I met Amy the day after her family moved into our neighborhood. She was stepping out of my front door with a toddler on her hip, two more kids circling her ankles and a smile on her face. She had the "I-just-moved-to-the-beach look" and then the "auughh, yesssss!" relaxed forehead that we all did when we first laid eyes on our front porch views. There's just something about living in a teeny tiny house by the sea that makes all the other stresses in life disappear...well, for awhile.
John and I managed to hold on to our beach-hood enthusiasm for well over two years before life got in the way again. Every so often, we draw back the curtain of obligation and peek out at the sea, and breathe in the salt air, and remember why we pay so much mortgage and have so little closet space. But Amy, Amy had that same look the first day I met her. I was returning home from a run, and Amy had stopped in to introduce herself and take a tour of our years long remodel to get a look at what a Potential House could look like. She had just bought a Potential House a few blocks away. We had recently transformed our Potential House into a Home and Amy intended to do the same to hers very soon. Out with the disco balls, in with the magenta antler chandeliers (well, maybe that's just me).
Having just relocated from Georgia, her three young kids looked to be working off the energy they had saved up since last Easter. Picture Tasmanian Devils in Munchkin suits: Sweet, adorable, and faster than lightning.
I've met up with Amy and her three speedy kids a few times since our first introductions. I soon learned that her husband returned to Georgia for a few months to finish his work commitments. Yeah, alone with Tasmanian Munchkins in a Potential House. Is there enough Valium and Vodka to cope with that?
Every time I see her she's chasing a toddler, mediating a squabble or chasing a toddler. I said they were fast. Amy is the at the height of mothering, her skills are honed, she's on her toes at all times, she's got game. She's the Ninja Warrior of motherhood. I'm exhausted just watching her.
Being in the holiday spirit, I've dreamed up a little list of helps for my new friend and neighbor. Amy, this one's for you (and the distant future of your sanity):
#1. Gymnastics class, twice.
#2. Babysitters
#3. Pedicures
#4. Coffee
#5. Whiskey
#6. Live In Nanny, cuz we'd all trade a husband for one at some point.
#7. More Whiskey
#8. Therapy with Childcare
#9. Chick flicks: The Devil Wears Prada, Sex In The City Movie, Chocolat, Volver
#10. A sense of humor to the Nth power
#11. Locks on your bathroom door
#12. Red wine & bubble baths
#14. The Return of Husband & subsequently your sanity
You have more stamina and less body fat than anyone I know. You win this year's Mother of The Year Award in my book, girl. Go Amy.
John and I managed to hold on to our beach-hood enthusiasm for well over two years before life got in the way again. Every so often, we draw back the curtain of obligation and peek out at the sea, and breathe in the salt air, and remember why we pay so much mortgage and have so little closet space. But Amy, Amy had that same look the first day I met her. I was returning home from a run, and Amy had stopped in to introduce herself and take a tour of our years long remodel to get a look at what a Potential House could look like. She had just bought a Potential House a few blocks away. We had recently transformed our Potential House into a Home and Amy intended to do the same to hers very soon. Out with the disco balls, in with the magenta antler chandeliers (well, maybe that's just me).
Having just relocated from Georgia, her three young kids looked to be working off the energy they had saved up since last Easter. Picture Tasmanian Devils in Munchkin suits: Sweet, adorable, and faster than lightning.
I've met up with Amy and her three speedy kids a few times since our first introductions. I soon learned that her husband returned to Georgia for a few months to finish his work commitments. Yeah, alone with Tasmanian Munchkins in a Potential House. Is there enough Valium and Vodka to cope with that?
Every time I see her she's chasing a toddler, mediating a squabble or chasing a toddler. I said they were fast. Amy is the at the height of mothering, her skills are honed, she's on her toes at all times, she's got game. She's the Ninja Warrior of motherhood. I'm exhausted just watching her.
Being in the holiday spirit, I've dreamed up a little list of helps for my new friend and neighbor. Amy, this one's for you (and the distant future of your sanity):
#1. Gymnastics class, twice.
#2. Babysitters
#3. Pedicures
#4. Coffee
#5. Whiskey
#6. Live In Nanny, cuz we'd all trade a husband for one at some point.
#7. More Whiskey
#8. Therapy with Childcare
#9. Chick flicks: The Devil Wears Prada, Sex In The City Movie, Chocolat, Volver
#10. A sense of humor to the Nth power
#11. Locks on your bathroom door
#12. Red wine & bubble baths
#14. The Return of Husband & subsequently your sanity
You have more stamina and less body fat than anyone I know. You win this year's Mother of The Year Award in my book, girl. Go Amy.
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