Monthly Archives: September 2015

mommyhood, things toddlers say

Things Toddlers Say

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Happy Tuesday, y’all! I hope you had a great weekend and a good Monday! That’s all you can ask for on a Monday, right? Just good. It won’t be great, because it’s Monday.

The weather here in NC is amazing, and I’m drinking copious amounts of coffee in my enjoyment of the morning chill. Here are a few funny things to read while you enjoy the chill near you!!


Reasons my preschooler is crying:
Her bite of cookie wasn’t big enough.
She couldn’t get her underwear right side out.
She wanted to wear tights with her shirt instead of pants.
There was too much toilet paper in the toilet. (She put it there.)

Reasons my toddler is crying:
His (20 minute) shower was too short.
He had to wear a diaper.
He threw his dinner in the floor.
We went out without putting shoes on him.
He wanted to eat an apple, and I said, “Okay, I’ll go cut it up.”

EK to Hubby: Daddy! You’re getting so big! (I’m pretty sure she meant this as a compliment, like when we say it to her or her brothers.)

Heard on the monitor at 4:00am…
J: Wahhhh! I want Mommy, Daddy, Annie, Gon Gon! Wahhhh…. (And then the sound trailed off and he was back asleep.)

New verse to “Wheels on the Bus”
EK: The man on the bus says, “I need to poopy. I need to poopy. I need to poopy.” The man on the bus says, “I need to poopy.” all day long. (Just like a man.)

EK: I’ve got a bug bite.
Hubby: I’ve got one, too.
EK: Aww! Can I scratch it for you?

A sign that we are too big HP nerds…
Me: …and after this we can go to the grocery store. We can just walk down to Harris Teeter.
(A couple minutes later) EK: Necie, will you walk with me to Harry Potter?

Watching the end of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets…
EK: That man has a frog in his throat. (Talking about Dumbledore.)

EK: Can I have some checkup and French fries? (Obviously she meant ketchup.)

I signed up to donate some Lysol spray to EK’s preschool classroom, and sent it to school with her yesterday. When she was getting out of the car, I said, “Don’t forget to give that to your teacher!” And then she told the teacher (not hers) that was helping her out of the car, “Yeah, this is for when I tee-tee on the couch!”

Well, those are my little funny things from the week! What are your kiddos saying?

faith, My Big Jesus, random thoughts, women

Taking My Kids Out of the Box

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This post also appeared on My Big Jesus!

In this culture, it’s difficult to raise a child. There are lists of rights and wrongs you must attend to (and choose between, since they differ so vastly) and scores of things to worry about. Just fear alone could cripple a parent who dwells on it. One of the recent things that has blown my mind is the debate on gender-specific items for kids. Watch out, parents of America! Target just desegregated their toys! Your boys might turn into girls!

I just can’t imagine why mixing in the dolls with the trucks would be such a bad thing. Since I have a boy and a girl who are close in age, they are each always playing with each other’s toys. We have tons of fairy wands that my son plays with (what boy wouldn’t want to cast a spell on his big sister once in a while?) and we have trucks, planes, and Legos that my daughter plays with (she loves to build – and destroy – tall towers).

That being said, there are some things that my kids seem to inherently just do that goes a little more with their “assigned gender”. For instance, my daughter loves wearing dresses. Sun dresses or all-out princess dresses, she’d rather wear one than pants any day. Did I exclusively buy her dresses? Absolutely not. She likes to play rough, so I in fact discourage them sometimes. But she has this love for them that I could never have forced on her even if I wanted to.

Alternatively, my son loves to be outside and get dirty. He’s an escape artist when it comes to getting outdoors. If there’s a door open, he’s dashing out, headed straight for the nearest mud. He’s constantly got dirt under his nails, bruises and scratches on his legs from climbing (and falling), and he’s shouting about everything. He is, as you might say, “all boy”.

I think God created us to be individually different, with interests and personalities unlike anyone else’s. He created us male and female (Genesis 5:2). He specifically created each one separately and for a different purpose. But the good news? The good news is that while we have things about us as women or men that are often “built in”, there are things about many of us that break those molds. Many people think that women should do the cooking in their families. Well, if only women should cook, why are there so many incredible chefs that are male? Often, people think that men aren’t as gentle or nurturing as women are, but I know many gentle and nurturing fathers; one of them is my husband.

