Swimming Lessons

With summer coming on and our brand new Community Center (with pool!) almost open, we decided that it was high time that we get Eden into swim lessons.  We plan to spend almost every day at the new pool, and I want to be as safe as possible.  The Community Center will have a separate “kiddie pool,” which will be really nice for this out-numbered mama – however – it’s still very important to us that Eden feel safe and unafraid around water.

She’s taking lessons every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through May 2.  Her teacher’s name is Edgar and I was so appreciative of how he immediately put me at ease; I instantly felt like I could trust him.  He’s really good with the kids and seems to enjoy teaching them; Eden took right to him.

Come to find out, any concern I had about Eden being fearful of the water went right out the window when she stepped off the platform at the edge of the pool - twice.  On the first day of class, she hopped right in the water and stepped off the platform like it was nothing. Obviously, not knowing how to swim, she started kicking her legs and fighting to stay above water.  Mr. Edgar pulled her up and stood her back up on the platform.  The fact that I didn’t really panic (my heart did skip a little beat) is a true testament to my trust in her teacher.  Not five minutes later, she did it again – stepped off that platform like it was nothing!  Again the instructor pulled her up and back up on the platform.  At that point I quickly reminded her that she was not to go further into the water without Mr. Edgar.  I wasn’t really scared – a little shocked, but not scared.  I have to laugh now…you hear about parents tossing their kids in with the “sink or swim” mentality…Eden did it on her own!  And clearly, she has no fear.  I’ve already decided that it’s a blessing and a curse.

She has been so excited to go to her lessons, and I think it came at a good time.  Aside from preparing her for summer, these lessons are something that only she can do…not her brothers.  I’ve already seen improvement in her “technique;” on her first day she was curling her legs up under herself but by the time we left, she was stretching her legs out and giving that water some good kicks.  On Wednesday, she learned all about floating on her back and I was seriously impressed.  All week, she was so excited to show me how she “scoops” the water with her hands.  She hasn’t approached other activities/sports with nearly as much enthusiasm, so maybe we have a swimmer on our hands!

In case you’re wondering where the little guys are during the lessons…

…I’ve wrangled them in the double stroller so that I don’t have any other daredevils taking a dip in the pool.  The lessons are at a good point in the day because Patton is just waking up from his nap and eats a snack while sitting in the stroller, and JR is usually finishing up his afternoon nap and sleeps through transfers in and out of the car seat and stroller.  These are two “go with the flow” little boys!

We’re excited to see how Eden’s swimming improves even more with these lessons, and through the summer!

If you’re a local (Fort Bliss) military family, you can find more information about swimming lessons, etc. HERE.

Recipes for Summer

I don’t know about where you live, but it is getting warm here…as in, we’re expecting low 90s here this weekend.  So I’m sure you understand my desire to avoid slaving cooking over a hot stove.  We recently tried Bow Tie Pasta with Roasted Vegetables and we loved it.  In fact, the recipe had come highly recommended, and with the warning that we would like it so much that we would eat more than anticipated.  With that in mind, I doubled the recipe…and somehow I still ended up only having one serving left over for Micah’s lunch the following day.

Photo courtesy of MyRecipes.com

I made a few changes to suit our tastes, and to add even more nutrients.  I added a can of Great Northern Beans, and some sliced grilled chicken.  I wasn’t sure about the beans, but it ended up being one of our favorite parts of it; it added nutrition and texture.  Regarding the chicken – my little secret – when I grill chicken on our George Foreman for dinners, I’ll often grill extra so that I have some on hand when I make a salad for my lunch…it just saves me a little time.

My favorite things about this recipe — Requires very little time; filling and nutritious; and I can use it year-round, during Lent I will just omit the chicken.

Ingredients

3 cups (8 ounces) Farfalle/Bow Tie Pasta

2 cups Roasted Vegetables

1 cup frozen green peas (I included the Great Northern beans, the chicken, and these peas in the Roasted Vegetable dish, which goes in the oven)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup thinly shaved fresh Parmesan cheese (I’ll be honest, I substituted Kraft Grated Parmesan)

Instructions 

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt.  Drain and keep warm.

