Happy Birthday

Life Balance: a feat we try to achieve while searching to be the best that we can we, while simultaneously raising our children to do the same. This is the equilibrium in our inner life force whereby our heartbeat matches the divine force that exists all around us. When this life balance peaks, our sense of peace, joy, love and wisdom acts as one with our very soul.

The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age. - Lucille ball

Today is my gym friend Nurse Sunshine's Birthday. There we were at 5 a.m. doing the treadmill together. I hadn't worked out in 2 weeks due to the sore back, and she really didn't want to get out of bed and go, but did anyway. Talking just made the workout more fun, less mundane. Somehow, the connection between people makes it all worth it on the days our bodies just want to lay in bed and do nothing...for the 5 minutes or so we have before the kids get up.

Nurse Sunshine gives herself the most wonderful birthday present. She wants to spend time with the hubby...aw how romantic, right? Yes, she wants him to spend time with her, doing whatever she wants. There I was, imagining him cooking her a gourmet meal, pouring her a glass of wine, massaging her feet while drawing her a bubble bath, all with the kids at grandmas...but Nurse Sunshine's ideas were even better, more wild, more fun. She spends time with her hubby on her days--Mother's day, birthdays, doing whatever project she most wants completed. It could be mulching the gardens, it could be cleaning and scrubbing the patio. The kids join in too. It becomes family time, with everyone helping out. They get one big thing done that she really likes to look at, to accomplish. What a great idea!

Birthdays really become our days, but how often do we do what we like most? We no longer have the hot dog birthday parties in the backyard like CK had as a child on California Road. Every year, her Mom let her have a group of 15 kids in the backyard for her own party. Both of her grandma's would be there and we would eat lots of ice cream. I so loved walking down the road to her party. It was like it became my own to get to go every year and share it. As CK's sons had birthdays, she continues the tradition of having the special day. Of getting to pick the food, and the event and the theme. Your day, your way.

Sometimes we look at birthdays as times of grief, especially on the "0" birthdays. Its hard to look past the numbers and see the accomplishments. The love, the unions and marriages, the kids, the wonderful jobs, the joyful friendships, the bloom of life no matter what the age. Why do we try to boil all that down to a number, as if that is all that matters? How can we be even begin to condense our souls to that one thing?

I like the idea of making the birthday your day. As woman, we don't do that enough. We really should take one day a month and call it our own, and do what we love, and get things accomplished we want. Feel good for us. Because when we do that, we can give it back to the world tenfold.

Make today and everyday your birthday. You deserve it.

Twin Hug

Life Balance: a feat we try to achieve while searching to be the best that we can we, while simultaneously raising our children to do the same. This is the equilibrium in our inner life force whereby our heartbeat matches the divine force that exists all around us. When this life balance peaks, our sense of peace, joy, love and wisdom act as one with our very soul.

"At least I was born cute. " --cupcake girl to muffin boy

Life with twins has always been exciting. From the sonogram at 6 weeks where the technician announced, "See the two heads" to the modern day hormone wars, you just never know what you might get. Day in, day out, it switches faster then the promos for the weather at 6.

From an early age, the twins were super affectionate with Mom. They figured out early on, that if they snuck up to me, one on either side of me, and each grabbed me at the same time, yelling "Twin Hug," that I would melt like butter and give them whatever they wanted. I just couldn't resist.

From their first birthday on, I always had their birthday parties together. As they got into school, it was kinda neat to have this huge party at home with 30 screaming kids batting at the pinata. They just loved having it together, double cake, double presents, double kids. Lots of fun. Then one morning, a couple of months before their 9th birthday, they each came up to me one morning and pulled the twin hug. Man oh man, I didn't know what was about to come out of their mouths.

"Mom, we want a divorce."
A what? A divorce. Really? Yes, we want our OWN birthdays.

Oh. Well, umm, I can't do that. You see, God gave you your birthdays together. I might have wanted a different scenario then the 40 weeks of double babies, a permanently inflated bladder, and weekly vaginal exams, but God had a different plan. So no, you are stuck with what you got. But they did get to separate their parties for a few years. Cupcake always got to go first, since she is 11 minutes older. 11 long minutes, trust me.

So you see, the words they spring on you, can really surprise you. Twins really do have a different way of looking at things. Mornings tend to bring some pretty exciting verbiage, when the adrenaline is running high to get it done before the bus comes at 8:04. Friday as I dressed I heard the usual,"You're fat. No, you're fat" followed by "You're stupid, no you're stupid. Then the new phrase from cupcake girl, "Well, at least I was born cute."

Mom couldn't help buy burst out laughing at that one, and of course, got caught doing so. Not supposed to be take sides in any verbal wars. Must stay out of it. Must maintain granite face at all times.

"Stop it Mom! It's not Funny! Why does he have to live here anyway?" Hmm, well honey, I don't really know an answer to that one, because God sent you both here at the same time. Silence permeates the air for a full two minutes as she contemplates that one. Wow, maybe I finally stumped her.

"Well, it's time to send him back!"--cupcake

Some days, Mom wants to send you all back, just to be able to have 2 minutes to pee in peace, without hearing, "No, you tell Mom. No, you tell her. " Oh jees, what now???? Can't I ever pee, and just pee?

No, evidently, you lose that right, the minute you conceive.