motherhood

Loving Lately ❤

Loving Lately: Life

I’m not gonna lie, lately I’ve been distracted. I’ve been making dinners and not taking pictures. I’ve hardly done any blog reading. I’m day 4 into a 21 day fix eating/workout challenge, and my out-of-shape self is really sore!


All of the kids (okay 3 out of four) have started their sport programs. (Between that and church, there are my weekends.)

I’ve redecorated my downstairs bathroom, and around my fireplace. My “country cottage” look is finally taking shape! (I can’t wait to tackle the kitchen.)


The yard is screaming for some attention. Thankfully that is not my yard in the picture. But spring has sprung and a couple of my flower beds have (almost) as many dandelions!


You know that saying “there just aren’t enough hours in the day,” it’s true- at least concerning all of the warm weather outdoor play time.

Identity Crisis -of Sorts

It’s in those times, when you’re ready to do a full-on overhaul; because nothing you’ve done seems right, when you have to ask yourself the hard questions: “Who am I? …Do I even have a style?” It’s as if all the sudden, or actually maybe it’s been progressively happening for a while… anyway it is in this moment… that I admit I can’t stand the color of my kitchen!

Oh sure, like half of America, I’ve been watching Fixer Upper. And I’ve convinced myself that unless Chip and JoJo Gaines come and do a complete renovation; tear down walls, access all natural light and put up as much shiplap as we can find, my home will never be complete. Of course, without any real experience taking care of animals, I consider myself to be a farm girl. So naturally I have a tendency to think my home should resemble a farmhouse… But in reality I’m far more traditional (and my backyard is more pool than lawn). I do appreciate country decor; primitive, traditional and inspired by folk art. I really love English Cottage. I can be carried away by the contrasting elegant and rural touches of French Country… the idea of a beautiful chandelier with tear drop glass prisms over a rustic farm table. Swoon. I’ve been known to walk out of Pier I with curtains replicating fabrics straight out of Bombay. I love my traditional Irish plaid wool blanket we brought home from the Emerald Isle (it’s my favorite throw for the back of our rocker)! Maybe my “look” is considered eclectic? But I don’t want to be eclectic! What does that really mean anyway? Hodgepodge-esque? (Which is even more upsetting when you add in that on any given day I’m really inclined to feel like I live in a toy store!)

Thankfully, before I got too crazy, my mother talked me out of painting all of the refurbished brick in my living room around the fireplace. It seemed far less permanent to paint the walls a trendy light blue/gray. So in true DIY form I put down drop cloths and rolled out a color coating adjacent to the brick, and fortunately I only covered 1 and half walls before I came to my senses and realized I hated it. It’s sooo bad. Ugh! But I really like the black cast-iron-ish paint we put over the out-dated brass fireplace frame. And I love the darker stain I put on the mantle. Baby steps. Slowly I’m figuring it out, I’m thinking I am Country Cottage (it makes sense in my head)… and soon I will tackle that kitchen. 

Who Has Time to Blog?

So as many of you know I spent the last week and a half on vacation. As the quasi-organised person I am, I set the blog on autopilot, scheduling posts I wrote ahead of time and even filling in a few during the trip. The truth is I love my blog. It’s my getaway, my connection to the outside world, and my sense of professionalism. We had a great time on our spring break, and in reflection on the way home it seemed to provide an endless amount of inspiration with all of the things I could share! Then reality set in.

Of course we held the mail while we were away, so it came to no surprise that upon delivery it would be a bundle. What I didn’t expect was a bill from a collection agency regarding an unpaid balance from my 2014 baby delivery! What in the world? We settled everything already a year ago (so I thought). Ok, fine. Don’t stress about it, I’ll have Owen call in the morning. Moving on.

I was unpacking our suit cases upstairs while my daughter played with the baby in his room, when I heard her scream. “There’s an ant!” My three year old bravely went to get me a tissue to dispose of the ant, while I checked for any more. And yes, there was another crawling up the diaper genie. Ugh! We paid (what I considered to be) a small fortune for an extermination company to get rid of the carpenter ants last fall! Oh please, don’t let this be happening again.

Naturally there tends to be a lot of laundry when a family travels, but not for us. We are the fortunate ones who get to visit my in-laws during our stay. They generously offer their home, including appliances, so we don’t have to pack-up dirty belongings. So where in the world did all of these soiled clothes, blankets, etc. come from? I’d like to know.