Our society has created roles and stigmas that bind people, and often make them try to be something they aren’t. These labels may have originated (like many stereotypes) because of a frequently-occurring trait, but they are by no means a blanket statement. We shouldn’t put people in boxes – especially our children – before we even bother to find out if they fit. Differences should be celebrated instead of stamped out. Girls who love blocks and train track might just be engineers. Boys who play with dolls might just be great dads. Why should we discourage either possibility?

health and fitness, mommyhood, pregnancy

I Choose to Run

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Feet pounding the pavement. The rhythmic sound of my breathing. The fresh air, and the birds chirping. The stroller I push is heavy with my two big babies inside. But I wouldn’t trade this hour of my day for anything. The clear air clears my mind, lets me have a quiet moment, even if it isn’t exactly relaxing.

I can’t always plan this hour into my day. Now that I have three children, one of them needs to be occupied elsewhere. (Read: Hubby needs to be home.) But when I can get this time in, my body, mind and soul all feel better and freer. The rush of endorphins I feel is enough to make me want to do it again, even without the other benefits.

Getting back into running after this last pregnancy and delivery honestly wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be, especially since I dropped off the exercise train way before I delivered. I was doing only yoga at the end – which is basically zero cardio when it’s prenatal yoga. My muscles were itching to get back to moving long before I actually could; I’m pretty strict with myself about waiting to start everything back until I’m 5 or 6 weeks out. My first run was a tough one, but I managed to get (running and a little walking) a mile and a half without too much struggle. The subsequent few runs worked me up to a little over two miles so far (I’m almost 7 weeks out). And (TMI – beware) I’ve been pleasantly surprised that my bladder seems to be holding itself pretty darn well… even better than a few months after I delivered J. I guess that just shows you how different your body can be from baby to baby.

My fitness goal this time around has changed a little. I’m blessed to be able to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight pretty quickly and easily, and back in all my clothes pretty soon. So instead of using those as targets, I want to make a diet change (I let myself eat like a jerk – mostly increased portions and extra desserts – when I’m pregnant/nursing) and build muscle. So, here in the blog world, I’m claiming it: I want to be toned! That’s the goal. Running for cardio and legs (also mental and emotional well-being!), and I’m going to keep up with a little yoga since it’s good for my joints and my core, and I’m going to ramp up the arms. No teacher arms for me!

What have your fitness goals been recently? Have you instituted a diet change along with them? What works for you and your busy schedule?

Uncategorized

Currently 

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Hello everybody! I hope y’all had a great long weekend! We didn’t do much – and that was totally fine with us. Mostly relaxing and catching up on life a little bit. I’m such a nut, though… I checked my (snail) mail three times on Monday wondering why it hadn’t come. It obviously didn’t feel like a holiday to me, ha!

I’m linking up as usual with Becky from Choose Happy for her weekly Currently link up. Please join us and let us know what’s up with you and yours!

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Running || around my neighborhood, two miles at a time. It’s been tough, but really good for me. I’ll be posting about that journey this week.   

Our neighbors have horses, and every once in a while, we can see them from the sidewalk!
  Eating || a delightfully slow and quiet breakfast with Hubby this morning, after we dropped the big kids at preschool. D took a morning nap and we ate at Mary’s Gourmet Diner downtown. I’ve always loved that place, and I was glad we had a morning treat there today!

Cleaning || our laundry room and mudroom. This morning when we got home from breakfast, I continued the laundry blitz I had started yesterday, and vacuumed, organized, and put down our new indoor-doormats from Homegoods. I love that place!

 
Making || cookies! They’re just break-and-bake, but that way I can let EK and J do everything and they love that.  

 

There’s a little update on our lives! What have you been up to currently??

mommyhood, things toddlers say

Things Toddlers Say

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Happy Tuesday! We had a fun weekend and a busy day yesterday. We used our extra weekend day to catch up on housework. It didn’t sound like fun, but it sure was nice when it was all done! Here are a few funnies from the past week!!

