Facebook Envy

Have you read any of the recent articles on Facebook Envy? I find them slightly funny and all too true. Do you have certain acquaintances who seem to have everything together and the perfect life? I have a few that make me mad (not really, but I do get a little envious) because their kids are on the perfect routine, they get solid sleep, their house is always clean, they are always having fun and they are cute to boot! Really? How do they do it? Or do they.... I don't really buy it. You know, the more I think about it, we are all sinners. We all have issues. Some are more evident than others but none of us live a perfect life. So, just in case any of you thought even for a second that this messy life I'm living is better than yours, I'm doing this post just for you. To make you happier about your own life, though mine is greatly blessed, it is nowhere near perfect. And I want to take you into the nitty-gritty, the part that most don't see or hear:

For the past 4 years, I have rarely slept for a solid period longer than 3 hours. My average total sleep per night is 6 hours.

I have some days that my kids nap well. Most of the time though, I'm lucky to get Pike to sleep for a solid hour.

I complain daily about how tired I am, (Obviously this is a HUGE crutch in my life right now,) how much I wish my kids would sleep, how much I need a break!

I sometimes send all three of my kids to their beds, they all three cry, just so that I don't yell or spank them in anger. Sometimes I just need space to think, gain patience and move on.

My toilet is dirty right now.

My floors have had spilt milk under Jovie's place at the table for 4 days now. Maybe I'll get it mopped today...maybe not!

We have termites in our wall. Gross! And it's expensive to treat. Don't worry, we're getting them treated this week. There goes my shopping spree!

Jovie asked this morning, "mom, you happy?" to which I responded, "yes. I'm happy." She then said, "you just grumpy." This conversation takes place regularly. Sometimes she responds, "you just grumpy." Sometimes it's, "you just tired." Either way, she's right.

I am sick of figuring out meals and cooking. If there were better restaurants around here, we'd be eating out every night of the week. I just don't want to think about it!

We have weeds growing everywhere! The lower lawn (if you can call it that) is completely covered in moss and honestly, we'll keep it that way because we have to mow it less.

I feel so pathetic, I haven't read a book from front to back in years. And this isn't because of kids. It's because I am lazy.

I have belly fat. Yup. I do. Three kids does that to you. Well, and the fact that I eat dessert almost every night. I am working on getting it off BUT not hard enough.

My bedroom is only clean about 2 days out of the month. It's the last on my list. It's easy to close the door when company comes over and that's just the way it is. If you have seen it clean, consider yourself lucky!

I get mad at my kids sometimes. Even little Pike. I'm not proud of this fact, just being real.

Sometimes Stephen drives me nuts! (Again, just being real :o)

I like the idea of baking with my kids. In actuality, it's a ton of work and it doesn't happen very often these days. When it does happen, I find it stretches my patience immensely.

I've wasted about 1 1/2 hours on the internet today and my toilet is still dirty and my floors have still not been mopped. Whether these things end up clean tonight, you may never know!

There you have it. This is the honest-to-goodness me. I hope you feel good about yourself. Because tomorrow, I will most likely be posting the good things in my day...all three of them! Just kidding.

He is Risen!

Over the weekend, we celebrated the fact that Christ arose and is alive. Celebrating with family and friends cannot be beat. I love it! Saturday morning we feasted on chocolate and almond croissants, scrumptious eggs and ham and an assortment of fruit, with Stephen's family. The kids had a blast searching for hidden eggs and they ended the hunt by finding the most treasured prize, God's Word.

These are the remnants of a breakfast enjoyed.

Opening their eggs and discovering all of the candy!

The kids on the hunt for the treasure.

Grandma Therese explaining why the bible is the best treasure. (Jovie found this special prize and it also had $5 hidden inside!)

Aunt Lolo and Pike.

The kids getting ready to enjoy the giant chocolate bunny that Great Grandpa Elven gave to them.

On Sunday, the kids woke up to their Easter baskets and an egg hunt in the living room. We celebrated with my family that afternoon. We ate braised BBQ beef, three bean casserole, an assortment of salads and desserts. I made a fresh fruit tart with pastry cream to share. The kids enjoyed another Easter egg hunt and we now have more candy in this house than we should eat in a year!

Jovie finding eggs.

Looking through their baskets.

I'm craving...

vacation!

A night in a luxurious hotel.

A family trip to Disneyland!

A boat ride through the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy.

Sipping a coffee at a busy cafe in Paris.

An exciting day of shopping in New York.

A relaxing day at the beach in Maui.

