Stand in the Sunshine of Possibility

This week we had our first fifth grade promotion; it seems such a huge milestone; my Andrew is moving from Elementary School to the big, bad Middle School in the fall; I can't believe it! It seems like yesterday he was entering Kindergarten; actually it was almost six years ago; in 2005. The first day of school I was so sad that he was so grown up! I was also about 7 months pregnant with Callan; and only had a two-year-old Bentley to keep me company! What a simple time it seems when I look back at it! Funny how I remember feeling busy and overwhelmed; it seems that mothers handle what they need to handle, no matter what; as I've had more children and become even more busy; I seem to have absorbed all the extra work; when you'd think I'd have no time or energy left!

Andrew's teacher this year was a great one; who challenged him a lot; he was a 30 year veteran of teaching; who decided halfway through the year that this would be his last year of teaching; so the last day of school had special significance for him and for the children. After handing out "diplomas" to his class; he gave a short speech; where he talked about watching Oprah's last show; which I confess I missed. He said she talked about the "Sunshine of Possibility"; about how important it is to live the life you would live if there were no practical considerations or barriers to it. He said that he felt that that was what he had done; teaching children for all these years; and it got me thinking about the sunshine of my possibility.

When I stop to think about how I would live my life if there were no practical barriers; no consideration for what I think I can't do; I imagine it being very much like my life actually is. Sure; perhaps in my dream life; there would be a bigger house; perhaps I would never need to worry about money; but the basics are the same. I would still be a mother; with the number of children I have now; having had them the way I did; and staying home with them just as I have been for the last 11 years. I think that I would be doing much the same things in my spare time as well; soapmaking; sewing, reading when I got the chance. I would still cook dinner every night; still have movie afternoons and breakfast picnics. I would probably still be too busy; too tired, and get cranky at times. I would still have babies all over my lap; embarrass my big boys and constantly yell, with no results; especially; "Get your shoes on and get in the car, we're late!".

I would probably still cry at every first day of school and last day; and never know what to make for dinner. I'd still cloth diaper and consign; and buy used DVD's and cheap paperbacks. I'd probably have a nicer espresso machine; and hopefully someone to do the laundry; but I'd still decorate and clean my own house; just not the kitchen! Maybe I'd have a better bod....but probably not; because I'd hate to waste any more of my life worrying about that! .Maybe I'd get a tummy tuck, but then again; I wouldn't because I don't believe in risking my life for vanity.  I guess I'd still be me; and it's interesting to explore the things that wouldn't change, no matter what my circumstances. It's good sometimes to 'Stand in the Sunshine of Possibility", it's a good life check; to make sure your life is on the right track. I'm pleasantly surprised that despite not having ideal circumstances much of the time; I still managed to blunder my way into the possibility I would choose even if life were perfect!

What's your sunshine of possibility; and how have you achieved; or not achieved it?

...It Was a Teenage Wedding.......

".......beauty fades, but to be married to a man who makes you laugh every day, ah, now that's a real treat' ~ Joanne Woodward, wife of Paul Newman 

".......beauty fades, but to be married to a man who makes you laugh every day, ah, now that's a real treat" ~ Joanne Woodward, wife of Paul Newman 

I'm a huge fan of Hollywood celebrities who manage to have long marriages, and Paul Newman is one of my favorites! Let's face it, he was a drop-dead gorgeous man who believed in marriage and fidelity; how rare! He was known to say that he had "steak at home, why would I go out for hamburger?". I also found another quote from him that is brilliant, "People stay married because they want to, not because the doors are locked".

All this reflection on marriage is because my wedding anniversary is fast approaching, May 1st will be our twelfth anniversary!

 I can hardly believe it, 12 years is a long time, isn't it? When I look at our wedding pictures and see how painfully young we were; honestly; I can't believe we were allowed to get married! How far we've come! Whenever I start to delude myself that I haven't changed, I have only to look at our wedding pictures, and the truth is evident; we've grown up together, as well as growing together as a couple.

