7 Quick Takes Friday, #4

1. Earlier this week, we broke out the bubbles. Being in the middle of winter here, I see no problem in blowing bubbles in the kitchen to ease our suffering. This was the first time Lauren got to witness bubble blowing, and it didn't disappoint.

While Mia ran across the room, yelling "Patch 'em! Patch 'em!" (combination of 'catch' and 'pop,' I think) Lauren sat transfixed, staring at the shimmering globes all around her. Before too long, though, she started giggling. Then she started belly laughing. At this point, Mia was doing everything possible to encourage LJ's laughter. She got Lauren laughing so hard, she got the hiccups.

I was enjoying their laughter so much, I egged it on, not noticing Lauren's growing discomfort until I saw her gag on her hiccups. She laughed so hard, hiccuped so bad, that she threw up a little in her mouth.

Awesome. Now that's fun.


2. Mia was looking in our full-length mirror the other morning, while Lauren practiced standing in front of it. Lauren bounced and kissed herself, while Mia hugged her and made goofy faces.

All of a sudden, Mia announced, "We're getting married, mama." She continued to purse her lips and bat her eyelashes at her reflection.

"Oh, yeah?" I replied, smiling at her thought process. The day before, we'd spent a long time looking at Justin and my wedding pictures.

"Yeah," she said, "I'm a princess, and Lauren is a prince, and we're married." She put her arms around Lauren, and laid her head on her shoulder. This irritated Lauren, who was struggling to maintain an upright stance, and she started fussing.

"Lauren doesn't want to be married, mama. She's too fussy." Mia was saddened - but not altogether put off. "It's OK Lauren, we're going to live happy ever after! It's all right, sweetie!"

Then...she kissed her baby sister/prince charming.


3. Last night, when Justin was getting Mia ready for bed, they were talking about how to spell certain words. After they'd been through three or four words, Mia was losing interest but Justin tried one more.

"Mia, do you know what C-A-T spells?"

No reply.

"C-A-T? What does that spell, Mia?"

She sighed dramatically. "I don't really care very much, daddy." She said this with such an air of boredom, it was all we could do not to laugh.

You ask a kid a question, you're gonna get an answer. One way or another.


4. Since these quick takes are apparently all about the kiddos today, I might as well keep it up.

This morning, I had to take Lauren to the doctor's office to check on a cough she's had. I wasn't too worried about it (really, it's a problem of mine - I never think any sickness is bad enough to warrant a trip to the doctor. If Justin weren't around, the kids would almost never go.) but Justin wanted me to call, so I did.

When I told the nurse about Lauren's barking cough, rattling chest, and hoarse voice, she immediately told me I'd need to bring her in.

"But, but"...I stammered..."she hardly ever coughs, and she's probably fine, I just want to know if it's OK for her to have some Mucinex to break up the cough a bit. I'm not sure she really needs to come into the office..."

The nurse said she'd really like for us to bring her in because they've been seeing a lot of pneumonia and RSV lately.

Crud. That husband of mine is usually smarter than I give him credit for in these areas.

So we went this morning, submitted her to pokes and prods, and got a diagnosis of....

Croup. Which, from what I understand, isn't a virus or bacteria so much as it's a reaction to changes in weather.

And, really? I think she could've skipped the visit to the doctor. They told me I could give her some Dimetapp and Mucinex (and an oral steroid if I want to) which was all I wanted to know in the first place.

I think the reason I'm so hesitant to take the girls to the doctor is because it seems like an invitation for another, much worse, sickness. I'm hoping it's just coincidence that they always seem to get sick about a week after a doctor visit. Those waiting rooms are chock full of sick kids spreading germs everywhere my kids and I have to be. It's all part and parcel, I guess.

And I'm sure it doesn't help when Lauren chews and licks the shopping cart. Maybe the waiting rooms aren't the culprit after all.


5. Okay, so that last one wasn't very quick. And neither will the next one be. I'm totally a rule-breaker. Just ask anyone, they'll tell you...that Sarah's a real rebel.


6. A funny thing happened yesterday while I was whipping up a batch of Sweet Chicken for dinner. I had several bags of groceries sitting in the middle of the kitchen that I hadn't unloaded yet. The girls were playing quietly with some toys, and Mia began sorting through all the bags. My hands were covered in gook, so I didn't try to stop her from "helping" to put the groceries away.

She unloaded everything, lining up canned goods and baby food, stacking boxes, and shoving all the bags together. I wouldn't say she cleaned up the floor, because it was a much bigger mess after she did it, than when she began. Lauren took everything Mia arranged, and moved it, crawled over it, smashed it, whatever took her fancy.

By the time dinner was ready, groceries were strewn all the way around the corner into the front door entryway. The cabinets were wide open, fruit was in the living room, and our kitchen has never been messier. I was surprised by my level of calm. Usually, I start feeling very overwhelmed when things are too chaotic, but this time, I was perfectly happy. The girls had been kept busy playing with groceries. How simple.

I had Mia help me put the food in the cupboards and fridge, and place the scattered toys back in the toy box. All was well.


7. And about that Sweet Chicken? You should make it. It's WONDERFUL! It's a favorite of our family's, and I found the recipe at My Kitchen Cafe. Well, she calls it Sweet and Sour, but I thought the 'sour' part would turn Mia off, so I tell her it's sweet chicken, and she's happy.

Justin could finish one pan of this by himself, if I'd let him. On the flip side, I could finish one pan of this by myself if Justin would let me. My mom requested it for her birthday, and Justin requests it every day. You should absolutely try it. Then make some for me, too. Because ours is already gone.


You can find more Quick Takes at Jen's Conversion Diary. Have a great weekend!

