The week in Instagram pics

Monday

Michael ate a lemon

Tuesday

Josie picked me a flower

Wednesday

The girls dined outside

Thursday

Josie gave me kisses and Lou took a picture (I like that it's blurry)

Friday

The sun continued to shine.

Well, there you go. I took 3x as many Instagram photos this week. Along with a handful with my good camera. But this is all I have time for right now. I should make sure to post my Instagram pictures on here more often because I know there is a chunk of the small crowd that reads my blog that does not own a smart phone. Or if they do, they are not on Instagram. And, as much as I want them to, I don't see my mom or my grandpa getting this app :)

Alright, well I better go get ready for the day. I am meeting a friend for Frozen Yogurt. At 10:30. You know, sometimes being a grown up has it's perks :)

Have a lovely weekend all!

Planting seeds

I have almost no experience gardening. When I was growing up we had a garden for a little while, but it was when I was older and already pretty heavily invested in my social life, so I don't remember doing that much except going out and picking the lettuce and carrots and corn occasionally for my mom.

In a few days Mike and I will celebrate being in our house for two years. We wanted to start a garden asap, but, you know how life is. Sometimes "as soon as possible" means two years later. :)

So, I took a million pictures of Mike and the kids planting the seeds in our two little raised garden beds because it's pretty gosh darn exciting.

Watering

So maaaaaaaaybe we'll actually have some edible things in our garden at some point. Or, not. (I'm sure we'll make every mistake in the book) We'll see :)

We have some flowers to plant, too. Louisa made the cutest marker for Forget-Me-Nots.

Oh, and while we were working outside, a little birdie flew into our basement! The girls thought it was great fun. Eventually the little guy found his way out on his own.

We planted the seeds after dinner so we quickly ran out of daylight. Also, I acquired a few mosquito bites...not the fun part about summer coming!

Anyone else have big gardening plans this spring/summer? (Oh, by the way we planted lettuce, carrots, rainbow carrots, radishes, beans, peas, cucumber, basil, and corn)

Any more experienced gardeners have any tips for us?

Weekend recap (well, including Monday)

This weekend Mike and his dad took out three huge laurel trees in the back yard. The kids had to watch from inside since a chain saw and chipper shredder was involved!

One of the reasons they took these horrendously overgrown laurels was because we bought a play set! It's a nice one, brand new and everything. It's going to be so much more convenient for me to be able to utilize it instead of having to take all the kids to the park. Michael will be walking in no time and I am honestly worried about losing a kid at the park if I take them without another adult! This way we will be able to stay home or have friends over most of the time. It is going to take a few more weeks to get it up though. The ground needs to be leveled, we have to research wood chips, and then actually getting it set up. Hopefully we can make more progress now that we've got a week of nice weather ahead! (We bought it at Costco more than 2 weeks ago but the weather's been terrible)

Watch out! Papa's got a chainsaw.

What else did we do this weekend? I'm trying to remember...Oy, right now I'm so tired I'm having trouble putting together my thoughts. I did so much work today. Got caught up with laundry. Worked outside. Kept the house clean. Washed dishes (our dishwasher isn't working). It's 10:45 and I have wanted to blog all day. Now that I finally have a chance my head is foggy and I just want to sleep. Also Michael has been unusually fussy tonight...we think his teeth are hurting him. He gets really clingy to me when he's in pain. He wants to nurse but then he nurses himself out and just arches his back. Daddy is rocking him now and I think he's finally willing to let himself fall asleep. Poor little guy. But, he made it so I couldn't blog until now. For a while we just had him playing with toys on the bed while we watched Psych but then he just wanted to get my laptop....

Oh I just remembered some of the other things we did this weekend. I just sent myself some pics from my phone to share: (After I post these it's time for bed)

Farmers market on Saturday!

So pretty.

Lou got to do a pony ride. She was pretty proud and of course realized she needs a pony now.

 (And yes, Erin, Lou looks so great in this irish sweater you gave us. She gets complimented on it often!)

