Keeping Expectations Real

Recently, I found myself with a notebook in hand watching my two girls play. (My son was otherwise occupied at Mother's Day Out.)

I've been keeping a notebook in my bag because I'm just old-fashioned like that. It's where I jot anything I need to remember. I'll make to-do lists, write meal plans, keep track of ideas for Christmas gifts, you get the idea.

As the girls played, I found myself making a to-do list. It was already noon so I knew I needed to keep it realistic. Yet, I also knew that the pile of laundry was rather large. Still, I fought the urge to write down "catch up on laundry." Sure, it needed to be done, but it wouldn't get done, at least not in one afternoon. Well, it might if I felt like staying up until the wee hours and sneaking into the kids' rooms after they drifted off to sleep so that I could put their clothes where they belong, but I didn't.

Instead, I wrote, "Wash, dry and fold 2 loads of laundry." That's all I wrote about laundry and it was manageable. I'm learning that keeping my expectations realistic motivates me. Sure, it may not be my ideal to still have three loads of laundry waiting for me in the morning, but that's okay. It's better than not getting the laundry done and also not getting to scratch something off of the day's list.

Also, notice how I didn't include putting away the clothes as part of my expectation. I know from experience that clothes typically get put away in the morning. This way the kids can help. Getting the clothes in baskets folded and on the floor of my bedroom is good enough.

So, I guess you could say that this week I learned that expectations don't have to be the same as my ideals. That is something that doesn't come easy to a perfectionist.

Be sure to stop by Jo-Lynne's at Musings of a Housewife to see what others learned this week.

Makes My Monday

I was tempted not to get up when she asked. After all, it wasn't the first time my four-year-old had summoned me to the back yard to see something "new." Truthfully, I've told her many times that I'll be there "in just a minute" or "right after I _____." Yet, today I went. In fact, I got up in the middle of an email I was writing.

I followed her to the backyard where she headed to the swing set. I stood on the patio and watched as she climbed a tipped over Little Tike car and grabbed hold of the two rings that hang on one side of the swing set. She smiled as she quickly flipped over and dropped down. (Well, truthfully she hasn't mastered the art of dropping to the ground, so she hung there while her arms and shoulders got sore and then finally released her grip. But hey, you've got to start somewhere, right?)

Pride lit up her face as she looked at me to see my reaction. I smiled and told her how great it was that she was big enough to fip over like that. She then asked me to come give her five. I obliged and even gave her a kiss before returning inside to finish my email and then start dinner.

I was so glad that I got up when I did. It truly made my Monday and it just might have made my oldest daughter's as well.

If you'd like to read more about other fun starts to the week, please head over to Cheryl's at Twinfatuation.

Happy Monday!

Uncle G, This Meal Plan is for You!

Well, after my little description of a recent Saturday and all of the fun we had, my brother (my most loyal reader) commented that he would rather read about my domestic mornings than my kids bathroom mishaps.

So, with that in mind, I'll skip the story I could share about having all three children with me in the bathroom at church while one of my children refused to "take care business" until said child's pants, and shoes were removed. Oops, I guess I accidentally shared too much once more. Hee, hee.

Now, after that appetizing opening, let's move on to our meal plan for the week. I've never participated in this little carnival before, but meals are getting a bit repetitive around here for lack of planning. Spaghetti is good, but it isn't three-times-a-week good for three weeks in a row. Now that summer is more than officially behind us, I do believe it is time to get back to business. (Whatever that means these days.)

Here goes...

Monday: Green Chili and Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas, Salad, and of course, Chips and Salsa

Tuesday: Pot Roast, Red Potatoes, Salad, Homemade Bread and Sliced Apples

Wednesday: Spinach and Chicken Quiche and Apple Sauce

Thursday: Leftovers or Sandwiches

Friday: Dinner at a Friend's House (I'm bringing pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting. Mmmmm.)

Saturday: Homemade Pizza, Carrots and Apple Sauce

Sunday: Tomato Cheese Ravioli Soup with Homemade Bread

Please be sure to head over to Laura's at I'm an Organizing Junkie for more Meal Plan Monday posts.

Have a great week!

Just a Saturday...Night

Yesterday morning I was planning a blog post in my head. It was going to be about lazy weekday mornings and how I love days that don't require us to run out the door. Lazy, I suppose, is relative because I never did find the time to sit down and write.

Eventually we found ourselves at a play place ordering some "food" while I had a meeting about MOPS. The rest of the day sort of got away from me.

Then, this morning, I just knew I was going to post something about Saturday mornings. On Saturday mornings, Tony usually takes all three children for a few hours leaving me to do whatever I see fit. Today that meant cleaning and cooking, but some days it means shopping or relaxing at a coffee shop. My husband is so sweet that he truly doesn't care what I do, he just knows it helps me if I get a bit of quiet time.

So, I was going to write about my productive morning that included baking cookies, making two casseroles, putting together a pot of chili and cooking and freezing some chicken. (I'm never that productive in one morning.) Yet, somehow that seemed very uninteresting and a bit like I was boasting about how much I was accomplishing while my amazing husband played with the kids. (Hmmm, I suppose I just did that anyways. Oh well.) Also, I couldn't help but think of my twenty something brother who reads my blog. I could just picture him being glued to every word about my domestic Saturday morning. Or not.

Finally, it was time to go take a meal to a friend who just had the cutest baby boy. Before I could get out the door, Tony was home with the kids. Yet, only one got out of the van and that one had some serious bathroom issues.

Now, all three are using the bathroom frequently and it isn't pleasant. Good thing I've got Clorox wipes and some lovely room freshener from Bath and Body Works.

