Life sure can be messy at times!

My Big Preschooler!

Ahhh....my "baby girl" is growing up! It was a little bittersweet yesterday when I took Maya to her first day of preschool. This marks the beginning of so many changes for both Maya and me! I don't think I'll ever get over how quickly these years seem to fly by. I had this flood of deja vu while walking down the same familiar hallways of the preschool once again. My mind was immediately brought back to 4 years ago when I was taking McKenna to her first day of preschool.

Back then I had a 5 week old baby Maya & I couldn't believe I was dropping off my firstborn for her first day of preschool. Yet, here I am again! Once again, I have a baby on my hip (or a stroller) as I march my little trooper down the long hallways to her classroom. Once again, I worry about how my little girl will behave. Will she play nice? Will she listen to her teacher? Will she eat the little lunch I packed? Will she cry? Will she have fun? Will she even miss me with all the fun stuff there is to do? Even though I'm a bit more "seasoned" this time around it's funny how I still worry about my kids when they embark on all of their "firsts". I guess some things just never change!

However....one thing that WAS quite different was Maya's reaction to her first day of preschool! Unlike her older sister, she showed NO sign of trepidation as she boldly marched into her new classroom & greeted her first day of school with all the surety of a first grader! I would expect nothing less from my confident little social butterfly! If you know Maya at all you are laughing right along with me! It's just so..."Maya" to show no sign of fear when it comes to this sort of thing! I love that about my little girl!!

First Day of School.

My sweet, sweet "babies" headed back to school this week (sniff...sniff). Where did our summer go? All I know is that it was way too cool & WAY too short! I already miss having them around during the day.

Here is my big 1st and 2nd graders!

*Man...he is gonna break some hearts in the future!

Chandler has a few school supplies on his desk!

Is it just me, or do you want a pair of sandals like McKenna's too?

Such a sweet little girl!

I have some handsome boys in my life!

Nothing like having monsoon rain on your first day back to school!

Not Me! Monday.

This week I'm going to air out my "dirty laundry" in honor of "Not Me! Monday". No....really.....I'm going to show you what just 4 days of dirty laundry looks like at my house. Are you ready.......




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I won't show you the rest of the house, because I think that's good enough for today. Oh, and I assure you...I did not let Maya dance in the dirty laundry and play "Queen of the Mountain" on it either...nope, not me!

Maya is 4!

My sweet baby girl turned four last Tuesday! We had a little family party this time & she was as happy as a clam to have everyone make a big deal over her. :-)

A few Maya facts:

-She LOVES nut butter and jelly sanwiches. That is about the only thing she eats these days.

-Apple juice is her nectar of choice...when I allow it.

-She has not put one single vegetable to her lips in over two years!

-Her favorite thing to do is go to the pool...and the "Y".

-She loves her cousins, especially "Z-Z" (Zion).

-Maya was born at 5:13 am, on August 11th 2005....and that was probably the last time she was awake that early in the morning. She is NOT a morning person!

-She is starting Preschool this year & is very excited about that.

-She is my "Drama Mama" -life is never dull or quiet when Miss Maya is in the house!

-Her favorite "toy" is a mirror. She LOVES to look at herself in the mirror!!!

-She will still take a nap if I lay her down. This child loves her sleep!

-She can eat her body weight in chips without getting sick (or gaining one ounce).

-Her grandpa believes she is going to channel all of her determination and "spirit" into becoming some sort of motivational speaker/evangelist. (We have to believe God made her this stubborn for good reason!)

-Maya was my easiest pregnancy, easiest labor, & easiest baby...I like to remember those facts often ;-)

Here are a few pictures of miss Maya from the past 4 years:

I'd need A Savior

Not Me, Monday!

I'm back! I've been a little behind on posting new stuff because....well....I've been busy with 4 small children & a summer that has been crazy, busy, and lots of fun! However, I had some pretty funny "Not Me's" to share this week, so here we go!

I would like to go on public record here to let everyone know that in the past week I have not bathed my children exactly ONE time. They do not have hay-like, chlorine soaked hair, and smell like fake coconuts from old sunscreen that has not been washed off since we went to the pool on SATURDAY!

I have not been feeding them nut butter sandwiches and "chips and cheese" (you might call them nachos at your house) EVERY DAY because that is all we have left in the house and I'm just too lazy to go grocery shopping.

I have not been line drying used "swimmer" pull-ups for re-use. Um, make that the SAME used swimmy pull-up for OVER a week. I have not determined it's re-usefulness by giving it the "sniff" test (if it doesn't smell like urine than it passes the test!).

I did not reward myself for getting back to the gym last week by eating pizza, Mexican, Quizno's, and copious amounts of peanut M&M's and twizzlers, and birthday cake this weekend. That kind of diet is probably counter-productive to my 1/2 marathon goal right now.

