A Monday Happy

The other day, Ann wanted to take a picture with me. I obliged.

The sweet look on her face makes my Monday! Please stop by Cheryl's at Twinfatuation for more fun Monday posts!

Sister Smooch

I just got motivated to actually download pictures from my camera onto my computer. Now, if they would only jump off my computer into scrapbooks, I'd be all set. (Did I mention my youngest turns two next week and I don't even own a scrapbook in which to put her cute little pictures?)

Anyways, I was excited to see so many pictures that I love! I may break my no scrapbooking run soon by beginning one of this year.

This one will certainly make the cut. Two sweet sisters hugging! (Notice the Target dollar spot matching hair bands! Oh, and the wings on my youngest. She is starting of have a thing for accessories!) One of the things that is making my baby turn two bearable is to see her begin to really interact playing with her sister and brother. I love it!

This picture makes my Monday! For more fun pictures, stop by Cheryl's at Twinfatuation!

Happy Monday!

The Things They Say

As I sit here, all three children are napping. A load of laundry needs to be switched and the kitchen floor is nearly ready to be mopped. So, I figure what better time to sit and write! It sure beats the cleaning alternative.

My little man is upstairs sleeping in a Spider-Man costume. Before he went to bed, I urged him to use the restroom. He told me very seriously that Peter Parker doesn't go potty. I assured him that he most certainly does. "But I didn't see it," my son insisted.

Ah, I realized he was talking about the short clips we've let him watch of the Spider-Man movie. Too funny! I love how literally they take things. It also reminds me how careful we need to be with what our little ones watch!

And while I'm on funny things that my little guy says...

Shortly after Christmas and getting this wonderful super hero cape from Klutz, he informed me that he wished he'd gotten a cape with a button so he could fly. I told him I understood because, hey, who wouldn't want to fly!?

Finally, he was recently wearing his cape over his super hero pajamas. I was in the room with him and he looked at me before darting out of the room. As he left he said, "I'm a super duper hero!" I have never in my life said "super duper," so I'm not sure where he got that one.

Having my super duper little boy in my life is a very fine thing. The house might be less crazy without him, but life would be so much duller and less colorful. Loving my little man is a fine thing indeed.

Be sure to head over to Amy's to see more fine things on this Friday!

Happy Friday!

An External Hard Drive is a Fine Thing

About a month ago, our computer started acting funny. Not much later, it didn't act at all.

The same thing happened three years ago. Only three years ago we didn't actually back up our computer on an external hard drive. (I know!) That is the reason why my son's first year scrap book has a page that says "Technical Difficulties." We are missing pictures from two months of his first year.

Now, fortunately we learned from that little episode. So, when a virus recently attacked our computer, our only worry was whether or not we'd have to replace the computer. We knew our pictures and other documents were safe on the external hard drive.

Otherwise I would have lost pictures like this:

It might not look like much to you, but it means a lot to me. That is a picture of my youngest getting her first hair cut. I'm holding her and my step mom is cutting her hair. My oldest, Ann is behind us.

As I opened the computer today, I realized my husband had loaded all of our old info back onto our computer. It was like magic! Not having pictures forever lost due to a computer's untimely illness is a fine thing indeed!

See what others are finding to be fine on this beautiful Friday morning over at The Finer Things in Life.

Celebrating a Sick Computer!

I'm actually feeling quite grateful that our home computer is a little under the weather. It hasn't been an option to just hop on throughout the day so I can "check my email". That, of course, invariably leads to looking at Facebook or some blogs. Before I know it, more than 15 minutes are gone.

So, a day going on two days without the computer is quite the breath of fresh air. I'm doing more with the kids, visited in person with a friend and her sweet kiddos and even did some cleaning!

I really like the sense of community the internet fosters, however being without it except for a few minutes in the morning is a fine thing indeed!

Please visit Amy at The Finer Things in Life for more fine things!

Worth It

I've learned that our mornings really do go more smoothly if I do a few things before breakfast.

So, I try to get myself ready, make the beds and tidy the bedrooms. (Sometimes this is done with 'help" and sometimes not.) I usually try to pick out clothes for the kiddos and take them downstairs with me so that they can put them on right after breakfast. Of course, they pick out their clothes a lot of the time as well. In fact, there was a time when my oldest would put on quite the ensembles. I'd like to say that I'm the mom who would let her go out in her crazy outfits, but more often than not, I didn't.

