my big girls

So I'm behind on blogging but I really wanted to share this week's joys. Tuesday was Magoo's first day of school this year at the waldorf kindergarten. She met a new best friend at our back to school picnic on Sunday. They are adorable.





Today is Junior's 2nd birthday. I spoiled her a little too much today. It's just so hard to say "no" to those eyes.





This Mom Loves these beautiful girls and these beautiful milestones. I look back on their lives with such pride and look forward to a life full of surprises.

a poem

Cooking and cleaning
can wait till tomorrow,
For babies grow up,
we've learned to our sorrow.
So settle down cobwebs,
dust go to sleep,
I'm nursing my baby
and babies don't keep.

-Unknown


I read this poem today and it really seems to fit this time in my life. School starts in two day. Two Days! My little girl is getting so big. I know she went to kindergarten last year but it still feels new. I think of how far she's come over the year. She's made great strides in language, she's made great improvements in social skills, and I just can't believe how tall and strong she's getting. So tonight when she woke and needed a snuggle I could have gotten frustrated that her waking was interrupting my work but instead I snuggled her without a grudge. I snuggled her with my face in her hair and breathed deep the smell of my Magoo - my big girl - whose growth will not wait until tomorrow. She won't wait for me so I must enjoy her while I can. This Mom Loves stopping to smell the roses while they bloom.

The Children's Summer Festival

This morning was The Parenting Place's Annual Children's Summer Festival. This is truly the highlight of my summer. It is a festival that is just for the kids to enjoy and the parents to enjoy their kids. My mom came with so she and the hubby wandered the festival with the girls while I volunteered making balloon animals. It was a hoot! The girls had a good time and I was a little disappointed the I missed so much of their fun but Junior did visit me at the balloon animal table for awhile. She kept me company and charmed parents. As the festival was winding down the girls were already worn out. I helped them to the car, snacked them up, kissed them sweetly, and sent them home with the hubby. Mom and I stuck around to help clean up. *sigh* And just like that, what was once a hill teaming with children was now an empty shelter house and piles of boxes. I really enjoyed myself. I really loved being able to help out this year and look forward to doing even more next year. This Mom Loves The Parenting Place and its Children's Summer Festival. Until next year my friends.








Oh, and I love Fran too! Thanks for all you work to make the festival a big success year after year.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

last days of summer

This month has gone fast. It seems like just got home from the Kickapoo County Fair. I mean, Junior is still talking about how she got her face painted there. We've been keeping busy with play group and the garden making sure we really soak up all of these last moments of Summer.

We've been eating meals on the deck as often as we can. I've even taking the girls on more picnics this Summer than I think I've gone on in my whole life. I'm enjoying it. My garden is still producing quite a bit. In fact, I plan to get a few Fall crops planted next week. My girls are really digging (literally) to find anything they've missed on their exploration of the yard. This past week they were turning over logs to look for bugs and worms. Magoo was really hoping to find a toad. There's still time for that. I went to the store today to get a new supply of bubbles and couldn't find them. *sigh* Bubble season is not over yet. I'll just have to mix up a batch of homemade bubble for them.

This week is the last week before school starts and it's loaded with things to do. I'm hoping to get out to our CSA farm this Thursday to pick up our box instead of having it delivered. I want the girls to see the farm and we have a school event that night. Saturday is the Children's Summer Festival. This is the highlight of the summer for me. It's just three hours of joy. This year they'll have painting, a petting zoo, an obstacle course, balloon animals (I'll probably help make them), and Pete and Sons' Speedway (a hot wheel car race track that's always a huge hit). Saturday afternoon there's a clothing swap I'd like to get to and Sunday is our back to school picnic. Whew.

I'm looking forward to the fun and excitement of this week as much as I'm looking forward to the settling back into rhythm that will follow. This Mom Loves the anticipation of a new year. What will this year hold for us? What will it hold for you?

Our last bits of Summer

end of Summer countdown

This week was a rough one around here. Last weekend's full moon had the kids up all night keeping me up all night. Then I started off this week sick. I'm still hanging on to a little cough but I feel much better than I did on Monday.

