and I'm hooked...

...on fat free half-and-half in my chai tea.  Really, though, isn't fat free half-and-half and oxymoron?  How can something that's supposed to be half cream be fat free?  All that aside, it all started when Benjamin accidentally bought the fat free stuff instead of the half fat stuff for a recipe that really couldn't be made with fat free half-and-half.  To try to find a use for the fat free stuff, I added some to my chai tea instead of my traditional milk.  Voila!  Instant favorite.  It's creamy and richer than milk without being heavy at all.  As Little Man would say: "Eeyuuum, Eeyuuum!"

I'm also hooked on his cute smile.  I mean, really, who can resist such an adorable though cheesy little grin?  We spent around two hours outside yesterday enjoying the lovely spring weather.  We went on a walk, planted flowers,and  got out the trike for a test ride or two.  I'm looking forward to doing all the fun things we decide to do today.

Thought process triggered by a Facebook status

I'm learning that as a mom, the profitability of one's days (or weeks, or months) isn't determined by a checklist of completed projects/tasks or by how clean my house is or what stunning new recipes I’ve made lately. I have to learn to realize that what happens in all those little moments that seem like interruptions are all valid accomplishments and worthwhile ways to spend my time. For example some mornings go something like this: wipe up spilled juice, give child a cracker, pick up Tupperware scattered across kitchen floor, instruct child not to throw toys away, start dishes, instruct child to not dig in the house plants’ dirt, clear off counter, return to dishes, take a break from dishes to comfort wailing child, change messy diaper, sit on couch in exhaustion and read favorite board book, discuss shapes and colors, look at the clock and wonder where the morning went, and so on. Yep, that's all important. I can't always be a super-achiever, and sometimes just getting through the day is a major feat. If I feel like nothing is getting done (which is probably not the truth anyway), chances are that I have some super-achiever days coming up soon in which I will accomplish mountains of amazing things. Then I’ll pay for it by at least a few days of merely scraping by.  It’s just a part of motherhood.  No, I take that back, it’s just a cycle in life.  I just have to give every day 100% of what I’ve got and be thankful and content with what I am able to get done with that particular day’s 100%. 

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10a)

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, 
      And lean not on your own understanding; 
        In all your ways acknowledge Him, 
      And He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5,6)

God is directing me just the same on the seemingly unprofitable days as He is on the super-achiever days.          

Mother's Day Festivities

Yesterday we had a lovely, quiet celebration for Mother's Day. We had my parents over and had a scrumptious lunch and a relaxed afternoon.

Benjamin made amazing Chicken Marsala in honor of both mothers who were present: me and my mom. I feel quite confident in saying that I'm not just biased to say that his version was better than Johnny Carino's! Juicy and tender breaded chicken, sauteed mushrooms, and fettuccine smothered in a flavorful, creamy Marsala sauce. Wow, can he cook!

My mom brought a crisp green salad accented with beautiful (and tasty!) cherry tomatoes, which I did not get a picture of. I made homemade foccacia bread to go with the other Italian food.

I also made brownies. I really cheated, though, since I used a box mix. It was my first time using a cake mix since my easy bake oven days when my mom would frugally give me normal boxed mixes to mix up in small portions instead of spending a bundle to get the ones specifically for the easy bake oven. The brownies did turn out being yummy, and they were delightful with vanilla ice cream.


Poor Little Man was miserable all day long. The parts of the day that he didn't spend sleeping, he spent limply being held with his "bankey" and "beah" (favorite blanket and bear).

In addition to the yummy food that I got pictures of, Benjamin gave me a fragrant mother's day red rose and a card from all three of my guys (Benjamin, Little Man, and Baby). I was going to get pictures of them too, but I realized that I didn't have picture only after I sat down, and I don't feel like getting up. You'll just have to trust me that they are lovely too. ; )

Mother's Day Joys

I wrote this post yesterday, intending to publish it. When more than half of it was deleted due to problems between my lap top, the Internet, my skills, and Blogger, I gave up and went to bed. And bed was definitely the place for me as I had reached that weepy, irrational, and very tired stage. I'll reconstruct the lost sections and post today.

