So Honored and Humbled…

Nicole — Wed, 09 May 2012 00:07:11 +0000

So Honored and Humbled To Have Been A Part

Of the Very First,

Listen To Your Mother Show in DC !

It was this past Sunday,

and will be up on YouTube,

Soon!

Go For It !

Nicole — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 22:38:03 +0000

“It is impossible to live
without failing at something,
unless you live so cautiously
that you might as well
not have lived at all.”

- J.K. Rowling

Read The BananaBlueberry Bits Book!

Nicole — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 22:27:49 +0000

Need A Lift?

Check out my book,

it’s here online,

and it’s free,

it’s just right up there in my Navigation Bar,

Just Above,

Go On, The BananaBlueberry Bits Book – Click on It!

How To Survive and Enjoy Disney World…

Nicole — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:20:30 +0000

So how do you do Disney and not got insane? We’ve just returned and I have answers…

1. Spend money on comfortable walking shoes before you go.

2. Speaking of spending money… You’re going to. Just accept it.

3. Make reservations for dinner before you go down there!!

4. Make reservations for character breakfasts !!

5. Use Fastpasses. It isn’t hard to figure out.

6. TAKE A BREAK IF YOU NEED IT. Go back to the hotel and go to the pool. EVERYBODY DOES THIS.

7. Get to the park early. IF YOU STAY IN DISNEY YOU CAN GET IN EARLY FOR MAGIC HOURS- DO THIS!

8. YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING. REPEAT. YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING.

9. ON THE FIRST DAY TRAVELING- since you won’t get a full day- GO TO THE ANIMAL KINGDOM- YOU CAN DO THIS IN A HALF- DAY- THEN MAKE RESERVATIONS TO GO TO THE RAINFOREST CAFE FOR DINNER – IT IS AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE PARK- there, you just got a ‘whole day’ in

10. DON’T WAIT FOR 2 HOURS FOR A PLACE TO SEE THE ELECTRIC PARADE ON MAIN STREET. GO TO FRONTIERLAND AND YOU CAN GET A SPOT PRETTY EASILY RIGHT BEFORE AND SEE THE WHOLE PARADE.

11. People can be crazy… Don’t listen to these people. It is not overwhelming. It can be calm and fun.

12. ENJOY !!!!!!!!

13. ONE MORE THING- get a Photopass card and then take it around with you and have Disney photographers take pics of your family that you can order when you get home !!!

Go Out and Do It

Nicole — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 23:33:22 +0000

“The world is more malleable than you think,
and it’s waiting for you to hammer it into shape.”
-Bono

Nicole — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:37:23 +0000

“We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, therefore,
is not an act but a habit.”

-Aristotle

Go See The Cherry Blossoms Now! Parking is Easy…

Nicole — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 22:29:08 +0000

It’s that time of year ladies and gentlemen…

It’s…

Cherry Blossom Festival Time!!

You have to go down,

the Cherry Blossoms are BEAUTIFUL,

we went down Monday,

and during the week…

PARKING IS NOT A PROBLEM,

REPEAT,

PARKING IS NOT A PROBLEM.

What nobody ever tells you is that one lane that surrounds the tidal basin basically, is parking…

and it’s all free.

I don’t know why people get in such a tizzy over Cherry Blossom parking every year.

You will probably have to drive very slowly and look for a space, but you will find one, and at the end, there are always some.

JUST BE PATIENT

The blossoms are truly worth it !!!

It’s a bucket list item… and it’s SO EASY

BTW – Go Now! Blossoms aren’t officially at peak, but they look like they are !

Words To Live By…

Nicole — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 21:41:43 +0000

” I Decided
To Start Anew,
To Strip Away
What I Had Been Taught. “

- Georgia O’Keefe

Be Happy !

Nicole — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:07:19 +0000

“I’ve come to believe that seeking happiness
is not a frivolous pursuit.
It’s honorable and necessary.
And most people forget even to think about it.”

- Goldie Hawn

My Resolution: To Be Cool …

Nicole — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 23:36:21 +0000

It’s 2012.
We aren’t children anymore.
We are turning another year older in 2012 (God make it stop… I’m kidding!).
Are we cool…?
Does it matter…?
What does it mean to be cool?…

My New Year’s resolution is to be cool. I’m not giving anything up in 2012.
I am being cool this year.
Easier said than done? Maybe not…

I read an article awhile back that discussed coolness. George Clooney was mentioned.
He definitely seems cool.
But why?
The sly grin… the clothes… the trappings of stardom?
I don’t think so.
George Clooney seems to be ‘cool’ because he’s comfortable. He’s comfortable with himself, he’s comfortable with his life. Yes, one could say, ‘How could George Clooney not be comfortable?’ But money and especially fame, do not make you cool. What is cool, then?

Going back to that article – it was interesting… and long. Out of that whole article, 5 sentences stood out to me as a mother.

“Coolness is relaxation.” That may seem hard at first. But being relaxed doesn’t mean you aren’t busy. Being relaxed is merely taking things in stride. And moms are the best at this.

“Coolness is courage.” Coolness is taking a deep breathe and your son’s hand on the first day of kindergarten and telling him how much fun he’s going to have. Coolness is smiling at everyone on your way out, even though you already miss him a little.

“Coolness is knowing what’s going on.” Or coolness is at least knowing how to change a diaper, get little people dressed and fed, while trying to figure out what is going on.

“Coolness acknowledges the limits of life while affirming that life is worth living.” No one can be a parent and not be reminded everyday that life is worth living. And no one can be a parent and not be reminded everyday, especially during flu season and potty training that there are limits to life.

“Coolness is the freedom to be yourself.” How cool is it that we are older now… There is no cookie cutter for the perfect mom (trust me, I’ve looked). We are tall and short and blond and brunette. We laugh and cry and sometimes hit our heads against the wall (when no one is looking).

Coolness isn’t clothes. It doesn’t matter how much a pair of jeans cost, they’re really just jeans.  Coolness isn’t a purse or a particular diaper bag. Coolness is being a mom, and trying your best and being your best for your kids and yourself.  Coolness is understanding that you aren’t perfect and your kids aren’t perfect…  and when you’re tired at the end of the day and thinking, ‘What else do I have to do, what am I forgetting?’ you pick up your child and give them a hug.

That’s cool.

Moms are cool.

Period.