On top of that, school starts in a week. My eldest doesn't do very well with transitions at all and this is a big one. We've been adjusting bedtime, cutting back on TV time, and trying to get back into a school week rhythm. Magoo is really fighting back. I'm sure that she wouldn't be able to tell me this is about school starting but I put it all together today and that has to be what's going on with her this week. She'll throw outrageous temper tantrums, hit, kick, scream, bite, spit, throw things... I'm really emotionally and physically exhausted.

I have mixed feelings about school starting. I'm looking forward to having some more free time - I could actually nap when Junior does if I need to and I can get back to the gym during the week. I'm looking forward to having other adults on my side to help me cope and to help wear her out. However, I'm nervous that she'll get to school and act the same way she's been acting toward me and they won't want her there. It makes my stomach turn in knots just thinking about it. We have an appointment with child developmental services but won't find out the results until two weeks after school starts. *grumble* Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting us back to our school rhythm. Even if she fights me along the way.

This weekend is our local town festival. Last night we could here the fireworks from our house and tonight the sounds of a classic rock cover band are drifting through the open window. They started playing Livin' on a Prayer by Bon Jovi and I mentioned to my husband that I'll always remember how old I was when that song came out - I was in forth grade. I remember this because they played that song at a benefit I attended for my classmate who was dying of brain cancer. He died that summer. It's always been a sad story and a sad memory of mine. I wonder what he would have grown up to be, I remember how I first found out he was sick, I remember that I found out over the phone that he died - it was a sunny day when I got the news... Somehow thinking about him tonight hurt even more. I was thinking about what a rough time I'm having with my Magoo and how hard it it to mother her sometimes but I'm so glad that I do have her to mother. Now that I have two lovely daughters this story of a little boy dying of cancer just hurts even more. This Mom Loves Magoo. This Mom Loves Junior. I love them, I love them, I love them.


Did I mention that I love them?!

feeling sick

Ragweed season is upon us. Suddenly my system was bombarded with corn tasseling, weed pollens, and high mold counts all at the same time. Pile that on top of having gotten little sleep during the recent full moon and, well, I got sick. Yesterday I was pretty miserable. I had a terrible sinus headache and was worried it might be a sinus infection. While Junior napped I allowed Magoo the luxury of a long video. I napped on the couch and she snuggled into me. When I woke my headache was relieved some. My dad came over to help out in the evening. I went out to the Co-op to stock up on elderberry and vitamin C and when I got home I went to bed early.

Today I felt much better but not really well. I spent the day dosing up on elderberry, C and green tea with honey. I'm hoping for another good sleep tonight. I took tonight easy with some embroidery and sleepytime tea and I am keeping my fingers crossed that I'll feel well tomorrow. This Mom Loves a quiet day of reading and snuggling with the kids followed by a quiet night and a good rest. Wish me luck on the rest and recovery bit.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Happy birthday Mom

We celebrated Mom's birthday yesterday with lunch at her house. Dad grilled steaks and I made cupcakes. It was a nice visit but too short. We'll have to plan a day that we can spend the whole morning visiting at Grandma's. This Mom Loves her mom. Happy Birthday to you, Mom.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

my new favorite treat

So it started with a chocolate chip cookie recipe from Elana's Pantry. I just felt like I should have an "oatmeal" raisin cookie recipe. So here goes...



Grain-Free Cinnamon Raisin Cookies
2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4cup warmed honey
1 cup raisins (also could do half raisins and half craisins)


1.Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl
2.Stir together wet ingredients in a smaller bowl
3.Mix wet ingredients into dry
4.Form ½ - 1 inch balls (I used a small sized Pampered Chef scoop) and press onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet
5.Bake at 350° for about 10 minutes
6.Cool and serve

This Mom Loves baking with almond flour. I love these cookies. In fact I even have the recipe memorized already.

Magoo nursing her Buddy

This Mom Loves leading my example.

It's World Breastfeeding Week

This Mom Loves my little nursling.

thinking about my Gram

This Mom Loves and misses my Grandma.

17 years and counting

"Once upon a time..."I met my husband. Oh, how I wish I had some good old pictures for you. This Mom Loves remembering when and how I met my husband. It makes me laugh to think how far we've come. It makes me proud to think about how hard we work to make our relationship work and yet how easy it is sometimes. I love you, Chuck.


6/2001


4/2004


10/2004


7/2006


10/2007


7/2009


11/2009


3/2011