Walking around with a bag of honey sticks ;) (This picture makes it look like the FM wasn't that busy. It was busier than it looks here, though since it's still early in the season it wasn't as busy as it gets later on)

Running around getting some energy out. They were playing some Frank Sinatra on the speakers so they were actually dancing.The girls are fun to take out these days...they don't always listen perfectly, but they are cute together in public. Louisa is much nicer to her sister and looks out for her when strangers are around. They both get protective of each other, actually. I like watching them explain to people how old they are (I'm four and my sister is 2. Or Josie says pats her sister and says "See-sa!" :)

My sister and her boyfriend came over Saturday night to watch the girls while Mike, baby and I went out to dinner. We went to an Italian place we've never been to in our little downtown and we both liked it a lot. I had a delicious martini and the live music was a nice touch! 

 (Also, I cut Mike's hair today, finally.Don't worry, it looks much better now :) I wonder when my son will be in need of a haircut...?)

This was dinner tonight. It was supposed to be a skillet meal with bacon, chicken, summer squash, green onion, and asparagus but I just cooked the veggies separately so certain members of the family could enjoy them that way. It was pretty good. Josie looked cute here with her little braids. I love that little shirt she's got on. It's actually a Janie and Jack top but she's outgrowing it so I'm going to have to put it away soon, which makes me sad!

The last thing we did today was color some garden markers. We finally got our raised beds filled with the soil mixture (we are using the Square Foot Gardening Book which I've mentioned here before) tomorrow I'm going somewhere to get them laminated and Mike will staple them to wood sticks. We should be able to plant the seeds tomorrow! Pictures of that to come.

Finally, I wanted to share this because it is so gosh darn true. I live for those brief, brief fleeting moments when all the hampers are empty.........

Truth.

Best and Worst aspects of being a housewife

“To be Queen Elizabeth within a definite area, deciding sales, banquets, labours, and holidays; to be Whitely within a certain area, providing toys, boots, cakes and books; to be Aristotle within a certain area, teaching morals, manners, theology, and hygiene; I can imagine how this can exhaust the mind, but I cannot imagine how it could narrow it. How can it be a large career to tell other people about the Rule of Three, and a small career to tell one’s own children about the universe? How can it be broad to be the same thing to everyone and narrow to be everything to someone? No, a woman’s function is laborious, but because it is gigantic, not because it is minute.”

G.K. Chesterton

Everyone has good and bad aspects of their job; here are some of mine, off the top of my head:

Best: Being home with my kids means I get to set the pace for the day. If everyone is tired and we need a slower pace, I can do that. If everyone has tons of pent up energy, I can work with that, too. Since there are no other adults around here but me, I make the schedule and set the pace for each day.

Worst: Sometimes the day gets away from me no matter what I do. If I am super tired, and the kids have tons of energy, it's not like I still get to drop them off at daycare and let another adult keep them entertained for me!

Best: There is a lot of freedom in this job. No one is telling me what to do or how to do it. I have freedom to go out or stay in. Of course, this is all still within the limits of what my kids can handle. I still have limits because of nap time, lunch time, etc. but overall, I don't know of a career that affords a person nearly as much freedom as I enjoy every single day!

Worst: With this freedom, there are lots of decisions to me made. I need to make sure I make good decisions (like, not taking the kids shopping at 1 in the afternoon even if I really want to!) If I make a poor decision, I pay for it. Being a homemaker is probably much harder for a person who has time management issues. Fortunately for me, I've always been pretty good at this. I am also moderately organized, so I can handle planning and managing a day without someone else doing it for me. 

Best: I like going out and about, but ultimately I am a home body. I enjoy being in my home the majority of the time, and so do my children. I don't have to take them somewhere for x amount of hours during the day, and come home for just the evenings and weekends. There is no place like home.

Worst: Because we are always here in this house, I have to work really hard to keep it clean and organized. The work never ends! Every once in a while I imagine what it would be like to be outside the home most of the day because I feel like things would stay cleaner longer! It's a lot of work to maintain it but...

