Something New

I tried something new today...

Never did it before...

I've been "nudged" to do it...encouraged even...

I didn't really see a purpose...why would someone inflict pain upon one's self unless there was a true benefit...like, say a baby or...I suppose if you wanted to prevent yourself from getting the flu or something...

But, for "beauty" purposes...naw...I'll pass...

Until today...

I GOT MY EYEBROW WAXED...

Now, for some of you, you'll think I'm ridiculous...you'll think it almost "absurd" that I felt it necessary to poll my friends and ask what pain factor was involved...you might also find it laughable that I felt compelled to tell the "waxer" about my ingenius techniques of using a razor on my eyebrows when they got too bushy...

Some of you might be in my same boat and think, 'who needs eyebrow beauty?'

But regardless of what you may or may not think...I did "treat", and I use that term VERY lightly, myself to an eyebrow-shaping-wax...

And you will be proud to know that I didn't cry or even flinch...This Momma knows how to handle pain!!!  Although I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it wasn't half as bad as I thought and I came home without a uni-brow...woohoo!

My Italian Stallion also foot the bill for me to get a hair cut, seeing as I hadn't had it cut since last February and the Triangle-Bush-Straw-Chlorine Green Ends look just wasn't doin' much for me:)

Granted, I didn't get much cut off...only about 3 inches...but, I did discover something about myself...my reasoning behind not getting a hair cut every 3 months as is suggested...

First off, it irritates me to pay for "beauty" stuff..except for clothes, because without them I would be naked, and we don't want that picture in our heads...

Secondly, when I DO get my hair cut, I want to feel like I've obtained a "change" and not just "maintained" what I already have...therefore, I normally get my hair hacked off and then have weeks of regret because I don't like it so short...one time I had them just trim it and put in a few layers...again, regret over having not gotten a REAL hair cut...

So, therein lies my dilemma...which puts me in the category of waiting it out until I can't stand it and my husband is tired of seeing me in ponytails everyday.  Today, however, I got a stylist that really listened to me...didn't try to push something on me that I wasn't ready for...but also didn't let me get away with my trepidation towards the scissors...

That's it...that's really all I wanted to convey about my experience...just for prosperity sake...My hair is cut...not too short, not super long...my eyebrows have shape...all in a days work I suppose...

The weekend

How was your weekend?  Mine began at around 5am, when my hubby woke up for some reason on Saturday morning and didn't end until...well, I"m still typing and it's nearly midnight, so I suppose it hasn't necessarily ended for me just yet...

I like my sleep on the weekends.  My Italian Stallion tends to tease me mercilessly poke a little fun at me concerning the fact that I enjoy sleeping in when he's home. 

I like to remind him that I birthed his 3 daughters...without medication...I'm going to use this excuse to my advantage for the rest of my life. 

Saturday began with my first 3 mile run...I made it the entire 3 miles without walking OR throwing up...KUDOS TO ME!!!

I celebrated my achievement by downing a big chunk of chocolate and a big coffee when I got home...and then I continued to eat like a horse the remainder of the weekend...HOWEVER, I'm starting 'afresh' on Monday so that I'm ready for my "race" on Saturday...just in case you were wondering...

Holy cow, the amount of food I inhaled this weekend teeters on "gorging" but, I enjoyed every minute of my pasta, pizza, pot pie, Pepsi...and apparantly lots of things that begin with the letter P!

So...next came Sweetpea's soccer game...of which she scored the first goal again and they WON again...They have scored more goals in each game than they did all the last four seasons COMBINED...Italian Stallion doesn't know what to do with himself...he keeps waiting for the ball to drop...but, I'm just going to bask in the fact that they are winning and they're doing happy dances out on the field...

it makes for good pictures...

Then came a couple of photo shoots and some boot shopping for the girls...I won't get into the shopping because we all know how GREAT I am at decision making...so just let your imagination wander, and I'm sure you'll get a pretty good idea of how THAT scenario played out...

