Reston Mom

what tremendous resolve

I was just thinking again today about the tremendous resolve of my 4 yr. old, Maddie.  I already mentioned that she decided to quit sucking her thumb.  Well, it was a done deal from the moment she made the decision.  There hasn't been any going back since.

One thing I noticed however, is that she is suddenly a lot less attached to her stuffed puppy.  Puppy used to go everywhere with us and was highly requested -whenever she was tired, frustrated, sad, bored, etc.... Puppy sort of became a beloved member of the family over the past nearly 5 years.  Her dad bought it for her in the hospital when she was born and she has loved that thing to shreds.  Except, now we never see him.  He stays in her bed all day and really isn't requested at all.  

I thought this made sense, since previously at the moment she saw puppy, in went the thumb.  The two always went together.  

But then, there was a new realization.  One evening when we were tucking her in, puppy was at the end of her bed and she kind of refused him when offered.  The thing is that Maddie, realizing that holding puppy made her want to suck her thumb, made her own conscious decision to put away puppy as necessary in order to stop sucking her thumb.  What child does that?  I mean, this stuffed animal was seriously BELOVED.  Her decisions go deep.  When she resolves to do something, she follows through and she takes whatever steps are necessary to do so. She knows herself and takes stock before she commits, so her commitments are real.  How she manages to do something that I and many adults fail at frequently is beyond me.  I could take a lesson from her.  And as I said before, I hope that she will retain that trait and that it will serve her well.  

I caught her snuggling with her puppy in bed the other night when I checked on her before going to bed myself - but, she wasn't sucking her thumb.  

so darn proud of that girl

Maddie has this particular facet of her personality that is really amazing.  She can be extremely stubborn - but the positive side of that if she makes up her mind to do something, she just does it.  The decisive follow through of that small child is a wonder. 

For instance, she stopped sucking her thumb this week.  Yep.  Let me set the scene for you - she has sucked her thumb since infancy whenever she was sleepy.  Also, she has a stuffed puppy (which serves as her security blanket) and it has long gone hand in hand with the thumb sucking.  As soon as she saw puppy, in went the thumb.  And for years, puppy went everywhere with us.  Serious attachments to thumb and puppy, folks.

But, at her last two dentist appointments, the dentist has commented that if we want to avoid problems to her teeth caused by thumb sucking, we ought to try to start working on breaking the habit.  This was kind of like receiving mission impossible in my mind.  We began to talk to her a little bit about it, but she got upset at the idea.  See, she hadn't made up her own mind yet.

Earlier this week, Matt randomly offered an incentive to her for bedtime.  He asked her if she'd like to try having a bandaid wrapped around her thumb and then if it was still on in the morning and she hadn't sucked on it, he would give her a quarter.  The first night failed.  She cried at bedtime and took off the bandaid. We didn't make a big deal about it, I actually pretty much expected as much.

But - and here is what always happens - at some point she made a decision for herself and once the turn is made, she makes it hard and follows through.  I guess sometime during the next day she made up her mind either that the quarter was really worth it or that it was going to help her teeth or both, because that night (no prompting from us) she stuck out her thumb and asked for a bandaid.  And the next morning she casually showed it to her dad and received her quarter.  Nor did she suck her thumb again that day.  The next evening she again asked for a bandaid.  When I tucked her in, as part of our prayers, I prayed that God would continue to help her with her endeavor and she looked at me like I was crazy and said "nothing is different here mom, except that I'm not sucking my thumb," like it was no big deal. 

She hasn't sucked her thumb since.  Last night, she wanted a bandaid again but when I went to put it on her thumb she had a hard time remembering which one she sucked on (it hasn't even been a full week) and said "I just don't know mom 'cause I just don't feel like sucking my thumb."

She is four.  I don't know many 4 yr. olds who just make a decision to stop sucking their thumb.  But this is only one example of her immense follow-though.  I tell you, once she decides something, there isn't any wish-wash or debate or crisis...she just does it.  The key is, it has to be her decision.  I hope that it is a trait that she'll long carry and I hope it will serve her well and that the decisions she makes and carries through will be wise.  It is fascinating to see the unfolding of the individual traits God has given to each of my children.  This particular one in Maddie amuses and amazes me so!

2 interesting facts about Ami

I wrote a post a long while ago about how "Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?" (the little board book version) was the favorite of both Hope and Maddie.  Turns out, it is Ami's favorite too.  We have a gazillion books (we can never have enough) and you can hide that one anywhere and she'll pull it out.  It is the one she brings to me over and over again.  I find it interesting that all three of my kids were really attached to this particular book at different times.  I've had it memorized for years as a result.

Secondly, Ami is apparently very, VERY sensitive to mosquito bites.  She got a few over a week ago and they swelled up to massive proportions.  I'm very sensitive too, so I didn't worry about it too much at the time, but she looked terrible with these big red welts.  Since then, we've noticed a pattern.  She'll get a bite one day (we're seriously trying to protect her, but those nasty buggers keep finding a way!) and you'll hardly notice it.  By the next day it will swell up huge and turn red, then eventually she'll break out with a few hives or bumps just around the bite area.  Poor kid. She doesn't seem to scratch at them too much, but they just look terrible and irritating.  I guess we'll have to be extra vigilant with her and maybe invest in some hydrocortizone cream or benadryl just in case. 

New hairstyle

I'll get back to blogging some things again here soon.  In the meantime, look what I discovered - BANGS! I didn't cut them in, it is actually just hair growing in again from losing a ton after Ami's birth.  I haven't had bangs since...well, since I was like 3.  Weird that I seem to have lost a ton of hair right up front at my forehead.  In the meantime, I guess I have a new option with how I wear my hair - though I can't say I approve of my hair changing styles without my permission! I can't wait to see what my hair is doing after this next baby is born - it is going to be CRAZY.  Strange layers anyone? 

