Summer Mondays Are The Best

Summer Mondays are the best.

It is summertime in my house and the living is easy!

It's almost too easy.

I am a little bored.

Boredom has been slowly creeping into my life year by year as my children are getting older.

I am in the early retirement stage of my motherhood, this realization is both exhilarating and terrifying.

I am caught in this weird holding pattern where my youngest is needing me less and less and yet when she needs me, she needs me.

Somedays I feel so stinkin' lazy but mostly I really try to enjoy this time. Life wasn't always so sweet. This aging mama has seen and lived A LOT! And, this aging Mama still has a lot to see and live and it won't always be smooth sailing like this.

So, as I sit here on my back porch watching my youngest swim and waiting for my hard working husband to get home, I have to remind myself to soak it all up and simply give thanks!

This time in my life is a blessing from God. I spent so much of my earlier life wishing the days away, waiting and wanting for more. I don't want to do that anymore. The days are too precious. I really want to learn to live in the present and be mindful about it. So easy to say and yet for some reason so hard to do.

ALL days are precious and fleeting.

But at this very moment I am thinking that "Summer Mondays are the best"!

We Survived!

We survived the sleepover last night. Of course we did, God had my back.

Was it a bit wild and crazy? Yes.

Were the girls up later than I would have liked them to be? Yes.

Did I have to drive one little homesick girl home at midnight due to the fact that her daddy is a single guy with other children who were sound asleep at the time the homesickness set in? Yes.

Did we all have fun? YES! YES! YES!

It rained. We couldn't swim. My husband braved the elements though and grilled us some hamburgers and hotdogs. The girls made inspiration boards by going through magazines and finding pictures and words that inspired them - the chatter while they browsed magazines, cut and created was entertaining and funny. They danced. We ate ice-cream sundaes. They watched a movie. And, they had a hard time falling asleep, but once they did, all was well. They were easy to get up this morning as they were excited to be heading back to camp together. I packed up seven lunches and filled seven water bottles and drove them to camp. 

I am so glad my husband didn't let me cancel.

I can do hard things.

And when I do those hard things I am always glad I did.

The memories that were made last night and this morning were priceless.

We survived!

What Was I Thinking Wednesday

What was I thinking?

Well, when I planned to let my daughter have a slumber party tonight with SIX of her friends from summer camp I ASSUMED it was going to be 90 degrees, sunny and HOT! I ASSUMED we would let the girls swim for a couple of hours, BBQ hamburgers and hotdogs, watch a movie and put them to bed by 10:00 p.m. so that they would be well rested for camp tomorrow morning.

Rainy weather equates to an INDOOR party! An unplanned indoor party.

God likes to laugh at me. He loves to watch me squirm as MY plans unravel and I am forced to trust in His plan.

I mean really? What were the chances of 100% rain and thunderstorms today? In Texas?

I really wanted to cancel the sleep over. My husband thought that was wimpy.

And so, I have six little girls showing up on my doorstep in one hour. They will be full of energy, excitement and all of the wonderful stuff little girls are made of! I will delight in the fact that I am able to give them a safe place to hang out and have fun but I will also be internally cringing! The noise, the mess, the lack of sleep!

I learned a simple mantra several months ago that I use when I feel like I am losing control or need a little help..."Jesus help me". It works wonders. Really.

I need to finish getting ready now. My hair is wet and in a towel.

Jesus help me.

Tuesday Tip - A Last Minute Hustle

My day started early today, early for a summer day anyway.

I had to get up at 6:00 a.m. as I needed to get my car to the dealership for some work by 7:00 a.m. During the school year I am out of bed by 5:45 a.m. every morning, funny how after just a few days of sleeping in an hour later my body resisted the early wake-up call.

My daughter had a camp to be at that started at 8:30 a.m. so after the car drop-off and rental car pick-up my day was in full throttle mode.

After camp drop-off I had just enough time for a quick grocery store run before my 9:30 a.m. Bar class.

