Quick Takes - on Pregnancy

I have always wanted to take this picture!
Third time's a charm :)

I interrupt my little series to write down Quick Takes - all about my (third!) pregnancy. Just because I'm in the mood to do it. Big Michael (that is what Louisa is calling daddy these days) is at church helping to lead a retreat for the alter servers, and the girls are asleep. So mama and little Michael are just hanging out. I'm not really feeling a nap right now (I know, after I wrote all about how wonderful napping was :) but, instead, I thought I'd just blog a little.

I went to a huge consignment babies and kids sale this morning so I've got babies on the mind.

...what am I talking about? I pretty much always have babies on the mind :)

Alright whatever, I'll go ahead and get started already.

1. I like being pregnant. But not in the way you think. This is going to sound super odd, unless you really do know the feeling I'm talking about, but I don't feel quite right when I'm not pregnant. There. I said it outloud. I have often thought it but never articulated it because I knew most people would be like, "come again? You know that doesn't make sense, Kayleen. You were made to do more than have babies, don't you know?!" Okay, but here's the thing; now that I have experienced the whole cycle, getting pregnant, having a baby, getting pregnant again....The times when I'm not pregnant feel strange. I feel myself fully as a women when I am pregnant. I feel myself partaking in God's wondrous creation story. I am a mother even when I'm not pregnant, obviously, but I feel most like a mother when I am actually bearing life within me. It will be a sad day for me when I have my last pregnancy. I will not know when it is, so that is why I want to savor and remember this profound feeling.

2. I know you might be thinking "Oh, you think you are so virtuous, loving being pregnant and all." Well, let me tell you, I do my fair share of complaining about the not-so-heavenly symptoms of pregnancy! I am tired a lot. My back hurts with this pregnancy (because I am still picking up the girls way too much!) I hate having to pee all the time. I don't sleep well. I am emotional and hormonal. I don't look that cute (I am getting big already!) I am self-conscious about what certain people think, I don't have any pants that fit me right. You get the idea. I complain because I don't always feel great. But what I said still holds true. I feel most like myself when I am growing a baby.

3. Speaking of being emotional and hormonal, I am definitely the most out of whack hormonal this time. I was talking to a mommy friend of mine (about to have her 6th!) and she said that her third pregnancy was definitely the most difficult in terms of being unstable with her emotions. She took fish oil and a few other things to help out. I need to try. I am the worst about vitamins and supplements. Maybe one day I'll get better, but....I doubt it.

4. Louisa is still being super sweet about baby Michael. I think she really likes his name, because she says it all the time. She loves to talk to him. She keeps telling me she is going to share her books and toys with him. I say, 'that's so great honey. You need to share your toys with Josie, too" but she is more hesitant about that. I guess sharing your toys with your unborn baby brother is much more appealing for a three year old!

5. Josie is too little to understand what is up, but my sister in law is convinced that young children do have a sense of some impending change in their little lives. I believe it too. Josie has been very cuddly and clingy lately. I don't know if she notices the growing belly, but she still wants to be in my lap all the time. I am a little worried about how she will fare once she becomes the middle child!

6. This pregnancy has given me much less heartburn. I wonder, will he be completely bald? I am curious about his eye color, too. I had a dream he had blue eyes. I can't wait to find out!

7. I sometimes look at myself in the mirror and wonder - - What has God done to my heart? I am 26 and having my 3rd child! He has opened me up to a whole new world of openness to life that I never even knew about as a young woman. I am married to a man who loves children and wants to focus all his attention on his wife and children. Our main goals in life are to love and raise up a family. We have no grandiose plans to make a lot of money or to travel to exotic places or anything. We are content with our humble goals of raising a good family and sending out our children into the world one day with hearts full of love. That's it. And how many children will we even have? We could be done after 3 or we could have 11!!? We don't even know - but God does! And, as He is the author of life, we have decided to place our trust in Him.

Routine Part II

Part II

The Afternoon

Afternoons = Siestas (you know it!!)

