A Mom's Life

Hello everyone!! I recently read a friend's blog post who wrote about how she'd been so busy living life that she hasn't had time to write about it. I can relate! Despite my best efforts to slow down, enjoy life, and enjoy these sweet toddler/young childhood years, it feels like the harder I try to catch up and do that, the more that needs to be done. I often feel like I'm on a hamster wheel, staying up until 2 a.m. night after night, running as fast as I can to get everything finished only to fall farther and farther behind. When Christa was a toddler, I wrote a post detailing what a typical day looked like for us. I thought it would be fun to do that again, now that I have 3 kids. Much of this post will seem mundane, but let me assure you, my life is anything but mundane! Every day is a little different, but here is what your life would look like if you were me for a day!

2:00 a.m. - collapse in bed, knowing that if you stay up any longer, you will get even less than the minimal amount of sleep you've already limited yourself to!

6:30 a.m. - hit Snooze on the alarm for the first of many times, wondering why you thought you were going to be able to wake up early to "get stuff done," when you went to bed at 2 a.m. because you were "getting stuff done."

7:00 a.m. - well, maybe 7:15 a.m.... on a good morning.... roll out of bed, knowing that if you sleep any longer, there will be no way to get everyone out the door anywhere in the neighborhood of "on time." you're pushing it as it is. brush teeth, wash face, put in contacts, read bible, and begin the day in prayer.

7:30 ish - shower if you didn't the night before, and attempt to finish getting yourself ready for the day. get distracted by the laundry will need to be re-washed if you don't move it *now,* and the toy you need to find for Christa's show-and-tell day.

8:00 a.m. - wake up 2 oldest little people in the house, and feed them breakfast of cheerios and milk. get cup of "ice cold water" for precocious 4 year old, and "regular" (a.k.a. - "not ice cold" or "room temperature") water for recently-potty-trained-two-year-old. take 2-year-old to potty, and turn on Disney Junior. attempt to put on makeup, vowing to blow-dry hair in a few minutes. remember 3 things to add to to-do list, and jot them down. call and schedule some sort of appointment/car repair/dinner, etc.

8:40 a.m. - realize you have to be out the door in 5 minutes, and 1/3 children is still asleep, 1/3 children is only half dressed, and 1/3 children just spilled cheerios all over herself. the day's off to a good start! threaten oldest child with some sort of consequence if she doesn't get her clothes on "right now." watch her move at a snail's pace - you're used to this by now. remove 2 year old from cheerio mess on floor, (hope hubby cleans that up later), and supervise her dressing herself. pack diaper bag, feeding bag, school back packs, and realize your own hair will not be blow dried or styled today. also notice your makeup is half on. grab pony tail holder. you look awesome and together!

8:45 a.m. - wake up sleeping infant, knowing you're supposed to be pulling out of the driveway at this point. quickly put some clothes on her. realize you've only brushed 1/3 childrens' teeth. hope they all inherited your awesome, cavity-less dentition, and grab hair brush to brush 4 year old's hair. be thankful 2 year old does not have enough hair to brush because you don't have time. quickly wet infant's hair (because it's recently developed the cutest curls ever, and you want to bring them out)!

9:00 a.m. - buckle 3 kids into car seats, while mentally cursing the American Academy of Pediatrics for their unreasonable and inconvenient car seat safety recommendations. reluctantly follow them anyway, since you do, in fact, care about the safety of your children (and suffer from major guilt issues based on what all the other moms out there are doing, even if you secretly wish you were back in the 80s when your 4 year old would barely be in a seat belt by now). recognize you won't have time stop for that fountain coke you were hoping for, and drop mortgage payment into mail box.

9:07 a.m. - stop at Bojangle's for that fountain coke, because you didn't grab a granola bar and water on your way out, and you simply can't continue your day without your coke. it's your version of coffee.

9:10 a.m. - pretend to be "Mother Gothel" from Rapunzel while driving your kids to school, since that is their latest favorite game. tell Abby Kate again that she "can't go see the lanterns." (you're in character - not actually being mean to your child).

