School

Second day of school but this is when we got around to taking the picture.  

First Day of School.   Everyone is excited.  

Things I want to remember right now.

1.  Fulton was so sad he did not get to wear a uniform this year.   One the first day of school we were getting ready and he said "Oh no, we have to go to the store and get my school outfit."   I assured him he had one more year before he "got" to wear the school uniform.

2.  Fulton is excited about his new light up shoes.  I bought them at the store when he was not with me.  I called to ask him what shoes he wanted and he said spider man shoes like the ice-cream.  HA!  How does he even know who spider man is...well I guess he doesn't since he thinks it's spider man ice-cream.   

3.  We are two days into school and Fulton loves it.   He is sad there is a break over labor day.  

This guy starts school in about two weeks.  I can't wait to hear how his speech will improve with the extra help.  Today I asked him: "John Paul, do you like transformers, Dinotrux, or Stars Wars."  He said "I ik  St rs."   Bill and I could have cried over his cuteness.  He is the best.  We love when he makes an effort to talk.  So sweet to hear his sounds.  

Reflections on 30

I think at 30 it is really clear that the past ten years really paved the way for the next ten years, and if I could meet myself at 20 I would simply say, keep going, carry on, you got this.  I know you are a creature of habit, you like things neat, organized, and simple. When things get difficult you are known to talk to yourself, so again I say, keep going, carry on, you got this.   

At 20 you worked three jobs, shut down the library writing research papers, followed by shutting down Buffalo Wild Wings the night after to celebrate (because you always did run with such a WILD crowd-haha).  You won’t regret any of that.  The classes, the professors, the roommates, the friends, the being totally broke, you won’t ever regret it.  So keep going, carry on, you got this.

At 22 you will student teach 35 third graders in the inner city.  It is exactly the city you grew up in, but oh so different than your childhood.  It is will be draining not only physically but emotionally too, and you will still be broke. You will wonder what the heck you are doing.  Guess what?  You won’t regret it.  So keep going, carry on, you got this.

At just a few weeks short of twenty three, you will meet someone who will change your life forever.  He is smart, funny, deeply Catholic, and college educated.  On paper he is his everything you want and more.  But something far greater than the organized check list you make is really pulling you on this one.  You are the girl who worries and questions everything and you have not a SINGLE doubt about this guy.  In fact, you feel like you can totally and completely be you around him.  You realize you have really opened yourself up to vulnerability with this guy, but nothing has ever felt more right.  Guess what?  At 30, you won’t have any doubts.  He will still be the one thing in your life you are most certain of.  So keep going, carry on, you got this.    

 At twenty three you will get that dream job you worked hard for in college.  It will thrill and excite you.  It will be more challenging than you ever imagined.      You will love it.  You will become better at it each year.   However, at twenty eight you will be ready end that chapter of your life.  At twenty six you became a mom.  It was amazing and beautiful and changed your life.   Now, at twenty eight you are ready to say goodbye to the career and devote yourself entirely to being a wife and mom.  You won’t regret this, keep going, carry on, you got this.   

Here you are at 30. You are a stay at home mom with three kids.  Admittedly some days are long.  You spend a lot of time doing laundry, reading aloud books, making and preparing three meals and day plus snacks.  You aim to keep the days slow.  Your kids thrive on this.  You have learned to love this.  There is nothing greater than these long slow days.   I imagine you won’t regret these moments with these children, so keep going, carry on, you got this.      

*This picture is from 29 year old, but it sums up daily life at 30 years old as well.

One thing that keeps me going recording memories of family and creating these pages is how much joy my children and husband get looking at them.   Along the way I have learned you don't have to create the "perfect" page; just make something and your family is sure to love it.

Around Here

Some of our summer harvest

Refrigerator Pickles

This girl loves her green beans

Fulton begged to use my camera to take a picture. This cow painting in our mud room is what he choose to take a picture of.

So glad I did not spend a lot of money on my furniture because something like this is happening almost every day.  

