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Mom of the Year?

Do you ever get that feeling, "Hey, I'm not a mom of the year?"? I have had this feeling all week. As I look at my sons, one running around in his diaper with some questionable dirt on his face and the other one prancing around in a tshirt and boxer briefs, I think, "Do all moms dress their kids first thing in the morning?". I wonder if my ways of raising my four young-uns is very different. I guess my kids are average/normal and our family is your typical American family. I have many flaws as a mom though. Yes, it's hard to believe with all my mad domestic skills that I struggle with mommyhood. Sad, but true!! I really thought it would be easy to raise kids, I mean how hard could it really be? These little people need EVERYTHING!!! My days are non-stop. Running here, going there, honestly it's exhausting. I loose my temper so easily that I think, "Gosh, I would hate that person who yelled at me on a daily basis.". I sometimes tune my kids out, I know they are talking to me but I pretend that I hear nothing. I don't always pay attention and miss mess-ups that could have easily been avoided. Like when you see your youngest eating something and you know that breakfast was 2 hours ago and lunch has not been made yet. You ask, "What are you eating?". He replies, "Eggs, from the trash.". Pure delight in his voice because he has successfully made his own lunch. These are my flaws!! I feel like sometimes this is all anyone can see of me. Like a wear a sign listing them all. But then, there are the ones who truly matter, my children. They look at me and see love, they look past all my mess-ups and love me unconditionally. In their eyes I am Mom of the Year. Isn't that all that matters? Yes, it is.

7 years

7 years can seem like such a long time to some, but to me, it's been so short. I can't believe, first off, that I am old enough to have 4 kids; and second, that my second is 7!! Zaynah Elizabeth, born April 8th 2003 at 4:36 am. Her labor and delivery were very quick!! She was here the day before she was due and the only one of my kids that I had no doctor assistance in going into labor. She is quite a unique kid! Very particular and very sensitive. She still loves baby dolls and playing dress-up. I love Zaynah's spirit, she is very energetic and full of life!! Zaynah has very different features than the rest of us. She stands out in our family. She has the darker skin, her hair is black, and she is the only one in our family with brown eyes. From the moment she was born, the nurses were all telling me just how naturally beautiful she was. A perfect, beautiful baby. Zaynah is Arabic for "beautiful", so that fits her.

So today is her day!! Her birthday is actually being split into 2 days. Today being her actual birthday, she is celebrating at school. She woke up to a new outfit and hair clips from mommy and daddy. For lunch daddy is taking Sonic to her school for her and Aliya, and he will eat lunch with them. At 1:30 her brothers and I are taking cupcakes to her class. After school she thinks we are going to the park, but my mom and dad are picking her up and taking only her to Build a Bear. They will stay for Zaynah's dinner and cake! Saturday is also her day. Nate and I are taking her to The American Girl store, she is picking out a doll, then we are meeting up with my family for lunch. She has an exciting couple of days!

I am so proud of the little girl she has become. It makes me teary to think that just 7 years ago I was holding her in my arms and now she is finishing up her 1st grade year. Where in the world did the time go?

Happy 7th Birthday Zaynah!!!!

Oh the things that shock me!!

My little boy Joshua is always doing or saying something to make my mouth drop. Today was no exception. I had just laid Wyatt down for a nap and decided that I would check my facebook. I hear Josh talking to me so I looked over to see him standing in the kitchen, hands on his hips, and Spongebob underwear around his ankles. He says, "Mom, (sighs) I just pooped on the floor." My jaw dropped, I asked in surprise, "What? What did you just say?" He says, "I'm really sorry to tell you this, but I just pooped on the bathroom floor." He is very monotone, no shock or surprise in his voice at what he just did, he's very calm. He then says, "Come with me; I'll show you." I stand up, still kind of like, surely he just pooped a little bit and it's no big deal. Josh is hopping down the hall with spongebob still around his ankles. I didn't even think to tell him to pull his pants up, I was just kind if preparing myself for what I was about to see. I walked in the bathroom and just couldn't believe my eyes. My son, who has been potty trained for two whole years now, fully went to the bathroom on the floor!!! He stood there beside me and says, "Mom, I'm really sorry about this." I just told him to go in the living room, I had to figure out how I was going to do this without throwing up. He says, "Mom, I really need to wipe myself." I motioned to the toilet paper and he proceeds to take about half the roll. That was the least of my problems. I grabbed a towel and covered my face and cleaned it up. Josh and his kind self pointed out all the spots I missed. I couldn't figure out why he would have done that. I mean, what made him think that was a good idea? After about 30 minutes I asked him, "Why in the world did you do that?" He says, "I guess I got too busy playing and I couldn't hold it any longer." Totally not cool!!!

