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Showing posts from February, 2011

Sock Seams

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There is something demeaning and demoralizing about finding yourself kneeling in front of a little 2 year old, trying over and over to adjust their sock seams correctly while they cry and kick and shout that the seam hurts their toes. Every child raising book I have ever read streams through my thoughts: "Be patient." "Don't raise your voice." "Let her know that her feelings matter." And then, in the end, I am yelling, "WE HAVE TO GO! PUT YOUR SOCKS ON NOW!" So much for my Mother Teresa persona..... : )

More Information Please

Elle's mother's day out had a western father/daughter dinner at the school. Jason and Elle dressed up in their cowboy boots and went. Apparently, I could have provided more information to Jason than just where to find the fellowship hall. After they started eating, a class of kids got up and went to the front to sing some songs. Jason thought they looked Elle's age, so he (not knowing what her teacher looked like) asked her if she was supposed to be up there singing. At first she said no, then she said it WAS her class and her teacher and she wanted to go up and sing. What to do? He decided to tell her to go up there and sing. Luckily, she was too shy to go because it was NOT her class. Ha!

You get what you get

You know the saying: You get what you get and you don't throw a fit? Does that have to apply to, say, your husband's idea of cleaning up after dinner? Or your kids' idea of cleaning their rooms?

You tooted!

I was helping the girls slide in the back yard when some Cox guys showed up to fix and bury our cable line. Elise's foot made a squeaking sound as she went down and Elle started shouting, "You tooted Mama! You tooted!" I loudly explained that I had not tooted and it was Elise's foot that made the sound, but she wouldn't let it go. She kept shouting and shouting it and I kept loudly explaining until I finally ignored her. Then she said, "What was it then? A frog?"

Time Warp

I am having one of those days where it's hard to accept how much time has passed. Do you ever feel like time has taken a huge leap? Wasn't it just recently that I was the one pretending to be a mermaid in the bathtub, rolling down a hill, or spending all day learning to hula hoop? Where did this wrinkle come from? The one that has firmly planted itself between my eyes and reminds me of my old aunts who looked mad all the time because of a similar wrinkle. The same wrinkle that has made me resolve not to squint or frown for the rest of my days until death (or botox) do we part. How is it that the boy who first attracted me with his unending energy and silliness now has quite a bit of "salt" in his hair? And do I really have three small girls and loads of responsibility, not to mention laundry to take care of? Is there a way to hold hands with my carefree mermaid self and not let her be lost?

The craftiness continues!!!

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Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up at Emma's school and I've been scouring the internet for home made gift ideas. I really wanted these gifts to come from Emma. And although it was hard (ok, VERY, VERY hard) for me to let go of my persistent perfectionism, I let her do them herself and I think Emma did a great job! We took hand sanitizer from the Dollar Store, peeled the labels off, and Emma put stickers all over and tied a cute ribbon at the top. Then, we bought a $1 wooden frame at Michaels and Emma used her fingerprints to decorate it. I printed off a note that says, "Thank you Ms. Blythe for your fingerprints on my life."

Cutest Onesie Cupcakes

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I found a tutorial on making onesie/blanket cupcakes for gift giving. So adorable. Here are the pics of how mine turned out. And here is the link for how to make them: www.littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com

God doesn't like bald people

Tonight, as I put Emma to bed, I was talking about how much God cares for us. I mentioned that He always knows how many hairs are on our heads. I said, "Emma, even if a hair or two falls out, He notices because He is always watching over us." And Emma said, "And if you're bald, then God doesn't keep track of you at all."

Strange Kid

Remember that movie Parenthood (the one with Michael Keaton in it)? And the little kid who ran around with a bucket on his head, banging his head and the bucket into the wall repeatedly? Well, I have one of those kids! I won't tell you which one it is and I love her to pieces, but she eats the strangest things, rams her head into me when she is embarrassed, and gives me plenty of movie moments when we have guests. When I'm talking to someone, she'll do something like run into the room, pull my shirt out and ram her head under it. Then, I'm forced to make an awkward, sheepish comment like, "She's just a little shy." while my guests eyes bug out. Ha ha!

Happy Valentine's Day

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If you were the ocean, then I'd be the sand. If you were a song, then I'd be the band. Ohhhh. Did you know we belong together? Ohhhh. Did you know my heart is yours? Happy Valentine's Day Jason. My other half. The love of my life. And Happy Valentine's Day to you all. I hope it is a good one!

