Airplane rides, and clear blue Texas skies.

Well, I have had lots of requests for a new blog post...so here I go...

As most of you know I just returned from a trip to Texas to see my sister and her family. It was an awesome trip although I am back home, and my sister is STILL pregnant. That was NOT how it was supposed to go down, but- that's how it went down. I had perfect, amazing plans as to how this trip would play out and it didn't work out that way, so I guess God's plan must be even more perfect and amazing. Go figure. He always one ups me. I didn't think I was being to picky, I just wanted to experience an amazing birth (how do I know it would be amazing you ask? Well #1 birth is ALWAYS amazing. #2 I wasn't the one giving birth!) and meet my new niece. But, alas, life goes on and Skype will do just fine until (hopefully!) Christmas time. 

So Saturday morning rolled around and my alarm clock went off (apparently) at 6 am. We needed to be walking out the door at 7 am in order for me to make my flight. Much to my surprise I was jilted from my sleep by D sitting straight up in bed yelling... 
"Laura! It's 6:54! Did you not set an alarm!?!?" 
I sleepily sit up and say...
"What? Of course I set an alarm."
D- "Well, your phone must be on silent or something! We are late!" 
L- *calmly* "No it's not on silent, I remember it going off."
D- *NOT calmly* "WHAT?!?! You just turned it off!?" 
L- "Yeah, I guess I was tired." 
D- *very frustrated* "Let's not talk about this...we've gotta go."

As we scrambled around getting ready, he still could not fathom the fact that I just turned off my alarm. What do you want?? I'm a stay at home mom. I don't live by those kinds of schedules. The kids are my alarm- period. They were still sleeping, so I was still sleeping. Plain and simple. My bad. Since we woke up extremely late I was able to stick to what I know best and travel in pure mom fashion...without a shower, hair a mess, and no makeup. I did, however, class up a level from yoga pants to leggings. Oh! Let me clarify I was wearing a long sweater, without that little fact, the whole legging thing would be terrifying! (You're welcome for getting that mental picture out of your head! Airplanes and camel toes do NOT go hand in hand!) Thankfully, we didn't hit traffic and I was able to check my bag and sail through security without any problems. I made it to my gate right on time and boarded. 

Traveling with a baby is no small feat. I was confident though that I had enough tricks up my sleeve to keep Lil Pip entertained, and after all I was permanently equipped with her favorite thing of all...boobs. As I was going through security this kind TSA woman kept prompting me to "Remove all 'dos liquids from yo bag fo dat baby." After the 3rd request she was finally close enough for me to say "I don't have any liquids in my bag." She then LOUDLY exclaims "OH! I get it, yo liquids are attached! Ain't no takin' dem things off, even fo us! Go on through." Great, thanks! 

As I boarded the plane, I was beginning to realize that babies aren't the most popular thing on airplanes. I'm used to getting kind smiles, and people talking sweetly to Lil Pip, instead I was getting scowls, and people rolling their eyes, since I was running late most everyone had already boarded. When I arrived to my seat, I happily exclaimed "oh! That's me! As I pointed to the middle seat right between an older man in a business suit, and a body builder in a "STAFF" t-shirt. They looked at me for what seemed like a minute, blinking in disbelief. I then had a kind older lady behind me ask if I needed her to hold my baby while I get settled. Sometimes my mouth speaks before I give it permission to, so after telling her "Well, this is ackward. I've never let a stranger hold my kid before. But, I guess you can't really go anywhere anyway, so sure. Thanks!" Yikes! I thought to myself...did I really just insinuate to this poor, kind woman that in any other situation she would likely steal my baby?? Oops. After collecting Lil Pip back from my stranger friend I settled in to my seat between these wonderful gentlemen and was ready for take off. For the first part of the flight it was great! All my tricks were working...then it started to happen. Lil Pip started fussing just a bit, and throwing herself backwards trying to suck through my shirt. Oh yes, it was happening. So, I tossed my blanket over my shoulder (Hey! At least I used a cover!) and under went Little Miss...she's a bit stuffy so after several loud sucking noises she finally latched on and was quiet. Immediately my business man friend closed his eyes, but I caught him glancing over every once in awhile, very uncomfortable by my actions. I thought it was great. My body builder friend just rearranged himself slightly facing the aisle. Thankfully, these two men lived through my horrifying act, and we landed safely. 

I had a great time visiting my sister, and was able to see some long time friends that I hadn't seen in quite a while! It was great being able to spend so much time with my niece and nephews as well, usually when we are together there are so many kids running around by the time I take care of my own and their needs, I don't get that undivided special time with the others. So that was nice, and trust me...we had plenty of bonding time. They wake up at ungodly hours, and since I was there to help I wanted to allow my 42 week pregnant sister time to sleep. The second morning I may or may not have bribed them into giving me back rubs at 5 am while I dozed. FYI: kids will pretty much do anything when promised chocolate. All in all it was a wonderful trip. The flights back went incredibly smooth (despite some, well a lot, of turbulance) and I can't even describe how I felt walking to baggage claim and seeing D, M girl, and Batman standing there waiting for me!! Reunited and it feels sooooo dang good! 

Today we are back to normal...D's at work, I'm working on laundry, dishes, and school. Batman is running around naked playing one note on the recorder over and over, and has washed his t-shirts in the flooded bathroom sink with all my soap. I can't wipe the smile off my face, because without a doubt I am one blessed woman!! 

Crazy Tired.

I loved waking up this morning, the sun was peering through my curtains, and all 3 kids had slowly made their way into my bed for morning cuddles, and giggles. (Well, I guess 2 kids made their way, the youngest of the 3 has "made a way" to be in my bed all night long.) 

Good Morning!!

Anyway, we are all laughing and having a great time, then M girl says "Mommy, what's sex?" ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Me: "Well uh, well. Really M girl? For starters where did you hear that word?" It's obvious that the people who say home schooled kids are sheltered and don't socialize really don't have a clue about home schooling at all. We still have plenty of jaw dropping questions asked around here. Plenty. So after we finished up our very vague conversation about sex, we headed out for breakfast and of course coffee for myself. 

I leaned back against the counter breathing in the smell and soaking up the taste of that first sip of hot coffee, I love savoring it. Probably because it's the only taste I get of hot coffee. I was thinking about the day and how it is all going to play out, we are starting 1st grade with M girl here today! (Prayers appreciated!) I was really soaking up and enjoying this morning, now that I think about it...I know why. I actually woke up. This isn't going to be a wonderful spiritual blog post about how wonderful it was that Jesus woke me up this morning, I am thankful he did that. However, what I meant was that this morning I am just thankful I woke up, and wasn't already awake. 

Yes, I do have three kids but I seem to have forgotten the joys of a teething child. Thing is when it's your third and you don't sleep at all, there isn't the luxury of taking a nap, staying in bed a little later then usual, or just taking a lazy day. (meaning for stay at home moms...mommas that have to be showered and out the door by 6 or 7 am- you are super woman. I couldn't function in public most days.) See around here, every time Pip has a sleepless night, she falls into this amazing restful sleep right around 6:30 am, when the other two usually wake up no later then 7:30 am. It's perfect! Just enough time for me to crash, HARD, only to be awakened about 30 minutes later with a pounding headache. You all know what I am talking about. Doesn't matter how many kiddos you have, if you are a mom, it's happened. Those short little naps that leave you worse off then when you started are a gift straight from satan himself. I'm certain. 

