Memories and Musings of a Mommy

Promises

2009-06-11T13:08:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago my two daughters asked me how the baby is going to get out of my tummy. I explained both a vaginal and c-section delivery to them using terms and analogies that I thought were easiest for preschoolers to understand. I thought they would freak out about the baby coming out of mommy's "bottom" but they took that explanation in stride. They were much more concerned that a doctor could cut mommy's tummy and get the baby out. I'm not too fond of the c-section delivery either, so I told them that the baby would probably not come out that way.

Yesterday Jeff and the girls accompanied me on my day of doctors appointments and tests. We started the day with a ultrasound of our 38 week fetus to determine the baby's size. The ultrasound tech measured the baby's head at 41 weeks and the torso of the baby was too big to assign a gestational age to. This was not the news we hoped for.

After the ultrasound we went into the exam room for a meeting with my doctor. The girls sat down with paper and crayons while my doctor went over the risks of a vaginal delivery of a baby this size. It soon became very clear that the safest way to deliver this baby is by c-section. The girls seemed engrossed in their art projects, but I am sure they heard what was being said.

Last night when we were getting the kids ready for bed my 5-year old Belle said, "Mommy, I was thinking about something scary, but I don't want to tell Ariel because it might scare her too."

I told her that I thought that was a good idea and sent her to brush her teeth.

When it was time to put the girls in bed I could sense that something was bothering Belle. My insight had more to do with her atypical whining and crying than any mommy superhero powers that I may or may not possess. I asked Belle if she was worried about me. Her desire to be brave and strong melted as the tears poured down her cheeks.

She is afraid of the cut they will make in my belly.

She is afraid that I will be hurt.

She is afraid that I will not come home again.

I told her that the c-section is safer for me and the baby. I told her that they will give me medicine so I won't feel a thing. I told her that she can stay at the hospital with me for as long as she wants. I told her about all the nurses and doctors who will be taking care of me. I reminded her that Grammy is coming to stay with her. I asked her how long it took us to drive home from the hospital today. "Two minutes" she said. I tried to convince her that two minutes is not that far but still she cried and was afraid.

Jeff came over to her bed and did what he does best in these situations. He kissed her and gave her a zerbert. He made her laugh with his puppet hand. He distracted her while I crept out of the room.

This morning Belle awoke shortly after me. "I had bad dreams last night, Mommy. I don't remember most of them but I remember one."

"Tell me about the one you remember," I replied as I sat down so to look her in the eyes.

"My Mommy promised to never leave me but a bad monster came and took my Mommy away," she said without a trace of the fear and sadness that she displayed the night before. "But I know that you keep your promises and you will never leave me. Right Mommy?"

"Right honey"

I read recently that when kids have bad dreams it is a way for them to cope with their fears. I found it interesting that when Belle explained her dream she referred to me as "my Mommy". It was almost as if the person in her dream was not really me but just the dream version of me and when the dream version of her faced what Belle feared the most she realized how silly it was for her to be afraid of losing me. Because I promised I would never leave her and I always keep my promises.

How simple and wonderful it is to parent a preschooler who trusts you completely. I know one day she will realize that I am not worthy of that level of trust. One day she will see my faults more than my attributes. One day she will know that the promise to never leave is not mine to make. Until then I pray that my children will always have me and I will always have them.

2009-01-16T14:01:00.001-08:00

I should be blogging.

I know it.

You know it.

You keep coming here to check in, only to find the same Thanksgiving pictures.

I keep coming here to check my pregnancy ticker and find out how many weeks pregnant I am.

Yep, that's right. I use my blog to track my pregnancy. I cannot for the life of me remember how far along I am. During my first pregnancy I could tell you at any second exactly how pregnant I was. Everything was new and fresh.

Here I am five years later and all I know is that I will have a new baby in June. That is my answer when people ask me how far along I am.

"The baby will be here in June"

Not even an exact date. Just the month of June.

It's not that I care less about this pregnancy then any of my others. In fact I may treasure this pregnancy more. This is my last one. In my entire life I will never again have a first trimester and all the "fun" that goes with it. Knowing this makes the joys of pregnancy more joyful and the pains of pregnancy less painful.

But still I don't know how far along I am. I guess I dread counting the days because by counting them I acknowledge that this pregnancy will come to an end and I will be done experiencing the miracle of life inside of me. I will begin experiencing the joys of new life outside of me.

I can wait for that day. I am patient.

Thanks for being patient too.

Our Week: Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T20:51:00.000-08:00

Playing Cooties with Grandma

Turkey, smurky. It's time for dessert.

This is her "I love it" face

Don't let the lack of plates fool you, Uncle K and Aunt S had some of my homemade apple pie. It was so good the gobbled it up.

Playing with Papa

Day 29

2008-11-29T20:34:00.000-08:00

Saturday,
lazy day enjoying the company of the in-laws. I took my sewing machine in for repair. Operator error to blame. I was retrained at no charge. Christmas sewing to commence, but not tonight.

Pounding headache. Tired, many days of intense activity have caught up with me. It is 8:37 pm and I am hitting the sack to dream about NaBloPoMo's conclusion tomorrow.

Sweet dreams.

Flashback Friday: Stroller Talk

2008-11-28T21:42:00.000-08:00

So Long My Friend
originally published Saturday Dec. 8, 2007

Today is an unexpectedly sad day in our house. My husband is cleaning our Peg Perego Pliko 3 stroller for *gasp* consignment.

I love this stroller. I have no good reason to keep it, we haven't used it in months. Belle will be 4 in January and Ariel is 2 1/2. Ariel is a big girl, and according to her, only babies ride in strollers. So the Peg is going where all good Pegs go, the consignment shop.

One of the benefits of buying a Peg is it's resale value, or at least that's what I told myself at the time. The real reason for the Peg? It's sexy, light weight, easy to maneuver, and frickin' cool. I was one of those mommies carrying a designer diaper bag, wearing makeup and working my designer jeans and impractical shoes. I didn't want my stroller hindering me in between racks of clothing at Nordstrom and Ann Taylor**. I had things to buy and other Mommies to strut my stuff with.

It really didn't last long. By the time Belle was 9 months old, I was pregnant with Ariel. Pretty soon my super sexy shoes were replaced by the comfort of Dansko. Not long after that, the jeans were stored away and I was donning maternity clothing. The stroller still rocked my world, but not because it was so cool, but because it was so easy.

I could put my baby Ariel in a sling, set up the stroller with one hand, put 18 month old Belle in the stroller and off we went. Except now we weren't strutting our stuff. We were rushing to the story time that had already started. We were meeting other overtired, rundown mommies of two at the park or mall play area. I was wearing a hat to cover my disheveled hair and sunglasses to hide my makeup-less eyes.

The true reason why I am going to miss this stroller is because it represents a short period of time when I was the Mommy I always wanted to be. The one with every hair in place, makeup perfectly done and wearing fashionable clothing. The Mommy who went to the mall to shop, for herself. The Mommy that didn't have to waste her time in a play area and wasn't negotiating with her restless kids so she could try on one article of clothing.

To me the Peg represents everything good in motherhood. A sleeping baby in a comfortable stroller while Mommy is shopping. Those were the days.

**Total side note: Did you see Ann Taylor makes maternity clothes?? Ann Taylor Maternity is a great reason to get knocked up!

Jeff and I were just talking about this stroller today. Now that I am knocked up (and not strictly for the Ann Taylor Maternity line) we are thinking about strollers again. We have thrown around the idea of getting a new peg. With our current lifestyle a durable, light weight single jogger with lockable front wheel and hand break would be ideal. I am not sure that one even exists. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Black Friday Makes Me Happy

2008-11-27T20:30:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I will be at the mall before the sun rises. I am so excited. Shopping on Black Friday is a new tradition for me. This is my third year. The first year I braved the stores with my mom, and it was fabulous. People were friendly, prices were good and I got to bond with my mom. Last year my step-mom went with me. After getting all our goods we sat down to a wonderful breakfast at the Nordstrom's cafe and really got to know each other. It was a turning point in our relationship.

Tomorrow my mother-in-law is waking up at the crack of dawn for some shopping and one-on-one time. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to it.

From a shopping standpoint I have made a very short list of things to buy. A few necessities for the girls and birthday shopping for my husband. The most important man in my life turns thirty-three on Monday. Happy Birthday to him.

Personally I love early morning shopping because my kids and husband are sleeping. No one is going to notice or care when I spend an hour in Gymboree or Old Navy. Usually I feel guilty about shopping because it is time away from my kids and hard working husband. Black Friday is perfect "me" time, guilt free shopping for the people I love.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-11-26T09:47:00.000-08:00

Everyone Grab a Rake

I Am Thankful For....

2008-11-25T21:28:00.000-08:00

A husband who takes terrific care of me and our daughters.

A babysitter who comes once a week so I can date my husband.

Daughters who allow me to see the world with wonder and newness.

A job that provides for our family while keeping me occupied and happy.

A car that runs.

A house that is warm.

Clothing that fits, for now.

A growing baby who will add so much to our lives.

Friends, old and new, who share in life with me.

A God who has bless me with all of these.

Ultrasound = Ultra Relief

2008-11-24T14:21:00.000-08:00

I just got the results. No twins! I have one healthy baby who is measuring just under 10 weeks living inside a spacious uterus that is measuring just over 12 weeks.

I could blame my enlarged uterus on my last child who stretched the darned thing out with her 9 1/2 pound body, but it is not her fault.

I could blame my neuron transmitters that failed to send the "We are shrinking down to pre-pregnancy size." message to my uterus. Thankfully the rest of my body got the message.

I could blame my AMA. For those of you too young to know what that means, let me fill you in. Advanced Maternal Age.

Goodness sakes people. I am thirty-five not forty-five. Thirty-five is practically median maternal age these days.

Regardless of fault, these are the facts. One healthy baby. One heart beating at 170 beats per minute. One enlarged home for said baby. One very relieved stay at home dad.

Our Week - Fun with Leaves

2008-11-23T18:48:00.000-08:00

Bury me!

Don't take my picture!

How cute am I?

Day 22

2008-11-22T22:03:00.000-08:00

It's Saturday, and I am only posting because of NaBloPoMo. I know you have better things to do on this glorious weekend than cruise blogs, so I am going to warn you in advance.... I have nothing to say.

Thanksgiving is in five days, the turkey is defrosting, I bought a pumpkin cheese cake from Costco today and I found a recipe for sweet potato biscuits.

My maternity clothes are out of the attic, because my belly is growing faster than normal. My doctor wants to do an ultrasound on Monday to look for twins.

What did I tell you? It is just a lazy Saturday with nothing to say. Next Saturday I will have much more to say, I am sure of it.

Flashback Friday: Babies

2008-11-21T19:25:00.000-08:00

For the second week, I am republishing a post from last year and reflecting on it.

Hold Them Close
originally published on Wed Nov 21, 2007

Ahhhhh. A long weekend with four full days at home.

I am looking forward to cuddling with my girls. Ariel always gets the slightest smile on her face as she snuggles her head on my chest. I like to listen to her pacifier squeaking as she relaxes in my arms. Belle still lets me hold her “like a baby” and sing the songs that are so familiar to her. She doesn’t even mind that I sing out of tune and have made up the words. To her it is the same off-key melody that she has heard since birth.

I remember the late nights when my baby girls needed comforting. I would rock them well beyond their need to be rocked just because I loved holding them. We don’t get to do that anymore. The rocking chair is covered with clothes and isn’t used in the middle of the night anymore.

They are growing up and I am not ready for it. I look forward to these four days of snuggling, holding, kissing and playing with my children. Four days to be silly, dance, play and watch movies.

On Monday I will return to work with happy memories of a long weekend well spent with my girls.

My girls still cuddle with me. It happens more often with Ariel, because she is younger and still needs cuddles. Belle is perpetual motion, just like her father. When I get to hold he it is usually not for long.

I am looking forward to holding a baby again. My baby. I can't wait for middle of the night feedings and squeaking pacifiers. There is so much about having a baby around that I love. I feel fortunate that I will be able to relive the infancy of both my girls through the care of our new little one. Life is good.

Don't Lose You

2008-11-20T20:31:00.000-08:00

Cute boots, don't you think? They are Oh Mommy's latest giveaway. Click on over there and enter to win. Then come back here, because I have something to say.

Did you enter to win? Did you read some Classy Chaos? I want to know what you do to invest in yourself? As parents it is easy to let go of our desires and goals. Our children are a big priority, and they should be. But there is a happy medium that needs to be achieved. If we give everything we are to our children we lose ourselves. In losing ourselves we fail to reach our full potential as parents.

Exercise has always been a key component of my life. I am one of those strange people who loves the gym. If a gym is inconvenient I find a way to exercise. Biking, hiking, walking, running, tennis, basketball and softball are all favorite activities of mine. I exercised through my entire first pregnancy. I began exercising again as soon as I was able. At first I took my new born baby on walks. Soon I was giving up my lunch time at work to go for a bike ride. I have been a mom for almost 5 years and I have never stopped exercising. I can't stop exercising. It is a key part of my basic makeup. If someone told me that I couldn't exercise I would tell them where to shove their inane opinion and exercise anyway. Oh wait, I have done that.

When I injured my knee I had to wait five months for surgery. During those five months I was on crutches or limping. I was in pain all the time. I still went to the gym. every. single. day. After my surgery I returned to the gym as soon as I was given permission to walk. I rode the recumbent bike as such a slow pace that the darned thing would not even turn on. It was embarrassing, but I didn't stop going.

Everyone has something in their life that they feel passionate about. My advice to you is don't let go of it. Our kids are small now. They have a lot of needs and are physically limited in their capabilities, but some day they won't be. When that someday comes I want my children to exercise with me because it is something that they have seen me do all their life.

What is your special thing? What do you want your children to love as much as you do? Is it reading. Make sure they see you read. Is it sewing? Show them what you have made. Is it entertaining? Hire a babysitter and throw a dinner party. Is it gardening? Give them seeds to grow.

Children will spend more of their lifetime having adult hobbies then not. Wouldn't it be great if they enjoyed the same things as you?

Bun in the Oven: A Book Review

2008-11-19T21:27:00.000-08:00

I want to thank everyone who left a comment on yesterday's post. It was very encouraging to hear from other moms.

Lately I have immersed myself in everything baby. For fun I am reading a pregnancy book and the handbook provided by the hospital. You would think I would have no need for such reading material since I have done this twice before.

I picked up the pregnancy book at the library. It was a recently returned book that I grabbed on impulse. The title is catchy, the content is humorous until you realize that the authors are stark raving mad.

Let me tell you a little about Skinny B1tch* Bun in the Oven: A Gutsy Guide to Becoming One Hot (and Healthy) Mother! (*censored to maintain my PG blog rating).

It starts out pretty good. The first couple of chapters offer the good advice of eliminating coffee, sugar, artificial sweeteners, and soda from your diet. The authors provided compelling evidence and caused me to rethink my food choices.

Chapter Five entitled "Got Duped" talks about the dairy industry and had me somewhat convinced to cut back on dairy for both myself and my kids.

When I started reading chapter six (Secrets and Lies about Protein) I began seeing the authors in a new light. These ladies are not girlfriends just looking out for the best interest of me any my baby. These ladies are vegans who think I can survive without meat. You got to be kidding me! I am a meatatarian. I have been since birth. Coming home from kindergarten to find a cow being slaughtered in the front pasture right next to our driveway did not make me rethink beef as a very good food group. I quickly skipped over the next fifty-one pages of anti-meat propaganda and the next chapter aptly named "What the He11 to Eat". I know what I'm eating. I'm eating meat.

So if you are a vegan or want to become a vegan, this is the book for you. If you have no intention of eliminating meat and dairy from your diet and you don't want some crazy ladies telling you why your baby will be a deformed diabetic with a myriad of other problems then skip this book. It is a guilt fest for anyone who is not interested in a strict vegan diet.

Other than that it is pretty funny, especially chapter nine - Pooping.

A Heavy Topic (part one)

2008-11-18T22:16:00.000-08:00

Today I went to the doctor for a blood draw and to answer the prenatal questionnaire with the nurse. Thursday I will go back to meet with the doctor and hopefully hear the baby's heartbeat.

I knew that today's appointment would require me to get on the scale. I have been faithfully avoiding the scale for the last month. I decided that I am not going to weigh myself this pregnancy. Why? Because I gain a lot of weight when I am pregnant, so I am rarely happy with numbers on the scale. If I am happy with the numbers on the scale I tend to celebrate by eating, which makes me unhappy with the numbers on the scale the next time I get on the dreaded thing.

