We were packing this weekend (pictures to come...) and we had some GREAT friends come and help us -- Brad, Scott, Brian, my brother, father, father-in-law -- they packed a POD tighter than I could ever imagine!! My mom, mother-in-law, sister-in-law and Michelle helped pack boxes and keep me on track. Alana & Alexa took the little ones (my daughter and nephew) to the park and kept them occupied while the adults were packing and moving. Nothing like some bags of fruit snacks (okay, like 3 bags each) and some bubbles to keep the little ones out of our way!
So, it was officially exhausting to pack our whole house up and into a large box. We are now living on the floor, eating off of paper plates and using plastic silverware and eating out of the cereal box!! We have 4 more days like this, then it's off to the babysitter's house!!! We will just be happy to relax a little once this move is done.
I also now have no internet -- my husband, for some ungoddly reason -- disconnected my internet! My only solice in the days ahead of living on the floor and eating off the coffee table, and he took that away from me!! I am right now, 'stealing' some internet from our church office -- well, just really borrowing it for the time being.
I will be taking a break for a while, at least for a couple of weeks. I have lots of GREAT pictures that I would like to share, but you'll have to wait for those. When I return, I will catch up blog-reading and photo-posting. I have LOTS of exciting things to talk about when I return -- like winning a blogging award from my new internet friend, Corey and other random excitment.....but, you'll have to wait a little while for all of that!!
PLEASE STAY TUNED......
Monday, September 24, 2007
The "Invisible" Mother
I received this as an email about a week ago, and then again today -- It is so good, that I wanted to post it and share with all of you out there in the internet!
A Mothers story “I'm invisible”
It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of
response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room
while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store.
Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see Im on the phone?"
Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or
cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my
head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm
invisible.
Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you
fix this?
Can you tie this? Can you open this?
Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human
being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a
satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney
Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please."
I was certain that these were the hands that once held
books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that
graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared
into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. Shes
going, she's going, and shes gone!
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating
the return of a friend from England . Janice had just
gotten back from a fabulous trip and she was going on and
on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there,
looking around at the others all put together so well. It
was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I
looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only
thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was
pulled up in a hair clip and I was afraid I could actually
smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic,
when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped
package, and said, "I brought you this." It was a book on
the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasnt exactly sure why
she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To
Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you
are building when no one sees."
In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book.
And I would discover what would become for me, four
life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no
record of their names. These builders gave their whole
lives for a work they would never see finished. They made
great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of
their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of
God saw everything.
A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came
to visit the cathedral while it was being built and he saw
a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He
was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so
much time carving that bird into a beam that will be
covered by the roof? No one will ever see it." And the
workman replied, "Because God sees."
I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into
place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me,
"I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every
day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness
you've done, no sequin youve sewn on, no cupcake you've
baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You
are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right
now what it will become."
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it
is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure
for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the
antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.
I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great
builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that
they will never see finished, to work on something that
their name will never be on. The writer of the book went
so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in
our lifetime because there are so few people willing to
sacrifice to that degree.
When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell
the friend he's bringing home from college for
Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and
bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for
three hours and presses all the linens for the table."
That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to
myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if
there is anything more to say to his friend, to add,
You're gonna love it there."
As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be
seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very
possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we
have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the
world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
A Mothers story “I'm invisible”
It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of
response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room
while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store.
Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see Im on the phone?"
Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or
cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my
head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm
invisible.
Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you
fix this?
Can you tie this? Can you open this?
Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human
being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a
satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney
Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please."
I was certain that these were the hands that once held
books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that
graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared
into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. Shes
going, she's going, and shes gone!
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating
the return of a friend from England . Janice had just
gotten back from a fabulous trip and she was going on and
on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there,
looking around at the others all put together so well. It
was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I
looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only
thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was
pulled up in a hair clip and I was afraid I could actually
smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic,
when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped
package, and said, "I brought you this." It was a book on
the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasnt exactly sure why
she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To
Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you
are building when no one sees."
In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book.
And I would discover what would become for me, four
life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no
record of their names. These builders gave their whole
lives for a work they would never see finished. They made
great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of
their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of
God saw everything.
A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came
to visit the cathedral while it was being built and he saw
a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He
was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so
much time carving that bird into a beam that will be
covered by the roof? No one will ever see it." And the
workman replied, "Because God sees."
I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into
place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me,
"I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every
day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness
you've done, no sequin youve sewn on, no cupcake you've
baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You
are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right
now what it will become."