Immediately after class I met a friend for coffee and spent more time than I had hoped to chatting and catching up. I had hoped to run one more (not important) errand before camp pick-up but ran out of time. It was a wonderful visit though and I had to remind myself that people are much more important than running errands.

I drove the twenty minutes to camp, gathered up my daughter and made it home by 1:30 p.m. I was wiped out. I needed a nap. (Not only am I getting old, but Bar class just plain wipes me out.) We are waiting for "Storm Bill" here in Northern Texas and I kind of felt like a nap was calling to me. Gray, drizzly days are just good for napping aren't they? So I indulged.

Because I allowed myself to have a relaxing afternoon when 4:30 p.m. rolled around I felt like I kind of needed to pull it together...quickly!  I had dinner to prepare, a load of laundry to rotate and fold, a dishwasher to empty, a vacumme to run, brownies to make, and a shower to take.

So, I played a game that I often play with myself when I have a lot to do in a short amount of time. I made a cup of coffee, turned the timer on and set out to accomplish all of my tasks in ONE hour.

And, I did it! By the time my hubby walked in the door the house looked good, dinner was ready, laundry was put away and I was freshly showered! All thanks to a little last minute, calorie burning, hustle! If you don't already know this little "race the timer" game, you should try it! It works on kiddos too!

Dinner Time: This Is How We Do It

Today I am linking up with Ashley and Lori for a little sharing on the topic of the dreaded "DINNER TIME"!

Dinner. I love to eat it but dread cooking it!

I am the baker in the family. My husband is the chef.

I cook Monday through Friday meals - very basic. My husband cooks the good stuff - usually on Sunday nights. Saturday night we typically eat out. We are routine people.

In an effort to make a not so favorite chore as painless as possible, I keep dinner time as simple as possible. The key word for me in remaining sane during the process is PREPARATION. 

Dinner time in my home is bit different now that two of my three children are in college and my youngest is a 5th grader. The 5:00 hour is not quite as chaotic but it still isn't fun.

The weeks that I feel the best about dinner time are the ones where I have planned my meals out over the weekend and shopped on Sunday. I love starting the week with a full refrigerator and a plan. If I don't make it to the grocery store on Sunday the next best thing is knocking it out first thing on Monday morning.

When the kids were little I did a lot of casseroles and crock pot and pasta dishes. I still love all three of those options - I just don't use them quite as often. It is always such a feeling of satisfaction to turn that crock pot on at 9:00 a.m. in the morning and cross that task right off my To Do List. I also love applying foil over a casserole-filled pyrex dish early in the day and putting it in the refrigerator knowing that all I have to do is heat the oven to 350 degrees at dinner time. I especially love making casseroles on a Friday so that we can use leftovers for lunch all weekend.

Due to the fact that my husband and I have slower metabolisms than we used to, my dinner time has been made even more simple by the fact that I keep our Monday through Thursday meals really light and low in calories. We eat a protein and a vegetable and that is it. We eat a lot of baked and grilled chicken. I make turkey balls with ground turkey. Occasionally I bake pork chops or stir fry beef. I add vegetables to each of those and that is our meal. Done!
I always cook enough to pack a lunch for both my husband and me. I love cleaning up the kitchen after dinner and having our lunches for the next day taken care of as well. 

My best dinner time preparing days are those where I have "prepped" early on. Because I dread the 5:00 p.m. hour so much I love the days where I have washed, trimmed and seasoned the meat and vegetables early on. It cuts my work in half and feels less burdensome pulling ingredients out of the refrigerator when all I have left to do is cook them. All of the mess from the prep work is long gone and cleaned up and the only dishes I have to contend with are the ones I will use to cook with which isn't much, typically just a 8-1/2x11 pyrex and a vegetable steamer. 

I know, a protein and a vegetable is kind of boring and blah but it's really all we need and it makes me feel much less guilty about indulging in dessert.

During the summer I stick to the protein and vegetable combination but I make a lot of salads. Taco salads. Greek salads. Caprese salads. Caesar salads. Steak salads.  My 5th grader doesn't always love the mixed salads so I just serve her the greens (with plenty of Ranch dressing) and whatever protein we are having separately. Yes, she would much rather have a Sloppy Joe or pizza but believe me, she gets enough of that, four nights of healthy eating is o.k. for her. My college aged children have come to appreciate the healthier eating when they are home as they too get enough of the "good stuff" when they are on their own.