Anyways, today I did the few things I mentioned and our morning was off to a good start. I did, however, realize after breakfast that I'd forgotten to bring down clothes for my youngest who is one. Since I couldn't send her upstairs and actually expect her to pick out a top and a bottom, I got ready to head upstairs myself. Before I could, my four-year-old offered to go pick out an outfit. I hesitated, but said okay. My three-year-old followed her.

Not much later, she came down with some jeans, a too-small t-shirt and some Baby's First Halloween socks (it's not her first, but someone gave them to her...). My first instinct was to say thanks and head upstairs to pick out a more suitable shirt, but I stopped.

It was the pride beaming from my oldest's face that made me stop. She was clearly happy that she had chosen to help me by getting her sister's clothes.

As my son entered the room holding a fresh diaper for his sister, I knew what I had to do. Instead of finding something that I thought would be cuter and better fitting, I dressed my youngest in some slightly mismatched and ill-fitting clothes.

After I had her dressed, I thanked my other two children for being such good helpers.

My oldest said with much pride, "Yeah, we were helpers because we're the big kids, right Chris?" Her brother agreed as they both went back to playing with blocks.

It was a small thing, but I know it made a difference. I'm glad I'm learning to take time to pay attention to those small things!

Now, I'm curious, do any of you let your kids wear whatever they pick out no matter how outrageous it might be?

Please stop by Jo-Lynne's to read more about what others recently learned.

Cowgirl Cutie

Ann had Dress-Like-a-Cowboy/girl last week at preschool. I suppose I'm a tad biased, but I've never seen a cuter cowgirl.

This girl makes my Monday!

Happy Monday! Be sure to check out Cheryl's at Twinfatuation for more Monday happies (that should soooo be a word)!

I'm Thankful!

Well, well, well. I sat down at the computer about five minutes ago. Plopped down or slouched down might be more accurate. You see, I was frustrated.

I pulled out my journal and started to get ready for some quiet time reading and praying. I was about to start with a list of things that were on my mind. I probably would of started with how ungrateful the children were even though I planned a picnic inside for them. (I even cut their sandwiches into dinosaurs for crying out loud!) Yet, I never started the list.

Instead, a devotion I had read earlier in the week came to mind. I realized that I was about to complain on paper. The devotion is from a book titled, Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. One line on last Friday's devotion reads "It opens the door to deadly sins such as self-pity and rage." The author is referring to what complaining can do.

After looking up the devotion and thinking about Philippians 2:14-15, I decided I'd make a different list. The list looks like this:

Blessings

Three Healthy Children

A devoted husband

Tony's job

Tony's health

My health

MOPS

Church

Our warm house

The fall leaves

Childrens books

Candles

Mysteries

Cream cheese frosting

Chocolate Chips

Oranges

Pineapple

Family

Blogging

Pictures

Friends

Hot Chocolate

Brussel Sprouts

Love

My Dyson Vacuum

Staying home with my kids

The above list is in no particular order. It took me no time at all to think of these things. I could have easily filled another journal page of more little and big blessings.

I'm not sure what the rest of the day holds. The weather is still dreary and cold (and has been all week!). Yet, I do hope I have closed the door on self-pity and anger, if only for the afternoon. Please Lord, let it be so.

A not-so-good picture of three of my favorite blessing having an indoor picnic.

Happy Friday!

I'm linking this blog up to a new-to-me carnival at The Finer Things in Life. Be sure to head over there and check out her blog. You won't be disappointed!

My Youngest Makes My Monday

I'm loving Cheryl's Makes My Monday carnival. It's the perfect excuse to post a picture that just makes me happy! Take, for example, this one. I took it this afternoon and it makes me smile every time I look at it. She just looks like the definition of happy.

You see, this week, it's pictures of my youngest that makes my Monday!

Here she is sporting the orange wings and tutu that one of her grandma's recently mailed to her. She borrowed the wand from her big sis.

After posing for the picture, she decided to more closely inspect her new wings.