Luck, Blessings, and Gifts

The truth is that sometimes I lie in bed at night and think about my children and just how LUCKY they are.  They are lucky to have food.  They are so lucky to have a warm bed at night.  They are so lucky to go to a school with teachers who want to teach.   They are so lucky to have two parents that love each other and two parents that love them.  And maybe "lucky" just isn't the right word, maybe I should call this "blessings" or "gifts."

My heart breaks when I think this.  Not because I don't want this for my children, because I so very very much do.  No, my heart breaks for the mothers lying in bed at the same time as me wide awake with worry because they don't have food for their children to eat, or warm clothes, or who are wondering how they are going to make rent.  My heart breaks for mother's who are stuck sending their children to a school that they just know is not a good fit for their child but they have no other options.

My heart breaks and I think how can I get my children to GET THIS.  How can I get my children to see their "luck," "their blessings,"  "their gifts."  How can I get my children to be so very grateful with what they have and and to use these resources wisely.

How can I get my children to realize that life and meaning and purpose is not in collecting the most toys or wearing the most expensive name brands.   Life and meaning and purpose is about learning to give of ourselves not just financially but emotionally too.

And then I pray.  I pray that no mater what income my children are at as they grow into adulthood, that they learn to budget wisely, and be truly content in order that they may give some of their earnings away.    I pray that they learn to truly love someday and realize that being in a marriage and being a parent means really giving of yourself to the point where it is hard.  Because true love, true giving of yourself in marriage and parenthood is difficult.  But all the giving is oh so very beautiful and that is when life truly becomes meaningful.

5 Easy Ways I Keep the Grocery Bill "Lower"

Oh man.  I was just NOT prepared for how much food children eat.  Here is how I help keep my grocery bill "lower."

1.  No Juice.  One glass of milk at breakfast only.  (This also keep the kids from filling up on milk only).  The rest of the day we drink water.

2.  Go meatless a couple days a week.  Black bean burgers, pinto bean enchiladas, and Chile are some of our favorite meatless meals.

3.  Limit snacks.  I try and limit the snacks the children eat.  They eat better at dinner then too.  I keep bananas and clementines on the counter for a between meal option and that is about it.  

4.  Plan  meals around the weekly sale ad.

5.  Stock up on essentials when they go really cheap.  About every 5-6 weeks my local grocery store will run a 10 items for 10 dollars and get the 11th item free deal.  Every item that is in the sale that we eat on a regular basis I buy in bulk (whole wheat bread, frozen waffles, frozen veggies, toothpaste etc.)

*Kids help themselves to breakfast.

Thoughts on giving up facebook

Recently I gave up Facebook.  Let me tell you friends, it has been life changing!  I know for some moms Facebook is really their once opportunity to stay in touch with family who lives far away or their one connection with reality outside of diapers and laundry.  For one time in my life it served that purpose, but then it just became the opposite and it took away from real life.  It was time for me personally, to give up Facebook. I wanted to take some time to absorb life and live in the moment.   Daily I have made an effort to read more, pray more, and spend time with my children.
At the end of the day I get to reflect on the day (rather than get lost in facebook).  Reflections at the end of the day...

Did I take the time to feed my children good food?
Did I make an effort to keep our home organized and clean?
Did I spend time playing with the kids?   Did I read to them?   Did I take the children outside?
Did I spend some time in prayer?   Did I pray aloud so my children can hear me?
Did I make an effort to do at least one load of laundry to prevent it from piling up?

If I can answer yes to these questions then YES it has been a great day.

Being a stay at home mom is hard.  What truly makes it difficult is finding the beauty and goodness in these never ending task...cooking, cleaning, laundry  the then hitting repeat the next day.  It has been a process for me, and still is, to find joy in these everyday task that serve my family.  I can say that my family is my life and I am proud of it.  I want to look back at these precious moments and say, yes, I gave it my all.  These children will only be 1, 2, and 4 once. They deserve my everything as a mother and homemaker.