Growing Is Hard

I'm not sure what to say about yesterday. It wasn't a good day. For those who know me know that being a mother is a difficult thing for me. This is due to the fact that I am a selfish being and I see it more clearly since becoming a mom. I see other faults, shortcomings and imperfections as well. Not fun stuff. I must remind myself that I am in a process of holiness and that I am not expected to be perfect right now.

Today is a little better. I am trying to depend more on the Lord and look to him for guidance and help. It's not easy, but that is all part of this holiness process. I am thankful that the Lord is full of mercy, grace and patience!

Dear Lord, please help me today as I want to be, and am trying to be, patient with my kids as well as to love them as I should. I need your guidance as I desire to be a good mother to them and to raise them to know and love you. Help me to live this life in such a way as to allow my children, and others, to see you in me. Thank you for your endless patience with me as I am growing toward the person you want me to be. Thank you also for your grace and mercy along the way. Amen.

My Poor Kids

My husband and I did not chose the names of our children based on a nickname we will use. However, our children do have many names we call them (all good things). I guess we are kind of weird, because some of the names our kids now have are, let's say, strange. I don't know how some of them came to be, they just happened. Here is a list of other names our children have been come to be called:

Mae
Mae-ba-jay
Missy Mae
Chicken
Chicken choo-ka
Chicken fry
Chicken fry-be
Chicken fry Monkey fry
Monkey
Crazy Mae
Sweety girl
Sweet-n-Sour


Caleb
Turkey
Punk
Punk-a-junk
Dude
Dudey Punk
Smack Jack
Little Man
Middle Man (my dad thought of this one!)
Bruiser
Ca-lah-ba-dub-dub
Sweety boy
Baby boy


Isabel
Goose
Goosey Goose
Izzy
Iddie
Izzy-a-ka-zizzy
Belly belle
Babeh-Lu
Iddy Widdy
Iddy-ka-pity
Chooga-choog
Boogie Boo
Booga-loo

See?! I told you we were weird! Our kids are sooo going to need therapy!

Feelin' Good

There's just something about a clean house that makes me feel good. I look around my house today and I just feel better! I did some rush cleaning yesterday before the sitter came over and boy did I get a lot accomplished! Whew! I cleaned the kids icky bathroom, my own icky bathroom, made our bed, put clothes away, did 1.5 loads of laundry (sometimes just getting that nasty little task started helps get things rolling!), and tidied up the kitchen and dining room. Plus, Mae and Caleb did a great job of picking up their toys around the house and cleaning their rooms! Granted my house is not spotless, my goal is to have that nice lived-in look. I don't want people to feel bad that their house isn't as clean as mine, so I don't make my own home look immaculate (yes, I do it for the sake of others......believe me??) Now, if we can only get rid of the few remaining boxes in our bedroom, then I'll be all caught up! But, I'm a realist, I know that's not going to happen until we move out. Ha!

I'm Trying!

The other week as I was surfing the net I came across Meetup.com and found a large selection of mom groups in my area. I picked a few that meet close to me and joined them. I get emails just about everyday with different events that are being scheduled and I can choose to go or not. There's no pressure, no phone calls, just simple e-vites basically. So, today I went to my first one. I was pretty nervous and prayed about it as I got ready to go. We met at a park at a small lake and it was all very informal. Since Mae was in school and the start time for this event was 9:30 I only had about one hour until I had to leave to pick her up. It would have been nice if I could have stayed longer since I did not get the chance to really talk with anyone. I stayed with Isabel most of the time to make sure she was not going to fall off the play structure, tumble down the stairs, or just plain ol' walk away.

This group will meet at another park next week and I plan to attend. Then there is another group that is doing a Valentine card making event at someones house in two weeks. I am thinking about going to that one too. My concern is that I have not been to this persons house and I am not sure what it going to be like with my kids there. Granted, this is a moms group so it should be ok to have kids roaming around. I have emailed the planner for this event and asked my questions. It would be fun to get together with other card-crafty people!

