Cute Girls with Cute Braids

Friday Is the New Monday

I have a new favorite show: Lost. I've been watching previous seasons online. I'm so addicted. Sometimes it gets a little intense for me, especially watching it in the dark while Kasey is working out of town. What can I say? I scare easily.

So anyway, I stayed up watching it until 1:30 this morning. Probably not the smartest decision considering that Ellie now wakes up with the sun. Well, she's always gotten up with the sun; it's just that now the sun comes up at 5:30 or something close to that. I usually make her play in her crib until about 6:30. On mornings like these, it's really handy that she can reach the toy box from her crib.

Normally when I get up with her, I let her play on my bed while I attempt to wake up a little bit. Today, however, she woke up hungry and wanted nothing to do with my bedroom. It was straight to the kitchen.

Somewhere in my halfway unconscious state, I asked Ellie if she wanted some muffins. She nodded enthusiastically. So I broke out the mixer and the muffin mix. I got them all mixed up and went to eject the beaters. On my particular mixer, the eject button is right next to the power switch. So instead of ejecting my beaters, I turned on the mixer.

Muffin batter flew everywhere! It was on the counter. On the wall. On the cupboard. On the underneath side of the cupboard. All over my pajamas. On the floor. In Ellie's hair. Everywhere!

Ellie, of course, started laughing hysterically and kept repeating, "Mama spilled."

*sigh*

I tossed the first batch of muffins in the oven and started scrubbing my kitchen. Or at least the immediate vicinity.

At least there wasn't any batter on my ceiling. I don't think I could have handled scrubbing my floor and my ceiling all in the same day.

I really hope this is not an indication of how my whole day is going to be. If it is, I think I might just crawl back into my bed and pull the covers over my head.

It's Amazing the Things You Learn From a 4-Year-Old

Yesterday morning I had the following conversation with Makayla.

"Makayla, tonight you need to take a bath because you stink."

She took a wiff of her arm and said, "Woo! I stink like bugs!"

I started laughing, "Do bugs stink?"

"Yeah! They stink like my arm. Here smell."

Reality Check From a Kindergartener

Today a five-year-old informed me that my house was boring. Not just regular boring, but BOOOO-RINNNNNGG!!!

That leads me to believe that either my children are as boring as I am (because Makayla has never made that comment to me before), or they are very easily entertained.

Hmmmm. . . . . .

Weezer's 'Pork and Beans'

Has anyone seen this video? It was the most viewed video over Memorial Day weekend. I read about it here. I laughed at some of the references in it. (Lizzie, look for the unicorns. They totally made me think of you.)

Housekeeping Confession: Just Keeping It Real

I've never been much of a housekeeper. I try to pretend like I am, but really, it's just not in me to clean my house to spotless perfection every. single. day.

Don't get me wrong--I love having a clean house. When my house is clean, I'm more likely to take showers every day. I'm more likely to cook dinner every night without dragging my feet to do so. I'm more patient with my children because I'm not stressed out about the mess surrounding me. I tend to save money when my house is clean. How is that you ask? Well, when my house is clean, I want to stay home. When it's messy, I want to leave. Then I usually end up at the store spending money. My marriage is better because Kasey doesn't come home from work feeling like he now has to spend his precious free time washing the dishes. We can concentrate on spending time together because all the other chores are done.

In short, my life is better when my house is clean.

With this knowledge, you'd think it would be easy to keep my house clean. But it's not. It's amazing how many dishes a family of four can dirty in one day. Without a dishwasher, it's difficult to keep up on all those dishes. They usually get piled high until we are completely out of clean silverware, cups, bowls, and plates. Then I resort to washing only what I need to make the next meal. But since I don't want to wash a sink full of dishes before dinner, I end up making something easy--like grilled cheese sandwiches which only require a handful of dishes (especially if we eat on paper towels instead of plates).

My dirty kitchen carries over into other rooms of the apartment, which is easy to do when you only have 600 square feet of living space. The living room and bedrooms quickly become cluttered with toys and books and pictures from preschool. Soon we are clawing our way through the piles of laundry because the neighbors are using the communal washer and dryer for the third day in a row. And I don't even want to get into the toothpaste that one of the girls squeezed onto the bathroom counter 2 days ago that I don't have the energy to take care of with actual cleaner because I'm too stressed out about the mess in the rest of the house.

