Snap out of it!

I love to entertain. I love to cook, make the table pretty, and spend time with friends and family. But there's just a small problem. Well, actually, there's 3 small problems, named Zak, Paige, and Rene'. I find myself tired at 3:00 every single day. Then its just a countdown until I can plop myself on the couch and do absolutely nothing. I have been realizing that either I'm lazy, not eating right, or just a wimp. Its probably a combination of all three. And if I was remotely "hip" I'd down a Red Bull at 3 and power through the evening. But the truth is, I'm scared of that stuff. I want to have people over, lots of people, all the time. My initial thought on this is that the house has to be clean. It is a no-brainer that cleaning with three kids is like shoveling snow in a snowstorm. But recently we've had a couple of dinner invites from people who don't feel like everything is perfect at their house. And you know what - its refreshing. And I'm going to copy it. I'm not going to worry that everything is perfect. I'm just going to have company and enjoy it. Life's too short, people.

I've got big problems

**** Edited to add: Just so you know - I recorded Biggest Loser, caught the last hour of Dancing with the Stars, and watched 90210 in its encore presentation on Wed.


I have major problems tonight. Not only do we have dinner plans, but this is the best night of TV in a long time. I am embarassed to admit we don't have a DVR. I realize how ridiculous this is. But its just how it is at the moment. So here's the problem. 3, count them 3 of my favorite shows are on AT THE SAME time tonight. For those who have forgotten about the trusty VCR - you can only record one show at a time. So I am stuck. Do I record, The Biggest Loser, DWTS, or 90210?

Family Night

Tonight is family night. We just instituted this in our family since my mom retired. Every Monday night we rotate houses and get together for a large extended family meal. We get to all connect every week and of course 2 people get the night off from cooking the main dish. Some things we've done at our family nights are a game of freeze tag in the yard (some of the adults had to be convinced), playing the Wii (thanks to Aunt Lana and Uncle Chris), and of course reliving old times. If you have family that live in the city and find it hard to get together, I would encourage you to have yourself a weekly family night.

Just a small beef....

What's funny about this small tirade is that I was on the other side of it just a few years ago.

I have been helping out in the nursery at church. I have to admit. I've always thought I didn't have the gift of being a nursery worker. Therefore, I never volunteered. Because sometimes, other people's children scare me. I'm sure this goes the other way as well. Anyway, I was asked a couple of years ago to teach the pre-k class and I thought it was time to get involved so I jumped in. And I actually enjoyed it. The kids were so funny, and I felt like I was contributing to the spiritual realm of things. Since then, I've been a constant helper, minus a few months after I had a baby. Well, lately, I've noticed how shorthanded our nursery is. That the same people are working every weekend. Not only are they working every weekend, they are working multiple services. I've seen and heard the constant pleadings of our children's department for more helpers, and am astonished at how many people will drop off their children, weekend after weekend, seeing the same people working, and never once darken the door of the nursery to help. I began to get a little angry after I was in charge of the entire nursery for one weekend. Not because I had to be there all weekend, (because I'm not there near as much as some people) but because I saw how much work it is and how few people are willing to step up and help.

So this is my plea to all - if you have ever had the luxury of dropping off your children at the church nursery - think about volunteering once a month to let someone else have the time off.

Friday

Your thankful its Friday when you have just finished shaving one leg, drop the razor, break it, and find there are no more razor blades.

Whats for dinner?

Click here to find out

Return of the M&M jar

I think one of my very first posts on this here blog was regarding the M&M jar. It so revolutionized my life at the time I just needed to share it. Well, it served its purpose for a few months and was then put away. Now that Paige is 3, it has made its return. When your tired of spewing words that get ignored with your 3 year old, this just might do the trick. We begin with one large jar of M&Ms set so the child can see it all the time. To each side there is another jar. ONe with a happy face on it, and one with a sad face on it. When Paige does somthing that makes someone else unhappy (usually her siblings or me) she has to put an M&M in the sad jar. And of course, when she does something that makes other happy, she puts one in the happy jar. At the end of the day, if there are more in the happy jar, than the sad, she can eat the ones in the happy jar. If not, they all get poured back into the main jar and I remind her that tomorrow is another day. This is one of the most effective tools I've ever used with my kids. Use it, share it, thank the Lord for it.

My mom gave me the pleasure of an afternoon to myself. So I of course spent half of it at Target. Now, some people have their Dr. Pepper they have every day, or their coffee (that's me), or some other guilty pleasure. My new one, is premium soda. Specifically Hansen's Pomegranite Green Tea soda.

I have only found this at Target. And you get a whopping 4 cans for $3.29. I stood in front of this for at least 5 minutes at the store, debating on whether or not to get it. On a budget like ours, Hansen's soda has no place. But I talked myself into it stating that it was less than a dollar a can. And some people have a cup of Starbucks everyday for $4. I took my prized soda home, with the intention of kicking back and watching a little Guiding Light and quenching my thirst. I grabbed my can and began to place it on the counter when it slipped out of my hand. For those who have never experienced contents under pressure, this is what it did. It fell to the floor, leaving a gaping hole, and began to spew and spin in a 36o degrees circle. That meant, I had Green Tea soda all over every inch of my kitchen. This is not an exaggeration. It was literally on the walls, dishwasher, windows, microwave, cabinets, cookbooks, basically anything that was sitting out. Once it stopped, I realized not only, did I just lose one of 4 sodas, they were now, over a dollar a piece, and the rest of my afternoon was going to include moping. Not what I had planned. I tried to get away with just wiping it up off the floor with a wet rag, hoping our feet wouldn't stick. No such luck. And that, my friends, was my Friday afternoon.