So here is why I am writing this post, D and I spent most of the afternoon yesterday laughing hysterically at my state of "craziness" the night before. I'm really glad we are laughing about it now, because it was so beyond immature of me, but girls...I am just not responsible for what I do or say when I'm functioning on less then 3 hours of sleep in like 52 hours. Seriously. Around here I am more of the night owl, and D is the morning person. So we have a great system worked out and it works for us. However, some times the kids don't really honor that system, and  this weekend was a great example of that. So bottom line: I was sleep deprived, we had a street festival in our town on Saturday that our church/youth group was doing a big outreach at, my faithful monthly friend had stopped by for her visit, and I was miserable. After baking for two days straight, then being out in the heat and working the festival, I was done. 

D said that he would handle the kids for the evening so I could come home and just crash. Well, that was true until about 8:30 when it was time to get the kids in bed, and he was out on the couch. After enough whining on my part he helped me get them in bed, then I was left alone with Pip. D had some of the guys from youth group spending the night and was watching a movie with them so I was trying to be respectful of that, after all I couldn't unleash my complete crazy while we had house guests. Maybe it was the Lord's will to have guests at our house that night, otherwise it had the potential to get really ugly. Every time I would finally get Pip to sleep something would happen, either the movie was blaring and it was brakes screeching and gun fire, or it was the cat pouncing toys acting totally psychotic. Side note: I hate cats. I went out to ask D to turn the movie down, and to my horror he was dead. asleep. I'm talking mouth hanging wide open, snoring, and probably drooling if it hadn't been to dark for me to see. That's when it happened. I returned to Pip's room where I was pacing the floor, bouncing her and trying my hardest to get her to sleep. The more I walked and bounced the angrier I got. The mental picture I had of D sleeping on the couch kept flashing through my mind. Anyone else been here?? I mean my hubs is NOT a dead beat, by any means. He's extremely helpful, he just can't hold his eyes open for anything after 9 pm. I kept having the thoughts like "yeah, it must be nice to just lay down and sleep." "Must be nice to just relax on the couch and watch a movie without a baby hanging onto your boob for dear life, and climbing all over you." The more I had these thoughts the angrier I got. I switched into crazy mode! So naturally I did what any mature woman would do and started sending him text messages. I knew he wasn't going to get them, but man...it made me feel better. I called my husband a "douche bag". Seriously. I did. See we as mom's have it rough. You know why? We get so exhausted that we just want a break, then when we get the break we end up missing our kids so badly we are dying to see them again. Or in this case, D came to relieve me but PIp was still screaming so there was no way in this world I was going to be able to relax. So this happens:

Me: Ok, just give her to me. 

D: Make up your mind! What do you want me to do? Just go to sleep! 

Me: I can't sleep while she's crying!

D: Well then I don't know what you want me to do. 

Me: Just give her to me, I'll get her to sleep. 

Then it ends with total male confusion and female frustration. In the end, it all worked out fine. He actually was the one to get her to sleep that night, and then at 5:30 the next morning I felt him slide her out from our bed to go rock her and lay her in her bed...and yes, I know it's where she belongs, I just haven't had the strength to convince her that's where she belongs. He fed all the others breakfast and had everyone dressed and ready for church before even coming in to wake me up. 

So see, he's not a dead beat, he's just as tired as I am, truthfully, he's probably even more tired. When he woke me up that morning, I chuckled and said, "So have you checked your text messages yet?" Shockingly he didn't know where his phone was (it's lost 99% of the time) so he said no. As I told him about the messages I sent that night he just busted out laughing. His response: "you were crazy tired. Literally!" Have you mommas ever done something like this? React out of sleepiness only to think later "What was I thinking??" Yeah. Last night I slept pretty good. Pip was still in bed with me, I need to work on that, but more so I needed that sleep. It felt good, and now today I am ready to tackle the world. Well, our little piece of the world. Here's the text messages I sent my husband. Try not to look at me any differently even though I am sure it'll be hard. I love D. I love Jesus. I love my family. I was just tired. Hahahahaha!

Little, Sticky Fingers.

I know it has been awhile since I have blogged. How do I know this? I know this because I typed in 3 different web addresses until I figured out the right one. Note to self: it's been way to long if you forget your own blog address. :-/ YIKES. 

Anyway, my last post was titled "Sally Homemaker". Who was I kidding? Seriously? I must have been in a super productive mood that day, that's the only explanation I can give. The only follow up I have to that post is that I did FINALLY get the kids all moved into their new rooms. I haven't finished decorating the way that I would like, and of course there are countless pinterest projects I would love to complete to hang on the walls and such...BUT, that hasn't happened yet. I'm confident it will eventually though. I think... 

So the other night I was tucking Batman in to bed, and we were cuddling and being silly. Bed time is probably my favorite part of the day. Shocker, eh? Ok, it is my favorite for obvious reasons, but more so because of all the cuddles, and giggles that come with it. Anyway, Batman is loving himself some Little Rascals here lately, and is now in this thing of singing "You are so beautiful to me..." to ME! How stinkin' precious is that? So as we are laying cuddling in his bed, he reaches up, puts his chubby little hands on my cheeks and starts serenading me with his oh so sweet, totally off key version of this Alfalfa classic. As the song continued on I noticed I was smelling something weird...but tried to shrug it off. Then Batman slightly moved his hands on my face and I noticed they stuck just a little. Eek. I gently tried removing his hands from my face, but when he is singing his heart and soul out he is only content with those chubby sausages on my face. I started to get nauseous! Seriously, I was getting sick on my stomach. All I could think about is where these little hands had been. Somehow we made it through the song, and I politely declined his offer for a second round. 

Bottom line...this incident really got me thinking about just how nasty our kids hands really are. I mean grant it I do make my kids wash their hands, but I don't have the time to make them wash every hour and then hover over them to make sure they are properly lathering and singing Happy Birthday through 2 times. By the way, this is just a glimpse of what goes on in my head...read on if you dare. What if we were able to do some type of test to see everything that is on our kids hands? Think about it. Chickens, frogs, lizards, pee, poop, dirt, food, the list can go on...this is just a few of the things I find my children handling/wiping. I am positive I would be appalled at all the dirt/germs they are rubbing all over my hands, arms, and face. It's gross just to think about. I remember one day while Batman was potty training he had his hands all over his "part" trying to keep it pointed into the toilet. While doing this he noticed a small cut on his finger that he then shoved in my face and begged for me to "tiss it and mate it better." *GAG* I offered him a prayer, and he was happy with that, thank the Lord! It's things like this that I think about.  And here's the kicker...as stay at home mom's we rarely shower daily, (don't act like you do) so not only are we a sloppy, unshowered, pajama pant, messy pony tail, mess- we are breeding grounds for bacteria. A walking science experiment. Let that soak in. 

