may your days be {merry} and bright

the gift of an ordinary moment

in my head, i'm quite the domestic goddess around the house, an organized martha stewart, if you will, and a healthy version of paula deen in the kitchen.  like i said, in my head.  my head doesn't always play out in real life.  life is messy.  i've mentioned that a time or twenty.

truthfully, i try.  but i tire of spinning so many plates.  a few of them, self-inflicted, i'm sure.  so much to do, so little of me to go around.  that's where i stand in this season of motherhood.  chances are, you know where i'm coming from.

a friend of mine asked my soon-to-be-thirteen-year-old (excuse me whilst i have an i'm-not-ready-for-my-girls-to-grow-up-tantrum) what we did over spring break.  my sweet girl told my friend that we cleaned.  and did schoolwork.

nice.

laughing, i walked up and reminded her that we only had theater and schoolwork this past week.  evenings were completely free for playtime since all dance classes & piano/voice was cancelled.

maybe we could take more breaks if we were not involved in theater, dance lessons, competition, piano/voice lessons, music guild, etc.  but the girls really don't want to give up any of their passions; therefore, some schoolwork must be seized during hours our public school friends might be on break.

i'm so glad mama is here to remind them how much fun they get to have each week. ;)

oh, i kid.  when asked, the girls will tell you that they love us.
and we have fun. 

sometimes, when distracted with my many spinning plates, i need a gentle nudge...
to just breath
and take in the moment.
i'm sharing one of those tissue-inducing nudges with you here...

after wiping my teary eyes, mama closed up shop.  reading could wait till the afternoon on this particular day.  

making a spontaneously-fun moment would come first.  they grow up so quickly.

getting our studies in is certainly important.
absolutely.
but not more important than appreciating life with those we love. 

to prove how dedicated i was, i even left the nikon at home.
this was truly about quality time, not quality of pix.
sometimes, the iphone captures the best moments.

(we called this our tree in the trail. ;)

may you and your family collect more fun-filled memories,
and guilt-free-parenting-plate-spinning.
because... well... life happens.
yo.

simply thankful

my mantra last year, 2012, was supposed to be simplify... i heard that snicker.
i had good intentions.  really.  in motherhood, though, i think we can all agree that things get complicated.  it's a title that makes us feel as if we're running in circles, all the while hoping we are going somewhere rewarding.  which, i'm sure, we are.

let's be completely honest for a moment.  maybe you've pinned 379 projects on your pinterest board during insomnia spells, but by a realistic day's end, you're thinking that the fact that you've kept the children alive, schooled, relatively fed, and somewhat clean is quite the accomplishment, right? 

i'm right there with ya.

so, where have i been these past months?  {has it really been that long?  geesh.}  well... i've been fully engrossed in the lives of a busy hubby and 2 purdy girlies.   come day's end, my body literally hurts and the idea of putting 2 sentences together gives me a headache.  not to mention the fact that my kids are getting older and sometimes i think they might not want me talking about them on such a public forum forever, you know.

however... guess who's missed the ol' bloggy?  yep.  the girls.  {hi, girls!  mama is trying to make a come-back.  just don't pay attention to the improper grammar, mkay?}

sometimes, one needs to be reminded as to why one started a blog in the first place... without getting lured into the temptation to compare one's life with others online.  or feel obligated to market the blog for money making.  *sigh* 

i mean, honestly, how many truly genuine blogs reveal the good, the bad, and the ugly?

{this pic cracked. me. up.  obviously, hubs, nor i, held the remote for this pic.  hmmm...}

i asked my hubs how one would catch up on everything since one's last post??  he said, "you wouldn't.  just start from where you are now."  such a wise man.  nevertheless, he married a picture hoarder.  so, i might just try to go back and highlight a few memories.

however, today, i will simply post a thankful heart.

life gets messy.  crumbs gather under the table, endless mounds of laundry stockpile, uncomfortable conversations sometimes need to be had, the kitchen table gets flooded with junk mail, feathers get ruffled, life disappoints.

but, through it all, we have each other. 
that alone brings us joy. 
and even makes this mama thankful for the crumbs underneath the table.

someone i love put them there. 

so, we give these little people neck-pie.
because we love them much more than the crumbs.
then ask them to help clean up the mess. ;)

truth is, i kinda dig these people.

truth is, i started this post a month ago. 

truth is, i'm still striving for simple.
maybe the answer to simplifying is to simply find the joys in all of life's busy during the busy.

truth is, i've had many distractions this evening and now i'm too deliriously tired to proofread.  i apologize for any misspeltings.

