Mommy Points (Like Brownie points...)

Today, I earned two mommy points. These mommy points are a lot similar to brownie points that my husband earns every once in a while, but no one keeps score on mommy points except me. Last night I got an email letting me know that I wouldn't hear from my man due to a blackout (blackout's happen when a service member has lost their life and the military is still tracking down the family to inform them).  I shouldn't have checked my email, I knew it wasn't Chad, but that doesn't mean I didn't stress over it all night long. Anyways, due to my lack of sleep, the kids and I slept in, and I kept them home because I was too lazy to drive them to daycare.

Point 1: My kids are bathed and clean. And they didn't scream getting that way either.        

Point 2: My kids ate all of their dinner, without complaining, AND asked for seconds (well, Ben grunted for seconds, but I got the message). And then, Sariah cleared the dishes away without complaint. Yes, I'm feeling like that was point worthy, maybe even an extra point worthy, but I lost that extra point because I wasn't as patient as I should have been putting them to bed. In fact, I failed to impress upon Sariah the importance of staying in her bed. She is currently sitting next to me reciting the ABC's... which is awesome, except that it's the billionth time she's done it. Oh, and I just noticed she put shoes and socks on.. her shoes.. my socks. Ugh.

I finally heard from Chad, he didn't even know the unit had been on blackout because he'd been gone on a 12 hour mission, and then informed me that it wasn't anyone we knew. Which made me sigh in relief, and actually get dressed for the day.. at 7pm...

Well, I never did claim perfection, after all ;)

Mean Mom Face

Tonight was an interesting mix up to our normal events. There we were, the kids, myself, my neighbor V, and her two kids; walking along pushing our strollers for our evening 4 mile walk. we had just hit our first mile ( I know this because I track our walks via GPS ;) ) WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN this tiny little ford comes zipping by, speeding and TOSSING newspapers and junk mail out the window all over the streets. V and I stopped, looked at each other, and asked ourselves, what now? V suggested we check to see if it was real mail with a name on it, because that would be so wrong, we would feel obligated to call the MP's. No one's mail should lay out in the middle of the road for anyone to see! So we walk over, and survey our surroundings, it was just adds and junk mail. All of a sudden, THE CAR CAME BACK! Idiot boys. They couldn't have been more that 16-17. So I stood there with my children, in the middle of the road, and started to put my hands on my hips. OOOooooo we glared at those boys, and then we told them to GET OUT OF THE CAR AND PICK ALL THIS UP RIGHT THIS INSANT! And they did.. well, 2 of them did. They started with the far stuff, and then they got closer to pick up the little stuff that was still by our feet, and this is when I really let into them. I put on my meanest mom face and started lecturing about the evils of littering and how they were speeding and made a motion of writing down their license plate number so that if they pissed me off any more, I would call the MP's and their parents. One of the boys tried to excuse himself by saying that they were just having a little bit of fun (baloney!) and that they were on their way back to pick it up (super baloney). My mean mommy attitude totally came out at this point and I wanted him to say something more, go ahead! Well, he wisely shut his trap at that point (disappointing!) and finished picking up all his trash and drove off (at a decent speed). V and I then went on with our walk. Although, with all the excitement, we did not set another 5k record, we did not do our best time, and we totally slacked off the power walking. BUT, we did finish our walk, and we did get some good mommy time in. So all in all, it wasn't a complete bust, even if I really was looking for a fight/police report/mommy tattling. I mean, it is a saturday night, I didn't really have anything else going for me tonight ;)

Oh alright, I guess I'll put pictures up.

I am feeling rather generous in that regard today, because for the first time in this pregnancy, my tummy is finally past my boobs! We just passed the halfway mark, and I'm feeling great. This picture was taken by my super talented 2 year old, Sariah. She loves loves loves taking pictures, esp if mom is in some awkward position/state of undress!

