My Library

I mentioned last week that my dream is to have a library in my home. I thought I'd give you a glimpse of what my library looks like right now.

Though this shelf isn't all books it's a step closer to my dream. Hot Hubby and his dad have moved this shelf twice and have tried to burn it a few times more than that. But I love this shelf. It was left at a house I lived at when I was growing up. My mom just told me it used to be a library shelf. I'm just helping it fulfill it's destiny.

Because this area of the house is gated off to keep a certain one year old out of the toilet and from escaping out the front door I have a few baskets of books in the main living area of our house. This may be another area that my quirks come shining through. Although I prefer to see it as being organized.

This is the basket for board books.

This is the basket for paper back books.

This is the basket that we keep hard bound books and our toddlers apparently.

"Mommy, I'm stuck."

Cute baby!

Baby toes!

That's a moment

The moment on a Friday afternoon when you have emptied the last basket of dirty laundry into the washer feeling good that there won't be any wet clothes or towels sitting over the weekend and then your daughter calls from the bathroom saying that she had an accident. Towels, rugs, clothes all wet fill the basket back up and you have to let it go because you have to go. That's a moment.

The moment you start to get irritated that your one year old is awake from 5am to 6am. But he's not crying. He's just nuzzling your neck and singing. That's a moment.

The moment you hear your husband get home in the early hours of the morning and can tell he's trying to sneak up the creaky stairs so he doesn't wake the kids so he can have a few minutes alone with his woman and he walks in to find at least one but sometimes three chubby babies snuggled under the covers with you and he starts pouting and you remind him that alone time with his woman is what caused this. And you both smile and take in the faces around you. That's a moment.

The moment when your one year old boy starts blowing you kisses even though you didn't teach him how and his 9 year old brother says that he taught the baby how to blow kisses and you realize daddy isn't the only one who needs a gun because watch out ladies! These boys are adorable heart breakers. That's a moment.

The moment when your four year old tells you she's not going to eat anymore so she doesn't grow up because you told her that you never want her to grow up and so you explain to her how much you enjoyed her as a baby. And how much you enjoyed her when she was one. And how much you enjoyed her when she was two. And how much you enjoyed her when she was three. And how much you enjoy her now when she's four. And how you look forward to her being older and older because you know you are going to enjoy her the whole way through. Plus when she gets older you both can share clothes and make-up and it will be so much fun. And she snuggles in close. That's a moment.

The moment your three year old comes and crowds her dad out of your arms because she needs to snuggle right now because you are her momma. Not his momma. Hers. That's a moment.

This week's inspiration. Brought to you by...

Sometimes I think I could post link after link on Facebook of all the blog posts I read throughout the week that I enjoy. Instead I thought it might be a good idea to just bunch them together here for you to peruse. Most of these posts are from this week but I thought I might add a few in from the past few weeks that I'm still thinking about.


In Over My Head
This is a post by a friend who is currently living in Uganda, Africa. I cried last night as I read through this. One, because I miss my friends. Two, because of the clear picture that was drawn for me. And three, because I am amazed at how this story relates to so many different areas of life. And also, I really miss my friends.

The Read-Aloud Challenge
I LOVE books! I have a not so secret dream of having a library in my house. It may seem excessive for my little farm house but I'm sure I could make it work. In the meantime I have a big ol' shelf that is designated as the library. I just bought two book sets for Abiah to read through for this next school year but I may have to keep my eye open for some of these suggestions because, well, I LOVE books! Rachel put together a great list of book ideas and all of her friends helped to add many more ideas. I plan to print this list and keep it for a reference when looking for books for my kids.

Whack-A-Mole
Ok. This one I did post to Facebook. I laughed so hard, I cried. It's the perfect combination of the honest reality of the internal struggle I go through every.single.night and the hilarious excuses that kids come up with just to stay up for a few more minutes.

On Weaving and Repentance
Another great post from Momastery. I read this and was convicted. I know my relationship with my Mother-in-love is unusually healthy, but I know I've made many mistakes and assumptions and this was a really great reminder for me. I love and appreciate my MIL so much. I'm sad to know that I have disrespected the life that she's spent her time and energy weaving.

When you're mad at your kids and you don't know why...
This post was a prefect reminder for me to set boundaries with my kids. They are my life. And I love that. But I want to love it for a long time. At the same time I felt a check in my heart to make sure I'm not being selfish. Because sometimes when you (I) give so much away for free you (I) can end up feeling taken advantage of. Then you (I) get in defense mode and start demanding more for yourself (myself) or setting your heart to make "sure" no one takes advantage of you.

WIWW
I really enjoy Jodi's WIWW posts every week. I read them as I sit in my yoga pants and baggy sweater swearing to one day, ONE DAY, wear jeans on a regular basis. I love the color combos and accessories Jodi uses. From this particular post the last three outfits are my favorites. I need to go shopping more. That's the problem...

Did you read something this week that you want to share? Leave a link in the comments below! And have a blessed weekend!

Speaking of my quirks...

We've talked before about my special quirks or pet peeves. It was a lovely conversation. Today I want to share the latest one that Hot Hubby has been introduced to. It's called Candy Organizing. To help you fully understand I've included some visual aids.

First off, this only happens when I have multi-colored or multi-flavored candy. Secondly, this is not what I would label a pet peeve so much as a quirk.

Okay, so first you have a hand full of candy:

Then you separate them by color, but the groups have to be even so you will have a pile of left-overs:

Now you separate the left-overs into even groups by color:

Now it's time to enjoy them beginning with the smallest groups and ending, of course, with the larger groups:

You can separate these groups into mixtures of flavors:

But only if you leave an even amount:

I also prefer my "boy" flavors to stay with "boy" flavors and the "girl" flavors to stay with the "girls flavors:

 I usually leave the "girl" flavors for last since I like them the best:

Remember that as you go you want to eat the smaller ones first:

 

For some reason candy is just so much better that way.

