The Sweetest of Days:: Sunday Citar and a Giveaway!

“I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens, but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls off a string.”
 

Today unfolded like a beautifully written song, crescendoing in all the right places, letting tension build to just the perfect amount, a few tears kissed the rosy little cheeks of my loves and then, finally, a closing with a magnificent and satisfactory grand finale.

It wasn't that we went anywhere particularly magnificent, or that we did anything extraordinary. But sometimes that's what makes for the best of melodies... the real, the raw, the perfect enjoyment of right here, right now. The ordinary. With each moment fluid and flowing into the next, a steady stream of thoughts and smiles, laughs and reactions, tears and love.

Some of my favorite moments? Waking to the sound of quiet strumming to his acoustic, the melody of You and Me rasping through his lips. I walked out to the glow of morning sun climbing in through our windows, looked at Chris and said, "That's hot." And it was. 

Or when I laid my littlest down for nap, and in his quiet voice asking me to stay longer said, "I wuv you soooo much." 

It was the excitement that new pajamas brought to my kids. The same reason I love opening that one box on Christmas Eve and knowing I can slip into the soft, fresh fabric of something new... my littles danced at the surprise of cute little night time duds. 

A sweet day it was indeed, the park greeting us with a sunny smile, the pool welcoming a hot mommy and daughter for an afternoon swim where we pretended to paddle our boat away from sharks and ended up lounging on rafts talking about life, and plans and painting projects we decided to do.

I love impromptu decisions with my kids, like planning a project or two in the pool with Aliyah and then heading to Home Depot to find the perfect paint color... my daughter choosing hers solely based on the name. Like dropping every color but Bright Star and then upon realizing that Bright Star was, in fact, a different yellow than the one in her hand, kicking that one to the curb so that the real Bright Star could come home with us. 

It's these beautiful moments, the in-between moments I like to call them... The little things that I want to seared into the very core of my memory. The way Brayden's tiny pearly whites peak out from behind his curled pink lips when he laughs, or the way Aliyah squints and hides behind her hand when she giggles. The way they fight over one toy until I threaten to take it away and then they play like a perfect pair, their wit getting the best of each other until one falls in laughter. It's the bear hugs goodnight that turn into a game and kissing Aliyah's flushed cheeks and the milky skin of Brayden's forehead for the fourth, fifth, sixth time in the moonlight.

The sweetest of days.

I love finding thrift stores to wander with my kids, laughing our way through one and then ending up sharing a cinnamon sugar pretzel with them at Target as we wander their aisles instead. I love going to the grocery store for food and leaving with flowers to "happy" our kitchen a bit. I love finishing the night with chocolate. And new pajamas. 

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I would love to have you join the Sunday Citar inspiration and have all of us come to your blog to read what quotes inspire you! Simply write your own post on your blog, link within your post to my blog, and sign up with the linky below, leaving your name and the link directly to your Sunday Citar post. Just click here if any of that sounds confusing. There you'll be able to get the complete rundown, as well as learn how to link back to my blog if you don't already know how. Take a moment a visit at least three of the participants around you... you'll be glad you did!

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Welcome to petiteBox, who just launched in March and their beautiful boxes bring a surprise of high-end mom and baby products right to excited mama's doors each month. I couldn't keep my kid's hands out of my box when I opened it up, excited to touch and smell all the luxe products myself. They offer a curated subscription from the fourth month of pregnancy all the way through baby's first year! And with options of a 3-month or 6-month pay-ahead subscription, it's a perfect baby shower gift... just sayin'.



One comment will randomly be selected (through random.org) to have their very own surprise box of goodies show up on their doorstep, courtesy of petiteBox.

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And since summer, sun dresses and bathing suit season is here... or at least right on our heels, Schick is offering 200 Fresh Mommy readers a FREE Schick Hydro Silk razor! If you want to try their new design with water-activated Moisturizing Serum infused with marine extracts and shea butter to get a close, smooth save, just click here to get yours! I've been loving mine, and ahem, I think Chris has been too.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, lovies! No matter how splendid or simple it may be, it can still be sweet.