My Mornings

I just survived another morning of getting the kids up and off to school.

Why is this such a dreaded task for me?? If you ask me, "morning" is a dirty word.  My sister started a blog, once upon a time, that she titled "My Mornings."  She would take an artistic, peaceful picture to share of her morning.  I really enjoyed it.  It was the polar opposite of my real-life mornings.

Granted...I love to stay up late into the night and I am not a morning person by nature.  I struggle to pull myself out of bed.  But God has really done everything he can to help me out in this department.  He has provided a carpool driver that picks my kids up everyday so I never have to drive to school and I also work from home, so I don't need to get myself ready for anything. 

So what am I complaining about?   I essentially just need to role out of bed & wake up Carter and Taryn since Paige is up before me to shower.  But it is unfortunately never that simple.  For one thing, my kids are a little too much like me and don't have such a pleasant demeanor in the morning.  So all of our lovely personalities blend a little harshly at the start of a new day. Here is the progression of this morning:

7:00 -- Turn on the fireplace.
7:02 -- Wake up Carter & pick out his sweatpants and t-shirt for the day.  Fortunatley he could care less what he wears if it falls into the "sweatpants and t-shirt" category.
7:07 -- Physically pull Carter from bed.  5 minutes of saying "Get up Carter."  Have given me no results of movement.
7:09 -- Wake up Taryn.  Pick out three different options for her to select from while she lays there moaning.  Hold the outfits directly in front of her sleeping face and tell her to open her eyes & point to what she wants to wear.  She picks the girliest thing.
7:11 -- Put her selected outfit in front of the fireplace to heat up because I otherwise deal with her crying the
entire time she is dressing because she is so cold.
7:12 -- Physically pull Taryn from bed and plop her on the potty.  Dress her in front of the fireplace.
7:15 -- Carter arrives upstairs and immediately turns on Sponge Bob Square Pants
7:16 -- We start the litany of "What do you want for breakfast? ... Cheerios, toast, waffle, granola bar, yogurt?" (I should've learned long ago to give them only one option per morning ... that's how my mom did it.  Granted, my mom also actually prepared a breakfast of eggs or oatmeal or something good.)
7:17 -- I put waffles in the toaster.  Pour Carter and Taryn apple juice and Paige orange juice.
7:19 -- Paige arrives upstairs -- waffles are ready.  Taryn changes her mind and now wants yogurt.  I eat the waffles.
7:22 -- Kids are sitting like zombies in front of Sponge Bob without eating a bite.
7:22  -- Mom turns off Sponge Bob to a chorus of whining, "Turn that on."  To which I reply -- "You need to eat."
7:24 -- Charlie, the dog, is dragging his butt on the carpet -- we all yell at him to stop, and I comment "We should just get rid of Charlie, all we do is yell at him."  Bad timing...I immediately have two kids in tears... "But we love him.  Don't get rid of him."
7:25 -- Two kids smothering Charlie with more love than he has received in months.
7:26 -- "Finish your breakfast."  I brush Taryn's hair while she eats.
7:28 -- "Brush your teeth."  A fight ensues over the toothpaste.
7:30 -- Search for snow pants and gloves.  Shoes in backpacks.
7:32 -- Paige hauls out homework that she forgot to do.  "Mom, what is something I would stand up for?  I need to write a paper."  "Now? Are you kidding me?"
7:35 -- Carpool arrives and I kiss them all as they walk out the door.

Whew!  Not a minute to spare.  In fact, had we had a minute to spare, we might have gotten farther on a topic for Paige's paper, loved Charlie a little more, and in general been more civil to each other. 

I am fully aware that if I started our morning routine just 5-10 minutes earlier, I would probably have better results.  Yet, no matter how mature I might think I am, as I am laying in my warm bed every morning, I will always choose to wait until the last possible minute that I can reasonably get up and still pull off this whirlwind!

I'm Sick of It!!! (Weekly List)

There was a time when I mentioned on my blog (Tribute to Summer) that I would probably do a list of things I love in every season.  Well I've just decided there is NOTHING I love about winter.  In fact at this point in the middle of February, I hate it.  As I was thinking about what I might write to express my feelings toward winter, I will admit, I couldn't seem to finish a sentence without a bad word entering my mind. I just can't find friendly terms to describe it anymore.

