MooMama

Last days of March

2013-03-29T22:03:00.003-04:00

Here we are in the last days of March already! We celebrated four birthdays this month. Our ladybug Sophia turned 7 and littlest Evangeline turned 2. My sister, Hannah, made us two more gorgeous cakes for our parties.

Our niece/cousin Selina turned 18 (She's graduating this year! Eee!) and my brother had his 33rd.

This weekend is full of softball and family. Easter Sunday will be non-stop from morning until night. I am still putting finishing touches on baskets and making clues for an old-fashioned egg hunt like my Mom and Dad made for us when we were kids. I am wrapping up a few prizes for the final clue (little things like books and sidewalk chalk). I have some baking to do tomorrow, also. I like to put some homemade goodies in their baskets so it is not completely full of store-bought candy.

Easter afternoon is another egg hunt at Grandma's. She recently sold her home to Mike's brother and new wife. It will be strange going there and not equating it as "Grandma's house" anymore. The girls are a bit apprehensive about it. Life is always changing, though. Even though I am thrilled that my brother-in-law and his wife have a new home, it seems a bit bittersweet for my mother-in-law. However, if she is happy we can not complain. Life will move on accordingly.

Easter evening is spent with my family! They will be serving a ham dinner with all the trimmings.

I am looking forward to warmer days and cool breezy nights, planting seeds, airing out the house with open windows and a much needed deep cleaning. I am planning on getting back to healthier eating, exercising, and soaking in sunlight for all its vitamin D goodness. I hope April brings me all that and more.

Enjoy your weekend with family and friends! Happy Easter!

At The Moment

2013-03-01T22:11:00.000-05:00

Hello March! February was this non-stop hazy cloud of sickness for us. It made its rounds, trickling from one child to the next. We had four birthday celebrations last month. Madelyn turned 12 and Lana hit double digits with her 10th birthday! Our nephew/cousin turned one and my brother had his 35th. Lana was sick for hers but she made it up the following weekend with a sleepover party with her friends. Unfortunately, the sickness had finally hooked its claws into me by Valentine's Day, lasting the entire weekend. That weekend marked the 17th anniversary of the first date my husband and I ever went on. We celebrated with me in bed nauseous with a migraine. Pretty sexy, I know.

Tomorrow, my third baby turns 7! She's been counting down the days for over a week. Each day she would recalculate and let me know how many days were left. We have ladybug plates and decorations with tacos on the dinner menu. Family will be joining us to celebrate tomorrow night with cake and ice cream and fun. I hope she has the best birthday a seven year old can have!

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold:

when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.”

~Charles Dickens, Great Expectations.

Academy of Natural Sciences

2013-01-23T15:28:00.002-05:00

Here are some Instagram photos from our weekend trip to the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. I meant to post them earlier but here we are in the middle of the week.

(How did it get to be Wednesday already?)

Enjoy!

First stop: butterflies!


Irish Elk skull and antlers

Desert of Borkou

Serengeti plains and crew

Coral reef stained glass

Classic Academy: the Trex

Free Library of Philadelphia

They'll never forget.

Standoff!

Cousin Katie and Oar

Leopard Tortoise living quarters

Watching tiny turtles

Evangeline loving the museum

Panning for shark teeth

City Hall of Philadelphia

One Word: RENEW

2013-01-04T07:30:00.000-05:00

It is out with the old and in with the new, as they say. The Christmas decorations are packed away for another year, the tree has been swept out the door, and gifts are slowly being cleaned up and put where they belong.

2012 had many great times but we suffered some rough patches, mostly in the last month or so. Things have been breaking down around the house, I have had to budget crunch, moving money here and there to stay afloat, then we incurred an extremely high vet bill but lost our sweet cat in spite of it all. I have been in a slump, and quite frankly a bit depressed, but I hope to break free of that in 2013.

The beginning of new years are always fresh, clean and hopeful for me.

I have not been feeling it yet so far. Give me time, though. It is only Day 4.

Many bloggers choose a single word in January to focus on throughout the year. I pondered this and decided to choose a word for myself: RENEW, to make like new : restore to freshness, vigor, or perfection.

2013 will be my year to RENEW and all the synonyms that go along with it such as:

regenerate, revive, rebuild, resume, and replenish.

I wrote a tentative little list of resolutions as I do every year so I will post them here as a reminder going forward.

Finish Lana's quilt; begin and complete a quilt for Sophia (I am creating one for each of our girls!)
Complete painting my laundry room (3 walls painted and they look lovely!)
Make my bedroom beautiful (instead of the beautiful mess it currently is.)
Contribute to charity through crafting (Madelyn wants to get involved this year!)
Eliminate things that are weighing me down (ex. weight, clutter, time wasters.)
RENEW this blog: new banner, layout, more posts!
Read at least 25 books this year (I have a profile on GoodReads with the challenge!)
Keep a book journal (Thanks, Mom!)
Fill my new seasonal journal with memories and goodness.
Send at least one snail mail package/letter a month.

