let the summer fun begin!

the boys will be home in an hour and a half. countdown is on!



a solution for no-bakes

i made no-bake cookies the other day and man! i always forget how awesome these cookies are. they really are easy to make (tell me you've made them?!) but one of the reasons i don't like making them is that i don't like having sheets of wax paper all over my counters with globs of cookies on them waiting to harden. i and my children can't leave the cookie globs alone, often resulting in us eating all the cookies before they even become actual cookies. and also, i like my counter space.

so, while making them this time, a little light bulb went off and i pulled out my muffin tins. now, i hardly think this is an original idea, but it was pretty darn original for me - which means, i didn't see it on pinterest.

so, i dropped my spoonfuls of cookie glob into the muffin tin instead of on the wax paper and it worked beautifully! i had pretty perfectly round cookies and no wax paper mess. after all the cookies hardened, i just threw the muffin tins in the dishwasher and all that chocolately oatmeal and sugar just washed right off. easy peasy. just how i like it.

here's the recipe just in case you've been under a rock your whole life and don't already have it.

1 stick butter
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. milk
2 T. chunky peanut butter (i use creamy)
2 T. cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. quick-cook oats

melt your butter on medium high heat and then add your sugar and cocoa and whisk until blended together. add milk, p.b., vanilla, and oatmeal and mix well. drop your spoonfuls onto wax paper (OR IN A MUFFIN TIN!) and let cool. (secret: i put mine in the fridge until cooled)

your welcome.

now. i just watched the finale of celebrity apprentice and i decided that i was really disappointed with the whole season of that show. i couldn't believe the amount of vulgar language in nearly every episode and so much inappropriateness going on for prime time on a mainstream channel. they even said "dick" tonight AND like the worst gay joke i have ever heard and everyone just cracked up and thought it was awesome. hollywood: detriment of society, right there.

nite-nite for me. big day tomorrow - grocery shopping. somebody shoot me now.

parenting milestones

oh, that jackson. while i was taking these pictures i was saying to myself, what is wrong with this child?! jackson was recognized at school for reading a book on his own - cue the braggy part of me that just wants to add that he has been reading books on his own at home for awhile. anyway, he received a certificate with instructions to go to the library to ring the reading bell and get a prize. and of course, the best part of ringing the reading bell is that everyone in the library stops what they are doing and claps and shouts 'whoo-hoo'. it's pretty cool.

now, it is correct to think jackson was excited. we treat educational milestones and school recognition like they won a million dollars, so he was pumped. and the boys think any kind of prize, even mcdonald's happy meal toys, is also like winning a million dollars. but this child just can not take the silly out of him. when i asked him to pose for the above pictures, that is what i got. and the weird second picture is what he was doing almost the whole time in the library. i told him he was acting a little silly but i've learned to just roll with it, i am outnumbered, after all.

but then, jackson saw himself in these pictures and something amazing happened. he said to me, "mom! why do i look so goofy in those pictures?!" i told him because he was acting pretty goofy, to which he replied, "i should start acting nicer at the library."

SCCCOOORRRREE!

the same concept:  i let the boys dress themselves. i try not to dictate what they wear unless i have too. for the most part, they do okay, but sometimes i cringe when we are leaving the house. i try to never say anything about it, though. they make sure their teeth and hair are brushed so if they are wearing mis-matched clothes, it's fine by me. so let's hope that one day this will correct itself on its own, too? i think yes.

i love when i don't have to correct my boys. and i am looking for some more opportunities to just let things be. to let the boys figure it out on their own. it isn't so much a milestone for them, it's a milestone for me.

i almost forgot...worst mother's day ever.

i almost forgot to post my favorite video ever. i mean, i do post it every year on mother's day. i hope this poor lady has gotten treated like a queen every mother's day since this happened, but oh, what a laugh.

i am taking my kiddos out of town tomorrow so i don't think there will be much celebrating me. so instead, i am going to celebrate them by doing some special little things for them throughout the day. afterall, it is them who have made me a mother and them who have made me a better version of myself.

again, happy mother's day.

hmmmm.

i'm sick of being played. time magazine's newest cover, above, touts the title 'are you mom enough?' and is coupled with the image of a mother letting her at-least preschool age child suck her nip. maybe that sounds crude, but let's be honest: that image is not one of a mother  nursing her child. i don't know any mothers who really nurse their children past baby-hood, but if i were a betting woman i would put money on the idea that there isn't too many mothers out there who let their kids stand on a chair to nurse in that way. time's sole purpose for that image: to sell magazines.