 Sorry for the terrible quality of this picture - but you get the idea.

 

growth spurt

I think Hope is in a growth spurt right now.  You can never really tell, but lately she has been making extra complaints about being "soooo tired."  On top of that, on Saturday - at a cookout with friends - she ate 3 hamburgers (no buns), corn on the cob, grilled peaches, and dessert.  Then on the next day, at another cookout for the 4th, she ate an entire plate of food followed by 2 or 3 hamburgers, more fruit, more chips, and dessert.  I was amazed at the amount of food she put away this weekend.  

I'm grilling in the rain, just grilling in the rain...

The other night, I sent Matt out in the rain to grill our dinner.  The girls decided to put on their raincoats and join him outside so I made them all pose for a picture.  So glad the girls aren't afraid of a little rain.

 

In the Colorado Rockies

Matt and I had the privilege of traveling out to Colorado for a week.  We were there for a conference, but there was plenty of play time built in.  It was wonderful to spend some time together just the two of us and take in all the splendor of God's magnificent creation.  The mountains were spectacular.  We took an afternoon and drove up to Vail to walk around the Village and have dinner.  On the way home, we drove up to the summit of Mt. Evans on the the highest paved road in North America.  Honestly, it was a little nerve wracking - driving up a road that rises to more than 14, 000 ft. with one edge of the road being shear drop off and no guard railing whatsoever.  But, it was totally worth it.  And we drove at sunset, which cast a glow across the entire breathtaking view that makes these pictures look like nothing in comparison.  It was cold at the top, snowy and invigorating.  If we hadn't been so spontaneous and had actually dressed appropriately, we would have stayed longer to hike a bit. 

         
 
 
 
 
 
 

to minivan...or not to minivan? no longer the question.

 We waited a long time to get a minivan for several reasons.  Not least of which among them was that I just didn't want to be a minivan mama.  I don't know if I felt it was just too cliche or that the rebel independent in me looked across the sea of silvery minivans glittering from one end of Northern Virginia to the other and after 5 years still refuses to believe that I'm a NOVA mom.  

Also, I loved my green Escape.  It was the first car that I owned that I can really say that about and mean it. If it had just been me, and not a family of kiddos, I would have driven that thing forever.  It was just nice enough without sacrificing a little ruggedness (after all, my very first vehicle was a little pickup).  3 carseats wedged together across the backseat was manageable, though I admit traveling with luggage and gear proved a very tight fit.  Still, I loved it. 

With a fourth kid on the way, it wasn't an option to keep it.  So, we started looking around.  My husband seemed almost as bent on not having a minivan as I was and so he perused just about every SUV type vehicle out there that would fit our family.  

I happen to have a very amazing husband.  He did the majority of researching vehicles and while we both have preferences, his main goal was to find something that would truly be a blessing to me.  He considered how I would feel traveling with 4 kids in tow, what needs would present themselves to me, and what would be most convenient and comfortable to me.

The thing is, nothing beat the minivan.  There is a reason why moms drive these things.  They are made for us.  

So, we traded in my Escape for a used Odyssey - and I will never look back.  I LOVE IT!!!!!!  It is brilliant! It makes my life a ton easier and more comfortable in about a gazillion ways.  And here is the clincher - it even gets better gas mileage than my Escape did! 

Now, I am proudly reveling in my silvery minivan - feeling totally pampered as I drive around town. I hardly care that I frequently park in a sea of vehicles that look just like mine, because it is totally worth it!  

If you have been asking yourself the question of whether to minivan or not as you tow your brood around town and you find a little rebel rising in you against the sea of minivan driving mamas out there - let me just say again, there is a reason why all those mamas are cruising like that.  Not like a herd reason, but good make-a-moms-life-easier reasons.  If I had known, I might have counted myself among them sooner.  

You never know what they are paying attention to

I was reminded of this when I came around the corner to see Hope very skillfully braiding some laces together.  

"Wow!" I said, " You are doing a great job and I didn't even know you knew how to braid!"

"Yeah, mom" she says to me, "you taught me a while ago, remember?"

What I remember is this: One time, really quite a long while ago, she was wanting to learn so that she could braid her dolls hair.  So, I gave her about the quickest tutorial ever.  I tied three laces around the handle of a rocker we have and showed her how to alternate placing one strand over the other.  She was completely disinterested in the lesson, very distracted I thought.  So, I gave up almost immediately figuring we'd go back to it at another time when she really was interested.  I left the strands there for a day - just in case - she wanted to practice.  She didn't.

So, apparently, she was paying attention.  Apparently that seemingly unimportant, failed, and fleeting lesson produced some pretty great results when she decided to give it a whirl today.  I never would have guessed.  Kind of makes me wonder what else she is paying attention to that I'm not giving her credit for - good or bad...

Sponges.  That's what kids brains are.  Sponges.

Hope's grand obsession

 For unknown reason, my 6 yr. old daughter is totally obsessed with China.  

This has been going on since she was maybe 3.  The intensity comes and goes in waves - right now it is like a Tsunami.

She has always been strangely interested in things regarding China.  If we go into an antique shop, she starts asking if there is anything from China.  The bitty baby (American Girl dolls) that she chose is the asian one with dark hair and almond shaped eyes.  She tells everyone that her bitty baby is adopted from China.  She loves chinese food, she's interested in ancient Chinese history.  She pays special attention to anyone passing by who happens to have the characteristic features. And she talks about China a lot.

Recently she's been brainstorming every possible job she might have as an adult that could land her in China.

And begging, begging, to go to China for her birthday. (sorry to disappoint her but it isn't happening)

I hope she does get to go someday.  I have no idea why she has been particularly drawn to that land since she was just a tot - but I'm sure God does.  

mommy/daughter date to Williamsburg

Last Sunday I took Hope on a special overnight trip - just me and her and my mom - to visit colonial Williamsburg.  It was Hope's first stay in a hotel (the pool was a hit) and a great chance for us to get some one on one time together.  