How do you know?

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As a mom of three, I've often wondered, "How do you know when you're being a wienie?" It's so hard to tell if, say, feeling like you're going shave all your hair off and go nuts is justified or if other moms would be handling it so much better than that. Like when I was in labor with Elise and I knew it REALLY hurt, but didn't have any way to know if I was being a baby or not. When I got to the hospital and was already dilated to an 8, I knew I hadn't exaggerated my pain. But, day to day things are harder to gauge. Wouldn't it be great, when steam is about to blow out of your ears, if you could to go to a professional and have them tell you if your situation is an "8" or a "2". Then, you could adjust your attitude accordingly, take a deep breath, stop yelling at the kids, and tell yourself, "This too shall pass.". Can you see anyone on the top shelf? Yes, that is my 2 year old.

Shoes CAN make you feel better

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Elise has had a nasty cold, but as a girl, she's learning that it's nothing a new pair of pink snow boots can't fix.

My Valentine's Day Gift

Today, Emma told me she knew what Jason had gotten me for Valentine's Day. I told her not to tell me and she said, "I'm not going to tell you what it is, but you better not buy yourself any gloves!" Ha ha ha! Gloves. How romantic. (Chuckle)

Valentines

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Emma and Elle had to choose their Valentines for the class parties. Emma is my girly girl and Elle is more of a tomboy. Can you tell which ones were chosen by Emma and which ones are Elle's? Ha ha.

We may be breeding politicians

I walked into the dining room and saw my Dyson vacuum knocked over. I asked who had knocked it over and Emma said, "Well, Elle didn't knock it over. She was just holding it when it leaned against the wall." Good answer.

It's Make Your Own Fun Day

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This picture was Christmas Day. It's a good example of how my kids make their own fun! We are now on snow day #8 and my kids have apparently christened today "Make Your Own Fun Day". So far, I've found black ink marks on my white bedspread. (I know, I know. Ask my husband why we have a white bedspread with three kids). And I caught Elle using my open dishwasher door for a trampoline. Emma was dragging Elise around the house on her blankie and Elle went in my bathroom and applied some of my deodorant while Elise ate some Tom's of Maine toothpaste. I couldn't tell you what I was doing when all of these things were going on. I am a zombie now. Literally a shell of my former self. Somebody rescue us. : )

Cranky Life Lessons

Elle came in to the kitchen this morning to warn me about Elise. She said, "Mom, Elise is cranky. Elise is supa dupa cranky." Yea. We're all supa dupa cranky around here. Too many snow days in a row. I'm always looking for opportunities to teach the girls life lessons. I said, "Girls, see all this snow? Notice how many days we've all been able to stay home together? This is what they call too much of a good thing." : )

JJ Heller

Am I the last one to find out about JJ Heller's music? I found it on another blog and I am loving her songs! When I'm With You is my favorite so far. I added her YouTube link on my blog above my picture. And since I don't have a clue what I'm doing, I couldn't get it to narrow down to one. So, click on the picture of the flower since it's the best sounding version. Enjoy!

Save the Tatas!

So, ladies, you know how your tatas look after you have finished breastfeeding? (And as a side note, I don't usually call them tatas, but typing boobs when I'm talking about myself, was just too much for me.)Well, just yesterday, I realized my caboose has had the same sad result. And I have done this to my body three times! Imagine an old balloon that has been inflated, deflated, inflated, deflated, inflated, deflated. Not good. Not good at all....

Muffins

Should I be slightly offended that Elise will enthusiastically eat play-doh, but completely rejects my muffins?

Thankful for Kids

With all this snow, I've had some time for introspection. When you have kids, you get to have your new, expensive toothbrush opened and chewed on before you ever use it, you get to have your woodwork colored on with a rainbow of crayons, and you get to be awakened every single day way before your body is ready to get up. But, you also get to be a kid yourself and experience once again the excitement of Christmas and Easter, the tooth fairy and birthdays. You get to have little, warm bodies ready to cuddle any time of the day. And when you come home, even after being gone only 30 minutes, you have little faces waiting at the windows and shouting and dancing with joy that Mom is home! Even when a whole canister of oatmeal is spilled on the pantry floor or another dent is made in a wall, it's small potatoes compared to real issues. Today, I want to pause from the daily frustrations and say that I am soooo thankful for my kids. Now, don't ask me tomorrow. : )