“Hope
Smiles from the threshold of the year to come,
Whispering 'it will be happier'...”
― Alfred Tennyson

Silver Lining?

2012-12-12T00:55:00.002-05:00

Hello! I have returned. Thanks to those of you who have noticed that I stepped away from my blog for longer than I anticipated. The weeks since Halloween have been...full.

Full of celebration, full of stress, and full of many unexpected events.

* Thanksgiving this year, I hosted a lunch with my in-laws. On my menu to serve were turkey panini sandwiches and a shrimp potato soup. The sandwiches turned out wonderful. The soup? Not so much. I cooked it the day before. While reheating, it burned without my supervision. It was disappointing. I tried to make the best of it by quickly mixing up a batch of homemade mac and cheese.

I was glad to be the host of the luncheon that day. It was the first Thanksgiving in many years that we did not feel rushed and overstuffed. Dinner at my parents home that night was lovely, as it is every year.

* Gracie had a dentist appointment in the beginning of December. She needed a conscious sedation. I think I was more terrified of that day than she was. All went well, though, and she is smiling a little bit brighter now.

* Two weeks ago, Rocky, our oldest cat, passed away. He woke up one morning crying and limping. We were worried and took him to an emergency vet. They did many tests. They kept him overnight. The following day we waited for the ok to pick him up which never came. They wanted him to see a cardiologist (another $600 fee on top of the mounting $1900 we already incurred). We decided to bring him home, instead.

We were given a diagnosis of an enlarged heart and a slew of medications. He did not seem himself but the girls all petted him; tried to make him happy. The other cats came visiting and sniffing around.

The next morning, he died lying in our bed. We were a bit in disbelief and very sad to see him gone. He was a joy to have as a pet for the past 14 years. We will miss him every day.

* Yesterday, my grandmother tripped and fell into a corner of her sofa at home. A simple accident. She was taken to the emergency room because she was having trouble breathing. They found out she had fractured three ribs. We were all so worried for her. Thank goodness she was able to come home the same night to start her mending.

* Then, today I walked out to the kitchen to find that my laundry room had flooded while a load of wash was running. It pumped out gallons of water, filling my laundry room, into the kitchen and out into the dining room. It was a complete disaster to clean up. Unfortunately, our wood floors may suffer the consequences for there is some damage that is already noticable.

However, 16 sopping wet towels and 12 hours later, the floors are dry and the washer is running smoothly again. Plus, since I had to move everything from the laundry room in order to clean up the mess, I plan on (finally!) repainting that room starting... tomorrow morning!

*Sigh* Enough of the gripe fest. I do kind of feel the universe is trying to tell me something, though. It is shouting to slow down, to not worry so much, to remember that the problems I face are minimal compared to what someone else may be facing at this very hour.

I have seen the silver lining in all the terrible disasters that have struck us these past weeks.

Believe me, I hear you, universe.

I just hope I have the sense enough to listen.

Halloween After the Storm

2012-10-31T15:21:00.000-04:00

I had to send out a little post about this sweet boy. My sister nannies for his family and they created pumpkin decorations following the idea from my yarn apple craft I posted. He plans on making a DIY Victor costume from Frankenweenie for Halloween. He made his yarn pumpkin craft into a zombie! Awesome!

We have just recovered power after a 42 hour loss due to Hurricane Sandy. Our house is completely run on electricity but we did have running water. Trying to entertain six girls for that long was a frightening feat in itself! We managed with games, reading, carving pumpkins by candlelight, and lots of snacks and blanket forts. We had shelter, a fire to warm us, no damage to our property, and each other. What more could I ask for?

We take everyday conveniences like a hot shower, clean laundry and food that won't spoil for granted. I am grateful for their return.

I think we also take for granted the things we have all along, lying in wait. They are left unnoticed until forced upon us by lack of internet or television to entertain us.

Things like playing a card game together, eating dinner by candlelight, or stepping outside to look at the beauty of an (almost full) moon lighting our dark, quiet neighborhood.

Happy Halloween everyone! Stay safe!

My thoughts go out to anyone still recovering from the storm.

Instagrammed Weekend

2012-10-23T23:41:00.003-04:00

I am sad that I have not been here in this space writing and sharing. But not being here means I am out here in the world living. That makes me happy beyond words.

This life of ours together is loud and joyful and messy and lovely all at the same time. It is anything but simple but we try to keep it as down-to-earth as possible.

