Late Nights

When Daddy says it's going to be a late night, I confess ... I'm a little excited!

Now for our family, this doesn't happen too often. However, when he has a big project, and can, he may plan to work late. And "late", for my hubby, means 10pm or later. 

As I sat with the kiddos at the dinner table tonight and they were being their rowdy selves, I wondered how many other moms miss their husbands at dinner. {Even when Patrick isn't working "late", he is rarely home before 6:30pm. And for a 2 and 5 year-old, that is too late to start serving dinner. They are trying to munch or taste what's cooking by 5:15, so we usually eat around 5:30 or so.... with or without Dad.} How about the moms whose husbands travel or work late as a ritual? How do they do it? It's almost like being a single mom Monday through Friday. Dinner, bed time, and everything in between is done solo. Don't know that I could do that daily. For my sanity!

And yet, I have learned to enjoy these occasions. 

It means I can have a dedicated baking/shopping day without feeling like the house has to be spotless. {Not that it ever is!}

It means that the kids will get to bed on time. {Dad has a tendency to want to spend just an extra few minutes with them.}

It means I have time to blog. {Aren't you lucky?!}

It means I can catch up on my shows that I've missed. {since nothing comes on before 9 or 10pm and I'm only allowed to watch "Dora" during the day, I get behind a day or two....Thankful for DVR!}

It also means I can eat chocolate chip cookies with milk and not have anyone steal them.

Yep ... I enjoy these late nights. 

As long as they are few and far between!

Middle Child or Terrible Twos

My little Maecie Jane is 2 years old. She turned 2 about 10 days after Lucie was born. She has gorgeous long, blonde hair with a little curl in it. {to which I'm slightly envious of!} She loves to play with her dolls, her little sister and big brother, and sing songs. But when it comes to listening to directions, Maecie has a hard time. 

When I first brought down the exersaucer for Lucie from the attic, Maecie wanted to try it out. I explained that it was a toy for Lucie and she isn't supposed to sit in it. A little later, I caught her starting to climb in. But what was funny and caught me off guard was that she told me, "Mom, don't look!", and covered her eyes {so I couldn't see her} while continuing to climb in the exersaucer. 

What might be cute and funny the first few times, isn't frustrating the 10th and 12th time! 

Needless to say, Maecie has spent a lot of time in time out. And since she has seen her brother go to time out, she knows how it works. When her time is over {I do a minute for each year old the child is}, we talk about why she was in time out. I ask why she had to go to time out, and she always responds accurately. So surely she should know that being a good listener is what we are asking her to do. 

I even try to make sure {no one is perfect} that when she does follow directions, that we praise her for listening.

So why is it still occurring daily??

And it's not just me .... she has had a hard time following directions for her preschool babysitter {who watches both girls while I teach music}. 

The thought crossed my mind ... is she starting to show signs of "middle child syndrome"? Or is it just the "terrible twos"? Or do these two things even exist?

I generally believe that the "terrible twos" phase is more of kids asserting their independence and wanting to start doing things for themselves. And middle child syndrome is more that when the child, all of the sudden, isn't the center of attention, starts to feel left out. 

We have been trying to make sure Maecie gets some one on one attention from us and that we let her do the things she can do and still be safe. We are keeping track to see if we notice things improving.

What are your thoughts? Do you think there is such as thing as "terrible twos" or "middle child syndrome"? Or kids are just kids?

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins!!

It's Muffin Time! 

{And no, I don't mean the muffin top I've been sporting for a while!}

Muffins are such a great breakfast because you can eat them on the go and fill them with your favorite ingredients! 

Anyone stuck in a breakfast rut? How many times have you made/had cereal or oatmeal? Let's spice it up with these moist, delicious muffins!

These Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins are my fave. My kids like to munch them for snacks, breakfast, and any time they can! I don't really know the nutritional value, but with oats and applesauce, what really could be that bad?!

Want to know how to make them??

Gather your ingredients: 

Start with butter (or margarine) and brown sugar and blend together.

Then add your egg and incorporate that. Next, in a separate bowl, mix together your flour {I used half whole wheat and half all-purpose and we couldn't tell a difference!}, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add a little of the flour mixture at a time, alternating with the applesauce so that the flour doesn't fly everywhere! {Trust me!}

Next, stir in your rolled oats and chocolate chips {cause everything is better with a little chocolate} or raisins or blueberries or whatever suits your fancy!

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until done.

That's it! Pair with a piece of fruit and you are done! How simple is that?! Not to mention, really yummy! 

Now get out of the breakfast rut and make some muffins!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins Full Recipe: (adapted from All Recipes.com)

1/2 cup of butter or margarine (1 stick)

3/4 cup of brown sugar (I only used 1/2 a cup to cut out some of the sweet, especially since you use applesauce)

1 egg

1 cup of flour (I used half whole wheat and half all-purpose, but use what makes you happy)

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup applesauce

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup chocolate chips {I'm a semi-sweet girl, but feel free to add dark or milk or even white!} or use raisins or berries ... it's really versatile!

*In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Alternately add flour mixture and applesauce to your butter and sugar mixture. Stir in rolled oats and chocolate chips. 

