My little secret for getting the girl to sleep.

Some may ask . . . How do you do it? I have a hard time getting my daughter to go to bed when she's over tired.

Well, let me share a secret. Hold your breath.

I paint her nails.

This has been a godsend. When I feel her having a hard time winding down from a long day at kindergarten, I offer to paint her nails. She chooses the colors. ALL OF THEM, and I go to work. Within about five minutes she's out. Usually the process is pretty easy. Except tonight she wanted dots on them. Keep in mind, every nail is a different color; so the dots must be too.

So I forge on.

Tonight, the easy part was the initial painting. However the dots, proved challenging. But hey! She's got dots. Some smeared, some on point.

The end result is the same. SHE IS ASLEEP! And fully pampered.

I just wanted to share, because I never knew how much painting finger and toe nails would be my saving grace to a night time melt down.

Without further ado . . . My sleeping beauty. Fingers and toes and all.

Don't mind the polish on her face and arms. She had an itch.

As she grows

I start out slowly, and gain knowledge as I go. 

Usually this leads to confidence as I grow. 

However, being a mother this has not been so. 

As the years speed up, I feel more and more out of control.

It's so easy when they're little, but then she grows. 

I love being a mom. However, everyday it seems that I worry more and more if I'm doing it "right." This is the most important job I will ever have, and I know I don't get a re-do. I couldn't ask for anything else in a child, and I hope pray that she will look back and say the same about me as her mommy. 

Dammit! Someone hand me a tissue. 

'KETCHUP WITH US' - Prompt #10

In 57 words or less, tell us about WHO (or WHAT) 

you go head to head with every day.

Yep, I will break you

I'm going to be honest. I always make New Year's Resolutions. I don't want to, but it just seems par for the coarse. A right of passage, if you will. A yearly reset so to speak. With that being said, I will give you my usual run down. 

Be a better mom, Loose weight, Get healthy, Exercise, Blah, blah, blah . . .

However, I intend on keeping those. Hell, I've even signed up for TWO 5Ks so far this year. One of which will take place while I'm in New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Side note, I might be running a bit tipsy. BUT, I will be running. 

This brings me to the resolution that I need to make, but I know I won't be able to keep it. I'm breaking it in my head as I sit here and type. 

With out further ado . . .

'KETCHUP WITH US' - PROMPT #9

In 57 words or less, tell us the New Year's resolution you 

want to make but know you'll break.

A whirlwind of a year for my girlie and me. 

We took many trips, we felt so free.

Made our way up the Northeast coast to see friends. 

Then headed down south so the journey wouldn't end. 

From there we went east, with New Orleans to see. 

We found we liked it best, my daughter and me.

Last year, Ry and I traveled all over the place. We went to New Jersey, NYC, Maryland, Philly, New Orleans, San Antonio, Austin, Tulsa, Arkansas, and some other more local places. I can not even begin to describe how much fun we've had over the last year. I'm so grateful for all of these experiences we've shared, and all of the friends and family we have been able to spend time with in person! I am also thankful to have a husband that has been supportive of all of our adventures. Btw, we've traveled without the girlie too quite a few times. I think Nola has become our second home. So, he hasn't been left out. However, I keep telling myself this year we need to do a lot less traveling. We were gone once a month, and sometimes twice. As I made peace with this resolution and vowed slow down this year, I found myself planning trips in my head. Needless to say, there will be no keeping this resolution. The hubs and I are headed to Mardi Grass in a few weeks (preplanned in 2012, thank you very much), and the girl is already asking when it's her turn to go back to Nola (can you say Jazz Fest?), and San Antonio (where her bff lives). What kind of mother would I be to deny her these learning experiences? 

Never mind, Don't answer that. 

Core Struggles

Dealing with inner struggles.

Trying to get to the core.

So many layers.

The top layer so thin.

Like a mask, easy to break.

The deeper, the harder to navigate.

Must break through.

                                                                  

On to the weekend challenge. As you'll recall from your elementary science class days, the structure of the earth can be divided most simply into three sections: core, mantle, crust. Here's a diagram.

                                                   

                                              Image courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Give us 33 words from it. Interpret the prompt however you wish--literal, metaphorical, or somewhere in between.