A Crazy Thing

Something shocking happens around here at this time of the year.
One of my younger school aged kids will come home and say, "So and so said there is NO Santa Claus.  Is there, Mom?"
Sometimes they will even back it up with, "But so and so's MOM told him there is not!"

I just laugh and tell them the truth.
"So and so's mom is totally weird and crazy and why would she say such a thing?  She must really really not believe.  Poor lady.  Geez...she better get on the ball because if SHE doesn't believe in Santa Claus, she has a HELL (ok, I don't say THAT word but I want to) of a lot of presents to buy.  Crazy...geez.  They must be rich or something. What's with people today?"

Because you know what?

There really IS a Santa Claus.

My mother and my mother-in-law will back that up every single minute of every single day to every single one of their "kids"....and the youngest is in his 30's!

And I will follow in their footsteps.

Why?

Well, my fellow mothers, here's three good reasons to ALWAYS believe in Santa Claus: (besides the absolute obvious one...that he IS real, DUH!)

1. A Christmas without the magic and anticipation and generosity of Santa Claus, is a sad lonely Christmas indeed.
2. Finish what you start.  Finish it to the grave gosh darnit.
3. No one really wants to know that you, silly Mom, think Santa is not real. NO ONE.  Erase the excitement, dash a dream, stab them in the heart why don't you.  For God's sake...NO ONE REALLY WANTS TO KNOW.  Eventually we ALL grow up, right?  Sometime kids want to prance ahead at a pace that's not really in their best interest...sometimes in SPITE of what they THINK they really want, they need (and really secretly WANT) their parents to be the ones holding them back. Cause that's their job?  Unfortunately sometimes us parentss don't stop to think about how little these kids really are in their hearts.  So give them a gift...a childhood that lasts longer than the average 10 years in this country.

You need a little more evidence to convince you?

Why do you think these little ones come to school, and maybe in spite of  the warning to "keep it to yourself", MUST blab this new found untruth to someone, if not the entire class?

Because, just like when they see a movie that is a little too scary, hear a story that was a little too graphic, witness a scene that was a little too traumatizing, or hear a new fact of life a little too early, they need to BARF it out of their systems...onto to someone else's.  We ALL do it.  It helps to talk about it, right?  That's what friends are for. 

So stick with me here.  I know...in the end you, as a parent, can do WHATEVER you want.
Consider my argument of "to the grave".  It's a good one.  It works out great with younger siblings, it works out great with being CONSISTENT, it's a heck of a lot of fun, especially in the teenage years, and most especially, it works out great to let the SPIRIT of Christmas live in your home FOREVER.

Christmas Trivia

1. Best childhood gift from Santa: Baby Tender Love.  Boy did I want that doll with my whole heart.  And Santa delivered.  Diapers and all.  (That's me on the left holding her..looking like I slept 2 hours the night before...which I'm sure I did.)

2. Best childhood memories:

Traveling downtown on the rapid transit to Higbees to shop and eat lunch that came in little cardboard houses and see Santa.  Couldn't sleep the night before.  Or the WEEK before. 

3. Favortie Christmas cookies: Granulated Brown Sugar Cookies (I'll post the recipe soon.)

4. Icky Christmas memory: My Dad spent a Christmas in the hospital very very sick when I was little, but I don't remember anything except standing back from the hospital bed like we were supposed to and holding up a present to show him.  I DO remember getting some pretty sweet gifts that year...from people feeling bad for us?  It must have been awful for my mom, I'm sure.

5. It's not Christmas without: Snow.  I lived in the snowbelt growing up, and we ALWAYS had PILES of snow.  No worries about Santa landing his sled.  He had about 2 feet of soft white cushion. Where I live now it's hit or miss...with more miss, I've found.  It just doesn't feel like Christmas without snow.

6. Our Church Service: 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve.  (Would love to do midnight mass one day but certainly not now.)

7. Christmas Pet Peeve: The "intricacies" of gift giving.  What happened to just giving someone you love, something you think they'll love?  Now it seems like there are "rules" about spending a certain amount, who buys for who, and gift cards, gift receipts, etc.  BUGS me and always has. Truly different from the real meaning of gift giving. (But I know it's very necessary sometimes too!)

8. Favorite Christmas CD: Anything with Bing Crosby or Frank Sinatra. 

9. Real or Fake:  NEVER EVER AS LONG AS I LIVE fake.  (Remind me of that when I'm vacuuming up needles for months after the tree is out!)

10. I spend Christmas Eve :   with my husband and kids. I claimed this holiday to myself right from the very beginning.  NO entertaining, driving here and there, late nights out.  We come home from church, each member has picked our favorite hor-douvre which I prepare for dinner...which turns into a delicious feast.  The excitement is palable...but after the kids open ONE gift...which happens to ALWAYS be brand new pajamas...and we leave out cookies and millk, read some Christmas stories, and tuck the kids all snug in their bed with visions of sugar plums...you get it. 

YOUR TURN.

I Have A Book For You

I think it's my most favorite book ever. 
I don't say that lightly.
There are a lot of books I love, but this one I adore.
It's going to be required reading in this house.

I hate when people tell me what a book is about before I read it...I don't mind a sentence or two synapsis, but beyond that I DON'T want to know.

So here's my one or two sentence synapsis:
It's an autobiography, about a boy born in Australia in the late 1800's, in poverty.  How, with incredibly hard work, strong morals and values, optimism, common sense, and some luck thrown in, makes a living....a life he calls "a fortunate one".

No, it is NOT depressing.  ANYTHING but that.
Since it is about a boy growing up, it would SO VERY MUCH appeal to any boy from junior high up.
But remember please, I AM A GIRL, and I ADORED it.
It is written simply.  It has SO many lessons, but that is not the intention of the writer at all.

Here's the thing:
It was a bestseller in Australia.
You can't get it here in the US.
Well, you can but you will have to buy a used copy from Amazon.  For pretty cheap.
You won't get cooties I promise.  (Well, maybe not promise, but I'm sure you'll be ok.)
You can buy a new one, but be prepared to pay major buckaroos.

PLEASE put this on your Christmas list.  My Dad loved it.  My sons and my daughter will read it and love it, I know.  My husband is NOT going to watch Ultimate Fighting every night, but read this instead.  He said so. 

It makes me sort of mad that this book didn't cross my path 10 or 20 years ago.  Where have all the good books gone?  Replaced by silly books about...oh, don't get me started. Just check the best seller's list.  Yeah.  All that...that's what I'm talking about.

THIS IS A GOOD BOOK.

NOT A WASTE OF YOUR TIME.

YOU WILL COME AWAY DIFFERENT.

IN A GOOD WAY.

Over The River and Through The Woods...Really...

On the way home for Thanksgiving at my parents we drove by this crew, and did a double take.  Jeff turned the car around and I took some pictures.

Really...they were fox hunting.

Like The Fox and the Hound, Andrew said.

Pretty cool.

Unless you are a big fan of foxes.

Then not.

Sammy, our little 7 pound Multi-Poopy, was in the car with us.

He barked at all those beautiful, obedient, fox-blood thirsty dogs.

We said, "Sammy, all we have to do is paint you red."

That made him stop.

One day, remind me to tell you the story of this tree.  (This is NOT the house I grew up in, or the one that my parents reside in now.  You have to pass it to get to the house I grew up in...the one that my parents still reside in...I think I could have said that with less words.)