This is what I'm dealing with

Just a little snack of an ENTIRE box of Nilla wafers and some Dora

She looks at me as if to say "What?"

An expensive use for diapers

So I was driving the kids home from school yesterday, when Zak made a comment that there was a spider web on his chair. I thought that was interesting and then thought about the stroller that had been in the garage that was now in the back of the van. About 5 minutes later Paige yells "a spider! a spider!" I look on the roof of the van at some interesting looking bug, but was not convinced it was a spider. So as I am driving I am trying to get a good look at it. I decide it needs to be killed. So I start looking for the Pirates of the Caribbean box of Kleenex that has been in my van for months, to be his final resting place. Well, I can't find it. And all the sudden he begins to crawl towards me, so I grab the fastest thing, which turns out to be a diaper and smash him against the top of the car. When I look again (because I am also trying to keep my eye on the road) his is running towards me, now. It is most definitely a spider, and he has left his sack of eggs behind - He is a she and SHE WAS LAYING EGGS on the roof of my van. I open up the diaper and smash with all my might, and she is finally dead. I am officially freaked out. Then, I'm super annoyed that I wasted a completely good diaper on a spider.

Am I really not 18 anymore?

I went to the mall for the first time in a few months. Its pitiful, really. I forgot how much I loved the mall. And I should have just walked around and enjoyed being there instead of actually shopping for clothes. Having a post children body, 3 times over, is just not a very encouraging thing. I seem to remember the glory days when I could try on anything and it looked good on me so all I had to do was decide what I liked best. Those were the days. Its not like I can't get that body back. I'm pretty sure I can. Its finding the time, motivation, and will power to quit making cookies when my kids ask. Now that Rene' is 18 months and I'm sure I'm done birthing children, I will be giving myself a pep talk. Its time I didn't just quit because something doesn't come easy to me. A little hard work never hurt anyone. So self, gear up, baby. Its time to crack the whip. (she says as she pops 3 peanut m&ms in her mouth)

A quiet Saturday

Andy is at work. Zak went with Grandma and Grampa to a cousin's birthday party in Dallas for the weekend. And here I am, while my girls sleep. Its a nice quiet afternoon at our house. I have a "to do" list a mile long. But today, I'm going to take a nap. Because every day has a 'to do" list at my house. So I won't know the difference tomorrow.

Some issues in our house that need attention

This is a post to make everyone feel really good about their family and their house. Or it just displays how utterly lacking we are.

1. Rene' turns her light on after we put her to bed and is seen reading a book. We could rearrange the whole room to move her bed away from the light switch, but its pretty funny - and she turns it off when she's finished. She is so the 3rd child.
2. Rene' getting into the pantry and eating all the food is an issue. All it would require is a childproof something or other, but we seem to keep forgetting to pick it up at the store.
3. Our washing machine is broken. Our dryer vent that is inside the wall is broken. We are going to be getting a new "free" washing machine (thank you Lord) but the catch is it is coming from Colorado and won't be here until October.
4. The desk area in my room - where I work - an utter mess. I can't get it to look clean or organized and its DRIVING ME CRAZY! I just want to build on an office.
5. Paint. That is what I am asking for, for my birthday. This house needs some paint on the walls.
6. I just need a personal trainer, then I can get skinny.
7. I'm going to have to start working at the library in order to pay my fines.
8. The computer - I will now be starting the timer when I get on, and getting off the computer when the timer goes off. I do this with my 5 year old. And I have to do it with myself. Sigh.

A post about a rest stop

I'm coming off a trip where we spent 24 hours in the car both ways. So forgive me that this post is about a rest stop. But once you see and understand, you'll know why.

Lets talk about rest stops. I don't normally like them. I'd rather enter the bathroom of a gas station and take my chances. Because after all, gas stations have candy and lots of it. Unlike rest stops. But when you need a place for your kids to frolic and play, the gas station parking lot isn't your first choice.

We fell in love with the rest stop in Trinidad, CO a few years ago. It is new, clean, and has a great view for a picnic. But it has since moved to 2nd on my list. The rest stop close to the border of Texas and OK has won. Not only does it have very nice clean bathrooms, it has interactive information inside about old Route 66. And then - the smartest thing of all time. A play area. Why in the world don't every rest stop in the country have play areas. We stopped about 30 minutes before it got dark, and the kids acted like they had never played on a play gym before. They were ecstatic.

Oklahoma - I love you. You have friendly people, and I have very fond memories of growing up there. But really - your rest stops are put to shame. I mean shameful. They are old, disgusting, and not exciting. Oklahoma - you need to step it up. You have a pro basketball team now. Its time to ramp up the rest stops. Texas, my hat is off to you. You did it right. And I will pass by my beloved Oklahoma's rest stops any time - in order to get to yours.

Labor Day weekend

First I must say thanks to all those commenters who made for great election discussion on my last post. Wow. I have 12 readers!

We got back too late last night from a marathon trip to CO for Andy's brother's surprise 40th birthday luau. It was worth the 24 hours of driving in 4 days to spend some time with family and friends. I got to hook up with Kelly who I hadn't seen in over 2 years!!! And we were a great surprise for Andy's brother. The weather was perfect and scenery as gorgeous as ever. We crammed so much family time into those small hours, I wonder how long it will take for everyone to recuperate. So I will return later with many pics of our good times.