On the floor - scrubbing = PLAY

Today is Thursday, one of my favorite days of the week because that means it's story time at the library. A free, educational, inspiring day for my boys and I. Well, upon waking this morning, I made the decision to scrap all plans for the day. Usually our day focuses around one outing, and the rest is dedicated to the structured routine of eating, sleeping, playing, cleaning, cooking, I can go on if you would like!

Today I decided to just play with my boys. No cleaning. Slight food preparations, but elaborate meals will have to wait for tomorrow. I did an experiment. No errands, no cleaning, just playing.

A few things I learned from today:
-Even though Carter plays independently and by himself, he LOVES interaction. Just me playing trains and basketball brought out his high-pitched happy voice all day!
-I can't go longer than an hour without making the bed. Ha! I tried it, I can't. I will say there have been 3 days total in my life where my bed wasn't made. Two included being sick, one was from recovering from a small-gone-bad stomach surgery called a cesarean section.
-I can't leave the kitchen a mess. I tried that too. I literally watched my self get impatient with my kids because I solely was on edge leaving the kitchen as it was, that being said, I ran in to tidy up, then back outside for some exploring--was much happier after that.
-I really do enjoy being a mom. Sometimes the hustle and bustle of getting to play group-here or shuttling the crew to open gym-there completely eliminates the simplicity of a mom playing on the floor with her kids.
-I decided not to run. Although my attitude stayed positive all day, I learned I must still "do something", so off to pack the stroller for a walk.
-I have no problem with not showering! It's taken some work, but due to natural reasons, I have been working on not showering every day. Trust me, from a girl who was just as anal about shaving her legs as she was about making her bed, I have improved much! Plus, I have gone 4 months officially without wearing that toxic, breast-cancer-causing poison we call deodorant! Props to my smelly pits.
-I have learned that I need to have one of these days once a week. It brings me back to the whole purpose of life, parenthood, and why my husband works so hard to keep me at home.

So, hunny, if you read this before you get here, be prepared to have a stinky spouse, a simple dinner, and possibly (well, I did say just possibly) a messy home. But what you will have is two happy boys and a relaxed wife. :-)

Sewing in Sonora

We went to Sonora last weekend for a quick visit. On Saturday, us girls got together for a sewing party. We got together with the intent to sew aprons for our kids for crafts and baking, but left with half aprons for ourselves. Selfish Mommies! It was fun. A few days later, Bobbi sent us this email which is such a sweet reminder of the purpose of aprons. Oh, and must document the fruits of our labor!

Thanks, Palissy for the access to all of your material. :-)

The History of ‘APRONS’
This is exactly like we will look like in another 40 years. :-)

I don't think our kids know what an apron is.

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for
removing hot pans from the oven.
It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.
From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.
And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.
Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.
Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.
From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.
In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.
When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.
When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.
It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that ' old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

And our results:




PS--check out Palissa's (aka Melissa's) website for awesome Baby Bjorn covers and more... makes for great gifts!