Catch up posts..

- This weekend has worn me out!  Friday, I took the girls to school, then had my meeting at the preschool regarding my conference.  It went ok.  I was much more calmer then I was last week thank goodness, but just even more confused now in a way.  The head said that they have kept an eye on my child and another one in the class because of how young they were, and that the teachers actually did recommend for the other child to be placed in the 2 year old class, but that they have felt like Emily is fine in the 3's.  The head also said most of the things that the teacher said Emily isn't doing in class isn't expected to be done until by the end of the year, so it's no big deal if she isn't doing somethings.  I wish the teacher would have made that clear.  So from my conversation with this lady, Emily is doing fine, and age appropriate for the class per her, the teach just concentrated on what my child isn't doing, and maybe she was just trying to point out what we can work on, but it just came out wrong.  I honestly think this teacher is a nice person, but I am still firm on the fact that teaching preschoolers just isn't for her, and will be sending my letter in to the board of directors.  So as for next year, I am going to do what I want to do, and I am trying to figure out now if that means placing her back in the 3's with another teacher, or doing the 4 year class twice.  I have to have my form in for it by next Friday so that doesn't give me much time, so let's hope we do the right thing.  The head of the program still really feels keeping her back an extra 4 year tends to be the best.  But as her parent that's going to be up to me.  She did express that if your heading to public school it's best to hold the child back in  preschool before they reach Kindergarten, (if you were in a private preschool) as once they get in public school the system makes it near impossible to hold them back, as there is a push to just shove them through.  How heart breaking for the kids....

- So enough about my meeting, I then ran a bunch of errands, took Emily to a follow up eye doctor appointment, played out side with the kids, hosted the slumber party, etc.  Saturday morning with visited my grandmother who is at a nursing home for rehab.  It's so sad to see her like she is.  I don't think she's improving, and given that she's 94, I don't know if she will improve much.  We spent the rest of the day outside playing hard.  Such wonderful weather!  We rode bikes, ran around the street, and Dave worked on cleaning out the garage (story of his life). By the end of the day everyone was passed out in the den, and had to be woken up for dinner. 

- Today we have a birthday party to head to for one of Rachel's classmates, and I am sure we will be back outside doing something fun.  The weekends are just never long enough are they??

 

Slumber party fun...

My sweet oldest child had her friend over to spend the night Friday.  My child loves this little girl, and looks up to her so much. She's two grades above her, and my childhood best friends niece, but they hit it off at school, and that just makes me smile.  We ordered pizza, watched Dolphin Tale, painted nails, and did a craft.  I was short on ideas for a craft, so we just did the valentine door hanging tissue craft.  We did this last year.  I just cut out a heart from the pizza box that we had, and let the girls glue balled up pieces of red tissue all over it.   The girls had fun, and even passed out half way early, which was good because I was zonked.  They were ready to roll though Saturday morning, and we were dressed and outside riding bikes and playing by 8am lol.  Such cuties!
 

My mom heart is full...

My daughters school starts each day off with Chapel in the morning.  Yesterday, her class was singing a song in front of their school in church, so my husband, girls, and mother in law and I, made sure we didn't miss it.  I had never been to one of their chapel services before, but my husband and I were very impressed with how well behaved all of the children were.  I just love this school.  Laura's class sang the Butterfly song, and I was just so proud of her!  During her preschool years, Laura would never sing in front of others.  She would stand and look terrified!  Yesterday, she looked so confident, and was having a blast up there with her classmates.  I told her a thousand times before I went back to work, and when I got home last night how proud I am of her.  She has requested to have a friend over for a sleepover tonight, and by goodness I am making that happen.  

Signs...