Combine the pasta and Roasted Vegetables in a large bowl.  Top with parsley and cheese.

Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light

Do you have a go-to summer dinner recipe that you’d be willing to share with all of us?

Getting My Business Done*

*Do any of you watch “The Middle” on ABC?  Micah and I absolutely love that show and we never miss it.  The title of this post is an ode to last night’s episode…I’m sure you can watch it online at abc.com.

I’ve received a lot of emails lately asking how I keep myself and the four monkeys I live with organized.  After I regained my composure because I’d fallen out of my chair laughing, I provided a fairly basic answer:  prayer.  When it all boils down, that is what keeps me sane.  However, having my Home Organization Notebook is pretty helpful, too.  I’ve seen similar tools on other blogs and they inspired me to create one to suit my needs.  It’s been really helpful for me to have everything in one spot and not have piles all over my house.

I decided to keep my weekly and monthly calendar separate from my Notebook, so I have my Erin Condren Life Planner for those details…that’s the book on the right.  They are a little pricey, but my planner is basically my right arm, so it’s worth every penny to have a planner that works for me (in my opinion).  Plus, I caught one of those special deals where you pay $25 for a $50 gift card, so I got it for half the price.

Someone’s sippy spilled in my bag, which got my planner wet…but I still love it.  It’s really nice to be able to flip through it using the monthly tabs, and I like that the day is broken down between morning, day, and night.  The creative, “art-y” side of me loves how bright and colorful it is.

I especially love the zipper pouch in the back – I keep my stamps in there.  Erin Condren also included some freebie “Call Me” cards and gift tags, plus a snazzy clip, too!

So that’s my Life Planner.  For everything else that I have to keep track of, I use my Home Organization Notebook.  I bought a faux black leather binder so that it cleans well and looks nice (and not junky) and tab dividers.  I created my tabs based on my specific needs.

I have the Important Numbers & Dates tab so that all the phone numbers I use often are at my fingertips.  I have a {probably irrational} fear of losing all of the numbers in my phone and then not know how to get reach 95% of the people stored in my phone, so this eases my mind a bit.  Behind this initial page, I have a Take Out Directory, an Online Password worksheet, and a Pool packing list.

The Daily Do-It Checklist are things that I have to complete every day; they never change.  For the more specific things (such as appointments, meetings, etc.), I reference my Life Planner.

The Weekly Chore Checklist breaks down all the chores that I have to complete throughout the week.  For example, on Mondays I clean the bathrooms, and on Wednesdays I wash, dry, fold, and put away Micah’s laundry.  I do the same on Tuesdays and Thursdays with the kids’ and my laundry, respectively.

In the Meals & Recipes section, I have a worksheet to help me plan our meals.  I also have a page that helps me record our favorite meals, including which cookbook/magazine/website the recipe is from.  These two pages have been incredibly helpful in our family sticking to our plan for meals and eating habits (and therefore, our budget!).

On the Blog page, I keep track of different ideas for blog posts.  I used to be able to make a mental list…but sleep deprivation has ruined that method.  I also keep special information behind this checklist, such as information for upcoming giveaways, etc.

Under my tabs for Eden, Patton, and JohnReagan, I have information that pertains to them specifically.  For example, I put all of Eden’s weekly school newsletters with her tab.  I keep the milestone and vaccination information sheets with Patton’s and JohnReagan’s tabs.  It’s also the spot where I write down questions or concerns I have for their pediatrician.  The very first sheet in each child’s section is the Kids Information Sheet.  It has the basics – likes, dislikes, favorites, routine, etc..  I included JR’s sheet, which seems silly because his favorite for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Snacks is milk, milk, and – oh yeah – more milk…but you get the idea.

