Silly Things (and a Top Moment of 2011)

It's been quite a year...
Looking back through pictures  I can tell you a few things for sure:
My family loves eye black.

I am not afraid to get real.
Here are a few of the not-so-top moments of 2011 too.

My Nick Nolte moment.

This one happened last week when JT said "stand together with your arms at your sides so I can take a picture."  We are good listeners, but it's really not the most flattering picture.

Life is FUNNY.

Life is silly too.  And we need to do silly things.  

My sister isn't known for being silly.  She is the serious big sister caretaker, get it done kind of gal.  My whole life I have looked to her for approval, love and what to do to get things done.  This past summer she turned 40 and we celebrated with a trip to Hilton Head together, with the rest of our families.  Our kids enjoyed the beach, the ocean (minus the damn jellyfish attacks), the fancy house, the great food....but when I asked Lucy what her favorite part of the trip was, she said it was "when you and Aunt Dana jumped in the pool with your clothes on."  Okay? Really?  Cuz that was free.  But it wasn't just free, it was silly.  

Silly and free and fun.

And unexpected.  Me jumping in the pool, silly, but maybe they all saw it coming (I am not known as the serious sister, shocking I know).  But my big sister Dana jumping in fully clothed and at night?  That shit is crazy.  And simply fun and wonderful.  

That is why it is a top moment for me from 2011.

Photo Booths Make Everything Better

Don't wish me happiness--I don't expect to be happy.  It's gotten beyond that, somehow.
Wish me courage and strength and a sense of humor--I will need them all.
Anne Morrow Lindbergh


This quote is hanging in my bathroom, on my wall of words.  I totally believe this statement, mostly because the sense of humor part.  I can always find a way to laugh, about almost anything.  Usually I am trying to make someone else feel better or more comfortable in a situation.  My brother and I have joked about how sometimes we feel like the family jesters, but we aren't complaining.  We feel very comfortable in our roles.  

My personal belief is that there should be a photo booth on every corner.  Life would be sillier and funnier, I promise.  People are suckers for photo booths, even those serious folk who repress their problems.  They close the curtain, stick out their tongues and laugh.  


My family and me are total suckers for photo booths....at weddings (which is a delightful trend!), movie theaters, children's museums, anywhere.  We haven't met a photo booth we haven't loved.  We will drop what we are doing and pose.  It is important to be silly.  It is important to laugh.


Thank God that we have a Mac at home and have the whole photo booth thing going on in our kitchen...it provides A LOT of entertainment for my kids, and me.  (I am not such a fan of the special effects though.)

 

I believe in silliness and posing.  I also believe in living life like it is a musical.
Life is so much more interesting if you sing and dance and laugh your way through it.
Believe it or not, I don't watch "Glee," but I do appreciate what the show is doing--dance numbers, inspired songs, tackling tough issues with humor and music.  Good stuff.


My older kids had a kindergarten teacher who said singing helped kids learn.  She would sing about "teachable moments" and the kids thrived.  I try it at home and the kids roll their eyes.  That doesn't stop me.  I have also been known to sing "Good Morning" from "Singing in the Rain" first thing in the morning with a little soft shoe routine.  You better believe the kids roll their eyes at that, but they laugh too.


And I love it.  Laughing, singing, dancing...it's all good.


It helps with the heavy stuff, the big questions.
For example this fine piece of art that Lucy asked me to mail to, heaven.  Yup, heaven.

Yikes.  For someone that suffers from a curse of generations of anxiety disorders and depression, I worry about little Lucy.   These are normal kid questions, right?  She will be okay, right?  I will sing to her in the morning, although what kind of song is there for scary fears about death?   


It will be better because we will be silly and laughing.  That always helps, even with the big, scary stuff.
(Okay, I know we have to address the scary death stuff in Lucy's letter, but let me dance and pose first.)