Our days are still going in a good routine~ Wake up at 6, get the kids up and dressed, the bags packed for daycare, and it's off we go. Drop the kids off by 715, make sure the providers know whats what and have everything they need, and get out of the daycare by 725 or I'm going to be late for work.... Drive in Seattle traffic with the rare sightings of the sunshine causing the seattleites to literally freak out... Always an adventure! Spend 8 hours working, up and down and all around the shop/office/toilet... you know the drill! Drive home (in twice the amount of traffic and freaking out seattleites) and get to the daycare before it closes. I'm averaging around 1730 (530 for those of you who don't read military), which is right when the kids teachers are leaving them with the "aftercare" lady. I get screams of joy and instant demands to be picked up as I try to gather the daily supplies to be refilled for tomorrows adventures. I get the kids in the car, only to hear more screams, but this time in protest of having to sit in their respective car seats- although ironically enough, Ben refuses to sit on the blue one, and so Sariah sits there while he looks silly in the pink one. Good things my kids don't have color/gender issues! (Chad and I think it's funny, Ben likes the pink on because it's more comfortable for him). Well, we eventually make it home, I do a quick clean up of the mornings craziness, try to come up with something suitable and fast for dinner, and feed the kids and I before 1900. (7) I have a pressing engagement when the weather is nice, every evening at 1900. At 1900, the kids get put into the double stroller, I strap onto my tennis shoes ( you know, those same shoes I just took off at 1800 to make dinner...) and we go for our walk. If we're lucky, my neighbor Vecincia and her two girls will join us in their double stroller. Right now we're averaging 2+ miles, including some grass, gravel, a steep hill, and cooling temperatures. It's beautiful. I'm trying to stay active to prevent the pain I experience while carrying Ben (I'm also trying to avoid my cane!!!). So far, it's totally working. I haven't gained any pregnancy weight, but the baby is growing according to plan and the midwifes trust I know what I'm doing. I'm sure they might start to worry about it at the next appointment (good things it's not till June!). I'm not worried about it, I'm excited about it!! Well, anyways, we get back to the house around 1945, and Ben gets a diaper change and goes to bed, Sariah and I catch double jeopardy and then the real work begins. Dishes, Laundry, repacking the bags for tomorrow, bath time, switch loads, sort socks, vacuum and then see whats on TV. If we're super lucky, Chad will call and we will get to Skype with him. Sariah makes faces and Chad tells us about his day. And then we go to bed, only to start over again in the morning.

I wish Saturdays were more relaxed then they are, but on Saturday, the shopping, minor errands that can't be completed during the week, the chores that don't need daily doing, and more mommy and kid time :) Sundays start early, get ready for church, go to church, survive church with two wiggly kids, get home from church, force nap time, eat, and laze about.

This will be my last week at work. I'm excited, but not because it means rest, but because for some odd/super super odd reason, I am having some serious nesting issues. I mopped my floor the other night. This is not normal. I folded, MOM, FOLDED the laundry. I vacuumed, swept, and disinfected the kitchen counters. I got rid of nearly empty boxes and I took the shelves out of my fridge to be bleached.. Oh ya, something is wrong. I am looking forward to the last day of work because guess what's next on my list... THE SEWING ROOM. Oh yes, the sacred corner that no one is allowed into unless your name is MOM (me, not my mom, not my mother in law, not anyone else in the whole wide world), is going to get organized, decluttered, detrashed, and reordered. I'm itching to get in there, but can't do it unless I have time to finish the job in one go. Oh yes, next week is going to be fun. FUN I tell you! FUN!!

Ok, I'm crazy. But you love me!

Oh ya, Chad's doing good too!

Xoxo

April 2012

Chad has asked that I update the blog...

Only problem, I have no idea what to put on here.

We're expecting Nunes baby # 3. I'm about to "retire" into stay at home mom-hood again. Sariah is now 2 1/2, Benjamin is 1, and we're 4 months gone with this one. We'll find out gender next month on the 15th, but I'm pretty sure I know what they are and the first little bits of their name :) I'm thinning the idea of a small road trip sound like a fun adventure that every pregnant and semi-single mother of 2 1/2 should undertake, but I've been having these thoughts that I need to take my kids down to see my great grandma. Benjamin needs to meet my grandparents too. I'm thinking it's a great idea. AND I think I've got a friend I can con into driving with me :)(cough, AMANDA, cough, cough). It's going to be a good summer while Chad is away, because I'm going to make it a good summer.

