Stuff on the floor...

Typically I sit down to write blog posts during the sweet, sweet, peaceful moments of nap and quiet time. CJ is snuggled in bed with her blanket and stuffed dog while Kate dances 'gracefully' in her room upstairs for quiet time. (When you read 'gracefully' you should really read, like an 800 pound elephant in a tutu. We're still perfecting the art of not landing on our heels.) So during this precious time of the afternoon I sit down with good thoughts in my head and a dessert on the table next to me while I cheerfully adore pictures of my sweet girls on the computer. Children are great but they're even more wonderful when they're sleeping. 

Well today instead of my typical cookie/hot chocolate/brownie dessert I am enjoying a bowl of broccoli and sugar snap peas with ranch. Between errands and meetings, the girls and I just returned from a cookie tasting contest and I was a judge. Delicious cookies but I don't want to see any more sugar for a very long time. Although I'm certain my attitude will change by tonight.

Just before I sent the girls to their rooms I went around the house quietly piling toys into boxes and tubs. I do this about every three to four weeks when claustrophobia begins to set in. I gather all the 'stuff' and put it away in a room no one enters but me. Doing this clears my head and my living room. And every time I ask myself, where did all of these things come from. So many toys on the floor and no one plays with them!

I have a friend who lives about 5 hours away. Before kids I did a pretty good job of making an annual visit. About 10 months after I had Kate I made the long drive out there for a kid-free weekend. (She didn't have any children at the time.) When I arrived my friend was thrilled to see me, I'm sure, but she asked why I didn't bring Kate with me. Besides the long car ride I explained I didn't want to pack up all the stuff; the diapers, the baby foods, the multiple outfit changes, the pack and play and the toys. She said to me, "why would you need to bring any more than two toys? You give the kid one toy and when they get bored you give them the other, and when they get bored with that one you go back to the first toy." This gave me a good laugh. And I got another good laugh after she had her first baby and is due relatively soon with her second. Two toys. As if that were at all possible!!

I think the 'stuff' issue is why I love Little House on the Prairie books so much. Life was hard work but yet simple. Don't think for one minute that I'm about to trade in my cell phone for Amish living but at the same time I appreciate the fact that little Laura Ingalls Wilder made an entire afternoon fly by with nothing more than a corncob babydoll and her dog. 

The pace of life is different now days and I'm generally cool with that. I sure as heck don't want to walk 6 miles through snow to trade bear skins for sugar but I wouldn't mind a few more toy sticks and a few less cheap pieces of plastic crap toys.

I guess this is my really long, drawn out way of saying that I love to throw out broken stuff and hide toys when my girls aren't looking. It sounds cruel but my habit makes organized play time that much more fun. Like playing Kate's bakery shop with wooden donuts, felt sugar cut-out cookies, a play kitchen, a cash register, kid table and chairs, and a couple of very willing customers. 

I spy a few more floor toys that haven't moved in several days. I think it may be time to hide them while everyone is tucked away in their rooms. I also have dinner to prep for; individual heart shaped pizzas and chocolate covered strawberries. I think these little girls are going to be excited, if not because of my effort then instead because of the sugar. Happy Valentine's to you!

the bend and snap...

Do you remember the movie "Legally Blonde" where Reese Witherspoon's character teaches these beauty salon patrons the most ridiculous move to grab a man's attention? It was called the bend and snap. I'm one thousand percent sure it wouldn't only turn a man's head, it would also make him run the other direction. This week I've felt like I'm bending and snapping, and not in a good way. It's more like I bend to the right to accomplish all of task A only to quickly bend the other way for task B while task C is pulling me in a whole new direction of it's own. And now with the weekend light peeking over the horizon I unfortunately see more bending and I'm pretty certain I am just about to snap. Like a stick thrown over someone's knee I can only bend so far before I snap in two.

CJ willingly eating veggies is always reason to find the camera.

It seems to me an invisible, fine line exists between volunteering and over extending yourself. Despite it's invisibility you know when the line has been crossed. And once you cross it, that line magically transforms from invisible to a painfully obvious neon, 1980's Cyndi Lauper pink. This week I tripped hard over the line and fell flat on my face with a thud...or a snap. I've spent more time away from my girls then with them. And that's not exactly what I had in mind when I left my career to raise them.

No is quickly becoming my new favorite word. Sure, volunteerism is important and yes, I will continue to volunteer but I'm beginning to learn my limits. And said limit has been surpassed.

I still have a month or so of over-the-line activities to complete but then I plan to let the word no fly out of my mouth as often as I please. I see nothing wrong with life moving slow. I can't wait for my 'no' phase to begin!

being a stay-at-home mom...

Today I had one of those reassuring I'm-so-glad-I-stay-at-home-with-my-kids kind of moments. It happened while one of my girls was in preschool, which always makes these peaceful, ah-ha moments more possible when you're only dealing with one child at a time. So CJ and I left Kate at preschool and returned home to make a tent out of dining room chairs and old family quilts. I suggested we read books beneath the tent, CJ agreed. I told her to grab the newest Minera Lousie book from the library (because that funny chicken can really give me a chuckle) but CJ instead chose her children's Bible. Props to her for the choice and I quickly felt guilty for wishing she had pulled out Minera instead.