During the school year, on days that I haven't dinner prepped early on, I use my daughter's homework time which is right after school to start getting things ready. My children have always done their homework at the kitchen table and I have found that dinner prep is a good way for me to be present to them while being productive myself. On days that I haven't prepped early on I just have to suffer through it at 5:00 p.m. Lately I have been making a cup of coffee to enjoy while I cook. It gives me a little boost.

I like to clean as I go when I cook. I like to sit down for dinner with a clean kitchen and an empty dishwasher. Dinner time clean-up is so simple when all we have to do is rinse a few cooking dishes, the dishes we ate off of and stick them in the dishwasher. I use a lot of foil and pan-liners to keep cleaning my cooking dishes to a minimum.

We have always made an effort to eat dinner together as a family. Dinner time is usually around 6:30 p.m. and we begin every meal with a prayer.  I would love to say that the conversation is lively and exciting but often it is not. Often we are all tired and talked out and it is enough just to be together. I have had to learn that this is o.k. because sometimes the silence can feel awkward and it seems like we should be having meaningful and rich conversations about our days. Sometimes we do and sometimes we don't. Sometimes we just eat.

And then there is dessert. We like ice-cream in our house. Sometimes my dessert is just a cup of tea - but on the nights when I am splurging, you had better believe I am having a double scoop or serving of whatever it is we are having! Dessert is like the reward for making it through the never ending chore of dinner time in my opinion!

Friday Favorites

I love reading Friday Favorites on blogs so I thought I would give it a whirl on mine. I have gleaned a ton of great tips and ideas from reading Friday Favorites...especially from the younger gals! I often have to customize some of their styles and ideas to my age but the young ones are just so fancy and fun- I love reading their blogs!

Today I am linking up with three of my favorite blogs (Andrea, Erika and Narci) 

and sharing my Friday Favorites.  

My Friday Favorites for today consist of my current favorite "morning" things...

1.  Coffee. I loooove my morning coffee and I loooove this Almond Vanilla Beverage from Trader Joe's. It has 40 calories per serving (1 cup), 3 grams of fat and 2 grams of carbohydrates.  Morning coffee is what lures me out of bed each morning. 

 2. Water. Before I indulge in my morning coffee, I drink at least 16 ounces of water. I keep a glass of water near me at night just in case I wake up thirsty. Typically, my water glass is still full in the morning, especially now that I have kicked my vino drinking habit. I grab my water glass from my nightstand and sip it down quickly as I make my way to the kitchen each morning. This blue, nautical glass is my current favorite. It is from Target! It is an awesome glass! In addition to being super functional, it has a great suction top, it is so pretty and looks great on my nightstand. It is also wonderful for sweet tea sipping on the porch. I just bought a second one today so I know they still have them. I couldn't find anymore with the anchor on it, my new one says "ague" on it. It is is $9.99 and it is made by "ello". The label on it reads "SIP IN STYLE". It is BPA and lead free! Spill resistant and dishwasher safe! My hubby was admiring mine and so the one I bought today is being filled with peanut m&m's and gifted to him on Father's Day. Please not that for my husband to admire a cup is saying something! So there's that. I couldn't find the cup on line to link it for you but I tried!

 3. Washing my face. My third favorite morning thing is washing my face! I am a lover of a clean face which is why I am not a lover of a heavily make-up'ed face. I look forward to the ritual of washing and moisturizing every morning and every night. I am currently using Lancome but it is not proving to be a favorite! Regardless of what product I am using, I love washing my face in the morning!

 4. The scale. My fourth favorite morning thing is my scale. This may sound crazy but I love weighing myself in the morning. The scale doesn't always show me a number that thrills me, but it is honest and it reflects what I have or have not been putting into my body. The scale helps to keep me in check for the day. 

