Celebrating Mom

This year marked two years since my mother passed away. I really wanted to honor her this year, instead of sitting around feeling sorry for myself. I actually did really well on the day, but was feeling rather depressed the day after. Dale was on his annual fishing trip so it was just me and the kiddos. Ethan was being a tween and said some stuff that made me take him to his grandparents, Jack stayed too. It ended up being okay. We each grieve in our own ways, which in the moment can be hard to deal with. We had a nice lesson in how to convey things tactfully without making your mom want to knock you out.

So, me and the girls off on an adventure. We headed to Main St. and went to the chocolate shop for treats. The roses had all started to wilt and had petals falling off. Regan could have spent all day gathering up rose petals. Then we headed to a little boutique and got marbles and pretty soap. Mom lived on Main St for a while when she sold her house before she retired. She would take the kids to the chocolate shop for chocolate covered marshmallows and she had quite the marble collection. I keep them in a mason jar in the window sill at the kitchen sink.

We went to the thrift store and looked around. We ended up scoring a brand new, tags on bathing suit for Ellie for $2.50 and a brand new shirt for either one of the girls for another $2.50. Not too shabby. When I was a kid I pretty much lived on thrift store clothes. There was a neat little thrift store on Main St. and it had old creaky floors and we would spend what seemed like forever in there. Everything was super cheap and there were usually some really neat things. Totally different from today's more commercialized stores, but we had fun nonetheless. We went home and picked up one of Mom's baskets and a pair of scissors for each of us. We went down to the creek by our house and picked thistles and wild flowers. Her cottage was decorated in purple and I had thistles in mason jars at her funeral. They really start to bloom around the end of May and early June. Every time I see one I am reminded of her. We took our finds home and made bouquets, carefully!

We went to the grocery store to pick up some groceries and get a treat for after dinner. Strawberry shortcake for the win! Then it was movie and snuggle time. I was so glad I decided to celebrate her with my girls. She would have loved every minute of it. I still struggle with her being gone and I imagine I always will, but being able to celebrate her and even being able to allow myself to still grieve the loss is okay.

Hearty Sausage and Potato Soup

I love a good soup. This one I got help from my little dude Jack. He has mastered the art of holding the handle and stirring. Love this guy! On these cold January days I think a good hearty soup is just what you need at the end of the day. You can make this in about 30 minutes.

What you need:

3 large or 5 medium potatoes
1 roll of pork sausage
Chicken stock or bouillon cube (1)
Bag of frozen soup/stew veggies (my bag had carrots, celery, onions and potatoes) or fresh versions of these
Salt and pepper to taste
A pot to boil potatoes
Potato Peeler
Knife/cutting block
Large soup pot (I use my big Le Crueset)


Directions:

Start by peeling your potatoes. Cut them into bite size chunks and put them into the pot you are going to boil them in. Cover them with water until you have approximately 1 inch over the potatoes and but them on high heat to boil. They should be done in about 20 minutes. After you have the potatoes started, break the sausage into chunks and cook over medium heat in your large soup pot. Once it is cooked you add the frozen veggies, one bullion cube and one cup of water (or one cup of stock). Turn down your heat to medium low and cover until potatoes are done cooking, stirring occasionally. When the potatoes are done, add the entire pot to your sausage and veggies. Now you can add your salt and pepper to taste.

Easy right? The kids gobble it up. It is so quiet at the dinner table when we have this soup!

Prep stage: Sausage cooked, bullion and veggies added.

Coconut Oil Waffles

Oh my goodness. I have never in my life been asked for more waffles than I was this past Sunday. Everyone wants more and more and more of these. So I happily obliged and we had breakfast for dinner again. Now homemade is relative here. Homemade to me is making them with my waffle iron instead of pulling them out of the freezer and putting it in the toaster. I love Krusteaz Belgian Waffle Mix (no paid sponsorship or affiliation here I just love it, but I wouldn't be upset if they sent me a free box or some coupons!). I change up their recipe and add coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. The result is a sweeter and healthier option. Which according to my family is amazing! I also use the Coconut Oil Pam spray for the waffle maker for an added touch of yum.

My Kind of Co-Sleeping

As my kids get older we seem to spend more Saturday nights in front of the fire discovering movies together. We have the fireplace going, stockings hung, cozy lights and my loves all snuggled in around each other. Falling asleep on the couch is my kind of co-sleeping. Saturday nights with these guys is my favorite. 

Lego Advent Calendar {and the life lesson it brings}

As a child I celebrated Advent every year with my mother. She had a sweet little set from Unity that we would listen to (on a cassette tape!) and we would light the candles on our wreath. The memory is a dear one and I wanted to recreate that feeling of closeness, reverence and gentility that my mother had with me. I had really considered doing a cute little one that I had to fill myself (ha maybe next year) but when we visited the Lego Store last month in OKC with Girl Scouts I found two Advent Calendars there and opted for easy and fun. Something I knew that would entice them into this celebration. You could make a cute one and fill it with Lego's though and that would be pretty awesome too!

