Different Views!

The photo's above were taken by my husband, on a trip to Ocean Shores, a couple weeks back (with the family camera). I love how he views things SO differently than the rest of us. His views are very unique! These are my favorites! Below are the photo's I captured with my Apple iPhone, that same weekend.

Nocturnal Animal

I was in the car tonight, on the ride home from Awana.

Let me stop here to say one thing about Awana....I discovered tonight that the church the kids are attending for Wednesday night Awana, has several unlocked doors to the outside, no way to monitor the in and out of kids, adults, or any other lunatics that may want to steal the children. Even my Lexapro isn't helping with the anxiety that I am feeling now! I have already paid the $100.00 (I know it used to be free, right?) for the kids to continue (book fees, shirts and the like), so I hate to be THAT paranoid mom. Regardless, they are my kids, so tomorrow the church will be getting a phone call from this WORRIED mom.

Moving on, or back, to what I was saying. My daughter made a very precise statement tonight, one that made me laugh. She said, "Mom, you are a nocturnal animal." After I stopped laughing I told her the story of how I couldn't get myself out of bed today, and how I convinced my youngest daughter to watch Sprout TV while I snuggled her (a.k.a. slept). I woke up 1 hour later to find that my 2 year old had put herself down for a nap, in her own bed. Since she was sleeping, I finished off another hour "sawing logs." I know that it doesn't seem like I have slept much, but I worked Monday night, slept all day Tuesday, went back to bed Tuesday night and slept in till 930am on Wednesday and then proceeded to lure Charlie back into bed so I could sleep more. If that isn't proof enough, I am sitting here at 0047 typing this crazy blog without a tired bone in my body. Aargh. So the answer is yes, Valerie, I am Nocturnal!

Lessons Learned

The New Year came, and with it brought about some changes in our family schedule. Mark is now writing full time and continuing to teach 2 online classes with the University of Phoenix. His new writing schedule has left me creating my own routines in the mornings. He did a wonderful job doing this on his own for most of the year in 2009, so now I have to follow in his footsteps. I completed my first week (Mon-Thursday), and this is what I have learned so far:

Ethan has to have his homework completed prior to Valerie getting home at 4p
Kids have to set their clothes out the night before school
Chores done at night prior to dinner
Bedtime at 0730, which gets them 30 minutes of reading
Start a load of laundry prior to waking Ethan up
Wake Ethan around 0735; Enough time only for him to get dressed and eat
Let the girls sleep in till 0750, feed them breakfast when Ethan is about half way through
It's nice to take a nap when Charlie does!

Charlie and I have had a very relaxing week. We haven't left the house at all except for a quick trip for weekly groceries at Winco. Dinner has been on the table every night, and I had to cancel my house keeper because the house is clean and picked up. The laundry basket is empty, and all the clothes are put away. I have had a nap nearly every day, when my Charlie took hers. I am not sure if it is just the fact that we have stayed home all week, or my meds kicking in. Either way, I am extremely happy that I am happy, content, and that I haven't screamed at my kids for nearly two weeks.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl

Birth

1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

How many mom's say, "I can't believe how fast time flies?" All of us do, especially when we look at how fast our kids grow. Charlie, my last, is now 2! We enjoyed a small get Thomas the Train party/get together at my parents house last night and spent today, just her and I, relaxing together (kids went back to school, and Mark spent his first day writing his novel). Happy 2nd Birthday Baby Girl, this one's for you:

Happy, Happy Birthday to You

Happy, Happy Birthday to You

You're Good to Grow

So Count Your Candles and Blow

Happy, Happy Birthday to You

Gangster Girl and some very Good Grub

Since the start of my new schedule, I finally get time to cook some yummy, time taking dinners for my herd. I opened my trunk filled with cookbooks and pulled out my favorite chef's cookbook from Food Network, Robin Miller. She has some amazing strategies, time saving tips, awesome recipes, and must have on hand sauce concoctions, all in one book. I love reading cookbooks, almost more than cooking with them. When I cook, I always write on the recipes, spill fixings all over the pages, and most likely dog-ear the pages I will use. I believe that it makes the book special, unique and most of all, mine. Here's what was for dinner on Thursday night...

Pork Chops with Apples and Rosemary

Curried Couscous with Peas and Carrots (didn't have the carrots...so omitted)

Lemon Bunt Cake with Orange Liquor Frosting (a Sandra Lee recipe)

She found these Spiderman glasses a few days ago, and they are still on her face!

Does Santa Have Alzheimers?

Here's to hoping Santa doesn't remember us this year! I found the jump drive we purchased at last year's Santa Seatings! Hope this year yields happier kids, and better results. Maybe we should go before Thanksgiving?!

Quiet Moments of Motherhood

Mamma, this is much better than finger painting!

My first time painting!

I love days like these. Quiet ones when the kids are off at school, and Charlie and I get to sit around and create. Days when the coffee pot is always one, the wind is blowing, the washing machine is humming, the dishwasher is growling, and my house is dark. I had the opportunity with Ethan to be a stay at home mom for three years and sometimes I wonder why I gave it all up to become a nurse. I do love my job, and know that I needed and still need the outside communication, continuous education, and friendship that it brings to my life, but I miss these days where I am nothing but "mamma" to the sweetest little girl around.