And it's good to be traveling this life with them.

It is all very good.

Apple Craft with Yarn

2012-09-28T08:30:00.000-04:00

Today I thought it would be fun to post an Autumn craft using chunky yarn, some recycled cardboard and other found materials!

As I mentioned before, I am homeschooling our twin preschoolers this year. Our letter of the week was A so I decided to do an Apple yarn craft. The materials were ones I already had in my craft stash. The idea sparked from a similar craft my Mom used to do with us when we were kids!

Easy, eco-friendly and kids of all ages can enjoy!

First, we took two round cardboard pieces that I saved from frozen pizza packages.

There are many choices of recycled cardboard you can find around the house: old cereal boxes, boxes from mailed packages, appliance boxes, old cardboard storage boxes, etc.

Then, I cut a slight rounded V shape into the top and a little dip into the bottom to give it more of an apple shape.

We used this chunky Lion Brand yarn. Chunkier yarn is better because it covers more surface quickly.

We also used old-fashioned Elmer's white glue. It was the easiest choice for little hands to squeeze and apply themselves.

Next came the application of the yarn. I cut about 12 arm lengths of yarn for this project

which seemed to work out just perfectly.

We started from the outside and squeezed one line of glue around the entire shape of the apple.

Here is row #2! Once the first line was in place, it was easier for them to keep going around and around to complete rows.

You can also easily help adjust the rows because the glue is slow to dry.

Don't worry about mistakes or drips on the yarn, the glue dries clear!

After the project was complete, we went on a search for the perfect apple stick! This gave the project an opportunity to dry and the twins got time to stretch their legs and play in the the backyard scouting for a stick to use.

Then, we applied it to the back using masking tape!

For a finishing touch, I dug a few green pipe cleaners from my stash, twisted both ends onto the stick and had them shape it into a leaf. A great craft to do on an Autumn afternoon!!

Think of the all the possible different shapes for holiday crafting using this simple yarn technique: pumpkins, autumn leaves, hearts, candy canes, shamrocks, stars... just about anything your imagination can dream up!

** Happy Crafting! **

Oh, Autumn!

2012-09-25T00:13:00.000-04:00

Autumn has arrived! I am so happy to be able to open up the windows and breathe in crisp air again. This season rejuvenates me. You, too?

As much as I try to avoid the word, "busy", we have definitely been so. Back to school for the oldest three, homeschooling preschool with the twins, softball for Madelyn and Lana with practice sessions twice a week and two games on both Saturday and Sunday for each.

I am still undecided on the scheduled time we have to commit to with two girls in softball. I am conflicted because they enjoy it and we enjoy watching them. Mike is a coach on Lana's team this season. We love seeing them develop their skills and their interest level for the game is high. They do very well!

Their practice sessions run about two hours twice a week. Each game on the weekend is two hours long. Some days the games are back to back which has us all at the field in excess of four hours. Entertaining their four sisters through these games is not always easy and the weekends leave me exhausted.

Mealtimes are slacking because of the rush to get out the door on time, the housework is slipping (I am in need of a major Fall Cleaning!), and I will try not to think about the pile of laundry that is inevitably not getting completed (due to lack of time...and then a broken hose in the washer which certainly help.)

I have also started a new crochet project. A brightly colored granny square afghan. I am loving the combination of colors. It is cheerful and reminds me of summer! It has gotten a bit bigger since I took this photo. I am not great with finishing projects but I am determined to see this one through.

Speaking of unfinished projects, I have had this quilt for Lana's bed sitting in my laundry room for about six years. No joke. My most dreaded part of quilting is the basting and binding. I finally decided to just DO it and now it only needs a binding. I am closer to a finished quilt than I was before. For that I am glad.

We have also been working on a budget revamp. I switched our cable to a different provider. They gave us an offer we could not refuse saving us $65 monthly with no change to our service. We have a mortgage refinance almost settled. I switched our only credit card to a 0% interest for 12 months, and I am also looking into switching our trash to a different company to save about $10 monthly. Little things are adding up.

Here's hoping Autumn brings us new beginnings,

winning games, lower bills, wider smiles, and lighter hearts!

Back to School with Tiny Prints!

2012-08-30T20:00:00.000-04:00


First day of school 2011

My three oldest girls are heading back to school after this Labor Day holiday weekend.

My goodness, how these summer days flew by!

I have been busy gathering supplies, checking off lists, and packing schoolbags full of freshly sharpened pencils, composition books and brightly colored folders!

I have these great personalized sticker labels from Tiny Prints that I placed inside each of their composition books and binders. I also stuck one on the pockets of their folders. Other ideas for these labels could be on hard pencil cases, to keep paper lunch bags closed on school trips, or for their own personal diaries!

