once in a blue moon conversations

in the hustle and bustle of the daily grind, there are many conversations that need documenting... for future reference.  this is one.

me: oh, we almost forgot to take a peek at the blue moon!
nator:  let me get my shoes!
me:  graaaaaaacieeeeee!  
gracie: {just getting settled in her loft bed}  yeeeees?
me:  come here.

{insert jeopardy music as nator and mom wait for gracie to climb down mt. everest}

gracie: {singing -with a cheesy grin- as she comes out of her room}  what do you want from me?  what do you want from me?
me:  how appropriate.
gracie:  what did y'all want?
nator and mama:  let's go look at the blue moon.
gracie:  oh.

me:  i'm sure it's not blue.  it's an expression used because we are having a full moon twice this month.

{walks outside the front door}

gracie:  it's not blue. 
me:  but it's a full moon.
nator:  it's so pretty.  i'm sure neil armstrong is enjoying it from somewhere up there.
me:  i bet you're right.

{clearly impressed, gracie walks back indoors, while mom and nator enjoy the glow of the moonlight a little longer}

nator:  i learned on brainpop that the next one will be in three years.
me:  and that will put you at how old?
{mom cringes and might be sporting a frowny face}
nator:  fifteen.
{we console each other embrace in a big hug, then slowly make our way indoors}
nator:  but i'll still love you.  i might just have a little attitude.
me:  {laughs to keep from crying} let's hope not.

i mean... attitudes in this sweet girlie only come once in a blue moon.  let's not mess with that statistic.

August 2012 ~ week 33 {behind the scenes and sentiment}

the blog, according to instagram.

sometimes, there are simply things you just don't want to forget.  so you add them to the blog, too. ;)

 

gracie and hubs sporting their support for
the who-dat nation's first {pre-season} game.
they won.
who-dat.

theater mayhem. 
you know.
just another day.

girls night at chili's.
silly photo-bomb girl in the back.

ready for another willy wonka performance as oompa loopas.

before heading to theater, a 12 yo needs breakfast and...
a lil' fetch with ruff ruffman.
via ipod.

and to think...
back in my day, we had to walk all the way to the tv to change the channel.  that familiar sound of clunk, clunk, clunk, *static*, clunk....  anyone relate?

before they finish performing one show,
they're working on the next script.
{all on their own, folks.}

when the girls have an extra practice,
mom and dad might hit up a favorite mexican spot.

treasures found on our pillows.
by a certain 10 yo.
heart-melting, i tell you.

eggs and ketchup.
personally, this creates instant nausea.
however, gracie wanted to try it.
i'm kinda glad she didn't fall in love with it.

things have been unsettling in the family arena.
actually, it's been that way most of my life.
apparently, age does not dictate maturity.
that's about all i can say about that.
other than the fact that other people's immaturity ages me,
at times.
i just deal with it the best way i know how...
for sanity's sake.
*sigh*

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

do you instagram?  

find me there.

my name is hmama.

i know.

you'd never have guessed. ;)

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.}

july 2012 ~ week 31 {heat, pinkies, family, dates}

anyone else ready for some cooler weather? 

yep. 

me, too. 

heat indexes are no bueno when the rain stops.

 

our weeks are looking rather redundant, as of late.
theater (willy wonka), piano, school.  repeat.  
multiple times.
with a bunch of other life stuff mixed in between.

nator is gearing up to play ms. gloop in willy wonka.
can't wait to show you her pic in full costume (interpret that as... fat-suit. ;)

ipad helps gracie during sister's piano lesson.
shhhh... just don't tell her these apps are educational.

while eating kids-eat-free-chili's-chicken-burgers, pinkies out... when in doubt, you know. ;)

when my girls help in concessions at theater, they look so grown up, y'all.  *sigh*

and my brother was passing through, so it was nice to catch up with him a lil'.  pei wei seems to be our tradition.  no complaints here.

sometimes i just have to snap a pic of 'school' in session.  gracie working on math looks nothing like my 'school' experience growing up.  oh, what i would have given!
 

