Category: being a mom

playhouse: phase 1

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So, last Friday I was able to get to Costco and pick up the playhouse! I am so excited!

Today the little guy and I took a trip to Costco for some necessities, and we took a look at the playhouse.

While he wanted to climb all over the mammoth playstructure on display next to it I was able to convince him to take a look at the smaller playhouse.

He liked it.

He wanted us to take one home.

This afternoon I had a conversation with the little guy about the playhouse while we were roasting fruit snacks over our imaginary campfire (heating vent).

Me: “That playhouse at Costco was cool, wasn’t it?”

Little Guy: “Yeah. I want one.”

M: “We’ll talk to Poppa about it. Where would we put a playhouse like that?”

LG: “I know! We could put it in the backyard.  We have plenty of room in the grass out there.”

M: “When would you play in it?”

LG: “In the summer.”

M: “What would you do in it?”

LG: “I would play with my little sister-wister.”

The stage is set.

The next step is to get a plan drawn out for the platform in between the trees. I will need to consult my treehouse building books for that one!

home is…being more excited about a playhouse than my kids are!

not knowing where to turn

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Last week I attended my first Titus coffee at the church where the little guy attends preschool. As I wrote in this post, I was not brought up going to church. We went on occasion, but I think I was brought up to be more spiritual than believing in God.

I still don’t know where I stand. What I do believe is that there is something bigger than us out there…be it God, karma, the universe, whatever.

Back to the Titus coffee…

The subject was a controversial parenting subject which I won’t discuss in detail. There were proverbs quoted, talk about prayer and giving grace, and a lot of things that I did not understand. I had a hard time believing that the subject that we were talking about is actually what God wants us to do, but I was convinced that it might be an effective parenting technique.

All of that being said, I am thinking about turning to God right now. My marriage is being tested and strained, my parenting skills are tested on a daily basis (I am sure the kids are acting out because they feel the stress of mommy and poppa not enjoying eachothers company), there have been things that have happened to me and my loved ones that defy any worldly explanation, and I am trying to find balance in my life and struggle with it everyday (who doesn’t, right?).

I can “talk” to all of you about it here on this forum, but ask me to talk with somebody about it in person and I clam up (unless I am talking with my beloved “quack” of a marriage/personal counselor, Dr. Brown). I am afraid of being judged.

Will it help my marriage?

Will it help my parenting?

Will it help me find answers?

Will it help me find balance?

I don’t know.

What I do know is that doing what I am currently doing, Dr. Phil would probably ask me, “Now how’s that workin’ for ya’?”.

Is it possible to believe in God, but not believe in all the things the Bible teaches?

I read a lot of blogs written by Christian moms. I have a lot of friends who attend church regularly.

It’s worth a try, right?

Who knows…baby steps.  Maybe another Titus coffee before I jump in.

home is…sometimes not knowing where to turn.

the little guy said…

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The first words out of the little guys mouth this morning as we were snuggling in bed:

“Mommy, when I grow up I want to be a BatMobile driver…and, I will speed away!”

(He’s really into Batman now.)

funtime carnival

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I love the little guys school.

Remember this post from a year ago?

I couldn’t be happier with our choice.

And, most importantly, he loves it too!

On Friday night there was a carnival at his school for all the families to attend.

Games, prizes, balloons…the kids had a blast!

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home is…a family date night!

the little guy said…

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On the way home from school yesterday the little guy asked, “Mommy, is it grandpa hogs day today?”

(He learned about Groundhogs Day and seeing shadows in school last week)

Also on the way home…

Baby girl was crying and the little guy said to her, “We’re almost home, sweetie. We’re almost home. OK, sweetie?”

He kept repeating this until she stopped crying. He takes good care of his baby sister.

{tuesdays with lola}

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On Tuesday morning baby girl and I have the entire morning to spend together.

If you remember from my {get moving…} post from last week, Tuesday is a running day on my exercise routine. You may also know that I have mixed it up lately and go to a class on Tuesday evening and run on Wednesday.