I think they look super cute and there are oodles of designs to choose from! The girls each got to pick which design they wanted. I also love that there is an option for a FREE Designer Review of your personalized labels. A professional designer will review your text, photo(s) and layout to make sure everything works perfectly and you do not end up with a bunch of unusable labels! Great service!

I thought these Mommy Cards were great, as well! You can edit any of the Mom "titles" and I was actually able to fit all SIX of our girls in the name section by reducing the font size.

This would make a perfect little contact card to hand out to new friends I meet during the upcoming school year and at softball games!

Tiny Prints has some gorgeous address labels, too. I picked out some labels with tiny pine trees and a snowman for sending out on Christmas cards this year! It will eliminate a sore hand by having to hand write return addresses on all my cards. I need all the extra time I can get!

Tiny Prints also offers custom holiday greeting cards. There are so many great layouts, I may have a hard time choosing which one I like the best!

Go check out all that Tiny Prints has to offer!

Also, Tiny Prints has their own BLOG with a lot of inspirational, creative ideas!

Kids Castle

2012-08-20T22:08:00.000-04:00

We took this great looking crew to visit the Kids Castle a few weekends ago! We packed up a lunch to enjoy at the pavillion before heading over to conquer the Castle.

We met a pigeon while we were eating. My niece, Kate said, "It's name is Sally."

Sounded good to us. Sally it was!

It was a great day! The girls burnt lots of energy climbing through the castle, sliding and swinging.

Two cuties playing astronauts in space!

And one SCARY alien named Isabella!

Recently I read an article that this favorite place of ours needs some re-fortification! I hope that when the day comes, we can organize a Lemonade/Bake Sale to help raise funds to keep this great playground open for our children and for future generations!

I would love for our girls to be included in helping to "Save their Castle!"

School Countdown

2012-08-17T17:09:00.001-04:00

The countdown to school has begin here. A mere 17 days and only 3 more weekends. We have knocked off 62 Fun Summer Activities off our chart for this year! A great record for us!

Two were checked off today when Mike (with a rare day off) had the girls put on their bathing suits to "Wash the Car with Dad" and "Wash their bikes."

The other day I printed out a whole bunch of templates to make a school countdown for the girls to be able to visualize how many days were left in their Summer. The templates were from this book. I have all the different months and seasons of this series. There are a bunch of great crafts/activities and fun ideas to be had in these books.

The girls got to work coloring the pages and then I cut them out, numbered them and stapled them to a ribbon to hang in our dining room area.

Lana got the #1 spot with her colored book that says, "Hooray! School's Back!"

This is a fun way to countdown the days left of our Summer!

We are trying to take advantage of each and every one.

Summer Chronicles Part Two

2012-07-25T23:55:00.000-04:00

I know, I promised less Instagram photos last time I posted. These will have to do for now.

I have stepped away from the computer for this month, promising less screen time. I am not sure I am doing as well as I hoped. This post will probably ramble a bit but I have not checked in here for awhile. My own Mom threatened to kick me off her Google Reader list (She's kidding... I hope!)

My days are hectic and full and sometimes more stressful than I want. The nights are calm when all are in bed and I hear only the quiet whoosh of the air conditioning, the cats clicking along the wood floors, and the rustling of my comforter.

We have been filling our days and every weekend is busy. We took another trip to Ocean City with family. Beach time, sandy bodies, long walks, good food and great friends. We are slowly checking off our list of 100 Things to Do This Summer. Forty-one to date! Not nearly enough, but I keep forgetting we have time to catch up.

Each morning there is the pool to fill and girls to appease. Wet towels have become the household staple. More of a staple than actual food! You would imagine I am feeding a half dozen children the way food is consumed around here. Oh wait... that's right. :)

I recently rearranged the twins bedroom and lengthened the toddler bed they are sharing (it is the expandable twin size bed from Ikea). It was inevitable, I suppose. Their little legs are growing as quickly as the days are getting shorter, pushing us slowly towards Autumn with each passing hour.

I also made the twins two matching nightgowns from a pair of Ikea King size pillowcases that match my duvet bed cover. They are long to their ankles with lace trim and look so beautiful. Isabella and Grace never want to take them off. They wear them as dresses and nightgowns alike. I secretly wish I had one for myself!

Also, Sophia lost a front tooth. Each time she smiles, her tongue pushes through the empty spot. That makes me smile, too. She is still diligent in her quest for butterflies. Each day she carries her net out to the backyard in pursuit, her long wavy hair flying.