Where We Pretend It's Spring

We had such a great day yesterday!

In the morning, we went to hang out with the Girly Swirls. I'm sure it was more beneficial for the mama's than the girlies, but we had a great time. Mia was being shy most of the time...until she decided to throw a tantrum at lunch...but she couldn't stop talking about her new friends for the rest of the day. We had to name each of them in our prayers (even the big, sweet dog who she was slightly terrified of) and wonder about what pajamas they were wearing to bed last night. I've definitely got to heave myself away from home for more play dates; it was wonderful.

After nap time, I decided the day was too beautiful to stay inside any longer. Seriously, it was 70 degrees in February. (Which is, I think, the looongest winter month in Missouri.) So we headed out to soak up some sun. Or, some shade, in Lauren's case.




She's only been crawling on hands and knees for a few weeks, so this was her first experience with the crunchy grass and dead leaves. For the first half-hour she would try to crawl, the sit back down in frustration - the rough ground had her irritated.

While Lauren sat and explored leaves, Mia ran wild.


She wanted to sit in every leaf embankment, and jump from every tall rock. Repeatedly. (side note: we've got to get some backyard toys...)




Lauren had been doing good with the leaves, not trying to eat them. So I ran around with Mia for a while, and came back to this:




The little stinker. I scolded her (hah) and tried to turn her attention elsewhere. I think she was offended.



With me guarding her from leaf ingestion, she finally gave up on sitting still, and took off crawling.



I think she overcame her irritation, don't you?

We had so much fun, that Mia even submitted to being halted in her running-jumping-outdoor-craziness so mama could force a snuggle.

Better Than Castles

One of Mia's favorite toys is a little nativity set that her Grandma got her last year. It's small, durable, and pastel colored. Very girly. I think Mia prefers it over her princess castle and farm house; she plays with it every day. But the way she plays with it usually never varies. It's so funny how preschoolers (it's not just this preschooler, right?) are so set in the way things must be done.

She'll get a book to set it up on, since the carpeted floor makes the people fall over. She'll talk about all the shepherds and Mary and Joseph, and set them up around the stable. Describing what they're doing, and who they're all watching. The tiny people are always huddled around the main character - who has a special place inside the stable.

But lately, the stable has a few added friends.




Jesus, meet your new admirers: panda, tiger, and chess piece. (I'm sure I should know what that particular piece is called. But I don't. Don't tell Justin.) I believe Mia named that chess piece Maria. It fits.

When she set the scene up earlier this week, she picked the closest book she could find, and, yes, it happened to be one of the Twilight books. I can't help myself. Everyone's doing it. I'm just a follower.

But because her nativity looked so cute sitting there (I didn't make her clean it up before bed that night - oops.) when I wanted to read the book, I couldn't bring myself to undo all her hard work. I did a few other things trying to forget how much I wanted to read. It's a problem, really, this reading habit of mine. Reading in general, and Twilight in particular. Eventually, I decided that I'd take a picture, put the nativity scene on the TV stand, and call it good. NOT reading isn't my strong point.

Isn't it sweet to watch kids' little minds unfolding to include imagination and creativity? I'm pleasantly amazed every day by such tiny things as this.

A Nightmare

Last night, at exactly 3:22 AM, both girls woke up crying within seconds of each other. Lauren wailed first, so I hopped out of bed and stumbled down the hall to her door. Then, almost immediately, Mia cried out too.

I stood there between the two doors, without a blessed clue what to do. (Hmmm...wake the husband? Ya think?) My mind was so foggy, I couldn't operate past 'girl...crying...fix it...dizzy...crying...baby...' Thankfully, Lauren stopped before my mind could catch up, so I went to Mia.

In her tiniest whisper, she said, "Would you snuggle with me please?" Her eyes were wide open - fearful - and her blankie was clutched to her chin so tight that I couldn't have refused if I'd wanted to. I folded myself into her bed and covered us up with her quilt. When I tried to ask what had happened, she just burrowed into my neck, hiding her face in mommy's safety. This is normal for her nightmares - she doesn't really ever tell me about it until later.

After a while I tried to get up, but her lip trembled and her voice wavered. I was hooked again. Eventually, she calmed down enough to give up having me to hide her face behind, if she could have the quilt cover her up completely. She asked for some more toys to hug, and I quietly went back to bed, hoping for the best.

This morning when she woke up, it was the first thing she talked to me about.

"I did sleep mama."
"Yep, you slept good, sweetie."
"Swiper was here, and he said 'I'm gonna get those toys' and I got a lil' fussy, so you snuggled in my bed to make me feel better and I covered my eyes and I did sleep."

So. That darn Swiper. Sneaking into Mia's dreams. Trying to swipe her toys.

It makes me feel so bad for her that she was scared. But at least it was only Swiper this time; I feel confident enough to talk her down with words like 'silly fox,' 'imagination,' and 'pretend.' It's much harder for me to not get a little creeped out when she's whispering about a big black thing trying to scratch her legs.

I'm not very brave in the middle of the night - but I'm always good for a little cuddling.

Overheard At The Dinner Table

Daddy: Lauren, who dressed you today? (Laughing at the highly colorful shirt...) What kind of shirt is this?!

Mama: Mia chose that outfit for LJ, daddy. But I think it's cute, what's wrong with it?

Daddy: Nothing, it's just...goofy...it's not...cool.

Mama: We shouldn't be raising our kids to be cool, though, right? She's a baby, not a cool kid!

Mia: I'm a cool kid. I'm a kid that's cool.



Later...


Daddy: You want a bite of my cinnamon toast, Mia?

Mia: Uhhh, yeah. (She bites.)

Daddy: You like it?