It certainly hasn't been easy; though nothing worth doing ever is. We agreed (as we do almost every year) that presents were unnecessary (especially since our vacation was a great present), but I couldn't resist, and used my etsy money to buy a little trinket for both James and I! It wasn't expensive, just funny and meaningful; and I'm bursting to say what it is, but won't, because James sometimes reads my blog and I don't want to let the cat out of the bag!

We do generally go to a movie and out to dinner, which I'm sure doesn't sound exciting to most people, but we rarely get the opportunity to see movies anymore, or go out to dinner, so it's a special treat that reminds us of when we were dating. I think we may just go to our favorite winery for wine tasting and for lunch this year; we've recently enjoyed sampling different types of wine, and the drive and visit to the winery itself is very beautiful this time of year. Thank goodness I have a few sisters that are great with my boys and so generous as to come over to babysit when I ask; otherwise, it would be virtually impossible for us to have "dates", since none of my children have ever been watched over by a babysitter who wasn't family; and I don't want to go down that road. Although I do have a few wonderful friends I would trust, but I consider them family, anyway.

Last weekend I went with one of my best friends to a craft store, to buy supplies for my Farmer's Market booth, and found one of those inspirational saying signs that I loved; it says "All because two people fell in love". I love it! I'm planning on putting in on the wall that has all the framed photos of our boys; I think I love the sentiment because it's something I often think about. When I'm driving my boys to school, I look in the rear-view mirror and see five little heads in shades of blonde and auburn, and think to myself; "all this because a 19 year old boy asked a 17 year old girl for her phone number?!". It seems so strange that such a little thing, that happens every day has changed the world so much. Having five boys seems so profound to me, that means that because of me, five men will go out into the world and change it, for good (I hope), or for bad; and their children's children will as well. I never wonder when people have difficulty in deciding whether to have children or not; I'm thankful I never had to decide, it's a wonder to me anyone has children when given the choice, such a serious undertaking!

Anyway; I'm not sure where the serious bent to my blog posts lately has come from; I find myself reluctant to blog about the mundane lately, because as always, I feel like I'm getting buried by everyday tasks, and have found myself worrying quite a bit about the next few weeks, since I have so much to do! I began work on my mom's reception dress, I always wish, wish, wish that I had a dedicated space for it, since before I sew I have to make sure my kitchen table is sparkling clean, especially with the fine fabrics I will be working with on this project; it would be horrible for my mother to get married in a silk dress decorated with jelly from her grandsons' breakfast! Someday, I'm sure I will have a sewing and craft space, but for now, I just have to make the best of it! I may find myself pulling all-nighters soon, but I have no doubt if I push through it, I can get everything done.

Have a great weekend!

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.....

La Jolla Cove; San Diego

Dorian resting after his ordeal!

Hello, everyone! I noticed I've picked up a few new followers in my absence; I feel very honored; thank you!

I'm afraid I'm a little too tired to wax poetic tonight, but wanted to share with you all a few of the high and low points of my vacation so far; and let you know I'm still here!

We've had an absolutely memorable, wonderful vacation; just finished our third day at Disneyland; and it's been worth all the planning and worry and work!

Seeing my children's faces as they experience Disneyland magic for the first time is absolutely the high point; I feel like I've finally stepped into that point of maturity and motherhood where my enjoyment is completely secondary; seeing the world through their eyes makes me happier than any experience I could ever have! Hearing Dorian say; "I don't like ghost-es" after going to the Haunted Mansion and Bentley telling me that the ride I suggested and went on with him was his favorite ride he'd ever been on; makes everything worth it.