I knew there would be no groceries at home, because we were responsible people and used up what we had before we left. So, obviously it made sense to stop and pick up bread for Isaiah’s school lunches on the way to our house. Why didn’t I think of anything to make for dinner? Or milk? Who goes to the grocery store and doesn’t pick up milk? So I trekked my way out this morning to make a dash for the grocery store with three kids 5 and under, after a stop at the bank. In route my baby fell asleep in the car, and you know what? I just didn’t feel like doing it. So through the drive-thru I went and back home.

And you know how I like to deal with all of this stress? Well the washing machine is running and I’ve already called the exterminator. The kids are fed. So I’m going to pretend it’s not happening. Instead, we are going to purpose-lessly decorate eyeglass rims and dress up like Batman, until it’s time to get ready to celebrate my nephew’s birthday. The end.

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Aspirations

Sometimes I wake up with such big aspirations… which could also be referred to as small attainable goals. I get my game plan together: “Today I need to give the middle kids a bath.” (Side note: The eldest and youngest got theirs last night. I’m not one of those “crazy” people who think you need to bathe every day… And I’m just kidding about thinking people who shower every day are crazy. Many members of my family are everyday people. More power to you. I’m just more of an every other day type of person.) Ok, let’s get back on track. So on the day’s list is “Give the middle kids a bath; Enroll Isaiah in flag football, sign Naomi up for gymnastics, and call about soccer for Elijah; remind my husband about scheduling the windshield replacement; email the guy about the travel trailer; catch up on laundry (my nemesis); etc.

I realize this all sounds very doable. And in theory I agree. Of course, there is the regular daily stuff to do too. I wake up, change the baby, pour a cup of coffee, pack Isaiah’s lunch, start breakfast for four kids (a special menu for the baby, no dairy means no butter, pancakes (with milk), cheese, yogurt…), unload and load the dishwasher… Have I read my Bible today? Did I yesterday? I really need to get on the treadmill. Today is the day I’m going to count calories. Get the baby off of the kitchen table. Who’s calling my name. Oh, Elijah needs help in the bathroom (my newly potty-trained big boy!). Shoot, where’s the baby. “Mom! Noah is on the stairs!” Ok, run to get the baby before he gets into Isaiah’s lego-land. Ugh, did he poop? Change the baby’s diaper (2 down, umpteen to go). Oh no, I need to roll the sausage over. The toast is probably cold- Isaiah won’t eat butter if he can see it. Ok, gather everyone to the table. Elijah got his own water from the fridge… get a towel before everyone soaks their socks. Is that lip gloss on the kitchen cabinet? “Naomi, did you put on lip gloss?” Check her face. Affirmative. “Did you leave a lip print on the cabinet?” Add to list Magic Eraser the cabinet. What’s in the baby’s mouth. Oh my gosh, Owen left his socks on the floor. “No, Noah don’t put that in your mouth!” Ok, time to eat. (I will spare you all of the details. It’s mostly just constant reminders for the children to actually put the food in their mouth, and for the baby to sit down; because he is a master of high chair escape.) There is at least 1 spill, probably more. What time is it? Isaiah go brush your teeth, your bus will be here in 10 minutes. Start the clean up. Make sure Isaiah’s lunch, snack and water bottle are in his bag. “Mom! Noah is on the table again!” Save Noah. Watch Isaiah get on the bus. Elijah asks for a snack. I reply we just had breakfast.

Wow, what was I supposed to do today? Because it’s not even 8:30 am, and I could really use a nap.

Loving Lately ❤

Loving Living Lately: The Circle of Life

I met Barbara years ago. It didn’t take long to figure out that she was one of my favorite people. She never had any children, and at that time I hadn’t either. Something else we had in common? Scrabble. And so it started. Every week we would meet at one of our houses for a game of Scrabble. Eventually our meetings turned into visits with my baby, babies, children, lunches and dinners; and of course whenever we could make it work, a game of Scrabble. She was fascinating. We would have long conversations about things like the mill her family owned when she was a child, and how she loved the bread they would make with the flour. Barbara shared how long it took her to grow up after her mother died in a car accident, after a visit from her parents, when she was a sophomore in college. And she confided that she always wished she would have stayed in school after that and finished her degree. Barbara told me about when she was hired to accompany Herbert Hoover’s wife’s secretary on a drive across the country to California because she didn’t want to drive alone. And we often discussed how things had changed since she was born in 1918. Our bond was deep and our relationship was strong. I loved her greatly and I am going to miss her terribly.

