"I will love him to the end of his life, and then I will let him go."

I am rarely sentimental. I'm not an overly emotional person. I don't cry often at movies and I don't cry when people die. I have a hard time expressing compassion for other people in horrible situations, like when my neighbor announced he had stomach cancer. I guess you can say I am socially awkward.

But this mom, this story...It took me three attempts to read it all the way through. My throat clogged up with tears and I knew I had to share it.

Lots of people talk about living in the moment with their children and that is what we do; we talk about it. It's easy to get caught up in "oh, I'll do it tomorrow because I really need to get this done for work today."

What if we only had limited tomorrows and knew it? What if we didn't have the luxury of time? Perhaps we can all live by her words today:

Parenting, I’ve come to understand, is about loving my child today. Now. In fact, for any parent, anywhere, that’s all there is.

Maybe we all need to be a bit more like a Dragon Mom. I know I want to be.

Notes from a Dragon Mom

Are you a whale or a mermaid?

Anyone want to be a whale with me?

peaceful parenting: I Want to Be a Whale: This little story, in its many forms, has been making the internet rounds again. Whether there actually was a gym in Paris (as the origina...

Dear Ian

This morning around 6:20 am you snuggled close to me and put both of your chubby, soft baby arms around my neck. Your skin is still so soft and chubby and baby-like and I know soon it won't be this way and I will miss it dearly. You snuggled close, warm and soft, and it was one of the best ways to wake up ever.

And you woke up giggly and laughing too. I don't want to trade those minutes for the world. I smile now, just thinking about the moment.

I have to work, you have to go to daycare -- or playschool as you like to call it -- and with my now longer drive to work I spend less time with you than I would like. Mornings are a rush of getting dressed and beating the traffic and evening are squeezing in dinner and baths and books. So I squeeze in the moments that I can, when I can and this is one that will keep me going when the rest of life gets hectic.

The day will come when you don't want to hug me or kiss me because you will be growing up. So because of that, I savor today. I savor the soft, quiet moments in the early hours of the morning when the regular day has not yet hit us, when we are half asleep and fuzzy with dreams, and we can simply enjoy a quiet ten minutes together before we both have to face the day in our separate directions.

Minimalist Mom Moment

So what happens when you have a blowout diaper in the middle of Lowes when it creeps out both legs of your shorts and up your shirt?

You have a bath in the sink!

And then you leave Lowes in nothing but your clean diaper and your shoes because mommy refuses to carry more than one purse/bag and she didn't have any extra clothes with her.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

It's Saturday, we are running errands, it is hot out and I had packed a sippy cup that leaks from time to time. As I am leaning into the backseat to get him out, I see that he has dropped his sippy cup down in the seat next to him and on top of my jacket. I pick it up and sure enough it had leaked a lot of milk.

Me: Oh..

Ian: Oh crap

Me: .......

Ian: Oh crap.
      Oh crap.

Me: Who says that Ian?

Ian: You do

Well, yes. I guess I do. Oh crap.

Stolen Moments