Remembering Sunday Afternoon.

A while ago my grandparents signed Sam {who has always wanted to be a chef}
up for a subscription to a cooking magazine.

We've had all these recipes we wanted to try but just haven't gotten around to it.
Laziness? Forgetfulness?

Well..we finally decided once a week we're going to make a new dish from his magazines.
Yesterday after church, in our comfy clothes, we made a Basil Gnocchi dish.  It was so good!

The fresh basil smelled just like summer.
Oh how I can't wait to have basil plants growing in my yard again.

The gnocchi wasn't homemade though...I bought it. Gulp. I know, I know.
{Sorry Grandpa and Grandma!!...I hate making gnocchi!
Know that I appreciate every single little gnocchi you have ever made that I have eaten...
keep up the good work..wink, wink }


Hope you have a wonderful Monday everyone.
XxOo

Tuesday.

I LOVE seeing my boys with their littlest brother.

Every morning he takes him...every morning he sits tucked under his arm. It's melts me.

He's at the stage now where he follows me around the room with his little eyes.
No matter where I go...he's watching..like one of those old, creepy paintings...except much cuter. ;)

We've been on a smoothie kick the last couple of weeks.

Our top three.

1. Cherries.Mango.Spinach.Ice Cubes.Almond Milk.
or
2. Strawberries.Banana.Kale.Ice Cubes.Almond Milk.
or
3. Banana.Blueberries.An Apple.Spinach.Ice Cubes.Almond Milk.

I am looking forward to planting our garden....in about 120 weeks from now. Ha!
Frankie will be eating his first foods and they will all be from his own backyard!

This time of year we spend a lot of time in the kitchen.
This is both good and bad....good for the taste buds...bad for the waistline.
Must stop baking white bread and chocolate revel bars.

One thing I will miss about winter is little hats and sweaters.
My sister Stephanie made his hat. My sister in love gave him the sweater.

If you're looking for a good book about worry and contentment... this one is really good.
My mom gave it to me to read over the summer and I wish I would have read it sooner.

Happy Tuesday.
XxOo

They said I can't Multitask. Silly Boys.

You're not good at multitasking.....they told me as we were discussing the subject.
This of course said by male children....
....the boys that will one day be the "Mars" to some girl's "Venus". ;)

So one evening in my kitchen,{Frankie strapped up against me in the wrap} as I was heating up a cup of coffee for Jeff on the stove, filling a pitcher of water with my left hand and putting away clean glasses I just washed with my right, I called one my future "Mars" to the kitchen.

"Darling, do you know what I'm doing?"

"Ummm...putting away glasses?" Puzzled look on face.

"Yes, what else am I doing?"

"Filling a pitcher of water?" Dumbfounded look on face.

"What else?" I then nodded my head toward the stove.

"Ummm..heating something up? Why are you asking me about what you're doing?"

"Because dear child of mine, THIS is what you would call MULTITASKING. 

That's all....just wanted to show you what it looked like."

He laughed.

They said what they really meant by me not being able to multitask...
.....I don't always answer them right away if I'm talking on the phone
or reading something or if I'm busy on the computer.

I told them that's called getting my attention and/or bad manners on your part!
Something we're obviously going to have to work on around here. Ha!

There is this little cartoon that has been circulating the internet over the past couple of years.
It says....."Yay! It's the weekend!
Oh wait, never mind, I'm a Mom."

How true!
As a mom we never really ever get a day off, do we?

Some weeks life can be exhausting...like this one. {Cue the yawn...sigh}
But that's only some weeks. Most weeks...MOST weeks life is beautiful...
...and it's perfection to wake up and hit the floor running.

I love my job as a mom and house wife and I love homeschooling.
I enjoy my life and wouldn't trade it for the world.
{maybe I'd trade it for a trip to Mexico alone with my husband...
joking, joking...remember, I said this was an exhausting week}

So to all you Moms out there.....even though you may have cleaned your kitchen yesterday better than "Better Homes and Gardens" themselves could have done and now today it looks like something out of an episode of "Extreme Hoarders the Worst of the Worst Edition"....

...and maybe {actually PROBABLY} no one noticed or said thank you...
...I want you to know that you are appreciated. Perhaps silently...but your family does appreciate you.

You are the Mom! The center of the household.
Your job is so great and wonderful and needed...you're like air.
We never really think about air, but we need it to survive.

