Bring it On...

Crazy Week is officially OV-AH!!!

Just when I thought it couldn’t get any more hectic…Saturday, after the wedding (see some of my fav shots below) we headed over to the neighbor’s house for a cookout/slip down the water slide with too many going at one time so that you tumble and start crying/get soaked in the left out in the sun for too many days, bug and grass infested wading pool/run around in the yard until you’re a sweaty mess/fire off way old firecrackers while plugging your ears near tears cuz the noise is just “too much”/go to bed way past your bedtime without taking a shower or bath because mom and dad are just too doggone tired to deal> relaxing evening.

But, that’s all done…fun was to be had…but it’s over now (lay a whisper, on my pillow, leave the winter on the ground…it musta been “Love” (read FUN), but it’s over now)… With all the MJ news lately, it’s got everyone remembering their 80’s childhood…It’s funny how things stick in your head…but, I digress…

So, we’re done with crazy week and ready to acclimate to some normalcy again! Of course, my house is quite the disaster…again, it’s amazing to me how 3 small children are able to wreak havoc in such a small amount of time. Who am I kidding, most of the mess comes from my “brilliant” ideas to store our new and freshly dug up produce, and shaving the dog (not at the same time mind you) But, I DID make a large mess, much to my husband’s chagrin…

And, well, that means my day is cut out for me from the start…it will begin in the laundry room and probably end there too…with bleaching, scouring, vacuuming, and other warm, household chores in the middle…but, compared to having to pack lunches, jump in the car, while making sure everyone has their shoes and has gone potty at least twice before we head out for a day of cousin fun…yeah, bring on the house baby!!! I’m there!!
Here are just a few pics from the wedding that I shot on Saturday and a few garden pictures…cuz you know, they go SOOOO well together!

I love her expression in this photo...

And now...for the garden pictures: We picked our potatoes...My Italian Stallion "swears" there were over 200 potatoes...I'm not sure that's "quite" accurate, but since he does most of the weeding, hauling of the dirt, washing of the produce...I'm just gonna humor him and let him think that we are our very own little potato factory!

In Which I Prop up my Feet and Sip on Pop

I wish I had something terribly exciting to write about…something beyond all terrificness that would just force your eyes to bug out of your head leaving your mouth salivating over the next word that would appear on the screen…

But it seems that between the news surrounding Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and now Michael Jackson…well…I’m just not up to par…

Couple that with the sweltering heat and my late night frantic searches for my external flash (I will get to this later) I believe that my mental capabilities may have melted away…

It’s been a week…

That’s putting it lightly.

Don’t get me wrong, I adore spending time with people…friends, family, kiddos, dogs, cats, rats…okay, maybe not the rats, but they play some mean basketball, let me tell you!!!

Beginning LAST Saturday, we have spent every single day with someone outside our immediate family…and not just someone, the entire T crew of cousins…

The wedding, a birthday bash, swimming, the Zoo, COSI, Park class…it’s just mayhem waiting to happen. Putting all those kiddos together in one place is wayyy fun for them and for the moms/aunts/nanas a majority of the time…it’s the necessity of having eyes in the back of your head that is overwhelming…

Just trying to keep track of everyone has been a major feat …that alongside the usual “dealings” you have with children aged 8 weeks to 10 years old…I can’t tell you how many “hurt feelings” aka “she took my seat, I was gonna sit there” OR how many “where is Munchkin? I just had her here a minute ago?” OR how many “NO, we don’t have anymore snacks, you’ve already eaten the entire bag of pretzels and popcorn my dears!” that we have heard this week!

And yet, when it is all said and done, as the girls and I are sitting at home quietly, peacefully and totally exhausted…we are quite content…it’s been good to be with everyone, to love on one another and enjoy…we just may not be “seeing anyone else” for a few days!

And one LAST note, before you get entirely too bored with this plethora of useless information…I FOUND MY FLASH!!! What? Did you loose it or something?

Yeah, I haven’t written about that because…well, to be completely honest, I had a deep pit in my stomach and the thought of writing it out on the screen was probably going to make me throw up…I was THAT sick about it! I lost it sometime between May 2nd and the present…I’ve torn my house APART…let me rephrase…I have basically ripped, thrown, pulled, slammed, whipped everything from it’s place in my home sweet home in search of that thing (which costs about $250 mind you!) I wrote lists of every place I could have been and where I took my camera bag…I called the zoo even…I was desperate!

Low and behold, it was at Peanut’s gymnastics class…I’m thinking that Little Munchkin snuck it out of my camera bag as I was snappin’ shot and I never knew it until I went to use it again for the wedding LAST weekend! I called the gym as my last ditch effort. We were last there on June 1st! almost a MONTH ago!

