one fine weekend in march

These pictures are from this past week. My children and I got to spend time with our friends at the beach and at Amy Oaks' wedding. It was so much fun! We also went to my brother's nursery again and got to see the new plants and people there. The weather was wonderful, and we made it back home tired but with some new happy memories.

confessions of a twenty-something housewife/mom

when I'm alone in my car I turn the radio up really really loud and play Led Zeppelin or Bush really really loud

during naptime I get out the sweets and eat them (today it was Little Debbie Zebra cakes)

I dream of weekends where I do nothing but sleep and read and watch movies and never ever do dishes

I have cussed these past two years (usually internally or under my breath)-and I don't remember ever cussing before

I am mean to my cat sometimes. Before children I was not mean to my cat. I have decided it's because I can't stand to have one more little creature needing something from me all the time. I can't deal with it. He's an animal for crying out loud. (I have been convicted about this and I'm really trying. The other day I petted him for a long time.)

I cannot keep laundry done. It is a perpetual pile and I've decided the only solution is for my family to go around naked for approximately 2 days, and that would allow me time to catch up with the pile and get ahead of the game. I often think of my dear Ms Oaks with seven children. I think every time I was over at their house she was folding laundry. I don't know how she did it. I only have two kids and they're pretty small right now. I will say that my son does two or three times his share of soiling clothes- mine and his.

I listen for the sound of the mailman clicking my mailbox closed. I love checking the mail. Somehow it is very very pitiful that checking the mail is one of the highlights of my day. Even though it is usually bills, I love looking for my magazines and wedding or shower invitations or the occasional fun letter or card from a distant or not so distant friend. I could not do without email, it is so convenient, but I love good old-fashioned mail.

Sometimes I go two days without showering. Personal hygiene takes a backseat when sleep is required.

I dream of a dishwasher, an indoor laundry room, a pantry (really a redone kitchen), and a garage/storage shed. I try not to dwell on it, but these would be lovely luxuries for me.

My last confession is that I love being a housewife/mom. I love hearing my 2-year old say "I'm cranky, mommy" or "I need help, mommy." I love seeing my 4 month old smile with his whole being when I go to pick him up in the morning. I love it when my husband comes home from work and gives me a hug and a kiss. I love getting in bed at night, tired from a long day spent with two precious children and a neglected cat.

war eagle

mac

This is the most precious baby boy ever! It is hard to imagine loving a little person so much, but I totally do. Mac is growing and growing and becoming more and more enjoyable and personable. He is very ticklish and is figuring out how to laugh. When he laughs he inevitably gets the hiccups, a trait shared by his sister and dad. This is so strange to me. It is obviously genetic, but I've never heard of it before. It makes laughing bittersweet because he hiccups and then spits up, and the hiccups are so strong, convulsing his whole self. One day he'll say, "thanks Dad." The other thing he can thank his Dad for is sweaty feet. (Mac's cousin Jackson also had very sweaty feet as an infant. Maybe it's a boy thing.) Mac's feet are either cold and clammy or hot and clammy. It is kind of nasty and it produces lots of toe lint from his socks. Which I've given up putting them on now that warmer weather is here. Speaking of baby socks... here's a quote from Jay, I think it was yesterday-"why is there a sock in the bread basket?" Good question. If you think big people socks are hard to keep track of, try baby socks.

can't fake the foo

Here is my rave on the best stinkin chicken fingers in the world. Where might you find the best honey-mustard in all of creation? Foosackly's. Where might you find the most tender chicken fingers in any hemisphere? Foosackly's. With just the right amount of spice in the crispy coating, and just the right amount of the said coating on the finger, I find these fingers to be matchless. Just today my mom and I went to Foosackly's and got our lovely styrofoam containers and took them to a park to eat. What a greasy delight. Oh, and the sweet tea...it is suh-weeeet. And they have that rabbit turd ice that is ice at it's best. Ok. One more thing I like is that they are not afraid to destroy the environment; they serve their drinks in styrofoam cups which I prefer because they actually keep drinks cool-nay, cold- even in the inferno of the summertime in the Southland. Antibiodegradableness is sometimes a blessing. Before all you AlGorians jump on my back, I would like to state that I love the environment. I actually recycle paper products in a little green container that I put out by the curb when it gets full. (Notice, it is a GREEN container.) I love trees, and I actually got teary eyed when they cut down some huge oaks up the road from me several years ago to widen a road. (I'm not referring to Hillcrest. I was a little sad for those trees but that street drove me insane. I needed to get my tires realigned and balanced and rotated after every drive down that road.) I love birds and I have not one, but TWO feeders in my yard for those that feel the need, the need for seed. I could go on and on about my enjoyment of the outdoors, mainly one of the few things I do in life that make me feel like I am doing what I was made to do and God is smiling on me. (All of you should find these things for yourself and do them...) So what I am saying is that I believe in the Dominion Mandate, that we are to "subdue" the earth for our needs and pleasure and ultimately for the Creator's glory. So I occasionally drink from styrofoam cups, I pick up litter, and I eat meat.

This stream of consciousness post brought to you by Foosackly's, with three convenient locations to meet your foo needs.

This is what happens when we don't "subdue the earth" i.e. the proliferation of purple dinosaur populations resulting in unnecessarily violent attacks, even in places where children play. My brother lived to tell about this attack.