The definition of a good Mom

A good Mom is a Mom who worries that she is a bad Mom, a bad Mom wouldn't care.

So for all you overworked and overwhelmed Moms out there, cut yourself some slack, at the end of the day your children are going to remember how much you showed them you loved them, not the amount of dirty dishes in the sink or the number of dustbunnies under the couch.

Cat burglar ?

Since her surgery Victoria has had to sleep downstairs in what was once our den, meaning she is downstairs while the rest of us are upstairs sleeping. At 1am this morning we were awakened to a blood curdling scream "DADDY !!!!!!" I woke up scared to death and had to rouse Marc, he ran downstairs to see what was the matter and Victoria informed him that there was someone trying to get in through the window, Marc went to investigate and this is who came to the front door

She had run outside late last night and I guess once the temps dipped she thought better of it, instead of sleeping in the garage she just kept knocking at the screen on Victoria's window until someone gave her the attention she was looking for.. Smart cat.

Is there anything worse than chalk scraping a blackboard ?

You know that sound, the high pitched screech that makes your teeth clench together.
Well I'm here to tell you that yes there is and her name is Reagan. Her whining can set your teeth on edge, make your blood pressure rise, make you want to clench your legs together and throw your hands over your ears begging, "Please no, not again, I'll give you dessert for dinner every day of your life if you would just not whine like that again", As she looks at you and says mooooooom, Beeeeeeeeen won't let me plaaaaaaaaaay Mousetraaaaaaaap with hiiiiim, heeeeeeeee's been a braaaaaaaaat. Mooommmm, Beeeennnnn, won't watch something weeeeee boooooth want to waaaaatch, heeeeee's beeeeeeen a braaaaaaaaat
OMG, I'd rather a full blown temper tantrum with kicking and screaming. That would at least bring some comic relief to the absurdity of it all.

The perfect punishment for lifetime inmates.... a tape played of a whiny preschooler 24/7

Valentines Giveaway

Between now and February 8th Designs By Vanessa is giving away one of my double oven mitts and co ordinating kitchen towel.
If you'd like a chance to win, then go on over to her site now and leave her a comment.

Good luck !!

The sweetest little sister ever

Since having her surgery Victoria hasn't been able to care for her feet the way in which they are used to being pampered, today she noted that they were getting rough and so while we were out she bought some scrub and lotion in hopes that someone would take pity on her and do her feet and that person was Reagan, I'd actually offered to pay and get her a professional pedicure done, because if anyone deserves that kind of pampering right now Victoria does, but she declined because she's fearful that someone she doesn't know will use too much pressure on her foot and send shooting pains up into her knee.
We got home a little while ago and Reagan came out into the kitchen to get "prepared" I asked her if she was really going to do Victoria's feet and then asked "Why ?" to which she just shrugged her little shoulders and said "She needs somebody to do it for her." And off she went to rescue her sister's feet as though it were something she does every day.
So sweet.

I need gift ideas

I have a best friend, we have been friends since we were 11 and we know just about all there is to know about each other, we are total opposites, she has a Birthday coming up and I am stumped as to what to give her.
She lives in the UK, I am here in the U.S, postage over to the UK is insane.

She doesn't read, she doesn't cook, she doesn't appreciate hand made ( the one time I sent her handmade she responded with "I wish I could sew, then I could save money too") hmmm, therefore doesn't craft either.
She appears to be more about quantity, not quality, she has no use for modern technology, she's a girly girl, traditional, likes to accessorise.

I need ideas for this gal, I'm going nuts trying to find the perfect gift and it needs to be something light, therefore inexpensive to mail.

Do you have a favorite gift that might work for her ?

Who's that distinguished looking fella in my bedroom ?

Could it be Colonel Grangerford , Sir Percival Glyde, Edward Fairfax Rochester or maybe Edgar Linton ?

Nope, none of the above, just a lowly stack of dirty clothes left on my eliptical by my not so Victorian gentleman, Marc.

You know your life is full when...

You have to wonder what time you are going to be able to shower.

Is it weird to feel fortunate that my biggest dilemma for the day tomorrow is when am I going to get my shower in ? I don't think so.

In case you're wondering, it'll be at about 5:45am in order to be in and out and the water warmed up enough again for Marc, any later and I'll be running late for Victoria's Dr appt and after that my day is shot getting ready for company.

Strange how something so mundane can make such an impact.

For Brooke

As of today all sales of childrens items listed in my Etsy store will go directly to the Mulford family of Salisbury, MD to help offset costs that will be incurred while their 4 y/o daughter Brooke goes through the fight of her life.
Please check back often as new items will be listed throughout the weekend and into next week.

