Day Off

I got the day off today. From my work. Which is being a mom. I didn't have to parent today. Is this sinking in for anyone?

Last night Matt suggested that I take the day off today. I said yes before he finished his sentence. And then I fell asleep planning my day.

Started off with my first parent/teacher conference. I was really nervous about this. Mainly because I am not one of those parents who thinks their kid walks on water. I'm a realist and as much as I love my son, I know that socially he can be a tad distracting. Ya know with all the knock knock jokes and his long limbs that never stop moving. You can imagine my complete and utter surprise when his teacher told me how bright she thinks Tobin is. She is even recommending him for the TAG (talented and gifted) program. I quickly checked the report card to make sure we were talking about the same kid. We were and I was super proud that his brightness is shining through his gift of gab.

Then Matt picked me up a caramel creme brulee latte' from Starbucks. De-lish!

After that I did something crazy. Wild. I went to a movie by myself. I was invited to see New Moon with some friends at the midnight showing but truthfully I need my beauty rest and listening to the tweens scream would have bugged me. So I went to a matinee - on a weekday, and listened to grown women scream instead. I decided that was much more annoying. My thoughts: New Moon was my least favorite book. I am hoping that it's also my lest favorite movie. The movie doesn't stand on it's own. You have to have read the book to understand it. It was nice to see Edward again but overall . . . meh.

Then I hit some craft stores. The countdown is on for a kids Christmas party. I am in charge of crafts for 160 kids. Four crafts each with a small budget. I've tried to get these errands done with kids but find that when I am trying to figure out yards into inches, divided by kids, divided by price, 30% off coupon . . . . I need absolute silence. And my three kids can do that for only ten seconds at a time and that's with duct tape. Knocked a lot off my lists today!

Topped my day off with some great chatting. Dinner with Michelle and dessert with Abby, Sharon, and Julie.

I came home so refreshed to find fresh baked Christmas cookies on the counter. Looks like Matt and the kids had fun too.

Kickin' It Thursday Night Style

Thursday nights for the Riddle's (under 30 excluded) are spent on the couch with cereal, watching Jim and Pam.

Don't you just love the way they look at each other? Matt and I love The Office and there is nothing better then us both belly laughing with the TiVo on pause (so we don't miss ANY lines). And here's a little unknown fact about me. I love Michael. Sure he has no social skills and Dunder Mifflin's problems are in fact all because of his managing style but he is endearing to me because of his painful desire to belong and to have a family. Anyone else love Michael? Anyone?

Wordless Wednesday

Leave a comment and tell me what you think Jabe was thinking.

Savoring

I am transitioning seasons in my life right now. My three year olds are doing more and more for themselves and making it very apparent that I am not the mom of babies anymore.

• Almost without fail I sleep through the night.
• Jabe and Phoebe sleep in big kid beds and brush their own teeth with me just giving them a quick once over.
• Diapers are gone with the exception of sleep time and even then, Jabe is dry most of the time and they both throw their used pull-ups away and put on underwear.
• I don't have to mess with bibs or cleaning high chairs.
• My kitchen clean up is easier with the food to mouth ratio increasing.
• The twins don't even use a stroller anymore!

The saying, "The days are long but the years are fast", resinates with me on so many levels. I am sad to say that in the drudgery of living the everyday grind my goal can sometimes becomes surviving to make it to nap time and then to bed time. Then before I know it all those nap and bed times add up to years of prodding them to grow up. I don't want to be too hard on myself with rushing babyhood, for a momma it's down right messy, hard work. But with the knowledge that our family is complete and babyhood is over, I am ready to slow things down a bit and savor.

I found that I really started noticing this change over the summer. We went to our family cabin for a vacation in McCall. Although if you're a parent, you know that vacationing with your kids is not really a "vacation" yet just a change in routine. Most of the time requiring more work than at home because of the packing, unpacking, sleep adjustments, hyper kids, and baby-proofing a new place. This year we were unusually light with much less baby gear. In general they don't have to be watched every second and are all marvelous sleepers so Matt and I were truly able to relax. So much so that we thought we'd try a family canoe trip.

We all stayed dry and each took turns trying out different moose calls. They never came and I am slightly grateful for that.

I'm not going to lie, I wouldn't mind time traveling and taking this now six-year-old on a stroll:

Or smell this little girls newborn breath:

Or rock this sweet baby Jabe to sleep:

Gotta go, I think my milk just let down.

Downer

Matt and I just finished watching, "Slum Dog Millionaire" and I feel like I want to stab my eyes out with Q-tips. It's the kind of movie that makes me want to sneak into my babies rooms just to gaze at some innocents for a few minuets. Well done movie, but really, really hard to watch and not suck my thumb and want to adopt every sweet, beautiful orphaned Indian child. So tonight as I sit at the computer, traumatized, all I want to post is memory of watching the fireworks at Disneyland this spring.



Ok, I think I can sleep now.

Sunday Open House: Kitchen and Laundry

These pictures were all taken the day before we moved in. In these two rooms I made the not-so-popular choice of painting my cabinets milk glass green. Matt gave me total control in these types of decisions and to make it fair on him I let him know that he would get to spend our lottery winnings any way he pleased (we've never played). He was very concerned over my clear insanity when I insisted (cried) that this was the color the cabinets had to be. I even bought a cream and sugar set of jadeite so I could color match the paint to my exact vision. Throw in some white subway tile and Absolute black granite counter tops and I am thrilled how it turned out.

I took in a picture of our old "coffee station" to the carpenter and we created this little nook for my new pad. Likey?
The laundry room has the same lovely green cabinets except I put polished chrome hardware on the doors.

The washer and dryer were built on pedestals which is very convenient. Did you see my farm sink (swoon)? You think I had to cry to get green cabinets? This sink was an all out campaign to get.

Matt: You do realize that this one sink would be more money than all our other sinks combined?

Me: Yes, but it has a built in soap dish, so I am pretty sure it all evens out.

Matt: You do realize that the cabinets will have to be specially built to accommodate the weight of this massive cast iron tank of a sink?

Me: Yes, but every time I look at this sink I will weep with gratitude that I, a little girl who grew up on food stamps, gets to wash all of my delicates in such a fine monument of our indoor American plumbing history.

Matt: If you promise to get more of said "delicates" and promise to wear them often and you swear to never again speak of, "American plumbing history" we can get the sink.

Me: Deal.

This is the other side of the laundry room. A great place to store our shoes, hang our coats and store craft items in the cubbies.

Do you see the little center nook? I call it the "charging station". We can walk in from the garage and plug in our cells, hang up our keys, dump our mail and check our home phone messages in one little area. The most useful two feet in our house.

Useful Information

Because I am helpful in nature, I wanted to pass on a little tip for all you married ladies out there. Make this cake for your man. It's the 2nd best thing you can do for him today.

My stepmom made a version of this cake (only we called it Texas Sheet Cake) and I was so excited to see Pioneer Woman version. She always gives the best step by step directions and it will melt in your mouth and make you beg for milk. Give it a try.

(Picture from Pioneer Woman Cooks.)

PS I really want Santa to get me a copy of her cookbook. So Santa, if your listening. . . purdy please.