Week 9 welcomes the month of March and all that we hope comes with it. I'm hopeful for spring to start showing signs soon. That first hint of spring in the air, when it comes, always reenergizes me. Can you smell it? 

Day 57: Just when you thought, for the love of God can this chick's life get any more boring, this happened. Yep, I watched a pot of boiling water. True story. But really, I was mesmerized. This is because I'm going through a little phase where I all do is introspect and brood over things like "what the hell am I doing?" and "seriously, I'm not doing enough." This happens about four times/year, perhaps with the seasons, and now I know to just roll with it and do the work and at the end of it I'll have gained some clarity. It's sort of like a fire inside of me. I'm grateful for my internal fire. Sometimes I feel like the water starts to boil but nothing comes from it. I'm not sure of so many things. Is this 40? Perhaps. But at least I got a meal out of this one :-).

Day 58: When my girls first started swimming for their private swim club, it was in this state-of-the-art, Olympic training center pool. They were always so nervous to come to practice. But, over time, with the help of their amazing Coach, they not only looked forward to it, but were always incredibly excited to swim with him. Now that he's gone, they seem to have gone back to a certain behavior that they started with - swimming very close to each other for safety and security. It broke my heart a little bit to see this. It also made me happy that they had each other for comfort. It's truly amazing to watch them slowly recover from these intense feelings of loss. I am so proud of them for picking themselves up and swimming again. Proud mama moment.

Day 59: I promised you low-fat meals during Lent, and another Friday is upon us! Enter, shrimp. Sautéed with olive oil, garlic, parsley, peppers, and onions, these little guys are absolutely delicious. After throwing in some sea salt, pepper, and red paprika, I combined the shrimp with brown rice and spinach and had me a delicious shrimp bowl. Then I froze several portions for during the week and next Friday for me, hubby, and the kids. Do it. You'll thank me. Of course I share.

Day 60: When my first daughter was born (actually when I was pregnant with her) my Mom and I had so much fun spoiling her. That did not change when the others came to town. Over the years, we slowly developed special little traditions that started with our first but trickled down to the others. An example of that is when the girls got to 2nd grade and it was time for their First Communion. My Mom would take the special girl and me to dinner and we would try on dresses, pick one out with the matching veil, and spend quality time together. The years passed quickly. We went from having our first date with my oldest, then the twins had their turn. Finally, the time has come for the youngest to have her moment. We had a lovely night. But it was bittersweet. We both cried. She tried on many dresses. She twirled around, and giggled, and hugged and kissed us and said hundreds of thank yous. These are moments I will always remember. I'm grateful for the relationship my Mom has with my girls, and the time we've had together as the girls have grown up. These are priceless moments.

Day 61: Happy Sunday! I love having a dog. The end.

Day 62: I sent her upstairs to wait for me while I finished up some things downstairs. I love her just washed hair, her mismatched pajamas. The way she always has a ponytail holder on her wrist in case one of sisters needs one. Her chipping toenail polish. Her sweet little face as she dove into a book while she waited quietly for me to come. There is so much about this moment that I never want to forget. I want to smell her shampoo and snuggle into her soft pajama pants. I want her to look at me with her sweet face while I read her a story. I want to hear "Good night Mama, I love you" every single second for the rest of my days. There is so much I will never forget...

Day 63: Where's Coco?