Best: I do enjoy the upkeep of the house. I like to decorate and take care of our belongings. Everything I surround us with is to our liking. It's only up to me (well, Mike has some input too :) But, I like that I am not forced to spend time in spaces I do not feel comfortable in. This means a lot to me.

Best: I don't miss my children. I am with them all day. I see every one of their milestones and have the pleasure/privilege of being part of their lives and accomplishments. Kids are interesting and hilarious and I think it would just plain stink to not be around them all day.

Worst: Since I am with them all day everyday, I am responsible for developing good habits in them! This is a lot of pressure on me and it can be difficult to stay patient. I do lose my patience, of course, and need a break in order to keep my cool (which I cannot always have.) Kids misbehave. They push your buttons. It takes effort to stay in control all day every day.

Best: I miss out on the anxiety of performing for other adults. I do not miss this from teaching. It was stressful working with other adults and going through reviews and criticisms. I'm glad I do not have that in the home (other than my husband of course. But he's a pretty loving "boss" :)

Worst: This job does not come with accolades, a paycheck, raises, awards, or anything of the sort. I won't pretend that sometimes I envy those with careers because those things would be nice!

Best: The love and affection I receive from my children makes up for that. I still like to be complimented from other adults on my children's behavior, the state of my home, etc. But ultimately, accolades are not what life is about, and I know that....intellectually :)

Best: Mike and I don't have to worry about our kids being in anyone else's care but our own. This provides both of us with an immeasurable level of peace.
Worst: While Mike and I believe that it is the best situation for kids (especially young kids) for mom to be home with them, we are under no illusions that this is a guarantee that our kids will turn out better. We have to operate under the assumption that we are doing everything we can for them but that kids always grow up and make decisions for themselves. I pray hard for my kids that they will make good decisions, but I cannot control them. It's a scary thought, but again, both Mike and I have to be at peace with it. We are making sacrifices for me to stay home but we know that it doesn't guarantee anything!

Best: Saving money on transportation, meals, medical (kids getting sick less often because they are not exposed to so many germs) and child care.

Worst: I'm still not that good at cooking. :/

Best: Naptime. Oh yeah, you've all heard me talk about the glories of naptime. I enforce the nap schedule around here pretty strictly so during those 2-3 hours a day I have time to nap myself, or work on hobbies like sewing, crafting, or just watching a show I like. 

Worst: I don't have a quiet lunch hour or quiet bus ride. On the occasion where one of the kids doesn't nap, I don't get any real time to myself. Not even for bathroom breaks - so an hour lunch would be a luxury (not to mention getting to eat whatever I wanted. If I had a fancy job I could also enjoy restaurant food and possibly nice coffee or Happy Hour from time to time.

When it comes down to it; I can't really picture myself doing anything else. Maybe if I didn't have kids I could picture myself still teaching, tutoring, or singing in musicals on Broadway (just kidding) but honestly, after doing this for 5 years it's become central to my identity. I love what I do. It's hard sometimes but every kind of job is hard to some extent. I know on my deathbed if there is anything I will regret, it won't be this. The home is my castle, my domain, my creation, my masterpiece. 

***

Toes in the sand

At about 10:30 this morning I decided we just needed to get out of the house, especially considering this is the only day that looks like it's going to be decent this week. (I am hoping the weather report is wrong!) - So, I packed up the kids and we headed on over to the beach.

It was a bit chilly with the wind. Yes, Michael was barefoot; I am a great mommy like that. He was perfectly happy though! He loved the sand. I just nursed him and he still had some of it in his mouth ;) So, yeah, fun times for a little boy. The girls had a fine time too. I'm glad we have the option to drive a short distance and see the beautiful ocean. I sometimes miss living even closer to this wonderful park that I grew up going to. But, the drive is still totally doable so I'm grateful. 

Oh, and this beach is where I used to take Louisa when it was just her and we lived there. (Here is a post I did April 4 years ago!) I can't believe I just brought three kids there today. I remember going there with just Lou and feeling pretty overwhelmed just being out of the house with her. It's amazing how you change.

