Beautiful Boy

I wrote this Friday night.  I was up late and home alone.  I was ready to publish, but then decided I couldn't.  Who knows if some weirdo would read it, google me, find my address and come over.  
Paranoid?  
Yes.  Sometimes I get a little paranoid.  If you had a complete stranger stand up in church and ask your father for your hand in marriage, you might be a little paranoid of weirdos too.
So I waited until today to publish it.  Because weirdos aren't nearly as scary during the daytime.  (You can read that story here.  It's # 5)
And in case you're  wondering when you finish reading, I did manage to paint my laundry room and read a magazine cover to cover to cover without getting up from the couch once.  I really know how to celebrate.  Happy Birthday to me!
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It's almost my birthday.  I'll be 34.  

I asked Aaron for a weekend off for my birthday.  He agreed immediately and so he and the kids are at his parents for the weekend.

I am sitting up late writing.  I keep thinking I hear a kid.  But the house is very quiet.

I have been looking forward to this weekend.  I have a lot of projects I want to get done.  I also want to lie on the couch and read an entire magazine without getting up once.  I think I'll also eat a big bowl of popcorn while I read.  I won't have to be responsible for anyone but myself.  It will be nice.

But you know what?

I miss them.

Here is just one of the reasons.

This is William this morning.

He brings me flowers.  

Every.  Single.  Day.

It is often the first thing he does when he goes into the backyard.

And then he comes back inside with his hands behind his back.

He has this shy grin on his face and he says, "I have a surprise for you, Mommy."

I am surprised every time.

I don't know who is more happy about the flowers; me getting them or him giving them.

It doesn't matter where we are.  He always picks me flowers.  

It can get embarrassing sometimes when he raids a strangers garden.  Or the flower beds at church.  In front of a restaurant.  The library.  A friend's rose garden.

He doesn't care.  He just loves to give flowers to his mommy.

When I was pregnant with him, I remember Aaron playing John Lennon's Beautiful Boy for me.  I had never heard it before.  We danced awkwardly to it, around my big belly, and I cried and hoped I would have another beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful boy.
I did.
My sweet William.
I'm glad I'll see him in a couple days.


I might be painting the laundry room tomorrow.  Or eating popcorn and reading a magazine.  I'll be looking forward to flowers on Sunday.
Hoping your weekend is full of happiness too.
Love from,
Greta

Bra Shopping With Kids

Have you ever seen the Seinfeld episode where Jerry talks about how men don't buy new underwear until their old underwear turns into dust that they just blow away with the wind?

Well, I am not that bad about bras, but close.

I hate bra shopping.  

Due to 4 pregnancies in the past 7 years, and years of nursing, my bra size is always changing.  I hate guessing my size almost as much as I hate getting fitted.

And bras are expensive.  Why would I want to spend my limited clothing budget on bras?  I want clothes, not bras!  

That's why I jumped when I heard about this new bra at Target.  A comfortable, good looking, make you good looking bra at Target for $14.  

$14?  
I was so there.

Trouble is, most of the time, I go to Target with these guys.

But I was in desperate need, we were there, and I wasn't coming back on a separate, bra only, trip.  

So I headed to the bra section, 3 kids in tow.

"Why are we here?" asked James.

"Cause Mommy needs a bra."

"What's a bra again?"

"It's the thing Mommas and other women wear to hold up their breasts."

"Why do they have to hold them up?"

"Because they start to fall down when you get old."

"But..."

"James, we are stopping this conversation right now and if you have any more questions about breasts or  bras, you can ask me at home.  Now please be quiet so I can find the bra I am looking for."

While I was looking for the $14 wonder, these 2 took off on their own quest.

I could hear them talking as I looked.

One thing they haven't mastered is the inside voice.

James: "I am going to find Mommy a red bra because red is her favorite color."

William: "Oh James look at this one!  It's a jaguar bra!  Mommy would love a jaguar bra."

William:  "Mooommy!  Mooommy!  Look at this jaguar bra I found you!  Don't you like it?"

James: "William look at this one.  It is red and it has lace.  It's really pretty.  I think Mommy would like this one and the jaguar bra."

