I want to be in all senses of the words, All. Things. Mama.
As far back as I can remember I've wanted to be a mom, not just any mom, but the mom that stays home with her kids full time. The mom who loves even when she is not loved back, who can't breathe without thinking of her kids first. The mom who loves teaching, playing, cooking, baking, laughing, and kissing owies. The mom who is ALL THINGS MAMA. My husband and I scrimp so that dream can be fulfilled. Being a mom is not part time for me. It is something that has captured my heart. All of the going ons of my life start with thoughts of my kids. My kids consume my love and my life and I allow it because, with God's help they are the essence of what makes me a mother. This is me...

kids: the reason for moms

kids: the reason for moms

Friday, November 26, 2010

Will you pass me the thankfulness, please?

Thanksgiving was wonderful! I am stuffed full of the big heaping plate of thankfulness we all consumed on Thursday.  Too many blessings to count..and if I really did eat them for dinner I would weigh a thousand pounds.
Since last Thanksgiving we have been blessed with another child, my husband's job, and many more things that are too many to sit and write.  It's an overflowing cup of love that we call our lives.  God does not let us down.
If  you did not try a serving of  thankfulness this year, go ahead, take a bite, it's delicious and it's the best meal you'll ever eat! It also makes you a better person.  My goal for now until next Thanksgiving is to be more thankful, not take anything for-granted, and show my gratitude to others more often!
So, here goes, I should start now
Thank you Lord for EVERYTHING
Thank you Darrell for working so hard and being a good hubby and daddy
Thank you Mom for raising me and now being a great Grammy to my kids and for cooking a delicious Thanksgiving meal this year!
Thank you Dad for always making us laugh, giving us diaper money for our kids, and being a fun Grandpa or Papa (as Mel says) to Melanie and Easton.
Thank you Mom and Dad Cummins for everything you do for us and for your awesome grand-parenting skills toward Melanie and Easton too!
Thanks to all friends and family for being a shoulder to cry on, a person to laugh with, a someone to eat with, the one to drink coffee with, a hand to hold, a listening ear, for all the things that my friends and family do for me...I am thankful!

Sunday, November 21, 2010

I sleep through the night..most of the time.

How many people have heard these sarcastic remarks after announcing they are going to be parents? "After you have kids you'll spend the next 18-20 years not getting a full night of sleep." Or my personal favorite: "Congrats, say good bye to sleep" followed by a huge bout of laughter.  NOT funny nor original and a real nice way to make something happy and positive into something negative. Although, in the last three nights the no sleep thing has been somewhat true in my life, besides those last three nights, and since having two kids, I've been getting some pretty darn good sleep. And it isn't because my husband is getting up with the kids.
I can't decide.  Was I just blessed with great little sleepers or did my husband and I do something miraculous to train up sleeping babies?  A little of both possibly?  Who knows.  I do know that when we brought each baby home they started sleeping through the night quite quickly.  Melanie stopped getting up to eat after 12 weeks and Easton only took 4 weeks.  We also found that both our babies preferred sleeping on their tummies.  Go ahead, say it, "You're not supposed to let them sleep like that!"  Well, we did.  And they survived and they got LOTS of sleep.  The second we put them on their tummies from their back they would fall asleep and I'm talking THE VERY SECOND.  I remember the first night we gave in and let Melanie go on her tummy.  She was laying in the bassinet on her back fussing, crying, and definitely not sleeping.  We turned her onto her tummy and it was INSTANT sleep.  Keep in mind, both Easton and Melanie were huge when they were born and were able to lift their heads the day they were born, so we were not worried about letting them sleep on their tummies.  Doctors do not recommend letting babies sleep on their tummies and I'm not saying this is what you should do.  Just saying it worked for us.
We also rarely let the kids sleep with us.  If they're sick, that's one exception, but other than that they are on their own.  I think this taught them to put themselves to sleep, because we also just laid them down and left them alone.
Every baby is different.  Who knows how we really got good sleeper babies.  I'd like to think it was my good mommy techniques, but maybe God knew I wouldn't be good to anyone if I didn't get enough sleep.  Maybe just maybe He was giving not only me, but the whole world a gift by letting me have sleep because He knew what I would be like to others without it.  I would probably be a monster. :)
 

Thursday, November 18, 2010

daydreams about napping...

Highlights to my day so far:
1.) Both kids up at 4:30 am
2.) Throw up on the couch
3.) Everyone back in bed at 5:30am :)
4.) Bible Study
5.) Putting the kids down for naps and finding them both in Easton's crib awake a half hour later
6.) Easton's new sailor arm dance move whenever he hears Christmas music
7.) Knowing an eggnog latte is making it's way home to me by way of my husband
8.) Calling friends to get some adult conversation in the mix! (Thanks Aili and Skyelynn)
9.) Easton saying "uh oh" every time the show I'm watching switches to a commercial
10.) Wishing for a nap but never taking one
Here's to all the mom's who have a list of "highlights" a lot like this one!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Ideas before sleep

It's been my secret, I haven't told anyone,now I'm telling everyone.  I really want to write a book. A novel. The only reason I haven't started it is because I've been waiting for the "great book idea" to hit me.  The idea that will make my book a page turner.  Before I fall asleep at night lots of ideas run through my head and by the time morning hits, they're gone.  So, I've been trying to make myself get up and write them down.  The problem is I have to turn on our nightstand lamp to do this.  The minute I do that (even if it's turned on really low) my husband immediately says, "turn off the light."  Of course I oblige to his request because he has to get up at 4 every morning and it would be rude of me to keep him awake.  Therefore, last night, when an idea came to mind, I had my cell phone light on as I scribbled it down as fast as I could so as not to wake my handsome hubby.  I think its the one.  The story I've been waiting to come to my mind.  A lot of work is ahead of me.  Don't judge me if I don't finish it or if I finish it and it isn't an awesomely written, NY Times bestseller, work of literary art.  I don't even have a writing style. I'm not an author.  I just want to be one.  So now everyone knows, and if you'll excuse me, it's a little before 6 am and I have two sick little kids, standing by the couch,  fighting to sit on my lap, that I must tend to.  :)

Sunday, November 14, 2010

It's more beautiful, more wonderful...