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it
is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure
for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the
antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.
I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great
builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that
they will never see finished, to work on something that
their name will never be on. The writer of the book went
so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in
our lifetime because there are so few people willing to
sacrifice to that degree.
When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell
the friend he's bringing home from college for
Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and
bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for
three hours and presses all the linens for the table."
That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to
myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if
there is anything more to say to his friend, to add,
You're gonna love it there."
As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be
seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very
possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we
have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the
world by the sacrifices of invisible women.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Our Little Princess
This is about as close to 'princess' as you will get at our house these days. We have never really been the 'girly' kind here -- no bows or clips in the hair, haven't painted the little nails yet, don't wear that many dresses or frilly clothes. Maybe that's because I was pretty much tomboy-ish growing up and I feel the most comfortable in a nice pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt (YEAH for Fall!!). But, at the babysitter's this week, they made a princess crown and painted a 'magic wand' -- just like Princess Presto with spelling power! (from SuperWhy -- our new favorite PBS kid's show!).So, here you all go -- a little princess in our midst.
(P.S. more packing stories and photos to follow -- sorry, I've been SO EXHAUSTED with packing boxes, figuring out what to take with us for 3 weeks at the babysitters and then what to pack in storage -- it's VERY draining!)
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Sunday, September 16, 2007
"De-Bratting" our Children
I came across several parenting posts on discipling children. Check out this post at Multi-Tasking Moms and this post today on Slacker-moms-r-us....WOW! She spoke my words exactly!!! I have seen too many children signed up for park district classes, preschool programs, swim lessons, traveling soccer and cheer-leading classes -- all at the same time and they are only 5 years old!!! Children these days don't know what the word 'no' means and they are handed way too many things without working for them or earning them. They also don't know how to be bored or have quiet time where they need to entertain themselves.
Now, don't get me wrong, we do buy our daughter cute clothes, but I REFUSE to buy children's clothes at name-brand stores. I shop the clearance rack at Target, garage sales and we LOVE hand-me-downs. It's not that we can't afford to buy name-brand clothing, it's that we choose to spend our money on other things. (and I REFUSE to get wrapped up on "keeping up with the Jones' mentality)
My husband and I both agree that our daughter will probably not like us very much when she asks to have "such-and-such like so-and-so" and we tell her, "no" or "you can buy that with your own money if you'd like". We have also committed to allowing her in only 1 activity at a time -- right now it's parent/tot swimming classes on Saturday mornings.
It's tough being a parent, not because of anything that is out of our control -- it's actually all within our control -- what she watches on TV, what she hears come out of our mouths, what we bring into the house, what we choose to spend our money on and what we choose to partake in as a family.
So, let's all start "de-bratting" our off-spring and change the generation of children we are raising! It can start with me and you...
One of the comments by Beck to this post was VERY good....So, I wanted to update this post and include her comment -- GREAT point!
**I think what actually spoils a child is too much getting of their own way, too high of a self-regard and a certain kind of parental neglect. Add it all up and it spells BRAT.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Our Moving Story...(continues)
If you've following our life for the past couple of months, you know that we've had our townhouse on the market for ~5 months and we just sold to a couple from Florida, who are moving up here at the end of this month. We have a house on a contingency (that was to expire on Sept. 17th, BUT we sold our house in time to buy that house!!) and now under contract to purchase. Originally, the owner of that house agreed to sell and move by the end of the month -- so, easy transition, right?
WRONG! The owner of our 'new' house now can't move out until the middle of October. The new owers of our house HAVE to move in by the end of this month...so, that leaves us homeless for ~1 month!! But, in this housing market, you do whatever it takes to sell your house, right?
So, we've been contimplating what to do -- rent for a month, go on vacation for a month (my vote is here!) or ask friends to move in with them......
Well, our babysitting family (I will call them babysitting family -- but, they are/were friends of ours first before the mother started babysitting/providing daycare for our daughter) offered an extra couple of rooms at their house for us to stay with them. So, that's what we're doing -- WE'RE MOVING IN WITH THE BABYSITTER!
The kids are going to have SO much fun, I just know it. Our daughter won't know what happened -- going from mom, dad and a cat to having 2 brothers, a sister and a Miss Karen and Mister Scott all under one roof!