Mia: (Very seriously) Well...I don't like it, I just love it.

Daddy: Good - here's another bite...

Mia: No, I don't like it.

Sticker Crazy

We had a pretty lazy day around here yesterday, so Mia got out her Valentine's Day loot and found a page of stickers. She's learning how to peel stickers off the sheet all by herself (manual dexterity, and all that) and hasn't been too good at it, so I paid no attention to what she was doing. Usually I step in when she gets overly-frustrated, but I kind of forgot she was doing it, because she was so quiet this time.

When I finally did check on the situation, this had happened.

Poor Lauren couldn't figure out what was on her face, and she kept blinking really hard to dislodge whatever it was. To no avail. Helpfully, I took some video of her blinking (Oh, come on! It was really cute!) before I removed the biggest sticker from right between her eyes.

Mia was undeterred. She moved on to her daddy, who was at the sink washing dishes. She chose the most available space to decorate.

I, also, was unable to escape her tour of decoration.

Upon seeing how gorgeous her mama looked with the strategically placed stickers, Mia wanted some for herself too. So great was her joy in posing, that she had difficulty standing still long enough for a picture to be taken.

Lauren's bullseye was soon replaced, and she was none too happy with the addition.

I hope you had a highly sticker-ed weekend, too! But if that wasn't in your cards, I hope it was a good one anyway.

I Love My Husband

That is all.

7 Quick Takes Friday, #3

1. Yesterday, after I picked Mia up from preschool, I was asking her about her morning. We got started talking about how much she enjoyed her lunch, and I tried to get her to tell me everything she had eaten. I packed the lunch myself, but I think it's fun to see what she remembers, what she liked, what she didn't like, leading to what the other kids had...for some reason this conversation pleases me. Yesterday was no exception.

I asked what kind of veggies she had, and she answered correctly that she had had red peppers. Then we went on to the fruit, which was strawberries & blueberries. She was pretty excited about that, telling me that blueberries were her favorite fruit. So I asked what her favorite vegetable is, and she enthusiastically yelled, "Fruit!"

I can see her logic there, and it's too cute. Fruit is also my favorite vegetable.



2. Speaking of fruit, when I got groceries earlier this week, the kid at the checkout held up a bag holding a single item, looked for the code-sticker, and - not finding one - declared, "I don't know what sort of plant this is." He looked at me for help, and I slowly said, "It's an apple." I'm just hoping he was joking.




3. Mia's developed a new language - we'll call it Mia Latin - and it sounds like this:


Mom-tee, is Laur-ten cry-ting?
Yes, Mi-ta.
Laur-ten, it's Ot-kay. Mi-ta's right he-tere.


I'm starting to wonder if she has a twin somewhere that she's coking with.




4. When I woke up this morning, the birds were singing a beautiful song. I believe it's called, 'Spring, quit being such a tease, come and stay for a while.' Even though that song doesn't rhyme. Birds are allowed to do that, y'know.




5. Last weekend, Justin got me the Twilight soundtrack for Valentine's Day. (Thanks babe, for fueling my addiction...) We've been listening to it pretty much non-stop whenever we're in the car, so Mia's starting to recognize the songs. Her favorite song, by far...the one she requests at the beginning of every car-ride, the one she tries to sing to herself, the one I have no IDEA what the man is singing about...is Muse's Supermassive Black Hole. My girl has good taste.


6. Lauren (forgive me for thinking Laur-ten) has a new favorite pastime. She goes gaga for pictures of Mia and herself. When we walk into the living room, she's started lunging towards the wall that has their pictures displayed, ooohing and babbling for all she's worth. When I point and name the pictures, that's even better. She looks at my mouth, waiting for the magic word, "Mia" or "sissy" before squealing with delight.


7. I'm starting to realize that Lauren's 1 year birthday is just around the corner. 5 weeks away. That seems close, considering the road we've traveled so far. I swear, her first year has flown by faster than any year I've ever been a part of. So...party planning for a one-year-old. This is my conundrum:

What one-year old needs a huge party? What one-year old will actually enjoy one? I think the main reason we have parties at this age is for the parents' sake. Knowing that, I don't want to go over the top with themes and decorations, but I want it to be worthy of celebrating her wonderful birth. (It really was wonderful!)

However, there's really no way to have a small party when my family is involved. We're...sprawling. We take up lots of space, create lots of noise, consume lots of cake and ice cream. So, Lauren is destined to have a big-ol' party, and I'm destined to over-think the thing. What theme? What location? What invitations? I should've started a month ago.


See more Quick Takes at Jen's!

Am I Judgemental, Or Merely Naive?

It's not my habit to make less than 2 trips a week to a grocery store. Usually it's more like 3. I know it's wasteful of my time, money, and sanity, but I always always forget something the first time around.

This morning I headed back to the store for a few things I'd forgotten on Tuesday. Deodorant, razor blades, baby cereal (donuts). Just some necessary things that couldn't wait until the next big trip.

I remembered while I was there that I needed to get a birthday present, so I headed over to the toy section to have a look. There was a young couple there, pushing a cart with a baby's car-seat balanced on top. I might not have noticed them, but they were taking up most of the aisle and not moving out of my path when I got close enough. I just turned around and went the other way, hoping to find a toy in a different aisle.

When I came back to that first aisle, they were still there - and I noticed the mom quickly shoving something in her diaper bag. The dad was talking loudly to the baby, playing and making lots of noise. This time as I tried to pass them, they scooted away.

