Mommy Monday

I've been thinking about the value of a day. I read alot on Ashley's blog - Under the Sycamore - about how she wants to live intentionally. I guess I've had to read her vision of what that means several hundred times for it to sink in for me, because I'm starting to get it.

When I spent a recent day building a train set for a preschooler and staring into the eyes of newborn I found myself asking what the value of this day was. And immediately I knew that the value was just in me being there, participating in their lives. It may feel like I measure my days by the loads of laundry and sink full of dishes I am able to complete, but just because I'm doing "nothing" doesn't mean it's not worth anything.

The Ultimate Mommy Monday

39 and a half weeks of pregnancy joys and pains broght me this

And we couldn't be happier.

My life is broken into 2-3 hour increments

I forgot how tiny newborn diapers are

Newborn burps are G-ross

The skin is sooooo soft

I'm surprised by the amount of love I have for both my daughterS

I LOVE saying "my daughterS"

I'm tired....naptime

=)

Mommy Monday

The "Monday" part of Mommy Mondays is slightly relative. Let's just say this all took place on a day that's more along the lines of "Sunday."

But this is how Whirlwind and I passed some time before going to church on Sunday morning. Please note the tutu dress and wings. This is standard operating procedure most days. It's that or naked. I'll take what I can get.

But Whirlwind really does enjoy her watercolor paints. She'll even repeat the mantra I've drilled into her head: Water...Paint...then Paper! I'm so OCD.

I tried to take more pictures to capture the concentrated look on her face, but shortly thereafter she said "No Mommy, put that (camera) away." I have no idea where she gets these control issues from.

Later in the afternoon we moved along to a craft more for me. I lugged my box of paper supplies from the basement to the kitchen and made a few Valentine Day cards. I can't let this craft-tastic holiday get away without making something!

Whirlwind occupied her time with using random objects as stand ins for the characters on her favorite movie. I love to listen to her in the background repeating the key and sometimes random phrases she's memorized after watching a movie upteem times. (Don't worry, the cap on the glue bottle is closed.)

But I had all this pretty paper and not enough cards to make, so I couldn't stop there. I cut out quite a few hearts and I'll be turning these into a project soon enough. Right now the pile of paper hearts are sitting on our stairs and I'm just waiting for my handsome husband to get fed up with my multiplying piles!

I also used the last of the paper to cover this hot chocolate can (courtesy of modge podge). I covered the two containers on the left earlier this year, but I don't know what to do with them yet. I wish I had finally hunkered down to try these projects before Christmas, actually made Christmas cookies, and then delivered said cookies to friends and family in these containers. Oh well. There's always next year, when I'll have two kids trying to destroy the Christmas tree.

Mommy Monday

So this is what a sleeping toddler looks like.

 As a side note I've really enjoyed reading Under the Sycamore. Ashley not only shows glimpses into an inspirational world, but she also has great tips for photography, even for us point and shoot users. She wrote a tutorial for Lil Blue Boo and I used tip # 6 for the photo below. When I focused on Whirlwind's face versus the snowy background I got two very different pictures. Take a look and learn something new!

Mommy Monday

It's a Mommy Monday. We're off coloring, painting and pounding playdough (stored in those nifty hot cocoa tins) while it rains outside.

Don't forget to enter for a chance to win this delectable flower hair clip.

Did I mention I'll send it to you free of charge if you win?

Mommy Monday

Well this Mommy Monday content actually occured over the weekend. In accordance with my love of rainbows I found some rainbow toddler activities on Pink and Green Mama. I've wanted to do the rainbow rice activity for months now. I finally bought the rice and a plastic tub. Then several weeks later I actually got everything out and made it.

Here it is pre toddler mixing.

Here it is during.

Here is a great reminder to do this activity during warm weather so you can do it outside.

And when it was all said and done we played for maybe 5 or 10 minutes and then I couldn't stop her from trying to eat it. So we were done. Months and weeks of planning this activity and then 5 minutes of fun. Live and learn. I only wish I had done it sooner so I could have more warm days in front of me to get the rice out again for play time. But it's getting cold over here. We'll see how long the rice lasts in the tub...

Mommy Monday

Wake up to an early bird toddler

Let her cuddle in our bed so I can get 5 more minutes of sleep

Enjoy sneaking out of bed for breakfast while she's still asleep

Breakfast is interrupted

Wave goodbye to daddy

Wrangle toddler into brushing teeth and getting dressed

Groceries

Pharmacy (where I leave my wallet in the car - toddler learns new word)

Sesame Street/Teleconference

Toddler eats an entire bowl of watermelon, animal crackers, and grapes

Look for her hollow leg

Naptime - for both of us

An apple pie and veggie burgers are produced in my kitchen

Toddler wakes up

Convince toddler that putting on clothes and going to a play date will be "lots of fun"

Thank God for play dates and getting out of the house

Come home to daddy!!!!

Toddler watches whale videos on youtube/ I make pizza for dinner

Toddler actually eats pizza for once - 2 slices - check other leg to see if it is hollow

Bath time - immense gigling ensues for mommy and toddler

Bed time - mommy goes awol while daddy reads bed time stories

Mommy mysteriously reappears for cuddle time

night night

Mommy Monday

This felt like a doozy of a Mommy Monday. Remind me to write about a mundane day so you don't think I try too hard.

Enjoy the blessing of waking up before my daughter by eating breakfast in silence and calm

Hear the sound of babble from upstairs

Listen to daughter tell husband to go away

Go upstairs to fetch daughter

Lose my temper trying to dress her

Stomp downstairs and listen to husband wrestle her clothes on

Finally get daughter downstairs to say goodbye to husband

Feed her breakfast

Bribe convince daughter to go to grocery store

Actually find everything I need and get away with a small bill

Return home to bribe watch Sesame Street

Peel and core 18 apples to make apple sauce

Feed daughter a snack

Draw with markers

Convince her it's nap time

Read a nap time book and go downstairs to finish apple sauce

Start canning apple sauce

Hear the sound of babble from upstairs

Go upstairs and sing a song to convince daughter to sleep (IT WORKS!!!)

Start boiling apple peelings and cores for apple jelly

Finish canning apple sauce - Start to boil apple juice into jelly

Juice boils over (twice) and burns sugar water all over my stove top

Two out of four burners are now out of commission - lengthening the time to can the jelly

2 hours later hear the sound of babble from upstairs - still trying to scrap burned sugar water off of stove

Cuddle in mommy and daddy's bed with her multitude of stuffed animals

Keep sneaking away to clean up the kitchen

Snack

Convince daughter to come outside and clean the inside of my car

Give her the umbrella to entertain her for 20 minutes (I love that thing!)

Clean car - even remove coffee stains (husband and sister are no longer allowed to drink coffee in my car)

Listen to intense storm pass right by as I we play in the stroller in the driveway

Make daughter go inside because storm sounds so imminent

More snacks

Do a load of laundry

Call daddy to ask him to bring home a razor blade thingy to save the stove

Daddy walks in the door

Daughter freaks out - Mommy loses her temper again (what a way to start and end the day!)

Watch daddy load up trees he cut down yesterday and move them to the garden

(he's making raised beds for me!!!)

Hang up laundry to dry

Make dinner on the grill because the stove is out out out

Feed everyone

Read a million (okay - more like 6 or 7 - still)

Convince daughter to take a bath

Chase her until she's naked and stick her in the tub

Lose my temper putting her pajamas on

Make daddy take over bed time stories and cuddling

Toastmaster phone call for running Youth Leadership Program next week (~nervous~)

Get laundry off the line and into the dryer after reading a chance of rain overnight

Refuse to make bread for tomorrow's lunch

Watch half a movie - fall asleep on the couch

Nighty-night

Mommy Mondays

Daughter woke up cold (and therefore early)

Cuddle in bed for 5 more minutes of sleep

Wake up starving (nothing new)

Eat oatmeal

Convince Daughter to come downstairs and eat

Say goodbye to Daddy

Read same book 3 times

Trick Daughter into brushing her teeth

Daughter pretends to take nap on floor and refuses to leave the upstairs again

Hang up laundry to dry

Convince Daughter to come downstairs for a snack

Cook goop (anything goes) with Daughter

Make crackers (I'm crazy, I know)

Cook chickpeas for hummus

Watch Sesame Street

Play soccer outside (we're both still in our pajamas at this point and proud of it)

Change out of my pajamas because it's getting hot outside, not because I'm respectable

Take down dry laundry

Play in kiddie pool

(therefore convincing Daughter to take off pajamas and the coat she has acquired,

hence staving off heat stroke)

Convince Daughter to take a nap

Waste 2 hours making a budget

Run upstairs to retreive a screaming Daughter

Make hummus

Start chicken soup for dinner (while feeding multiple snacks to Daughter)

Go for a walk

Play soccer outside

Ride tricycle

Paint driveway with cornstarch paint

Read more books

Wander and run down hills

Celebrate the arrival of Daddy

Eat dinner

Go to work meeting

Sneak in an ice cream cone

Put my Daughter to bed

night night