For those of you with squishy babies and tea parties and soft back sides and tonka trucks and bubble baths daily, no worries, you too with have hairy legs and periods and slamming doors in your house. You will also have amazing conversations and first love and passionate causes and the fruits of your labor and long hours of “again! again!” and Yo Gabba Gabba : will be revealed. And much the same way that toddlers looked daunting and big and sloppy next to your perfectly precious newborns, but once you got there, they were a blast and cracked you up with the way the described the world, teenagers, your own teenagers, are just bigger versions of that comical toddler. However, no need to get ahead of myself or yourself. I have found a healthy dose of denial has served me well. My Babies have stayed so until the clock has struck midnight and they have turned into teenagers. 

     At the beach now, I am reminded of our first trip to the beach with the kids, just 2 of them at the time, 11 years ago. Phoebe had just turned 1 and Tate, just 3.

     We booked 2 weeks in the Outer Banks , a place neither of us had ever been to. ( we were evacuated by a hurricane on day 10) but it was the first time since our honeymoon, first time since having kids that we decided to do something, just us, and start what has turned out to be an annual tradition, going to the beach.  This was our first, “just us”, moment and let me tell you, while it is not always easy to do your own thing, these are important steps to take.

 we have come to the beach every year since that first trip…

and sometimes we go to different beaches…with rocks…

but we always go…for at least one week…

 just us…

     I think, as young parents, it is a difficult process sometimes to define “YOUR” new family, while respecting and incorporating your families of origin, you know, not throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Families come in so many different configurations and sizes and levels of dysfunction and disjointedness, it can be one of the first real challenges in your merging or marriage…choosing sides for basketball. And then especially if your families are not local and you have to travel for Holidays and vacations and the aunts and uncles and especially the grandparents are not a built in, day to day, part of your children’s lives, it is so hard to know when to say no and when to go. Sometimes nobody wins and you have to just make the best out of it. And you know, it can be done, with love and patience and a little give and take. and… I have had many friends whose parents have moved to live nearby and I can see why. It is the best of both worlds. well, most of the time. But who said it was all a cakewalk.

   

    Where was I going anyway? oh yeah, teen rooms.

     I am decorating my daughter’s room over for her 13th birthday. Yes, I know, I did her room last year, but well, get over it, she and I LOVE decorating, I never spend a bunch of money, I have been picking up things here and there and on etsy and ebay and at junk stores and I have a pile like a Christmas stash in my closet. She is taking a BIG 4 day fiied trip the day after her birthday, so with the exception of the room painting, I am going to do the makeover while she is gone and we will have the “reveal” when she returns.

 Here is her room now:

I know, I know, this is plenty cute, but let me update you.

1. First, the painting I did which is above her bed, was sold in my last show; sorry in this house, the art is always for sale.
 2. The PBTeen, hot pink shaggy rug, I got so mad at one day and tossed, because it was a pain and got stuck in my vacuum cleaner and the cat made love to it everyday, well it is no longer.
3. The wall color is going to be taken one shade darker for a bigger statement. I have tried to steer her toward something more neutral, but this is going to be as good as it gets. She has done pink (3 times) and blue and aqua, does not like green and yellow would be too bright in her very sunshiny room.
 4. I found the most adorable Lilly Pulitzer bedding on sale at Garnet Hill at Christmas and we just had to have it!
5. The zebra chair is really from the Living room, I used it to style this room, when I treid to win the Benjamin Morre Inspired by You contest which I swear was rigged! …I should been a contenda!

so, this will be fun. I have lots to do, but that IS WHAT I do!  and so I will take you along for the ride….

then we will talk teen boys rooms…horse of a very different color…let me tell you….
speaking of horses…we are going to see the wild horses at sunset today! I will post Photos tomorrow!
see..tangents. Oh well.