Maybe it was just my overactive imagination seeing something dramatic, but it looked like they had stolen a toy. The dad seemed like he was creating a distraction. The mom seemed very quiet and sneaky. The pair of them looked pretty downtrodden: sloppy and dirty. I started thinking that poor child, growing up with parents who'd steal, don't they know that she'd rather have responsible, loving parents than a shoplifted toy? However, since I couldn't be sure of what I'd seen (and I wouldn't have known what to do even if I was sure) I stopped my judgemental train of thoughts. Just because they looked like they couldn't afford a toy, didn't mean they were stealing it. Shame on me, I thought, for passing judgement.

I finished gathering my items and headed to the checkout, making small talk with a little old lady who gushed over Lauren's smile. I'd completely forgotten about the episode in the toy section. As I walked towards the exit, that same couple was coming through an empty checkout lane, having purchased nothing, with nothing in their cart but the baby's car seat and diaper bag.

I started thinking about how suspicious that looked, and wondered if my original assessment had been correct. They slowly made their way along-side and slightly behind me, joining me and several other customers heading for the exit.

When I walked through the security detectors at the doorway with the couple just beside me, the alarms started going off. The store greeter rushed over to stop me. I had walked through the door barely ahead of the other shopping cart, so it looked like I had tripped the alarm.

My face was burning as the other customers eyed me, and I met the gaze of the mom with the diaper bag. I quickly looked down, trying not to look accusatory.

It was no big deal, the security guard/greeter looking through my things, and I didn't say anything about what I thought had happened. Would you have? Not knowing for sure what you had seen? Even now, I doubt myself. Something inside tells me not to borrow trouble or throw stones in a glass house or jump to conclusions.

It's not like stealing a small toy is a huge deal, I know, but it makes me sad that it might've happened under my watch. It makes me feel used. Like I was in on the plan, and they're sitting somewhere laughing at the skinny girl with the red face who was their scapegoat.

What would you have done? Said something in the toy section? Told an employee about the possibility of a theft? Told the greeter to check the other cart instead? And if it turned out that you were wrong, how awful would you have felt? Worse than knowing a toy was stolen with your help?

What should I have done?

I Could Totally Homeschool

Mia: Look, mama, I'm digging!

Me: You sure are! Good digging!

Mia: I digged a hole, mama!

Me: You dug a hole.

Mia: No, I digged it.

Me: Dig is something you do, dug is something you did.

Mia: ...[thinking]...I dugged a hole.

Not For Lack of Trying

I love, love taking pictures of Our Heavenly Life. If the light is shining perfectly through the windows, or we're taking advantage of a beautiful day outside, I always make sure to snap a few photos. Problem is, I have no idea what I'm doing.


My camera is a digital point and shoot, and I had fun one day messing around with the aperture settings, ISO, and other things I'm generally clueless about. But I think I messed up some of the normal settings so badly that they're way out of whack now. Unfocused and discolored. For example:






I usually try to at least turn the flash off, when possible. But this sometimes results in a blurry picture if the subject isn't staying completely still, without budging. Babies are prone to budge. Like this:





But, at least I have hundreds and hundreds of baby pictures. Pictures that can't go in a scrapbook (assuming I ever take the time to make one) because they're just awful to look at. Pictures that I can't bear to throw away in the interest of saving myself from clutter, because they capture things like this:




And how could I dispose of that?

On Desserts and Egos

This weekend, among my other big plans, I had a special dessert I wanted to take to my parent's house for dinner. I found a recipe for Chocolate Bowls at Stephanie's Kitchen; they looked so fun and simple that I decided to give 'em a go.

The oh-so-easy instructions are to dip an inflated balloon into melted chocolate, and let the chocolate dry until it's firm again. Then the balloon is popped, leaving a cute little bowl waiting to be filled with goodies.

So easy.

I kept my dessert plans a secret from Justin. I was sure he would be astounded by my confectionery abilities, thus rendering him so in love with me as to be my house-slave for hours, maybe even days.

However, I needed his help blowing up the balloons, so I think he was a bit concerned about what I was "cooking." I had gotten the smallest balloons I could find: water balloons. They were next to impossible to blow up, and he nearly burst a blood vessel trying to inflate 8 of them for me.

When I got the chocolate melted, I proudly proceeded to dip one tiny balloon into the bowl - employing my most delicate touch in order to ensure an even coating. As soon as the rubber met the chocolate road, so to speak, that hateful little balloon popped.

I was so intent on being careful, that my torso was tensed in anticipation, so the 'pop' scared the bejeezus out of me. I stood open-mouthed and incredulous. This had to have been a fluke. Stephanie's balloons hadn't popped, so I'd just try again.

Three more tiny balloons popped, all in a row.

My grand scheme was over. Instead of looking at me with worshipping eyes, Justin unsuccessfully tried to hold back his laughter. He sweetly suggested that water balloons were the wrong medium to use in this particular project.

I guess Stephanie's recipe didn't take into account that cooking geniuses like me wouldn't consider water balloons as being too thin to work right. I'm convinced that, had I used them, bigger balloons would have worked beautifully.

So, after days of anticipation, I was left with a bowl of melted chocolate and a deflated ego. I scrounged in the fridge, and found some old strawberries to dip in the chocolate instead. The berries were perfectly ripe and beautiful - the perfect Valentine's Day dessert. I had planned on making strawberry cheesecake balls to fill the chocolate bowls with, so I dipped a few of those too. All in all, it worked out fine.

But those bowls...They would have been awesome. I'm sure I would have skyrocketed to the position of "Best Wife/Dessert-Maker Ever" when everyone saw my lovely creation.

It's probably for the best. That award is very prestigious, I hear - I don't know that I could keep up the facade for long.

The Cold, Hard Truth

Me: Hey babe, what do you want to do this afternoon? Do you have any plans?

Him: Let's just hang out here today. I don't feel like going anywhere.

