Milestones

It has been a week of milestones in our house.  Actually, most of them occurred on Monday. 

Milestone 1.  Madison got glasses!  There is a little story behind them - at her pre-k screening last spring, they noticed a small problem with her right eye.  I honestly thought she was just bored and being stubborn - but at her 5 year well child visit, I asked them to check and we definetely noticed a problem.  It turns out she has something pretty similar to lazy eye, without the noticable wandering eye.  It was a very lucky catch!  Madison now has bright pink glasses with bling on the sides - so typical of her style!  They are very cute on her and definetely highlight her sweetness. 



2.  Madison is ready to graduate to a booster seat!  She has been trying to gain two pounds since the beginning of summer - to no avail.  She started the summer weighing 38 pounds and even weighed in at 38 pounds two weeks ago at the doctor.  She thought it was hopeless!  She even started pointing out kids that weigh less that get to ride in booster seats.  (I'm the meanest mom on the planet!)  Just after getting her new glasses, Madison decided to jump on the scale and it said 41 pounds!  A three pound gain!  So, we agreed that if she stil weighs 40 or more pounds this weekend, we will switch her from a carseat to a booster seat.  She responded to our agreement by saying "I'm going to need a bedtime snack every night to keep my weight up!"  STINKER. 

Now, she is OBSESSED with the scale!  She is constantly checking to make sure she is still over 40 lbs.

3.  Cameron has learned to escape his crib.  He decided to show us his new trick over and over again on Monday night.  He is extremely proud of himself.  Me - well, not so much!  We have been preparing because we knew it was coming.  We had bought a bed, but not a matress or bedding.  We have been getting his new room ready for his transition to a big boy bed.  I just didn't think it would happen before he turned two! 

It has gotten better since Monday night - he is escaping less.  Tuesday he got out 3-4 times and tonight he didn't try to climb out at all.  I'm knocking on all the wood that I can find as I type this!!  I am not quite ready to no longer have any babies in a crib, so I'm hoping to prolong it just a little bit longer. 

Indeed, it has been a week of milestones - little steps in this great big life. 

Look who is FIVE!

It's almost a month overdue, but I thought I'd share my thoughts on Madison at five years old.

1.  Madison does things when she is darn good and ready to - and she does it on her own.  For instance, we tried for over a year to potty train her without success.  So we gave up.  Then when she turned three, she decided she was done with diapers.  All summer, we tried to teach her to ride a bike, but she didn't want to.  Then she decided one day that she was ready - and she went and learned without us even knowing!  She also recently learned to tie her shoelaces.  I had tried to teach her without success and one day she asked me to show her.  I showed her one time and then she practiced and practiced until she got it. 

2.  Madison is learning how to pray.  I often pray with her - I pray and she repeats it.  I have tried to get her to pray what is in her heart, but she never wanted to.  Last night she told me that she wanted to say a prayer and that I should repeat after her.  She had me repeat one word at a time:
We.
Pray.
To.
Jeez.
Is.
I laughed so hard, I couldn't repeat her prayer.  It was almost as good as the Glee Grilled Cheesuz. 

3.  Madison loves to sing and dance.  She is watching the CMA's with me and pretending to be Taylor Swift.  Taylor doesn't hold a candle to my Madison.

4.  Madison is learning how to read.  She amazes me with her ability to absorb information.  She is one sharp little cookie.  Look out Kindergarten!!!

5.  I love Miss Madison's smile.  It lights up a room - and melts my heart.  Every.Single.Time.

Amazing weekend!

While at the camper this weekend, Jodi and I decided to take the kids to Collegeville Orchards. It's a small orchard/pumpkin patch in a small town not far from the camper. We visited the same orchard last fall as well.

The kids we able to pet sheep, alpacas, goats and horses. Madison and Sydney had a blast feeding the sheep! They also checked out the apple trees and posed for some pictures. The highlight, as always, was picking out and cutting their own pumpkins again this year! Madison and Cameron both found the perfect pumpkin!

We say the trip to the Orchard is for the kids, but really, its a trip for us Mamaratzi to pull out our cameras and get some great fall pictures.

The drive to the Orchard was nothing short of amazing. At one point, you drive down a deserted dirt road, in the thick of the Minnesota forest. The trees are all around you, displaying God's magnificent color pallet. It is silent except for the crunch of your tires and the chirp of the birds as they prepare to migrate. Leaves softly fall to the ground all around you. It reminded me that soon the snow will be falling in the same way. I wanted to stop and take a picture or at the very least, just sit there enjoying the peace.

But the tranquility is quickly shattered by little voices in the back seat saying "Are we there yet" and "how many pumpkins can I pick out, Mamma?"

It comes to an end...

Well, the 30 day blog-a-thon end winding down. Counting today, I have blogged on 24 out of 30 days. Not bad. I'll take it!

What I have learned:

1. I blog purely to share the funny things my kids do and say with my friends and family. I am not blogging to make money, generate a lot of hits, or for any other type of gain.

2. I often get trapped by feeling like I need to include a picture in every blogpost. This thinking tends to limit my blogging. I've learned I do not need to always include a picture, but they are nice!

