more snow

Yesterday marked the 3rd time we have had snow so far this winter. Believe me, snow is typically a rare thing around here. But, this winter seems to have a mind of it's own.

according to martha...

I was lucky enough to get this giant book as a Christmas gift. I love it! It is over 700 pages full of all sorts of useful information about taking care of your home. I have only just begun to flip thru and read, but I have already learned quite a few new things! Anyway, Martha isn't for everybody but I thought I'd share a bit from her book just for fun.

Six Things To Do Everyday

Get into the habit of completing these basic tasks daily. With just a few minutes' work, you'll easily be able to keep chaos at bay.

1. Make the bed
Tidiness begets tidiness. A crisply made bed makes the whole room seem more orderly, which makes it less likely that you'll let other things-such as clothes and papers-pile up around it.

2. Manage Clutter
Whenever you leave a room, take a quick look around for anything that isn't where it should be. Pick it up and put it where it belongs. Insist that everyone in the household do the same.

3. Sort The Mail
Take a few minutes to open, read, and sort the mail as soon as you bring it inside. Keep a trash bin near your sorting area for junk mail. Drop other mail into one of four in-boxes: personal correspondence, bills, catalogs, and filing.

4. Clean As You Cook
Instead of filling the sink with pots and dishes, wash them or put them in the dishwasher as you prepare a meal.

5. Wipe Up Spills While They're Fresh
Whether it's tomato sauce on the cooktop or makeup on the bathroom counter, almost anything is faster and easier to remove if you attend to it immediately.

6. Sweep The Kitchen Floor
Every evening once you've finished washing up after dinner, sweep the floor. This will keep tough-to-clean dirt and grime from building up, which will make the weekly mopping much quicker.

christmas memories

This year, our Christmas was one to remember. Unfortunately, I don't mean that in a good way. Our Christmas Eve was the worst ever. Seriously.

Our plans for the day consisted of hanging out, waiting for the snow and doing some cooking. My parents were supposed to be over at 4:30 pm to exchange gifts, eat dinner and then go to church. The "fun" all started about 9 am on Christmas Eve when our electricity went out. After several frustrating attempts to call the electric company to report the outage and get some information regarding when we could expect our lights to come back on, I learned that we could expect our power to be restored around 11:30 am. So, we tried to make the best of the situation. The snow started around lunchtime and was so pretty (and exciting)! I read somewhere that the last time we had a white Christmas in Dallas was in 1926!

The snow continued to fall and fall and the winds picked up so that we really and truly had near-blizzard conditions. When our power still wasn't back on by 2:30 pm. Jeff ventured out into the blizzard to talk to the Oncor repairman working up the street. He came back to report that there were 2 bad power lines and a blown transformer in our neighborhood and that Oncor hoped to have power restored by 5 or 6 that evening. Panic started to set in for me at this point. I had no way to cook our Christmas dinner, and I even started to fear that the power wouldn't come back on at all that night. What about Santa??? Where would we sleep?

We decided to ditch the plans for church and take the food to my parents' house (half an hour away) to cook, eat and open presents. So, we loaded the car and braved the blizzard. The drive over was a pretty one with all the snow and the lights.

At my parents' house we were warm, we cooked and enjoyed opening presents and spending time together. All was good. When we were ready to head for home, it was dark, it had stopped snowing and the roads were frozen. We made it to the first overpass on the highway before we hit a patch of ice and slid into another car which then slid into another car. Sigh.

Thankfully, there were no injuries, just some busted up bumpers, broken lights and bent up panels. After the accident, one of the other drivers insisted on calling the police rather than just exchanging insurance information. So we had to wait for the officer and then wait for everything to play out. We finally got home about 2 hours after we had left my parents' house and tucked the kids into bed just after 10 pm. Santas elves got busy right away getting things ready for Christmas morning. Jeff and I finally got to bed around 1 am.