August 2012 ~ week 32 {Willy Wonk-y edition}

one would think that by the sheer number of miles we put on our mom-taxi that this mama actually enjoys the hustle and bustle.  truth is, this mama likes down-time.  quiet.  home.  time to think.  and reflect.

"introverts unite.  individually."  hahahaha... love that quote.

i know that we could slow down a tad, but truth is... how do we choose to eliminate something which enriches the lives of our littles?  that must be the key... if it's not building little lives, it doesn't make the cut.

piano each week?  keep.
theater, even when the schedule calls for multiple practices weekly?  are you kidding me?  the girls would call cps themselves if we tried to cut this. ;)
dance a few days a week?  you should see the look on gracie's face at the mere thought of cutting this.
the occasional field-trip?  okay, so long as it's occasional.



there are several other activities which we could get involved in that i know would enrich us in other ways... but we have to prioritize and choose those we are most passionate about.



co-ops?  not for us.
university art classes?  again, no.



christian scout groups?  this is something we participated in for 2 years, then cut - to make room for other passions.

outsourcing more subjects in various organizations?  no, thank you.

devoting time to too many busy tasks can make one a bit wonky.



wonky.  although fun at times, it's not my cup of tea.  i like hot tea.  i digress...



for the past 5 weeks, our girlies woke each morning, without complaint, for theater practices.   a few times, gracie even tried to wake me earlier than my alarm clock.  ummm, no thank you.  good thing she's so stinkin' cute.  they committed their summer to willy wonka.  {interpret as: by the end of the day, mama is usually left feeling like willy wonka, himself, beat mama with a candy cane.}

them: YAY!!  
me:  yeh.  

truthfully, i'm passionate about it because they are.  i love watching them perform and grow confidence.  it's priceless, really, and gives their father and me swollen heart syndrome.



being a great mom, and giving our girls a great-memory-filled-childhood, is my passion.

it gives me strength to deal with another mom that has truly tested my friendship and patience over the past 2 years.  that, alone, could fill another blog post.  *sigh*  people are just weird sometimes.



any time i'm tempted to feel weary in well-doing, i look at the faces of our girlies.  they truly inspire me.  that... and a picturesque sky, of course, but the girls are a tad more entertaining. ;) 

 

this wonk-y edition is brought to you by hmama, oompa #1, and oompa #3.   

we shall share more of our willy wonka performance pictures soon (we still have 8 more performances to go), but for now... i'm soaking up the quietness of these last 3 days in which we have had complete. quietness. in the house.  nothing on the schedule.  just reading... and a little school organizin' for mama.  you know... as i prepare for another year for living life on the edge of wonk-y.

holla.

{for those who've asked...  i'm not sure when the mom-taxi videos will be up again.  my former video camera died, and i haven't fallen in love with anything else since. *sigh*  my girls miss them, too.}

Happy Father's Day!

He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.  ~Clarence Budington Kelland 

When a father, absent during the day, returns home at six, his children receive only his temperament, not his teaching.  ~Robert Bly

Any man can be a father. It takes someone special to be a dad.  ~Anonymous 

To be in your children's memories tomorrow, you have to be in their lives today. ~Barbara Johnson

Nothing is more precious to a man than his children.  If your children are doing well, all your other problems will fit into a thimble. ~Patrick Morley

{the military dads get me every time... kleenex?}

A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child.” ~Knights of Pythagoras  

My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me. ~Jim Valvano 

“I love my father as the stars - he's a bright shining example and a happy twinkling in my heart.”
-Terri Guillemets

******************************************************

Happy Father's Day!