William: "James, look! This one has flowers.  Mommy loves flowers."

James and William: "Mommy!  Come see the bras we found for you!"

Lilly: "I see jaguar bra, Mommy?  I see jaguar bra?"

Trying not to laugh hysterically or give into feelings of extreme embarrassment, I found my $14 bra, grabbed the boys hands, the shopping cart, and high tailed it out of there.

I don't think I'll be taking the boys bra shopping again.  It might send them into therapy when they are older.  
And really, just look at them.  They're weird enough as it is.  I don't need to add to their problems.


Happy Tuesday friends.
Love from,
Greta

For the Love of Books: Little Wake-up Call on the Prairie

Do you ever get sick of it all?

Your job?  That you still don't fit into your skinny jeans?  Homework?   The laundry?  Your crappy car?  The fact that _____ still isn't done and it's been ____ months?  People who don't return phone calls?  That you never get to take a vacation?  And so on and so on and so on?

I was having one of those days.  

One of those days when I felt like all I do is engage in an endless stream of meaningless chores that I will have to do again and again, maybe within hours or even minutes, from now until eternity.  

It was bad.

Chores like cleaning up another spill of water from my 2 year old, who likes to help herself to water and then walk around the house sloshing it from her cup.  And usually, she likes to clean it up, but sometimes she misses a spot.  She missed a lot of spots that day.

And then that towel gets tossed on that pile of dirty laundry that finally gets done, only to magically multiply over night until the pile is sky high again.  Will I ever be done with laundry?

And the dishes.  Don't even get me started.  I wash, dry, and put away and suddenly the sink is full again.  The goose who lays the dirty dishes lives in my house.

And I hate her.

And when I stepped on one more Lego piece I was sorely tempted to pick up all their Legos and chuck them in the trash.

Have you been there before?  

I felt like shooting myself when I had to wipe one more bottom.

Seriously, how many times can my kids poop in one day?

I didn't want to cook dinner.  

I didn't want to make the house nice before Daddy came home.  

I didn't want to do one more thing!

By the time Aaron came home, I had allowed myself to get into a horribly grouchy mood.  I could think only of complaints.  I had nothing positive or uplifting to say about the kids or my day.  Everything I did was pointless and it was never going to end.

In short, I was sick of it all.

I was a beast.

After my kind and understanding husband gave me some space and let me wash yet another load of dishes in peace, I calmed down. (cleaning is how I calm down.  At least it is productive.  It's that or drink)   I repented and asked God and my family for forgiveness.  

But in my heart I was still feeling pretty sorry for myself and bitter about the endless drudgery that lay before me.

The boys and I settled down on the couch to begin the next book in the Little House series.  I have loved these books for as long as I can remember.  Laura, Mary, Ma and Pa are not characters in a book; they are friends.  They are a part of me.  Reading these books with my boys has been one of the sweetest experiences in my life.  They love them as much as I do. 

They want to read all 9 books.

Right now we're reading the 5th book, By the Shores of Silver Lake.

As I began to read the first chapter, the words were like a slap in the face.
Ma, the ever clean and cheerful, was tired and disheveled.  She was too sad to care.  
4 of the 6 of them have had Scarlett fever.  Mary is blind.  Pa's first wheat crop was devastated by grasshoppers and he has not had a good one since.  He walked 300 miles to find work back east and still they have debts, doctor bills and no idea where the money will come from.  


What in the world did I have to complain about?  
Dishes?  Laundry?  Toys scattered on the floor? 
I was embarrassed.  
I was ashamed.
I was convicted.


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This is why I love good books so very much.  A good book has much to teach me, and my children.
A good book transcends age.  CS Lewis said a book worth reading at 10 should be worth reading at 50.
These are.
I have read them more times than I could count and they never stop opening up my mind and my heart.


They boys asked me why I was crying.  Again.  
I was able to explain to them about my selfish attitude--the one I tried to hide from them all afternoon, but they knew about anyway.  I explained that reading about Laura and Mary reminded me that I needed to be thankful instead of complaining.  They could see the difference in our life and the life of the Ingalls family.  They could see that the world is much, much bigger than the walls of our house, or our own experiences.
Books give us that.




