Friday, September 26, 2014

Gettin' Crafty

For some reason, even though I am NOT the crafty type, I volunteered for not one, but TWO craft projects for the girls' classes.

I was the only person who volunteered to do the class pumpkin for Ms. Mills Monkeys.  I might have complained a time or two, but I finished it and I don't think that I am going to be embarrassed when it is displayed for the school to see!  I thought Mike Wazowski from Monsters, Inc. would be the perfect choice because it would appeal to the boys and girls at Sope Creek.  At least that is what I am banking on.



For Maysie's class, Charlotte and I worked on the DIY project for the Fall Festival.  Each class was responsible for creating a project with the help of the students.  Lucky for us, one of the parents in the class had this desk/chair combo and was willing to donate it.  I put a couple of coats of white paint on it, we got the kids handprints, and the Charlotte put a coat on to seal it and we were done!


Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Preschool Selfie

Today I got to Maysie's school a little early to do some volunteering and this is what I found when I peeked into her ballet class…


The preschool version of a selfie, no camera required.  Just a mirror and your best friends!



Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Ansley: 8 Months Old


Ansley continues to be the happy go lucky baby.  Loving every minute of the chaos entertainment that her sisters provide on a daily basis.  I decided to cut out her last nap of the day in favor of an earlier bedtime so she now sleeps from 7:30 - 7:30 and takes two 2 hour naps, in the morning and afternoon.

We are now doing stage 2 and stage 3 baby foods and I have to admit that I am ready for her teeth to come so we can start feeding more "real" food.  I know I am going to regret saying that.

Ansley still isn't crawling but is now able to maneuver to a seated position from laying on her belly. She will be crawling any day now.

Monday, September 8, 2014

A Mother of Three Wrote Down Five Minutes of Her Thoughts

My friend Stacey sent me this article written by Bunmi Laditan.  So funny and SO true.  The thoughts of a mother of three who wrote down five minutes of her thoughts….

What time is it? What day is it? Oh gosh this bed feels so good. Why can’t I just stay here all day. That would be the perfect vacation. Screw the Caribbean, I just want my bed. My bed with Netflix and cheesecake. And Tostitos. Guacamole, too. Mmm. Nachos. And sangria. I’ll never be skinny. Maybe I should do that Facebook ab challenge. Because I need something fresh to fail at. I should do a cheesecake challenge. Try a new cheesecake every day.

What are they fighting about? A highlighter? In a room full of toys that I paid good money for, these kids are fighting over a highlighter? Speaking of toys, I should probably wash their stuffed animals. What if they’re full of dust mites. What if there’s an entire city of dust mites right behind Tenderheart Bear’s eyes? A dust mite community with freeways and infrastructure and elected dust mite officials. I need to be more on top of this stuff. Why can’t I be a normal, responsible, Pinterest mom? I haven’t made my baby one sensory table or ice tray full of colorful little finger foods.

What do I need to do today… return calls, answer emails, return texts from days ago… people probably think I’m so rude. I need to get organized. I need to organize this whole house. This room is a mess. I saw on Oprah that your bedroom is a reflection of your marriage. God please don’t let that be true. I need to declutter. At the very least I need to put away all of this laundry. It’s a bad sign when you run out of laundry baskets and start using clear storage containers. But first I need to take all of the clothes out of all of the drawers and sort. I’m tired of seeing my 4-year-old put on 2T pants. But they kind of look like capri pants, right? I just hate getting rid of clothes. Especially when I know they can’t be passed down. Maybe we should have another baby. I don’t feel done. I feel crazy and stressed out, but not done. Would I need a bigger car? I am not driving a minivan.

They should definitely have some fruit this morning. Strawberries. Too bad they’re not organic. Aren’t they on the dirty dozen list? It’s probably better to eat air than a non-organic strawberry. They’re probably just pesticides in the shape of strawberries. Strawberry-shaped toxic bombs of agricultural poison. I’ll rinse them first.

