I was raised by a very imaginative woman. My mother has  the most interesting view of the world around her.  Everything is filled with magic and possibilities.  She is the world’s biggest believer in Santa, has a “real” fairy door mounted on her wall and has always (SERIOUSLY) wanted to be Peter Pan.  She is a barrel of fun and quite a handful!

This is the world in which I grew up.

Because I was raised with this attitude, I also tend to be open to the wonder and magic in the everyday details.  (Not to mention see the humor where others do not.) This is especially true when I am around children.

About six months ago my kids and I discovered the movie Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium. You might have seen it.  Perhaps not.  My kids were given the DVD as a present.

I  L O V E D IT.

Not the acting or the special effects, what I loved MOST of all was the message about believing (finding the magic) in yourself.

There is one specific scene from the film that made a lasting impression on me.  It is when Mr. Magorium is about to “depart.”  He takes his apprentice Mahoney’s face in his hands and says to her, “You life is an occasion.  Rise to it.”

Gave me chills.

I think that quote is my favorite of all time.  It is so relevant.  It is so inspiring.  I repeat it to my children, often.  I never want them to forget it.

There is something you need to know about me – I am a mom of male children. That is incredibly important for you to know going forward. The reason why it is important is because it is the framework for my life. I am surrounded by testosterone.

Wanna know why my blog has so much pink in it? Mom of boys. Wanna know why I am obsessed with running? Mom of boys. Wanna know why I am living a life of chaos and confusion? Well, you get my point.

For the purposes of blogging about my children, I tend to call them by the nicknames Tiny Ninja and Young Jedi. There are a couple of reasons for this – the first is just in case there are any crazies out there… and the second is because it just FITS them.

Tiny Ninja is my oldest. He is in third grade. Like any good childhood Ninja he is skilled various different types of combat like:

• Refusing healthy food items
• Rebuffing my continued pleas to tidy his room
• Rejecting the notion of bathwater

Remarkably, he has also mastered the Ninja skills of stealth and silence at an early age. This is especially useful when stealing cookies and other inappropriate food items right before dinner.

Young Jedi is in second grade. And like any good Jedi, he knows everything about everything. Just ask him. He is wise beyond his years. Traditionally Jedi Masters use the FORCE to fight for peace and justice. Mine is no different. He can routinely be found using FORCE as well as being outspoken regarding fairness and how it relates to his own life in the universe:

• “Hey, he got more time on the video game!”
• “That’s not fair! It is my turn.”
• “They have more soda than me!”

Welcome to my world.