Cousin love.

Thanks Mom and Dad!

$4 Difference

I bought wrapping paper from Target and taped it up on the back of my kitchen shelves.  SO easy and it makes the biggest difference!  Think of the possibilities...you can change the whole tone of your kitchen for a few doll-hairs. (Did you fall for that when you were young?  Only if you had an older sister, right?)

My List

Because it's Thanksgiving...

1. I am thankful for my husband...that he demanded a job at the Candy Counter in the Student Union, 20 years ago, just because I worked there.  I am grateful that he made me laugh so hard that I knew I would marry him right away.  Without him, I wouldn't have my beautiful children, my safe, warm house, food on the table, clothes on our backs, and the ability to do what I love to do best...be a mom.  I love him. 

2. I am thankful for my parents...that they raised me with simple values and consistency and love and made me realize that hard work gets you everything.  Less is more, read, read, read, education is so important, go outside and play. That too.

3. I am thankful for my in-laws who raised the man I married in a close-knit, loving, fun family, with lots of laughter and joy, and taught him how to work hard at what he loves, and most of all taught him the importance of spending almost all the time he is NOT working, with his wife and children. 

4. I am thankful for my beautiful healthy children.  They are truly some of the nicest, most thoughtful, respectful kids I know.  I am SO proud of each and every one of them.  I can't believe they are mine. I love them so much. (Even when they fight, even when they leave their towels on the bathroom floor every single day, even when they procrastinate projects so I am gluing glitter on turkey feathers at 8 a.m., and even when a certain one of them feels the need to tell me he's done with dinner by throwing a piece of food at my head.)

5. I am thankful to be alive.  Because a lot of people who would like very much to be are not.  Which makes complaining about anything...like wrinkles, dirty floors, and 10 extra pounds pretty darn stupid. 

6. I am thankful that I found the house I live in, in the little Mid-Western town by the river.  I feel safe here.  I love my sidewalks, I love my neighbors who are friendly, but not too friendly, I love my big tall trees, I love my hardware store, I love Mr. Freeze which thank God is only opened in the warm months or I would weigh 400  pounds, I love my gorgeous stone church with the bells high in the steeple, and I love my neighborhood market where the checkout lady always remark on how much hair Andrew had when he was born 6 years ago. 

 7. I am thankful that I have a best friend who I love and was able to spend a weekend with shopping, eating, talking, crying, eating more, laughing, trying on jeans, laughing harder, finding cute comfortable shoes (or not), staying up late, and going to the bookstore for hours with.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Write Me A Note Or I'll Forget

Clean and Fresh

I did it!  I worked my hiney off and finished my massive painting, updating and cleaning list.  Remember how all this started?  The same way it always does…one little thing leads to the next and on and on.  I was sick of looking at the things I had been procrastinating for YEARS…the spots on my ceilings that needed painting, my scuffed molding, the foyer color I hated the minute I put it on.

I know quite a few people asked me, “How do you do this all with 5 kids?”  Well, remember 4 are in school all day, and the one at home takes a 3 hour afternoon nap.  But I did it in earlier days with 3 kids at home too.  Lists are SO necessary.  Besides the list I keep of all the things I want to accomplish, I keep a detailed list of what I need WHERE and then I go out…with paint swatches and measurements if necessary.  That way I keep errands down to a minimum. I also keep a daily list of what order I want to do things by the week.  Of course, I get behind sometimes, or sometimes things fall into place and I get more done.  I also MAKE SURE that I have a plan for the usuals…I MUST keep up on laundry, keep the house relatively straightened and have a dinner ready even if it is just a crock-pot meal.  It IS a juggling act but I have it down pretty good after all these years.

Here’s how I paint…in the morning, I set up ALL my supplies that I’ve already bought…drop cloths, brush, roller, tray, etc…I usually don’t tape but freehand the edges everywhere first with a GOOD brush.  Sometimes I’d do that while Patrick was playing if I could.   I’d wait for the rolling till he was napping.  Yes, a professional painter would NOT do it this way…he’d edge while he rolls. (I edged the whole foyer one Friday, went shopping for my annual weekend getaway with my BF, then came back and rolled on Monday during naptime!) But I am a MOM and the end result looks exactly the same to me.  1/2 the work is getting everything ready.  After that, it’s easy.

Here’s what I did:

Master Bath: Paint Color: Sherwin Williams 6213 Halcyon Green bought from Lowe’s. I made this cheap, easy curtain with 1 yard of fabric from Jo-Ann’s.  I folded it over, sewed up the top seam, and hung it on one of those cheap rods you can get anywhere for dollars. 

Den Ceiling: Lowe’s American Tradition 2011-10 Cabin Plank.  I LOVE what this color did to this room…it’s cozy anyways, but this REALLY made it even better.

Love this furry pillow (and my kids do too!) at Bed, Bath, and Beyond for $20.

Moved onto the kitchen.  Painted that a little darker than it was: Sherwin Williams 348-3 Mars Mist bought at Lowe’s.

Magnetic chalkboard framed on kitchen wall.

Here’s how I did it:

I bought these supplies and followed the directions.  3 coats for magnetic primer, 3 coats of chalkboard paint rolled on with a sponge roller.

I measured and taped off the wall for the paint, making sure I left room for the molding.    The molding is lightweight foam molding.  Jeff miter cut the corners for me (with a cheap hand saw/miter box kit) and I painted them up and then put a bead of glue made for foam molding and stuck them on the wall…yes, the sticking part was nerve-wracking but it worked out PERFECTLY!  I put a tiny bit of caulk where the 4 edges met, and then touched that up with paint.

(As a side note…someone asked me if my husband has an opinion on all of my projects.  His opinion is, “As long as I don’t have to do anything…”  Which is fine by me, because I get total freedom of creative expression with little interference. Jeff does help me with little things if I corner him and put tools in his hand. You should have seen him balancing on the bannister on the top of the stairs reaching for the ONE spot I couldn’t get two stories up.  I threatened to take a picture because he did this in his UNDERWEAR…he had new clothes on and didn’t want to take the chance of a spill.  We all laughed till we cried.)

The paint color of the trim is Eddie Bauer Valspar EB8-1 Island Blue.  Since I just needed a little I bought a cute little sample container for $2.99 and used that.

I (and the kids) LOVE it by the way!  Yes, there is a little chalk dust that accumulates on the molding and floor, but since it’s in the kitchen…who cares.  The magnetic-ness is not very strong…two magnets will hold a light piece of paper or small photo.  The chalkboard erases fine with an eraser, but nice and clean with a damp washcloth.

Here’s two new additions to the kitchen also:

A kitchen curtain…the same kind of cheap rod as the bathroom, free fabric from my AWESOME decorator neighbor who came down often with my begging to give a second opinion.   I sewed a hem on one side of the curtain fabric, glued (with fabric glue) the ball fringe on and flipped it over the rod…pleated in the middle a little just because it was a tad to long on the sides.  Seriously EASY!

I also found this sweet little lamp at an estate sale.  I just went to see the house really, and came out with 2 lamps and a new mixer.  Ha!  The lamp was maybe $3?  It was half price day.  I took some free fabric (from my neighbor again) and leftover fringe and used some spray adhesive and fabric glue (I’m in love with that stuff) and WALLAH!   If you don’t have a lamp in your kitchen get one!  It adds such nice light and makes the place where I spend 90% of my time much more homey. I repainted my dining room ceiling a much needed fresh coat of white and put up curtains from Lowe’s ($15 a panel) on rods from Target ($20) that look exactly like rods from Pottery Barn that cost MUCH more.  It adds such a nice touch.  I never thought I could put curtains up because I have 2” blinds mounted on top of my molding..not on the inner part of the window…meaning they stick out.  I just put two of the circle clips holding the curtain on the extra long bracket to “hide” the side.    I opted not to put the ribbon on that I mentioned earlier…I thought it might be too much.  (But thanks for your tips...as I mentioned above fabric glue is now my best friend.)

By the way, my dining room paint color is from Lowe’s 1649 Shallow Tide.

Next on to the dreaded powder room…the one that is so tiny you can wash your hands and use the toliet at the same time!  I opted to keep the window when we revamped the three season room into the kitchen…therefore the bathroom has a window that looks out into the kitchen.  Nice to air it out, but what great privacy!  Although I had a cheap honeycomb blind up that you could NOT see through, I knew when we had guests everyone would ask, “Are you sure no one can see?”, so I had to do something more.  There’s nothing like being scared someone could be peeking to make for a pleasant bathroom experience.  Here’s what I did…easy of course.   A cheap rod from Target (of course) a big piece of black burlap and some trim.  NO SEWING.   Doubled up the burlap leaving some room to create that piece that hangs down in front.  PINNED it together…pins are still there in the back on the inside where they will never be seen.  Glued the trim along the edges.  That’s it!

I also hung up the frames that were in the kitchen where the chalkboard is now placed.  I plan on adding to the walls are full.  I LOVE that look in tiny rooms. 

Next,  I hung the curtains in the living room.  Bought the rods at Target, bought 4 too-short burlappy/linenny curtains at Lowe’s for $17 each, and bought 2 more dark brown in the same material for the same price.  I hung up the lighter color, cut how much I wanted off, and then made up the difference with the 2 dark brown curtains.  Since I used the hems from the dark brown that were already there, I just had to sew the light to the dark.  How easy is that!  (By the way…you know I don’t “stage” my pics…what you see is what you get…toys on the ground etc…)

On to the foyer…I know I’m exhausting myself all over again just thinking about it.  I chose this color: Sherwin Williams 6121 Whole Wheat bought from Lowe’s.  It adds a nice contrast to the molding and although it does not look like it in this picture, is one shade darker than the living room.

After this painting job, I took a painting break before I started Abbey’s room and the upstairs bath.  I bought an awesome steam cleaner (Hoover Dual V) and went to work.  Gross.  I took a picture of the black water, but I’m thinking I shouldn’t post it. 

    Oops! 

Then I made my hands RAW by washing down, erasing and touching up ALL my woodwork.  What a difference. 

I painted my kid’s bath too, but even though the painting is finished, I am not finished decorating.  I bought this shower curtain but not sure if I love it.  This bathroom is SO hard.  I love the tile floor but it matches nothing, the trim is cream, the counter is white. 

One more: Abbey’s room…we were both tired of the purple and decided together on this vintagey blue.  It’s perfect and it’s staying till she leaves for college.  That was the deal!  (There’s my other Estate sale $4 wicker-shade lamp on the table.)  Color Sherwin Williams 6492  Jetstream.

I’m so excited to decorate for the holidays and my house FEELS so good.

THE END.

PS. Since a few of you asked:  The shower curtain is from a very small little European-goods boutique off the beaten path that I love to browse in all day while sipping hot chocolate and spending the day by myself.  It cost a ton.   
OR it could just be from Target. $25 buckaroos. Picked it up while I grabbed a few Christmas gifts and dental floss because something was caught in Isaac's back teeth, it was "killing" him, and we had not one bit in the house.

After Halloween Wig Sale

A Funk

Not this kind of funk:

(Wikepedia) Funk rock is a fusion of funk and rock. Many instruments may be incorporated into the music....

Funk as in "I'm in a funk and I can't get out!"

(can also be interchanged with the word "rut"...which might be safer?)

My definition:

A feeling of general uneasiness, lack of vitality; an unwillingness to do what you know is best for yourself, (ie. not eating chocolate for breakfast); a tendency to be easily annoyed at the stupidest things like husbands breathing loud or kids making a mess; a persistent stubborness and resistance to change from a grouch into someone who has an optimistic, cheerful mood; a tendency to dream about trips to the Hamptons and/or large additions to your residence.

Brought upon by a number of things...bad weather, hormonal changes, unhealthy eating, an illness, lack of exercise, schedule disruptions, not following the"rules" of life.

We all experience funks now and then, don't we? (You better say YES!)

Sometimes they last for a day or two, sometimes a week, sometimes (in March when the weather majorly sucks) they last for a little longer.

I have come up with many ways to combat these funky periods of life. Sometimes you must let them ride their course. If you push too hard, all remedies will fail. Hang in there, and let yourself feel funky for a little bit. A day or two, a week here and there...no one can feel great all the time!

Here's my remedies...try one or all:

A movie...a good "girly" movie...preferably something cute with Jennifer Anniston. Afterwards, you feel motivated to lose 10 pounds, have shiny hair, and wear cute jeans.

As many hours alone as you can manage in your house. I said ALONE. Completely ALONE. DOING WHATEVER YOU WANT with NO disturbances. Even if you just straighten up, the joy you experience of your straightening up STAYING that way for more than a few minutes might just be enough.

Put on loud music and go on a complete maniacle (not a word) cleaning spree. Just start chucking things left and right. Scrub the floor like Cinderella. Freak out cleaning. Lysol smell wafting in the air.

A trip to the bookstore by yourself...must be "allowed" hours. No checking your watch...no place to be in 30 minutes. Read the diet books, look at trashy pictures of celebs in stupid magazines.

If you can manage it...make yourself workout for at least 2 hours...walk, walk, walk...outside in the fresh air. Walk like you need to get to the opposite coast by midnight.

Go on a kitchen cupboard clean out. Pitch the nasty Doritos and stashed candy. Eat a large healthy salad for lunch. Drink gallons of water. Detox.

Sometimes one or two or all will work wonders. Sometimes you have to experiment with different combinations...like magic ingredients, it all comes together.

Is there anything I haven't thought of?

I want my list of funk removal to be long and plentiful.
What works for you?

Wondering

Does every mother's lipstick look like this?

Stuck to the top of the case, dented in on the side, bumpy all over?

Saints

One of the priests at our church gave an excellent homily on All Saints Day.  I'd have to admit that sometimes I listen to a homily I don't take it with me...it doesn't click with me, or make me think. (Or I'm too distracted by muffled diaper toots.)

This time though...I heard it and loved it.

He talked about how one day in the seminary something hit him like a ton of bricks.  That he realized that we have the power...it is GIVEN to us...all we need...to become a saint here on earth.  And the power isn't given to us just to do extraordinary acts of goodness...the ones you hear the most about...but to do WHATEVER we are doing in the best way it can be done.  Everyday.  It's not impossible and it certainly doesn't have to be done in a GRAND way.   But it's sitting right there....everything you need...waiting for you to pick it up and use it.  No excuses.

It made me think of two people I consider saintly...don't you have a couple people you know of, that, in spite of any circumstance thrown at them, their "lot in life", have embraced every ounce of goodness and become saintly in the process?

