Never ever ever {link up}

 

I orginally wrote this post a week or so ago, but knew it was perfect for this one-time link up with one of my favorite blogs, A Complete Waste of Make-up.

 

The theme is things you would say "never ever ever"...and this is my "mommy" version.

 

 And now for your reading enjoyment...things no mother would ever, ever say!

 

We've all seen this type of e-card...the ones that end on "said no one ever...". I can be easily amused so these crack me up. Most e-cards do. In fact, if you check me out on Pinterest my ha ha funny! board is chock full of these!

See? Funny.

As a mom, there are about a million of these I could write....

"Sure! I LOVE cleaning all that pee around the potty every day!" said no mother ever.

"The best part of my day is when my kids are suppose to be tucked in bed and sleeping, but instead I am repeatedly telling you to get back in bed." said no mother ever.

"Waking up before the sun rises is the best. ESPECIALLY when it's on a weekend!" said no mother ever.

"I just can't wait to sweep after every.single.meal because a meal isn't complete until I've had to spend 30 minutes cleaning up after it" said no mother ever.

"I love talking to myself. Please, continue to ignore me." said no mother ever.

"Yea, I totally want to wipe your bum after you've pooped. It's the best." said no mother ever.

"Please spill that juice on the carpet I just cleaned. It looks better stained." said no mother ever.

"Don't forget to squeeze half the toothpaste on the counter while you are brushing your teeth!" said no mother ever.

"Would you stop being so quiet?" said no mother ever.

"Why aren't you fighting with your siblings?" said no mother ever.

"Yea I wasn't watching that show, I'd much rather watch Mickey Mouse." said no mother ever.

"I love having no social life." said no mother ever.

Yes, continue to leave a giant mess in every room because I live to clean." said no mother ever.

"No, no, no...you don't have to eat that meal I prepared and cooked for over an hour. Why would I care?" said no mother ever.

I could go on and on...I should write a book; but that would allow me to focus on me, and why would I want that? said no mother ever...

Mission: Be a Better Mommy {part 2} CHORE CHARTS

A few days ago, I ranted on about how my kids can be a$$holes and that it was my fault.  Part one of my mission was the Toy Jail, to try and teach the peas the concept of responsibility and to eliminate the stress of me constantly having to ask, beg and plead them to pick up there toys. 
**UPDATE: So far, not a single toy has been sent to Toy Jail.  They have been picking up their items promptly.  I have seen some sabotage though!  Hannah had purposely tried to leave one of her sibling's toys out for them to go into toy jail!  What a brat!  I didn't fall for that trick! Hopefully, they will continue to pick up their crud on their own.

For many months, I had been wanting to make the kids chore charts.  FINALLY I finished them.  I was going to do a long tutorial on them, but they didn't quite turn out as nice as I would've liked, which is fine by me, but I don't want to share a long tutorial on something that doesn't look perfect!  I will give a quick synopsis on how I made them, though.

I wanted them to be magnetic, so I bought three thin sheets of magnetic metal (not all metal is magnetized so be sure to check!) and mod podged scrapbook paper on top,  I allowed the kids to pick what ever kind of paper they wanted.  I then bought three cheap frames and placed the metal inside of it, sans the glass.

 

I then glued the kids names and "to-do" and "all done" on them.  Afterwards, I made the chore magnets.  I used a thick foam board and glued the chore on the front and the magnet on the back.  I also mod podged the front of the chore "buttons" so they didn't get dirty.

 

 

 

The part that didn't quite turn out the way I wanted was that the paper kind of wrinkled some when the mod podge went on.  You can see it on Hannah's more because of the color.  The kids don't mind and I don't either.  I hung them in the hall way by the kid's rooms.

 

I made the chores be fairly basic, for now.  Some of them are the same for all three kids and then I have some other special chores that I rotate between the kids so they all take turns having a chance to do them.

 

The chores I chose for all three were:

make bed

clean room

put toys away

put clothes in dirty basket

homework & reading (just reading for Hannah)

 

The "special" chores are:

feed Biscuit

water inside plants

water outside plants

vacuum couch

get mail

sort laundry

dust living room

dust bedrooms

wipe down cabinets

 

So far, so GREAT with the chores.  The kids really like doing them and have been makng their beds without me even asking!  If they finish all their chores in a day, then they get to pick a reward for the next day, like stay up a few (and by a "few" I mean like 5) minutes later, a quarter for their piggy bank, extra tv/computer/phone time, or dessert after lunch. 