In addition to discovering the world of dress up, little Jane has also discovered how to pout. The first time she did it was when Daddy told her she couldn't touch something. She crossed her arms and stuck out her lower lip. We laughed. Ever since, the rest of us like to say, "Jane, pout!" We think she looks so cute with her little arms crossed. She thinks it's a funny game. The wings only make the pout cuter.

Little Jane, you make my Monday and many other days for that matter. I love you!

How about you? What makes your Monday? Be sure to head over to Cheryl's for more fun starts to the week.

Happy Monday!

The Baby Burrito

I often think about family traditions. Sometimes I read about them and sometimes I simply discuss them with friends and family.

As my children grow, I think about the types of traditions I want to have in our family. Of course, like most people, I think about traditions most often around the holidays. It struck me as a bit odd that I realized I was thinking about traditions as I pulled my youngest out of the bath tonight.

After I got her out of the tub, I wrapped her in a towel. I then proceeded to ask Tony if he'd like a bite of the baby burrito. He made a chomping sound and pretended to bite Jane. She giggled. Our four-year-old asked for a "bite" and did the same thing. So did our three-year-old. By the time I was finished making the rounds, Jane was belly laughing. It was then I realized that we do have traditions outside of the holidays.

We began making baby burritos when our oldest child was a toddler. We've done it ever since. I suppose we'll continue until Jane is too big to swaddle in a bath towel or she asks us to stop.

As far as I'm concerned, this is as good as a family tradition gets. We all enjoy it and it makes us smile and laugh together. I'm sure one day that Tony and I will enjoy reminding them of this silly little tradition.

Our traditions may not always be traditional. After all, how many parents do you know who have children that request that Jingle Bells be sung every. single. night? Yet, that's more than okay with me. If it makes us closer as a family, then I'm all about being non-traditional.

Be sure and stop by Musings of a Housewife to see what others learned this week!

Good Intentions

I dutifully cut up broccoli and placed it in a bowl in the fridge. I made sure to put it within easy reach for the kiddos. (Hey, a mom can dream, right.)



But, I had to laugh as I placed the bowl on the shelf. Check this out:

I think you and I both know that little hands (and Mommy hands) will be much more likely to reach a little farther into the fridge for what is currently behind the broccoli.

So, this week I learned that I might want to be careful about everything I place on the lowest shelf of the refrigerator.

Excuse me, I'm off to put The Sneaky Chef and Deceptively Delicious on hold at the library.

Please visit Jo-Lynne's to see what others learned this week.

Party Time

Hi, thanks for stopping by my little party. I'm Lizz and I've been blogging for seven months. Before I actually had a blog, I read blogs. Many, many, many blogs. One day my husband asked me why I didn't have one. So, on a whim, I started one. You can read my first post that explains my blog's title here.

My days are pretty full of being a wife and a mama. I'm married to my college sweetheart. We have a preschooler, a toddler, and a baby. As you can imagine, they keep us quite busy.

I blog about a variety of things. However, I mainly blog to keep perspective on these precious years with my kiddos. I do my best to see the glass as half full, even when my day doesn't go as planned. I sometimes write about giving my children treats when they least expect it, and yes, that and this backfired. I also write about my experiences as a mama, especially when I start to question my decisions.

Thanks for stopping by, feel free to grab some coffee and a slice of "The Pie." Stay as long as you like. The kids and I are happy to have the company.

After your visit here, please be sure to stop by and see the hostess, Robin at Pensieve.

Sorry?

Fussy is hosting a great little carnival. She is encouraging others to post about things for which they are thankful.

I thought I'd join in. I guess that means I shouldn't post a picture of my kitchen table covered in Play-Doh. I also probably shouldn't label that same picture with the title "The Bane of My Existence." No, no, that won't do.

Instead let's talk about the grocery store. Isn't great when a trip goes smoothly? I had such an experience this morning. The only little glitch was that it seemed that we kept getting in the way of the same man. The fact that I was pushing a stroller and pulling a cart meant that it was challenging for us not to be in the way. Each time I got in his way, I apologized. I warned Ann to be careful too.

It really came as no surprise to me that we found ourselves in the same check-out line. He was right behind us. I had just asked Ann to say something to the cashier. She did a good job, but had her mouth full of crackers while she said it. I told Ann she did a great job and then apologized to the cashier for her full mouth. It is quite possible a few crumbs made their way out of Ann's mouth as she spoke. Hopefully they didn't land on the cashier. Yuck.