EK holds her stick like a wand. J holds it like he’s about to smack her wand out of her hand.

EK, showing me her necklaces: These is my jewelries, for when I get married with Jesus.

As we’re getting ready to leave the house…
EK: Are we going to our church home?
(I think this is particularly cute, because sometimes, yes, I feel like I live there.)

What I hear from the back of the car…
EK, singing: And You cover me with grace… (Lyrics from “I Am Set Free” – a song we had done at church the previous Sunday.)

Having dinner one night…
EK: I don’t like this meat.
Hubby: It’s pork… Like a pig. It’s yummy!
EK, showing me a bite of pork: Mommy! This is piggy! Piggies love this.
Me: ….cannibals.

My friend Mary Katherine came over with a little balloon pump and some balloons to make animals out of (because she’s crafty like that). J thought the pump looked like the syringe for giving shots in our little doctor’s kit.
J, holding the pump: Head!
(Gives me a “shot” in the head with the pump.)
J: Hand!
(“Shot” in the hand.)
J: Arn!
(“Shot” in the arm.)
J: Weg!
(“Shot” in the leg.)
J: Eye!
Me: Ahh! No!!
J: (laughing) Eye! Yes! Eye! (Chases me.)
Me, having nightmares about this tonight.

Driving lessons…
EK: I like your car, Daddy.
Hubby: Thanks, babe!
EK: Maybe one day I can drive it.
Hubby: Yeah, maybe one day.
EK: How about when I’m…. 16!
Hubby: Yeah! Definitely then!
Me: Lucky guess.

We pull into the parking lot at La Carreta…
J: Salsaaaaaaa!
Me, exchanging looks with Hubby: We come here too often.

J, pointing to his foot: Sock!
Me: No, you aren’t wearing socks.
J: Sock!
Me: You want to put on socks?
J: No!
Me: That’s your foot.
J: No! Sock!
Accepting my fate in a losing battle.

At bedtime, singing and talking about Jesus…
EK: Yeah, I love Jesus. Mom, will you buy me a Jesus toy?
Me: Um, sure honey. Would you like the baby Jesus or grown-up Jesus?
EK: Baby Jesus. And a bottle for him. And a blanket.
Me: I’ll see what I can do.

I felt like it was a pretty funny week! What are your kids talking about?

faith, My Big Jesus

The Life of a New Mom

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When you have a baby, certain things fall to the wayside for a few weeks (months?) that used to matter a little more. There are the normal things, like sleeping and eating. There are also things like laundry and other chores that you fall behind on. There are still more things that you neglect, often about yourself, that it takes you a while to get back into. I’m finding this out, once again, after the birth of my third child. Here are a few of the things I’ve been neglecting for the past six weeks:

Showers. It seems a little gross that you are neglecting these, but honestly, if you have half an hour to yourself, you’ll probably nap (or let’s be honest: sneak out and get a latte) instead of shower. Just being honest.

Beauty routines. The careful steps you took to put on your make up, the way you’d do your hair before you left the house, and the polish on your nails? Say goodbye. I have chipped nail polish from weeks ago, and I barely slap on the mascara every 5 times I leave the house. My hair gets washed every couple of days, and brushed… after I get out of the shower. Oops.

Haircuts. Speaking of hair, this is one of my biggest bummers about neglecting myself for a few weeks. As a person with short hair, I like to get it done about every six weeks, or else it gets super shaggy and it looks like I’m trying out a new (horrible) hair style. It’s been about 9 weeks since I’ve had a haircut, and I’ve stopped checking the back of my head in the mirror at any point. Ignorance is bliss. Oh, I have a giant cowlick back there? That means I actually slept a little last night!

Food. I don’t mean eating it… I mean making sure you have it. And also making sure it’s not rotten. And I hate being wasteful. We’ve run out of milk a few times (not good for my little napping babes) and eggs and bread once or twice as well. But somehow we recently had so many bananas that I ended up freezing the overripe ones for smoothies (because no one wants to eat a mushy banana) and I just threw out three molding peaches (disgusting) and some would-be-delicious leftovers that had been there since… I just don’t know how long. We have completely lost our balance for grocery shopping and food consumption.