*Spoon into a greased or lined muffin tin. {I usually like to make mini-muffins} Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. {If you use mini-muffins, decrease your time to about 10-12 minutes}

It's the Weekend!

It's Friday! And all that means is .... 

I made it through the week! 

Sometimes I feel like that is a huge accomplishment in and of itself. Here are some of the things that kept me going this week and made me smile!

 I got to finally make these yummy muffins ... they are my favorite and the kids gobble them up! And they aren't too bad for you either! {recipe coming soon...}

This little big kindergartener completed his first project and chose all of his own objects. He's too big for my liking at times...

I got ALL of these clothes at consignment sales this week {they are in full force in this town} ... the kids are SET for the fall/winter season!

Who can help but smile at that face?! She's great!!

Sometimes I just need a diet coke!

This cute chica dressed herself with her new boots....she is just so stinkin' cute too!

So food, clothes, and my kids are apparently my happy place! {At least for this week!} What helped you make it through the hustle and bustle this week?

A Ding-Dong Door Dilemma

When you have been "under construction" as long as we have, you begin to want something in order. Is it possible to have at least one place completely finished and inviting to guests?

Our house was built in 1965 and there have only been minimal changes by previous homeowners. And since I live with "Mr. Handyman" himself, we have undergone some major renovations of our own. We are soooo close to being done, and still so far away! If only we could win the lottery.....

Insert my "ding-dong door dilemma"...

I want at least one thing DONE! So I looked around the house and decided, an inviting front door would be the best place to start. And I'm going to do this myself {or at least with minimal help from the hubster}.

After taking a closer look, our front door was worse off than I had imagined. {insert embarrassed expression here}

I have colors that I like, but don't know what would look the best. Here is where you can help. I picked out the "Welcome" mat and the new door....now what color should the door be? Stick with the burgundy family? Go bold with a deep blue? Or blend more with a brown? Or do you have a better idea?? I always know what I like, but have a hard time executing.

So I'm asking for your help .... solve my "ding-dong dilemma" please!

A Daily Reminder

I looked at the dishwasher full of clean dishes, and the sink, full of dirty dishes, and sighed. It's a chore I complete daily. Clean cups out, dirty cups rinsed and put in. Re-clean a dish that didn't quite come clean and put it back in the dishwasher a second time. {Please tell me I'm not the only one...}

Some days I feel bogged down with this chore. No one else in my home does the dishes on a daily basis. Yes, Clayton can help put the silverware away, and sometimes does. But now with school starting, he usually isn't home when the dishes are completed. And one time Patrick lost a bet and had to do the dishes for a week! {we bet on the Super Bowl...And I'll plan to do so again the next Super Bowl!!}

Otherwise, the chore is MINE! 

But today, I was reminded of a poem that sat in my grandmother's kitchen growing up. I can vividly remember standing in the kitchen with avocado green counter tops, looking up at the window sill, over the sink, at the small plaque that sat there. {I told you it was vivid} I said the words over and over to memorize them:

Thank God for dirty dishes, they have a tale to tell;

While other folks go hungry, we are so very well.

With home and health and happiness, we shouldn't want to fuss;

For by this stack of evidence, God is very good to us.

This little poem was and still is a small reminder that we are fortunate to have the things we do. So instead of dreading the dishes, I count them as a blessing. My family has food, our health, strength and home! We are so fortunate!!

What chore is your daily reminder of the blessings in your life??

It's a Daddy Thing...

I started joining in on this photo-a-day fun. It's a great reminder to take a picture once a day. Pictures are so powerful; they can make a memory or conjure one. If my house were to catch on fire {after grabbing my kids} I would grab my pictures. They would be the things I missed the most.

So in this photo-a-day gig, you take a picture that has to do with the list created every month. I snap it and name it and post it to my instagram.  You can interpret your pictures however you prefer. And it's always interesting to see someone else's view point. 

The second day was titled "father". We were actually visiting my parents and I was planning to take a picture of my dad. However, my littlest fell asleep with daddy holding her and I could not miss this photo opportunity...

The picture started me thinking about the father/daughter relationship. My dad and I have a good relationship. I always felt protected AND if I only asked my daddy, I could get just about anything I wanted. Like when we went to Disney World and I wanted a Princess hat, all I had to do was ask my Dad and his answer was, "Anything you want, sweetheart!". {Of course, I was 17 years old at the time, so I might have looked a little silly, but he just wanted to be able to give me all of the things I wanted.}

Now that I have my own daughters, I see that father/daughter relationship from the very beginning. My hubby is so enamored with our girls. He holds them so preciously, wants to keep them so near and safe, and can't even stand to think that one day they will go on a date!

I constantly tease him that both of our daughters have him wrapped. He never denies it, but always tries to shrug it off! 

It's not just in our family ... I've seen examples of this Daddy/Daughter thing on TV as well. Recently, while watching So You Think You Can Dance {my fave summer show!}, I was able to catch a glimpse of someone else with that special bond. An 18 year old ballroom dancer talked about hiding her costumes from her Dad. He has a hard time with his little girl dancing for the world to see. My hubby had to agree {I make him watch with me!!}

Do you have a special daddy/daughter relationship? Or do you see one forming in your own family?