Top 12 Reasons I am Sick of Winter (Yes, this list required 12!)

1.  I am stinkin' cold!!

2.  I am sick of the scramble every morning to find snow pants that are dry, gloves that match, boots, hats, scarves and shoes for the backpacks.  This all adds a good 5-10 minutes to our morning schedule.  5-10 minutes we simply don't have.

3.  I am sick of getting into my car and having a cold rear-end from the car seats!

4.  I am sick of the dog taking a crap two feet outside my front door.  Poor dog, he's cold too -- and he would need to scale a 4 foot drift to make it into the yard.  It is like maneuvering though a field of landmines to make it up my sidewalk.  I know I should pick the crap up more frequently, but, well, I'm stinkin' cold.

5.  I am sick of climbing into ice cold sheets every night and then shivering under the covers for the first 5 minutes, only to wake up in the morning and have to step out of the bed (which did eventually warm up) into a chilly room.

6.  I am sick of cooped up kids and the extra energy that they don't know what to do with except fight.

7.  I am sick of cold fingers.  (Although it is kind of fun to hear Cal screech like a girl when I touch his bare back.)

8. I am sick of cancelling parties, family gatherings, games,  tournaments, & school due to the weather. 

9.  I am sick of dirty cars that will never stay clean.

10. I am sick of snow blowing the driveway. (O.K. -- that's a bit of a lie...I don't even know how to make the snow blower run. But I am sympathetic towards Cal. Believe me, he has shared his feelings about snow blowing in no uncertain terms.)

11.  I am sick of $250 heat bills!

12.  Did I mention -- I am cold!?!?

And before you think I am missing out on the joys of building snowmen and sledding and other fun winter activities.  Let me tell you there is just too much blasted snow!!  Taryn and I tried sledding down our neighbor's hill the other day and it didn't go so well.  Every step I took ended up in snow up to my thighs causing snow to fill my boots, and when I tried to get forward momentum downhill -- I just sank. 

And to my parents:  I hope this makes you feel better as you endure 60 degree temperatures in Florida.  You've been careful not to complain, but I'd be bummed if I had to wear a sweatshirt in Florida.  It's just not right.

Join me at The Fruited Plain Cafe'

I am not a restaurant reviewer (although I do think that would be a fabulous job...eat all kinds of delicious meals and then write about them....I should look into that.)  But I feel moved to review a new coffee shop and wine bar that recently opened in Sioux Center, IA.

From the moment you walk in the door you feel like you are wrapped in your favorite comfortable blanket -- and that's a high compliment when you are enduring a never-ending, mid-west winter.  The Fruited Plain Cafe' welcomes you with the aroma of coffee, rich wood floors, soft lighting...all creating a warm and comfortable atmosphere.  You feel as if you have entered a quaint neighborhood bistro nestled in an eclectic corner of some big city.

And if you want a latte' to-die-for, this is the place to come.  The owner spent time in the Netherlands and Annapolis, Maryland and has learned a thing or two about brewing the perfect cup of joe.

But that's not all ... it's also a wine bar.  Serving a great variety of wines for any budget.

Ohhh...who am I kidding -- I am not a restaurant reviewer, and I am certainly not unbiased.  Most of you know, this fabulous little joint which just opened three weeks ago is owned by my sister, Becca and her husband, Laremy.  I am so proud of them for following their dreams & creating this "shop" out of an old auto parts store.  And here they are:

My beautiful baby sister...

 

her husband...

and their baby -- drinking her "prickly". (She already has high-class taste in water.)

It truly is a wonderful place and if you find yourself in Sioux Center -- stop by!

Weekly List -- What's in your Mama bag?

If you're anything like me, you are lugging around an extra 10 pounds on your shoulder in the form of a purse -- or more accurately, the big mama bag.  It is filled with the required necessities such as band-aids, wet wipes, Leapster games, multiple lip glosses, pony tails, bobby pins, McDonald Happy Meal toys, saltine crackers from the salad bar, playing cards, pizza coupons, Tide-To-Go, etc.  We must be prepared for whatever our kids might require.  For my own use, I think I have ibuprofen, reading glasses and a Starbucks gift card.