The tears started flowing and they cheerfully said, “Oh yeah, is that what this thing is? Yep we have it”…just like that…we’ve got it here…You better believe I ziplined it over there and held that precious piece of equipment in my hand!

And so…that’s my week’s story…I’m done…kaput! My emotions have run the gamut…I think I’ll just go sip on my fountain drink and soak in the quiet as I lovingly gaze at my long lost flash!!!
Have a great weekend!

The Five Senses of Summer

It's PEA PICKIN' time

Just thought I'd share a little piece of heaven from our house to yours!

Ahhhh...the joy of summer!!!

Amidst the sweltering (remember my daughter's word?) heat, the perspiration dripping down your face, the "aroma" wafting from bodies after running around in the yard, the arguments peaceful discussions over the thermostat, the bees, snakes, and flies...there is a glimmer of the reason I love summer even still...

My garden is beginning to produce...yes, we've had the lettuce, but now it's gettin' close...I can just taste it!!!

They aren't posing or anything right? nope, not my girls!!!

Enjoy, Mamarazzi

We Went to the Zoo Today

Yes… I took my darling children to the zoo.

Was is a mental lapse in judgment?
Too much chocolate & pop over the past few days?
Perhaps it was the frantic late nights searches for my STILL LOST external flash for my camera (that is a whole ‘nother post and I am just not able to bring myself to talk about it yet)?

What was it that purposed in my head that it was perfectly fine to drag 3 young children out in 145 degree weather to walk around in the blistering sun in order to…
See animals? Nope, not much out
Listen to a show? Nope, not open yet

How about EAT? Yeah, that sounds reasonable…let’s drive 30 mintues, unload the entire car, all 3 ride in the stroller for mom to push and then once we get there, let’s just sit and eat every snack known to man…

We ate…we went to the zoo…and ATE! It was as if I had starved them for days and it wasn’t until we reached the zoo that they realized that they had to get nourishment…they needed to eat everything in sight.

We did make ONE stop to see animals…we saw fish…and boy oh boy…

It was a sight to see…all those hot sticky bodies cramming into the aquarium because the HEAT was too much for them outside…mmmmmmm, the aroma of that place was just “something”, let me tell you!

Me craning my neck to keep my eyes on my lovies as they slid their sweaty bodies along the thick glass…

Munchkin screaming at everything that went by and then going into a terrific fit due to the fact that she was 2 hours past her naptime…

Peanut distressed over the crowd of people and the fact that “someone just knocked into my knee Momma…” Let me tell you…the world was about to come to crashing end by the tone of her voice..

And my Sweetpea found a luscious word to verbalize during the entire trip… “Mom, we are sweltering out here…absolutely sweltering!!!”

Yeah, I know…it was your ridiculous mother who came up with the bright idea dear!
We’re done with the zoo for a bit…and I need a frappuccino!

A Health Lesson

After consuming the following over the past few days:

Chocolate chip cookies
Chocolate dipped cookies,
Wedding cake
pop
Ice cream
Birthday cake
pop
Sugar cookies
Baklava
Pop
Starbucks iced mocha
Scoops of icing left over from birthday cake

Take a deep breath and……I continue…

Did I mention pop?
More cookies
Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies
Mickey Ds double cheeseburger
More pop

Yeah…so I figured since I hadn’t exercised in over a week (due to a “ewyuck” feeling in my throat…it could have been the oncoming of a serious cold and therefore, much sulking, whining, complaining, and obviously eating lots of junk food is NECESSARY)

Where was I ?
Yes, so I decided that I ought to march myself down to the dungeon and start up on the treadmill…it was slow going…of course that might have been due to the fact that I just couldn’t settle on a show to watch in the wee hours of the morning (again, WEE hours interprets to about 7:30am for me…remember, I’m the one that doesn’t function well before 8:00…okay, maybe it’s more like 10)

Once I hunkered down with Matt Lauer and the gang, I began my “trot”…only be shocked to find out that in breaking news, Ed McMahon has passed away…(I won’t mention that I thought he died awhile ago…and is Johnny Carson still here?) Big Mama even had a moment of silence in remembrance of the man on her blog today…

(insert silence)

So, I continued to run to the muted television singing Little Munchkin’s newest song, topping the charts: “Popi Popi…da da das…na na side…bee bee bee bee bee bee OH”
It’s really catchy…seriously!! I’m not biased or anything!!!