Most recently, I thought I was going to finally write that post I intended to write yesterday. Tony's dad and step mom are here and they went on a walk with Tony and the big kids. All that was standing between me and a bit of quiet time was getting my youngest bathed and in bed.

Well, her little body barely touched the bath water before she, um, had bathroom issues. So, I whipped her out of the tub and put a diaper on her. She ran around pulling all of the baby wipes out of the package while I cleaned the tub. Round two went much more smoothly and now she is clean and in bed. She is, of course, not asleep. I set up the pack and play in her brother's room and she isn't too sure about that.

All that to say, I'm enjoying some semi-quiet time and writing something entirely different than I would have written yesterday morning. Of course, that isn't surprising. There never is a dull moment around here.

Happy Saturday Night!

Busy, Busy, Busy

But who isn't busy?

As I go through my days, I'm constantly "writing/blogging" in my head. I suppose one of these days I'll carve out some time and those thoughts will make their way to my blog.

In the meantime, I've posted a little cooking with kids tip over at the KCParent.com Mom Blogs. If you're interested...

Back in Time?

A few weeks ago, my sweet four year old, Ann, asked me something about what age I'd like to be once more. I thought about it and decided I wouldn't really like to be any other age as I like where I'm at right now.

Later that night, I started thinking some more I realized there is a time in life I wouldn't mind reliving if just for a bit. I wish I could take back the first four months of Ann's life.

Ann pretty much destroyed my hopes of what life with a newborn would be like. She wasn't the type of baby who slept away the first two weeks and then got just a bit fussy. No, she fussed from day four which was conveniently the day we got to bring her home from the hospital. In fact, she fussed the whole way home from the hospital.

As new parents, we spent most of those first months just figuring out exactly what it meant to be parents. (We're still doing that.) I can remember laying Ann on the floor and lying beside her as I played a lullaby CD very loudly in the hopes that it would somehow drown out her incessant screaming.

Another time, I recall putting Ann safely into her crib and heading out to the front stoop where I called my friend long distance and told her that "I didn't really like this mommy thing." She understood and told me that it was just fine to sit outside for ten minutes and get a breather from all the crying. She was right and I felt much better upon returning inside the house.

I could tell you stories of how I paced from the front door to the back door and counted how many times I would do this in the hope that Ann would fall asleep or at least stop crying.

I invented errand after errand because I knew she would fall asleep in the car and I could enjoy just a bit of peace and quiet. (Good thing gas was a bit cheaper four years ago.)

As I recall those days, I think of all the time and energy I spent fretting about something not being right with our parenting or worse, something not being right with our sweet baby.

Nearly five years later, Ann is incredibly smart and unbelievably strong. (I know all parents think that about their offspring, but with her it is absolutely true!) Sure, she has her moments and can be less than loving to her brother and sister, but I wouldn't trade her for the world. In other words, Ann is just fine and so are we.

As I thought about that time in our lives and how I wish I had savored it a bit more, I don't have regret so much as a realization that I could have enjoyed that time so much more if only I'd known. Isn't hindsight a tricky thing?

I'm at a similar point right now. In all my five years of parenting, I'm in the midst of one of the hardest times yet, but not because of anything terribly tragic. (Does that even make sense?) Rather, it is the daily challenges that make me weary. We almost always have some sort of meltdown before 8 in the morning. One of our children doesn't sleep well so we haven't actually slept through the night in more than three years. Our house is in a constant state of disarray and sometimes destruction despite our best efforts. Our children sometimes show no signs of the effort we take to train them and instill godly character traits in them. I worry when I see them be the bullies on the playground or in the play place. The list could go on and on and on...

Still, there is a place deep inside of me that knows that one day I would probably gladly take back the sleepless nights, tempter tantrums, potty training, diaper explosions and the rest of it, if only to rock my babies just one more time.

I know I'll miss seeing this little guy as a three year old who plays with blocks and dinosaurs and likes dressing up with a cape or a cowboy hat.

I'll miss Ann's four year old self and her cheesy camera smile.

I'll even miss this sweet one's antics when she awakes only an hour after we put her to bed for the night. (I took these pictures when she awoke shortly after her siblings went to bed. I brought her downstairs for a bit of milk and she turned on the charm. We wanted her to sleep, but the sweet memory of a few moments of alone time with her were worth it.)

Just seeing those sweet faces makes me feel so blessed.

So, I'll continue to count my blessings (even the ones that wake me in the middle of the night) and I'll try to look beyond the everyday challenges and see how I can be a blessing to those I love both inside and outside of my home. It might not be easy, but then again, nothing worth doing usually is...

She Knows Where to Bow Down

We recently drove by a sculpture that I thought the children would like. I pointed to it and amazingly, both Jane and Chris looked out the right window and observed the sculpture.

Within a few seconds Chris commented that it looked like clouds. I understood how he could think that and agreed.

Ann was quiet. I didn't think she had cared much about it. A minute or two later I heard her say that it is "bad to bow to statues." I quickly realized that she was referring to the story of Daniels' three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from Daniel 3 in the Bible.

I told her she was absolutely right while Chris asked her what "bow" means.

As she began to answer, I prepared myself to hear her say "to bend down" or something similar. Her answer pleasantly surprised me.

Ann told Chris that bowing down to a statue means that you say "I like this (statue) better than I like you, God." She once more told us that we shouldn't bow to statues.

Moments like that remind me of why it is we, as parents, do what we do. It is humbling. It is an honor. It is something I don't want to take for granted.