Pray you are able to kick your feet up...

and make grocery shopping memories with the family!

That's what's happening in our house today.

Keepin' it real.

******************************************************

Love you, Schmoopie!!!

april-may ~ week 18 {life's a beach}

sometimes, i get so caught up in the logistics of what needs to be done before we can leave our home - even for a few nights - that i'm tempted to think it's not worth the effort.

our schedules have been a lil' on the hectic side, especially hub's.  he doesn't get paid enough for what he contributes to his team.  there.  i said it.  i shall leave it alone now.  i'm sure that was a bloggy sin.  anyone else tire of all the unwritten rules of blogging?  anyone else maybe in need of some chocolate?

needless to say, we yearned to get away.  don't get me wrong.  we love a good stay-cation as much as the next person, but sometimes a person needs to escape the projects at every turn, begging to be finished, in order to truly relax.  our house is feeling like that about now.  things are beginning to fall apart.  dishwasher, anyone?  things need to be organized, painted, and repaired.  mama needs a new {to me} vehicle.  something dependable, while hubs is out of town, you know?  whine much?  pass the chocolate, please.

hahhhh... things are looking better already. ;)

so this week started with school.  again, i will say that i wish that i'd been educated like this.  we are continuing to breeze through the middle ages in history.  we love learning about this time period, but so much of it was flawed... and, dare i say, still quite barbaric?  eek.



relaxed learning. 
totally.
at home, or on the go.

i've been listing older curriculum to sell online to help pay for our much anticipated curriculum, sonlight.  the girls are chomping at the bits to order.  makes me happy to see them eager to receive books for school.  i plan to go through the house to see what else we can part with to raise funds.  wish me luck!

beau's favorite spot?  under my feet. 
right in front of the oven.
waiting for turkey bacon to fall from heaven?

 

theater.  dance and piano lessons.  

you know, the usual.

singing do-re-me harmony with my lil' maria.
dragging my child to the gym.  she has book in hand, snack and ipod within reach.  clearly, she was suffering, while not pedaling.

post-juice veggie massacre.  best multi-vitamin evah.
long-legged jasmine.  she fits in our family, yes?
gracie singing the sound of music upside-down.

a pic of my headboard.  because my 'must-do-before-we-leave' chore-list made me feel overfatigued... and old.  it's where i collapsed.  long enough to instagram a picture, that is.

on our way out, we picked up chili's.  because mom didn't put "cook dinner" on the to-do list. oops. {note sarcasm}  but you should have seen my list! 




when younger, i was a fish.  you couldn't get me out of the water.  this trip, i only craved time spent in a good book.  gracie craved email at the end of the day.  sometimes, she makes me desire an amish lifestyle.  it could be good for her.

we packed food for our three free nights in the condo on the beach.  hubs made most of the meals. lord bless him.  why does a grilled turkey and cheese taste better when someone else cooks it?

he was also the parent that was first to go in the water with the girls.  and build sand castles.  he's pretty awesome at it.

no worries.  mom got her feet wet, too.  searching for shells is what i like to do.  gracie and i collect them.




our closest beach is normally quite murky. brown water. brown sand.  but we're thankful for it.

even if we happen to pick the time of year during the annual seaweed invasion.  it's for the health of the beach, so i guess we can't complain. 



except when a huge batch of it wraps around your leg and you think the loch ness monster is about to eat you alive.

however...
if you stay out of the water to read a good book,
listen to the sound of the ocean, 
enjoy your kids nearby digging to china in the sand,
soaking in the salty breeze,
in the shade,
it's heaven on earth.  
or as close as we'll get to it where we live.

then, all of the work it took to get here, 
suddenly seems worth it.



until you get pinched by a crab.