So CJ opens the book and says, "I'm going to find my Jesus." Cue my melting heart. Then she starts to 'read' a story. "Once upon a time there was a guy named Jesus. The end." Now the story wasn't much and she sure isn't ready to start prophesizing to people with a story lacking plot and substance but I thought about what a lucky mom I am. I had this chance to sit, legs crossed, hunched over, listening to my littlest tell stories of Jesus. Every one of our ancestors resting in heaven had to have been smiling right then.

As sweet and satisfying as that moment was I did quickly turn around and make sure she was down for nap 15 minutes later. I mean even the gentlest souls need their rest. But those wonderful moments like the one under our tent this afternoon is what makes the hard days as a stay-at-home mom a distant memory. It's a difficult job, but so worthwhile.

signing day...

Iowa State to Matt is like the American flag to the United States; synonymous in every way. He loves Iowa State so much that I swear he switched out Iowa State for my name in our wedding vows. "I, Matt, take you, Iowa State University, to be my..." If I wasn't in the room after Kate was born he probably would have penned CY on her birth certificate. These may be slight exaggerations but for anyone who meets Matt, one of the very first things you'll learn is his passion for all things Iowa State. From his shirts, to his jackets, ball caps, golf balls, tea mug... name a possession and it probably has the ISU logo on it.

So when Matt caught wind of an Iowa State women's basketball clinic for girls you better believe he signed up Kate's name as fast as he could find his Iowa State pen. 

And I believe there is mutual affection by Kate as well. Her dad has brain washed her good. While I help her say prayers at night, Matt can be found singing her to sleep with the Iowa State fight song. 

Iowa State or not, Kate is developing a strong interest in basketball and man can that girl dribble.

I think her jump shot still needs some work though.

And what good basketball clinic wouldn't be complete without Iowa State balloon swords. I'm sure each kid was told to go slay a Hawkeye. (But I'm a total neutral party in this, okay people. I don't want my Hawkeye-loving family to disown me!)

After the clinic the kids stuck around for the women's game. This is Kate's impression of a cheerleader, I guess.

And afterwards Kate got her picture taken with her favorite ISU basketball player, 6'7" Anna Prins. Kate actually got quite nervous for this photo. 

The clinic was great for Kate and for Matt. Kate learned some new skills, well as many as you can possibly learn at age 5, and Matt further instilled his love for ISU into his favorite, oldest daughter.

shopping...

I've never been a big shopper. I'm also not much of a girly girl. Bows, ruffles and ribbons have never been my best friend. But, shopping for my own two little girls has brought out a new side of me. I bought them new springy, Easter-y clothes today and immediately forced them to play fashion show. My heart is in a big, mushy pile on the floor.

Yeah, the tags are still on.

I think we'll skip the socks next time.

This one is blurry but I had to share. She was pouting over me wanting her picture.

 Big sister is never mad when I want to take her picture.

Obviously not camera shy. 

And she is still posing...

Like I said... big, mushy, melted pile.

block...

For the past couple of days I've been working on this post about Florida and lemon trees and bad guys (sounds interesting, right?) but it just isn't coming together. So I'm bailing on creativity and instead tossing in pictures from the week. Because sometimes pictures tell a better story than the thoughts in my head.

 Notice a foot in the background. That's Kate performing ballet moves. The girls love to dance. Although I'd call it intrerpretive performances.

While the big kids dances, this one can usually be found walking around with something over her head and covering her eyes. I like to imagine she's working on her senses as opposed to performing her interpretation of a drunk guy with a lamp shade on his head.

What I really should be doing is laundering of busing the lunch dishes from our dining room table but once I got the wee one to nap I knew my body wasn't passing go. It's going to find it's way to the couch and sit for awhile. Sister can wear a mama out!

 

 I dress this girl in pants and she takes them off as soon as I'm not looking. Not a healthy sign.

Several of our plans this week took a wrong turn. Initially I was disappointed but we made our own silver lining and had some fun with bouncy tents, lunch out with friends, impromptu trips to the library...

A weekend filled with Prom dress shopping, basketball games, a Superbowl party, Buffalo Wild Wings (hello, Jalapeno!) and so much more waits for us around the corner. Let the festivities begin!

zero to sixty...

It's no secret. Iowa is soaking up another gorgeous winter day with highs in the upper 40s. It's days like this that we pull on the rain boots and leisurely make our way to school. After dropping off Kate I gave CJ non-verbal permission to move at her own pace as we made our way home. I stood back and let her stroll. And I discovered her pace is s-l-o-w. Like molasses slow. At one point I moved to the side so an ant carrying an earthworm carrying a granny with a walker could pass by. I watched a good half inch snow melt before I even caught a glimpse of our house. The first 55 minutes I was patient and actually enjoyed watching CJ explore that same chunk of ice again and again or crawl on her knees through a puddle of muddy water but eventually I was patient no more. And while I didn't gripe at her I created ideas to move her forward. "OH, can you jump over this ice mountain?" "CJ look at that stick up there. I'll race you to it?" Thank goodness my games worked.

Now that we're finally home and enjoying some indoor time I am quickly reminded that s-l-o-w is not her typical stride.

I guess it's just a good reminder to find joy at whatever pace life moves, because despite the early afternoon granny pace, she has now transitioned into a Star Trek-like warp speed. How quickly kids change.