Fashion Sense

Look Mom! I dressed myself!

Without You I Can Do Nothing

There are seven (two) sleepy pairs of eyes

Waiting for me at the table

I must go and give their day a smile

And I wonder if I'm able

No cup of coffee I have met

Could ever get me through this day

.

And without You I can do nothing

Oh but with You I can do anything

Without You I am a clanging

nagging noise

But with You I'll raise girls and boys

.

There is a house that's really not so small

Not with some bunk beds and some mirrors

There is a phone that's ringing off the wall

I feel my limit getting nearer

And there's no smart woman on TV

Who looks a thing like me

and so I know

.

That without You I can do nothing

Oh but with You I can do anything

Without You I am a clanging

nagging noise

But with You I'll raise girls and boys

.

Toys on the floor, blood on the knees

"I need some more

now mommy please"

A first step, a first uniform

Slowly the Body is born

.

I am a woman staring at the sink

I cannot think or understand

Where did it go, I hardly even blinked

And now the day's slipped through my hands

Oh please, grant me a new start

With a fresh and fervent heart, help me, I know

.

Without You I can do nothing

Oh but with You I can do anything

Without You I am a clanging

nagging noise

But with You I'll raise girls and boys

--Marie Bellet: What I Wanted To Say

Summer Plans

I almost got carried away and signed us up for a bunch of really fun stuff. And then I realized that I have a three year old and an eighteen month old and we can have just as much fun NOT playing baseball and soccer and taking diving lessons.

We do start swim lessons soon. We were supposed to start this evening, but Ladybug has a stomach bug, so we'll start on Tuesday. We have four days of private instruction here at our house, and then I'm going to sign Fritter up for group Tadpole lessons at our community pool. The group lessons will be two weeks from Monday through Thursday, so we're going to be busy.

I am signing Fritter up for our parish's religious education program that starts in the fall. Unfortunately it's not CGS, but I talked to the director and it sounds like a good program anyway. I'm thinking of getting trained myself for CGS, but we'll see. Our parish is also having a preschool weekly story time, but I think we'll just wait for all of that until the fall. (It's a three hour storytime.)

We are planning a trip to Wyoming again in July. It will be a nice break from the Arizona heat. AND we are having some family members visit in August. Woo-hoo!

And besides that, we'll add in a few playdates to round things off. And maybe a couple of camping trips.

I think we're going to have a nice summer. If you can forget about the 115 degree temps, that is. ;-)

How Many Words

...is a video worth if a picture is worth a million?

Worth A Million Words

When Did...

...my life get so busy? Busy with what? Honestly, I couldn't tell you. It's not like I have an appointment every other day like a few months ago. Or that I'm doing a playdate everyday. That happens about once a week. The kids aren't signed up for anything, except swim lessons which start this weekend and only last four days. So why am I so busy? Why do I feel like I'm constantly on the go and I haven't even left the house?

It's all those little things that add up in a big way. Phone calls to insurance companies about our new van, unloading the dishwasher, keeping the bathroom clean in spite of the potty trained three year old boy, spending time with the ones I love and making their days special. All these things have me going. But it's a good kind of busy. And I really wouldn't want it any other way.

Last night I had a hard time falling asleep. I'm reading this book, and though I'm not even half way through it, I can't put it down. Around 1am, I forced myself to turn off the light and go to sleep, but even then, I dreamed about the book. Which means when the alarm went off at 6 this morning I snoozed until 7. And even so, I'm exhausted today. I could put the kids in front of a movie and catnap on the couch next to them. But I've found that even when I'm tired, my day runs smoother and I feel calmer when I just blindly follow my routine. The one that keeps me going most of the day. Because I've also built into it times to rest and reading and snuggles, and how much sweeter are those times when I'm not worried about what I'm not getting done.

At the grocery store, I am always hearing about how I have my hands full with my two active kids. And I do. And I also have a full heart because of them. And perhaps one day I'll have my hands (and heart) even fuller. All in God's time, according to His will.

So when did my life get so busy doing things I couldn't even tell you what I'm doing? I'm not sure of the moment, but I know I'd rather be doing this than anything else.

From The Backyard

We found this guy swimming in our pool. He must have thought it was hot outside. I was happy to ignore him and hope he'd get swallowed by the pool pump. However, Fritter showed his dad, who thought it was a great idea to catch it so they could look at it closer. I didn't take the up close pictures. Even if he was in a container, I let my husband have that job.

Even Ladybug wants to see. Actually, keeping the kids not afraid of bugs is a good thing. It means when they get older, they can be the ones that squish them. Not me.

My husband decided the humane thing to do was let it go, and Fritter decided it wanted to go see it's family. I ran inside when it was released. Everybody else watched it clean itself.

With a very scientific Google search, I found that this is an Iron Cross Blister Beetle. That's because it carries some toxin that can cause the skin to blister. Nice. Also, one site said they are having many sightings of them this year because of all the rain we've gotten. Very nice. Come on winter!