I am not weighing myself.

I even told myself that I would not look at the scale when the nurse weighed me. But I did. My weight was lower than I expected AND I didn't celebrate by eating. Yay me!

Now before y'all jump all over me saying, "You're so skinny why are you worried about weight gain because you are pregnant after all, crazy lady." Let me give you some background information.

Belle, my first baby weighed 7 lbs, 6 ozs. Ariel, my second baby weighed 9 lbs, 8 ozs. Do you see the problem with that? Now let's add this little fact, my darling husband is the baby of his family, his mom's fourth child. Jeff weighed over 10 pounds. Do you see the even bigger problem?

Giving birth to my second child was not a pretty sight. I am a small girl and not equip to deliver big babies without sustaining a lot of damage. After Ariel was born I saw a specialist who told me that I shouldn't have another baby. I didn't really like that answer, so he conceded that I could have another baby, but only by C-section. I was somewhat satisfied with that answer, but not thrilled with the possibility of a C-section. I spoke to my OB who spoke to the specialist and they decided that if I could keep my weight gain around thirty pounds and deliver at thirty-eight weeks, I can avoid a C-section.

A thirty pound weight gain is a lofty goal that I have no idea how to meet. During my first pregnancy I ate what ever I wanted and gained seventy pounds. During my second pregnancy I tried really hard to eat well and only gained sixty pounds. I know that there are mothers everywhere who gain thirty pounds or less each pregnancy. I am not one of those moms.

Today I weighed in at 137 pounds. That is a 5 pound increase from my pre-pregnancy weight. I know that most of this gain is fluid. I am not too worried about it. I hope I can hold my weight at this level for the next month or so. I hope.

I will be talking about my weight for my entire pregnancy, but not because I am worried about getting fat. My only concern is keeping my baby's birth weight manageable so that I can deliver this baby myself instead of being cut open. I will not be cut open. All of you out there with a"C-sections are wonderful" story can save it for someone who doesn't have an irrational fear of scalpels. I may be irrational, but at least that fear will keep me for gaining too much weight.

I hope.

Don't mess with the pregnant chick.

2008-11-17T20:30:00.000-08:00

It is not often that I come home from work telling tales that make my husband's account of his day with two preschoolers sound like a cake walk. I usually walk in the door with my work day safety tucked behind me while Jeff pours himself a beer and says, "Thank God you are home."

Maybe it is not that bad, but everyday holds at least one story of an hour long fit, or major misbehavior, or a stressful fight between siblings. They are kids, this is what they do.

Not today. Today the kids had a wonderful day. This morning they went to an exercise class at the gym for preschoolers, they had some friends over for a play date in the afternoon, and they were happily playing "tea cup ride" with our spinning office chair when I got home. The family had a great day while I was at work.

My day did not go so well. There is nothing worse than being pregnant and having to deal with office politics. I believe office politics have no place in an company with five employees, but some people have a different view on that.

You may be wondering about the effects of pregnancy and office politics. Maybe it is just me, but being pregnant means that I am more assertive and less complacent. I have seven months until my life is drastically altered, so I don't have time to deal with time consuming nonsense. My business decisions have one objective. Get it done. Once a team has sat down and figured out how to get it done, everyone should follow the plan. I don't have the patience for rogue team members who are trying to prove a point by not following the plan. It is that simple.

That was my day. This is my rant. Thanks for listening.

Our Week - Birthday Party Fun

2008-11-16T22:47:00.000-08:00

Day 15

2008-11-15T20:31:00.000-08:00

This year I am participating in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month). It is a wonderful concept designed to push writers to daily blogging. I am thankful for the commitment because it has encouraged me to get back into blogging. I am not excited about the fact that it forces me to post something when I don't have anything valuable to say. Like today. I have nothing, not ta, zilch.

So instead of reading what I don't have to say today, read what I had to say yesterday, Thursday, and Wednesday. Those posts are worth reading.

This is just filler.

Oh - and while you are here, can you do me a favor. I need some encouragement. I feel like my blog is falling on empty ears. I would love it if you could leave me a comment. Even if you just say hi, it would be really appreciated.

Thanks.

Flashback Friday: Growth

2008-11-14T18:55:00.000-08:00

Today I am republishing a post from last year. This memory is one I reflect on often when I am watching my independent second born child.

Little Miss Personality
originally published Thurs Nov. 8, 2007

The genetic combination of my husband and I resulted in beautiful children who don't look like either of us. We often fail to determine who's nose they have or who's lips. Before we had kids, we thought we would know right away who the children resembled by their hair. My husband was bald until he was 2 years old, I was born with a elaborate head of hair. Our children have neither. They have a moderate amount of unremarkable hair. Go figure.

I have a much easier time finding which personality traits the kids have inherited from us. Our little one has taken after me in the most amusing way. She is independent and determined. This is how I describe her. My Mom described these traits in me a little differently, she called it strong-willed.

The words strong-willed still make me cringe. In my experience the term sums up everything that is wrong with a child and needs to be changed. Take it from me, the last thing you are going to do with a strong-willed child is change them.

My little one isn't strong-willed. She is determined, independent and 2 years old. So, I listen to her insistent words "I do it myself.", and I let her try. Last night she wanted to put her pajamas on herself. It was a complicated task complete with buttons. Whenever I would come into her room to check her progress, she would turn her back to me and mutter "I do it myself." And she did. The buttons weren't in the right holes. But she got the idea. When she was done I was impressed and she was proud. Those are moments worth being patient for.

My daughter still moves away from me when she is focused on a task and doesn't want me to intervene. Remembering back to the moment when she stubbornly buttoned her pajamas, even though I thought she was too young to do it, helps me remember that she is a growing person who's capabilities will never be realized if she isn't allowed to try. She tries even when it is inconvenient. She tries even when it is difficult. She tries even when it is messy. And by trying she learns, by learning she grows, by growing she blossoms into an independent girl that accomplishes more every day.

What are we but our stories?

2008-11-13T17:11:00.000-08:00

I am reading “Sam’s Letters to Jennifer” by James Patterson. Last night a passage from the book spoke volumes to me. I want to share it with you today.

“As I chiseled my column, the day disappeared into night. At one in the morning, I was still writing and rewriting about how lucky I was that Sam has put her thoughts down for me to read. How many of my readers were so lucky? How many of us know the true stories of our parents and grandparents? How many of us share the stories of our lives with our own children? What a loss to the children if we don’t. What are we but our stories?”

Whether you are a blog reader or writer, you know the power of the written word. My blog started with the desire to tell my story. I’m afraid that I sound very conceited in revealing this. The desire to tell my story is not based on an incredible fascination with me, but in the joy and wonder I felt when I read part of my grandparent’s story. Their story took me to Holland during WWII when they were dating. It was intriguing to have a window into their early life together.

I have no idea if my words will be poured over by my children or grandchildren. I am happy to know that if they want to open a door to the past and see what things were like for us, it is revealed here. I am revealed here.

“What are we but our stories?” - James Patterson

Losing Something

2008-11-12T11:38:00.000-08:00

This is my watch. I am very fond of my watch. My husband got it for me on my 30th birthday when I was three months pregnant with his first child. I think it is fitting to give your wife a diamond watch when she hits a milestone birthday and she cannot drink because you have knocked her up. I love this watch.

Every day when I go to the gym I take my jewelry off. It is a very nerve wracking thing to do. In addition to my beautiful watch, I own several Liz Palacios necklaces that my husband has gifted to me over the last 5 years. I love my husband. He adorns me with beautiful jewelry.

At the gym I place my necklace and watch into my gym bag which goes into a locker. I used to place my jewelry in the locker next to my clothes until I accidentally left my watch in the locker. I didn't realize my watch was lost until the next day. Luckily it was still in the locker where I left it.

Lesson learned. I now place my jewelry in a zippered compartment of my gym bag. I often forget to zip up the compartment, and I am sure this is the reason that I am missing one of my Judith Jack necklaces. Thankfully it was not a gift from my husband, but a gift from me to me.

This morning I opened the top compartment of my jewelry box to get my watch and touched the empty space inside. I immediately thought that my watch must still be in my gym bag. I spend the majority of the week only wearing my jewelry half of the day because I often forget to put it back on after my workout.

I reached into the zippered compartment of my gym bag and found it empty. At this point I began to freak out. It occurred to me that I could have placed my watch in the other compartments of my bag by mistake, so I removed everything from my bag searching for my watch. I didn’t find it. Not only did I not find my watch, I also didn’t have to unzip a single zipper during my search. I chided myself for my inability to zip anything up and thus leaving everything open to falling out. My mind ran through the multiple places my watch could have fallen out – the gym, walking back to the office, my office, getting into my car, the car, the garage, etc.

I am now significantly freaked out and wondering if I should tell my husband to keep and eye out for my watch. Part of me knows that he could reasonably find it because some of the places I could have lost it are in my house. The other part of me would rather hide my indiscretion until I can confirm that my watch isn’t lying safely in my car.

As I approached my sleeping husband something occurred to me. I kissed Jeff good bye and smiled. “I couldn’t find my watch.”

His eyes opened in alarm. “You lost your watch!”

“Well,” I said. “I thought I did and I was looking everywhere for it. But I just realized that it was on my wrist the whole time.”

Can I blame my pregnancy? The amount of time between when I “lost” my watch and when I actually put it on my wrist couldn’t have been more than three minutes. Only pregnant people lose things in a matter of three minutes.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Hungry Like The Wolf

2008-11-11T21:18:00.000-08:00

MTV's Music Videos are available on-line. This is great news, as it is day 11 of NaBloPoMo, and I am short on blogging material. So as a much needed break from my pregnancy posts, I bring you Duran Duran.

Duran Duran |MTV Music

Thank you Stephanie for finding and posting your equally great vintage favorite.

What about the rest of you? Do you have a favorite vintage music video?

Things that make me go blugh

2008-11-10T21:09:00.000-08:00

Food aversions during pregnancy are normal and often times a source of good stories. During my first pregnancy I could not cook eggs or meat without feeling ill. I made my husband cook breakfast for me every morning. My day couldn't start without a fried egg sandwich. When he was out of town for business I ate frozen breakfast pockets that were terrible. I soon developed an aversion to those.

During my second pregnancy I was 9 weeks pregnant at Thanksgiving. I had no problem being around raw meat or cooking, but I was afraid that my aversion to raw meat would kick in on Thanksgiving morning as I was preparing the 25 pound turkey. I made my husband do all the cooking that day. Jeff did such a great job on the turkey that he has taken over as the official Thanksgiving chef.

Last month when I found out that I was pregnant, I immediately eliminated caffeine from my diet. The first day I suffered through a coffee-less existence. I was cranky, tired and short tempered. The next day I purchased some organic Swiss water processed decaf coffee. The world was a little brighter because I got to experience the taste of coffee, but I still missed the caffeine. Slowly my affinity for coffee faded. I started to make myself decaf tea in the morning. Over the last couple of days I have noticed a distinct aversion to everything coffee. The sight, smell or mention of it is enough to make my stomach turn.

I am happy that I am experiencing an aversion that is practical. It's nice to be disgusted by something that I cannot have anyway. Could you imagine living through three months of no pizza, cheesecake or ice cream. Those would be truly awful aversions to have.

Summer Memories: The Fair

2008-11-09T18:47:00.000-08:00

Sometimes that best way to pass the time on a cold and rainy day is to look back on a sunny day filled with family memories. This sunny day was Sunday August 3rd. It was opening weekend at the county fair and the day before my 35th birthday. I treasure this day and all the fun I had with my family.

Making Christmas Memories with Halloween Candy

2008-11-08T15:35:00.001-08:00

We have an abundance of leftover Halloween candy. I thought that since Halloween was on a Friday we would have a lot of trick-or-treaters. I was wrong. This is our leftover candy:

(This is just the top layer, there are 6 more inches underneath)

Earlier this week I had an inspiration. In a month we will be knee deep in Christmas decorations and traditions. One of our traditions is to make a gingerbread house. Every year we feel the stress of Christmas spending. Our tradition of building a gingerbread house begins with shelling out money for the ingredients.

This year I have eliminated that stress by going through our leftover Halloween candy and saving the items that are perfect for decorating a gingerbread house. The M&M's, Sweettarts, Now and Laters, and Skittles are all safely stored away for the day of gingerbread construction. Now the only ingredients that we need are assorted cereals and sprinkles which we will buy in limited quantities from the bulk section at WinCo.

Merry Halloween!

I Might Run

2008-11-07T08:26:00.000-08:00

In January I committed to running a 5K race before the year was over. I'm not one to set a goal and not reach it, but I can confidently say that this goal will not be reached. In the beginning I had a plan. I stuck to that plan. I was on target until a series of events starting with my Achilles tendon injury set me off course.

I am not one to quit. I did what I could over the summer, which consisted of putting away my running shoes and biking. I biked to work all summer long, sixteen miles a day, eighty miles a week with inclines that had me peddling past other cyclist who stopped to catch their breath. I am in shape.

But I still can't run. Mid-September I put away my bike and strapped on my running shoes again. I could run about a mile before the knee pain kicked in. Oh, my knee. The knee that suffered a torn meniscus at Alpine Meadows in 2002. The knee that waited five months for surgery. This is not a knee pain to be taken lightly.

Maybe it is my shoes, I thought. So I purchased new running shoes. I hit the track and ran lap after lap. I ran through the pain. I punished myself because my mind, heart and lungs wanted to run but my knee was holding me back. When I was done, I could barely walk. I limped home. Two days later I limped to the store and returned those new running shoes, limped to another store and bought a different pair.

It is now two weeks later. A lot has changed over the last two weeks. I am feeling the effects of my positive pregnancy test. I'm feeling icky, tired and weak.

Yesterday while I was lifting weights I considered the treadmill for the first time in two weeks. It was always my goal to run through my next pregnancy. It is not like me to give up on my goals so easily.

I decided to run for ten minutes and stop if my knee hurt. Baby steps. I made it through my trial run without incident. Maybe my running days are not over. Maybe I still have that 5K in me.

Of course since I am carrying a life, I will wait to test my theory. 2009 sounds like a good year, the year I give birth to baby number three and run a race. For now I can train. I will take it easy and not push too hard. But I will try, because if I never try I will never know.

It Started Like This

2008-11-06T11:40:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken a year ago when blogging was just a faint idea of mine. The predominate thoughts going through my mind were:

How many clips can the possibly fit in my hair?
and
Why does this have to hurt so much?
and
I think Ariel has a future as a hair dresser.

A couple hours later we tucked the girls into bed and I sat down at the computer to create a blogger account. I'm not sure what I was doing or what I wanted to accomplish, but the experience started that night has meant more to me than I expected.

This blog is a year old. Like anything that runs the course of a year, my blog has evolved. In the beginning my voice could be heard on a daily basis. Some of it deep and thoughtful. Some of it drivel. Over the summer I wrote very little. Regardless of the frequency or quality of my posts I have recorded my thoughts, family and life for the last year. It is all here.

I can't say that I have a clear direction for the next year, but I can say that there will be another year of blogging. Another year of thoughtful posts and drivel. Another year of capturing my memories because without a place to write it down, I am liable to forget.

History

2008-11-05T08:21:00.000-08:00

Last night Jeff and I went to Ben & Jerry's for our free scoop of ice cream. Afterward we walked over to Deschutes' Portland Pub so that Jeff could enjoy a beer while we watched the election results. At eight-o-clock when the west coast states on the election map lighted up in blue and Obama was announced the next president, the pub erupted with applause and cries of happiness. Jeff and I sat there in shock.

I can't say that I expected McCain to win the presidency, I just didn't expect Obama to win with such a wide margin. My feeling of disappointment at the election result was soon overtaken be a feeling of wonder. I watched the on-screen image of a black woman at Spellman College in Atlanta. Her emotion had brought her to her knees as the people around her celebrated. I looked around me and saw a pub full of white people giving each other high fives and hugs and I recognized that history had just been made.

I never thought of this election in terms of race. For some people this presidential campaign was about a black man running against a white man. For me it was a Democrat running against a Republican. McCain got my vote because Obama's platform was to liberal for me. It was that simple.