gracie is following in her daddy's footsteps.  they have a thing for toothpicks.  

the girls had extra oompa loompa practice, so hubs and i painted the town red. we bought drano, protein bars, and a south beach diet book.  it's the little things, right? 

our cute lil' chef.  when she's not veruca... nor an oompa loompa.   lil' chef spent saturday evening in mom and dad's bed.  a gracie sandwich was in order.  must have worked - she's feeling a lil' better today.

looks like willy wonka will be winding down in rehearsals, as performances begin... and we will be diving into our new school year before the end of the month!  woot!

have a great week!  pinkies, temps, toothpicks, and all!

july 2012 ~ week 30 {swimming, molars, olympics}

howdy, y'all!  what a week!  mama is tuckered.  but you already knew that, didn't you?  it seems to be a running theme.  here are a few highlights from our week...

all that, a lil' grass cuttin', and design star watchin', too.

how do i not receive a monetary paycheck come week's end?  other than the little's smiling faces and a mama's aching joints, you know. ;)

after theater, we kicked off the week with a swimming play-date.  the rain kept some away, but the theater kiddos managed to have fun anyway.  they're a pretty funny group, anyway.

i let gracie ease into the idea of having her molar pulled before scheduling the appointment.  crowded mouth + big, beautiful teeth + baby teeth in the way = twisted, permanent teeth.  must pull baby molar before any more damage is done.  *sigh* 

saying no to nitrous oxide, mama is not above gifts to help ease the pain and anxiety.  and then gracie lost another molar - same week {on her own}, breaking the tooth-fairy bank.

books, ice cream, puzzle.  fun and educational.  check.

this scene only lasted a minute, but found it too priceless to not capture.  modern communication.

a fun swim play-date with sweet friends.

and their newest addition.  completely. adorable.  yes?

we rounded out the week by watching the much anticipated opening ceremony of the olympics in london.  we thought it was pretty spectacular.  gracie especially loved the harry potter tribute. ;)

saying goodbye to another week... and the end of watching the little house on the prairie series with the girls.    

in nator's words, "they just don't make shows like this anymore."  so true.  i think we're going to try the waltons next.  i mean, they need to know what mama is talking about when she says, "good night, john-boy."

july ~ week 28/29 {snuggling, symphony, sonlight}

hello, y'all.

things have wavered between busy, discouraging, and oh-so-absolutely-inspirational around here.

the mom-{driving-dad's-car}-taxi-service has been keeping busy between theater, piano... and all those miscellaneous tasks that leave you tired {but then you look around and wonder what was actually done}.

our current piano teacher and her husband team-teach.  she has degrees in vocal, taking the younger piano students, while he has degrees in music that sometimes call upon him to judge throughout the world. nator has been told that she now qualifies taking from her husband, to keep excelling.  it's bitter-sweet, really.

motherhood often has me tiredly whirling about from task to task, but taking in moments... truly taking them in, helps me to reprioritize.  that's a sweet way of saying that it holds my sanity together, yes?

listening to nator play piano, while gracie massaged my hand.  she drifted off for a quick power nap.  my heart swooned.

jazzy only wishes i would keep her away from the vet.  and let her go on more car rides.  me, too, jazzy.  me, too.

mama grabbed a few moments to window shop at hobby lobby, while waiting on mardel book store to open.  hobby lobby has pretty crosses, but not as pretty when they're not on sale.  i was more excited to purchase vocabulary workbooks on sale anyway.  did i just say that? #imahomeschoolmom ;)

thrift stores are fun when you send your girls in one changing room with a stack of clothes you've pre-picked... and let them 'have at it.'  only the strong survive.

a dentist visit...  that may have sent mama in a whirlwind of worry.  how are we going to afford needed braces for these two girlies?  if i think of future vehicles, collage, etc... you might just find me rocking in a corner.

snuggling with my littles... the best.  hahhh... that puts it back into perspective.

