whatever

a favorite of mine...

i love hearing my children practice piano.
they whine and complain.
they say "WHY DO I HAVE TO TAKE PIANO?!"
and at times....throw themselves on the floor dramatically and kick their legs up and down. 

but when they can play and when they do play....


 
i love to listen.

it's like background music for the family.

the soundtrack of life in our home.

and they do love to play once they have figured out the notes.



she sticks out her tongue quite often when she concentrates.


she gets silly too....

we got this piano for FREE from the classifieds when we lived in illinois.
in the newspaper...before craigslist existed!
the woman giving it away was going to miss it and she said "it has a sweet sound" several times.
it's been well loved for a long time.

(and i think it needs some white paint on it sooner or later.
i can't believe it's still wood color after all these years!)


all the kids have taken lessons at some point in their little lives.
right now it's only talby and annie playing.
i wish they all played.
but i am just not that mom.
it takes so much dedication from THE MOM to have all your kids play and keep at it.
so we are down to two kiddos in lessons immediately after school on mondays.



one awesome thing about their lessons is they are at a college in the music department.
so when we walk in every week there is music everywhere.
trumpets practicing scales....cellos, violins and yesterday a full choir was singing!
i love that extra something the music dept. brings to our mondays. 

photo bomber.
and there is that tongue again!


 
waffle always has to be right at our feet.
literally.

well since i showed a home video yesterday....
why not one more today?!
it makes the pictures come to life right? 

pretty quickly waffle begins barking and continues throughout the entire song.
i am sure it was at something very important like a leaf falling or a person walking by two blocks away.... 

i hope that one day at least ONE of our kids wants to play an instrument for fun.
but it has to be their choice and it's either in you or it's not.
and it's not in me.
at all.
but i sure do love to listen to them play.

what about you?
do you play?
do your kids? 

 

 

stuff i saw this week.....

this was not my breakfast but i wish it was.
this looks DELISH.

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this laundry room makes me happy.
the yellow is perfection.
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blowing my mind!!!
in every way. 
i LOVE this shark watermelon.    
i think maybe this would be a rad way to start the summer....carving a shark head.  YES! 

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does this make you smile???
it does for me.
i am going to make these too!

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i can't believe that this is her real hair.....but i love it.
i wonder what her profession is that allows this hair??
something that is free spirited for sure.
it's pretty amazing...i think it's because of the pink that i love it so much.

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i forgot to tell you that as of spring break this year my kids have been doing
all of their own laundry.


i am so happy about this.
they are in charge of it.
if they want clean socks then they need to think about it....
if they need their uniform clean....they had better make sure it's clean.
LIFE SKILLS baby.
they also benefit because we don't have to have family folding nights.
if you wash your own clothes then you only have to fold your own clothes!
 
one of you blog readers were the one who said that you do this and i would love it.
well YOU WERE RIGHT! 

i help annie by putting it in the dryer for her because she is too short.
but otherwise even annie brings it downstairs, washes, folds and puts it away on her own.

 

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annie came into my dark bedroom to my bed and woke me up to ask if she could have oatmeal.
i sleepily said yes.
"mom....i can't remember how to make it."
i said "yes you do....2 of the 1/3 measuring cups of water and microwave for one-five-zero."

"please can you help me mom?"

"ok....i will be right there"

 i am glad i went.

it's not oatmeal.

HA.

 

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here are our babies this morning....in one day they grew SO much...and have teeny feathers too.
sadly the day that the third was hatching was the last we've seen of it.
there is no third baby any where to be found. 
bummer.

i found this sweet short video on youtube of a robin hatching.
you can pretend it's our robin because it looks the same.
it was interesting to see the mama take the shell after they hatch....where?  where does it go? 
i am going to find out these facts.
and we are going to craft about it for sure!

 

 

happy friday!

wednesday for me.

last night was annie's kindergarten recogniton.
pretty cute.

they performed "the very hungry caterpillar" and sang "what a wonderful world"


annie has thrived in mrs. claassen's class this year.
has loved going to school every day.
has made art projects, gifts and cards for her everyday all school year.
that is a good sign of love to me.

 

ezra is her best buddy in the class.
at bedtime we were talking and she shared that everybody says "why do you always play with boys?!" 
i told her it was ok to play with WHOever she wants.
she said the girls always say "annie...come play princesses with us!"
and i laughed and said "you should say.....DO I LOOK LIKE I WANT TO PLAY PRINCESS WITH YOU?"
talby said "don't say that annie....you'll get in trouble"
we all laughed.

she likes some girly things like babies and house and littlest pet shops
but boys have more energy and action
and they are louder. 
just like annie. 

she has friends that are girls too.

 


the magnificent chef ANNIE will prepare  KAK for your meal


 
i cannot believe this year is almost over.
it's crazy.
i feel like i am in some weird time warp sucker.
making everything go at super speed.
everyone is growing up and changing so fast.
i want to shout "just stop already!"
for the good moments.
the hard stuff....the tough stuff....it can go away as quick as possible.
move along angry hormones of teenagers....
get going feelings of entitlement and greed or laziness.....
please move faster self centeredness.....
but this good awesome wonderful stuff...like hungry caterpillars & teacher hugs....they can stay forever. 