Me: 'Kay. Then would it be OK if we do some heavy-duty house-cleaning? You can watch the girls while I vacuum, then we can dust, and...

Him: (mouth open in horror)

Me: Do you want to wash some dishes, or fold laundry, or...?

Him: I kinda wanna go to your mom's house.

Valentine Was A Saint, Right?

What is it about holidays that invites kids to behave badly?



While Valentine's Day is not a major holiday at our house, I woke up yesterday with a sense of happiness and eagerness for the day to begin. I had plans for some fun desserts to take to my mom's house (more on that later), sweet little gifts for the girls, some goodies for Justin, and hopes for a joyful day.



I got Mia's breakfast table set up with all the cards she had gotten from Aunts and Grandmas over the past week, along with the little stuffed animal and fruit snacks I got her for a gift. I thought - since it was a special day - she could be allowed fruit snacks after breakfast as a treat. We almost never have these in the house, so she was ecstatic.



As the day went on, the special treatment continued. Justin and I were both fairly lazy...letting Mia watch TV and movies much more than we usually do. She continued to get her way, almost with everything she asked, because it was Valentines Day! A day to show love! By the time lunch rolled around, Mia was on top of the world...with mommy and daddy firmly wrapped around her little finger.



Only then did I remember what I had forgotten about 'special' days: When given a few inches of special treatment on a holiday, Mia will gladly take a mile.



She started throwing fits when she didn't get to have her way. Lunch was a nightmare, with her frowning and speaking rudely whenever we encouraged her to eat. Her behavior wasn't a total disaster, but any time we dared to tell her 'no,' it wasn't pretty. She got several time-outs and when the day was finally over, Justin and I both felt like we'd been through the ringer.


After all, we reasoned, she is three years old. A three year old usually isn't so hard to reason with...she should know better by now. Right?


But that's where we got off track, I think.


We should have been remembering that while she is three years old now, she's still got a toddler's relatively unreasonable mind. I shouldn't have woken up with some illusory vision of a magical day, just because it was a holiday. Mia doesn't know the difference between one day and the next, usually, so I shouldn't have placed such high expectations on her little shoulders. (It was only Valentine's Day, for the love of pity, why should it be that much different from most other days?) I shouldn't have expected her to know that one treat doesn't lead to all treats.

This is a lesson she's still learning. And yesterday, while not the most perfect day as far as behavior went, was a wonderful opportunity for her to learn. Because she is still a baby in some ways, she can't remember far enough back to all the holidays she's been through. But because she's growing up so quickly, she'll start remembering now.

I should start remembering too, and not let the day get so out of hand just because I'm expecting a tiny girl to live up to my idea of the perfect holiday. She'll be the same girl on Valentine's Day as she is on any normal Saturday in February. I need to appreciate her for what she is - a precious gift needing our guidance every day, with no time off for holidays. A sweet girl who doesn't ever expect me to be anything other than myself.

Unless I start forking over the sweets...then all bets are off.

7 Quick Takes Friday, #2

1. This is how I know I'm getting old: I've been listening to the local classical music and NPR station. I've found that piano pieces or those with a handful of string instruments are my favorite. I've also found that I am ignorant of most world events. Good Morning America is getting a run for it's money with NPR.


2. Yesterday at Mia's preschool, they had a Valentine's Day party for the kids. All week, I had in my mind that Mia and I would sit down and sign her little valentine's, packing baggies with candy and cards. That was my intention: to let her help so she'd know what was going on, and have some fun with it. Wednesday night came around and I thought, OK, tomorrow we'll do her valentine's. Only, it was too late, we needed them the next morning. So I sat up late Wednesday night assembling heart-ed bags for kids who surely didn't need the sweets I was packing up.

When we got home after the party, I raided her big goodie bag to...ahem...pare it down a bit. Three year-old's don't need quite so much sugar, right? I appropriated a Kit-Kat and a Fruit Roll-Up. Surely she wouldn't even like those. When I opened the Kit-Kat, it had words printed on it (a la conversation hearts) that said "Keep It Real."

Wha..? Kids need to be reminded to keep it real? As opposed to...

I just don't understand. Be mine, sure. True Love, whatever. Keep It Real? This just seems too grown up and a little sad. Up until the point some kids see this, they may not even know that they had the option of lying or faking aspects of themselves.

I s'pose I'm reading a little too much into this. Never mind me. Just another way I seem to be getting old.


3. This week I started re-reading Twilight. I just can't help myself. I'm out of books right now (besides Middlemarch, which, to be honest, I don't have the brain capacity for at the moment.) and Twilight was just sitting on the shelf, staring me down. I'm not so enthralled with it this time, so I'm going slower and noticing some different things that passed me by before. It's definitely not the most beautifully written book (those who can't - critique, right?), but it still has some kind of wonderful emotion built into it. I still feel the attachment between the characters, and get nervous or excited for them as the mood changes. In other words, I'm really liking it again, just when I thought I had it out of my system. What is it about these dang books?


4. On the subject of books, I just finished reading The Reader, by Bernhard Schlink. It was...spare. But good. I love books like this that are very real...not sugarcoated or fancied up for the sake of entertainment. (I know, I know, I just got done saying how much I love Twilight. But I'm multi-dimensional.) I like being slightly disturbed by a book, and The Reader did that for me. It made me think. Always a good thing.


5. This week has been a rough one for Lauren's naps. Since she's learned how to pull herself up quickly and efficiently, it's almost like she has no control over doing it. Her body just rolls over and pulls up without her even deciding to do it. So laying her down for a nap is an exercise in futility. The plus side to this, is that she's been tired enough the past few nights to be nursed asleep by 6:30. Woo hoo! 12 hours of sleep later...we begin anew.