With the Beaumont tab, I keep our neighborhood newsletters, and our monthly utility bills for electric and gas.

I keep all-things-Simon under his tab, including his most recent shot record, and his basic routine.  If you must know, “tummy time” is one of his favorite activities, too…as in, getting his tummy rubbed.

I keep a list of Bible Verses in there to help me keep my head in the game.  Kidding…sort of.  It’s nice to have a spot to write down verses that stand out to me while I’m reading, or that I come across throughout my day.

The Gift Ideas page is super helpful.  I would show you my page, but I have gift ideas on there for people who might be reading and I don’t want to ruin the surprise!  Even if you don’t put together your own Home Organization Notebook, this page would be great to stash away with your greeting cards or wrapping paper!

I don’t use the Party Planning pages often, but I like having them ready for when I am planning a shin-dig.  I think it’s so easy to overlook a little detail, and this worksheet has a checklist for everything.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me.  If you have ideas for your own Home Organization Notebook or how I can improve mine, I’d love to hear that, too!  I’m so happy to have a place for everything now, and I feel more control of my day when I have my own routine.

Resources:

Life Your Way

iHeart Organizing

Organized Home

Simple Mom

The Project Girl

Frugal Living

Easter 2012

“His mother grieved, his friends scattered, but heaven just started counting to three…”

We had a really wonderful, relaxing Easter.  After playing Easter Bunny the night before, we woke up Easter morning to a very excited little girl and two sleepy little boys.  Patton ended up sleeping in, so we convinced Eden to wait to egg and basket hunt.  That, and the fact that we managed to make it to Church early, are complete miracles.  It was a day for miracles – He is Risen!

These two are buddies – most of the time.  I’m pretty sure she was coaxing him along so she could get home and finally pick up the eggs she’d spotted before we left for church.  Lucky for them, our church hosted a wonderful egg hunt for all the kids after Mass.  It was so cute!

The egg hunt at church was a good practice round for Patton.  At church, he would pick up one egg, then put it back down when he found another egg.  I guess he didn’t want to be greedy!  At home, Eden had twelve “lady bug” eggs to find, and Patton had twelve “sports ball” eggs to find…that was the easiest way I could think of to enforce the “sharing rule.”

Eden was so excited to follow the “treasure map” that Daddy the Easter Bunny made to find her basket.  Eden’s basket had a sun hat that I made to match her swim suit, a coloring book, a new LeapFrog TAG Reader book, swim goggles, a beach ball, bubbles, a Easter Bunny jelly bean toy, and a chocolate bunny.

Patton was too excited about all of his eggs to worry about the “map,” but he sure was excited when he realized he had a basket full of goodies too!  His basket included:  a coloring book, a Easter Bunny jellybean toy, “Pat the Bunny” book, bubbles, a beach ball, a waterproof book for the pool, and a chocolate bunny.  He was most excited about the book…

…which didn’t really surprise me.

While her brother napped, Eden decided to get organized by emptying out her eggs and lining them up.

And I snapped some photos of JohnReagan on his first Easter!

He had just eaten and was a little sleepy.  I’m sure he was just as excited about his basket as his siblings, though!  His basket had the “Runaway Bunny” book, a waterproof book for the pool, a pair of baby tennis shoes, the Mortimer the Moose toy, and a chocolate bunny (for the mama, let’s face it!).

The Easter Bunny left some family gifts (photos taken Saturday night).  I made the kids “Bookworm” t-shirts.  I thought they would look so cute at the Library’s Storytime this summer!

And they have some new sidewalk chalk and sand toys.  And that Muppet movie?  You wouldn’t believe the willpower that Micah and I exercised to wait to watch it with the kids.  We all love that movie!  If you haven’t seen it – see it.  If you’re local and haven’t seen it, let me know and we’ll have a movie night!

