Coffee and Cocoa

{sharing the morning together}

Happy Fall Y'all!

Just getting into the spirit of fall over here.

  My little helper and I put this up this morning.

 His favorite part was dropping the leaves from the highest he could reach.

Now if only the real leaves would hurry up and change color!

What we did on our summer vacation

This summer we went on a vacation to Maine.  

We did a lot of fun things, ate a lot of yummy food, and saw a lot of great things.

We stayed at this hotel.  We wanted to stay forever because they make the beds for you!

We sat on the beach under sunny blue skies

and played in the water when we got too hot

We saw sailboats

and seagulls

We watched fireworks over the beach

They were beautiful and sparkly

Four people built an amazing sandcastle on the beach.  Lots of people stopped to see it.

The beach was crowded with people and umbrellas

We ate delicious food everyday

We shopped for a lot of cool things

But the candy store was our most favoritest

 

We visited Portland

And ate the best hotdogs ever made

We were forced to pose for Mom's photo shoots

  This is our mom and dad's favorite restaurant to visit

 And this is what they always get when they eat there

Mom and Dad are dreaming of living in a house by the sea

But until then, we can't wait to go back to Maine next year

 The End

Photo-a-Day twenty-six

Photo-a-Day six

the little teacher

Photo-a-Day five

Photo-a-Day four

Photo-a-Day three

and rotting brains on Sponge Bob

Photo-a-Day two

Photo-a-Day one

Remember Today 3.13.11

{remember} I introduced Maddox to Flickr today--he spent 20 minutes looking at Lego creations there and then another 40 building.  An hour well spent!

Dream Big

If there were ever a time to dare,
To make a difference
To embark on something worth doing
It is now.
Not for any grand cause, necessarily –
But for something that tugs at your heart
Something that is worth your aspiration
Something that is your dream.
You owe it to yourself

To make your days count.
Have fun. Dig deep. Stretch.
Dream big.

Know, though,
That things worth doing
Seldom come easy,
There will be times when you want to
Turn around
Pack it up and call it quits
Those times tell you
That you are pushing yourself
And that you are not afraid to learn by trying.

Persist.

Because with an idea,
Determination and the right tools,
You can do great things.
Let your instincts, your intellect
And let your heart guide you.

Trust.

Believe in the incredible power
Of the human mind
Of doing something that makes a difference
Of working hard
Of laughing and hoping
Of lasting friends
Of all the things that will cross your path

The start of something new
Brings the hope of something great.
Anything is possible
There is only one you
And you will pass this way but once.

Do it right.
Dream Big.

-Author Unknown

Remember Today 2.20.11

{remember} doing a little soul searching, being at conflict with myself and my role/purpose. 

Why do we as mothers
need to face the struggle
of choosing
ourselves and our dreams
over the
care and raising
of our children? 

Having a hard time finding
a good balance
and striking
a happy harmony. 

Feelings of selfishness and guilt.

Why can't I just sit back
and enjoy these mothering years
and not want to search for more? 

These years are so fleeting,
and I know deep down
the time for me
to pursue my dreams will come,
but what if it won't. 

What if my time is now? 
What if waiting
will make it too late?

Remember Today 2.18.11

{remember} that some days are just better off forgotten.  And let's just leave it at that.

Remember Today 2.17.11

{remember} how much Maddox grew up today: holding his little arm safely against his body, going to x-ray bravely by himself.  I wonder how a child can look so incredibly small and vulnerable and so brave and independent at the same time.

if {a project 365 ponderance}

If I were doing project 365 this year:

Happiness is... {a list}

...finding a piece of chocolate in your pocket that your middle son gave you from his own Valentine gift.
...getting a 3 pound bag of Jelly Belly jelly beans from your hubby for Valentine's Day.
...getting a huge hug and "I love you" from hubby after he looks through the scrapbook album you made for him.
...taking a nap and reading a book in the middle of the day.
...eating a meal out as a family and not having to make lunch or dinner (this should be a new monthly tradition).
...thrilling the boys with the gift of books for Valentine's Day

this one for Logan:

  

this for Camden:

and this for Maddox

 ...having a lazy weekend without deadlines and worries.

Remember Today 2.13.11

{remember} the third time's a charm:  after attempting a dinner out Friday and Saturday, we finally succeeded today at 3:30.  Stuffed myself to the belly-aching point.

Remember Today 2.12.11

{remember} how much more peaceful and happy our home is without screens.  The boys spent the day playing Legos, drawing in their doodle books, cleaning up their bedrooms, practicing guitar, reading, playing knee hockey, playing catch (oh, and there was that bit of wrestling--uggh!).

Remember Today 2.11.11

{remember} how much I love Fridays, and not to fool myself into thinking that if I don't go to Pilates I'll workout at home.

Remember Today 2.10.11

{remember} figuring out at dinner that I actually turned 37 today, not 38.  Happiness.

It was a Chocolate Martini kind of day!

