Scary

It really didn't take much effort to create this look for Halloween, which now has me concerned that perhaps I've become more naturally witchier than I had realized.  If anyone wants to use me for a makeover show, might I suggest the title be "How to look like a million without brewing a million."

Pumpkin time.

At first, the pumpkins were fun to sit with....

Then they started changing...Poor little j must have been sitting too close when the spell was cast.

Fleeting moments

For quite some time now, with notable thanks to the research and advice of Marc Weisbluth, I have emerged from the fog of sleep deprivation and the exhaustion of physically carrying little humans around in various capacities.  It is a testament to the overwhelming shock of becoming a parent that it has taken me so long to realize that those precious early stages of my childrens' lives are rapidly passing by, and that that time when my boys were babies was precious, beautiful, simple, and delicious.  Adjectives that I would have used to describe that fog were much less idealistic when completely immersed in it, but isn't that the case with most stages of our lives?  

So, I recognize the need to repent.  Today, I reminded myself at various times, even when it was difficult or unnatural, that I needed to take a mental snapshot of the laughter and joy that comes with having two little people in my life.  

One moment was when I was getting ready this afternoon, dad and j were exercising in the living room.  They were both laughing and grunting and I wasn't soaking it all in like I could have if I just put my toothbrush down and went into the living room and watched.  I'm so glad that I seized the moment and watched j bench-press dad with the appropriate numerical grunt for each repetition.  j had complete buy-in that he was actually bench-pressing his dad, that it was worthwhile work, and that afterwards, he's supposed to say, "whew!" with a sense of accomplishment.

Later I stopped what I was doing to watch j's gratifying giggles as dad played "tick tock" with him.  There's nothing on earth that creates as much concentrated serotonin in my brain than j's smile and laugh.  

At swim lessons, J was pushing himself to swim all the way across the pool.  The determination was just dripping off of him.  It was so vivid and inspiring to watch!  I tried to make a memory of it that would be retrievable when I'm old and lonely.  

Earlier, J was working on addition and subtraction in his workbook when I noticed that I didn't have to make him do his work.  He was enjoying it.  And he was calculating problems using his toes whenever he ran out of fingers!  

Lastly, as if to reinforce my determination to remember these memories, I practiced retrieving them when j kissed me goodnight, as J was reading a Dr. Seuss to me, and as I'm blogging about it now.  I'm going to miss these moments.  I already wish I could relive those moments of today and make time stand still with me standing right in the middle of all that joy.  Instead, I kneel down in prayer and pour out my heart in thanks.

He's got the whole world in his hands.

Yesterday, an orange.  Today the world.

Eye Heart You

Joe and Jay Cool Rockin' in the Hizzouse!

I wanna be a woman tonight!!

My goal this week was pretty simple.  By Saturday night, I needed to be properly cleaned and decorated so that I could pass as a woman who has the time to look like one.

[If you're grossed out by the gory details, skip this paragraph.]  So, I needed to tweeze my eyebrows, clip my nails, wash off all the poop, baby wipes, dish soap, bleach, dog hairs, and other marks of motherhood, shave my legs, blow dry my hair, put on makeup and put on something sparkly to wear without someone small picking all the sparkles off.

Suffice it to say, we are nearing the final hour, and I don't know how young mothers do it!  I see pictures of friends who have managed it and seem to manage it on a regular basis.  I officially started about an hour ago, and have managed about half of the things on my transformation list, but I'm almost out of time.  The kids and husband have been working on a model rocket, but I know they are going to be finished any minute, and my time will be up.  Granted, I'm sitting here writing this blog post instead of drying my hair.  But I had to write.  I need help.  I want to open this up for discussion. 

How do you put yourselves together every day!  I've put this off all week (the things that could have been done in advance, obviously) because of some other more pressing need.  Do you just not clean house?  Do you opt to skip meals?  Put kids to bed early?  Send them to the babysitters?  Daycare?  Please share your secrets with me.