More than Me

Last week I finally broke down and bought the new vacuum cleaner that I have needed for over a year.  Since moving into out house I have been vacuuming with a Eureka Powermite.  It was $20 at WalMart and was perfect at the time.  It has served us adequately well, but anyone else who has attempted to vacuum my house over the last year has been extremely frustrated.  {Thank you for trying Aunt Kydie and Mom.}

Unbeknownst to me the mechanism to hold the bag in place broke the last time I changed the bag.  OOPS!  Can you say big mess and serious frustration.  No wonder my floors weren't getting clean.  No more putting it off.  I headed to Sears to pick out a Kenmore canister vacuum cleaner.  When in doubt go with what you know!  Turns out it is one of Consumer Reports top picks.

I love it but I think Walker and my floors/rugs like it more than I do.

Now if it would just propel itself around my house and up the stairs so I could peruse some fun blogs and catch up on friends' lives.  Just kidding!

Sane Mama Tips

If you have four children you can relate to this scenario ~

Whenever I take all of my children anywhere {WalMart, the library, the Dollar Store, the zoo, the post office, the grocery store, gymnastics, Sams, the park, Target, the McWane Center}, I inevitably receive the same questions/comments.  The usual suspects are: Are those all your children? Wow, you've got your hands full. What are the ages? You must be patient.  Do they go to school?  I bet it is fun at your house.  Don't you have help?  You seem so calm.  

Well as with everything else, they are only seeing part of the picture.  Our life is wonderful, but it can be crazy a lot of the time.  Getting out the door can be a challenge, and what is left behind that closed door is often a disaster zone.

Along the way I've discovered some things that help.  I try to do each of these things but some things are harder than others.  I particularly struggle with the last two.  Your list of sane mama tips will be different.  I probably do a whole lot of other things to keep my sanity but these were the ones that seem most helpful to me at the time I was thinking about this.       

1. Menu plan ~

2. Teach your children that we are a team ~

3. If they are playing nicely, do not interfere ~

4. Make your coffee the night before ~

5. Let them help you ~

6. Sitting on the counter makes everything more fun ~

7. Keep a list ~

8. Wake up before everyone else ~

9. Learn to ask for help ~

10. Learn to let it go ~

But above all else

~ Pray ~

details to come

 

Again

Many years ago I recall reading an article in a parenting magazine.  The article was about a birthday for a two year old.  In the article, the mother was describing how when her little girl liked something she would say "again."  I think after blowing out the candles on the birthday cake the little girl said, "again" but the point of the article was that the mom wanted to do it all over again.  I can relate!

Well, sweet Betsy that exactly how I feel with you.  We are so thankful for you and your presence in our lives.  You have two big brothers and one big sister who love you dearly and would do most anything for you.  Mary Frances is excited you are starting to enjoy baby dolls.  Stephen can't stand to see you cry and will try all kinds of stunts to stop your tears.  Walker loves having you to pal around with while the big two are at school.  You enjoy playing with the duplos and train with him.  Your new favorite thing to do is have a tea party.  I am thrilled that you love books and love to read with your siblings and me.  Your favorite time of the day is when daddy arrives home from work. 

It was fitting that your birthday fell on a Sunday because you got to have your birthday breakfast at church.  Week in and week out that is the best meal you eat all week. 

When you aren't at church, you love grapes and cheese though your repertoire is broadening.  In the last few weeks, you have attempted brussel sprouts and avocado and asked for more.  I appreciate your trying. 

At two you are delightful ~ most of the time.  You are talking up a blue streak, and we understand more each day.  I love watching you learn new words.  Take for example last week when I was combing out your hair after your bath.  I said something about all of the knots.  You heard something about snot {a word you already knew} and immediately touched your nose saying what you heard.  A new word was learned, and we have been laughing about the snotty knots since.

Now don't get me wrong, you like to have it your way and can throw a fit with the best of them, but for the most part you are kind, calm, and agreeable.  You are extremely shy and can become very unsure of yourself when confronted with new people and new situations.  I love what you do in those situations!  You put your hand out for me to kiss, just like in the book The Kissing Hand.  It always makes everything better.  You also do this when you are being reprimanded.  It seems to be your way of saying, "I'm sorry."

I would love to do it all again ~ even the bedroom in the foyer at Pops' house, the sleepless nights, the silent reflux.  For now, you love to be on my hip, but I know one day you won't want to be there which is why I typically scoop you up when you look up at me with those big eyes and say, "up please."

Instead of "again" you get a giant smile on your face, clap your hands and say yea!  That always makes me smile, and I want to see you do it again and again.

We love you and thank you for bringing us such joy.

Here is your birthday video!  Enjoy!

Oh No!