Hope had been wanting to see colonial Williamsburg anyway as she had done some learning about it in school this year and particularly because her American Girl Doll, Felicity, hails from that time and place.  

It was a really fun time, I think we all enjoyed ourselves and the weather was perfect!  Now, I am loving Hope's excitement as she continues to read Felicity's stories and recognizes things like "Duke of Gloucester Street" and the "shell paths" and the "Magazine."  It has been fun to see history come alive for her.

Plus, it was fun to just let her be herself without being pulled in different directions by the needs of siblings.  I allowed her to choose where she wanted to eat for dinner and breakfast and to choose her meal from the adult rather than the kid's menu (which is par for the course with a child who would rather have steak or soup or salad than mac' n cheese or chicken nuggets).  She was queen for a short while, staying up past bedtime to swim in the pool, choosing treats, and directing the flow of our visit. 

I gave her the camera and let her take whatever pictures she wanted - but strangely, we came home with few pictures of our trip.  We were all just too wrapped up in the moment to stop for many photo ops.  

On our way there:

Photos from our walk down Duke of Gloucester street:

    
  

 
  

This is what it is like: Autism Edition

I really appreciated this post at Snarkshelf - it isn't long, you should read it.  I think by now we are all aware of the growing numbers of kids diagnosed with Autism.  We probably all know someone who has a child on the spectrum or perhaps your family knows firsthand what it is like.  I think anyone who is not in the latter category cannot claim to really get it, to know what it is like.  We're totally gonna mess up sometime in our relationship with those families who are experiencing autism firsthand - do or say something awkward or insensitive.  But, I appreciated Karen's comments because they seemed so authentic and raw.  It helped me to "get it" a little better in a way in which other things I've read have not.  

Maddie's night terrors

 Last night, about an hour after she went to bed, Matt and I heard Maddie crying loudly.  We ran up the stairs to discover her sitting up in bed reaching for something and yelling "I want it! I want it!" all the while bawling.  She doesn't respond with any kind of clarity when we speak softly to her, reassuring her. Eventually we convince her to lay her head down on her pillow.  Then, we tuck her in.  She has gained some clarity now - enough to respond with a yes when asked if she is okay, and an "I love you too."  She is asleep again in seconds and doesn't remember anything in the morning.  

This is the second time this kind of thing has happened this week.

These episodes come and go from time to time and Maddie never remembers.  It is a strange thing to watch her have night terrors.  Mostly because of the hallucinating - the weird space between dreaming and wakefulness where she doesn't seem to know what is going on and communicates in nonsensical ways. When a child has a night terror, they seem to be awake - but aren't.  They may be found sitting, standing, or walking out of bed (Maddie has sometimes). Sometimes though, I have to admit, it is kind of funny the things she says and I have to try very hard not to chuckle out loud.  Most of the time I find dealing with a person who looks awake and isn't a little bit creepy - there is a weird blankness to the eyes. 

Apparently, the symptoms of night terrors can differ between children and adults.  They are most common in children between the ages of 2 and 6 and can be triggered by things like being overtired, stressed, or high fever. They also tend to be inherited.  Matt walked and talked in his sleep as a child, occasionally still talks.  

Luckily Maddie's episodes aren't too intense.  It took me a few times to realize what was really going on.  It isn't often enough that we really worry.  Most of the time her sleep is healthy and uninterrupted.  

backyard dance shows

About a week ago, Hope handed me a handwritten invitation to watch her "dance concert" in our yard at 2 pm the following Saturday.  She also gave a handwritten invitation to her dad and both sisters.  She also invited various neighborhood friends.  

I decided to let her roll with it.  Why discourage her?

So yesterday morning, Hope took the large whiteboard we use for school and wrote an announcement on it and propped it up as a sign against a tree in our front yard.

Then just before 2pm - she put on the dress of her choice and brought me a cd of well know selections of music from various ballets and other dances and told me that she would be using track number 11. 

(note: Hope doesn't take any dance lessons, but apparently she does not lack confidence in her natural abilities :) 

We set up an old boom-box with an extension cord in the front yard and Hope arranged a few folding chairs.  We also allowed for a small table with cups and lemonade. 

Some of our neighbors did come to watch.  Hope introduced herself, thanked everyone for coming and curtsied and then proceeded to improvise a dance to her chosen song.  

She really did a fine job.  It was very cute.  And it was fun to see her make up her mind to do something and then find such enjoyment out of it.  

Our oldest daughter clearly has no problem with attention or being in the spotlight.  She is really quite composed and capable and just eats it up! She should be a public speaker or performer or teacher or something where she gets to impact an audience.  

   
 
 
 
 

I've got the urge to move

Lately I've been dreaming of a new house - sort of.  It isn't that I don't like my home now, or my neighborhood or town or anything like that.  I just kind of want to start over again.  Maybe it is spring fever that is making me loathe the areas in my house that aren't absolutely clutter free, bright and clean or that is growing a desire within me to just throw (give) a whole lot of stuff away.  I guess my spring-cleaning tactic might be summed up as "run away!".  

I wouldn't say that I have wander-lust, just change-lust.  You can ask my husband - I drive him totally crazy with practically never fixing the same dinner twice (and absolutely not within the same week - eeek!) Last time we went out to eat, I ordered the duck burger pretty much just because it was the most exotic thing I could find on the menu (and it was absolutely fabulous, I must say!).  Even as a child, rearranging the furniture of my room was a favorite past time.  And still now I sit staring into the rooms of my current home considering every possible arrangement (the downside being that we've got a small place and there really isn't a better arrangement than what we've got for most of the rooms - boo, no rearranging).  I don't have time to repaint and once you've been in a place for a while you just get into certain habits, so I know that super spring cleaning will only last momentarily before we go right back to our ways again.  I don't have a budget for redecorating and in a rental home, it seems pointless anyway.  