One of the reasons I have made this change is to spend some quality time with baby girl.

One on one time that we rarely get together.

We drop the little guy off at school, go get a bagel, and then head over to the library for the Fun for Ones storytime.

I love to watch her show her 17-month old independence.  Of course, it is always nice when she comes back to sit in momma’s lap for a snuggle.

home is…spending tuesday morning with my baby girl, lola.

teaching our children well

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First of all thanks for all of your comments on my post from Tuesday!

If a post hits home for you, please share it with others…you can use the Facebook, Twitter or e-mail buttons at the bottom of each blog post!

Also, please don’t be afraid to comment.  This is my blog, but I love to hear your thoughts, too. And, I know in yesterday’s post I said I could delete comments, but I wouldn’t do that unless it was an entirely “mean girl” comment.

It seems that more of us have been “Heathered” at one time or another in life. Although it makes me feel better to know that I am not alone, I feel terrible that it happened to any of us at all.

My husband, Ryan, read Jen’s blog and remarked on something that I have also thought about all these years, the glaring hypocrisy of how girls and boys are viewed, or treated in many situations. He said that in Jen’s situation she was labeled a “slut” (as is most always the case in high school situations such as this), but what about the boy? Typically, the girl is referred to as a slut (or similar name), yet the boy is often placed on a pedestal for his sexual conquests. Of course, as adults this hypocrisy is blatantly clear, but as children and young adults it is unseen and hurtful. I think this merits working on, to make sure that at least our children understand that this hypocrisy is wrong.

Of course, it was high school and there was a boy in the middle of all the “mean girl” stuff for me. It bothered me at the time that the boy was able to keep all of his friends, still live his life, and not have anybody treat him badly. The fact that he had done something wrong was ignored (and probably celebrated) for the most part.

That being said, the more important part of this event is not so much what happened, but that I want to do everything I can to teach the little guy to treat girls with respect. No girl should be treated as if they can be cast off when the next best thing comes along. As I mentioned before, I want to teach baby girl about being a kind and strong girl/woman, but it is just as critical to teach our young boys to be kind, strong and respectful of girls (and truly all people regardless of gender).

When it comes down to it the old adage is true: “Treat others the way you want to be treated.”

home is…teaching our children well.

not dressing like I stay at home with my kids all day

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If you check out “who inspires me…” on the right sidebar of this page you will see Jones Design Company.  I can’t even remember how I came across her blog, but I love it!  She is a momma, she is creative, and she lives in the Pacific Northwest.  I am inspired by reading her blog.

One of my favorite features is her “what I wore” posts.  She takes photos of the outfits that she wore for the week.  Now remember, she is a mom.  We all can get stuck in the stay in your pajamas or workout clothes mode once in a while, but doesn’t it feel good to get dressed up?  Even if you put on a pair of  jeans (I prefer Seven or Hudson), a white t-shirt, a cute sweater, some make up and a cute pair of shoes or boots it can make you feel better!

Check out her most recent post, which also has a link to her past “what I wore” posts.

I absolutely love her style! I also love her mindset about shopping for clothes. I do a lot of shopping at Target, spend more money on designer jeans, and then add to an outfit with some cute things I find at Anthro, Nordstrom or elsewhere. Some of you may also know that for a short time in my past I was Silpada Designs representative. I have some awesome jewelry from that gig, so I try to accessorize with it when I can!

I am thinking about doing a similar type of post on my blog. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?  What do you think?!

home is…not dressing like I stay at home with my kids all day.

time for theraflu

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I’m happy for this week to be over.

I was sick.  And, now I am sick of being sick.

Before kids, I used to be able to call in a sick day, lay in bed and sleep, take medicine, and get over the bug sooner rather than later.  With kids, we pass the sickness around, barely get time to rest, and it feels like a simple headcold lasts for weeks.

Thanks to my husband, I got to sleep in until after 8 this morning.  I was also able to get a 5+ mile run in.  I am on the mend.

Now it is time for me to take some Theraflu and hit the sack.

home is…hoping for a week with no colds.