This whole meeting-new-people thing is hard for me (as I've mentioned in previous posts). I am praying about it though. I know that I need to step out of my comfort zone and put myself out there, otherwise it could take me years to make new friends. I suppose this is yet another opportunity to depend on the Lord. He knows my needs, as well as who I am, and how it all fits together. As I am not looking forward to the pain of growth, I know that good things await on the other side. The Lord has great things planned for my life and it does include things such as uncomfortable situations, but I also know that He is right there with me even when I feel alone in a park full of moms! So, I'm trying, I'm putting myself out there for new friendships and growth and hopefully I am on my way to making some much needed friends.

Growing Pains

We have officially began Isabel on finger foods and are no longer feeding her baby food from the jars. I know, she's 18 months old and we should have done this quite a while ago. Third kid, what do you expect? It's been easier to just feed her ourselves instead of transitioning her sooner. But now we are done with all the little jars! Yeah, more cabinet space!

Anyway, finding food for Isabel to eat is more difficult that I remember. What did I feed my other kids at this point? And why will she eat one thing one day then won't eat it the next? I'm tellin' ya, this is hard! Isabel is normally a great eater (when it's food from the little jars) but now she is picky. I was not prepared for this. She would eat crackers and raisins all day if I let her, but she won't sit in her high chair and eat the food I give her. Does anyone have any suggestions??

So far I've given her green beans, peas, carrots, canned fruit, banannas, cheese, pieces of chicken and raisins. She loves the fruit and never refuses it, so I give it to her last in hopes that she'll eat all the veggies. I haven't tried beans yet, I'll pick some up tomorrow when I go to the store. Just when I think I've found something she will eat then the next time I serve it to her she refuses it! *sigh* I'm hoping that she will learn quickly that we are not going back to the jars and understand that this is it, either eat the food given or go a little hungry!

Ouch!

Earlier this week I listed ten things on Ebay and my auctions closed today. Out of the ten listings I sold 5. And the total amount I received was $6.77. I was thinking/hoping I'd make at least about $25 on one of the listings, but that one ended at $1.55. Ouch! I am so bummed.

The good thing is that I have cleared out of some baby clothes and that should mean that I have one less box of storage in the garage. I think I will go through the stuff leftover and weed out some things and then relist. Then I will tackle another box of baby clothes. Anyone interested in some boy clothes??? (sizes 24 months and up) Oh! I have two great snow suit type outfits!! Anyone want to buy them??? (they are in great shape, one has never been worn...6-9 months!!) Baby girl clothes will be starting at 3-6 months.

Ok, enough of my marketing to my blogger friends. *sigh* I'm still bummed. My attempt to make money has a purpose. I am planning to visit some friends in Michigan over the Memorial Day weekend and I need to raise some extra moolah so I can purchase my tickets soon! I have some work to do if my auctions continue to go as they have.

Well, gotta get busy! Wish me good fortune in the realm of Ebay!

Communication is a Glorious Thing

My manager often said 'communication is the key to success'. Boy was she right!

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I didn't go anywhere yesterday. I meant to, but couldn't. Caleb and Isabel had doctors appointments, but I had to cancel. I backed out of the garage and the truck felt funny. Emergency brake? Off. Flat tire? Yep, that'd be it. Pull truck back in. Call doctor and reschedule appointments. Then call the mister and let him know he has to pick up Mae from school. Later, Ryan put the spare tire on the truck and gave me instructions on driving with a spare.

Number one: DO NOT drive on the freeway.

Me: No problem, all schools and stores do not require the freeway in the routes I take.

Number two: It is not wise to drive over 35 miles per hour.

Me: Ah man! This means I need to give myself slow-poke driving time so I am not late picking up kids from school or miss Isabel's new doctor appointment.

Number three: Do not go anywhere unnecessary.

Me: Ah man! I wanted to go to Target!!!

I did follow all the rules. Yeah me. But do you know how difficult it is to drive under 35 mph? Fortunately there is only one spot that the speed limit was over 35. I was good about giving myself plenty of time to get to the 'necessary' places so I was able to remain calm with driving terribly slow as others, without restrictions, speedily passed.

