Coordination Eludes Me

We decided to take a trip up to the mountains at the spur of the moment the other day. It worked out great because some friends of ours who own a cabin said that it was available for the night. We packed the kids up and headed out. The cabin was beautiful and there was a ton of snow to play in. The kids had a great time. Ricky brought a sled and I wasn't too sure about it so I just let him go on it with the kids the first day. But, by the next day, I felt that it looked easy enough for me to give it a try...bad idea. I am so un-coordinated. I ended up with my pants full of snow as I could not get the thing to go straight. Poor Maia practically face planted in the snow and was so traumatized that she refused to go on it ever again. Ricky got my graceful attempt on video but was laughing way too hard to keep the camera on me. I thought you might get a laugh out of it too!

Split Personality

Look how precious she is...that sweet smile is irresistible...but if you look closer, you'll see that there is mischief lurking behind that sweet face. One wrong move from you and you'll see the this sweet angel turn demon in a split second!

I present Exhibit A: Christmas morning, daddy did not get the princess her milk fast enough. Not even the excitement of presents waiting to be opened could get this child off the floor. The kitty just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time (in Maia's hands when daddy ticked her off). Poor kitty.

Exhibit B: Well there really is no exhibit because I was too embarrassed to get a picture. Sunday morning at church, while up front talking with some friends and Chuck and Pam, Maia decided to assume the position of Exhibit A on the floor of the Worship Center upon being denied her lunch. I giggled nervously and prayed that when I picked her up she would not flail wildly...God chose to say no. I picked her up and she smacked me in the face while everyone looked on.

That sweet little face has diva written all over it. All I have to say is, the battle is on...Oh, and please pray for me...I need it!

Burnt Hopes

I was so excited on Christmas day to end up with a Rachel Ray cookbook after our family gift exchange game. My cooking has become non-existent and before it became non-existent it became really boring. I was making the same two things every week and I am sure my hubby and kids were thankful when I decided to get really lazy and not cook at all. But, Rachel Ray brought hope. She was going to reinvigorate my kitchen and put my stove back to work. I did not want to over-promise and under deliver so I made it my goal to cook one item in the cook book per week and continue with the other monotonous menu items for the rest of the week until I felt comfortable enough to incorporate the new items.

I found this great recipe for noodle bowls and headed to the store. I could not wait to get home and impress my husband and kids with this new dish! I got home, unloaded the groceries, opened the cook book and realized that I'd purchased the wrong type of noodles and not enough chicken broth.

Plan B: find another recipe in the book which contained only ingredients that I could find in my cupboards. I found one for Honey-lime chicken. I proceeded to make the marinade, place the chicken in the marinade, and then cook...scratch that, I mean burn the chicken. Yup, my first attempt at a simple Rachel Ray recipe ended in disaster. As I sit here typing 24 hours later, the smell of burnt chicken lingers in my house rudely reminding me of my failed attempt to expand my cooking talents. Being the wonderful mom that I am, I still made my children choke down the burnt chicken. I could not bear to see that $6.00 worth of chicken go to waste. They are still alive so there really is no need to waste CPS's time with your phone call.

Tomorrow is another day. I will put my cooking skills to the test once again. I have also tweaked my goal a bit. It has been changed to: Cook one successful Rachel Ray recipe per week.

My Survivor Toddlers

Yesterday, I was not feeling well. I woke up and my entire body was in pain and I was extremely nauseous. Immediately I panicked, I'd be home with the kids all day by myself while feeling like death. I asked Ricky to feed them before he left to work and put in a movie for the kids. Then I settled in on the couch and asked Noah to watch his sister while mommy slept...

Don't get all crazy on me people, I didn't actually fall asleep! But, over the next 4 hours I let my kids stay in their pajamas, ransack my house, stay in a poop diaper for an hour (Maia finally brought me a diaper and and wipes and asked to be changed), watch 3 movies, run up and down the stairs, resolve their own battles, and eat spaghetti that they found in their diaper bag (I think it had been in there for two days. I prayed that they wouldn't get sick from it...God answered). It's good to know that my toddlers are survivors and can fend for themselves...a least until nap time.

