Summer Break Eve

 Today is Summer Break Eve.  I have that swirling feeling of emotions in my stomach when I am on the brink of a big change.

I am mourning the quiet part of the morning after the rush to get the kids on the bus. Something about the quiet makes the coffee taste especially good. Or maybe it is just because I was able to drink it hot without interruptions. 

I will also miss going out to lunch wherever I wanted to.

Oh, and working without having to keep an ear out for the kids, I am really going to miss that, too.

But I am also excited for the adventures we are going to take now that I don't need to be the warden of homework and the morning routine. 

Last week I talked about being a fun parent, and in the trenches of routine and obligations, I often forget to have fun.  But I really want to embrace my inner fun parent, like the one who showed up to theTaylor Swift concert. 

This summer, maybe we’ll have ice cream for dinner. 

Or breakfast at the park. 

Maybe we’ll wake up one day without any plans and end up going on an all-day adventure.

I know that they will still need to eat their vegetables and read and brush their teeth.  But somewhere in there, I want them to know it’s OK to embrace spontaneity and be carefree (which is not to be confused with carelessness, like riding a bike without a helmet or eating a strawberry popsicle on the microfiber chair without a napkin – EEK)!

I love making plans because I know that I parent best when we are doing things rather than sticking around the house, but I need to remember to give myself a break. Like this summer when I vowed that we just needed sprinklers, hot dogs, and icecream. 

Spending less time on meal planning will allow me to honor my inner fun parent.  (See hot dogs and ice cream).  It can be so exhausting to have all the meals figured out and then make the meals and then hope everyone eats the meals and then cleaning up after the meals.  It is my firm belief a minimum of 75% of parenting revolves around food.

If we are going to focus on having fun and making memories, some things have got to go to the wayside.

So here, on Summer Break Eve, I feel fresh and ready to embrace these next few months! 

Listen, I know it is very likely probable that sometime soon after break has begun, I will have lost my shit while dealing with the kids.

But right now, today I am feeling hopeful that my fun parent outlook will be able to take us through the season with some grace and good times.

Because without hope, I will be miserable, and it is will be a long, hot dismal summer.

Hey, I forgot to mention that I got a new bike for Mother's Day.
Nothing says fun parent like wearing your pajamas and posing with
a bike in the family room, right?
Can't wait to see what kind of adventures we have on our bikes this summer!

How are you feeling about summer break?  How are you going to make it through the season without loosing your mind?

Being the Fun Parent: Taylor Swift 1989 Concert

This weekend, I took Marie to the Taylor Swift 1989 World Tour concert for her 9^th birthday. 

It was awesome to see her light up when Taylor took the stage . . .

Just a few days until we play Detroit and I get to wear my sparkly clothes and prance around...... PS Skylar took dis (aka welxometonewyork on tumblr)

A photo posted by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on May 25, 2015 at 10:30pm PDT

 and then again when Dan Reynolds from Imagine Dragons took the stage – EEK!!

RAGE FEST with Dan Reynolds from Imagine Dragons. #radioactive #1989TourDetroit

A photo posted by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on May 30, 2015 at 10:00pm PDT

Going to this concert filled me up in a soul-satisfying kind of way. I felt light and happy, and the good kind of exhausted.

To see that kind of joy in her eyes, those same eyes that harbor anxiety will forever be burned into my memory.

I also will remember the breezy, delicious feeling of being The Fun Parent.

Ah, The Fun Parent.

Look at me! I'm the fun parent!
Also, thank you to the super fans that were behind us.
Your homemade light up signs were not only awesomely creative, but gave great backlighting!

I don’t often let my fun parent flag fly.  It’s hard to when I’m always! being! responsible!

Meal planning. 

Groceries. 

Pack lunches. 

Make dinner. 

Laundry. 

Homework. 

Plan activities. 

Take them to said activities. 

The never-ending bedtime routine.

Then there is the worry that comes along with motherhood.  I worry about if I am doing it right.  Forget about right, am I doing it just good enough to avoid making mistakes that result in irreparable damages?

When I see the world through my children’s eyes, I am often reminded of my childhood wounds of being bullied and feeling like I would never fit in. I worry a lot about making sure my children are emotionally healthy to deal with an emotionally unhealthy world.

But then there are flashes when I remember the magic of my own childhood.  Taking Marie to this concert brought back my memories of my first concert: Madonna’s Who’s that Girl Tour in 1987. 

My mom, dad, brother, and I along with another family sat in the nosebleed seats of the now destroyed Pontiac Silverdome.  I was about 10 years old, and I will never forget her singing “Open Your Heart” in her black teddy with gold tassels on her boobs.