Sunday brought with it early service and a GORGEOUS day...We decided to go apple picking and I"m so glad that we did.  I will now share with you the pictures from our day and the lovely pie I made when we returned home...

please note, that as much as it seems the kiddos are completely enjoying themselves playing cornhole and running up and down a hill (and they are) they may or may not have been harboring "bad feelings" toward Mommy & Daddy who were too cheap to let them do the corn maze or the a little blue tractor pull thingy...

I'm interjecting a picture of my husbands legs...you all know I have a fettish for feet and legs in pictures...but what you may not know, is that I think my husband's legs are attractive..."sexy" to say the least (can I say that on this family-friendly blog?)  you don't have to agree with me, cuz, I just know it's true, so it doesn't really matter...but...ahhhhhhhh, he's a handsome man...:)

and enough about that...let's get back to the apple picking...

This is me holding up a RED apple because we picked all the golden delicious ones and it didn't really feel like I was REAL apple picking because in REAL life, apples are supposed to be red...especially in pictures...

THERE...RED

Here is where we wrapped up the apple picking and found our way over to the corn maze...and other such crazy expensive activities...this is the point at which Mommy and Daddy ceased to be "cool" for an extended period of time...Not really...the older two "get it"...Little Munchkin just needed to whine a little bit and give us her dramatic rendition of why she so desperately NEEDED to go on the little blue tractor car ride...

I don't take it for granted that my girls take care of one another...that they are sisters first always, but friends come a close 2nd...and I love it!

 here's my pie...I took it outside so I could get some better light...it tasted perfect for this beautiful fall day...

And that's my weekend...I hope you had fun during yours as well!

jean shopping

I went jean shopping this past week. 

I've decided that I don't like jean shopping.  I didn't really like it before I had children...and I can tell you that I DEFINITELY don't like it now. 

Even now, with their "stretchable" fabrics and their new sizing...meaning, "Hey, we know this is your normal size, but we're going to change it to British numbers because then you'll be all confused and feel thinner so you'll buy more"

Here's the deal...they tell me at every store to try to find the fit that is tight, because through the day they are going to loosen up...Listen, after I pour my skin into the leg holes, there is so much overflowing out the top, that NO amount of "Loosening" up is going to fix it...seriously...

so, what's a mom to do?  I'm not wearing dress pants while we paint and I can't wear sweatpants everyday, because let's be honest...the chafing from the fleece balls gets a little much after awhile...

I want to apologize now for any pictures that may be forming in your head...I"m just being honest here...

Not to mention that jeans are expensive...but, being my birthday month, I had ton of coupons sent to me...free starbucks drink, $10 off here, $15 off there...so I thought I'd take advantage of the discounts and head out to the store.  I even brought friends for reinforcement...

What ended up happening was me purchasing a pair of jeans, only to get home and think, "Hmmm, I"m not sure"...heading back to the store and purchasing the OTHER pair of jeans, only to get home and think, "Now, I"m really not sure" ..wait a couple days, "Okay, I'm sure, I'm going to return these."...wait a few more days and wearing them around the house, "Ummm, these are NOT going to work"...heading back to the store to try another style back on and put them on hold...coming home and begging my BFF to come with me the NEXT day to try one more time...

Let's not even mention the fact that I am a HORRIBLE decision maker...I mean...it's just pathetic...

Long story...sorta short...I currently have a pair of jeans...I don't think I should wash them EVER...there is a chance they would change the slightest bit and if that were to happen, I don't know what my thighs would do. 

So, that was my week...it centered around the JEAN...it's really sad...

Here I talk about muffin tops and clothing that looks like it's eating my derriere...and do I even mention the storytimes or the book that Little Munchkin 'wrote' this week? 

I need to definitely come back to that...I just need to get circulation back in my legs...I"ll see you soon!

