I guess it's that time...

There comes a time in your kids life when even a control freak mom has to let go and let her kids figure things out. It's my week to have that lesson. Letting go has never been easy for me and as MB so kindly reminded me a while back, I have never been a laid back mom.

This week was the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet. For dessert at the dinner, and entertainment value, the boys were asked to decorate a cake to enter a contest and then the cakes would be for dessert. I have decorated cakes, cookies, and the like but this was his deal. He thought about it for a while and after looking at some cakes on the internet decided to make a pizza cake. I really really wanted to help him, but this was his job. He did a great job. I did bake the cake and make the frosting, but he did the rest. He used tootsie rolls for sausages, cut marshmellows for mushrooms, dried cocount for cheese and dried mango for red peppers. It was cute, and he won first place and most creative, without my help. Way to go, kiddo.

Next week is science fair. I tried to help him in his first attempt. He decided to make natural plastic. It didn't turn out too well. So, do we try again with the same thing or move on to something else? This seems a bigger deal than cake decorating, but I think it's just one of those times when he gets to step up on his own and try new things without mom. Truthfully I would rather him try and fail at 8 than 18, especially when it seems to be something simple.

It's hard to let go and watch my kids grow up. I guess it's just that time.

How the day went

Today was one of those days. It's been one of those days that by 7:00 I am wondering if I went to bed on my own the kids would eventually get the idea and go to bed too. Not likely, with an 8 year old addicted to Wii and a 2 year old non-stoppable dynamo.
The day started very, very early. Sometime in the wee hours of the morning, a very small child climbed in my bed to get warm again because she refuses to keep covers on in her own bed. I didn't even really notice, because it happens so often now. When Dad got up to leave, she needed a drink of milk, NOW. My not so patient daughter began screaming for milk and didn't stop until dad was ready for work and did her bidding just before he left at 5:30 a.m. She drank it down very quickly and then fell right back asleep. Not a deep, peaceful sleep, but tossing and turning and kicking me in the neck whenever she could. By 6:15, I knew I wasn't getting back to sleep and with almost no warning, she fountain vomited curdled milk all over her, me and my bed. Normally, my alarm goes off at 7:15, but we were up for the day.
After getting Bug to school, 10 minutes late for early class, we returned home for baths and to get ready for playgroup. On my way to take all of the bedding out into the garage laundry room, I gripped the door knob a little to vigorously I guess and it came off in my hand. Here I am, stuck in the garage, with the front door locked and a door knob in my hand. I am wondering, as I am sure you would be, where exactly it is we hide the front door key in the garage these days. Meg only opens doors on her own time frame, for her own reasons, and me asking has never done the trick yet.
At playgroup, Meg had her eye on the orange ride-in car. It's her size, doesn't have pedals and looks fun. Unfortunately, so did another little boy, just big enough to cause problems for Meg. He beat her to the car and shoved her out of the way. I picked her up, and distracted her, I thought. As it turns out she kept an eagle eye on that car and the second the boy got out of it, she was running across the floor to get into it. As he sees her running for it, he runs at her, knocking her down again and rushing towards the car. By now, his mom is onto him, and she's holding the car. I think for a moment she looks like a giant get away driver for her bully toddler, but as it turns out, she give the car to Meg and takes her screaming kiddo to find something else to bully kids over. Meg didn't get out of the car the rest of playgroup and even cleaning up was not enough to convince her to get out.
At lunch, she would not eat what I wanted to fix. Nothing can be easy with this darling. At dinner, she didn't eat what I put on her plate, but convinced her brother to share what was on his (which was the SAME thing). Bug decided he wasn't into his homework tonight and after completing one page claimed he was done. Only after he started Wii and I looked in his binder and a conversation did happen about completing all of his work.
DH came home late. He's got a mistress these days, in the form of a big, black boat that sucks all his time and resources. I had actually cooked a balanced dinner and he didn't want it. He'd eaten with HER. He high-fived Meg for puking this morning and then played with her and watched Bug chase Storm Troopers for a while. It took some convincing to get him to look at the door knob. He did and it was fixed in a matter of minutes. Why didn't I do it myself? Am I not capable of it? No, that's not it at all. I know I could do it, if I needed too. It's just SO much easier for him, it takes him 1/10th the time it would take me and much less frustration.
So, it was one of those days. Roadblocks at every turn, things not getting completed as planned and weariness setting in early. Just a day in the life of a mom. There isn't another job I would rather have.

Happy Birthday Mom Bread!

Happy Birthday to Mom Bread!

We miss you around here, but no matter where you are we send happy birthday wishes to you. I know you have a great weekend planned. Enjoy every minute.

My favorite things about Mom Bread:

• She's the most optimistic person I know. She can make anything a good thing, and I love that outlook on life.


