Temporary Single Motherhood

Well, the next step in the moving process has happened and the one I've been dreading.  Daddy packed his bags and headed down to look for work.  He will be staying with his brother, but we don't know how long he will be away from us.  Please pray that the right job will drop in his lap and he will be able to come get us quickly.  I don't know what to do without him.  :(  We packed all his tools up into a Uhaul trailer and he headed out.  Chandler doesn't seem to understand, but Claire is very upset.  She kept asking him if he would come back.  She said it was so nice in Charleston she was afraid he would stay there.  Daddy had to tell her that we are the most important things to him in the world and he HAS to come back to get us!

Last lunch with Daddy

We're not sure if he will be able to come back for Easter and the next weekend is his 30th birthday so we can't miss that!  So it will probably be 2 weeks until we see him.  He brought a copy of Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein and he plans on calling and reading a poem to the kids every evening.  It will just be me and the kids 24/7 with no grownups - can my sanity survive?  

Daddy driving away

When he left we headed in the house and I laid the kids down for naps/quiet time and I went in our room and cried for a moment.  My husband is wonderful.  He is everything to me and I am so lucky to have a man who will always do what it takes for our family.  My heart hurts just thinking about him and how quiet the house will be once the kids are in bed.  I won't have anyone to giggle with and tease ... but I do know that once he comes home I will appreciate him even more!

Massive Update

So I have been a slacking blogger.  Really, life has been crazy!  We celebrated Chandler's 3rd birthday last month.  He had a great birthday that was Spiderman crazy.  He was a happy boy! 

Look at my little man with his awesome Spiderman Cake that my mom made!

I have been packing the house and Daddy has been hauling things to the dump and making minor repairs and painting.  We had a huge yard sale with my mom and we split $721!  Very nice!  We will need to have another yard sale before we go, as I'm packing I'm finding a lot more stuff that doesn't need to come with us.  It's amazing how much stuff you accrue living in one place.  We have lived in this house for 3 years, which is really a record for me! 

Daddy will be heading down to look for work next month without us.  :(  I hope he finds a job very quickly because I don't want to be without him!  Not only will I desperately miss him, but no adults?  Just me and the kids 24/7, 7 days a week?  I may go crazy without my husband's loving, listening ear and strong, helpful hands.  He does the bedtime routine every night so I don't know how the kids will react to him not being here.  It makes me want to cry just thinking about it.  Deep breaths ... time for big changes!

Love that guy!

Daddy paid me the nicest compliment last night. We were married very young - we were both only 20.  Obviously over the last 10 years we have grown and changed as people.  In some good ways and some bad ways.  We were cleaning up from supper last night and he grabbed me and said that he loves the person I have become. :) I love that guy!

Purging, purging, purging

So even though we have no date for our move - not even a real projected month - I am attempting to prepare.  First off purging the heck out of my house. 

Daddy and I tackled the kid's rooms a couple weeks ago.  I know from past experience however it will require a multiple prong attack.  We did the preliminary purge.  In a few weeks we will need to do another one to narrow it down further.

Today I started on my books.  Sigh.  I am a proud bibliophile and I own about 4 large bookshelves worth of books - not counting the small bookshelves that Claire and Chandler have in each of their rooms.  However, I know that in a big move like this I'm going to have to pare down.  I packed 6 boxes of books and found one box and a grocery bag worth to sell/donate.  Some of those were doubles and others were ones I got a long time ago and am just not as interested in anymore.  That still leaves me with a LOT of books to sort through.  It's so hard and sad.  Which are my most important friends?  Which books do I definitely need to keep for the children even though they are years away from understanding them?  Are these two books of Hans Christian Anderson's tales different?

My clothes and kitchen goods are also on the list of sort and purge.  I will tell you this - when we have our yard sale it will be an awesome one!  ;)

What's for Dinner?

I felt even though we don't watch football I should serve something Superbowly (yes, I just made up a word) for dinner on Sunday.  So this week's menu ...

Sunday:  Buffalo Chicken Casserole with Chips

Monday:  Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Biscuits and Veggies

Tuesday:  Oyaku Donburi and Rice

Wednesday:  Homemade Pesto Pizza

Thursday:  Chicken Nuggets, Mac and Cheese and Veggies (sometimes you just need to have a quick, easy, kid friendly meal!)

Friday:  Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes and Bacon

Saturday:  Whole Roast Chicken, Egg Noodles with gravy, Biscuits and Veggies

Drama, Drama, Drama

I thought I had time before these drama-filled weekends.

First of all, the entire family was recovering from colds.  This apparently meant I should have expected the meltdowns every time I asked someone to do anything.  Cleaning their rooms what a major accomplishment and wiping a sore nose?  Ugh.  I felt like I needed superhero back up to handle the Rampaging Toddler.  Of course, lets not leave out my 5 year old Drama Queen.  If I hear one more "That's not FAIR!" or "I am NOT going to do that!" I will snap.  Oh wait .... I did. 

Add in a grumpy Daddy also recovering from a cold and I am very happy for it to be Monday. 

My house looked looks like a bomb went off - one that had toys and laundry as shrapnel.  I overwhelmed myself looking at the list that needed to be completed this morning, but I'm pleased with my progress so far. 