That's really all the thoughts that I have for today, I am sorry I wasted those past 5 minutes of your life. I need to get going, D has started a new work schedule and gets off at 2:30 now! That's 2 hours earlier. I'm excited about this- however, that means that I don't have nearly as much time to waste in the morning hours if I am going to make it appear as though I have been a productive wife by the time he gets home. :) Time to get some laundry, dishes, and school with M girl done. However...I may hurry and grab a shower first. :) 

Sally Homemaker.

So I know I posted just yesterday that I hadn't done a lot of things in about a month, but today I am pleased to announce that Sally Homemaker is back. OK, that may be a generous title for myself, since I have yet to scrub my kitchen floor but! I did make dinner last night, and I have been doing laundry as though I didn't have any underwear clean to wear...oh wait. Never mind. I do now. 
So D and I were sitting down talking last night and he helped me realize that things around here aren't really as bad as I am making it seem. Sure we get messes every now and then, but it's not so bad. Here is the thing that is making me feel so overwhelmed and stressed...

downsizing.

Yep, that's it. See here's what's happening around here, my two older kids are moving into the same room, and Lil Pip will be moving over to have her very own room! Her first ever. It's a bittersweet thing, I guess I'm ready for it. I just can't believe how fast she is growing up. She's sitting just to the right of my computer screen playing with her toys, and I have to tell you she is quite the distraction. *Stay Focused* Anyway, the kids have bunk beds that have already shipped and are due to arrive any day now. THAT stresses me. They each have so much stuff in their rooms I'm not sure how I am going to make it all work. So slowly but surely I am going to take steps to organizing and cleaning out. As I was folding laundry yesterday I noticed myself grumbling a little about our house, and how we just don't fit anymore. We have a 3 bedroom 2 bath house, no basement, no attic- just a shed in the back yard. (That we really can't use for anything but yard stuff because we are so deep in the woods mice regularly get in it. Yuck. I know.) In the midst of my grumbling I had the thought, have we really "outgrown" this place, or are we just too greedy/materialistic? It was a humbling thought. See I am finding myself slowly getting further and further away from the simple life, and slipping deeper and deeper into that "american dream" mindset. "Oh, I have way to much stuff (clothes, toys, gadgets) to fit into my wonderful, perfectly fine home. We should start looking into buying a bigger house...to fill up with more stuff...that we don't need...while the rest of the world lives with so little." I don't want that to happen to us. I want my kids to be thankful for the little things in life. I want them to appreciate the small, thought out, handmade gifts just as much as the big ones. I really would give each of my kids the world on a platter, but what good would that do them? When you have been to other countries and you see first hand how some struggle just to put a measly meal on the table, yet here we are throwing birthday bashes with massive amounts of food that will end up in trash cans, and our kids have so many gifts to open that by the time they get through them all they've lost interest. It's sickening. Yes, I want my kids to have nice things. Yes, I am going to throw them what I hope is going to be a rockin' birthday bash. However, before all this goes down we are going to be doing some cleaning out. Going through toys, and sharing with those who may need it, and perhaps enjoy it, a bit more then us. Also, going through our clothes and shoes...I'm the guilty one here. I am to ashamed to even voice on here how many pairs of jeans I own. Grant it...(in my defense!) they range from maternity jeans to skinny to regular to fat. But who needs all that anyway? Not sure who I am fooling by keeping all those size 4's in my closet anyway. I just keep thinking, "what if I do actually stick to a diet and get that skinny again?" Not happening, and if it does I will cross that bridge when I get to it. So after all this rambling I'll give you the skinny:

The Vogt's are on a quest to organize and to downsize. I'm going to do my best, in an attempt to be a good blogger, to take pictures and document all the changes and organized systems we put into place. I'm not sure about all you other mommas, but I function much better outside the home, when I know my home is in order. Some of you may have already done this during your annual "spring cleaning". SNOTS! That's great! But, if you are like me and you haven't mustered up the strength to tackle those closets that have things shoved in the corners- you know, the ones that irritate you everyday when you see it, yet, you just haven't had the time or energy to do anything about it. Or if your kids toy boxes and bins are full of crappy Mcdonald's toys, broken toys, or perhaps some toys that the dog has mistaken for his bone...let's tackle those things too. Oh, and while we are at it...let's sort out clothes. You know how your kid is now in a 4T yet those 3T's (and let's face even some 24 months) are hanging out in those drawers having a party...let's shut that party down. I'm a list freak, and I love coming up with organizational systems that work, so as I am tackling this stuff and come across stuff that excites me, and works for us...I'll share it. Please, do the same for me. :) 

P.S. I'm thinking from how everyone is talking that I have a lot of readers, but my blog doesn't have a lot of members. I love to read your comments, feed back, and ideas...it gives me fuel to keep going. In order to leave your comments you need to create an account...just a username and a password, it'll take you 2 minutes. You can do it! Sign up, then click to be one of my blog members/followers, and then leave me your two cents. Thanks friends!

Oh and real quick...here's the dinner that I finally made last night. BBQ chicken and a steak for D on the grill, complete with sauteed veggies straight out of the garden, picked just minutes before being tossed into the skillet. YUM. 

Be Blessed!

Almost A Month...

This is my 1,223,453 attempt at writing a blog entry this month. Let's see if I actually get to click the "publish" button on this one...