6. This morning after Mia finished her breakfast, I had her settled down with some pears and a coloring activity while I ate my cereal for breakfast. She came over to see if she might want whatever was in my bowl, and decided that, yes, mama's cereal was exactly the special snack for Mia. She crawled on my lap and cuddled with me, giving me her best 'big blue eyes under long lashes' look, while she silently begged for a bite. I let her have a tiny bite, and she stayed put on my lap until the bowl was empty. Bite after bite, she begged. She flirted and prissed, hoping each next bite would be hers.

The object of her affection? All Bran.

The girl won't eat mashed potatoes, white bread, or cheese - but All Bran? She loves it.


7. Our Valentine's Day plans are to eat a dinner lovingly prepared by...my mom. I hate the idea of going to a busy restaurant just because of V-day. We don't go out to eat much anyway, but if we do, I hate waiting or having slow service because of the crowd. Maybe later next week, we'll have a date night to make up for it, but really I don't mind.

I'd much rather spend the evening with my entire family. I'm more interested in making Valentine's day (Mia says: Valentime's) a fun day for the girls; Justin and I leaving them with a sitter while they sleep doesn't accomplish that! So, to mom's house we go, where dinner will be delicious...and free! I'll take a fancy dessert to make up for it. And because dessert is my favorite part of most meals.

Here's hoping you have a happy, crowd-free, dessert-filled Valentine's Day!

Take a look at Jen's blog for more quick takes.

My New Favorite Celebrity

This morning as I was going about my daily routine, this story came on the news and absolutely captivated me. It's about Salma Hayek and her trip to Sierra Leone, where she breastfed a 1-week old African baby.


Apparently, Sierra Leone has an infant mortality rate of 1 in 4. 25% of babies will not survive beyond childhood, in part, the story says, because of breastfeeding being taboo in that country. The men encourage their wives not to breastfeed, because in their culture it isn't accepted to have sex with a breastfeeding woman. So the babies suffer - starving in some cases - when their mothers' milk dries up. The mother of the baby being breastfed by Salma Hayek had no milk supply left. Though the report doesn't indicate why that particular mother didn't have milk, we are led to believe that it's due to her simply not nursing the baby.


I was in tears as I watched the story, so proud that someone had the means to offer life-giving breastmilk as well as life-saving influence. At least I hope her influence was meaningful to those in Sierra Leone who are ruled by the mistaken belief in unhealthy traditions. We can't know for sure whether or not the people she was trying to help thought of her as progressive, eccentric, or just backward.

I was also touched by this story, because at the very moment I was holding back tears, I was pumping to donate my own milk to The National Milk Bank. I decided about 7 months ago that I'd like to be able to help support the lives of babies that may not have breastmilk available to them. The organization I chose provides donated milk (safety-tested and pasteurized) to premature and NICU babies whose mothers aren't able to provide milk on their own. Breastmilk is important for all babies, but for Preemies, the research has shown that it's just the most beneficial form of nourishment for helping them get better, faster.


To know that I'm playing some part in helping babies that I will never get to know or see - well, that's pretty amazing. But to think that someone was able to actually hold the child she was giving of herself to...it's touching beyond compare. I have such a special attachment to breastfeeding my own babies (I consider myself one of the lucky ones to have had such an easy and fulfilling nursing experience) that I can't help but admire Salma Hayek for stepping up to do this. I have to admit, I'm a little jealous that I can't do the same. To see a baby in need...and have exactly the right thing at that place and time...how wonderful that must have been for her.


And then I think, wait a minute...that's just what happens here in my house, several times a day. A baby is fed and nourished in a way that has been practiced since the beginning of human existence. And we get to be a part of that. How wonderful that must be for us.

Shameless Bragging

I have absolutely beautiful daughters. Mia's blue eyes stun me.




Lauren's tiny rosebud mouth makes me swoon.




I told Mia to "smile pretty!" and this is what she came up with. Adorable.




Lauren was so enjoying standing up in her crib (a new accomplishment) that Mia smothered her with kisses. Together, they are too adorable for words. Unless those words are: perfect, precious, delightful, beautiful, dazzling, mesmerizing, gorgeous.

Really, there are too many words. I can't choose the right single word to say how sweet those girls are.

So Funny...

Head over to Becky's blog, and watch the video of David after his visit to the dentist.

I swear, I was laughing so hard I cried. He's the cutest thing, and you'll love it. Thanks for posting it Becky!

Have a wonderful day, all!

Smells Like Toddler Spirit

I believe...(fingers crossed) Mia is better. Her fever (knock on wood) is completely gone, and she's eating real! food! After 5 days of a feverish girl, all of us are ready for it to be over.

I may be ready for an unusual reason, though. Yes, I want her to be comfortable and safe from harm. Yes, I'm glad she's no longer whining around the clock, and we got a full night's sleep last night. Yes, I'm happy that we can leave the house if we want to, and her body isn't subsisting on a diet of Tylenol + Motrin.

Mostly, though, I'm excited that Mia smells right again. I'm so attached to the scent of my babies, that even the slightest changes throw me way off.

When Lauren was born, we ran out of Mia's usual soap, and weren't willing to run to the store because of the new baby. We ended up using some flowery stuff that smelled really great...but after about 3 days, I had a slight break-down. She didn't smell right. With all the changes our household was undergoing due to Lauren's arrival, I just couldn't go without the scent of Mia's head to get me through the long days. When I started crying about it to Justin (who has a healthy respect for postpartum hormones) he made sure we switched back to the right soap before I lost it completely.

