Congratulations Mark & Emily!

Beautiful spring day!

Such a beautiful day today! The kids went outside this morning and came in after all of 2 minutes and, oh, I'd say 30 seconds. They just marched in, shed their jackets on the floor and kicked off their boots. Those 2 minutes and 30 seconds were not doing it for me so I'm standing there offering them snacks to take outside, telling them they can leave their jackets in if they want because it's so warm, anything to get them to go and enjoy the nice day. And they just shook their heads. Nothing was working. Okay. It's probably the second warmest day we've had this spring- what's wrong with them? If I were my kid I think I'd be getting as far away from this crabby, tired mom as possible! Hah!

So. After I fed them lunch, my husband came home for his lunch (sometimes this meal-thing starts to feel like an all day ordeal. Prepare food, eat food, clean up food, prepare food again for the next person or the next meal... Argh.) Anyways... He says to them, "Why don't you guys go play outside? It's so nice out there." And out they went. Just like that. Nevermind that I had been suggesting this to them all morning. I hauled out some of their outside toys from the basement and now they're happily running around the backyard. AND now that the baby's asleep, I think I'll go join them. It's much too nice of a day to think of doing anything else!

Enjoy your day!

Princess Shoes

Doesn't every little girl need a pair of these to be a princess in? It brings back memories of Emily & I playing wedding and because her wedding is quickly approaching, I was indulging in a little reminicing over a cup of coffee this morning. We had a box of old fancy dresses and we'd raid my sister's house for silk flowers to use for bouquets. I think there's a point in most little girl's lives when the fascination with weddings is just magical. In a sense it never really changes. Weddings are such a beautiful time- more than the fancy dresses and princess shoes. Entering into a union of two, the begining of a family, a lifetime of experiences together. I love watching the bride and groom- so happy and crazy in love- with sparkling eyes and smiles that won't leave. In that day, in those moments, life is perfect and so beautiful.

Here's to getting to play "dress up" with Emily one more time this weekend. She's going to be a beautiful bride and I'm so excited and happy for her & Mark.

What... just happened there?

Whew. What a day!
I shipped the older two kids off to my mom's this morning to get a start at cleaning this house. Around 9:30 my sister called and asked if I wanted help. I laughed. "No- but thanks for the offer," I told her and we hung up. The thought of someone else sorting through my piles of junk literally made me shiver.

Well, as soon as I hung up the phone the baby woke from her very short nap. Oh. So this is how today is going to go, I thought. As I'm sitting their rocking her wondering how I'm ever going to accomplish a thing, someone knocks on the door and in flies my sister with her cup of coffee in one hand, and in the other a sign that reads, Please excuse the noise & mess... The kids are making happy memories. She tells me she couldn't resist buying one for herself, my other sister, and me. Perfect. It's going up right away.

"I know you said not to come," she tells me, "But I'm here anyways." And before I know what's happening she's spinning circles around me wiping down cupboard doors, scrubbing the chairs, washing the woodwork in the entire downstairs.

I'm left stammering, "Uh- you don't have to-Oh...Well-I guess...really, you don't... I mean... if you want..." I finally let go trying to convince her she didn't have to help me clean and simply told her there was more coffee in the thermos as she began emptying out the fridge.

A few hours later, my house smelled for lemon cleaner and bleach and was sparkling. Just like that. We had buzzed through the house, she held the baby between washing the windows and attacking the toy room. So as she's leaving, there's an astonished me standing there speachless wondering what in the world just happened.

Now that was the way to clean. Thanks, sis. Amazing. I'm still somewhat speachless.

A Promise To My Children

Today I will look right away when you say, “Mommy, watch me!”
I will let you splash in the bathtub until you are ready to get out.
Today I will not hurry you along when you show your growing independence
by climbing into the van and into your own seat by yourself.
I will let you pick out your own clothes, even if it doesn’t match.
I will not scold you for little things like forgetting to pick up your blocks,
and I won’t ask you to “go play” when you want to help me cook supper.
Today I will sit down with you on the floor and play with your toys with you.
You can show me how.
I will let you play with your play-doh even if it makes a mess all over the kitchen.
I will read “one more” story when you ask me to instead of rushing off to something else.
Today I will not worry about getting the clothes washed, the dishes done, the floor swept.
Instead, I will spend that time listening to you.
I will take the time to really see the way your eyes light up when you’re excited,
the way your smile comes so naturally.
Today I will not get annoyed if you spill your cereal all over the table at breakfast,
and I will not tell you once to, “hurry up.”
I will let you take your time and I will learn to slow down with you.
I will remember that the lessons I learn from you are just as important
as anything I can ever teach you.
I will cherish the little moments that make today so beautiful instead of
thinking of tomorrow or next week or next month.
And tonight, when I check in on you before I go to bed,
I will linger a moment or two longer and just listen to you breathe.
I will notice how your eyelashes gently curl against your soft, rounded cheeks,
how your little arm curls around your blanket, hugging it securely to your chest.
And I will know tomorrow I will try to do the same as I did today.
This is my promise to you.
Love, Mom

Attempt #172 at tackling the mounting piles of laundry

1. wash clothes, dry clothes
2. haul an armload of dried clothes to room and plop them on the bed.
3. fold clothes, put shirts on hangers
4. do not immediately put away, instead leave them on bed
5. retreat to laundry room for more clothes
6. return to bedroom to find kids jumping on the bed and all of the previously folded clothes bounced onto the floor in heaps.
7. grab armloads of clothes off the floor in frustration and bring them to the right bedrooms
8. put clothes in drawers, in closets, etc.
9. return later to bedrooms only to see the kids have decided to play dress up with the entire contents of their dressers/closets.
10. back slowly out of room counting to ten. or twenty. or seven hundred ninety six.
11. leave clothes on floor.


Aha! It's all so clear when I look at it this way. From now on I think I'll go from step 1 straight to step 11... I'm not sure, but it just seems more efficient that way.

A minute in my brain right now...

• Is there a chance this house is going to get cleaned before next week?
• Where are we going to sleep 10 extra people in this little tiny house?
• Why did I wait till last minute to finish school work?
• Will the baby sleep okay tonight?
• Should I exercise or go straight to the homework?
• We used to have stacks of towels. How do you lose towels?
• Is Lydia going to actually cooperate for Emily's wedding?
• Where, oh, where did I put Lydia's shoes for the wedding?
• Will she walk down the aisle? or refuse?
• Did I pay the phone bill?
• Who's going to watch these kids the night before the wedding?
• How in the world to we generate so much laundry?
• Why didn't I put away the clean clothes before they got dumped all over the laundry room again?
• Why did I take out summer clothes before putting away some of the winter ones? It's like something exploded in the laundry room.
• Why is gas so darn expensive?
• How long can I drive on empty hoping the price will go down?
• When is this cold weather going to go away so the kids can play outside again?
• This house is such a disaster.
• I think I need to rent a dumpster.
• I need to try on my dress one more time.
• We need to find Ryan a shirt and tie for the wedding. And what about pants?
• Jack needs something to wear too. What's he going to wear?
• And does he even have dress shoes that fit?
• What about Hannah?! I forgot about her. She needs a dress too.
• Why didn't I take care of this stuff? It's not like Mark & Emily got engaged yesterday.
• Oh yeah. Wedding present. Oh great. Oh, no. This is not good.
• How do you grocery shop for 10 extra people?
• What in the world are we going to eat? WHAT should I feed them?
• Where are they goign to sleep again????