Elasya-B's Candy Tree

Ever since we left Texas my kids have been in mourning over losing Big Top Candy Shop. It was a favorite Austin destination. My kids have been on the lookout ever since for a quality candy store. Big Top is hard to compete with, but sometimes we find little places that help take that ache away.

A Family that Reads Together

My kids are constantly asking me to take them to the library. Maddy especially has a love for that place. To be honest, I don't take them very often. Maddy has a kindle. You don't need to go to the library for kindle books. Also, I have FIVE children. Two of those children are under 3 years of age. Sometimes I would rather go somewhere with the intention of running around crazy. Not somewhere that I have to keep everyone quiet. This time, however, with Cameron's help, we took the whole dang family.

Sweet Chicks

Sometimes I want a treat and I don't want to make it. Sometimes I want something very specific, yet, I just plain don't have time to make it happen. Most of the time I have to come to terms with the fact that I won't get what I want. Sometimes however, I am lucky.

A Sound Investment

There's been a post going around on Facebook emphasizing that it's better to invest in memories than to invest in a lot of "stuff". I already agreed with that point, but this week I was reminded of its validity even more firmly. After our Disney visit in the fall of 2013 we made each of the kids memory boxes to hold their souvenirs. Mostly they have sat on book shelves and in tops of closets, but every once in awhile the kids get them down and rummage through them.

This week was another of those times. Both River and Britta not only got their boxes down, but insisted on wearing the Mickey and Minnie Mouse ears that I made for them. I love it. They had a smile pasted on their faces the whole time they had them on their heads. It brought back all sorts of memories about our trip and the fun we had there, and also the fun in anticipating and planning it. They talk about that trip often. It's very satisfying to see that my kids still get happy feelings when they think of it 18 months later.  Now THAT indicates a sound investment.

Northern Progression

North is 10 months old. He's done a lot of rolling around and moving, but not much crawling. He's just now getting the hang of it. I think it just takes the right motivation.

Unpleasant Life Lessons

There are certain lessons in life you have to learn for yourself. People can tell you something, but until you experience it for yourself, sometimes you haven't truly learned it. Honestly though, most of those sorts of things you don't really want to have to learn. It's not usually a fun process. Just ask Britta. Poor kid. Let me tell you of her latest difficult life lesson.

From Crap to Crepe

I have come to realize throughout my life that good tools make a huge difference in many things we do. For example: cooking. It is a lot easier to make a good meal if you have a good quality stove, good pans, and well made knives. Good tools = happy chef.  I do love good kitchen tools. Today though, I'm going to share a before and after story about the difference a good pan can make.

Eruption!

Sometimes we get a game, play it once, and then it gets put behind another game on the shelf and we forget it's even there. When we find it again it's like we found a fun surprise! Christmas all over again! I love finding things I forgot I owned, especially when it's something like a great game to play with my family!

Computer Coding

We live in a world of computers. They are everywhere. They influence everything. If you don't understand how computers work, you are at a disadvantage in our society. It will become more and more so as time goes on. I want my kids to feel comfortable in this age. Therefore, I want my kids to be comfortable with computers.

The Joy of a Child

Few things make my heart swell as much as watching my children experiencing things that bring them happiness. I love the giggles. I love the innocent fun. They appreciate the little moments just as much as the big moments. It doesn't take much to turn a sad mood into one full of laughter and joy.

Sometimes I need to take a page from their book. We could all use more moments of joy. Perhaps what it takes is to look around and recognize that there are moments of joy waiting to be had all around us, if we just take the time to embrace them. 

Change of Heart

There are some things in life that I thought I knew early on. Things that I had a definite opinion on, and that I was pretty sure I wouldn't change my mind about. As I've gotten older, I realize that it's okay to change my mind. Outlooks often change. Circumstances can also change. There is nothing wrong with that!

Clark Potter

 Slight identity crisis perhaps?

Clark Kent?

Or Harry Potter?

It's the Little Things

Sometimes it only takes a little thing to brighten your day. We were eating lunch and River found this in the bag of baby carrots. 

You'd think he won the lottery! He refused to eat it at first. Then I told him that he didn't have a choice. We don't play with our food. I did, however, agree to take a picture to document this momentous occasion. That was an acceptable compromise. 

Biggest Baby Carrot EVER.

Go Ape!

It's no secret that my family likes to play games together. We try to play something at least once a week. Some of my favorite games are ones that have some action involved. It increases the entertainment value if we are able to be a little goofy with one another.

We got a new card game for Britta's birthday a while back. We've played it a few times. It's called, "Go Ape!" It's a little bit like Go Fish, but there's more to it. Instead of simply asking for a certain card, you have to actually act it out!

On each card there is a picture of a monkey in a certain pose. In order to ask someone if they have that card you have to pose just like that monkey. When you do so, hilarity ensues.

We were delighted to find that Kingston can join in on the fun! His monkey poses are as good as mine, and infinitely cuter! He has to play on someone else's team, but he's definitely a good asset.

In the end it didn't seem to matter who got the most matches. The best part was definitely the laughter we got to enjoy throughout the entire game. It really was a testimony that it doesn't matter who wins or loses, it most certainly is how you play the game.