So Excited, I Can Hardly Contain Myself!!!

I am about to do something that I have never done before in my life. I am, in one month, going to take a road trip with just Wyatt and myself. While Nate and the 3 older kids go to Florida over Spring Break, Wyatt and I will be driving to Alabama to see Steve, Jackie, and the kiddos. This trip is being so well planned that even I can't screw it up. It's a nine hour drive, so I will be breaking it up into a two day trip. If it were up to me, I would drive all the way through, but I have a 2 year old to think about so we will be stopping half way and staying in a hotel. This is super exciting too!!! I feel so grown up! Nate and I have planned each day, hour by hour, and since we have made this trip several times before, I know all the good "safe" places to stop. Plus, since Wyatt "still" wears a diaper and I can hold my bladder for an infinite amount of time, pee pee breaks will be very minimal. Everyday my excitement grows and grows!!! Not only do I get to spend time with my sister in law and brother in law, who I miss dearly, but I get to see my precious Brewster babies!!! So, I am so thrilled. It's gonna be long, but it's gonna be so worth it!!!

No Power = Long Night

The evening yesterday had a lot of surprises for us. It had been raining all day and gradually the temperature was dropping. I work part time, in the evenings, at Bath and Boy Works, so I was scheduled to go in at 5:30. Nate and I usually say hi to eachother in passing when he gets home from work, but it is only a couple of times a week. So, anyway, I get to work with a light drizzle out, nothing spectacular. The store is DEAD!! Like a ghost town, I figured it would be an easy evening. I had to do some stocking so I went in the back room to grab boxes. The back room is kind of creepy even without a power outage, but as I am back there the lights start to flicker. Then, the lights go out. One emergency light is all there was to illuminate the back room. I froze. I'm not gonna lie, I was a little nervous. Amy, the girl I was working with, came back and then we went to the front. The whole shopping center was out. All of the restaurants were out; it was pitch black outside. A little scary. I get a call from Nate, and of course, our power at home was out too. Like I said earlier, the temp was dropping, so no electricity means no heat. I was fine at work, but my worries were at home. After about an hour at work our power came back on, but none at home. When my shift was done and we closed up I headed to get firewood. Got home and all the kids were asleep in the living room bundled up. Looked like a shelter in this house. Nate got a fire going and I got ready for bed...in the dark. The girls woke up and we just tried to make the best out of the situation. Talking and laughing, my girls can not laugh quietly so that was short lived. At about 11 everyone settled in and fell asleep...all except me. My family was snoring in harmony and I can't sleep with all that business going on. So I grabbed my pillows, put 5 blankets on my bed, and snuggled right in the center. At about 3 am all the lights in the house came on. I rolled out of bed, half asleep, and turned out all the lights. Don't know the reason for the power outage, but it made for a very long and cold evening.

Creating A Routine- That Even I Can Stick To

Being a mom is not an easy task. Being a stay at home mom is a little harder. All the things that come with this: taking care of kids, cleaning, laundry, cooking, making time for your family, and still keeping yourself together. Making mommyhood look like a breeze is the task. Finding time for yourself is sometimes impossible. You can easily loose yourself in your everyday activities and then it snowballs; you may think, "Look at me, what happend?" or "I know I've carried babies, but did my body stretch this much?" I look at my husband and he has pretty much remained the same throughout our marriage, however, I can not say the same for myself. Many times I have tried to create a good routine for loosing weight. Sadly, I never stick to it. I make excuses and just fall into being lazy. My problem is, I am not a fitness guru. I have no idea what to do in a gym. What areas to target? How many calories I need to burn in a day? So now, I think I have found it!! I knew that I needed to change gyms and find a place where I wasn't embarrassed and most importantly, I needed a buddy!! Someone to be accountable to. Well, the Lord has sent me 2 workout buddies!! So I never have an excuse not to go. If one girl can't go then the other can. So it works out!! Also, I have been taking as many classes that I possibly can. I may look ridiculous, but gosh darnit I have to start somewhere, right? For the past three weeks I have maintained a routine of going to the gym 3 to 4 times a week. Last night was a huge milestone, I spent 2 hours there and did 2 different classes. Chi Ball, freakin' made me sweat like a grown man! Then, Yoga; good for stretching and balance. I totally needed that after the chi ball class. So I am proud of myself!! I feel good that I have set an attainable goal for myself. I feel like Carrie again and not just a mom and wife. It really feels amazing!!