When I was in college there was a lady, probably in her 50's, who worked behind the busiest desk in the university.  This was way before fancy computers...this was the desk where you payed your bills, changed your classes, got your schedule.  A desk from hell at times...mad, immature, frustrated students.  Changes that were supposed to happen that didn't, financial aid that was supposed to come through and didn't...you get the picture.  There was ONE lady...I swear to you, if you looked hard enough, she had a halo behind her dark poofy hair.  She was the NICEST, calmest, most loving person I have ever come across.  No one would dare yell at her or get feisty.  If they started out that way, trust me, 3 seconds later it was like they were talking to their sweet little grandmother.  She had a magic about her...that's what it seemed at the time.  But you know what it really was?  Just LOVE.  She didn't have a great job...probably didn't make much, probably not her dream...but she was going to do it the best she knew how.  She set the tone for the entire office...when she wasn't there...trust me, it was different.  She was going to serve every single student that came through her line with love in her heart.  Everyone knew her, and loved her.  A saint for sure.

One other person that comes to my mind...my friend Gina who passed away this year.  I swear to you, she never did a thing wrong.  She never broke a rule.  I would be shocked to ever find anyone she ever hurt.  She was so loving, so calm, so gentle...she was a nurse with the highest accolades...she never talked about that.  She served others...her husband, her 3 children.  Her second child had Down's Syndrome.  When she found out after his birth, she struggled with it...she wanted to be the best mom she could be, and she didn't know what it would take.  Well, she was awesome at being Nicholas's mother.  Of course. She wasn't the kind of mom to join clubs or champion causes or have tons of friends or win awards or be acknowledged for anything.  And that's what made her so beautiful...she calmly, courageously, marched on in spite of the pressures, in spite of life throwing at her something she never imagined.  She took what was given and made it sweet.

Inspiration in these two lives.  There is really no excuse NOT to live a saintly life, is there?

Let no one ever come to you without leaving better or happier.  Be the living expression of God's kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.

Mother Theresa

The Latest

What?  You haven't heard of the latest fad?

It's called "As soon as your mother turns her back, put your breakfast on your head."

It's a blast, but be forewarned.

It can make for a very BAD hair day.

A risk worth taking apparently.

(pears, by the way.)

PS.  Still working hard on my projects...almost done!  I have pre-posted this week some things I wrote awhile ago...before I decided to spend 2 weeks sprucing up the place.  I promise next Monday I will list paint colors etc.  No...I take that back...I won't PROMISE, I'll just try really really hard. 

A Mother’s Heart

Do you know that overwhelming feeling you get when you hold your baby for the first time, when you see your toddler peacefully sleeping, when you tuck your kids into bed at night?  Of course you do.  It's that feeling of: “I love you so much my heart hurts.”

Scary love, I call it.

You also know that feeling you get when one of your children has a fever, or a bad case of the flu, or some weird sympton, and sometimes you mind flashes to the what if’s?  And your stomach drops and does a flip and you feel that racing in your brain?  Then you tell yourself to calm down…99% of the time…it’s just your mother's heart panicking.  Not your mind thinking. Sometimes we'll remember something we heard from the news…something we read in the paper…something that happened to someone else that scared us...please don't let it happen to me, we think.

Around the other side of the world, there are mothers, WHO HAVE HEARTS JUST LIKE US.  They hold their newborns, gaze at their sleeping toddlers, tuck their kids into bed too...their hearts ACHE with love for their children. 

Aren’t mother’s hearts all the same? 

We all go to that place once in awhile…that scary place of “What if?”

But some mothers do it more often.

Some do it every time they fill a little cup for their precious little baby to drink out of.

Every time their sticky little toddlers need a bath.

Every time their children beg to cool off from the hot sun.

And when their sweet-LOVED-TILL-THEIR-MOTHER’S-HEART-HURTS-child says, “Mommy my stomach hurts”, or they see diarrhea in their baby’s diaper, or when their child can’t eat…

they fall to their knees and say.

“PLEASE NOT ME!”

Because they know what it means.

4500 mothers bury their children EVERY DAY due to contaminated water.
The lack of access to clean water is the leading cause of death in underdeveloped nations.

And they know where it came from.

 They are forced to sustain their families with a diabolical liquid that contains both life and death.

And they know they had NO choice.

Because they were born someplace different from where we live. The lack of clean water is the leading cause of death in underdeveloped nations.

We might be different in ways,

BUT AS MOTHERS,

OUR HEARTS OUR THE SAME.

Do you think this Burnin’ Hunk of Love is loved any less by her mother….

than this Burnin' Hunk of Love?

Of the 42,000 deaths that occur every week from unsafe water and a lack of basic sanitation, 90% are children under 5 years old.

  Do you think this child's mother lovingly keeps him out of trouble…

more than this child's mother?

Unclean water and the lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of all sickness and disease and kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war.

Do you think this child's mother has any less expectations for her daughter's life...

than this child's mother?

Many people in the developing world, usually women and children, walk more than three hours every day to fetch water that is likely to make them sick. Those hours are crucial, preventing many from working or attending school.

OUR MOTHER'S HEARTS ARE ALL THE SAME.

So here’s what I and other fellow bloggers are asking:
as we get ready to rush through stores and catalogs this season buying THINGS,
let's STOP AND THINK.

$10 will provide one person in Africa clean water for 10 years.

The program is called Water for Christmas.  100%  of your donation goes towards digging wells to supply safe water.

It’s super simple.

YES, I KNOW.

There are SO many charities asking for donations now.

BUT LISTEN:

WE ARE ASKING FOR $10…not for toys, clothing, or food. 

WATER!

$10 that will give for 10 years!

Your 10 little buckaroos can save babies, toddlers, children.  YOU can really save families for  generations to come!

BUT more than anything,
your donation can
save a mother’s heart from BREAKING.

a heart just like yours.

 Click here to go to an informative site where you can make your donation. 

Photos by Jody. (check out her blog to see more pics of her recent trip to Africa and to read about this incredible mother of six who embraces this program vigorously.)

Just A Sneak Peek…Because I Have Miles To Go Before I Sleep

One day last week I just decided my house needed a little refreshing.  5 years, 5 kids, lots of wear and tear.  Projects I meant to get to…and always found an excuse.   I started with one bathroom…and then before I knew it, I was on to the next room and the next and the next….
Since I don’t have time to both BLOG and REDECORATE (at least the big projects) I announced I was taking a blogging break for a couple weeks.  And I am…count on a post here or there and that’s it.  I’ve been working hard during baby’s nap time and running errands quickly in the morning. 
I’m making massive headway, but still my list on my fridge is an entire sheet, small print.
I dream of being completely done, in a sparkly fresh house, right in time to put up my Christmas decorations.
Here’s some things I’ve been working on:

DINING ROOM

No curtains before:

Curtains: While were on this subject, can you help me?  I want to attach a black grosgrain ribbon as a border around each curtain.  How would you do this?  I’m really afraid to sew it…sewing grosgrain on sheers?….I can just anticipate bumpy uneven ickiness with my poor sewing skills.  Do you think I should use that double sided iron on tape?  Or just a glue gun?  That scares me too.  Let me know if you have any advice.MASTER BATH

