Motherhood and Keeping it Real

We all want to be perfect mothers! Of course, we realize that we can't be perfect so we try to hide our weaknesses from others-- lest they find out we are not the perfect mothers we want to be! Because of this, we all think that the other mothers are better than us! This has even lead to depression in some women that I know. I am trying to make sure that my blogging is real and shows my struggles with motherhood and homemaking. I am trying to "Keep it Real."

Today Joshua and Abby begged to help me put the chocolate chips in the pancakes on the griddle. I told them "no" and explained to them that it was hot and I didn't want them to get burned. They continued to beg and I decided that it would probably be okay since they just had to reach over and drop the chocolate chips onto the half cooked pancakes. On Joshua's second pancake, he dropped a chocolate chip that landed on the stovetop. He immediately went to grab it burning his hand on the griddle. He has a very painful burn that he pretty much kept in cool water for 3 hours. He would go off to play and then run back to the bowl saying "ouch" or "my hand is burning." I called the doctor who wants to see him in the morning and told us to put antibiotic cream on it (not ointment which I have in the house but cream which John had to drive 30 minutes into town to pick up). Joshua seems to be doing better now so I'm hoping he'll sleep okay through the night.

Oh, I almost forgot the cute part of this story! As soon as John came home, I asked him to give Joshua a blessing. John told Joshua he was going to say a prayer. Joshua said "okay" and then proceeded to say a prayer asking Heavenly Father to bless his hand. The faith of little ones always puts tears in my eyes!

A Clean House

Try as I might, I can not keep this house clean!

I'm not talking about a dirty house with stuff growing in the refrigerator, 1/4 of an inch of dust on the furniture and carpet that hasn't seen the vacuum in who knows how long.

I'm also not talking about a house that needs to be on Clean Sweep. Although, since I'm keeping it real, my basement could be on Clean Sweep!

I am talking about a house with toys, shoes, books and art/crafting supplies on the floor, couch, beds, tables, etc. They are frequently put away by me, my children, and my husband. No matter how many times we put them away, they somehow manage to find themselves a new home somewhere that is NOT their "spot."

At family councils, we discuss the importance of picking up after ourselves and not putting things down in places where they don't belong. We have tried many strategies to try to fix this problem but nothing has worked so far. We can have this house clean as a whiste at 10:00 am and find it in a "We hope nobody stops unexpectedly" state by 3:00 pm! Seriously-- I am not even exaggerating! I don't need to exaggerate because the truth is already unbelievable.

I wonder if this problem is common in homes with more than two children. I remember being able to keep the house neat, cook homemade meals, do all of my chores and STILL have time to read when I only had two children. I considered myself to be a great mother and a decent homemaker.

A couple of years ago (probably when I was expecting my fourth child), I called my mother to tell her what an awful mother and homemaker I turned out to be. She asked me if I remember my childhood home being messy. I told her that I didn't and that her house was always neat. She told me that when we were little it wasn't always neat and pointed out that I don't even remember the mess.

So, I just have to remind myself that my children are not suffering and won't even remember all of the times this house has been messy. We play a lot of games, make a lot of treats and have a lot of traditions! These are the things they will remember! (I hope.)

My Dancing Boys

In this house we love to listen to music and dance and be silly! Ethan has figured out how to add arm movements to his dancing. Here is a video of Joshua and Ethan dancing. Enjoy!

Help Me Choose Some New Glasses!

I ordered myself some new glasses but unfortunately I didn't realize the tortoise shell exterior could turn out to be so awful.

Here is the pair I tried on and loved:


Here is the pair I received: (You will probably have to click on the picture to see it more closely if you want to see what I don't like about them which is the coloring.)

Way too much orange for my taste! I almost cried when I first saw them.

So, it was back to the shop to see if I could get a new pair. I was hoping they could just give me the display pair but unfortunately it is a slightly different size than what I need for my head size and so the lenses won't fit in it. They don't want to order me a new frame in this style because they have no guarantee that I'll like the coloring. : ( Aren't they cute though?

So, now I have to pick out a new pair and I need your help this time! Please leave me a comment and tell me what you think. This is a good time for you lurkers to come forward and leave your first comment on my blog. : )

Here is #1:

Here is #2:
Here is #3
Here is #4:
Here is #5:
Here is #6:
Feel free to tell me if you think they are all wrong. : ) I'll figure this out eventually. Thanks for your help! And thank you Abby for coming along and taking these pictures for me!