Christmas day was much better! The kids loved all of their gifts and Jeff and I were able to put the previous day's woes behind us and enjoy the day. But we sure hope to never have another Christmas Eve like that one!

gingerbread houses

This morning we had our neighbors, Zoe and Jake, over to eat candy. I mean, decorate gingerbread houses. :-) The kids did pretty well. Zoe had a pretty good idea of how she wanted her house to look and Avery was very detailed and spent lots of time on hers. Jake and Hannah didn't last too long with the actual decorating but the moms had fun taking over. Merry Christmas!

just the facts ma'am

Most who know me, know that I am pretty laid back. I am even pretty laid back as far as the kids' health goes. Don't get me wrong, we have had our share of trips to the emergency room and even a 911 call...but it takes more than the likes of an ear infection to freak me out.

Over the past few years, I have been hearing lots of talk about childhood vaccines and whether or not they are safe. For the most part I just listen. I listen because I am really pretty ignorant of the whole topic. I know that there are people who claim that vaccines are linked to autism and other disorders, but I really can't tell you why they think that or if they are wrong. I know that my pediatrician has a big poster in his exam rooms that claims that vaccines do not cause autism. But again, I can't tell you why the poster creators think that.

A couple of weeks ago, I took Ethan in for his 18 month check-up. While we were there I inquired of the nurse about his seasonal flu booster (the office had been out of the injection for awhile). After some searching, the nurse came back in and said that she had a shot that would work for him. But, she explained, this shot would not be exactly the same as the first he had received. This shot had thimerosal. She went on to quickly rattle off that they were completely comfortable giving him a shot with thimerosal. I nodded, not really understanding much of what she had said. Ethan got his shot and we went home.

I felt like such a bad mom! What was thimerosal anyway? And what had I just agreed to inject my baby with? I didn't doubt that everything would be okay, I just felt uneasy with my ignorance. And, I felt helpless. I didn't know where to turn to find trustworthy information on vaccines, their side effects and all of the rumors swirling about. I knew enough to know that there is a lot of really passionate misinformation out there and I didn't want to get tangled up where I shouldn't be.

My moment of opportunity came when I took Ethan in to see the nurse practitioner about his head bump and I asked her about where I could look up unbiased information about vaccines. Thank goodness she wasn't at all defensive, but understanding of my need to be informed for the sake of my sanity and my childrens' health. She recommened that I check the Centers for Disease Control website. She said that the CDC is who they report any vaccine side effects to. Whew! Good to know!

Anyway, I checked out the website and it has a ton of great information! Now at least I feel more confident about my decision to have the kids vaccinated (including seasonal flu and H1N1) and I can know what the other moms on the playground are talking about...

Check it out for yourself: www.cdc.gov

shepherds, sheep and a baby

Yesterday, was the Christmas program at Hannah's pre-school. The program was titled "Shepherds, Sheep and a Baby" and featured the vocal stylings of 3, 4 and 5 year olds. Listening to a bunch of little kids belt out "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" is a really fun way to start your day!

o holy night

This song is one of my all-time favorite hymns, easily in the top 3. One of the reasons I love this time of year is because I get to hear this song a lot. But, I never get tired of hearing it. To me, the song encompasses all of the awe and majesty of Christmas Eve and when I hear it, my thoughts cannot help but wander to a shabby manger in Bethlehem. Not only is the music beautiful but the lyrics really speak to my heart. Take a moment to really read the lyrics and perhaps experience a bit of the "thrill of hope" as our "weary world rejoices" the birth of our Savior.

And, if you are like me and just have to hear the song, I have posted a video for you. :-)

O Holy night, the stars are brightly shining.
It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh hear the angel voices!
Oh night divine! Oh night when Christ was born!
Oh night divine! Oh night! Oh night divine!

Chains shall he break for the slave is our brother,
and in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we;
Let all within us praise his holy name.
Christ is the lord, that ever, ever praise we.
Noel! Noel! Oh night;oh night divine!
Noel! Noel! Oh night; oh night divine!
Noel! Noel! Oh night; oh night divine!

mr. 18 months old

Last week marked a pretty big milestone at our house, Ethan turned 18 months old. 18 months is kind of a big deal to me. It means that he is no longer a baby but a full-fledged toddler. Our house is virtually empty of baby items save for the highchair (I'm still using that one to save my new kitchen table from destruction) and the nursery furniture. Today I threw out all of the teething toys (he's pretty much got all of his teeth now) and the old baby rattles. I have to say that I am a little sad that time is passing so quickly and that there will be no more babies at our house but at the same time I am happy to be moving on.