Old color: New color.  I LOVE it…I’ll show better pics later. Here’s what happens to my kitchen when I work on projects: Here’s what happens to my living room when I work on projects:Here’s what happens to my baby when I work on projects.  I was setting up to paint the ceiling, and it was almost time for nap.  Apparently it’s really boring watching someone tape molding.  Living Room

With no curtains:Curtains I made from cheapies I found at my grocery superstore.  They were too short…I bought a contrasting color to make up the height difference and LOVE the result.KITCHEN  

Old kitchen wall.  (Far wall).  Pictures didn’t include Patrick, and Isaac hated his photo and begged me to change it….I decided to go with something altogether different.Not done yet….huge magnetic chalkboard wall. I’m going to frame that chalkboard off with molding painted this color.And my favorite project so far.  This cozy den ceiling needed painting because of a stain.  My neighbor (who happens to be an incredibly talented decorator) gave me the idea to use a color.  I was BRAVE and picked a deep chocolate brown.  I LOVE it.  (This pic doesn’t really do it justice.)  It’s my favorite room in the house now.I don’t have a Before of my Foyer/Hallway…but is was a very very pale yellow that I HATED since I painted it 5 years ago.  I did a warm goldy tan this time, and finally the beautiful wainscotting shows.  Sorry for the quick post…I’ll post better pics, paint colors, how to’s for the framed chalkboard wall when I’m all done.

On FRIDAY, I am posting about a special Christmas project I am working on with a few fellow bloggers.  It brings tears to my eyes just to write about it….stay tuned.

And THANKS to Kim from the extremely popular Today's Creative Blog!  I am thrilled!

PS. Since a few desperate ready-to-paint-now bloggers asked...the color on the den ceiling...the dark brown....is Lowe's American Tradition "Cabin Plank" 2011-10.

Just To Share…

Sometimes it’s so hard to find good toys for your kids…by “good” I mean ones that will last through siblings and aren’t junk.  Ones they don’t use once and toss aside.  Ones that make them use their brains and their hands and their imaginations.  I really detest the junk…the batteries, the breakage, the frustration felt by kids when toys break for no reason, or don’t work the way the commercial says they will.  We don’t have many toys…but they add up fast with 5 kids.  I try to add to collections and find the good stuff..
I thought I’d give you a few good ideas in case you were in the market for some soon. (wink wink) Here’s some of our favorites.
Duplos…from Isaac to Patrick they’ve been an old stand-by.I looked and looked to provide a link for you…but I think this company (Brimax) is no longer?  My kids have all loved “find it” books…this one if for littler ones, but I know there are some great ones for older kids. Target has this now! Seriously, I have no idea what the appeal is…but this giant foam Mickey USA puzzle has been around for at least 10 or more years....something about the foam and large pieces?  Rush Hour…this is so fun…and I am NOT a game person.  It’s addicting for adults and children….Andrew was totally into this even as a 5 year old!  This is a family favorite for sure. Groovy Girls….Abbey has never been much of a baby doll girl, but these dolls are SO cute…she would dress them up, and even take fabric scraps and pin them together to design new outfits.  They have been a huge hit when friends and cousins come to play too! My favorite…EVERY house needs a typewriter….NOT a fake one.  Go to Ebay! Dress ups…no fake ones…real dress ups…go to a second hand store and get some great old prom dresses and wash them up.  (These are my old ones!) Hem them if you have to!  Real is SO much better.  (And probably cheaper?)  I can’t tell you how many girls have loved these! Of course. A great magazine…without all the boy/girl crap…just the cutest ever!You can buy this from Vicki Courtney’s site and I think on Amazon too.  There are a couple of these magazine like books…great for any pre-teen girl.  Of course, again. An annual purchase...the boys love these. Please buy this series…you will laugh your heiney off. My mother-in-law bought each of the kids this treasure box a couple years ago from a local toy store.  I think they might even have them in Michael’s now?  To keep special things in…every kid needs one.  Vintage Fisher Price….you know why. Magna-Tiles.  Irresistable.     Old wooden alphabet blocks…have had these for 15 years! Zoobs…kind of expensive but seriously worth it.  My kids all have loved these….I would say by 4 they are old enough to clip these together.  They come with lots of ideas for what you can build.  You need to buy a container though, because the one they give you…you can never get them all back in…(don’t you hate that?)
More ideas coming soon.  Get going so you can enjoy your December!  

PS.  I'm going to be back in a week or two or three...I'm working on some projects around the house, and any free time (naptime) I have...
you know.

A Great Interview

I love this interview of my uncle.
Yes, he's a famous basketball coach but more importantly (to me anyways!) he is an incredible father.  And his wife...my Aunt Kathleen....my go-to for advice in raising children.  I can only hope to be half the mother she is...she gets is ALL right.

Deadly Silence

We don't have a cry room at our church.  Do you have any idea how stressful that is?  Does anyone else have just about a nervous breakdown when there is no music playing or no person speaking?  In church 2 weeks ago Patrick was in my arms when I was kneeling down and he leaned over the seat back in front of us.  He apparently had a large gas bubble in his lower intestine.  GEEZ!  Thank God for the muffling power of a diaper!  But that didn't stop SOME kids (ours and quite a few others) from slapping their hands over their mouths to hide the giggles.  Please tell me your most embarassing church moments.  Tell me I'm not the only one that must apply two coats of antiperspirant to combat the nervous sweats.

Overwhelmation: Because You Know It's Already Begun!

Here's my goals this coming Christmas season:
1. To remember IN SPITE OF WHAT EVERY MERCHANDISER BELIEVES, the Christmas season, FOR ME, starts on the first day of Advent.  That day falls on Sunday, November 29.

2. To stay CENTERED.  Not have my heart and mind pulled in every direction by super cute craft ideas, millions of delectable recipes, decorating photos that make me swoon.  There is NO way I can try everything, have my house look like a magazine and stay focused on how I really want my heart to feel this Christmas.  I promise I will take away ONE new recipe, (already have it...caramel and chocolate dipped pretzel sticks), one new craft idea (?), and one sweet little addition to my house (already have that too...a Jesse tree.)  THAT'S IT!  I will admire the rest...admire, no more.

3. By November 29, I will BE DONE with the gifts.  Before you gasp in surprise, know that I have accomplished this goal for years.  I have found, through trial and error, that if I really want to enjoy the TRUE MEANING of the Christmas season, I must not be standing in line, buying, listing, stressed, annoyed, snappy, away from my family at some dreadful store, buying, buying, buying!  Barf!  I use the month of November, avoid the crowds, shop in peace, and steady and sure, I'm done.  December brings silent nights, peace and joy and peace and peace.

4. To keep in mind Christmas pasts...not MY Christmas pasts, but Christmas's really past.  When one gift or two was enough.  When the season was more about the sweet stuff and less about Walmart.  More about crackling fires and crackling record players and sweet anticipation and a family meal... and less about Lights at the Zoo and craft bonanzas, loads of gifts and fancy trees.  I WANT the old-fashioned Christmas...not the new-fangled one.

5. To, like my mother did for us, concentrate 99% of my efforts on the real meaning behind the holiday. To REMIND them constantly what Christmas really is...that does not mean NO fun...I love the fun stuff, trust me.   I think kids need to reminded constantly what we really are celebrating, just to build up a wall of fortitude against the constant barrage of materialisim....or they'll never get to know the sweet stuff!