The low point was last night; we had just returned from all day at Disney and an excellent dinner when we heard Dorian cry from the adjoining room; the bad cry, the one all parents dread and recognize immediately. I reached him first and found him on the floor between the chair and the window. I turned him upright and started comforting him, thinking that he was fine because I couldn't see a scratch on him. While I was staring confusedly at this red substance that was pouring onto the chair, James calmly informed me it was the back of his head. He took over, applying pressure and ice to the wound. After a few seconds he told me, still calm, that Dorian was going to need stitches, so while I frantically handed him towels and called the front desk, he took care of Dorian and stopped the bleeding. I feel absurd that I wasn't more help, I'm usually quite good in a crisis, but I don't think I acquitted myself well in this circumstance. James completely took over, inspecting the wound  with the nurse when she arrived, and carrying Dorian the mile to the car, took him to get stitches and his prescription, while I flailed about miserably and ended up being very sharp with my other children. I know that when the time comes, James will be an excellent fire fighter; I know if I were to be in an accident, I would wish for someone so capable and calm to care for me!

All is well now, Dorian got three stitches and returned in good spirits. He enjoyed Disneyland very much today, even though I held my breath whenever he was even close to tripping or bumping his head! I know that with five boys, accidents like this are inevitable, I just need to learn to not become so shrill and frantic when they occur!

We have great plans tomorrow, and I know it will be fun!

Happy Thursday, all!

It's good to be the (consignment) Queen!

Our vacation is fast approaching, so all my boys need some spring/summer things in advance of when I usually buy them. Last weekend, I did the dreaded task of sorting through all my bins in the garage that hold out-of-season and outgrown clothes, so I knew what I already had. I found that strangely enough, one of my children had ten pair of shorts, and one had zero pairs! I made a little mental list of who needed what (Andrew; shorts, Bentley; pajamas, etc) and headed to the consignment shop with Elvis in tow. He insisted on being held, so as I grabbed up clothes as fast as I could, added them to a stack on the counter, then went back for more, I had a little baby trying to grab everything off the shelves! I had store credit, from the last batch of clothes I consigned, so I ended up getting practically everything I need, including hoodies all around and shoes for Andrew; and the big hit of the trip; a Boise State hoodie for a lucky Bentley Jeffrey! I love the little terrycloth beach cover up for baby Elvis! It was only 2.95 and perfect for keeping him warm poolside and at the beach! After my store credit was deducted; I bought 28 items for $47.97! Not bad!

I posted earlier about needing summer sandals for myself, and I went to Payless to look for the shoes I have pictured, tried them on, and found that they were the kind of shoes that slip off your heel continually while walking! No good! So I sort of fell in love with the green wedges with the flower on the toe, and as it turned out, I didn't even need the wide width! I also picked up these blue sandals with a buckle and again, the flower; I couldn't resist these, and I wanted to have some flat sandals for Disneyland in case the wedges prove too high for walking. I love colorful shoes! To me, almost any color goes together; and since I know have a blue pair and a green pair; I can't think of a single color that would clash with both! Payless was having a BOGO sale, so I ended up getting two pairs of shoes for myself and shoes for two of my boys for $60. Not quite consignment prices, but not bad for shoes!

This morning we had the unwelcome surprise of having Callan wake up with a croupy cough; it's been exactly a year since my little Callie scared the daylights out of me and his daddy by developing a life-threatening case of croup, which led to a two day hospitalization and sleepless nights for both of us whenever croup is afoot. Fortunately, the usual remedies helped tremendously, and we're hoping for an uneventful night. We will probably sleep with one ear out for him and clothes laid out for a quick getaway to the hospital if necessary. I've learned that with so many children, sickness is inevitable, and I don't waste a lot of time worrying about what could happen, I'm just thankful we live in a day and age where they have effective treatments and that we live only 5 or 10 minutes from the hospital.

I was thinking about that yesterday, when I was practically shaking with exhaustion at the grocery store, since I'd been up most of the night. I think a person's happiness depends a lot on their level of thankfulness, although I occasionally have bad days, I always know how lucky I am; I've known loneliness and sorrow in my life, but I always knew it was not forever, and the pain had no portion in me; I always could see this life, the one I dreamed about, and knew it would happen. So even though I'm often overwhelmed, and exhausted, and have many things I could spend a lot of time worrying about; I am a content and thankful person. I wish that peace and happiness for everyone.