the lead article is about attachment parenting, which is a novel idea: nursing on demand, co-sleeping, and baby wearing, ect. i have done each of these things at one time or another as i am sure most moms have and there are lots of studies and information that really supports the theory. so attachment parenting is great. fine, whatever.

but, it isn't practical! it isn't practical for a working mom and it isn't practical for a stay at home mom either. the only person it does sound practical enough for is an employed nanny whose job it is to tend to the tot 24/7. but if there are moms out there who believe this is the way to go and want to make it a priority, then by all means.

the point is: why are we still attacking mothers?!

the caption on the cover insinuates that these extreme attachment parenting moms are the 'real moms' out there because they sacrifice it all for their kiddos. and "all" is really quite loose here based on what you believe sacrificing means, but why? and for some reason i feel like this article is just a straw man for the real debate, yet again: stay at home moms vs. working moms, because obviously a working mother will have a harder time being able to do some of the attachment stuff.

i just don't get it. what one family does will never be right for the next family and what is right for that family won't be for the first one. or maybe it is. either way, why judge and condemn and suggest otherwise? what i don't get is that we know every one and every family is different. we are different. and mothering is so hard as is. we don't need another publication or opinion to tell us how to do what we already innately know how to do.

and this of course this is coming off the heels of a political snafu, in my opinion. and i realize i am getting into some deep water with this one, but our president just endorsed gay marriage. kind of. and i really feel like a whole demographic of people just got played with this one, too. obama basically just said what we all knew: he supports gay marriage. ...and so what? policy is not going to change. at least, not right now, which is why i think he said it in the first place. election year. he is riding the fence: i support you but i also support you who who will not vote for it. i don't know, just seemed like a slap in the face to all those people who might have felt like obama was going to be a voice for them.

and just so there is no confusion, i am not in support of same-sex marriage. domestic partnership or some kind of union that the state recognizes, yes, but not marriage. and that is my own personal opinion that i have labored and prayed over and not something that i apologize for but i am so very sympathetic about this also because this is people's lives. and people are hurting over this. and i say, with the president, leave it up to the states.

i don't even know how to end this post properly except to say that my husband and three of four sons are gone for the whole night on a camping trip and i am pretty excited about it. plus they took our dog and i am super happy about that. the hate part of our relationship has been a little stronger lately since she has been running away and today she even broke her metal-infused tie-out to go play with the neighbor's dog. i know i sound mean, but i am just being honest. she is hard work. way harder than taking care of humans. any dog people out there have any helpful hints?

happy weekend!

in honor of mother's day

 i wrote this (along with the last blog post on motherhood, which i deleted bc i wasn't happy with the way it turned out. i wrote it quick and sloppy in time for a deadline.) for an essay. i wasn't the winner of either contest, but i will post it here because, well, it is pretty short and i i have nothing else to talk about. reading some good books, spring cleaning and lots of closet/garage organizing will do that to you. :)

Motherhood is….a battle. A battle with them over why wearing gym shorts in 20 degree weather (with dress socks and dress shoes, mind you) to church isn’t appropriate. A battle with others over why your kid deserved that A on the test because you saw how much he studied and prepared and knew the material and then at the last minute made one little grammatical error. A battle with the world over the salvation of their sweet and innocent little spirits. And a battle within yourself over doing everything you possibly can to ensure their happiness and well-being and then feeling guilty you didn’t do more.

happy mother's day.

a 46 year old birthday boy

one of the hardest working men i know - he is a lineman who works in horrible weather conditions

is tough (but is pretty sweet - especially on my mom)

a loving hard-ass of a dad to me and my brother (and when i really needed it, too - thanks)

a silly papaw that my kids ADORE

a gun/woodsy/outdoorsy expert -  i mean, if a zombie apocalypse really does ever happen, i am high tailing it to his house.

the best popcorn maker we know

really likes a good prank - "hi, i am selling encyclopedias and you are going to buy one" ha ha ha travis still talks about that!

and most importantly, loves God

we are so lucky to have a great example of a dad/husband/papaw/friend/brother/father-in-law/son and friend in our family! we love you and:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!