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!

Bumbo and Baby

Not sure how it's happening but time is FLYING by! Lil Pip is already over 3 months old and is surprising us everyday with all the things she can do. Things like outgrowing 3 month clothes, and size 1 diapers, giggling, coo-ing, and even saying "mama". (ok! she makes this noise when she cries...doesn't that count??) Her latest achievement is sitting in her Bumbo seat. She's at that strange in between stage, where she is wanting to sit up and be mobile, but her body isn't really cooperating yet. Maybe it's just me but when they get to this stage I feel terrible just making her lay in a swing, or in a little chair all day. BUT...what else do you do with them?? Even though this is my 3rd sometimes I feel like it's my 1st time all over again. Well one day it hit me...break out the bumbo! She will love it. Sure enough...she did! Everyone was sooo proud of her! I managed to capture some of the smiles with my camera...

M girl giving Lil Pip a congratulatory kiss. :) 

 The whole family is SO proud! <3

 Playing with her "first doll"

 Batman may have been a little rough with his hug before I snapped this one! :)

 Lil Pip was very proud of herself! 

The play date that I finally remembered...

Well, it has been a loooong time since I have posted anything. Maybe i'm not going to be the amazing "blogger" I pictured myself being? I guess I will start with one day last week. Even though I haven't been to faithful to get on here and type write I do keep an archive in my head of what I want to blog about, so that's good, right? Well last week we finally made it to the play date that I had to reschedule 3 times! Yep, 3 times. I wish I could give you a really good story as to why I had to reschedule 3 times, but the bottom line is...I just forgot. No "mom of the year" award here, that's for sure. My kiddos were devastated every time they asked when we were going to play with their friends and I had to announce that I forgot, again. For some reason they would always ask when we were going right before bed?? I mean come on. Had they asked me in the morning, I may have actually remembered. Anyway. We made it last week, and we all had a GREAT time! Our friends live on a farm so the kids were able to run free, check out all the animals, and even climb onto the barn roof and run around. (How fun!!!) Heart attack anyone? The conversations were wonderful between my friend and I. I need days like that one. You might not be able to tell since I forget them so frequently, but, they are so good for the soul. Nothing like sitting down chatting about birth, herbs, faith, and kids with another momma. We managed to eat a scrumptious lunch that she made and talk in peace. I was eating with Piper hanging on to my boob for dear life, and the kids had pretty much filthied the table while they were eating their lunch..but, still it was quiet! :) This friend of mine has 9 kids, (and they are all delightful human beings!) so there is always something to do, and someone to play with. Here are a few pictures from our day:

M Girl on the tire swing

 Batman and His friend jumping away

 and again...

 M Girl watching the farmer feed the cows

Friends.

 This is what Batman did when I said the dreaded words "it's time to go home!" 

Btw. M boy will now be referred to as "Batman" that's what he prefers we call him around here, so it's only fitting. :)