After nap time, Micah and I changed the kids into their “fun Easter outfits” and I made them pose for their 352nd photo of the day.  No, really, I took nearly 400 photos this Easter…apparently I was trying to make up for taking only 10 photos last year.  I digress.  While Eden was finishing getting changed, Patton had climbed up on the couch and kept saying “Baby, baby, baby.”  I asked him if he wanted to hold JR and his eyes lit up; he was so excited!  Patton is so good with his baby brother, but this was his first time holding him so I was a little nervous.  In true big brother form, he did a really great job and I was able to snap the sweetest photo.

It’s hard to get a photo of Patton looking at the camera these days…he’d much rather look at his brother (which is equally as sweet, in my opinion!).

Micah got some photos of me with the kids.  Patton was hamming it up, which made Eden laugh, so none of the photos are “perfect,” but I think they’re so funny!

Then we were off to have dinner with our friends, Ann and Jason, and their kiddos, Emma, Morgan, and Samuel.  It was so thoughtful of them to invite us, we had a lot of fun, and it was so relaxing!  It is a true blessing when friends become family, and especially when we can spend holidays together.

Ann and Jason made a delicious dinner for us, and then we had an egg hunt for the four oldest (Eden, Emma, Patton and Morgan).

We had a combination of plastic eggs with coins and dollar bills (thank you, Ann and Jason!) and we brought confetti eggs.  It was nice to have a break from candy-filled eggs!  I’d never heard of or seen confetti eggs before; a blogger from Texas spotlighted them on her blog and – sure enough – I found them at Walmart and picked up two cartons to try out.  The girls had a lot of fun with them!

Eden tried to give Patton one to throw, but he didn’t quite get it.  He just wanted to poke a hole in it.  He also liked playing in the confetti on the ground.

I’m not sure if the eggs are a “Texas thing” or not, but they were are really festive way to celebrate that we worship a Living God!

“Death couldn’t handle Him, the grave couldn’t hold Him.  That’s my king!  Do you know Him?”

Saying “Yes”

Last summer, I attended the Board retreat for my local MCCW group.  We did all sorts of team-building and strength-finding exercises; it was a lot of fun!  One of the activities we did was to match each woman with an animal that shared similar qualities or characteristics.  For example, one of the women thought of me as a giraffe, graceful while stretching.  I don’t remember what the other women came up with for me, but each was different, fun and symbolic in their own unique way.  Then we shared which animal we would use to describe ourselves; I chose the horse.  A wild horse.  Because, really, I like the idea of being out in the open and having some room to run.

I have enjoyed having “room to run” in all of the activities I’ve taken part in – for the greater part of my entire life!  Since we’ve been at Fort Bliss, I’ve taken on some really fun opportunities and – even better – met some wonderful, inspiring women.  I’ve been an active member, the Webmaster and the Recording Secretary for the OCSA (Officer & Civilian Spouses Association), an active member and Publicity person for my local MCCW (Military Council of Catholic Women), which blossomed into becoming the Editor of the MCCW-Worldwide newsletter-turned-magazine, the Grapevine.  I’ve been active in the FRG (Family Readiness Group), Coffee Groups, and taken part in lots of other activities on post.  My experiences have been invaluable.  Truly, I have learned so much more than what any book could try to teach me about being an Army spouse.

Like anything worth doing, the lessons learned haven’t always come easy…I’d be lying through my teeth if I told you that Micah hasn’t come home to a wife crying and typing out a resignation letter more than once.  I want to focus on OCSA for a moment…I’ve learned a lot about how an Army post works.  I proudly share that I didn’t just get my “M.R.S.” degree, but I’ve applied it within the organization.  I’ve built relationships with spouses of some of the Senior Leadership on the post – and discovered that they are real women with similar values and struggles, and – get this – a sense of humor!  You know what?  I’ve also met women who have taught me how not to behave.  How not to treat a junior spouse (like myself right now).  Those are the experiences that have made me a crazed mess, on the edge of giving up.  But just as I’m winding up to throw in that towel, I remember the camaraderie I share with the majority of the women I admire, the satisfaction I feel from a job well done and following through with my obligation.

