Where did the weekend go?

It's already Tuesday, so I might need to be asking myself where is time flying as of late? I cannot believe it's almost July. Because summer has only officially arrived the last few days, perhaps it will linger a bit longer this autumn -- then of course, I love the cool crisp falls, so I would not want anything to shorten that time of year from a seasonal standpoint.

This weekend I had my Wine Club again (yes, see time does fly!). It was the world of Rieslings... I must say I was not converted into the love of this wine that many of my friends seemed to have. It does pair nicely with seafood -- and strange or not -- coconut. But alas, it was just not the thing to tickle my fancy. I have a few I'll recommend in a follow-up post.

D is now trying to enjoy wine with me. I purchased an Eiswein for him the other day... well... I needed to educate him about dessert wines and moderation ... because he liked it so much he poured himself a very full second glass!! Tonight we are enjoying the Rose Sofia (named after the director Sofia Coppola). Because I enjoy red wines, this was what I would consider a bridge for Daniel to try to get him over to the darker side of wines. He has mixed reactions to this one, but we'll see if it grows on him.

I am trying to decide why I've taken to enjoying wine -- I don't have it that frequently, except around my wine club because I get back into the groove. So It's typically 3 weeks off, one week on. Of course my darling sister Candalay would say it's the inner snob in me that likes it... more on that later.

Splashin' Mama's Head

So, tonight was K's swimming lesson night. I have the most precious son. I just glow when I look at him. I know Daniel feels the same. Tonight he was much more into the lessons and really enjoyed showing off his skills to daddy. As soon as he saw that daddy was watching, he'd do extra splashes and should "look at me daddy, look at me!" He particularly liked the "dives" into the water. I can't wait to see how much he loves it by August.

He's such a considerate boy. I have two stories I must share.

Zoo

We went to the Minnesota Zoo this past weekend and K just absolutely loved the animals. The first animals we saw were the monkeys (now this is where I mention that at 10 a.m., my husband had the need to purchase a large soda (w/ no lid and too large for our cup holder) and a pretzel.) When K saw the monkeys he started to make monkey noises and point out all the different monkeys to me. He just couldn't get enough.

Afterwards we went to the tropical paths and the Minnesota trails. K loved these, except when we were in the dark tunnel -- he ran through that like he had to get to the light at the other end. Of course navigating the stroller, the aforementioned large soda, my camera and trying to chase the energetic 2-year-old was not a graceful sight (and now makes me ask what was Daniel doing at this time?)

He took a particular affinity to the goats. So, Daniel and I got some of the special food so that he could feed them. He's so diplomatic (seriously, if he doesn't run for president I will be so surprised) that he wanted to make sure he fed each goat once. If a goat came up to him that he'd already fed, he would look at them and say no and try to give the food to another goat. It was just so fascinating that he was trying to be fair. He loved how they would nibble out of his hand and he'd get their teeth scraping his fingers. He tried to hug a couple of them. The animals were amazing because, of course, none of this fazed them.

We ended the day with a trip to the aquatic area and he loved the shark tank and the dolphins. I have to say by the end of the day, I felt the zoo was becoming overrun with rude people (I mean adults who had no consideration for children really annoy me.) It was just one of the most enjoyable days I've had in a long time. Me and my boys and the zoo.

Putting to bed

Tonight when I got done reading K his bedtime story, I was walking out of his room and stubbed my toe. Of course I yelped in pain. K shot up immediately and said "are you okay, mommy? are you okay?" And then went on to scold the door and tell it it was naughty. I let him know I was okay and then had to re-recite his going to bed poem that I tell him every night. But again, just one of those moments that makes me glow, I feel so special to be his mommy.

Golden Handcuffs

Wikipedia defines golden handcuffs as "a system of financial incentives designed to keep an employee from leaving the company." or better yet: "the term can also refer to any kind of situation in which a generous salary is used to keep an important employee from looking for a more desirable but less certain position."

I've been hearing this term a lot lately. Now, I work for a large corporate employer, and yes the financial security is very nice. It is why I am able to support my family and we are able to have the nice things that we have. But lately, because I've been hearing this phrase so frequently, it's got me wondering about the state of the US and the happiness of our nation. Are we all bound by golden handcuffs of some sort? Maybe not in the literal sense that Wikipedia provides, but by something that doesn't allow us to seek out a more desirable alternative?

I think about housewives of the fifties. Society was their golden handcuffs - if they were in an abusive or empty relationship, they had to stay put. They felt like they had no options. Flash forward to the working mothers of the late eighties and early nineties. They needed to prove they could do it all. So, their golden handcuffs were the facade of having the job and making sure they created a great home life. Look at celebrities who just try to get away, but because they opened their life to the paps, we feel entitled to know every detail of their life ... even when they need to take a break.

In some way, I think we all have our own golden handcuffs. Now ... if only we could all find the universal key and release ourselves. Then perhaps we wouldn't be a nation that is overweight, drowning ourselves in antidepressants, alcohol, drugs and irresponsibility. There's a lot of talk about greenwashing by companies that are trying to latch onto the sustainability movement, but perhaps we should talk about goldwashing -- the fear to take a leap because your bound by something ... be it job, relationship, or society.

If you find the key ... pass it on.

Raindrops and Reflection

When I was young, I used to imagine that I would discover that I later had superpowers. (Who didn't?) And I always thought that it would be that I can control the weather. (Okay, this was way before I knew about Storm and X-Men.)

What I do notice now, in my years of wisdom, is that the weather does have a profound affect on my attitude and that at times of my most dreary, if I look out the window -- it clearly reflects my mood. Perhaps we are all connected to mother Earth much more than we give credit for.

I've been thinking a lot lately about my priorities in life and how I might need an attitude adjustment. I've been working too much and letting work get to me -- not a good thing. It takes away from my ability to focus on the two most important men in my life. The problem is, I work with a handful of people who take work far too seriously, so I think I'm letting it affect me. I mean, I do not work in an industry that makes a dramatic impact on the world (regardless of whatever marketing ploy they have conjured up to make you think otherwise.)

I think I may start dabbling back into writing, anything that can give me a meaningful purpose with the hope of reasonable financial gain so that I can redirect my priorities appropriately.

The Leap

Well ... I've done it. I took the leap. Who knows where I'll land, if anywhere different. Perhaps, it will result in nothing, and a year from now, I still be looking at the same prospects. But I did it. I can't complain, I don't feel any remorse. I feel excitement and energy. Ahhh, perhaps it's just refreshing to know that I actually did it!