I am nervous, only because it kind of reminds me of college days -- having roommates and whatnot. We all do things differently, I'm sure. What about laundry? Cleaning? Cooking? Yeah, cooking -- I am NOT that great of a cook and I'm used to cooking for 2 adults and toddler that picks off of our plates. The babysitting mom is used to cooking for 2 adults and 3 growing school-aged children!
I think we'll just offer to pay them money -- sort of like a bed and breakfast? Except it's bed & breakfast & lunch & dinner!!
So, here they all are.....Jeffrey, our daughter, Holly & Bradley.
WRONG! The owner of our 'new' house now can't move out until the middle of October. The new owers of our house HAVE to move in by the end of this month...so, that leaves us homeless for ~1 month!! But, in this housing market, you do whatever it takes to sell your house, right?
So, we've been contimplating what to do -- rent for a month, go on vacation for a month (my vote is here!) or ask friends to move in with them......
Well, our babysitting family (I will call them babysitting family -- but, they are/were friends of ours first before the mother started babysitting/providing daycare for our daughter) offered an extra couple of rooms at their house for us to stay with them. So, that's what we're doing -- WE'RE MOVING IN WITH THE BABYSITTER!
The kids are going to have SO much fun, I just know it. Our daughter won't know what happened -- going from mom, dad and a cat to having 2 brothers, a sister and a Miss Karen and Mister Scott all under one roof!
I am nervous, only because it kind of reminds me of college days -- having roommates and whatnot. We all do things differently, I'm sure. What about laundry? Cleaning? Cooking? Yeah, cooking -- I am NOT that great of a cook and I'm used to cooking for 2 adults and toddler that picks off of our plates. The babysitting mom is used to cooking for 2 adults and 3 growing school-aged children!
I think we'll just offer to pay them money -- sort of like a bed and breakfast? Except it's bed & breakfast & lunch & dinner!!
So, here they all are.....Jeffrey, our daughter, Holly & Bradley.
The Park...we will miss you!
As we prepare to move, we are starting to do our final visits to some of our favorite spots. Now, I know there will be plenty more parks in our lifetime and plenty more walks to pick up 'natures', as the toddler likes to call them, but it's still a bit sad to visit some of our favorite spots for possibly the 'last' time....
Yes, that's my daughter -- with the crazy hat on -- "it's windy, I have to wear my hat" -- sometimes you don't argue with a toddler!
Yes, that's my daughter -- with the crazy hat on -- "it's windy, I have to wear my hat" -- sometimes you don't argue with a toddler!Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
Our new FAVORITE TV shows...
Okay, I will admit that our little 2 1/2 year old toddler probably watches a bit too much TV, according to the AAP regulations. But, there are just SO MANY good programs on -- educational, imaginative and creative shows. Some of our favorites: Dora, Diego, Blue's Clues, WonderPets.
We first heard about some new PBS programs through this website. So, we checked out the new programs: SuperWhy and Word World. They are by far, our FAVORITE programs. Our little one wakes up every morning, "I wanna watch a little SuperWhy". We are using it as a reward program -- she can watch one episode of it later in the afternoon if she has had a good attitude during the day.
This is just a little plug for some great children's programming -- I'm not getting paid to write any of this!
We first heard about some new PBS programs through this website. So, we checked out the new programs: SuperWhy and Word World. They are by far, our FAVORITE programs. Our little one wakes up every morning, "I wanna watch a little SuperWhy". We are using it as a reward program -- she can watch one episode of it later in the afternoon if she has had a good attitude during the day.
This is just a little plug for some great children's programming -- I'm not getting paid to write any of this!
LEAD PAINT AWARENESS!
Click on the link above to learn more about lead paint awareness -- especially since all the popular character toys seem to be recalled these days! Payton has a couple of the toys -- one being the Elmo sprinkler she got a year ago. She was a little over 1 at the time last summer that we used it. Of course, looking back at pictures and memories of that sprinkler, she put it in her mouth SEVERAL times! What to do now? Not much...it's too late, but we are working on preventing her from putting toys in her mouth. She's never been much of 'toy in the mouth' kind of kid, so we're lucky on that aspect.
The above link is also running a contest to win a $100 gift certificate from an on-line toy/clothing company that is all-natural materials, Natural Pod....it would be nice to win!! :)
Sunday, September 9, 2007
My Favorite Things:
My thumb and my blankie -- 2 of my FAVORITE things! What are your favorite things?