I said goodbye to Barbara and not 24 hours later, I had to pull it together and put on my happy face to celebrate my daughter’s birthday. She was so excited for the day to finally be here. First thing in the morning, she opened a makeup kit with her dad and brothers (and mom) before they left for work and school. We face-timed grandma and grandpa, who are away in Florida, while she opened the art set they gifted her. Thankfully we had planned to have a princess luncheon at my sister’s house in the afternoon. She picked out the dress she wanted to wear for the day and we all got ready to go. My mother and sister had a lovely Disney Princess table set for the first round of celebration. Naturally we would have dinner when dad was home from work at the restaurant of her choice, which happened to be Taco Bell. (Yes, I am aware that there is not 1 organic thing on their menu. To be honest, I don’t want to know their food products. I’m not in the mood.) I have to say it turned out to be one of my favorite parties. It was completely laid back and unpretentious. I actually found myself looking around at our group of about 30 people and laughing about taking up over half of the dining space. I was surrounded by people who love me and my children. We were creating wonderful memories for Naomi and nurturing the building blocks for her life ahead.

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Life is an amazing thing. Such a beautiful gift we get to share with each other. It’s hard to believe that Naomi is five! It seems like just yesterday the doctor said “It’s a girl!” and shortly thereafter, right in the delivery room, I called Barbara to let her know.

 

A Day in the Life

Owen had left for work. Breakfast had been made, and put away. My oldest son was dressed, groomed and sent to school. Diapers had been changed. The little ones were settled in front of Disney Junior. It was a good time to steal a moment for myself.

“What is that?” I asked myself, staring into the bathroom sink. All I could see against the peach porcelain bowl was little flecks of white and brown. “Is that toilet paper? Oh my gosh, is that poop?” My four year old daughter had been the last one to use the bathroom. “Naomi, come here!” I yelled across the house. “Naomi, did you put your poopy toilet paper in the sink?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I was trying to rinse it off.”

“Why?” I asked again.

“I don’t have an answer for that.” she said. That’s her new go-to line.

“Okay, we don’t put our dirty toilet paper in the sink. It’s very yucky. After we are done, we flush it all down the toilet… Let’s get you cleaned up.” I took her to the kitchen sink to wash her up. After I felt she was sanitized, I headed back to the sanctioned off bathroom. As I was cleaning up the sink (with slight disgust mind you), I found myself in the rare position of thanking God that I actually saw the poop-stained shreds of toilet paper. At least I knew that I needed to disinfect the bathroom, and scrub Naomi. Then I had the terrifying thought of “what happens that I don’t know about?” …which I quickly dismissed… Because there are some things I’m better off not dwelling on.

Not in the too long future, I was attempting to give my three year old a dose of antibiotic medicine. He and my husband had recently taken a week-night trip to urgent care. Mostly because my husband had been miserable with what turned out to be a pretty severe sinus infection. My son, wasn’t in as bad shape so the prescription wasn’t necessary at the time, just a back-up in case his condition worsened. We had been giving him saline solution drops in his nose, and some cough medicine before bed. But now his mucus was darkening. Just to let you know Elijah, my three year old, has an uncanny self-imposed gag reflex. He can actually get himself to puking before he has ever even taken a bite of something he thinks is going to taste gross. The remedy to this usually is to have a drink of water on stand-by and have him well prepped ahead of time.

“It doesn’t taste bad. Stop that. You have water right here. It’s going to be fine. It’s going to make you feel better. Stop doing that. You haven’t even tasted it yet. It might taste good!” Medicine attempt failed. Puke everywhere. After a brief pause of disbelief, I say “That’s it. Everyone upstairs! I’m throwing you all in the tub!”

“Mom, you can’t th-wo kids.” he said.

“You’re right Elijah. I didn’t mean I was going to really throw you. I just mean I’m giving you all a bath.” The baby too, all three of them. Just on principle.

And it wasn’t even lunch time yet.

Loving Lately ❤

Loving Lately: Art Projects

I am not a crafty person. The idea of getting out paint kind of stresses me out. But I have to say that once the project is in progress, I actually enjoy it. And not just because my kids are making something special (that’s obvious), I love watching their personalities come out from beginning to end.

My first born for example, when he is invested in a project the amount of detail can be scrupulous. However, if you ask him to make a Christmas tree, well then it’s more like “how quickly can I get this finished and it still be satisfactory?” Done.

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My three year old cracks me up. Cracks me up and keeps me busy. His favorite color is blue. Painting with blue paint on blue paper is logical. Really I think it was more about turning his hands blue. And it must have felt really neat putting his whole fist in the blue paint. It was not fun cleaning it up, thank you. (Why did I get out the paint again?) He’d rather be having a snack anyway.