August is coming. Whenever I hear the cicadas more frequently, my mind wanders to school supplies and checklists of what new clothing needs to be bought. I even bought a few Christmas presents the other day, now stashed away in my closet! *sigh*

I want (need!) to stay present in Summer for just awhile longer, though. Those blustery days of Autumn will arrive soon enough.

For now, it is sun-kissed faces, homemade ice cream sandwiches, playing together both laughing (and fighting!), and a whole lot of wet towels for Mama to keep warm and dry.

June in Photos

2012-07-02T22:30:00.000-04:00

morning and empty

on my plate and close-up

sign and hat

drink and six o'clock

my view today and best bit of the weekend

door and art

time and yellow

'out and about' and what's in my bag

where i slept and from a high angle

movement and something cute

where i shop and on my shelf

I participated in taking a photo a day for the month of June hosted by Fat Mum Slim. Find out how to play along for upcoming months here!

The great thing about taking a photo a day is that I can look at all of these photos and recall that particular day with such clarity. I had started a Project 365 last year and I still enjoy those photos and conjure memories of those moments. I had a pretty good run of that project but only made it to the summer months before it fizzled out.

This is just a bit of what our summer has consisted of. We are enjoying late mornings, watching our veggie garden grow, sleepover parties, days in the sun, catching lightning bugs, playing games, watching movies, family time and checking off items from our 100 Things to Do This Summer list.

* I am also making a promise to myself to get back to my camera that takes beautiful photos and stop taking the easy way out by using Instagram all the time! It is so darn convenient though! *

Father's Day Tradition

2012-06-18T19:48:00.000-04:00

We had a pretty awesome day at Ocean City for Father's Day. The weather was perfect (especially for me) because the weather was comfortable and breezy. Pizza on the boardwalk, a Barbie honeymoon hosted by Lana on the sandy beach, arcade games for the kids, cousins together, then salt water taffy and caramel popcorn for the ride home.

Sometimes with everyday living we lose sight of the horizon but I am glad the tide of our family traditions always draw us back to shore. It allows us to see what is truly important.

“Our memories of the ocean will linger on,

long after our footprints in the sand are gone.”

~Anonymous

Summer Chronicles (part 1)

2012-06-16T14:05:00.001-04:00

We have been battling a serious case of croup cough among the younger girls this past week and it has exhausted me. I am seriously ready for summer vacation. No alarm clock for the next 81 days sounds dreamy! Even with the sickness aside, our first official day of summer did not go as expected.

Upon waking, I remembered that the day before my dryer decided it did not want to heat anymore. It spun and hummed and blew air but decided it wasn't so excited about actually doing its job of “drying” anymore. Thankfully, my husband is a Mr. Fix-It so hopefully it will be remedied soon. Eight people’s worth of clothing is depending on him. (No pressure, honey.)

After breakfast, the girls decided to have a beach party and took all the blankets and towels to the deck, dressed in bathing suits and were having fun. I handed out fruit popsicles to soothe their coughs and throats. Isabella came rushing in and asked me to “Cool my popsicle! It’s sooooo cold!” I assumed she meant I had to make her popsicle warmer but then it would have just been juice therefore totally losing its cool. Funny, I know.

As all popsicles were finally being consumed, I noticed an odd smell which I thought was coming from outside. Instead I discovered that it was emanating from my dishwasher and smelled of burnt plastic.

Not good.

I shut it off and fearfully looking inside expecting a fire. I noticed that a piece at the bottom had melted and was burnt. Wonderful. Mr. Fix-It had another job to add to the list.

I emailed this photo to my Mom with the subject, "On fire? Yup.” and another one to my husband with the subject, “Is this good?” Amusing to me but maybe not so much to the guy who had to come home and troubleshoot it.

Later, I talked to my Mom and she mentioned that my Dad (also a Mr. Fix-It) never saw any part that ever resembled that in a dishwasher before. I took his word for it and took another look. This time I realized it was a part from a cake decorating contraption that had fallen to the bottom and was touching the bar that heated during the dry cycle. Score! I told my husband I fixed the dishwasher all by myself! Again, he wasn't so amused.

In the midst of all this turmoil, coughing and laundry piling up and kids wanting to be fed actual lunches (just kidding!), I decided it would be a great idea to make a homemade mosquito catcher. I will tell you in a week how that works out. Currently, it only seems to be attracting ants. Lots of them.

Also, Lana's Barbie is in the hospital (again!) This time she is pregnant and expecting the baby "any day now!" I found it strange that she grew up in a household of only home births and still she has Barbie birthing babies in a hospital. Hmm. I give her a plus for a huge imagination, though. The worlds she dreams up in her mind are amazing!

So Summer is not off to the greatest start. Summer is definitely beating us 1-0. I figure it could be entirely worse so I try to keep a half-full-not-half-empty approach.