Ethan is really developing quite a personality. He is kind of a ham and loves to draw attention to himself by way of doing something silly. He also has a lot to say, we just don't understand any of it yet. Almost every night when Jeff gets home, Ethan follows him around babbling for a good five minutes. He is no doubt filling Jeff in on the happenings of his day. Our house may be empty of baby toys, but he is full steam ahead into the world of big boy toys. Ethan particularly loves blocks, cars and playing with Hannah. One of his new favorite past times is rolling over his sisters when they are playing on the floor. At 18 months, he is equally cuddly and wiggly. His favorite place is still on my hip and I'm happy to have him there.

The story behind the picture is that last night he was playing with Hannah and fell face first into the corner of the coffee table. We have a square coffee table and the corners are pretty sharp. I have always known that sooner or later one of the kids would fall into a corner and get hurt. To tell the truth, I always thought it would be worse than it was (think stitches). I heard the thud from the kitchen and managed not to panic when Jeff brought him into the kitchen with blood pouring out of his nose. This was at least his 5th bloody nose, I think that the girls have maybe had 1 each. Maybe. I guess that's one of the differences between boys and girls.

starting fresh, part 2

So my plan to feed my family more fresh foods and fewer prepackaged, preservative-filled foods has been going pretty well. I have managed to stay on budget and not lose my mind for all of the extra time and effort my new plan requires.

Some of the positive things about our new style of eating are that:
1) The food tastes better, much better.
2) We are all trying new things (just the other day the girls gobbled up hummus and pita bread for an after school snack).
3) Our digestive systems have adjusted accordingly and we can no longer tolerate fast-food, which means we avoid it big-time.
4) Our menus are more spontaneous and that is fun.

Some of the drawbacks are:
1) It takes a lot of time, lots of time cooking and lots of time running to the store.
2) It takes a lot of creativity to come up with our meals, as opposed to opening a box of Hamburger Helper and calling it good.
3) Our digestive systems have adjusted accordingly and we can no longer tolerate fast-food, which means that I pretty much always have to cook.
4) It takes a lot of work to learn about nutrition, cooking and meal-planning.

We are far from perfect. Just today we drove thru McDonald's to get ice cream and milkshakes as an after-school snack. But, my kids absolutely eat way more good than bad. Budget-wise I have learned that pre-packaged, all-natural, organic snacks are more expensive than their unhealthy counterparts. But, fresh produce is pretty darn cheap. With regard to cooking, I have learned to stockpile a few things that I know I use in recipes so that I don't have to worry about having the basics on hand (flour, chicken stock, olive oil, etc). I am still learning. I read things that tell me I should roast a chicken every week and then use the chicken in various recipes and the juices to make my own chicken stock. I don't know why, but that idea intimidates me. Maybe I'll come around but for now my chicken comes frozen, from Sam's. I have yet to pinpoint the criteria that makes one olive oil better than another and I'm really unsure of the pros and cons of bleached vs. unbleached flour.

Overall, all is well but I'm still doing a bit of fine-tuning...

a conversation with hannah

Me: Hey! Hannah, it's time to go get Avery from school. We can play on the playground today.

Hannah: Okay, just let me get my high heels...

i wandered lonely as a cloud

By William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
and twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
in such a jocund company:
I gazed - and gazed - but little thought
what wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils

treading water

This week I feel like I'm treading water. It's a busy week and I haven't been sleeping well and I'm pretty sure that I have spread myself a little too thin. I am so overwhelmed this week that I really would have to look at my calendar to know what day it is.

It started Sunday afternoon when I looked around my house and realized how filthy it was. I don't just mean that there were toys strewn everywhere (there were) but that the house was actually filthy. Untold amounts of dog hair, fuzz and crumbs had accumulated on the floor. Dust was so thick on the furniture that I could see where someone had touched the table (or whatever) and the bathrooms just needed to be scrubbed from top to bottom. Plus, there are dozens of little things that needed to be done cleaning-wise. Then, there was the laundry. There is always the laundry. So, Sunday night I did a couple loads of laundry, swept the kitchen floor and picked up all of the toys and I felt like I was keeping my head above water once again.

Monday morning I went to the dentist to have my teeth cleaned and found out that I have three cavities that need to be filled to the tune of $500. I felt like I was drowning again.

