Winner winner, chicken dinner

Why do these five people I live with always want dinner? Not only that, the first question they ask me in the morning is "What's for dinner tonight?!" Or my husband will call on the way home from work just to see what's being served up that night for dinner. DINNER. Why does it vex me so? I realized somewhere along the line that I hate cooking. I LOVE baking. I'll bake all day long! Cookies, cakes, pies, oh my! But when it comes to cooking, I just don't like it. I don't know if it's because no one likes my cooking, or I just don't like to cook. Could go hand in hand. When will the natives stop wanting dinner? Can't they just open a can of tuna? I guess not :(
The funny thing is, I LOVE to eat! I'm a bit of a foodie, love trying new things, going out to new places to eat, watching cooking shows and tasting new flavors, but I just hate doing it. I like sampling and trying but not the actual doing. I don't want to be like this, I'd like to like to cook. How can one change their outlook on cooking!? HELP! They're always hungry!

Leftovers tonight.

Hello, 2015!

These are just a few rants from my brain that have been building up. I would love to start a conversation about any and all of these topics. Be warned, if you like paragraphs and comma's, you won't find many of them here ;-)

Why do women have to be so critical of one another? Why do Moms have to judge what other Moms do? Why do we have to be unhappy as a size 12? These questions have been haunting me for a while now. I don’t know if it’s just because I’m getting older or maybe because I’ve just witnessed so many women being too hard on themselves & others and I’m kind of sick of it!!! I can use all the old sayings “don’t judge a book by it’s cover.” “Walk a mile in their shoes…” They may be sayings that have been around for sometime, but they couldn't be more true. SERIOUSLY. Women want to make me scream! And why do some women hate men so much? (ok, maybe I’m going to deep on that one). I feel like we can learn a lot from our male counterparts in the way of not taking things to heart, not quick to judge, letting go of petty things and the overall “it’s cool, man” attitude. I've heard some women say things like, “that’s just my personality.” I’m here to say that you can change your outlook. You can even change your circumstances if you need to. You can change your attitude. I’m in awe of the Kardashians. Not in the way the rest of America seems to be, but I’m in awe of how these people are even famous and I’m in awe that people love them. I don’t get it. Why do we care? There are people starving on the streets of NYC, even the streets in your suburban town and Kim K is over here wearing a Jean Paul Gaultier gown and it seems like we (as a society) care more about that than the starving people in our town. Makes me want to scream. Maybe it’s because I have a daughter. She’s nine. I don’t want her to even think about impressing people with her labels or getting the right make up or wearing the right backpack. I want her to be happy with who she is, be confident in the way that God made her. Use her talents and gifts in the right way. I want her to be smart and educated, to love others! I don’t want her to stress over the way she looks and who's wearing what to the awards shows. For goodness sakes we have whole TV shows dedicated to what stars are wearing. We have magazines stalking celebrities to the store just to see what they look like. This is disgusting. If we only put our money into things that mattered we just may start making a difference.

Oh, I have a few sons too. I know the male brain is quite different but I’ll do my best to help them look at the inside of a woman!!! To look at what really matters.

Can we as a society of women start encouraging one another? I am pretty sure that all the Moms I know are really doing their best. There really isn’t a need to condescend or pick apart what another Mom is doing. Ok, so it’s not the way “you would do it.” Who cares? We’re all beautifully different. Just stop it. Be nice. Say Thank You.

I have really been enjoying the TLC show “My big fat fabulous life.” The main character on the show is Whitney. She is 380lbs and completely happy with herself. Sure, she has concerns that being that large isn’t healthy so she started dancing again after years of being out of the studio. I just love her whole attitude. She is at peace with where she is in life. We aren't always going to be the weight we want, the size we want, in the job we want, but learning how to be ok with it is a skill that has to be practiced! If you’re sitting there thinking something negative about Whitney, I will remind you of the saying “until you walk a mile in her shoes, don’t judge.” Can we stop looking at models in magazines thinking that’s what we should look like? You’re being duped ladies!!! I say live life! Officially OVER IT. Anyone else?

My first born

This chick is going to be 8 in a few weeks! My how time flies. I have heard so so so many people say "oh if only I could stop time," or "they grow up to fast." These sentiments never really made sense to me. I love to watch my daughter grow. She is more lovely everyday. If you have never had the chance to meet Eden, well, let me tell you a little about her. She is SO SWEET. They don't make em any sweeter! Imagine your favorite dessert dripping in all it's goodness.... yep, that's Eden. She is a typical first born, very responsible and caring and helps around the house and she listens very well. (FYI she is still a sinner though, as we all are). I can't imagine having anyone else for a daughter. I guess I write this to wish her a happiest 8th birthday a few weeks early. Stay lovely, stay beautiful and stay strong in your faith and countenance. I will always love you. 
~Mom