Fair Day Compromise

The girls didn't have school today...I love living where we do...where school doesn't get in the way of a good education....where funnel cakes, rides, horses, bunnies, projects... 4H dedication, drive and responsibility also play a part in developing a person's character and development! 

So, because of the Fair this week, Monday is designated KID'S DAY and the entire school district is off. 

We look forward to this day at the beginning of the month...we love to go and feed animals, watch friends compete, see the beautiful creations of others (and eat a bunch of fair food until our stomachs ache)...

Today however was a BUST...complete downpour all morning and I just didn't have the gumption to stomp around the fairgrounds carrying a whining 4 year old with powdered sugar all over myself...

Therefore, the girls thought to bring the fair to US...

Every stuffed animal known to man is currently spread around our family room...all categorized by "species"...

I, surprisingly enough, did NOT burn down my house in my attempt to "bring the fair home" by deep frying some yummy funnel cakes. 

 

We got some good ole frozen pizza and Aunt Tina left us some Kettle corn...

We've had a morning of licking fingers, sippin' on some high fructose corn syrup and having some WiiCarnival competitions...

All I can say is that this is SOME way to start off the week...whew...

I may be on a "fry-high" for awhile:)

Spiders

If you haven't figured it out by now, THIS is the year of PRESCHOOL for Little Munchkin...

Now, let's face it...she has 2 older sisters who have played "school" with her since she was born...so to assume that we are starting in the academic realm of actual preschool would be silly.

I mean, she can repeat the show tune for "Goodluck Charlie", use words like "that's freakin' me out Mom" and will refer to herself as a BIG girl all the time...

So, starting out with just letters and cute little nursery rhymes would feel "beneath" her...(in her way of thinking)  Therefore, I have to be a bit more creative in my "presentation" of all things preschool...to make it "seem" like it's really something that Sisters would be studying:) 

Using "Sisters" as my dangling carrot...I've enticed her to try the same little science classes, once a month, that they offer at the  metro parks.  This past Wednesday the topic was Spiders...

Now, I will admit that I did close my eyes and shove my child foreward to "see the cute spider" whilst Mommy stood at the back and gave mean looks to the teacher that said, "If you even DARE get close to me with that thing I seriously will scream and chase your entire class out the door!!"

But, we don't want to impose those natural fears on our dear girls...so mom clamped her mouth shut and prayed that the teacher would keep a handle on the "non-insect".

Little Munchkin learned a few interesting facts and then I took the opportunity to start picture books on Charlotte's Web and the stand by nursery song "Itsy Bitsy Spider"...

As always though...it's good to introduce food...particularly CHOCOLATE when teaching...because, well...it makes you remember stuff...(at least that's my excuse)

So we made these today and shared them with Sisters when they got home from school:) 

It was a great day of School Today:)  Have a super weekend!

Bug bites and other stuff

I don't have a lot to update for today...

We had a great weekend..filled with a soccer game (where I think I screamed and carried on enough to irritate everyone within a 5 mile radius)...a sleepover (where we were informed the next afternoon that one of the girls at the party discovered she had lice)...Little Munchkin got bit by something on her face and now looks like the guy from Star Trek...too bad Halloween is too far away...we could have come up with some awesome make up and turned her into the Gruffalo in no time:) and she would have LOVED it!

And we've recently discovered that flies LOVE our house...it can't be because the girls (and me, if I care to admit it) tend to keep the door open for long periods of time during the day without the screen shut)

Other than that...we've just enjoyed hanging out around a fire or two...

I cried watching the 9/11 specials and selfishly was thankful that I had my family under one roof (regardless of the possibility of lice)

We'll see how Little Munchkin is doing in the morning...until then, we're washing everything in site, becoming quite adept at swatting flies and munching on marshmallows...

hope your day was great!

Remembering...

I didn't understand how my mom knew where she was JFK was killed. 

I can't remember what I ate for lunch yesterday.

But, after 911...I remember...