I have a busy day of laundry today, with hopefully some time to work on my sewing; have a great Sunday!

My All-Natural Baby

I hate to say, I've turned into rather a snob about my all-natural little baby Elvis. He was born after a natural (hard) childbirth in an antique brass bed at a birth center, attended by wonderful Midwives. Because of his "all-natural" beginning; I have endeavored to keep him as natural as possible. Now, I'm not taking anything away from babies that were born in a hospital; I had my first three babies in a hospital and know that the "natural" route is not safe or desirable for everyone. But for myself, as someone with no risk factors and a good track record; a Midwife-attended birth was a good fit. Since I also decided to use cloth diapers for the first time, I think I've been even more careful with what I put on my baby. After the birth, I was given a sample of Calendula balm which is made by Sierra Sage, and let me tell you, that's the stuff! It's good for everything from dry skin to diaper rash, which is what I mainly use it for. After doing research on Calendula, I found that it is excellent at getting rid of even the nastiest rashes, and has natural antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. I also found that it was rather expensive, so almost as soon as I began to make soap, I bought some Calendula balm through my supplier, and have used it for everything from soap to lotion. I seem to have misplaced that jar of balm I've been using for seven months now, so I decided to use my new-found skills and whip up a batch of my own. I got a little carried away and didn't really measure, so I'll do my best to give the proper proportions, although it's not an exact recipe and is easily modified and customized.

Baby Balm:

You'll need:

Olive oil
Virgin coconut oil (unrefined, it even smells like coconut and has tiny specks of the "meat" in it)
Castor Oil
Shea Butter
Hempseed Oil
Caldendula Extract
Rosemary Essential oil

Now, I realize that this may be more of a pain than it's worth, as the average person is not likely to have these ingredients on hand, but all of these ingredients are good for all sorts of things and can probably be found at your local health food store or online.

You'll also need a small food processor, for emulsifying the mixture. I don't usually use my kitchen equipment for making my beauty supplies, but all of these ingredients are "eatable", or at least not toxic, so I felt ok using my food processor and washing it out well. Although I would certainly not recommend ingesting this mixture, no matter how yummy it smells!

I basically started with a "base" of olive oil, it making up the main portion of the amount I wanted to use; for a 4 oz container probably 2 ounces would be olive oil. I then added a scoop of virgin coconut oil, about an equal amount of shea butter, melted; only a smidge (maybe a few teaspoons) of hempseed oil, a little castor oil to make it smooth, a teaspoon or so of Calendula extract and a few drops of rosemary essential oil. All of these ingredients serve a purpose, and blend together nicely. I then pulsed the heck out of the mixture in order to emulsify and thicken it. I did this until the blade was hitting just air, because the mixture was stuck to the sides and thickened.

I used this on Elvis; note that this is not a zinc oxide cream, and doesn't make a thick coating, it absorbs really well into the skin; the only little issue I had with it is that there was a small amount of minuscule specks of coconut occasionally, but they are really tiny and didn't present a problem. I know that diaper creams are a no-no with cloth diapers; but I think this might be ok, because it absorbs into the skin so quickly, also all these oils are very washable and soluble. At least, I'm willing to risk my cloth diapers on this balm!

I've applied it a few times to Elvis; I guess I'll see how it works and whether I like it as much as the balm from Sierra Sage!

The Sound of My Silence

I don't usually post pictures of my family; but I can no longer resist! My Sweet Elvis!

I had a slightly overwhelming, busy day yesterday; and after the boys went to bed I absolutely collapsed with exhaustion even though I had a million and a half things to do, as always; and a must do thing (sewing a button on one of the few pairs of pants Bentley hasn't either worn out or outgrown). I even woke up at midnight to feed the baby and when back to sleep in my clothes; which is horrible. So at five, when Elvis woke up again, I took the opportunity to take a shower, and check my etsy shop and e-mails. I always love creeping quietly out to the living room when the house is quiet. It's the only time the house ever is quiet and I can have productive and reflective time to myself. I need to do that more often; of course, when I have the choice between that and sleep, it's a tough call.

