five things | two weeks and counting

my packing motto. if new york living has been good for anything, it's been the constant editing of items in one's home. if you ask me, getting rid of unnecessary or unloved items is the only upside to the moving process. for the record, it's going to be interesting packing with two kids. i'm not exactly looking forward to it. 

1. so we're at the two week countdown and it all feels incredibly real. like, really, truly real. we're actually moving. fourteen days seems like forever and, yet, leaves me approximately no time at all to get so much shit done. and while i'm able to not stress about logistical aspects of the move because, you know, it will all get done, i find myself beginning to worry about how marlo will handle the move. edie doesn't know where her own nose is so her handling of so much change is a moot point. we moved to nyc when marlo was the exact same age and she was blissfully unaware. but marlo? the girl doesn't exactly handle change well (she get it from her mama...) and, well, this is a very big transition. i'm hoping it's for the better for everyone.

2. i did something i swore i'd never do: i bought the girls matching pajamas. because what's the point of having two girls if they can't be all matchy matchy? and you better bet your ass that if they had them in my size, we'd be rocking obnoxious jammies together. also of importance is that i've decided that the general theme of parenthood is all of the shit you said you'd never do before you had kids (like all of the things you deemed cheesy or silly or the tantrums you said your kid would never have in public or the way you would or wouldn't do this or that or this), you will do it all. and you will do it often and with a previously unexplored level of enthusiasm.

3. for what feels like ten minutes every night before i black out from exhaustion, i'm reading this book. and, whoa! it's like a motivational slap in the face and on the ass. i have a lot of work to do in terms of my writing. i'm not quite sure what's been holding me back but it's time, y'all. it is time. "my aim is to put down on paper what i see and what i feel in the best and simplest way" -ernest hemingway

4. picking a color for our master bedroom is stressing me out. first world problems, i know. joe says he'd prefer neutral but i'm aiming for a moody, cozy, cavernous feel. and since i'd rather ask for forgiveness than permission, i may just go for it and hope for the best. what's the worse that can happen? he hates it and we repaint it? i really hope my husband isn't reading this. he would pick today to start reading my blog.

5. i've found that i tell mo to be quiet or to keep her voice down a lot. too often, i fear. and i'm worried that i'm squashing her cheeky, lively, and rambunctious spirit. don't get me wrong, i'm a firm believer that it's our responsibility as parents to teach our children about being socially appropriate and considerate. lately, though, i find that i'm simply annoyed with so much noise in such a small space and, my first instinct is to ask her to be quiet. it doesn't sit well with me that i'm constantly hushing her. sure, she's loud and i'd give anything to have a few hours of silence but mo's voice and words are also some of my favorite sounds in the world. the sound of her feet on the hardwoods- even when they sound like a herd of cattle- gives my heart all the mushy feelings. embracing the noise, welcoming the current loudness of the soundtrack of my day-to-day life is what i'm working on as a mama.