Truth is, I should NOT be sitting here right now doing this. I'm lazily relaxing in my pj's with a cup of coffee pretending like my house is clean, the laundry is done, and dinner for the evening is all planned out. That is definitely not the case my friends. I titled this blog "Almost A Month" because it's been almost a month since I've done a lot of things. It's been almost a month since I have posted anything here, on my blog. Almost a month since I've cooked my family dinner, and again, almost a month since I've scrubbed my kitchen floor, and although it's only been 1 week since I've done any laundry it looks as though it's been almost a month. It's crazy how one kid can change so much...with 2 kids it was a piece of cake to keep my house orderly and spotless! Throw in just 1 more, and it becomes a daunting task, that I am almost positive is impossible. Just yesterday actually I was cleaning my little heart out, then while I was dusting I started smelling something strange. I turned around and much to my disgust Lil Pip had discovered treasure. In my cleaning frenzy I had forgotten to take the dog out...yep, I'm sure your mind has already taken you where this is going. Thank God Lil Pip isn't into putting stuff in her mouth yet! I was horrified, and puking in my mouth the whole way to the tub. As if adding the extra kid and beginning home school with M girl wasn't enough we went ahead and added another dog, a kitten, and some chickens. Shew. Typing those things has a weird effect on me, it's liberating but all the while shaming. I guess it's because some of you mommas will read those statements and think, "yep, I'm right there with you", and then the rest of you mommas will think, "wow! there is NO excuse for that." Who knows, maybe there isn't really any excuse, but it's been very crazy around here lately. We came back from vacation and as soon as our bags were unpacked life took off. My sister has been in from Texas visiting, and it has been wonderful having her so close! I miss her. A lot. Of course while she is in town, why worry about cleaning? I have two reasons here...1. There are 6 kids all 5 years old and under. 2. Cleaning takes time away from making precious memories. You probably wouldn't be able to guess this on your own after reading my above statements, but I am actually pretty anal when it comes to my house, I'm getting better but I used to be like a crazy woman. Seriously. Then I had a wake up call...One day I was on my hands and knees scrubbing my kitchen floor, and I was continually fussing at the kids to stay off my wet floor, and to stop jumping on my back, knocking me over, tickling me...whatever. I've noticed anytime I try to scrub my floors on my hands and knees, I always end up being attacked from behind!! I guess I look vulnerable. Anyway, I noticed my frustration that day and how it was effecting my kids (negatively). That same night, I was hurriedly trying to clean up dinner and get everything in it's place, when D came up behind me and placed his arms around my waist and started kissing on my neck. I snapped. "Can you please stop it!! You know I am trying to get this stuff done! Just let me work." For real. I said that. He got pretty upset with me and said, "Sorry for trying to show you I love you...most women would love to have that problem." I went to bed that night thinking...thinking hard. Since then I really try my hardest to not get so caught up and overwhelmed with the mess, I try to not let it effect me anymore. Am I saying to stop cleaning, and live in filth? No. We are supposed to keep our homes nice, and to serve and provide for our families. However, if scrubbing my kitchen floor is going to keep me from wrestling or playing outside with my kids then for the time being, a quick sweep will suffice. I also discovered that letting a pot sit in my kitchen sink overnight didn't cause my house to self destruct, and that it is a lot more fun to give in to the hugs and smooches of my lover then wash a dish. If you were to drop by my house at any given moment odds are you would find a mess, but I guarantee you if you can look beyond it you will find a family that yes, has it's issues but, we are full of love and silliness. I want my kids to know that when they talk to me, I am listening. What kind of mom am I if I can't even dry my hands long enough to bend down, make eye contact and really listen to Batman telling me (while wearing his super hero cape) about all the bad men he's beat up for the millionth time that day? I want my kids to know they are heard. I want to be their #1 fan, their biggest encourager. Sometimes, it's taking a step back and working things out through discipline and follow through, it's hard to be consistent, loving, and patient if I always have "work" to get done. Here's the truth, I can scrub my kitchen floor and after our next meal, it will be dirty again, and always there for me to scrub. But M girl, she won't be 5 and imaginative forever, Batman, he won't always be 2 and wanting to slay the bad guys or "tuddle wif mommy on da couch", and Lil Pip she won't be nursing for much longer either. These are the moments with them that I will cherish all my life, and I don't want to miss out on them. I mean let's face it, one day my kids will be adults and I will be that little old grandma in the check out line telling younger moms, to soak it up...it goes by way too fast. 


True Story: 
While I was writing this post, I heard this banging and splattering noise, so I set the computer down to go investigate since the kids were playing outside. As I got to the kitchen I looked out the patio door to see Batman with our old Pinterest project that hadn't quite made it to the trash yet. (I was being super mom the other day and actually did a "project" with the kids. You know the baking soda and vinegar thing, if you are a mom I am sure you have it pinned to your "kiddos" board! :)) Anyway, it's hard and dry now...Batman had the pan and was throwing huge handfuls of the hardened mixture at my windows and laughing hysterically. What makes boys think of this stuff?? :)

How can I get mad at him when he looks this stinkin' cute in a super hero cape?? Seriously. 

Thankfully I caught him before it got too bad! :)

Stuck to my windows.

Today my challenge for you is this, no matter your age or stage of life take a break from the cleaning and your "to do" list and spend time making memories with the people you love, especially take the time to really listen. I don't have a lot that I can give to people, but I can listen, and when people do that for me...it means a lot. Give it a shot. 


Be blessed peeps! 

A Princess gets a makeover.

We couldn't get breakfast with the Princesses for M girl (you have to reserve up to 180 days in advance!! OOPS!) So we decided that a princess makeover at the Bippity Boppity Boutique in Downtown Disney was the way to go. When I first got online to check it out, it too said about making reservations up to 180 days in advance, so I was quickly discouraged and decided to not even bother. I was sure they were booked solid. My mother in law is from New York and she was determined to try, so I said "Go ahead!" She called the night before and said "Hi, I would like to make reservations for tomorrow." I honestly chuckled to myself at how ridiculous we must have sounded but to me surprise she looked at me and said "10 am or 6 pm??" WHAT!?! So we took the 6 o'clock. When we arrived at the massive disney store we went straight to the back where a fairy God Mother booked M girl in, and gave her a Royal Invitation and a pager. She went on to tell her that she was on her way to give Lucifer (Cinderella's cat) a bath, and that it was the least favorite of all her jobs. M girl still talks about that, she enjoyed imagining what that would be like. We went on browsing the store until she was paged to begin her make over. 
She decided that she would be Ariel. Over the past couple months Ariel has become her favorite princess. She has never even seen the Little Mermaid, but she is into mermaids right now, so it makes sense I guess. They gave her the option of Ariel's wedding dress, or her mermaid outfit, and of course she chose the fin...the two piece I might add! I just knew D would be thrilled with her selection. :) (He actually didn't mind.) They got the dressing room all set up for us in advance, and then when we got to the door it was horrific to discover that it was LOCKED! Yep, locked! Good thing M girl knew the "magic words" and upon her "Bippity Boppity Boo!" her fairy god mother was able to open the door! *shew* She got dressed, and we were ready to begin. 

When her fairy god mother came back over she knelt down and said "my head fairy god mother has requested that you be brought to the Royal Window Seat! Is that ok with you Priness M girl?" M girl nodded her head yes, very excitedly. We had no idea what that meant but a disney photographer headed our way and started taking pictures of M girl as she was walking. She was snapping away, like the paparazzi! As we made our way through the store she walked the aisle way while her fairy god mother announced to the crowds, "Make way for the Princess!" "Princess coming through!" Oh my! It was absolutely magical. I cried, and M girl beamed from ear to ear. We then made it to the window seat. She was on display for all of downtown disney to see, in the display window!! How cool. We were overhearing people being turned away left and right, the god mothers were saying "I'm sorry we are booked full for the next month." We then began to realize just how cool it was that we were able to book a spot. Nothing short of a miracle. Call me super spiritual if you must, but Thank you Jesus for a wonderful experience. I asked the god mother how we were picked for the window seat and she responded, "we just select at random." Again, Thank you Jesus! Very cool! :) 
Over all, M girl LOVED this experience and it was well worth every penny. And it was A LOT of pennies. I'm confident that she won't ever forget it though. Here are a few pics...ok a lot of pictures. She is just too beautiful to only share a couple! 

Getting ready...

Add some make up...

and pink princess hair...

some serious beauty right here...

Princess sash on...

add "fairy dust" aka glitter (that we are still finding on us days later!) 

We had our own personal photographer through out the entire make over, and then headed over to guest services for a 15 minute photo shoot where we were then able to select 4 of our favorite poses! We ended the evening with dinner at T-Rex's a fabulous/fun place for kids...ok, adults too! It's very cool, and the food is delicious! 

