From One Mom to Another

Dear Moms (who love to shop!),

In my pursuit of the perfect outfit for that Christmas card picture I told you about a couple posts ago, I came across a new shopping venue. My sister in law, Becca, gave me the hint that there was a discount Gymboree out there. She wasn't sure of the name...but I found it.

Just go to Crazy8.com!

Have fun and Happy Thanksgiving (we're out a here as of tomorrow am!)

Stef

My Village

We've all heard the phrase, "it takes a village", and whether or not you like that one or not, we all have to agree on the fact that life is made easier with good friends and family.

Last week was a testiment for that phrase in my life. Mike was away hunting and I was still battling to get more sleep out of Maisie. Who knows sleep is a foremost necessity when you are running solo in parenting? Enough said. And guess what? I survived.

Here's why:

There was this woman who, although was right smack in the middle of moving into their brand new home, answered the phone every time I called ( 4 times in a week?) even though she knew it wouldn't be a quick conversation. Could she have said, "well, I really gotta go and get something done now"? Yes. Did she? No. She brainstormed, agonized, and encouraged me.

There was this woman, who let Daphne come stay a whole afternoon, to lighten my load - - and it did.

There was this woman who managed to keep tabs on me all week long. I could feel her prayers. I called and she stopped and listened, we worked out and she listened, she rushed to my aid one morning when I needed someone to sit with Ruby. She was my cheerleader.

There was this Great-Grandma, who welcomed us in unannounced one evening at 6PM. She danced with my girls, took them potty, and fixed them snacks - all with a big smile. Did I say she is 80?

There was this neighbor, who took Daphne to school at 7:45am, when because I had been up 6-7 times! in the middle of the night, was running late the next morning.

There was this mom, who watched my girls while I got to get out of the house and go to a fun baby shower one night.

There was another mom, who invited us over for dinner one evening, even though she had worked all day herself. She even had a care package for our Thanksgiving trip all put together.

There was this cousin, a student at a nearby University, who made time in her busy schedule to come take care of my little ones, so I could take a little one to the doctor.

There was this amazing father, who picked up his daughter-in-law's altered jeans at Nordstroms - Yes, I'll say it again. A man went into Nordstroms to pick up jeans that had been altered, and made sure I got them that same day...AMAZING.

There was this pediatrician, who listened compassionately to a mother's concerns over her daughter's sleep antics, and then said, "Good news - she's still a normal, bad news, you're just going to have to keep your chin up and get through this transition time."

And finally, there was this husband, who came home from hunting a whole day early, to surprise his bride of 10 years, with a date at a nice restaurant (babysitters all taken care of in advance) and a stunning pair of diamond earrings.

So in summary, my week was really hard. I prayed out loud daily for patience and energy. And you know what - it worked. But the energy didn't come spilling out of me - it came spilling into my life through these above mentioned people. And the best thing, is that this is just a part of "my village"....

Blessed. (and since Mike has come home, Maisie has been sleeping in....drumroll...to 6:30am!)

Fair Isle

I learned something tonight.

It all started earlier today when I decided that I wanted to buy the girls something new for our Thanksgiving vacation. Yes, we're headed to our family cabin for just a few days. Long enough to get away and enjoy just the five of us for awhile. Not many young families get the chance to do this, let alone have their parents bless it - all of ours think it is great. I am so excited about this mountain get away and keep imagining it in my mind....

fires in the woodstove, no tv - so movies, puzzles, a small turkey dinner, dips in the local hotsprings, and my girls sitting on a well known (to our fam) bench outside a favorite logcabin breakfast hotspot...

The last vision made me think that if they had on just the right outfit, and if I took enough pictures, I could get the perfect Christmas card shot.

And thus the mission was born. I've been searching Old Navy, Gap, Gymboree, Hanna Andersson etc. looking for cute sweaters or hats or coats. But I'm thinking I shouldn't spend a lot and it should be functional.

Well, all of these websites have collections named "Fair Isle", and I like them a lot. I decided to google it and found out it is an actual island - the smallest one in Brittain I believe. There must be more to it, but it's midnight and I'll stop my search there.

All I know is that I made a HUGE mistake in my final search. Yep, I just had to peek at Janie and Jack. Well, their Fair Isle is too much for words. And my husband (although a fan of Janie and Jack) would probably have a lot of words for me if I bought these clothes. So, I'll be very strong and just share with you.

Oh, and there were a lot more items to choose from...but you get the feel. Very pretty. And isn't it hard to imagine that these clothes would be like Walmart clothes for Suri Cruise. That's my last past midnight thought...

Interesting thoughts...

This was stolen from a forward I got today (it will make you think)...

HOW LONG DO WE HAVE? This is the most interesting thing I've read in a long time. The sad thing about it, you can see it coming. I have always heard about this democracy countdown. It is interesting to see it in print. God help us, not that we deserve it.

How Long Do We Have?

About the time our original thirteen states adopted their new constitution in 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh , had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years earlier:

'A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government.' 'A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury.' 'From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.' 'The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years' 'During those 200 years, those nations always progressed through the following sequence:

1. from bondage to spiritual faith;
2. from spiritual faith to great courage;
3. from courage to liberty;
4. from liberty to abundance;
5. from abundance to complacency;
6. from complacency to apathy;
7. from apathy to dependence;
8. from dependence back into bondage'

How's that for veering from the usual Mayflower's Musings?

All Alone

Last week was just plain hard. My faithful readers already know most of the reasons. Excuse me if there are any boys reading (highly doubtful)...but on top of Maisie's new sleep conditions, my menstrual cycle arrived after 20 months of not knowing one, Mike had an extra busy end of the week/weekend, and my baby pulled a hot curling iron down onto her arm.