As I sit here today in a country where a black man has just been elected president I feel proud. I am proud to live in a country where the color of a person's skin does not put limitations on their aspirations. It brings me joy to know that people of color woke up today knowing that they could accomplish more than they thought they could two years ago. I have a feeling that when Martin Luther King said the famous words, "I have a dream." He was dreaming of today, and that makes me proud.

Five Reasons to Vote

2008-11-04T06:24:00.000-08:00

Because these guys don't want you to:

Because Starbucks will give you coffee

Because Ben and Jerry's will give you ice cream

Because Krispy Kreme has a hot doughnut waiting for you.

Because this is how we the people speak to our government. If not you, who? If not now, when?

Go vote.

The Pregnancy Test

2008-11-03T07:47:00.000-08:00

In the spring I caught a little bug. Some would call it little, my husband considered it a "you are crazy, what are you thinking?" bug. I was struck with the desire to get pregnant. I wanted to experience the wonder of life growing in me one more time. I wanted one more child to throw our family of four out of balance. Jeff was not on board with this desire. I didn't blame him. He is the guy in the trenches. He commits his every day to the enormous task of raising and training our girls to be the people that we want them to be. He keeps the house clean and prepares our every meal. From my perspective, carrying a baby is the easy part. Caring for and adding a new person to our family is not a decision to be taken lightly.

I yielded my desire to have another child to Jeff's desire for sanity. I did this happily and with full trust that if a family of five was in God's plan for us, God would make it happen. So I patiently waited, content with the outcome whatever it may be.

In July, Jeff's said the words that my heart was eager to hear. He wanted a baby. He felt confident in his ability to manage all the chaos that a baby would bring, ready for the adventure.

So here we are three months later. Three pregnancy tests later. God has called me to be patient once again. Our first two babies were conceived within a month of the notion crossing our minds. This time it was not so easy, but we trusted - confident that God's timing is perfect.

In October we got the answer we wanted. Our baby is growing. Our family is growing. Our love and fears and hopes grow right along with it. God willing, in June we will welcome a new member to our family. God willing.

Our Week - Halloween Edition

2008-11-02T09:33:00.000-08:00

Enjoying a healthy snack
party #1

Bobbing for donuts
party #1

Face painting
party #2

Fun and smiles
party #2

Almost ready to Trick or Treat outfit number 1
the main event

Tickles make everything better
the main event

I wonder if anyone is home
the main event

Going home
the main event

How far does a dollar go these days?

2008-11-01T11:13:00.000-07:00

The Dollar Store is a great place. Some of the merchandise is junk and not worth it, but other items, like toothpaste or a 2-pack of toothbrushes are well worth it. The nice thing about the dollar store is you don't need the cashier to tell you how much your total is going to be. If you have one item it will cost you $1.08. Two items cost $2.16, etcetera.

Jeff and I stood in line with our one item chatting about my day at work and what movie we were going to see that evening. When we got to the cashier I pulled out my wallet and Jeff grabbed a handful of change from his pocket. For those of you who carry cash, you know the art of getting rid of change is a priority. No one wants to carry around pennies, nickles and dimes. Both Jeff and I were laden with change that we were eager to get rid of.

Jeff's solution was that we split the total cost. Jeff put down two quarters, a nickle and three pennies. I contributed two quarters. When we got outside with our purchase I was giggling. "Do you realize that we just went dutch on a pregnancy test?"

It was amusing to speculate about how the people in the store might of perceived us. They had no idea that we've been married for eleven years with two kids at home. By all appearances we were out on a date and needed to stop at the store first. Did they think that my boyfriend was chivalrous for helping pay for my pregnancy test, or did they think he was a louse for making me come up with fifty cents. Maybe they thinking, much like you, "Wow, you can get a pregnancy test at the dollar store? What a great deal! I wonder if they are accurate."

Why yes, they are accurate. I have spent $3.24 on them over the last several months and they have been right every single time.

Today I clicked a button

2008-10-30T08:42:00.001-07:00

Two buttons in fact. The first button marked my re-emergence into the world of blogging. The second published a post that had been sitting dusty in my drafts since July. You won't find it here on top. It is with the July posts as it should be. Oh... Did I say posts. Silly me. What I should have said is now I have a July post.

So what is this button that I pushed that will push me back into blogging? NaBloPoMo Basically I am committing to post once a day for the month of November. For those people (Hi Mom) who have been checking in here only to find a stale abandoned blog, this should be a real treat for you. For the rest of you, I hope you stay tuned, because I have some big news that could result in some fun and interesting posts. See you on Saturday November 1st.

Look Mom! No training wheels.

2008-08-09T23:31:00.000-07:00

It started with Ariel. Ariel who just turned 3. Ariel who gave up her tricycle for a big girl bike less then a month ago. She wanted her training wheels off. At first we dismissed the idea, and then I said, "Why not?"

Jeff brought out the tools and went to work on her bike. At first Belle showed little interest in riding her bike without training wheels. She watched Ariel as she teetered and balanced. She watched her little sister do something for the first time, something Belle was not ready to try yet. It didn't take long before Belle wanted her training wheels off too.

One thing I learned today is that Jeff is an excellent teacher. The girls wanted their Daddy. They prefer Jeff's strong support, technique that keeps them balanced, and the soothing way in which he instructs them. Jeff was a superstar today. He gave each of the girls his loving support and attention. I watched as their apprehension turned to pure joy. The joy of growing up. The joy of freedom.

By the end of the day the training wheels were back on both of their bikes. I think they enjoyed the experience, but love the speed and stability that comes with training wheels even more.

Ironically both girls crashed their bikes in the late afternoon when their training wheels were back on. Ariel ran into a mail box, but absorbed most of the impact with her helmet. Belle tipped over and skinned both her knees. It goes to show - bike safety has less to do with training wheels and everything to do with watching where you are going.

To my baby on your birthday

2008-07-04T14:15:00.000-07:00

My precious baby, born on the 4th of July.

You arrived late. Four days late. What I perceived about you as I waited those extra days proved to be true. People thought I was crazy when I told them that you did not want to come out. They smiled sympathetically when I explained that you were moving up closer to my heart instead of towards the exit. All this was true, and after you arrived I learned that you liked to be snuggled close to my heart but at bedtime you wanted to left alone. As a baby you would snuggle in your crib contently only to cry in discomfort when I tried to ruffle your hair one last time before leaving you. Even today you grimace and squirm when I kiss you while you are sleeping. You are a girl who knows what she likes and prefers things to be the way you like them. I get that. I respect that. I am like that too.

You try to do things by yourself, even if it ends up not working out the way you planned. You are persistent in your efforts and don't give up until you have succeeded or worked yourself into an impossible situation. Someday I will tell you about the time I tried to lift a 40 pound bag of potting soil into my Home Depot cart only to fall over backwards much to the amusement of the other shoppers. Your desire to do difficult things without assistance will never go away. Mine hasn't.

I know the secrets of your heart. I know why you tell me to go away and then scream and follow me in tears, mad that I left you. The first time it happened I was shocked and then relieved because I realized that I feel that way too sometimes. It occurred to me that I spent much of my childhood pushing away my parents only to be mad at them because they weren't there for me when I needed them. I hope we don't dance the same dance, but I know that we probably will.

I see so much of myself in you. I see other things in you that are uniquely all yours. Everything I see in you makes me beam with pride and love. Happy Birthday baby. These three years have been a wonderful adventure that I have thoroughly enjoyed. I love you with all that I am.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-06-25T07:21:00.000-07:00

My SuperheroFor more Wordless Wednesday participants go here.

A Different Perspective

2008-06-21T22:52:00.000-07:00

Oh Mommy of Classy Chaos is one again proving her classiness by sharing her photography tips with the internet. Thursday's post showed how taking pictures from an overhead perspective captures our endearing children in an unique way.

Today I took some classy pictures while my children were enjoying homemade popsicles in front of our house. I enjoyed this challenge because it allowed me to sneak up on my kids and capture the moment without them realizing it.

Girl Time Washing away the stickiness

She caught me

Thank you Oh Mommy for your photography perspective. I am very happy with the results and will be looking through my lens from this vantage point more often.

An open letter to Benefiber

2008-06-19T17:52:00.000-07:00

To whom it may concern,

I just want to point out that your packaging clearly states...

"Be creative with Benefiber. Try it in your coffee, juice, yogurt, whatever you desire. You won't even know it's there."

Benefiber DID NOT mix well in my mango margarita. I am not sure if it was the ice or alcohol that caused the Benefiber to become clumpy. I would appreciate it if you could do some research and get back to me about this issue.

Creatively regular,
Amy

The Girl Who Needed Me

2008-06-16T09:12:00.000-07:00

Jeff and I teach the 3 1/2 - 4 year old Sunday School class once a month. Last night was our turn to teach. It was Father's Day, the weather was beautiful and game four of the NBA finals was on TV so we didn't expect a large class. We ended up with nine kids counting our two daughters.

The ninth child to arrive could be heard before she was seen. She wailed as they walked down the hallway. Her mom looked exhausted and frustrated. As they approached the class I hoped that this very sad child was destined for the 2 1/2 - 3 year old class next door. Our class already held eight children that we have taught before, a wonderful group of little people who would listen to the bible story and play nicely with one another.

The ninth little girl, Holly, was new to our class. She was a petite, pretty child with blond pig tails and penguin earrings in her little ears. From Holly's blue eyes flowed tears that would not stop. Holly was hefted over the baby gate into our classroom. Her mother made no attempts to calm her. She seems eager to escape and have nothing more to do with her daughter. I watched as this mother pushed on Holly's little forehead, a rude gesture that clearly said, "get away from me." And then she turned and walked away.

Holly cried. She didn't turn towards the door and cry for her mommy, begging her to come back. Instead she turned to me and cried with all the sadness of a child who was having a rough day and needed to be reassured. My heart broke. I wrapped my arms around her.

I wish I could say that Holly quickly calmed down and played with the other kids. I held Holly for a long time. After 10 minutes she stopped crying. She rested her head on my shoulder and gave me a little squeeze. I squeezed back. I held her as if she was my own child, her head nestled next to mine, stroking her back. She participated in a game of hide and seek, from the safety of my arms. She giggled. Still I held her.

When it was time for snacks, Holly decided she was ready to be put down. She participated in story time, colored and placed stickers on her worksheet. Towards the end of class I loss track of what she was doing and who she was playing with.

Her mom was the first to arrive. Holly was a completely different girl from when she was dropped off. Her mom was the same. My heart broke again. This time not for the girl, but for the mom with the empty eyes. The adult who had spent and hour in church and returned unchanged. A mom who needed to be loved, talked to, understood. I wish it was as easy to comfort adults as it is to care for children.

Creativity

2008-06-06T18:00:00.000-07:00

Paint.
Hours of fun and frame worthy results.

Ariels Cubist approach
Belle is channeling Picasso

The girls get their talents from their father. For Mothers Day he built me a window box.

Perfection

This is a vast improvement from what this area looked like when we bought the house 4 years ago.

Overgrown

I am surrounded by artists. They brighten my world with their creativity, beauty, vibrancy and love.

The Great Bedroom Experiment

2008-06-04T19:46:00.000-07:00

When you are a family striving for sisterly love and togetherness what do you do?

Do you indulge the children with family outings that help them bond and create wonderful memories?

- OR -

Do you move your children from their separate bedrooms into a new space that forces them to spend more time together?

Jeff choose the latter.

We converted our multi-purpose guest room / office / play room / sewing storage into a bedroom for two. It's a big room, one of the biggest in our house and is perfect for this purpose.

Ariel's side

Belle's side

I love the dormers in this room, two dormers big enough for twin sized beds, so even though they are sharing a room there is a wall between them. There is also an enormous area that you can't see in these pictures. An area that is filled with all their toys. ALL their toys. It's messy, unorganized and contains a plethora of reasons not to go to bed or take a nap.

The girls seem happy, and why wouldn't they be. We put them to bed 30 minutes ago, and I can hear the pretend microwave beeping and little feet running across the floor above me. What I can't hear is bickering and fighting.

The sisters are united. They think they have fooled me into believing they are asleep instead of playing. I pretend I don't hear giggles and toys while the clock tells me that I put the kids to bed one hour earlier then usual. Oops!

The Great Bedroom Experiment is going well.

Stories I Won't Tell

2008-06-03T11:24:00.000-07:00

Like some people, blogging is a form of therapy for me. It is also a way to record my memories so they can survive a muddled brain that is constantly pushing out wonderful memories in favor of needless information.

I have found a new therapy. Because of high gas prices, I am saving $100 a month by riding my bike to work instead of driving. Biking is my new therapy. I spend over an hour a day on my bike. That is a long time to ponder life, my relationships and God. Sometimes I think of wonderful things to blog about, but those thoughts are gone by the time I sit down in front of a computer.

My objective in blogging has always been to share about the positive aspects of my family. I am going to break this rule in order to explain why this is so important to me.

I don’t have very many good memories of my childhood. I didn’t have a bad childhood, I just don’t remember the good times. There is a reason for this. My family found it amusing to talk about the mistakes we made as children. Remember the time you …

… told your brother to run away.
… got kicked off the school bus for __________.
… blah, blah, blah. You really screwed up that time.

These stories are usually followed by laughter, but it is the strained kind that hides the underlying pain and embarrassment. My childhood memories are made up of these moments, not because they are memorable, but because they are recounted until the memory of me in my younger years only consists of bad decisions, broken relationships and hard times.

I don’t want this for my children. I am committed to not writing about their mistakes and lapses in judgment. I will not talk about how sisters fight, because I don’t want them to remember the fights. I want them to remember the hugs.

So for now, I am silent. Life is good. We are happy and healthy. The peace in our home is a haven found in between moments of strife. It is difficult for children to learn how to interact with their peers in a kind and caring way. It is unfortunate that as children we hone our social skills through conflict with our siblings. It is a blessing when we reach adulthood and are able to put behind past hurt and have a loving relationship with our brothers and sisters.

Maybe I am trying too hard to facilitate a healthy relationship between my girls. Maybe, like everything else that is important in my life, I should give this important task to God through prayer. After all what power do I have over the future relationship of my daughters?

This is something I will ponder on my bike ride home.

I Said I Was, But I'm Not

2008-05-22T15:03:00.000-07:00

I made a resolution. I committed. I persevered through injury, bad weather and inconvenient schedules. I am so close.

Earlier this month I found out that the race I wanted to run is not a traditional 5K. Instead it is a 1 mile run, 10 mile bike ride, 2 mile run biathlon. I was expecting the bike ride, but I thought it would be at either end or the run. I planned on having Jeff do the bike ride and I would do the run. We would be a relay team. The girls would cheer for us and be there for the beginning, relay moment and completion of the race. A perfect family experience.

I'm a flexible person. I adjusted my plans and goals. Three weeks ago I said, "No problem! I can do the biathlon by myself."

All this month I have been alternating bike ride days with running days. On my bike ride days I have been commuting to work on my bicycle. It is hard work. My body aches. My back hurts. My shoulder is in knots. I am in pain.

Yesterday my husband said, "Monday is Memorial Day. Is your Biathlon on Saturday or Sunday?"

"What? This weekend?!? NO!"

This is not how a working woman should respond to the announcement of a three day weekend.

===========

Every morning I kiss my sleeping husband good-bye before I go to work. This morning Ariel was sleeping in the bed with him. Usually I leave her alone, but today she was practically falling out of the bed so I moved her to safety. She woke up.

"Mommy! Don't go to work. Waaaah!"

I took her downstairs and showed her a calender. "Today is Thursday. Mommy goes to work on Thursday. I will go to work tomorrow too. But look at this; Saturday, Sunday, and Monday Mommy will be home. Only two days and then Mommy will be home for three days."

As I say this I think about the race. The biathlon that will eat into my Sunday and surely tear my body apart and leave me useless for the rest of the weekend.

As I drove to work I recalled last years Memorial Day. The biathlon is part of a church picnic. This picnic is one of my favorite activities of the year. the church uses the local high school and sets up jump houses, pony ride and a stage with entertainment. They offer free food, cotton candy and kettle corn. All this takes place during the biathlon. If I participate in this race I miss out on some great quality time with my family.

So I am not doing it.

I am doing this instead.

Have a great weekend.
I know I will.

Weekly Winners - Mothers Day

2008-05-18T09:36:00.000-07:00

Sisterly Love

On Mother's Day we took the kids for a hike around Round Lake. The ultimate destination was the Camas Lily Fields. It was a beautiful hike and a wonderful Mother's Day.