12:30-1p.m After eating lunch and cleaning up lunch, the girls go down for their nap. Right now they are on the same schedule - although sometimes Josie gets tired before making it to 12:30 so I have to push her a little. I feel bad, but it doesn't really work for her to have two naps anymore, otherwise the girls are on alternating sleep times, and that would be much harder on me.

I don't have to rock Josie to sleep or anything.
This is just her after waking up from her nap and being all cuddly :)

Both my children and I are excellent nappers. I have always been good at napping :) Even throughout college I would nap in the afternoon. I have this natural lull that compels me to take a rest. I think it will help me live longer, honestly. They have said that people who nap regularly have lower blood pressure and lower rates of heart disease, so seriously, I might live longer! I remember when I was teaching it was tortuous getting through the afternoon hours. I desperately wanted to lay my head on the desk for 20 minutes! Ugh, that was so hard....

1-3p.m. So between this time is my time. Now that I am in my dream job, I have the opportunity to take a rest in the afternoon if I so choose. There are many days where I might do another activity instead of actually falling asleep. Such as Blogging, reading, calling someone, folding laundry while watching a show, or chatting with my husband while he's on his lunch break. 

3-5p.m This time in the afternoon can be somewhat tricky. But I love it when the girls wake from their naps with their rosy cheeks and drowsy demeanor. They are so sweet and cuddly. At this point I usually get them a little snack.

Oh yeah, this girl loves snack time!

Then, we will sometimes go out for another errand. I like to go get coffee at the coffee stand (a decaf latte!) or run to the grocery store. Today I have a trip to Costco planned. 

If we don't go anywhere we will just play for a few hours, anticipating daddy coming home. I find this time tricky because sometimes we don't quite make it to daddy's arrival without some tantrums or too many messes being made. I feel like I have to continue to work at these hours to make them go more smoothly. Maybe more structure is the answer. As Louisa gets older and needs more planned school lessons, I wonder if we will be able to do them at this time. The morning seems like the more logical time, but for us, it could be that after naps would provide a good time, too. For now, I am working on planning more little art projects or games to play so that we don't end up getting stir crazy.

5-5:30 - Daddy arrives home and all of us girls get really, really happy :)

So yeah, that's about it. Not all that exciting, I suppose. But who's life is really, truly exciting? If you work at a company, I wonder how you do the afternoons. Like I said, I get naturally drowsy and just need a break. I suppose people take coffee breaks or go for a walk. At least in my line of work, I get to give kisses goodnight and cuddles when they awake. I get to clean up little plates and forks and cups, and fold small outfits. Oh yes, I also *get* to change poopy diapers and wipe up sticky floors and break up crying toddler fights. But hey, we all have our ups and downs, good and bad parts of the day. 

See? My sweet girl!

Are you living out your vocation to the best of your ability? Do you espouse the idea that you are making a difference in the world? Do you struggle against bitterness, the fear of monotony, and small offenses of daily life? Do you try to have a cheerful countenance and a grateful heart? As I reflect on the daily rhythms in my own life, it has me thinking about the larger picture of our lives and the meaning of each of our numbered days....

Because at the end of our lives, what will really matter most to us? As Mike and I labor to raise our children and have all the makings of the "good life" I try to always remember the verse from Matthew 6 where Jesus tells us: do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Where is your treasure?

Routine Part 1

Good morning Glory! Ready for a new day!
This is the day the Lord hath made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it!!

Being a stay at home parent, you have a lot of freedom to construct your day how you want to. Well...you do and you don't. Certainly more freedom than in a job situation where you have a boss and deadlines and whatnot. Around here; Mama bear is the boss! But with very young children, of course you do have some limits. They need to eat and sleep at regular times, otherwise you have very grumpy and unhealthy kiddos. But I have seen parents who are willing to move away from these basic rhythms in their days in order to just be totally free to do whatever. Having been a homemaker for over 3 years now, I can tell you that does not work for me! What has worked is having a very basic routine for my days, while still having flexibility and surprises here and there. I am in that happy medium between having a strict, regimented schedule and being totally flimsy with no sense of what to expect. Also, routines change as life goes along. Right now we are in a really nice rhythm, so I thought I'd share. (Hopefully you're somewhat interested!)