On School

Sometimes I dream of homeschooling. I really think it's awesome...when done considerately of course, like it usually is it seems. I dream of my children sitting around a big table, busy with their work...loving learning...curious on their own and driven to drink in knowledge without constant rules, regulations, and adult-driven, test-driven outer motivations. A huge wall of books, top to bottom...my own budget for materials...think how much fun that would be!

I know...that's a "Pottery Barn" version of homeschooling...it all looks good on paper, but it SO isn't the real thing. I'm sure I'm forgetting the work, the mess, the chaos, the constant chatter?!

And I know my limitations. I wish I didn't have limitations...but knowing them is more important than wishing them away right? Maybe if I would have started out from the beginning...well, it isn't going to happen, so let's not go there.

Let me preface this post by saying this also...I am SO grateful to live in a country where my child doesn't have to walk 7 miles to a one room, dirt floored schoolhouse, across dangerous guerrilla territory, in inclement weather and over precarious landscapes. I always come back to this when I hear myself complaining. Really, we have so much more than many other people on God's green earth. I tell myself to shut up sometimes, trust me.

At the same time...see, I can't help myself, there are some little things that just BUG me so much about school.

1. Homework. Not ALL homework, but homework that lasts all night long. Isn't a math sheet, some spelling words enough? Maybe a quick review for a test? I want to spend time with my kids...not time harping on them to sit down, and work...what they just spent 6 hours doing? I want them to read good books, and play outside, and use their heads in creative ways too.

2. Crabby teachers. Just retire. Or just don't be crabby. You don't have to be perfectly happy every single day, but know when to call it quits after 290 days of the grouchies.

3. At the same time....I feel SO much for the teachers. Because there are some mighty high needs by some students in these classrooms right now...and it can NOT be easy to deal with juggling all this day in and day out.

4. Lunch. I'd rather just have to pack...which we almost always do...except when I cave, or get lazy. We packed everyday when we were little...I think we had pizza day once a month or so. But the stuff that is served now...seriously...we wonder why so many kids are struggling with weight issues? Geez oh Pete...I'd gain 40 pounds and bloat out like a hippo if I ate that processed, carb loaded, crapola.

5. Major time-wasters...I don't come across much of this where my children attend, but I have come across a few "political agenda" presentations that slipped by. Jeff and I can laugh now thinking about them...the Recovering Reggie, the Cross-Addicted Puppet from the B.A.B.E.S. program. The lady who gave this presentation insisted everyone call her "grandma"...a one hour once a week program that lasted 7 weeks too long in 2nd grade. The kids would say, "The puppet lady is coming today!" And I would say, "What does she talk about?" And they would say, "I don't know, but we get to sit on the floor by our friends and not do math." Cracks me up...and ticks me off at the same time.

6. The extra unnecessary over the top holiday celebrations...I've said it twice on this blog before so I won't go into detail.

OK, I'm done.

Really, I am.
Now off to school kiddos!

The Month of November

I have a confession. November is not my favorite month. It sort of feels like February. A means to an end. The last mile before victory. A waiting period for something.

It could be because November=Thanksgiving, a holiday I've never been fond of either. What a downer I am, I know. I liked Thanksgiving once...in first grade, our sweet teacher, Sister Mary I Can't Remember, spend reading and phonics time helping us to create the most awesome girl pilgrim costumes. The fun ended there.

It's been suggested before that the REAL reason Thanksgiving isn't my favorite holiday is because it's one of the only holidays that doesn't have major candy representation. The nerve! Like I'd be so shallow.

OK that's true.

SO...here I am, 3o (not) years old, trying hard to change my ways and have my family and I embrace the TRUE meaning of Thanksgiving. To GIVE THANKS. So necessary, but not really something most children and shallow sugar-addicted results respond, "What a blast!" too.

Still we are going to try, me especially, to think of little ways to say THANKS everyday this lovely month. I love the act of gratefulness...and I'm thinking sticking with THAT theme...gratitude, will boost up my November morale. By blogging some thank you's, talking about some thank you's around the dinner table, and speaking the word thank you often, we'll turn this whole thing around. We will also be rewarded with gigantic chocolate turkeys each and everytime we do so, which I'm thinking will help move this holiday right on up there with the rest.

Halloween: The Before’s, The Durings, The Afters

   

Grandma’s Halloween Party:

Abbey is a flapper…we found that dress for 4 dollars and she altered it herself to make it fit better. 3 best friend girl cousins…all born the same year. Jeff is "Country Club Man".  He stayed in character the whole night.  No, not annoying at all.  Grandma vacuuming up the aftermath of the donut game.  She has parties like this…20 grandkids plus adults…all the time.  And I’ve NEVER her seen her stressed.  EVER.  She has never raised her voice to a child or spoke impatiently to any of them.  She has never had that “mean party look” that says “get out of my way I have a lot to do”.  She has never batted an eye when a kid spills all over carpet, furniture, floors.  I have never seen her tired.  Seriously.  She made (not bought!) chili, vegetable soup and tortilla soup and set up the house so cute.  And laughed and enjoyed the party the entire time.

What the secret?

Don’t ask me.  I am NOT the person to ask.  I’ll ask her sometime….there’s my next Celebrity Interview.  If she’ll agree.  Don’t you want her to?  Crazy Uncle Tom.  He dresses like that at every party.  Weird. Aunt Tiffany was voted “best candy hander-outer”…really long sticks of gum…used for sword fights of course.  Here you can see her reprimanding a thiefing nephew for taking two instead of one. (Isaac.) Also, she’s pregnant with her 6th child.  And she was the one who made that spider cake you saw above. And her nails are done.  And she has a super cute outfit on.  Let’s hit her with really long gum sticks!  

Halloween Night: 

Isaac is missing because he went to his cousin’s house.  He is 15 after all.  Sniff sniff.Abbey and friend Maddie…dressed warm. We leave our candy out on the porch…so we both can go out with the kids.  When we come back home it is only 1/2 way gone.  I love our neighborhood.  LOVE.    A chicken stuck in a pile of leaves.    I love when adults take Halloween seriously.  I plan to my whole life. Isn’t it weird that Patrick has only said Mama and Dada his whole entire life, but suddenly on Halloween night he can say Trick or Treat and Thank You loud and clear because he knows he’ll get candy?  I feel sort of betrayed. See that house in the background?  That is one of my favorite houses in my neighborhood.  It is PERFECTION.  I met the owner and she laughed when I told her that and said, “Well the outside looks better than the inside.”  But I doubt that.  (I kind of snuck a few nosy peeks before she came to the door.  It is divine.)

Later That Night

Abbey and her friend Maddie assessing the situation.Matt comes home with the goods. Andrew invents the "Trick or Treat” feedbag.  The End.

(You don’t want me to take pictures of the Day After do you? Argghhh.)

Conspiracy Theory

 Patrick...knowing our plans to truss him up like a sweet little cuddly chicken,

sneaks into Mommy's makeup drawer this morning to become his heart's desire...

Slasher Boy.

...not realizing that thing in his mouth is ruining his whole look.

Deep Thoughts (Ow, That Hurts!)

Do you know what I've always loved? Learning about different religions. It's so interesting to me. One day, when I have the time, I'm going to buy a big huge volume on world religions and read, read, read. Actually, what I'd really like to do is spend a year exploring some different faiths...being immersed in the traditions, asking 5 million questions, watching, listening, learning. (I can hear Jeff groaning while he reads that sentence.)