This really is a pointless blog post because really, I only exercised for whoppin’ 30 minutes…after which I consumed the largest fountain drink known to man and scarfed down another chocolate chip peanut butter cookie…I’m thinking that the exercise didn’t necessarily cancel out the sweets…but oh well…

I got the reminder though later in the car when Sweetpea asked me,
“Mommy, is it good to be skinny Minnie?” (not sure where she got that one)

(listen to my ever “intelligent replies”) Sweetheart, God gave us these bodies to live in and take care of…He doesn’t care what we look like, like the kinds of clothes we wear or how we do our hair, but He wants us to be healthy. He wants us to eat those foods that help our body to be strong and work properly and to exercise…so if you are over weight, your heart has to work harder because there is too much fat on your body…”

“Mom, what if you’re too skinny?”

“Well…(here’s the college grad mommy answer) your heart has to work even harder if you’re too skinny because there’s not enough padding to protect your bones!”
(Hey, it worked…they got the point)

Conclusion from Sweetpea: “So, *Peanut, *Munchkin and I all have perfect bodies cuz we’re not too big or too skinny…and you’re perfect too right mom…except, do you really eat a lot of HEALTHY FOOD???”

Sooo…I will be getting on the treadmill tomorrow morning as well, probably with Matt & Meredith or Diane or maybe an infomercial…
And thank goodness my children don’t know what the Cheesecake Factory is, because that’s where I’m headed tonight for a girl’s night out!!!

Happy Birthday Munchkin

I was for sure I was having a BOY...you know, that maternal instinct...I had secretly been referring to the "child in the womb" as my little Will...I just "had a feeling"...Yeah, well, I had that "feeling" with all my babies and I was wrong every single time!!! And I'm so glad that I was!

Little Munchkin celebrates 2 years of gracing this world with her presence! Here are some things that I love about her!

*she loves to jabber and "talk" all the time...non stop...dis?, dada, ah done, Momma..MOMMY!!!
*she loves POP (girl after my own heart)
*she gives the best little girl hugs
*she loves to make people laugh and smile
*her giggle
*how she likes to eat with a fork or spoon...from very early on
*how she imitates her sisters in everything they do
*her joy at discovering new things
*how she likes to cuddle with Mommy & Daddy in the morning before anyone else is up
*how she likes to brush her teeth for at least a 1/2 hour each day
*her kisses

Happy Birthday my little love! I am amazed how all 3 of you are so different and each of you add a special joy to our family!!! Can't wait to celebrate!

ABOUT ME

Here's a little "something" about me...just so you know...

I'm wife to my best friend in the world for 13 years, although we've been best friends for over 19 years. He's my "Italian Stallion"...I've loved being adopted into this Italian Heritage!

We have 3 beautiful children to whom I am "Mommy"!

Sweetpea is our eldest, M....she's my almost 9year old. She looks like her daddy, but is a natural firstborn like me. She has a very sensitive heart...she's my thinker, a compassionate friend and a great big sister!

Peanut is next, E....that typical middle kid! She's my rambunctious, adventurous, music lovin' girl! I love her giggle and her pig snorts!

Little Munchkin is the baby, C! She knows what she wants and will do all in her power to get it! She is truly the baby and bring much laughter to our house!

I'm a lover of photography...well, more like just capturing memories because, due to all the Diet Pepsi that I drank in college, my brain cells have drowned and I have little left to store actual memories...so I depend on pictures to remind me of the "days of old"...this is very disheartening to my husband, considering I can barely remember a single date before we were married...he has to "fill me in"...(although, I think he must secretly like it since the "stories" keep getting better and better each time he tells them, and I'd never really know if he exaggerated or not)

I love pop...fountain drinks are my favorite and each one of my girls had "sips" before they were one year old...this is a sad thing for my MIL...her poor grandbabies...

I can touch my tongue to my nose...it's disgusting, yes, I know...but, I claim it as a talent and will gladly show you if asked! (I also just discovered that Sweetpea has the same talent!!! whoohoo!!)

I'm a pack rat...the state of my basement is an embarrassment...and yet a treasure trove! It's easy to get lost in my "stuff"...but, there's always something that triggers some memory down there and so I continue "hoarding!" (this does include all my baby teeth, my wonder woman underoos and countless other knicknacks from the 80's)

I'm a people person...thus, I'm energized being around people...this is opposite of my husband...so we work great as a team!

I started this blog awhile ago...I used to be a big journal person...I know I have a box of filled journals somewhere in the basement...ahhh, that would be another treausre to locate!...but the whole blog thing is kinda fun because I can share it with my friends and family! My plan is to print out and save my entries as I go...so I'll have my own little "book" when I'm done...

A friend of mine recently called me Mamarazzi...ya know, like Paparazzi on TV? It's kinda what I do to my family, you know, run after them like a crazy person and snap pictures until they beg me to "please stop Momma..let's play!"...I liked the name...so it stuck...so that's our family in a nutshell:
Italian Stallion, Mamarazzi (I also think it has an "italian ring" to it:), Sweetpea, Peanut and Little Munchkin...