Plus, with 80 more days to look forward to, I am confident we can settle the score.

Instagram shots

2012-05-23T17:04:00.005-04:00

Oh yes. I have entered the world of Instagram. You can find me under username saol_alainn, which means "beautiful life" in Gaelic. Besides taking insta-photos and trying to configure my iPhone, I recently celebrated my birthday, have been sleeping under a dreamy new comforter from Ikea and making hot chocolate in my new flame colored LeCreseut pot. We are busy finishing up a softball season and looking forward to dance recitals and school out for summer! (Hooray!)

A beautiful life indeed! More soon...

Being a Mother

2012-05-11T20:31:00.000-04:00

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." ~Elizabeth Stone

The past two days have been worrisome on our hearts. Evangeline had a cold and cough that gradually grew worse. A fever, sustained rapid breathing, sleepy, not her bright eyed self. I began to miss her smile. She had never been this sick in her whole 13 months of existence.

I did what I hoped was best. Nursing to keep her hydrated, sitting with her in a steamy bathroom to loosen the mucus building in her lungs, holding her against me, rocking her while she slept and keeping a watchful eye. Although she was still not herself, she improved slightly by evening. I stayed downstairs to sleep so she could sleep upright to keep her coughs productive and to soothe her labored breathing.

Mothering is a monumental job. The weight of your decisions involving your children rest heavy on your soul. With tentative situations like a sickness, you wish for the right choices to magically appear but they never do. Intuition is what keeps you steady and hopeful. It is what urges you to be brave that your choices will be the correct ones.

This morning, Evangeline's fever broke and her breathing returned to normal. Joy! She is not 100% but her smile returned. It was a smile definitely worth waiting for.

Happy Mother's Day weekend to all the wonderful mothers!

To my own Mom: I love you. You reassure me in my most unsettling moments of motherhood. <3

Screen Free = Less Stress and More Fun

2012-05-06T22:56:00.001-04:00

etsy print by groundwork: find it HERE

Last week I spent less time in front of screens and more time with both family and myself. I was mindful of the time I spent on the computer, in front of the television, or on my phone.

My initial progress to more mindful screen-time was very poor! On Day 1, I had already woke up to the television newscast and thought I would definitely be throwing in the towel on this experiment. Reflecting on this past week, I can honestly say it was a positive experience. I was less stressed/anxious without a constant tie to social media or other distractions.

On Tuesday, Day 2, Isabella and Grace had their fourth birthday party. This usually requires a full room-to-room cleaning in order to prepare for guests. I vacuum, dust, put extra leaves in the dining table, decorate, make sure fingerprints are not covering every last inch of reflective surface... you catch the drift. It is a long day.

This time I turned off the TV for the entire day while the older girls were at school. The computers and my phone both remained shut down as well. My only goal to accomplish on their birthday was to entertain them, clean, wrap presents and get ready for our dozen + guests to arrive. By party time, I was cleaning baseboards in the kitchen trying to find something else to do.

Normally, you would find me frazzled, half-dressed, and freaking out because the table had not been decorated or the dinner dishes were still on the kitchen counter by the time guests began to arrive. This time... calm and collected. Why? All other (unnecessary) distractions had been eliminated for the day.

I continued all week with no television time during the day until 4:00. The computer in the living room remained off and my phone was pretty much out of commission anyway. I did sneak some glances at email mid-week. I checked in on Facebook on the twins birthday. I did send a few tweets out on Friday. That was the extent of my screen time. The time I did spend online was not rushed and never pulled from time with family. I think I have never spent as much time crafting, reading or playing with the girls as I have this week. It was a good thing!

Some thoughts I take with me as I plan on continuing with my mindful screen time:

What will I remember a year from now? Even a day from now? I guarantee you will not remember what any one of your followers tweeted a week ago.

What memories do I want to create today? For both myself and for others. Pinterest is super cool and inspiring but let us go create a little inspiration of our own!

Be mindful of whatever I choose to do at that moment. Multi-tasking may seem like a virtue but I may have to disagree. Focus on one thing and complete it before moving on. Your stress levels will thank you for it.

Do not waste opportunities on screens! Making animals out of play dough with your children will trump checking your email inbox any day of the week. Believe me.

“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time,

for that's the stuff life is made of.”
-Benjamin Franklin

Mindful Screen Time

2012-04-30T23:28:00.001-04:00

Today through May 6th is Screen-Free week! As you can see by this blog post, my participation thus far has been poor. I woke up this morning with good intentions but habit had me flicking on the TV to watch the morning news.

Oops!

There went my "screen-free" week and I had not even got out of bed yet!