Also, I'd like to just document and remember this time - just as I recall wanting to savor and remember the routines Louisa and I had before Josie was born - because as we all know, when a new baby comes into the family - things will certainly change, and it takes a little while to settle into a new rhythm again!


So yes. If you are still with me: here we go: 

Part 1 - 

The Morning

6 - 6:30 a.m. The man of the house has to wake up, get ready, and leave for work. As a tired pregnant lady (who does not sleep well at night these days) I don't normally wake with him. Sometimes I will wake up and take a shower, but mostly I will just wake up enough to give him a hug and a kiss goodbye. 

7 - 8 a.m. Ever since we moved Josie into Louisa's room, which was fairly recent, the girls have done really well together and will usually wake up between 7:15-8:00 (Sometimes Princess Lou will sleep longer :) If I wake up before them, I try to take time to pray and eat. I have to eat immediately after waking up or I feel nauseous. 

8 - 9 a.m. The girls sit down for breakfast. Josie loves oatmeal and Louisa is on a cereal kick lately. Lou is a slow waker-uper, so a lot of times she will go lay on the couch for a while before being completely awake. 

I like to have the kitchen tidy in the morning because it sets me
up for the day. If it is really messy, I feel like I am playing catch-up for the rest of the day!

During this hour I take the time to tidy the kitchen. This is actually an important part of my day, cleaning-wise. I usually unload the dishwasher, clear the counters, spray the counters, sweep, and of course clean up after the girls' breakfast. I like this part of the day, as I often have the radio on or a cd. Lately it's been nice too because the sun is up.

Then, after they eat, the girls like to play a while. They like to be close to me, so they usually play in the living room while I finish tidying up. One of my goals though, is to make sure I take the time to get down on the floor and play with them too! I do like to read to them, but I am actually not that great at sitting down to make-believe or anything. Not going on facebook during the day has been very helpful in this little goal of mine. I don't go on the computer in the mornings anymore - so I can give them more attention! (The only time I will go on the internet in the morning is on my phone while I am eating some cereal, or if I have extra time before they actually wake up)

Playing together (somewhat) with the toys in the living room

9 - 10 By about 9:30 ish we are ready to take baths and get dressed. My strategy for this tricky time (have YOU ever tried to get two toddlers dressed, comb their hair, and then keep them occupied long enough to do the same for yourself before? It's wildly difficult) Is two fold. First, I always get them ready before I get myself ready. I give them a bath, get their clothes on, and comb their hair. Then, I sit them down to a half an hour show while I take my own shower. This has worked out so well for me. I don't know how people do it with no t.v. whatsoever. Kudos to them! But for me, this is my opportunity to take my own hot shower, shave my legs, and blow dry my hair. Some might say that I am giving myself a luxury here, but hey, in my world it is important for me to do. I cannot function all day in sweats and dirty hair. So, in the computer room the girls hang out while watching Curious George or Babar while I get myself ready for the day. I don't have to worry about them getting into stuff or fighting, because that little monkey is just so gosh-darn entertaining :)

Brushed hair, clean clothes. Ah, I love this part of the day!

10 - 10:30 This is our time to get ready to go somewhere, if we have somewhere to go. Or we wait for a visit from nana or someone. If we do play dates (which we usually do 1 - 2 times a week on average - more in the summer time) we always like to schedule for 10 or 10:30. I just cannot get ready before that, and if I wait until later, it's too close to nap time. On the days we just stay home, this is when I will really focus on an activity for one or both of the girls. Sometimes we do play-dough, sometimes art projects, sometimes we go downstairs and play. 

I am always tidying as we go. You probably guessed from my cleaning post that I am cleaning constantly. I am. But don't mistake it for me ignoring the kids to do so. I just don't ignore the chores that need to be completed either. When you are home all day - the house can get really messy. A few examples of me cleaning as we go are: making sure the girls clean up one toy before moving on to the next, throwing in a load of laundry if we are playing in the basement, or vaccuming a room while the girls are playing legos or something. If you were here, you would see how I make it work.