Tuesday morning the man from the furniture store came out to repair our new kitchen table. After he left, I managed to get the kitchen and hardwood floors mopped and the downstairs vacuumed. I wished for more time but had to pick up the girls from school. But, the things I had accomplished made me feel like I was keeping my head above water. Then, I remembered that I had promised Avery's elementary school music teacher that I would finish a project for her and I was under the water again.

Today, Wednesday, Avery got out of school at noon. Rather than check things off of my list, I chose to spend the afternoon with her. I did get my sheets and towels washed but my bathrooms are all still filthy. I also got the news this afternoon that my dad's cardiologist is sending him to the Mayo Clinic on Minnesota for treatment of his condition and my head promptly went under the water...way under. Tonight, I have chosen to sit at the computer and research my dad's condition rather than glue ribbon for the music teacher. My research has made me feel better with regards to my dad but I still have the gluing project looming over my head.

Tomorrow is a new day and I am keeping my fingers crossed that I can spend more time above the water than under it. Hannah will be at school and Ethan and I only have a couple of errands to run, so I should be able to get some things done. I swear my whole outlook would change if I could just get those bathrooms clean!

starting fresh

Recently I have decided to change the way that I feed my family. It all started when I was watching an episode of the Martha Stewart show. Martha's guest was a woman who had just published a cookbook of recipes that she had fed to her 3 sons as they were growing up. During the course of the interview/cooking demonstration, the cookbook author made the statement, "I don't believe in pre-packaged snacks." Hmmm. That statement really got me to thinking about what it is that I have been feeding my family. Sure the little plastic fruit cocktail cups are convenient to toss into a lunchbox, but maybe fresh fruit would be better? The turkey and cheese sandwiches I made everyday seemed like a good idea but a closer inspection of the packaging left me with an uneasy feeling. What exactly is a "pasturized processed cheese product" anyway? And the fat-free turkey? Since when are turkeys fat free? I'm not sure I want to know what all has to be done to make meat fat free...The more I thought about it, the more disgusted I became.

So, I have decided to start serving my family more fresh foods. Gone are the days of processed foods, microwaveable side dishes and pre-packaged casseroles. The changes I have made do require more work on my end. Instead of shopping for an entire week's worth of groceries at once (hence the need for frozen vegetables and fruit with preservatives), I am now going to the store several times a week to purchase fresh produce, lunch meat and bread. And, it means that my menu is at the mercy of the produce selection at the store. But, its all worth it. Our food tastes better and we are all (even the kids) more open to trying new things. I also like to think that we will all be healthier in the long run.

At this point, I'm not too picky about organic vs. non-organic foods but as I become more educated I have a feeling that will change. I don't think I will ever go back to the way I was shopping/cooking. Maybe someday someone from the Kraft company will explain to me just what that powdery substance in their boxed macaroni and cheese really is...

boo!

Let me preface by saying that Avery has been looking foward to Halloween for months now. She was perusing online costume shops back in August and had all sorts of elaborate plans for decorating our front yard. So, we were all excited when Halloween finally arrived. But, who can blame her? When you are 6, every holiday is a big deal...especially the ones involving candy.

Avery dressed up in her witch costume, Hannah dressed up as Ariel the mermaid and little Ethan went out as a firefighter. Ethan's best buddy Luke (a.k.a. the dinosaur)came over to do some trick-or-treating with us. We kept the kids confined to our cul-de-sac for the trick-or-treating but they still managed to hit a dozen or so houses. Trust me when I say that they came home with plenty of candy!

good times on baranowski bush road

This past weekend, the five of us traveled down to Brenham for the annual Baranowski Family Bonfire. While we were there, I heard someone mention that this was the 30th anniversary of the bonfire and family gathering. Wow! It is so much fun to be part of such a great tradition!

Jeff's family has been in the area for several generations (hence the name on the street sign) and there are more great aunts, great uncles, cousins and second cousins than I can keep track of even after 9 years. Jeff's grandfather, Charles, was actually born somewhere around there along with his many brothers and sisters, 12 to be exact. The land has been passed down through the generations and has been kept up in recent years by Jeff's Uncle Edwin as a country house and place to escape from Houston. Each year, the weekend before Halloween, he is generous enough to play host to extended and not-so-extended family members. Everyone gathers throughout the day and spends time catching up, eating and ultimately, watching the bonfire.