"Mommy! Mommy! Watch me!"

Well "Family Vacation 2012" has begun! We are in Orlando, Florida having a blast! So far everything has gone exceptionally well. The 12 1/2 hour drive here was just supernatural. If anyone has ever doubted the existence of God I will be more then happy to tell them about our drive to Florida with 3 kids, ages 5, 2 and 5 months. It was nothing short of a miracle...we had not one melt down or tear. I'll give you a moment to let that sink in...
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Ok, we hit Sea World yesterday, and it was fabulous. The kids absolutely loved it, and they did so well! I'm so blown away by M girl this year, she has grown so much. She used to be my timid kid that wouldn't try anything but yesterday she hit every ride, even a roller coaster! GO M GIRL! :) She won't ride the rides with me though, only D. I remember when I was little and I always rode every ride with my dad, dad's just make you feel safer. That's a cool thing. I love watching the bond between M girl and D, it reminds how blessed I (and my kids) truly are. He's nothing less then amazing. Anyway, we made it to 3 o'clock yesterday in 92 degree Florida heat, without naps before we had a melt down. We went to see a show and Batman's slushy wasn't quite cooperating with him, that didn't end well. While he was laying on the ground screaming some Dad with older kids turned around and gave me a bad look. I wanted to back hand him in the face for his glare, but instead responded with, he's 2. It's hot. It's 3 o clock in the afternoon. He turned around without saying a word and I was glad he did. Why do people do that? It's parent code...don't ever look/stare at other people's kids melting down, especially in an amusement park. It happens. Over all I was very happy with the way we handled ourselves. D and I knew meltdowns would probably occur, so we determined before the day began to stay positive and happy. We did it. We didn't once snap at each other, and the way all the other spouses around us were going at it by 1 o clock, I realized we had really accomplished the almost impossible. 


The place we are staying is fabulous. We have a 4 bedroom home in Orlando. We are away from the hussle and bussle and it's nice and quiet. We have a pool and spa in the back yard, and I love it. Especially right now, the kids are inside sleeping and I am writing typing this pool side while working on my tan. Fabulous. I said when we got here that I would love to have a pool like this in my backyard. Then the kids got in and all I heard for 3 hours straight was "Mommy! Look at me!" "Mommy! Watch this!" Yeah, i'll pass on the pool. I had to watch M girl do 50 "different" kinds of jumps in the pool, ninja jumps, princess jumps, seal jumps, the list goes on. They ALL looked EXACTLY the same. Oh my. Now I know how my mom felt when my sister and I always made her "rate on a scale from 1-10" our handstands. (Mom, if you are reading this, I would like to apologize. It's so annoying, yet you were a great sport. I'm trying to be like you.) 


Tonight we are heading to get M girl a princess makeover at the Bippity Boppity Boutique. I can't wait. After that it's off to dinner with the dinosaurs...


Now to close my eyes and work on my tan...hopefully I will get some pictures uploaded tonight to share with everyone. :) 

Farts ARE funny.

Farts are funny. They just are. I mean seriously, what momma out there doesn't let out at least a little chuckle when their little one(s) "rip" a good one? I know I do. In fact just this morning, Batman let one loose on the bar stool at breakfast. He was pushing for it, and between his force and the wood of the stool, he made some magic. M girl's eyes looked as though they would pop out of her head, and Batman reaches out to high five her and says, "wow! Dat was a big one!!" I love the giggles and happiness that filled our kitchen at that moment. I leaned back against the counter, breathed in my fresh cup of coffee, took a sip, and for a moment escaped to some perfect world. Just for a moment though, the gas continued to come and as you can imagine eventually led to the first diaper change of the morning. Now, don't get all "mommy judgmental" on me. Yes, Batman is still in diapers! I've been trying! However, if you feel as though you could get the kid to go on the potty, I wouldn't stop you from trying, Good Luck. He goes when he wants to go, and if he doesn't want to go, forget about it! Who can blame him really? It's the one area of his life that he has complete control over at this stage in the game, and he knows it. Let's face it, I can make him sit on the potty for hours but, if he chooses to hold it, he wins! I know he enjoys it because he smiles, constantly. It's like dangling a doughnut in front of my face all day long. Every diaper change "mommy, dis is soo distusting. I should do dis on da potty." It would drive me insane if I let it, so I have resolved to ignore it all together. Bad parenting method?? Perhaps. If he's 10 and still in diapers, I will consider therapy. Anyway, back to farting, er...passing gas. My mom hates the word fart. I can feel her evil eyes, and disappointed face glaring at me every time I type it. A friend sent me a hilarious story this week. Long story short, her daughter thought she had peed her pants since she saw a little wet spot in her unders. (she's prego! Cut her some slack!) Her little one was moved to almost tears, saying "mommy, it's ok that you peed your pants a little. Next time let's just not wait so long. Ok, mommy?" Oh, how sweet! We laughed so hard over this little story, but noticed that other "well seasoned" ladies didn't really seem to laugh. That got us thinking...why do we as moms have such a twisted sense of humor? Well I guess i'm dragging the rest of you mommas down into the ditch with me. I know I have a weird sense of humor, but how could I not. If I didn't laugh about being pooped on, puked on, etc then I would probably end up in a padded room. It's life. Let's face it, we moms are pros at diaper explosions at the most in-oppurtune times, singing the itsy-bitsy spider and playing catch while we ourselves are trying to "eliminate waste", the list goes on. So my advice to you today...LAUGH. Just laugh about it, because as the saying goes...sh*t happens!

A Happy Day of Mothering

We celebrated our Mother's Day this year on Saturday. It was nice, the kids gave me cards and all kinds of homemade gifts, and D bought me a chicken coop and plants for my garden. Yes, that's what I wanted. Flowers are beautiful, and of course I love to receive them, but I am a realist when it comes to flowers...they are expensive, and they die. I'm not much of a jewelry person, and when it comes to handbags, a cute Target clearance will suffice. But, the thought of fresh eggs, chickens for my kids to play with, and a flourishing garden...now that gets me excited! We had a lovely cook out with the family, and I was able to spend part of the day with my mom since she was in town. It was great. All that being said, we woke up on Sunday morning and D was getting ready to head to church (it was his Sunday to lead worship). He was also leaving that day for some training for work and would not be back until Thursday, bummer! The kids still had a few chicken pox that weren't quite scabbed over so, we stayed behind, hanging out in our pj's. D needed some clothes washed so he could pack for his upcoming trip, so I started a load of laundry. For some reason as soon as I open the washing machine and start loading it, I enter "cleaning mode". By the time I sat down on the couch at 10:30 (am) to have a cup of coffee I had finished 4 loads of laundry, unloaded, reloaded, started, and unloaded the dishwasher, swept the floors, vacuumed AND straightened the kids rooms. I took a sip of my coffee, grabbed the iPad and logged onto Facebook. Big Mistake. I was immediately sent spiraling downward into a pit of self pity. Reading everyone's status' about how they were enjoying their day, all the gifts they were getting, oh and the best part, the pictures! The pictures of the mothers with their children all dressed up and looking nice. And there I sat. In my pajamas, a headband wrapped around my wild, greasy hair, and the buzzer on the dryer going off. I was arguing back and forth in my head with myself. "Oh stop! You celebrated yesterday, today is just another day." and "Yeah, but TODAY is mother's day, and look at me. I'm disgusting and i'm working my butt off!" The kids started fighting so I logged off, and broke up the fight. I then plopped back down on the couch and immediately started reflecting. I was faced with a choice. I can be bitter, impatient, upset, and ungrateful for the day we had yesterday. -OR- I can be happy that I am able to be at home with the very beings that gave me the title of "mom", mothering them and nursing them back to health in love. I pulled out my bible and started reading and journaling. God spoke to me in such a still, loving voice and I was flooded with love and peace. 