I'm kinda boring right now, when Chad asked me to do this, I thought what in the world am I going to write about? We're on a tight routine these days. Wake up, get the kids dressed, get mom dressed, grab the diaper bag for day care, drive to daycare, check in, drop off, drive to work. Work work work. drive home and do it in reverse, but toss in dinner, dishes, laundry, bed times, and mommy shower time. And by that point, I'm too tired to do anything else but sleep. So I do... for about an hour, until Chad calls :)

Chad is doing good, off on the other side of the world do the whole army man thing. He sounds like he is in good health and enjoying the food.

Thats all I've got.. apologies. Will have more later, when our routine changes as I come home from work of the last time.

Love to all~

Food my Mom could never get away with...

I love making good food. Although, you probably wouldn't have been able to predict that if you knew me growing up. I come from a family of ridiculous picky eaters, much to my mothers chagrin. Mom would have made good food everyday if she didn't have SIX 'I don't like that! Ewwww gross! It's got sauce on it! BEANS?!?!?! BARF!!!! <>... etc... mouths to feed every night for about 18 years straight. When I went off to school, I discovered how expensive food was (I was only able to work 20 hrs a week at $6.50 and had rent to pay). Ramen became a staple. So did pasta-roni; you can throw in a can of veggies and almost think 'Hey! This is a well balanced meal!' almost. Every time I eat momma's cooking now, I'm much much less likely to complain about it. Although, according to my husband, I'm still a picky eater (little does he know!!!). 

As many of you know, Chad is in the military. He's my favorite soldier in the whole wide world! Our first couple years of marriage have been... interesting... lonely... chaotic. He's been gone from our marriage a lot: our of the last 30 months, he's been gone 13 solid months, and about 2 months more in sporadic spurts. In the foreseeable future, he's going to add another month and a half to that list. It's safe to say he splits his time almost evenly between us and them (at least until he deploys next year). He's been home about a year now (minus random training events) and I've run out of things to make. I haven't needed to expand my repertoire since recently, but I'm pretty sure he's glad we're not eating the five things I'm good at making over and over again every week.

I've inherited one of Moms' talents: I can sort of toss things together randomly and they'll taste good. It comes in handy when I need to add a little more to feed more than just my family, or when I've got leftovers that need using. It's also a handy thing to have in my pocket of abilities when trying new recipes out. Today's conquered meal: Parmesan Couscous Sausage Bake.

Let me tell you: It looks YUMMY! It's got a bunch of things in there that would make my younger self cringe. It's got stuff in there my mom would love. It's got stuff in there that only one of my siblings would eat, really.. and maybe my dad.. since it doesn't have sauce ;) [Spaghetti sauce and apple sauce are the only acceptable sauces for dinner]. What's in it you ask? Well, I'll tell you!

1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups couscous
1 lb Jimmy Dean HOT sausage (great flavor!!)
1/2 large white onion (chopped)
3 TBS minced garlic (we have a love affair, garlic and I)
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
3/4 cup diced green bell pepper
1 can diced tomatoes
1-2 TBS basil
1 (ish) cup shredded parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Ready?! Bring chicken stock to a boil, stir in couscous, boil for a couple seconds, cover, remove from heat. Let sit for 5-10 minutes (or till your done with everything else, like I did), and fluff for good separation. Meanwhile... Brown your sausage. Toss in your onion and let it saute in the yummy grease until almost translucent. Add your garlic and let it soak up the flavors for about 2 minutes. Toss in your red and green bell peppers, stir around for a minute or two. Add your can of tomatoes, juice and all. Add your basil. Cook this for a few minutes, letting the juice from the tomatoes reduce just a bit. In a 9x13 glass casserole dish, combine couscous, meat mixture, and half of your parmesan cheese. Top with remaining cheese and put it in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes. Serve. It's yummy. I promise!!

Mom never would have gotten away with peppers and couscous... let alone all in one meal!

Super Mom

I'm claiming super mom status today. I feel like Dr. Hodgins from Bones- 'King of the Lab!'