Even without 'unnecessary' stops I still had many places to go today. First was Isabel's doctors appointment. Then pick Mae up from school. Get Caleb from his school. Then over to Costco to get a new tire (so I can drive fast!). Finally, back home for lunch and nap time. All the while not going faster than 35. What a busy and slow morning!

I later come to find out that Ryan and I have different styles of communication. This is not new to us, however it does effect the way I perceive what he is saying. He 'recommends' that it is not wise to drive faster than 35 mph, not that I 'couldn't'. See, I am a black and white kind of person. If Ryan says that I shouldn't drive faster than 35 then I take it to mean that I should not drive faster than 35. Ryan, on the other hand, communicates in what he calls 'ishes'. Meaning, I could drive 35-ish. That's so not fair.

Costco was able to fix the tire so we did not have to buy a new one. Whew, dodged that bullet (but not the nail that had caused this whole ordeal). Ryan has now installed the fixed tire and I am all set to go to Target tomorrow.......and drive faster than 35!

Happy Day

Mae's recipe for a happy day:

• Homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast
• An outing at the beach and out for lunch
• Cookies
• Popcorn
• A movie, The Love Bug

Take the last three ingredients and gather in the living room with the family. Start the movie. Cuddle on the floor with blankets and pillows. Eat the cookies and popcorn. Enjoy!

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Yesterday was a special day. I had told the kids last week that I would make cinnamon rolls for them on Monday since they would not have school that day. In addition, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Ryan had the day off too! So began the happy day.

I made the cinnamon rolls Sunday night so they would be all done and ready for the eatin' when the kids got up (and I didn't want to have to get up at o' dark thirty to make them). Mmmm, they were good!!! Once we were all dressed and ready for the day, we piled into the truck and made our way to a nearby beach town. We were not there very long but we were able to do a little walking around, look at the beach, run around, and have a little lunch.

Later, after dinner, we popped the popcorn, set out the cookies (but still out of reach of Issy's little hands, she was into the popcorn anyway) and piled onto the floor with our blankets and pillows and turned down the lights to watch The Love Bug. Mae and Caleb were into the movie more than I thought they'd be. Actually, Caleb seemed to be following along pretty good. He just lied there, paying attention and not saying much at all, but with the occasional bouts of laughter (all at the right moments too!). Mae liked the movie. She would ask questions about what was happening and was rooting for ol' Herbie to win the race! Isabel on the other hand was taking full advantage of having us all on the ground and was climbing all over us and giggled and laughed (when she wasn't hording the popcorn!). In the end I think we started a great family tradition of family movie night! I look forward to the next one, maybe next month.


Sunday night, when I was tucking Mae in for bed, I told her some of the things we were going to do the next day. She got all excited and said "tomorrow is going to be a happy day!" Mae was so 'des-cited' (her word for 'excited'). I am glad she was not disappointed.

Sleep Tight, Don't Let the.....

Ewe! Ewe! Ewe! I decided to change the sheets on our bed tonight, and it was a good thing I did because there were ants all in it!!! Ahhhhhh!!!!! I can't stop imagining what it would have been like had I not changed the sheets! I shudder at those thoughts. It turns out that a little bit of food was in the sheets and heralded the call to all household ants to come an' git it! That's the last time I let a cute little kiddo climb in bed and cuddle with me! Well, ok, maybe not, but they'd better shake off all remnants of breakfast first!

Frustration Abounds

I had such plans for today's post, but our computer had other ideas. I was in the middle of my morning routine (check email and a few favorite blogs) when the connection dropped. I was going to post a new recipe and tell how great it was blah blah blah, but I could not get reconnected! I tried logging back onto the internet. Didn't work. I tried restarting the computer. No go. I checked very often throughout the day to see if the little icon at the bottom of the screen showed that the connection was there. Nope. Arghhhhh!!!! Can you say 'FRUSTRATING'??? *deep sigh*

Now that Ryan, my trusty and ever handy computer technician, is home he was able to get it to connect after pulling out the wireless antennae and putting it back in. Why didn't I think of that? Well, because I'm a computer idiot. Oh well, I am happy to at least check my email and continue to surf my friends blogs! We just received our new computer yesterday so hopefully this weekend my live-in computer guru will get it operational and all the issues I've been having will go bye-bye. With that said, I hope to post my new recipe soon! So, dear friends, stay tuned......