Let me start by saying, I am not a big drinker.  I'll have a drink when we're out socially, and I might have a glass of wine with dinner once every three months.  But today I just had one of those non-stop, Mommy Marathon, don't-sit-down-once (unless you count the time driving the car shuttling the kids from one place to the next sitting) kind of days.  And at nearly the end of it all, I just really wanted a glass of cold riesling.  Here's why:

Wake to more snow and stress that the bus will be late again and Maddox will miss his 4th swim class in a row of a 7-week session.  Get up, shower, realize that Camden is "too sick" to go to school, shuffle Logan out the door to a bus that is only 7 minutes late (praise the Lord), grab a cup of coffee and rush off with two kids to swim class.  Clean up spilled cocoa at the Y, "I just don't know how that spilled, Mom", towel dry a blue 5 year old and head to the grocery store.  Shop with two boys who whine and complain that I don't let them get anything good to eat three quarters of the way through the store.  By the frozen foods, I relish in the idea that I can actually hear the grocery cart wheel squeaking because they are finally quiet.  Check out, load the car, and Camden announces that he forgot his book and timer bookmark at the Y. Back to the Y with a trunk full of groceries. He retrieves the book and timer, we head home to unpack groceries to find that there's a foot of icy snow lying at the bottom of the driveway (darn plows!).  Yell at boys to not step in the 4-inch deep puddle because "those are the only boots you have to wear all day!"  Unpack the groceries, grab shovel, go into near cardiac arrest shoveling 500+ pounds of icy snow mix.  Head inside, make lunch, scoff down lunch, brush Maddox's teeth, run out the door yelling at Camden that we are going to be late and to hurry his butt.  Drop Maddox at school, pay his tuition 8 days late, return his Cheerio project one day late, and supply his tissue box Valentine mailbox one day early (score one point for team Mom!).  Run to BJ's for milk and vitamins, walk out with half a dozen other miscellaneous items.  Race home, unload {again}, drive to school to pick up Logan for an early dismissal.  Head to the orthodontist for, not one, but two children who will eventually need braces and who-knows-what-else orthodontic work.  Sit through both appointments in a slight panic that I won't get out in time to pick up Maddox at school.  Call Mom to be on back-up alert for the pick-up.  Scoot out of the office only after doing the through-gritted-teeth hiss-of-a-yell at the boys as they dawdle through the prize box for just the right treasure to take home and clutter up the house.  Run through the puddle-infested parking lot trying not to break an ankle or land face down in a puddle and rush the kids into the car.  Check the time: 3:08  Hmmm, I think I can travel halfway across this town and halfway through the next to pick up Maddox in 12 minutes.  Call Mom, "Stand down, back up plan; I've got this mission."  Ten minutes later, and five miles and two minutes to go, "Ummm, Mom, could you just run over to grab him, I'm not so sure I'm going to make it in time."  Head to the school anyway and pass Mom who was about to get into the wrong parent pick-up line that probably would not reach Maddox until tomorrow.  Yell a thanks to Mom, buzz off up the street, inadvertently cut the entire pre-k line, apologize profusely, and pop Maddox into the car.  Get into the turning lane to stop at Mom's to thank her and realize Logan left his homework at the Orthodontist.  Run into Mom's where Camden promptly takes his boots off and then cries when I tell him we are not staying.  Discuss, tell, fight, yell (with Camden, not Mom), head all three kids back to the car, and trek back to the next town to retrieve homework.  Nearly run over Logan's foot in the parking lot, learn that sometimes momma duck just needs to toss her baby into the pond and say, "swim, baby, swim", and drive around pot-holed puddley parking lot while waiting for baby duck to get his homework.  Once homework is back safe and sound, get the brilliant idea to stop at children's clothing store to hunt out bargains on snow pants.  Trek three boys into the store against their will, spend 8 and a half minutes searching the racks for a good deal, and head back to the car empty handed.  Drive home through afternoon rush hour traffic hoping that there is a bottle of wine in the cupboard.

We're out of wine, so I settled on a chocolate martini instead.

February's Word: Healthy

As I start off the month of February I am feeling tired, out of shape, dehydrated, and stiff.  I don't feel terribly awful, just a bit uncomfortable.  My pants are snugger, the scale is pointing to a number it hasn't since I was pregnant, and I know the older I get, the harder it will be to maintain a healthy lifestyle (especially when I don't consider my current lifestyle habits particularly healthy).

So in an effort to love myself in this month of L-O-V-E, my word is:




I will eat less sweets and more fruits and veggies. I will not eat when I'm not hungry. I will drink more water, and not ignore my thirst.  I will walk on the treadmill.  I will attend Pilates every week.  I will make time for some sort of physical activity everyday.  I will go to bed by 11:00 pm.  I will look forward to the effects all this has on me by the end of February.

Resolution Check-In

Well, we're one month into twenty-11, so let's take a look at how my high hopes for the year are doing, shall we?

1. create everyday--{check} this will be my "safety" for the year, the one that above all else will stick
2. remember today--{umm, almost check?} I'm not at 100%, but I'm a lot better off than I was last year!
3. be more efficient and productive--{check} I think I'm doing pretty good here, as long as you can count playing Cover Orange and Cut the Rope on my i-pod as productive!
4. drink more water--{ugh!} you would think this would be a no brainer, but I struggle so badly with this one
5. exercise regularly--{nope} I did go to Pilates once this month; if number one is my safety, this one is my "reach"
6. have more patience--{yes!} number one is helping a great deal with this.  Loving my life helps, too!
7. catch up on unfinished projects--{kinda} "catch-up" was my word for the month of January, and I had high hopes of completing lots of unfinished projects.  I didn't anticipate how many new projects January was going to throw at me.  I did manage to get all my 2010 photos organized and backed-up, no small feat, really. Which brings us to number 8:
8. organize and back-up photos monthly--{yup} January is caught up too!
9. learn something new every week--{hmmmm} I bet I have, like the other day when I learned about QR codes and created one for my blog address (see above)
10. send more cards--{whoops!} gotta get better at this one!
11. teach more classes--dropped the ball on this one 
12. read one book a month--{check} but admittedly, it was my second reading of said book
13. complete 120 LO's this year--{yippee!} 10 down, right on track for the year
14. complete an art journal--{uh uh} did one page, but I really want to fit this into my creative routine--working on this for Feb.

Well, the year is young.  There's 11 more months to perfect my resolutions!

Remember Today 1.29.11

{remember} Maddox making this house all by himself!

Remember Today 1.27.11

{remember} snow day number 4 for the month and this is the view at our house: