An Untouchable Moment

Now, y'all know I don't normally post twice in a week. I just don't have the time. But I just had a moment, a moment that I wanted to share and not forget.

It's been a little bit of a rough start to the week. I think coming off spring break, everyone is out of whack and out of routine. I myself was feeling a little down...was missing the easy validation one gets from working at a job. When you "work" inside the home, you rarely get those pats on the back of good job, or a mention of a great idea. You don't have colleagues coming to pick your brain for ideas. The job satisfaction comes from things like having a clean, or semi-clean in this case, house. Kids having full bellies of healthy food, and a husband who is happy to come back to his place of rest each night. These things don't often get vocalized.

But today, just now, my sweet Dillon, woke up from his nap. Kids waking up is my favorite time, their sleepy eyes, and red cheeks. I just love it.

I got a smile. A genuine happy grin of a loved and happy child that went straight to my moping heart. Then I got an, "I love you, Mom."

That was it, that's all I needed to know I am in the right spot.

Thank you Lord, for your bountiful blessings!

5 Random Questions

For this blog post I whole heartedly planned on discussing on what a "break" Spring Break really ISN'T! But I have decided that would be pretty negative and wanted to focus on the positives this morning.

So, I read this cute little questionarie off another blog I follow The Fabulous Life of a Coach's Wife and wanted to have some fun myself.

1. Have you ever testified in court? For What?

I have not, I have been called in for jury duty only one time in my life. It took more time for me to drive there than I actually spent waiting. I was dismissed right away. Yay! I got to go back to work.

2. Do you still have your wedding dress?

Yes! Of course I do. Can't fit into it, but it is boxed up nice and pretty in a keepsake box. One of these days, I will hopefully break it out and share it with my daughter. But as I have discussed before, she is NOT getting married and NEVER leaving this house.

3. Is there a special place you go when you are happy, sad, stressed, etc?

Only one place. The bath tub. One of my favorite things to do is read in the tub, and it just so happens the bathroom has locks on it. No entry for curious kids. I will take a bath for all the above, something about the soak, especially if I have Lush products, makes everything better or even MORE better!

4. If you have kids do they sleep with you?

I think I dedicated a whole blog to needing a bigger bed, read here . Yes, the kids all have had their turn sleeping with mom and dad, but two seems to be a good age to transition. But with my husband working the occasional nights, it is sometimes nice to have an extra bed buddy, or three.

5. Do you watch late night TV?

NO! If I can get in bed and be asleep by 9 pm I am ecstatic. But in my house the only thing that comes on after 10 is ESPN SportsCenter and that usually does the trick to putting me to sleep...at least until the baby wakes up again :)

There you have it folks...everything still kinda took a negative bent! And might I just add, I am SO happy Spring Break is over! I'm exhausted.

Batman

Let me tell you about the BEST/WORST $16 I have ever spent.

Last October, I was shopping at one of my favorite stores for the kids, Old Navy. As you know, that time of year is when everyone starts to break out the Halloween costumes. The last few years I have waited too long, like the day before, to get costumes and we haven't been able to find sizes or variety...me procrastinate? Go figure.

Anyway, this year I was on the ball and while I was there I went ahead and found my 3 yr old his costume. It was a fabulous, polyester one piece, Batman suit. I thought I would show it to him, and put it up for safe keeping until Halloween. Boy, was I wrong.

Came home, opened the bag, showed it to him and within 3 minutes the lil punkin had stripped off his clothes to put it on. So it began...

This batman suit was and still is worn almost every day. It is not just any old batman suit, this suit transforms a regular three year old into a Super Hero. He can run, jump, and fly faster when in this suit. This suit makes him invincible. Or so he thinks, much to his mother's dismay. Everyday I cringe, wondering if today is the day he will break his arm jumping off the couch trying to "fly." Or run into the corner of the wall while running, and the list of worries goes on and on.

It is amazing how one article of clothing can bring this much joy and excitement to a child. We now have Batman pj's, a Batman backpack, Batman socks, and a Batman tshirt. He gets to be Batman all the time.

Translation = mom is on the verge of heart attack ALL THE TIME.

I think I'm going to start thinking of my morning coffee as Super Mom serum, that way I can have Super Mom strength to protect my "Super Hero" all day.

What in the world and I going to do when little brother gets old enough to be a Super Hero too?

I need a clone...

Chocolate Toast

Many, many years ago when I was taking French in college as my minor, I was introduced to something heavenly.

Nutella

For those of you who have not heard of Nutella, it is a delicious, creamy, chocolate hazelnut spread. My French professor had us spread it on a baguette for a snack. You would only find it at gourmet shops or in the international aisle if you were so lucky to have one at your grocers.

Recently, there have been TV commercials for this tasty spread. They market it as a breakfast choice, a healthy start to your day when spread on whole wheat toast, and orange juice. I will be the first to admit, I have fallen prey to the gimmick. I thought, "YES! An answer to get my kids to eat toast!" It is no longer exclusive to high end retailers...it is found on the shelf at most stores, this includes, Walmart.

I have pawned this off to my kids as "chocolate toast" and is now a hit with them. Who knew I had such cultured kiddos?

So if you are in need of a quick, and semi-healthy breakfast idea, try out some "chocolate toast."

PS my husband loves it as a bed time snack...its ALMOST like a chocolate chip cookie :)

http://www.nutellausa.com/

The Ten Year Plan

One of the most common interview question is "Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years." That question has always stumped me. I have always wanted my answer to be, "Staying home with my kids, running them back and forth to school." But how do you respond with that answer in a job interview where they are looking for a long term commitment?

I am finding myself at a 10 year point, and last night I kept myself awake, reminiscing and thinking about the future. This month my husband and I will have been together 10 years...next year will be our 10 yr wedding anniversary (Yipee! Maui here we come!!), but we started dating a year before that.

I won't get into what I was up to 10 years ago, it wasn't pretty. Meeting my husband was the highlight of that year, and only improved! But at that time, I couldn't see God's plan for the next ten years.

Now, I can perfectly see the next ten years. Here is what I envision it being:

Kasey will be going on 17...this makes me want to tear up, she only has 11 more years with us. That is not long at all. We will be going to watch her cheer at games, fighting over curfew, date nights, and homework. She will be driving, be still my heart, and probably have a boyfriend even though she is convinced she is never getting married and is living with us forever. We will be applying to colleges and planning HER future. She will be beautiful, witty, and smart.

Dillon will be going on 14. He will be about to start high school. I am positive that he will be involved in every sport and excel at each one, this apple did not fall far from his dad's tree. He will be that guy in class that doesn't even have to try to get good grades. Hopefully, not too big of a goof off. But one of those cheeky grins to the teacher and all will be fine. The sound of a basketball dribbling on my tile is inevitable, this I know. The fridge will not stay stocked with teenagers in the house.

My baby, my 3 month old, he will be 10 years old. He will be a fourth grader. I can't quite image what he will be up to, but I am excited to be there every step of the way. Maybe he will also be an athlete, or an artist, or musician or all of them! But I do know, he will be Dillon's shadow, wanting to be a part in everything he does.

I will be in my forties, yikes, my husband will still be 39. We will be married 20 years. What in the world will I do with all my free time with kids in school? Maybe I will be teaching preschool or kindergarten. Maybe my husband will finally get his Camaro, only to have Kasey wanting to drive it every day.

All this said, I know God has a plan for us, not sure what it is, but I know it is good. And I know I will be enjoying every minute of it and then, looking back on now I will know, God is good. Just like looking back to 10 years ago now, and seeing all that God has done for us, it is good.

What a beautiful life...