10:30 - 12:00 - Like I mentioned - we either go somewhere at this time: a playdate, the grocery store, the thrift store or kid's consignment store, or meet up with family (we have two very involved nana's :) Then, by noon, we are ready to start lunch and then naptime (can I get a woot woot!?)

So, that is how we generally make it to Noon around here. Very exciting, no? Next installment we will go into the dramatic details of the afternoons! Stay tuned!

Let me just add: I feel very blessed to be living the life I am right now. Goodness, I cannot imagine what else I would rather be doing!? Hmmmm, well perhaps laying on a beach somewhere in the hot sunshine with a drink....oh, I mean, there is absolutely nothing I'd rather be doing. :) Ha. But you get my jist. Watching my children grow, nurturing them, praying throughout the day for peace, and experiencing the joy of domestic life...it's very humbling to think of how good I have it. Yes, I do complain. Yes, I have tricky days and I get headaches and there are tantrums. Overall though, each day passes with a certain peace and happiness about it. I just hope and pray that many of you feel the same way at the end of the day that I do: that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing.

because, I know I really love that feeling.

There IS sun, mommy!

Lou picked out these sunglasses yesterday and it cracks me up how much she likes them. She had been asking/reminding me to get some sunglasses for her for a while now for some reason. Since we got them yesterday she hasn't let them leave her sight and she even slept with them! Then today she wanted to wear them. I told her how it was pretty cloudy today and she probably wouldn't need them.

But she pointed to a tiny crack of sunshine through the clouds (like a minuscule amount) and said, "No, look mommy! There IS sun!!"

Ah, my little optimist.
She will need that if she is to be a long term resident of Seattle! :)

Rally

Our own Fr. Joseph was asked to do the opening prayer!

So last Friday was a gorgeous day, and we spent it downtown with over 900 other people gathered at the Stand Up for Religious Freedom rally! Very cool stuff, I have to say. I can see why people like to be politically involved. It is important, and when you actually go get together with people who believe in the same things as you do (in this case, religious freedom in our country) it is invigorating.

Now, on the other hand, I remember reading in C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters a bit about being politically active. One does have to be careful, Satan can use activism or extreme interest in politics to his advantage. Basically you cannot let it steal your peace. The main thing that matters in this life is our relationship with God. If we treat politics as our religion, we can get into trouble. Or if it makes us treat others who disagree with us in a way that is not charitable, then certainly we should evaluate why it is we believe in what we do! Here is the one and only article in the Seattle Times. It's a bit disappointing, considering there are no pictures and you really had to dig to find it. Come on Times, there were almost 1,000 people there! Oh well, that's what we expected. You can actually see some of my comments at the end, because when I went to read the article there were only people attacking the Catholic church, and no one defended it so I jumped right in.

Josie doesn't look too comfortable here...but she was! She was asleep for a long time :)

We love our country!!

She was being very sweet running around with some of the other kids.

Josie and mommy!

Some of our wonderful priests from the area. God bless them!

Talking politics, I do think it's important for people to get involved because I'm learning how politicians can slowly chip away at your freedoms if you allow them to. Especially in modern times, we have to be so careful because there are many who don't want religion to be part of the public forum anymore. Even if you are agnostic or atheist, you cannot ignore the impact religion has on people's lives, and you won't get away with trying to force it out of our culture entirely! People will always hold religion dear, even if you do not, so no matter how much persecution you activate, the Church will never go away.

The rally was full of families with children so it was apparent that this is an issue that matters to the Catholic community very much, if they all made the effort to be downtown with a bunch of squirrly kids! It was a very inspiring and uplifting event. There were like 4 speakers who all spoke of how they love this country but do not love where it is headed. We were asked to pray for our president, and to continue to do our part to keep religious freedom a sacred thing in our country. As for giving in to Federally mandated healthcare that includes contraception, abortion-inducing drugs, and sterilization procedures - we simply cannot and we will not stand. You see, you will not find the right to free birth control in the constitution. But you will find the right to freely practice your religion without state interference!