How about you? Where would you go?

all ears

Next to Stephen, my mom is my best friend. I call on her for anything and everything from how to make a pumpkin pie to how to potty train a child. She is all ears when I'm excited about some idea that I've concocted which may or may never come true. She is my help when I'm in desperate need. She is my sounding wall when I need to vent about kids and life. I've been thinking about how much I complain. Over the past few weeks, I've complained to my mom a lot about how little sleep I've had, how hard it is to take care of sick kids, how exhausted I am with everything. She simply listens and sympathizes and encourages me that it is a tough season and I'm doing a good job. You know what I was thinking about? Why doesn't she one-up me? Why doesn't she say, "oh yeah, you think you have it rough, think about me!"? Here's a brief example of one point in life in my mom's shoes: she had 3 teenagers (13,14,16) keeping her up late, a newborn baby (Racer) waking through the night, a toddler (Hutton) who cried in the middle of the night because he had to go potty, and a near 4-year-old (Piper) who had just been diagnosed with type 1 (juvenile onset) diabetes who required blood sugar tests and sometimes shots in the middle of the night. On top of all this, she and my dad had just opened a small business (United Package Express) in Aberdeen on top of my dad's full time job as a UPS driver. Oh, and she home-schooled us all! Wow! And that was when there were just 6 of us kids, she has 3 more since that point in time. But, does she ever compare my little complaints which I make out to be huge with her chaotic life? No. She doesn't because she is the epitome of a selfless mother. And I have her to look up to. She simply listens and sympathizes. I want to be like my mom in so many ways and this is just one way that I hope to learn and grow from her. She is a good listener and her heart for her children (me!) is so big. I'm still learning how to be thankful in all situations and how to see the cup half full. Some days are better than others but I do know that I have it good. My life is blessed. And when I just can't take another squabble, or another cup of spilled milk, or another sleepless night, my mom is there with ears open to listen and tell me I'll get through. And if you ever need to vent or complain, call me, I want to practice being a good listener, encourager and sounding wall!

I want to be a homemaker...

I always wanted to be a mommy. Getting married and having children was the one constant goal throughout my childhood/teenage years. I always envisioned staying home to keep the house tidy and to play with the kids. I never thought about the days that we might be sick and yet mommy doesn't get a "sick day". I never thought about the days that kids, or mommy might wake up on the wrong side of the bed and just not be able to kick of the grumpys. I never really thought about the times when the laundry would consume the couch. I thought about the adorable faces, the giggles, the cuddles. I thought about the tidy house and the wife that is all dolled up in an apron with dinner coming off the burner right as daddy comes home. Everything was so perfect...in my mind. I don't write this to express how horrible it really is. It's not. In fact, I think that all of these slumps and the outrageous amounts of clothes consuming my couch, the fact that I have a crying kid at my feet if and when I do have dinner coming off the burner shows that my life is real. I have a good life and it's REAL. Perfect, no. Wonderful, yes! And in this reality Stephen loves me. God loves me. My kids love me. My parents love me. Even my in-laws love me (I'm pretty sure.) I am so thankful that all of these people in my life have supported me in my desire to be a homemaker. As much as it may be looked down upon by some, I have had nothing but encouragement. When people ask what I do, I hold my head high and say, "I stay home." I hope to encourage my girls to do the same, if they desire so. Currently their favorite book is I Want To Be A HOMEMAKER by Carla Greene published in 1961. I'll leave you with the closing line from the book:

One day Tom hung over the fence and said, "I'm going to be a pilot when I grow up."

"I'm going to be a cook, cleaner, nurse, teacher and an artist," said Jane.

"You can't be so many things," said Tom.

"Oh yes I can," said Jane. "A good homemaker is all of those things."

better late than never!

Have you ever had a project where you set a timeline to complete it only to watch that timeline come and go and you never even started on the said project? That's pretty much the story of our lives. When we purchased this house 3 years ago, the deck was rotten. The kids couldn't go out on it and we were hoping to complete the deck before our second summer in the house. But that didn't happen. Life happened. Kids happened. Nearly a year after we were planning to complete the deck it is done! Stephen continues to amaze me with his skills. Sometimes I wonder if there's anything he can't do. The kids absolutely love having a deck! I can't wait to let them eat picnic lunches out there. For now, they go out for short bursts to watch the birds or play with toys out there. Oh, and don't you love my girls' middle of the day outfits? Jovie dug that dress out of my baby clothes bin (it's just a little small) and Pear is wearing her staple- pajamas.

Calvin and Hobbes

This is in honor of Philip, Stephen and all of the other guys who discovered the fun of Calvin and Hobbes throughout their childhood.

We're starting Pike out young.