• She's a great mom. She encourages creativity, good behavior and self expression in her kids.


• She loves to learn new things. Trying something new isn't scary, it's an adventure.


• She loves the Lord. Each day she shows by example how important her relationship with the Savior is to her.


• She loves to laugh and is eager to get to know other people. That makes others want to be around her.


• She's level headed, slow to anger (mostly) and likes to think things through.


• She's a great gardener and she's a (self- admitted) grass snob so her yard is always awesome.
• She is a hard worker. She puts forth %100 effort into any job she's doing. She's often heard to say "I can do that." or "Can I help you with that?"
  

Happy Birthday, Friend!

My Friend Rebekah

This is my friend Rebekah. She's 8 and she was baptized the same day as Adam was. They have been in the same primary class for the past few years and are pretty good friends. She's a spunky little girl who's got a lot to say, a lot to ask and likes to smile.

2 short weeks ago, Rebekah was diagnosed with AML. Here's a bit about this diseases, that's rare in children.

"Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is a fast-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow. In AML, the bone marrow makes many unformed cells called blasts. Blasts normally develop into white blood cells that fight infection. However, the blasts are abnormal in AML. They do not develop and cannot fight infections. The bone marrow may also make abnormal red blood cells and platelets. The number of abnormal cells (or leukemia cells) grows quickly. They crowd out the normal red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets the body needs. AML is the most common type of acute leukemia. More than 11,900 new cases occur in the United States each year, mostly in older adults. The average age of a person with AML is 65 years. Fewer than 10% of people with AML are children. "

It's a hard disease to find and even harder to fight. Rebekah is a fighter though.

If you have time this week to include her in your prayers, family discussions or thoughts, that would be wonderful. She's from a large family and has lots of love and support, but prayers are always needed. Hopefully she will be able to come home in between rounds of chemo, but that's still to be determined. Thanks everyone. I have the best friends and blog readers anywhere!

Spotlighting Meg

Oh Sweet Meg. What a joy and a challenge you are. Here are a few of Meg's favorites right now...

Movie: Food Panda (Kung Fu Panda for those of you who don't speak 2 year old)

Food: Scrambled eggs and yogurt. She talked Grandma into to making her 3 eggs for dinner one night, and she ate every one of them and some toast. Offer her noodles and she'd rather go hungry. She also can't use the same eating utensil for different foods. If yogurt and oatmeal are being served, she needs two spoons. No cross-contamination for this kid.

Sleep: In her bed only and only when SHE is ready to go. Bedtime is ambiguous to her and what mom and dad say have little bearing on her attitude about it. I caught this sweet photo the other day and it's probably the only one I have of her sleeping somewhere other than her bed or car seat.

Play time favorite: She loves to push her babies around the house in her stroller and put them to bed. She also loves to play Wii with brother and jump on the trampoline.

Biggest comfort: Thumb and ear. I know she's needs some down time when she finds her thumb and ear. I have never seen her suck her thumb without playing with her ear at the same time From the time she was tiny that was her comfort.

Book: Meg loves books. She will read to herself for a long, long time. Her top favorites right now are Mr. Brown Can Moo and The Foot Book. She also has a Curious George book from the library I am going to have a really hard time returning soon.

The Girl's Got Game: Watch out when there's a ball around. She's got an arm and the other day while playing with Dad, stuck this ball to his glasses from a few feet away. She likes to throw it at the TV and piano books too. She can throw the length of our hall way and she's occasionally pretty accurate.

Other things about Meg: She loves her brother dearly and can't wait for him to get home from school each day. She's also thrilled to see daddy return home. She does the Happy Dance on request and loves to count, although not always in the order you expect. She likes to sing to herself too and loves to listen to her Melodies About Me cd. She's starting to get into the tantrum phase and is astounded when I step over her after she's thrown herself on the floor in protest over something. She loves the cat, sometimes too much and is reluctant to let her go all of the time. She helps with the laundry and dishes. She loves baths, socks (on hands or feet) and to read my scriptures. She says "all done" instead of Amen after we say the prayer and is very proud of herself for doing that. She's silly, sweet, funny and full of little girl joy. I am eternally grateful to have her here in our little family.

On our way home

We have spent the past few days over the mountains visiting family and attending Grandma Carmen's funeral. We miss her a lot. She would have loved to visit with all of the people in attendance at the reception after the very cold graveside service. Tons of food, people we hadn't seen in years, if ever who knew who we were. It was nice to say goodbye with friends and family.
The children had a great time playing with cousins and friends. They strolled the orchard, played with anything they could find and didn't go to sleep hardly at all. What a weekend.
We are off to go home today. Wish us safe journeys.