I did not pretend to ignore the fact that I saw my 3 (almost 4!) year old eat smashed skittles off the pavement at the pool the other day. Those smooshed candies did not belong to us or anyone I know!

I did not forget to bring a bra and t-shirt to the pool the last time we were there and end up having to wear my wet swimsuit top to run errands in.

I did not let my whining 3 year old bring me to the brink of insanity last week. I most certainly did not find myself screaming empty threats at her like "You are gonna eat these pancakes and LIKE them or SO. HELP. ME.......".

I did not threaten my children with bodily harm if they made a scene at the school when I went to enroll them last week. You may remember what happened the first time I went through this enrolling process.......because I sure remember!

I did not just let my 10 month old tear apart the bag that contains all my breast pump parts just so that he would be entertained while I wrote this post. I am not also slightly amused that he keeps sucking on the squishy valves to said pump like they are going to eventually supply him with some sort of nutrients & then getting angry when he gets nothing out of them.

I did not just waste way too long on this "Not Me" post and run out of time to go the gym this morning....guess it will be a night trip to the gym today.

Sleeping Beauty

Everybody's Changing.

Just the other day Chandler was running through the living room and knocked over a wedding picture I had on top of the armoire and the glass in the frame broke, and when I went to pick up the picture I paused for a moment to really take a good look at it. What happened next kinda surprised me. I cried...really hard. I cried because when I looked at the picture I realized EVERYTHING has changed since that time in my life, and that was only 9 years ago. How could I not really know or talk to a single person who stood up with me in my wedding (besides my own family)? How could those friendships I cherished so much be gone, just like that? Nothing happened to make the friendships change, except, well....life. How does that happen?

I've been struggling lately with these feelings, and I know it's because I didn't expect to arrive at 30 and be starting all over again in the friendship department. The truth is, I miss the familiarity of old friendships, when people just knew me. When I didn't have to explain myself, my past, my likes and dislikes, and why I am the way I am. When I could just be me & that was OK. The comfortable familiarity of an old friend is something to be cherished for sure!

Now I'm starting over & while I except that it is what it is, I still miss having an old friend or two in my life. This could also just be a season for me to walk through & not a permanent change. People change, they come and go sometimes, kids grow up, schedules change, as do circumstances. That's about the only thing I can count on...life will always change. To be honest, I feel very lucky to have a few new(er) friends that are quickly beginning to feel like "old friends" to me. It's kinda funny how new friendships can sometimes have that feel to them.

You see, I really do love many things about my life, no doubt about that! I have a beautiful family, one that truly makes me feel blessed beyond measure, & I have wonderful new adventures and friendship on the horizon that make me feel excited to be opening this new chapter in my life. However, I think when you come to this place I'm at it's always a little painful to turn this new page. At times I find myself still longing for the way things used to be. The truth is...I'm not the person I was 10 years ago, so why should I expect my life to be the same? As much as I want to go back & re-claim parts of my past so that I can always have those people or fun memories in my life forever...I can't. My past was full of wonderful people and memories & and my future will be as well! Praise God for that.

Things come and go. Friends come and go. Circumstances come and go. Life has this ever changing fluid ebb and flow to it, & nothing we do or say can ever change that. The only things that remain my constants are my family and my God...and the fact that things will never stay the same!

And just because I like Keane..... :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC08xwrQ5gU

What's For Dinner, Wednesday's?

I'm trying to get back in the swing of things now...but I'm not doing very good! Oh, well....it's been a good while since I posted a new "What's For Dinner, Wednesday", so here you go!

Banana Blueberry Pancakes

2 cups -pancake mix (I used about 1 1/2 cups of the Hungry Jack "complete" kind that you only add water to, and 1/2 cup of whole wheat/oatmeal pancake mix)

1- 6oz cup of plain yogurt

3 -egg whites

1/4 cup-flax seed meal

1- mashed banana

1 cup -fresh blueberries

1 heaping Tablespoon -applesauce

1 1/2 cups water (or milk....I was out of milk & the water worked fine with the kind of mix I had)

drizzle of flax seed oil, and a dash of cinnamon....just for kicks!

*Top with fresh blueberries and bananas and real maple syrup! Or if you like pb on your pancakes that tastes yummy too!

Enjoy!

The music of my life.

These 30 things I know...

In honor of my 30th Birthday today, I will share with you my "30 things I know for sure" list :-)

30 Things I Know For Sure.

1) 20 is not too young to get married...it may even be the BEST time to get married.

2) If you want to be happy, never compare your home, your waist, or your husband to anyone else.

3) Some things really are not worth the fight. There is some wisdom to be found in learning to graciously "give up" sometimes. For instance: Let your 3 year old leave the house in his superman costume. I know it looks kinda funny to go to Target with a superhero sidekick & it's even a huge pain to strap him into his car seat with the bulky cardboard 6-pack abs and all....but really...is it worth the fight??