Children and cake make it all better

If you read my post yesterday you would have read that it was the anniversary of my mothers passing. Since she died back in 1993, Jan 7th has always marked the start of my 'Sad Period' and I hate it. Every year is hard, last year was the absolute worst and I fell into a depression that lasted for a couple of months, it was bad and it was scarey. This year as the date approached I began to feel fearful, I didn't want to feel that way again and so resolved that I would do something that would prohibit those thoughts, but I had no idea what. I don't know about you but I find myself talking to God on a pretty regular basis, it's not the down on my knees kind of praying, it's just conversation, much like I would have with a friend, so starting last week I started asking him to put a plan in the works for me in order for me to have a day full of joy and not sadness, little did I know that he was putting something together via Reagan, and that makes so much sense in the long run.
Sunday whilst I was wallpapering my stairwell Reagan came out to me telling me that she needed help spelling some words, the words were Blueberries, Blueberry syrup and Peaches. I asked why she needed the spellings and she informed me she was making up a recipe and was writing a list of what I needed to buy when we went to the store. Monday we went to the store and she reminded me she had a list too and asked if we had flour, sugar and eggs, because we needed those items too. I asked what she had in mind and she told me a Blueberry and Peach cake, hmmm, ok.
Yesterday as I was going about my day and doing all that I could not to feel sad Reagan came out to me and said "It's time to bake my cake." Honestly I didn't know where to start as she had the recipe locked up in her little 5 year old head, so I began by asking what kind of pan she wanted to bake it in, she looked in the cupboard and came out with a fluted tube pan, so the wondering was over, we made a Pound cake and added blueberries and peaches to it and OMG, it was soooo good.
We were both salivating over it as it was cooling and finally when it wasn't quite all the way cooled down we couldn't wait a moment longer. Reagan suggested we eat it on fancy china and have a tea party. What a great idea, I let her go to the china cabinet and pick the china and lo and behold she came out w/ my mum's wedding china.
And so yesterday afternoon we had a wonderful little tea party and celebrated my Mums life and I just sat in awe thinking how something so innocuous could possibly mean so much and heal a hurting heart.
Why does it make so much sense that it was Reagan who was 'put in charge' of turning my sorrow into joy ? Because she is the one most like my Mum and Grandmother, my Grandmother owned her own bakery and tea shop, my mother was an awesome baker and loved to throw high teas every Sunday. Reagan is my child who loves to bake and loves to set a fancy table and eat off of the fine china, just because it's pretty.
Today I am still feeling the joy and know that this year is going to be a whole lot different than last year and all because of a 5 y/o girl and a slice of cake.

Remembering Mum

June 12th 1944 - January 7th 1993

My love for and memories of you never fade, they are locked away in a special place in my heart.

Thankyou for all you taught me, how to be happy in the midst of turmoil, how to be strong in my times of weakness. Thankyou for teaching me how to love, laugh and play.
Thankyou for supporting me even when I was moving ahead with things you didn't believe I had any business doing. Thankyou for teaching me that it's ok to be selfish sometimes and put myself first and above all others.
Thankyou for teaching me the arts of baking and sewing and thankyou for NEVER teaching me how to cook kale and cabbage the way you did (BLECH)

Thankyou just for being you, you totally rocked as a Mum and a Grandma.

I miss you but know a part of you lives on in me and my children and that makes me happy to no end. Victoria has your laugh, Ben has your compassion and Reagan wants to be a little Susie Homemaker just like you ;-)

Smooches being sent up to Heaven,
Penny xoxoxo

Duh

Most of you that read this blog know that Victoria had some major knee surgery just before Christmas. That particular leg has 5 incisions on it. Today we sat looking at something on the computer and she whinced, I asked her what was wrong and she said "My leg feels like it has a cut on it. " Do ya' think ? I know they have her on some pretty strong pain meds, but hello.
Thankfully she did realise what she had said as soon as that crazy sentence came out of her mouth, for a split second there I was really wondering about her.

The secret to getting things done

I have had an ongoing wallpapering project going on now for close to 6 months, maybe longer *BLUSH*. This weekend I decided was the weekend to get it completed, it's wallpapering the stairwell so there are some high areas and even standing on stairs there are some areas that my 5ft 3in frame simply can't reach, so I asked Marc if he would please do the high areas for me. Now he is not a DIY kind of guy at all, I do all the home decorating and split the repairs with a paid handyman, I knew my question would be met with a grumble but hello, how stupid would it be to pay someone $50 just to get a couple of pieces of paper stuck on the wall ? He told me very half heartedly that yes he would, I then asked if he thought he could get it done before his Mom and one of his sisters come for a short visit next week, he smirked and said "I don't know" To which I replied "Well if you don't, I'll tell your Mom I did all the work and that you wouldn't do the out of reach places for me." Right away he told me to get the paper ready for him and he'll do it after work tomorrow.
Yep, I pulled the Mommy card and it worked, wonder what else I can get done between now and the 13th.

Such excitement

Our house was buzzing this morning with 3 excited children, 2 of whom couldn't wait to get outside and 1 who couldn't believe she was stuck inside on such a glorious day.
This is what they saw through the kitchen window and couldn't wait to get out in.

Yes, in Maryland, something like this is something to get excited about.

Happy 2009

I hope you all have a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2009