Sometimes I just have a yearning to run away from all the stuff - to overhaul my surroundings.  But perhaps I'm just feeling cabin fever because of the season.  Maybe when we can better get outside to the playground and the farm and the zoo and anywhere but stuck in the house, and when I can get a little more sunshine on my face...maybe my craving for a change of scenery within my house will wane. 

it's really not as easy as it looks

My time is very limited these days - hence the less regularity with which I am posting.  It is interesting trying to move gracefully in and out of seasons of life, isn't it?  The one I find myself in now comes with a great number of challenges - though it is matched in number of joys and blessings.  So here is where I'm at:

I've got one kiddo who is in first grade, whom I am homeschooling.  Two children who are not school age yet (though one is preschool and I do activities with her) that I am caring for throughout the day.  Since we are at home, I have a house which quickly comes undone by toys, school materials, meal dishes, etc which are taken out and used throughout the day. Thus, there is a certain kind of chaos around here that is unevitable - and perhaps therefore not bad - but not altogether restful either.  On any given day of the week, I will remove myself from bed around 7 am and thereafter I will not sit down nor stop moving in general until about 7:30 pm.  I am always moving - even if we do sit to read some books, I will rearrange children, get up to help the baby or find the security item, turn pages, pull up a blanket.  MOVEMENT - that is the way to describe this season.  We are moving through it, always moving.  My daytime is filled with organizing, cleaning, teaching, instructing, disciplining, comforting, preparing, feeding, finding, leading, correcting, encouraging, more feeding, etc....  And my brain is moving in and out of all of my roles about as quickly as I am moving from one room to another.  And even so, my train of thought is constantly (and I do mean constantly) interrupted by one of three children calling out to me to help them, answer a question, direct them, soothe them...  

I am not complaining.  Despite the fact that at this stage - when I have several very young children to attend to - I have little room for other personal pursuits, I know that there will be plenty of time for that when they are a little older and the time does pass so quickly.  I have chosen this for us and I do not regret it - despite all the challenges, I ponder my decision to be a stay-at-home-mom and a homeschooler and I cannot for the life of me desire it to be any other way.  

So, I'm a little more tired these days and I find myself daydreaming about having a personal assistant and wondering when my brain is finally going to say "enough!".  I find I have to be very protective of our schedule and of my time with my husband.  Despite all the challenges, I find myself realizing how quickly the time really does go by and how very little time in general I will spend in this season - and I find that I would labor all the more if needed than trade the time I have with these little ones now.  This season is hard - I won't kid you, it is seriously very difficult.  But, it will pass into another very quickly.  Never, never, never again will I have these days back.  I find it very, very worth it all.  

ugly attitude

It's me.  Not the kids.  I'm having one of those days where my attitude just stinks.  I don't think anyone else knows yet, but I am very aware.  So, I'm taking a minor break in the day to use this blog for a little self-therapy.  Sorry about that.  

The ugly word of the moment for me is "discontent."

I just really feel it.

Oh, I guess it is mostly about things I want - or maybe less about the things and more about the wanting and not getting.  And it is about wanting to do things and not having the time to do them, or the materials to do them with, or the brain space...whatever. 

Anyway, the point is I really despise this feeling, this attitude.  I'm not content to allow it to go on.  I am so aware of all that I have and have to be grateful for and I hate when an obnoxious, unfounded, greedy mood threatens to swipe my wonderful day right out from under me.  And I hate that moods can really be affected by such simple things as diet, fatigue, hormones, lack of sunlight.  

Oh heart! You have so much to be joyful about - why are you pining away today after silly stuff?  What a weight a mood can bring!  And my brain seems determined to let my heart lead today. 

Yuck.

It is difficult to teach the kids about having good attitudes when Mama is having trouble with her own.

Boogers

 Everyone in my family has had a cold - nothing that has kept us down.  In fact, other than a little added fatigue here and there, the most significant symptoms have been just tons of boogers.  I have been staring at three of the most boogery little faces for a week now!  I try to get them to blow and wipe - but there is only so much you can do.

Poor little Ami's nose is a bit raw from all the moisture and wiping.  But her boogers are really the topic of this post.  Because, what I want to know is why are baby boogers apparently so much more sticky than others?

First, you want to know how I have the knowledge/experience to compare boogers in the first place? One word - parent.  And, I have noticed with each of my kids that as babies, the boogeys are waaaaaaay sticky! As in, if you happen to be somewhere and don't have a tissue handy and so you decide to wipe the giant booger hanging from the baby's nose with your hand to save yourself and others from staring at it all day (who does that? not me....um.....) then you are not likely to be able to just flick it away carelessly. I'm telling you these things are like glue! And if you should spare your hand from germs and instead use - oh say, the nearest burp cloth or baby blanket, well then be prepared for sticky, ickyness every time you touch it. And I've had a fair share of sticky baby boogers come to me via little faces rubbed against my own or my shoulder too - ick!

Thank goodness for tissues and baby wipes.  

Am I the only one who has noticed this? I am a little obsessed with my kids having clean noses, I admit. 

the way her mind works is a mystery to me

Mom: why is your doll wearing a rag dress?

Hope: "because she gave all her money away to a children's hospital and the clothes she's wearing got all torn up in a tornado.  Luckily, she wasn't hurt though."

Birthday part 1

Hope and Maddie's birthdays are Dec. 12 and Dec. 13.  As for right now, this is great because they love to combine their parties! So, we agreed to do a friends party this year - but the girls couldn't agree on the theme.  Hope wanted a princess theme and Maddie wanted a puppy theme.  We decided a final theme of "snow princesses and snow puppies" which actually worked out really well.  

I came up with a few simple ideas which tied the theme together and kept the cost down.  We went very simple for the most part with a few games, a story time, cake and ice cream and everything went really well. It seemed like all the kids had a great time and I know our girls did.  

