To My Children, On Mother's Day

Hey Kids,
I realize if left to your own devices I'd probably wind up opening an ill-fitting princess dress ("oh, it doesn't fit you, mommy, well that's okay, I'll wear it") and a Hot Wheels car. Or chocolate that you'd ask me to share (and of course I'd say yes).

And while I'm always going to appreciate anything you give me, I want you to know that it's not about the "things." In fact, as you grow older, it's the intangible stuff that will mean more. The "things" you can't really buy.

Like being a decent human being. That would be a great gift. Don't be lame at life. And don't be a bully either. Besides, bullying someone is just false power. Be humble. Be thankful. Be willing to turn the other cheek.

And reading. That would be another great gift. No, I don't want you to buy me books (well, okay, I do like books), but you doing the reading-- you reading every day-- that would be awesome. Life is short in the grand scheme of things. I'll never get around to reading everything there is to read. So I need you to pick up the slack and tell me about the things you read that I haven't read. Reading makes you a better person, so give me the gift of knowing you read every day.

Have faith too. Jesus thinks you're just as rad and special as I do, so trust in Him. Mommy would like nothing more than to see you grow in your faith. There will be times when you think He's distant, but I promise you He's not. I promise you He has great plans for you. Have faith.

Travel and take lots of pictures. I realize that's not something you can "give" me, but sending a postcard is something you can "give," so it counts. I birthed you into this great big world and it would be a tragedy if you didn't get to explore beyond our small, Midwestern corner of it. And I don't collect little silver spoons or thimbles, so seriously, just send a post card.

That's really it, kids. I know you can't read this and I know that none of this would make sense to you right now, at 5 and 2, even if you could read it. But it's what I want. For you to be good people who love Jesus and reading and who send their mama a postcard when they travel.

But until then, your Crayola pictures and handprints with poems and plastic bead necklaces are perfect. You are perfect. You are the reason I get to celebrate this holiday.

And I love you.

Love,
Mom

P.S. I know you'll think it's creepy one day, but I don't think I will ever get tired of watching you sleep.

Sometimes...Life

Sometimes life gets busy. And things go by the wayside...like this blog. My bad, but I make no apologies. We've been busy.

Busy getting ready for dance recitals.

Busy planting food. One Ordinary Dad built the raised bed. Our backyard isn't flat or sunny, so the ideal place for planting is actually at the top of our driveway. Last year we did small pots and planted fruits and veggies from seed. We had a small yield. Seeds are hard, y'all and I am not a green thumb. This year we decided to start with starter plants. We already have romaine lettuce ready to eat!

Busy tending flowers. C likes to help and watering the plants is now one of her daily responsibilities.

Busy hanging out at the zoo.

Busy pretending to be a turtle.

Busy crafting (One Ordinary Dad made this beauty for my birthday...it hangs on our bedroom wall now). It's made of wood from a potting shed in our backyard that was falling down and disrepair.

Busy celebrating 31.

Just. Plain. Busy. (Too busy to bother watermarking these, so don't steal them, okay).

Life is like that though. The school year is winding down, vacation plans are firming up (One Ordinary Dad are thinking of escaping for one day while we're in California for a wedding and hanging out with the Mouse at Disneyland), the temperature is staying warmer, our windows are open, lawnmowers are humming, the grill is fired up often, and well, life is happening.

And in the rare moments when we have peace and quiet and stillness, we're reading out on the porch with a glass of wine or watching movies, or relaxing with friends, or cheering on the Reds. Blogging just kind of ends up at the bottom of my list of things I want to do in the still and quiet moments. But it was time for an update to let you know that yes, my few dear readers, we are very much alive and well. Hopefully summer vacation will bring more opportunities to update.

~One Ordinary Mom

Spring Break

Spring break has come and gone, well at least for this mama. Sweet C has spring break this week.

If I had to compare this spring break to something tangible, I would say it was quite like a roller coaster. Spring break started off cold and with a dusting of snow (a low point for sure). The kids still got to play outside a little. And I got to mess around with my camera (I'm getting a lot more confident at shooting in full manual mode and not using the flash when I can avoid it).

My parents arrived into town on Tuesday (high point). On Wednesday, we spent the day at my Great Aunt's house, one of my favorite spaces in the world, in Kentucky (definitely a high point). Some other family that live close by stopped in and we had a mini-family reunion of sorts-- the big get together is at the beach this summer.