 

The end goal is for them to move their chores all on their own, with little intervention for me.  On our busier days, I haven't pushed them, but they are really taken to wanting to help out.  Hopefully I can keep up with it, so they will continue to be successful with them!

 

I want my kids to understand the meaning of "helping out" and to grow up to be well-rounded, kind people....and not selfish jerks.  This is a good step! :)  Don't want your kids to grow up to be jerks??  Make them help you around the house, it builds character.

 

Mission: Be a Better Mommy series {part 1} TOY JAIL

Here's something you don't always here a mother say (but I'm sure most think from one time or another): My kids can be such a$$holes.  Seriously!  I mean, I love them to death, but honestly, they can be such little shits some times.  Their teacher's would say I was crazy since they are perfect little angels all day with them, but at home with me it's a different story.  They used to be so much nicer a few years ago: they listened more, almost always cleaned up after themselves, ate most of their food.  Now, they argue with me about everything, barely eat their dinner, demand dessert after every meal, and I have to practically scream at them to get them to pick up their crap. 

Don't get me wrong, I know kids who are WAAAAYYYYY worse than my kids, so I'm not complaining too much, but their behaviors have been less than desirable lately and it's time for me to fix it.  And by fit IT, I mean fix MYSELF.  Any parent that is having behavioral issues with their kids, whether it be major or minor, needs to look in the mirror because it is NOT the kid's fault; it's OURS.  Our kids are born ready to learn and soak up the world like a little sponge and how we parent directly correlates to their behavior and attitudes towards society.  There are a million types of discipline methods and I am not here to say what is best for your family.  I do know that I am not happy with how my kids have been acting so I am on a mission to try and fix it!

I have been trying to think about why my kid's behavior has changed and I have discovered two changes: one (and the more major one) is my lack of patience.  Blame it on being stuck at home with three kids day in and day out with very little time away, or just the daunting repetitiveness of all their demands.  Maybe it's the lack of adult time or all the driving and rusing around we have been doing.  Perhaps it's a combo of it all.  I love being a stay at home mama but it certainly isn't easy, but that's not a good reason for me to be slacking on my job.  I need to find more patience and find it NOW.  The second thing is my oldest daughter has been more trying than usual, and I know that comes with her getting older.  She is an amazingly smart and wonderful girl.  She is an awesome big sister and so helpful to me. She can also be a whiny brat and major pain in the you-know-what when she wants.  That's another issue for another time though.

Back to the mission at hand: being a better mommy.  Being a better mommy means not raising little shits that are going to be assholes when they grow up: not demand things from society, not understand that hard work pays off, not be spoiled brats and not just to "expect" things to be done for them.  This concept (and Pinterest, of course) is what sparked my first step on my mission.

I decided to finally make that awesome "toy ransom" box that I pinned AGES ago.  The concept behind the box is to stop all the asking, pleading, and in my house, yelling that comes along with trying to get your kids to pick up their things and put them away. 

The rules are simple:
- Mom sees a mess, gives the kids a warning to please pick them up and put them away.
- After a period of time, one that mom sees fit, if said toy(s) are still out, mom places toy in Toy Jail.
- In order for child to get their toy back, mom will chose a chore from the list for child to do.
- There are no re-picks, you get what you get.
- If it is a cleaning job with "spray" (like cleaning the front of the fridge) MOM sprays, because it's fun to spray and this chore isn't suppose to be fun!
- Once the chore is complete, child gets toy back.
- If there are unclaimed toys in the box after a week, they get donated.

Here is my box.  I found this cute little poem at Just Another Day in Paradise

 

My list of chores are:

Clean the tub

Pick up the dog poop

Rub Dad's feet for 5 minutes

Clean the potty

Clean the kitchen floor with a cloth

Wipe down the front of the fridge

Wipe down the garage door in the kitchen

Pick weeds in the backyard

Pay mom a quarter from your piggy bank

Brush Biscuit for 5 minutes

Clean the kitchen chairs

Do 25 jumping jacks

Clean your sibling’s room

Shake out the kitchen rugs

Shake out the kid’s bathroom rugs

Clean all the doorknobs

Wipe baseboards in kitchen

Wipe baseboards in living room

Wipe baseboards in hallway

The genius of this box is it's simplicity.  One warning, no yelling, begging, nagging. They don't clean it up? Into the box it goes!  Sure they may throw a temper tantrum but that doesn't bother me.  I am hoping that this box helps to bring back some of my patience because my blood wont boil so much when no one listens to me. Also, they were learn the all-important lessons of RESPONSIBILITY and ACCOUNTABILITY.