One of my favorite parts had to be the cakes though.  My mom and I got together and came up with a Barbie "Snow Princess" cake and a puppy cake (we did our best to make it look like Maddie's own stuffed puppy).  I thought they turned out pretty well.  And tasty too!

 
 
 

I love this picture of Hope before the party - dancing in the kitchen!  She was so excited!

 

what do you have bookmarked?

It has been too long since I've posted.  It has been even longer since I've had any time to actually look through the things that I've bookmarked and hoped to return to.  I've got a separate folder for recipes and home schooling and also bunch of blogs but here is the random list of other things currently on my bookmarks bar. Surprisingly, there isn't as much there as I thought. What do you have bookmarked? I'd love to know.

 Hapa Culture

diy project: toilet paper roll wall art - Design Sponge

set: Egg Collective

Choffy

Spoon Flower

a bunch of images of warblers (birds) for an art project I'm working on

fast pencil

mamapedia

reuseablebags.com

gizmodiva.com

Dr. Hauschka skin care

mbt shoes

1154 Lill Studio

anonymous postcard

raising safe kids one stage at a time

eat better america

make your own handwriting fonts

wholesomebabyfood.com

Never too old to learn

This is why I love having kids in the age of information when everything is at your fingertips - science lesson on camouflage? Just pull up YouTube and watch a chameleon change through several different colors right then with your very own eyes - or an octopus swimming through the depths of the ocean for that matter!

Yesterday, Hope and I were reading a story book from the library "Mousekin's Mystery" - in which several animals take on a glow due to some luminescent mushrooms.  Hmmm...I thought....are there really mushrooms that glow in the dark?  Pulled out the computer and learned something new with my daughter! So fun, I had no idea!

 

Pictures from this article

So much fun I don't have time to blog

We've been so busy lately - up to really great things.  I've barely had a moment even to tweet! So, I'll spend a couple blog posts just catching you up on why I have been a little slow in the posting.

First, I got to get away with my husband, sans kids but plus 8 fun-loving adults, for a few days in Atlanta, GA.  We headed there for an awesome church leaders conference - yes, I said "awesome" and "church leaders" and "conference" all in the same sentence.  Because, quite frankly, Christians have the best conferences of any organization on earth - and why shouldn't we, right? I mean if we're going to boast that we know the one true God....

So imagine 13,000 people all singing with heartfelt passion.  If you can't imagine it, it's ASTOUNDING, I promise.   Okay to sum it up - motivational speakers, fabulous bands, helicopter, laughing, crying, clapping, standing, praying, growing, party poppers, footballs, tailgating, diving from 35.9 ft. into 1 ft. of water, adopting orphans, hanging out with friends, eating good food, hotel pranks, and this sweet pink limo thing that picked us up in the parking lot and gave us a ride to the front doors. Ahh it was fantastic! And none of that really compares at all to the presence of God.

On a side note, I had THE best shrimp n' grits ever made.  I'm serious.  My husband doesn't like grits or shrimp and even he thought it was amazing.  Ooooh and REAL southern sweet tea.  Oh, and some mac n' cheese that was unforgettable!  Thank you Georgia! Can you tell that I like food?  Having the company of some great friends was even better.  

Hope in a quiet moment

This is where we found Hope the other day when Matt sneakily snapped this photo - sitting on a stool in our front yard just having a peaceful moment all to herself.  

Back into busy

Oh we've been busy lately....busy with school, busy preparing for and enjoying the fall, bustling around trying to keep on top of things.  We've also been busy recovering from colds - the first time my whole family has ever all been sick simultaneously, though Ami seemed to fare the best.  Currently, I am only about 2/3 of the way finished with swapping/organizing the kids clothes, laundry is a bit backed up, I haven't done any deep cleaning in about as long as I can remember, I'm behind in getting hold of some materials for science, and have several creative projects started or prepared to start (none finished!) I pretty much feel like I'm swimming from day to day - but I'm learning the art of really being rested deep down in my soul even when life around me is busy, chaotic, and unfinished - and we've ditched the messy house for the playground and decided to enjoy living this fall as much as possible.  And I LOVE the fall, so my mood is lifted.  It's a good time of year, a good time of life - but my body is pretty exhausted by the time I hit the pillow at night.  

gettin' crafty with a bedazzler

We had to miss the fairy tea-party birthday celebration of my best friend's 3 year old daughter - but made up for it when they came into our town and hung out at our house.  We threw our own little tea party and I decided to get a little crafty and make some fun headbands for the girls to wear with some brightly colored bands from goody, felt, and my bedazzler.  Yup - I own a bedazzler! You remember those from the infomercials, right? I had one handed down to me and they actually are quite fun for some things (like adding rhinestones to the center of flowers for little girl headbands, not like adding large rhinestone patterns to the back and front of a denim jacket.)  Anyway, I thought they turned out pretty cute for a quick little craft - and the girls really like them! We sent them all home with Megan, but my girls are asking me to make some more, so I might have to pull out the bedazzler again soon!

allergic reaction

I've always been a bit sensitive to bug bites - but this is ridiculous! Look at my forehead! No, I didn't get botox - I got bitten by something.  The bite is in my scalp just where my finger is, but if you look carefully you can see that most of my forehead is swollen.  Look where the light reflects between my eyes and continuing up in a v- shape to my hairline.  I don't know what bit me.  I was outside having lunch with the girls after school on Thursday and there were a bunch of gnats flying around.  So when my scalp started itching there, I just assumed it was a gnat since I had just similarly been bitten on my arm.  But, by the evening I had swelling on my forehead and the swelling continued throughout today despite a dose of benadryl. Even though there is no redness beyond the location of the bite, the entire thing itches! Ugh!

This makes me mad...and sad.

Witness - the pole dance doll:

 

and Hollister's new suggestive line of T's for your TWEEN:

 

I'm speechless.

