Enough. You are!

3 words I've never been able to say to me.

3 words I'm drilling into my daughter's brain every chance I get.

3 words the media & most social influences will never lovingly whisper in your ear.

You Are Enough.

And you know what?

You Are.

Honest.

Here I sit....sweatpants, a shirt riddled with dog drool & grease splatter from dinner prep, hair a mess, willfully ignoring (for today) a very intimidating pile of textbooks valued at $735. They are crisp, shiny new, awakening in me both fear & excitement. Come on..don't you remember getting your history/science/math book on the first day of school, and how great the cover felt under your fingertips? How much fun the paper bag covers were to make decorate with words and symbols of childhood? I guess that feeling never goes away, even when you're much too ancient for paper bags covering your books. Anyway, I'm sitting here, contemplating what I did/didn't do today, what I should/shouldn't do tomorrow, finding myself slipping into the "I'm not doing enough" space again. And that's a muddy, gross place, lemme tell ya. It's the same old, same old....I made dinner, but it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. I folded 5 loads of laundry, but there's one basket still not put away. I swept, but didn't vacuum. I could have done better. And then the slippery slope becomes a  cascading river that carries you quickly over the edge, down into the pool of "I'm not enough". I'm not good-cook enough. I'm not maid enough. I'm not smiley & frolicy enough. I'm not skinny enough. I'm not funny enough. I'm not Mom enough. I'm not woman enough. I don't wear makeup enough. I don't dress my age enough. It's the Not Enough pool. Filled with quicksand, and piranhas. Sounds like a grand ole time, eh?

And then I got to thinking....wait a sec. Back up.

My daughter thinks she's fat. Why? Because she isn't rail thin like the media says she should be. She isn't as pretty (in her opinion) as the girls at school. She over obsesses about her hair, her clothes, her teeth, her everything. And still gets picked on. She "isn't enough", or so she's told.

 And what do I tell her? Wear what makes YOU happy. Do your hair YOUR way. Screw them if they don't like you, call you fat. Who are they to judge? You are enough. Just the way you are. Enough.

Wait...what?!?! why should I treat myself any differently?

My children aren't perfect, but (most days) they are kind, caring, smart & loving. I am Mom enough.

My house isn't perfect, but the people who live here have what they need, when they need it, how they need it, and no one ever has to drip dry after a shower. I'm maid enough.

I smile when I am happy. I frolic when I drink. I'll loose 35 lbs, someday. If I wasn't a decent cook, people around here would be skinny, and they aren't. I don't even LIKE a lot of makeup, hair gel or high heels. And I'm really, really not a pool person. So, I'm gonna go out on a limb (and ask anyone out there who needs to, to join me)....

In all our imperfect-ness, quirkiness, busy-ness, decide-to-play-today-instead-of-worry-ness. On the days when we never get out of our pj's. On the days when everything we touch breaks, falls, cracks or cries. On the days when our kids hate us, the dogs won't even snuggle, and it rains. In those moments when we feel accomplished, and the moments when we don't. When our hair is perfectly groomed, and especially when it looks like shit. In that moment when our child makes our heart skip, whether in fear or in pride. In every hug, every smile, every song of laughter, and yes.even the tears.

Just the way I am, the way you are. In every way imaginable...

I am enough. And so are YOU.
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And the award goes to...

Me?

I was nominated for a Liebster Blog Award! Don't know what that is? I didn't either, til Tina gave me one. Apparently the rules are as follows:

* You have to list 11 things about yourself.
* Answer the 11 questions sent to you by the person who nominated you.
* Choose UP TO 11 bloggers that have less than 200 followers to nominate to get their own award.
* Post 11 questions (in your blog post) for them to answer (on their own blog).
* Go to your nominees page and inform them of their award.
* You CAN NOT tag back.

So, here goes...

Eleven Random Things About Me

 1) Flip flops are my favorite foot adornment.

 2) I forgot to feed my boys breakfast one day last week.

 3) I believe God is real, Stephen King is amazing & coffee is non-negotiable.