Sooo...there you have it...those are just the tidbits...glad you stopped by!

A Little Bantering Goes a Long Way...

I have a friend who lives a little south of here…well, kinda really south of here…like Costa Rica! I grew up with her husband, and we met in high school (I may have been in middle school at the time…I can’t rightly remember…bein’ as I’m loosing my eye sight, hearing and bodily functions at my OLD age)

Anyhoo…We were “chattin’” as I always do on facebook and other such communication devices that have me linked to the “outside world”…that of adults…where adult conversation runs freely and for the most part, whining does not occur, nor am I expected to wipe, hold, carry, pat, discipline anyone…well, again, for the most part!

She knows that this whole blogging thing has been on my mind lately…the whole privacy thing…being mindful of my children who don’t have control over what their mother “talks” about concerning them…YIKES! I’ve been wanting to create “code” names…side note(This is half of what makes blogging fun…I’m not out for popularity, or to have my voice heard…heck, it’s just another way to be creative…it’s that other outlet!!) so I get to do “code names” and I have with most of my family:

We’ve got my hubby: The Italian Stallion…I’m sure he LOVES the fact that he is known by the blogging world (at least MY blogging world) as a stud!!! Whoo hooo!!! But...I digress…

I refer to my eldest as SweetPea…this name has evolved from Pumpkin, to Nipper to now Sweetpea…I like the ring.

Middle child is my Peanut and that just fits her perfectly!

Little Muchkin is number 3…I’m sure once she gets older, we’ll have to drop the Little part, but I’m thinking that she has more of my genes, so the Munchkin part will probably stick.

But what about the author of this lovely blog? What shall I be called? How do I “Identify” myself without revealing my “true identity”? All these other blogs have FUN names that give the hint of their “day job”:
Big Mama
Boo Mama
Mommy Zabs
You followin’ the gist here? I’m sure they haven't copywrited the name, but I need something new, something unique…something that says something about me and how I “work”…

My girls came up with (bless their little hearts) :Fun Mama, Panera Mama (wonder how they got this one?) Girly Mama (perhaps this was suggested to provide some motivation for their denim wearing mama who only owns 2 pair of earrings and no high heels!)…

And I truly like these…but, I ‘bout fell off my seat laughing when my friend suggested:

Mamarazzi (ya know, like the paparazzi…in other words, someone who takes lots of pictures…someone who can’t seem to take the camera off her hip…you’d think she was getting paid for as many prints as she has around her house!) It even sounds a little Italian to go with my Stallion Hee hee

So, for awhile we’re gonna stick with this “jovial” name…for fun...just remember, that I'm about as laidback as squirrel on caffeine, so be prepared for changes...I'm sure that eventually my mom won't even know who is who...but, eh...that's half the fun!

Have a great weekend
~Mamarazzi

just real quick

Just a quick explanation...I'll return you to your regularly, scheduled blog posts after this brief message:

I put privacy settings on this blog recently. It's not what I wanted to do by any means...it's cumbersome, it forces you to have to sign in instead of being able to just easily link over...I get that, believe me.

However, I am realizing that this whole "internet" thing is bigger than I realize...and although I'm careful, by changing my kids "real names", never mentioning my home address or surrounding "clues"...I'm not perfect, and I may slip up and not know it...and the thing is, I don't know who is reading this...I don't have control over it at all...

We don't have control over anything in life really...but, I think God gave us brains to make choices wisely. My children are small...what I publish about them, what I allow the world to see is precious and I don't want that taken away from them. Someone made just a side comment the other day, wasn't threatening or anything...but it just made me reevaluate...

I LOVE those other blogs over to the right of your screen...I so want to be like them...they are funny, witty, open, honest...and I've never heard any horror stories from them:) Goodness sakes, I read BETH MOORE's blog all the time...she's got stuff about her grandkids, etc etc...

After a time, I may pull the plug on the email invite thing...or I may switch over to wordpress, where it's at least password protected...but I can pass that word around a lot easier than the whole email thing...I"m not sure...

I just wanted to let you know that I'm not giving up, but I'm taking a step back for a sec just to make sure where I'm heading with all this...and to make sure that my decisions are wise concerning the safety of my family...

Thanks to those that go through the "ugh" of signing in to read this...will you do me a favor and let me know your thoughts, give me some insights, let me know if the whole thing is just crazy and I'm paranoid, or even if you just don't like it and won't be back to reading again...I really appreciate it and value your opinions!!!