 

To go along with this "responsibility" lesson is the chore charts I made for my kids. I'll share those in my Mommy Mission, part 2 on Monday.

 

I don't know about you, but I cannot WAIT for the first kid to leave a toy out and I hope the chore is "pick up dog poop": that'll show them I mean business!

{wordless wednesday} field trip fun

Last week I had the pleasure of attending two of my kid's field trips.  I love being a stay-at-home mama for many reasons, the ability to attend events like this is one of them!  It's worth all the penny pinching to have these opportunities with my peas.

Jacob took his final field trip as a preschooler to Tucson Village Farm.  This is an urban farm that hosts field trips for kids to teach them the importance of whole foods and the value of farming.  The kids got to milk a fake cow, learn about grinding wheat, learn about how worms are an important part of agriculture and plant a sunflower seed! Hannah tagged along and acted like a true preschooler.

Here are a few highlights from our trip

 

Later in the week, I was able to attend Abby's trip to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.  For all my out of state friends, this is sort of like an outdoor zoo featuring all desert animals in their natural habitats.  It is such a great place to go and if it were closer to me, we'd go much more often!

 

I was in charge of four little 1st grade peas, with obviously felt very natural to me. :)

 

Here are some pictures of what we did

 

Mommy Confessions: Why I am a terrible mom {link up}

This is my first time linking up with two amazing bloggers Heather and Megan!

This weekly link up allows moms to make a confession...and I have one!!

 

Sometimes I can be a terrible mom...not all of the time, just occasionally.

 

Ok, ready?  Don't judge me!!

 

I am the WORST mother with sick kids!  Now, not the worst like I don't take care of them, or love them, or make them soup or ice cream; obviously I do all of that, BUT my kids just aggravate the CRAP out of me when they are sick!  I have zero patience. I know!  Terrible, right?  It's not even their fault!  It's just SO annoying when they are SO needy!  My oldest is the worst.  When she is sick, it's like a man-cold times ten.  Everything hurts and she can't so anything.  And don't even THINK about mentioning throw up.  If anyone even breathes the words near her she automatically thinks she is going to, which sends her off into a melt down.  It's crazy.  Maybe it's because I'm the opposite of needy so when everyone is around me it really gets on my nerves.  Also, with three kids close in age, when one gets sick they ALL get sick, and not usually all at once, but back-to-back-to-back.  So it's like a month or more of sickness.  All the snot, all the laying, all the tissues, sanitizer, Lysol, disinfecting wipes, Vick's, multiple medicines and the repeats of Mickey, Curious George, Thomas the Train and Spider man...it's starts to make a mama go batty after awhile.  Of course I hate to see my kids run down, tired and feeling yucky.  Especially when they are VERY sick, which thankfully is few and far between.  But I am sorry other moms on Facebook:  the last thing I want to do is lay around all day with my sick kids.  I'm really not the laying around type.  I am not "enjoying" those "special moment" with my "special guy".  Maybe when I had ONE kid, we would lay around together, but now I have THREE, which may as well be ten.

 

Do you think I am a terrible mom now?  I feel better getting that confession off my chest.  If you know me at all, you already know that I really don't care about your answer anyways ;)

 

I sure do love my peas and would throw myself in front of a bus for them...but that still doesn't mean they don't aggravate me every now and again.  That's ok, isn't it?

 

Thank heavens for wine!

 

What's your mommy confession??  Come on and share and make me feel like less of a dirt bag!

 

Just because now I feel guilty, I'll share a cute picture to make me feel better :)

 

See?  I don't look like a terrible mom!  They still love me.

 

 

 

 

Easy ways not to be a jerk this Earth Day

Happy Earth Day!

Today is a day to remember how important it is to take care of our planet since, according to most recent history, there are no other planets suitable for life.

I consider myself to be a "semi-green" mama.  I breastfed, made all my own baby food, use natural cleaners.  I buy lots of organic foods and like to shop at the farmer's market.  I say "semi" because there are things I do that may not be considered the most "green".  I used disposable diapers, I use paper towels and don't compost (but I'd like to!).  To me, I think it's all about balance.  If everyone was "semi-green" then the world would be in much better shape.  It's all about being conscious and doing our share.

 

Have you ever seen Wall-e??  Well, if you haven't you should!  It's one of the few movies that my kids LOVE, and I mean LOVE, that I don't mind watching over and over.  The premise of the movie is that the people of Earth trashed the planet so much that it became unsuitable for life so they had to build large space ships so the people could leave the planet while it would be cleaned up by little robots called Wall-e's.  700 years later, now everyone is fat and lazy on the ship and eats all their food via straws.  All plant life has been eradicated on Earth, but they still send robots, called EVE's to search for life.  The plot thickens when EVE and Wall-e meet and Wall-e has found a plant!  I won't give away the ending, just in case you want to be surprised. The moral of the story is: too much trash = a crappy Earth. Simple, right?

 

 

What about The Lorax?  Amazing book and movie.  Another simple "duh" lesson: take care of the Earth.  One of the best quotes ever comes from The Lorax:

 

 

LOVE!

 

 

Think it's too much of a "hassle" to recycle?  Is it a "pain" to always remember your reusable bags at the store??  Well I have some advice for you: STOP BEING A JERK!  It's our job to take care of our planet and leave it in better shape for our kiddies. 

 

 

In case you don't know where to begin, I'll share some simple ideas for you.  Let's try to set a good example for our kids, okay???

 

- REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE! Don't forget to put those blue barrels out every week.  Is it REALLY that much harder to put sh*t in one barrel vs. the other?  Don't be a jerk!!! Recycle your sh*t!

 

- Use reusable bags at the store.  Not only are they cuter but lots of stores will give you a discount.  If you forget your bags in the car, which I have done a number of times, then use paper NOT plastic.  Paper biodegrades better and you can cut it up and have your kids draw on it (that's called REUSING)

 

- Speaking of reusing...reuse plastic bread bags to pick up dog poop, use both sides of the paper,  and reuse the glass food jars you are going to throw away for crafts or to store food in the fridge or freezer. Simple!

 

- Buy nice water bottles for everyone in the fam and use filtered water, not plastic water bottles.

 

- Wash your clothes on cold...works just as well, saves you money and saves the earth the electricity to heat the water.

 

- Try and use natural cleaners and soaps when you can, they are better for the earth and for you!

 

- Have your kids rewear their pj's and bathroom towels 2-3 times: less laundry, less water and less soap.

 

- Save money, gas and spare the Earth some pollution by consolidating your trips out and get as many errands done when you can.

 

- Teach your kids to turn off the water when they are brushing their teeth.

 

- Tear up old baby blankets and towels and use them for rags for cleaning.  This also helps save money because you'll use less paper towels.

 

- Turn off lights when you aren't in the room and replace those lame out-dated light bulbs with those fancy curly ones.

 

- Read or watch The Lorax and Wall-e with your kids and fill them the knowledge of just how important it is to take care of our planet. We don't want to live on a space ship and drink from a straw or have to buy our air. So make sure you aren't being a jerk or raising your kids to be jerks: reduce, reuse and recycle!

 

Happy Earth Day!!



Said no mother ever....

We've all seen this type of e-card...the ones that end on "said no one ever...".  I can be easily amused so these crack me up.  Most e-cards do.  In fact, if you check me out on Pinterest my ha ha funny! board is chock full of these!

See?  Funny.

As a mom, there are about a million of these I could write....

"Sure!  I LOVE cleaning all that pee around the potty every day!" said no mother ever.

"The best part of my day is when my kids are suppose to be tucked in bed and sleeping, but instead I am repeatedly telling you to get back in bed." said no mother ever.

"Waking up before the sun rises is the best.  ESPECIALLY when it's on a weekend!" said no mother ever.

"I just can't wait to sweep after every.single.meal because a meal isn't complete until I've had to spend 30 minutes cleaning up after it" said no mother ever.

"I love talking to myself.  Please, continue to ignore me." said no mother ever.

"Yea, I totally want to wipe your bum after you've pooped.  It's the best." said no mother ever.

"Please spill that juice on the carpet I just cleaned.  It looks better stained." said no mother ever.

"Don't forget to squeeze half the toothpaste on the counter while you are brushing your teeth!" said no mother ever.

