Whatever you do..... Own it!!

I explained yesterday how I attended the "Look Good, Feel Better" program at the hospital this week and how much I enjoyed it. But the thing that stuck with me the most and I think will always stick with me is the idea to "own" your situation. I will try to explain this as best I can since the instructor isn't in my pocket to help me. Basically, I can't change my diagnosis or who I am, none of us can. But what we can change is how to "own" our situations. If I decide that I want to get up in the morning and wear sweats and no make up and just be lazy, then "own it" (meaning, own that decision and feel that it is right, don't be down on yourself). If I want to feel beautiful one day and get dolled up, "own it" and have fun. I started applying this to every aspect of my life this week and it has made a TREMENDOUS difference. For example, yesterday I dropped the kids off at school and then I wanted to take Will swimming. I decided to "own" that decision. I didn't think about the fact that I "should" be cleaning or that I "should" be doing a million other things. Instead, I decided to "own" the pool and we had a wonderful time. I think we were there for a couple of hours and played all sorts of games together. And since I "owned" the situation, I decided to make the best of it and I got into the playing and enjoying Will, every aspect of his 4-year-old self. It was beautiful!!!! After that, we came back home and I "owned" the fact that I wanted to clean and i didn't feel guilty that I wasn't doing everything else. (It also helped that Sarah, when she walked into the appartment after school, proclaimed, "oh it is sooo clean in here and beautiful!!!")
To go further with this idea, I "own" the fact that I am a stay-at-home mother that gets the wonderful opportunity to watch my kids learn and grow all right in front of my own eyes. I "owned" this last night at midnight, when I was in line at the Walgreens getting Cassidy a prescription filled because she came down with an ear infection in the middle of the night. It is an honor to do this, I LOVE my job!!!
So, the pictures today are just random ones that pertain to my thoughts of "owning" my present life.
This smile makes all my "owning" of the pool time together worth it!!!! Better than ABC's is a boy who knows all the way down to his toe nails that his mother loves him enough to spend lots of time with him!

I "own" the fact that my younger kids are in a stage of life where they like to explore and learn together. What a wonderful stage of life!

And sometimes, they can be the best of friends and my heart just melts!

I "own" the fact that my 4-year-old wants to throw a pinecone at me for taking too many pictures of him. Frankly, I don't blame him! It's like they have poparatzzi following them sometimes! (But I don't want to miss a moment of their lives!)

I "own" the fact that sometimes they will fight and have to learn how to share.

...............And that sometimes they will share!..................

I "own" the fact that they are allowed to have their own opinion. Lund and Cassidy were arguing as they got into the car after school the other day. I asked them what the matter was. Cassidy proclaimed, "Lund told the whole class that we are poor because you have breast cancer!" This kinda startled me, so I asked Lund what it meant to be poor, "Well, we don't go out to restaurants a lot!." hummmmmmmmmmmmm, I am glad this is what he thinks poor is. I am glad that he doesn't have to feel the stress of our finances or think he has to worry about it at this age. Yesterday after picking up Taco Bell for dinner I took a picture of him to prove to him that we "do eat at restaurants sometimes." After showing him the picture, he just said, "Finally!"
p.s. You could give me a million dollars and I wouldn't take four kids out to eat very often!!!

I am so happy to discover this new concept in my life. I love my life and the chance I have to live a long life now! I "own" the love I have for my kids and my amazing husband!!!

And now I am going to "own" another trip to the swimming pool....................