my top 20

my top 20 favorites....
....today....and not really in order. really. especially to the people i name specifically. not in order.

1. my kids (i know that is cheating, but one day, should they learn to read, and happen upon this post, and one is listed before the other two, i am sure that i will regret not lumping them together)

2. my family. (again, sort of cheating....but i love them all, and they love me too, and i just want them to know i really really really really appreciate the love and support they give me without end)

3. pickles. (really, i love pickles. first choice, best maid hamburger slices. second choice, the giant big best maid pickles.)

4. photo albums

5. that first truly cool day (usually in late september) that lets you know that the texas summer won't last forever, and that fall will be here soon

6. a night at home with my besties/family, playing board games (or video games) and grilling and cooking together with all our kids

7. whiskey

8. sheets right out of the dryer, in the winter

9. snow days

10. emily and susan (who are there for me anytime, to LITERALLY hold my hand if needed, and offer unconditional love and support, time, and just anything else you could think of. they are the best, best, best)

11. modern family, parenthood, nightline, and swamp people (i'm a little embarrassed to cop to the last one)

12. a freshly mowed lawn. and by the same token, a just vacuumed rug. (i know that's strange)

13. a skinny cinnamon dolce latte

14. my bff's at school (steph and cathy especially. i can't even imagine dragging my butt to school some days. but i know y'all would be p.o.'d if i didn't show...plus, how could i ever be as organized at steph if i don't show up! haha)

15. reading blogs. naturally my friends, my family's, pioneer woman (thanks em), and the people who don't know i love to read them....

16. going to a farmers market with the kids. they love to eat what they buy. yea, it often costs more, but if they eat it...its worth it.

17. cake. (the band, not the food. ok, i do also like cake the food. but not lately for some reason. but the newest cake cd, many of those songs just really click with me right now)

18. baseball

19. books. my poor, neglected books. i love to read. anything. i am a nerd.

20. did i mention my family? man, do i love them all! my parents and step-parents. my in-laws (?) are sweet. my brother and cousin...and children who belong to them. all the assorted aunts and uncles, both sides. and my sister and brother in laws...i could NOT have married into a better family...and i love you all. thank you.

and like i said, at any point, many of those things could change. i mean, i left off grilled cheese, swimming, twisted root,happy hour, fuel city tacos, extra recess, that jelly-legs feeling after you really push yourself when you jog, naps....

wonder woman?

haha! i read a couple different blogs and magazines, and they often feature "a day-in-the-life" profiles of moms and their families. yesterday was a nutzo day, but also (sadly) about normal! so i thought i would do "a-day-in-MY-life"

5:30-alarm sounds....snooze button
5:40-alarm sounds again...but i can hear sweetpea in her bed "more milk, more milk"
5:45-make coffee, make milk for sweetpea, start the kids breakfasts, and make little mama's lunch
6:00-wake up the big kids (the boy is already awake but waiting in bed for me to come tickle him to get him out of bed!)
6:05-the boy is munching on ceral, ellie is on her second cup of milk, and little mama is working on her second breakfast taco...
6:20-clean up breakfast, herd children into living room to get them dressed.
6:30-still getting dressed....haha
7:10- all the kids are dressed, and have shoes on. little mama's backpack and lunch are ready, and her easter basket (with eggs) are ready to go to school today
7:15-drop little kids off at daycare
7:20-drop off little mama at kinder
7:30-whew! at school a little early....prep tests, and start working on butterfly puppet templates for tomorrows interactive video conference
8:00- my second graders arrive
8:00-3:00- spend the entire day teaching, grading, prepping, and just generally controlling 20 rowdy second graders with a bad case of spring fever. and at lunch, i get a series of texts from little mama's teacher about her rough morning. schedule a conference after school.
3:00-3:30-still working on those dang butterfly templates...
3:30-pack up the butterfly supplies to work on at home, hustle out the door to meet with little mama's teacher
3:45-4:15 - conference with little mama's teacher. say a little prayer for a good day on wednesday
4:25-get home, get little mama a snack, get her homework out.
4:30-5:30-mow the front and backyards...while saying fevrent prayers that i NOT get hit by the lightning flashing all over the sky, in advance of a big ol' thunderstorm moving in. have to finish the lawn, today is my only option.
5:30-finished just in time....whew! super fast shower!
5:40-hit walgreens...return redbox movies, pick up two bags of candy for little kids school...
5:50-pick up ellie and logie from daycare
6:00-snacks and cartoons for EVERYONE
6:30-dinner is served...fruit, pancakes and sausage links....
6:55-bath time! (i stick all three boogers in the tub to speed things up...)
7:30- off to bed for sweetpea!
7:30-big kid story time, little mama reads us her take home reader, then we share a couple Easter stoires
7:50-big kid bed time!
8:00-start on the laundry...again...clean up dishes from dinner
8:20-stuff 4 doz eggs for the little one's egg hunt the next day
8:40-dump more clean clothes on laundry mountian...one of these days i WILL get all those clothes folded and put away. however, it won't be tonight...
9:00-back to the dang butterflies!
11:20-finally finished. at this point i have cut out 40 butterfly wings, 120 body part pieces, and 640 dots of assorted sizes, and put each child's supplies into ziplock baggies, with craft sticks, string, and pipe cleaners as well!
11:30-bed. finally.
11:45-or not. why is sweetpea crying? oh, she's lost her passie....
12:20-ugh. really son? accident in bed, more laundry for tomorrow.

and then....5:30...the alarm goes off again...no snooze today, gotta be AT school by 7:30 to tutor my math kids! sheesh!

happenings...

so there has been a lot happening in my (our) lives right now. a lot of it isn't great. things have been pretty damn rough since december. lots of changes. nobody likes change. well, not nobody i guess. but its hard to accept changes that you don't want and don't have control over. and i try REALLY REALLY hard not to have a pity party all the time, although i do have my moments of why me? and poor me. but those aren't helpful or productive, and i really don't have any spare time for self-pity. but there have been good things too. the boy got accepted to little mama's school for pre-k. so he will be back at school with his big sis! and they are both playing baseball. the boy is on a tball team, and little mama is playing coach pitch. the both LOVE it. and while i am sure poor sweetpea feels like she spends her whole life at the ball fields (two practices and two games a week....four nights/days total!), she loves watching and can't wait to play baseball either! and we are gearing up for summer. only 35 more school days....and just five more mondays! (of course, i don't count memorial day, so it seems shorter, but anything at this point will help!) the big kids will not be in any kind of summer program this year, since we don't need "spots" for either of them in the fall at the daycare. so just sweetpea will go. (we do still need her spot) actually, i will pay, and sweetpea will probably go a couple days a week. but that will work out well, since that means sweetpea can go and have fun at school (and she really does, her friends are great, and her teachers are WONDERDFUL!) and i can take little mama and the boy to do "big kids stuff" like roller skating or movies. and i am getting BRAVE. (or crazy) i am taking the kids to colorado in june. we plan to visit cousins, my brother, and my BFF from college! yea! more about our summer soon. and hopefully, less pity party time!