Friends. I’ve been trying to do well here, but I’m sorry if I slipped. I’ve definitely texted a few of you a few times. That’s something, right? And several of you have brought us meals, you blessed souls. It’s nice to see a familiar face around here that isn’t asking me to change its diaper or feed it ice cream.

Knowledge of the outside world. Hey, is there some kind of election coming up? Wasn’t there some sport that just had a tournament or got a new outfit thingy? What season is it, again? I can’t even remember the day of the week…

Prayer life. Where I usually try to be very intentional about reading my Bible and choosing something or someone to pray for, recently my prayers have been all but limited to, “Please God, let the baby stay asleep.” and “Dear Lord, please let us have a few more diapers stashed around here somewhere.” Or my personal favorite: “Thank you, Lord, for my kids! And now, bed time!”

 

home, mommyhood

Preschool Has Started With a Bang!

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This morning, I dropped EK and J off at preschool. Much to my surprise, and chagrin, they were so excited that I didn’t even get a goodbye hug! They just walked right in, threw their stuff down, and got started. I expected that to happen with EK, but I expected some trepidation from J. Well, no way. He waltzed right in there, dropped his bag on the ground (I had to hang it for him) and started playing. The kid knew where he was and what he wanted to do. And even though I’m a little sad he didn’t even want to hug me or anything, I am thrilled we won’t have any sadness. It makes a mama SO happy to know her kids are having fun and not crying.

The only thing that was a little crazy was getting out the door on time. To get to school on time, we should leave around 8:45. I think we pulled out of the driveway at 8:56. While it’s okay to be late the first day, that just isn’t going to fly every single time we go. Especially because I work at church on Thursday mornings, and I need to be getting things ready for the women’s service every Thursday around 8:30. Do the math on that one, folks. That’s leaving the house at 8:15. Can we handle it? Time will tell. 

 Our morning routine went a little like this…

7:15 – I hear J waking up a little on the monitor.
7:20 – My alarm goes off. (Snoozed. Big time.)
7:30 – I get up, because my other alarm (the baby) had gone off.
7:45 – My mom comes up the stairs (she’s leaving this am) and Hubby gets out of the shower, and D is done nursing. Pass the baby to Hubby, my mom starts making breakfast, I go down to get the kids. (An unrealistic view of what will happen most of the time… because Mom won’t be here.)
8:00 – Kids and I are in the shower (we skipped baths last night)
8:30 – Kids and I are clean, dressed, and having breakfast.
8:40 – I start my rush to grab things I didn’t prepare last night (not many, thankfully).
8:50 – Packing the kids in the car. J poops (duh), so he gets back out for a change.
8:56 – Pull out of the driveway.

Not too bad, Hsus. Not too bad. We were only a couple of minutes late; 15 minutes travel time allows for some traffic, which we blessedly didn’t have this morning. Usually, we don’t do showers in the morning, so that’ll take some time out. Also, I’m thinking about packing breakfasts or picking up smoothies on the way on Thursdays, since the kids will have 30 minutes of hanging out while I work before their school starts. That’s plenty of time to have a breakfast smoothie, right? Maybe we can handle it. 

This guy had the most peaceful morning nap he’s ever had.
 Any tips on making school mornings go more smoothly? That don’t happen to include getting up earlier? I’ve got a family of fairly late sleepers (for toddlers, anyway), and I don’t want to have to break that habit just yet.

mommyhood

Currently 

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Hey, Wednesday! I might be a little late for one link up, but I’m just on time for the other! I can’t believe it’s already September and that my kids start preschool tomorrow! The weather is cooling off (thankfully) and life is gearing up to be busy till…. next summer or so. I love it, and fall is my favorite.