Abby's First Photo Shoot!

Recently I have started letting Abby take pictures with my camera. Here are some pictures from her first photo shoot:

Jack Got His First Power Tool!

Well, I decided that it was time Jack learned how to use a weed eater! John can use all of the help he can get. Those of you that have seen our yard know what I'm talking about. We live on a hill that requires more cutting with the weed eater than the lawn mower. I researched weed eaters and found a cheap one that is only 6 pounds. Sure you have to plug it in but Jack only weighs 47 pounds so I didn't want it to be too heavy. He did a great job his first day and loves his new toy! He actually likes helping John in the yard-- he always has and I hope he always will. : )

Thanks for the help Jack!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

John's mother's birthday was August 1st. We were actually in Virginia Beach and were able to attend her birthday party. I want to tell you a little about Grandma.

Grandma loves babies! Ethan doesn't let very many people hold him but Grandma just whisks him away and he is perfectly happy to be with her! I love this picture of Grandma and John.

Grandma has done a wonderful job of raising 8 children. She loves each and every one of them.

Grandma loves to dance! Here is a picture of her dancing with John at Rachel's wedding.

Grandma recently graduated from Norfolk State University. We are so proud of you!

Grandma loves to go to the movies. If you ever want to go and are wondering what you should see, call Grandma-- she's likely seen them all and can tell you which are worth seeing!

Our children are so lucky to have Grandma in their lives! I grew up really knowing my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. I want my children to have this same experience.

Thank you Nancy for being such an awesome mother and grandmother! We love you!

Treasures

Mema is my mother's mother. She has dementia. Everytime I go to Virginia Beach for a visit, I see how changed she is by this disorder. It has progressed to the point that Mema will be moving in with my mother and father. Last weekend my mother asked us all to go to Mema's and see if there is anything there that we want since most of it will have to be donated or sold.

We started going through Mema's treasures. It was exciting to find old pictures, letters and trinkets! I loved seeing old pictures of my grandparents and my mother! I loved reading old letters! Here are a couple of stories we found in one letter Mema wrote to my Uncle Jeff:

"Alex came home carrying his belt, he came from Mr. Blairs, Debbie said 'Alex why did you take your belt off?' He said, 'Mr. Blair was going to get me, so I took my belt off to wack him!"

"Sarah brought a picture of her hand print home, the next day she had her foot print. I said, 'Sarah, how did they get your foot print?' She said, ' Oh, grandma, I had to take my shoe and sox off.' We walked down the road a little way, she looked up at me and said, 'Grandma, I hope they don't take our body print tomorrow!'"

Mema and Papa were able to attend my wedding. If I had known then that Papa would pass away six short months later, oh the things I would have asked him... the things I would have told him... how much closer I would have listened to his stories! I miss you Papa.

If I had known two years ago that Mema would get dementia, oh the things I would have asked her... the things I would have told her... how much closer I would have listened to her stories! I miss you Mema.

I enjoyed going through your treasures and I want you to know that the two of you are my treasures. You are worth more to me than all of the gold on this earth. I am so thankful for our eternal family and that you are two treasures that I will have with me in heaven!

Thank you for all the love you have given me! I love you!

Ethan's New Trick!

Ethan has decided that he is tired of showing us tricks we've seen our other children do.

So, he came up with a new trick!

I had to snap this photo fast because Daddy was VERY nervous!

Feeling Loved

I love having my school-aged children home for the summer! I eagerly look forward to it every year. I like the relaxed schedule that summer brings-- not worrying if a family outing puts us home after bedtime, being able to sleep in a little extra, more time for family games, no homework, etc.

One thing has been hard though-- NAPTIME! My school-aged children seem to no longer KNOW how to be quiet during this precious time of day. Ethan, who is the only one lucky enough to still take naps, has been having trouble staying asleep with the extra noise in this home.

On Thursday, Ethan was awakened about half way into his nap. I got him up but after only a few minutes it was obvious from his fussiness that he needed to go back to bed. I took him back to his room and rocked him in my arms. He immediately relaxed and looked up at me while we listened to his music play. I thought about how comfortable he seemed in my arms which reminded me about how comfortable I feel in my husband's arms. I feel so loved when he holds me. And even though Ethan might not understand the words "I love you" yet, I know that he feels my love when he is in my arms. I love you Ethan!