Another Little (Green) Holiday

I am grateful for another minor holiday to celebrate with my kids! I love anything that breaks up the monotony and gives us a THEME for our day. Saint Patrick's Day is really fun because anything is festive as long as you make it GREEN!

Flashes Ruin Everything

I hate pictures where I have to use a flash. I don't have a nice fancy one that I can bounce. I have the harsh one that flashes in the person's eye either causing them to blink at the worst possible moment, blinding them for days, or giving them a wicked red eye. Nothing works better to ruin a perfectly promising picture than using the flash.

Last Bite

You know he's done when the food stops being ingested voluntarily.

Hot Date Substitute

Cameron was out of town all week. When we were planning out the month at family council a couple of weeks back, I asked River to fill in for his dad for my Friday Night Date Night. He readily agreed. I guess I am a pretty sought after date.

Step out of our Comfort Zone

Sometimes, with everything I need to get done, the kids and I get trapped inside our own little bubble. We will put our heads down and do all the things that we have to in order to keep everything running. Well, mostly that's me. The kids are there too though. We do get out quite a bit, but admittedly I have a difficult time with schedules. The mere thought of having to be somewhere at a certain time is enough to give me anxiety. Why can't I do whatever I want whenever I want to do it?

Stretching the Moments

On a similar note as yesterday's blog post that talked about not having a lot of free time, today the kids and I focused on making the best use of the time we do have. Thursdays are a bit busy for us because we have some different homeschool type activities we have to travel to. There's a little bit of time between classes, but not much. I will often take the other kids to the park while Maddy is at choir, but I feel bad that Maddy misses out when we do that.

Doing NOTHING

Busy. Everyone is busy. I have five children. At any given moment in most of my day at least one, though usually all of them, need something from me. Usually that something is needed IMMEDIATELY. It's very difficult to juggle everything. Sometimes I'm successful. Sometimes not so much. I'm still working on it. As a result of this state of constant urgency, I don't get a lot of time to sit down and do absolutely nothing. I know it sounds like a waste of time, but sometimes that's all I want -- time to waste.

Skate Back in Time

I think we probably all have a bit of nostalgia tucked into ourselves. I think of my childhood with great fondness - regardless of the challenges built in. There are so many happy memories. So many things I associate with being a kid. Sometimes I am a little bit sad when I know things aren't the same for my kids. But sometimes, they ARE the same.

He's too Young

I told North he could NOT have a mustache. He must be entering those rebellious years because I caught him like this the other day.

I'm told this sometimes happens after eating blueberries, but if eating berries makes my children rebellious, I guess I'll just have to push the cart right past them next time I'm at Costco.

You Do What you Gotta Do

Sometimes it's hard to keep priorities straight. Sometimes you know what you should do, but it's hard to make it happen. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Temple worship is an important part of our religion. My husband and I have a goal to visit the temple at least once a month. While there are now 144 temples in operation around the world, for the past few years we have lived about one hundred miles from the nearest one. This has posed a bit of a challenge to our goal of monthly attendance, but we were determined to make it happen!

Ear Muffs

I bought a new pair of ear muffs for myself.

They passed the Baby Test.

I think I'll keep 'em.

Both of 'em.

Looks Can be Deceiving

It rained all day yesterday. I mean, actually did not stop raining at all, that I noticed, during the day. It was actually pretty warm in the morning, but by the early evening it was in the 30s again. Today is different though! Today it is SUNNY outside! The sky is a beautiful blue! "Fabulous!" You might say. "Let's go play outside!" You might say. Well, you would be a fool to say that.

Warming by the Fire

Sometimes I don't ask questions. Maddy made this and hung it by the fire. We were a bit baffled. 

I didn't object until Kingston started batting at it and it was getting too close to the flames for my comfort. She said she was "warming it". Not sure if she'd planned on eating it, or what! KIDS!

Grumpy Britta

This is Britta trying very hard to stay grumpy. 

I thought you might want to see it because it's rare... and isn't very grumpy looking to begin with. She can't hide the sunshine. I prefer it that way.

Weather Tease

With all the freezing cold weather and snow and such, I was missing the nice weather that allowed us to go on walks (like I posted about yesterday). I have never lived in North Carolina in the month of March, so I don't know what to expect. I am not sure when the weather will warm up!

Scooting Along

Before it got all wintery outside, the kids and I were going on a lot of fun walks. We have a great county park near our house with some fun trails. The kids and I would go over with the stroller and sometimes with scooters (alas, for them, not for me), and walk a couple of miles. It was chilly, but not to an extreme. I would usually hold off on going if it was below 40 degrees, or if it was too windy. I want to get exercise and be outside, but I don't want to freeze my babies.

Say What?

Sometimes I see grammatical and spelling errors and I recognize the importance of giving everyone the benefit of the doubt. It's the sentiment that counts, right?  However, sometimes there are so many errors I can't even make out exactly what I am supposed to be reading.

This gem was up near my house right after the holidays. It was constructed by a panhandler that has different quotes up periodically. I'm sure it's intended to be spiritually uplifting.  I am still trying to figure out exactly what it says. Mostly the middle section is what escapes my understanding. Best guesses? Yours is as good as mine...

Anyhow... Here's a cute baby to thank you for taking your time to read this blog post:

I hope that made it all worth while.