Weekly Winners is the brain child of Lotus at Sarcastic Mom.

The Mexican Vacation: Part 1

2008-05-14T21:46:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of our trip was a Catamaran tour to Tulum. Here is a picture of the Mayan ruins at Tulum from our Catamaran.

We snorkeled through the coral reef and had lunch on the boat before spending and hour on the beach at Tulum. I wish I could of stayed all day. It was the most beautiful beach I have ever been on. In this picture you can see the catamaran in the background.

Here is Jeff enjoying the water.

Next we took a guided tour of the ruins, which are amazing!

I really enjoyed this tour. The staff was great.

The drinks were flowing.

It was a very relaxing day.

Catamaran tour info: http://www.caribbeansol.com/raiatea/tulum.htm

First Thing's First

2008-05-02T15:37:00.000-07:00

I'm still here. Today is my second day back at work. I have been wading through a weeks worth of work and I can almost see the woodgrain of my desk.

I've been catching up on emails. I have failed to call my step-mom as promised to let her know we arrived home safely. I avoided my laptop last night in favor of watching "The Office" while cuddling with my husband. Life after a vacation is hectic. It is a far cry from deciding if the waiter will be visiting my lounge chair soon, or if the swim up bar would be a better option for obtaining the perfect margarita.

Sigh

Five minutes ago I bravely opened my Google Reader to find 568 unread posts. I should feel panicked. I should feel overwhelmed. Instead I feel the intense desire to find out what you all have been up to while I cavorted in Mexico.

I missed you without realizing it.

My blog is going to sit for a couple more days. I have a lot of posts that I want to read. I'm coming to visit you but I may not have time to leave comments. Right now I want to eagerly soak up your words and find out what adventures the last two weeks have brought you.

I'll be back soon.

Mexico was wonderful.

2008-04-28T15:54:00.000-07:00

The week I spent with my husband in this paradise was glorious.
It was everything I expected it to be.

Fun
Relaxing
Romantic

It was everything a week with my husband should be.

In all the world there is not another person that I would rather spend my time with.

Every minute.
Every second.
We are in tune.

This man I married 11 years ago is my best friend, and I am his.

I am blessed.
I am in love.
I am grateful.

Weekly Winners - Fun with Sticks

2008-04-19T22:43:00.000-07:00

"Please get me out of this tree!"

"Fetch!"

Girls in the park

"I see the world!"

This will be my only post this week, as I will be enjoying the company of my Husband in Mexico. Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!

Weekly Winners is the brain child of Lotus at Sarcastic Mom. Visit her to see more participants.

Read Me(Me)

2008-04-15T13:27:00.000-07:00

MommyTime at Mommy's Martini presented me with a vacation challenge in the form of a meme tag. First here are the meme rules.

1. List three books you’ve always meant to read, but haven’t got around to them

2. Share the two books that changed your life

3. Recommend the one book you’ve been talking about since the very first day you’ve read it.

MommyTime would like to see me take some of the books that I've always meant to read with me on vacation. I have already checked out three books for next week; "City of Bones" by Michael Connelly, "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish" by Douglas Adams, and "The Jester" by James Patterson and Andrew Gross. I will easily get through these books on my vacation and need to bring a few more. Thanks for the suggestion MommyTime!

Need to Read

I am an avid reader. When hear about a book that sounds interesting, I immediately go to my library's website and check the book out. The library then mails the book to me when it becomes available. It is a wonderful system that keeps me on top of all the books I want to read.

Lately I have felt challenged to read more biographies. After looking at non-fiction best seller lists from the last 15 years, I found three books that should be enriching.

1. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt - I enjoyed this movie and was delighted to see that it is a non-fiction book.
2. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer - This first hand account of a disastrous climb up Everest should be very interesting.
3. For Laci by Sharon Rocha - I remember hearing about the disappearance of Laci Peterson from my Dad's girlfriend, Gay, who worked with Sharon Rocha. I also went to school with Brent Rocha, Laci's brother. I can still recall the look of grief on Brent's face when he stood up at press conferences. My heart aches for the entire family.

Changed my life:

1. The Bible - The Bible has impacted my entire life. The Sermon on the Mount is my favorite part (Matthew chapters 5 - 7). Here are a couple of my favorite parts:

Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:25-27 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Matthew 7:9-10 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

2. Let's count the Bible as two books, New Testament and Old Testament. My favorite Old Testament book is Proverbs. Here is a passage that I wrote down and have carried with me since 1998.

Proverbs 23:4,5 "Do not wear yourself out to get rich;
have the wisdom to show restraint.
Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,
for they will surely sprout wings
and fly off to the sky like an eagle."

Recommendation:

Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz - Read it. I promise that you will love it.

Weekly Winners: A Day at the Park

2008-04-13T09:50:00.000-07:00

Enjoyment

Peeking

Climbing

Climbers

Simplicity

Bubbles

Flying

If you read yesterday's post you know about my inability to follow (web)doctor's orders and keep off my leg. All these pictures were taken while I was doing my best to avoid weight bearing activities, elevate and ice my foot while enjoying the pain deadening effects of Motrin. It was a glorious day. Any ill effects of my decision to enjoy the park were well worth it.

A special thanks to my husband who delayed his grocery shopping so he could go to the park with us. His assistance was necessary because in addition to walking with a severe limp, I have a cold that has practically taken my voice away. As Belle put it, "Mommy, why are the batteries for your voice dying?"

Needless to say a hobbled mommy who doesn't have the ability to raise her voice has limited abilities at a very crowded downtown park.

Weekly Winners is the brain child of Lotus at Sarcastic Mom. Visit her to see more participants.

Achilles Tendonitis

2008-04-12T16:20:00.000-07:00

I can't walk. It started yesterday after my run. At first it was a dull annoying pain. Within a couple of hours I was limping. I went to bed last night hoping that a good nights sleep would make all the difference.

I woke up this morning and before I moved a muscle I prayed, "God, please let the pain be gone. I really want to take the kids to the park today." I stepped out of bed, and felt fine. Praise the Lord. Fifteen minutes later I was not fine anymore.

I googled "common running injury". My symptoms of dull or sharp pain anywhere along the back of the tendon, but usually close to the heel resulted in a self-diagnosis of Achilles Tendonitis.

I have an inflamed Achilles tendon caused by poor stretching and excessive hill running. To get better I need to stop running, avoid weight-bearing movements, take ibuprofen for 7 days, ice the area to reduce inflammation and keep it elevated whenever possible.

It is sunny and 78 degrees today. It is spring. Tomorrow and for the next 6 days we are expecting highs in the 50's and rain. One perfect day of spring and I need to stay immobile. I really have no choice. I cannot afford to have this injury linger. One week from tomorrow I will escape the rain of the Pacific Northwest for the sun of Mexico. I have to sacrifice this one spring day so I can enjoy the use of my legs for one whole week in Mexico.

I have never been good at restraining myself. We went to the park. Jeff usually grocery shops on Saturdays, but he sacrificed for us. I guess that is what a family does. Each sacrificing a little of themselves so as a whole we can experience a unity that brings joy and memories. In five years the memory of the perfect spring day at the park will remain with me. I hope that my tendonitis will not.

Thank you, The Long Version.

2008-04-10T13:03:00.000-07:00

"Words are things, and a small drop if ink, falling like dew upon a thought, produces that which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think." - Lord Byron

I have had the pleasure of reconnecting with some old friends lately. I’ve found a roommate, a best friend, and favorite companions from years ago. I’ve read their emails, social network profiles and messages. Reading the words of these old friends has transported me back to the days when I conversed with them on a regular basis. I have rediscovered their personality and wit just by reading a few sentences. It leaves me speechless.

I didn’t realize the power of the written word. When I write, I do so to convey a story or a thought. What I am revealing without intention is the very essence of me. I am silly, thoughtful, impulsive, considerate, attention seeking, and appreciative. I have no doubt that you know all this just from reading my words.

I’ve also realized that I know more about you then I thought I did. I visit the blogs of people who comment here. In each visit I learn more about you and I keep coming back. I may not always have time to comment, but you intrigue me. You entertain me. You help me examine the world around me by opening my heart and mind to your opinions, situations and life. Blogging is a powerful thing.

Yesterday, OhMommy at Classy Chaos awarded me with her Classy Blog award. I can’t tell you how honored I am to received this award. OhMommy is a wonderful, caring, outgoing, amazing individual who I respect greatly. She has revealed herself through her blog, comments, emails and instant messages. I know this woman. She is my friend.

Some people downplay the friendships that result from blogging. I don’t. Blogging is an ongoing dialogue between me and other bloggers. It is a special interaction that takes place through reading, commenting and emails. It is an interaction that happens every day, an interaction that can only result in friendships.

I want to thank all of you who choose to spend some time with me each week. Some of you have never met me, some are just rediscovering me, and some of you know me well. I value every interaction with all of you. Your words when poured onto the computer screen come to life in my mind until suddenly I can see you and I know you. These words can exist in a personal message, email, social network, or blog. Their location does not diminish their power.

Countdown

2008-04-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

10 days, 6 hours until I wake up before dawn and place my children in a car for a twelve hour car ride to Opa and Nana’s house.

11 days, 5 hours before Jeff and I check into a San Francisco hotel without our kids.

11 days, 15 hours until I hear the sweet sound of a jet plane leaving the runway bound for Cancun with me and my sweetie on board.

12 days, 3 hours before I put on a bikini and make myself comfortable beside the pool at this resort.

My mind is already there. The anticipation of relaxing alone with my husband swims through my every thought. I dream of a sailing a catamaran on a beautiful ocean to the Mayan ruins at Tulum. I can feel the sand of Akumal beach between my toes. I know what I am going to order from the swim up bar at our resort. I am already there.

In so many ways I am prepared. I decided to keep both the bikinis. I’ve managed to lose five of the eight pounds that have been haunting me since the birth of my second child. Yesterday I wore a pair of Ann Taylor cashmere slacks that have been shoved in the “size two, never going to wear those again” section of my closet for too many years. All my efforts are paying off. I am ready for the beach.

What I am not ready for is leaving my children.

A couple months ago I sought advice on a message board. “How do I prepare my children for spending a week without us?” One woman told me to get them excited about what they are going to do while we are gone and not mention where we are going. This shift in focus made a huge difference in our preparations. My children are only aware that starting in ten days they are going to spend a couple of days with each of their grandparents (3 sets in all). My girls, who LOVE sleepovers, are so excited for their vacation to California.

But I am not ready to leave my children.

Jeff and I have written our will. We have decided who will care for our children in case something happens to us. Unfortunately this document is only valid if notarized. It is such a simple task, but it remains undone. I wonder if I am shirking this responsibility because the thought of having a will makes me feel old. I wonder when I turned into a responsible adult. Probably around the same time I turned into a mom, 4 years, 73 days, 4 hours and 35 minutes ago.

Weekly Winners: Old and New

2008-04-06T00:46:00.000-07:00

Walking an old dog

Learning new tricks

Drinking from Mommy's old cup

The old farm across the street

New bloom

Weekly Winners is the brain child of Lotus at Sarcastic Mom.

Suck On What?

2008-04-02T10:47:00.000-07:00

The Mommy Kelly wrote a post yesterday that sparked my memory.

I tried to breastfeed both my children. It didn't work. I know most woman have difficulty nursing in the beginning. My problems were a little more complex then that.

Belle was born on Monday, January 26th at 10:25 am. Her first outing was Tuesday evening. A friend of mine was hosting a Party Lite candle party and I wanted to go. My sister-in-law, Amy and I bundled up Belle and got in the car. Belle began crying so much that soon I had to pull over and let Amy drive so I could sit in the back seat with Belle.

I was able to calm Belle down by putting the crook of my pinky in her mouth. In the process I noticed that her mouth seemed a little dry and there were no tears on her cheeks. I had been nursing Belle for twenty to forty minutes every three hours, so although she seemed dehydrated, I didn't think it was possible.

The next morning was Belle's first pediatricians appointment. After I met the doctor I told her the story from the night before and we talked about the breast feeding schedule. The doctor did a quick examination of Belle and then opened a cupboard and pulled out a 2 ounce bottle of formula. Without a word the doctor proceeded to feed my child. Belle finished the bottle in record time even though I had just nursed her a hour ago.

We went on to find out that my body was not producing any milk. We used formula to keep Belle alive and nursed to try to get my milk to come in. I rented a hospital grade breast pump to try to simulate milk production. A thirty minute session of pumping yielded less then 1/2 an ounce of "milk". After 2 weeks we gave up and gave in to full time formula feeding.

Seventeen months later Ariel was born. I was determined to breast feed her, but aware that I could run into the same problems. The breast feeding seemed to be going well. At three days old Ariel didn't appear to be dehydrated but still I followed a 40 minute breast feeding session with a bottle of formula, just to see if she was still hungry. She greedily ate the entire bottle.

I once again tried everything I could to get my milk to come in; pumping, beer, hot compresses and even prescription medication. Nothing worked.

My children's exposure to breast feeding is very limited.

Recently my friend Jill breast fed her daughter while she was babysitting my girls. Jill covered herself up during the feeding, but my girls were still enthralled. They asked a lot of uncomfortable questions. Poor Jill, did her best to answer them.

Last week Belle was playing mommy with her baby doll. She asked me to babysit her doll while she went to work. As she handed her doll to me she said, "And Mommy, if she gets hungry, just let her suck on your belly."

I was trying so hard not to laugh that I missed the prefect opportunity to explain breast feeding to my daughter. I need to remedy this, otherwise the birds and the bees talk in 5 years is going to be very uncomfortable.

I Love Google

2008-04-01T09:31:00.001-07:00

Google has been working there employees to the bone! Did you see all the improvements and new content they released today? This is what I have found so far:

"I feel lucky" button for my calender. Tonight I have a date with Johnny Depp. (Sorry Jeff, I am going to have to cancel our plans for tonight. Johnny takes precedence. I hope you understand)
Pre-dating options for Gmail. Now I can go back and un-miss my friends birthday.
The announcement of Gblogs that will have an "I feel lucky button" for whole blog posts. That should be interesting.
A fool proof wake-up kit.
Google Maps allows you to add your own locations that will be visible to all users. I added "Under the Bridge" it's one of my favorite places on my mid-day run.
Google Book Search with Scratch and Sniff capabilities.
The "New Airplane" maker in Google Docs. This was either created by a very smart working mom or a very bored engineer. Click on "file" and open a new airplane.

I'm sure I am just scratching the surface. What new features have you found in your Google Apps?

Have a fun April Fools day!

Weekly Winners - Snowy Spring

2008-03-30T20:54:00.001-07:00

Spring snow showers bring....

Dandelions?

Running to see her friend.

Seriously? Snow?

It snowed a couple of times this week. Only on Friday was there enough to coat the ground, but it didn't stay long. There is something very beautiful about watching snow fall on cherry blossoms, especially when the sun comes out and chases the cold and snow away.

Weekly Winners is the brain child of Lotus at Sarcastic Mom.

An Open Letter to Poison Control

2008-03-27T08:49:00.001-07:00

Dear Poison Control,

Thank you so much for your help the other night. When I called you at 2 AM, I half expected to get a recorded message instead of a real person. You did a wonderful job assisting me and you sounded very alert. It made me wonder how many calls you answer in the middle of the night.

If it seemed strange to you that my toddler consumed a half of tube of toothpaste, you kept your surprise well hidden. When you asked me how long ago the toothpaste binge happened were you expecting me to say, "At 8PM, but I didn't think to call until now" instead of "10 minutes ago"?

After you asked for the name of my child and telephone number did you look back on your records to see that both of my children have chugged Children's Tylenol straight from the bottle. Do you wonder if I feed them, or if they fend for themselves by digging through the medicine cabinet?

It's really not like that. Why my child decided to brush her teeth at 2 am is beyond me. Obviously personal hygiene is a priority in our house. How brushing her teeth turned into snack time followed by smearing toothpaste all over the counter and then trying to clean it up with soap, I will never know.

I may have exaggerated when I told you that she consumed a half of tube of toothpaste. The new tube of Crest for Kids was more than half gone and it was impossible to determine how much of that toothpaste made up the soapy / minty mixture she was playing in. Since I have so much experience conversing with wonderful workers like you at Poison Control I knew that you would want to know the maximum amount of fluoride that could possibly have been ingested by my 35 pound baby for your calculations. It is comforting to know that 4 ounces of toothpaste is not toxic to a child of this size and age. I will add this knowledge to my mommy database next to the toxicity of 3 ounces of Children's Tylenol to a child of the same size.