4) Self-pity never solves your problems...but it WILL make them seem worse than they are!

5) It's never a good idea to ask another person what YOU are capable of...only you can answer that for yourself.

6) Love hurts.

7) Giving birth without drugs also HURTS...but it's very empowering & so worth it!

8) People who only tell you what they think you want to hear are not your friends.

9) Popular people rarely change the world. It's usually those weirdos that don't care what people think that shake things up.

10) Hope has to be grounded in something deeper than just positive thinking for it to take root in our lives. The kind of "hope" that changes the world is based on truth.

11) Your children will break your heart.

12) The 80's was not a decade that taught home decorators what the word "neutral color palette" really meant. For instance: Green is not a neutral carpet color... likewise, "smurf blue" is not a neutral wall color. Contrary to popular belief, those are not colors that match much of anything. This I know FOR SURE!

13) Anything worth doing is worth doing well.

14) You savor & appreciate that which you have to WORK for.

15) Bad haircuts don't last forever.

16) There are many times in life when the solution to a problem is really found when you "fight it out"(This would be a situation when #3 does NOT apply!). There is such a thing as "productive arguments", so don't be afraid to have a good fight every so often. ;-)

17) You learn more by saying "tell me what you think", than by saying "let me tell you what I think".

18) All children look like angels when they are sleeping :-).

19) A 22 oz margarita with an extra shot really does makes the world seem like a much happier place.

20) Never ever sniff your child's finger when they say "ewww...smell this"...NEVER!

21) DO come very quickly when a child says "Mom, I just need some carpet cleaner and the whole roll of paper towels...but I don't need your help".

22) Purple permanent sharpie marker DOES in fact come out of tan couch cushions with a little effort and a LOT of rubbing alcohol. Hot pink nail polish DOES NOT come out of light tan carpet...no matter what!

23) Children are very forgiving....so you should be too!

24) A man that will hold your hair back for you while you vomit is a keeper!

25) Just because you can...does not mean you should!

26) It's very easy to gain 50 lbs when you are pregnant. However, it's not so easy to lose 50 pounds!

27) Optimism is not a natural inclination, but rather a discipline.

28) If you only have two minutes to throw on some makeup choose a dash of bronzer, mascara, and lip gloss.

29) Honesty will get you more respect than flattery will.

30) Always eat cake on your birthday!

Somebody had a birthday...

My Channy-Man turned 6 a few weeks ago, but I never got around to posting pictures because my camera battery has been dying all the time & I kept forgetting to re-charge it. So....better late than never, eh?
Birthday breakfast. He asked for homemade berry sauce on yop of french toast. He gets his good taste in food from his mother ;-).

Everything about this birthday was all about TRANSFORMERS! Gotta love 6 year old boys!

The cake :-)

The family singing to him.

He loved his autobot cake. (Cake making is one of my very few talents as a mother that qualifies me for "cool mom" status in my children's eyes. I love how something so simple brings them so much joy! We could all learn a big lesson from the little things our kids teach us.)

The ultra cool walkie-talkie set from auntie Tricia...and Zion!

If you want to read about the day Channy was born, then you can check out this post. So as not to drive my homones into overdrive, I'm keeping this years birthday post a little more lighthearted. But...I DO love this little boy more than I could ever put into words. He is so precious to me & I feel honored to have such an amazing little boy in my life!

Judah's next gig!

If Judah's current activity level is any indicator of things to come, then I'm pretty sure he could have a future with these babies!

Not Me! Monday.

Oh, boy......do I have the list this week! I'm sure there are many more things I could add to this weeks "Not Me" list, but I've got to pace myself-haha! I'll just share with you a few things that come to mind right off the bat, but I don't even want to dig to deep this week because I know I committed way too many mommy offenses last week while we were on vacation ;-).

-I promise you I have not had lab orders from Judah's 9 month appointment sitting on my computer desk for almost 3 weeks. I HAVE NOT put that on my "to-do" list every week & then ended up scratching those plans because I dread taking 4 kids to a teeny tiny Quest lab where I get to wrestle an angry, screaming baby, and try to hold him still while some incompetent phlebotomist tries in vain 5 or 6 times to draw his blood. No.....I'm a good mommy that cares deeply about getting his CBC and lead levels back.

-I did not go almost a month in between sheet washing days, only to FINALLY strip all the beds this morning after I was tired of looking at all the stains on my kids bed sheets from their dirty little "flip flop feet". Who makes their kids beds every single day for weeks on end knowing the sheets are dirty? Really...that's just gross!

-I did not perfect using the bathroom with Judah still strapped in the sling because it was just too much trouble to take him in and out all the time while we were visiting the zoo. Nope....not me!

-I did not vow to clear the house of junk food only to buy a package of double stuff mint Oreo's, a huge box of kettle corn, and a gallon bucket of jelly beans for our Drive-In movie night. Those calories don't count if your on vacation...right?