As we were not able to make the trip last year, we were so pleased that Jeff's grandmother was able to meet Ethan for the first time. I was able to snap some great pictures of the 4 generations together. Our kids had a great time playing in the dirt, going for 4 wheeler rides and watching Jeff's cousins shoot off rockets high into the air. The weather was perfect and the weekend was great!

purging closets

On a recent trip to my sister-in-law's house, she confessed the she had recently found her whole house cluttered with excess stuff and had been cleaning it out. While I didn't notice any of her clutter, her comment sent me back to my own house with a fresh pair of eyes. In our house, we are fortunate to have lots of great closet space. But with my new eyes, I could see that even all of that great space was now filling with our own excess.

So, this week I started in on Ethan's closet. I loaded up a storage bin with baby hooded towels, a baby carrier, clothes, a freebie diaper bag from the hospital, and some baby blankets. I also filled a trash bag with old burp cloths, tiny socks, broken wipes cases, even an old smoke alarm that had been replaced long ago.

My next stop was making my way through the girls closets. Their closets are a bit trickier and require more thought and organization. I am saving some of Avery's outgrown things for Hannah and I am saving some of Hannah's outgrown things for a friend. So, I took a deep breath and started making piles, piles of things to keep, piles of things to donate and piles of things to trash. At the end, I had another storage bin filled with clothes to donate, one to send on to our friends, and one bound for the attic.

This morning Jeff and I tackled our own closets, the coat closet and our big storage closet under the stairs. Together, we filled a large trashbag of clothes to donate, threw out stained and torn things, gathered up old shoes and even put aside two shoeboxes of old receipts bound for the shredder.

Now, the question is where did all of this stuff come from? It's mostly a rhetorical question since I pretty much know exactly where each and every little thing in my house came from. But, when you put off purging and organizing for a long time and just keep stuffing the closets, it all adds up. Like 9 Easter baskets worth, adds up. The good news is that now that we've finished our closet purging, I feel so much better...lighter somehow even. I love the fact that I can walk the length of our closet under the stairs now, its a really good feeling!

Next on my list? Filtering through all the toys before Santa comes...

howdy ya'll

Yesterday afternoon we took the kids to the State Fair. It was kind of a rainy morning but by the time we made it down to the fair, the actual rain had pretty much passed us by. Since we were getting there right at lunchtime, we made a quick stop in the horse barn before heading to the Food Court where we feasted on corny dogs, nachos and frito pie. Collectively, we thought that the fried butter sounded pretty gross and though the fried peaches and cream sounded interesting, we didn't try any. We wandered instead through some arts and crafts displays before watching a pirate high dive show. Our next stop was the Midway for some rides for the girls. Hannah enjoyed the spinning teapot ride, Avery did not. Avery enjoyed the airplane ride, Hannah was terrified. After giving Hannah her first taste of cotton candy and Avery a major sugar fix, we were on to the petting zoo. My favorites are always the goats, they are so fun to watch (especially the playful babies). We also saw a 13 week old giraffe who was already 7 feet tall, a pig and her piglets, some calves and even a zebra. The car show was next on our list of things to see. Avery and Hannah enjoyed climbing in and out of various vehicles and testing out the seat belts while Jeff and I compared sticker prices and gas mileage. As we walked, we saw some folk dancers, heard some music and visited Boris the 1100 lb hog. Before we knew it, it was time to head home. Next year I hope that we can stay longer and see a bit more but for this year, 5 hours was about our limit.