Thoughts for today

How awesome is Instagram? I can document my life in pictures with really cool filters! I can remember all the sweet moments, because really, who wants to remember the crappy ones? With four kids there are plenty of sweet and crappy moments. I have been super blessed with marvelous children and I love being their Mom. But not all the time. There are moments when I would rather put on a suit and go out to the "real world" where I would be recognized for such feats of business strength. No one around here says "hey, thanks for cleaning up those crumbs on the floor, how do you do it?" It took some time to reconcile the fact that I am a stay at home Mom (with the exception of working 12 hours a week at the local Bonefish). It's what I always wanted to be, a Mom. I dressed up as a Mom one year for Halloween. I had curlers in my hair, babies pinned to my skirt and was pushing a stroller. I couldn't wait. Oh sweet Stacey, I was in for a surprise. The dream I was living in my head doesn't quite match the day to day life of a Mom and wife. One of my favorite movie quotes is from the movie "Hall Pass" where two husbands were talking about their wives and asking how could the wives be complaining? "we've made all their dreams come true." I had a nice belly laugh after hearing that one :) Life is complicated. The intricacies of careers, hopes and reality all collide and you're left trying to piece together what really matters. My advice? Find a great husband, discipline your kids, and let go of self.

Those are my thoughts for today.

Judah and the potty....

It was only a few weeks ago that Judah told me he was going to use the potty when he turned 5. He had zero interest in using it and didn't mind one bit to walk around for hours in a saggy wet diaper. So i tried the "no more diapers" approach two weeks ago but all day long I just cleaned up puddles of pee. That wasn't the result I was looking for. My new approach was after his birthday I would just tell him that it was time. He is a big boy of 3 now. So Judah awoke the day after his birthday and I told him he was a big boy now and needed to use the potty. IT WORKED! This evening we held our very first "potty party." Nanny & Grandpa were in attendance and we all witnessed Judah's feats of the toilet a few times! I am very proud of my little man, i love to see the light bulb click. Well done, Son. Well done.

Gratitude 76-100

This is in no particular order, just a few things I'm thankful for..... Some things may be repeated from previous gratitude lists, but I guess that means I'm really thankful for them!! 

• Non throwing up sicknesses
• MOPS
• finding old friends on facebook
• Kiki
• texting
• babies
• a no-snow winter
• a Mom that would offer to shop for me at Marshalls sending me pics of dresses while I'm sick
• Swiffer products. All of them. 
• a new tax man
• medicine
• half caff coffee
• Nikon cameras
• Washington Street School
• lent
• mom friends that get me through the day
• skype
• laptops
• huggies wipes
• wild flowers
• the ocean
• Fox news
• USPS online
• ebay
• Mom & Tots camp

Little Time....

I don't get a lot of "me" time. I used to be very bitter about that. "When is it my turn to go out." "I just want five minutes to myself." "I can't even function without time to myself." "if I could just get them to bed earlier..." Just writing this down and reading it, makes me sound like I'm 6 years old and whining to my mother.
Let's look at some facts. I chose to have 4 kids back to back to back to back. I love it having kids close together (so far). They're good friends and good enemies, which makes more opportunity for learning and growing. This is my life now.... kids, boogers, diapers, playdates, disciplining, refereeing, hugs. This will not be my life forever, I think that's where Mom's lose sight and start drowning in the day to day without even realizing that time with their precious gifts is just moving on. We are not guaranteed to live until we're 85, you never know where life is going to take you. Carpe Diem is the trusty saying, but it's so true! What am I doing to carpe my diem you ask? Stopping my cleaning to color with my daughter, trying to take lots of pictures, getting on the floor to really listen to Canaan's stories (and boy, they're long), singing at nap and bedtime to Judah, cuddling Zion, having picnics, building forts. Tell me how you treasure & have fun with your kids!!
Don't worry, I am far from perfect. There are times I yell louder than I should, times when if I hear the word "mommy" one more time, I'm gonna go hide in the car. Those are the times I need perspective. I need to take a deep breath and remember, in a few years, I'll be wanting them to need me for EVERYTHING.
Most kids go to school at age 5. So basically, I have five uninterrupted years with my kids. I have prolonged that five years by having more kids. My daughter is six already and is in PM Kindergarten and LOVES it. I won't be getting her back, school has won. (meaning, she will never be begging us to homeschool her). I guess what I'm trying to say is, we get such LITTLE time with our kids, I want to cherish it! So what you can't go to the bathroom alone? So what if bedtime gets all screwed up and they are up later than normal! So what if they are home from school a day or two or three? I hear a lot of "what am I going to do with my kids when they're home from school?" Um, they're kids. They can usually find things to do. Send them outside, give them some paper and scissors, cook with them, read to them, dance with them, make a fort for them? Just to name a few. Keep in mind, we get such LITTLE time with them! Parents seem to complain about their kids "growing up to fast!" Isn't that the point? I mean, aren't we having kids to raise them as they age and then be self sufficient adults? I agree, it happens fast, but doesn't life happen fast? This brings me back to my original "little time" theme. I am happy that Eden is six and learning, growing, doing chores, reading, making friends etc. Because isn't that the point?
Everything goes by fast: High school, college, late 20's? Everything is going at super speed! Before you know it, our small itty bitty children will be moving out, making a life of their own, getting married and not calling you. It's time to cherish these moments. Be thankful for them, God has given them to you as a blessing, not a curse.