It was also a momentous occasion this morning for my two and a half year old, Dorian. He was one of my easiest potty-trainers; I think because I was determined to rely almost totally on cloth underwear, and didn't soften the blow with Pull-Ups; which may as well be diapers, and I have found to lengthen the time it takes to potty-train; which is very counterproductive. Dorian has been in cloth underwear solely for several months now, except at night, because I've noticed staying dry at night lags behind potty-training by a few months. I vowed when I bought the last package of Pull-Ups that it would be the last package of pull-ups; and the night before last was the last one. We explained to him carefully that he was wearing real underwear and that he would have to stay dry. After an early snafu; shortly after he went to bed; which shows that he had been using the Pull-Ups as a crutch; he woke up this morning dry! What a big boy! I've been pleasantly surprised that potty-training has seemed to get easier with each boy; four and counting; I think it's a combination of my increasingly matter-of-fact attitude and having really sweet little boys who have all been serious about being a big boy!

In other big boy news; my sweet little Elvis, who is 7 and half months, and doesn't quite sit up yet; has decided to skip that step and start pulling up! I can't believe that my tiny boy, who was born what seems like yesterday; is becoming quite the little man! How fast they grow!

Happy Wednesday!

Desperate Housewife

No, I'm not talking about the TV show, which I do not watch, but about little ol' me! It seems that this whole having-five-children-and-an-etsy-shop-and-attempting-to-make-a-new-wardrobe thing got a lot harder all at once! I don't know where the time goes! I wish I could be like this woman in the pictures, blissfully and serenely making her house beautiful calmly, all while wearing a plethora of colorful aprons, but the reality is, I am often frazzled, harried, annoyed, panicked, and most of the time wearing a layer of baby food, flour, or something worse over the outfit I choose hopefully in the morning. There are a few things I insist upon, one of them being that I get fully, fairly nicely dressed every day before taking my boys to school. I just feel so much better about life when I can at least put on some lipstick and go out into the world. I know lots of mothers who bring their children to school in pajamas, and think nothing of it; I don't judge them, in fact I admire their ability to "roll with the punches" and adapt to whatever is going on that morning, but for myself, I just can't mentally go there. The other thing that is important to me is to have my house looking as clean and inviting by dinnertime as I can make it. Now, I'm not married to a tyrannical, oppressive husband, and I know James would never fault me if he came home to a topsy-turvy house, but I feel as a homemaker, this is my foremost job, and I just wouldn't feel like I accomplished anything if I hadn't made significant progress on the home front by the time James got home. The sad truth is that the house often starts out looking great in the morning, and becomes progressively worse as the day wears on, despite my frenzied efforts to the contrary, and this bothers me. It seems like I should be getting somewhere for my efforts, and I guess staying ahead of the mess five children can make is a difficult task, but really? As I said in an earlier post, it is often close to midnight before I feel my job is done for the day, which gives me exactly seven and a half hours in which to sleep, sew, and make soap. Hardly enough. I need to either get on a better routine, or clone myself! I think I will start by allowing myself the breaks and the rest I need, because I think I will be much more effective if I start getting more rest. That brings to mind an old saying, which I recall from 'Mary Poppins', but I'm sure is much older than that, "Well begun is half done". I can hardly begin things well if I am not getting enough rest, so I vow to go to sleep no later than midnight from now on! EEK! That will be a hard one to stick to!  

Friday Late Night Burgers.....

