Our home is a pigsty

Pigsty

1. A shelter where pigs are kept.

2. {slang} A dirty or very untidy place.

Yeah... I'm going with the first definition.

{not referring to my family, of course}

These three lil' piggies were among the many ticket holders to the girls' {Wii} High School Musical concert today.  I'm pretty sure it was a sold-out concert.  They sang loud enough for all to hear.

Next time, the girls should wait for Daddy to be home.
I mean, after all...
he bought them this Wii game.
It's the least we could do.  ;)

Standin' by our Man

What would you have done?

OPTION 1: Honey was out of town the previous night. He calls and asks, "Hey, I'm on my way back home. I forgot to bring something for the guys on the job-site. Do you want to ride with me the 2 hrs back, wait 30 minutes for me and then ride back home the 2 hours with me?"

OPTION 2: Stay home all day and do chores because company will be coming in 2 days to stay for 2 nights. There is much to do.

Road Trip!

I'm all for riding somewhere when there's a destination. Although, this trip (for us gals anyway) had none. So... Before you think I've lost my mind towing 2 kids and the family pet on the this road trip, let me explain...

The girls are generally great at entertaining themselves. Of course, the DVD player helps. They would watch TV almost all day long if I let them anyway. And the dog? Well, she's a great traveler. Besides, I think she expects there will be 'Starbucks Puppy Foam' at some point. We bring her... or leave her to pant & shiver from stress in her kennel for hours. I do have a heart. This trip, for me, was all about adult conversation... with my man. We love talking in the car together. Can you say, "Undivided attention?" :)

I pack snacks and things to do... We get out of the door about 2-ish.

We made it to the destination! See how nice the weather is?

Well, look what blew in... scary stuff.

Very dark clouds, large lightening, thunder... the works.
Some silliness is required as a distraction.

The girls "save" their Webkinz by stuffing them in their backpacks in case they were to get struck by lightening. Yes, I know they have too many... but they LOVE those crazy things.

A-Nator later tells me that they were afraid of their Webkinz getting struck, turning to fluff and having snow in the car. What an imagination...

Next form of entertainment... pix.

This is our "we're scared of the storm" face.

See the terror in Gracie's expression? Ha!

This is our "Do you hear the wind?" expression.

Jasmine does a good expression too, no?

Really. This dog is so well-behaved!

Dad just texted... after an hour and a half of waiting,

he says he will be 20-30 minutes more.

So... here is our 'sad face'.

Good thing I came prepared.

I read more of Darin Hufford's book,

The God's Honest Truth.

The girls watch a DVD and play with their Webkinz...

You should hear their dialogue.

They have quite an imagination.

I love these girls!

Forty minutes later, our man came back... not that we were counting.

What was once a parking lot became a shallow swimming pool.

I rescued my knight in steel-toed boots and a hard hat

so that he wouldn't get completely drenched.

We ate dinner together, grabbed a Starbucks

and made it home by 9 p.m.

Would I do it again?

Probably so.

Entrepreneur in the Making

Gracie: (coloring early in the morning) “Hey, Mom, I was thinking I could sell my artwork for about $30.00.”

Mama: “What would you do with $30.00?”

Gracie: “Buy a Webkinz. Wait. Is that enough to buy two big Webkinz?”

Should I be a bit disturbed by her desire to have more since we just bought a new webkinz 2 days ago? Maybe not. I'm reminded that we all have the desire for more. The only difference is that my list comes in the form of new clothes, paint and decor for my bedroom, an even better camera so my current one could be a back-up for those important family outings, new flooring, new cookware, cruise, improved landscaping, etc.

Although, I do have to give props to this little girl for doing her best to work for it. She says, "Mom my hand is really hurting, but I'll never give up."

Showing off her colored artist fingers.

I tell her that we are not selling her artwork in the front yard. This is her reaction...

Instead, I tell her that I will put them on my blog and see what comes of it. ;) Here's a few of her 20+ pictures she's made today. As I post this, she's still hard at work in hopes to buy the Jack Russell Terrier & Arctic Fox Webkinz.

Rainbow... complete with pot of gold.

Flowers... complete with roots.

Teddy Bear.

Gracie's personal favorite.

Less than Perfect

It was one of those days.

We were preparing for DK to fly to Chicago for the week and I was sneezing my head off. Yes, sneezing. The very un-lady like - throw your back out - give you whip-lash – expel your vocal chords - kind of sneezing. All. Day. Like clockwork, I usually have a day like that once every few months.

The girls were engrossed in Webkinz world all morning and had been dreaming of new ones they’d like. They had money to contribute, but fell short of having what they needed. They’d done a great job in school all year, but we already had something planned for the ‘end of the year party’. So, DK said that if I came up with extra chores for them to do, we would get it for them.

Of course, we all know this means a lot of extra work for mom as well. Still violently sneezing… I’m a bit of a health nut and refuse to take anything. No need for suggestions. I’ve taken something before on a day like this… and it’s like taking candy. Theses sneezes don’t play. Anyone feel sorry for me yet? ;)

We drop Daddy off at the airport. Tears ensue. The promise of Webkinz = great distraction. We are on our way home. Literally, less than one minute from the house, Jasmine (yes, we took her with us) looks like she is about to throw up in the back seat. I try to chase her mouth with the blanket she is sitting on. Trying to stay on the road. Trying not to sneeze. Trying to convince my girls to help me while they are clearly in a TV coma with their headphones on. One of them (who shall remain nameless) looks at me, but chose not to help.

Thanks to the mommy super-power of driving with the left arm and having my entire right arm in the back seat, the unpleasant experience managed to get mostly on the blanket. However, by the time we rolled into the driveway, I was at my wits end! ACHOOOO! Excuse me.

“Does anyone hear me?!! Is it too much to ask for a little help?!! Why can’t anyone just help?!! ….. blah, blah, blah. ACHOOOO!” To them, I’m sure it sounded much like a rant from Charlie Brown’s teacher. However, the silent tears that followed brought me back to reality quickly. Mommy cooled off. We did our chores, bought the Webkinz, treated ourselves to a Smoothie King, ran in Target and had lots of hugs, silliness, snuggles & kisses the rest of the evening.

I figure there will be no permanent scaring. Well, except for the ‘mommy guilt’. I should remind myself that I'm human. I need to stop putting so much pressure on myself to be perfect in motherhood. Besides, if this video is an example of a perfect mom, I’d be happy with the ‘less than perfect’ mom title.

The sneezes finally start easing up a bit. Thank you, Lord.

Tucking the girls in bed, we were being quite silly. At some point I said, “I know you are, but what am I?” A-Nator said, “Beautiful….. and old.” I laughed (to keep from crying of course), “Yeah, just for that, you are going to have to take care of me when I’m really old.” Without hesitation, she said, “I will.”

So sweet.

Her prayers went something like this… “Dear Lord… Bless my Mommy & Daddy... Love them as much as I do… Thank you God for my mom. She is the best mommy.”

I pray she is still saying that for years to come.

I may not be a perfect mom, but I am a blessed one!