knocked off my pedestal

While I've been without the internet, I have had many enlightening conversationswith my children.

Day one of riding in the new hand-me-down carseat:

son: Mom, why is my car seat all fuzzy?

I don't know. What do you mean?

son: Fuzzy. It is all fuzzy.

Like a blanket or a stuffed animal?

son: No. You know, fuzzy, like the hairs that are always in my food.

(gag)

Mental note to self: invest in school cafeteria quality hair nets.

Hope you all feel better about yourselves now.
Your welcome.

m.i.a.

We finally closed on our house yesterday. *phew*
This means I am officially in the process of moving.

..........which means that I officially have a good reason to have a messy house.

Life is good.

I love when things are official.

oh-yeah- Did I mention that my husband is officially on crutches for 3 more weeks and has been for the past 2?


How have you been?

breaking up

A year ago, in the midst of 9th month heartburn, I spent late nights scouring the Internet, surfing the time away while my baby worked on her cardio kicks inside my womb. Night after sleep deprived night (my theory: nature's way of preparing a mother for the sleep loss that comes along with a newborn), in these late hours, I discovered blogs.
We hadn't had the Internet in our home for a few years in order to save the budget. People actually put their lives out there for the whole world to see?
Day after day, home with my children, I was in need of adult camaraderie and it was only a few clicks away in this new cyber world.
Then, the baby came and feedings ensued. Oh, the feedings! With a glowing screen beside me, I nursed the nights away with my daughter tucked in the crook of my arm.
At first, it was a big extended home town reunion on my computer screen. So and so had so many kids, lived in a big house, still was in school, started a business, traveled the world, took the cutest pictures of their kids in their beautiful and spotless homes.
Soon though, I noticed myself comparing my dirty kitchen to the beautiful, spotless countertops in backgrounds of pictures. The family blog I started could only have the 1 out of 1000 pictures that I felt worthy to be posted for the world.
How was it that I felt fully confident to go to the grocery store sans make-up, with ponytail and sometimes even lounge pants? Yet, this image I was starting to portray online was very different. In a late night light bulb moment, I decided to start this blog. Maybe if I found a way to work on a few little things about myself; I could be more content with who I was, what I already had, and who I could become. I didn't really need to look good for other people. I needed to feel good for me. Maybe other women out there felt the same way. And wow! You did!
Something so simple as spending a few minutes each day actually fixing my hair rather than slicking it back with the closest baby head band did wonders for my daily outlook. I have spent the past year concentrating on little personal "fix-ups" with the weekly challenges.
As small and simple as they have been, I feel so much better about myself. A risque streak in the night gave us the giggles. We all found it difficult to recognize the good about ourselves, but we did. It was a good reminder. Good to know that after all of the wiping, cleaning, picking up, commanding, asking, begging, cooking, driving, rocking, reading, etc.; there is still a little room for recognition of myself, and the good that I possess. The good that you possess.
We will be moving in a few weeks to a new home. With this new home will come a new budget, which will be held tight for the next few months as we ensure that all bills are paid and more than Ramen is digested. (I am a strong believer in Ramen. Except for the shrimp flavor. Seriously, who eats that?)
Examining our finances, we decided to, (at least temporarily), cut the unnecessary. I gave contemplation to the idea of pulling my son from pre-school, but in the end gave-in to the fact that it might rank slightly higher in importance than my daily blogging fix. I'll still be posting here and there, (especially in the next few weeks), but challenges will be fewer and farther between.
I've never really introduced myself on here or shown pictures of much besides my fat rolls......so that will be coming too. If you have future challenge suggestions, or would like to "guest post" one, please share.
I've never experienced much of a long-distance relationship, but we'll see how it goes. Let's stay friends though, ok? Friends. Good friends. (name that show)

a series of unfortunate events

Whilst walking in to a local business establishment:

:01 Gingerly lift the sleeping baby in car seat from car.
Whack car seat against side of car. Baby bonks head.

:03 Crying begins.

:05 Mother distracted by baby, other two children goof around, causing middle child to slip, fall, child bonks head.

:06 Crying x2

:07 While balancing baby in car seat with one arm, mother reaches to help up middle child. Baby's shoe drops.

:09 Oldest child, the helpful child, reaches down to get shoe. Comes up to hit head on bottom of car seat.

:11 Crying escalates x3

Mother laughs. What else can you do at this point?

Finally, get from parking lot to building. Minutes later. Middle child needs to go to the bathroom. Locks self in the stall. Needs help. Mother can't give it. You know what comes next. Yes, yes the child did. Of course she did.

We had granola bars for dinner on the drive home.

The big announcement I promised? On a day filled with multiple head wounds and sanitizing public bathrooms, I'll do my deep thinking/posting a little later on.

winter's warmth

Thankful Monday.
Last week, winter cried truce and temporarily faded away.  In the midst of muck in my front flower bed, the bulbs have claimed back their yearly presence.   I couldn't have been happier.  New, green plants!  In January.  In Idaho!  

We, (being me and my children by default), were so excited that we ignored all rules of winter, donned our work wear and spend an afternoon outdoors.  I, cleaning out weeds and plants that should have been pulled last fall and the kids, turning on hoses (in January.  in Idaho!), and digging in the mud. 

It was as if we transported to June for a few hours.  Absolutely as good as going someplace tropical for a winter reprieve, but without the busy airports, language barriers, strange bugs and sunburns.  

Today, Thankful Monday, I am grateful for my little glimpse of warmer days to come.  Who needs a groundhog to predict winter's demise when you have tulips to do the job?

Speaking of demise, the next up-coming post is going to have a big announcement.  Stay tuned.

What are you thankful for today?

challenge........freebie

I could spend the next hour thinking up and dreaming up a witty challenge for the week.