Thank you again for being there for me in the middle of the night. My baby is doing fine. We gave her a glass of milk like you suggested, and she never did vomit.

Best regards,
Amy

Mine for now

2008-03-25T14:35:00.000-07:00

My children are slipping away from me. Not in a noticeable alarming way, but in an insidious unstoppable way that time puts in motion and I am powerless to stop.

Karen Kingsbury wrote a beautiful children’s book called "Let me Hold You Longer" . This book quickly brings tears to my eyes and by the end of the story I am usually blubbering. My children don’t seem to notice my sobbing, because the illustrations are fun and entertaining. This is what Karen has to write:

"Long ago you came to me, a miracle of firsts; First smiles and teeth and baby steps, a sunbeam on the burst.
But one day you will move away and leave to me your past, And I will be left thinking of a lifetime of your lasts ...
The last time that I held a bottle to your baby lips,
The last time that I lifted you and held you on my hip.
The last night when you woke up crying, needing to be walked.
When last you crawled up with your blanket, wanting to be rocked."

Ok, go get your tissue now. I promise I will not make you cry anymore.

My girls are 2 ½ and 4 years old. Some of the chores associated with raising babies are gone. I am happy that they can feed themselves, but at the same time I miss holding my baby for twenty minutes every three hours while she ate. I only got to experience that for one year. At the end of that year I was happy to put away all the bottles, not realizing what else I was saying goodbye to.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Saturday I loaded two girls totaling seventy-five pounds onto my bike turned train. I rode one mile to the park while they playfully yelled, “Watch out for that tree, Mommy!” “Don’t hit that car!”
While at the park they ask me to push them on the swings, catch them at the bottom of the slide, help them play baseball and set up a picnic. Meanwhile I snapped 165 pictures of our glorious spring day.Suddenly, I notice that there are no children over the age of six on the playground. All the older kids are on the soccer fields following the instruction of their coaches, playing with their friends. Their parents stand idly on the sidelines.
I realized that I should never tell my girls that I am too busy to push them on the swing, or that they don’t need me to catch them at the bottom of the slide. They might not need me, but for now they want me.

For now goes by too fast.

Weekly Winners - Spring

2008-03-23T14:31:00.000-07:00

Whee!

Keeping my eye on the ball.

Look at me, I'm upside down!

Beautiful, happy girls

Happy Easter!

Weekly Winners is the brain child of Lotus at Sarcastic Mom.

Bikini Wars

2008-03-20T23:20:00.001-07:00

I've been running. I've been watching what I eat. Next month I am spending a week in Mexico with my wonderful husband of 11 years. It is time to evaluate my swim suit situation and Fight the Frump.

Help me out. In the comments please discuss butt cheeks and price.
Be honest, I can take it.

Learning new tricks

2008-03-19T20:26:00.000-07:00

I played basketball and softball in high school. When our team traveled to away games we would braid each other's hair. I was the only girl on the bus who didn't know how to braid. I would get my hair braided, but could not return the favor. No one seemed to mind. I didn't considered braiding a life skill, so I never learned how to do it.

Flash forward to today. My four year old comes to me with a comb and hair ties. She wants me to braid her hair. Suddenly braiding is a life skill.

My first attempt was a simple braid starting at the nape of her neck. The braid was rejected immediately. Belle wants her braid to start at the top of her head.

Like a French braid.

Yikes!

This is serious level two braiding we are talking about here. I can't tell my four year old that I don't know how to braid hair. So I sucked it up; tried to remember how my softball buddies preformed this complicated task; and went for it.

I was pretty impressed with the results.

Belle was not.

She wanted the pony tail on the top of her head to be braided.
Like this:

Hey, I'm getting pretty good at this. Now all I need is one of those doll heads to practice on.

Washing up

2008-03-17T19:24:00.000-07:00

Taking a week off from blogging has given me some perspective. I've realized that what I set out to accomplish by blogging is no longer my primary focus. I have spent a couple extra days avoiding my blog and thought about my original goal.

To capture pieces of myself and my family.

That is my mission. For the most part I have done that, but in the process I have become addicted to blogging and all that goes with it. Blogging has kept me from my family. Blogging has kept me from my work. Blogging has kept me from a lot of things.

Blogging has also put me in contact with some wonderful people that I consider friends. I will not stop blogging, but I am going to strive to stick to my mission statement. Starting right now.
Just a little bath time fun in the Seibel house tonight. The 17 month age difference between my girls was challenging when they were young. Now... I wouldn't have it any other way.

Tips and Tricks from my readers.

2008-03-10T21:04:00.000-07:00

This week my company is exhibiting at a trade show, which means lots of coordinating, standing around and long days for me. Jeff and the girls will see less of me. I want to make sure that the time I have at home is focused on them, so I am not going to be blogging or reading blogs this week.

In my absence, I am requesting your help. Parenting is hard work best accomplished when parents discuss what they are facing and find out what has worked for other families. This week I would like to turn my blog over to you. There are some areas that Jeff and I are struggling with and we need to know what works. I am going to list out our troubles and ask for your comments. I am turning off comment moderation so that Jeff can read all your comments while I am busy at the trade show.

If you want to write a post on one of these subjects (or have already wrote a post) please provide your link in the comments.

1. Tips for getting kids out of the house in a timely fashion. The girls tend to drag their feet when it comes to getting on tights, socks and shoes.

2. Sharing - one of our children throws a royal fit when a child picks up a toy that she has played with in the last 2 hours. She insists that it is hers even thought she is well into playing with something else. Her actions recently warranted a call to Jeff to come get her from a play date.

3. Listening and obeying - We tend to get a full commentary on why something can't, shouldn't or won't be done before the child even attempts getting the requested item done.

In lieu of advice, commiseration is happily accepted.

Thanks so much for your help.

Mom's are getting a bad rep

2008-03-08T00:12:00.000-08:00

USA today wrote a story about it. Bloggers are talking about it. I am refuting it.

Momnesia - the mental fuzziness and memory lapses that set in shortly after childbirth.

Here is an example:

Your spouse is going to watch the kids so you can enjoy a couple of hours by yourself. You go into the garage, get into your car and back your car right into the garage door that you forgot to open.

Momnesia?

No.

The driver of the car is a stay-at-home dad.

The act of being a parent sucks your brain power and causes you do seemingly stupid things. This “condition” is not exclusive to moms. Any person who spends 90% of their time with little people is susceptible.

Let’s call it was it really is – Parentdumtitis.

Can you find the time?

2008-03-07T11:27:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I talked about losing weight by creating a calorie deficit through proper food intake. Exercise is a great way to burn more calories. Here are some facts that will help you establish a exercise program that works in less than thirty minutes three days a week.

The Facts

Twenty minutes of light to moderate exercise three days a week is sufficient for a person who is just beginning a program

Your body is designed to become efficient at exercise. It accomplishes this by building muscle and increasing your cardiovascular abilities(Good), which allows the body to burn less calories during exercise(Bad).

The perfect exercise program takes these facts into consideration and plans for the exercise plateaus that are caused when your body becomes efficient at an exercise. An exercise program is made up of four components; mode of exercise, intensity, time and days. The only way to break an exercise plateau is to change one of those four components.

For people who are just starting to exercise I recommend picking an exercise that is easy on the joints and low intensity, like walking, biking or an elliptical machine. The exercise should be preformed for 20 minutes 3 days a week. After 2 -3 weeks the body will get used to this exercise and start burning less calories.

If you are working out in a gym the simplest way to challenge your body and increase the number of calories burned is to change the mode of exercise. If you are working out at home you can still change your mode of exercise by using exercise videos, walking, running, wii boxing (you laugh, but have you tried it?), biking, jump rope, etc.

I have been using these principals for 10 years. I gained over 60 pounds with each of my pregnancies and lost the weight each time by starting with 20 minutes of exercise 3 days a week. I spend three weeks on the elliptical, followed by three weeks on a bike, and three weeks on a stair stepper. Next I go back to the elliptical and increase my time to 25 minutes or increase my intensity for three weeks and rotate through the machines again.

These principals work because they are proven, and not just by me. I have put into practice what I learned 10 years ago from Neil Spruce of Apex Fitness.

Go here to see how other bloggers are Fighting the Frump.

Mommy Modified

2008-03-06T15:53:00.000-08:00

This has been a month of anniversaries. I happily celebrated my 100th post and 11 years of marriage. My next anniversary is bitter sweet.

On March 5, 2007 I walked into my boss’s office and asked for a full time job and a raise. I did this knowing that it would solve our financial difficulty. I also knew that I would be turning over the full-time care of my children to my husband’s capable hands and my time with them would decrease dramatically. It was not an easy decision for Jeff and I to make, but left with no options we did what we needed to do.

For the last year I have spoke about being a SAHM because it wasn’t so long ago that I was one. Stories that start with, “Last year when I was home with the kids…” are a comforting to me. They remind me that it wasn’t so long ago when I was privileged enough to be at home with my kids. That comfort is slipping away.

Last year I grabbed my lunch and said goodbye to an empty house at 6:30 in the morning. I spent my day with adults earning a paycheck and returned to squeals of joy at 5:30. I continued my working routine losing a small piece of my mom identity each day. Soon I was no longer the authority on what my children preferred. Now I have to ask Jeff questions before I can give our babysitter instructions for our date night.

Have they had a bath today?

Did they take their vitamins?

What time should they go to bed?

The interaction I have with my kids has shortened from an indeterminately long day to 2 ½ hours. At dinner time I grill them with questions so I can feel connected to them.

What did you do today?

Who did you play with?

Did you have fun?

I am lucky. I enjoy my job. I like the people that I work with. I spend my days focused on a job I enjoy instead of a family I miss. I get three weeks of vacation each year. My kids are home with my husband. In so many ways I am lucky.

Why on the anniversary of full time employment I am focused on what I loss over the last year instead of what we’ve gained? I know that being a SAHM is unbelievably difficult and draining. I also know how rewarding it is. Going to work every day is easy compared to what my husband does. Sometimes my children greet me with smiles while they run away from the man who pours his heart out for them. Other times they barely notice that I am home.

I wish that I can change it all and live in the utopia of family togetherness. We all know that won’t happen, so I am resolved to be content with this situation; confident that God knows what is best for our family.

Flu Advisory

2008-03-04T15:26:00.001-08:00

If you catch the flu and have to stay home from work it might actually be convenient for your spouse to be sick too. Recent studies* have found that two sick parents are roughly equivalent to one healthy parent.

It is recommended that ill parents hide all the "kitchen" toys so the children don't try to "take care of" the parents by making pretend foods that add to the nauseousness of the parents.

*non-scientific study performed on 3/4/2008, results might be slightly skewed due to the delirious nature of the adult test subjects.

FAQ for Jeff, the Stay-at-home Dad

2008-03-03T19:37:00.000-08:00

Other FAQ:
FAQ for Amy

Coming soon:
Blogging FAQ
………………………

What was his job before he decided to stay at home?

He was a construction engineer (aka flipped a house) before that he was an outside sales person for a large telecom company that went bankrupt.

………………………

Does he have a blog too?

Jeff doesn’t have a blog, although he dreams about blogging (not in the sense that he wants to blog, but that he has dreams about me and the time I spend blogging). In a way this blog is Jeff’s too. He reads all the comments and is encouraged by your support.

………………………

Does he get mad at you if you put something in the dishwasher in the wrong spot?

Jeff is very pleasantly surprised when I actually do the dishes. Of all the chores around the house loading the dishwasher is my one responsibility, which I often forget to do. He knows that if he were to criticize my techniques I would abandon this chore entirely.

………………………

What's his favorite book from the kid's bookshelf?

“My Bedtime Book of Favorite Nursery Rhymes” by Roger Priddy

………………………

Does he ever complain about being left out of moms groups?

He never complains, but in the beginning I was disappointed when my moms group didn’t include him on walks and trips to the park. Jeff is a very social individual and has never had a problem meeting new people. It didn’t take long for Jeff to establish his own relationships with other moms.

………………………

Does he and the girls belong to a playgroup?

Yes, his playgroup meets once a week. He met a mom at the park and keep running into her at the library. Eventually she invited him to join her playgroup. There are five other women in the play group, I have only met one of them.

………………………

What is a quick easy dinner for the family, I need some ideas.

Enchiladas,the recipe is on the back of the Lawry’s enchilada sauce seasoning package. He serves it with salad in a bag and refried beans. The enchiladas can be prepared ahead of time and then popped in the oven 20 minutes before dinner.

………………………

Thank you to pb&j in a bowl, Nap Warden and Kidzmama for asking these questions about my favorite person.

Please stay tuned for the next FAQ post on Blogging

Other FAQ:
FAQ for Amy

On This Day in 1997

2008-03-01T22:12:00.001-08:00

This weekend Jeff and I celebrated our eleventh wedding anniversary. The girls spent last night at my brother and sister-in-law's house. Jeff and I had box seats at the Portland Trailblazer / LA Laker game. After the game we went out for drinks and then returned to our very empty house in the early hours of the morning.

We usually go away for the weekend to celebrate our anniversary. This year we enjoyed sleeping in our own bed without worrying about which of us was going to get up in the middle of the night with the kids. We slept in. It was luxurious.

This morning we went to a very popular breakfast spot in Portland and then walked around downtown. It was nice to spend a day without our children, to make decisions based on what we wanted to do instead of what we needed to do. It was also nice to pick up our children this afternoon, to hold them tight and recognize that in eleven years of marriage we created a family.

We started out as two people from different backgrounds and melded into one. In our oneness we created new life, our daughters, who look to us to be everything they need and want. Our marriage is more than it was because we are more than we used to be. We are now the basis for the different background that our children will carry into their marriages. That is humbling.

Today it is my eleven year anniversary. My love is waiting for me to curl up beside him and watch TV. I better go now.

Welcome to my 100th post: FAQ for Amy

2008-02-29T11:40:00.000-08:00

Other FAQ:
FAQ for Jeff, the Stay-at-home Dad

Coming soon:
Blogging FAQ

………………………

If your life was a novel, what would the title be?

Brown-eyed girl

………………………

What is a biggest regret?

I regret not learning how to play tennis until I met my husband. He taught me everything I know and now we battle each other ever time we play. If I had started playing earlier he wouldn’t stand a chance against me.

………………………

Tell me the most embarrassing story from your youth?

I was once crammed in the back seat of my parents 1981 Camaro Z28 with my brother and his friend who I had a huge crush on. I peed in my pants. I don’t remember how old I was, but I can guarantee that I was old enough to go pee pee on the potty.

………………………

Where did you grow up?

On 10 acres somewhere between Escalon and Farmington, California

………………………

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

I love the Smurfs. Smurfette is the luckiest being to ever walk the earth. She has all those boys to do her bidding and no girls to compete with.

………………………

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. This may have something to do with a daughter’s innate belief that her own mother doesn’t have a clue about how to be a good mom. I was convinced that I would be the perfect mother and my daughter would never complain or question me. Sadly Belle has already informed me that I am a terrible mom and she will do a much better job with her kids when she grows up.

………………………

What is your favorite curse word?

#$%%^% &^#^ %$#@%$#@

………………………

How did you meet your husband?

I entered a crowded office, all eyes were on me. To the people in the room I was a person of authority. Putting aside my nervousness, I tried to appear confident and searched the room for someone to connect with. The blue eyed boy approached me, he was enthusiastic, outgoing and just what I needed.
The full story is here.

………………………

What do you do for a living?

I am an Office Manager for a company with four full time employees (including myself and the owner). I have a background in purchasing and accounting, so those are the tasks I excel at. The rest of my job consists of project management and making sure the coffee pot gets turned off at night.

………………………

Your hubby surprises you with a trip of a lifetime. You leave today. Where would you go?

We are getting on a cruise ship and going to Hawaii. My brothers, their families and several babysitters are coming with.

………………………

If you were stranded on a desert island, who and what would you bring?

Jeff comes with me because I am lost without him. Since he does all the packing, I’ll let him decide what to bring.

………………………

What is your favorite book and favorite author?

My favorite author is Dean Koontz. Favorite book is “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee.

………………………

What is your biggest "just for me" luxury?

I would like laser hair removal, botox and a facial, please.

………………………

You have $1000 to spend in any store, which do you choose?