Whew! Does anyone else have this problem? Or are all of you completely anal Type A personalities when it comes to cleaning your house?

I was having this same conversation with a friend of mine a few weeks ago. I expressed my frustrations to her, these same ones I've just shared with you, and asked her how she kept her house so clean and organized all the time. I've never been to her house, even on a surprise visit, when it wasn't clean, with the exception of a few toys that her kids had out and were playing with.

She said she wasn't always this way. She grew up in a very messy house and took a lot of those messy habits with her when she got married. She noticed that her mother-in-law had an immaculate house. So she watched her one day to see how she kept things so cleanly and orderly. My friend said it came down to one simple thing: as her mother-in-law prepared meals, she either rinsed off or washed immediately the dish that she had just dirtied.

What! That's so easy! How could a simple act like this carry over to an entire house? That day I set a goal for myself. As I prepared meals, I would either rinse or wash that dish immediately rather than just adding it to the piles of dishes that already needed to be cleaned.

It's been 8 days now and I can tell you this--IT WORKS!!! The last time that my house was this clean for 8 days in a row was when I went on a 9-day vacation.

The first day was hard because I had to catch up on all the housework that had been neglected. But now, when I'm working in the kitchen, I wash the dishes as I go. I thought it might slow down my cooking, but it doesn't. When I'm doing a step that requires constant attention (like making gravy) I simply toss the dishes in a sink of soapy water. When dinner goes in the oven, I hurry and catch up on those dishes. Then when dinner is over, the only dishes I have to wash are the ones we ate on. It's an easy 5 minute job and my kitchen stays clean.

This simple thing has carried over into other parts of my house as well. Instead of stepping over a dirty shirt or an abandoned toy, I pick them up and put them in their places as I go. It takes an extra 30 seconds, and my house stays clean all day. It's easy to vacuum because there is rarely clutter on the floor. The girls are interested in their toys again because they are put away and forgotten instead of laying around as constant reminders of the toys they don't have, but want.

With all the time I've saved on worrying about cleaning the kitchen and living room, I've been able to keep up on cleaning the bathroom. (which I hate! hate! hate!) No more 3-day-old toothpaste blobs on my bathroom counter. Yippee!!

I've noticed other positive changes in my house in the last 8 days. Because I'm not spending a concentrated amount of time cleaning every day, I have more time for other projects I've been meaning to pursue: sorting through the girls' toys, rearranging my scrapbook stuff, cleaning out and organizing my linen closet and pantry, sorting through old clothes that don't fit since I started losing weight, reading or taking a nap without guilt. It's wonderful!

All those things I listed in the beginning of this post? They are happening, too.

I'm not saying my home is perfect. I still have small piles of loose papers here and there, and music that is still sitting out from the last time I went to play the piano. But I'm working on it.

The point is, one small act has allowed me to take my home back from the chaotic mess that is sometimes life and given me in return a haven where I love to be.

Celebrating Makayla's Birthday

I really struggled with the decision to throw Makayla a birthday party or not. I read all of the advice given. Twice. Okay, it was more like four times. Believe me, I agonized over what to do.

About 2 weeks ago, I went with Makayla to a birthday party for one of her friends. I came away from the party with a sure answer to my internal turmoil: NO PARTY! Makayla did not do well with all the chaos; and quite frankly, neither did I.

Instead, Kasey and I decided that we would take Makayla to the zoo for the day. She loved it!! We all had so much fun, and I left with my sanity intact--something I don't think would have happened with a party populated by 4-year-olds.

I thought that since we had celebrated Makayla's birthday at the zoo, she wouldn't really care about having a cake. Wrong! She woke up this morning and said, "Mom, can I have a cake for my birthday?"

*Sigh*

Okay.

While Makayla was at school, I thought up what kind of cool cake I could make. I had to out-do her cake from last year. I thought it might be fun to make a Cinderella carriage cake since Makayla loves Cinderella so much. This is how it turned out.

not too shabby

Cinderella peeking out the window

Makayla with the cake. She wouldn't look at me, just her cool cake.

singing "Happy Birthday" to herself.

She was loving all the attention.

Blowing out the candles

Hooray!

