I Need Structure

I need routine, order, patterns, plans, a schedule.......whatever you want to call it. Maybe I am a control freak. Maybe I have a disorder. Whatever it's called, I was lacking last Sunday. It was our Stake Conference and we had every intention of going. Our mistake was staying up until 11:30 to watch the Jazz in a playoff game the night before. By the time we rolled out of bed the next morning, we only had 45 minutes to get everyone ready and out the door. So we decided to stay home. A full day of nothing to do! Great, right? No, not with children. With no schedule it was nice to get breakfast and get ready at our leisure. But by lunchtime, Emma was bored and asking us to take her places (Grandma's, church, friends' houses, shopping, etc.) Of coarse, without our regular pattern of going to church she didn't know what day it was or why we were just staying at home. So we went for a walk. It was a beautiful day. But we eventually had to come home for quiet time. I was so looking forward to finally getting a Sunday nap (since we have 1-4 church). Brielle was not feeling the same way.....she talked and jabbered in her bed for 45 minutes until I gave up on the nap idea. By 5:00pm I was so bored I was cleaning! (And I really try to avoid that!) Emma was spraying bathroom spray all over my counter tops. Brielle was coloring on my new kitchen floors. Nick was laughing at all of us and I am thinking that church wrestling is funner than this! Hence, my life needs structure. I need to have plans or a schedule. I think my kids do better when they know what to expect from our day. I know some people function better when they are spontaneous.....I am just not one of them. And this is my schedulomony.

Pictures by a 4 year old

Yes, we let our daughter play with our digital camera. She does take pretty good care of it and at least half the time she gets the aim right. It is always a surprise to look through our memory card and find pictures of us in our underwear/pajamas around the house. Those get deleted quick! Sometimes I have to spend between 20-30 minutes deleting pictures taken of our floor, or books, or stuffed animals. Emma definately does the rapid-fire method of photography and can take 30 pictures in 3.3 seconds. These pictures are just a sampling of what she can do!

Sisterly Love

I feel like sometimes in addition to being a mom, I am a referee. My girls are three years apart so I know there will be sister squabbles along the way, but I was hoping that would wait until their teenage years. Most of the disputes are with Brielle coming in Emma's room and messing up her toys. We have had many, many discussions about slamming the door in Brielle's face. I try to give Emma some time alone and I also let Brielle in her room so they can play together a little. I have noticed that Emma has been better at including Brielle in what she is doing. Today, in fact, I was cleaning up lunch and I had sent the girls to Brielle's room to play. I always shut the door so Brielle will not escape and after I was done I peeked through the crack to see what they were doing. My dear, sweet Emma was sitting across from Brielle holding her hands and teaching her the "patty-cake" song. Brielle was giggling her head off! I ran to get the camera and of course by the time I got back, Emma was coming out to see if we could go look at her potato bug collection. So I made her go back in the bedroom and do a reenactment of their patty-cake song. So much for "candid" pictures, but at least I can pull this picture out in about 10 years and show them that they used to have fun together.

Two reasons I don't accomplish much

Every morning I make a list of things to get done that day. Usually I divide up the housework over different days so it doesn't seem so overwhelming. I always have a more motivated attitude in the morning so I try to get it all done before lunch. But sometimes "things" (aka children) throw that plan out the window. Reason #1: my little helper while I unload the dishwasher. Since she sticks them in her mouth, half of the silverware has to be washed again!! Reason #2: Emma found a birthday present we hadn't opened yet. Fortunately for me, it takes up half of our family room since it is her "fashion show" tent with a red runway that lights up and plays music. But these things keep them busy for at least 30 minutes and I get some cute pictures from it!

If I had time I would invent....

a cling repellent that can be spayed on pants to prevent the constant tugging and clinging from a certain one year old so you can take more than one step! (maybe as an added bonus the Cling Repellent could also clean your pants!) It could be called the Cling & Clean Repellent!?

Cover Girls!

I have two daughters which in turn means that I love to get their pictures taken at every possible chance. (I hope this will substitute for not doing a great job at their baby books, journals, or scrapbooks). I don't go too crazy.....with Emma I took her to a studio every 3 months or so to get her picture taken. With Brielle, it has been a little more difficult to get there. Lucky for me, I have a friend who does photography and will help me quench my need for wonderful pictures. So here is our latest photo shoot. They are sooooooo cute! Thanks so much Mel! You can also check out her other beautiful work at http://www.melhowlett.blogspot.com/

The Solemn Assembly

Today I was looking forward to watching General Conference and sustaining our new prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. Emma was watching with me and was excited to participate and kept asking when she got to stand up (she kept raising her left hand, too). She asked who each person at the pulpit was and mentioned that she missed President Hinckley (she had mentioned yesterday that President Monson's name was too hard to say and thats why she missed President Hinckley!!) Emma also wondered where the Conference Center was and wished that she could go see it. I told her we had been right by it when we had gone to Temple Square over Christmas. All these questions and comments from my 4 year old are amazing to me. I love these moments!!! I think as mothers we need moments like these to build up our patience for when that same 4 yr old slams her bedroom door into her sisters head in order to keep Brielle out of her room (yes, both moments were within an hour of each other!!!)

If I had time I would invent.....

a noodle (macaroni, spaghetti, pasta roni, etc.) that would immediately dry out upon contact with clothing or skin; therefore, preventing me from trying to wash wet noodles from Brielle's hair, neck, toes, fingers, and diaper area.

(Thanks to Susan Fitch who has a recurring "You might be a mother if...." section that is so true and hilarious that it got my mind churning toward other "thoughts" mothers might have).

Easter 2008

I love holidays where as parents you get to relive your childhood. This Easter the "Easter Bunny" brought Emma the movie "Enchanted" which I loved and probably wanted more than her. As a parent, we buy what WE really want when it comes to giving our children gifts, right? (you know you do this!) The "Easter Bunny" also gave Emma some clothes that were supposed to be given on her birthday, but the "Easter Bunny" had forgotten about them in the basement. Poor Brielle just received a plush bunny that is probably lost somewhere. I think what Emma wanted to do the most was color Easter eggs which we did Saturday morning. She had a great time and I had to take a picture of each color we did. Then we met Nick's sisters at JC Penney for our annual grandchildren picture event. That was absolute chaos as we tried to get 7 children--from ages 6 to 1--to smile (or even look) at the camera. Then, we went to Nick's parents house for dinner and an egg hunt. Later that night, the anticipation was so high that Emma came out of bed 3 times to see if the Easter Bunny had come (he was coming in Santa's sleigh, according to Emma, so he could get around faster!). Easter Sunday involved more eggs, more candy and more fun. The funnest part for me was dressing the girls up in their Easter dresses. They looked so cute. Thank goodness for Nick's mom who finds their dresses the year before so all I have to worry about are the accessories. Just another excuse to buy my children what I really want!