I was grateful to have Mike with us (he had the day off!) so it made things doable. Louisa and Josie actually both enjoyed the novelty of riding the bus down...well at least on the way there. The way back was not so great, as they were both tired and basically started to meltdown. We spilled juice on the bus and the girls were crying and I had to pee! Still, overall the day was really fun and interesting and I'm glad we did it.

Simple Woman's daybook

Outside my window… Early morning sun (not without clouds) and frost! brrrrr....

I am thinking… About how the last time I did a Simple Woman's daybook - it was last July! I was talking about how we had just moved Louisa into her big girl bed, and shared a picture of Mike, Pat, and Josie at our friend Abby's wedding. Now, that couple is getting ready to welcome their first baby in May! (I am going to her baby shower on Saturday) Yay for love and new life! (And funny how quickly the time goes by...)

I am thankful for…The fact that Mike has a three day weekend. And for a few minutes to myself this morning to pray.

From the kitchen… Coffee is brewing. Yes, you heard that correctly. I returned my second single serving cup machine this week. This was a Cuisinart and it only lasted me 9 months! (My Keurig lasted a year) Clearly, I have the worst luck with these things. I even did the vinegar rinse when I was supposed to. It just stopped working one day. I have read lots of reviews and it seems some people go through them faster. I only drink one cup of coffee a day! I don't get it. I loved that machine and I thought I treated her well. But I also hated it because it stopped working. So yeah, I am back to my trusty old coffee maker, which does take extra work, but I am a little happy because I do like the smell of brewing coffee in the morning (which you missed out on with the instant serving kind)

I am wearing… Stripped pj pants, WSU shirt (that is starting to be too tight on my growing tummy!)

I am creating… A better way to store my digital pictures. Also finishing up putting printed photos into albums

I am going… to Pray at Planned Parenthood again this afternoon. This is the 5th week in the 40 Days for Life Campaign. It is a powerful experience, and if you are wondering, yes - it is humiliating in many ways because people do some mean, awful things while you are peacefully praying. But, I am not afraid to be a fool for Christ. A hundred people could come and flip us off or even spit on us (which has happened) and it wouldn't deter me. I am happy to be there, standing up for women who might not feel like they really do have a choice (choosing life is a choice that is not usually presented to them!) as well as for those precious babies who should be safe in their mother's womb.

Also - tomorrow we are going to the Stand UP for Religious Freedom Rally. I am sure it will be a good turnout. Although, Simcha is probably right in her assessment of what will most likely happen tomorrow (i.e. how the media will report it) Haha; oh well. Fools for Christ, right?

I am reading…. A magazine called Above Rubies. It is an excellent publication by a Protestant woman who is very Pro-life and Pro-family. It's pretty neat, a lady from church passed them on to me. I encourage any woman who needs encouragement as a mother or as a wife to go ahead and sign up for this free publication!

I am hoping…That my allergy symptoms will stop being so darn intense. I was given the OK to take Zurtec, but I keep forgetting to take it (you take one every 24 hrs) and even when I do take it, it seems like my allergies have gotten really heightened with this pregnancy. I am sniffling right now, and I have horribly itchy eyes. I didn't experience this with my other pregnancies so I'm wondering what's up!?

I am hearing…Josie playing with toys. The heat just turned on. Birds chirping outside, even though they are probably freezing cold in this frost!

Around the house… Ummm....nothing too exciting. Organizing projects to get to. Such as: sorting and storing Louisa's artwork, a quilt that has waited forever to be basted and finished, sheets to wash, the garage could use a clean-up.

One of my favorite things…Hanging out with family. Yes, even when they sometimes like to drive you crazy and don't agree with you on everything : ) But your kids love them, and let's face it - you need your family.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Rally, Baby Shower, church, maybe the Science Center (Lou keeps asking to go see the dinosaurs and butterflies :)

Here is picture I thought of sharing…. Two sisters yesterday morning just hanging out, with their crazy hair and still in their pj's :) (Have I mentioned how much I love these two lately?)