juicing... because my littles were a tad under the weather.  the theater kiddos could have not shared their sniffles, you know.  thankfully, juicing works wonders.

anyone else start cutting those plastic soda ring thingies after watching happy feet??

yummy meals were made.  and we survived when we ran out of paper-plates.  i think we spent more on water and electricity, running the on-its-last-leg-dishwasher.  yep.  that's our story. 

i only bring you the most exciting news around here, you know.

we made a rare-treat memory, attending the symphony in the big city.  and more every-day memories, tucking in lovable girlies for the night.  

grass weeds are outta control, y'all.  it's been raining.  grass threw a par-tay.

i know it's hard to see, but on the way home from piano, the girls and i saw the brightest white cloud in the midst of a sea of darkness.  we had to pull over so mama could snap a quick pic.  i'm sure there's a lesson in that.  

thankfully, {deep sigh of relief} some funds came through {white cloud} and we were able to order our sonlight curriculum.  our first box day!  the girls were SO excited that they couldn't wait for mom to get organized to start.  so our first day on the schedule is already done.

mama better get organized soon!  

story of my life.

june/july ~ week 26-27 {we really should get out more}

welcome to our bloggy... err... i mean, our instagram feed.
at least, that what it seems to be as of late.

here's the rundown of our last two weeks.  two weeks?  where does the time go??

hubs took the girls to work for a bit.  i think he bought them frozen yogurt, too.  mama would be jealous, but mama enjoyed quiet for a couple of hours.  at home.  alone.  qui-et.

gracie dressed and organized her american girl dolls for a henry viii and wives family reunion.  heads attached. ;) too cute!

not as cute?  mama at the gym.  finding a food/exercise routine again is proving to be more than challenging.  gone are the days in which the girls' routines rotated around mine... now i'm chasing theirs.  and it keeps changing.  oi.

pool play-date with a load of homeschoolers anyone?  how about some math?  and several hours of it to complete a relaxing day?  if that doesn't work, how about an afternoon of running errands through congested traffic due to construction?  i have it...

how about a surprise breakfast, compliments of a certain 10 year old, to celebrate a new holiday made up by said 10 yr old... national homeschool teacher's day?  yep.  that will do it.  hahhh...

pool.  math.  errands.  pool.  math.  errands.  not necessarily in that order.  noticing a theme?
oh, wait.  yummy vanilla from mexico, compliments of friends who happened to be passing that way.  nom-nom.

assisting dad at the theater for work-day.  seeing a show.  nunsense, to be exact.  taking performance pix. 

gracie found a sign for a bald spot in our kitchen.  tempting, but we passed.  

organizing shelves and school papers from our year.  i predict i'll be going through them again for the coming year.  homeschool + bookshelves = the project that never ends.  

at least i came across a gym of a paper nator wrote.
list of rules:
 1. i can read wherever whenever i like.
 2. love one another with hugs and kisses.
 3. wear modest clothing.
 4. play piano when i like to.
 5. help the homeless and hungry.
 6. let the cat in my room when it's clean.
 7. love people big and small.
 8. i can hug and kiss gracie (when she's in a good mood).
 9. care for all creatures, but vampires.
10. LOVE ONE ANOTHER X2!

time with friends on july 4th. an annual tradition. love.

hub's birthday was celebrated with the news of work needing to be done on our 'good' vehicle, adjustable weights, homemade cards, and for a lil' balance... marble slab.  nomnom.

our last event was a much anticipated girlie gathering.  more on that soon...

but not to be outdone by the excitement of a new dictionary.  never-ever-ever thought i'd see the day in which gracie would be jumping up and down over a dictionary.  harry potter edition, that is.


so how is your week?

june ~ week 25 {father's day, baseball, dance camp}

hello there.  how are y'all?  
here's a lil' peek into our neck of the woods.  
or the big city.

thanks to pinterest, we were able to come up with some adorable daddy gifts for father's day.  handmade is best, yes?  we were particularly fond of the iDad card.  too fun.

