Can I quote you on that?

Out of the mouth of babes frustrated mothers who can't seem to keep their houses clean, grocery shop, bathe children, plan meals, cook breakfast/lunch/dinner, do the laundry, be pleasant on the phone...let alone, have some quality time playing with the children!!!

I found myself saying the following to my newly 6 year old daughter this morning...this, after listening to Little House on the Prairie and recently discussing the "olden days"

ME:  "Sweetie...I don't ask you to milk the cows, feed the chickens, draw water from the well, sweep the kitchen floor, make breakfast, wash the dishes, start the laundry, scrub the toilets or vacuum all before 5:30 in the morning...so please quit complaining when I simply ask you to make your bed for heaven's sake!!"

a bit of silence and furrowed brow...

PEANUT:  "Mooooooooooomm, we don't own cows!"

I think she missed the point!!!

Six years swept by...

We celebrated Peanut's 6th birthday this weekend...on the coldest day of the year it seemed...sandwiched in between 2 lovely, sunny, blue skied days was the day in May that decided to stay in the mid 40s and blow like a hurricane...

Our "carnival" party was taken indoors...but, it didn't matter...she had a great time!

I'm an extrovert and am energized by people...but I'm also a people pleaser, which can cause a certain amount of stress when in the company of many people as well...our good friends, the Austins, were here to visit and Graig gave me some good advice right before the celebration...

I love how he and I are alike and my hubby and Sara are alike...it makes for fun time together as couples!  Anyhoo...knowing my tendancy to want to make everyone "have a great time"...he just reminded me that as long as Peanut had fun...no one else really mattered...

And so I concentrated on her and making sure that she enjoyed herself...

I can't believe 6 years have gone by already...I remember the morning I woke with labor pains...I remember the 2 days she went without a name because I couldn't decide what name she looked more like...I remember the exact moment the doctor came in to tell me that she had a hole in her heart and I how I completely lost it with memories from my sister...I remember how she was healed right up and how she brough so much laughter to our home...

I'm thankful for:

her giggle
the way she says, "ridiculous"
how she tries to act like her big sister
how she dotes on her baby sister
her daring spirit
her love of the color purple
her love affair with bandaids
how she plays with my hair when we read books together

She reminds me a lot of her daddy, which is probably why she and I get along so well...

Happy Birthday Peanut!

Humiliation Story #1

Yesterday...all my troubles seemed so far away...la la la la la la laaa la laa...oh I believe in yesterday...

Facebook has really had me thinking...reminiscing is more like it...all these ways to find your way back to the 70's and 80's and elementary school and friendship pins and having a crush a boy that sang silly lyrics to crazy songs...

Recently, I've found yet even more childhood friends through the wonders of facebook...I chose not to contact Laurie B. or Jeni P. (they used to pull my hair out and pinch me while in line for gym class...we'll just leave them in cyberspace) but, I did find Joey C. and Nikki K. I found out what Tim P. was up to and where Jody K. moved to...

It made me remember looking for four leaf clovers on the school corner...or swinging on "party lines" at recess...and then moving away in the 6th grade and making a whole new set of friends who sweetly nicknamed me "Cow"...(I will save that story for another day:)

While in this time of euphoric memories, I thought I'd share with you some stories...and we will begin with Humiliation Story#1, because I thought you'd enjoy a good laugh.

There are many stories that lead up to this one particular event that will forever be filed in my memory...for example, becoming a member of the chess club, the lunch clan that studied Calculus, and the aforementioned nickname "cow"...

I'm not sure how it happened, but I was nominated for Homecoming Court...not in line for the queen, mind you...my step-sister acquired that title and rightly so...but, for the life of me, I can't figure what possessed the student body to put me as Senior Rep that year...I was, for all intents and purposes, a nerd.  I fought tooth and nail for a 4.0 and spent my evenings in study groups or walking the blocks around my house with my best friend, Dan while we reviewed theorums and postulates...

Nevertheless, I came home that day dumbfounded and informed my mom that I supposed I'd be going to Homecoming now and I'd have to get a dress...I can show you the picture...I'm the one with lace up to my neck...did I mention that I had some issues with my appearance...let's just say that XL was the only size in my closet, which was abouuuuut 3 sizes too big for my frame...

I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy the attention...I'm a people pleaser remember and I like it when people like me...I felt liked:)

I come from a very small town...in fact, I graduated from the same high school as did my grandfather and my parents...my history, math, typing and govt. teachers were the same ones that taught my mom and dad...and with small towns come BIG parades...OHHHH the joys of the homecoming parades...people line the streets of our town, out come the coolers, the lawn chairs, the posterboard signs...they all watch in anticipation to see the pathetic amazing floats that the classes have all assembled...and behind each float comes the student body and their representative...

I, along with the other girls, had my large dress (seen above) with my little bouquet of flowers.  My Biology teacher dutifully drove the convertible on which I was perched.  My younger sisters had made me practice a silly wave before the procession...It was like a dream...the crowds cheering, my class ahead of me in the back of a pick up truck drivin' down the side streets of Small Town USA...

and then the car stalled...

