Basic cooking

Take one box of this...



Add a few of them...



Mix with a couple of these...



And VOILA! You have dinner that two little kids will eat!



Go ahead...look really close. The spaghetti is coming out of the hotdogs.

I totally wish I could claim the creativity points for coming up with this one, but I can't. I found it earlier this week on this lovely blog.

The boy added some ketchup and ate the entire bowl. The girl added some spray butter and enjoyed hers just the same.

I, however, thought it looked absolutely disgusting and opted for some pretzels.

First love

Monday night, I attended the monthly all women program at our church. You may remember me coming home from the first one feeling like a complete failure.

This week’s service highlighted a panel of moms. The wisdom that one mother shared moved me in such a way, that I feel like I’ve had a complete renewal of my spirit.

The question was “What is the most important lesson you’ve learned being a mother?”

She responded in two parts…

“First, appreciating that God chose me to be the mom for my kids.”

WOW – think about that one. The spirits that God placed in those two little bodies that we created were chosen just for us.

“Second, no matter what kind of day I’ve had with my kids, my heart still melts when I see them sleeping on their pillows when I go back in to check on them. And God is the same way. At the end of a day when I feel like I have been the worst parent in the world, God still looks down on me with that same Fatherly love as I rest.”

And that my friends, is the bit of wisdom that I needed.

Sunday morning quotes

This morning when I picked the kids up from Sunday school, BB exclaimed (in front of a full room of other kids and teachers):

BB: Mommy, I didn't poop my pants today.

Me: Well, great!

I have no clue why he would have considered this a victory today as we don't currently consider it an issue.

Once we got back to the car, we did our normal questioning about what did you learn today. Apparently, it was about being a good servant so A. asked what that means.

Moo: I told everyone that I go down to the basement and help Daddy look for mice so Mommy doesn't have to.

At least our reputation is consistent wherever we go.

Fairy visits

This past weekend, we planted fairy gardens on our front porch. I think all of the fairy power must have summonsed the Tooth Fairy, because last night we lost another tooth.



P.S. - I'm in love with the collage feature on Picasa.

Just because

So what do you do when you're feeling down about your parenting skills?

Go to Build-A-Bear!



There really was no reason in the world for this trip other than I did not want to sit at home on Monday night.

I'm glad we went, the kids had a blast.

Sometimes it's not so pretty

Raising kids is hard work.

Raising my kids is especially hard work.

This blog has been dedicated to our little story about raising these kids, but I’ve left out one key element. It’s not always fun and sometimes, no matter how hard I try, I can’t find the humor in the situation.

Sometimes I get really annoyed with them.

And during those times, I feel like a horrible human being. I think about all of those parents who are desperate to have a child and feel like I'm being selfish. We've been blessed with two amazing healthy children; but they behave like wild donkeys.

Because I’m an individual who is driven by logic, I always think I can read the perfect book or watch enough Nanny 911 to “fix” whatever craziness has overtaken their tiny brains. What I’m discovering though, is that thinking I can outsmart them is about as effective as the dog owner who thinks they can yell “SHHHH” at the dog like Ceasar Milan and have it make a difference.

This weekend, the girl decided to strip down and get nekkid in the front yard during the neighborhood yard sale. She wanted to put on her swimming suit. And I’m sure there may be a funny story here, but it made me really mad. And how do you explain to a 5 year old, that there are a bunch of random strangers in the neighborhood and one could just decide to run off with your nekkid little girl self – without freaking her out to the point that she will never function normally in society?

And not to be left out, the boy went to the neighbor’s house and decided to spray everyone with the garden hose so that it created a huge mud pile for everyone getting on and off the trampoline. Then after he finished his timeout sentence, he through one of the biggest fits of his entire 4 years of existence when he was handed a popsicle with the wrapper already removed. And as I carried him back to our house to his room, he kicked and hit and spit the entire time.

Other parents tell me similar horror stories, but it always seems like my kids are able to out-do them.

So this week, I’m weary. I feel like they’ve won. I’m thanking GOD we have committed to not having any more children. I’m feeling like I’ve already failed and we are just barely into this thing.

If you have the magic beans to make this thing work, please send them right away.

Light Weight

And in this corner, weighing in at a mere 44 pounds, I introduce...

THE BEAR



After spending Friday in the ER, BB woke up on Sunday morning with a black eye. No clue what happened and when I asked him, he told me Tiggie did it.

To top it off, last night as he was getting ready for his bath, he ran into that little thingy on the door that allows it to latch when you close it (for lack of the more technical term). And POW...instant bleeding and swelling.

And yes, he's okay. But I wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley...he may bump into you.



Please send bubble wrap.