"Stop apologizing," said the man in line behind us.

"What?" I asked.

"Stop apologizing. You've apologized through the whole store. You're doing fine," he reassured.

"We've all been there," added the cashier while looking in the direction of my three little ones.

I started thinking about it. They were right. I was apologizing, but my kids had been great. They did exactly what I asked them to do the entire time we were shopping. I realized that my apologizing for things that weren't misbehavior was undermining my words which said they were doing a good job.

Sure, there is a time and a place for apologizing for disturbing the whole store with a toddler's tantrum. It might also be good to say sorry when your toddler throws something and narrowly misses the person behind you. Not, of course, that I would know anything about that.

But the way I was saying sorry today may eventually come across as an apology that my children are even taking up space in a public place. I am most definitely not sorry for that.

So, today, I'm grateful for the kind man and woman at the grocery store. I'm grateful they acknowledged that taking kiddos to the store is not an easy job. I'm also grateful that they made me think about making sure my words match my thoughts. I'm proud of my kiddos and am more than happy to call them mine.

It's the Play-Doh I could do without.

I Hope They Never Visit

Though it seems impossible right now, eventually my children will grow up and leave home. And when they do, I hope they never visit.

Now before you think I'm a horrible mother who can't wait to be rid of her children, please allow me to explain.

I have a dear friend who still "goes home." She is a grown woman with a husband, children, and a home of her own. In reality she has two homes.

At first, this seemed strange to me. I mean, if I tell you I'm going home, I'm referring to the place where I reside with my husband, three children, and a dog.


My friend talks about both her home and the home she spent her childhood. The fondness she has for her childhood home is obvious.

Now, please don't think I didn't have a lovely childhood. I did and my mom worked particularly hard to make it that way. But, my parents were divorced when I was 12. We moved across the country when I was 15. Neither of my parents live in the town where I was born.

But, I know I am loved by both of my parents. I am blessed.

Now, back to my point.

My friend wouldn't dream of missing a holiday at home. Her husband is okay with this. I assume this must be because he too knows a "home" when he finds one.

My husband and I have to choose from which of four sets of parents and step-parents we're going to visit. One set lives near the beach and another near the mountains. The other two live near each other and close enough for us to visit in a weekend. We've got plenty of vacation spots, but only one home.

We may or may not always live in the same house, but it is my hope that both my husband and I will create a loving home for our children no matter where we live.

It is my prayer that my children will grow to have families of their own. I pray they build homes full of love, laughter, and wisdom. But, I also pray that when they talk about coming to see their old mom and dad, they say that they are going home.

No, I hope they never simply visit. May they always come home and think, like our ruby-slipper- wearing friend, that there is no place like home.

This post is being entered at Scribbit's April Write-Away Contest.

Fashion Fiesta with the Mom Uniform

One of my favorite reads, Big Mama, is hosting a Spring Fashion Fiesta. The idea is to post our Mom Uniform. What do we really wear?

So, I'll confess I use the term fashion very loosely. Here is the picture for proof.

The outfit on the left is what I wear around the house. And to be totally honest, sometimes I wear it to the park, grocery store, or a play date.

Simply multiply that graphic tee by 3, maybe 4, and you've got my casual wardrobe. Once summer hits, I might toss in a tank for variety. Exciting huh? The shoes are knock-offs, but very, very comfy.

The outfit on the right is what I wear for pretty much any other occasion that requires me to look presentable but casual.

Multiply that black shirt by, well, a lot. They all look a bit different, but they are all pretty much black.

I wish I could say multiply the jeans by a lot, but sadly, I've yet to squeeze into the rest of my regular jeans. (Baby Girl is two months.) So, these jeans are pretty much it.

The shoes are some basic black flats which do not at all look like they belong anywhere near warm weather. But, they match and sometimes that is all I can manage.

There you have it--my momiform (yes, I made up that word). Add a little toddler snot and some baby spit-up and my accessories are complete. Well, except for the ginormous diaper bag carrying everything I just might need.

Be sure to visit Big Mama to see hers and others' closet contents. Have fun!