One of my favorite authors, Gladys Hunt, writes about reading and books and all they have to offer us.  These are some of my favorite quotes on the subject.


"Reading may be an escape, but it is not an escape from my own life and problems.  It is an escape from the narrow boundaries of being only me.  Reading in some wonderful way helps me find out who I am."


"Reading enlarges my vision of the world: it helps me understand someone who is different from me.  It makes me bigger on the inside."


"Good literature helps me understand who I am in relation to what others experience.  Far from being an escape from reality, good literature is a window into reality."


"Good books instruct me about the world."


"I have more breadth in my thinking."





"A great novel can be kind of a conversion experience.  We come away from it changed."


And my favorite:
" The critical moment in a story may not be when we read what is happening to a character, but when that character begins to see what is happening and we ourselves enter into that character's life.  It never hurts to stand in another's shoes.  We learn to sympathize with other people, but the real surprise is that we learn truths about ourselves that we had not seen before.  In this sense literature does affect our world /life view.  It does not always provide the standard; it provides the opportunity to see the responsibility of choice and the consequences that follow.  It extends our range of vision."  


This quote reminds me of another life changing book, To Kill a Mockingbird.
It is one of my lifetime favorites.  
I can't wait to share it with my kids.


How grateful I am that the world is full of good books.  How grateful I am for people who have to tell the stories that are inside them.  How grateful I am for reading.
It is truly one of the best gifts I was ever given.


Do you have a life changing book to tell me about?  I'd love to hear.
Love from,
Greta


*all quotes are from Gladys Hunt's book, Honey for a Woman's Heart.

Remembering This Moment -- and Some More on Memory Keeping

The more I write down the moments that make up these swiftly passing days with my little people, the more passionate I am becoming about memory keeping.

These are the stories of my life.  And of theirs.  They are the chronicles of our family.  

They need to be remembered.  

The hardest part, of course, is how to go about doing that.  For me, it has come in the form of this blog. At first, this blog was simply a digital scrapbook.  I am glad to see how it has grown into something bigger, that I can one day look back and see the thoughts that were occupying my heart and mind during these whirlwind days.  

I am glad I can turn these computer pages into "real life" pages so we have a hard copy to keep forever.

I am so glad I started this blog because it is the easiest way I have found to keep my memories.

What about you?  Do you keep your memories?  Do you store them somewhere besides heart and head so that they can be shared and enjoyed when you are gone?  I hope so.

If you are not a blogger, maybe there is something else that works for you.

Here are some ideas:

A scrapbook.  I had to move away from all the bells and whistles scrapbooks.  I got lost in the decorating.  But the most important thing is the picture and the words you write about it.  If you can stick to that no frills combo, you will have books full of beautiful memories to share.

A journal.  Even less intimidating than a scrapbook, a journal can be kept by our bed, or in the kitchen.  You can jot down the funny thing Mikey said and maybe post a picture in there too.  It can be quick.  You don't have to make it pretty or lengthy.  Just words on a page is what matters.

A shoe box.  If you are even so short on time that you can't manage a quick page in a journal, then, get a shoe box.  Or some kind of box.  Label it 2010.  Put pictures from that year in it.  (It's better than never downloading them off the computer or shoving them in a drawer, right?) Put Christmas lists in it.  Put notes from the kids in it.  Put your packing list for vacation in it.  It will be a box of memories for this year and might be the easiest way I know of keeping memories.

Lastly, be sure you capture the moments.  It is important to remember the minutia of the everyday, not just the trips to Disneyland.  Be watchful.   They are happening all the time.  Capture them.  Write them down.  This is memory keeping at its very best.
Just remember, it's all in the details.

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I want  to remember this moment.

The 3 of them, outside, eating their popsicles together.

Each lost in his own world, but still enjoying each other.

Those windows I cannot keep clean, no matter how I try.

Our back patio and garage door in the "before" stage.  (for how long, I wonder?)