Kenneth Cole

………………………

What is your favorite vacation spot?

I could go to Maui over and over and over again.

………………………

I want to know how you made your hair so pretty in that last post.

I took that picture shortly after my stylist released me out into the world. Let’s just pretend that it always looks like that, mmm-kay

………………………

Who are your favorite actress and actor and what is your favorite movie?

My favorite actor is Tom Hanks, whom I met when I was very young and before he was famous. Currently my favorite actress is Keira Knightley. Armageddon is my favorite movie.

………………………

Do you want any more children?

I would like to experience one more pregnancy. I would be thrilled if that pregnancy resulted in twins. My husband would not be thrilled.

………………………

How do you think life would have been different if you had two BOYS instead of GIRLS?

I’m guessing that our house would be a shambles. I would have to say bye-bye to all the pretty pink dresses and jewelry. I may not get to hunt for ladybugs anymore, but frog hunting, bike riding, and baseball would still be in order.

………………………

Do you care if your kids go out mismatched and bed-headed?

As long as they have a jacket and shoes on they can go out anyway they want. If it weren’t for Jeff the kids would never look presentable.

………………………

What are your biggest fears?

The day I wake up and realize that I am old, my children are grown and there is nothing I can do about it.

………………………

What are your hopes for your kids when they are grown?

I hope they find happiness in every situation, beauty in every location and a love for God that will shine bright for all to see.

Thank you to Dlyn, Kelly, TheVasquez3, The Sports Mama, Amy, Krissy, Maria, Jane the Sane, Victoria, Honeybell, Irene, Melissa, Kellan, ToddlerDaddy, and Rachel for asking these questions.

Other FAQ:
FAQ for Jeff, the Stay-at-home Dad

Please stay tuned for Blogging FAQ

Number Ninety-Nine

2008-02-28T12:58:00.001-08:00

AWARD ACCEPTANCES

Amy Shipp at Our Fun Funky Life! gave me this very stylish award because she loves my hair do and blog. Thank you Amy! This award coordinates beautifully with my fridge.

I would like to pass this award on to The Sports Mama at You Don’t Have to Like Me because she puts the other sports mama’s to shame by wearing high heeled boots on the baseball diamond. Her stylish ways extend beyond her dress and into her blog. Her posts make me laugh, cry, love her and want to live next door to her.

Irene at Our little piece of the World thinks that I am worthy of this award that comes with a challenge. I am to share three writing tips and pass the award onto to three bloggers who are "worthy of recognition and esteem". I am not a natural writer. That anyone would consider my blogging to be worthy of recognition is humbling. But I will play along.

Less is more: Capture and keep your reader's attention by staying on subject and eliminating unnecessary words or tangents
Use a thesaurus: Varied vocabulary makes your writing more interesting and concise.
Just write, then proofread: My best posts are a result of typing with no clear goal. Eventually something wonderful comes out. I then go back and edit out all the unrelated content.

I would like to pass this purple lion award and challenge on to:
Kelly of Ordinary Art because she rocks the words as a blogger and middle school teacher.
LatteMommy because she is 59 perfect posts into her 365 days of blogging.
OhMommy at Classy Chaos because she writes her posts in 30 minutes. I need to know her secrets.

MEME

Kyle at Holiday in Suburbia tagged me for The Six Quirks meme. Have you met Kyle yet? She is a real life friend of Ordinary Art Kelly. Kyle started her blog a couple of weeks ago and is part of my daily reads.

Here are the rules
1) Post the rules on your blog.
2) Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
3) Tag at least three people at the end of your post.
4) Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
5) Let the fun begin.

I think Microsoft Office 2007 rocks and don’t understand why people are still using Office 2003.
Off the top of my head I can tell you how many calories are in most foods.
I spent the last two weeks convinced that I am pregnant. I am not pregnant, but I am quirky.
When my lips are not covered with lipstick or gloss I pick at them.
I keep a Kleenex with me all the time for my "damp like a puppy dog" nose.
I wrote this entire post in Microsoft Word using HTML so I can show Huckdoll how awesome I am at a hrefing. (see screen shot)

The three people I would like to tag are:
Amanda at Yussman Triplets. She is the only blogger I have met in real life. And by met, I mean that I babysat her 17 years ago.
Rachel at From the Land of Monkeys and Princesses because she needs the distraction.
And LunaNik at Secrets of a Black Heart because she already did this meme and it was hilarious! (Luna, I don't expect you to do the meme again, I just wanted to link to you because your post rocked and I'm still showing off for Huckdoll)

THE 100th POST

Tomorrow is post number 100, which means that tomorrows “Fight the Frump” article on diet and exercise will be postponed for one week. Tomorrow's 100th post is a very exciting joint venture with my blog friends where I will answer the FAQ that have been submitted. It is not too late to ask a question. Go here to do so.

Wordless Wednesday: Why He Needs a Son

2008-02-27T00:05:00.000-08:00

For more Wordless Wednesdays go here.

Fear

2008-02-25T20:57:00.000-08:00

We all have fears. We talk about them, avoid them and detour our lives around them. Fears cause anxiety. Anxiety creates stress in our lives and our relationships.

Financial difficulty is a common fear. My financial fears did not start until Jeff landed the perfect sales job with a very advantageous commission structure. Having an abundance of money made me think that I couldn't live without it. We placed so much value on our cars, clothing, belongings and status that I feared losing it all.

Jeff lost his job and a new job did not materialize. Most of you know that we lived off our savings and retirement accounts until they were empty. Most of you know that we went into debt flipping a house.

What I haven’t talked about is welfare. WIC gave my babies free formula, juice and cereal. I used food stamps to feed my family. Washington state provided free health insurance for my children. The birth of my second child did not cost me a dime; the US taxpayers footed the bill. We took advantage of these programs from August 2004 until March 2007.

Why do I tell you all this? Maybe it is to change people’s perception of welfare recipients. Maybe it is to change your perception of me.

Fear inhibits honesty. I was afraid of what you might think of me so I painted a picture of myself and hoped you would not notice that I was telling an incomplete story. I showed you our BMW’s; I talked about our big house; I flaunted my nice things to distract you from some experiences that shaped me. I was ashamed of those experiences, but I am not ashamed of who I am.

I am compassionate, empathetic and nonjudgmental. Life has beaten me up, spit me out and taught me that I could have been a homeless person, an unwed mother, or an insufferable snob. I was fat, skinny, rich, poor, employed, fired and in therapy. I am a Christian who lived in sin. I am a shy extrovert. I am a contradiction.

I still fear what you will think of me after reading this, but take comfort in knowing that your picture of me is complete.

Just Doing My Part

2008-02-23T21:50:00.000-08:00

This is a public service post designed to impart real information for internet users who have previously left here empty handed.
100% bounce rate searches courtesy of Google Analytics.

1. How to draw Elmo - First of all, sorry if you viewed my "Stupid Elmo" post first. I am not an artist. These people know what they are doing.

2. Marble up nose or What do you do when your child put corn up her nose - My daughter did this. What you need to do is get off the computer and CALL YOUR DOCTOR. They will want see your child right away.

3. 10 minute mile pace songs - I start off every run with "Ingition" by TobyMac. Also by TobyMac on Portable Sounds - "Boomin'", "I'm For You", "Suddenly", "Feelin' So Fly" and "Made To Love". Other artists and songs are; "WooHoo" from the Starship Troopers Soundtrack, INXS "New Sensation Remix", Red Hot Chili Peppers "Give It Away", Elvis vs Jxl "A Little Less Conversation", Jars of Clay "Work", Switchfoot "Gone", and Blink 182's "Stay Together For The Kids" and "First Date".
All these songs keep me clipping along at the pace you are looking for. Have a good run.

4. Nikki Fontaine - I am very sorry. When I wrote this post, I didn't consider that someone would already have this name. I retract my previous statements. Nikki Fontaine is a perfectly acceptable name held by many upstanding citizens. My bad. Please forgive me.

5. Nicholas Kroon - He's my dad. Can I help you?

How to...

2008-02-22T00:20:00.000-08:00

Lose One Pound A Week Without Exercise.

For this week's Fight the Frump, I am going to step back into my former profession and see if my expertise might be of interest to anyone.

A long time ago, I was a personal trainer and nutrition consultant. In my early 20's I gravitated to this job after losing 55 pounds. By educating others on proper lifestyle and eating habits, I learned how to control my own weight and effectively lose weight after I had my babies. For the record, I gained 70 pounds in my first pregnancy and 60 pounds with my second baby. It is accurate to say that in my life time I have loss 185 pounds and kept it off.

Math is our friend

Let's say you want to lose some weight. A loss of one to two pounds a week is considered healthy. To keep our math simple, let's set a goal of one pound a week.

1 pound of fat = 3500 calories
There are 7 days in a week.
3500 / 7 = 500 calories a day deficit needed to lose one pound a week.

You can create a calorie deficit by eating less food, exercising more or both. Today we are going to focus on food intake. I want to focus our attention here because an hour spent sweating at the gym can easily be negated by calorie consumption.

Let's take my once upon a time client for example. She had a difficult time exercising, so she could only ride the bike for 10 minutes 3 days a week. She spent the rest of her hour at the gym lifting weights. There is nothing wrong with this work out routine. According to this calculator she was burning 640 calories during that hour at the gym. Unfortunately she felt the need to reward herself with dinner at McDonald's, which WAS NOT on her meal plan. Her Quarter Pounder with Cheese and Large Fries cost her 1080 calories. I'm sure we can all see the error in her ways.

How many calories should I eat?

I'm sorry, but I must answer this question with a question. How many calories are you eating? Anyone who is serious about losing weight must first calculate their daily intake of calories. This can only be accomplished one way. Write down what you eat and how much you are eating. Use measuring cups. Use a scale if you have one, or use this tool to learn how to eyeball portion sizes.

After you record your food it is time to calculate your calories. I love calorieking.com. It is simple, free and has a very large database including menu items from most restaurants. Once you have your daily food and calorie intake on paper you should be able to find some simple and painless ways to cut 500 calories from your daily intake.

Topic for next week

Weight loss is a lifestyle change that I am passionate about. Here are some other topics I would like to discuss over the next couple of weeks

Using protein, fat and fiber to help you feel fuller longer
Increasing your metabolism by eating more often
How to plan for weight loss plateaus and get through them quickly
Exercise that fits with your lifestyle

If you are interested in any of these topics, leave me a comment and I will post about the most popular choice next week.

I'm here to help

If you want me to look at your food journal and see how I can help, send me an email. (seibelblog(at)gmail(dot)com).

Mime Reader

2008-02-21T00:22:00.000-08:00

My love affair with books started at a young age. My mom gave me her old and tattered volumes of Trixie Belden. I read them all and thirsted for more. I want my children to love books. I try to do the right things now so they will gravitate towards books later. The Reading is Fundamental website has these 10 reading tips for parents of young children.

1. Read aloud to your child every day
2. Create a print rich home environment
3. Model reading and writing
4. Use grocery shopping to encourage reading
5. Cook with your child to develop literacy
6. Explore books together
7. Tell stories together
8. Sing and rhyme with your child
9. Write with your child
10. Visit the library often

Jeff and I do many of the things on this list. We read to the girls at bedtime, we sing and recite nursery rhymes. Jeff takes the girls to the library for story time at least once a week and we have several book cases in our house filled with reading material.

If there were to be an eleventh item on this list it would probably be, "Limit your child's TV time to 30 minutes a day." I'm sure there are parents who manage to do this. I am not one of them.

My daughters ask me to sit with them when they watch TV. I think Noggin provides wonderful programming for preschoolers. I am not a preschooler, so I keep a book handy. When they slip into their TV coma I slowly open my book. I hope that they will not notice me and interrupt my reading.

Bad Mommy! Selfish Mommy! Using TV as a babysitter, you should be ashamed!

But wait! My actions are beneficial to the literacy of my children. The above list says reading in front of my children is good, and now I have a picture to prove it.

Yes, Ariel has a very thick hardbound book on her lap.

Yes, she selected this book herself.

Yes, she is actually in a TV coma.

Yes, occasionally she turns the page without looking away from the TV.

Yes, I am trying not to giggle, because she is "reading" this:
But that’s okay, because I am setting the groundwork. I am helping my daughter realize that reading is a hobby, it is fun and infinitely more interesting than TV. Someday Ariel may grab an age appropriate book and we can read side by side, exploring the wonder of the written word.

That is my dream.

See more Tell Me Thursday participants here.
The picture of Ariel and I was originally posted yesterday for Wordless Wednesday.

Wordless Wednesday: Just like Mommy

2008-02-20T00:24:00.000-08:00

For more Wordlesss Wednesday participants, go here.

Tomorrow is Tell Me Thursday. I can hardly wait to post about this photo.

Preparing for 100

2008-02-17T17:02:00.000-08:00

I have done some spring cleaning.
On my blog.
Not my house.

Now that my blog is tidy, I have a place to put this beautiful bouquet of flowers. Thank you Sports Mama , you are a great blog friend. I would like to pass this award on to a couple of my friends, Huckdoll and Kelly. Both are fabulous writers who I have gotten to know through their very honest blogs. My life is richer and more interesting now that I know you.

Do you notice what I have done to tidy up? Right there below my header is a set of links. My Blogroll is organized and in one place. Everyone should be on it, but if you're not leave me a comment and I will add you.

The "Awards" link houses the wonderful recognition that I have received. Click on "About" to get the low down on my family. I want to add one more link called "FAQ" or maybe "OAQ" (once asked questions). In order to accomplish this feat, I need your help! (channeling Dora, who the kids are watching in the other room)

Can you do me a big favor? Ask me some questions. What do you want to know about me? What do you already know about me that should be on this page? Ask away. I will answer. I am going to leave this open for a week and reveal my answers for my 100th post.

I have many readers that don't usually comment (according to my stats, 35 of you). I would love it if you would participate in this exercise. Leave your questions in the comments section or email them to seibelblog(at)gmail(dot)com. Anonymous comments will be accepted. As an added bonus, any contributers with blogs will received some linky love from me.

Thanks for helping!! I couldn't have done without you! (Dora again)

Hair Fabulous

2008-02-14T22:17:00.001-08:00

Have you ever needed a haircut but made excuse after excuse as to why you shouldn't get one?

This woman is a great example.

This poor lady has convinced herself that her hair is stylish enough.
Look at her hair. Will someone please tell her that it is time to shell over the $55.00 and let someone do something about that drab mess of split ends.

Oh, thank God! Finally the honesty of a child comes in handy.

Now let's look at her.

What a difference! Look at the layers! Look at that smile! She is happy, stylish and dare I say... younger looking. Why, oh why did she wait so long to update her look. I hope she has learned her lesson and will take better care of herself in the future.

And let this be a lesson for all of us. Your hair is an important part of your look. If you want to Fight the Frump, you need to dump that clump of hair that is weighing you down.

I've got my cupid, where is yours?

2008-02-13T19:46:00.001-08:00

According to Wikipedia Valentines Day is “The day is most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of "valentines." Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped outline and the figure of the winged Cupid.”

Do you like my Valentine?
It's for you!

Yes, you!

You take time from your day to look into mine. For that I love you.

I also want to apologize to you. You may notice that I am behind on my blog reading. You may wonder why I am not responding to your comments via email. I have neglected you, and for that I am truly sorry. I won't bore you with the details of my deadlines at work. I will just say, you are important to me and I haven't forgotten about you.

Romantic Plans

This is the first Valentines Day since Jeff and I reversed roles. Now that he is the stay-at-home parent he deserves much love, respect and pampering.

How do you pamper a man?
This is my plan.

First I will go to the specialty beer store and select a rare and tasty beer that will be the benchmark by which he compares all future beers. Next I will rent an action packed movie with great special effects and large explosions. Finally I will buy chocolate. Nothing fancy, probably a very large bag of peanut M&M’s.

After the girls go to sleep we will open the beer and cuddle in our theater room. I won’t complain when he watches his movie at volumes not usually allowed. I will make sure he always has an ample supply of M&M’s and beer. I’m pretty sure he will love it.

What are your Valentines Day plans?

Wordless Wednesday: Out of Hibernation

2008-02-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

The sun is out, and so are the neighbors!

Ariel rides her scooter from here to there.

For more Wordless Wednesdays go here.

Mawwiage, that bwessed awwangement, that dweam within a dweam...

2008-02-11T20:54:00.000-08:00

Latte Mommy tagged me for the Marriage Meme. Thank you Latte, it was fun mulling these memories over in my mind.