**update....I thought I'd do one last check of my email (to see if anyone loves me!) before I go bed and I am able to get on, but here's the annoying part....the little icon at the bottom of the screen that has told me all day that the internet connection is down, is STILL THERE!!! That most likely means that I WAS able to get on and do all my surfing and I was too dumb to check it myself! *deep aggravated annoyed sigh/grumble*

Peanut Butter Blunder

She did it again! Isabel got into some peanut butter. I think Mae dropped some on the floor today when making her sandwich (really, how does this happen?). I didn't notice it right away and Isabel decided to do some finger lickin'! It took about ten minutes before her allergic reaction started. Good thing I followed doctors advice and had some Benedryl on hand for just such an occassion! I had hoped that maybe I was wrong last time, and that Isabel wasn't really allergic to peanut butter. I was wrong. Poor baby girl, her eyes were itchy and she kept rubbing them as her face got red with little bumps. At least she got a bath out of the whole ordeal (she had been playing in the tub this morning with no water and her clothes on. I think this was her way of finally getting one!) She's doing fine now. I'm so glad I pick up that bottle of Benedryl, and glad that I didn't have to take her to the ER! Praise the Lord!!!

Additions and Subtractions

We've had a couple changes in our house the past two days. The first is that Caleb is now the proud owner of a fish. For Christmas his Auntie Erin and Uncle James gave him a fish tank, rocks and a cool car statue along with a gift certificate to pick out a fishy when we got home.

First, I must admit to doing a very tedious task all because I love my boy. The bag of rocks was a mix of blue, green, purple and pink. I did not think that pink was an appropriate color for a boy (especially since the fish will reside in Caleb's room). My mother suggested that I could pick out the pink rocks, but, according to her, I rolled my eyes and said no (sorry about that Mom). Well, I did it anyway, and now that the job is done and the tank is set up, I think the rocks look much better with out the pink.

Without further ado, here is a pic of my son admiring his new fish, whom he has named Fisher Eater (no, I don't know why. he's four, go figure.)



Again it looks as though Erin has influenced some change in our house. This time it's Mae. She got her hair cut today. Earlier this week Mae told me that she wanted it cut and that she wanted it short like her Auntie Erin's. What a sweet sentiment! Mae loves her Auntie Erin. The main reason for this drastic change is 'hair brushing time'. This is a time of stress and pain. At the mere mention of such a activity envokes shrieks and hiding. Needless to say, I was all for this new change. I must mention however that what Mae had in mind was a whole lot shorter than I would have wanted. But it is her hair and if she wants it short than short it shall be.

I took 'before' and 'after' pics to mark the transformation. Again, shorter than I wanted but so darn cute! So here they are....


Before


After

Mae loves her new look, as do I. I think it is so cute and am very pleased at how it turned out. Mae keeps flipping her hair, saying how much she likes it, and telling me reasons why she got it cut. The only problem now is that she wants to maintain this new look. I hope to be able to hold off her next visit for a couple months at least. We'll see how that goes.

That's it for the changes. Hopefully this will be it for awhile. We'll see how that goes too.

Dinner update

Good news......the pot roast was a success! I just love new recipes that are easy (and can't get much easier than a crock pot!). The roast was tasty along with the baby carrots, and the cooked apples were a hit as well as the scrumptious bread sticks. Yum, yum, yum! Ryan and Caleb both told me how good the meal was, and I'm always appreciative of a good meal critique. Of course the best praise is when permission is given to make the meal again. Yes! Sweet success!

*Thanks for all the 'left-overs' advice. I'll keep that in mind for the next time I make a roast. Maybe I'll have to plan for burritos for the following meal.