Similar to our Sunday Salad tradition, James and I have started really enjoying having late night burgers on Fridays...actually I think the Sunday Salads were adopted as a result of the Friday Burgers! There's something great about putting all your children to bed and enjoying some alone time with each other, as adults...and the great homemade burgers are a bonus! http://www.ecookbooks.com/p-23097-bobby-flays-burgers-fries-and-shakes.aspx About a year and a half ago, when we were footloose and fancy-free parents of four, we bought this cookbook, and started working our way through the recipes. We had so much fun picking out which burger we were going to try that weekend, shopping for the ingredients, and then of course, eating the delicious results! It was a great stay-at-home date night for us, which got a little sidetracked when I became pregnant with Elvis. We are going back to our tradition, although lately we've been coming up with our own burger, based on what we have on hand, which is fun, too! I think it's important to have little things like this to enjoy as a couple, and it doesn't have to be grand, or expensive. I also have my guilty pleasure movie to look forward to...I'm ashamed (a little) to admit that after Elvis was born, when I was looking for a little harmless diversion to distract me from the crushing sleep deprivation and a touch of the baby blues, I decided to give the Twilight movies a whirl. I wasn't terribly impressed, but then I read the books in between feedings. The books were surprisingly engaging and well-written, and I loved the fact that although it was a teenage love story, there was no sex, and the books themselves were written by a mom close to my age! After I read the books, I re-watched the movies, and although they are essentially teenage pieces of fluff, I find them to be entertaining and great to watch while slogging through the endless laundry, or in place of my usual classic movie watching while I sew. You know what? I'm not embarrassed! I'm a hip, happening, mother of five boys, and I can watch whatever I want! So there!

My high point of the week....

http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?cPath=37&products_id=1853
I am a reformed disposable diaper user; after years of scoffing openly at those who chose cloth (sorry, guys!) and went into the cloth diapering gung-ho and determined to not use so much as a diaper wipe. I've stuck to that, using "reusable" wipes and only using one disposable diaper a day (for nighttime, and even then using only chlorine-free disposables). I got into a great routine of washing/folding/washing/folding and all was well. Until a few weeks ago, when our baby E was introduced to solids. EEEEWW. My sweet little Elvish One turned quite messy and stinky! Then I remembered way back when I was a hormonal pregnant lady, frantically researching and buying the best possible items for my precious baby-to-be; I found out about the product above; a flushable liner to lay into the cloth diaper that allows you to easier remove the...uh, soil and flush all your cares away! I ordered two rolls from Cotton Babies (a great shop), one roll for our bedroom where we change the majority of diapers and the other for the living room, where we often are for first and last changes of the day. They are awesome! Makes a cloth diapering mama's life much, much easier!

Midnight Madness

Well, it's midnight...and as usual, I have just finished the laundry, and was thinking of taking time to unwind, since all my boys and men are asleep and I can do as I please. I always have such a conflict, I have so many projects I'm dying to work on, but part of me feels guilty for staying up half the night, because I don't want to be tired and grumpy tomorrow. It's always a difficult choice for me, the back and forth of wanting some time for myself, yet feeling like I can't completely enjoy it because there are so many, many things that need to be done at all times, and I feel like I should not allow myself to become too sleep-deprived. I've been testing my limits for some time, seeing how little sleep I can not only survive on, but feel well all day on. I've found that I can do very nicely on five hours, any less and I feel tired all day long. It doesn't leave me with much time in the evenings, though; by the time we get the boys truly settled for the night it's usually around 9pm, then I watch a little TV with James, return e-mails and manage my etsy shop. All in all, it's never sooner than 10pm when I have a little "me time", and often it's not until closer to midnight. So here I am, at midnight, a little tired, but planning on finishing the romper I started for Elvis; it's so close to being finished and I hope to have it done and have pictures posted tomorrow. It does have buttonholes, however....pray for me!

I'd rather be......

