Getting all my Ducks in a Row: 2010-09-26

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Blogging is like Yoga - It Centers You

My Morning Routine in a nutshell:

Wake up, make coffee, pee, wash hands and face.
Get kids up/dressed/breakfast/brush teeth/make lunches on a good day/get them out the door.
Get cup of coffee/check e-mail/twitter/facebook/blog comments.
Write post if I was to lazy the night before.
Visit SITS - thanks to their great reminders. I think my turn is coming soon - so I am visiting and roll calling like crazy.
Visit Blog Family.
Get Ready for work.

I do this every morning - even on the weekend.

But this morning I forgot that I had to be out the door at almost the same time as the kids in order to take Miss Maddy on a field trip to the pumpkin patch - since we are "those" parents who don't let their kids ride on buses if we can help it.

I didn't get my cup of coffee, to really check my e-mail or visit my blogs - nothing. Just shower and out the door.

While I had the best time that I could with Miss Maddy's class let's just say that I am also one of "those" Mother's - good with my 4 kids that I have grown accustomed to over the years (they kind of grow on you) but not so good with 24 other 3 year old's that don't know to cover their mouths when they cough, wait their turn or not to pick their noses. Nor am I very good with the other Mother's - the ones with only children - who are snapping away with the cameras the size of their heads, stepping in front of me to get their 500th shot of the same thing when I have a clear shot of my daughter smelling a pumpkin from across the room when I am just trying to watch or the ones who have made their kids think that if they whine enough they can get their way on everything I just felt a few inches off on everything today.

Like I didn't get mine.

This blogging thing has really become a way to get to know women who think like I do, try like I do and believe like I do (even if they are on the other side of the country or world.) I have come to depend on this interaction and back and forth - it gives me a sense of pride and accomplishment that I can't seem to get in my everyday life of wiping noses, checking homework and making dinner.

Blogging is a lot like yoga - I need it to center me - so that I can face the rest of the world on an even keel.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

I Just Want One More Birthday This Year

On Monday we celebrated our little man's 6th birthday...it was filled with puzzles, cake, cupcakes, Phineas and Ferb, Star Wars, Batman, Star Wars Legos, Chinese Take-Out, Crayola and one awesome round of dinner time games.

We posed this question to the boys to see what they would say:

What would you do if you found a wallet with $60, a rare baseball card and a smiley face sticker...what do you do?

Only the oldest thought to check for identification but all said that they would take it to an adult and not leave it for a dishonest person to find it.

I was thrilled. I was proud that I was raising upstanding citizens. I was patting myself on the back for being a Super Mom raising super Kids.

Fast forward to today.

My second oldest gets into the car at school pick up today boasting about the fact that he found a $1 bill in the classroom and is going to put it in his piggy bank.

What?

Are you freaking kidding me? You didn't turn it into the teacher? You took it instead?

Now Hubby ~~who may have wanted to stick it to the man about the bike we didn't pay for at Wal-Mart~~ was already pulling over so that I could march his butt back to his teacher.

Turns out it was one of his classmates...they are allowed to bring money for snacks in the cafeteria.

I trudged back to the car thinking - oh well - at least my kid was dumb enough to tell me so that I could right his wrong too.

I did have a FABULOUS idea while cutting E's birthday cake - the other kids had been doing a lot of whining about:

How hard it is to watch other's have so much fun on their birthday.

That they wanted just one more birthday in the year.

That is was just plain unfair that they didn't get presents too.

But I found a way to make them feel extra special along with the birthday boy. While cutting the cake after he blew out the candles I stuck one of his candles in each of the kids slices and lit them again.

It was such a simple idea...but their little eyes lit up at the thought of making a wish too.

Try it next time you celebrate a birthday in your house.

Monday, October 4, 2010

What Do You Have to Show for Your Weekend?

I got 12 of the 14 recipes done that I wanted to try out this past Sunday - it was so much fun to spend the day in my kitchen just going after it. It was even more fun since the kids were gone the ENTIRE time.

I realized a few things tho:

I can't multi-task to save my life in the kitchen - I do it fine with my family/chores/house/bills/carpool/job - but in the kitchen all bets are off. I can only do one recipe at a time - or something is bound to go wrong. I will burn something, myself or forget to follow the directions.

I can focus a whole lot better with music on. It's weird but it's like calming.

I need to cook more - I had to wash dust off several of my utensils that are in a pitcher on my counter, my kitchen aid was filthy ~~which should be a crime~~, and I hate doing the dishes. Thank goodness a little soapy water worked wonders and Hubby was happy to lend a hand with the dishes.

I love to cook - it's like my guilty pleasure - but more than that I like to create things that my family will ooohh and ahhh over. Maybe that's why it sucks so much when they bomb - like the pretzel peanut butter cookies - they were terrible. So salty and carby that you had to have a glass of water for every bite that you took.