3. I will not likely jump at any opportunity to attend one of the many blogger conferences - my time is precious and its just not something I want to devote a lot of time to.

4. I have a lot of stories that I do want to tell through the blog. I brianstormed a list of things to write about and after a month of consistent blogging, there are still a lot of stories left on that list.

5. Blogging is a great way to share stories, but also to reconnect with friends. My blog is a place to share triumphs, joys and even some failures. Why failures? Well, someone out there is finding a way to make it work and if we all share what makes it work - we might learn something!

6. I am still searching for that magic pill to do it all - be a good Child of God, Mom, Wife, daughter, sister, granddaughter, employee, housekeeper, chef, blogger and artist. If anyone finds it - please let me know!

My Crafty Shortcomings

Sorry. Life has gotten in the way of keeping up with the blog challenge! I’m only about 5 days behind. Maybe there is still some hope for catching up?

I was inspired today by another blogger participating in the 30 day blogging challenge, The Vosberg View. Jill talks about how she feels like a failure as a mother because she is not crafty (and has little desire to be) then goes on to discuss how she overcame that by inventing a fun and definitely crafty scavenger hunt for her and her son. (BTW, would LOVE to see pictures of the finished product!) As I read the post, I was forced to think about my own craftiness and my shortcomings in that regard.

I’m quite the opposite of Jill. I am quite crafty and I want to be crafty. In fact, others might even say I’m talented in that regard. I love to put colors and textures together. I love to create whether it be with my hands and scrapbook paper, or with images on my computer, or even with fabric (MHS quilt club, anyone???). I have a laundry room of shelves that is chock full of scrapbooking supplies (my true crafty passion), a hard drive full of photos and journals full of page layout ideas, sketches, and journaling. I love to make gifts for my friends and family because homemade gifts truly come from the heart. I get my creative side from my Mom, without a doubt.

I can wander for hours through Archiver’s, Joanne Fabrics, and Hobby Lobby. Hobby Lobby is my favorite for their amazing prices and for the endless inspiration that I find in their stores! Then there are the local scrapbook stores here in the Med City – again, I could fill up my cart and empty my pocket book in a hurry. Michaels – not so much. I just do not find that store inspiring. Sorry fans of Michael’s – I am spoiled by Hobby Lobby!

So, how am I a failure in my craftiness?

I rarely make time to celebrate and honor my craftiness. My scrapbooks are not even close to current. The pictures frames on the walls at home – do not contain pictures of Cameron. I just haven’t gotten around to it. I MUST get on that soon before he recognizes this and ends up on a shrink’s couch with a complex caused by this. He is nearly two and will begin to notice this shortcoming VERY soon! I have piles of half completed projects on my craft desk. I have endless lists of craft related things I want to do. I rarely find time to plan and do creative projects with Madison and Cameron (although Madison loves to do “praw-jects!”!).  I feel my spirit being pulled towards all things creative and then I feel let down because I simply cannot find the time. Sadly, that let-down can sometimes border on resentment.

There are noses to wipe, diapers to change, boo-boo’s to kiss, laundry to fold, dishes to wash, floors to scrub, dogs to feed and bathe, husband to spend time with, bills to pay, and investments to make. There are a million things that seem to require my attention more than my need to create.

And I can feel something missing in my soul as a result.

After a weekend of crafting, or even an evening of it, I always feel so much better. It is like the feeling of peace that you get after leaving Worship at Church. Like my soul has been filled and my spirit renewed.

So, my blogging friends, I ask all of you; how do you find the time to do the things that renew your spirit? Which of the spinning plates do you let fall to do those things, whether it be craftiness, spending time with those that you love, or pursuing other things that you enjoy?

What gives?

Since last January, I have been in the habit of getting up at 5am for a good walk/run on the treadmill. 

I have often professed my love for watching Netflix instant download movies on my laptop while on the treadmill.  Lord knows, its hard to stay on those things without a distraction!

Once spring came around and the sun was up at 5am, I abondoned the treadmill for an outdoor run/walk  with the dog.  I loved it.

As the summer wore on, however, I was tired.  Too tired for the 5am workouts.  I abandoned the workouts in favor of an extra hour of sleep and tried to walk the dog at least a couple times each week.  Some weeks, I succeeded.  Some weeks, I failed.

Now that summer is winding down and I have a winter cruise to look forward to, I vowed to get back to the 5am workouts at least 3 times this week.  Monday and Tuesday, I wasn't so successful.  The snooze alarm was my friend. 

Today was different.  Today, I got up, got my workout clothes on, grabbed my laptop and ran to the office and my treadmill.  As soon as I closed the door, Cameron started crying.  I waited a minute or two hoping that he would stop.  No luck.  I went to his room and tried to comfort him.  No luck. 

This kid was up for the day.  There was no turning back.  And no 5am workout for me. 

Crap.

Out of the mouths of Babes

In a recent conversation with Madison:

Madison: Mommy, you need to buy me some new dress up dresses. 
Mommy: you have like 6 dress up dresses, why do you need more?
Madison: They are all too big and they become BOOB DRESSES.  Really, Mommy, they do.
Mommy (a bit shocked): What exactly is a boob dress?