Who needs preschool when there is a whole world of bugs in the backyard?

Whew! That Smells Clean!

One thing that's nice about having a blog and being able to air my dirty laundry is that I can hold myself accountable. Since posting yesterday about my messy room, my pride refused to allow that post to stay at the top of my blog. Because then? Then I would feel like a really messy Catholic wife and mother. Which meant I actually had to clean my room, instead of putting it off until another day. Which means it never would have gotten done.

So, for your viewing pleasure...

My bedside table actually does have a top to it. What? All those books? Well, they are still there because I happen to be reading them. All of them. Really.

The pile of magazines are still there, but my hubby has a top to his table now as well.

The dresser. What's missing? Oh! The humidifier we haven't used in ages. Isn't that nice?

Hasn't changed much. BUT, I did dust. I may not be able to see the top, but my dear husband can. I call it "A dust free love note".

I saved the best for last. The desk. What a project. Seriously, it took me all day to go through everything and decide what to do with it all. And then I spent all morning today running errands pertaining to the things I found on this desk. Remind me to go through the mail when it actually arrives instead of relegating it to a pile.

Thanks for putting up with this little tour. I couldn't have done this without you. ;-) And if you happen to find something in the mail from me, you can thank this desk.

Hi. I'm CMerie. And I'm a Slob.

Really. I am. Or at least kind of. You see, my bedroom becomes the dumping ground for all the miscellaneous items around the house. All the need-to-get-tos get buried under the not-sure-what-to-do-with-yets. And when I fall asleep at night I am surrounded by piles of books, papers, and clothes. The rest of the house may be mostly cleaned and picked up, but that's because everything has found its way to my room. Don't believe me? Lest you accuse me of putting up a false front here at the ol' blog, I'll take you on a tour of my...uh...mess.

This is my bedside table. This is what I lay my head beside each night when I fall asleep. Let's see, we have stuffed animals, books, books, and more books, my iPod, a sippy cup that's been there a few days (can't wait to open that up!) my wrist splint that I've been done using for a couple weeks now, a blessed palm from Palm Sunday. Hmmm...what else? Oh! A bar, just in case. Along with enough stuff, it's going to take me forever to figure out where it all really goes.

Hidden beside the stand is a bag of paints and brushes from decorating Ladybug's room. It doesn't really have a home. Lonely, isn't it?

I'm not the only one in this house that collects junk by their bedside stand. This is my dear husband's. Hats, baseball cards, more books, and a pile of magazines on the floor (one of which is not even written in English!).

A dresser with drawers open. Why is it so hard to close drawers all the way? We've made the effort to close it mostly. Why not give it that extra push? And of course more junk on top. I don't think we've turned on the humidifier in months.

There's Fritter's nightlight I have yet to put a bulb in. And a bracelet. So that's where that goes! The box of Wheaties actually does go there. At least sort of. It's a Dan Marino collectors box. It's never been opened. Yum!

The pile here are clothes that I need to get rid of. They didn't make it into the yard sale last weekend, and now they're just hanging out.

Embarrassing of all is the desk. The basket is supposed to be a to-do basket. But whatever is in the bottom is probably long over done (or not). I'm overwhelmed just looking at it. The problem here is that I can't just throw it all away. There are actually bills and other things here that really do need to be addressed. And somewhere under that pile of stuff are pictures from our wedding reception. And as if my planner wasn't enough, I put sticky notes on the wall to remind me to do things. The problem is, I rarely actually read them. So, yeah, helpful.

Give me some time (a lot of time) to clean this mess up and I'll show you what this room is supposed to look like.

By the way, I know you probably don't care how messy my room is. I'm making it public to hold myself accountable. Because really? How did I ever let it get like this?

Another Really Good Read

For those of you mothers who struggle with feelings of inadequacy, this is a must read. A teaser:

For one thing, I got trapped in compare/contrast mode. I read the blogs of other mothers who seemed to have it all together. Every article was a high-flying treatise on the glories of motherhood set off by gorgeous, photoshopped pictures of their immaculately groomed children cheerfully eating their homegrown vegetables on fine china. OK, I’m exaggerating a bit. But the point is, instead of feeling encouraged, I felt like a failure. No matter how hard I tried, I was never gonna measure up to that standard of excellence. Still, that didn’t stop me from trying.

It's well worth a few minutes of your time. Trust me.

Swagger Wagon

I'm sure some of you have seen this, but this is hilarious.

Little Boy Heaven

Our mom's group had a tour today at the fire station. It was so much fun. After a basic safety talk, we toured the station and then the highlight. We got to see the firetrucks. And the kids were able to climb inside one. One of the firemen put on his gear to show the kids what he looked like in it. And then each of the kids got their own firefighter hat. So cute. My son was in total heaven.

Our Day Looks Like This

No words needed.