Veggie Tales has taught me a lesson, well maybe a few lessons. Lesson 1: The world is more beautiful when you see it through God's eyes.  If I truly want to find the good stuff in life, I'm going to have to make it my priority to see what God sees.  Lesson 2: Kids need God...NOW.  God didn't tell us to "train up a child in the way he should go" for no reason.  We've been praying with the kids before bed for quite a while now, but talking about God's wonderful awesomeness is something that goes by the wayside in between the everyday toddler topics of juice, ABCs, crackers, animal noises, uh-ohs and 123s.  Don't you worry though, I'm thinking of ways to squeeze it into the day as I think more about it.  Lesson 3: Kids understand more than we give them credit for.  God is not too big of a concept.  I think I have a harder time understanding who God is and how merciful and gracious He is than kids do.  Kids keep it simple, just like God keeps it simple. Trust in Him and let Him do the rest.  God didn't say to have "faith like a child" for no reason either, right?
I think life would be more beautiful and wonderful just from learning these lessons from Veggie Tales.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Christmas deliciousness...

Holiday decorating has started early around here, only because I won some decorations at a baby shower and couldn't justify putting them away when Christmas is right around the corner.  And so...
A little taste of Christmas for our palettes.  Pretty soon the Christmas music will be playing and the kids will be dancing and the smell of Christmas cookies will be wafting...oh how I love Christmas!  Jesus' birthday is always the best party, as it should be.
Speaking of birthdays, December 4th, Easton turns one! He has brought and still brings us more joy than Christmas decorations ever could!
Here's to hoping a little bit of Christmas has come to your house, and if it hasn't, may it be on it's way and knocking on your door ASAP.

Friday, November 5, 2010

On a happy note...

I baked cookies (from scratch) for the first time in a couple months this week.  This may not sound "oh so happy note worthy" to you, but this used to be a weekly thing for me. Yes, I would make chocolate chip cookies EVERY week, sometimes twice a week.  For some reason, I fell out of the habit, and I think it was simply because my HUGE bag of Costco chocolate chips ran out and I was too cheap to replace them.  Well, I went to WinCo on Tuesday and bought two bags of chocolate chips and on Wednesday I became inspired to bake again while watching a Christmas movie.  But, instead of reverting back to my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, which will be posted below, I tried something new, which has quickly become a new favorite around here.  Chocolate chip oatmeal raisin..YUM.
I could be selfish and hoard these recipes for myself but considering the holidays are here I want to share. :)
Plus, these recipes are not my own, not mine to hoard, they were found by typing "chewy chocolate chip cookie" and "chewy oatmeal raisin cookie" into Google.  Tried and true internet recipes---tried by me and given to you! :())


Thick, Chewy, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (add chocolate chips)

The trick to getting a really thick, chewy cookie is to chill the dough before you bake it. You can scoop it and then chill it, or, if you’re like us, scoop it, freeze them and store them in a freezer bag so you can bake them as you wish. I find they’re always thicker when baked from the cold — only a couple extra minutes baking is needed.
This is a half recipe. It makes a couple dozen standard-size cookies. (I get more because I make them tinier.) I always feel like I’m swimming in cookies when I make the full volume, but if you’re feeding a crowd, go ahead and double it.
1/2 cup (1 stick or 4 ounces) butter, softened
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the oats, raisins and walnuts, if using them.
At this point you can either chill the dough for a bit in the fridge and then scoop it, or scoop the cookies onto a sheet and then chill the whole tray before baking them. You could also bake them right away, if you’re impatient, but I do find that they end up slighly less thick.
The cookies should be two inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes (your baking time will vary, depending on your oven and how cold the cookies were going in), taking them out when golden at the edges but still a little undercooked-looking on top. Let them sit on the hot baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.

Best Big Fat Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
  2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
  4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.


Happy Thanksgiving and A Merry Christmas to all!

Monday, November 1, 2010

I am so grateful...

And it's not just because Thanksgiving is throughly upon us, it's because God has given me little goodies from heaven and their names are Melanie and Easton.
My two little Halloween goodies dressed up like a fairy princess and a frog.  Easton ended up looking more like a leprechaun, but cute no less.
  Melanie became a candy monster this year.  She was beside herself with glee looking at her stash.  She even asked to have some "tandy" for breakfast this morning.  I was hoping for one more year of blessed "ignorance" to the whole candy thing because I didn't want to become the "mean mom" this year.   But it happened...she continuously fingered through her candy and pretended to eat it, ran away trying to hide with a piece of it, and we had to stand our ground and be the good, consistent parents that don't let their kids eat ALL the candy in one night.  It's tough, the parent thing. :)  So to make it less tough, the candy basket was accidentally on purpose "left" in the truck last night.  None of us ate any candy today.  But we did have cookies! We can't completely deprive ourselves, right?