After Mia's been playing outside, she smells like fresh air and sunshine and all that, but I can't wait to give her a bath so her normal scent will be more noticeable. I sniff my girls' heads every time I'm close enough to do so. It's an awful thing when my nose is stuffy from a cold and I can't get my fix.

So for the past several days, Mia has smelled...hot. Sweaty. Medicinal. Woe was me.

This is how I know that Mia is really better today (Please, Lord please.). When she woke up this morning, her head smelled exactly right.

I've been all over her like white on rice today.

Who knows what'll happen when she's old enough to choose her own shampoos and perfumes. I may go into a deep pit of despair. But for now, I shall breathe deeply of her head, and fear not.

Night of The Waking Babies

I have been getting entirely too little sleep lately.



When I used to give Lauren one last feeding late at night, I'd stay up until then, getting myself to bed around 11:00 or later. I rejoiced when it came time to cut out that feeding, knowing that I was reaching the end of my sleepy rope. I promised to put myself to bed by 10 PM, hoping for 9:00 some nights.


But, it appears that I have gotten used to the 11:00 bedtime. 10:00 rolls around, and I'm reading just one more page, commenting on one more blog, having one more snack, washing a few more dishes (pfft...). I'm so enjoying my quiet adult time, that I can't bring myself to cut it short. So I go to bed, not even being terribly tired most nights.


Then in the morning. Oh, in the morning - I feel dazed and cranky. Desperate for a few more minutes of precious sleep. Wondering how long the baby will talk happily to herself before she demands to get out of bed.


Knowing how I feel after a too-late night, I always resolve to get to bed earlier the next night.


Last night was one of the nights that I actually succeeded in reaching my goal. I was ready and snuggled in bed by 10:30, not too much earlier than usual, but every minute counts as far as I'm concerned. It didn't hurt that there's not a single show on Friday nights that I'm interested in watching lately. (Or that we don't go out much. Lame - but satisfying.) I think I was asleep by the time my head hit the pillow.


Cut to 2:30 AM...Lauren's crying, only for a few minutes, but enough to get me completely awake. I wander out to turn off the kitchen light Justin left on after he fell asleep on the couch (he likes to mix it up a bit). I fall back asleep 20 minutes or so later.


3:00 AM...Mia's crying, her fever is back with a vengeance, and she's burning up. I get her some Tylenol and water, and hope for the best.


3:15 AM...Mia's crying, I bring her in bed with me where she puts her hot hands all over my cool arms, hands, tummy, and face. No sleep for either of us.


4:00 AM...The Tylenol has kicked in and Mia's starting to cool down...she wants to talk and roll all over creation (as in, all over mama). I put her back in her own bed, where she falls asleep quickly. I, however, am awake, thinking about how hungry I am.


4:30 AM...I just drift off for a few minutes when Lauren starts crying again, this time without calming down quickly. I go check on her, fix her blankets, and come back to bed. Lauren starts talking and playing in her dark room. I cannot sleep when she's babbling so.


5:30 AM...Lauren finally goes back to sleep. So do I.


7:00 AM...Both girls awaken simultaneously, as if they had conspired against me. The day begins.


So, it all works out to me getting about three hours less sleep than I would have gotten on a normal night. Operation: early bedtime for mama...failed.


Join us next time, when I try to wake Justin from the couch. It ain't pretty.

7 Quick Takes Friday

1. Mia is better today: Her fever hasn't gotten above 101 yet. When the medicine kicks in, she's acting happy and healthy, but when it wears off? Watch out - because if her temperature creeps up over 100, she's a writhing mess. Poor thing.


2. We ran to the store this morning to grab a few necessaries, and I had Lauren wear a new pair of pale pink suede shoes. When we got there and I opened her car door, she tossed one of the soft and weightless shoes out into the 30 mph gusting wind. As I chased it across a few parking spaces, my shirt billowed up around my chest. I had to make the decision of either grabbing the shoe before it flew further, or putting my shirt down so the people in the Jeep Liberty across from me wouldn't see that my pants are far too low and my tummy is far too white (among other things). I chose the latter, and had to run even further for the shoe. When I finally got it back, it was stained with dirty parking-lot scum. Sigh.


3. This morning in the shower, I was so tired and distracted that I lathered up some face wash in my palms, and applied it directly to my just-washed hair.


4. Lauren has been trying to crawl on her hands and knees for the past few days! Instead of her usual army crawl, she actually sticks her little rear in the air, and pulls up until her belly's off the floor. She's only made it a few 'steps' at each try, but she looks excited about it, and it's adorable to see her rocking and dancing when she's so happy with this new talent.


5. Remember when I was so excited for Lauren to start army crawling? You know, so she'd not get so frustrated about being immobile? So she'd have some independence and not need someone to entertain her all the time? Ha. Ha. Now that she can reach me on her own, she just pulls herself over to my feet and scratches at my toes...crying until I pick her up, give her my fingers, and let her walk. The girl is desperate to walk. Almost as soon as she could scoot around with her own power, she was already bored with it. Walking, though, that's the ticket. If only she could walk...then I'll be complaining of her wanting to climb...


6. I need to dust this house like a dog needs to howl at midnight sirens. Straightening is my thing when it comes to housecleaning - I'm no good at actual deep cleaning. Spring is just around the corner, though, so I'd love to dedicate a whole weekend to some serious cleaning and de-cluttering. Cobweb hunting, lampshade dusting, refrigerator scrubbing, baseboard wiping cleaning. Who's with me? As in, who will help me?!


7. I'm very proud of my husband this week for working so hard to teach part of an RCIA class. He put a lot of thought and effort into his topic (Communion of Saints) and I know it meant the world to him to be able to serve in this way. As a bonus, he even got some compliments from some of the students, saying how much they enjoyed his class. Well done, babe. Well done.