My "oh no" is not because I've been away, but I am so sorry to have been gone for a week.  Since the new year, I had been on a roll, and I had other thoughts I wanted to share.  Oh well ~ Blogger and I were having technical difficulties.  I couldn't upload pictures, and I know how we all like pictures.  I waited for the problem to be rectified in a timely manner.  No luck, so I ran a google search and found a temporary fix.  I'm always amazed by what I can find through google!

My kiddos went back to school this week.  It was bittersweet for everyone.  We had fun while we were out of school, and I particularly enjoyed being home those last few days without many plans. 

While it was nice to have our routine back, I missed them and by Thursday we were all exhausted.  We're craving some time like this...

Anywho ~ I just went to pour a cup of coffee and opened a new carton of half-and-half.  I happened to notice that the expiration date is March 1.  My "oh no" is on so many levels.  First of all, it isn't even technically mid-January, how can the expiration date be so far away.  But mainly, "oh no", Easter is March 30th.  I've got a lot to do ~ thinking planning, stitching!

However, first things first...I have one certain little girl who has a birthday tomorrow, and then... well we're not going to talk about the "and then" because "oh no", it takes us to the middle of February! 

Okay, let's focus on what next - how can I get the job{s} done!

Not Enough Credit

Sometimes I can be hard on myself and on other people. 

Often Mary Frances bears the brunt of this fault. 

We arrived home Tuesday around lunchtime.  It was cold and rainy. 

 

 

(sleeping pictures from New Year's Eve at the lake)

We unloaded the car, ate lunch, and went our separate ways.  I think we were all glad to be home. 

Frank took to the sofa to watch football and enjoy one last day away from the office.

I attempted to make order of my desk and the Christmas gifts that had just come through the door while slowly taking down decorations and compiling a list of things that needed to be attended to.

The boys busied themselves playing with duplos.  We love our duplos!

Betsy, like a butterfly, flitted around between all of us.

Mary Frances sat at the kitchen island busily writing thank you notes.

Yes, you read correctly.  Without being asked, she gathered note cards and started writing.  On occasion she would ask for help with a word, but mostly she did this independently.

Later this is what Frank and I found among the pillows on our bed.

Mary Frances you are a wonderful daughter, a good student, a loving sister, and a good friend.  What more could a mama want.  I love you and am sorry that I can be so hard on you!

What a Big Girl!

Good Morning from the bunk room!

 

Betsy's moved into a big bed.  I guess that means no more cribs for us. 

You know I'm okay with that.  Some of you mommies get real sentimental and sad over the passing of milestones, but I try to embrace them and enjoy them for what they are.

 

Betsy's move to a big bed means she's growing up.  While I think will always love a baby, I am really excited about all of the things we can do as a family as they get bigger.

 

More Green Beans

Sadly, these are words that this child would never say.

I hear "more cake", "more cookies", "more bread", "more milk", "more orange juice", "more water".  Even "more bananas", "more strawberries", "more grapes", or "more pineapple".  But more green beans.  NEVER!  Heck I'm not sure you've ever eaten more than one bite of anything green at one sitting since pureed baby food.  If it was possible to be allergic to green then you have a life-threatening case.  For you, just the thought of putting something green in your mouth gives you reason to whine and complain.  Frank and I've made a choice that we want dinner to be about sitting down as a family and enjoying each others company so eating your green beans is not something I fight.  Right or wrong we'd rather hear what was the best part of your day and have you ask each of us a question.  

However, I'm not going to lie ~ your lack of vegetable consumption causes me concern to the point of worry, stress, and anxiety.  I try not to let you fill up on all of those empty foods that you love, but inevitably you eat more of them than you should, and I worry about your health.  Worry is a vicious cycle because then I start to worry about being a bad mother, and then I worry about all of the things I am doing wrong and should be doing better, and on and on and on.

I've really tried not to let this bother me, but it does.  I try to model healthful eating.  I try to provide many and varied veggies in our meals.  I try to lovingly encourage you to try them.  I've contemplated other ways to get you to eat your veggies.  Now that you are four, I feel like I need to make more of an effort to get you to eat your veggies.  Clearly the "that's what's for dinner" philosophy is not working, and I think it is important to learn to eat the green stuff.

Well, while we were at the lake I was on the computer checking out some blogs that I have bookmarked as favorites though I don't read daily or really ever.  I clicked here which eventually lead me here, and I thought we might be onto something. 

You see, sweet Walker, there is at least one green thing that you do not have an aversion to.  That's green in a smoothie.  With some regularity, I drop spinach into our breakfast smoothies.  Your daddy doesn't love it, but you always ask for more.  You knowingly ask for more so I've subscribed to the newsletter on Simple Green Smoothies so that I could receive the e-book.  I've reviewed the recipes and added some ingredients to my grocery list.  We (you and me and anyone else who wants to give it a whirl) are going to try a few.  It can't hurt and then maybe I won't feel as guilty when you won't eat er, touch well really, look at your green beans at dinner.