A gal can dream....

Now that winter is officially a month away from being over many people are not only thinking and wishing for warmer days but are planning for them too. My inspiration for this post comes from a writing prompt I saw on Mamaslosinit.com, she rolls out a new list of writing prompts every Tuesday, so if you are stuck check her out. One of this weeks prompts was to "Describe your pretend vacation home"...well twist my arm.

It should come as no surprise to people that know me that my vacation home would be on a beach, or at the very least less than a one minute walk from one. Now I wouldn't want to be on a tropical island surrounded by palm trees and coconuts, that's not practical...I mean after all who feels like going to the beach when it's 100 degrees, not this girl. So I would rather my pretend vacation house be on a quiet beach, somewhere that it is not too hot. Preferably not too close to the hustle and bustle of the beach community but not too far away from the necessity's.

My vacation house would also be well insulated, after all I want to enjoy this pretend house all year around. It would be 2 floors, with all the living space on the first floor and bedrooms on the second floor. I would definitely take advantage of the amazing views I had by having large expansive windows. With big comfy chairs right in front of them for enjoying the views. The furniture would be comfortable and not too stuffy, after all this would not be a museum. Big oversized sofas and chairs, a large square coffee table where. We could play a board game on a rainy day or put snacks on for everyone to munch on after a day in the surf.

Now these next two things would be a necessity to me, and outside shower and a sleeping porch. I have always loved the practicality of an outside shower, wash off when coming back from the beach or even from just building sand castles. Imagine taking a shower with just the light from the moon and stars before retiring for the night....The next thing I would have is a sleeping porch, that's right a whole space devoted to sleeping besides a bedroom. The sleeping porch would be off the master bedroom (but also accessible from another point of entry), it would be a place to read, spend some time alone just gazing out at the ocean, or my favorite, dozing while listening to the sounds of the ocean. Comfy pillows, soft light blankets, and a selection of books sounds delightful!!!

The kitchen would be an open plan kitchen so that we could take advantage of those amazing views once again. Just like the other living spaces it would also be comfortable and able to be lived in. A big table with plenty of extra chairs to accommodate any last minute visitors would be the main eating table. An outdoor pizza oven would be a great place to prepare dinner and then eat on the deck, with the aroma of the pizza lingering in the air.

In the bedrooms all beds would be facing the ocean, once again to take advantage of the view and listen to the waves. The rooms would all be painted white with colorful accents inspired by the ocean, flowers, and natural landscape surrounding the home. Ultimately I would want any vacation home either pretend or real to be comfortable and able to accommodate many people visiting either for the day or longer. Any vacation home of mine would not be a showplace but rather a fun place where my family and I could come to recharge our batteries, spend time together, and ultimately have fun....after all isn't that what a vacation is all about????

Where would your vacation home be? A cozy chalet in a ski destination? An apartment in a high-rise right in mid-town Manhattan? Somewhere familiar or a new adventure? Let your imagination go and tell me where it took you....

Live in the Moment

Live in the moment, such a short sentence 4 words in fact that can change a persons whole day, whole year, whole life. That is what I'm trying so hard to do, Live In The Moment. Not to worry so much what I have to do or where I have to go next, not worrying about the future and what it may or may not hold both for me and my family. I'm good at telling other people they need to do that very thing at various points during life, so why is it that I have such hard time doing just that? Why do I have a hard time living in the moment?

What does it mean to Live in the Moment? Does it mean to forget about the dishes that need to be done so that you can play, to forget about the loads of laundry that need to be folded and allowing yourself to do something fun instead or does it mean to not worry about getting clothes dirty while digging in the garden? I've come to realize this simple sentence can mean different things to everyone.
For me it means not folding the laundry and play matchbox cars with H, or not cleaning my bedroom because Z wants me to color with her. One night it meant doing something that wasn't planned but turned out great when Mr. O said (while getting ready for a night out) "lets go get our tattoo's tonight we have nothing else planned".

When my children were babies it seemed so much easier for me to live in the moment, wanting to witness every step, every coo, every word, but as the children have gotten older it seems harder for me to do this. It seems we live in a world where we always have a reason not to be present or in the moment. Whether it is a work commitment, or a phone call that needs to be made, there is always a reason.

I want to be a mother who is busy creating memories instead of missing them, I want to be in the moment and appreciate whatever is going on, I want to Live in the Moment whatever the moment brings. Now I know it isn't going to be as easy to do this as I am making it seem, but I am going to try to be more in the moment. And just in case I forget I have my newest Alex and Ani bracelet to remind me. Right now I am off to go play restaurant with my babies....
What does Live in the Moment mean to you? How do you live in the moment?