When I was cutting up the cake, Makayla said to me, "Thanks for making my birthday, Mom."

Question

Tonight while we were cleaning up our room, Kasey said, "Ooo! Look what I found!"

"What? Is it money?"

"No, but just as good," as he held up a lost pacifier.

"Right on! That's way better than money!"

---------------------------

What does it say about my life that finding a pacifier is better than finding a dollar?

I Love My Kids The Best

Whew! This has been one terrible cold. I'm finally, after nearly 3 weeks, starting to feel normal again.

Last week, I helped out a friend by watching her daughter. It worked out well because this little girl goes to Makayla's preschool class.

I picked up Makayla and Valerie after preschool and brought them back to my house. The girls had lunch, watched part of a movie, played dress up and tea party, and then I took Valerie home.

It doesn't sound like it was a difficult 90 minutes, but boy howdy! This little Valerie is the most inquisitive 4-year-old I think I've ever met. She put the 2-year-old "Why" questions to shame.

She asked me questions like, Why do your plates have apples on them?

What are germs?

How come Ellie is a girl?

Why do so many people live in your house?

Why do you keep your washing machine outside?

Why does Makayla want to watch this movie?

How come you don't have any boys at your house?

Why does Makayla's daddy work?

Why don't you go to work?

I was so exhausted by question after question. I suggested that she go play with Makayla. So, she did.

But 5 minutes later, she was at my side asking me why I was doing what I was doing.

I was really glad when 1 o'clock came around, and it was time to take Valerie home. Her mom told me a few days later that she had fun, which is good. But I can't help thinking to myself, "There's nothing like watching someone else's kid to make me appreciate my own."

(enjoying a small break from all the questions)

Friends

I've decided that I, absolutely and without a doubt, have the best friends ever!

Just thought you'd like to know.

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P.S. Sorry for the lack of posts. I've been sick and all time that is not spent trying to take care of children and clean house and do laundry, etc. . . has been devoted to sleeping. I have started The Host, but will not comment until I'm finished.

Happy Mother's Day To Me

On Wednesday I was sitting at my computer when I let out a frustrated sigh. Kasey timidly asked what was the matter. I think he thought I was mad at him for something.

I told him I was frustrated because our library didn't have a copy of Stephenie Meyer's new book yet. They wouldn't even let me put my name on the hold list until the book had actually, physically arrived and been cataloged.

I love Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. What? You didn't know that about me?

Anyway, I wasn't too excited about this book in the beginning. But since it's May 6th release, I've read several comments from people who have already finished it and loved it. Then I saw some random Q&A with Stephenie about this book. From then on, all of 3 days ago, I've been itching to get my hands on a copy of this book.

This morning I talked Kasey into driving to the city (2-1/2 hours away) to make a Costco run. Well, it was more like me telling Makayla to ask her daddy if we could go. I know he has a hard time refusing the requests of his little girls. I'm sneaky that way.

So, we got to Costco, and as always, we headed straight to the movie/book section--Kasey loves the movies & I love the books. I saw a huge display of The Host. I gasped at the price--$14. The cheapest I had been able to find it was $15.99 plus $5 for shipping.

Kasey took one look at my pleading eyes and asked, "Mother's Day gift?"

Score!! I knew I became a mother for a reason--an extra holiday to get presents every year.

Okay so I'm totally kidding about that last part. But now I can't wait to start reading it. I may have to neglect the blog for a few days until I finish it. You understand, don't you?

Happy Mother's Day!

Lamenting the Lack of Sound Recording on My Camera That I Otherwise Love

I realized that I haven't been posting pictures too often lately, which is such a shame because I just think my girls are the cutest things ever!

I couldn't decide which of these 2 pictures of Ellie I like the best, so you have to look at both of them.

This first one is from today. She was being so sweet when she woke up from her nap. Then Makayla took her ball away, and I got some great pictures of Ellie scowling and complaining in her adorable baby gibberish.

This second picture is from Sunday. She loved this dress that my sister brought home from Ecuador. I think I waited too long to have her wear it, and I'm not sure it will fit next week.

She happened to be playing ring around the roses. She loves that game. She spins and spins. Then yells, "Down" as she plops onto her bottom. Then she laughs and giggles before standing up to do it again.