No worries! I feel that "all-or-nothing" is not the way to change habits. I do want to become more mindful of our family time spent in front of screens. This is the week I chose to start!

Last week, I watched this TED talk by Sherry Turkle: Connected, but alone. This talk is everything I have been thinking and discussing with my mom lately. I feel the children of today are so "connected" with social media that they are not making physical, emotional connections in real life.

My two oldest daughters have been asking when they will be allowed to have cell phones. They tell me that "all their friends have them." Their friends are on Facebook and YouTube. Their friends have their own email and Oovoo and Twitter accounts.

My daughters do not. Nor will they until they reach the required age limit for those sites, which I believe is 13 years old. It seems so overwhelming to know these children are connected to so much social media at such a young age. One of Madelyn's friends has almost 900 photos posted on her Facebook account! 900!!

Adults are not immune to the time wasting of screen time, either. I admit that I spend many hours on the internet, watching shows I have saved on our DVR or movies from Netflix. I have many social media accounts and I enjoy them. I really do! They can quickly steal time from me, though, that I may have spent happily elsewhere.

Some days I complain that I "didn't have enough time" to finish one thing or another that I had planned to do. I DID have the time. The time was lurking in perusing Facebook status updates, clicking on links from Twitter, reading blogs, checking or sending emails... perhaps even writing this blog post?

The fact is screen-time is not always wasteful. It is a great source of entertainment and information for me and for us as a family. The problem is when all those little bits of time spent searching Pinterest for a perfect handmade gift or waiting for crops to bloom in Castleville creates this void of time that you can not retrieve.

This week, I wish to be more mindful of my own screen-time as well as ours as a family. I want to notice when time spent in front of a screen is "wasted time" and to choose another activity instead.

Today, we spent much of the afternoon outside. The television and computers stayed off limits to the kids. I did get on the internet several times today and Madelyn had a new PS3 game arrive so I allowed her to play that for awhile. I did finish the outfits I made for the twins' birthday (which is tomorrow!). I also sewed two special "birthday" pillowcases for their bed. I feel this was a big score for me considering the poor start to my screen-free week.

Tonight, instead of watching television during snack time, we played a few rounds of Phase 10. Mike, Madelyn, Lana and I played and the other girls each had a partner to help hold the cards and pick up from the draw pile. Everyone was involved and had a fun time!

I plan on using the rest of the week to be more mindful of wasted screen-time. I do not want to take an all-or-nothing approach. I think there can be a happy medium ground that we can all learn and grow from. Let us reclaim lost time and practice slow living away from screens. Will you join me?

Pardon the Absence

2012-04-24T18:44:00.002-04:00

We have been busy this April! Madelyn joined a softball team and games have begun. We all braved her first game in very dreary, very cold conditions. The weather has been finicky this Spring! One day we were sweating it out at 89º and the next week we were sitting on bleachers in drizzle bearing dismal, near-freezing temps.

The games have been fun, though! Madelyn decided to try for a pitching position. There she is above throwing a pitch! She has been practicing with her Dad as often as they can. Mike is one of the assistant coaches and is enjoying being part of the team. It is nice to see them having a good time together! Both on and off the field, Madelyn makes us quite proud!

Besides the practicing and games:

We took a trip to the Franklin Institute!
There are dancing classes twice a week until the recital in June.
We celebrated Mike's grandmother's 90th birthday and my brother Joshua's 28th.
Our computer blew up again. This time requiring a hard drive AND video card replacement. Ugh.
I have been sewing up a couple of pairs of pajama/everyday pants for Evangeline.
My planted seeds are starting to sprout! Zucchini, cucumbers and two types of tomatoes for the garden plus lots of herbs: sage, basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, and thyme.
Enjoying the sunny weather outdoors when it's warm and savoring the dark, rainy days inside with cosy blankets and each other.

It won't be long before summer is knocking on our doorstep, again!

Spring Break

2012-04-09T19:13:00.000-04:00

Hope your Easter weekend was as full and lovely as ours!

Evangeline's Year

2012-04-05T15:49:00.002-04:00

I took a photo of Evangeline on or around the 19th every month for her entire year. She sat in the same rocking chair each time. I have never done this type of project before! I take oodles of photos of our girls but I have never done a planned baby's first year, month-to-month project like this.

I arranged my favorite photos from each month in a collage, added her name and some pink polka dots, lined each with a grey grid and... voila! Cute photo project complete!

Also, I just had to add this photo of Evangeline during her one year photo session! One of the girls said "More!" to indicate that I wanted to take more photos of her. She looked right at me and signed "More!" Our sign for more is "tapping two index fingers together".

She is quite the smarty pants!

