love week: i love Girls' Nights.

is it really already time for love week? i can't believe that. maybe it's because i juuuust took down my new years' decor yesterday (which embarrassingly included a reindeer doormat) and have barely anything resembling pink or red adorning mi casa. yeah, i'm a super-lame-un-fun mom. though, in my defense, i did copy a Valentine's idea from my super duper awesomely crafty mom-friend Kristy from last year.

basically we bought a little mailbox from target and decorated it all sparkly-heartsy-cutesy and every night since Feb 1st, i've left a little surprise mail for Ellie and Alice to come and get in the morning. Kristy's surprises were wayyy more awesome than mine are (like I mentioned, she's a master-mind crafter! you can check out her original idea here), but nonetheless, it's been pretty fun to see the girls run to their mailboxes every morning so thrilled to have a dinky jar of bubbles or a new princess Pez dispenser. kids are so easily pleased.

and thus concludes my Valentines festiveness. no banners, no cookies...nothin.'

lame.

that's why i love Love Week. it gets you feelin' the love. and i love Love.

today i love Girls' Nights. the last couple of weeks have been crazy. (when is life ever NOT crazy anymore? will i ever say, "no things aren't busy. in fact, i'm bored." ?? in my wildest dreams) regardless life has been dramatically crazier now that my one year old uses any and every object to color on any and every surface. from crayons on walls, to pencils on dressers, lipstick liner on cabinets, carrots dipped in ranch (from Ellie's lunch plate) on dishwasher, markers on toy drawers, mascara on bodies (hers and mine)...

ahhhhhhhhhhh!!! my adorably mild baby has suddenly and drastically transformed into a wild child and i am losing it (what is 'it' referring to specifically? in my mind, losing 'it' encompasses all of the following: losing brain cells, marbles, sanity, composure, cool, steam, hair, and/or years off of my eventual life span).

husbands are wonderful but they only understand so much of the emotional toll that being a mother takes on us women- and so, going out with other women has been something i not only love, but i thrive on. i love laughing about silly things. i love talking about shoes. i love debating politics and philosophizing. i love talking about Ben the bachelor and his skankiness, and other tv shallownesses. i love sharing concerns about schools and our children. i love eating yummy foods together. i love hearing about families and their familiar roles as a daughter, a wife, a granddaughter, a sister, a mother,  a cousin, a roommate, a visiting teacher, and a friend. and mostly i love doing all of this without worrying about the routines, bedtimes, sticky fingers, ouchies, safety, being a referee, and giving attention every 5 seconds. Girls' Nights are wonderful and liberating. they help me feel human again.

recently i attended a Stake Relief Society meeting where the Stake President's wife, Sister Hunt, whom i love and admire, spoke about having good friends in our lives. she shared the quote: "friends are floaties." that has totally stuck with me over this last week, and i think it is so true. good friends lift you up, just like floaties do- they make the challenges feel easier to bare, and sometimes even take the burdens and weight that you've been carrying away-- just by listening, validating you, and understanding in a way that not everyone can.

i feel so blessed by all of the friends in my life (translation: you). i know that this is the real reason i love Girls' Nights- because i love and need all of you little floaties in my life.

stay tuned tomorrow for more loves!

(inspiration for love week comes from my friend D-dawg, whose blog rocks. you can check her out here. you can also check out my love week posts from last year here. if you join in on the love week fun, let me know. i'd love to spread the love and read about your loves all week!)

xoxo