we survived summer 2013 {part 1}

So, how have you enjoyed my big bloggy comeback? I know. Sad. My girlies have asked me to start blogging again. Several times, actually. I need to. If nothing else, so we can look back and determine what we actually did each month. My memory fails me when it comes to the details, if I don't write. it. down. right. when. it. happens. *sigh*

In other news, I almost forgot how to navigate through Blogger, in order to write a new post. A sign it's been too long... or I'm getting too old, but that's another post. 

Much has happened this past year. Much of it taking my wit and energy (read as: my ability to put 2 cohesive sentences together in order to blog). Motherhood became more on-the-go, yet remained fulfilling. Honestly, there's no way to describe motherhood before it happens to you. Best full-time-tiring job one can ever have. Ever.

On to our summer. I feel as though I need a t-shirt that says, "I survived summer 2013." No joke. With a hubby who traveled most of the summer and 2 girls who had me running on different sides of a very large concrete jungle, I nearly became unraveled a couple of times.

Nator auditioned for a professional theater and they saw something in her as the character of Annetta Bell in their Anne of Avonlea main stage production. Here she is all dolled up in her costume. Also, this is what cloud 9 looks like.

Backstage, there was much fun with the cast between scenes. Since there were hardly any costume changes (thankyoujesus), the kids were mostly found making crafts (rainbow loom, anyone?): jumping rope, reading books, working on creative writing, or simply chatting.

Several theater friends and family (Granny & Aunt C) came to view the performance... as well as, friends we didn't get pictures with. So blessed.

The final goodbye at our main-stage was bitter-sweet.

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

Then it was off to a very popular outdoor stage in our area for mic checks, in preparation for our last performance.

Our director was super sweet and we were privileged to be a part of her inaugural main-stage direction. Also, backstage never looks as glamorous as you imagine. ha!

Final bows are always a tad emotional. Even after 16-17 performances. Tired from the journey, but sad to see such a positive experience come to an end. 

Of course, we are always in the works for what comes next...

Soon, I'll share the other performance that coincided with this one over the summer. Never a dull moment around here, y'all. ;)

{13} looks good on you, {baby} girl!

I'll love you forever,

I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living,
My {baby} you'll be.

From a child to a young lady.

Just like that. 

We are so very proud of you.

Immeasurable love 

to infinity and beyond...

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.}

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.