I was going to do a whole post on our morning routine. I probably will next week. Tomorrow I'll probably be too busy out there protesting to have time to blog. Hehe; I know what you're thinking. Kayleen, you're a fanatic. : )
                     And to that I say, Yeah, a fanatic who loves her country, her family, and her God! (and who is willing to fight for them if I must)

Fun, sunny morning

We just got back a little bit ago from an outing to the salmon hatchery. It's been a while since we've been there because it's been so darn unpleasant out! We met up with friends (I'm so grateful for wonderful friends in the area with kids the same age who call me up to hang out!) and everyone enjoyed visiting and soaking up the sun. Now we are home and the girls are napping. I'm going to go make myself a tuna melt (yummm) and then take a rest myself. Caio for now!

No salmon today, girls. 

 But the creek was still mesmorizing! (With lots of water from all the rain)

and it was still fun looking around

Getting some much needed sunshine/Vitamin D!

as well as good exercise...

 and socializing :)

and today actually feels like Spring. Thank goodness!

The gems in our crown in heaven

Our beautiful children. Wow. I just, lately I have felt so grateful for them and for motherhood. What could be more important in life than to care for these precious gems? These wonderful little people! I cannot think of one single thing. I am such a blessed woman. I get to be home with them all day and watch them grow and learn. Mike and I were just talking about how great it is that he receives my text messages throughout the day that either describe something cute one of them said, or a picture, or a video occasionally. We are happy we aren't missing a thing, because, like I said - these precious children right now are our highest calling. They are our greatest achievement together as a married couple.

And pretty soon little Michael will arrive and join us! We cannot wait! Just in the past week, Louisa has gotten really super interested in her little brother. This morning when I went in to their room (Josie and Lou are sharing a room now!) Louisa said "I want to say good morning to baby Michael, mom!" She likes to hug him and talk to him (and try to listen to see if he is talking back :) Later in the day she told nana that:

"Baby Michael is in mommy's tummy and Big Michael is at work!"

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real (All about meal time!)

Inspired by Leila's post on dinner time rituals (A great post, worth the read) I want to talk about meal time....

 Pretty

{always my favorite category!}

-I love china. While we got some really nice, fancy china for our wedding, it's also really fun for me to go out and see what's been donated at the Good Will. Lets face it, when those sweet old ladies die with a huge life-long collection of their dinnerware, often it gets donated. (Personally, I will never allow my grandmother's things to be donated, nor my mothers!! I want to keep those things!) Anyways, much of what you see has been either given to me, or I bought at Good Will. Some of the dishes were wedding gifts, as well.

Happy

{a list of things we do to make mealtime special.}

-Leila says:
"Preparation of the environment prepares the mind and heart. The children experience the rhythm of the day as its ritual. "
She is absolutely right. If you do not allow yourself the prep time to get dinner situated, the meal itself will feel rushed and not exactly enjoyable. I have learned this through our 4 years of marriage and am still learning it. It is a challenge for me to think about dinner early in the day, and to put time into preparing the meal. Lately, I have been better (With the help of some online meal-planning tools) and have come to see the huge difference it can make!

- I try to have the table cleared from toys, play dough, papers, whatever. A clean table makes for a relaxing meal.

- I love preparing the table for a meal. I just enjoy the beauty of a set table, with napkins and table clothes, candles and center pieces. I am always searching for affordable napkins, serving dishes, and table cloths. Thrift stores are gold mines for this sort of thing!

-Even with distractions such as kids, spills, nursing babies, we try and make it a point to actually converse with each other. For me this is huge since I am without adult conversation most days, I need that interaction with my husband at the end of the day!

-We try and converse with Louisa and Josie, too! Louisa is at an age where she can talk about what we did that day and we love hearing it from her! I encourage her to "Tell daddy what we did today!" It's important for her self-esteem since we are showing her we care about her thoughts and feelings about the day, too!