No actually, I have a whole heck of a lot to say.

But you probably already get it - I hope.

So I think I'll turn my energy instead towards raising my three daughters to know why this makes me mad...and sad.

Amish Country here I come!

Matt is officiating a wedding in Pennsylvania tomorrow, so we'll be headed out today to stay in Lancaster! I'm excited because I've always wanted to visit Amish country.  I don't know if we'll have time to fit in a buggy ride or something, but regardless - I'm looking forward to a night away with my hubby sans kiddos.

This will be the first time we've left Ami overnight too.  

and then I shoved my 3 yr. old into the concrete...

Sounds pretty bad, huh.  Here is the story of today's bumbling accident:

On the way home from somewhere else, we needed to stop by the grocery store and Rite Aid - which happen to be located in the same center.  So I put Ami (in her carseat) into our snap n' go and we walked to the pharmacy. Therefore, we still had the stroller at the grocery store - and you should have seen us,\ with Hope pushing the stroller as I pushed the cart and Ami screaming because she was tired and a little hungry and Maddie screaming because she is three and hadn't had her nap yet.  I'm sure everyone in the store felt very sorry for me at the moment - but I was doing fine, until...

We leave the store, park the cart, and go to get the car.  Maddie is holding onto the stroller handle beside me because we are about to cross the street and I push the stroller over the curb not noticing that I chose the exact spot where the drain into the gutter is.  Suddenly one wheel of the stroller is caught in the opening and I feel myself and the stroller going over into the road and taking Maddie with us.  Without even thinking, I react.  And with a massive pump of adrenaline, I push Maddie off of the stroller to stop the momentum, keep her out of the road and to allow me to regain my balance - which luckily I do.  I then get the wheel out of the gutter and get us all back safely on the sidewalk so that I can pick up my screaming 3 yr. old who now has a bloody elbow from hitting the pavement.  And the baby of course is screaming along as I try to reassure Maddie - who is shocked that Mommy just shoved her into the concrete - that I really didn't mean to hurt her, but was trying to protect all of us from breaking our necks and getting run over by cars because actually I love her so very much - so you see, it's because I love you that I gave you a bloody elbow (thankfully not a bloody nose) and...oh well, let's just get the heck out of here! 

My saving grace is that by now I'm experienced enough with the whole mommy thing to know one very key fact: this will all be over soon.  "In twenty minutes," I tell myself, "Maddie will be napping, the baby will eat and sleep, and peace will ensue once again."  Thankfully, it was true.

coming soon!

I've been so busy this week trying to recover from a horrible cold and get things done while the girls are away that I haven't been blogging much, but this next week I'll be putting away the steam cleaner and taking some time to get back on the Macbook again (that's right - I'm not a PC, I'm a Mac and lovin' it!) and I'll let you know how the girls did for their big week away at Grandma and Papa's house - plus, look for these among things to come:

• Tuesday's Tip - every Tuesday, a great tip to make your life easier
• Tasty give-away - I've got a super tasty give away to offer to THREE winners, you don't want to miss this one! 
• Recipe Party - the party is still on if you want to join and I've tried another one of your recipes and will post it and tell you what I thought! 

Why I read my own blog

At the risk of sounding annoyingly narcissistic, I'm just going to throw this out there: I love to read my own blog! 

I confess that there are moments when I get caught up in re-reading through old posts - but I'm talking in reference to the ones specifically about my children and family.  

All things aside, the root of a blog is journaling.  This is my scrapbook of sorts, my gathering of bits and pieces of the lives of my growing children.  These are my memories, my treasures, my laughter, and even my tears.  These are things that I would hope not to forget, but know that aside from having written them down, it's inevitable. 

I don't know how long I'll continue to blog - I enjoy it and hope to continue for as long as that lasts. Recently, I've also been looking around at those couple of companies that can help put your blog into print form - just so I can have a hard copy to enjoy and pass down to my children eventually.

If you are up on what's in and what's hot and what's not, then you've probably heard that blogging is on the way out - or rather, already a thing of the past.  As any kind of social media tool, etc., blogging has been far surpassed and left behind by the likes of facebook and twitter and whatever else.  But, life isn't altogether about the instant, the present moment - the story of a life evolves through the sum of it's past and the hope of it's future. 

I can't imagine in the way that journaling takes the time to share and to remember and to introspect - that it will ever go out of vogue, in the same way that twittering will never take the place of real conversation in truly connecting people.

  

And while I hope that other people may benefit from my own musings and memories and notes here, that's not as big of a deal to me as the fact that I will never tire of remembering what my children were like as they grew or laughing at myself as a mother as I tried to figure things out along the journey.

Print your canvas

I love this site, printyourcanvas.com- where you can send in a photo and have them print it on canvas in one of a variety of styles.  If I could afford it right now, I'd totally do one of each of my kids - though I'd have difficulty deciding between Opie and Che styles (both of which I think my girls would look totally cute in!) - though I do also like the Obama and for more traditional tastes there is also the option of a nice hand-done oil painting (among others). I think it would be really fun and very unique to do a wedding portrait in one of the contemporary styles too. 

cuddle bug kids

A long time friend of mine has opened an Etsy shop - Cuddle Bug Kids - featuring her beautiful products designed especially to provide structure and sensory support to kids with ADHD, Asperger's Syndrome, PPD-NOS, and Sensory Integration Disorder.  

Her weighted stuffed animals and lap blankets are not only beautifully homemade but totally cute!  You'll also find great reading pillows and hand toys/fidgets. 

Also, you can purchase neat visual schedules for home and school.  

Just for fun

I know I've mentioned that I love these websites just for the fun of them:

uglyoverload.blogspot.com

cakewrecks.blogspot.com

Well, I'm adding one more - read the claims, and leave one if you have one :)

anonymouspostcard.org

vacation

Right now we are on vacation for a week at Virginia Beach, so I'm light on posts right now just enjoying some sun and family.  I'll post more soon with pictures.

