Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Mommy & Her boys

Zeke showing off the snow

Zeke shoveling with Daddy

Daddy showing Zeke how to shovel

What we woke up to this morning

Daily meaning

This might sound strange but today was a day where I felt like I had meaning. Let me back track a little... there are some days where at the end of it I seriously question myself, "What good did I do today?" Today was one of those days where when I asked myself that very powerful question - I felt like I had an answer! Most days I feel like I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off and don't ever do anything that makes an impact on anyone positively.
I think so often I get caught up in my little world that I forget that there are others on this same planet with me. Yes, I see them at the store or wave to them, but I never stop to talk or listen or encourage. I personally think that life is really nothing, if we do not take the time to connect with others... other moms, friends, or strangers.
Maybe that is a rather general statement so let me try to explain my day!
Today started like any other day, woke up a little late after a night of being awake with Ki. Rushed through getting both the boys fed. Got Zeke off to school, since today is Tuesday (Zeke is working on saying the days of the week!). As I was leaving the preschool parking lot I called up my best friend, Sarah, to check in with her and just chat. I chatted with her as I shopped for a few grocery items. I hung up my call with Sarah as I was getting in the line to pay and instead of being absent minded I chatted with the grocer. I could tell that she was happy I hung up my cell phone and acknowledged her. I asked her how her day was and she shared that she is not having a great day because she is a little stressed. I questioned her, not in a creepy way, but just a friendly banter. Come to find out she just got the job at the store and is in the middle of a divorce. I sincerely welcomed her to the store and thanked her for helping me. She smiled a huge smile and simply said, "You have made my day." I gathered my groceries and headed home.
I got home and picked up my house a little and then got a call from my neighbor. She sounded a little worried, she asked if I had anything going on this afternoon and I told her a had a few things, she asked if she could come over and talk - I said sure. I picked up Zeke from preschool and headed home to get lunches made and get ready for my neighbor to come over. My neighbor came over and vented. She shared some of her stresses as she is a brand new mommy with her return to work looming over her shoulder. We chatted and I shared with her some of my experiences but also just listened to her and then encouraged her to take one day at a time. As she was leaving she thanked me for listening and said, "I am so glad that you are my neighbor."
After she left I had a conference call for my Mothers & More chapter. The call was just a means of brainstorming ideas with chapters throughout the region. It was so nice to hear from other chapters that they are having some of the same struggles, also nice to hear some of their ideas to bettering the chapter.
So I think the bottom line is - CONNECTIONS! Life would be meaningless without reaching out to others and making connections!

Genetic Mishaps

Okay maybe that is not the best title - but how else am I supposed to refer to this gray hair that is sprouting up in my hair? Ugh - what is up with this? I am in my mid-twenties, dealing with facial blemished and gray hair at the same time. I found a great henna hair dye product and it has helped with the long ones that were mixed in, but I woke up this morning and I found some short little hairs that are growing in gray. There is something seriously wrong with the universe - a person should not have to deal with skin blemishes (zits) and gray hair. Come on - do you feel my pain?

Changing Table War

Neeko has decided that the changing table pad is her bed. Today I went up to Ki's room to change his diaper and Neeko was curled up napping on the pad. I tried "shooshing" her off and she did not budge. She dug her claws in and would not move. So instead of fighting with her I jut pushed her to the end of the pad and placed Ki down. The whole time I was changing Ki, Neeko was edging for more room. Ki was grabbing her tail and pulling her fur and still she did not budge. I finished changing Ki and Neeko resumed her spot in the middle of the changing table pad. What a silly cat!

Over night plastic surgery

I woke up this morning and it looks like I took a trip to the plastic surgeon's. Day two of massive cold sores - yuck! I will say it is kind of nice to see what my lips might look like with a little "plump" - however the pain is probably about the same as getting them professionally done. L-lysine is my friend!

