Squeek of the Week

Most of the people in my house

(with the exception of Daddy)

have spent the week feeling very crabby under the weather. 

Yesterday, Ali had a particularly rough morning. 

Exceptionally rough.

And by the afternoon, her outlook hadn't much improved.

Ali:  "UARGGH!  You are all a bunch of.. chickens!"

(She was angry about being asked to set the table)

Mom:  "We do not call names when we are angry. 

And we all have responsibilites, I'm sorry if this is a bad time for you."

(A couple seconds later.)

Mom:  "Chickens?"

Ali:  "Yeah.  Cause you're always PICKING on me." 

This morning, I kept Mia home for school because of excessive irritability.

She probably needs a good long nap.

Mom: (To Grandma on the phone in the bedroom) "Oh, she is cranky this morning!"

Mia:  (From the living room) "I!  AM!   NOT!  CRANKY!"

"You guys is all cranky!!"

Weekend In Review

Coach Daddy and 2/3 of the Cuties

spent many hours on the soccer field.

As usual...

Mommy worked and wrote a poem about her

chronic sleep deprivation:

Goodbye Nap, my dear friend

Much too soon, you had to end.

Those stinkin' Blue Angels in the sky

Woke the girls up and made them cry.

So for now, you'll have to go

And my long night be full of woe

As I get by with another cup of joe.

Tragic, isn't it? 

Evelyn cut her first tooth and developed a taste for Club crackers.  In fact, I think she finished the box.

And of course we watched football.  This IS America, after all.  We like other sports besides soccer.  Kinda.

We cheer for our favorite teams...

My Pumpkin

This kind of pumpkin is currently only available in Texas. 

Favorites!

Oh, the Cuties and I have so many favorites...  

I thought I'd take a minute and share some of them!

Etsy is fabulous!

 I never knew such a place existed until recently and now I'm addicted.  There is just something about homemade and handmade...  it's so personal, meaningful and special!  I would much rather spend a little extra money and purchase these adorable, one of a kind baby shoes from Becky, a stay at home mom of two who likes to sew in North Dakota than to grab a generic bootie from Wallyworld.  Ya know?  And you can really find some good deals - and everything can be tweeked and customized to your specifications because it's handmade.  It's my favorite place to shop!

Chai tea!

 Rooibos chai, Twinings chai, Oregon chai tea latte, Tazo chai, and homemade chai tea smoothies!
Try this recipe:
 1/4 cup honey
2 cinnamon sticks
5 whole cloves
one 1 inch piece ginger, finely chopped
7 bags black tea
1 pint vanilla low-fat yogurt
1 tsp grouond nutmeg
1 tsp ground cardamon
3 cups ice cubes

In a saucepan combine 1 cup water, the honey, cinnamon sticks, cloves and ginger over low heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Then, remove from heat, add the tea bags and let steep for 5 minutes. Strain, then let the tea cool for 20 minutes. Using blender, combine the tea, frozen yogurt, nutmeg and cardamon. Add the ice cubes and blend till smooth.  It's my favorite tea to drink!

Kushies cloth diapers!

We are using our cloth diapers about 50% of the time!  I am so proud!  We have had no issues with leaky bottoms, diaper rash or clogged toilets...    We use flushable liners that just lift out with most of the mess and flush away!  The diapers get machine washed and hung to dry!  Every time we use them, I think, "That's one less disposable diaper in a landfill!"  They're Eva's favorite diaper to wear!

Mom's Station!

Sadly, this used to be my dining room table.  It has now become my office/playroom/dining room/command central.  It is not indicitive of how the rest of my house typically looks.  Most of my house is usually quite fresh and tidy.  Except on Mondays when I'm catching up on my sleep.  Or on Tuesdays and Thursdays when I'm working on becoming a professional midwife.  Or on Friday when I'm getting ready for work.  Okay, on Wednesdays, my house is quite fresh and tidy.  Oh well.  You guessed it, this is my favorite place to be! 

And by Request....

My sister and my Mom.

They are my favorite ladies!

We Love Texas!

What a fantastic day! 

We're just loving the transition into fall!

Today we packed up 5 adorable, squirmy little kids and took them to the park. 

I think the pictures speak for themselves!

Seriously - have you seen a cuter crew??

Squeek of the Week

Mia: "When I a Mommy, know what my kids' names' be?"
Mom: "No, what?"
Mia: "Mia!"
Mom: "Really?! You're going to have a Mia too?"
Mia: "Uh huh. Yep. 'Cept she start with a L."
Mom: "Oh. Okay!"
Mia: "'An I have a Ali too!"
Mom: "Really?! Wow."
Mia: "Yep. 'Cept she gonna start with a 7. 'An know how many my kids gonna be?"
Mom: "No. How many?"
Mia: "The little sister gonna be 11 and the big sister gonna be 8."
Mom: "Okay... sure. Why not??"

Mischief and Independence

So this is actually a combo-post. I have 2 stories to share, but they are not really related... I'm feeling a little scattered today. In fact, I should be writing an essay about "cultural desire" but I can't focus.

So let's start with the mischief.

I don't know why the smattering of silver foil juice packets all over the floor of the garage never raised my suspicions before. But, as we've established, I'm sometimes a bit aloof. Joe and I buy mass quantities of caprisun, apple and Eve, and those organic chocolate milk boxes for lunches and on-the-go. They are otherwise off-limits.

As I walk from the car to the house I have often wondered "Hmm, whose empty juice box fell out of their lunch sack?" Yes, I'm serious. That was my exact thought.