On a fun note, Ami rolled over for the first time today.  She rolled from back to tummy, which I think is backwards from how most babies do it at first, but it was still so exciting!

my headlines

I've been busy but I'll be posting more soon.  In the meantime, here are the highlights of what has been keeping a hold on my attention around here:

• family in town
• Matt got Ami laughing for the first time - actual, honest-to-goodness laughter! 
• Hope got baptized this Sunday 
• Matt going out of town overnight 
• great friends going through incredibly tough things right now 

50% off Thomas and Friends

I know that some of you have kids that are way into Thomas and Friends - and I also know that those toys are quite expensive.  

In one of my newspapers this week we received a circular for A.C.Moore with a coupon in it for 50% off your entire regular price Thomas and Friends Engines, Vehicles, and Playsets purchase. 

Seems like a great deal, so I thought I'd pass it along.  The coupon is only good on next Saturday, June 6 - so you've got one week to locate it.  I tried to find the coupon at the website, but it looks like it is in the circular only. This is the circular for Sunday May 31st-June 6th sales (SS 22_09 Version A). They may have extra copies of the circular in the store if you cannot find one elsewhere.  I don't know how far beyond our local area this particular circular extends, but it is worth checking into!

Don't forget....

The Recipe Party  is continuing all summer - don't forget to join us!  And if you've already joined once and I haven't made your recipe yet, I haven't forgotten you - I'll be posting soon!

Also, don't forget to enter the current give-away for some tasty Funky Monkey snacks!

kitchen science

Whew! I've been busy and sleepy - but Ami slept 6 hrs last night and now I feel great! And since I have a  moment I'll share a little about the experiments we've been doing in the kitchen thanks to Hope's request. Lately we've been looking at acids and bases and these experiments have been so simple and any curious child would love them.  But, really why I'm inspired to share them is because in my conversations lately I've learned that many of my friends and family missed out on the super cool jelly egg experiment - and I just don't know how that happened, so you must try it!  It is listed below, along with some other cool stuff you may not know - like what really is the difference between baking soda and baking powder???

Here's what we've been up to:

• Drawing a pH scale with acids on one side and bases on the other.  We didn't actually do any pH testing, but there's a cool trick to making your own pH paper which includes pickled beet juice :) We mostly talked about how acids taste sour and bases taste bitter, etc... 
• baking soda vs. baking powder (baking soda is a base which reacts when an acid such as vinegar is added to it to release Carbon Dioxide and the two work to neutralize eachother....baking powder is baking soda plus an acid which reacts only when a liquid such as water is added to it - hence in cooking if your recipe includes an acid, as in a muffin mix that calls for lemon juice or buttermilk, you would use baking soda, but in the absence of enough acid in your recipe you would need baking powder)  Obviously, we poured vinegar into the baking soda and watched it explode as well as pouring water into baking powder and watching and especially listening to all the fuzzy popping (if you do this in a bottle you can put a balloon over the mouth and watch the CO2 blow up the balloon). 
• Peel an egg without cooking it - place a raw egg into a glass and cover with white vinegar. Allow it to sit for two or three days.  The acidic vinegar will dissolve the calcium in the egg shell, but leave the membrane underneath intact.  Therefore, you'll be able to pick up the raw egg with your hands and it will feel like a "jelly egg".  It will also be clearish so that you can see the yolk inside.  If you "pop" the membrane with a knife, the raw egg will come gushing out. 
• Use an acid to slow the enzyme that turns fruit brown - slice an apple, squeeze lemon juice over some of the slices.  Place them all on a counter or in the fridge exposed to air.  The untreated slices should turn brown before the lemony slices because the acid damages the enzyme molecules that typically speed up the browning process.   

  Have fun learning something together!  

pregnancy rots my teeth

I've had a toothache that has come and gone for a week now.  I'm thinking cavity?  The only cavities I've ever had I got right after being pregnant with Hope and Maddie, so I wouldn't really be surprised now. But I've never had a toothache before. Ugh. Why?

Entrepreneur wanna-be

In an ideal world, here's what I'd like to be able to do - be the creative brain and boss behind a couple of consumer businesses.  I don't want to work, I'd rather be at home with my kids and I don't have the money to invest in anything.  But, I do have ideas.  Over the years, I've had a few.  Now I've got one more on my mind - which I'm not going to share right now.  Alas, if only I had a super-wealthy investor, some great people willing to work long hours for less than they are worth, and a detailed business plan already drawn up!  I've got vision...and unfortunately not much else.  Most of all, I'm not willing to sacrifice my time and energy with my family to actually pursue anything else right now.  Shucks!

what I learned at the mall today...

Because of the cool, rainy weather - we decided to take the family to Tyson's Corner Mall today.  Here are a few thoughts:

• Pornographic posters? - okay, so we're all familiar with the scantily clad Victoria Secret models, but seriously, I'm starting to feel very disgusted by more and more advertisements.  Today, as we walked past Armani Exchange we were met with a larger than life-sized poster of a woman and man pressed up close to each other while the woman tugged on the man's belt buckle with one hand and pushed half of her other hand down into his pants. 
• Yogen Fruz - I tried out their frozen yogurt, yummy!  We have one of these coming to Reston Town Center, despite the fact that we already have an IceBerry and they are virtually the same thing. However, I was pleased to discover that with Yogen Fruz you can actually choose your fat content - fat free, low fat, or regular as well as being able to have frozen fruit blended into the yogurt to make your own tasty flavor (I had pineapple blended into mine and topped it with fresh strawberries).  And they offer a good variety of smoothies.  
• I'm in that in-between stage right after having a baby when my body isn't like it was before and is still changing.  This makes it really difficult to find clothes that work or that are worth it to me to spend money on.  Nevertheless, we conquered the mall with three kids and the baby did great - so I'd call it a successful outing.    

baby collage

I've labeled the girls' baby pictures with their names - can you tell the differences now?

still more poop

Yes that's right - more poop!  Because I also have a three and a five year old.  And what I really want to know is when does the butt wiping truly end?  Seriously, my girls both did great at potty training.  They were trained at their second birthdays for night and day.  Alas, a child who poops in the potty still cannot be left to their own devices.  The fact of the matter is they have short arms and cannot properly reach behind themselves to do a good job.  