"Would you stop being so quiet?" said no mother ever.

"Why aren't you fighting with your siblings?" said no mother ever.

"Yea I wasn't watching that show, I'd much rather watch Mickey Mouse." said no mother ever.

"I love having no social life." said no mother ever.

Yes, continue to leave a giant mess in every room because I live to clean." said no mother ever.

"No, no, no...you don't have to eat that meal I prepared and cooked for over an hour.  Why would I care?" said no mother ever.

I could go on and on...I should write a book; but that would allow me to focus on me, and why would I want that? said no mother ever...

The Mama Memoirs {link up}

   

 

 

An oldie but a goodie!!

 

This post was originally done on December 13, 2012 but I thought it would make a nice post for this new bi-monthly Mama Memoirs link up.  This link up gives fellow mommy bloggers a place to share any mom story they want- judgement free! What a great idea!

 


I've learned a lot of these 7 years of motherhood, some easier than others....

25 lessons I learned from motherhood:

1. Never let a kid hold a tube of super glue, even for a second.

2. Even if they say they don't need to, ALWAYS take the kids to the potty before you leave to do errands.

3. Carry an extra set of clothes with you per kids, no matter how old they are.

4. If you are going out, be sure to check your bag for diapers!

5. Keep all sharpies out of your kids reach.

6. Mr. Clean Erasers are a god-send. Keep a nice stock of those.

7. It will take you "x" number of times longer (x equals the number of kids you have with you) to do an errand, such as "running" into Target or the grocery store, than it used to take you.

8. Walk away from temper tantrums, it's not worth your sanity.

9. Never start a "project" when the kids are up. You know you aren't going to get it accomplished!

10. All kids will eventually eat. Stop stressing out.

11. You will never have any privacy again.

12. You will constantly look "tired".

13. Messes will always just seem to "appear" out of thin air.

14. Your kids will 97% not eat that awesome new dish you found on Pinterest.

15. If you think your shaving razor is high, it's not high enough!!

16. You can never have enough wine or caffeinated drinks in the house.

17. It's best to tell a kid about an exciting thing you are doing or that will be happening exactly 2 minutes before it's about to happen.

18. No TV for the kiddies too close to bed, or else your bedtime visits will multiply exponentially.

19. It's not the best idea to take your kid's lovey out and about with you, especially in a place far from home.

20. You will never get a response from your kids the first time you ask.

21. A quiet child is most likely getting into trouble.

22. You can never have enough hand soap, toilet paper, paper towels, or concealer.

23. It's a good idea to keep a hidden stash of candy or stickers for bribing purposes.

24. Kids will always repeat what you say.

25. If you had a "not-your-best-mommy" day, you can always try again tomorrow. :)

"It's ok" Thursdays {link up!}

  This is a link up with two great bloggers over at A Complete Waste of Makeup and Brunch with Amber!!  

It's ok.....

 

to be massively excited about your new over the range microwave! (It takes up less space and looks great!)

 

to be secretly excited to have your son's t-ball practice be canceled this week just because you are sick of driving around.

 

to ruin your day's run and additional workout with a big bowl of ice cream after the kids are in bed. (it is, right?!? I guess as long as it isn't everyday.)

 

to feel like you want to sell your kids to the circus every now and again.

 

to go through your kid's artwork and not keep every piece (there is just too much!)

 

to be excited for your husband to work late on occasion so you can watch 7 episodes of Days of Our Lives in a row and eat that above stated ice cream.

 

to sip on a glass of wine while making the kids dinner.

 

to fill up that glass again when they are finally in bed!

 

to wear make up every.single.day.

 

to be sad your date night got canceled...AGAIN! Some day Mr. Pea, we WILL get out!

 

to be so excited about blogging for Totsy, and also be nervous: what if they think I suck??

 

to repaint your finger nails almost everyday because when you do two loads of dishes, they chip off :/

 

to always remember this: (it's great advice)

 

{wordless wednesday} my little all-star!

Jacob started playing t-ball a few weeks ago.  He is so flipping cute in his Giants uniform, I can barely stand it. Sure, he's not the best kid on the team, but he is my little all-star.  He is doing well and improving each game.  We are working on him with his "big throws", "strong hits", and not playing in the dirt when in the outfield.  So far, so good. 

 

Way to go slugger!!