a day in the life

5:45 am: My alarm goes off and I hit the snooze...twice.
6:01 am: I get up, let the dogs out, fill their water bowl and head in to shower and get my hair dry before Avery comes downstairs.
6:56 am: Avery comes down dressed for school but I have to coach her a bit on tying her shoes, something we have been working on lately. I warm up some frozen blueberry pancakes for her breakfast then move on to making coffee and lunches.
7:10 am: After I fix Avery's hair she goes to play a computer game until its time to leave. I unload the dishwasher and then reload it with whatever didn't fit last night.
7:25 am: Jeff and Avery head out the door for school and work. Jeff already has hayfever so the day ahead doesn't look good for him. Fortunately, its his day in the office, so maybe it won't be that bad.
7:30 am: I have just enough time for a quick bowl of cereal and a glance at cnn.com before Ethan and Hannah wake up. He gets frozen blueberry pancakes for his breakfast, she gets instant Strawberries and Cream oatmeal and I think to myself that I am grateful not to be living in a pre-microwave era. While they eat I take some chicken out of the freezer to thaw for tonight's dinner and pour myself a generous cup of coffee.
8:15 am: It's Wednesday and that means that the sheets and towels in my room need to be washed, so I throw in a load of towels while the kids play in the playroom. Wednesday also means that Hannah is home from school so I head back to the playroom to ponder our morning's entertainment.
8:40 am: I decide to go ahead and get the vacuuming done downstairs so that I can mop the wood floors while the kids are napping later. I am always amazed at how much fuzz and dog hair accumulates in my house...
9:05 am: I herd the kids upstairs to get them dressed. While I am up there, I notice all of the old baby items stashed in Ethan's closet and resolve to clean it out sometime in the next week.
9:30 am: I come downstairs to find that Shelby, in retaliation for having been banished downstairs, has taken my very large, very favorite bottle of lotion off of my nightstand and chewed the pump off. Ahhhh!
9:40 am: I load the kids into the double stroller and head out for a walk. The air is cool and the kids are happy to be outside. When we return home, we head out to the backyard for some more outdoor time. While the kids and dogs mill around the yard, I chat with the nurse from the pediatrician's office about giving Ethan an OTC allergy medicine in an attempt to stop his runny nose.
10:40 am: I head inside to make lunch for the kids. Pizza for Hannah, bread, cheese and yogurt for Ethan.
11:25 am: I put the kids down for their naps and head back downstairs to switch out the laundry and mop the floors before I have my lunch.
12:30 pm: I finish cleaning up the last few lunch dishes and start to work on assembling our chicken enchiladas for dinner tonight.
1:35 pm: I am just finishing the clean up from my enchiladas when Hannah comes downstairs and demands to know, "What's that smell?" I assure her that dinner will taste good and we start to work coloring masterpieces in her coloring book.
2:00 pm: Ethan is awake, relaxed and refreshed. After a 2 1/2 hour nap, who wouldn't be?
2:37 pm: Armed with snacks and water bottles Ethan, Hannah and I head out the door to pick up Avery and spend some time on the school playground.
3:45 pm: We arrive back home, wash hands and Avery and I start in on her homework. I wish that someone would have warned me about 1st grade homework. Reading, spelling and math every night!
4:17 pm: I put the sheets back on the bed and sneak in a few minutes of Oprah while I work.
6:00 pm: The enchiladas are out of the oven, Jeff is home and we all sit down to dinner.
6:40 pm: Jeff offers to take Avery and Ethan for a car ride while he runs an errand. Hannah and I stay behind to clean up the dinner dishes and do some tattoo removal before her bath.
7:08 pm: The kids line up for their nightly dose of allergy medicine and we all trudge upstairs for their baths. Hannah and Ethan take a bath together then Jeff entertains them while its Avery's turn.
8:14 pm: Everyone has been bathed, teeth have been brushed, stories have been read, and all the kids are in bed.
8:35 pm: I sit down for a bit of computer time, checking email, reading Facebook, etc.
9:04 pm: I crawl into bed and fall asleep listening to whatever was on the History International channel.

labor day and lemonade

This Labor Day weekend Jeff headed out to west Texas for some dove hunting. So, the kids and I were left to create some fun of our own. On Saturday we went over to Gramma Judy and Allen Pop's house for dinner and some play time at their neighborhood park. On Sunday Avery and I baked some Oatmeal Chip cookies from our handy Paula Deen cookbook. And then the grand finale was the lemonade and cookie sale on Monday afternoon. We did some pretty good business thanks, in part, to our neighbor Zoe and brought in a whopping $16. Tomorrow we are headed to Target to spend our earnings!

hannah's turn

Yesterday was Hannah's turn to start school. She was very excited about taking her new nap mat and getting to use her lunch box again. But otherwise she had a few mixed emotions. Hannah kept telling me, "I don't want to go to school. I will miss you all the time!" In reality I knew that she would miss me for about 15 seconds and then go on to have a great day, which is exactly what happened.