Proverbs 31:10-31:

10 "A wife (mom) of noble character who can find? 

    She is worth far more than rubies.

11 Her husband has full confidence in her

    and lacks nothing of value. 

12 She brings him good, not harm,

    all the days of her life.

13 She selects wool and flax

    and works with eager hands. 

14 She is like the merchant ships,

    bringing her food from afar.

15 She gets up while it is still night;

    she provides food for her family

    and portions for her female servants.

16 She considers a field and buys it;

    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

17 She sets about her work vigorously;

    her arms are strong for her tasks.

18 She sees that her trading is profitable,

    and her lamp does not go out at night.

19 In her hand she holds the distaff

    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

20 She opens her arms to the poor

    and extends her hands to the needy. 

21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;

    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

22 She makes coverings for her bed;

    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,

    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

24 She makes linen garments and sells them,

    and supplies the merchants with sashes.

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;

    she can laugh at the days to come.

26 She speaks with wisdom,

    and faithful instruction is on her tongue. 

27 She watches over the affairs of her household

    and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children arise and call her blessed;

    her husband also, and he praises her:

29 “Many women do noble things,

    but you surpass them all.”

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,

    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

So, I decided to be thankful. Thankful that God has blessed me with these incredible little people I get to mother. Thankful that I am blessed with an incredible husband who honors me day in and day out, not just on special occasions. I realized that sacrificing for my children, and caring for them, shows them this love I have for them is unconditional. I also realized that stopping myself, and taking the time to sit down with God's word and my journal is the very thing that will allow them to one day "arise and call me blessed". So we cuddled. Me in my pj's, Batman and lil Pip in their diapers, and M girl in an oversized T shirt. We watched The Little Rascals for the 12,323543,4356436th time, and it was probably my best Mother's Day yet. :)  

Chicken Pox. (enough said)

I've been a mom now for almost 6 years. (That's just crazy when I think about it!) From the day M girl was born I've always had this fear in the back of my mind, you know, one of those fears that you think, "Oh my! If this were to happen, what. would. I. do?!" As i'm sure you have guessed from the title of this blog, that fear is WAS the chicken pox. The thought of itchy red bumps everywhere, fevers, and trying to convince little fingers to not scratch, it was very intimidating. However, I am a living testimony...there is still life after chicken pox!! :) And actually, it's a dang good life, knowing I will never have to deal with them again. (Well, at least in my older two kids.) So far lil Pip has seemed to dodge the dreadful disease, I was kinda hoping she would go ahead and get it over with but, so goes life. It all started a couple Sundays ago, I thought Batman was getting a couple pimples on his face from sweating so much. Then a few more showed up on his stomach, and it hit me what was happening. Then just a couple days later M girl started getting a little spotted as well. Is it sick of me to say they were actually quite cute with all their little polka dots. :) M girl had one right on the end of her nose, I claimed that one as my favorite. She wasn't amused. So basically it's been two solid weeks of literally waking up, not leaving the house, showering (every other day...or so) and getting right back into pajamas. I had asked M girl to take the dog out one evening and didn't realize Batman had escaped with her. Yeah, I look out the window to see them standing at the end of the driveway, (Batman only in a diaper) calling the neighbor kids over to play! I was horrified. I ran to the door to call them back inside since the kids next door were making their way over, and about that time I hear, "NO! GET BACK OVER HERE!" Oh my! My poor neighbor, she is such a good sport when it comes to all of our craziness over here, and i'm sure was having a mini heart attack at the sight of her kiddos almost making contact with my infectious kiddos. *shew* That was a close one. I herded my unclean children back into the house feeling ashamed I had let them "escape"! :) D did take me to Lowe's one evening to get some plants, I needed out of the house. As we were climbing in the car he said, "Wow babe! You look great!" I blushed and replied, "well thanks, it's just a t-shirt and jeans." And of course, you know i'm thinking...I guess I can make anything look good! Then he says "yeah, but I think it's the first I've seen you with a bra on all week!" I opened my mouth to argue, but what was my argument?? It was true! So we had a good laugh and set out for the store. While eating dinner, there was a couple with four kids sitting across from us. They kept looking over at us lovingly through out the evening and commenting to their kids "yes, they have a baby. Babies grow up so fast, and soon will be as big as you!" I knew they were thinking "How CUTE! Their first baby!" Every time we go out on dates lil Pip is in tow since she is nursing and refuses a bottle up to this point. Without fail at least one person asks, "Is she your first?" Guess we still look young, that's a good thing right?? Anyway...during the course of the meal, I nursed lil Pip and while she was eating she filled her diaper up! I knew it was bad, because my leg started feeling reallllly warm. Yep, sure enough, she exploded all up her back. No worries though! I have a change of clothes in my diaper bag, I am ALWAYS prepared. Off to the bathroom we go. Long story short, Batman likes to "unload" my diaper bag, and he apparently had worked his magic at some point during the day so I was left with a burp cloth and a bib. What's a mom to do?? I'll tell ya! Remove the poop filled onesie, tuck a burp cloth in the back of the poo stained pants, and slap a bib on her to at least cover the "girls"! Poor lil Pip! I wrapped a blanket around her and returned to the table. D is staring at me and inquires about her nakedness, while the other family still watches us with their "perfect family" smiles. We end up leaving together, and as we are loading up in D's mom's red sporty Toyota Matrix (that we borrowed for the evening to save on gas), we hear "aww. I remember those days." We smiled and continued on, all the while thinking in our heads: "Don't let us fool you. The truth is, the reason our daughter has no clothes on is because our 2 year old is into everything and unloads the diaper bag on a regular basis, we have a 5 year old too. They aren't with us tonight because they have the chicken pox. We haven't been out of the house in 5 days, and we drive a mini van that honestly smells kinda funny, actually really funny." SO anyway, about those pox...we survived. I knew we would. Some days were rough, but we pulled through. Now D is gone for training for his work, so I'm on my own for four days. I'm thinking we will survive that too, but, I'll let you know-hopefully. :)

Three kids, Me, and the Dog.