 4) Blue is my favorite color. Purple is my least favorite.

 5) I hate my job. This makes me feel ungrateful, but it's true.

 6) I totally heart John Mayer

 7) I love silver & white gold. Hate gold colored gold. 

 8) I think making people smile is one of the best feelings in the world.

 9) I am slowly loosing my ability to multitask efficiently, or even partially effectively. (see #2)

10) I will die without having ever eaten escargot. I'm perfectly ok with that.

11) When I wash dishes, my legs itch. Are they screaming for hydration? 

On to Tina's questions for me:

1. Name something you can't go a day without doing.

Coffee. It's an addiction.
2. If you were given the keys to a time machine, where would you go and why?

I'd go back to the day my oldest was born, soak in everything about his precious little existence I possibly could, and tell myself about all the mistakes I'm going to make. I'd remind myself that patience is a virtue, forgiveness is important, and hindsight is (almost) always 20/20. Then, I'd grab my cellphone, an IPod & my camera, and hop backwards a thousand years, give or take a few. Hi, my name is Jenn. I'm from the future. Mind if I show you this cool gadget? What's that you say? Music coming from my hands? Voices of people hidden in strange devices that vibrate? I must be a witch? Nah..just a cool chick with some technology that might give you a heart attack..say cheese!
3. Do you prefer blue or black ink?

Blue. And even more important then the color of the ink, is the thickness of the pen. Can't be too think, or too thin. I'm a pen snob.
4. What's the last thing you regretted buying?

A Tim Horton's iced coffee. In fact, I asked my daughter to kindly remind me next time that when it comes to iced coffee, I'm always disappointed I didn't hold out for Dunkin' Donuts.
5. Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Dory. She is like me, only in a fish's body.
6. Would you break the law to save a loved one?

What am I saving them from? And will I go to jail or just get a fine? Important details! I'll go worst case scenario, and say yes, I will break a really really big law to save a loved one's life, limb or coffee.
7. What's #1 on your Bucket List?

Grand Canyon
8. Name the first song that comes to mind.

It Will Rain, Bruno Mars

9. If you could trade lives with anyone, who would it be?

No one. My life might not be great, but no one's is perfect. At least with mine, I have what I need, and the ones I love.
10. What's your favorite game show?

What the crap kinda question is that? LOL kidding!!! I haven't watched game shows in f-o-r-e-v-e-r! I guess I'd have to say Price is Right (old school with Bob Barker). Wheel of fortune was always interesting, and Jeopardy was too hard....There was that one with slime..that always looked like messy fun. 
11. Do you own more books than movies?

Sadly, no. I used to. I wish I still did. 

~~~~~~~
My Nominations:
*** FYI, I chose to use first names, not because I'm like creepy stalker-sh, but because I want to honor the writer of the blog, not the blog itself. Hope you gals don't mind! :) ***
Elli  - I follow her 365, but she has several blogs. I love her positive vibes!
Cindy - I found her while looking for organizational ideas, etc. She's got some great ideas!
Kim - a pretty sweet food blog, with a twist!
Shavon - This lady has a great sense of humor, and I love her posts! She's a new-to-me blog, but I'll be following her, for sure!
Mom to a peanut - hehe, I don't know her first name sorry! But her blog rocks! A little DIY, a little mom stuff, a little photography, etc..check her out!

Dear Nominees, here are your questions...
1 ) If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
2) Your happiest memory from before you were 10?
3) Do you like your job? Why or why not?
4) Name the first three things that pop into your head, that start with T
5) Favorite Book?
6) Where did you meet your best friend?
7) It's 2:34 PM. Where are you on a typical day, and what are you doing?
8) Do you use coupons?
9) What was the last thing you bought for yourself?
10) Coffee or Tea?
11) If you could tell your 16 yr old self one thing, what would be?

Just wanna send out a huge thank you to Tina @ Tina's Tid-Bits for thinking me worthy of the Liebster Blog Award! This was fun!

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