7 Quick Takes

1 - 6th grade, people. In 6th grade I had this cassette tape. I actually still love this music because this middle class white girl can so totally relate to black empowerment rap.

2 - I have to admit that when the show Arrested Development first came out I heard someone say, "I love Arrested Development!" Thinking they were talking about the above rap group and having never seen the show I enthusiastically jumped in and cried, "Me too!!"

Eventually my much hipper younger brother sat me down and introduced me to the show. I loved it and you can count me as one of the many who are excited about the new season that will be streaming later this month on Netflix.

3 - As you may have noticed I wear glasses and my eyesight is really, really poor. This means I really don't have any kind of idea how dirty my shower is. When I'm in it the shower always looks fine because, you know, everything's blurry and misty. But every once in awhile I'll glance in there when my glasses are on and I'm amazed that Travis (who's eyesight is fine!) doesn't complain at how groddy things are. Soap scum and hard water are not a pretty sight. The kids' tub is fine, because when they get baths my glasses are obviously on and so I wipe things down, rinse things out, and scrub things as needed.

As for our shower... Some day I will not be tired and pregnant and have severe back pain. When that day comes I'll clean it and maybe do a good job of keeping it clean. Until then we'll just pretend that everything's fine because what you can't see can't hurt you.

4 - I got my haircut yesterday by a girl I used to babysit. She cut off the split ends, shaped it up, and gave me some great bangs. I like it down and pulled back. In short, I love it.

5 - Earlier this week I needed to put $10 worth of gas in my car. That would have worked just fine had I not started to think about how I would get gas for my car if the zombie apocalypse happened. How would Travis and I survive if there were zombies everywhere. Would my parents be zombies? We'd need my dad's bow and arrows and hunting rifles. We'd also need to live somewhere with a high fence so we could garden. And I'd need to get my mom's pressure cooker so I could can to survive the winter. And we'd definitely never be able to have sex again because there is no way I'm having Travis deliver a 10lb baby in our home in those conditions. And would the kids be okay. Oh my beautiful kids. Hopefully our extended families would survive and we could live and fight and thrive together.

And at $25 I realized I'd been thinking too much and not paying attention to the pump. Obviously I would not fare too well in the zombie apocalypse.

6 - When summer comes I always listen to more country music. I'm building a playlist on YouTube and I'm looking for some good recommendations. If you like country music please leave me a suggestion or two in the combox.

7 - Last week I got an email from a woman named Heather asking if I would help her spread her cancer story in order to raise awareness of mesothelioma, a cancer of the lung that is caused by exposure to asbestos. Heather was a new mom to a three month old baby girl when she learned her diagnosis and that likely (and sadly) she had been exposed to the asbestos through her father who worked in construction during her childhood.  If you would like more information on mesothelioma or if you'd like to read Heather's story please please visit the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Blog.

Many thanks to Jen for hosting the weekly round-up. God bless you all!

a request for advice from experienced parents

Recently I've been wondering about 2 things, and I'd love to hear what other families have done to make their lives run more smoothly.  Please post a comment or direct me to an article / blog post that outlines what works for your family.  Thank you!

#1 Laundry:  How do you do it?  I can wash and dry, but folding and putting away seem to be my kryptonite.  How many loads a day are tackled?  How often do you wash towels and linens?  Do you incorporate your spouse and kids?  If so, how?

#2  Daily Schedule:  Is there a set flow for your days?  (Right now we get up whenever, watch some PBS Kids while breakfast is served and everyone gets dressed.  Morning nap for Ben usually happens, an errand is usually run or a friend is visited.  Then there's lunch, another nap for Ben and the rest is pretty smudgey until dinner and bedtime.)  I'd like to have some more structured time.  More specifically, I'd like to have set times for chores, reading, arts/crafts/flashcards (learning kinda stuff), and prayer that go along with our nap times and errands.  I have no idea what this should look like for a 2 yr old, and I want this to be fun and helpful - not stressful!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!  Thanks again!

Eatin' bonbons and watchin' soaps

That's what I never wanted to be: a stay at home mom who just sits around all day. I think that's part of the reason I push myself so much to keep the laundry going, mop the floor, make the bed each morning, have dinner ready and bake homemade bread. You see, in my little mind, the laundry cannot wait.

This thinking has led to much frustration with L, though, since she wants to be held so much. For some reason I have always equated being a good mom with having a clean house. I really do think a clean, orderly home is very important for children, but I've very recently come to understand that L's happiness and healthiness are first and foremost what make me a good mom, not the condition of my home. I know, it seems a no-brainer, and it's what I've been told over and over again, but I guess I just had to learn it for myself.

So, what this means is that when L starts getting fussy and attention-needy sometime after 2pm I sit down with toys and books and play with her. I hold and bounce her. I sing and read to her. I encourage her to sit up and roll around, and I do sign language with her.

But I also have the tv on. I watch Dr. Phil and Oprah almost every day now and you know what? I (finally) don't feel guilty about it one bit. They provide me a little bit of "adult conversation" while I provide L with much more of my attention and affection than I did when I was trying to clean the bathroom with her unhappily strapped to my body. The house is still clean, I just tackle the jobs when she's napping or playing by herself in the mornings. After doing this for one week I feel sooooo much less stress, frustration and guilt.