Have a nice weekend!


Visit Jen for more Quick Takes.

More Sick Days

Do you ever wonder what parents did back in the old days when their kiddos had a fever? I'm wondering this now because Mia has had a fever of near 104 for about 24 hours now. I'm sure it went down during her sleep last night, but each time I checked her, she was just burning up. And earlier, it was closer to 105.

This morning, I've mostly watched her eyes go from hazy and sleepy, to sad and frustrated. I don't know what's wrong; other than a fever, she appears fit as a fiddle. If I didn't have fever-reducing medicine, this could be really bad.

Kids seem so hearty and strong, running crazy all day and looking the picture of health...until some random bug hits and you realize just how fragile they are. How fragile we all are, really.

So, back in pre-medicine days, what did people use to get through times like these? What herbs or other remedies would they have looked to when their kids were in awful shape, and they were desperate for something to help them?

I usually don't panic in sick situations. I have some sort of default in my mind that always assumes everything will be OK. And I wonder if, a few hundred years ago, that wouldn't have been the case. Because now when I look in Mia's eyes, and see their drifting focus, I can't imagine not having simple medicine her for her. I would definitely be panicking.

It Was Good While It Lasted

One of my very favorite new year's resolutions has come to an end. Justin and I promised to clean the kitchen together every night after the girls were in bed, and all I can say is: not so much.

We did really well for about 2 weeks. Isn't this the normal life-span for a resolution?

It's gotten hard to stick with it because Justin's got so much going on lately on weeknights. He's taking classes for his Master's degree, helping with RCIA classes, and going to the gym, so he gets all these good reasons to not clean the kitchen.

Pathetic excuses, right? No, I can't blame him (the wiseguy). He actually has important things he's trying to accomplish with his time right now.

Whereas I can't gather the willpower to do it by myself instead of sitting down to watch The Bachelor or read some blogs. When the girls are finally in bed, my time is spent being still and accomplishing next to nothing. So, it's back to cleaning in the afternoons before I make dinner.

Now, is it my imagination, or was I complaining not too long ago about making enough time in my day for more meaningful play with the kids?

I suppose I could revise this kitchen cleaning thing into more of a resolution for myself, and count on Justin's help on the nights he is free. That means I have to get off my tush, using my own motivation.

When Justin helps, it's just so much more fun. I'm sure if I tell him that, with a sweet little look on my sweet little face, he'll quit that Graduate Program any day now.

Wanted: Padded Nursing Bra

Last night at dinner, Mia was discussing her taste in milk. She talked about how much she loves chocolate milk, and that 'regular' milk is "too yucky." She wanted to know what Lauren's preferences were, and the conversation took a turn for the worse.

Mia: "Can Lauren have a drink of my chocolate milk, mama?"

Me: "Umm, no babe, she can't have big girl milk yet, she just gets her milk from mama."

Mia: "She can have your chocolate milk?"

Me: "No, I meant, she's only allowed to have milk from my body."

Mia: "She drinks milk from you...(pointing to my chest) from your little things?"

Me: "Yup. That's right." (Trying not to laugh.) (Or cry.)

We never really talk about breastfeeding, but it's something that's been going on for quite some time now, and Mia just accepts it as a normal part of the day.

But...I wanted to scream, "LITTLE things! LITTLE! Honey, they are at their absolute best right now! When I'm nursing...that's the best I've got! Ya gotta give me more credit than little things."

Don't you love the blunt honesty of kids?

Don't you?

Wonder why you're still tired in the morning?

This video is awesome...so creative....hope you like it as much as I did!

Don't you love it when...

...you forget to unload a single bag of groceries in your bustle to get the kids in the house, and that single bag contains the blessed mint chocolate chip ice cream that you don't remember until 7 hours later?

Yeah, me too.

To Play, Or Not To Play

We had such a fun visitor today! I watched my friend Katie's daughter Savannah for a couple of hours, and she was a delight to play with. She and Lauren hit it off right away - being about the same height, I guess they had a lot to discuss. Lauren watched in awe as Savannah walked wherever she wanted to, with no help. I'm betting Savannah is her new hero.

Mia was already down for a nap when Savannah got here, and Lauren took a nap after getting to play for about half an hour, so I got to have Savannah all to myself for quite a while. I put everything else aside to play with someone else's child, and I wondered, why don't I do this with Lauren and Mia? I wander from task to task, playing in small bursts, and trying not to disappoint them with my busy-ness.

There are some days where I wonder if I'm giving my time fully enough to my kids. I am here all day with them, yes, but cooking, cleaning, bill paying, laundry, menu planning, and so on....these things take up so much of my time. And now I've added blogging to the list. I shudder to think of how hard it would be for me to be a mom with a career outside the home.

Should I strive to do those things while the girls are sleeping, and spend all of my day playing and teaching (and should I be doing a better job teaching)? Should I do those household tasks only when they are otherwise occupied? Or should I just do them whenever I get a chance throughout the day, accepting that my daughters will learn to entertain themselves during those times?

I think of motherhood as my vocation, my chosen path. That leaves me to wonder why there is any question of how my priorities should be weighed. Obviously, the kids come first - but how can I reconcile that with a house that's in constant need of straightening and other important parts of life that must be accommodated? On top of those mundane ways in which a household must be run, I know I should be taking time out for prayer and maintaining my relationship with God. How can I incorporate more spiritual upkeep time into my day, while keeping up with normal duties?

The way I've been approaching it is this: an organized day and house will help my children grow while helping me to be the mother I need to be. And most certainly, prayer will give me the strength and peace I need to get through my day. All the while, I'm wondering if I'm really doing all that I could be doing as a wife and mother.