Friday, July 25, 2008

When life gives you lemons...

I'm feeling pretty proud of myself! Even in the midst of Ryan being gone for a week, I am being productive- dare I say even domestic! (Praise goes to the Good Lord who has kept my sanity for me!) On Sunday, I (with the help of friends) made a batch of lemon bars- from scratch! It was a lot of work grating the stinking lemon peels (something like 5 TBS!!) but it was delicious. Then on Wednesday, the kids and I made oatmeal cookies together. Today I actually ventured out and made lemonade from scratch- I may be a bit biased but it is the best tasting lemonade I've ever had. Which makes me wonder, "why haven't I tried it before"? And, "why can't I be this productive when Ryan is home?" Tonight my big plans go to completing some work for the office and scrubbing the bathrooms. We'll see how things go...

I've also been having some great and not so great moments as a mom recently. The great moments? Having a "spa day" with the girls! I went to the store and spent about $8 for little supplies to pamper the girls- body puffs, flowered nail files of their own, toe separators (just like in the real spas), new nail polishes, and of course a little snack of Junior Mints. Oh, yeah, this was full service! It was so much fun; the girls both speak of the day with great joy and can't wait for the next one. For me, it was a blast just being able to spend some time with the girls pampering them with love and listening to them giggle over being "like a mom". These days make me smile!

Then there are days that cause heartache... Today I came around the corner and saw one of my kids playing with an unknown toy. I asked them where they got it and instant shame swept their little face. I pulled them in the bedroom to talk w/them (without the prying ears of their siblings) and chatted with them. We had been over at a friends house the day before and I had seen one of these kinds of toys there so figured that this was one of theirs. Upon talking w/ them, they admitted to taking it from there. I then discussed that this was not ok and the consequences of their actions (their need to apologize to our friends, and the possibility that Dad would not be giving him a "you've been a good boy while I'm gone" gift). Their little heart was broken and sorrowful. They cried in my arms and then wouldn't eat lunch nor even talk with us at the table. It broke my heart to see my child like this but I understand the importance of their learning the lesson. Its also a bit embarrassing that it is my child that did this. I know, looking in on the situation, I'd see it as no big deal, just the naivety of a child desiring something that was not theirs- that they'd made a mistake. But as their mom, I want the lesson to be learned and not repeated. I've heard it once that children are the part of their mother's heart walking outside her body; therefore a mother feels joyful at her children's joy, sad when her children are sad. I can attest to this today.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Absense makes the heart grow fonder...

I'm alone. Ryan is in Mexico with the High School Students and I am here in the house with three (crazy) children. Nothing like those times to make you miss your best friend and love. Its interesting how you don't show appreciation for something until you lack it... I love how he makes dinner for our family when I have no ideas left in my mind. I love how he sends me out on Girl's Night when he can see I've had enough. I love how he calls me midday just to tell me he loves me and is thinking of me. He lets me sleep in on occasion. He helps pickup the house once the kids have gone to bed. He always is the one to pick up the dog doo (I hate that job!). He takes care of broken things around the house (p.s.- does anyone know how to fix a broken towel rack??) I love how he snuggles next to me to keep me warm. I love his tender kisses on the back of my neck while I'm doing the dishes. I love falling asleep talking about our day, telling him a funny story about our kids or even discussing which one's gonna be in charge of making breakfast the next morning. I miss him!

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Lazy Summer Days

The summer months are incredibly busy! We are gearing up for Ryan's trip to Mexico (in less than 2 days) and have been trying to enjoy our warm summer days.

Today I had quite the rewarding aftern oon: the kids were playing in a little inflatable pool they got for their birthday and I reclined and read a book (I'm addicted to Harry Potter- I'm on book 5! Gotta have something to do while Ryan's gone, right?). Feeling the warm breeze roll over my skin as I get lost in another world is grand! It's hard not to feel guilty when you're laying there doing absolutely nothing, but it felt great!! There'll be time for laundry later... he, he.


Here are some recent pics I took- my sister is teaching me how to use the manual settings on my camera after I've owned it for almost 2 years. Pathetic, I know! (Thank you Rosetta!!) Maybe one day I'll be able to take some photography classes so I can pretend to know what I'm doing even more! I have started a flickr account, thanks to the encouragement of Erin, and that has given me lots of great ideas- as exampled with the lemons for eyes!



I also got to spend an afternoon with my adorable niece! She is so wonderful!! I love watching her grow and watching my sister be an awesome mother to her. It is amazing that it was only 2 years ago that I was there with Lauren- and yet we now seem so many years from that stage. Proof that we've got to appreciate the stage that they are in now and soak up as much memories as we can... That said, I'm gonna go play some Barbies with the girls!




Miss Myra lights up every time you start to sing "Patty-Cake" and starts doing the moves. How can you not smile?