Our Little Helper
Helping daddy vacuum my room! We like to get this little 'popper' out -- you know, that traditional toddler toy that they push around the house that makes a popping noise? You know you have one -- I think they are like 30 years old! (they make a newer version, of course). Each time we get out the vacuum, the little toddler has to get out her 'bacuum' and push it right along with us.Saturday, September 8, 2007
New HOUSE!!
I know you've all been waiting with baited breath from some exciting news from our end of the earth...
So, I won't make you wait any longer...
We FINALLY sold our townhouse! We've been on the market since April, and just this weekend we sold it to a couple from Florida. The CRAZY part of this story -- we now have 20 days to move! YES -- only 20 days! You know, we've had our house open for 'business' for almost 6 months and now, in the blink of an eye, we have to move out in 20 days.
I am very excited, however, at the same time, I am sad. We've been talking about moving into a "house with a yard" for some time now -- our toddler daughter is the type who needs some prompting and encouragement before trying or doing new things. So, last night while we were doing the "happy dance" of joy for selling our house, she looked at me and said, "but this is our house"....oh, don't make me cry little one. There's plenty of time for tears when we have to say some final good-byes, but right now we need to FOCUS!!
The house we are in IS her house -- she was born here, she has her room -- the only home she has known, her bathtub, her toy box and all her toys. Now, of course all of her 'stuff' will come with her -- but, I know this is going to be a stressful and a whirlwind 20 days.
Any suggestions on how to reduce the stress and tension as we transition to a new house?
So, I won't make you wait any longer...
We FINALLY sold our townhouse! We've been on the market since April, and just this weekend we sold it to a couple from Florida. The CRAZY part of this story -- we now have 20 days to move! YES -- only 20 days! You know, we've had our house open for 'business' for almost 6 months and now, in the blink of an eye, we have to move out in 20 days.
I am very excited, however, at the same time, I am sad. We've been talking about moving into a "house with a yard" for some time now -- our toddler daughter is the type who needs some prompting and encouragement before trying or doing new things. So, last night while we were doing the "happy dance" of joy for selling our house, she looked at me and said, "but this is our house"....oh, don't make me cry little one. There's plenty of time for tears when we have to say some final good-byes, but right now we need to FOCUS!!
The house we are in IS her house -- she was born here, she has her room -- the only home she has known, her bathtub, her toy box and all her toys. Now, of course all of her 'stuff' will come with her -- but, I know this is going to be a stressful and a whirlwind 20 days.
Any suggestions on how to reduce the stress and tension as we transition to a new house?
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
A Trip to the Zoo...
HAPPY LABOR DAY, everyone! Okay, so I'm just a couple days late. We had a busy weekend of me working, a full Sunday of volunteering at church (hubbie on the sound system, me in the nursery) and then a picnic. On Monday, we decided to go to the local *FREE* zoo. I kept reminding my husband that it's *FREE*. It's definitely not like any big-time zoo with lots of wild animals -- this zoo has a cougar, some wolves, pot bellied pigs, goats, ducks, bald eagle, and some foxes. It was hot, so even those animals were hiding in the shade and didn't come out to see us....our little one didn't seem to care. So, as hubbie was looking at me like "what sort of zoo is this?", I told him, "Oh, we have to go to the best part -- the REPTILE HOUSE!". This is SO worth the wait everyone....
we saw some alligators,
we saw some alligators,
a BIG boa constrictor,
we saw the alligators...again...this time we waved at him/her,
and some turtles!
Here she is watching and waving at the alligator -- our favorite exhibit, by far!
Sunday, September 2, 2007
YUMMO!
Wow -- look at that picture -- you would think that I am a real baker!For those of you who know me, you know that I am the FARTHEST thing from being labeled a 'cook' or 'baker'. I don't do well with measurements -- I like to just toss some ingredients in -- I use a rough estimate and for the most part the food I cook/bake seems to come out to be edible!!
So, I was 'surfing' the internet and have found a fellow mommy-blogger and she had this post on her website about blackberry pie bars. Now, I love me a good dessert bar (I don't do cookies very well)! It looked easy and YUMMY, so I emailed her and asked if she thought I could use blueberries (more popular around here and cheaper -- I am also a frugal baker!) I followed her recipe (for the most part) and they turned out SO GOOD! They were ultra easy to make and it was the hit of the cookout today -- even the pre-teenagers liked them!
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Fashionista?
So, do you think this will EVER be in style? Dora underwear (on the OUTSIDE of the onesie, of course!), Elmo slippers and the now-infamous upside-down glasses! (click on the pictre for a LARGE viewing....)
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