My smile stayed plastered on my face as Mr. D diligently tried to get the car in motion...I watched as the pickup truck got further and further away...I heard the calls from the people in the lawn chairs on the side of the street, "better hurry up there...."  "You're laggin' behind girl!..."

I continued my wave...

Mr. D decided that the best course of action was to rev the engine as much as he could while he was in neutral...and rev he did...for it he received cheers and "woohoos" from the side lines...All the guys in the back of the pick up truck had their fists in the air cheering him on...willing him to catch up...

all the while, I sat, perched on the top of the back seat of the convertible in my lacey dress and little pump shoes nearly popping holes in the leather of the seats as I felt the vibration of the motor revving...

And then he threw it into Drive...

what happened next is really all a blur...I can only explain it as one of those postulates or theories from Physics...or just Newton's first law of motion...

the car took off and Mr. D was delighted that he could catch up with our class...what he didn't realize is that I had flown off the back of the car and landed in a heap in the middle of the road...

I remember thinking, "did I REALLY just fly off the back of the car in the middle of the parade?" and "Man, my behind hurts like crazy." 

The people in my town, do what all people do that come from a community like ours...you are family, you belong to everyone...and so there was a swooping, a swarm, if you will, of people coming to mother me, carry me, help me...and of course, all those fist raising guys from the pick up truck...they became my protectors to the end of the parade and pushed that car, all the while holding me in place while I resumed my perch, to the end of the procession.  I'm not quite sure when Mr. D realized what had happened...perhaps when all the boys jumped from the truck and came toward him at the speed of lightning...or maybe it was the collective *GASP* from the crowds...nevertheless...we made it to the finish line...

Dan, (my above mentioned best friend at the time) took me to the Homecoming dance either that night or the next??...he had the sore feet to prove it, as I had injured my tailbone quite significantly and just let him "carry" me while we danced the "court dance". 

There were a few that got the whole thing on tape, along with a few *choice* words...my family thought it was funny to watch it in slow motion...over and over and over and over again...they even sent it in to that wonderful show America's Funniest Home Videos...fortunately, it was NOT chosen to grace television screens world wide...and for that I am thankful, as I think I could only handle so much embarrassment...

Hope you enjoyed!

Lysol Queen

it's 2am as i write this so i hope that you will forgive my many spelling and punctuation mistakes as my head it a bit foggy (being as it is oh dark stinkin' early)

It's times like these...these being: that my middle child is puking up whatever is in that teeny tummy of hers about every half hour...that I ponder things about life...I mean, I can't really go to sleep at this point b/c at the moment I drift off I'm sure to hear the awful wretchings that will jerk me from my slumber...I apologize if this is disgusting some of you...it's just life in my book...

I am amazed sometimes looking at my 35.5 years of life...I didn't necessarily picture my life as it is now, but then again, I wouldn't change a thing...it's better than I could have ever imagined...

I'm listening to a book on CD...which i don't really do all that well, being a visual learner rather than auditory...but since the library ONLY has the book on CD and not in a hard copy, I must "suffer" through the monotone interpretation and/or reading of the book:  Five Conversations you MUST have with your Daughter.  Has anyone ever read it? 

It is based upon...guess what?  FIVE conversations...the first being: You are not just the sum of your parts...I listened to the first 7 or so chapters of this "conversation" whilst cleaning the play room this evening...hanging up dress up clothes and putting pretend food into it's proper place...all the while being reminded that they are only young once...

I was convicted of the heavy responsibility we have as parents...as Moms to our daughters to help them not just battle and survive the onslaught of media and world pressures, but to help them thrive...give them tools to climb...it was empowering, scary, worrisome, and inspiring to hear what Vicki  Courtney had to say...often i found myself saying, "preach it lady" and other times thinking, "holy cow, how am I going to guide my 3 girls through this mess of a world?"

but, as I held back Peanut's hair in the wee hours of the morning so that she could give homage to the white bowl in the bathroom, I was reminded again that although it means sacrifice, although I will make mistakes, I DO love these precious gifts that God has given me...and I will keep on...their hearts depend on it...

it's coming up on the 30 minute mark, so I must take my leave, my lysol is at the ready...hope you all slept well!

EDIT:   note to self...do not feed your children milkshakes right before bed along with their breathing treatments...the combination will result in the above mentioned situation...all is well this morning, except that I am running on 3 hours of sleep...

In other news

Ahhhhh the feeling of damp, lined carpet that has been freshly "laundred"...My girls especially like the fashion statement of wearing the little blue booties that accompany our carpet cleanings...I'm not quite sure if it's the look of the booties themselves or the fact that they can skate across the carpets??? who am I kidding?