1.  Do schoolwork with Claire - check!

2.  Start the many loads of laundry - check!

3.  Make more laundry detergent - check!

4.  Wash dishes - check!

5.  Reorganize and sort the homeschool/craft/game/kitchen shelf - BIG CHECK!!!

6. Fold laundry

7.  Sweep and mop kitchen

8.  Clean and vacuum living room

Over half way there - I guess I should get back to work!

What's on the Menu?

I forgot to post this week's menu!

Sunday:  My Birthday Dinner at my Grandma's house - she made her wonderful mancotti with homemade crepes and butterscotch meringue pie was the main dessert!  (Along with chocolate cake, bread pudding, strawberry shortcake with homemade whipped cream and pumpkin pie!)

Monday:  Nachos and Guacamole

Tuesday:  My actual Birthday - Daddy took us out to eat!

Wednesday:  Daddy worked late so it was a leftovers night

Thursday:  Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes and Steamed Veggies

Friday:  Pasta Alfredo, Salad and Homemade Bread

Saturday:  Homemade Pesto Pizza and Salad

Goodbye 20's ... HELLOOO 30's!

Yesterday was my 30th birthday. 

What a day of mixed emotions.

#1  "Hurray!  Another year on earth!"

#2  "Ahhh! I'm old!"

#3  "Age is just a number - I'm just getting better!"

#4  "Ahhh!  I'm old!"

#5  "My 30's will be an awesome decade!"

#6  "Where did my 20's go?"

Okay you get the idea ... here's for growing and getting better!

An Encouragement

I had my homeschool mom meeting last week and we had a wonderful discussion.  It was such an encouragement and exactly what I needed that night after a very hard day of parenting.  We started with a very interesting discussion about the birthday traditions we have developed for our children.  How do we make our children feel special on their day and let them know we appreciate the day they came into our lives?  That conversation evolved into being yourself and being content with your "season".  Homeschooling mothers (and any mother for that case) have many demands on their time and even as we are devoting ourselves to our children we must be careful to not lose ourselves.  It's so easy to be so busy with lesson plans, housework, laundry, toddlers and babies that there is no time to think or grow yourself.  We forget that we need to explore and encourage ourselves - our souls for lack of a better word.  It's nearly impossible to make sure you have plenty of time for you.  Most days I barely have time to remember my name.  You just have to be yourself in all the little things you do every day.  Don't believe you have to be your vision of a "perfect mom" or be intimidated by the other moms around you.  To be the "perfect mom" you don't have to bake fresh bread daily, create all your children's clothing, throw huge birthday parties and always be smiling - unless that is you!  You do have to love and know your children.  We discussed how we believe our children will remember us.  Some days you may be afraid that your children will grow up and say their childhood was full of mama at the end of her rope, but motherhood is a journey.  We don't have to spend quality time with every child every day or have fun projects for every day of the week.  It is an overall thing.  Try to be joyful and intentional in the things you do.  We can't be everything to every child.  Our leader remembered a prayer she had on her mirror for many years asking God to fill in her inadequacies for her children.  We all have failings but there is so much that we can give our children.  Whether it is a love of reading, love and snuggles or a love of the outdoors it all depends on you.  We are so blessed.  Even on the hard days.

No Spend Week Menu

We're having a no-spend, clean out the pantry week.  I picked up some produce and milk and that was it, but I think I came up with a nice menu ...

Sunday:  Clean-Out-the-Fridge Chicken Soup and Homemade bread

Monday:  Dinner at the In-Laws

Tuesday:  Sausage & Eggs and Pancakes (Whole-Wheat)

Wednesday:  Fish Patties, Mashed Potatoes and Veggies

Thursday:  Sesame Chicken, Rice and Veggies

Friday:  Chicken Nuggets, Mac & Cheese and Salad

Saturday:  Pasta Alfredo and Garlic Knots

I think I will draw this out to next week too - I already have ideas!

Looking forward ...

Claire is part of a small homeschool co-op that I love!  Last week was the Mom Planning Meeting and I have to say I now have one reason I don't want to move right away.  We have such a great semester planned.  I love the fact that Claire can meet and learn with other children every week, but it's very casual and her quirks are appreciated and tolerated.  We are starting with a 4 week section on Simple Machines and then we will have a Valetine's party and make Valentine's to pass out at our local nursing home (we did the same thing with Christmas cards last month and the everyone loved it).  Then we have a 4 week section on Government and the Presidents that I really look forward to (I was a History/Poli Sci major).  Then we have planned a Career Day.  We hope to have our husbands, etc come in and discuss their professions with the children.  Then a section on Tall Tales, a Field Day and start practicing an End of Year Program for the parents and grandparents.  We plan on finishing out with a trip to the National Park!  We also are planning a Gym day (at the County Rec Center) once a month and we want to do a family skate night.  I think it sounds like a great plan.

I wish we knew exactly when we were moving.  But we have a lot to do until then!

What's For Dinner This Week?

Trying several new recipes this week ... hope my picky eater aka Claire will at least try them!

Sunday:  Fried Tilapia, Mashed Potatoes and Steamed Veggies

Monday:  Homemade Garlic Cheese Pizza and Salad

Tuesday:  Chicken Lo Mein

Wednesday:  Tacos

Thursday:  Crock pot Italian Chicken Pasta

Friday:  Roasted Whole Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and Steamed Veggies

Saturday:  Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes and Bacon