Tonights Menu

I got a new book last week using a gift card for Barnes & Noble that I got for Christmas. The book is called Dying to Decorate by Cyndy Salzmann. Apparently this is her first published work of fiction. So far a like it. It's a funny mystery about a group of ladies that rehab an old house together and stumble upon an old family secret along the way. Aside from the authors' witty humor I am enjoying another unexpected find, she has recipes at the start of each chapter! The recipes are then mentioned in the following chapter. Isn't that odd? Neat, but odd. I must admit though that it is fun to find new recipes every 5-8 pages. The recipes range from cookies to drinks, and main dishes to breakfast. I am trying one of them tonight for dinner. It is called melt-in-your-mouth pot roast. Along with the roast I think I will make a batch of Wendy's breadsticks and maybe some sliced apples too. Are you interested in the pot roast recipe? Here it is:

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Pot Roast

3 lb. beef roast (any kind, except brisket)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 (16 oz.) package of baby carrots

Instructions

1. Put roast in Crock-Pot.
2. Top with onion soup and mushroom soup. Add carrots.
3. Cook covered on low 8-10 hours, or high 5-6 hours.

I've never done a roast before. I know it's a simple thing but I've never actually had a recipe before either, and I kinda want something written down first before I try it. So, this sounded super easy plus it uses the crock-pot! Can't beat that! I did buy a 3 pound roast but I cut it in half, there is no way my family can eat all that meat for one meal (and I don't think a roast is a good left over dish). So, now I have the other half in the freezer for another meal (if this one turns out well).

I have flipped through the book to scan the other recipes but I haven't looked too closely, I still want to be surprised when I get to a new chapter. I know, I'm silly. At least I haven't read the ending of the book and ruin the conclusion for myself!

Back to Reality

Do you remember the song by En Vouge, 'Back to Life, Back to Reality'? Well, that is the theme for me today. After spending a little over a week with family last week, it is now time to enter back into 'normal life'. There are good things and not so good things about this.

Good thing: Mae and Caleb go back to school

Not so good thing: kids fussing about school

Good thing: time alone with just Issy and time to get errands done

Not so good thing: I have to cook meals again

Good thing: I get to use the new knife set my hubby got me for Christmas

Not so good thing: the kids don't have grandparents to distract them

Good thing: kids have new toys

Not so good thing: kids have more toys

Good thing: I sleep in my own bed and I don't have to share a room with Issy (Sheesh, she can be noisy at night!)

Overall we had a great time away, but it is always good to be back home. By the time tomorrow rolls around we'll be back in our groove of everyday life and our little break will join the other memories we'll think of so fondly. I still have the ever-present list of things to do (like thinking about goals for this new year) but for now I relish my own mattress and space we call home.

Happy New Year!

December's Movie Log

Here's the monthly list of movies we saw in December, thanks to our Blockbuster On-line account! However, due to Ryan's deadlines at work we were not able to watch as many movies last month. Hopefully things will slow down for him as this new year begins? We'll see. Anyway, here's what we saw:

1. Ocean's Eleven (this was the 1960 version with 'the rat pack". it was slow and kind of boring. not as good as the newer version with Clooney, Pitt, and Damon)
2. Elf (funny and entertaining in a silly way. I liked it, Ryan...not so much)
3. Enfant (French film, with subtitles of course. What a let down. Boring. At the end it left us thinking 'what? is that it?')
4. Picture Bride (another foreign film, Japanese with subtitles. Film was pretty good, it won a couple awards too!)
5. Maria Full of Grace (foreign film from Columbia about a young woman who gives a try at smuggling drugs into the US. It was a pretty good film.....crazy that people actually do that kind of thing)
   
6. RV (was OK. entertaining but not fabulous)
   
7. Hot Rock (1970's Robert Redford flick about a heist, pretty good)
   
8. Firewall (Harrison Ford doing his usual thing....getting into a tight spot but prevailing over the bad guys)
   

My favorite movie was Picture Bride. It wasn't really based on factual events but the premise was, which was that Japanese men living in Hawaii got mail order brides from Japanese families in Japan. It was more than a sweet love story though. It also dealt with how the Japanese farm workers lived and survived.

We currently have 17 movies on our waiting list. Do you have any suggestions for us to add to our list??