeding tips.
I was appreciative for all of Candice’s help but I was about to find out her biggest breastfeeding tip of all!
As I cleared the kitchen table, Candice said, “I use my breast milk in all of my cooking.”
“Really?” I inquired. “What kind of meals do you cook using your own breast milk?”
Candice replied, “You know, all of my sauces, gravies, mashed potatoes, even my macaroni & cheese.”
I tried to hide the grin on my face and the fact that I couldn’t wait until my ex got home from work.
That night over dinner, my ex asked how my lunch with Candice had gone.
“It was great!” I replied, “I learned a lot about breastfeeding.”
“Like what?’ He asked.
“Well, mostly it’s normal to experience all of the things that I’m going through.” I said.
“Did you happen to get any cooking tips from her?” He asked with excitement in his voice.
I replied, “Actually, I did. In fact, Candice said that she uses her own breast milk in ALL of her recipes.”
My ex almost spit his dinner out on his plate.
“You’re kidding, right?” He asked.
“I’m being totally serious,” I stated. “All of her sauces, gravies, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese…”
My ex didn’t finish his dinner that night.
He also never complained about my cooking again.
I can still picture the look on his face when I think about that day and it always makes me laugh out loud.
Do you have any funny breastfeeding stories? Share them in the comments below.
Here is the link to my latest guest blog on Mind Movies. I hope that you enjoy it! If you do, please be so kind to leave a comment at the end of the article on the Mind Movies site. Thank you!
Giving the Gift of Kindness: 4 Tips to Get Started Today (Click on link below photo)
http://www.mindmovies.com/blogroll/giving-the-gift-of-kindness-4-tips-to-get-started-today
Have a great day!
Erin Cooper Reed 🙂
Tomorrow my guest blog post goes LIVE for the site “Mind Movies” with over 500k followers. I’ll be sharing the link on my blog as soon as they send it to me.
Can’t wait!
Erin Cooper Reed 🙂
Lying in bed for the past six weeks recovering from this knee injury has certainly taken its toll on me financially. If that isn’t bad enough, I’m feeling uncomfortably fat due to the lack of exercise and large amount of bed rest.
Let’s add in the stress of my son, Marc missing, which resulted in a visit to the police station and a Silver Alert being broadcast through a wide array of media outlets. (Also, one of the reasons that I haven’t posted on my blog.)
Marc was located tonight and returned safely.
Thank God.
I seriously need to start taking better care of myself.
(That’s not me but certainly, how I feel at this moment)
I know that there are a million different diets out there. I am limited as to an exercise routine because of my knee. (So going out walking is out of the question.)
Let me ask all of you…what are your best diet tips for losing weight?
How can I get enough exercise to burn calories when I’m down a limb?
I’m not feeling very funny today.
Quite truthfully, I’m pretty depressed.
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST YOUR COMMENTS, BEST EXERCISE & DIET TIPS / SUCCESS STORIES HERE.
I can surely use some inspiration and advice.
Thank you,
Erin Cooper Reed
My Life, I Swear…
mylifeiswear.com 