 

*note: his improvement may or may not have something to do with my promise to buy him a Spider Man web shooter if he does well in his games and practices ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keep up the good work Jacob!  I can picture you being an adorable high school baseball player now...I'll be beating of all those skanks with your bat!

Top Ten Tuesday: (divided by 2) Things I have to sacrifice for quiet

Ahhhhh...nap time.  I remember that fondly.  Those days are long gone in my house.  Nap time has been replaced with "rest time", which is sort of the ugly, rude and smelly cousin of nap time. Rest Time can never live up to Nap Time.  No matter what Rest Time does, it can never be as loved and cherished as Nap Time is. 

Rest time in my house is a necessity, for both me and the peas, but mostly for me.  Rest time follows lunch and is suppose to be some "wind down" time for the kids that should leave them with a newly born sense of energy.  It also affords me some much needed time away from the peas, which are few and too far in between.  This isn't always how it works, though. 

I have to make some MAJOR sacrifices in order to make rest time work.  I couldn't think of ten things, hence "top ten Tuesday divided by two". So, here are five of them.

1. Sleep.  I can't close my eyes during rest time because the kids aren't sleeping.  If I close my eyes for even a moment, my house will probably be set on fire somehow.

2. I cannot work on a project that requires attention to detail.  I will be interrupted during rest time.  Many times.  So I still have to work on any important projects after they are in bed, which sucks.

3.  Cleanliness.  Rest time results in HUGE messes.  They kids always feel the need to bring out all their crap during this time.

 

This is currently what is happening during rest time today.  A big mess, Jacob is sitting on the laundry basket and Hannah is eating a bowl of shredded cheese. Greaaaat.

 

4. Quality programing.  One cannot watch a good show during rest.  The moment you even attempt to put on your favorite program, everyone and their brother will need a band aid, or a tissue, or something else as equally as ridiculous.  I personally stick with Judge Judy and/or The People's Court.  Entertaining enough but not too hard to follow when you are trying to put a band aid on someone at the same time.

 

5. My time AFTER rest.  It usually takes me at least 30 minutes after rest is over to clean up the aftermath that is the Atomic Bomb more commonly referred to as REST. 

 

One may be thinking...is it even worth it??  If they just get into everything and it makes more work for me later, why even have it??  WHY, you ask?  Because that hour of semi-quiet is worth all the toys, clothes and shredded cheese I have to pick up afterwards.  And just like naps, this precious time will soon too be a distant memory, just like my metabolism and bag-free eyes.  So I shall enjoy it while I can.  Plus, if it wasn't for rest, I never would have been able to write this post!  :)

Thank you, Alex Doumak!

I've never met Mr. Doumak, but he will always hold a special place in my heart.

His work is so under-publizied, it's difficult to find an image of him on the Internet (trust me, I looked!)

He doesn't even have his own Wikipediea page.

He has, however, changed my life for the better.  He has made me a healthy and more fit mother.  He has given me moments of peace and quiet that no other person quite can.  He helps to keep me sane.

He is the modern inventor of the Marshmallow.

 

It is because of this small, cylindrical shaped sugary confection that I am afforded the ability to do great feats that only a mother can dream of doing.

 

Today I was able to run for 30 minutes (27 of those un-interrupted) AND do a 40 minute abbreviated p90x workout because of Mr. Doumak.

 

The other day I was able to take an ENTIRE shower (yes, even shaving!) ALONE because of his good work.

 

This man was a pioneer of his day; taking what was once a treat worthy only of a Pharaoh in Ancient Egypt and turning into one of the best bargaining chips a mother can have.

 

Marshmallows are small, crumbless and fun to eat.  They are compact enough to carry on the go and come in all sorts of seasonal colors and shapes.

 

They are convenient, sweet and most kids love them.  Put them on a stick and they are even more appealing.

 

So the next time you need a moments of peace, need help cleaning the mess that mysteriously appeared "out of no where", need to squeeze in a workout, or a shower, or to iron for your husband and would like to conquer these feats without a small army of monsters under your feet: reach for a marshmallow.

 

The next time you need to run an unusual amounts of errands, or have to go to the craft store AGAIN, or need to type something on the computer: reach for the marshmallow.

 

Heading to church with the kids and just you??  Bring some mallows.

Need to potty train a toddler?  Get some mallows.

REALLY want to finish that episode of Downton Abbey??  Get the mallows!

