Mother's Day

My Mother's Day has been wonderful.  My babies brought me breakfast in bed-egg white veggie omelet, whole wheat toast, fruit and of course- coffee!  I also got to sleep in until 7:30 am! (My littlest one wakes up at 5:00am everyday!)

We had a relaxing morning and then headed to church.  Church was, well, not relaxing at all- it was our usual, desperate attempt to keep 3 under 3 quiet and still. This is no small feat!

Since we all looked so pretty and it was Mother's Day, I asked my husband to take some pictures of me with the baby bees.  He suggested that we go down to the beautiful lake in our neighborhood.  I loved the idea and immediately had visions of me and my 3 beautiful children, smiling and looking gorgeous in front of a serene background. You know, something out of a magazine. Well, what happened was very far from my visions.  No one wanted to cooperate.  They were hungry, crabby, the sun was in their eyes, and they were more interested in running down the hill to see the duckies or jump in the water.  So, here is the best we could get.  It's not perfect, but it's my perfection! 

Trying to get a girls shot!

I am the luckiest Mommy!

I hope that you all take time today to look past the imperfections of your family, and love and embrace what makes it perfectly your family!

Happy Mother's Day!

Where were you?

I always remember my parents and grandparents asking this phrase, "Where were you", when discussing such monumental events as Pearl Harbor and the assassination of JFK.  Pearl Harbor occurred on my Grandmother's 13th birthday. She told us how everyone huddled around the radio to listen to the announcements.  The excitement of her birthday, quickly turned somber.  The realization that all of their brothers and male friends would have to leave them to serve their country fell upon them.  

Similarly, my father told stories of JFK's death; the loss of America's beloved President in an instant.  JFK's funeral and burial occurred on my father's 13th birthday. Again, a day that was to be celebrated, turned somber.  In both events, the country was stunned, saddened and changed forever.  


911 is my generation's "Where were you" moment.  I remember it vividly today and I know that I will instantly have that vivid memory, when my children and grandchildren ask me. I was sitting at my computer at work, when some colleagues returned from a meeting with news that one of the twin towers was hit.  Confused and wanting more information, the small company turned on the tv in the conference room. In a matter of minutes, confusion turned to terror, as I and the others in the room watched as the second tower was struck. Gray smoke and red fires blowing in the clear blue sky, as we watched in horror.  Soon, word of other flights, including one over our city preempted work.  We were all told to go home.  I have never watched as much news as I did that day.  I was glued to the tv day and night, and to every bit of information reported.  I cried with so many other Americans and for so many other Americans.  Our country, once again was profoundly changed.  


Since that day, we have trusted our elected leaders to find justice for all the lost lives. We believed, that the unexplainable evil would be found.  
Well, our amazing President, elected leaders, and dedicated armed forces have not let us down.  Pure evil left this Earth on May 1, 2011. I only hope that this will bring some comfort to all of those still aching for their lost loved one.  


To ALL of our military and their family- THANK YOU!  
THANK YOU for all of the time, sacrifice and dedication that you have given to ALL Americans, for our freedom.  You have done well! 
Despite your political views, we should ALL be proud to be American today.  

Mother's Day Ideas

Mother's Day is on May 8th!  

Here are some beautiful items that Mom is sure to love!  But of course, the BEST present is spending time with your Mom!  Enjoy the day! 

Pursfection Portable Purse Organizer with 9 Pockets

  I LOVE this purse organizer.  I keep all of my essentials in it-phone, wallet, lipsticks, etc.  When I switch from purse to purse or diaper bag to diaper bag- all I have to do is grab this and throw it in my new bag!  And the best part, it's only $20 at QVC.

Stella & Dot mix and match charms necklaces

I love the endless possibilities of these charm necklaces.  You chose your base necklace- 15", 18", 30" in gold or silver.  Then you pick some adorable, personalized charms.  Wouldn't Mom love her kids initials, birthstones or a "mom" charm.  It also makes Birthday and Christmas shopping easier-just pick out some new charms!  

Cole Haan 'Jitney - Kendra' Printed Canvas Tote

This is the perfect summer purse/tote.  Comes in a number of beautiful colors- bright and neutral.  A printed bag like this can make your whole outfit.  Just pop on your favorite jeans and a white tank and this purse will make it look put-together!

PB Paperwhite monogrammed soaps

What Mom wouldn't love these beautiful looking and smelling soaps.  The personalization will really impress her! They will look beautiful in the powder room or her master bath sink. 

 

Nordstrom Tissue Weight Cashmere Wrap

I love, love, love this wrap!  I have had it for 3 years (in Fushia) and use it year round.  It is perfect as a scarf under your wool coat in the winter.  It is also light weight enough to use in the air conditioning in the summer.  You can even use it as a pashmina to keep your arms warm in a cocktail dress.  SO many possibilities! 

The "Original Martha Stewart"

With Easter upon us, I am remembering how I spent Easter as a child. After finding our baskets, eating some eggs & chocolate, and attending church, we would go to my Grandmother's huge Easter Brunch. She had brunch for her whole extended family.

We lost my Grandma this year, so I wanted to take the time to remember her. I wish you all a wonderful Easter holiday.  Enjoy your time with the family you have, and remember the family you've lost! Happy Easter!

My Grandma was definitely not your typical Grandma. She was on the go and kept up with the world. She epitomized the feisty redhead- She was direct and told it how it was, but always with laugher and complete love.

