8/31/13

Third Day Naturals-A Little Give Away

I'm hosting a give away from a sweet little company that sells beautiful soaps, balms, and lotions.
The company is called Third Day Naturals and you can read about how it was started here.  (I love reading about how someone gets an idea and has the gumption and passion to start a business.)

All of their products are high quality, hand made, and natural.


I love the soap.  I had these products in my closet for a few days, and Abbey walked in my room and said,"Mom it smells so good in here-it smells like Grammy's house!"  A few of the other kids came in sniffing and said, "It does! It does!"  That was the Lavender and Oatmeal soap.  (It is now on Abbey's nightstand because she loved the smell so much.)  I've used the Nude Soap for Janey and I and it's wonderful.  I also the Zinc and Castor Oil creme when I feel Janey might have a little rash coming on in the diaper area and it is gentle but effective.

This little lotion bar is in my purse now-for my hands that are always so dry from dishwater.  It works wonder-not too greasy but just really effective. 

If you would like to try a product, leave your name and I will draw a winner on Friday for a $25 credit to the store.
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8/27/13

Ordinary Back To School Days

Look at that face, she knows exactly what she is doing.

I wouldn't normally let a baby eat BBQ chips just so you know, but this is a baby being raised along with teenagers so she might just be exposed to more things, like BBQ chips, and let's leave it at that.

The day before school starts.

Ten birthday candles.

I was so excited to get this for me, I mean Janey.  Isn't it cute?  I couldn't resist.

She's into blinking.

Abbey is going to have a great year, I just know it.

Alleluia.  
They are all ready to be with classmates and be busy.
(Excluding Janey of course.)

Remember my row of pink impatiens in front of my house that I lovingly planted in spring?

And I just bought these a week ago.
I feel like I look the same way.

Praise the Lord.
It's always bitter sweet.
I always feel like crying.
Like sobbing crying, not just tearing up.
But I will admit some of those tears are shed for me.
I did it.
I survived an intense summer of a baby, and kids and teens.
I did it on little sleep, I did it all myself pretty much, everyday, with no breaks, I did it. 
Swim team, and t-ball and tennis.  Soccer and cross country and lacrosse and crew.  Two work schedules for teens with one car.
Hundreds of load of laundry.
Thousands of dollars of food bought and put away and prepared.
Busy teens and late nights, and early mornings, and a baby who nurses at night and is a light sleeper during the day.  
I did it.
I don't know if I did it well.  I don't think I did this summer. I did it in survival mode and I did it with patience and probably lots of impatience and some frustration too.
I did it with tears and laughter and major self-doubt and prayers.
And some yelling and some arguing and some slammed doors and some sharp words.
I tried to enjoy it but sometimes I just did it, because I'm the mom and because I'm supposed to and sometimes it's not all enjoyable.  Sometimes it's just hard work.
I think I will look back on this summer and laugh one day and be a little less critical of myself, just for being here, doing it, as best as I could at the time.

Not so sad anymore because he is going too!

After his first day.  So cute. Loved the bus.

Four down, one to go.  College packing.

You know what I am doing this week.  Sometimes I am embarrassed to live on my quiet little street.
We are loud and our grass is patchy and we have SO much garbage especially when we have birthdays or mom goes on a cleaning and decluttering rampage, or both.  I've got a tight schedule this week to get this ship in shape and it ends with a major carpet clean which I am more than giddy about.
And the grand finale of all photos for the week. A beautiful collage.
I wondered why my camera was loading 97 photos, and then I found these gems. 
It's that laugh/cry thing all over again.
 Unbeknownst to me, Patrick had taken about 50 photos of me pulling up those dead flowers.  ALL at this beeeuuutiful angle.
Making a collage of my big butt weeding just seemed the perfect way to end not only this summer, but this blog post as well.
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8/23/13

Number One

My dear Janey-
I can't believe you are one already!
From the minute I found out I was going to be given the gift of a new child, my heart was full of love for you. 
You are a little light in our home.

Your quiet sweetness, big bright blue eyes, contagious laughter, your little bunny teeth, your insatiable
appetite at dinner, your dimples, your chubby thighs, the way you bump heads with me, forehead to forehead, nose to nose, how you put your head on my shoulder or on Daddy's when you get shy with strangers, how you laugh so hard at all the silly things your sister and brothers do, and then always get the hiccups, and your gentle spirit, have brought so much joy to us all.  

Happy First Birthday to my sweet little Janey!  
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8/22/13

Happy Birthday Andrew!


Andrew is 10!  Andrew is such a great fun-loving kid, and such a helper.  Jeff and I joke that Andrew could survive for weeks by himself.  He knows how to get around town, how to make his own meals, how to operate just about every appliance-he learns quickly and observes and takes in everything around him.  
He hears everything also-he cracks us up with his ability to catch the little things and then bring them up at dinner.  (The teenagers aren't fond of this trait but we can't help but laugh.)

We love you so much Andrew!  You have brought such joy to us all!

Happy Birthday Andrew!  
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8/7/13

Ordinary Days

A blurry photo of Patrick and Grandpa in the workshop.

Two good books I've read this summer.  I loved Gracelin O'Mally and just requested another Ann Moore book, Leaving Ireland.  The Yonahlossee book is a little racy at times, but it is a really well-told story, with great characters I loved.  I stormed through both books in a couple days each, they were both so compelling.


Really, really good.

At the park one day.

Jeff's birthday.  We celebrated with cake and t-ball game.


T-ball-we made it!

Abbey and her friends at the game.

Abbey's back to school shopping trip-she went with friends, which is a little sad for me since we loved to do this together, but she knows what she needs, and knows what she likes, and with strict instructions to not go crazy, she picked out things I loved too.... white notebooks, white binders...everything matching, lots of index cards....and she uses them-look at that stack from last year!

