YES

This is pretty much my favorite picture of when we were kids.  There is a lot more going on in this picture than you probably realize.  For one, this picture resembles the same life that I want to pass along to my children. I keep this photo in my bathroom because I want to look at it everyday and I kind of say a mantra each time I see it (whispering) "This is the mom I want to be. This is the mom I want to be."  We went camping, hiking, swimming in cow ponds, we got lost in the forest for hours, we road our bikes for days on end, we made mudpies, we did not watch TV, we ate granola, we got dirty, really dirty, we made jewelry out of rocks and twigs and flowers and we were so free.

A few weeks back I was reading Emily Falconbridge's blog and it was like a light went off that completely summarized all the things I had been thinking, but had not really put on paper.  Essentially she was discussing that moving forward in 2011 she was going to work on saying YES to her kids more.  Yes. One simple word with so much power.  Yes, we can go to the library.  Yes, you can use the glue. Yes, you can use the paint. Yes, you can make a fort out of your room.  Yes, you can lick the frosting.  Yes, you can dress your brother up as a princess.  Yes, you can grow your own garden this year.  YES....  and not just yes in their lives, but yes in my life.  Yes, I can take some time to go volunteer.  Yes, you can breath easier.  Yes, you can go work out for an hour. Yes, you can bake goodies every week and bring them into work.  Yes, you can save up and buy a beach cruiser.  Yes, you can dream about trips to Bali and the Caribbean. 

I guess what I am getting at is stop making excuses.  Take chances.  Say yes more.  Stop doubting yourself.  Messes are temporary, imagination is endless and the opportunities in this life are so abundant.