***This is just a test of the national blogcasting system...this is only a test...we'll now bring you back to your regularly, scheduled postings***

Play acting in the next room

Conversation currently happening at my house between sisters:

“Okay, so you pretend that you’re like 20.”

“Yeah, and we can be sisters. (right cuz it makes sense to PRETEND that)
Okay, and you pretend that you live over here.
This is our store and this is our house…”

“Yeah, and let’s pretend that you are going to go shopping..
And then, you can like, pretend to buy stuff and I can pretend to sell it to you..”

“Okay and you be 10 and what is your name?”

“I’m gonna be Rose and you pretend to be Violet
Okay, wait, my name is Rose and people call me Rosetta or Rose…”

“But what if we call you something else?”

“I’m the second oldest, and I’m 20 and my name is Isabelle
No, wait, now I’m 8…I’m gonna be the youngest”

“Wait, who lives in the Boxcar?”

“What are we playing?”

“Meijer”

Yeah, don’t ask…don’t have a clue what is going on, but I’m sitting here chuckling to myself over the “play-acting” that is going on in the next room…

Sick anyone?

I’ve got that “ewhyuck” feeling in my throat.

I tried to swallow it away, sleep it away, suck down too much coffee it away, fill up on vitamins away…but to no avail…that “feeling” is still there…

So what does that mean? It means that I’m getting doggone sick…and by golly, I do NOT like being sick, especially in the summer (which doesn’t officially start by the calendar until Sunday…but, who’s counting)

It’s days like this that I wish I could just blink myself to a resort in Hawaii and get pampered all day by tall men dressed in white, who come and put cool wash clothes on my forehead, feed me fresh fruit and let me sit and read all day from my pile of library books that I’m wanting to devour. Ahhhhhhhh, that would be a vacation!

Instead, I must pop a few Ibuprofens, stagger to the shower, fix breakfast for the kiddos while answering the barrage of questions such as:

“Mommy, what are we doing today?”
“Can I watch more TV?”
“Can I have a gumball?”
“C has my baby and she won’t give it back, can you DOOOOOOO something about that?”
“Can I have a gumball?”
“I want to go on a bike ride, will you find my helmet?”
“Where are my clothes, Mom…did you do the laundry?”
“Can I have a gumball?”
“When is Daddy coming home?”
“Can we call some friends to come over and play?”

Did I mention, “Can I have a gumball?” What it is about gumballs and my girls, I’ll never know, but thank you dear brother for the lovely gumball machine wedding gift 10 years ago…it’s a been a source of aggravation JOY!

So, we’ll see how far this “sick” actually goes. We have a wedding to attend this weekend, not to mention Little Munchkin turns TWO…oh my heavens…TWO…next week! Hope you all have a great Tuesday!

Reading is like Water

Reading is second nature to me. My love for the written word began in about 5th grade by my teacher who required everyone to read 50 books over the course of the school year. Never had I had a teacher who blatantly required so much (Man, what kind of school did you go to you say?…yeah, well…it wasn’t the best school district in the world…bear with me)…but the students respected her and although some thought the feat was an impossible undertaking, we persevered.

We had to journal about every book and make a list of the titles and authors. I remember that we had to meet the halfway mark by the end of the first semester. I have a love/hate relationship with deadlines. I LOVE the check them off, I HATE the pressure to meet them. But, being the little “Teacher’s Pet” that I was, I was determined to meet those goals and then some. I didn’t start out doing it for enjoyment, but rather for the praise and adoration of my teacher.

However, through the process I found that I LOVE to read…it’s like water to my thirsty soul! I couldn’t get enough…and some 25 years later, I’m still feeling that way. When we go to the library, the librarians laugh because I have a bag for the kids and a bag for me…mine is often larger than theirs…go figure! When do I find time for this timely pleasure…yes well, ahem…that would be the reason that I’m up until after midnight nearly every night…but I digress…

ANYHOO, my little kiddos are not quite there in their ‘fascination’ with all things lettered black and white. I’ve already signed them up for THREE..yes count them…THREE summer reading programs…and myself for TWO. Sweetpea LOVES the challenge…she doesn’t necessarily love to read, but she loves to check off!!! Peanut, could care less one way or the other…she’s confident in who she is, whether she reads or not and by golly, if she gets to choose to either read, or go play outside…well, that’s just a no-brainer!