I have been feeling overwhelmed lately, and I have been feeling like that for a while.  I think it's just a natural feeling for moms, but I was trying to brain storm ways to make it easier on me, or manage it better.  I know I don't do the best job managing anxiety and stress.  In the past I have even taken medication to try to help with it.  I stopped taking it about two years ago or so.  I think it did help somewhat, it helped my mind keep from constantly racing, and helped me not be so snappy, but it also made me lazy, tired all of the time, and though it kept me a lot calmer, the energy was just zapped out of me.  This lead to weight gain, and then being made at myself for not having enough energy to do other things I wanted.  Don't get me wrong, I think medication can be life saving for people, but it can't be something that people use long term.  You have to get to the source of the problem.

I do feel exercising has helped with me relieving stress a great deal. That's generally my "me" time.  Often it's just 1/2 an hour, always no more then 45minutes, but it helps so much for my mood.  I didn't have time to work out yesterday so maybe that's why I was stressed more then usual.

It's really hard being a working mom, but at the same time I am lucky it's only 4 days a week, and it can be flexible.  My husbands schedule is the exact opposite of flexible, with his line of work, and working nights is hard.  I am so jealous of people who have their husbands home every weekend, who work normal hours, and are going to be home every holiday.  But in the other hand I do have that stress, but I am so blessed that my parents help watch the girls when we work, without them I  know our stress would be soooo much greater.

Do I wish I was a stay at home mom?  You betcha, but we have to provide for our children, and this is how it has to be unless we win the lottery. 

I often wish I was involved in more.  I tried to relieve a lot more stress earlier this year, and dropped every commitment with the exception of one which is a woman's organization.  To be honest, I almost dropped out of that too, and had even looked into the process of taken a years leave from it.  I figured I would need something extra for me, and I wanted to be a part of something that does so much good.  However, lately it's been hanging heavy on my heart lately.  With so much going on and making adjustments, I don't feel like I have been pulling my weight on my comittee that I am on.  I know I haven't, but I honestly have not had the time to do what I need to do.  Work has been busy, and when I come home I do even more work with the kids, cleaning, etc, that I feel like the organiztion is just too much for me to handle.  I can't give what I need to, to it, and I feel bad, and I am worried my committee is going to think I am awful.  I was sitting at home last night before I had to go to the meeting  I was trying to make Cheese Straws before I left for it that I had picked to make, those ended in crumbles as I did something wrong.  Then I was doing home work with my oldest daughter, and was trying to rush her so we could finish it before I had to leave, which isn't fair to her when she's just 5, and then I had to wake my husband up so he could get up earlier then usual since I now had to go to the grocery store and buy cheese straws since I goofed on cooking them.  While I was in the store buying them I teared up, and was thinking how I just needed to drop out of this organization too, as I am just not pulling my weight.

I was seriously sitting in the chairs around all of these women, thinking to myself how I just need to get home and get things done and be with my children, when my name is called.  I had won a headband for registering for the 8k.  Then a little later another basket comes out, and everyone who had met another requirement was entered in a contest to win a complete dinner cooked from the cookbooks our organization sells to be prepared and brought to your house to feed your family.  I freaking won that too.  Don't get me wrong, I was really excited to win these things, but I felt awful for sitting there the whole time pretty much just planning on writing a letter to drop out.  I am guessing those are some signs, maybe from God telling me not to.  I feel bad for winning, as there are women who make this organization their life, and do such awesome things, and here I am doing the minimum, and I get these wonderful rewards.    I wish I could be more involved, and I don't know how some of these ladies do it.  I have met some nice ladies, but I have not been able to get really close with anyone as I have just have not been able to take the time to do some of the bonding/social things, and being such a worry wart get the better of me.  I know I need to finish out the year as I committed to it, and I don't like to quit anything, but I hate feeling like I am letting my family down at the same time.  I wish I was a super mom like many of these women seem to be. 

I have to say though, winning that meal meant so much to me, as I am going to have an awesome meal, made for me and my family for free, and wow, that can't be beat!

Getting old...