It was awesome!

I remember that rush of seeing someone who was (and still is) bigger! than! life!  I listened to her cassette tapes over and over on my Fisher Price tape recorder and there she was – in person – singing those songs.  Mind. Blown.

I easily get caught up in all of the hardships of motherhood.  But reminiscing about my first concert reminds me that fun should to be a priority.  Not just something fun for the them, the kids, but fun for all of us. 

At the Taylor Swift concert, that heavy feeling of accountability melted away, and we were two people in the moment having genuine fun together.

In between those spaces of obligations and duties, memories are made.  The good kind of memories.  The kind that create bonds.

Marie might never remember the hours I sat in the stands watching her swim meets or the daily effort that went into packing her lunches.

But I am hoping that she forever remember staying out until 1am dancing at the Taylor Swift concert, eating popcorn and dipping dots with her mom.

I know that I will.

About the Time I was a Fashion Model at the Village of Rochester Hills La Femme Fashion Show

I did it.  I walked the catwalk at the Village of Rochester La Femme Fashion Show in my denim and suede fringe ensemble by Chico’s.  I won’t lie: I was extremely nervous.  Walking and standing seem simple enough, but when you add music and the photographers at the end of the runway, it suddenly seems like the most awkward task imaginable. 

That's me! 

My one and only measure of success was not to become “fashion road kill” a la Carrie Bradshaw from Sex in the City, so by that account, I was victorious!.  The icing on the cake was making new friends with my fellow Chico’s models.  (And one of them had some very sage-like and gave me tons of tips like how to pose and hit my mark.  Thanks so much, Linda!)  Also, as someone who’s background is education, it was very interesting to see how a whole different industry event is organized.  Not to mention, I got to see some super awesome clothes that I will be going out to buy in the very near future.

Me and my fellow Chico's models.
We had so much fun together!

I

I am totally grateful for this experience.  Getting out there and doing the unpredictable can be scary, but I did it.  And I even had fun doing it. 

In the end my take away from La Femme Fashion show is this: if you are open to the unexpected possibilities and refuse to let fear be your guiding force, the journey becomes more exciting than you can ever imagine.     

How about you?  I’d love to hear how your journey has taken an unexpected turn!

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Also, if you are interested in reading about a great, local company called Alex and Jane Shapemakers, check it out here at my Detroit News MichMoms post!

Sailing a New Ship

First of all, did you get a chance to check out my Macomb Patch post about my views on Michigan’s waiver from No Child LeftBehind?   Or how about my Detroit News MichMoms post about Greenfield Village?  If you did, feel free to click on the links or check out my BRAND NEW WEBSITE erinjandarawlings.comwhich will showcase my weekly writings around the Internet as well as catalog my past contributions, kind of like a working resume. 

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Remember my rock star Saturday night of a photoshoot with Brandy that ended in an almost bachelorette party with a run-in with a former student?  The photo shoot was for headshot photos for a casting call for the charity event of Village ofRochester Hills La Femme Fall Fashion Show.

As a fashion civilian, I had no idea what I was doing.  Even though it is for a good cause and I’m supporting local businesses, I was nervous.  My sweat glands are directly linked to the nervous part of my brain (which is a pretty large section).  Add ninety-five degree heat and a black dress, and I was a sweaty, nervous wreck!

Luckily, among the sea of young girls, there was another woman in the 30-45 years old bracket who just happened to be a former model.  Thankfully, she gave me some tips on walking and turning.  Runway models make it look so easy and natural.  And it’s walking – it *should* be natural.  But there was nothing natural about walking and posing.

I have to say that I did OK with walking, but not so good with the turning.  My feet were sloshing around in sweat while I was teetering on four inch heels.

However, I deemed the adventure a success on the following measures:

I managed to avoid looking like Ramona Singer in herwalk down the fashion runway. 

I didn’t freak out and pull out the Derek ZoolanderBlue Steel or Magnum look.  (“They’re the same look, people!”)

I didn’t fall.

Most importantly (second only to not looking like Ramona), I had fun!  To be more accurate, I had a blast!

Here, take a look at the photos taken by Capturing Life's Moments.  This one and this one are my favorites!

Yes, I was anxious.  (Over thirty and in a casting call for a charity fashion show?  Yikes!)  But in the moment, I let go and just had fun.  I mean, I never thought in a million years I would be trying out for a fashion show.  It’s not that I thought that this ship had sailed, I never even knew it was at the dock.

I walked away with a little pep in my step.  I did something new.  I stepped out of my comfort zone . . . and had fun!  And it just goes to show me that this Second Act is full of surprises.

Have you ever done something you never ever though you would do?  Did you have fun?