Yes Moms..you are the air, the very breath of your family..they need you to survive.
So as you cook the next meal or change over a load of laundry or clean around the toilet and no one says thank you....remember...you may not think they notice, but they notice.

You are silently appreciated.

Serving a family is a very hard job. It's not for the faint of heart.

And if no one else tells you thank you today...it's okay.
This post is for you....all the other moms out there know how hard you've worked all week....
..and we think you're Fabulous!

Happy Weekend.
XxOo

Sugar Highs and Valentines and Kisses and Movie Ideas.

{baking cookies before breakfast in pajamas...they loved it}

There was a cousin's Valentine party at my Mom's house Friday.
The kids loved it. The food was fabulous (in a kid sort of way ;)
Homemade Mac and Cheese. Fresh Garlicy Bread Sticks. Orange Kabobs that were adorable.
Chocolate Milk with super fun straws and pretzels with a frosting dip!

We did a Cake Walk, played lots of games and of course exchanged Valentines.  

Hashtags I used on Instagram.
#ohcmonmom #wherearemybrothers #dadsaveme #ihatelipstick #whatswiththetie #imwearingaonsie
#thisisgettingoutofhand #whatnext

I told Jeff last night that I wish we had a count of how many kisses
Frankie has gotten smacked onto his little cheeks the past four months he's been alive.

Certainly the number would be in the millions. ;)

Jeff and I watched this movie late Saturday night. SOOOOO good!
We loved it so much we watched it again Sunday afternoon with the kids.

And if you're up for a good documentary....
....this one is fantastic!   The kids and I watched it one afternoon last week.
You can find it on Netflix.

Hope your week was off to a good start.
XxOo

Big Gaps, Little Gaps..a bit about spacing babies.

Frankie has no idea what a fabulous babyhood he's having.
To him being smothered with love and kisses all day long is normal.
He knows no different.

Last winter when we found out we were having a new baby....our kids were over the moon.
A big gap between the oldest and the youngest didn't cross anyone's mind.

The kids didn't care about age. They were excited.
When he was born, they were thankful to have a baby brother.

They tote him around the house...fight over who holds him next...pick out his clothes..
..get excited over new things he does...they are completely crazy about him.

I think we as adults stress ourselves out more than we need to with decisions about babies.

I spent today with my sister who is 13 years younger than I am.
We made lunch, went to the grocery store, talked about her pregnancy,
looked at strollers online and ate waaaay too many pieces of pizza.
I didn't feel older than her. She didn't feel younger than me.
Age doesn't make a difference anymore.

You have to remember...kids don't stay little forever.
Now that us siblings are grown, we have much in common.
All of us sisters...we're all in different places in life, yet we're best friends.

Our parents didn't worry about spacing and timing and age when they had us girls.
I'm thankful. If they were worried...I wouldn't have any sisters at all!


So if you're in a place right now where you're wondering...
Should we? Shouldn't we?

Do it! I promise when you see that new little bundle you'll be glad you did. :)
XxOo

Where we share tunes.

Tuesday Tunes for you...
...should you be in a listening mood.

This one  is for the one you love.

This one  and this one our friend wrote and sang.

This one is new in my house...Jeff just introduced me to these guys.
Here's one  more from them.

I love you Chicago. 

This one we can sing {and mean it!} in Chicago in a few {short} weeks.

For now...Enjoy the snow!
Happy Winter Day to you.
XxOo

We went for a walk.

The first two summers we lived in our home, we spent time on the bike path almost every day.
We had three very little boys then. We walked, rode bikes, pulled them in our wagon...
...life was simple, life was calm. Bedtime came early and the grocery bill wasn't all that bad.

So much has changed since then.
When your family is growing, time has a way of making things more chaotic {and expensive, Ha!}
Thirteen years later we have six children.... some teenagers, some in between and a new baby.

To say life is simple and calm would be a falsity.
Life is hard sometimes....busy, complicated and days can be stressful.
{as you well know if you're a mom!}

Jeff's job keeps him away from home a lot. It's really been getting to me. Him too.
We haven't been taking many walks. We haven't been doing much of anything together lately.

But this weekend...before the great big storm that gave us 15 inches of snow arrived...
...we went for a walk.  We decided that changes have to be made before we both go crazy!
It was nice.

Life is such a gift! Each and everyday.
I love being a wife and a mom and everything that goes along with it.
I am thankful to have such a rich life. I just want my husband around a bit more. ;)

...and if you're thinking of starting your own construction company...come talk to me first. ;)

Happy new week to you.
XxOo