I hope…hope…sooooooooooo hope that they will develop a love of literature as I have. I’ve read to them since they were in the womb…I “graduate” them from board books to picture books and begin reading novels to them around age 4…

We’ve been through Classics such as The Secret Garden, The Little Princess, Charlotte’s Web and Caddie Woodlawn, James and the Giant Peach,…

Through historical fiction books such as Hittie, Her first Hundred Years, American Girl series, Little House on the Prairie…

Through mysteries like Boxcar Children, Magic tree house…

And into series books like Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Ramona, Narnia and anything FAIRIES…

And through books that just interest us like Princess Academy, or authors like Beverly Cleary and Patricia MacLaughlin…

Our recent find was Kenny and the Dragon…WOW…such a fun book. Much like the picture book of the Reluctant Dragon, but made into a novel version…excellent read for boys and girls…literature is meaty, scarce pictures, enough to grab little one’s attention, but rare so the imagination can run wild…
We went to a storytime for Little Munchkin today…quite unexpectedly (we were actually going to collect our first “prize” for checking off on our reading chart) It just reminded me how much fun it is…I’m glad I’ve got one more little one to attempt to instill that love of reading…we’ll see how that works out!

Gardening

So, I thought I'd just share a little bit about my gardening experience.

Maybe even throw in a few pictures for imagination sake...

(Yes I know I've put this picture up before...)

I ran into a neighbor at the store today.
She told me that she sees my garden every morning and is quite jealous.
She thinks I have a green thumb.

It made me feel good, although I don't necessarily agree with her...all I do is stick the seeds in the ground...I'm not really one to follow the directions on the seed packets either...

12 inches apart just seems WAY too far apart for me...let's just plant them about 2 inches apart...that'll give em enough space...sure...ahem

I also don't like to murder thin my poor, sprouting seedlings...therefore, my lettuce looks like an overgrown chia pet. This is also the reason that my back about broke planting carrots...have you ever seen carrot seeds?...they are like the size of the tip of a pencil...I just licked my finger and put one little seed every inch or so...yes, back breaking work...

I know...I did it...

And then comes the watering...I think my poor husband realized that it looked bad to the neighbors felt sorry for me, hauling two 5 gallon buckets out to the garden each day. He installed a sprinkler this year! yippee for me...and again, less and less with me having a green thumb!

Of course, I've got to wonder when I planted 6 potato seeds last year and only ONE came up....so this year I planted 15...and all 15 sprouted...what am I going to do with 15 potato plants?


All in all...it's a fun "hobby"...I like just being out there and watching everything grow!

Green thumb or not...

The Icing on the Cake

Or....

In our case....

The Ice Cream on the Cookie!!!

Sweetpea and Peanut and I made these little delicacies today...been dreaming about them for awhile now...

We finally got around to making them!

YUMMY!!!

Although, be advised: saran wrap and little children, don't mix well together!!

UGH!!!

On another note...

We still have LOTS Of LETTUCE!!!

Here's what I cut yesterday:

Here's what is still left in ONE of the TWO boxes:

I didn't bother to take a picture of the other SIX rows of lettuce in the 2nd box, because, well...you get the idea...we are on lettuce overload over here! Believe me, if I could actually ship it and I didn't think it would turn to "green liquid soup", I'd be shipping a bunch off to as many friends and relatives as I could...

So, we're heading into the weekend...Peanut sleepily asked me this morning as we laid in bed waiting for Sweetpea and Munchkin to wake up, "Mommy, does Daddy have to work AGAIN today?"

(obviously they aren't picking up on the theme here...Daddy goes to work EVERY day...he has been since he graduated from college...)

I lovingly replied, "yes, sweetie he has to work today...but he'll have the next two days off to be with us!!!"

This still didn't satisfy her because she replied near tears, "yes, but then he has to GO BACK to work the next day after that!!"

Oh honey, I know...if only we could win the lottery...that is, IF we played the lottery...

Weekend...here we come...cookie ice cream sandwiches and all!!!

If my children made the rules...

I’ve found that even with a high school diploma, a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, 10 years of marriage, 7.5 years of parenting…I am still incapable of creating a list of rules by which to live that would ensure ultimate happiness for my 3 sweet girls…and so I set out to find the solution…after listening to my brood all day long, I came up with these…surely we can all learn to abide?

1) Toilets need not be flushed…it’s too time consuming and we’re in a hurry. All toilets need to be automatic if flushing MUST happen.

2) Sprite, Lemonade and Chocolate Milk are the only beverages that are to be offered during any mealtime or snack.

3) Snacks should occur at least every ½ hour. They should consist of Nutella & graham crackers, chocolate covered almonds, cheez-its, or peanut buttered pretzels.

4) The only channels needed on the TV are Disney, Noggin and PBS…the TV can remain on at all times at the highest level of volume. (well, okay, you can have the weather channel just to check if we can wear tank tops or not)

5) All dirty clothes, and clean for that matter, need only to be piled in a corner of the bedroom . If something cannot be found, yell at the top of your lungs until someone comes to help or simply cry…because that will definitely solve all your problems.