Have a dream of being able to organize that bin of crap that has been looking at your for all those weeks??  Mallows are your key.

 

The lovely thing about these small treats, is just that: they are small.  A quick treat.  Don't make the mistake of giving them a bowl of them!!  Just one or two big guys or three or four minis.

 

Some parents call it "bribing".  I call it genius. 

 

Thank you Alex Doumak for giving me the ability to get through my day with enough sanity and energy to pour my glass of wine at bedtime.  You are a true American hero.

 

(Also, without him, we wouldn't have this guy:

and who wants to live in that world?!?

Not me, friends...not me.)

 

 

Happies and Crappies #5 {link up!}

Happy Friday all!

Being a stay at home mom that has a husband that works every weekend, Friday is really no different than any other day, but happy Friday to all of those who Friday is special!

Last week I did not do Happies and Crappies, because the crappies FAR out weighed the happies, and I just didn't have much free time.  I am glad that this week I had some happies I am excited to share!

Happies:

- I have had more time to blog this week.  I have done a new post almost every day and have several recipes and projects in the works for next week.  This makes me VERY happy :)

- Shockingly my mileage for March wasn't too bad.  I plan on doing at least 3 miles today and tomorrow on the treadmill and with that added 6 miles, it will bring my March total to 83 miles and my year-to-date to 227.8.  I had really wanted to do 90 but with a week with no running, that wasn't going to happen.  As the weather gets hotter, it's gets more difficult to find time to run (+ Mr. Peas's work schedule never helps) but I will figure out a way to fit it in!

- I ran the Arizona Distance Classic this past weekend.  My friend Courtney, her sister Breanne and I all did a fantastic job and it was mucho fun.  I ran the quarter marathon in 1 hour and 3 minutes and came in 68th place out of 338 people!  I had REALLY wanted to come in under an hour, but with all the crappies we had the prior week, I didn't have too much free time for running, so I can't complain.

 

Don't we just look smashing??  We barely look sweaty :)

 

 

I had a nice man take this for me.  Please don't ask me what I am doing with my hand because I don't know.  I still like the pic though.

 

 

This was as soon as Courtney and Breanne finished.  They finished at the same time, two cute sisters :)  I am proud of both of them!

 

- Easter has completely snuck up on me this year.  I feel woefully unprepared, which isn't like me!  I did get some goodies for the peas and things for their eggs.  Unfortunately Mr. Pea is working so he won't be able to join us for church or dinner.  I will save him a plate of ham, though.  The other day, we colored eggs.  We only lost one solider during battle.

 

 

Mr. Pea and Hannah

 

 

The peas.  We have been using this same Dora tablecloth for all our painting and egg dying needs since Abby was 2.

 

Mama and the peas.

 

Mama and Jake...I look tired, someone should have told me.

 

The finished product!  Yes, that is a spider man egg, of course.

 

- I had a nice play date with some of my mommy friends.  The kids played in the pool and us mama's had a margarita.  It was perfection.

 

- The kids are in full swing with their spring sports.  It is fun for them to be so busy!  Abby is taking an art class every Monday and Jake is playing T-ball.  I know four of the mama's on Jake's team.  It is fun to sit and be the "cool moms" together.

 

Crappies:

 

- The kids spring sports are KILLING me!  I have literally driving all over town.  It figures that Jake's baseball is the same two nights Abby has her art class and also CCD.  Ugg....thank heavens Mr. Pea works right down the street from her two events because I am having to rush to drive her and drop her off and then turn around and drive ALL the way back to Rita Ranch for Jacob's events while he picks her up.  I need a glass of wine just thinking of all the gas I will be using!  At least they are cute and are enjoying their activities.

 

- We toured the cemeteries for my brother-in-law.  It is a "happy/crappy".  Crappy, for obvious reasons, but a happy that Mr. Pea has found a place he feels good about.  It's a difficult decision.  I will be glad when he is at peace.  I have a very unfinished feeling in my heart that is hard to explain.  When he has his place and his stone, then we can begin to heal.  Since this is a Catholic cemetery we can only have religious icons on his stone, so no Denver Bronco, but I plan on painting some rocks to place around his stone with all his favorite things.  I did the same for my Mom's grave.  It's my way of showing how much we loved him and miss him. 

 

How was your week??  Are you ready for April, because it's almost here!