I am at home today. I had planned to go to church as usual until Little Man came down with a fever yeterday that persisted until today. This morning he woke up with a high fever, and he has been moaning and lying around all day. While I hope he gets well quickly, I am enjoying all the extra cuddle time he is indulging in. I have also enjoyed having some extra quiet time to mull over the joys of being both a mom and a daughter today.

current joys of being a mother

~Peeking in at my sleeping boy (or better yet, holding my sleeping boy).
~Teaching all day long.
~Watching Little Man grow and learn new mental and physical skills every day.
~Hearing him call, "MA-ma!" in his sweet voice.
~Reading together. At this stage Little Man will bring a book, say "Boook, boook", back up to me, and request, "Lap-y? lap-y?" It is SO sweet!
~Enjoying his sweet smiles and contagious giggles.
~Talking walks and seeing the world from a new perspective. They go something like this: "rock! rock! rock!" on seeing every pebble; "flow-ah!" as we stop to smell each dandilion; multiple stops as we check out cones, bend down to inspect what's in the crack of the side walk, pause to bark back at all the dogs, find sticks to poke into the grass, gaze longingly at mud puddles and the proclaim them to be "Yyyyyuck!", or have need to watch the ants scurry all over the sidewalk.
~Feeling Baby kick, yes, even when he wakes me up, it is a joy to know that he is growing and developing.
~Feeding, cleaning, washing, and changing are all joys of being a mother too becasue there is much satisfaction in taking care of my Little Man.

joys of being a daugter/having a mother

(on a side note, I look so young in this photo!

I think it was taken spring 2004.)

~Being friends.

~Knowing that my mom is there for me to talk to as well as being there for her to talk to. We can talk and talk and talk!

~Listening to (and hopefully heeding) her wise advice.

~Doing music together, whether it's playing it, discussing and evaluating it, or just listening to it.

~Discussing literature.

~Shopping together; even grocery shopping is more fun when there are two of us.

~Sharing clothes. We don't do it too often, but when we do, I enjoy it since I never had the oportunity to share with sisters when I was growing up since I am an only child.

~Working on projects together.

~Bailing the other out when she is swamped and overwhelmed. This can include helping with house work, projects, baking, etc. (Why is it that I'm more often the recipient of the bailing out than she is? Whatever the reason, though, I'm thankful for the help!)

~Keeping on learning and sharing our new knowledge with eachother.

I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be both on the receiving and giving end of mothering. God has blessed me beyond measure in a mother who is one of my closest friends as well as in having children of my own to become friends with.

Thankful

I have been really, really sick.  It's miserable being sick in the first place, but being sick while pregnant and having both my guys sick at the same was un-fun (to say the least).  I've been oh, so slowly recovering and trying to get my life back in tidy order.  While I was miserably unwell, I did quite a bit of thinking about thinks that I was thankful for even though I felt awful.  After all "A merry heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones." (Proverbs 17:22)

Here are at least parts of my thankful list:

~I'm thankful that if I had to get a cold and a flu at the same time, at least I the total amount of sick time was shorter than if I had gotten them one after another. (I hope.)

~It's much easier to put up with more snowy weather in the spring when you can't go out and enjoy the sunshine.

~I'm thankful that Benjamin and Little Man seem to be getting better faster than I am.

~Being sick while pregnant sure beats being sick with a new born.

~I'm thankful for my mom who came over to cook, wash dishes, and generally take care of me.  (She's amazing!)

~I'm thankful for the smell of onions.  They really do smell especially nice when one has a cold.

~I'm thankful that my parents were willing to take Little Man for a night so that we could get uninterrupted sleep (it was blissful!).

~And I'm thankful that Little Man was good for them. ; )

~I'm thankful that I was able to work on my crazy quilt some more and am eagerly looking forward to the finished product.

~Right now I'm so, so thankful that I'm starting to get well!