Ten Things....

...To Do Every Day

(of which I current;y only do a handful consistently, but these are my goals and reasons why)

1. Pray

If  you're not religious, at least meditate, become centered, mindful--this helps you start the day calm and clear-headed

2. Study scriptures

Again if you are not religious, try something empowering or inspiring--anything that will lift you out of the monotonous vanity and foolish hysteria of modern living. Each day needs perspective

3. Exercise

Do something that gets your heart racing that you enjoy--be it weights in the gym, running after toddlers, or dancing in the kitchen-- you cannot go without the endorphins trust me!

4. Shower

Maybe you are like me and have skin as dry as the Sahara, but I'm not talking merely a utilitarian cleaning-- I 'm talking luxury because when you have small children, a long hot shower is as good as a weekend spa treatment. 

5. Give 10 minutes to each member of your family

Set a timer if you have to, but give some genuine time to those you love especially in the morning! --then you might find yourself making more time for them throughout the day--but at least do the ten minute one on one to secrete at least one meaningful experience with that one person each day.

6. Go outside

Sunlight is your friend and your children's friend. Many of us are suffering from mental rickets of too much screen time and cabin fever

7. Get in touch with a friend

Send something, by post, by phone, by email or visit--there are people out there that you really like and that like you back!

8. Read 

The next best thing you can do for your children other than read to them, is read for yourself! --if only to see the beauty in life when you're feeling its doldrums 

9. Create

I can be cookies or a line of crochet, but do something other than pin other people ideas or peruse a blog of someone else's experiences--create your own!

10. Write in your journal

Your posterity will thank you someday, but not nearly as soon as you will think yourself!

My Hero

Hero has lamented more than once, that once the children wake him up he cannot get back to sleep. I tease him and say things like, "Oh, you just aren't tired enough" or "Just watch me, I am a professional at going back to sleep" --with a smirk. it's partly du to this being his last semester, his mind is a constant buzz of workworkwork-- he's keeping a dozen plates spinning.

Hildebrandt woke up at 5am to nurse this morning, I wasn't ready for it so instead of nursing in my glider and I hefted that chubby buddy back to bed with me (ooo...my back). There were few hiccups in getting everything going and my wee one made sure I knew about them. Hildebrandt is destined to be the next Pavarotti. I winced as I heard my sleepy husband let out in involuntary sigh and roll over--I hadn't thought about how hard it is for him to go back to sleep.

I apologized and promised that next time I would nurse in the children's bedroom. He said it was ok and countered that I was more comfortable nursing in bed.

"It is better that to be considerate, than comfortable" I thought to myself

Hero let me sleep in this morning while he got Fiona out of bed and made her breakfast.

In all relationships, but especially in marriage, I think it is better to be considerate than comfortable.

Just For You, Hildebrandt!

Just moments ago I was savoring my daily piece of fine chocolate amidst the moans of Fiona who did not like being denied a similar treat. She caught me sneaking it from the cupboard, I left her in her room to drown her sorrows in her books and Garanimals blocks. Hildebrandt is on the floor beside me becoming frustrated with his efforts to escape the hoop on his play mat that prohibits his rolling off it.

His outfit is covered in mashed squash stains, the results of his first meal of baby food. He relished the orange goop with such enthusiasm that most of it landed on his face and tray. I got the first bites on video, but suddenly neglected to get the final product of messy face and bib photographed.

A relative accused me the other day of taking less pictures of Hildebrandt than I did Fiona, and they're right. One reason is the age old excuse of just having less time to bask in the wonders of a new baby, part of was baby blues when Hildebrandt was new, part of it was busy-ness with all the changes of Hero's internship abroad and the holidays immediately following. Part of it was lack of habit--when Fiona was a baby I was coddling an idea of working as a photographer but when that was given up, so was my camera for the most part in pursuit of other pursuits.

Alas, though I must repent, so here is a blog post just for you Hildebrandt, you mover and shaker

You happy go-easy boy

You rolly-polly all over everything baby

You with the strong grip and good hand/eye coordination

You "I don't have time to sit still"

You light up whenever you see Fiona or Daddy enter a room

You cry when you see me and I don't immediately pick you up

You love to snuggle

You love to EAT!

You love to love, and we love to love you :)

This Is Your House On Cornstarch...

It all started out innocently enough, one Thursday morning at the Happy Taco--a little cornstarch to stimulate the young creature's senses 

oh how fun

love to let run through my fingers

 Oh who ever minds a little mess

 Oh how cute it splashed on her face

 Then you try to to do dishes only feet away, and everything then gets out of hand...

This is your floor on cornstarch

 This is your table on cornstarch

 This is your chair on cornstarch

These are your dollar tree flowers on cornstarch

 These are your vintage mexican postcards on cornstarch

And your walls,

And your coats

And your shoes

At least she was willing to do community service

 Cornstarch... not even once.

Even Mimi fell victim!

Arts & Sciences

On Tuesday our art project was "ice sculptures"

Fiona picked out large colored wooden beads to stuff into the cup and then we added water and put it in the freezer over night

This is what came out

Fiona was most intrigued by these cold damp articles

and especially enjoyed licking them

to each their own, I guess.

Once There Was a Snowman...

This week's theme in Happy Taco School is "Snow", so for Tuesday's art project I tried out a recipe I found online for "snow paint"

1 cup flour
1cup of salt
1 cup of water

It came out really thick and as we painted with it, I thought, "this cannot be right, oh well at least Fiona is enjoying herself"

But actually they looked great after they dried

The rest of play time was spent next to this MAGICAL thing called a large window. Fiona spent a full two minutes calling after and looking for a squirrel that had long since been gone down the the street  

My goodness, she is beautiful!

getting ready to take a 10 sec nap before picking up blocks

She also likes to play "naptime"

"I do not color, I read it"-- that's a direct quote from Fiona as I encouraged her to color in her coloring book while I was trying to do some reading and she happened to grab one of my art education books--typical Fiona behavior (smile). This photo says so much about her her haha, the shirt even says "Book Worm" on it!

Monday= Music Time, Mediterranean Food, and Family Night

Monday morning!!! Fiona and I whipped up a batch of cookies to eat for Family Home Evening. She was so enthralled by the whole process!

Hildebrandt supervised

It's actually pretty fun doing housework with Fiona

It was Music Day in our Happy Taco School. We assembled a snowman together with song corresponding to each piece, then Fiona played with her musical instruments for the rest of the hour

Hero came home and "played" with the children (IE collapsed on the couch and let them do what they may to him--which ended up with Hildebrandt pulling and eating his hair)

He was conscious part of the time at least :)

I swear she's going to be a librarian or writer some day, all she want's to do is read books :)

We made lemon cream cookies for our Family Night dessert and watched an episode of "Peppa Pig" together

I like the variety of texture achieved by the use to different sized rainbow sprinkles...it distracts from the burnt cookie bottoms.

Some of us found it difficult to wait until it was time for dessert.

Actually it was mainly me who could not wait, Fiona just wanted to pick up the scattered sprinkles and put them on the cookie to "Fix it" , as she likes to say

 And with a good day, comes a good rest...

I love how his hand is just paused in mid-air, but I think Fiona take the award for funniest sleeping pose, I wonder how she fell asleep with her beloved doll's foot squished up to her face.