the blue bathrobe

There are so many things about having babies and young kids that I want to remember. I'm always saying to myself that there is no way I'm going to forget, but I know before long, the memories will fade.

I was putting my bathrobe in the dryer tonight and it struck me how instrumental this piece of clothing is to me. My mom gave it to me for Christmas just after I had Eloise b/c I was freezing in the middle of the night when I would need to nurse. It's light blue, really fuzzy and I'm pretty sure it's from Costco. It's not glamorous, but it's super warm and cozy.

It has been a faithful friend for those middle of the night and early morning feedings. It has been a blanket, a snot rag, and a toy dragged around the house by it's tie.

Every night I take it off the hook and set it on the floor as I anticipate I'll need it for a little girl with a bad dream or growing pains or, if I'm lucky, Sam's 5 a.m. wake up. (I say lucky b/c that will mean I've slept for 6 hours in a row without waking up).

I don't know when this bathrobe will make it's way into retirement but for now, it's a joyful comfort.

link

I added some new blogs to my reader. That's always super fun!

*New Nostalgia has an Oatmeal Whole Wheat bread that I can't wait to try. I'm pretty much sold and committed to making our own bread.

*The Frugal Designer just looked fun all around

*This was just a sweet post from Funny Bunny Feet - I appreciated her thoughts on what she has learned from her kids. I just might have to follow the example and post my own.

*Dinner's On Me has this great Rocky Road Fudgesicles that i can't wait to try.

*And I think I'm going to whip up this multi-grain dry pancake mix to have on hand. Sam is inhaling pancakes lately.

Derailed

remember that previous post about slowing down? Didn't really happen.

I coordinated a Bake Auction for our church on Saturday night. I love to do it. Coordinating is so much fun for me and I was delighted to do it. But, it took alot of time in the weeks leading up to it. And whether I believe that I am or not, I still get anxious that everything will come together as planned. Thankfully it did.

I was so excited for Sunday to arrive b/c it meant the beginning of a week where my calendar was blank. Except Lost, of course. Dave and I couldn't WAIT to watch it as we've been committed followers from the beginning. And really, I just wanted to see how this thing was going to wrap up.

We had our plans all set out. We needed to run some errands, have dinner, and set up the kids with movie while the first part of the show was starting. The errands part is where it all went south.

Eloise is a carsick girl. But it's been over a year since I've dealt with vomit and even longer with it being in the car. (If you have yet to clean puke out of carseats, bless you. I hope you never encounter this frustrating, exhausting, and drawn out process).

I heard the sound and my heart sank. Not only did I feel bad for her, but I knew my night had just taken a super awesome turn. Yes, I was thinking selfishly at this point.

Thankfully it wasn't a ton and we only had one more stop to make before home. (tip: keep lots of random blankets in your car, that way, you won't have to do too much clean up) At that stop Lily went down. Two carseats to clean, NO! In my head I'm really hoping this was reactive instead of true sickness. Just before home Eloise starts to vomit again. It's now a Hazmat scene.

We got home. Eloise and Lily in the bath and Dave running to get Saltine's and ginger-ale with Sam.

I'm cleaning up hazmat with gloves and every type of cleaner I can find. The wash is in full swing and I'm secretly hoping that my husband will come home with the carseats and car fully detailed. A girl can dream right?

Video going and I'm talking myself out of the fact that this might be happening. Dave and I are downing Emergen-C like it's our secret antidote to this mystery illness that has entered our home.

Within an hour our girls are back to normal and jumping off the couches as usual. There might be hope of us watching Lost in peace after all.

Nope. Something else is sneaking it's way into our home....an Asthma attack! Lily started coughing around 7:30 (middle of the beginning of Lost - again, I'm pretending this isn't happening). Several Albuterol treatments later, it's not working. The coughing is coming fast and persistent. There is no way this kid is going to fall asleep so I move her to our room to watch videos. I'm still holding out a thin hope that I'll be able to watch Lost.

Thin hopes dashed. I called the nurse line and they suggested that we take her in. The frustrating part about this is I know what they are going to give me, steriods. Crazy Lily is about to emerge.

10 p.m. and we're headed to the ER. We didn't get home until 1 a.m and with exactly what I knew they would give us, liquid steroids. But they ruled out the big stuff through chest x-ray's and a super big breathing treatment. Lily and I have spent some time in the ER. We're getting good at hanging out there.

Morning came fast and so did cranky kids. Thankfully, Angela took Eloise and the little ones are with me. Rest time is fast approaching and I'm praying for a good solid nap for all of us. Hopefully, followed by a peaceful evening where I can finally finish Lost for good.

This verse came to me this morning. Certainly hard to do the work with a smile on my face, but I know that if I look for it, the Lord has given me grace today to make it through.

slow down

meaning to blog

wanting to blog

too busy to blog

BUT....life just slowed down a bit this evening. So I'm hoping to start up soon. It's been so busy that kids are going a little longer between bathing. The last of the toothpaste is almost squeezed out and it's entered my mind more than once that sparkle toothpaste does the trick too.

