Big Bear

Last weekend we went to Big Bear with our neighbors and Thomas and Kate's best friends, Ben and Madilyn Kienast. In a short car ride we went from sea level and 65 degrees to 8,500 feet and 32 degrees. In just over 2 hours pine trees replaced palm trees, snow replaced sand and hot chocolate replaced ice cold sodas.

Madilyn, Kate and my niece Emma, who we brought to babysit Jack, had fun playing in the snow. They creatively made a snow-woman complete with a hat topped with bird seed.

Their snow-woman was not only accessorized with a colorful scarf and belt, but she was given spaghetti hair which I'm sure created some envy among the other snow-woman in the forest.

She was even given a special friend to keep her company. Kate said it was her snow-dog. I'm sure Kate couldn't help but be a little jealous.

One of the favorite things about the weekend were the 2 chipmunks who scampered around the cabin in search of free peanuts.

They were in luck this particular weekend. The cabin came equip with a large tin can full of critter treats.

It didn't take long after the first offering was made, minutes maybe, before 2 bushy tailed chipmunks scampered down from the trees and began feasting upon the goodies.

"Aaaa ya gotta more of those yummy nuts?"

Thomas and Ben had so much fun skiing that they were pretty disappointed to find out the weekend didn't include a third day of hot dogging it down the slopes.

Kate on the other hand was happy when after a few hours Madilyn got sick and wanted to go back to the cabin.

So long Big Bear, hope to see you again next year.

Love, Kate

Kate has come down with a bad case of the naughty bug. Remarkably she has every symptom known to accompany this awful bug. There's the whining, the talking back, the rolling of the eyes and even the dreaded double lying. You know, there's a lie told to cover a lie. Lately I have these scary moments flash before me of Kate in Juvi. Alarmed over this behavior I called my seasoned sister of 5 and told her my troubles. She too has had the naughty bug plague her house a time or two and so I thought she of all people would be able muster up some really juicy advice about how I can rid my child of this awful bug, but all she did was giggle! Brought on be hindsight I suppose. She tryed to assure me that all kids lie at some point to test their boundaries and that Kate's little lying doesn't mean she will grow to be a pathological liar. Goodness let's hope not. True or not I'm still worried the naughty bug and my relenting methods of trying to dispose of it are somehow leaving permanent damage that will surface later on in life in the form of resentment toward me, her mother. I know I am sounding a bit dramatic but the scene here at my house is exactly that... dramatic.
But just when I thought things couldn't possible get any worse she demonstrated something so sweet and kind that I was filled with tremendous hope which gave me reason to spare her life. ( No, I wouldn't realllllly kill my child.)
I found this note lying on bed the other night and this is what it reads:
To Mom. From Kate.
I'm sorry. I love you. I will try next time. I want to repent.

Love At First Sight

My love gave me an iPhone for valentines day. My heart swelled with excitement and joy. It was love at first sight and it's been attached to me like a new (can't live without) appendage ever since. I like to think of my new gift as my brains desperately needed little helper. Wowzer, it's amazing what this little paper weight can do.

"Oh the places you'll go." Dr. Seuss

I'm In Love...

with my sewing machine

with everything anthropologie

with this call sheet

with amy butler fabrics



with my camera



with my babies

and of course with him

Wax Paper Heart

Kate's been bugging me for days to decorate for Valentines Day. She loves to craft just like her mom and so on Saturday I told her we would make some wax paper hearts like the ones we saw at April's house. Like most of our art projects she's really into it for about 10 minutes until something more appealing comes along. This time it was Madilyn knocking on the door. And so like usual I was left to finish the project all by myself.

After a few unsucceful attempts of trying to figure this craft out on my own, (duh, you melt the crayon with an iron) I finally found a step by step guide thanks to a girl named Jenny. www.kodakgallery.com/jenny/projects/valentine_s_wax_paper_crayon_hearts

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

Look Who's Wearing Underroos

Yep, Jack Jack is wearing underroos which means for the first time in 2 years and 10 months I didn't have to buy diapers at Costco. I think I just found my extra money to cover the $40.00 dollar a month data plan of the iPhone I've been coveting. Thanks Jack.

Jack learned one of the differences between undies and a diaper is the cushion or the lack there of. He learned this while playing horsey on my leg. He giggled and giggled and then finally squealed, "Oh my nuts!"

It's a beautiful day when you hear the pitter patter to the bathroom then the flush and finally the crash of the lid. Oh the joy of potty independence.