I got a video of it, but my camera doesn't record sound. It's just not the same without the shouting and giggles.

But the real reason I wanted to post about Ellie tonight is to tell you her new word. She used to call Kasey "Dad" but she has started calling him "Dad-O." I think it's so funny, especially because she holds out the O. Again, I wish my camera recorded sound.

I may have to look into getting a different camera.

He Loves Me!!

Kasey has been working nights this week, which I hate. But it is what it is, and I'm learning to accept that.

This morning when he got home, he came with me to take Makayla to preschool. This week has been the first time he's been able to do that.

As we were driving home, we were talking about his breakfast options. He asked me what I was planning to have. I said, "Well, I'd really like to go to IHOP or something, but I'll probably settle for instant oatmeal."

At that he whipped the car around and took Ellie and me out to breakfast. Then, I had to run to Walmart for a quick minute. While I was there I glanced at the clearance rack for anything in my size. I found this adorable pair of khaki pants (which I'll be turning into capri's for summer) and a figure-flattering baby doll shirt. I was a little wishy-washy about getting them, as we are trying really hard to save money right now. Kasey encouraged me to get them if I liked them. After all, I have been working really hard on losing weight and just went down a size. Wahoo! Then he also told me to go ahead and get that new bag that I was eyeing. Score!

I had a really great morning with him. I feel so blessed to have a husband who is so good to me. One who will sacrifice a little sleep to spoil me for a few hours.

Ending the Debate Part 2

I was worried that I would get freaked out by seeing who was looking at my blog. But my reaction is just the opposite, actually.

I think it's really cool to see that people from North Carolina, Colorado, and Connecticut have stopped by. There have also been visitors from Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Georgia. Not to mention my former state of residence, Minnesota. Could it be that someone I knew there is seeing what I'm up to? I wonder. Hooray for friends and family visiting from Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Washington, and Oregon.

Then there are the out of country people: Finland, England, Canada, and Australia. Wow!

This blogging thing is so cool to me! Thanks for stopping by everyone.

I've Been Inspired

After reading about Rebecca's experience running a mini marathon, I'm inspired to get in shape. I haven't exercised in. . . oh. . . about 2 years. Sadly. I'm really good at coming up with excuses for not doing it.

But no more! Today I slipped on my nice new running shoes and walked to my card group. Then, I walked up the street to get Makayla from school. Then with both girls on the stroller, I jogged up a hill and walked/jogged back down the hill to our home.

Holy Cow!! My calves, thighs, butt, stomach, arms, and sides were ON FIRE! So, although my mind was loving this, my body was violently protesting.

I'm not giving up, though. I know it will be hard to begin with, but it will get easier. (Won't it? Please tell me it gets easier!) Soon I hope to be able to do more than the 1.2 miles I did today. (Don't make fun! That was a long trip for me after having been dormant for the last 2 years.)

I do have one problem, though. When I got home, I was famished! I wanted to eat everything in site--which does not do good things for my Weight Watchers diet.

My question for all you exercisers is this: how do I keep my energy up so that I don't come home and raid the fridge, thereby defeating the purpose of my diet and exercise? It seems a little pointless to go for a jog and then come home and eat 3 pieces of cake (which didn't happen today, but I can see it coming to pass).

Any advice (or encouragement) would be greatly appreciated.

My New Favorite Blog

It's called Thank a Stranger. Check it out. It just might make your day. It did mine.

Ending the Debate

I've been debating for some time (like since I started my blog) whether or not I wanted to add a map to my blog. It seems that everyone I know who's done it gets a little freaked out and then makes their blog private. I don't really want to go private, and I've mostly been blissfully happy in my ignorance of who is viewing my blog.

But there is a part of me that is just so curious to know who's checking out my blog. I don't know enough people to equal the number of hits I'm getting each day--unless some of you check my blog multiple times a day. If that's the case, then thank you. I'm flattered.

But I can't leave that curiosity alone. So I added the map. Now I just hope that I don't get freaked out when I see where my visitors are from.

Thanks to those of you who leave comments--I love them. To all you lurkers--who are you? Leave me a comment and let me know.

That is all.

Two Firsts This Week

Ellie had 2 firsts this week: first prayer and first time-out.