I want to remember Lilly's pool hair.  How she hates to wear a bathing suit top.  How she has popsicle juice dripping down her chubby tummy and everywhere else, too.

I want to remember how William spends the majority of his day in his undies.  He starts out in swim trunks, but changes when he wants to come inside.  Then begins the endless stream of wet undies for each new dip in the pool.  He just grabs whatever pair is handy.  Even his brother's--which are far too big.

I want to remember James trying and trying to get the whole pop in his mouth.  Waiting to see how long it takes before it has melted enough.

I want to remember him saying, "I don't know anybody else's Mommy who makes them treats as good as this every day."

I want to remember how much fun they have--just eating popsicles together.

How William and Lilly play popsicle tag and try to tag each other's bottoms with their popsicles. 

Gross.  

But funny.

I want to remember patio and driveway covered with sticky dots.

I want to remember these popsicle days.

Because they don't last very long.

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On our sticks right now: Blueberry Banana Pops.

It was grocery shopping day, we were out of everything, so we rummaged to find ingredients for these pops.  They turned out to be one of our favorites.
Frozen blueberries
A dollop of sour cream for creaminess. (out of yogurt)
Some cherry juice (out of milk)
A ripe banana
Flax seed meal
Blend, freeze and enjoy the moment!


I believe this is my 3rd post concerning these popsicles in some way.  Maybe 4th.  What can I say?  We're into them this summer.
That is why I had to laugh when I visited Orangettte and saw this.  She has a recipe for raspberry pops that is a little more specific than mine if you care to take a peek.


Have a happy day, making memories and enjoying the moment!
Love from,
Greta

To the Buoy and Back Again

Saturday was another scorcher.  So we headed to the beach for the 4th time that week.

This time Daddy got to come and as soon as we set down our stuff, James was ready to swim to the buoy.  

He made it!  No help from Daddy.  When he got tired he floated on his back or did the backstroke.

I think he was pretty happy to be swimming around out there, even though sometimes it was a little scary to be in water so deep.  They did catch a shark in water not too far from where we were last summer.

Of course, I didn't mention that!

I just gave him a high 5 when he made it back to the sand.

Way to go James!

Not one to miss out on the fun, William climbed on the surf board and took off.

He paddled all the way to the first buoy without a bit of help, and then Aaron said he wanted to keep going.  So they did.

I looked up and couldn't even locate them.

Then I saw them. William wanted to paddle to the other buoy.  Not the second yellow one, but a white one that is even farther away.

He did it.

Twice.

All by himself.  Aaron never had to give him a push.

That William.  He never stops surprising us.

He wouldn't even let us congratulate him on his long, solo paddle.

He just hid his face and said, "I want James and Noah to do it, too."

My sweetheart.

But I think he was pretty happy about it.  Don't you?

I love to remember their accomplishments.  

6 and 4--they're shaping up to be pretty good years for us.

Happy summer swimming to you!

Love from,

Greta

Keeping Cool at the Peninsula

One of the very, very, very best parts of summer around here is our own special beach.  

It's a place called the Peninsula.  

On one side of the Peninsula is the ocean, waves tamed by the breakwater, but waves none the less.

On the other side is the bay.  Calm, quiet water, a wide stretch of sand and often times, practically no one is there.  It is kind of magical.

Every time I spend a morning, an afternoon, an evening there, I am always so grateful for where I live.We used to live within walking or bike riding distance, now it's a 15 minuted drive.  But I'm not complaining. 

This place is an essential part of my childrens' childhood.  So many memories have been made there.

Lilly was 2 weeks old the first time she came to the Peninsula.  It is the perfect place for a Momma who has to watch 3 little ones at the same time.  The water gets deep quick, but at least the waves aren't crashing and pulling at little bodies.  And I have little ones that like to run in the waves.  The Peninsula provides a less stressful beach experience.

And when the weather turns blazing hot, a it has this week, the Peninsula is our salvation.  Twice this week we stayed there till dark.  Heat makes me cranky.  Actually, it makes me downright beastly.  So I sunscreen them, pack boogie boards and loads of snacks and we head out.  As soon as we get to the sand, my crankies melt away.