OR

I could cut-out paper dolls with my 3-year-old.

I could search the WWW for the perfect picture to go with this post.

OR

I could snuggle with the kids.

I spend day after day trying to amuse the kids long enough to turn to what I want to do.  (Blogging, phone calls, house work, etc.)  Lately it has been different, changing.

I am quite sure that in 20 years I want to be sure that I savored the time I had while my children were young.  

Challenge......... freebie

A little less time blogging, a little more meaningful time.

Kids these days.

Even though it pains me when I realize how much, how fast, how inexplicably they grow up, there are a few things that make watching this boy shy away from his mamma's affections a very laughable experience.  "Dude," prefaces every sentence that comes from his mouth.  And the one raised eye brow?  Heaven help me.  Break dance?  He can spin on the top of his head like only a ninja turtle could compare.

And this little punk?  Beware.  If she even so much as lays down one card in a crushing game of Crazy 8's, you will know full and well in a voice that only another 3-year-old can give justice to, "I destroooooyyyyyyeeeddd you!"  (Insert evil laugh here.)

Today's Thankful Monday, I am loving all things dude, peace-out, wasup and  rock-on.

Dude, what word is used to extreme measures at your house?  What are you thankful for today?

Peace out.

Pictures taken by the talented Cortney Boice.

challenge......... healthy, wealthy & wise

How do they do it?  What sixth sense do little babies have to know exactly, the moment to open their lovely little eyes, and cry out in the night to be rescued them from their comfortable cribs?

No matter if I go to bed at 10 p.m. or 2 a.m., precisely 2 minutes after my head hits the pillow, my too-cute-to-really-be-annoyed baby wakes up.  Every single night.  Exactly 2 minutes.  No exaggeration.   When she was first born, each morning, my husband would set the older two children up with juice boxes, dry cereal and PBS cartoons before leaving for work.  This allowed the babe and I to linger longer underneath cozy covers and made for perfect morning after morning.  Daddy dearest never could have imagined that such a kind gesture would turn into nearly a year of  late mornings.  No longer a newborn, not even close! she just took her first steps!  she still wakes up often and all night long.  I just don't have the heart or is it backbone? to make her cry it out to get back to sleep.  It is an inevitable cycle of a babe sleeping in the crook of my numbed arm, way more dry cereal than 2 small children should consume on a daily basis and memorized scripts of Curious George and Clifford the Big Red Dog.

challenge.......... healthy, wealthy & wise

Early to bed, early to rise.  

For the week, go to bed and wake back up just a little earlier than usual, even just ten minutes.

I have actually been working on this for a while.  I am getting the early to bed part down quite well, but the early to rise?  That is another story; a long dreamy, cozy, comfortable story.  In yesterday's daily sister phone call, I told her I was going to start serving my family an actual breakfast before my husband leaves for work.  

As in, actually kiss him good bye in the upright position.  As in, up by my own accord, not by the pleading plight of a 3-year-old.  As in, turn a light on in my house because it will be so dark still that I need it.  As in, toast and eggs, not just eggs.   Ooohhh, lah, lah.  I am fancy.  You know you have your work  cut out for you if even your one and only sister doubts.  And if there is one thing that my childhood sibling rivalry taught me, it was that at all costs, prove your older sister wrong.  Good luck to me and good luck to you.

Anyone in?

When do you typically retire and rise each day?

mix & match

Thankful Monday.

Even though he is *only* 5 and I am a *wise* 28, my boy leaves me speechless on a constant basis.  Not speechless in amazement, mind you, but speechless because I.  Have.  No.  Clue.

Ligers.  Didn't you know that they are the coolest animal ever?  The toughest?  They could definitely take down a bear, lion and big foot....... all at once.  Just ask him.

Want to know how they came to be?  Just ask me.  Apparently.  

Mom, how do you get a Liger?

A mom lion and a dad tiger.  OR a dad lion and a mom tiger.

I know that, mom.   How do you make one?

Speechless.  Longer than necessary pause.

Um, uh, well, the scientists do it.  They know how.

Well, do they just take the mom and the dad and mix them together or something?

Or something.  Let's definitely go with the "or something."  I'm not sure.  We'll have to ask an animal scientist someday.  

But how, Mom?  How do they mix them together?

I don't know.  

Thinking hard, inquisitive look on his face.  But, how?  How do they mix part of the mom with part of the dad?

Um.  uh.  Oh shoot honey, I need to call daddy really quick about um, uh....what he wants for dinner.  We'll have to figure it out later.  Please forget.  Please forget.  Please forget.  Every conversation from the past of how my son has my eyes, but his dad's nose was suddenly racing through my subconscious.  You know what is coming, right?  You know his little brain will quickly go from mixing a liger's parents together to his own body being a little mixed together as well........AAAAACCCCCKKKKKKK!!!!!  

I didn't sign up for this.  I didn't.  

Oh, but I did.  Three times.  

For now, for today's Thankful Monday, I am just glad that I can delay the conversation, give roundabout answers and be very, very thankful that they are still quite little.  The birds & the bees can fly to someone else's house for a few more years.

What are you thankful for today?  

sticky situations

Yes.

Yes, it really is.

Tape can be useful in many home situations. I've used it to "sew" a few seams, pack totes beyond their capacity, patch many a hole and to keep curtains in place. Desperate times, desperate measures.

This one, this one, this one!

She knows exactly what she is doing.

It started the second time she ever sat in the high chair.

See that skinny little chicken leg? It used to be chubby & deliciously plump. Then the fat melting climbing and crawling began.

Just for the record, the tape didn't work. Does anyone know where I can buy baby-sized handcuffs? Straight jackets?

Seriously. Not kidding.

Anyone?

Anyone?