This great piece of art was forwarded to me by my sister-in-law who said it reminded her of me...ain't that the truth! It pretty much sums up the way I've been feeling the past few weeks, dealing with sick kids, the ubiquitous laundry and the housework I can never seem to finish. Add to that the worry about what my etsy shop is doing (or not doing, to be precise), the grey wintry weather, and you've got a pretty desperate housewife! I know that I'm doing the best I can, but at the end of the day, I still feel a sense of failure at all the things left undone, projects that sit unworked on, and the fog that seems to have made it's way from outside and come to settle over my psyche. I have a plan though (besides waiting for spring). I need to find something to do for myself that energizes me, maybe I'll finally take that dance class I've been wanting to take ever since I was 8 and got a pink tutu. I have a wonderful stack of vintage fabric just waiting to be cut, and two projects in the works, so I need to make time for my sewing, since it is something that leaves me energized, even if I stay up until 2 AM (as I often do when caught up in a project). Above all, I need to learn to pace myself, not start the day with a list of tasks that would be difficult to accomplish even if I were home alone; let alone with three little ones, getting over being sick, and two hours a day spent dropping off and picking up older children from school. I think I will go back to "triage"; focusing on a few things that really make a difference, regardless of what order I think a house "ought" to be cleaned. For example, daily I struggle with keeping the kitchen clean, and in my head, the floor is the last thing that should be done. But this leads me to constantly have a sticky floor, often it doesn't get cleaned until before dinnertime, which bothers me immensely. I'm going to start cleaning that floor early and often; in spite of the condition of the counters! And I know this to be true : As Goes The Bed, So Goes the House. If I can just spend two minutes a day making my bed, it seems to greatly affect my state of mind and my ability to finish the other tasks I have set my mind to. I think it's because every time I go into my room (often, because that's where the diapers are kept) I think to myself "Wow, I'm really on top of things, just look at that bed!". Baby steps!

Sunday Salads...

James and I have recently started a new tradition; Sunday salads. We put the boys to bed at 8pm, and then James makes one of his fabulous salads which we leisurely eat while watching one of our favorite movies. We have discovered in the past few months how enjoyable it is to be able to eat our food without wrangling four boys and juggling a baby. I know "they" say it's absolutely crucial to always eat dinner with your children, lest they turn to a life of crime; but I believe it's equally crucial for a husband and wife to keep their friendship and marriage strong, and that won't happen unless they get some time to sit back, relax, and be together. I think the whole concept of feeling guilty unless you're watching your children while they eat actually started when family life changed to the extent that mothers were no longer connected to the day to day tedium of their children's lives, and needed this time at the end of the day to reconnect. For myself, I am with my children from the moment they wake up in the morning, I drop the older boys off at school myself, and spend every waking moment with my younger three, until 3:30, when I am there to greet my boys after school and deal with the homework, fights with friends, and daily trials and tribulations of an elementary school student. I find that I learn the most about my children in the 10 minutes after I pick them up at school than any other time, because any problems they may be having are still fresh, and I wouldn't miss that time for the world. I strongly doubt that 60 years ago parents ate dinner with their children for any reason other than that there was dinner, and also hungry people. Before that, for generations, children were given dinner very early, and tucked away safely in bed before Mother and Father ate their meals alone, and I don't see what's so very wrong with that concept. I think the Sunday Salads and the Friday Late Burgers will be a tradition we will carry on, regardless of what "they" say!

''Sucess is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm"~ Winston Churchill

This is a quote I've been thinking about lately; it seems Winston Churchill was channelling a stay-at-home-mother in this. Being a mother is constantly feeling on the brink of disaster; and there are contant "failures" big and small. If I've failed to finish the laundry, clean the kitchen before the next meal, failed to finally get my bed made before my husband gets home, these all seem like "failures". The biggest FAILURE, and the one I seem to struggle with most, is the failure to keep that enthusiasm. That's why I titled my blog the way I did, because really, staying enthusiastic makes all the little annoyances and failures of every day seem meaningless. An enthusiastic Mama makes her family happy, and that's what I'm here for. So, even though I may be far from perfect in this, the ability to realize my errors and get back on that proverbial horse, and stay passionate and enthusiastic about what I do, regardless of how today or yesterday or next Thursday went, is what Winston Churchill meant. So as I sip my strong black coffee, I'm already plotting what I will be doing today, soapmaking, lotion making, homemade lasagna with homemade ricotta, and heck, I may even finish one of my 84,000 unfinished crocheting projects!