Too much stress

Ugh! I woke up this morning and my lip was a volcano. I guess I have been stressing about too many things. My lip is in the worst shape it has been in years. Maybe a little napping myself will help me out! On my agenda for the next few days as Michael works: Sleep, Drink lots of water, Watch movies, and Just simply hang out with my boys!

Hungry Baby

I wish I would have known sooner... I was "starving" Ki. I know it is hard to believe when you see his 17 pound mass! That is all I can figure now after Michael was able to get some cereal in him he is now sleeping. Ki has been on a sleep strike for the last month, he would take little ten or fifteen minute naps and then would wake up every hour or two in the middle of the night. That was really hard, being that Ki was a great sleeper from the day he was born. Ki slept through the night the first day he was born and loved his naps! I have been trying to get Ki to eat cereal but he would not take it from me. I was expressing my frustration to Michael and he decided to make me look like a fool. I think that the reason why Ki would take food from Michael and not from me is because Ki knows I can give him mommy milk, why would he take food. Michael has been very dedicated to getting solids into Ki and therefore today I was actually able to give some solids to Ki. Yeah! Last night was the first night that Ki slept six solid hours, woke up to eat and then fell back asleep for three more hours. Today Ki is already on his third nap of the day, the first was a little over an hour, the second was half an hour and he has currently been asleep for forty minutes! This is such a blessing - I have been stressing about it, thinking that something was seriously wrong with my little one - well there was, I was starving him!

Beautiful Domestic Goddess

I am so physically tired and yet I am not sleepy! How can that be? I think the problem is that I can just not turn off my mind. I need to be able to turn off my mind to allow myself to sleep. Even my dreams the last few nights have been of me running from one place to another, trying to juggle everything and still be the beautiful domestic goddess that I believe is necessary. Yesterday was the epitome of it all. Yesterday I was trying to clean up my house as I was opening my home today for my MOPS group. Ki has been going through a phase (at least I am hoping that it is a phase!) where he is requiring my undivided attention when he is awake which is all but maybe 9 hours in a 24 hour day. So yesterday I was vacuuming my floors, holding Ki in one hand, yelling at Zeke to get out of the way of the vacuum (one of his favorite games is to play "chicken" with the vacuum), and talking on the phone with Vistaprint trying to get business cards made up for Mothers & More. How after explaining all of that can I wonder why it is that my sleep dreams are overwhelmed with juggling everything? I absolutely enjoy everything I am doing, I love being a wife to my husband, a mother to my boys, a friend to my MOPS group, a leader for Mothers & More - but how do I juggle it all gracefully and still manage to be a beautiful domestic goddess? Any suggestions?

Not a good mommy day

You know how there are those days when you get to the end of it and you think, "Who allowed me to be a mom?" Well today was one of those days! My mommy license should have been revoked today. Everything was fine until Zeke had a mid day melt down and it lasted until 5pm when he fell asleep - and then picked up again at 6:30pm when he woke up. My allotted patience for the day was all used up by about 3pm! I felt bad for Michael, he called after a long day of work at 7pm and I had to vent - I don't think that was what he wanted to hear but I needed to blow off some steam!
Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day!

Type A to the MAX Part 2

So yesterday I decided that I would do henna tattoos for myself. My parents got me a kit for Christmas last year and here I am just now trying to figure it out. So I spend yesterday morning making the paste... which has to sit for 12 hours. So I make it in the morning planning on doing the tattoos in the night right before I go to bed. I get the boys down for bed, get my chick flick in the DVD player and then get everything ready for tattooing. I spend about ten minutes practicing on some paper towels and then decide that I am ready to mark up my body - well just my palm. I start making a flower and then the dispensing cone starts leaking... I have henna all over my right hand while I am trying to get a flower on my left hand. Needless to say after nearly an hour of messing with the stuff, I got frustrated, attempted to wash my hands off and then threw it all away. As I am sitting here I can see my orange flower on the left palm and the orange all over my right fingers. Grrrrrr! So much for cute little henna tattoos. Maybe I will just have to stick to paying the ten dollars at the street fairs!