I was done. "Cash in my chips" sort of done. I had to get away, and no hour sitting at Starbucks would do - nor shopping at the mall or something of the like. I needed silence, alone time, solitude.

Blessed am I to have a little cabin getaway in the family just an hour or so away...and doubly blessed to have a husband push me out the door in complete understanding of my state of heart.

So I packed up after church on Sunday, and stopping at the last hamburger joint in town, I drove out of town with a chocolate milkshake in hand. After many songs sung at the top of my lungs, I arrived at our little riverside cabin at the coast. ALL ALONE.

I sat in two positions, shown in the pictures below. Green chair, leather couch. Magazines, book, and a rented movie all at my disposal to distract my frazzled mind.

And when dinner time rolled around, I drove to the little grocery store and bought whatever sounded good. Thus...the candy. (the lunchable was just to get in a little protein)

At 7pm, I packed up and bid farewell to my peaceful abode. Sad to leave, but newly refreshed, I said a prayer for my safety and set out on my return drive.

I highly suggest the following retreat to all my weary mom readers. Even if it is just your bedroom.

Things are still rough here with Ms. 5am Maisie, but I feel a little bit better. Both for your encouragement and my little trip.

Thanks - Tell Me More

Because of you, I am getting a game plan...

Now, one more thing - tell me what you all know about melatonin. I've heard that some kids/adults have a deficiency there and that it can help.

Good thing she's so darn cute.

This is Maisie Josephine. She doesn't look much like me, doesn't act much like me, but she is my daughter and she holds a good chunk of my heart. I mean, just look at her - she's stinkin' cute. And most people that get a chance to spend quality time with her, fall in love too.

But she tests my patience more than anyone in my life ~ and her antics make me design new strategies constantly too. This post has one goal and it is to bring you into one of these times in my life when I need some serious mommy ideas.

Maisie is no longer in her crib "tent". She is THREE and FREE. Thus she wakes up at 5-5:30am and takes a one hour nap (now the latter is something I can live with...I know three year olds start tapering their naps off) BUT I am not good with her early rising status. It would be somewhat better if she truly was ready to wake at this hour - but she is not. She is tired and grumpy and seriously a pain to deal with all morning (super tired girl).

Here are some thoughts:

1. a baby proofed handle on the inside of her room

2. a digital alarm clock with the minutes taped off and a big seven on an index card - so that she can see that only when a seven is visable can she come out of her room

3. back to two naps

4. a later bed time

5. no nap

6. drugs for me

Any thoughts out there?

Get rid of the candy and teach a lesson too!

You're probably not like me. I worry about the whole Halloween candy thing. Half about not wanting the kids to have candy everyday for the next 6 months and 3/4 because my favorite thing in the world is candy and I cannot stop thinking about it if it is in the house. (okay my math is off, so that you get the point) Last year I let Daphne keep 10 pieces the morning after and then we threw the rest away and she bought a small toy in exchange. This year, I wanted to do the whole 10 pieces again, but it just seems silly to have to buy her a toy too. So, I went searching for somewhere to give this candy. I found the following information about sending a care package to our soldiers. This is going to be our goodwill project today! I think I will take them shopping for some of the personal care items on the list and then add our Halloween candy to the mix. I think Daphne will really get into this:)

Troop Care Package
The following is a list of suggested items that
our Soldiers could use.
***
Personal Care Items
Eye Drops
Chapstick, Carmax, Blistex
Shampoo/Conditioner (travel size)
Deodorant - Men and Women
Toothpaste (travel size), Toothbrushes, Dental Floss
Mouthwash (travel size)
Soap, Body Wash, Hand Sanitizer
Foot Powder
Lotion (small size)
Feminine Hygiene Products
Razors, Shaving Cream (in tubes) no aerosol
Travel Size Tissues
Baby Wipes
Baby Powder
Q-Tips
Tums or Rolaids
Tylenol, Advil, Sinus Meds
Gel Insoles

Food Items
Small bags or individually wrapped snacks or cans of Pringles, pretzels, cookies, crackers, nuts, trail mix, peanut butter/cheese crackers, sun flower seeds
Hard Candy (Lifesavers, Jolly Ranchers), Mints
Chewing Gum, Blow Pops
Individual servings of powdered drinks for water bottles such as Lemonade, Gatorade, Kool-Aid, Tang, Lipton To Go Tea, Crystal Light On The Go, energy drinks, Propel (powder)
Individual coffee, tea bags
Beef Jerky, Slim Jims (no pork allowed)
Pop Tarts, Nutri-grain, Granola, Cereal Bars, trail mix
Cups & small flip top canned fruit, applesauce, pudding
Peanut Butter (small) No Glass Please
Chocolate between the months of October and April only (M&Ms are acceptable)

Other Items
Crossword Puzzles
Playing Cards
Stationery & Envelopes
Pens/Pencils
Disposable Cameras
Assorted Greeting Cards for Soldier to send to family & friends
Journals
AT&T Global Prepaid Phone Cards
Batteries
DVDs, CDs
Video Games
Small board games
Flystrips
Febreze
Glade Stick-ups or room deodorizers
Small battery operated fan
Bug Repellent in lotions & pump-spray bottles-- NO AEROSOLS
Sun Screen

Mail to:
Georgia
HUGS FOR SOLDIERS
P. O. Box 2887
Duluth, GA 30096


TENNESSEE
HUGS FOR SOLDIERS
P. O. Box 532
Vonore, TN 37885

PS - On the same note as the above paragraph...How sad is it that I made WAY too many caramel apples yesterday and threw away 13 of them this morning! Oh, how it broke my caramel loving soul.