6) Furniture is to be used as a jungle gym. No need to sit on it properly. (see picture below)

7) Everything can be healed with a bandaid.

8) Mommies need to read to their children every night for longggggggg periods of time…not just one or two chapters….preferably, just keep reading until the children fall asleep.

9) Daddies are also to be used for jungle gym purposes.

10) Toys should be left out at all times for easy and quick access. Preferably, in the middle of the room, on the stairs or in hallways.

11) Talking should be at an octave that can be heard at least one county over, regardless of the fact that your parents are 2 feet away.

12) There is no need to cover your mouth/nose when sneezing as washing your hands will delay the fun.

13) It is a badge of honor to be able to clog the toilet with half a roll of toilet paper when one has only gone pee.

14) One need not just one mode of transportation: load your garage with 4 strollers, 6 bikes, 4 scooters, a wagon, 2 baby walkers, a motorized john deere tractor…oh…and your parent’s cars…

15) Parents are most often deaf, therefore it is necessary to call upon their names 3-4 times before it is humanly possible for them to respond (also, remember #11 while speaking their names)

16) It makes perfect sense to ask to play with the neighbor kids AFTER dinner, when you’ve just spent 10 hours with them BEFORE dinner.

17) Macaroni and cheese made at the neighbor’s house is ALWAYS better than a 5 course meal made at your own home.

18) When one cannot remember the last time you bathed, it is best to wait just one more night, since your sheets are already dirty.

19) When mommy says it’s time to turn the TV off, it is perfectly reasonable to go on the computer and watch videos.

20) When one claims to be full, that clearly means that there is no room for any more healthy food…however, it does NOT mean that you can’t chow down on icecream, chocolate or anything else sweet!!!

Two Posts in one day: quick update & some stuff for mom

I’m trying NOT to be self-conscious…to just “pretend” it’s not there…but, somewhere, somehow…I ran into somethin’ poison ivy/sumac/oak/itchy/yucky/bumpy/red/looks awful RASH!

See here:

It’s all over my arms, and now spreading to my face LOVELY!!!

I’m the type of person that can’t stand to have a zit without popping the little sucker till it bleeds (sorry to be so graphic) You can imagine with all these teeny tiny red bumps all over, I’m about ready to take a razor to my arm!!! UGH

However…all that said…I did have 2 little bright spots in my day:

Exhibit A: I won this CD on another blog site and can’t wait to listen to it…What a FUN FIND in my mailbox this afternoon…to cheer my Bumpy Self!

Exhibit B:
My awesome, incredible, thoughtful husband brought this little VENTI frappachino with a kiss…he still thinks I’m beautiful amidst the sea of red. And YES, I do notice that it is half gone...ummm, I didn't think to take a picture until I had successfully sucked down half of it...and that took about 5 minutes...ahem...

Okay…so onto other things…Mom, this is for you! Here are the pictures of the newly gardened front flower bed…it’s been 3 years in the making…enjoy!

strawberry patch

pathetic attempt at herb garden

butterfly bushes, lilac bush, and some other ones I can't remember

weeping cherry tree

the front of the house...as if you couldn't tell without me writing it out

The Neighborhood

I think the best thing about moving (3 years ago) is the neighborhood. I don’t think we are your “typical” neighborhood…i.e. no sidewalks, you walk aways to get to the next house, no fences, etc…but nevertheless, it’s OUR neighborhood.

Well, I don’t think it’s just the neighborhood…it’s the NEIGHBORS!!! Never have I had the opportunity to be apart of community like this (outside of family and church) Sure, I had friends in my neighborhood growing up, but it was maybe 5 houses out of 100 that I actually KNEW the kids inside.

Here, the neighbors are “family”…we all have each other’s codes and keys and are watching out for everyone’s kids. There are campfires nearly every Friday and Saturday night at someone’s house…we all roast marshmallows, makes smores, have a glass a wine…it’s incredible.

I have the most awesome talks with my neighbors as well…we get on all sorts of subjects from the news, to fashion, to Scriptures…unbelievable!

This weekend, one set of neighbors’ bought this:

You can imagine that the children came running…Again, wish I would’ve brought my camera, but I was too busy “policing” the kiddos and “chattin’” it up with my neighbor friends!

We’re already planning the MEGA graduation party that we’re going to have when all of our kiddos finish highschool…WHAT??? I can’t believe we were already discussing that, but we did…and I’m thankful for the support system I will have at that time when I’m bawling because my baby will be leaving home!!
Until then, I’m enjoying the kids romping around with each other and playing on waterslides, while us mommies & daddies talk and visit. I wonder if it’s anything like the “olden days” when the ladies in their bonnets planned a picnic and met down by the creek with all the families…Well, minus the water slide, lawn chairs, outside radio, Hershey’s chocolate, beach towels, sunblock…okay, so maybe it’s NOT so much like olden days…but, it sure is a fun little piece of family!