Recently I switched purses, and as I was transferring stuff from one to the other, these were a few of the more unusual things I discovered floating around in my bag:

5 Items in my Purse

1. Taryn's Dirty Socks -- her feet get so hot in her Ugg-style boots that she strips off her smelly socks and throws them in my purse.  Nice!
2. A Witches Finger -- I think this was left over from a Halloween Cupcake?!?!
3. Prison Church Bulletin -- Yes, I was recently in the State Pen -- quite an experience!  Luckily my time there was as a volunteer.
4. Tennessee Titans Football Game Ticket -- It brings back good memories of a trip with my hubby, so I hang on to it.
5. Used Chopsticks -- It was easier to give in and take them from the Mongolian BBQ, than argue with my kids about how we didn't need dirty chopsticks at home.

That's my list.  Kind of interesting to consider what kind of story the contents of one's purse tells.  How about...my barefoot daughter eats Chinese food dressed as a witch while in prison for stealing a Titans ticket?

So tell me...What's in your Mama Bag? (I sound like a Capitol One commercial -- What's in your wallet?)

What's a girl to do?

My 6th grade daughter, Paige, is an avid reader of my blog. She reads everything I write and tells me exactly what she thinks. This is good for me because knowing she is part of my audience helps me edit myself appropriately. I keep the mindset that everything I write should (for the most part) be kind and respectful of others -- especially my children and husband.

What Paige also does, is keep track of how many posts are about Taryn compared to her and Carter.  And, well, I haven't been exactly equal in my representation.

The truth of the matter, as I explained to Paige, is that many of the things she is experiencing as a middle schooler and the conversations she and I have, while blog worthy, are also kind of private.  I don't want to embarrass her and she understood.

However -- I am putting aside my concern of embarrassing her for the moment because this just made me giggle!

I should start by telling you that Paige HATES talking about boys.  She has not entered the stage where boys are cool -- at least she won't yet tell her mom she thinks boys are cool.  And I am absolutely fine with this.  I talk to enough 12-year-old girls in my work at the HopeLine that are WAY to wrapped up in boys and what they think, resulting in really stupid and sometimes harmful behavior.  However, I do keep telling her that I think it is O.K. to be friends with boys.  But she doesn't seem interested in even that.  Which I don't exactly understand, because many of the guys in her class she has known since she was in diapers.  They have gone to nursery together, had play dates as two-year-olds, gone to Sunday School and school together.  Yet the other day as Paige and I were walking down the hall together to go to Carter's basketball practice and we passed 5 guys from her class, I say "Hi guys," while she looks at the floor and they look embarrassed.  It's an interesting age to say the least.

Now that you understand Paige's sensitivity to absolutely anything suggesting she might like a boy, perhaps you will find this little scenario as funny as I did.

Last Sunday at church there were two baptisms -- so the church was packed full.  We were running late, as usual, and for some reason I was even farther behind than the rest of my family.  When I find the pew that my crew is sitting in, I realize that there is really only room for the four of them, they have not saved a place for me.  But now that I'm down at the front of the church, I really have no where else to go, so I squeeze my little behind down between Paige and Taryn pushing Paige shoulder to shoulder with a visiting boy of her age.  I was surprised she didn't jump up right there and make me trade places with her, but she kept a level of maturity about her and just sat there...trying not to graze hands with him.  When it was time to greet those around us, he turned to her and shook her hand.  A little later he even offered her a piece of candy which she politely declined.  It was all I could do to keep a level of maturity about me -- I could tell she was ready to just shrivel up in her seat.  At one point...as my claustrophobia was rising...I whisper to her "I need more room."  To which she gives me an exasperated look and whispers back "I'm already touching his shoulder!"  And that was it...I started to giggle.  Paige gave me an elbow to the rib which helped me pull it together.

Needless to say, it did not go unnoticed by Paige's fellow classmates that she was sitting shoulder to shoulder with a cute 12-year-old boy.  She took a fair amount of teasing.  Oh, the joys of middleschool.  What's a girl to do?