My husbands birthday was Tuesday, he's 33 now.  We celebrated it over three days.  Sunday we went to a new restaurant that opened called Smoke, with another couple we are friends with, and their little girls.  We had heard mainly good reviews, but a few people had said they didn't care for it.  I am glad we went, as the food was really good.  It's a BBQ place, and has a feel of County Grill with the different BBQ sauces available, but my husband was in heaven.  The pulled pork was awesome, the baked beans were my favorite part of my meal though I have to admit!  Monday, we had his family party party.  We were going to keep it simple with just cake and icecream, but after watching Pioneer Woman's first show of this season on the Food Network, Dave annouced he was going to cook the meal she made, and he wanted to do it.  I offered to help or to make it all together, he refused saying it was going to be fun for him to make it.  That's all I needed to hear =).  I did make his cake though =).
He made Pioneer Woman's Pulled Pork Spicey Pop BBQ, her cole slaw from that show, and her flat apple pie.  I thought it was all pretty tasty, but it is hard to beat BBQ cooked in a smoker... so he has decided to go back to how he usually makes it next time.  My cake was hilarious looking despite my efforts to watch every Pinterest tip on icing cakes.  Oh well, it tasted pretty good I thought =).  I made home made cream cheese icing, and the cake part was chocolate that I got the recipe from on the back of the Hershey Coco can.  

The girls and I spoiled him with a leather heavy bag for working out in the garage that he's been talking about, some etched glasses with a particular skull he's been wanting that I had made off of Etsy, and there was a good deal on a Groupon on our area for a massage, that I snatched up, since he loves getting those.  It's his inner girl =).

On his actual birthday we went to Plaza for a quick dinner, and we enjoyed some yummy Mexican and fried ice cream. 

French Toast adventures....

There is a small locally owned resterant next door to the gym that Dave and I go called Papaou George's. It's kind of tourturing to walk in and out of the gym and smell the amazing food coming from the place. They are only open for breakfast and lunch, but truth be told we have never been there for lunch.  The breakfast is amazing though, and very reasonably priced (cheap works).  We don't go out for breakfast much, but when we do we usually end up there.  I also tell myself that supporting a small business at the same time is multi tasking.  Food for my belly and good deeds for our local area.  The owner is also super nice and gives the best service.  One of my favorite things to order when we go is the French Toast breakfast special. It's soooo good.  Some french toast with a side of bacon and scrambled eggs just hits the spot.

I have made baked french toast on many occasions.  The kind that you prep the night before and then bake in a dish in the morning in the oven.  I had been wanting to try to make it the traditional way in a skillet, but just hadn't gotten around to it.  I make pancakes and waffles all of the time, so it was time to venture out and try something new for me.  I saw a link this morning on a cook books fan page this morning, and figured I needed to try this morning.  I did end up using half and half instead of milk because I had just used up the last of our milk, and I added a dash of cinnamon.  The husband gave a me two thumbs up for this one, and I found it so easy to make.  If you would like to try it out go HERE  Maybe I shouldn't have done such a good job though, so we can still go to Papaou Georges.... 

Strike a pose....

My husband likes to joke on me for taking pictures of myself with my iphone.  That handy dandy camera on the front of it is really helpful though, and honestly I never have a mirror on me, so often I use it for a mirror if I need one.  I also like to capture good hair days, hehe.  And face it, being the mommy often means you don't have many pictures of yourself, as I am the one always behind our camera, so if I want a new facebook profile photo I just take it myself.

While I was getting a shower yesterday my daughter Rachel decided to play with my phone.  One of her sisters tattled on her while I was blow drying my hair, and I was eager to just finish the process so I just said it was ok.  Later on though I discovered that Rachel herself loves the iphone camera a little bit.  She had take over 40 pictures, mainly of herself in about a 5 minute time span.  Oh yes, she likes the camera. 



The first one was a little blurry.

But soon she got the hang out of it, and was cheesing and posing like it was her job.

Then she got all artsy and started taking pictures of her toys.  I like this one she captured of Woody.

 

She's hilarious, and obviously totally my daughter =)