So far, it's love at first open! They had two options in store and I picked both so that the boys and girls can take turns opening one each day. As they opened their first one (littles got to go first) the excitement was palpable. It was then that I realized the main lesson it was teaching them, patience. Patience, something we are not born with but must learn and practice.

It also teaches so many other things. In our case, there was graciousness of the older kids, allowing to let the younger ones go first. It teaches them that they do not always have instant gratification and that its okay when you don't! They will also have to share the sets once they are complete, which isn't anything new when it comes to Lego's, but a good lesson to reinforce nonetheless. I also love that it fosters the anticipation of something and then having to be patient in order to get it. The lessons all tie together and are interwoven. They may not realize what the tradition is teaching them right away, but what they learn from it will spill through in their daily life for the rest of their lives.

You can check out all of the Advent items The Lego Store has to offer here. I could spend all day looking at Lego's, shhhhhh don't tell the kids though!

My Black Friday Deals and Steals

I love Black Friday. I get the best deals and steals! I'm going to share with you my secrets. First, I stay up late on Thursday night. I put on the comfiest pajamas and watch movies late into the night with the oldest kids while the littles fall asleep around us. This year we discovered a ton of new/old movies (which I listed at the bottom). We all fell asleep in one big slumber party. Friday morning I don't get up until I have to pull together a leftover piece of pie and cookie breakfast for the kids. Or whatever is easiest to get to in the fridge that is stuffed full of leftovers. I chose a roll and a cup of coffee. Then we snuggle up on the couch again, fireplace still going and we watch movies, eat leftovers, laugh, nap, joke, hug and enjoy the entire day just like that. I get the best deals. I spend the entire day with my kids and husband.  I stole hugs and kisses and stroked their cheeks and ran my fingers through their hair.They don't need a new toy or for me to get all my shopping done, they need me. Sleepy me in my pajamas snuggling them and making memories.

If you go all out for Black Friday, I support you 100%. Live and let live or in this case nap and let shop :).

Movies we suggest: The Burbs, The Man With One Red Shoe, Romancing the Stone, Maidentrip (it is half Dutch/English with subtitles and she used the F word once, which didn't need subtitles) and we started PBS's National Parks: America's Best Idea by Ken Burns. Everything is on Netflix. Enjoy! Oh and 80's PG is like today's PG-13, just sayin'.

Little House on the Prairie

Did you know that the Little House on the Prairie was on the way from Topeka to Tulsa? How in the world did I miss this? Sunday I decided (along with some help from my mother-in-law) that our run around and wiggle stop would be there. We took a potty break about 30 minutes prior but I wish we would have waited. The bathrooms at The Little House on the Prairie were far superior to the gas station we had stopped at. The admission was $3 for adults and $1 for the kids. I would have paid that just to use the bathrooms there. It makes a great rest stop.

I think that Ellie and Jack loved it the most. Jack talked to the donkeys nearly the entire time we were there. Ellie loved all the little details. The school, the post office and the little house all were perfectly put together. We even found a little turtle crossing through. My mom would have loved it. It reminded me of her. Such a fantastic learning opportunity. We talked about homesteading, why the post master would have lived at the post office and all sorts of things. I think it will be really neat to do some research, reading, maybe a couple episodes of the show and then visit it again in a few years. It is just far enough off highway 75 that it's nice and quiet, giving you that 1870's feel.

Take a detour and make your rest stop here. You won't regret it! Stop at the gas station for drinks and snacks or bring your own. We got butterscotch and peppermint sticks at the gift shop 10 for a dollar.

Love when I get them all together in a pic. 

Jack LOVED the donkeys. That was his favorite part.

The mail boxes were a big hit.

Ellie was really in her element!

Anyone ready for school?

Breaking Point

I think so many times when you have a bunch of kids people assume you are some sort of super mom. No such case here. Let me tell you, yesterday was a case of the "I feel like the worst parent ever" moments. Ellie, my gymnast, was walking out of Girl Scouts with her friend while we loaded up meeting stuff and her friend did a cartwheel and accidentally kicked Ellie in the hand. No big deal. Just thought she was being a little emotional and I basically told her she'd be alright and to suck it up. Oh geez. That was last Tuesday night. I put ice on it and wrapped it up. She felt bad Wednesday so I gave her some tylenol and wrapped it up again and then again on Thursday. She had a bit of a cough and a runny nose so I thought that was the main thing she was feeling bad about. Friday she said it felt sort of better so I didn't take her to the doctor. We thought we'd see how it felt over the weekend. It was bruising pretty bad so I thought she had just bruised it pretty good.

Monday (SIX days later). Went to the doctor. Her hand is broken. Broken!!! We go back to the surgeon next week to see if she will need surgery and screws. Whoops. Parent fail. I have to give her some credit though, because she really did suck it up. I felt so awful that I hadn't taken her right away and that I had told her to suck it up! She told me not to feel bad, that even she was surprised it was broken! What a doll. She was bummed she didn't get a pretty pink cast and that she is out of gymnastics for the next 6 weeks.

I hope that she can take away from this how strong she really is. I always knew she was, but this should have been her breaking point and it wasn't.

Apparently I wasn't holding it up correctly (the broken hand is her left and this makes it look like her right). Not bad for in the car with my phone!