 

monday.

good morning.

this is what i have been working on in my yard....mulch.

i spent several hours yesterday moving it.
it's mindless exercise.
 
and i barely made a dent in that mountain of mulch.

good thing i have three strong men in this house....

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jeanne oliver has her new line of goodies out today in her shop.
she sent me the photos to preview.....gorgeous.
i meant jeanne at silver bella in 2009.  
i liked her from the start!
i love to see her taking herself SERIOUSLY as an artist.
so cool.

on her blog today she is giving away a $500 gift certificate to her shop!!  

that is amazing.

Open publication - Free publishing - More fashion

go check out her new shop.

you will find something you love i am sure!

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so how did mother's day go?  
be honest. 


this is the project i had my 3 & 4 year old sunday school class do.
i brought them jars, the sticker, ribbon and a big stack of flowers to pick for their mom.
they were so cute when their moms came to get them!

i made myself one too.

so.....i told you i got the weekend off.
and it was great.

but i will also tell you that i also had EXTREME guilt all week before about it.
i changed my mind everyday of what i wanted.

i felt guilty i wasn't going to the basketball games....because a "good mom" wouldn't want to miss even one!

i felt guilty that i wanted to be alone....because a "good mom" would never want that.

there was a lot of guilt on many levels.

but when i really thought about mother's day....
and recalled all the others that i have had over the years.....
and the kind of family we REALLY are....
remembered the stage of life we are in right now....
and i was honest with what i wanted to happen on my "special day" and what is my reality.....

i decided that the quiet time.....the time to think....the time for NO voices or questions or yelling.....

was what i needed to be a good mom.


and i was right.

 

yeah man that's the good stuff......

have you heard that song?
it's old.
and twangy.

and the video was just too corny to put on this post....but i like that song.
i just wish kenny chesney would not look into the camera so much and then look away....and back.
makes me feel uncomfortable.

anyways....
i like that song because regular life...friday nights....grilling...homemade ice cream...eating outside.
that's the good stuff. 

we've had a good couple of days.
craig had a birthday.


 

 
 
 

i made him a peanut butter cake with peanut butter frosting.
yum. 
i wouldn't make the same cake next time (a little dry) but it was still good....seriously.
i am definitely on the hunt now for an awesome peanut butter cake recipe.

this one   or   this one look worth the the time FOR SURE. 


some homemade cards....and wrestling.


 


this photo says so much....

 
 

we got him an old fashioned ice cream maker!
and he was surprised (he says) and really happy.
craig loves ice cream....a lot.
we couldn't wait more than a day to use it.
why would we?

yesterday was a beautiful night so we ate outside...first time this year.
we live next door to a museum so we get to look into their pretty yard when we eat outside.


 

waffle was really wanting to be with us....so he could sneak some food.
 

i am so ready for the warm weather.

yeah....the kids were so hyper....fighting and crying.
and loud.
the burgers burnt.
someone got sent to their room after we prayed.
one child never showed.

it was not a perfect night.
but it IS the good stuff.
it is the kind of night that you are grateful...for normal....for noise....for love....for time together

for sticking it out.

that's the good stuff.

 

 

fighting.

finally.

it was finally warm.
and sunny.

i am so happy.

so ready for the heat of the sun on my face.
i need it.

i was beginning to go a bit stir crazy.







i came out to take these pictures not because of the weather and certainly not because it is pretty outside.
because it's not.
everything is still DEAD.
but i came out to take these photos because.....

MY GIRLS WERE PLAYING TOGETHER.
nicely.
and laughing.

it's been awhile.

and i really miss it.





i have to grab those moments when i can.
take notice.
cherish it.

because the fighting is a real downer.



i think the fighting (with each other and with me) is something i feel and felt surprised about with parenting.

no matter how well i speak....
no matter how well i care for them....
no matter how many cookies i make....
it doesn't make them nice.

they still fight.

ugh.

and i have been exhausted by it.  i AM exahsuted by it.  i want it to stop.  i can't take it!!! 

i don't know if it will.

i don't know how to change it.

but i want to if i can.

i think we are normal.    i think their feelings....emotions....reactions are "normal".
 
i can't be the only one who is feeling like this.

i can't be the only one who feels at a loss for dealing with fighting....unkindness....anger....outbursts.

so....that is it.

i have no answers.   i just feel depleted by it.  

i miss diapers and bottles and cuddly babies that don't call names or throw things or slam doors.

i am trying to notice the great times.
encourage more good times.
reward the GOOD behavior.....the kindness......the LOVE.
to talk kindly myself.
to calmly respond to fits....to insults....to the crazy.

i fail a lot.

but i am trying.

but dang it....it is SO hard!!!!

who knew i would need to be so strong?

i don't really know how to get there....how to become strong(er)?

prayer?  

that's it.

it is all i've got right now.

and really....that is a pretty great thing.

because GOD wants the best for my kids.  for me.   for us.

but working through it...to get there....to get to the good.......AAAAAAAAAAA.

yikes.

 

this post was completely unplanned.
it just came pouring out of me.
kind of scary.