-I did not forget to pack a pair of underwear for myself the last time we went to the pool & decide to just change into my clothes anyway and leave "commando style" and spend the rest of the evening that way because I thought to myself : "why dirty a pair of underwear if you don't have to".

-I have not left my child's puked-filled car seat out on the back porch since Saturday because I just can't face the music and go out there and power wash the puke out of all the crevasses. I did not let the car seat get rained on overnight & secretly hope that the rain may have washed away the majority of the puke chunks. I realize this means I may need to purchase a new car seat, but honestly I'm having a hard time caring about that!

-I did not SCREAM at my child to "STOP SCREAMING!!". I lead by example all the time ;-).

-I have not skipped going to the gym for 6 weeks "just because". I also have not tried to analyze my lack of motivation for going to the gym & come to the conclusion that it's just too much work with all 4 kids most days. I mean....that's really no excuse, so I need to think of something better don't you think?

-I did not do 6 loads of laundry yesterday and STILL wake up to 4 more loads staring me in the face today.....(sigh).

On vacation this week...

Sorry I have not been updating my blog this week. My hubby took a week of vacation time this week and we have been enjoying little day trips together as a family. So far we have gone to Warsaw (Truman Lake), and Omaha (zoo), and yesterday we had a pool day. Today we are off to the movies & then the drive-in tonight (as long as the rain holds off!). I'll have pictures, recipes, and fun stories to share next week!

Mandarin Orange Muffins.

Seriously...did I forget to do a "What's For Dinner?" post AGAIN! Well, to make up for it I'm going to post one of our favorite new muffin recipes. Hope you love em as much as my little crew does!

Mandarin Orange Muffins

- 1 Cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 Cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 Cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 egg whites
- 1/3 cup reduced fat milk (1% or skim if you as so inclined!)
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 1 Tablespoon Canola oil
- 2 Tablespoons softened light butter
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
- 1 11-oz can mandarin orange slices in light syrup, drained.

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and orange zest in a medium mixing bowl. Make a well in the center. In another mixing bowl mix egg whites, milk, OJ, oil, and butter. Add wet mixture to dry mixture all at once. Stir just until moistened. Set aside 12 orange slices (or 24 if you are doing mini muffins) & add the rest of the oranges to the batter. Stir the batter to blend in the oranges. Coat muffin tins with cooking spray. Fill each cup evenly with batter and top with one orange slice. Bake for 20 minutes (or 12-14 minutes for mini muffins).

**These are a great treat & low in fat. Each regular muffin only has 131 calories, 2.6 grams or protein, 23.3 grams of carbs, and 2.3 grams of fat. Enjoy!

The Bathroom Makeover.

We were pretty busy around our house a few weeks ago & one of the rooms that got a "makeover" was our ugly little back bathroom. I've always hated that bathroom because of it's country blue counter top & powder blue linoleum. It seemed there was nothing I could do to make peace with those blue disasters! But, about a month ago as I was wondering through my favorite store (Target), I stumbled upon a cute little shower curtain & my wheels started turning. What if I married those tragic blue disasters with a more modern twist!! Maybe...just maybe I could make it work.

I bought that shower curtain & several other matching pieces & took them home to do some planning. I hung up the new shower curtain & started trying out some new colors. At first I thought I had struck gold with a $5 "oops" bucket of paint from Home Depot, but when I got the paint home it was all wrong (bummer!). I guess I need to leave those sorts of divine decorating interventions to my friend Karen. Karen always seems to happen upon those kinds of steals every time she re-decorates! The day after the "oops!" paint disappointment my sister happened to stop by our house. She saw my new shower curtain & said "Hey, I bet the leftover paint from Zion's room would match that shower curtain perfectly!". Then she told me it was a Disney color called "pool blue". That sounded just about perfect to me!

Hmmmm....... Looks like I got an even better deal than a $5 bucket of paint after all! I guess if you can't find what you want on the clearance aisle at Home Depot then trolling around in your sisters basement for leftover paint is the next best thing!

What do you think??

View from the door.


















Don't you love the two different colors? I was so excited when I found the lighter color of aqua blue at the bottom of a stack of paint cans. My sister said she has NO IDEA where that paint color came from. It was probably from the previous owners of her home!!














The new rug....so cute!

(FYI-I have rotated this picture about a dozen times and it just won't "stick".....I give up!)















You know you wanted to see the new hand towel too ;-)

I took this picture because I had to let you know about this yummy new soap I discovered! The bar of goats milk soap in this picture is the BEST soap ever! It smells so wonderful!! It's lavender and mint scented & it makes the whole bathroom smell good. It's from a local company, but you can order it on-line if you want. It's from the "ZUM" soap company. Check it out and order yourself a bar or two! It's great stuff!