Tough little cookie!

Oh you know I got her ice cream!!

The Calm Before the Storm

September is such a great time of year. The weather begins to change and we start to settle into our routine. It is the calm before the storm. I adore our activities but sometimes I just don't know how I do it all. I am not perfect but I try and I think that in this situation that's what counts. I think that one of the hardest things we do as parents is devote so much time to our children without knowing what things will have the greatest effect on them. What memories will be most dear to them? What will they take away from the experiences we have? I wonder if I'm doing the right things and making the best decisions. The impact from those decisions is decades away. What a tough job!

So many times people say "I don't know how you do it." Well honestly, I don't either! I have so many thoughts of doubt that could consume me if I let them. Did I make the right choice by going back to work? Do I give them each enough time? Are we reading enough to the little ones? If I let all of these doubts play on my mind I would never get anything done. I have been working on not doubting myself and the choices I have made to better my family.

Here's what I have done that I am so very proud of:

I read to Ethan and Ellie ALL the time. Now I have them read to Regan and Jack. They even do the voices just like I do.

I taught each child to do chores. Even Jack (who is four) can put things away and swiffer for me. I do not want to send them out into the world thinking that their mommy is going to do those things for them. Or worse that their wife will!

I taught my children how to wash themselves, brush their teeth and hair and get dressed by themselves. I know that some of you might think, duh! But I can tell you that I have witnessed a ridiculous amount of children that cannot accomplish these tasks for themselves. It is rather heartbreaking to see a child that is 6 or 7 and can't (or won't) get dressed by themselves because their parent just didn't want to give up that control or didn't give their child that capability.

I lift them up and tell them they can be anything that they want to be. I also tell them that they should expect greatness from themselves because that's what they are capable of.

I have taught them compassion and empathy. I am most proud of those moments when they have shown their outstanding capability to love one another.


I challenge myself to stop relishing in the what if's and be content with here and now and to forgive myself when I do something wrong.

Best Buddy

Jack is perhaps my best buddy. None of the other kids really like to snuggle the way he does and we do a lot of snuggling. We talk a lot about the most random and awesome things, like jumping into a pool of marshmallows. Even the other kids agree that he tells the best stories and we all enjoy hearing his made up "adventures". He really does bring such joy to our family!! He can't wait to play football, loves everything super hero and loves loves loves frogs. He is our official frog catcher. I can't imagine life without Jack.

Back to School and a nice raise.

I got a raise last week! The day we never thought would come did and all the kiddos are in school. I didn't cry and neither did they. Although I must admit that there is a part of me that wishes I was a stay at home mom and I had 5 hours to myself! This year is so monumental with the start of middle school. I know it is going to fly by and before I know it my sweet little Jack will be starting middle school and Ethan will be in college. The years seem to be moving faster and I'm trying hard to live in the moment and be present and grateful for each stage. What a fabulous family I've got!!

The good pic.

Dad being silly!

Me, excited about my raise :).

Last year!!

Our Airstream

So in yesterday's post I showed you this sneak peak of our Airstream:

We took that picture on our way down through California on Highway 1. If you have ever driven it you know its stunning, We had stopped on the side of the road for a potty break. While we were at my dad's he gave me a sign from my grandmothers house which has her house and street name on it, "Three Magee". She passed away a few years ago. Her land and houses were like being in your own private redwood forest. I wish my children could have experienced its magic. I photographed it when I went out for her funeral. We named our Airstream "Three Magee" and we're going to hang the sign inside when we get to the decorating part.

The nice thing about getting Three Magee from my dad was...it was free. About the only thing in it we are saving is the water tank, air conditioner and the toilet, which is pretty new. Everything else had been exposed to the damp air of coastal California and Oregon and was a little funky. Here she is before we started demo.

Hello 1978!

We are almost done with taking every thing out. Need a good workout? Gut an Airstream!We need to replace the sub floor with new plywood clean all the vents and windows, replace the screens, take the paint off the outside, reseal it, repaint it or buff it out, put in new flooring, recreate the bathroom, fabricate our own double bunk beds, purchase a new refrigerator, seal and paint the walls and last but certainly not least create a pull out bed for Dale and I. So you know, easy stuff! Whew! I wanted to leave the divider walls out to create a more open space. Our bed will be a pull out that can be a couch during the day. The top bunks I want to be more like cots and fold up to attach to the ceiling so that it feels more open and we can use the lower bunks like seats. The only thing I really want to have in it is a good little refrigerator. I don't care so much about bringing the oven back in. Who wants to do a bunch of baking when you're on an adventure? We are really good at fire cooking and I'm going to have a microwave above the fridge. We also have a plug in single burner. I would rather have an outdoor kitchen and more living space inside the trailer. It is really important for me to be able to take a shower and go to the bathroom there too if we need be. On our first camping trip with the four of them the showers at the campsite were so muggy that we needed a shower after showering. It was gross and had no ventilation. Three Magee has a nice big window in the back!

So there she is. I will post updates as we take stuff out and really make some progress. I hope to have her ready to go by Spring Break. Fall Break would be awesome, but lets get real here! If you have any questions about her feel free to ask!