Humble Pie

A few weeks ago I got served a piece of Humble Pie. It was definitely a blow to my ego but one that I believe was much needed. I got called out on complaining about my blessings all the time rather than counting them. This was specifically referring to my kids. My first reaction was to be defensive, fight back, and tell that person that they have no idea what my life is like on a daily basis having to listen to non-stop whining, fighting a battle every 2 seconds with a toddler, and having to give out spankings and time-outs like candy on Halloween. But, once I calmed myself, prayed for wisdom, and searched my heart for offensive ways, I realized that this serving of Humble Pie was one I was unknowingly starving for.

Yes, being a mom is hard work and there are going to be quite a few bad days being that I am a mom of two toddlers, but sometimes I need to be reminded to stop and smell the roses. I need to focus on the positive aspects of my wild toddlers and appreciate the fact that God has even blessed me with them. There are way too many women out there who are aching, begging, pleading with God to be in my shoes; it would be the biggest blessing to them to sit in traffic for two hours with a whiny toddler in the backseat. In that moment they would thank God for blessing them with that precious healthy baby after years of being unable to conceive.

I got the message loud and clear and I have looked at my babies through different eyes for the past few weeks. It has not changed the fact that I still have to deal with whining, punishing, and changing smelly poop diapers but now along with noticing those things, I notice how often Noah asks to pray for people, how Maia just likes to cuddle with me and give me kisses, and how the two of them like to make each other laugh.

So it turns out that a big serving of Humble Pie was just what I needed even though I didn't know I needed it. It's funny how that seems to be a theme in my life right now: God giving me things that I really need even though I am oblivious to my need.

P.S. I really would like to thank the server of the pie as well. You have no idea how much this changed me! Love ya!

Mid-Blog Crisis

So, I am going through a mid-blog crisis right now. I've noticed on many blogs that I read that this is a common phenomenon. One where the writer feels the need to evaluate their blog and its direction. Well, I am not really questioning the direction of my blog but rather contemplating starting a new blog, one where I can express my thoughts on leadership, spirituality, and other such issues. The problem is that I have very strong opinions and as you can see from this blog I am not very guarded (I am overly- transparent).

However, being the assistant to the most amazing pastor ever, I am learning so much about leadership, Christianity, parenting, and just life in general. Sometimes I feel like I could just burst with all the new information I have swimming in my head but the Confession Mama Blog is just not the right place to write about it. So, anyways, that is my confession for the day. I'm praying, thinking, and throwing round the idea of adding a new blog to my life. We shall see...

Conversations From Today

Conversation #1

Noah: "Can I take my balloon to bed with me mommy?"

Me: "No, because it could pop and you could choke on it."

Maia: (From the other side of the hallway) *Cough cough* "Like that. Choke."

Me: (Laughing) Yup Maia, he'll choke just like that! Thanks for clarifying.

Conversation #2

Me: We can't go to Luke's house because he is sick.

Noah: But, I wanna go!

Me: You want him to throw up on you?

Noah: I wanna go to Luke's hoooouuuse.

Me: Noah, what did mommy just tell you? Why can't we go to Luke's house?

Noah: "Cuz, he'll throw up on me and dat's yucky! I don't Luke to throw up on me."

Conversation #3

Me: "Noah! Do you want a spanking? You better come over here right now!"

Noah: (Contemplating whether or not to obey) "You have the spanking spoon mama?"

Me: Shoot! Stinking smart kid! Do I lie and tell him that I brought the spanking spoon? Lord, forgive me for lying, it's for his own good! "Yes, I have the spanking spoon. It's in the diaper bag."

Noah: Okay. (He obediently makes his way over to me)