I was 7 months along with Sweetpea...I had said goodbye to my I.S. as he left for work and I set to folding clothes on the bed after I fed my Bailey dog. 

The Today show was on and I sat listening to Katie Couric and Matt Lauer tell me what new book was out or maybe it was whatever the latest pop star was up to during the past weekend...but, I set about putting things away, letting my dog outside...just going about the day...

I don't remember when I went back into the bedroom...because I wasn't in front of the TV as the planes hit...I just know that I was expecting to see some latest cooking tip and instead, the news desk was frantic. 

I sat sort of shell-shocked...not quite comprehending what was going on...My husband had been in those towers the month prior for a  business meeting...and within the half hour, they had crumbled to the ground. 

Ever the student...always the teacher...I grabbed my notebook and pen and just started flipping between CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News...and started writing...I wrote names, dates, times...

If only I could let it sink into my being more, if I could just grasp the reality of it...

and I couldn't...

The more I wrote and flipped through my notes and compared to the reporters...I became more and more confused...

I just wanted to do something...I had a child inside of me and I let the fear in...

I remember calling my husband at work to "update" him every half hour or so...I didn't have a "job"...I felt as though I had nothing to contribute...

and so I wrote...and I sang to my Sweetpea...and I prayed...

Our dog followed me around because she sensed that something was wrong...

Some family members that I called refused to turn on the TV...they didn't want to face the horror or the shock...

but, I'm a feeler...and I had nothing else to do but feel as I put myself in the shoes of those on the plane, of those in the buildings, of those in their kitchens hanging onto the phone saying goodbye...

Time passes of course...

It's amazing to me how time refuses to stop when we hurt...when we lose someone...I almost feel as though it should...like, they deserve for time to stand still for awhile...for time to "miss" them...

but it doesn't...

God makes it so...and we put one foot in front of the other...and we take one breath in and one breath out...and we birth more babies...and we move to new homes...and we graduate to the next grade...and we learn to ride bikes...and the sun keeps rising and setting...

I still, sometimes, let the fear take up residence...I struggle with breaths...I don't want to let go...I just want things to hold still for just a moment longer...

I don't have the answer to the why...but, I'm learning to give the fear to Him to who does...

I took time to remember today...and to pray...and to push my girls on the swing...and to cherish the times we are given...

It's Math Time

The celebration HAD to end at some point...

I mean, you can only have so many starbucks, Panera lunches, Olive Garden dinners, spa package gifts, shopping for shoes and countless other celebratory outings in one day...

Good golly, I used every minute of the 24 hour period surrounding my birthday:) 

But, today is a new day...and so, we had to forego the hot cocoa and coffee cake treat this morning and we hit the books:)

Of course, in the middle of our "school lesson", Little Munchkin declared, "Mommy, I need to get some food for my doggy...I'll be right back, keep learning for me okay?"

Oh, I'm on it sweetie...don't worry...

37 Reasons...

Oh how he loves me...

He's not an Elementary Education major like his wife...and therefore the paper hearts and giddyness over glue sticks is foreign to him...

He is a man of few words...

and I tend to use a LOT of words!!!

And even though my personality and perspective can sometimes be the extreme opposite of what is in his mind, he has become a student of ME...

Over the years...through the MOMENTS...he has studied ME...

He knows what makes me feel loved...he knows what I fear, what I get excited about...He just knows ME...because for some "out of this world" reason, he chose me to love...

So, this morning, on the day that we celebrate the fact that my mom carried me for 9 long months and then continued to deal with my colic for 9 months more...he woke me up with cards....with words...with feelings on paper to express how much he loves me...

thirty-seven of them to be exact...

I woke up this morning to a scavenger hunt around my house...finding notes from my hubby...I did ask if I should wait for the kids...

I got a little smirk from my Italian Stallion that basically told me that there may be some inuendo-ish "precious thoughts" that need not be read by 9, 7 or 4 year olds...ha ha

Life is not like a fairytale...this I know...