-Some don't like having extra noise while they are eating, and we certainly wouldn't have the t.v. going or talk radio, but Mike and I often enjoy having background music playing. Either classical or Irish music usually.

-Clean up right after dinner. (Or shortly after) I don't know if everyone agrees with this - but in my mind it's really important. I simply cannot enjoy the rest of my evening unless the table is at least cleared. Perhaps I cannot wash all the pots and pans right away, or even get the dishwasher started (though I like to) at least the dining room looks better with the table cleaned. Otherwise I feel overwhelmed that night. Lately, I have been extra tired at the end of the day (it's lots of work growing this baby boy!!) so I have really had to rely on Mike for help. I hope that I'm not creating an atmosphere of stress by insisting that we clean up dinner after we eat...but honestly I think it is a good habit to get into. As our children get older they will be able to help more, and take over responsibilities involved in clearing the table and cleaning up. I hate waking up to a kitchen that isn't at least a little tidy.

Funny

{I am not a good cook}

-And right now, I'm okay with that. In our home, a simple meal is the best kind of meal. A certain person (I won't name names) doesn't like anything too complicated, so just aren't that adventurous right now. People wonder how hard it must be, but honestly I don't mind it that much. As the children get older, I envision having more variety in our meals. I like all kinds of food, so I know I will want to try more recipes as the years go on. And in fact, I have been doing that more than ever lately, so I have hopes for a gradually increasing meal plan. My friends and I started a recipe-sharing blog, so I have been inspired to try new things and to share anything I've tried!

-But really, I am still working on my skills. Last year we had our priest over for dinner and I know it was kind of a flop. I made a pork roll and it was dry :( Oh well, I'm pretty sure Fr. still loves me! He just doesn't rave about my cooking like he does about some of the other ladies at church :) 

Real

{I didn't have it all together then.}

When we first got married, I knew right away I wanted to have dinner time be a special time. I wanted pretty napkins, conversation, good food, prayer, everything. Thanks to wedding gifts, thrift store shopping, and Mike's contentment with simple dinners, at first it all worked out well. But then, I got pregnant. Enter morning  all day sickness. Yeah, that threw a huge kink in the plans. Talk about Mike having to fend for himself! (Poor guy)  

Then, we had our first baby. For the first three months we had serious breastfeeding issues, and adjusting to parenthood in general threw me for a loop, so once again, my idea of mealtime bliss had to be put off for a little while longer....

Skip ahead a little to this point in time where we have a 3 year old and a 1 year old. Actually, now that we are settled into a good little routine in our new house, dinner time is usually pretty pleasant. I enjoy the time where we sit down together, even if it is as short as 10-15 minutes (attention span of a toddler.) Recently we have been emphasizing good manners for Louisa and Josie sits contentedly for a good 20 minutes. The girl loves to eat :) So yes, as long as I'm not too exhausted from the day (which sometimes I really am) I have been enjoying the dinner hour.

How do you organize your pictures?

Right now I am faced with a task that is overwhelming me.
My digital pictures are in total disarray on my computer :(
I have folders ranging from "random desktop pics" to "Costco pics to print March 2011" to "Josie birth" Right now I am pulling my hair out in frustration that I wasn't better about this and let it get so bad!!

Picture from Thanksgiving last year

You see, I have come to love taking pictures, but loath organizing them... : / 

From October

So does anyone else have this problem??

From way back in the summer

It's funny, my husband and I are opposites when it comes to our organization skills. He is on top of organizing everything on his computer: emails, photos, files, whatever. Which you know, is a good thing, since he works with computers for a living. I am very digitally disorganized - yet I certainly can keep my home organized! I blame it on my hasty way of browsing the internet, updating my blog, uploading facebook pictures, reading emails, responding to comments, etc. When I get an idea in my head, I quickly move to make it come to fruition, before I forget, so often I will go grab a picture off my camera card without saving it. Or I'll save it to 'desktop' and then leave it there and it gets lost or I forget about it. If I upload cell phone pictures, I forget which folder I put them in, so sometimes they end up in multiple places. I used to be better about having a folder for each month, but then I started to use other names for folders like "Pics I want to print" Yeah. Not exactly helpful in the long term when I need to come back to those pictures! I guess you could say I'm all about the immediate when I am online. Hmm....that's probably where I need to start adjusting my attitude and habits.