I’m linking up (belatedly) with Becky at Choose Happy, and with Anne at In Residence and Jenna at Gold and Bloom for their September link up. Please join us (in both places!) and let us know what you’re up to currently! Here’s a little bit about me, currently…

currently button

Anticipating || The start of preschool tomorrow! My two older kids are attending a new preschool (well, anything would be new for J) so we are excited to get that started! It’s at the church where we attend and I lead worship, so at least it’s a familiar place. We had open house on Monday, and that seemed to go really well! I’m excited to see how these first couple of weeks go!

Reading || Loving the Little Years. Well, I haven’t started it yet, but that’s what my goal is during naptimes and for when I’m up at night. Sometimes I’m too zonked to read when I get up with D, but other times I’m awake enough to take in a little of what I’m looking at, either on my phone or my Kindle. Anyway, I heard that this book was a great one for parents of young children, and I’m definitely in that season.

little years

Loving || the slightly cooler weather! Don’t get me wrong – it’s still getting hot. But the mornings are a little cooler, as are the evenings. Before I know it (I hope, anyway) it’ll be time for boots and scarves. YAY! I’m interested to try some more pumpkin spice things this year, but I’m not one of those people who is completely sold on pumpkin everything. I like apple and spices just as much or more.

Source: www.pghlesbian.com
Source: http://www.pghlesbian.com. Let’s be honest – it’s funny!

Organizing || my kids’ closets. D is already growing out of some things, and EK and J need to have their closets/drawers overhauled for the start of fall. Their pants from last year might be a little short, and probably some shirts too (even though I know I bought a few shirts a little big just for this reason). Both my kids have long limbs, and are long-waisted like I am, so sometimes finding clothes that fit them perfectly is a little difficult.

Making || time in my schedule to write. I’ve got a date with my laptop tomorrow morning to bring y’all some more goodness on the blog. I’m hoping to get back to submitting a few things to several other sites, and really find my groove again. I’ve taken long enough off after D got here. It’s time for me to find a rhythm of life and get back to doing the things I want to do. I’ve gone on a few runs, started back at my church job, and tomorrow starts school. If that’s not enough reason to schedule the last few things in, I don’t know what is!

Well, tell me what’s going on with you! How has school gotten started in your family? Are you back in full swing, or still waiting for another thing or two to get rolling? Is it cooling off where you live?

mommyhood, things toddlers say

Things Toddlers Say

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How is Tuesday again already?! We’re starting school on Thursday, and I can’t believe it. The last bit of our summer is dwindling away. I’m ready 🙂

Here are your Tuesday favorites!

When choosing what to watch…
EK: The train one!
J: Choo choooooo!
EK: Wait… Po-kee-hah-nah! (Pocahontas)

This week, EK has been calling me “Mother” instead of “Mom” or “Mommy” or “Mama”. It’s an interesting switch. More sophisticated.

J was calling for me as he was coming up the stairs, and it quickly turned into a cry. When I went to check, he was standing on his own foot and couldn’t move. I had to laugh before I helped him!

At 10:40pm, I hear EK in the basement, NOT in bed…
Me: Where should you be right now?
EK: In the bed!
Me: So why aren’t you there?
EK: I so tired. And I fweezing!
Me: If you’re tired and cold, you would be much more comfortable in the bed…

In our house, we have lots of toy phones, and therefore we have lots of pretend conversations…
J, holding the “phone” to my ear: Hello?!
Me: Hello, Pizza Hut? I need seventeen pepperoni pizzas, please. Okay, bye!
J, holding the “phone” to EK’s ear: Hello?!
EK: Hi! I need seven strawberry and cheese pizzas. Bye!
Me: Very interesting choice…

Preposition Problems…
EK: I wanna sit next of you, Mom!
Me: I would love for you to sit next TO me.

Anatomy lesson…
EK: I hurt my ankle!
Hubby: Where is your ankle?
EK points to her ankle.
Hubby: Where is your heel?
EK points to her heel.
Hubby: Do you know where the ball of your foot is?
EK (amazingly) points to the ball of her foot.
Hubby: Where’s your shin?
EK points to her chin.
Hubby: where is your thigh?
EK points to her eye.
Hubby: Okay – all done.

My friend Sophie walks in…
EK: My panties match your shirt!

Eating Chinese food…
EK: Can I have another duckling?
Me: Dumpling. She means dumpling.