Now it's your turn. Fess up! What are some of your food quirks or pet peeves?

To Burn or Not to Burn

So, I have a..."friend" whose three year old daughter just decided that she is a big "gwill" and is therefore old enough to wipe her own squishy tushy while using the restroom. Because this "friend" is rather caught up in taking care of her house and managing her multiple Facebook Words with Friends games, it was a few days before she was informed (or aware) of this change in protocol.

My "friend" accepted the new change on account that it gave her the perfect opportunity to get rid of the sippy cups that the three year old had been clinging to with an iron grip. Or just her pretty blue eyes and heart melting smile. Same difference.

 Anyways, my "friend's" point was this: if you're gonna be a big "gwill" in one area, you can be a big "gwill" in all areas.

It was with some shock, and retching, that my "friend" recently learned the horrid details of her three year old's bathroom time routine. Which consists of washing her hands. In the TOILET!

My "friend" consulted her three year old about her actions.

"Friend": When you go potty do you wash your hands?"

Three Year Old: Yes!

"Friend": Where do you wash your hands? In the toilet or the sink?

Three Year Old responds with a tone and look saying she's totally confused why her action would even be called into question: The toilet!

"Friend": shock and retching begin...

The three year old has been informed of the error in her choice of hand washing station, but my "friend" is at a cross-roads as to what action she should take next. Since there isn't anyway to know how long the three year old had been acting in such a manner who knows where the hands-of-doom have been. So, she should burn the house down or not?

Please, if you have any helpful advice for my "friend", share.

Also, in my "friend's" defense: since she had already spent the last year training the three year old how to properly wash her hands after using the facilities, there wasn't a question that there would be confusion in this area. Just sayin'.

The Lady Time Beverage

If you are male this post may be a little to much information for you. If you are a married man I highly suggest that you skip to the end, make a steamy mug of this delicious drink, and serve it to your leading lady. She'll thank you. And you'll thank yourself.


As you can tell by the title of this post, we are about to get real comfortable around here. I wouldn't normally choose such a public forum to talk about personal matters but sometimes you come across a gem of information and you just can't help but share. So here.we.go.

I grew up in a female dominated house. Bless my dad's heart, I'm sure he was overwhelmed by the hormone tsunamis that frequented our home. I remember my mom telling us over and over again that hormones were no excuse to be nasty. As real as the emotional roller coaster is I have tried to ride it as gracefully as I can. Tried.

In the last few years I have come to understand more about the female cycle than I knew growing up. Along the way I've purposed to gather tips and bits of information to help myself (and the women around me) balance the way through the monthly cycle. Recently, when I was complaining to a friend about a migraine, she pointed out to me that she tends to get migraines right before her cycle begins. In that moment the dots began to connect and I realized what I was dealing with. Apparently this is a common issue for women.

My friend then shared a tip she had been given to help relieve hormonal migraines. And that is what I'm sharing with you.

The secret? Homemade Hot Chocolate.

I don't mind chocolate, but I really only need it once a month. For about one week. I don't really care for hot chocolate either. But this is not your wimpy store bought hot chocolate. The benefit of this drink is that chocolate reduces inflammatory chemicals, reducing the pressure on the brain and relieving the migraine symptoms.

Here's what you'll need for this treat:

Homemade Hot Chocolate

baking cocoa
sugar or honey
cream or milk
boiling water
your favorite mug

This really isn't a recipe since you kind of have to make it to your own taste, but here's the gist:

Set your water to boil. Pour the amount of milk/cream desired into your mug. If you like your hot chocolate creamy I suggest heating it up in the microwave for a few seconds so everything is nice and warm. When your milk/cream is heated add a heaping soup spoon of cocoa. Since you are using baking cocoa you kind of have to be extreme with the sweetener. Honestly, I start with a few teaspoons and then, after I've added the water, taste and add as needed. I mix all of these ingredients together and then add the hot water. Because of the amount of cocoa used you'll have to continue to stir off and on as you enjoy your treat to keep the cocoa from settling to the bottom of the mug.

I've enjoyed many cups of homemade hot chocolate since I heard about the benefits. I'm still perfecting my personal recipe but so far I know that I like it rich, sweet, creamy, and steamy. Which, consequently, are also some of the qualities I like in Hot Hubby.

Now that we've reached a whole new level of T.M.I. I think it's time to say good bye.

Remember to try this treat the next time you are battling a migraine. And let me know what you think!

'Til My Sides Hurt: From the Girls

Hazel telling me her plan for the day:

"We should take 'Biah's jumping rope and tie it to a tree with Jackson...with his shoes on. And we'll tie him to a tree."

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I made cookies one day and told the kids they could have one after dinner. A little while later the girls snuck into something and I told them that they lost the privilege of  having a cookie after dinner. Of course they were disappointed.

During dinner the kids kept telling me how good the food was and how I'm a good cook. Hazel took that moment to tell me, "Good cooks make cookies for good kids and bad kids."

She was so cute about it that I told her, "Hazel you are right. But I don't have any bad kids." I changed my mind and let the girls have a cookie and they paid me back for sneaking by working for me.

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A land surveyor was walking by our house and Hazel exclaimed, "WOW! What a HONK!"

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When I asked Hazel if she had a mess to clean up she responded, "No complendo!"

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Hazel was sick and Amelia wanted in on the attention. She said, "Mom, my froat hewts!"

When I asked her where her throat was she said, "Wite hew" and pointed to her tummy.