Recovering Noah

We're on vacation right now and, boy, do I have a lot to blog about!! Whether I actually get around to it is another matter. I really should just do another video blog (or vlog as the cool kids call it), but seeing that my last one was, like, 30 minutes of pure ramble, I think I'll give it a pass. Right now, we're in the hotel room and I'm watching Noah's face as Sim tries to feed him french fries dipped in Marmite . Sooooo gross. And such a British thing. Of course, Noah's favorite way of eating french fries is to dip them in water and get them all soggy.... which isn't much better if you ask me. Anyway, my friend Chantelle wrote a fabulous blog today that I totally could've written myself. Except I didn't. And she did such a good job of it, I thought I'd send ya'll her way. You can read it here http://this-little-life-of-mine.blogspot.com/2010/07/im-super-mom.html . She's a speakin ' my language! Tomorrow, we head out to Gon...

This post kind of goes along with Courtney over at Storing Up Treasures . She's challenging everyone to take off the warpaint and show our faces in all our God given glory... warts and all. The first picture was taken right after I washed my face this morning. I admit that the headband is hiding all the gray hair in my bangs. I've been repeatedly called out on all the gray that I have. I'm sure me and Ms. Clairol need to make a date real soon. This weekend perhaps? Anyway, Eli took the second picture. I'm wearing the shirt I slept in last night. Can you read it? It says "Mrs. Darcy" on the front. And don't worry, I don't think my husband cares one bit that I go to bed wearing a shirt that says "Mrs. Darcy" on it. He's just thankful that I finally stopped wearing the one that had a blow-up photo of Mr. Bean on the front. True story. And, besides, I think his heart went a little pitter-patter, too, when Colin Firth emerged from the fountain...

Today was one of those days where I just wanted to throw a toothbrush and a change of clothes in a backpack and hightail it outta here - without the kids. Okay, we'll maybe I'd bring Noah because he was the only who didn't make me feel like slamming my head in the freezer door over and over again all day long. And to top it all off, Sim was supposed to be home 20 minutes ago and just called and he's at least 2 hours from home. So I figured I'd blog out my frustrations real quick so that I don't bombard him with relentless venting the moment he walks through the door. Okay, so maybe I'll vent just a teeny tiny bit because otherwise he might think he's walked into the wrong house. Don't think of it as me being a nagging wife. Think of it as me maintaining honest and open communication . Yeah! Yeah! That's it! So, here's the deal-io. Despite my previous admissions that I can't wait to send Eli on the first bus back to public school, deep dow...

Several weeks ago, we went to my niece's 4th Birthday Party. Now, let me tell you, my sister-in-law, Beth, is Miss Cathy Creative. I mean, she can do things with a sewing machine that Martha Stewart can only dream about. She's gives me quite a complex, my SIL. Her crafting abilities blow me away. Anyway, my niece is quite the little tomboy and she was bound and determined to have a super hero birthday party. So we get to the party and the kids are all given a little something that Beth had whipped up a few days prior. Namely, hand painted super hero shirts and homemade superhero capes. You'll have to look at the pictures below. They are the cutest darn things I've ever seen. Then the kids were treated to an outdoor obstacle course where they had to chase the bad guys through pools of lava (a sandbox turned into a swimming pool with water dyed red and a 2x4 to cross), go through the ring of fire (aka a hula hoop hanging from the swingset) and scale tall buildings with a...

A few years ago, when Noah was around 4 1/2, I got so excited because he finally ate sandwiches cut into strips. Up until then, he'd only eat peanut butter on rice cakes and refused to touch sandwiches. And I remember calling my mom and telling her that this means that maybe one day he'll eat sandwiches cut in half and eventually maybe he'll even eat a whole sandwich. Because, you see, to me that was what normal kids did. And it wasn't so much an abnormal vs normal thing. It was more like that's what all the other kids did and I really wanted to hold onto that. I thought it'd help him blend in more at picnics and parties and get togethers. I mean, yeah, I know it doesn't really change anything... but it meant a lot to me. Well, fast forward 4 years and Noah has finally discovered Capri Suns and Gogurts! And, yes, I am considering that a miracle. lol We don't really buy that type of stuff... but they served Capri Suns at the library picnic the other day...

When life hands you blueberries........ Make Blueberry Muffins! When life hands you apples.... Make Apple Pie! When life hands you baskets and baskets full of tomatoes and zucchini.... Make Tomato & Zucchini Soup! When life hands you cucumbers.... Make Cucumber Salsa! I am so grateful for my Pa Lester and Mawmaw Ruby... and it warms my heart that Noah, Eli, and Nandi have been able to spend time with them this summer. The kids love wandering through their garden... picking blueberries and apples and foraging for zucchini and eating tomatoes off the vine. My grandparents are a huge blessing to me and and even bigger blessing to my children. I thank God that the kids are able to know their great-grandparents and make memories with them this summer. P.S. Don't forget to check out the BEST blueberry muffin recipe ever! Be sure to swap buttermilk for the milk. It's delish! Thanks for the blueberries, Pa & MawMaw!...

We've spent A LOT of time outside this summer. Noah is crazy about water, so most of our mornings are spent with Noah in the little pool and Eli riding his bike up and down our street while Nandi draws with sidewalk chalk in our driveway. As for me? I use it as a time to sit outside and catch up on my emails or returning phone calls. It's pretty much the only time I can do it, so I do take advantage of it. Wellllllllll..... the other day I had my phone sitting in the folding chair by the little pool and I walked to the mail box to get the mail and I turned around just in time to see Noah fill a bucket with water, get out of the pool, walk over to my chair, and pour the entire bucket of water on my phone! I guess he told me, huh? Thank goodness I didn't have my laptop out that day. Good grief. He also took my CD out of the stereo and bit into it and turned off The Bachelorette while I was watching it the other night. Guess he doesn't like my taste in entertainment.... An...