Quick Takes (Sunday?)

I have been wanting to blog for days now, but kept being prevented by one thing or another! Last night, I could have, but I decided to put together a facebook album from the baby shower I hosted yesterday instead. By the time I was done posting those pictures I was really drowsy and promptly fell asleep to the movie The Avengers that Mike rented. Mike asked me if I wanted more popcorn, I replied yes, and that's all I remember. Oh, and Tony Stark making fun of Captain America.

Anyway, I suppose since technically submissions for 7 Quick Takes Friday can still be put in, I will go ahead and go with that kind of a post. It's always nice to do a wrap up, especially when I only got one post in this week!

My Josie saying hello to the baby.

-1-

Like I mentioned, I hosted a baby shower here yesterday. I sure do love this sort of thing. I always like to help celebrate a new life when I can, and when it's a friend and someone who I know will make an outstanding mother, all the better! (And her husband will make a good dad, too :)

Seriously, is there anything better than white baby onsies? Other than the babies that go inside them? ;) 

-2- 

The girls had WAY too much sugar during the party and consequently they were in total melt-down-mode by 7:30 last night, despite having a really late nap time. It became almost comical at one point when Louisa had a major break down/life crisis because I handed Josie a packet of kid's toothpick things we got a the store, when she wanted to hold it. I've never been the most serious mother about severely limiting sweets, but definitely as the years go by I can see clearly the effects of too much sugar (and artificial food dyes) on my kids. They also sleep poorly. Louisa ended up in our bed and I could hear Josie yelling in her sleep from their bedroom. 

We do have a birthday party to go to today so oy, might be tricky!!

-3-

This week I had a mommy-movie night with my awesome mommy friends. We watched {part of} the new Les Miserables. I have always been a fan of the Liam Neeson and Geoffry Rush version. I resisted seeing the new one for the longest time, but one of my friends insisted that she loved it, so that's why we organized the movie night around it. I did enjoy what I saw (being mom's, we inevitably started chatting in the middle of it and ended up turning it off so we could visit. Our attention spans being what they are and all... :) So I'm planning on watching it again with the husband man.

But yeah, did you like the new version? I liked the pace of it, the cinematography, and like everyone is saying - Hugh Jackman made a superb Valjean. 

Les Mis makes a great Pandora station, by the way.

-4-

This week I did a lot of organizing and cleaning. I have gotten some nice comments lately about my home and how it's really come together to be cozy and nicely decorated (we have lived here 2 years now, so mostly people mean the house has come a long way) I appreciate those types of compliments, because it is a recognition of what I do! I mean, my chief role around here is nurturer - of my children and husband - but as a homemaker, the state of the house says a lot about my job performance. 

Sometimes I struggle though, with the idea that the home is actually supposed to be somewhat hidden. I have read this a lot in spiritual readings. I need to keep some of this life of mine hidden, I think, in order to recognize that sometimes I work hard and no one sees it but God. I need to be okay with that. Do you know what I'm trying to say? I shouldn't always need to flaunt what I do or receive any kind of accolades, even when I complain sometimes that I don't because I do not have a job outside the home. That's not why I'm in this line of work at all! 

I am here laying the foundation for my family. Those who lay the foundation for the cities rarely get recognized, but without them, the city could never prosper.

Still, I enjoy receiving compliments as most people do. I guess what I'm saying is I shouldn't live for that. 

-5-

Just another comment about the baby shower yesterday: I think it's really awesome now that more of my college friends are having babies. Mike and I were the first ones out of our group of friends to get married and start having children, and now it's just exciting that we are not the only ones! I have a post in mind about this. How to Deal with Being the First Couple Having Babies. -because I have a lot of thoughts on this!

My son trying to eat my friend's son. Michael likes that there is someone smaller than him, for a change.