Such beautiful traditions never lost through ages and ages.  Important ceremonies and rituals. Such interesting concepts that speak to my soul. Beautiful places of worship...some couldn't be more different, but all beautiful either in their stark simplicity or intricate architecture. Historical perspectives as you watch different values and influences shape beliefs. We have SO much to gain from each other. Such beautiful thoughts about our life here on this earth and what varying beliefs on what comes after. I just want to SUCK all that knowledge into my brain and ponder.

I know that every religion possesses their own smells, sights, symbols and traditions that are familiar and beautiful and ingrained into each individual. The lighting of Advent candles to me brings back a flood of memories and a little flip floppy of excitement. All it takes is the smell of a blown out match...the long wait for Christmas, Jesus' birth, and yes, the gifts under the tree. Or Lent...meatless Fridays, the dreaded days of winter bringing a somberness to Holy Week...all waiting for that burst of Spring...Easter, new life.  (And a really, really long mass!)

I was raised Catholic. We went to church every Sunday and practiced the traditions of our faith. But my mom, who is one of the smartest people I know, had a set of volumes on our family room book shelves. They were old and dusty and NOT very attractive, but each small factual volume was about a different religion. I would browse through them occasionally, (I think only when bored to death!)  As a child...small words, no pictures...not very appealing. But I thanked my mom the other day for keeping them there. Because to me they symbolized something that my mother taught me without words.

I once read somewhere that if you get down to the nitty gritty, the "beautiful" stuff, the similarity between religions far outway the differences. I LOVE this. I can't believe it's not true.

"The religions of humanity should be a unifying force, for all the great religions reveal a basic unity in ethics. Whether it be Judaism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism or Confucianism, all grow out of a sense of the sacredness of human life.

This moral sensitivity to the sacredness of human personality -- the Commandments not to kill, not to hurt, not to put a stumbling block in the path of the blind, not to neglect the widow or the fatherless, not to exploit the servant or the worker -- all this can be found in the Bibles of humanity, in all the sacred books.

All teach in substance: "Do unto others as you would that others should do unto you." There is, then, a basic unity among the great religions in the matter of ethics.

Algernon Black

A Dream Is A Wish…

A dream is a wish your heart makes ...

Do you ever do this? Sit in your house and think….if I just pushed out this wall…or if I just moved this door here, and added a couple more feet. I do this all winter (and maybe other seasons too?)…I try not to, I want you to know that. It’s important that you know that. I’m not a brat. I want to be happy with what I have…contentment is what I strive for always. But something just MAKES me do this…let’s call it a creative spirit instead of something more materialistic, OK? That sounds good and forgiving.

I just have to tell you…my last kitchen was the tiniest thing you EVER saw. Seriously…it was a tiny little hallway…two people could not fit in it…well they could, but then one couldn’t get out until the other moved. How maddening is that! SO I am ever so grateful for my new kitchen in the house I live in presently. I have new cabinets and a new floor and new appliances…I love them all and appreciate them and tell them all that everyday. (sort of).

BUT if I could just push out that back wall 10 feet! See…here I go. It just is screaming to be done. It asks me to do it all the time. It won’t shut up. I tell it, “If I could just get a shovel and start digging your new foundation myself, I swear I’d do it for you. If I could extend those heat ducts, frame you up, throw some drywall on those studs…we’d be all set! I could reuse the new sliders we’d be covering up in the adjacent room, use all your shiny windows that are already there…just seriously if I could PUSH you out, I’d do it!”

But alas, I’m not that strong, smart or talented…I'd need someone's help. And I'd need to pay that someone for their help. And I'd have to demand that they finish it all in ONE day before my husband got home from work, so I could say, "Oh honey, doesn't it look lovely? I didn't think you'd mind if I spent a few today! I knew you would think it was worth it!"

So I dream on paper…and in pictures…and in my convoluted little brain that makes walls talk to me:

Since I don’t have a nice big coat closet/mudroom and have to use my garage for most of that stuff, I’d put some closed cabinets right on the other side of that wall…wouldn’t even have to mess with my existing kitchen cabinets/countertops. Those cabinets would fit so nicely in that little nook…and right when you come in through the back door….perfect..and easy peasy!

I’d love a huge island….NO sink or anything fancy on it or under it…just a big space with a bunch of stools…that way I can set the table for dinner, but homework, snacks, conversations could still be going on within sight of my duties.

Some people say, "If walls could talk."

I say..."If mine would just shut up!"

That Face

Dearest Patrick-

You do know that you are the youngest member of this family, right? And because of that, faces like this are SO unnecessary. You are “our” baby. You will be called “the baby” when you in fact, your are far from being anything close to resembling a baby. Like when you are 7, and 25 and 42 and 86. Yes, you will 'endure' many hand-me-downs, but besides that, I don't think this position in life has many other drawbacks.

So cool it with the pouty looks. Yes, they are irresistible. We all shout, “Come and look at Patrick’s face! Oh, isn’t it SO cute.” We all point and stare and giggle and laugh and sometimes are eyes even water with the preciousness of it all.

Still, relax those facial muscles dude. Don’t put them to waste.

You’ve got it made already.

Love, Your Family

Chillax

This is a story about a pocket knife. A pocket knife that found it's way into a tiny pocket of Matthew's school backpack during a weekend years ago...first grade. It went to school the next day, forgotten. Another student was snooping, and found it. And ran to the teacher and tattled. Thank goodness, Matthew's teacher did not overreact about it and called me to say that she took Matt aside and told him not to bring it anymore because it could be dangerous if someone else got their hands on it. (Like Mr. Snooper?) I think she had to tell the principal too, but she used all her sensibilities in dealing with the situation also. AS IN, she knows me, she knows Matt, and she knows it was a little innocent mistake.

Anyways, I'm bringing this up because of a couple incidences I've heard of this last week from friends that make me think the possession of common sense has evaporated with the ozone layer.

A child drawing a doodle in the side margins of his notebook...a cowboy-type character... and being punished for drawing a 'threatening' picture.

Another little boy writing out an assignment...a Halloween card to the Student of the Week, and including a spooky phrase from something he read from a children's book taken out of that very school's library, along with cute little drawings of bats and pumpkins. The card was sent home with the Student of the Week whose mother called the teacher to give warning about "threatening message". The parents of the innocent boy were put on conference call, the child was pulled out of class and questioned and made to apologize to the student...who had no idea what he was even apologizing for!

PLEASE! It's out of hand. Why must we all be SO dramatic? I know you know what I'm talking about...I know of a couple of moms who are always looking for the "newest, latest, scariest" threat to happen to THEM...like this fuels their ego, or keeps them busy, or at least makes them behave like they have the "in" on the latest down at school. Maybe it gives them something to gossip about (the poor kids!), or lets them say, "well, this would never happen to me!", or "I saw that on 20/20...it can happen anywhere!"

Do you remember when you were little and you told your mom or dad something so innocent and they had on opinion SO different from what yours was? I remember riding in the car with my mom and the song "Hungry Like The Wolf" from Duran Duran came on. I was in junior high. I remember saying to my mom, "I love this song! Don't you like it Mom?" And her saying, "It sounds awful...like some guy chasing after a girl to do something bad to her!" And the truth was...she was totally right, but I swear, I really thought the song was about a wolf! I pictured a pack of wolves running through dark streets. I just liked the beat of the song! It makes me CRACK UP now. I couldn't understand the mumbled lyrics, and I was still innocent enough not to figure it out. But you know what I thought after she said that? "I am never telling you anything again." I was embarrassed and felt rejected...yes, over such a stupid little thing, and I KNOW my mom did not want me to feel that way, but I did. For her it was probably one of those things we all say as parents,"The MUSIC these days! The things they sing! Terrible!". (Don't you think they've been saying that for generations? I know I do!)