I got her up, fed and dressed no problem though she did insist on wearing lip gloss (thanks Gigi). Then we headed out the door for our 2 minute ride to school. When we got there, she proudly carried her lunch box to her classroom, gave me a kiss goodbye and went right in to play at the dollhouse with her friend Gillian. I picked her up at 2:00 and after we got Avery from her school, we celebrated Hannah's first day with ice cream.

Now my only dilemma is how to keep myself and Ethan occupied for 2 days a week while the girls are both at school...yeah, not really. I have plenty to do and not do, as the case may be. :-)

the curse

You know the curse, the one where your parents, in a moment of frustration, tell you that they wish that someday you will have a child exactly like you? Well, Jeff and I were both recipients of the curse as we were growing up and the result is just about the most headstrong 6 year old you can find.

Family dinners have recently become downright unpleasant with the amount of whining and complaining about the menu. Last night was no exception. Baked fish was on the menu and baked fish is not one of Avery's favorite dishes. Jeff and I suffered through a bit of Avery's complaining, listened to her proclaim that she would never eat the fish in front of her and and snickered while she demanded that I never cook fish for dinner again. Jeff, in a hurry to get out and mow the yard, excused himself early and on his way out the door issued the command that Avery not get up from the table until she had eaten all of her fish. Since contradicting the other parent in front of the kids is not something that Jeff and I do, I had no choice but to groan inwardly and prepare for the ultimate battle of wills.

Now I would like to tell you that I had found myself in uncharted territory when it comes to battles over eating but the sad truth is that I've been here before. I have vivid memories of sitting at the kitchen table, all alone, after everything had been washed and put away and trying to swallow bits of zucchini with tomato sauce (shudder) or stalks of canned asparagus (yuck). My parents also used the kitchen timer as a weapon in their arsenal. They would set the timer for a reasonable amount of time, and if I hadn't finished my food when the timer went off, I had to eat the food for breakfast...cold.

So last night my husband cheerfully mowed the yard, oblivious to the screaming and moaning in the kitchen, and I knew what I had to do...I set the timer for 10 minutes and told Avery to eat her fish or she would be having it for breakfast. After 5 minutes, Avery asked if she could just go ahead and get up because she was not going to eat the fish. 5 minutes later Avery headed upstairs for her bath and the fish went into the fridge.

This morning I carefully explained to Avery that she needed to finish the fish before she could have anything else to eat. Then came the longest 20 minutes in history along with an Oscar caliber performance on Avery's part. She gagged and choked and cried and ultimately ate the fish, leaving just enough time to eat 2 pieces of peanut butter toast before heading out the door for school.

I am quite confident that she will never eat fish as an adult after this experience, especially given that I will never eat zucchini in tomato sauce or canned asparagus. But, I've made my point with her. I understand that there are some things that people genuinely don't like so next time I will probably try and disguise the fish a bit before I put it on her plate...

grade 1, day 1

"Mom, I had a great day! First grade is so fun!" It is such a relief to hear that Avery is starting the year on a positive note. Despite not being in the same class with her best friend, she claims to love her teacher and seems satisifed with the other friends she has in the class. I asked her what she did during the day and whether or not she had gotten to go to any of her specials classes. Avery said something about having gone to PE class just briefly before the teacher realized that she was supposed to be in Music instead. I can only imagine what it must have been like leading a bunch of clueless 6 year olds around the school trying to get them in the right place at the right time. I swear, I don't know how elementary teachers keep up with it all.

Our new morning routine worked out great. She set her alarm last night and then was up and ready to go in plenty of time this morning and I didn't even need to nag once. Day 1, under our belt!

P.S. In case you were thinking that the lighting in the picture looked a little different, that would be because the dawn was just breaking...School starts at an appalling 7:45 am!!!

happy birthday paw paw!

Yesterday we headed out to the lake to celebrate Paw Paw's 62nd birthday. It was so nice to see him feeling like himself again after his heart surgery and bout with pneumonia. Thank goodness that's all in the past! The afternoon was breezy and warm, the perfect atmosphere for relaxing on the dock and doing some fishing. Cousin Gavin even caught his first fish! Then we ate some dinner, washed it down with chocolate birthday cake and headed home early to prepare for the first day of school. No one can complain that this family doesn't do a good job of celebrating birthdays!