The result of this is dirty underwear and itchy bottoms, which do not make for friendly situations. Therefore, a particular cry can often be heard echoing throughout our house: "Mommy!  I need help wiping!" (Especially fun when we are entertaining guests).  

Now, Hope who is five, is doing this less and less often as I continue to remind her that she is five and I will not wipe her bottom forever.  I even bought those flushable wet wipes to help the girls get themselves clean, but Maddie refuses to use them because they are cold.  Still, I think we are progressing.

And the other thing is that my girls have found their poop humor.  Why is it that the word "poop" is just so darn funny?  I can't tell you how many knock-knock jokes have ended in a simple one-word punch line - poop!  Or how it always works to get my 3 year old rolling with laughter.  

Let me try something on you -

POOP! POOP! POOP! PEE! PEE! POOOOOOOOOOOP!

poop.

Are you laughing?  (I have to confess, I am chuckling just a bit - the word really is kind of funny if you say it enough)  

And finally, here is something that I really find funny.  As I am writing this last poop post (love the alliteration) - my mom has been busy changing my newborn's poopy diaper.  Which, we thought she was finished with, until the diaper was opened and she nearly shot her poop all over grandma.  Luckily, my mom managed to close the diaper in time and wait out a few more explosions.  But, when she cleaned her up and pulled out the dirty diaper, she made a rookie mistake and didn't put the other diaper beneath first. The result - (surprise!) poop all over the changing mat and the back of Ami's clothes.  Classic.  And here I am writing a poop post and laughing my head off!

poop

When you become a parent, suddenly poop takes on a much more significant or at least prominent role in your life.  So I'm dedicating the next few short posts to the smelly stuff.  This past week I've dealt with poop on three separate levels - but that's life with kids.

It all starts with the mom and delivery.

I didn't find out until just before my first was born that all that effort to push out a cute little wrinkly babe commonly results in also pushing out some other not-so-lovely stuff.  I was forewarned that this might happen, and luckily in the throes of labor and pushing you don't really give a care what is happening beyond having that baby out and in your arms.  But, I think some women have been thoroughly embarrassed by this.

Now, if you happen to deliver by C-section, that's not the end of it.  In fact, it is just an introduction to the fact that you'll have no bathroom privacy for a couple years to come.  And it starts with the fact that generally you are not allowed to eat solid foods until you can pass gas.  The next huge undertaking is your own poop.  This is all a result of your bowels being messed around with during surgery.  So you spend the next couple of days in the hospital with nurses and doctors repeatedly asking you how you are doing with passing gas and whether or not you have had a bowel movement yet and offering you stool softeners. Still, let me tell you that the first poop after having your abdomen sliced open and sewn back together is definitely a feat worth celebrating.  And an encouraging husband may even cheer at the tell-tale smile of success on your face upon exiting the restroom (after a super-extended visit) - which is also serves as an introduction, this time to the pride your own child will feel when you cheer them on after their own first poop-in-the-potty success.  

thanks darlin'!

This has been making me smile each time I walk into my kitchen.  

So pretty.

Such a thoughtful husband.

scatterbrain

When will we go grocery shopping today?

Maddie hasn't had her nap yet.

I need to get some baby wash...oh and a second box of wipes

What are the girls fussing about now?

Nevermind, resolved.

good.

it's seriously cold in this room - why only this room?

Oreos aren't a sufficient lunch.

Is the Sudafed still working or am I actually feeling a little better?

Hope was whiny with school today, man that's irritating.

I can't breathe, there's no room left.

I'm tired.

Oh I like to hear the birds outside.

Need to remember to put the laundry in the dryer.

Vacuum.

Carry these accumulating water glasses downstairs with me.

Wasn't there something else I had planned to blog about?

I need a book to read in the hospital.

Could borrow Ender in Exile from Matt, but I think I want something else.

I hope he gets to stay with me, room in.

Fairfax, baby machine hospital, stupid fees for private rooms.

Monday - hooray! I'm ready.

I think.

Sit up straight, my back hurts a little.

oh man, that's the garbage truck - I wonder if Matt took it out...

Better get moving or I won't have time to shower, grocery shop, Maddie nap, rest, before small group.

Take a deep breath.

Take a rest brain.

"Where's mommy?"

"I"m in here."

Rest later...lunch now.

awesome help for your money

Here is a link to a terrific podcast - it will be the first in a series titled "Making Cents." (click on the link and then the button on the right)  I'm going to straight up tell you that the information that will be presented in these podcasts is super insightful, informative, and valuable.  This guy - Doug - is a friend of mine, a fantastic financial planner, and full of wisdom.  I learn some little golden nugget every time I talk to him.  And the best part is...I can vouch for the fact that he actually lives out what he talks about - that it works and he is a great personal example. He's extremely up to date on all the nuances of the stimulus package and everything else that might be beneficial to you and to me.  I recommend listening to these podcasts as they continue to be produced. This first one is especially pertinent to home owners and future home owners - which covers you and just about everyone else.  Find some time and listen.   

bread and friendship

A friend who lives in town, but whom I hadn't seen or talked to for something like a year, stopped by today with a bag chock full of good stuff from the Great Harvest Bread Co. for me to put into my freezer so that I'd have some yummy things on hand after the baby is born.  How cool is that?  I was SO blessed that she thought of me at this time.  I want to be that kind of friend.  I think I have a long way to go, but even if I can only pull it off some of the time, I want to be that kind of friend.