After dinner, the boys usually run out to the trampoline.

These next four weeks I have four birthday to celebrate in our family (Jeff, Andrew, Janey, Abbey), our 20th anniversary, and three different school start dates, along with all those orientations and meetings, and long supply lists (which I tackled last week).
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7/31/13

Ordinary Days

I took Sammy to the groomers-something I do once a year when I get sick of finding little bits of mulch on my carpet that gets dragged in on his fur.  They asked me at the pet spa (really?? spa??) what I would like for dear Sammy and I said, "Just do whatever you want."  Honestly, I can't answer a question coherently anymore this summer.  I am asked 500 questions a day (one day I will keep track and do a post of all the questions I am asked a day) and I can't think straight-I don't want to think straight when it comes to decisions about a dog's fur.  

He looks like a drowned rat.  It is not pretty, you can tell he is so embarrassed that I am blasting his pic all over the internet can't you?  I told him what I tell everyone around here when they receive a bad haircut-"Hair grows back, you'll be fine, get over it."  

At the pet SPA, I saw a piece of paper on the bulletin board that said, "Would you like a memento of your cat or dog?  Keep your cat of dog's fur clipping and I will turn them into a sweater or purse for you." 

I'm not kidding. Yes it was early in the morning, and yes my brain is fried from summer questions, and yes my vision is blurry from sleeping in my contacts every night, but I saw that ad with my own eyes.  I went home and told Abbey about it and we both gagged and laughed at the same time and I told her I was going to buy her a new purse for her 17th birthday made from Sammy's fur, and maybe the part where the fur had a little poop stuck in it won't get into the purse, or maybe it will.

GROSS, GROSS GROSS.

Let's move onto cute:
Do you think Janey might be teething?

Isaac desperate enough for chocolate chip cookies he actually makes them himself.

Patrick said, "Mmm, yum, fruit salad.  Can I have some?  But not the orange stuff."

Poor Andrew.  On Sunday, he was elbowed in the eye playing basketball on the trampoline.  He thought his eye was gouged out, and the way he screamed, "OWWW!! My eye, my eye, my eye is gouged out!  I am blind!  It hurts so bad!  I'm hurt, owwwww!!!!",  I thought his eye was gouged out also.  I pried his hand away, and found that he was OK, eye intact, just a little red.
Then on Monday, he was hit in the nose with a golf club by another brother.  (Both injuries were accidents.)  And I thought he broke his nose and needed stitches.  Because he yelled at the top of his lungs, "My NOSE, my NOSE, it's broken, I'm gushing blood, my NOSE, I can't breathe, I broke my NOSE. HELP!!!!"

And I thought we were heading off to the ER and instead I found a little cut and it must have hurt but for goodness sakes alive child, are you trying to kill me with adrenaline overload?

I told him just to call out that he was injured and save his diagnosis for the experts (that would be me.)

Here is Jeff and Patrick (the golf club swinger) acting out how to avoid golf club injuries:





The cicadas are out and making more noise then ever, and I LOVE that sound of summer.  I know many of my friends do not-it signifies the middle of summer, or closer to back to school time.  I love summer, you know that, but I also love back to school time. I love the sound the cicadas make in the evening-my favorite time of the day.  I love the warmth and smell of August, when some of the little leaves start to dry up and fall, and the grass gets crinkly.  

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7/26/13

Ordinary Days


Early morning.

Late evening.

Our championship swim meet was this week, and boy is that crazy-fun, but crazy!  I made sure to get a few photos of the boys (Andrew and Patrick) because I missed taking pictures of all the other meets.

Patrick is SO darn cute.  He started swim team not even knowing how to swim on his own and used a kick board for the first two meets, till he discovered he could go much faster without one.  So he sucked it up and did it (so brave!) and was thrilled with the results.  He dives right in, (diving might not be the right word-more like flailing) and kicks up a storm.  It's so funny to watch.  He makes it about 3/4 down the lane before exhaustion sets in and the last quarter takes about as long as the first 3/4 of the lane did.


Look at that form-he takes this seriously!



Andrew did so great this year.  I think I've already talked about how after the first practice he wasn't so sure-he was frustrated that he couldn't get the strokes and breathing down and everyone was so much faster. But he stuck with it and had this incredible internal motivation to improve.  He loved going to every practice after that first one (both boys did) and tried his hardest always.

At the banquet I was SO proud that Andrew and Patrick both were chosen by their coaches, out of all their team mates, to receive the "Hardest Worker" award.   The coaches had the nicest things to say about them-they were respectful, and listened well, and didn't whine or complain, and worked hard and asked questions to improve, and showed up at almost every single practice.  I hope it doesn't sound like I am bragging but it was just a little boost for my mother's heart.  I SO want my boys to be hard workers and good students and respect their teachers and coaches and one day that may all morph into being great husbands and fathers.  I know a swim team trophy doesn't mean my work is over, but I'm going to take it as a sign that we are heading in the right direction and all this work I'm doing every day-because you know what? it does take time and effort and dedication as parents to teach these things!-will pay off here and there. 

And really..look at this blurry picture-it is my favorite.  Patrick was shocked that he received a TROPHY of all things, and couldn't even stop staring at it the whole ceremony.   He sees his older brother's trophies and desired to have one of his own so badly, and finally his dream came true.



Here is a funny photo someone took of me.  It sums up my summer pretty well.  I've worn that outfit and one other outfit (black stretchy capri yoga pants, purple t-shirt) the entire summer I kid you not, except for church, when I squeeze myself into pants that are so tight around my waist they leave marks.  Those two outfits are the only things that fit me, what with nursing and all.

I always seem to end my ordinary day posts with a photo of Janey, but I can't help myself.
Here she is with "bunny face".


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