I wish I could have a night vision camera in my bedroom on nights that D is either working or away. My kids have this way of knowing when he is absent, even if he sneaks out at 1 am to go to work, they know. It must be some internal instinct, it wakes them from a dead sleep, "Daddy's Gone! Get. in. bed. with. mommy." I know why they do it though. When D is home, if they come get into our bed, he can only handle it for about 5 minutes, then he hauls them back to their bed, tucks them in, and even through their tears demands them to stay. I know it sounds terrible doesn't it?? It makes me feel terrible! I hate it when it's happening, my motherly instincts rage. Not enough of course to make me get out of bed, over ride D's decision, (which would result in a fight at 2 am) and put them back in my bed...but still, I don't like to hear my kids cry. Here's the thing: I am glad he does it most nights, otherwise I would get NO sleep at all, then we would allllll suffer the next day. Now grant it, if they are really afraid, or sick he has mercy and will make them a bed on our floor, or sleep on their floors, he really is a top notch daddy. He is the logical brains of our operation. Mommy instincts have a way of making "us momma's" flat out crazy sometimes. To me, every time they cry in the middle of the night it MUST be because they have had some horrific nightmare, are scared to death, and think they might die. D says "Babe, they are fine!" I say "If we don't go now they will be scarred for life!!" (kinda) This happened just a couple weeks ago, we got into quite the argument (at 2 am) because I was nursing the baby, Batman was screaming, and D was sleeping away! I was so angry thinking it was a nightmare and he had to be terrified. D wasn't convinced. He finally got up to go check and turns out Batman woke up, and didn't like his pillowcase. :-/ Oops. Anyway, all this to say, I am WAY to tired and out of it in the middle of the night to walk them each back to their respective beds, re-tuck them in, fetch a sip of water, re-tuck them in, then be "woman enough" to walk away ignoring their cries and begs to come back to my bed. I just can't make myself do it. So instead, I deal with flying arms, legs and massive heads all night long. Let me tell you something. I love my kids to the moon and back, but when I am laying half asleep on my pillow and they throw their massive heads backwards only to land right on my face, it takes every ounce of restraint I have to not knock them to the moon and back! There has been more than one black eye, in our house because of this. (Notice the size of batman's dome, then add in a healthy dose of 2 year old little boy energy and you'll understand.) The way my nose has cracked on some occasions, I come up for air swearing that it's broken, but so far the Lord has spared me a crooked nose. He knows what we can handle. Having extra baby weight, and always wearing a pony tail is good enough, a crooked nose would probably throw me over the edge. Bottom line, I love having my babies close, as annoying and potentially dangerous as it may be I like having them next to me. I'm thinking the search for a california king starts now...

Momma said there would be days like this...

Today was definitely one of those "days" that my momma warned me about. As I am sitting here reflecting on all of the events that took place i'm not sure if I want to laugh or if I should cry. What mental picture do you have right now?? You know, of me "reflecting". I imagine myself freshly showered, cuddled on the couch with my favorite blanket, a cup of hot tea, and the lap top just typing away. *sigh* Ok, reality...I haven't showered since yesterday, i'm in sweatpants with a hole in the crotch, I have a headband wrapped around my head that makes me look like I stepped directly out of 1985, i'm on a broken office chair that has flipped me backwards and onto my back TWICE just today(!!), and I have Lil Pip going after my boob like she may never see it again in her life. So here I sit doing a one finger peck "reflecting" on my day. 

It all began this morning when Batman decided to wake up earlier then usual. I heard the bam! bam! bam! BOOM! and then a very loud "Hi Mommy!" around 6:30am. What are those bams and booms representing you ask?? That's him busting out of the baby gate I continue to put up in his doorway. I know you are wondering "why put it up, if he can just knock it down?" and honestly I am thinking the same thing right now, but in my defense...it slows him down. This kid truly is Batman, he has crazy super human strength, and by the level of his voice in the mornings, he may be a deaf Batman. I don't know. He's just loud. Really loud. So then it started, "Mommy, I wants breftast. Mommy, Mommy. I wants breftast. Otay Mommy? Mommy?" "Ok, Batman. I hear you...*yawn* lets go." I had reason to get up after all, there were Frosted Mini Wheats in my pantry. :) We had a really small amount of milk left in the fridge, so I thought "Score! Just enough!" That is until my children who eat waffles EVERY MORNING decided that they wanted cereal too. Remembering that we had some milk in the freezer (please don't even ask me why.) I gave them the last of our milk, and decided to wait for the milk to thaw. I still haven't had my bowl of mini wheats. We have a very, very cold freezer, obviously. 

Next up, homeschooling. You would think that having Mini Wheats for breakfast would make for a killer day of schooling for M girl, but, if you did think that...you were wrong. It was killer, but only in the aspect of me almost killing myself. Ok, that's an exaggeration, however, I come from a long line of exaggerators, bear with me. We managed to make it through most of our lessons for the day and then daddy came home. Things have been a bit crazy around here since D is on a crazy schedule at work right now. It's not cool...at all. He's super stressed, but handling it well, so I am trying to spoil him by keeping the kids out of his hair so he can rest. With this being said I decided to take the kids to church with me tonight and let him stay home and get some rest and quiet. (I hear those two things are very nice??) So off we go, all 4 of us in the pouring down rain. Half way to church I realize, i'm braless. No need to go back and read that last line again, you read it right. Braless. 

When we returned home D was very rested and refreshed, so what else was he supposed to do but pick on the kids of course! I was trying to have a very serious conversation with D about the fact that I was a little behind on M girls school work, and was stressed about it. All the while M girl is crying thinking her brains are going to ooze out from a tick bite she received earlier in the week and Batman is screaming that he "REALLY NEEDS TO GO POTTY!" The noise level was unbearable. All I could do was laugh. Then I quietly explained to M girl that her brains were in fact not going to ooze from her head like her father said they were, and then told Batman, that I was not taking him potty. Oh yeah, we played that game all day today. As far as I am concerned he can say his wedding vows in a diaper. No more potty songs, and pointless toilet flushings. When D and I continued our conversation about schooling, M girl chimed in and said "yeah mommy, you totally lost it today." Then began mimicking me slamming her pencil off the table. "Except you did this with the spoon!!" I know! I know! It sounds terrible, and really, it was. I had enough. I was slamming the spoon on the table just about every other syllable. Of course you know what I was saying, the usual homeschooling mom stuff. "I'm not doing school like this everyday. I will put you on the school bus with all those other kids, and you will go to school for 8 hours every. single. day!" (insert a creepy voice so they can understand how truly terrible that would actually be.) Yep, i'm not proud of it, but, I did it. At this point D and I are in tears from laughing at the impersonation and he asks "are you ok? You sure you can handle this homeschooling stuff?" Oh yes, I'm ok. Not every day is like this one, and let's face it...i'm not fit to work any other job. That is of course unless they hire braless women in sweatpants. 

Here's hoping for thawed milk by morning...xo.


*Note to self: This is what a good homeschooling mom looks like. I need to go vest shopping. 

Me, Beautiful??