juicing.  
i'm trying to work up the mental strength to do a short re-boot.  my hesitation?  i like to chew my food.  one day... soon. ;)

bella.  she is a purse hog.  she also has a thing for all of my camera bags, as well.

speaking of bags... gracie packed her dance camp items in a pillow case cover.  crack me up.  i let her unpack it... who knows what's in there?!

from work, hubs was gifted great tickets to a baseball game. great tickets = good restrooms.  priorities, you know.  

food and parking were on us.  ouch.  we had a great time... pretending to 'catch' the ball, 7th inning stretch, pizza faces, loaded baked potatoes, and peanuts!  well... mama and gracie prefer peanut m&ms. ;)

the crowd was slim.  maybe something to do with the economy and recent major shifts in our players.  we kinda miss the old team.  need to learn these new names...

while gracie spent time at dance camp during the day, nator and i hit the used book store.  she managed to find 6 books!  

i also treated her to a little more marble slab.  nom-nom!  the least i could do since she was giving up a much anticipated playdate with friends due to sister's camp. 

mama cannot be omnipresent, you know.

this week, our piano teacher announced that nator would be adding a little voice in her lesson and extending her time to an hour.  that's what happens when your piano teacher attends your sound of music performance.  our sweet teacher has a masters in voice... and wants to make sure nator has the right tools to preserve her sweet lil' vocal chords.  love it.

hello, gracie feet.  let's just make ourselves comfy at the theater, yes?  ;)  daddy took us on a family date.  pei wei and brave.  have you seen it?  it's a bit intense.  had my heart pounding and gracie tearing up at moments.

this week, the portable-dual-screen dvd player was stolen from dk's car overnight.  thankful to the keen eye of a concerned citizens reporting a suspicious car in their neighborhood, the police officer that came to our home, the detective, and a scared 12 yr old spilling the beans... it was recovered!  well, minus the headphones... but we never expected to see any of it again!

mama also hit the gym once.  mama is sore.  mama is determined to find a gym routine again.  these girlies' fluctuating schedules sure make it challenging.  the saturday morning secret to going to the gym?  sneaking out before hubs has the smell of turkey bacon throughout the house.  hot, yummy breakfast = kryptonite. ha! 

and the much anticipated dance camp.  oh, my girlie.  this will be the last year in the younger camp... at 11 yrs old, gracie will be moving up with the teens next year.  *sigh*

fun with friends.



speaking of friends, this lovely friend is a very involved, great-grandmother to the young lady in this picture {2 pix above, to the right of my girls}.  i can't imagine doing as she and her husband did - taking in their family member - willing to raise her - starting all over - when she was just a baby.  my friend is an 80+ yr old, sharp-minded, retired school teacher, who is so sweet to support us in our decision to homeschool.

for those who've asked, my video camera died.  hubs found a reasonable recorder, but i'm still getting used to it.  

interpret that as... mama was recording her girls during a sound of music performance... only to discover that she hadn't hit the right button.  *sobs*  so, she shall have to be content with her few iphone recordings.  horrible sound, and all.  *sobs*  until the official dvd is handed out.  *sigh*

and that, my friends, is just a quick-wee-peek into our week.
how did your week treat you? 

celebrations

family helped us celebrate our sound of music actresses with a 'surprise' visit to watch their performance.

we celebrated at nator's piano recital - a high score on her music guild results, rewarded with a trophy.

and hugs.

the girls and i took a moment to capture the space shuttle... floating on water. that's cause for celebration, yes?  i mean... how many times in one's life will you see a space shuttle on water? 

we won't mention how texas was jilted with a pretend shuttle... or the crazy traffic this attracted.  nope.  won't mention it at all. 

the girls and i celebrated with a lil' shopping.
great prices on two cute dresses found at marshalls and ross. 

...in order to celebrate their annual daddy-daughter dance in style!

i have to confess.  
they came back with some pretty jazzy mementos. yes?

we celebrated when the city pool opened.  
water-slides are the bomb dot com.

what are you celebrating?