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Painting for my four year old is truly an art. She keeps her paint colors separate, she mixes colors on a different sheet of paper (very happy to create her own brown). She wipes her fingers in between and tries to think out her whole picture from top to bottom. It’s fascinating.

Next project with the kids… Christmas Cookies! Now that sounds like fun;)

 

Loving Lately ❤

Loving Lately: Healthy Kids

This week has been rather difficult. And as another installment of my Thursday “Loving Lately” was approaching I was struggling to find something to write about. It’s not that I don’t love short cuts to appetizers, special things that only come this time of year or finding great deals on some of my favorite things. It’s just that I don’t have time to be normal when I’m nursing my 4 kids with high fevers, some throwing up, and a couple with the crazy rashes that go along with “Hand Foot and Mouth” back to health. Then I had a Pollyanna moment. (Sometimes you have to force those.) There is nothing like having a sick child (or all four) to make me appreciate how blessed I am to have healthy kids.

I could go on about this forever, because I am a mom. And like most moms, when you have a child with a high fever all you can think about is getting them through it. And I don’t take for granted that I am so blessed to know that they will get through it. I am truly thankful. We’ve had a particularly difficult time with our youngest, Noah. (click here for more info.) We spent a lot of time at doctors offices and a little time in Children’s Hospital in Detroit. It was particularly scary when we discovered he had an alarmingly low count of a particular antibody, the one that helps your immune system fight off infection. The relief was so great it is hard to express when they ruled out the most serious (and often life-threatening) illnesses. And even though I was relieved, there was a part of me that was that was struck for all of the kids in the rooms around us and their parents who may not get the same news.

Our diagnosis was positive, but we weren’t out of the woods so to speak. He still needed a lot of attention. We’ve come such a long way that it’s hard to believe it wasn’t that long ago when things were really bad. So today I am loving that although my kids have rashes and mouth sores, they are past their fevers and the rashes will fade; because they are healthy and I am very blessed.

“If I had my life to live over…” Erma Bombeck

Someone asked me the other day if I had my life to live over would I change anything.

My answer was no, but then I thought about it and changed my mind.

If I had my life to live over again I would have waxed less and listened more.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy and complaining about the shadow over my feet, I’d have cherished every minute of it and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was to be my only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.

I would have eaten popcorn in the “good” living room and worried less about the dirt when you lit the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would have burnt the pink candle that was sculptured like a rose before it melted while being stored.

I would have sat cross-legged on the lawn with my children and never worried about grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television … and more while watching real life.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband which I took for granted.

I would have eaten less cottage cheese and more ice cream.

I would have gone to bed when I was sick, instead of pretending the Earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren’t there for a day.

I would never have bought ANYTHING just because it was practical/wouldn’t show soil/ guaranteed to last a lifetime.

When my child kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, “Later. Now, go get washed up for dinner.”

There would have been more I love yous … more I’m sorrys … more I’m listenings … but mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute of it … look at it and really see it … try it on … live it … exhaust it … and never give that minute back until there was nothing left of it.”
― Erma Bombeck, Eat Less Cottage Cheese and More Ice Cream: Thoughts on Life from Erma Bombeck, courtesy of goodreads.com

Loving Lately❤

Loving Lately #1: Nike Free 4.0 Flyknit

The concept of “barefoot shoes” has been around for a while; the idea that you want to feel as if you are not wearing a shoe. Except if you’re like me (and many others) you still want protection from rugged terrain- and pebbles. In my first edition of Loving Lately you saw my love of a “barefoot” sandal from Exodus. I really think I’ve become a minimalist in shoe wear since having children. I want something light weight, supportive and secure (the last thing I need while carrying a baby (and at least 2-3 bags at any given time) is a tripping hazard…) I’m more of a walker than a runner. But that won’t deter me from getting a “running” shoe. These are comfortable and cute, great to accompany jeans and an active wear, and perfect for around town from the post office to the grocery store and everywhere in between.

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Loving Lately #2

A couple years ago we took a trip to Louisville, Kentucky. We have some great friends that live in Kentucky who recommended a trendy café called Please and Thank You. One of the most difficult things about traveling for me is finding places to eat that uphold our ethics when it comes to food. We really try to avoid genetically modified ingredients wherever possible. (Shout out to Chipotle, thank you for making strides in the fast food business!) Please and Thank You had some organic options and they served coffee from a local Louisville roaster, Argo Sons Coffee. As a souvenir I picked us this classic diner style coffee mug. Because I choose to use a dishwasher rather than wash it by hand, it is losing it’s print. So be it. But to preserve my fond memories, I am showing my love (of coffee, traveling and American nostalgia).