1. Where/how did you meet?

I posted about this before. The short answer is a Cutco interview. For the full story go here.

2. How long have you known each other?

We met in January of 1994, so 14 years. Gosh, that makes me feel old. Jeff was 18 and I was 20 when we met, so really we are not that old.
Okay, well HE is not old.

3. How long after you met did you start dating?

Our first date was on January 16, 1994, a couple of weeks after we met.

4. How long did you date before you were engaged?

We dated for 2 ½ years and got engaged on July 9, 1996.

5. How long was your engagement?

About 9 months. We had to give Jeff a chance to turn 21 before we got married.

6. How long have you been married?

Almost 11 years.

7. What is your anniversary?

We were married on March 1, 1997

8. How many people came to your wedding reception?

I’m guessing 130 or so.

9. What kind of cake did you serve?
My Mom made the cake and it was delicious. I wonder if anyone took a picture of the inside of the cake. I cannot, for the life of me, remember what flavor it was.

10. Where was your wedding?

We got married at Morris Chapel which is on the University of Pacific campus in Stockton, CA. It was the same place my grandparents got married.

11. What did you serve for the meal?

We had a choice between chicken and fish (maybe). It was served with garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus and hollandaise sauce, scrumptious.

12. How many people were in your bridal party?

My sister-in-law Amy was my matron of honor. My friends Andrea and Melanie and Jeff’s sisters; Jennifer and Julie were the bridesmaids. Jeff’s friend Jesse was the Best Man. Jeff’s brother Jon, brother-in-law Rob and my brothers Tod and Kurt were groomsmen. Our niece, Samantha was our flower girl; she is Rob and Jen’s daughter. Our nephew Cory was the ring bearer, he is Julie’s son.

Oh, you wanted a number! Twelve.

13. Are you still friends with them all?

Considering that most everyone was family – absolutely. The only person we have lost touch with is Melanie.

14. Did your spouse cry during the ceremony?

Oh, yes. We both did. There was a very sweet moment when my Matron of Honor handed Jeff and handkerchief that he used to dry my tears before he dried his.

15. Most special moment of your wedding day?

Walking down the aisle, exchanging vows, our first kiss, it was all very special.

16. Any funny moments?

After our first kiss we hugged and I buried my head in Jeff’s neck. I accidentally got my bright red lipstick all over his collar. Since it was the side facing our wedding guests, I didn’t want to lift my head until I managed to wipe it all up, which was impossible. So when we walked down the aisle as husband and wife, Jeff had lipstick all over his collar and I was bright red from embarrassment.

17. Any big disasters?

A couple of small things like…
-Jeff arrived late to the rehearsal because he and the best man forgot to pick up their tuxedos.
-Someone stepped on my train with a muddy shoe before the wedding. The wedding planner covered it up with white chalk.
-During his toast, my new Father-in-law couldn't remember my name. He was a little tipsy and everyone thought it was funny, including me.

18. Where did you go on your honeymoon?

We went on a cruise to the Virgin Islands, returned to San Francisco for a couple of days and then went to Maui. The week in Maui was part of a company trip that Jeff had won through Cutco, so it was free and many of our wedding guests and some of our wedding party were there also.

19. How long were you gone?

Two weeks.

20. If you were to do your wedding over, what would you change?

Invite more people. The chapel could only hold 150 people, so there were a lot of people that I couldn't invite.

21. What side of the bed do you sleep on?

I have to ask my husband because I don’t know my right from my left.
He says, “The right side.”

22. What size is your bed?

Queen

23. Greatest strength as a couple?

We are usually on the same page. We enjoy the same things such as; tennis, skiing, basketball, biking, hiking, and camping so we spend a lot of time together.

Just for fun let me ask him.

He says,” That we don’t give up even when things are tough, that we share the same faith and we are 95.25 % on the same page as far as life goals.”

See, we are pretty compatible.

24. Greatest challenge as a couple?

I have sabotaged several friendships because I am a terrible roommate. The fact that Jeff hasn’t strangled me yet, is a testament to his love for me. I have also made drastic improvements in my ability to clean up after myself because I want to please him. But sometimes he gets fed up with doing all the house work, while I flit around from one thing to the next with no clear agenda and nothing to show for my efforts.

25. Who literally pays the bills?

That would be me.

26. What is your song?

James Taylor “You’ve got a friend”

27. What did you dance your first dance to?

Same song, since I get to talk about this song again, here are some of the lyrics.

“When you’re down and troubled
and you need a helping hand
and nothing, whoa nothing is going right.
Close your eyes and think of me
and soon I will be there
to brighten up even your darkest nights.

You just call out my name,
And you know wherever I am
I’ll come running, oh yeah baby
To see you again.
Winter, spring, summer, or fall,
All you have to do is call
And I’ll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah.
You’ve got a friend.”

28. Describe your wedding dress.

Off the shoulder raw silk with a beaded bodice and scalloped edges on the train. The pictures from the wedding really don't show the detail and beauty of this dress, so I rummaged through the back of my closet and took pictures of the bodice. I still think this is the most beautiful dress I have ever seen.

Doesn't it look like something Cinderella would wear?

29. What kind of flowers did you have at your wedding?

Red, white, and fire and ice roses.

30. Are your wedding bands engraved?

Mine isn’t. I engraved Jeff’s with, “My love, My life.”

Now I am in serious trouble with him, because I had to ask him to remove his ring so I could see the engraving. He knew it from memory.

Hmmm, who to tag.
I don't know if I have ever seen Kellan do a meme, but I would be very interested to hear about the wedding to her Texas cowboy.

I would love to tag some more people, but I have some serious kissing up to do to my husband, so feel free to grab this meme and leave me a comment when you are done.

123 Book Meme

2008-02-09T20:58:00.000-08:00

Quick Update

Hercules' suffering ended this morning. I thank everyone for your thoughts and prayers. God answered them with fabulous weather and wonderful neighbors.

Our friends next door watched the girls so Jeff and I could be with Hercules during his last moments. We came home and took advantage of sunny skies by taking the girls and our other dog, AJ to the park. Later all the neighborhood kids played outside together while the parents chatted. Jeff's buddy who lives down the street decided to take his Dodge Viper for a spin, and Jeff got to go with him. Basically our day was filled with a lot of distractions that helped alleviate the sadness.

On To Blogging

dlyn tagged me for a meme, and it was just the type of thing that I needed today.
Thank you dlyn.

Page 123 meme:
Here are the instructions:
1. Pick up the nearest book ( of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people. & post a comment here once you post it to your blog, so I can come see.

I am sitting at my very clean desk (thank you Jeff). All my books have been put away in the bookcase which is a couple feet away. Luckily, I have grouped all my Harry Potter books on the side nearest to me.

In "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" page 123 puts us in the middle of chapter seven .

He cleared his throat. "I am here, as I'm sure you know, because of Albus Dumbledore's will."

Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at one another.

"A surprise apparently! You were not aware then that Dumbledore had left you anything?"

Umm, so everyone knows that Dumbledore died, right? If not, I am really sorry, and you are way behind on your reading!

Thanks again for the tag dlyn.

Hey -PB&J in a Bowl, Rachel from The Land of Monkeys and Princesses, Kelly at Ordinary Art, Huckdoll and Maria at Mommy of Four. You are all very interesting people. What book is sitting nearest to you?
Tag you're it.

Hercules

2008-02-08T20:53:00.000-08:00

December 1997

When given a choice between several puppies we picked you. We brought you home and made you our first born. Like any child we spoiled you with toys...and we rejoiced when you learned how to walk down the stairs.

A year later we brought home another puppy.
You gently taught him how to play your favorite games.

That's my good dog.

Do you remember all the camping trips?And the snow?All the fun we had together.

You must have been shocked when we started bringing home babies.
But you took it all in stride.

And you became great friends.You are a prince.

It has been painful for us to watch the cancer destroy your body. Today, you couldn't stand up, so tomorrow we will take you to the vet for the last time. They tell me that it is the right thing to do. They tell me that you will feel no pain.

Tomorrow will be the hardest day I have ever faced. Every fiber of my being wants to keep you here with me, even though so little of you remains.

Take the piece of my heart that is broken from the loss of you. When you get to heaven, say hi to Koda. Tell her that Tod and Amy really miss her. If you run into an old dog named Maggie, ask her about me. She and I go way back. Please don't chase Schatz and Liebe. I know you love cats, but those two are very special to me.

If you get a chance can you check into reincarnation? I would really like for you to come back as a dog, but not just any dog. Could you be a black dog with a white chest? That is what I will be looking for when I go to the pound someday, and I want to be sure that I pick you all over again. Okay buddy?

Good dog.

Run away from the Frump

2008-02-07T21:57:00.000-08:00

Do you remember my New Year's resolution? I haven't forgot. I am training for the 5K race that I resolved to run. I expected this training to push me beyond my comfort zone. I expected to developed a love/hate relationship with the treadmill. I expected soreness and aching knees. I have not been disappointed.

What I didn't expect was physical improvements so early in my training and increased self confidence. Mrs. Fussypants is kicking off the weekend with her first Fight the Frump, this is a perfect opportunity to talk about my training program.

The Program

The goal is to go from running one mile to four miles in sixteen weeks. Here is how it breaks down:

Weeks 1 & 2: Monday - 1 mile run, Wednesday & Friday - 10 minute runs
Week 3: Monday - 1.5 mile run, Wednesday & Friday - 12 minute runs
Week 4: Monday - 1.5 mile run, Wednesday & Friday - 15 minute runs
Week 5: Monday - 2 mile run, Wednesday & Friday - 18 minute runs
Week 6: Monday - 2 mile run, Wednesday & Friday - 20 minute runs
Week 7: Monday - 2.5 mile run, Wednesday & Friday - 22 minute runs
Week 8: Monday - 2.5 mile run, Wednesday & Friday - 25 minute runs

I think you are all smart enough to figure out the pattern here.

The Benefits

You can run anywhere. The supplies that you need for this activity are already in your closet. A good workout can be achieved in very little time. There are so many reasons why running is a great way to exercise.

I am in week five of my training program. The thought of running four miles without stopping still overwhelms me. Two weeks ago, I didn't think I would be able to run a mile in less than ten minutes. Then I did it. I ran a mile in ten minutes and then continued to run for another half mile. I cannot explain how satisfying that was. I felt terrific. I accomplished something that I thought would be very difficult for me. My success had a tremendous impact on my self-esteem.

You know what else happened? This -

My tushie is tighter. Five weeks to a tighter tushie. Need I say more?

Oh, Baby

2008-02-06T19:53:00.000-08:00

I am aching for a baby. I don't know why my desire to procreate is so strong right now. I haven't held an infant recently. No one I know is pregnant. We have reached the stage with our children where the unpleasant aspects of having a baby are part of the past.

Ariel is potty trained. After changing diapers for four straight years, both my daughters are pantie wearing "big girls". Is it possible to miss diaper changes? Am I so crazy that I would get pregnant just so I can have a little bottom to clean?

Yes, I think I am.

But, no I think I won't.

I'm an intelligent woman. I am good at math. I know that diapers + formula + infant checkups + our normal expenses > my take home pay.

It is a pity that I am so smart. I really want a baby. I want three kids running around my house for the next twenty years and six to nine grandchildren to keep me company in my old age. I want my husband to have a son.

I know you are thinking, "It's okay. You are young. You can have more children later."

But I know what happens. The youngest child turns four and the joy of not having to deal with naps, sleepless nights, teething, and pregnancy overrides the desire to have more children. Parents start realizing that two is a nice even number where you conveniently assign each child to a parent, juggling gymnastics for one and ballet for the other with grace. Families of five are are busy, harried, chaotic and require a mini-van.

I only have one and a half years until Ariel turns four. One and a half years is not long enough to pay off the fifty-five thousand dollar debt that hanging over our heads. In three years both our kids will be in school and Jeff can go back to work. In five years I will be approaching forty and my oldest will be nine. Tick-tock, Tick-tock. Can you hear it?

If I don't have a baby now, it will never happen. So I'll pray. Pray that God will provide a way. Pray that our birth control will fail. Pray that I can have one more child. If these desires are not part of God's plan, I will pray that the next year and a half passes quickly so I can start convincing myself that a family of four is fine.

Wordless Wednesday: Trashy

2008-02-06T00:07:00.000-08:00

Six years ago, before kids, my husband and I went to a rocking party.

We had a fabulous time. Sometime after 2 am the cops came in response to a noise complaint so we decided that it was time to go home. We were tired, but determined to make the 90 minute drive home and sleep in our own bed. About half way into our journey, it became impossible to keep our eyes open so we checked into the first motel we could find.

The next morning we woke up, in our party clothes with unwashed faces, bed head and at the trashiest motel I have ever seen. Even though we had been married five years, it felt very much like a walk of shame.

Thank you to Mrs. Fussypants for setting up the League of Extraordinary Wives and Rachel for inviting me. Without you, I would not of had a reason to dig so far back into my photo album and find this jewel.

Go here to see more Wordless Wednesdays that follow the rules by posting pictures without any explanation.

Sssssssuper Bowl

2008-02-04T18:38:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, while you were watching the Super Bowl, I was surrounded by snakes. Our church hosted the biggest party I’ve ever been to. They had bounce houses, crafts, games, food, a reptile show, and an important football game that played on a couple of big screens.

Now back to the snakes. I thought it would be fun for Belle and Ariel to see the reptile show. We arrived late and sat towards the back. The handler had just put away a lizard and was pulling out a Boa Constrictor. Ariel loved the snake and wanted to sit closer to the front. Since Ariel is not very tall and we were at a church event, I didn’t mind her moving up to the second row without me. The people around didn’t mind either. My little two-year old, with a stuffed sheep tucked under her arm, was met by, “Oh, how cute,” and “You can sit here.” This put a smile on my face, until they brought out the cobra.

The handler explained that a cobra is attracted to movement. “So whatever you do, don’t move,” he cautioned.

Um, excuse me, couldn’t he of said that before he put away the slow moving Boa and brought out a very irritated cobra? At ten feet away from my baby, all I could do is not move and pray to God that she didn’t move either. God must have been close enough to hear my prayers, because Ariel sat perfectly still as the cobra was brought within striking distance of her.

Once the cobra was put away, I breathed a sigh of relief and focused on Belle. Her eyes were as big as saucers. “Mommy, what is that sound?” she asked.

“Well Hon, that sounds like a rattlesnake,” I answered as the fear began to rise in me again.

“I don’t like rattlesnakes,” she trembled.

“Neither do I, but it’s important to look at that snake and listen to that sound,” I explained. “If you ever see a snake like that and hear that sound you know to move slowly away from it.”

I spent the rest of the show keeping one eye on my curious two-year old while making sure my four-year old learned everything she needed to know about dangerous reptiles. I am grateful for the education. I saw a cottonmouth for the first time and learned that a snapping turtle can bite off your finger. I also learned that God blessed me with two very different daughters. One who is keenly interested in all creatures and the other who has the sense to know that she SHOULD be afraid of snakes.

Fantastic Fridge and Excellent Awards

2008-02-02T17:30:00.000-08:00

I am proud to announce that My Fantastic Fridge Award is finished and ready to be awarded to the fantastic blogs that have earned a spot on my fridge. These blogs earned this distinction last month (see this post). Thank you for waiting patiently for this award.

On the Upside,
You Don't Have to Like Me...,
Classy Chaos,
Ordinary Art,
Moosh in Indy,
From the Land of Monkeys and Princesses,
Taken with a Grain of Salt,
Sarah and the Goon Squad,
The Bell Pages,
Latte Mommy,
The Superdad Chronicles and
Cry It Out: Adventures of a stay-at-home dad

Here is the code so you can add this award to your blog:

<a href='http://seibelblog.blogspot.com/' style='display: block'><br /><br /></a>

For those of you wondering how to earn a spot on my fridge, here is how it works. I use Google reader to subscribe to the blogs on my blogroll. When I read a post that really strikes my fancy I tag it for my fridge. Every couple of months I go through my reader and award spots on my fridge based on how many tags each blog received.

How do I pick blogs for my blogroll? Your comment, I follow. If I enjoy myself then I add your blog to my reader. If I have been popping in on your blog, but you are not listed on my blogroll, leave me a comment so I can get you on there.

