Mothers Who Know

I found this awesome video about being a mother, and since that is 95% of my day; it really touched me. I just love Sister Beck and how timeless her words are. I hope you can recognize her message and become inspired through it.

It is about 8 minutes long, so watch it when you can sit down and appreciate it.

P.S. You may need tissues

Naked Baby Walking

Last month Grant decided he wanted to start walking. He had some great attempts during the day, but always looked like a drunken sailor as he wobbled across the floor.
One night while getting ready for bed, he took off in his official white trash uniform. For some reason, it really helped him as he was able to move so freely and unencumbered.

Only to add to his success was the assistance of a one-handed pink stroller push.

These photos are going to come in real handy in the future, right about the time he starts thinking he's too cool for mom!

So without further adieu, here is: Naked Baby Walking.

Creativity Burnout

Being a mom has really shown me a new way of living in real life. To maintain sanity, sometimes you have to be a little creative. Now to my credit, I have been a school teacher, so I know how to make mundane things seem interesting. This skill has come in very helpful as a mom. For example:

Not Creative: Lucy, stop!
Creative: Lucy, I can tell you are going to be a good soccer player, but please don't kick your brother's head.

Not Creative: What the. . gross!
Creative: Grant, thanks for helping us get our money's worth out of these diapers by filling them to maximum capacity.

Not Creative: Lucy, get your clothes on, NOW!
Creative: Lucy, let's use some of that energy and you can bunny hop right into your pants here.

Not Creative: C'mon, buddy!
Creative: Grant, it sure is fun to find your Cheerio landmines on the ground- that explosive crunch keeps me on my toes!

If you have ever read the book "Just Go to Bed" by Mercer Mayer, I think he portrays it very well. Here the dad is trying to be patient and creative with his little Critter, but by the end he's having a bit of creativity burnout.

This is why I think moms have a creativity outlet of their own. Whether its scrap booking, crafting, cooking, blogging, running, preschool, or whatever else, they just need something to refuel their creative juices after being squeezed dry during the hours. So whatever it may be for you- carry on faithful soldier- and make it a good one!

Home Accessories

Soooooo, do you ever wonder if sometimes you are the one who owns the children's furniture. . .


. . . or that they actually own you?


This isn't what I anticipated when I planned out my home decor.

Oh well, I am sure it is just a phase that will pass,

in like 10 more years.

I think it was stated best by an actor in the TV Show "Men of a Certain Age" who once said, "One day you wake up and your tripping over tricycles and your house smells like poo." You said it, buddy!

The Neverending Cycle

Dear Da'nelle,
In behalf of all of your home flooring, I would like to thank you for mopping me (about) once a week. Even if it only stays in that condition for a matter of hours. It could sadly even be measured in minutes. Anyways, thanks for trying.

Sincerely, Your kitchen floor

P.S. The bathrooms would like to speak with you next

How to Have a Lion Party

Upon Lucy's request, we had a Lion Party for her 3rd birthday. You can do the same, just do the following:

1. Make a Lion cake (this one looked good, tasted gross.)












2. Make lion hats for the kids (unfortunately 2 "cubs" were sick)












3. Have an adorable 3-year old who is just learning what birthdays are all about.












You know- cake and presents.
(P.S. This photo brings back so many of my Pony memories!)












We love you , Lucy!

My Wardrobe

My sweet mother in law took me for a well needed clothes shopping trip for Christmas. It did however, make me realize the evolution of my wardrobe in the past 5 years.

Remember when I had the professional desk job at UVSC? Yep, that was me- fun, stylish, current. I matched my shoes to my bag, and had several to choose from (both shoes and bags.) I was embellished in scarves, dangling earrings, and bracelets and had no problem with those darling 4 inch strappy heels around the office. My hair was always coiffed into an elegant or sassy 'do, I loved perfume and Clinique products, and was willing to try a new fashion just for the hey of it. Loved it.




Enter my school teaching years. Well, I still tried to stay fashionable, but due to the excessive amounts of bending, kneeling and walking, walking, walking, I had to trade in the high heels for conservative "teacher shoes." Oh, I got the cutest ones I could find, but when you are hauling a ginormous bag of math papers and spelling lists in addition to your computer, purse, lunch, and any other scholastic project at hand, you just have to give a bit. By this time I felt pretty set for the day if I had earrings AND a necklace on. Not to mention that I now had 1 child and my lack of energy was apparent in my limited hairstyles.



Then I became. . .the PE teacher, nay a PREGNANT PE teacher. Don't get me wrong, it was a pretty sweet gig for a pregnant lady, but I couldn't put on my stinky sneakers and ratty ole' workout clothes for the kids. So I was once again lead to purchasing a new wardrobe. This was tricky- I couldn't wear the same thing every day, but getting huge workout clothing is kind of an oxymoron. Thanks to Danskin, I was able to get some decent pieces, within my size range (fortunately I don't get too huge during pregnancy) and was able to be "presentable" day by day. Oh, I did wear my stinky old sneakers by the way and my hair specialty this time--long bangs and a ponytail. (um, sorry, I couldn't find a picture of me teaching soccer in a mu-mu.)




Okay, so now I have arrived at: Stay at Home mom. The phrase along can conjure a wide array of images that we all know too well. For me it turned into the mismatched, leftover, overused, underutilized outfits of yesteryear. I am trying to reinvent my style while still being frugal and functional. By now I have two categories of outfits: 1)Going out of the house and 2) Staying in. I think it's self explanatory. Although I do now have a little more time for hairstyles and jewelry, my focus is on purchasing anything that will survive spit-up on one shoulder and boogies on the other. 2 words: Machine Washable.

So needless to say, thanks for the clothes, Robyn.