Mama's Munchkin

This is Emory and her little stuffed friend...they have the same profile:)


She claps for blueberry waffles.

She truly is this sweet! This dress was once mine and hand made by my MaBet.

Perfect Day

I had a nice little Saturday.

Woke up, dressed, fed the kids and headed out the door. Stopped for a vanilla latte and walked around Lowe's kid free. Bought some pansies, petunias, and tomato, cucumber and lettuce seeds. And a tomato plant...sure fire way to produce grub.

Then I grocery shopped kid free. I was home by 10:45AM. Dylan helped me plant our flowers and seeds and the entire time thanked me for his new Diego spade.

We had a picnic in the back yard. The fam ate sandwiches while I enjoyed a spicy tuna roll from Harris Teeter (no one else likes sushi). We stayed outside all day playing ball, blowing bubbles, and after nap time we cruised on the boat.

That night Mimi came over for supper...grilled steak and chicken that had been marinating all day. I ended the evening with a fabulous movie, Grey Gardens, and hubby snoozing on the couch beside me.

My, how my definition of the perfect day has changed over the past 5 years:)

Junk in My Trunk

"Your butt is getting bigger, Mommy," said my three year old.

"It is?"

"Hmm hm," he said as he over exaggerated a nod.

"But, why?" was my plea as I looked over my shoulder to see if it was growing at that very moment.

"Because I want it to."

"You do?"

"Yes, if it gets really, really big you can float into the sky. That would be fun."

"I guess it would."

Fairytale

Once upon a Monday night in a land of plastic dinosaurs and an overflowing diaper genie there lived a creature who resembled a woman and she was desperate for a glass of wine. This creature...we'll call her "Mommy" needed to relax so badly she shipped her hubby off to watch yet another UNC basketball game and put her kids to bed 30 minutes early. After the land was raked of choo choos, story books, and fruit snacks she settled in for a sizable goblet of Cabernet.

A friendly phone conversation and one measly paragraph later her glass was empty and the contemplation began...oh, who am I kidding. Hold on a minute.

O.K., where was I? Oh, yeah...

Admiring the feminine shape of her glass Mommy...no, let's call her "Scarlet" shook her hair from her up-do and called for her bath to be drawn. Should she have chocolate truffles or champagne and berries for dessert?

Lent

This is the first year I participated in Lent. I thought about giving up cookies or chocolate or coffee but then decided to take a different route...I can diet anytime, right? Instead, I gave up leisure reading. For over a month I have not read a novel, a memoir, or a newspaper. Magazines have been the hardest to avoid as I love, love, love Oprah's magazine, Cooking Light and Southern Living.

I will admit, several times I caught myself mindlessly flipping through my husband's left behind sports page or a Crate & Barrel publication. I was unaware of how hard this was going to be. The idea behind giving up pleasure reading was to focus on the Bible or related works. When needing to read I have been picking up a Sunday school booklet or a devotional pamphlet. I didn't realize how much I read. Often throughout this 40 day period I have thought myself to be bored and void of creative thoughts for my own writing. However, I have found myself closer to God. A nice trade I must say.

I pray more which gives me more patience with my children and more outwardly love towards my husband. A sense of calm has come over me and I now understand that calm is not the same as boredom. The hustle and bustle of everyday life has a way of making me feel accomplished. Slowing down and growing with God has taught me that checking off a to-do list isn't what really matters.

Dylan's B-day

Two nights before Dylan's birthday party he woke me up at 3:30AM to inform me he had two dreams about giants.

"I want to tell you about them, Mommy," he said after I tried to convince him to go back to bed.

"Oh, alright. If you must," was my reply between yawns.

Dylan then told me two detailed stories that he claims were dreams. I'm calling his bluff because one of the "dreams" he has told before...numerous times. He ended his late-night performance with, "Mommy, I don't want a giant cake anymore."

"Uh-oh," I thought but instead said, "Darling, Mrs. Covey has already made your delicious cake. You're gonna love it!"

Thankfully he said, "O.K.," and let me take him back to bed. For the next little while I invisioned a house full of screaming toddlers and mad parents.

Saturday Covey showed up with this masterpiece...

Can you believe it? A happy giant cake with a 3-D beanstalk and the perfect Fe Fi Fo Fum!!! It was the hit of the party and so far, no more 3AM nightmares/comedy acts.