Pushing Milk

Within the last two weeks I have found a way to get Zeke to drink his milk. Ever since he dropped the bottle at 16 months I have not been able to get him to drink milk. I have started taking his morning yogurt and putting it in s cup and adding half milk - making it a smoothie. Don't ask me why it has taken me a year to realize this but - heck it works and he is drinking milk. Gotta get milk into my growing boy - thankfully I have found a way!

Book-worm

Zeke is a little book-worm! Michael, I don't think could be more proud. Michael has always loved books and is very happy that his boy loves them too. We go to the library two to three days a week and get 10-15 books every time. Our library ventures started when I became bored with Curious George. Every trip to the library is an adventure, both Zeke and I enjoy it thoroughly!

Nothing Sweeter

As a mom I think that there is nothing more sweet then night time snuggles with my boys! Tonight I got home from my Mothers & More meeting and had the privilege to rock both of my boys at the same time in my rocking chair until sleep came upon them. The feelings of their little bodies snug against mine, their chests rising and falling, their little breath against my skin - nothing can be sweeter!
I know that there will come a time where I can't rock them both at the same time, or for that matter there is going to come a time where they are not going to want to be rocked... until then I will try to sneak every night time snuggle I can get!

Fall Social

Tonight the boys and I went down to Whole Foods and had a blast! Whole Foods was hosting a fall social tonight, they had face painting, cupcake decorating, caramel apple making, coloring contest and tons of pumpkins. Zeke got his face painted for the first time - he loved it! The lady that was doing the face painting was really good and really quick! (Even after his shower tonight and me washing it off - he kept showing me his cheek - too cute!)
After we hung out at Whole Foods for about an hour we grabbed dinner and then went to the park to play for a little while. Needless to say when we got home at 6:30 this evening it was a mad dash to get the boys bathed, jammied and in bed! It all pays off though - Zeke had a blast!

Something Magical

Being that I was raised in San Diego I always thought that summer was my favorite season. I am beginning to rethink that judgment call! I think the reason I always thought that was because that is about the only season we had. Yes, I know there are a few other "seasons" mixed in but nothing to extremes.
As I sit here sipping my first pumpkin spice drink I contemplate the season of which I have become very fond of. FALL! There are many reasons I think that this season has become my favorite.
The first being the wonderful colors. I would love to drive all day long every day just so that I can soak in all the colors that fall brings. One of my favorite streets here in Littleton is Bowles. As I drive this street heading to downtown Littleton the streets are lined with so many rich colors; reds, oranges, yellows and greens. The streets are not just asphalt but are cement which provides a wonderful palette on which these fall colors rest upon. As I follow the cars in front of me autumn leaves billow under their tires, making it like I am driving through God's confetti party of Autumn. The grass that only a season ago was bright green has taken on a tint of yellow. Some of my favorite colors are highlighted in this present season... brown and yellow!
The smells of this season just warm my heart. Of course there is pumpkin, then nutmeg, then cinnamon, oh and I can't leave out apple spice. Ahh, my senses are alive! Fall, means burning candles, which means a trip to Yankee Candle; no house is complete without a tart burning! Oh yeah, the evening smell of wood burning fire places replaces my next favorite smell of barbecued meat. Granted most fireplaces in town are electric so the night time smells are not exactly what I dream of but every now and then there is a real fire burning in someones fireplace that makes me inhale a little deeper. Speaking of inhaling in deep, oh the crisp fresh air that comes with fall is like no other.
The fall clothing, that is another pleasure! Being that I have lived in San Diego for so long this was something new to me! Sure, I have turtle neck sweaters and scarfs, but these were only worn as decorations, not necessity. Now when I put on my sweaters there is a sense of pride that comes with them. The scarfs are not just an outfit accessory but an outfit need - their purposes are actually carried out here in Colorado. Plus nothing is more cuddly then my babies snug in their fleece footy jammies. I simply cannot resist hugging my babies a little longer and a little tighter when they are warm in their footy jammies!
Now you know why this current season is fast becoming my most favorite one!
Cheers!