I call her the original Martha Stewart because she was a master crafter and seamstress. She was "green" before green was a "thing" or a fad. For her it was called being creative and thrifty. She raised 6 amazing children on one income in a 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom house. She thrived on organization. This meant that Grandma had to make due with what she had, and use her amazing gift of creativity. The paper milk cartons were cut down as dividers for paper clicks and rubber bands. The top elastic of panty hose were cut off to be used as large rubber bands for board games and puzzles. If you happen to find yourself at her home without your bathing suit, you could just look in the swim bag of extra suits made out of the plastic rings tops that held pop cans together.

She hated to cook, and I never saw her in a rocking chair knitting. We absolutely saw her on a computer, a label maker and a laminator. The first VCR I ever saw, was in her family room. The first remote control, again, in Grandma's house. Mind you, we had to sit at the edge of the pull-out sofa, basically on top of the TV to use the remote, because it was attached by a cord!

She loved games and puzzles of all kinds. When my siblings, cousins and I would sleep over her house, we played a multitude of games- Family Feud, Rack-O, and eventually compute games. She spent time with us and loved us. When we all had to pile in the station wagon for a 12 hour drive to my Uncle Tommy's wedding in Boston, Grandma made each of us a bag of car "entertainment". (This was way before the In-Car-DVDs and Game Boys. ) When she watched us over Valentine's Day while my parents were on vacation, we came home from school to an intricate scavenger hunt for each of us ( and I have 6 siblings!)

My love for organization came form my Grandma. When she would stay with us she would make us dump all of our laundry on the floor in the dining room. She taught me how to sort, treat stains and most importantly, how to fold. I am crazy abut the way every item that comes out of my dryer is folded. She explained to me how to fold towels so that they looked best in your linen closets and how to minimize "fold" marks on your shirts. Next, was the toy area in the basement. We again dumped everything into the middle of the room and she taught us how to organize it all. (It honestly just dawned on me why I spend every nap-time and early evening meticulously sorting my children's toys into bins and making sure every piece is with the right toy.)

Her dining room floor sparkled with hundreds of push pins. You see, her dining room was mostly used as a sewing room. Communion dresses, bridesmaid dresses and the like were created there. She created absolutely stunning clothes. My mother told stories of copied dresses she made with ease.

The hardest part of life is losing someone you love. The importance of someone's life is easily determined by what they left behind. Well, Grandma left an amazing husband, 6 wonderful children, 27 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. All, who I have no doubt, will keep part of her alive. I know that she helped shape me and those lessons will be passed on again and again.

I miss and love you, Grandma. Thank you for everything!

Easter!

The girls had an Easter Egg Hunt at their preschool.  It is a class with 7 students- ALL girls!  When we went to visit, they said the class was all girly-girls who love princesses and dress-up.  E & K fit right in! They love it!

This was making me think how much they have changed from their first easter:

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Lunch!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Here is a simple, nutritious lunch for the little ones. I used 100% whole wheat bread with organic cheddar cheese and Smart Balance butter. I used a simple cookie cutter to cut the bread into heart shapes. I just added some cherry tomatoes & apple slices (both RED!) to complete it. Very simple and LOVED by my little loves!

baby b "t" is 1!

This past year has been busy.  A lot of it was truly a blur.  This birthday brings out many mixed feelings.  The fact that the children are one year older and more self-sufficient is good.  Nursing and caring for an infant is a full time job to begin with, not to mention doing it while taking care of 1 year old twins.  Never, was one moment wished away; but, there were overwhelming moments.  But now, there is no longer a baby in the house.  There are 3 toddlers.  No one to cradle or nurse, no one to be swaddled and rocked to sleep, no adorable cooing noises.  Our babies are, well, not technically babies anymore.  They are playful, energetic, little people.  They surprise me everyday.  Bliss can not fully describe how absolutely amazing our home is right now with our 3 darlings.  But it went fast- way too fast.  Why do babies have to grow so quickly?  A woman stopped me right after I became a mother of 3 and raved at how I did it.  She said that when her children were little someone shared a sentiment with her that she never forgot-- "The days & nights are long but the years are very fast."  This is exactly how I feel about the last year.  

So, as we celebrate our little man turing one, we are celebrating our whole family.  Celebrating my husband and I making it through the year, completely out-numbered.  Celebrating our girls learning patience, sharing, taking turns, and independence.  Things that other children may not have to learn until pre-school.  And celebrating our precious little miracle boy.  He has been the sweetest, easiest, happiest baby, ever.  God surely sent us the right one!

Happy Birthday Baby!

Beach Babies

We are only 40 minutes from the beach which is absolutely amazing.  You can not get that up north.  The kids are loving it too.  Playing in the sand (and eating the sand- T!) and  frolicking in the water.  E & K have fallen in love with the waves, begging Mommy and Daddy to take them in to have the white caps crash over their little bodies.  The smiling faces are worth the enormous effort that it takes to bring them all to the beach.

Two 2 year olds!

Sugar and spice and everything nice- that's what these little girls are made of.  Sugar with their sweet kisses, loving hugs and heart melting "I love you" professions.  Spice with their toy fighting, terrible two tantrums and "I do it my self" statements.  These little girls are gaining their voice every day.  Miss E loves singing.  She signs ABC, Twinkle, Twinkle and whatever her little heart makes up at the moment.  She loves being a big sister and Mommy's little helper.  Miss K is always on the move.  She loves to dance.  She is the super star at story time.  She is our little smarty pants, explorer.  The little angels have fallen for another cute, petite girly girl.  Her name is Tinkerbell.  This was the perfect theme for a party.