I eat more when cooking than I do when dining out - I gotta taste everything - we'll just say that I am tasting for seasoning shall we?

As the day wore on I noticed that Hubby and I were back sliding into a different era. A time when the little woman was a slave in the kitchen and the man was drinking beer and watching football.

It was cute - but I put a stop to that as soon as the kids came home. I took off my apron, let him bathe and put the kids to bed while I ate my creations and laguished on the couch.

That's more my kind of era.

All pictures posted above are going to be featured over the next few month's on the food blog that I post on Tuesday's for. You should follow there if you want the recipes. :)

P.S. For those of you who got such a kick out of the conversations with my kids...I have a quick update...my 8 year old who thought he had a connection with the weird girl...said tonight that he is scared of her.

I might have laughed so hard I cried again.

I might have also had to explain once more that I am not laughing at him - but at the grown up things that he is saying.

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Sunday, October 3, 2010

I am a Rockstar Mom

We took back Jakob's bike (even though it was repaired last week - it still had a flat) - while gathering the receipts I noticed something funky - I bought 6 bikes but only paid for 5. While exchanging bikes - we bought the stolen bike that we have been riding for weeks.

I am such a sucker for 80's movies - totally watched RAD this weekend. I tried to get Hubby to watch with me but he said he had to much dignity. Ouch.

I am going to spend Sunday in my kitchen in my favorite apron and barefoot. I have a ton of recipes that I want to try.

Peanut Butter Cups

White Chunky Chocolates

Biscuit Sausage Cheese Balls

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Bananas Foster Bread

Basic Banana Bread

Banana Chocolate-Walnut Bread

Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Apple Upside-Down Cake

Chicken in a Pot with Garlic

Honey Mustard Sesame Chicken Planks

Halloween Chex Mix

E got 2 sets of Star Wars legos in the mail and as the designated aficionado of all things with instructions I sat on my hardwood floor for 2 straight hours to put them together.

While at the park for our weekly bike ride I gave Miss Maddy a pump. I was also Jakob's wing man on a bike adventure...we chased a real live tumble weed - chased a butterfly - found out later that this one on one time was his favorite part of the day.

I smoked my kids in a Bugle eating contest with no hands. They have to learn that they can't win at everything - might as well be from me.

I made my 8 year old cry TWICE in one night. While eating dinner we were talking about who they played with on the playground this week. Av was talking about all the girls he plays with.

Him: She is weird. I'm weird too. Then behind his hand in a secret whisper: I think we have a connection.

Me: Laughing so hard I literally had to get a tissue and wipe the tears off my face - then another tissue since he thought I was laughing at him.

Then we were talking about class officer elections in the 4th grade.

Him: If the 2nd grade had elections I know that I would win. All the girls would vote for me. They think I'm cute.

Me: Laughter again.

Him: Crying again.

Thank goodness tissues were already present.

What made you a Rockstar this weekend?

Friday, October 1, 2010

Holy Cow I am Finally Growing Up

I found out something really really exciting this week...my dreams are coming true. For the last few years Hubby and I have been very focused on our money management and paying off debt.

And Finally this week it's paid off.

We got a call from our loan officer that we have final approval to purchase our home!

It's almost too much - like eating a large box of chocolate or too much pie at thanksgiving - I feel so full of accomplishment. SOOO full of achievement and satisfaction. Stuffed with so much excitement that throwing up or passing out might be a relief.

All this time that I spent knowing that we were doing the right thing on blind faith was hard. I would tell myself and Hubby that one day it would pay off - one day we would be looked at seriously - one day they wouldn't be able to say no because credit scores don't lie.

With all this time waiting and wishing - now that it's finally here why am I so freaking scared?

Pretty sure it has to do with the fact that we have focused so much energy into paying our bills on time...but none on saving for the future...and now that we are going to own a home I know how important that is.

While we were saving the extra every month - we were sending it right out the door - how am I supposed to hang on to it now that I don't have anything that it should immediately go to?

I know how important it is that we are prepared if something major goes wrong and needs repaired. How important it is that we have 6 months worth of living expenses in the event that something happened to our jobs. I just don't know how I am going to do it.

So today I am going to work on a plan. Now that we don't owe anything other than Hubby's student loan I would like some money to go into savings...but how much is enough? How do I keep our grubby little hands off of it?

I think what I need is 2 savings accounts.

One for the house what if's - what if the central heat and air goes out? What if we need a new water heater? What if we need to replace the carpet (this is not so much of an emergency - but with 4 kids a definite probability)

One for the family what if's -like what if we want something, need something? What if we want to take a vacation? What if we need to buy a new car?

How do you save for the future?