Memories are important!
 I want to be able to easily access pictures from my family growing up!

The more I think about it, the more it freaks me out that I could lose all my pictures one day. I worry about losing my blog data, which prompts me to want to get my blog printed year by year. I will be doing that, for sure. The question is where do I find the time to do it and the funds? Thankfully, my computer savvy husband did find a way to back up the data so at least it is stored on my computer right now, and if any thing crazy happened to Blogger I actually could access the last 4 years of memories. Don't ask me how he did that. Well, you could ask me but I'd have to have you talk to Mike about it.

But when it comes to my photo files, I need to get them organized. My goal is to have them organized, backed up, and printed (the pictures I want in albums...which is not all my pictures, that would be far too many!) by the time baby Michael arrives. That gives me about 4 months.

Some time in the fall

My question to you is, what is your organization scheme for storing pics? Do you do month by month? Do you do category? (Lou's 3rd birthday party, Christmas 2012, etc.) How do you maintain your organization as you take and upload new pictures? I know some of you are more or less into taking lots of pictures. I'd like to hear how you do it though! Whatever tips or tricks you have on staying on top of this task, let me know!

....and um, please pray nothing bad happens to our computer between now and when I get this taken care of!!!

Can a dress change your life?

We had a pretty good weekend, how about you? On Saturday we baked Pascha bread for the church. Remember last year? I didn't take any pictures this year, sadly. It's okay, it's really the same deal each time. My mom took the girls pretty much all day and it sounds like they had a grand time together. Mike and I got to spend the day together working for the church, then we got a nice dinner together before we went to get the girls. It was very nice. Good to know your children are in good hands when you need to be away from them for a little while.

After we picked them up, we went into the mall and to Old Navy. I bought a dress on clearance; a maxi dress. As hideous as that name is for an article of clothing.....I just gotta say, I do not know what took me so long to get one!! My life is now changed forever. Oh my goodness, I love how this dress fits, feels, looks, and how it really is awesome that I don't have to worry about nylons, leggins, or shaving my legs! What an awesome thing for a busy pregnant mama! I seriously feel like going out and purchasing like 15 of these dresses and throwing away all my jeans. (I already hate pretty much all my jeans at this point) I tried hard to get a good picture of the whole dress for you but ended up with nothing flattering. (Though I maintain that these long dresses are indeed flattering. Even on short women like myself. I wore it with slight heels to church and I swear it elongated my figure) I'm guessing that's what scared me away from these dresses initially when they were getting popular; that it would inevitably make me look even shorter. Plus, once again, I couldn't stand the ugly name. Sounded like a feminine hygiene thing. So weird. 

The other thing I like about this dress is that it is modest but still cute. I like the idea of being modest without screaming frumpiness. You can be stylish and graceful without being frumpy and boring. (For some cute ideas and inspiration relating to this topic - check out this lovely blog)

But yeah! Maxi dresses are awesome! You should go get one (granted you are a woman :) 

I love looking down on my growing belly. Best view in the world from up here. ;)

The rest of the weekend was nice, too. I didn't take off my new dress, except to sleep. Mike and I spent lots of time after the girls went to bed laughing, joking around, and watching 24. (Jack, Jack, Jack, Jack Bauer!) Sunday the girls ended up being really good in church, after some initial tricky-ness. Josie fell asleep, which is a luxury these days, and Lou was being cuddly with daddy. Then we came home, rested, and had a good Target date. Also, Mike helped me get caught up with the laundry and the kitchen got cleaned. I always look forward to waking up to a tidy house.

Now it's Monday, the clocks jumped ahead, and a new week has begun. I've got a lot going on this week, so I'm hoping it goes by somewhat quickly. Already looking forward to the weekend again, as always :)