LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST

I have been thinking a lot lately about life. More specifically about how to live it to the fullest so that I don't look back some day and have regrets. So that I don't look back later in life and say I wish I would have done that. Or I can't believe I missed out on that. I want to look back on my life and be able to say I am happy, and feel a sense of fulfillment as to how it all went down.

After thinking about how I have been living my life since we have had our kids, over the past 7 years, and even just the summer thus far, I would have to say I am on my way to doing just that.

Some snipets of our life from this summer that I believe are getting me there:

On extra hot days we sit outside in our little pool, splash around, run through the sprinkler here and there and take rests in between by laying on our towels soaking up the hot summer sun. We most often make our way to the outdoor refrigerator and dig in to the extra large freezies - which are one of the most perfect summertime treats. And on Wednesdays we have the ultimate summer treat as the ice cream man makes his way through our neighborhood. The kids run like mad jumping up and down when they hear the music coming from his truck. I swear I don't know how they hear him from that far away as it always takes a few minutes for him to make his way in to our cul-de-sac. They must have some super human ice cream man music hearing abilities. Whatever the case, they can barely contain themselves and it is something I love to see.

We pack lunches then take walks to the park where we swing on the swings, and slide down the slides until we work up an appetite to eat that lunch we packed. We head back home with the kids racing ahead on their bikes or scooters and collapse on the couches in the cool air conditioning to watch some Sponge Bob or I Carly.

On rainy days we most often find ourselves cozied up on the couches for a movie marathon. Equipped with all of the essentials - a nice big bowl of popcorn, some chocolates and big glasses of juice. After movie time we sometimes pull out Sorry and play a round or two. Although that usually ends in someone crying and the game being put away as no one likes to be sent back to home while getting a big old "Soooooorrrryyyy!" yelled in their ear. Sometimes these rainy days turn in to crazy ones where the kids are bouncing off the walls, running in circles around the island in the kitchen, trashing the playroom and fighting here and there in between all the chaos. All part of rainy day fun!

We sometimes say the heck with dinner, load up in the car and make our way to Nelson's, [hands down the best ice cream place in Stillwater] and order us up some giant ice cream cones instead. We have pizza party night's where we fill our bellies with greasy yummy goodness and wash it all down with some sprite.

We have fun weekends away camping where we grill out, swim in the pools, fish by the ponds, play with friends, and stay up way too late snuggling up around the campfire roasting marshmallows.

We have fun days out on the boat where we pack up coolers full of stuff to grill, and yummy snacks and treats to eat. The kids play in the sand making sand castles and burying each others feet, they swim with Daddy and have races out the end of the boat and back over and over again. We play and play and play until everyone is exhausted and ready to go back home. Sometimes we even stay and sleep on the boat which the kids always think is such fun. After the kids are down for the night the adults usually gather on the beach for some cocktails around the campfire. Boating weekends - where some of our best memories have been made....

Above and beyond all of this fun we have with the kids, Daddy and I also are lucky enough to get time away without our little monkeys in tow. Time to spend together, alone, without the "Mommy, I need help!!" "Daddy, so and so hit me!!" "I'm thirsty, I have to go to the bathroom, my tummy hurts...." Time to sleep in until whenever and spend our days how ever we choose to. Time to actually talk to each other uninterrupted, to reconnect.

We don't follow some sort of strict regimen in the Shelton house. We just live day to day and I think that is best way to do it. Some days we eat chicken, corn, and salads for dinner. Other days we go the ice cream route. Some days we ride bikes and run around outside with neighbor friends burning off all kinds of pent up energy. Other days we stay inside laying on couches eating goldfish and drinking juice. Some days we practice reading, and work on our school activity books. Other days we do nothing but play video games and watch T.V.

We don't do too much of any one thing. We have a perfect balance of the good and the bad, the healthy and the unhealthy in our lives.

And I like it that way.

I believe that staying on this path as both the kids and the Mr. and I grow, is going to take all of us to that special place. The place where we can look back with happiness knowing we lived our lives to the fullest and had a whole heck of a lot of fun doing so.

"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways chocolate in one hand martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'Woo-hoo, what a ride!'"