I need to clean out the fridge. And the freezer. We’re never going to eat that stuff. I hate that we waste so much. What am I going to make for dinner tonight? I’ve already done tacos… chicken… nobody likes my meatloaf. We need to eat less meat. I’m killing my family. Pasta? But gluten is bad, right? Rice. Rice with… I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just pick up a pizza. I’ve cooked for three nights in a row and deserve a night off. Definitely pizza.

I wish I could be more like my sister-in-law. She’s so organized. My house looks like an outlet mall threw up in here and then lay down and made vomit angels in the vomit. Today is definitely a mopping day. Last night I think I saw a dust bunny roll across the family room like a tumbleweed in those old Western films. But first I have to go to the store and get some vinegar. I should throw out all of the harsh cleaners. Those chemicals are probably hurting the baby. It’ll be my fault if there’s ever something wrong with him. Me and my stupid love of Fresh Scent. What is Fresh Scent anyway? Wouldn’t Fresh Scent technically be odorless? It’s just that Fresh Scent makes me feel accomplished. Like I did something. They should call it “Progress Scent” or “I Tried Scent.”

I need to get more pacifiers. At this point I’m starting to think they evaporate into thin air. Maybe goblins come in the night and steal them for their goblin babies. Speaking of goblins, I should sign them up for summer camp today. I hope I haven’t missed the deadline. I can’t believe how expensive camp is this year. I can see why some moms turn to stripping. Wasn’t there a Lifetime movie about that? Stripping For Summer Camp?

Everyone needs doctor appointments. I wish doctors made house calls. But then I’d have to clean. Maybe I’d just spritz a little I Tried Scent in the air.

OK, if I don’t get up now we’re going to be late. Oh man, I have to stop for gas. I’m on empty. Why do I always wait until the last minute? Because I was rushing home to make dinner.

They want breakfast. Why haven’t I heard the baby yet? Is he OK? I hope he’s OK. Did he wake up last night? I can’t remember. Oh no. What if I go in there and… oh, there he is. He’s screaming now. I wish he’d sleep a little longer.

So in the spirit of me being a frazzled mom of three,  here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks that I had to include on the blog but don't have the energy to come up with a post to go along with them.

First set of pictures will need a little explanation.  To put it simply, our fridge kicked the bucket and I let the kids sign their names on the wall in our "fridge nook."  I will be saying a prayer tonight that I don't find Maysie's name in Sharpie on another wall in the near future.




This is one of my favorite pictures.  We had an impromptu ice cream date with our cousins Brandy, Linsley and Parker.


The kids decorated tables to eat outside with the Crawfords.  Then I got to clean it up the next day while they were at school.


 

A pool date with Lauren.  


And last but not least, Maysie has been waiting for two years to play soccer.  Here is a picture of her first soccer practice with Coach Tim.


Sunday, September 7, 2014

Crazy Weekend Fun

The school year is officially underway which means the start of some very busy weekends!  This weekend was no exception with an event at Railey's school on Friday, three birthday parties, and a soccer game.

Friday night started out at Sope Creek's Family Fun Night with music, face painting and food trucks.  The kids deserved this treat for all of their hard work…I am one proud mama!  Celie and Maysie wasted no time getting their face and arm painted.


Saturday morning, I was up bright and early getting ready for our big day…. Maysie had a birthday party at Lake Arrowhead.  It was such a great opportunity for me to have some one on one time with my "baby."  The lake was a blast and of course Maysie was right at home swimming and tubing.



Maysie dug into her goody bag right when we got into the car and passed out ten minutes later.  I think this picture sums up how much fun Maysie had.


While we were at the party, Railey had her first soccer game.  Her team won, she played amazing and scored a goal!  No pictures this week but next week I will definitely be there to capture the moment.  Since the Harwell's were so sweet to take Railey to the game, we decided to bake some chocolate chip cookies to thank them.




Now to start putting together to do lists for next week…..