9:17 a.m. - hurriedly pull up to drop-off line at kid's school, silently praying that the teachers are still out there to collect your children. otherwise, you'll be walking up 3 flights of stairs with all 3 of them. breathe huge sigh of relief when you see the friendly faces, and vow to be earlier tomorrow. tell 2 oldest kids you love them, and drive next door. wonder how on earth you are going to eventually get everyone to school by 8:15 a.m. when they're in "real" school. make mental note to research homeschooling later.

9:25 a.m. - drop infant off in church nursery and head to bible study/MOPS/ or whatever the day's activity is. take a moment to check e-mail and update My Fitness Pal (since you're calorie counting, and it's working, after 4 years of looking like you've just had a baby)! greet friends, and participate in the lesson.

11:30 a.m. - call husband (who is now awake and should have had plenty of time to work out, run, shower, and await your instructions) and make lunch plans. pick up infant, and go to local deli. enjoy lunch with hubby while infant snacks on crackers, milk, and any other sort of table food you can get into her.

1:00 p.m. - pick up older girls from school. drop off dry cleaning on your way home. mentally add 3 things to your to-do list. remember you forgot to stop by the ATM.

1:30 p.m. - unload kids, put infant down for nap, and squeeze in a quick walk before hubby goes to work. wonder when his next day off is, and realize it's next week. sigh.

2:30 p.m. - listen to two older kids playing sweetly in their rooms together. reluctantly put middle child down for a nap to prevent dinner-time-meltdown.

3:00 p.m. - 2/3 kids are now napping, and 1/3 kids no longer naps. check 2 quick things off to-do list, and text message 3 people with "urgent" information regarding plans or ideas about something they mentioned earlier. briefly consider folding laundry, and drop that idea to pay bills. 30 seconds into the bill-paying attempt, give up and work puzzle or go outside with 4 year old.

5:00 p.m. - start thinking about dinner, and call parents to see what their plans are. briefly check e-mail and Facebook, and realize you have multiple e-mails and messages that are overdue for a response from you. vow to actually reply to them "later."

5:30 p.m. - get everyone up from naps. gently bump heads with infant multiple times as you are carrying her down the stairs - it's her favorite game! change and dress littlest two. clean up tee-tee off the floor and change newly-potty-trained-2-year-old's panties. jot down 4 more things on the to-do list, and realize you're almost out of milk.

6:00 p.m. - feed children dinner, and deliver fresh meal to working husband.

7:30 p.m. - quickly bathe kids and put infant down to sleep. begin bedtime routine with older girls. brush everyone's teeth, and let girls pick out things to sleep in. (4 year old will choose whatever dress she is currently wearing, and 2 year old will opt for a swimsuit or Rapunzel costume). review sight words with 4 year old. you will be tempted to rush through bed time to get to "me time," but you will actively remind yourself that your kids will not be little forever, and you will read them an extra bible story and sing silly songs for a few minutes. it will begin as a sheer act of will, and end with giggling and hugs and kisses.

9:00 p.m. - after books, prayer, calling Daddy, telling stories, and snuggling, everyone is finally in bed! unwind with a little Facebook.

11:00 p.m. - has it really been 2 hours?? this is why you don't do Pinterest! couldn't handle another time warp, and you already have hundreds of great ideas that you feel guilty about not doing. go downstairs, and tackle wreck of a house. do dishes and put away toys. collect 8,000 children's shoes and dump them into shoe basket. wonder why you have so much stuff, and toss a couple of things into giveaway pile. locate several toys that have (apparently) been rescued from giveaway pile. add 2 things to tomorrow's to-do list, and remember you still haven't written thank you notes for child's recent birthday. vow to update blog and download pictures to Shutterfly tomorrow. vow to never check Facebook again.

1:00 a.m. - wonder how you're ever going find time and energy to fold the laundry, and add 5th clean load to overflowing pile. collect newly-potty-trained-child's dirty clothes and stain treat dried baby food off of infant's outfits. call working husband and ask about plans for following day. hear infant cry out and give her a bottle.