Happy Thursday! Hard to believe this week is almost over...Goodness. So, yesterday we were hanging out in the living room, and Batman is for some reason obsessed with Jillian Michaels "30 Day Shred" right now. He loves doing the workouts. For real. (Maybe God is trying to tell me something?) Anyway, he brings the DVD case over to me, points to Jillian (who has killer abs exposed) and says "Wook Mommy! It's you!" My mind instantly went into "comparison" mode. I was thinking to myself, "HA! He apparently does NOT remember what my stomach looks like." So I responded, "You're so silly! That's not me." He insisted though, so I gave up. Who knows, maybe he has some sort of prophetic gifting?? One can hope, right?! 
As the day went on I started thinking a little more in depth about "body image" and how much our kids can teach us in this difficult area. I know that I struggle with body image, and I KNOW that I am not the only one. It's obvious, females are always talking about the latest diets, workout plans, pants size...the list goes on. We are for some reason wired to compare ourselves. I see it in every aspect of life. We will compare our kids. (I must confess this is my BIGGEST pet peeve, and I have resolved in my heart to NOT participate.) Each child is an individual, they learn and grow at their own pace. That's great that your 5 old is reading, that your 2 year old is potty trained, and that your infant sleeps through the night. I'm happy for you, I really am. My 5 year old isn't reading like a pro yet, my 2 (almost 3) year old is NOT potty trained, and my infant doesn't sleep through the night...but I know they are intelligent, strong willed, and cuddly. My secret is, I wouldn't have them any other way. We compare ourselves as moms too. There is no trophy for who has the cleanest kitchen, best looking furniture, or empty laundry baskets. There is also no trophy for who breast fed the longest, or who got the LEAST amount of sleep. We are all in this together, and just because your way might not be my way, or vise versa, it doesn't mean either one of us is "better" then the other. Oh! We also compare our bodies. I'm guilty. I do it. A lot. I see a mom walk by pushing a double stroller and wearing an infant and think "Wow! She looks great! Wish I looked like that after having 3 kids!" It really sucks when you see that mom, say your thoughts out loud, and are corrected by someone who knows that mom... "Oh, she actually has 5, her older 2 are in school." HAHA! Oh, how wonderful. Bottom line though, I bet that mom has some insecurities herself. 
I'm on a quest right now, to tone up and to drop about 25 pounds. I want to do it to feel better about myself, and to look great for my husband. I know he loves me the way I am, I don't doubt that for a second. He tells me how beautiful I am more then once every day, and I can tell he means it. But, I also know that I want to be my best for him. If I said that society had nothing to do with it, and I don't care what other people think, I would be lying. I do care. Deep down, I even want to be that mom that the others talk about. What I learned just yesterday though is that we as moms have a BIG job in raising our children. I want to teach my kids that beauty comes from the inside out. Yes, we need to be great stewards of our body. We need to keep ourselves healthy, and care for these bodies that Jesus has given us. However, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. My Jesus, HE says I am beautiful. He says I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Yes! ME. Even with stretch marks, and cellulites, HE thinks I am beautiful. My challenge today to all you other mommas out there would be this: Think twice when you speak about your body in front of your children. M girl is 5, will be 6 very soon, and the whole body image thing...it starts around her age. Seems early, doesn't it? But, it's true. I don't ever want my kids to hear me call myself "fat", "ugly", or "gross". Truth is, I one time said in front of M girl when she was just 4 years old that I was fat and needed to go on a diet. Two days later she stood in front of the full length mirror and said "Mommy, do you think i'm fat and need a diet too?" Talk about an eye opening experience. Here's what happened from there, "Nope, M girl, I think you are absolutely beautiful just the way you are." She replied "So are you mommy." She was right. I am beautiful just the way I am. Our kids see us as simply beautiful. We are their mommies, one of the most important people in their lives. They look up to us and admire us, they aspire to be like us. What a big job we have!!! 
Lord, help us live our lives as Godly women! Setting an example for our little ones in the things that really matter. Help us to teach our kids how to worship, how to pray, and how to serve. Guard our mouthes, our hearts, and our minds. Help us to speak only words of life, and love. Help us to be uplifting, and positive. Remind us every day how perfectly imperfect we are, and that our beauty radiates from within!
So, bottom line. If your man, or your kids tell you you're beautiful...just say "thank you." Don't disagree, don't argue. Because here is one last secret...you are. 

Dogs, Coffee, and a Sick Kid.

So, some of you read my post on Facebook a few days ago where I mentioned that our Jack Russell/Chihuahua mix drank D's whole cup of coffee. You wanted a blog post on the "side effects" so here you have it. :) I was very VERY nervous about what the outcome was going to be since "Feldman" is already a bit ADD. Turns out it really wasn't as bad as I was expecting, but he definitely got his exercise in for the day. If any one of us made the slightest move and I mean even twitched a muscle while he was sitting on us, he took off sprinting down the hallway, made a fast as lightening U-turn and came bolting back out into the living room. He was pretty on edge, but nothing too extreme. Oh, and when M girl put him on the leash to go potty, he darted out the door dragging her down the porch steps. She wasn't hurt thank goodness because the site of an almost 6 year old being pulled around by a chihuahua was just hilarious. She was pretty angry at me for laughing, but she tends to be a bit dramatic most times. Ha! Besides, it wasn't personal. I just laugh when people fall. Don't judge me, you do the same. I know it. So, Batman started with an incredibly high fever this weekend. We thought that we had beat it, and he was doing well, but then it (the fever) had the nerve to return! UGH! So he has pretty much been miserable for the past 4 days. Not sure what he has exactly, he did barf this morning, but just once. Other then that, nothing. Just a fever. I asked him if his ears hurt, and he responded "yesh mommy. I had dis ears, and I's have dis ears. I has two of dem, wif no earwings. they's for girlws." So I am still not sure of the answer to the question, but I do know he has two ears, without earrings. So that's a plus. He's just so stinking cute...almost more so when he is sick because he is so cuddley. Is that sick of me to say? I mean I do feel sorry for him, he's just...sweeter, when he's not feeling well. He looked up at me yesterday and said "Mommy, you da tutest!" (cutest) *melt my heart* So...we are holding strong with the herbs and he will pull through soon I am confident. He has only been to the doctor once in his entire life, and it was NOT pretty. Trust me. He needs sedated and in a straight jacket as soon as we walk through the door. I'm sure the experience would give me something very interesting to blog about, but I may not live to tell about it. It's that bad. So, as every mom knows when you have a sick kid, you get absolutely NO.SLEEP. It's rough, and you can tell by looking at me. I've been praying all day for no pop in visitors, because they would run the other way. My house looks like a F5 tornado ripped through it...and I look like I was sucked up and spit out as well. I'm almost positive it's a sin for my husband to come home from work seeing me like this, but what's our relationship come to if he can't love me with crazy hair, nasty, unmatched pj's, circles under my eyes, and let's not forget the breath, and armpits that would offend the hippiest of hippies. (no offense hippies!! I just know you can smell a little because my brother smells a little.) Thank heavens for the wonderful friends that I have. My bestest has offered to bring dinner over for us tonight. I love her, and she is probably the only one that I would allow to see me in this state. Besides, my sister...but she's in flippin' Texas. Here's to hoping things perk up around here!