I think I know those qualities have been ingrained in me from a young age.  {Thanks Mom & Dad!}  It’s not in this “wild horse’s” blood to slow down, to give up, to let a situation get the best of me.

But.  I’m also a wife.  And a mama of three {sometimes it’s still really wild to type that or say it out loud!}.  And I’m a daughter, a sister, a friend.  And putting time and energy toward my other activities – albeit great organizations – means that I have less to put toward my most important ones.  I recently looked back over my life planner and found that there was at least one week each month where Eden and Patton were in the care of the CDC or Watchcare for the majority of the day instead of home with me.  I know that the kids were well cared for and had a blast playing with their peers; and, I know that I was getting some much-needed adult interaction and doing my part to improve our community…but I also know that it might have been a little too much for all of us.  During those really busy weeks, all I wanted to do on Friday night was curl up with my babies.  As we’ve added to our family, I’ve quickly found that my purse gets bigger and the space in my life planner for activities outside of mothering gets smaller.

For the well-being of myself and my family, something has to go.  Can you guess which emotion that brings up?  If you guessed guilt, you are spot-on.  All of the organizations where I contribute my time are wonderful assets to the Fort Bliss community; they are all close to my heart and I don’t want to give up volunteering with them.  But I have to.  And that hurts.  It hurts because – in some ways – I feel like I’m giving up, like I can’t do it all.  Truthfully, that hurts my pride a teeny bit, too.  Do you know what will hurt much, much more?  Failing as a wife and mother.  I can let a lot of things “slip,” but those two cannot be on that list.

I’ve been mulling over these thoughts for the past two or three months.   Most of the organizations I volunteer with are already planning for next year (as in, next August, when the “year” starts…kind of like the school year), and I’ve been approached about what I might like to do.  After a lot of discernment, I spoke with the OCSA President about how I was feeling.  She has become a true mentor and friend to me.  I told her that I didn’t want to “walk away” from OCSA, but that I didn’t feel it was fair to my family – or the organization – to take Board position next year.  I knew that JohnReagan was coming and I knew that life would change, as it does with every baby…but I wasn’t 100% sure of how, or how much.  Eden will be going to preschool again next year, and I’d really like to volunteer even more in her classroom.  And – guess what? – Micah’s deploying at the end of this year, too.  She completely understood and said something so simple, but so profound to my heart; she said, “Don’t think of it as saying ‘no’ to OCSA, think of it as saying ‘yes’ to something else.  In this case, you’re saying ‘yes’ to your family, and they have to come first.”  See?  Simple, but profound!  Even though I’m still emotional and sad about stepping back from OCSA, I feel like I’m doing the best thing for my family – I’m saying a big, giant “YES!”  And as she also reminded me today, this is a season of life.  I’m not turning my back on the organization forever, I’m just focusing my time elsewhere for now…and I have their full support in doing so, which means the world to me.

In typical “wild horse” fashion, I have the [almost] constant urge to add activities to my life planner, despite knowing the truths I’ve shared above.  I have a near-daily dialogue with myself that goes a little something like this:

“Wild horse” Me:  You could totally juggle a Board position.  The kids love the CDC and think of all the good you could do for the community!  You’re raising money for scholarships for military spouses and kids!

“Rational” Me:  Jane, your children are young and need you.  And you need them.  You need to soak in all of this time while they are still little and actually want to be with you!

“Wild horse” Me:  But…

“Rational” Me:  No “buts.”  You know where you belong most right now.  You reap what you sow.

Somehow “Rational” Me always wins out…but it is a close call!  Saying “no” is way out of my comfort zone…although my children would disagree because they often hear me saying it, as in “no cookies before dinner!”

I know that I’m not the first person to face this dilemma – whether a stay-at-home-mom, a working mom, or maybe not even a mom!  It can be so hard to decide how to allocate our precious commodity – time.  Please tell me this “wild horse” isn’t running alone…?