Wednesday also brought the news of the passing of my uncle (lowest point of break). He was a good man. Over 10 years ago he was diagnosed with cancer and not expected to live a year. He beat the odds and spent Easter in Heaven this year.

From there we hit a series of high points. On Thursday, I helped in C's classroom and reaffirmed that I could never teach young kids...but it was fun for 2.5 hours. Sweet C and B got to meet their new cousin that afternoon; she was born on 3/18. C is in love with her and keeps asking when she gets to have a baby sister. No, I am not expecting.

We also went to Jump and Jacks. C went to a birthday party there a week ago and hadn't stopped talking about it since. So we decided to head there Thursday night with my parents.

Friday, C had her Easter Chapel Service at preschool, followed by an egg hunt (I volunteered to help hide the eggs...no joke, there were like 1000 of them).

Then it was off to our local conservatory for some spring pictures.

The bunny came Saturday evening and left treats, books, crafts, and a few toys. B woke up with a low fever and stayed home from church. It disappeared after a few hours, so we headed to One Ordinary Dad's aunt and uncle's house for Easter dinner.

Last night we hit a low after our streak of good days. Just as I was turning off the light to go to bed, C got out of bed and puked all over the hallway. She continued to get sick every fifteen to thirty minutes or so for the next five hours, before her body finally called it quits. B woke up with the return of his mystery fever (though we think it's molars) and wanted to be held or needed Tylenol in the midst of all of this, so One Ordinary Dad camped out in the bathroom with C until it was safe to move her to the couch, while I took on B and administered Tylenol and snuggles when needed. No one slept much, so I stayed home from work today. C seems to be on the upswing and is keeping crackers and water down with no issues. B's fever is gone, but he's drooling a ton. One Ordinary Dad and I have Clorox-ed the house, washed and changed sheets, drank copious amounts of coffee, put out new toothbrushes, and are looking forward to watching the Reds Opening Day game later this afternoon.

Tomorrow I head back to school. 45 more school days left until summer vacation (definitely a high). One Ordinary Dad has a third interview with a company (yes, he's planning to head back to work if the right job offer comes his way since C will be in kindergarten all day next year) on Wednesday (another high). And it's April...which means yours truly has a birthday right around the corner.

So go away stomach bug, hopefully and prayerfully C is the only victim. And go Redlegs!

~One Ordinary Mom :-)

Whew!

Has it really been almost a month since our last update?

Apparently it has been a month. We're alive and well and still missing our pets a little, but C is doing much better and the mercury is rising and we're in the home stretch of the school year. Baseball season will be starting soon (my personal favorite) and we have tickets to see The Lumineers in May (we really enjoy their music and attending concerts with One Ordinary Dad is one of my favorite things to do). 

Since our last update:

We celebrated Valentine's Day. B loved going to C's celebration at school and C loved sharing her love for her friends. One Ordinary Dad documented it all since Valentine's Day fell on a Thursday and I was up and at work during all of their "love"ly shenanigans.

We went to the northeast corner of the state over President's Day weekend. One Ordinary Dad and I spent a night away in the city, enjoying the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, dinner out, and a music festival (yes, in the middle of winter and yes, some of the venues were outdoors and yes, it was awesome)! Honeybucket was our favorite act of the night. It was also wonderful to sleep for 10 uninterrupted hours while the snow fell outside!

I knitted an infinity scarf-- not bad for my first attempt.

We got to enjoy Fun Fest at C's preschool (a late winter indoor carnival that is their major fundraiser for the year). 

We had a snow day! Finally. The last time I had a full day off of school was when I was pregnant with B. The snow hit us this past Wednesday and today it's pretty much melted. We might even hit 60 by Sunday!

And we finally got confirmation that C is in at the Creative and Performing Arts magnet school! We couldn't be more thrilled as we know it is the perfect place for our sweet C, who loves to dance, draw, sing, and perform. And so it means that the last few days have also been spent filling out oodles of kindergarten paperwork.

Spring is in the air. Easter decorations are out around the house.  And we're headed out to hike tomorrow.

 

With love and blessings to all of you patient readers out there, 

~One Ordinary Mom