First Prayer: I was thinking that it was around this age that we started teaching Makayla how to pray. So, I thought I'd start teaching Ellie. I asked her at dinner one night if she wanted to say the prayer. She nodded her head enthusiastically. Just as I was beginning to help her, she started jabbering all by herself. The only words I caught were day, food, and Jesus. Then she started clapping, all proud of herself for saying the prayer. It was so cute that, of course, we started clapping, too. But now, whenever anyone says "amen" Ellie starts clapping. For example, at church on Sunday she stood up on the bench and started clapping and cheering after one of the speakers. I'm pretty sure the speaker heard her since we were sitting on the second row in the center.

First Time-Out: Makayla and Ellie have a way of getting on each other's nerves, which, in turn, gets on my nerves. This morning I was getting dressed when the screaming began. I opened the door to see what the ruckus was all about. As I suspected, Makayla was trying to carry Ellie away from the toys she had stolen, and Ellie was fighting back by pulling Makayla's hair and screaming in protest. I figured since both were causing trouble, both deserved a time-out. I sat each of them on a kitchen chair, facing opposite directions. Normally Makayla puts up a fight in time-out, but she kept looking smugly at Ellie. (I suspect it was one of those misery loves company kind of things.) Ellie was sitting quietly in her chair with her head hanging low. Every few seconds she would turn around to look at me. Each time, I told her to turn around. She did, and it seemed like her little head kept getting lower and lower. I really would have liked to take a picture, but it seemed against the rules of discipline to show them a stern face and then turn around and giggle while taking pictures of their suffering. So, no pictures today.

One thing that has been reiterated to me this week: Motherhood is definitely not boring!

Twilight Teaser Trailer

The title says it all. Watch it here.

BLT Bites: You Will Love Me and Hate Me For Sharing This Recipe

My friend, Aubrey, gave me this recipe for BLT Bites a while back. They are the perfect appetizer/snack. But they are soooo addicting. I made some last night and thought I'd share the recipe---with pictures, of course!


Start by washing 25-30 cherry tomatoes. Then cut off the tops, scoop out the insides, and place them upside down to drain.

Cook up 1/2 pound of bacon. I used turkey bacon because I'm on a diet, but regular bacon tastes much better.

Chop up some green onions--1/3 cup worth and toss it in a bowl.

Add to that bowl, 1/2 cup mayo.

3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, (not the fancy shredded kind. Use the Kraft kind that comes in a green can.)

and 2 Tablespoons of fresh Parsley, or 1 Tablespoon of dried Parsley.

After you've cooked the bacon and it's cooled a bit, chop it up into small pieces. I just tossed mine in my food processor. If you don't have a food processor, use kitchen shears. Or, you know, a knife could work, too.

Mix that all together. This kind of looks gross, but I promise--it's sooo gooood!!!

Stuff the empty tomatoes and chill. I didn't want to wait for the chilling part, so I ate 5 of them before I put them in the fridge.

As I was making these I was thinking that there are probably some of you who don't like tomatoes. So, I thought of another use for this filling--stuffed mushrooms. Wash your mushrooms, pull the stems out and stuff them with this filling. Then top them with cheese--mozzarella, Swiss or provolone would be good--and then bake or broil them. I can't decide which would be a better way to cook them. I'll try it and let you know.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a pan of BLT Bites calling my name.

Saying More Cute Things

Ellie was trying to help me while I was putting groceries away this afternoon. She would grab something out of the bag and hand it to me to put away. Then she got to the chocolate Teddy Grahams. She pulled them out and said, "Ooooo! What's this?"

Then she started hugging the box saying, "Pleeeeease!!" She's so stinkin' cute!

Sorry this picture is so fuzzy. She was kind of swaying back and forth while clinging to that box of cookies.

The Many Faces of Makayla

In preschool, Makayla's class is learning about emotions and the expressions that accompany those emotions. Today she was showing me all the different faces she has learned. I thought I'd share them with you. They made me smile.

surprised

sleepy

silly

sad

pirate face

Her class is studying the alphabet and how it relates to pirates--the class's selected subject. For example, P is for pirate and parrot; T is for treasure; and so on and so forth. Hence, her "pirate face."

happy

embarrassed

angry

frustrated

(which she really was by the end of my picture-taking session)