JohnReagan: One Month

Dear JohnReagan,

I cannot believe how quickly your first month has flown by!  I am completely amazed at how much you have grown since your “birth”day.  Just look at you, my own very hungry caterpillar!

Very hungry is exactly what you are – like clockwork, you eat 3 ounces every 3 hours.  And it always sounds like I’m slopping the hogs (I know what that sounds like, trust me…I’ll tell you those stories sometime).  You are our little pork belly boy and you belch like a full grown man!

You lay down for bed around 7:00 pm, have a dream feeding around 10:00 pm, up at 1:00 am and 4:00 am.  I wake up around 6:00 am, and wake you for the day around 7:00 am.  You are so alert in the mornings and your siblings love to hang out with you before we pile in the car to take Eden to school.  You have your morning nap around 9:00 am until 11:30 am, and an afternoon nap around 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.  In your awake times, you are so alert!  I’m continually surprised at how well you do with tummy time.  You will “exercise” on your tummy for 30-45 minutes each time, and it’s really paying off because you can hold up that little coconut with more control each day!

You also love to sit in the infant-to-toddler rocker chair in the playroom while Eden and Patton play.  Usually they stop playing and come over to dote on you!  Your brother loves to share his toys with you, too.  {See a sweet video HERE}.  I hope you always know how much your siblings love you.  It melts me right down to my shoes!

You are such a laid back little man, and you remind me of your brother in that way.  When we’re out-and-about, you become so much more vocal than you are at home!  I think you may become our most outgoing child.  I can’t believe such loud, animated sounds can come out of such a sweet, small boy!

You really love bath time now, thank goodness!  I love to see you relax in the tub, and you always sleep a little more soundly when you’ve had a nice warm bath.  We can’t wait to take you to our new community pool this summer.

We love you so much, Little Bubs!

Love,

Mama

1 Month Stats:

Weight:  9 lbs. as of 3/28/2012

Length:  20 1/2 inches

Clothes:  Newborn and a few 0-3 month

Diapers:  Newborn (we’re on our last package and trying to use them up quickly…you need size 1!)

I’ve Got Sunshine {Cookies}…

…on a windy, dusty, hailing, snowy, cloudy day.

Earlier this week, we had a bad run of weather come through our area.  So bad, in fact, that my hometown in Michigan was 30 degrees warmer – with sunny skies! – than it was here (and we live in one of the sunniest cities in the US).  Apparently it was good napping weather because I managed to have all three munchkins sleeping at the same time (score one for the mama!).  I sat at the kitchen table working on thank you notes and making doctor’s appointments.  I looked up once and it was sprinkling but the sun was shining.  I looked up again and it was lightly snowing, but still a little sun.  When I heard the hail, I looked up and grabbed my camera!

I mean, really.  What is up with our weather patterns?!

So when Big Sister woke up from her nap, we made a little something to brighten our spirits – sunshine cookies!  Apparently when the weather takes a turn for the worse, we take to the kitchen.

If you like lemon, you will love these.  They are so perfect for spring/summer, too – light and yummy.  We will definitely be making these again.

To make your own sunshine cookies, you’ll need:

1 box lemon cake mix
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 c. vegetable oil
zest of 2 lemons
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
1/2 c. white chocolate chips

Eden informed me that the more people that help make the cookies, the more “sunshiny” they will be.  The girl knows how to bake with love.

After you’ve gathered all your ingredients, you’ll just toss them all together.  Sort of.  They are pretty easy:

Preheat oven to 375.

Pour cake mix into a large bowl. Add in the rest of the ingredients except white chocolate chips. Stir until well combined. Gently stir in white chocolate chips.

Line cookie sheets with silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Drop by teaspoonful onto the cookie sheets (12 cookies on each sheet, bake in batches as needed). Bake for 7 minutes or until the edges are just beginning to brown. Cool for 2-3 minutes on cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Don’t forget the last – and most important – step:  ENJOY!