Because I haven't blogged in a while and I want y'all to know I'm still alive...

BUSY little bees

The past few weeks have been jam packed. This ward and neighborhood does not let you go without having friends. S'mores parties! Potluck Dinners! Dessert nights! Block Parties! YW sleepovers! Stampin it up parties! It's awesome. If you wish you had that...then do it already, stop waiting for everyone else to organize the block party first.

Pumpkins
Two days ago we made these pumpkins. Sophia did a feelings unit last week in preschool, so she was all about making the different emotions on each pumpkin. Good times. We hung them up with string from our loft so they greet you when you come in.

I'm a Hoosier...kindof

A few weeks ago I passed my written Driver's license test. Do you know the shape of a railway crossing sign? Maximum mph in a work zone? Well you better if you want a license in Indiana. But John and I passed. Whew. That would have been embarrassing.

Copy cats

We bought a van. It's spage age. And exactly like Mike's (John's brother who lives here in Indy). But that's not our fault, that was just the good deal on craigs list. I promise Mike, we're not life stalking you :) Here's a picture of it I took today. And thank you FHA loan, for requiring less of a down payment! Now that I have a van, I think I've exercised my faith, and now I'll just wait for my womb to do it's thang. (TMI?)

Awesomeness
We went to the children's museum of all awesomeness last week. It was A-mazing. Sorry no pictures. I have a hard time remembering to bring a memory card AND a battery for it. Plus little time for pictures between making glass sculptures, riding the carousel and looking at dinosaurs. I'm pretty sure we'll be back 10 times this year, just enough to make you faithful readers sick of those pictures.

Where's my calendar?
This time of year leads to so much planning....the holidays, preschool lessons, and my kid's birthday parties. We're going with Butterflies for Sophia this year....and I'm super excited. Especially since I wiped out the dollar store's wing stack. Hooray for me.

Blinds?
I've put decorating the house on the back burner, it's just too much to think about when I'm just trying to get everyone to preschool on time and in appropriate clothing with nothing on their face. But I'm in dire need of new window treatments for the whole house. What do you think of windows with just the wooden white blinds and no curtains? Does it look stark or polished? If I leave them on too much longer, people are going to start thinking I like the former owner's decorating atrocities.

Well that's my report. I'm off to re hem snow white's dress and watch it at the same time.... (Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho...it's off to work I go...)

Cricut Contest Post

This is contest entry for those crazy folks at TodaysMama and Cricut. Be sure to check out Cricut's cool new cartridges and the chance at $30,000 in travel for you and your friends at the Great Gypsy Escape site! http://bit.ly/FWcud

Great Escape Meme
1. If you could escape to anywhere in the world where would it be? Spain!
2. What song do you play when you are by yourself in the car?
3. If you had a night to yourself, and money was no object, what would you do? Probably go out to a 4 star restaurant and do some shopping
4. What is your guilty pleasure? Frosting. By the spoonful. And peanut M& M's
5. What is the farthest place you have traveled away from your home? Australia and New Zealand
6. Last book that you couldn't put down? The Thirteenth Tale
7. When you want to escape into another time, what movie do you watch? Anything Jane Austen
8. What is your favorite local escape? The neighborhood park. Sit and watch the ducks and do nothing.
9. How do you escape on a budget? Priceline for cheap hotels

10. Best food you've ever had while on vacation- Honey comb ice cream in Australia. It's called Hokey Pokey ice cream and it's delicious.

Living on the edge not afraid to die...

Staying at home with your kids all day is boring to the rest of the world. There are those that feel that adrenaline rushes are found in big presentations for big wigs, in launching a new product, or traveling to a new city every week on business, trying new food. I know children look like a burden, keeping you boring, with your super safe minivan and bland french fries and kid friendly food and predictable schedules.

If you've ever read parenting magazines, you'll quickly see that there is a safe way to mother. It includes plans for meals, every new gadget ever invented, and listening to scientists and Dr. Sears. In these things is safety and security.

I like to live on the edge though.
Take a risk.
Ignore some of the rules.

For example, I leave the house without wipes. Or purell. Who knows what hazardous substance will infect us or our clothing while we're out, but we're taking our chances.

I don't buy organic anything. Unless I get kashi coupons for free food in the mail. I think this means my body is going to rot from the inside out with bad chemicals, unless I'm one of the chosen few who's body just pees it out. And I give my kids sugar. And no vitamins. I'm pretty sure this means they will grow up to be emotionally dependent on food and love it so much, they'll have pie parties and reminisce about fried apple fritters and all the deprived kids will feel...well deprived.

I let my children dress themselves, and unless it's not suitable for the activity, it stays. This could be potentially dangerous, because my kids are color and pattern blind. And I'm sure people see them and think they're little orphan children and are all ready to find Dept. of Children's Services until I appear.

I try to answer the question "WHY?" The ensuing conversation could last seconds or hours. This is a big risk. It almost always ends in the story of the creation of the world or market economics.

Sometimes I don't know what's for dinner until I go to cook it. This is an extreme sport. Will we have the right cream soup? Did we run out of chow mein noodles? And then there's the substitutions necessary- is cheddar cheese the secret to this casserole? Guess we'll find out! Even more heart pounding is the moment the fork goes to the kid's mouth. Gag or smile. Which will it be??? The suspense is killing me.

I take my kids into stores that are not kid friendly- Lowes, any department store, furniture stores, Hobby Lobby. Pure adrenaline as I turn around to see glass millimeters away from my kids touch. Will she freeze when I say "freeze?" Or will the allure of trendy goods win over a mother's call?

Speaking of leaving the house, I regularly forget to have them go to the bathroom before we leave. It's like Amazing race trying to find a bathroom near the front of a store before your child loses their self discipline.

What do you do that's "living on the edge" of motherhood?

Organization and Orchards

This week has been a little busy. In a good way.

We.....
picked raspberries and apples

went to a park for Family Home Evening with Holly

painted an entertainment center and added shelves

Made some good looking organization with peanut butter containers and DCWV citrus stack...


ran a church youth improv night at the last minute

Tj Maxxed it out

went to a birthday party for a friend


hosted some friends on their way through town


AND this weekend my parents are coming into town.

I think we might go raspberry picking again. Double the hands=half the work.

Today I have nothing that HAS to be done in the next 24 hours. It feels so good.