 5. Workout Wardrobe. My last favorite morning thing is my collection of workout tops. I love starting my day with a Bar Method class and getting dressed for class is made really fun by having a nice collection of tops to choose from. I stick to basic leggings in black, navy and gray and mix up my workout wardrobe with different colors and styles of tops. My collection consists of tops from Gap, Lorna Jane and Lululemon. My workout clothes do not have to be brand names but they have to be good quality, wash well, wear well and look good. I sometimes hang out in my workout clothes for several hours after I end a Bar class so I kind of like them to be cute. With all that being said, I am really partial to Lululemon. They have proven to be worth the money.

And there you have it. A sneak peak into the things that make me happy each morning! Starting the day with a few favorite things helps to set a happy pace for the entire day! 

Sometimes I Just Blow It

Sometimes, well, a lot of times, I blow it! 

I hesitated to share my crazy with y'all so early on in this new blog endeavor but then I remembered that this blog is my space to keep it real. I want to share the crazy because I believe that is one area where all women can relate to each other! I only wish I didn't have a crazy moment so soon to share. But who am I kidding? I have crazy moments daily. Some are just crazier than others.

I went a little nuts on my soon to be 5th grader this afternoon. 

Today was her first day of a new dance class. She has been excited about it for a long time. I had her prepare her dance bag earlier today with the appropriate shoes, drinks and snacks and had her lay out her leotard and tights and any other clothing items she planned to take with her. I didn't think to double check her clothing choices. A mistake.

I told her that she should be ready for me to do her hair bun at a specific time and then I got busy doing my own thing. I assumed that because she was so excited for this class surely she would be watching the clock. Another mistake. We all know what happens when we assume.

At the given hour on the clock for ballet bun doing, I went looking for my little dancer. I fully expected her to be dressed so that we could leave for the studio in an unrushed manner as soon as her bun was in. Well, she wasn't. She was oblivious to the time. She stared at me blankly when I asked her if she knew what time it was. Her room and bathroom were a mess. This is where my mommy temper tantrum began.

I not so nicely, in a loud (and mean) panic, told her to get dressed. Tights and leotards are not the quickest and easiest clothing items to put on. As I continued to rant and rave throughout her room I noticed that she had put on an old leotard, a leotard that she has complained about numerous times, a leotard that according to her falls down in the front causing her to pull it up every few minutes. This began another fit for me. Why? Why when she has had days to prepare for this important class and was specifically told to lay out her clothes, would she chose to lay out her most uncomfortable leotard? WHY? Her answer was that she could not find her other one. 

I will not go on and on but let me assure you her room is not a complete pigsty, with a little bit of effort she could have found her good leotard. I am sure it is wadded up in the back of a drawer because despite the fact that I wash and fold her laundry, I foolishly rely on her to put it away neatly and in the appropriate drawers, the drawers that I purge and clean out several times a year. 

I get it though. I know she is a child, and that she is still learning about time management. And I too was a drawer, closet and under the bed stuffer. I get it.

However, just because I "get it" doesn't mean I like it. I mean, come on, pull a little bit of weight here, little one. Take some ownership of this event! I get so tired of organizing and watching the clock for EVERYONE in this house! It is exhausting!

So yes, I do think I had a right to be frustrated, but why oh why do I have to let my frustration get the best of me? It always leaves me feeling bad and causes me to put words out there that I can't take back. 

Before we left the house I tried to bring things back around. I apologized for my crazy and tried to have a quick discussion about how and why things went so quickly sour as we prepared to leave for something that was going to be really fun. 

It was a bummer way to start this summer class. I felt bad. She felt bad. It was just bad.

But then there is grace. We said a prayer on the way to the dance studio. We said a prayer for forgiveness and a prayer for thanks, strength and encouragement. We laughed at a few inside jokes. I got her to smile. We reclaimed a bit of excitement and let go of a bit of the hurt. We moved on. I hope. I pray she is not dancing with a heavy heart.

Sometimes I just blow it. 

Lesson Learned: Teach time management and organizational skills this summer. I think we will figure out a way to put that iPhone to good, constructive use!