2:00 a.m. - wonder what you did all day?? you are exhausted, and have no recollection of taking your kids outside, playing barbies with them, or doing any sort of art project. your house is only orderly because you stayed up until 2 a.m., but your to-do list is longer than ever, and the laundry is overflowing, and the bills are seriously going to be late if you don't find time to pay them tomorrow. wonder how other moms balance all of these things while hand-making their kids' clothes, pureeing their own baby food, and teaching their 3 year olds how to read. vow to make your kids eat more fruits and vegetables tomorrow. realize you literally spent ALL DAY LONG cleaning up messes, changing diapers, disinfecting multiple surfaces from poop and pee germs, washing your hands, your kids' hands, your kids' faces, and your kids' bottoms, changing and collecting stray clothes, shuttling people places, feeding people, and organizing the logistics of running your house. vow to find a way to do it all more quickly and efficiently tomorrow so that you can make and record sweet, relaxing moments with your husband and kids. mentally add one more thing to your to-do list. collapse in bed, read bible, and fall asleep thanking God for another precious day with your family and praying for better time-management skills.

It really was just another day in Paradise.

Easter Morning 2012

We had a great Easter this year, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ! Cline had to work this year, but was able to go to the egg hunts, church, and Easter lunch with us, so I couldn't complain, really. The girls looked beautiful in their blue dresses, and the weather was perfect! Enjoy the pictures!

Looks like the Easter Bunny was good to the girls! Christa and Abby Kate got a few Reese's eggs (breakfast that morning :), some new flip flops, make-your-own-candy-necklace kits, and some travel Color-Wonder pages. Elizabeth got a new Weeble's toy and some cereal bowls.

I asked each girl to tell me their favorite thing. Abby Kate really liked her new Tinkerbell flip flops.

Christa liked her white, flowered flip flops!

Elizabeth liked it all!

The Easter Bunny had a special surprise for me - a hand made pottery bowl with my favorite bible verse written around the rim! ("For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord.... plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11). That Easter Bunny sure is thoughtful, to have that hand made and not leave any hints whatsoever about it!
On a related note, as we were walking down the stairs to see what the Easter Bunny left, I tried to create a teachable moment for Christa. I said, "I don't know what the Easter Bunny left for me, but I know for sure that nothing could be as good as Jesus is." Christa replied, "Well, maybe that's because you've been yelling a lot!" How convicting!! (And hilarious :) (I really don't yell very much, but have been lately because of Cline's schedule and our busy, busy lives. I've worked on it since then :).

The girls are ready for church, and Elizabeth has no interest in sitting still for a picture!

Family picture on Easter Morning.

Me and my sweet baby! Don't remember the last picture we took of just the two of us.

We went to Cline's family's lake cabin after church, where we had good food and more Easter Egg hunting, of course!

La-la and the girls!

Elizabeth finally learned that she could walk around if she'd put one foot in front of the other. The walkers we've borrowed seem to be helping her! She just started walking forward all of a sudden, and loved it!

The big girls had a great time in the paddle boat with Pa!

8,000 adorable Easter baskets at home, and we're using a grocery bag :)

Abby Kate is opening her purple egg.

Have a great day!!

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ! In His great mercy, He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead..."
1 Peter 1:3 (NIV)

Easter Egg Hunt #532

Well, not really, but it was starting to feel like it! We are blessed with a lot of family, and great schools and activities that we're apart of, so we end up celebrating each major holiday about 18 times each year! In fact, Christa was a little burned out on Easter Egg Hunts by this one! It was a pretty day, nonetheless, complete with breakfast, so we had a great time and got some great pictures!

Mimi and Pa came to eat breakfast and watch the older girls hunt eggs!

Pretty good family picture, taken by our semi-professional photographer friend who we totally take advantage of each year at this event!

I LOVE that they have the Easter Bunny here! Saves time and money, since I don't have to stand in line at the mall for what will probably be a mediocre shot. I was surprised Elizabeth wasn't scared of the Easter Bunny, but maybe we threw her on his lap so fast, she didn't have a chance to notice!

The girls were in two different age groups for the first time this year, so I sent the camera with Cline and Abby Kate. She had a good time!

Elizabeth had fun holding an egg she found while she waited for her big sisters to finish up.

Have a great day!