Triming the Fat

OK so my closest is getting a little out of hand. It's so full of stuff my poor clothes are suffocating. The pathetic part is I'm only wearing about 15 % of my clothes, which by the way I think is 5 % percent more than the average person. It's no wonder most mornings I feel like have nothing to wear. I know that seems a little crazy based on the picture above. I do after all have over 100 tops (not including all my knit shirts in the dresser drawer), 45 skirts, 28 dresses, 32 pairs of pants, 15 pairs of jeans, 9 bathing suits, 21 belts/sashes and over 60 pairs of shoes and them some. Sound excessive? Maybe so, but before you judge go count the clothes in your closets you might just be surprised how many black tops you really have. The point of me taking inventory of all of my clothes was not to be shocked at the fact that I own 20 white t-shirts but was to help me realize the following:
1. I hold onto items that "I'll wear just as soon as I find the perfect pair of pants to go with it." This might work as a legitimate excuse but with over at least 50 options, it doesn't hold up.
2. I hold onto items that just need a little alteration. Not only will I never get around to it, but to be honest altering that pair of skinny jeans to fit like a glove is still not going to change the fact that my legs are not sucked through a straw skinny.
3. I hold onto items because "These will fit just as soon I lose 5 pounds." Hello, your not a size 2.
4. I hold onto items because I paid a lot of money for them and so I have a problem with giving them away to Goodwill. Shame on me.
5. I hold onto items because one day I may start wearing sweatsuits to the mall or wear fussy iron only clothes to the park. Ya right.
I feel like the only solution is have a heart to heart with each piece of clothing and accessory in my closet. Yep, it's time to trim the fat. All pieces I have given any of the excuses listed above to have to go. No more "special occasion", "in case of blizzard", "need the right pair of pants to go with it", or "maybe I'll wear next week" clothes can stay. The few great pieces I do have need more breathing room. (Refer to picture below) Only the finest, best fitting, hard working, inspiring bunch are going to make the cut. The donate to Goodwill pile could be substantial. Unlike the closest below (featured on Domino's website) my closet is one of the most uninspiring places in my house second only to my pantry. Mostly due to poor lighting and crummy organization it's not a space you want to hang out in. But just because my walls aren't lined with pretty wall paper and the container store hasn't payed a visit there's no excuse to hold on to items that are just OK. It's certainly not what I want to feel like during the day, just OK. My clothes should be a reflection of how I feel or at least how I want to feel. I want my closet to say "Come on in you powerful beautiful creature. Put on something fabulous and go out and conquer the world." Well, at least conquer my world anyway.

Crazy Hair Day

Thomas and Kate are real stinkers when it comes to combing and fixing their hair. Thomas prefers to use his hand over a comb. He cups a bit of water in his hand and throws it over his head smoothing out his bed head with his flat hand. It doesn't always work so well and a few chunks of hair still manage to stand up. Kate likes the end result of nicely brushed and fixed hair but she can hardly stand the process and so most mornings it's a struggle. But on Friday my kids were eager to use any comb or brush and any hair product needed to achieve a crazy do because it was Crazy Hair Day at school.

This is Thomas and his best friend Ben. They of course wanted matching hair.

This is Kate with her friend from church and school Kate S.

It was Kate's idea to make her braids into a nest. So creative my little one. After school Kate told me she pretended the little bird was her pet. She excitedly and proudly told me the bird stayed with her the whole day! (Thanks be to the fact that the wee creature was clipped to her hair.) I told her that's what was so great about having pretend pets unlike real pets, you get to take them anywhere you want; church, school, or the park. I told her we could attach the birdy to a key chain that she could clip onto her backpack and take with her everyday to school.

I'm hoping my wonderful suggestion will cut down on the begging for a real dog for awhile.

The Imperfect Mother

The other day Thomas was out of sorts and informed me I was ruining his life because I wouldn't let me watch TV before school or play his DS or Wii during the week. I showed him no sympathy which lead to an overflow of complaining and whining. Meanwhile Jack was pulling at my leg begging me to fill up his sippy cup for the hundredth time that day and Kate was shouting "mom I need a pencil" as fast as she could from the kitchen table. I was somehow able to ignored Kate and Jack but Thomas' persistence managed to tear right through the little patients I had left and just like that an unkind word flew from my mouth and with fury blazing in my eyes I sent Thomas to his room crying. I hurried and got Kate a pencil from the drawer and gave Jack what he didn't need, only desired; another sippy cup full of milk. In that moment I was once again reminded I'm not anywhere near being a perfect mother.
Before having kids I swore I would not have whinny, demanding or impatient kids. I was going to handle every situation calmly and with the up most control. But the reality is; I have whinny, demanding and impatient kids far more often then I'd like to admit. And the only thing in control is their naughty behaviors.
I went to bed like I do many nights laden with a heavy dose of the 'should haves'. I should have been more patient, I should have just given in, I should have told him no, I should have said this or that and so on. Just when it seemed like I was going to drown in the pool of mothers guilt, perspective came to my rescue. I dried off my guilt and remembered that I am an imperfect person therefore I can not possibly get it right all of the time and even greater I realized that my imperfect mothering was a good, possibly even a great thing for my kids. I am good enough because I love and care for my children, but being the imperfect person that I am means I can't possibly satisfy every need and handle every situation perfectly. Perhaps even more important is that while my children wish for quicker service or a more delightful answer, it's the ordinary failures, the unpleasant answers that are perhaps preparing my children to be responsible, self reliant, caring and forgiving human beings. It is during these imperfect moments that I am motivating them to get what they need for themselves while teaching them to tolerate frustration and disappointment and ultimately to forgive others when they fall short.
The next morning I asked Thomas if he would forgive me for losing my patients with him the day before. He answered quickly by saying, "sure, I love you too mom." And that was it, short but full of love. It was in this sweet exchange that I realized I need to forgive myself more and perhaps it's in the moments of imperfection that we become perfect.

Pillow Talk

I found these pillows online and thought, now there's a good solution. Let the pillow do the talking. No complicated explanations, no build up, no let down or drama, just a simple yes or no. Wouldn't it be nice if it was that easy. Although, you better hope most nights you both have your pillows switched to the same side or an unexpected pillow fight might break out.