'Super Mom!'

Today wasn't spectacular. In fact, it could be said that I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Well.. I did actually, but thats because Ben took over my side of the bed after Chad left for work this morning. I woke up grumpy. Two days with out naps and minimal sleep at night because I apparently ate something that kept Ben gassy make for one super grumpy momma. And then there was Sariah. Sariah who is the cutest and most adorable little girl I know, IS DRIVING ME ABSOLUTELY CRAZY! I know.. shocker. She's reached that phase where nothing I do is good enough or fast enough. I hear my mothers voice constantly in my head at this point.. half concealing with ideas of how to make her stop screaming, stop poking her brother, stop climbing over the couches... and the other half is my mother laughing at me, reminding me that she's just like me.

I've also learned that when I get frustrated, overtired, and grumpy, I like to hide in my sewing room. It's been a rather productive two days, since my naps obviously weren't going to happen, I've sat right here behind my machine. I've produced two sets of curtains, two baby blankets, four burp rags, and even managed to catch up on my seasons of Bones. I've made two wonderful dinners, and I've organized my sewing area to a level of almost OCD proportions. I've installed a wall mount for our TV, and found a way to keep the couch covers from slipping off the couches.

I got Sariah to play nice today. I even managed to get clothes on her today. After a morning of installing curtain rods, Both of my wonderful children fell asleep for naps AT THE SAME TIME! So what did I do? I took a nap. It was Amazing. Amazing. I've been functioning without stressing out or snapping at kids ever since. Course... it probably helps that Chad came home during the nap, didn't wake me up, but did take Ben out so that when I didn't have to get up when he decided. And then: I didn't make dinner tonight. I know- how can you be super mom without making dinner?! Well... Maybe I'm not super mom. I did the whole super mom thing for two days straight.

And. It. Was. Exhausting.

So I didn't make dinner, Chad did. And Chad changed the diapers tonight. And Chad installed the baby locks on our pantry. And Chad put Sariah to bed. So.. maybe Chad is super Dad. He sure is a great dad. But he's a better husband- because he changed the diapers, and put on the PJ's, and put Sariah down, cooked dinner, did the dishes, and let me have a couple hours to be mentally alone. He payed attention to me saying I was super stressed and tired. (Although, I think my being frustrated to the point of 'Chad! I need a mental health day!' in a very exasperated voice while trying to get Ben to stop screaming at bed time last night probably helped). I'm too practical to try to take a full day off of motherhood, but the hours after a good solid nap and child free evening sure did go a long way to restoring my desire to be super mom.

And then my awesome cousin posted on her Blog. She does a great pre-schooler/toddler activity blog, and shared her mother experiences with the world. Todays post was a good breather and reminder for me: Deliberate Motherhood. She also linked a great mommy self help/networking site, The Power of Moms: A Gathering Place for Deliberate Mothers. I thought of my friends Caroline and Nyssa when I was clicking on links. I'll probably be visiting this sight often, so I remember things like: I chose motherhood. I love motherhood. My children are my world, and what I do as a mom matters. (Can anyone else here the chanting going on inside my head?? Because it totally is!) It will probably become my mental mantra when I ask those inevitable questions like 'WHAT IN THE HECK WAS I THINKING?!?!!?'

So I'll admit it. I'm not super mom all the time. But since I had a mental health afternoon behind my sewing machine, I'll try to go back to being super mom tomorrow. Until then though, I'm going to feed Ben one more time, and I'm going to go to bed. Best laid plans don't start in the morning, they start the night before. My mothers voice now is one of a memory: Go to bed early so you're ready for what tomorrow brings (or something along those lines).

... As a teenager I never believed it when someone (esp my mom) told me that someday, I would realize my mother really knew what she was talking about and was usually right... But I never questioned her when she cursed my with a child of my own, just. like. me. Selective hearing? I think so.

Super mom, signing off and going to bed.

Ben's pictures

Well, we've survived our first week of having more than one kid! Every success counts, right?!

 Grammi and the kids

 Our tree frog~

Meet my Mini-Chad... or as my dad calls him, Benny-Pete!