Motherhood Life Lessons

In the last six months since becoming a mother of two little ones I have had to learn some rather hard life lessons. Okay, maybe not hard in the sense of learning them but hard in the sense of accepting them!
Lesson 1 - The chores will still be there, later in the day, night, the next day or the next! Don't sweat it!
Lesson 2 - My babies need me, not part of me - but all of me.
Lesson 3 - When the baby is not screaming and the toddler is not jumping from something - take those few seconds and breathe!
Lesson 4 - It is okay that I do not have the same body that I did before my babies! My body will recover when it is ready.
Lesson 5 - Everyone does not except my children to behave perfectly all the time - they realize that they are little and there is grace for children.
Lesson 6 - It is okay to wear the same outfit more then once a month. No one cares what I am wearing any way!

My Little Man, The Champ

I was talking with the receptionist at Kaiser setting up Ki's six month well baby check when I asked about the flu shots. I asked the receptionist if there really is the worry of little shots. She simply laughed and said, "Don't listen to the news - there are plenty of shots, don't worry." She then told me that if I wanted today was the first day of the walk in shots at our clinic, and I could get a shot for Zeke. I got off the phone and asked Zeke if he wanted to go get a shot and he enthusiastically said, "Yes." So we drove to the clinic. We had to sit in a line, there were three people ahead of Zeke and about five after him. The people before Zeke got their shots, one of them was a little three year old girl, who proceeded to cry after getting her shot. Finally it was Zeke's turn! He climbed up on the chair next to the nurse. The nurse asked me if I wanted Zeke to have the nasal one or a shot. Zeke simply said, "Shot please!" Then the whole room started trying to get Zeke to commit to the nasal one. Zeke held his ground and smiled nicely and again said, "Shot please." Then he pulled down his pants and pointed to the leg that he wanted the nurse to inject him in. Everyone in the room was quiet, I think they were expecting Zeke to cry or cringe or something - but he didn't! He got his shot like a champ. I could tell at one point he thought about maybe crying but instead grinned and then smiled. He got his shot, pulled up his pants and then gave me a hug, collected his sticker and was out and running. I was sure proud of my little man - I hate shots myself but he was such a champ!

Showering

Okay - so this morning as I was rushing through my shower I was hit with a reality... I used to take showers as a means of beginning my day fresh and new. I would take long hot showers, spend extra time making sure I shaved my legs and scrubbed my entire body with some expensive body scrub. Showers were also viewed as a luxurious retreat that could last as long as a half an hour.

Since becoming a mom of two that has all gone by the way side! I now jump in the shower to wash off whatever puke, poop or dirt I have accumulated throughout the day - not from me, from the boys! My showers are usually in the evenings after at least Ki in in bed or if I am lucky during their afternoon naps. Showers are no longer a relaxing oasis rather a five or ten minute hide out from the kids to wash off, scrub up and rinse off. I suppose a shower could still be relaxing if I wasn't trying to rush through it so that I could have a few minutes to myself before the kids wake up or someone comes barging in wanting help. Shaving - forget that! I am sorry honey... but there is not enough time in the day to care about my leg stubble. If I can't get it with one quick swoop of the razor then it will still be there the next time the razor graces my legs. Expensive body scrub - heck no! I soap up with whatever WalMart had on special.

My, how showering life has changed. Yes, I know showering is a very small thing in the whole scheme of life but I am in constant awe of how two little people can effect so many facets of life. Don't get me wrong I love my little "thing one and things two" but they have rocked my world!

Bed full of boys

I hate those dreams that I wake up from and I am drained. I have been having some really draining dreams the last few nights. Actually I am not sure if it is the dreams that are tiring me or the fact that my bed is full of boys every night! I swear the boys go to bed in their own beds and then all end up in my bed in the morning! Grrrr!