School Easter Egg Hunt

Hello all! Christa had her school Easter Egg Hunt last week, and it was a blast. Whit, a little boy from her class, had it at his house, which was very pretty and had a huge yard! Christa had a blast doing something out of the ordinary, and we kept Abby Kate out of school so she could participate, too. The weather was perfect, and it was a fun day for an Easter Egg Hunt and picnic lunch!

Christa's sweet class. A lot of these kids are staying for Kindergarten next year, so Christa should already know most of her classmates.

The girls in the class were far more interested in chasing butterflies and looking at bugs and leaves than grabbing up the eggs.

Abby Kate examining a flower or piece of grass :)

Bright blue/turquoise was the color of the day. All 4 of these girls in the class matched! This was not planned.

Whit has a perfect climbing tree in his front yard. Christa was a little nervous and didn't stay on the branch too long, but here she is with her friend, Adeline.

Elizabeth enjoyed the day, too! Daddy is always fun!

Elizabeth looked so cute sitting and crawling around in the grass. Being the 3rd child, I just haven't had time to make the effort to get the pretty outdoor pictures of her like I did when Christa was a baby, so I snapped a few here.

Elizabeth grabbed up stray granola bars and Easter Candy while the big kids were off playing with their friends!

Crawling around in the grass.

Have a great day!

Gulf Shores 2012

Hello all!! Our family had the relaxing opportunity to escape to the beach for a few days during Spring Break. Cline has been working, what seems like, nonstop since after Christmas, so we were all due for a little R&R. We rented a condo in Gulf Shores, loaded up our minivan, and headed South until there was no more road to drive on! It was a great trip - one of our better ones - and we both came back refreshed and rested! Enjoy the pictures :)

Cline's mom, "La-La," got to come along, too, since she was also on Spring Break! We used to go regularly with Cline's whole family after Christmas, but between Cline's schedule and his family's changing schedules/abilities to travel, we haven't been since Christa was a baby. The girls loved having some special "La-La" time for a few days, and Cline and I loved the extra set of hands, the ability to go on a date one night, and, of course, her company!

The sun was bright, and Elizabeth wasn't a huge fan of the beach, so the perfect family picture was not taken. This one will do, though.

Cline played with the big girls for hours and hours!! Abby Kate got her first sunburn. We did put sunscreen on her, but she has her mommy's fair skin, and it wasn't enough. They had a blast, though, while Elizabeth and I relaxed in the condo. My idea of a great beach day is sitting by the water or playing with the kids for an hour or two, and then coming back to the room, changing into some comfy gym shorts or pajamas, and napping/watching TV/sitting on the balcony for the rest of the day. Elizabeth was fussy and just wanted to sleep most of the trip. (Three new teeth 2 weeks later shed some light on why that might have been). So, she and I were a good pair!

Cline's grandparents made a last minute decision to go!! Seriously - last possible minute. We pulled into the driveway to pick up La-La, (who lives next door to them), and Mudd walked out, saying they would like to go after all, and they would start packing a bag! (Cline had been trying to get them to go with us for a good 3 weeks)! So, the girls and I played and attempted a little bike riding while Cline helped get his grandparents ready for the trip. We were thrilled to have them come along, and we all had a blast!

Group beach picture right before Elizabeth and I turned in for the day! The older girls were so funny when they'd come up after several hours in the pool. Christa would immediately strip off her wet swimsuit, and demand dry, comfortable clothes. (Couldn't be more like her Momma)! Abby Kate would let me take her swimsuit off so she could go potty, then beg to put the wet swimsuit back on! (She refused a dry one - it had to be the wet one). I can't think of anything more uncomfortable!

Best attempt at a group kids' shot.

Abby Kate looked so cute in this outfit, right before breakfast. Sadly, she threw up all over it in the car and had to be changed shortly after this picture was taken. At least she waited until the last day of the trip to get a stomach bug!

This was Elizabeth for a large part of the trip. Poor thing just wasn't comfortable!

La-La with my girls.

Christa loves to dress up in her nicer clothes, and I saw this great spot where the sand dunes weren't roped off, so I took the photo-op. The sun was a little too bright, but she looked beautiful!

My artsy, photography efforts were somewhat hindered by Christa's reluctance to sit down in the sand. (Straight from her dirt/sand/stain - fearing daddy :).