May 19, 2014

Life. Oh, and Mother's Day. That too.


I had every intention of waking up extra early this morning to spend some time working on posts that I've been meaning to write.

But it was not to be.

Just as sleep was showing up to knock me out, the shuffle of footprints began to pull me away from sweet oblivion. A small "mommy" forced my eyes open and I could see the silhouette of my toddler.

"Mommy, I puked."

Reaching over to tap the touch lamp that Hubby had so proudly given me for Christmas, the light only confirmed the truth of that little statement every mother dreads.

Sure enough, she stood before me covered from head to footie-jammy-covered-toes in remnants of the previous day's meals.

Hubby hadn't even stirred as he snored in perfect ignorance.

Sighing, I rolled out of bed. Setting Claira in the bathtub I set about removing sheets, starting the washer, and scrubbing the carpet.

And scrubbing the carpet some more.

And then again.

And again.

Claira was also washed and re-dressed, and tucked back into her newly cleaned bed.

Crawling back into bed, I figured it must have been something she ate.

A few minutes passed before I once again had to pull myself away from the faint edges of sleep to find Claira standing next to the bed.

"Mommy, I puke again."

After a repeat of the above mentioned cleaning round, Claira was once again tucked into bed.

Rinse, lather, repeat, rinse, lather, repeat.

This happened twice more (though truthfully each time was less gross than the previous one) before Hubby woke up enough to be informed as to what was happening.

I told him (lovingly of course) that it was his turn next.

And the last time Claira came in, he did indeed roll out of bed and help her.


So that pretty much shot any desire I had to wake up extra early to blog.


Anyhow, moving on from that.


Mother's Day this year was so low key this year I hardly even noticed it came.

Come Father's Day, it will be my turn to sleep all day.

Just sayin'.

Not that I'm holding a grudge about that or anything.

Pish, not me.

Never.

Nope.

Promise.

Really!

See? Even Jackson knows I'm joking.


Mostly.

I cut Hubby some slack since he had worked rediculously long hours all week.

But as dinner time approached I was loathe to try and make anything from the random items in our pantry since I hadn't gone grocery shopping in about three weeks.

Pancakes it was.

But being Mother's Day and all, I figured I would be a cool mom and try to make shapes. Specifically gingerbread shaped pancakes, because you know, they could sort of pass off for a person figure that I could tell my kids was a mom.


It was cool at first but then they wanted other shapes.

So there were a few giant easter chicks and a few pumpkins thrown in there as well.


But it wouldn't be Mother's Day for me without the notes my kids write.


Ah, thanks buddy!

Joseph's was a little more simple.


But he was really proud of it.

And I don't blame him! Gluing all those little pieces into the heart must have taken forever.

Since Savannah's class didn't do Mother's Day stuff, she took it upon herself to make me something anyway.


She said it looks just like me.

I suppose with my hair now ten inches shorter it kind of does.

I really wish I owned a dress like that though.

It would be awesome.

And the glasses. I need those glasses.

But as always, her notes are the best.


LOL! She is the queen of letters.

I hope the ones she writes as a teenager are just as awesome.


I suppose I should also mention that Hubby spoke in church that Sunday, on mothers of course.

I had no idea what he had written, and no indication of what he would say.

But one of the first stories he started off with was how he had come home one day and the house was clean and nice, everything looked good and put together.

He came home the next day and it was the same way.

Came home the next day and it was the same, so he asked me what in the world I did all day.

The next day he came home, the house was a total disaster, the kids were running a muck, so he asked me what in the world happened?

I (supposedly) replied, you know that question you asked about what I do all day? 

Well today I didn't do it. 

I think most people know that is a old internet joke, but I knew the story wasn't true by the time he got to the third clean day.

Because I'm confident our house has never been clean three days in a row.



Truth.

May 8, 2014

"Motherhood Realized" ~ A GIVEAWAY **CLOSED**


RANDOM.ORG SAYS THE WINNER OF THIS GIVEAWAY IS....

 12 Katrina said...
Moving in to a new town not knowing anyone has been really hard to me. We've been here for 8 months now but I still haven't met other moms who I can connect with you know someone who can assure me that what I am going through is normal and that other moms are experiencing this too...this book will be really helpful to boost my confidence as a young mama...