National Donut Day

Happy Donut Day!

Yep…I gotta say, I’m happy to live in a country where we celebrate the donut…

Christmas, absolutely!

Easter, you bet!

Birthdays (well, maybe not so much wanting to celebrate as you get older…)

Flag Day.

Mothers/Fathers day.

And today, I discovered that it was National Donut Day!

Sprinkles, crèmes, glazed and holes.

We walked into our donut shop and chose our FREE donut for the day. Talk about a TREAT! Ohhhhh, yummy, you better believe we stuffed our faces. Had Little Munchkin not konked out on my shoulder, I would’ve had some cute pictures to share with you…

But, it wasn’t to be.

So you’ll have to just use your imagination…to picture my older two nibbling all the sprinkles off their glazed donuts, in order to make it last longer…me, suckin’ down my custard filled, chocolate glazed piece of heaven in 5 seconds or less!!! And finally, Little Munchkin (once she woke up) smearing all that sticky, scrumptious sugar all over her face, hands, car seat, windows, shoes, baby doll, etc etc…

Yummy day! Have a donut!

Three Gs of Summer

G- My Girls

Summer is definitely the time to get out the ‘ole camera and start shootin’ away! I get a few neat shots every once in awhile…my head almost gets a little cocky (but then I look at the other 127 pictures that DIDN’T turn out so well, and I’m back to my humble self!)

So, for my first G of summer…here are a few pics of my girls…so much fun!G-The Garden

Ahhhhhhhh, my little haven…never thought I’d be the gardening type, but there is just something about watching little seeds sprout into these magnificent plants that produce the most yummy foods! Thought I’d share a few photos from my garden…Little Munchkin decided to “help” water (she also decided to “weed”…needless to say, we lost a few corn stalks, bean sprouts and a couple broccoli plants)
G-GOLF!!!

Yes, I will admit, I love golf…I can’t play worth anything, but that’s okay because I’m not really competitive with regards to this sport…I’m in it for the joy of the game…I love this time of year because it means that the Memorial Tournament is here and we are somehow able to snag a few free tickets…this year was no different (although I didn’t get to go with my hubby because he had to work) My FIL stood in for him…We watched our favorite players…

Through the rain.

Over the umbrellas.

Splashed through puddles.

Soaked our clothes through.

But it was worth it to see this:

And this:
Yep…my three Gs of the summer…we’re off to a good start!

Good Day

So, I won this really cool worship CD from BigMama’s blog…I’ve never really won anything in my life, so I was pretty thrilled to wake up this morning and see that staring at my face…so fun…yes, fun fun fun…

Had some other fun this morning…although I wasn’t sure I was gonna make it TO the fun…I was supposed to leave at 9am…I think I have a mental problem with time management…I CANNOT and I repeat CANNOT seem to get out of the house at the appropriate time no matter how much “tricking” myself or rushing around that I do. (I suppose it doesn't help that I just HAVE to check my blog, facebook and email every morning as well...ahem!)

As I said, I was SUPPOSED to leave the house by 9am…at 8:37am, as I was jumping into the shower and yelling to my girls to “please put on some clean underwear”, I realized that we, once again, would NOT be leaving on time.

But, by golly, I gave it my best shot…I told the girls to dig through the dirty laundry to find their shorts (we came up with a new rule after this morning’s escapades: wear it TWICE, THEN put it in the dirty clothes…this way you get much more wear out of it, especially since Mom can’t stay on top of laundry either!)

I sprayed on the sun block all over their little bodies, even atop their heads with Little Munchkin’s ponytails. The ponytail holder then promptly disintegrated and left her with wet, sticky hair that stuck up on either sides of her head (what in the world am I spraying on my children???…what is this stuff anyway?)

At 9:20am, we got in the car, sped out of the driveway and headed to the zoo to meet up with my MIL and SIL and the cousins, HOPING to not see them sitting there WAITING for us…only to hear my Honey Bunch say, “Ooops Mom, we forgot to eat breakfast!” (what in the world…did I do it again???) So, we had to make a quick stop at Tim H*rt*ns to pick up some toasted bagels with butter, which Little Munchkin immediately rubbed all over herself!!!

We finally made it to the zoo…it was a hectic morning, but it turned out well…I won a CD, I got a shower, my girls were all smiles with the cousins and Little Munchkin had fun sticking the sunglasses up her nose!!! All in all??? GOOD DAY!!!