This and That

2012-03-31T00:48:00.001-04:00

It has been a bit messy around here lately. We had a bout with a 24 hour stomach virus that passed through the lot of us, with the exception of Mike and Evangeline. After many extra loads of laundry from unfortunate hazards of the sickness, my washing machine took its own turn for the worse and the motor quit.

Doesn't it seem like major expenses always occur right around tax return time. *sigh*

We thankfully had the money to quickly buy a new washer, though. A few days without cleaning laundry around here would be a fate I would rather not discuss. A monster pile of clothes can accumulate from just one nightly change into pajamas!

My washer is super cool and I feel like I have been thrown into an episode of The Jetsons. It lights up and auto sensors the load for me. It even sings me a little robotic tune at the end of the cycle to let me know it is done and ready for drying.

Now, if only it could cook us breakfast in the morning. Tsk, no such luck.

We also got a great deal on it by going to a Sears Outlet store first. One almost unnoticeable scratch in the front and a slight scrape on the side (which is hidden against the dryer!) and we got a $400 discount off its original price. Huzzah!

Besides those couple of gloomy days, we have been enjoying many birthdays this month! Our Evangeline turned ONE! There is her first ever birthday cake pictured above.

Actually, her FIRST cake was on the day she was born. We all sang Happy Birth Day to her and sat around my bedroom snacking mid-afternoon. Believe me, it was a dreamy day. I had just given birth and got to have a sweet-smelling baby nursing in my bed with a breeze coming in the window and family feeding me a giant plate of cake. Love! I swear Evangeline had a smile on her face even then!

I have also been continuing my pursuits for a "lighter" house. I have two more bags for donations sitting in my walk-in closet (that I can now finally WALK in). I have to schedule a new appointment for pickup soon. I think I am up to a total of 10 bags/boxes donated. I honestly do not miss one thing that left the house, either. I am content in knowing someone else will be able to use what I have not been using.

Spring cleaning is hitting full stride. I tackled the living room and kitchen this week and I think I may take them on for a second round next week. I have also been slowly swapping out Winter for Spring clothing which is a huge project. With the temperamental weather we have been having lately, I still need to keep some warmer outfits around. It is a bit annoying and I am looking forward to having all the boxes hidden away back in the attic soon.

Otherwise, I woke up today and realized I have a bit over a week to plan Easter for the girls. Already? I am hoping on doing an old-fashioned treasure hunt with our girls like the ones we used to do when I was little. I have to write down clues and figure out hiding spots and fill eggs with candy for them to collect along their way. Cross your finger and toes for me! It is a lot to plan out but I think I can make it happen.

Enjoy your weekend!

Springtime

2012-03-21T16:15:00.002-04:00

Spring again! Unfortunately, we had a not-so-snowy Winter this year. I love the snow! It was a diappointment. We had one snowstorm where the girls were able to sled and get their cheeks rosy with cold but it was much too brief.

Although I missed having a Winter wonderland, I am ready for Spring. The trees are blooming and the temps are just about perfect for me. If I never saw temperatures over 70 degrees I would be elated.

I have been spending the past few weeks doing a much needed and desired purging and cleaning of my bedroom. We have a large family and although I try to minimize the things that we accumulate, it is a ongoing process. Much of the time when I clean the house, the "stuff" that has no place to go ends up in my bedroom amidst clutter of my own and my husband's.

Purple Heart allows some states to make online appointments for donations. It is so convenient and easy to schedule a pickup date of your choosing and then they send an email reminder the day before. Great! I made two appointments over the past two weeks.

On the first haul, I purged clothing and blankets, a box full of books, and some toys, stuffed animals, etc. After the first pickup, I realized I had much more that I could donate. I immediately scheduled an appointment for the following week which put pressure on me to find another 1-3 boxes/bags of things to go! More books, a semi-destash of my fabric and felt, and some things that I have been holding on to for future potential yard sales. I figured if someone can use the things I have cluttering up my room and closet now, it was best to let them go.

I realized that even after 4 boxes and about 3 bags worth of donations, I still have more to tackle. My goal for several years has been to minimize and organize our home. I feel that these past two weeks have been major progress for me.

It has been a long time since my husband and I have been able to actually "walk" into our walk-in closet and yesterday was the first time I could see the floor and move freely without tripping over boxes and other "stuff". Joy!

Like I mentioned before, this is an ongoing process and one I am sure will never quite have an end.

My overall goal is to minimize items in our home that do not contribute to our family as a whole. I feel that I am spending too much time cleaning, organizing, and getting stressed over clutter of inanimate objects in our home that I do not need, want or care for.

I would much rather be spending that time with family. It's a win-win situation.

Tell me, have you starting your Spring Cleaning yet?