-6-

Is anyone else getting annoyed by the constant barrage of businesses asking you to "like" them on facebook and "share this"?? Okay, as someone highly involved in social media, you would think this wouldn't bother me so much. However, I do remember back in the day when a person could decide for themselves if something was worthy of liking or sharing. I'm seriously so fed up with these prompts. Just, please, if you don't want to be an obnoxious business, let your products speak for themselves!

Although, I bet it's becoming like the car advertisements, where companies have to engage in the social media attention grabs just in order to keep up with the competition? Still, I'm sick of it. If I do get rid of my facebook account, the number one reason will be pushy advertising!!!

-7-

Prayer requests are being sent far and wide on the internet blogging world, for Jenifer (host of Quick Takes) as she waits for her baby boy to come home from the NICU! God Bless her family and may she quickly recover from all these ordeals!! XO

Is it summer yet??

I am ready for spring to be over with. My allergies are doing a number on me again this year. Last year I thought it was because I was pregnant that they were especially horrible, but this year they are just as bad. I'm finally getting a bit of relief in the last week, but basically I've felt like I've had a cold for the last two months. Ugh. Some days I would wake up with my eyes and who face puffy like I had been crying for hours. I am ready for summer to kick in, not just because my allergies should let up but also I just want it to be warm again!

I just thought this was cute. After naps today the girls were watching a show and having a snack of tortilla chips and sour cream (my girls are obsessed with sour cream!) and, as you can see, Michael is big enough to climb up on stuff now so he wanted to know what they were eating. He is a very curious fellow now days. So, instead of intervening I let him test it out.....

 hmmm....interesting mama. I like that I can make a mess....

 Yum! Tastes pretty good! Don't mind if I do!

hehe. Yeah, my little man is not such a little man anymore. I mean, he still is. But he's quite busy climbing into his sister's baths with his clothes on while mommy walks away for one moment and toppling lamps over. He also enjoys grabbing Josie's hair, pooping at 4 a.m., and slobbering all over everything. Awe, I'm making him out to be some kind of brute.

Which he definitely is.

But he's my little sweet brute, and he'll always remain that way to me.

Little boys are so great though. He is definitely more physical already than the girls were/are. He perfected his crawl in practically no time. I think from the first time he started figuring it out to where he is now it was probably about two weeks. And like I mentioned, the kid can climb into the bathtub for pete's sake. He is very strong too, and fast. I am so happy we bought a play set for the yard (it still has to be set up, it's in our garage currently.) This summer will be much more relaxing if I can send the kids out back for exercise instead of having to always take them to the park. Because for one thing I just know as soon as Mikey can walk he will be RUNNING.

So...yeah. I suppose that's all I'll write for now. He had been asleep but woke up and I nursed him back down. I sure do love this little guy....have I mentioned that? :) Well, time to snuggle up and go to bed - it's late!
.0

pReTty hAppy FuNny reaL

 Pretty

The Easter season always makes my house so pretty! Also just the lighting in my house over the past week has been so great. I'm grateful for the change. (Even though today it's back to cloudy!)

Happy

 Over the last two weeks my husband and I have been working together to get our office cleaned and our paperwork streamlined! This is not usually the cleanest room in the house, but now it looks wonderful! Mike did the bulk of sorting through years of paperwork (just stuff we've held on to that we didn't necessarily need   to) and I sorted through what he had left over. He also filed the kid's important paperwork, and just did a great job over all organizing it. It feels SO good to have this task accomplished!

The office is in great shape - horray!

Question: does anyone else struggle keeping up with the paperwork? I feel like that would have been a great skill to work on together as a couple in marriage prep!

Funny

Me trying so hard to get a cute pic of Michael baby in this cool hat! The problem is it's too big but also he was just having none of it! He instantly reached up to grab it off and was getting so irritated with his mommy being so persistent! 

sorry little guy! :)

Real

Easter is REALLY here and we get to leave the decorations up for a while - yay! He is Risen!!

Though, the month of March is over and I've got to get April's calendar done up! 

More at Like Mother Like Daughter! I'm headed over there now to check out some lovely posts - I'm sure people have some awesome Easter pictures to share!