something i’ve noticed lately is how pleasant repetition can be.  whether it’s the soccer schedule, the hum of the bass in your favorite song, or something pretty to look at….experiencing the simple pleasure of the repetitive is relaxing.  i like that…

it was 7pm, the girls had a friend over for a sleep-over and they got a wild hair to go bowling.  ugh.  honestly – i wanted to sit on the couch, drink a glass of wine and relax.  niels, always being the one to rally, said “OK” and off we went to the nearest bowling alley.  we ordered pizza, punch, popcorn, put on our bowling shoes and we got down to business.  and guess what?!  it was SO fun!  sometimes it’s good to push yourself a bit…. the best part was around 9pm when they turned on the black lights and lit up the alley with neon.  the pins glowed, the balls glowed, the lanes glowed – even our teeth!

we had “back to school night” at the girls’ school the other night.  jette is in the fourth grade now.  she’s becoming introspective and reflective – it’s so cool to see her observe the world.  this is a little project they did.  it was hanging on the wall and so I snapped a pic with my phone.  of course i had to choke back the tears (and i didn’t realize she wanted to go hawaii so badly!).  i will probably keep this forever.  what’s your favorite “treasure” from your child?  can be anything…

today we took our bikes down to san diego bay and went exploring.  what about you?

saturday night.  surprisingly, we have little to do this weekend and it’s really nice.  usually our life is a mish-mash of over-scheduled days.  not that i am proud of this, but it’s the truth.  so weekends like this are valuable.  no plans, no agenda.  it’s saturday night and what should we do?  niels had the genius idea of a ben & jerry’s ice cream tasting event.  we hopped in the car, hit the closest grocery story and bought five ben & jerry’s flavors we don’t know very well (maybe we know one of them… probably too well!).  we had a taste-test extravaganza where each girl tasted the new flavor with eyes shut and tried to guess.  the favorite?  creme brulee!

we have become a little lazy over the past few months.  not cooking as much, lack of routine, sleeping in, staying up late…. well it’s school time and it’s time to get back in the groove.  now that i have my scary speech behind me, i feel that i can focus and start catching up on the zillion things i have to do.  one of niels’ clients knows our love for thai food so she brought him a recipe along with all of the ingredients.  how cool is that?!  so while i made panang curry – britt played under the breakfast nook and made a “secret hide-out” (although it wasn’t too secret because i could see her watching me), jette did her homework (a collage on friendship.  fun!) and elle was at gymnastics.  it was a fun moment in time – relaxing and getting back into the routine.  home cooked meals, homework and family time.  each doing our own little thing.  it’s sad but true – i love routine.

today is the day.  the “taste of hope” a wine tasting and yummy food fundraiser for the city of hope, an amazing cancer research center and hospital.  i am serving as the women’s council’s “amabassador of hope” for 2010,  a huge honor and one i wasn’t sure i deserved.  i have been BEYOND stressed about this event.  knowing that i have to stand in front of 300 people and talk about my mom’s death and then my own cancer diagnosis…. well, i was scared.  i knew i would cry in front of everyone.  i’m OK with that since i do it all the time (girl scout moms – remember our trip to the retirement home!?).  but i was afraid i wouldn’t recover and turn into a pile of mush.  the night was AMAZING.  i was surrounded by so many friends – i really, really couldn’t believe the amount of support i had.  i realized i wasn’t going to be too scared because i was in the company of friends.  so kipton (yes, the bachelor pad hottie) was the MC and introduced me.  the first thing that happened?  i dropped my glass award and it broke!  yes – klutz.  comic relief can be helpful and then it was all downhill from there.  some highlights of the night (sorry the lack of photos – i was too busy schmoozing to take pix!  it will be covered in san diego magazine so hopefully i will have some images to share at a later time).

* at the last minute the girls were allowed to come.  since it was a +21 event, children were not allowed.  they had a great time and were a hit.  they ate about 10 cupcakes each.  they were in heaven! kipton even threw them a rose!

* i bought a fancy new outfit and 5 minutes before i left i changed into something more comfortable from my closet, but i wore the new shoes.

*  i lasted about 20 minutes in said shoes.

* my friends lisa, tricia and marne were there – we have been friends since we were 8 years old!  33 years of friendship.

* my mom’s friend roseann came to support me.  BIG tears.

* my family and friends from all phases of my life were there – so incredibly touching.

* i am joining the “women’s council” for the city of hope – a huge honor to work amongst these amazing women and raise money for the city of hope.

* i have to give another speech next year.  i’m already stressed.

today is the day that i officially have a first grader and a fourth grader.  getting so big!  i’m so proud of these girls.  (can you tell they’re nervous?  look at their body language.  cute!)

there are some things about parenting that are surprising.  some, not so much.  i’m not too surprised that i cry over the nice and kind things my kids do or the fact that i get annoyed when they act just like me.  but what has surprised me is how crazed i have become over soccer.  jette has played soccer since she was four – she has always enjoyed sports and is naturally athletic.  for the past two seasons, we are particularly  lucky and played with an incredible group of girls – we have a true team in that they watch out for each other and they are buddies.  as a result of the family-style nature of the team, i have become even more fanatic.  as jette hones in on her skills, i become more and more crazed – screaming along the sidelines, jumping up and down and basically losing all sense of self-control.  i can’t help myself.  before every game – i tell myself to sit in my chair, keep my mouth shut and clap like all of the other nice moms.  under normal circumstances, i could pull this off.   but watching jette play soccer turns me into a crazy person. it’s kind of fun.

today was britt’s first day of preschool.  we went to her open house on friday night, talked it up all weekend and by this morning… she was READY!  she dressed herself in her special outfit – her sparkly tennis shoes and her favorite “doggie thinking about a cupcake” shirt that once belonged to ellika.  unfortunately one of jette and elle’s friends got a hold of her and rubbed temporary tattoos all over her arms.  oh well.  regardless, she was more than excited – in fact, i realized she might even be ready for college.  she was THAT excited.  i walked in the room with her and greeted her teacher and well….broke down.  the tears started rolling at an alarming rate.  totally unprepared – i wasn’t expecting it.  i sobbed like a baby. yikes!  luckily they were having a “boohoo/yahoo” breakfast for the misplaced parents who couldn’t cope.  i sat there alone at my table as tears dripped in my coffee – i was probably the only one there with three kids.  it sure doesn’t get any easier.  wah!