Rise and Shine!

In exactly 7 days, Avery enters the 1st grade. Not that I'm counting down...This year, I plan to further her independence a bit by introducing the alarm clock. I think it's time. I am going to set her alarm for 6:35 am. This should give her plenty of time to make her bed and get dressed before coming downstairs for breakfast. After breakfast, I will go back upstairs with her to fix her hair while she brushes her teeth. Then, she and Jeff head out the door at 7:25 am. I know that an alarm clock doesn't seem like a big deal, but it is. If you could have been a fly on the wall and witnessed our morning routine last year, you would understand. I had to literally follow her around from the time she got up until the time she left just to make sure that she was staying on task. The battles that ensued were no way for either of us to start our day. I am hoping that by putting the responsibility on her, that she will 1) embrace it, 2) have a more pleasant start to the day and 3) be mad at the alarm clock instead of me. Wish us luck!

The Next Big Thing

Have you ever found yourself thinking that your life is going pretty good but will be better when X happens? And if so, what is the X? Is it a raise? A new baby? The prospect of paying off a debt? Losing weight? Why does it always seem as though there is some elusive bigger and better out there that distracts us from enjoying who we are and where we are at in life?

I have been mulling over this idea for a few weeks. Let me tell you how it all started. I set out to enjoy the summer with my kids. I made lots of fun plans to enjoy swimming and playing, not to mention all 3 of their birthday parties. About a month ago I went into Hobby Lobby to buy some ribbon for Avery's birthday invitations. All 3 kids were with me and when I noticed that there were some fall decorations already out, I suggested we walk down those aisles to take a look -- a little distraction from summer. It was then I noticed that there were already at least 10 aisles devoted to Christmas decorations. It was mid-July for crying out loud!

The other thing that got me going was a conversation with Avery about what activity she might like to participate in for the upcoming school year. Did she want to take a dance class? Play soccer? Her response was that she wanted to play basketball. So, I got online to do a bit of research and found that that sign ups were already open for the fall season (again it's mid-July). I also decided to do a bit of research on the dance class that I really wanted her to take and found that the classes start on August 17.

Now, how am I supposed to enjoy the summer with my kids when the last half of the summer apparently needs to be devoted to preparations for fall? Everywhere I turn there are school supplies out, sales on jeans (it's still 100 degrees out) and fall sports starting! How can I think about going to the pool when the commercial world is telling me that I need to be planning and purchasing my Christmas decorations a full 4 months in advance?

But the sad truth is that we don't even need the commercial world to tell us that we can't be satisfied with the present. We can do it all on our own. We (and when I say "we" I mean "me") can get so hung up on whatever we think we are lacking that it spoils everything else. Do I really want to look back on my summer and see that I wasted half of it because I was so looking forward to school starting back and daydreaming about how the house will look with all of the Christmas decorations out? I am making a conscious decision to enjoy the rest of our summer, and be happy in the present. I am tossing out the idea of X and hope you will do the same!

Avery's Birthday Weekend

Happy Birthday Avery

Today is Avery's 6th birthday and I'm feeling very anti-cliche. Instead of feeling like I can't believe that she's 6 already, I can believe it. So much has changed since that night 6 years ago when I went into the hospital with nothing more than strong contractions and a terrible fear that my baby was coming too soon. She was born at 1:45 am and weighed only 5 lbs and 1 oz. She was 4 weeks early and had spells of apnea where she would quit breathing and turn blue at random. We had to give her doses of caffeine and keep her strapped to a machine that monitored her heart rate for four months.

Today she is one of the tallest and smartest in her class. She loves to draw, play card games and play with her dolls. She begs me for things like press-on fingernails and to have her training wheels taken off of her bike. She has started to fix her own hair and insists upon name-brand sneakers.

Sometimes I feel sorry for her because she is the oldest and we often find ourselves in uncharted territory. I learn from my mistakes with her. Despite all that she has taught me these past 6 years, I still stand in awe of her and find it hard to believe that I have such an amazing daughter.