It appears that we have not gotten our carpets cleaned since last July...I don't really want to think about the nastiness that has been lurking in the fibers of our flooring for that many months...not to mention the mishaps from our adventure with MACIE, the "real macie", as Little Munchkin refers to her. 

But, it is all gone...farewell to those stains...at least for the next 24 hours...until the bootie wearing wears off and it's back to spillin' apple juice and smearing playdoh...

So, before I start lamenting once again, let's talk about the garden!!  My sweet little piece of heaven over yonder in the back yard...wanna see my little babies sproutin' up??? (and a few hillbilly makeshift items that add "character")

Let's call this:  Things I Hate and Things I Love (as I head out back...)

LOVE:  the first strawberries of the year...ohhhh sooo yummy...we're gonna have a bushel full this spring! We just wash 'em right then and there and pop 'em in our mouths...

HATE:  They're back again...I've already been out with the spray...I will NOT be beaten!! 

LOVE:  seeing my sweet lettuces from afar...how I love thee...just a couple more weeks and I'll be making some crisp salads with every meal!!!

HATE: when I was a young thing, basking in the innocence of youth, I loved looking for 4 leaf clovers...since then, even discovering my Irish roots...it doesn't matter...I want the clover dead...it's about as bad as those pesky dandelions and they kill the grass...I'm out for blood...or sap or whatevers inside those darn weeds!

LOVE:  watching my sweet peas starting to trellis and knowing we're going to have a good pea pickin' time come summer!

HATE:  the fact that it looks a little...I don't know..."hey, we're the hicks of the neighborhood" --ish

LOVE:  all the good things growin'

garlic and onions...

potato mounds...

Summer is right around the corner!!!

just Today

It will be 11 years this summer that my Italian Stallion and I have been married...and in that 11 years plus 8 of "just friends" stage, we STILL manage to have difficulty when it comes to decision making...well, okay, maybe it's more due to my inability to make decisions and his desire for me to be a part of the decisions...

and I suppose it could be a slight frustration when I kinda have an idea of what I want, but then realize it isn't what he wants and then I just go and give up and give in and...by golly, he's Italian and wants me to put up a good fight...

which, I might add is quite funny because, lord knows, I'm Irish...I'm got some fire in me...just not sure where it goes when decision making time comes around...

Sooo, we're trying to make some decisions concerning our back yard...a patio or porch to be specific...but, again it's something that involves money...money that we've been saving up for years and years mind you...but, still, it's the spending part that gets me every time...

I've always wanted a porch...but, not at the expense of a nice patio...and therein lies the dilemma...

I welcome any and all advice and or thoughts on that subject...but until then...let's just move on...

I bought some vegetable flats today...I will not be bothered by seeds this year...they were lovely to watch in the past...but the aroma of manure in my bedroom wasn't a pleasing thought for this spring and I just nixed the idea completely...and so, in the pouring rain, I dragged my poor little family over to the nursery and snatched up the following:

roma tomatoes
celebrity tomatoes
big boy tomatoes
red bell peppers
california wonder peppers

It's a wonderful thing!  Once I actually charge my camera battery, I'll be sure to post some pictures of our hillbilly garden...I.S. keeps telling me that we're going to get voted out of our neighborhood if we keep up with the "make do" mentality...(you'll get what I mean when I show you the pictures...just imagine PVC pipe, twine, big sticks coming out of the ground and an ole satellite dish pole...) I know I've totally got your curiousity now!! The garlic, onions, lettuces, sugar peas and potatoes are all poppin' up out of the ground...it's quite exciting!!!


Besides all that...well, and a CF walk downtown, early morning worship set at church, and scarfing down too many DOVE chocolates this evening...it's just been a regular weekend...


See you Monday!

Ohhhhhhh the Swooning...

At the risk of my husband reading my blog...and, then getting a slight "ego" because of it...

well...(honey, if you do read this...just smile, know you are well-loved and then maybe go and unclog that toilet???)

Anyhoo...Sweetpea had lost the last 2 of her soccer games...it could be due to the amount of rolling down hills during the games while waiting to sub back in...it could have been the over abundance of peanuts and playing with puppy dogs whilst they were supposed to be scrimmaging...

but, let's just assume that they were actually in need of some motivational juices...and little "pick me up" so to say...

Enter stage right, Coach...

I received an email on our family account that, and I sum it up:  "Girls, we are going to be ready for next week's game...I want everyone of you to come with your hair in pig tails and big lightning bolt painted across your face...we will show that other team that we mean business...yada yada yada... From, Coach!"

My heart melted and I was in awe of my husband who knew just what to say to all those little girls who needed to know that they had someone on their side, rooting for them, cheering for them on the sidelines...no matter what the scoreboard said...

What I didn't realize is that every other MOTHER'S  heart of all those little girls ALSO melted...and I received sweet emails thanking coach...again I say, yada yada yada:) 

Sooo...sweetheart, you've won everyone over once again with your charm...

but, more importantly your love for those kiddos, especially your own little 8 year old that seems to be growing up wayyy too fast...