{due to our science lesson, we were able to determine that this little guy was, indeed, a boy crab.  just thought you should know.}

the end.

feb~week 7/366 {be my valenine}

when events of the day leave one's head whirling, one blogs about the previous week for distraction.  it's for sanity, really.  

it's been a rough day.  life throwin' you a big ol' curve-ball kind of day.  no bueno.  wednesday has to be better. technically, it is wednesday now.  howdy, wednesday.  please be nice to me.

without further ado, i give you week 6...


we made it home from dance competition.  in one piece.  but it required a couple days to recover.  before home, we stopped at whole foods market.  essential oils always lure me in.  take a gander at this "road rage relief."  funny, eh?  however, the lavender gets me every time. hahhhhh...

we made valentine boxes for our homeschool skate party. 

tip: paint brushes could possibly double as drum-sticks.

unlike their mama, in the days of her youth, the girls are not skaters.  nator aspires to be, one day.  gracie simply tolerated the skates for 2 minutes before taking them off.  

we are in the season of dance competition and music recital y'all.  can't go messin' that up, you know.

mama was given this look until they came off...
sweet, yes?  but all is better when skates are off and friends are in tow.


a tea party for all...
all american girl dolls, that is.  plus two.

i just noticed that the 'baby' pictures of my babies are shown in this pic.  right there... behind the dolls. {excuse me while a grab another tissue}

 
our new traditional valentine's dinner.  at home.
two years... and going strong. 

  
shopping for last minute decor.
gifts: this year... birthstone barbies for the girlies.
assigned seating.  heart straws.  gettin' fancy. hand-made decorations. 
gangsta necklace... complete with twinkle light.  like i said... fancy.  if you turn the light on, you must be kissed.  it's some sort of mistletoe rule, according to gracie.


flowers. chocolate cake. dancin'. candles. music. lasagna.

we're lovin' this new family tradition.  
do you have any family valentine traditions? 

{insert witty christmas title here}

trusting everyone had a wonderful and restful holiday season.  restful and holiday.  that almost made me giggle.  we are still in the holiday season here.  that sounds better than saying recovery, right? taking it slow.  as possible.  enjoying the christmas lights.  still.  easing into routine.

our festivities looked a lil' bit like this...

cookies {oatmeal chocolate chip, to be exact} were made for christmas-light-ridin' and santa. 

it's all fun and games till gracie takes a pic of mom, playing with the new lens.  50mm.  lovin' it!  the lens, not the pic.  no make-up and a 3 second bun are musts for cooking, yes? ...yes?

keepin' it real.  you're welcome. 

the important thing is that they were proud of their creations.

santa realized santa wouldn't be able to unload someone's christmas present and have it wrapped under the tree before picking up a certain someone from the airport.  who could?  i mean... when two muscle men had to grunt while loading it in the sleigh.  wowzers.

a certain someone was texted {that's a word, right?} to say merry christmas... and hoped a certain someone and their boss didn't have much luggage to add to the vehicle.

he loved the toolbox!  yay.  now it's time to finish organizing that garage.  fun... sarcasm.  check.

a sibling christmas eve gift exchange is a much anticipated tradition.  nator received the 3 in 1 cabin legos.  gracie, a stuffed pinkie pie... which resulted in a happy-hug-tackle. chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast may need to become a yearly tradition.

the girls gasped with excitement at their much coveted {and retired} american girl dolls.  nator received samantha and kirsten {thanks to mama finding a few great deals on ebay over the summer}, and gracie received felicity and elizabeth.



we cleared away {most of} the mess and started our road-trip.
arriving at granny's, just in time to share christmas evening with 19 total.  roger that.  then we met the rest of the fam further down the bayou.

a little time with family...

distance makes it a challenge to stay close.  sometimes, i really don't like that part... but the kiddos warmed up to each other again, just fine.

before we left louisiana, we watched brees set a new record.  woot.  {if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right?  i'm starting to get into this football thing.  maybe.}  gracie's favorite part was watching granny get excited, raising her voice {kicking a leg or two} at the action on tv.  granny loves football.  just a little. ;)

i'm signing out of this novel now.  maybe by the time february rolls around, i'll have you up to date with january.  and christmas decorations will be down.  one can hope.