Hitting Close to Home

This commercial cracks Tom up. I think he sees his future in it!





I'll let you know if I see him wearing a tutu.

On this Memorial Day

Please remember, and say a prayer for, those men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for your freedom.

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war, is much worse. The man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.

-John Stuart Mill

7 Quick Takes - The Struggles Edition

Visit Jen's for more Quick Takes.

~~~1~~~

I don't mean to get too down in the dumps with the title here, but this has been a hard week, unexpectedly. I think, maybe the sleep deprivation has caught up with me plus 2 major events are over with, so I think my body is crashing from the adrenaline rushes.

~~~2~~~

Probably the biggest source of my struggling right now, is potty training. You know how some people don't "do" blood? Well, I don't "do" bodily functions that require a toilet. So, this is an extra difficult "trench of Motherhood" for me to navigate. Isabel has made progress, but I really feel like I'm at the end of my rope and out of ideas on how to get her to be fully successful.

~~~3~~~

My biggest struggle with Alexis right now, besides the fact that she is TWO and acting every part of it, is her sleeping. She gets out of her bed a gazillion times, both at bed time and nap time. It's frustrating because she has always been a good sleeper, we didn't have any issues when we transitioned her to her toddler bed. I also get really upset when the other two girls are down and I could be doing something productive or sleeping myself.

~~~4~~~

After I passed my 6 week check-up, I was so ready to start working out. I got off to a great start with the 3 mile MS Walk, and then a couple of good workouts with my friend, including an amazing stair workout (I'll have to post a picture later). But then events got in the way (Isabel's recital, Maire's baptism) and I dropped the working out off of my to do list. And last week was such a hard one, I turned to food. It didn't help that I had all of the leftovers from the baptism party. Nothing left to do but start over again this week.

~~~5~~~

I've decided to take the girls on a World Tour. I needed some direction to help me with activities for the girls (an area I desperately lack in) and came across this and was very excited. Of course, then I got really serious about getting it perfect and my stress level increased. So I've been struggling with the details and probably been a little too obsessive. I just need to remember that anything the girls take out of it is a plus and there is no formal requirements to be met.

~~~6~~~

If you haven't read this post by Kate yet, go read it! It hits so close to home!

~~~7~~~

Maire has been a wonderful baby. She sleeps well and so far has only really cried if she is hungry or needs to be changed. This is where I make up my own Mommy guilt and feel bad that I may be taking her laid backness for granted and taking advantage to get things done. I'm also reading some books that are making me second guess some of my parenting "techniques" and this isn't a good thing when you are already emotionally drained and having a "bad week."

I started writing this last week, but of course, it was put on hold, like so many other things. I'm glad I decided to finish it, though. It has helped me to wrap up the bad week and start fresh again today.

Singing a New Song

Alexis: "Yes, Jesus loves me...E-I-E-I-O!"

Small Successes

1. I ironed.

2. I took all 3 girls to the library.

3. I did not eat all of the brownies. Yet.

Signs I'm losing my mind

~I almost forgot to put make-up on one of my eyes

~I found the kids' thermometer in the pantry

~Upon arriving at my destination today, I realized I had only half buckled the baby in her car seat (don't worry, she's safe and it was only a 5 minute drive)

I think a little more sleep is in order.

Incredibly Proud Mama

Friday evening was Isabel's first dance recital.

Isabel is the second one from the left, with her hair in a bun.

Isabel is the furthest left dancer.

Can you feel the pride beaming through the computer?

Gone Again

Praying for another safe return.

Image source

Wordless Wednesday

A Mother's Day Realization

Hubby: "I had a realization this morning."

Me: "What?"

Hubby: "I have 3 daughters."

Me: "Um...yes."

Hubby: "So I should have bought 4 cards."

Me: smiling

Hubby: "But Maire is always with you, so technically she couldn't buy a card for you without you seeing it anyways. So she teamed up with Alexis."

"Life: Imagine the Potential"

H/T Catholic Mom

7 Quick Takes - The Catch Up Edition

~~~1~~~

Before I put it off any longer, I need to announce the winner to this contest. Congratulations Barbara! She wins the $20 gift card plus an extra $5 for being within half an inch of Maire's birth height.

~~~2~~~

I finally really hit the wall yesterday. I plan on writing more about it in a different post, but let's just say that my children had defeated me before I got out of bed yesterday morning. I'm trying to make today better.

~~~3~~~

We've made some real progress on our yard. I hope to post some pictures later, when things are a little more finalized, but I'm excited about the progress and being able to enjoy it all.

~~~4~~~

I'm trying to make all of the arrangements for Maire's baptism next week. The planning so far has been a bumpy road, so I'm hoping it is a little smoother this week.

~~~5~~~

Speaking of Maire, she is 6 weeks old! Can you believe it? I don't think I can. I'm also planning another post to catch you all up on her first 6 weeks. (I'm planning a lot of posts, huh?) For now, let me just say she is a beautiful blessing!

~~~6~~~

I'm struggling with cleaning out the girls closets. It's just not something I am enjoying. Alexis is between sizes, so I can't just clear all of the old and the weather has been all over the place, so I haven't been able to take all of the winter stuff out yet. (Did I mention we had two major snowstorms in April?) Progress is finally being made, though, and I hope to be done with it tomorrow.

~~~7~~~

And finally, tomorrow the whole family will be participating in the Walk MS fundraiser. This will be our first time and I am excited to get all five of out there to get some fresh air and exercise while supporting a good cause. Please pray for good weather and if you are interested in learning more or donating, you can go to this website.

Happy Mother's Day!

See more Quick Takes posts at Jen's.

You Know You Need a Little More Sleep...

...when you realize half way through the wash cycle, that you forgot to put the clothes in the washing machine!