Seriously, if Disney had written Cinderella for "reality TV"...you wouldn't see the happily EVER after...I'm thinking more like:

In strode Prince Charming after a hard day of work, looking forward to laying on the couch and relaxing with ESPN for just a half hour...he gazes toward the sink where he sees his wife scrubbing pots and pans whilst little ones run screaming through the house.  She's PMSing and hasn't even thought about dinner yet...and lord have mercy could someone PLEASE stop the whining!!!

I'm so thankful that I have my own "prince charming" to go through life with me...who has taken the time to know me and show love to me, even when it may seem completely crazy to him...notes through the house ain't necessarily gonna cut it for my honey...but to me...it's golden!

I still have a few more hours of my celebratory day left...and I know that there will be gifts and cake and such...but really, for MY love language...he knew JUST how to start off the day!

It has been the BEST thirty-seventh twenty-ninth birthday EVER!

Does this count as Preschool?

I will admit that I, like my girls, have a fascination with all things fairies...

I know, it may seem ridiculous, but there is some little part of me that so wishes that they were real...that tiny people lived in flowers and trees and sought to make things pretty...

Yes, I'm getting cloer to forty and feel all saggy and round and I just like the idea of a bit of pixie dust now and then grown up, but I do still love to "pretend".

I think however, because of my "grown up" status, my "fascination" is more prone to the creation of little fairy homes and tiny furniture rather than the play acting that goes along with it...

and THIS is where my girls and I make a good team!

You can only do so many letters and numbers and baking and measuring and counting and spelling and reading of books in the realm of "schooling" before little ones just want to call it quits...and I don't blame them...

So, yesterday we made a plan...we gathered our supplies before bed and once the older girls got on the bus this morning...we got to work!

I will admit that twine and masking tape DID make an appearance during the process...and I'm not going to cover it up...I may be "into" the whole "let's make it from scratch" idea...but seriously, there comes a point where you realize that you're working with a 4 year old and they don't care...and life is good:)

So, we played today with our own "fairies" and then because mommy is a former teacher and she has to get some official school in during the day Little Munchkin loves her new journal, we wrote about our adventure and pasted in some pictures.

And now I'm off to continue to the next portion of our day that I like to call "quiet time"...where Mommy & little Munchkin read books until Mommy falls asleep...it's an awesome set up!

My Sweet Munchkin

She just makes me smile!

Obviously, someone forgot to mention to Little Munchkin that it was 10000 degrees outside...and red, furry, christmas socks may NOT be the best choice of attire when heading to storytime...

She didn't care though...so I offered to take a picture if she'd keep the socks at home and settle for flip flops...she agreed...so here she is:)

Historical Farm

Believe it or not...I love history...

This makes me laugh alittle because my memory stinks...so what fun is history when I can't really remember what happened 2 days ago let alone hundreds of years prior to my existence? 

But, enjoy it I do...

Thus, I spend plenty of time, reading into the wee hours of the night, my "historical fiction" novels...pouring over historical maps and reading the back covers of my daughter's "Dear America" book series...

Because of this love, I get giddy about opportunities to see life from the "olden day" perspective.  Sometimes I think life must have been easier in the sense that things were a lot less hectic...but, harder in that...holy cow, I have to scrub my own clothes clean...

((side note, after spending 2 seconds smelling the pigs house where Little Munchkin whispered, "Mommy, it smells like poo-poo" and realizing that people "back then" probably didn't get a chance to wash their daily clothes...so they got to climb into bed and wake up every morning to wonderful aroma clinging to them...yes, ummmm...no thank you))

Anyhoo...although we had a GRAND time in Williamsburg this past spring...I am thankful for opportunities closer to home to give the girlies a chance to "experience" different era...

Little Munchkin and I headed down south to participate in a fully working historical farm...

Outside of the Pooping Pigs...we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves...

 This concludes the photo-journaling of our time there...hope you enjoyed it:)