It is a little slice of heaven.  

See?

The other best part about the Peninsula?  We can always count on seeing our friends.

James and his best friend, Noah.

Lilly just walks around being beautiful.

Adore.

William got this bracelet at VBS this week.  He won't take it off.  Even in the water.

James and Noah head out for the buoy.

They eventually got it turned in the right direction.

This is the first summer James has paddled to the buoy by himself.  It is a good distance, in deep water and he is justifiably proud of himself.  

He wants to swim it it now, but I am making him wait to do that with Daddy.  At least for the first time.

William waits for his turn with the board.

He loves paddling around out there.

Uncle Greg took him to the buoy, too.  And boy did that make William happy.  Doesn't his grin melt your heart?

James practiced his standing too.  It's harder to balance on a short board.

She's scrumptious.

Aside from the water, there's lots to do.  Ian is flying his kite.

And one of the neighbors even put out his tether ball for the kids to use.

See how James is trying to tell everyone how to play?

He is is mother's son.

We left at sunset.  We did the same the night before and it ended perfectly.

This time, not as much.  There was some crying.  Some sand throwing and some unhappy souls.  

It's been a long, hot week.

But when I drive home, enjoying this view, all is right with the world. 

(I climbed on top of my minivan to get this picture.  It was kind of fun.)

Happy, happy summer days.

What are some of your favorite summer memories?  Either the ones you are making now, or ones from the past.

Hope you can keep cool this weekend.  I have some cool tips over at Picnics in the Park.  Go  see.

Love from,

Greta

Camping At Doheny State Beach -- Day 3 (and a bit about memory keeping)

Day 3.  A big part of camping is the food.
At least to me it is.
And now to my family.


My kids were introduced to Lucky Charms this camping trip.

Lilly and William were big fans.  ( we were packing up in this picture so yes, we were letting them eat right off that filthy picnic table.  It's camping.  You have to let a lot of things go.)

James not so much.  His tastes are more refined.  His favorite camping food: brie cheese and a baguette.  Actually that is his favorite food all the time, but he is sure to get it when we go camping.

I let them pick out some favorite things to eat on our camping trips.

William always wants BBQ potato chips and strawberries.

I like to cook bacon for breakfast since I never make it at home.

Aaron likes to eat the marshmallows we bring for hot cocoa and s'mores.  He never eats them any other time.

This time I brought Nutella for the s'mores.  Way, way better than a chocolate bar.  You should try it.

These are the important details to remember when you are documenting a camping trip. 

Like so much of life, it's all in the details.

We forget those little nuggets.  And it is easy to write down what everyone's favorite foods are when you are putting your pics in an album , or just shoving them in a box.  Put them all in an envelope, label it and slip in the list.  You will be so glad you did when you look at those pictures in 10 years.  

You will smile.

It doesn't take very much at all to record your memories.  Just remember, it's all in the details.

The kids got one last read from our borrowed book and then we said goodbye until next time.

There was one more stop to make before we headed home.  A ways down the beach from the campsite, is the day use section of Doheny beach.  I highly recommend it, even if you can't make it to the campground.

This is the beach of Beach Boys fame.  It is movie set perfect with white sand, palm trees, volleyball nets, bikes to rent and William's favorite part, a Snack Shack.

Ever since we explored the beach our first day, the Snack Shack called his name.  He told everyone about it and wanted to get there so badly.  For fries.

So we ordered 2 fried and sat at Doheny beach for a last bit of camping food indulgence.  It was a good way to end the trip.

True to form, I realized there was not one picture of me and the kids on this campout.  I would like them to know I was around for all these things. And I hope that someday they'll want some pictures of their mother.  Or their kids will.  Or someone will.

It went just like usual:

Lilly wouldn't even be in it because she only wants Daddy.

James and William were slightly more willing.

Slightly.

And in the end, we just resorted to this.

My grandchildren are going to think I had crazy facial ticks.

Camping trip # 2--a complete success.  Where should we head next?  William is dying to go to the Grand Canyon.  It's a bit more of a drive.

But we're thinking about it.

Happy trails, campers.

Love from,

Greta