Congrats Katrina! You will be hearing from me shortly!  :)
Thank you all for participating!



~~~~~
I walk into the kitchen, tip toeing over pots and pans left out by the girls, only to crush some cheerios that had fallen to the floor. I glance over the cluttered counter tops and wrinkle my nose at the full sink.

Pushing random items aside I make a hole in the mess just to fill it up again with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches being begged for by children who apparently think they won't survive another minute without them.

The table is covered in multiple appliances and play dough from earlier that day when the kids decided to become master sculptures.

Half the play dough lay in little dried out mounds under the table.

Soon the baby starts fussing and going into the living room, I step over the pile of clothes I still need to fold and pick him up, only to jab my toes into some books left out by the kids.

I couldn't help it. I laughed out loud as I recalled how my neighbor had told me just the other day how she was constantly comparing herself to me and how my house always seemed so clean and put together.

I assured her she must have come over on the two days out of the whole year that the house is clean.

Because right now, disaster is the new clean.

There are different phases and seasons in life. I think I'm in the messy one.
~~~~~

As we go through different periods in life, it can sometimes feel as though we are the only ones struggling.

Everyone else seems so put together while we are being crushed under the weight of our responsibilities. We often put on a happy face for others and answer with an unconvincing, "I'm fine" when asked how we're doing, when inside, all we want to do it cry. We can feel as though we are failing.

It's not always like that, but for the times when it is, it's nice to know we're not alone. And maybe, just maybe, we're doing better than we think we are.


I was contacted by Power of Moms a little while ago, asking if I'd be willing to do a review on their new book.

I was actually super curious about the book because it wasn't your typical, run-of-the-mill parenting book.

This book is actually a culmination of stories, blog posts, and essays written by everyday mothers!

The book has the essays grouped into four categories:
  • Becoming Our Best Selves
  • Getting through the Hard Times
  • Shifting Our Perspectives
  • Savoring the Moments
So whatever stage you are in, whatever you feel you could use a cheering squad for, there are moms out there who have "been there, done that".

And they share their stories, thoughts, ideas, advise, and experiences in this book.



The other thing I found interesting, is that at the end of each essay there is a Question you can ask yourself, and a Challenge that you can complete in relation to that question. So if you are feeling like you can use some direction or an extra helping hand, there you go. 

I have not finished the whole book yet, but what I have read so far has been awesome! And there may be something in there that seems like it was written just for you.

GIVEAWAY

Power of Moms has also graciously offered to giveaway a digital copy of the book to one of you fabulous readers!

YAY!

I'm really excited because I think you will love this book.

TO ENTER:

Simply leave a comment here on this post with your email so you can be contacted if you win! Easy! 

Maybe your comment mentions something you are struggling with as a parent.
Perhaps it is about something you admire in someone.
Or it could be simply that you need a cheering squad right now.
It can even be that you simply love being a mom.

Giveaway will run Thursday, May 8th - Sunday, May 11th! I'll close the giveaway down that evening around 8:30pm MDT and announce the winner. What a perfect Mother's Day gift!

Good luck!

May 2, 2014

Self-Induced Public Humiliation. I'm REALLY good at it.


If you ever happen find yourself in a bit of a hurry one morning, and you decide to grab a pair of old capris that you find in the back corner of your closet to wear to your Zumba class, you might want to take a moment and re-think such an act.

The non workout attire may not be able to hold up to the tremendous strain of a deep squat.


But if you do ever decide to do such a thoughtless thing, be sure to:

a) Be in the front of the room during Zumba class when it happens.

b) Have a least one friend there to laugh hysterically at your misfortune.

c) Two or three friends would be better. This way instead of strangers who don't know you, when your friends go home and tell their husbands what happened, everyone will know who they're talking about.

d) Bring your baby and his bright, lime green blanket to wrap around your waist so that you can stealthy sneak out of the room without having anyone notice. Heh....

e) Realize that any status of any kind that you may have accidentally gained with your regular attendance and knowledge of the dance moves, now no longer exists. You will henceforth and forever be known as "the girl who's pants ripped."


I should just get a t-shirt made.
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