The correlation of that story with the topic at hand? I'm not sure...except that the way we jump to conclusions, our kids must all think we are nutballs.

See, to me it was just a song about a wolf.

Like...

...it was just a pocket knife! He was whittling that weekend...like boys are supposed to do!

...it was just a little drawing of a cowboy with guns! What boy doesn't doodle bad guys in class?

...it was just a little Halloween saying! The Student of the Week said she loved Halloween in her speech! He was JUST trying to make something nice and Halloween-ie for her!

I think we should just all chill out a little.

I know we hear about awful things happening.

Sometimes it's easy to project all the garbage we hear, out of fear, on the innocent meanderings of our children.

It's easy to become a bottom feeder of the media frenzy.

Being scared and dramatic is considered more fun to some, yes.

Common sense is way more practical.

A Simple Sweatshirt, Is That Too Much To Ask?

When I wasn't feeling too good a couple weeks ago...not sick enough to lay in bed, but not great enough to be out and about, I searched in my closet for a sweatshirt. I had none. Who doesn't have a sweatshirt?

Last week I was helping Abbey buy a couple things for her wardrobe (that girl grows like a weed!) I came upon this sweatshirt in the Junior section of Kohl's. I thought I'd give it a try. I am sort of picky about the way things feel. Not too tight, not too loose, not too short in the sleeves (I have long arms!), not too short or too long altogether. Geez, I sound like Goldilocks.

Anyways...yesterday, I went back for the other (cute!) colors. It is my new favorite thing...my "uniform" (sigh). This time they were on sale for $15.99! I've washed them (but hung dry) and they are not 'cheap'...no shrinkage or pillage.

Why am I even telling you this?

Maybe because I think YOU too, like me, might have as hard of a time finding cute, comfortable clothes that don't cost tons of money since chances are within hours of wearing them you will also be wearing chewed up food, or baby spit, and also that you, like me, have NO desire to go to the mall across town and hunt all over for things that won't fit your mommy body anyways, and also that we might both want to avoid looking frumpy but might also have to bend down 1,000 times a day and have no desire to have either have our boobs or our back fat showing everytime we do that. (Not that you have back fat...I'm not saying that at all. I do. You don't. I'm sure of it.)

A Mother's Hands

On Wednesday evening I had a chance, while the kids were outside playing, to quickly peruse my comments from my post (you know the one!) from the previous day. Of course, when I say a MINUTE, I mean a MINUTE...or maybe two. After dinner in a house with 5 children is a bad time to be on the darn computer, isn't it?

This was my evening:

Patrick soon entered the house crying...Jeff couldn't figure out why. That sweet little baby held up his hand to me and I said, "I bet it's a splinter." Lo and behold...a mother's intuition. Patrick looked so relieved just to know, "She found the reason!" I caressed his sweet little hand and headed for the bath...warm water always works those things out doesn't it? As I took his little fingers in mine, I thought, "There is nothing like a mother's touch."

Isaac came home that day from school white as a ghost. He was snappy and exhausted. I could tell...sick. After dinner, I told him to get in bed and stay there. After Patrick's bath I checked on him. I put my hand on his forehead...I'd say about 101. Isn't it funny how all of us mothers have a built in thermometer in our hands? My mother and mother-in-law....they can be accurate to the 10th degree...I'm not there yet...one day.

Andrew, oh Andrew. Kindergarten...long and exhausting. Finally...in bed. But restless...overtired. I sit next to him and hug him and kiss his sweet cheeks. The doctor told us that he will want to keep his ace bandage on now that his pins are out but that it isn't necessary. I ask him for the 3rd time this week..."Can we just take it off at night?" The answer has always been "NO!"...still nervous and scared. This time though...he says yes...it was itchy. We slowly unwrap it...I can tell it feels so good to get it off. I see him relax finally as I gently touch the shriveled, dry skin. Lo and behold, he bends his arm all the way up...a first! He is so proud of himself. There is nothing like a mother's touch to make your sores heal. .

Matthew...always hungry before bed. That kid will be way over 6 feet tall, no doubt. I brush the crumbs off his chest...pretzels in bed! How uncomfortable! I rub his head, back and shoulders with my fingertips...he says, "Mom that feels so good!" He can hardly keep his eyes open.

I go downstairs. Abbey's in the kitchen...I lock my hands around her body and I pick her up and twirl her. She says, "How can you even do that? Aren't I too heavy?" I say yes...but I did it when you were a baby...I tell her she was the lightest baby to pick up and hold and she smiles. I think there are two types of babies...babies with air in their innards and babies with rocks in their tummies. They look the same size but are surprisingly different to hold, pick up, twirl. When you hook your hands under their little armpits sometimes you are surprised by what you get!

When I finally sat down to rock Patrick, I thought about how much power and influence I have in my (wrinkled and veiny) mother hands. I used them to soothe, to heal, to calm, to reassure.

A long time ago I made this decision that my hands...MY hands...will never purposely bring physical pain to my children.

In the name of anything. EVER.

I like to think that most of us make decisions about how we parent our children thoughtfully. I know I do. I think A LOT about how to teach my children to grow up to be beautiful people. I study, I read, I observe, I analyze, I share, I listen, I write, I pray, I think. I listen to mothers with older, grown children who I admire so much. I ask for their mistakes (because we all make them!), I ask for their proudest moments, I listen to the journey so that I can learn from their wealth of knowledge.

But most importantly, I am in touch with my heart, my soul, my spirit. My motherly instinct you may call it. We all have one, don't we? I've learned it always guides me in the right direction, as long as I stop all the noise around the world, and LISTEN to it. It always whispers to me to keep grace, dignity, a calm heart, a teaching spirit and gentle hands at the forefront of this journey.

Waxing Leaves

We did this every year when we were young and it was so much fun. It’s a simple tradition but one kids love. First you need to gather leaves…go on a nature walk, find the most beautiful, colorful, perfect leaves. OR just zip your mouth, let the kids pick up the ones they want, no matter what they look like...there is no better way to ruin a creative endeavor with your kids than by being bossy and controlling!

Pick some of this up at your grocery store in the canning section. It’s a couple dollars and one box should be enough.

Don’t forget to buy a disposal pan like this one…if you don’t you will have to use a good pan, and you will ruin it.

Melt the wax over low heat. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be careful…hot wax is HOT. Place it on a back burner and guard it with your life if your children are little.

I know I have done this with kids as young as 2, but you have to be vigilant!

Have them hold the stem, dip the leave in melted wax and then set the leave on wax paper. Cover your counter with newspaper, then the wax paper, to make clean up easy, because it’s NO fun scraping wax drippings off counters.

Let each leaf cool completely…once they are totally cool they will lift off easily. If the wax starts to harden in the pan, just warm it up on the burner again.

You can put them in a big glass bowl, or tie them up with string to form a garland. They are beautiful and a perfectly simple (and almost free) autumn decoration.