Dear Myself: I Promise to Always Light My Own Firework.

In my not-so-distant past, 4th of July meant BEACH, BIKINIS, BOOZE. (And one of my friends claiming that she went temporarily BLIND because she was out in the sun too long. Don’t judge.) F-U-N. Even last year when I was 6 months preggers, Hubby and I had a bash on our apartment balcony and I had a blast cooking, baking and mixing the buffet of grub and cocktails for a few of our friends. Yesterday I woke up a changed woman… a pooped-out mom of an exhausting 9-month old that wanted to stay in bed all day, thinking “Oh crap… I’m not not going to be tired ever again.” UNTIL I talked to my sister and she snapped me back to “Fun-Jill.”

“I’m making white-chocolate dipped strawberries with blue sprinkles on top to take to a party later!” she exclaimed. It was official. She was still fun. I was not. Time to get fun again fast. If not for me, for LadyP… nobody wants a boring mommy on the 4th of July. Drink an extra cup of coffee and GO. NOW. So we did.

Does anyone know where the hot dogs are?

1st Stop: Grocery store. With a red flower in our hair to celebrate the patriotic occasion. And we bought a flag balloon to add spice. I imagine I looked like some crazy stage mom waltzing around the market at 10am with a baby dressed like she was going to a photoshoot… with the President. The ridiculousness gave me a giggle, and I felt my energy surge.

2nd Order of Business: Party Buffet. Just because you’re not having guests over doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t opt to do a makeshift Americana lunch buffet for you and Hubby. Food makes me happy… and when it’s displayed like a party it makes me even more giddy. We. Will. Be. Fun. Today.

3rd Semi-Insane Fun-Mommy Attempt: Swimming! The crazy-chick inside me decided that everybody put on their swimsuits in an effort to create a beach vibe inside the house. More motivation to blowup that kiddie pool so Miss LadyP can learn how to live it up too. Result of blowing up the entire damn thing? A little dizziness. Result of watching LadyP squeal and splash in said pool under our tree with glee? Priceless.

Last but not least: Ripping off Sister’s Festive Strawberry Idea. Equipped with Dolci Frutta and cheap blue sprinkles, the whole project took all of about 15 minutes. It was FUN. (And yummy.) Mission accomplished. Hubby had a Fab 4th. LadyP had a Fab 4th. I had a Fab 4th. Had I given into my first instincts of laying low and relaxing all day, the 4th would’ve come and gone and I would’ve fallen into that trap of letting my fireworks fizzle after having a baby. We may not have had a BEACH & BOOZE 4th this year, but dammit, we did do BIKINIS! Mommys must most always lead the charge when it comes to life’s sparkle… Here’s to reminding yourself to light your own firework (thanks Sis).