Yesterday I nearly tripped over an upright, straw in place, box of chocolate milk. I stood there and considered the milk. Clearly, it didn't fall out of a lunch sack. It's almost as if it were set there carefully. But in the garage? So, I bent down to pick it up and IT WAS COLD. I looked up, chocolate milk in hand, and suddenly I comprehended the sight before me.

Those little stinkers!!!

So I called the little darlings to the scene of the crime.

"Ali. Mia. It has become apparent to me that the juice boxes for lunch only have become a sort of garage-juice-buffet. Are you sneaking juice boxes and drinking them here? In the garage? In secret?"

Blank stares.

"Who is responsible for this?" Holding up chocolate milk container.

"Not me." "Not me."

So both little accomplices were sent to time out until someone came forward.

It took Mia less than 30 seconds to break.

For their sneakiness and dishonesty, they lost chocolate milk privileges for the rest of the weak. Gasp!! And Daddy is currently looking into a padlock for the fridge. Just kidding.

After cleaning up all the empty containers, Mia says "Mom, I a little kid. Sometimes I just be naughty. Ali should know better." Oye.



So here is the independence portion of the post. You are looking at a certain 6 year old riding her bike to the park. By herself. For the first time.

Of course I snuck out after she was far enough down the street and watched her the whole way.

30 Pink Toes

One reason why I think a house full of little girls is more fun.

Happy Fall!

We've been busy baking.  Pumpkin muffins.  Amish Friendship Bread.  Brownies.  Mollasses cookies.  Cornbread.  Mmmm... we love to let the oven warm up the kitchen and to walk around the house smelling the sweet, yummy smells.  It's one of my favorite things about the changing seasons!  Let it rain!  Ali likes to measure out the flour and sugar and read the recipes.  She's the "manager of baking".  Mia loves to crack the eggs and to mix the dough.  She's a very eager assistant.  And Eva likes to observe.  And sample. 

Identity Crisis

With Ali in school all day, I spend most of my time conversing with Mia.  Or Zoe.  Or Kellia.  Or whoever she decides she is that day.  It was pretty cute at first - to see her exercising her little imagination and pretending to be someone else.  But it's gotten downright ridiculous now. 

Mom:  "Mia, will you please run and grab me a diaper for your sister?"

Mia:  "My name Miranda".

Mom:  "Oh, sorry.  Miranda, would you please go get a diaper for Eva."

Mia:  "Her name Lollia"

Mom:  "Miranda, please go get a diaper for Lollia right now!" 

Mia:  "Okay Grandma".

Mom:  "And I am NOT Grandma!!"   (no offense, Grandma.)

The pretending continues as soon as Ali comes home from school.  The girls have taken over the dining room with their "house".  All afternoon I listen to them play, read each other bedtime stories, cook each other dinner and....

 occasionally they create their own holidays.  Yes, yesterday was "National Ali and Mia Day" complete with handmade decorations and "gifts".  The girls posed each other and took these pictures themselves. 

Scary enough?

Ali and Mia LOVE to listen to their Pop-pop tell them stories. He is a great story teller. Often, they try to get me to tell them stories, but the effect isn't quite the same. I keep trying though!

Today Mia asked me to tell her a "scary" story. We all know of Mia's fear/fascination with "wolfses" so I choose to tell a slightly altered version of the Three Little Pigs.

In my version, all the little pigs end up safe in the oldest pig's brick house with the wolf asleep in the front yard, tired from all that huffin' and puffin'. The end.

Mia: "But then what? When the wolf wakeded up, then what?"

Mommy: "Well, the wolf gave up on the pigs and ran clear out of the forest all the way to the ocean where he got on a boat and sailed away. The end."

Mia: "But that's not very scary."

Mommy: "No? Well, when the wolf got onboard the boat, he was still hungry so he gobbled up all the sailors. Then there was nobody to sail the boat, so the wolf is still out there..."

Mommy: "Uh, yeah, but... the piggies were happy and danced all the way to their mother's house and she made them a mud pie."

Mia: "and cake?"

Mommy: "Yes. And cake. The end."

Glad I didn't tell her about Little Red Riding Hood.

Ooooh...

Have you ever heard of picnik?

I was drooling over some gorgeous pictures of my friend Shandal's babies and she disclosed that she uses this free site to edit her photos. Now isn't that smart?

Check out my first attempts...

Of course, no amount of editing can do my little muses justice.

Or Miss. Shandal's.

Okay, Greta..

My friend Greta was blog-stalking and came across the idea of listing 10 random things about yourself. Her list was really cute. Now, I've done this before, but here are some new random things...
1. I distinguish between "dirty" and "messy". Toys on the floor: messy. (doesn't bother me so much.) Sticky patches on the kitchen floor: dirty. (can't live with it.)
2. I claim marching band as my high school sport.
3. I have really bad "stroller-envy".
4. I sometimes forget how long its been since I bathed my children.
5. I am not known for my wonderful driving skills.
6. I rarely use my children's given names, calling them instead "Squeeker", "Meatball", and "Loosey Moosey".
7. I've never mowed the lawn. Thank you, honey.
8. I've tried, but I just don't like watching sports on TV. I'd rather take a nap.
9. I hate to be home alone at night. You think my kids have over-active imaginations??
10. I get furious when I see unrestrained children in moving vehicles or parents texting. I will fantasize about following you into the parking lot and lecturing you on responsible parenting and safety. At the very least, I will memorize your license plate number and turn you in. Be warned.