------------------------------------------------------------

I have one more award to give out. I have been given the award of excellence from Maria at Mommy of Four, OhMommy at Classy Chaos and The Sports Mama at You Don't Have to Like Me. Thank you very much ladies. I appreciate it.

This award comes with rules and they are: By accepting this Excellent Blog Award, you have to award it to 10 more people whose blogs you find Excellent Award worthy. You can give it to as many people as you want-even those that have received it already, but please award at least 10 people.

I would like to pass this award on to

Huckdoll at Hey, I'm Going Crazy, Are you Coming?
Liz at The Lizness
Carrie at The Gremlin Wrangler
Don Mills Diva
Lizzi at Dizzi Lizzi
Amy at The Brat Pack
Girlymom at The Red Door
Lunanik at Secrets of a Black Heart
Kim at Jogging in Circles
Jim at The Busy Dad Blog

Wow, people that was a lot of hyperlinking! My fingers are killing me. It is time to pour myself a glass of wine. Don't forget to Blog Hop tonight.
Are you not a MEMBER OF THE WEEKEND BLOG HOPPERS? Well then you are seriously missing out. Head on over to The Busy Dad Blog and find out all about it.

Cheers!

This Post Is Rated "W" For Women

2008-01-31T20:59:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that I am going to do this. Before I tell you what I am about to do, I would like to get rid of some people first.
Ryan, go away. I mean it. Off you go.
Male family members and friends, you really don't want to be here. Your wives, girlfriends and mothers are welcome and encouraged, but if you are a boy please find something else to read for today. I will see you tomorrow when I post a topic for all audiences.

So all I have left here is the girls right?
Okay, down to business. First go read what Kelly at Ordinary Art had to say yesterday. I'll be here when you are done. Go on read it! (Sorry for being so bossy, stress does that to me)

Great! You're back. So now you know that I am posting today because....

When we love something we embrace the good with the bad and hold it high for everyone to see. We say, "This is valuable and I love it regardless of what you think!" It is time for me to show that kind of respect for my body.

God gave me this body knowing what I would be, do, experience and need. Who am I to second guess his intentions and bad mouth his gift? It is time for me to face what I like to least and learn to love it the most. And so here they are, my legs.

First of all, this picture doesn't really show why I usually hide these beauties. I have cellulite. I have always had it. Skinny, fat it doesn't matter, it is part of me, part of how I was made.

I have two daughters. Two beautiful, wonderful girls in whom I want to instill confidence so that they will never doubt their beauty. How can they gain that confidence if they do not first see it in me?

This is for my girls.

I promise that I will no longer rush to put a towel around my waist at the pool or wear shorts over my swimsuit at the beach. I promise to praise my legs because they propel me to run and enable me to ride a bike. I will teach you that confidence is beautiful, and self doubt will only hurt you. I will be proud of how God made me because I am proud of how God made each of you!

For the rest of the girls out there. Perfection comes with confidence. It is time to look at our bodies for what they are instead of what they aren't. If you think you will feel better about yourself after you lose weight or tone up or have plastic surgery, you are wrong. I can say this with confidence because I have lost weight, 60 pounds of it. After losing weight I felt better but I didn't feel confident. We will only feel good about ourselves when we stop looking for our flaws and start celebrating our beauty. You are beautiful. Celebrate with me.

What do you think?

2008-01-31T16:32:00.000-08:00

I was tagged by PB&J in a Bowl for this thought provoking meme. It seems pretty easy, let’s see how it goes.
Finish the sentence with the first thought that comes to mind.

I know I am loved.
I believe in God.
I fought the urge to think about my last fight.
I am angered, rarely.
I love sunny weather.
I need a new bikini.
I take care of myself.
I hear city noises while I work.
I drink when I’m stressed.
I hate the word hate.
I used PB&J’s answer for that last sentence.
I want my kids live near me when they grow up.
I like to think that we will get along.
I feel wonderful when I come home to my family every night.
I wear jeans whenever I can.
I left my parents house right after high school.
I do not regret that decision.
I hope to get to know my step-mother better.
I dream about the life I live now, I don’t think I could dream up anything better than my reality.
I drive an Audi.
I listen to people complain.
I think they are unhappy because they focus on their troubles.
I wish they would spend more time enjoying their life and less time complaining about it.
I should be more sympathetic towards them.
I regret some of the things I’ve said.
I care about what others think of me.
I said “I’m sorry” to people because it makes me feel better.
I wonder how many apologies I didn’t make that I should of.
I changed more diapers that I can count.
I cry when my children do anything for the first time.
I lose things very easily and my husband always finds them for me.
I leave the house each morning before anyone else wakes up.
I am grateful for my job, my husband and my children. They are everything to me. And whenever I am sad about other relationships in my life I remind myself that my husband understands me. My kids love me. At the end of the day, the year and my life THAT will be the only thing that really mattered.

Who shall I tag? How about The Sports Mama and LatteMommy.

What thoughts will this meme provoke from you?

Wordless Wednesday: Birthday Surprise

2008-01-29T23:23:00.001-08:00

For more Wordless Wednesdays go here.

Don't Pinch Me Yet

2008-01-29T13:33:00.000-08:00

I feel like I am living in a dream world. For the last week my children have been getting along with each other. They have squabbles, but they are resolving their issues quickly and without too much mediation. A couple of weeks ago my children spent a lot of time in these chairs.

No, this is not a double timeout (although I could see the value in that). These are our reconciliation chairs. Well actually, they are our kitchen chairs, but when the going gets rough we declare a ceasefire and the girls sit here until a truce has been established. We are not talking about arbitration, with a parent as a third party mediator. Our children sit face to face and figure things out amongst themselves. Usually it goes something like this.

Mad Child: You hit me!

Stubborn Child: No I didn’t!

Mad Child: Yes you did and I didn’t like it.

Stubborn Child: Sorry. I want the doll.

Mad Child: Maybe we can have minutes. (This means share with the aid of a timer)

Stubborn Child: Okay.

Mad Child and Stubborn Child head off to play together, because playing is way more fun than sitting in chairs and arguing.

This system is a lifesaver, because Jeff and I don’t need to insert ourselves into every argument. We are also helping them put some important life skills to practice at a young age. Such as getting along with people around you; fixing a relationship that isn’t going well; and learning to forgive and forget.

Last night Belle made and interesting observation about some friends of hers. She said, “Matt and Susie don’t share very well.”

She spent the day at Matt and Susie’s house so I asked, “With you or with each other?”

“With each other,” she answered.

“Matt and Susie are much farther apart in age and they are brother and sister, so sharing is harder for them,” I explained.

As I spoke, I noticed that Belle was holding the baby doll that she had received for her birthday on Saturday and Ariel was playing with the Fur-Real lamb that Belle also received for her birthday. In fact, the lamb has been nestled under Ariel’s arm for three days now. It does not bother Belle that she has yet to play with this birthday present. It seems one of our family rules has achieved its desired purpose.

In our house possession is nine-tenths of the law. It does not matter who bought it, who made it, or who received it. It only matters who possesses it. This rule has been in effect for so long that Jeff and I cannot remember which toy was given to which child, and neither do the girls. Creating this sharing atmosphere is significantly aided by the fact that our children are of the same gender and seventeen months apart in age.

I am weary of living in this Utopian state where sharing is easy and fighting is rare. I am enough of a realist to know that this will not last and we will return to daily reconciliation chairs sometime soon. Until then I will enjoy the peace and brace myself for the day when I come home to find my daughters confined to their rooms for constant fighting and Jeff silently rocking himself in the corner while cradling a depleted bottle of Grand Marnier.

Interview with a Blewbie (Blog Newbie)

2008-01-28T15:58:00.000-08:00

Latte Mommy tagged me for this interview style meme. Here's everything you wanted to know about me and my relationship with the blogging world.

How long have you been blogging?

I started my blog on November 5th, 2007.

What inspired you to start your blog, and who are your mentors?

My Sister-in-law, Amy started a private blog over the summer. She posted once, and then added me as an user. We were going to use the blog as a bulletin board so our kids could share pictures and stories with one another. The project was abandoned, but not before Amy planted the blogging seed in my mind (well, her and Mark Cuban).

Shortly after I started my blog I found Gulf Coast Mommy at "I Love you too Much", and was inspired by her ability to tell a tale. Her blogroll lead me to The Mama Kelly at Taken with a Grain of Salt and before long I stumbled on Rachel at From the Land of Monkeys and Princesses. These woman showed me that a blog should be funny, engaging and wonderfully written. Their comments and interest in my blog encouraged me to work on my writing and keep on posting.

Are you trying to make money online, or are you doing it just for fun?

I do this for fun. In the beginning I was trying to get my posts to show up in Google search results. I read that by having Adsense, Google would index my site. I signed up and Google indexed me. I have no idea if anyone has ever clicked on one of these ad's, and I never bother to check.

What 3 things do you love about being online?

The community. I transitioned from stay-at-home mom to working mom less than a year ago. I miss hanging out with other moms and being home with my kids. Blogging allows me to interact with moms, hear great stories and get advice. It's like a virtual play date. I love it!
The challenge. I do not consider myself to be a good writer (there may actually be some grammatical errors in this post that prove it). Blogging allows me to practice this skill while recording the memories that matter most to me.
The process. Blogging helps me process emotions and remember pieces of myself that I had lost. For example, last week I posted about a cake I had made. I intended for it to be a bragging, "aren't I awesome" post. I ended up thanking my mother, because she taught me to love cake making. I was half way through that post before I remembered watching my mom make cakes and recognized how that impacted me.

What 3 things do you struggle with online?

Time. I blog in the evenings after my kids are asleep and before my bedtime. I find it impossible to get to bed on time anymore.
Getting behind on my blog reading. There are days when I don't get a chance to sit down and blog. It feel terrible when I am unable to make it around to all the blogs I like to visit. I end up with a huge pileup in my Google Reader, and have to lurk or comment on posts that are several days old in order to get caught up.
I'm going to have to say Time again, because it is my bedtime and I am not finished with this post yet! Yikes people, how long should it take to answer a few questions? Certainly not two hours!

Enough about me, how about you? I would like to interview...

Honeybell at The Bell Pages
Liz at The Lizness
AND
PB&J in a bowl, is it possible that you haven't been tagged for this yet?

Thank you ladies, I can't wait to hear your blogging story.
And so not to leave out the very important and often overlooked blogging daddies...

Suburban Daddy, who is celebrating his one year blog birthday!

Congratulations! I'd love to hear your take on this strange and wonderful world.

Happy Birthday Daughter

2008-01-27T07:08:00.000-08:00

These last four years you grew from a baby to a little girl with a fascinating personality and the desire to befriend everyone you meet. You have brightened the day of a lonely old lady by calling her Grandma and wrapping your arms around her. You are excited to make new friends and eager to greet them with hugs the next time you see them. You extend forgiveness without hesitation and offer sincere apologies. You are creative and silly, confident and secure, compassionate and caring.

You are radiant, don't ever let anyone dim your light. Believe in yourself, as I believe in you.

All my love,
Mommy

They are Watching Me!

2008-01-25T09:58:00.000-08:00

Welcome MEMBERS OF THE WEEKEND BLOG HOPPERS. Are you not a member? Well then you are seriously missing out. Head on over to The Busy Dad Blog and find out all about it.

Here's something fun. I got this idea from dlyn. She went to Blogthings.com where you choose your favorite image and they tell you what job you would be best at. I am very wary of these things. I mean seriously, an image is going to reveal that much about me. We will see about that.

Ok, magic image that I adore. What does my selection of you say about me?

You Should Be a Manager

Seriously? Ok, smarty pants, why should I be a manager?

You're very organized, (sure) motivated, (absolutely) and methodical.(Why do you have to use that creepy word? Isn't methodical usually synonymous with serial killer?)

Fair and objective, you can see all sides of a conflict. You are a good mediator. (I can't argue with that.)

You are task oriented. (Let me consult my to do list.) You do well with deadlines and schedules.(Yep, I procrastinate right down to the deadline and then bust my a** to get it all done on time.)

And while you can be a task master at times,(At times? You mean like every time I open my mouth?) you're good at managing people and listening to their input.(Well that's sweet. I thought I was listening to their input so they would be more inclined to do what I ask of them.)

You do best when you:
- Must have attention to detail (Is that a bad thing?)
- Are in charge of people (I hate being in charge of people. I'd rather do everything myself. Less mistakes that way.)

You would also be a good accountant or personal assistant.

Well friends, that confirms it. Blogthings.com is watching me. They know that I am a office manager who's duties include accounting and anything else the CEO throws at me and they are using the information to FREAK ME OUT!

What does blogthings.com know about you?

The Cake Legacy

2008-01-24T20:56:00.000-08:00

Belle's Birthday is this weekend. I am very excited about how everything is coming together. Here are the invitations. Jeff did these all by himself.

Yeah.
I know!

I took some time this week to whip together a birthday cake. I baked two sheet cakes on Monday. After they cooled, I wrapped them up really tight and put them in the freezer. I did this for two reasons.

It enables me to spread my cake making adventure over a couple of days instead of one very stressful event.
A frozen cake is much easier to frost.

Tuesday, Jeff and I went to the Disney Store to pick out a toy for the top of the cake. Belle requested Ariel, Eric, the dog and a pirate ship. I'm pretty sure she meant the wedding ship, but it wouldn't fit on the cake anyway, so I omitted that.

On Wednesday I made my own frosting, and tonight I threw it all together. What do you think?

I'm pretty pleased with it myself. I think it is my best work to date.

I love making cakes. Growing up, my mom made our birthday cakes. She made other cakes as well, my grandparents' anniversary cake and eventually my wedding cake. It was beautiful.

I aspire to be like my mom in this way. I appreciated the effort she put into making our cakes. I remember watching her work and waiting until she was done so we could make use of the leftover frosting. Now that I have frosted cakes while my girls inch as close as they can get to my creation, I appreciate how nerve-wracking that must of been for my Mom.

Thank you Mom for allowing me to get close enough to learn. I'm sorry for sticking my fingers in the frosting when you weren't looking.

Dream Home

2008-01-22T23:11:00.001-08:00

Last week Latte Mommy wrote this post about searching for her dream home. I would like to share my dream home experience.

A long time ago, Jeff and I owned a piece of property in California. It was a one-acre parcel in a gated community with a lake view. We planned on building our dream home on that piece of land. After much discussion of what our house would contain we bought blueprints.

Our house was three stories with bedrooms, the master suite and a sitting room on the third floor. The spacious kitchen, living room, dining room, office and spare bedroom were on the main floor . The bottom floor had a theater room and second kitchen so we could entertain by the pool without going upstairs for supplies. The house had a laundry room, bathrooms and all the normal things that a house should contain, except a playroom. This was all planned before kids, so their future needs were not considered.

We sold that property without breaking ground on the house and moved to Washington. The house I live in now is my dream home. It is not as elaborate as the one we planned, but it is perfect. I love my master suite and open floor plan. I love that Jeff has his theater room, and the girls have a play room. I love the play structure in the back yard and porch in the front. I love my kitchen with an island where my children participate in the baking. I love the window seat that we use every night for story time. I love that I have three full bathrooms. But all these things do not make it my dream home.

When we first moved here the neighborhood kids came over to ask if Belle could come out and play. I know that this is normal neighborhood behavior, but what amazed me is that Belle was 5 months old. The other kids were all over the age of 2 with the oldest being 6. Not wanting my baby to miss out on all the fun, we went outside to play.

This is a neighborhood where the kids play together while the parents gather on the sidewalk and hang out. Belle and Ariel have always been invited to play with the older kids. We have a wagon with seat belts so our girls can be the caboose of the wagon train. My girls have developed a love for bug hunts, berry picking, soccer and baseball because an older child took the time to include them. Belle, Ariel, Jeff and I have developed wonderful friendships, relationships that we treasure.

In the process of picking out a dream home it is impossible to know what kind of neighbors you will end up with. For years I had faith that God would place us amongst great neighbors. I prayed for it and believed it with all my heart. I feel fortunate that he answered that prayer, because we will never leave this house.
No. Matter. What.

Wordless Wednesday: Disappearing Act

2008-01-22T22:13:00.000-08:00

Now you see her.

Now you don't.

Pictures taken by Jeff, editing done by Jeff with GIMP*.
Cuteness by Belle and Ariel with genetic contributions from Jeff and myself.

Happy Wordless Wednesday! For more participants go here.

*No, I am not a sales person for GIMP, I just love their product and the fact that it is FREE.