THURSDAY'S THOUGHTS

BLUES HARP BY HILLARY BUTLER

THINKING ABOUT: For someone like myself, routine has always brought a sense of purpose and peace. Lately, however, I've felt an urge to deviate from all of the structure and it feels freeing—maybe even slightly rebellious for this conformist. As a new mom, I've learned that life with a toddler like Max is quite predictable most days—well, once you learn to accept and handle all of those random curveballs that get thrown your direction, it's relatively predictable. Ha! While the weekday schedule we follow is handy, I woke up on Tuesday and decided I wanted very little to do with it. Perhaps it had something to do with the intoxicating spring weather or the fact that Max was being an utter dreamboat (WHAT THE WHAT?!), but I didn't want to worry about how nap time might be affected if we go for a late walk and if I'd get an opportunity to blog that afternoon. So what if we got our day started a bit later than we usually do? No one ever said we HAD to follow a timeline. On Tuesday, I wanted to spend too much time at the park and watch Max greet every airplane flying above us with an excited wave. Heck, if the opportunity was to present itself, I wanted to bake a loaf of banana bread and give myself that midweek manicure I secretly dreamt about but knew I'd never make time for. At the end of that day, I inevitably felt guilty for not cleaning the house as I typically do and for not having a post to share with you all on Wednesday, but I had the BEST day with Max and that's what I'll choose to remember. Some days you just have to scrap the schedule, eat Goldfish on a park bench, and chase your tot around the jungle gym until he climbs into his stroller on his own because he's plumb tuckered out. Nap time might have been a bust (HOW?!), but at least I got paid with an unexpected kiss on the cheek. 

FEELING: Don't ask me where or how I heard about this, because I haven't the slightest clue, but I ordered a Korean skincare product on Amazon last week that gets crazy great reviews. Here's the kicker, it contains snail mucus. Yes, you read that right. Has anyone out there tried MIZON'S All-In-One Repair Cream? I started slathering my face with the unusual product last Friday night, so I obviously haven't seen any miraculous results yet, but all of the positive feedback leaves me hopeful.

THANKFUL FOR: A little bird told me that there's a very real chance I could be reunited with the family chariot next week. Squeeee! To say I'm elated would be an understatement, you guys. I know I probably shouldn't get my hopes up until we know for sure, but running around town in The Rig is what dreams are made of and the notion of getting back to normalcy is flipping fabulous. Eek, I can practically hear the diesel already and feel the bass bumping as we roll down Highway 90. Oh, how I've missed that car!

EATING: I have a confession. I never tried a LÄRABAR until we embarked on the Whole30 (not sure why...) and now I'm absolutely obsessed. In a desperate attempt to find an emergency snack option to keep in my purse and at Flyboy's desk in the event one of us went into HANGRY mode, I bought a variety pack of flavors that were compliant with the program. Whoa, baby! I'm looking at you, Cherry Pie. Without a doubt, we learned a lot after February's nutritional reset, but this tasty snack might be my favorite.  

LISTENING TO: In this week's edition of "The Rental Car Radio Chronicles," the sweet sound of Rihanna's "Take A Bow" filled the air as we made our way to Walmart yesterday. Compared to the Mariachi madness we've endured in the past, I didn't hate hearing the pop throwback. Apparently Max didn't mind listening to it either, because the tune was enough to prompt him into a very dramatic clap and head nod. You would have thought we were listening to RiRi's single "Work" because this tot's dance moves meant business. 

WATCHING: With the return of Shahs of Sunset and The Real Housewives of New York this week, my head (and DVR) might just explode. Am I the only one who's ridiculously giddy about this?! I'm SO over Atlanta and Beverly Hills. Let's have some fun already!

READING: On Friday Max will be 18 months old. How did this happen?! As a result, I found myself taking a trip down memory lane courtesy of my iPhone and spent way too much time scrolling through old photos and videos. Revisiting the visual treasures reminded me of this helpful post from Erstwhile Dear. I bookmarked it awhile ago, but I think it's finally time for this digital granny to get her act together and put Rachael's tips to work. I've got an "attic" full of wonderful photos; now to finally embrace them.

LOVING: Because browsing J.Crew is borderline therapeutic, I scoured the site for new arrivals and expected to find nothing I hadn't already seen before. Yawn. Some days it's really about the thoughtless act of scrolling and the familiarity that takes me into a zen mode. Ommmmm. And then, another piece of gingham goodness jumped out at me screaming "GOTCHA!!" Where in the world has this Mini Bucket Bag been hiding? Since therapy isn't necessarily free, it appears my latest session might just end up costing me.  

Enough about me. How are you feeling today? What are you up to? Thanks for stopping by!!