This week is catch up and hopefully sleep in...haha, yeah, right? I just hope that all three of my children can sleep through the night without needing me for something. 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep would be nice. It really would.

Mama date

Eloise had an appointment to get her hair cut last Saturday. She refuses to wear "pretty-pretties" in her hair and so I gave her an ultimatum. She either let's me put hair ties in her hair to keep it out of her face and from look mangy, or we get it cut. Obviously, she went with the cut. We all pick our battles, right?

So we decided to make a date of it. Just her and I. Exciting!

Early in the week I mentioned that we would have a mama date without Dad, Lily, and Sam. She immediately went and told Lily. Which in turn, resulted in Lily crying and begging to go with mama on her own.

When I told Lily that maybe she could run to the store with mom, Eloise started crying that she wanted to be first.

Oh man!

I diffused the situation and hoped that I wouldn't witness a replay on the night of. Wrong. Replay happened but this time there was even more weeping and wailing. Lily was a MESS the night we left. I have visions when they are 16 and 17 telling me that I love one more than the other. Guess I'm going to have to get good at balancing time.

Eloise and I went to Burgerville, Target, and the salon. It was great fun and I can't wait to take Lily out. Complete with Eloise sobbing as we leave.

links

After Eloise cut all the yarn, today, she cut her hair -- just a bit! I walked in on her just after she had done it and she immediately apologized. I told her the only person who gets to cut her hair is Rachelle and she is cutting it on Saturday when we have our Mama date night. We're going to Burgerville - yum!

We're huge fans of Burgerville b/c it's local and has really great food. I'm avoiding McDonald's b/c my friend Kate posted this on her FB page. (not the exact link, but the same story). Kinda creepy.

That same sweet friend Kate, wrote such a sweet post and mentioned me in it with such kind words. Most of you know, I don't cry. This made my day AND made me cry. I really am a girl :)

I made these Asian Turkey Meatballs last night and they were FABULOUS! Next on the list from her blog are these.

I planted my garden last weekend and included pickling cucumbers to make my own pickles. The girls love them and reading the list of ingredients in store bought pickles kind of freaked me out. So I'll give it a try with this recipe.

Here's the fun the girls had from that garden/yard clean up day. Yes, Lily is in her panties in a trailer full of dirt. They were having fun, not fighting, and being creative. I didn't care in the least bit. It's great fun for them and they can always take a bath.


I also made hummus this week. It wasn't my favorite recipe. I'm looking for a great one b/c our family inhales the entire container from Costco the moment we get home. Lily and Dave being the number one eaters. Anyone have a favorite?

For all the locals, there is a fundraiser out in Damascus for our sweet friend Joy Kendall. She is 10 and was hit by a car 10 days ago. This benefit will help to raise money for the family.

And b/c I'm obviously obsessed with making everything from scratch, I found some tips for making butter. I'm sure the girls will have fun with this.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Here's one cute pic for you of Sam this last weekend at his Baby Dedication. There were family pics but they didn't show up as good as this one. Such a sweet face.

idle time

Want to know what 4 yr old's do with a ball of yarn and a pair of scissors in your bed?

And this is how I found her getting up to go potty.

links

This week we went heavy on the Mexican food, and I wasn't even thinking about Cinco de Mayo.

*I'm in LOVE with these creamy chicken taquitos. (Thanks Jodi for the link) And so is Dave b/c he fought me for them on the last day of leftovers.

*We also made Empanda's. The weight watchers version. Here's another version, but i used the wonton wrappers instead. Just as great.

*I'm reading In Defense of Food, with a critical eye, of course. But it's very intriguing how our food has evolved through science. Makes that yogurt/pudding stuff that sites on the shelf kind of creepy.

*In response to the book, I read a blog post pointing out some alternative thoughts on the issues and the movie Food Inc. as well. I'm looking forward to reading more about farmers who are operating their farms sustainably and ethically. And some other follow-ups.

*This weekend is yard weekend and getting the garden ready, but who knows if the weather is going to cooperate. I'm liking this article though on what to plant in the garden to keep bugs out.

Have a great Mother's Day weekend all you Mama's out there. Hopefully your family gives you some much deserved accolades.

feedback

Alright, I need some thoughts on band-aids. Yep, band-aids.

My children want them for everything. If they bump their arm on the car, i hear, "i NEED a band-aid".

I've explained a thousand times that band-aids don't make owies stop hurting, they stop blood from coming out. They didn't really care.

Now, whenever Eloise has red on her finger, she thinks it's blood.

I know what you're thinking, "just give the kids some band-aids". It costs money people! Even if I can get them for nearly free using coupons, I guarantee the one time a child really does need it, I'll be out.

When Eloise came to me the other day after hurting herself and requested a band-aid, I told her, "Is it squirting blood all over the place?". "No", she replied. "Then you can't have one".

Heartless, I know.

Give me some feedback, please. What's your rules for band-aids?