National Cereal Day

Last week, Thursday was National Cereal Day.  I'm always looking for interesting ways to make the days that seem to be the same thing - over and over - be something different.  And maybe a little special.  And fun!  

And I LOVE cereal.  You know the question: what food would you have on a desert island if you could have just one thing.  I have always thought it would be pizza.  But then I got to thinking... pizza for breakfast.  As much as enjoy pizza, I would not enjoy pizza (especially cold pizza) for breakfast.  So, my new "choice" is cereal.  It can work for all meals, snacks - even dessert.  It can be rich or chocolaty or sweet or just kind of plain.  I have a weakness for an after dinner/late night bowl of cereal. 

Um, so is national cereal day EVERY day at my house?  

I have my very favorites, ranging from my Kashi in the morning to Lucky Charms for nighttime.  And really everything in between.  And I am raising some cereal-loving girls too!   

This was our spread for our fun start to cereal eating day.... 

Then that afternoon, my oldest and I made granola... 

           

And for dinner (it couldn't be left out of the cereal festivities)

Crispy Chex Chicken 

very tasty!  

And there was a little after dinner dessert Cocoa Krispies cereal!  

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Two to Three...

The question that I have gotten many times over the past few months: How is it going from two to three? Well, there is a short answer and a long answer.

I would said that it was kind of easy and smooth - with some bumps. Although it really kind of snuck up on me. So maybe "smooth" like ripping off a bandaid. Bam! It's done. But now, settling into life with three can be described as unpredictable and scattered. I don't have a hand for every child.  And when there are kids in need, there has to be a line.  Scattered is just something that my life really has never been. I'm not one to lose my keys or not know the plan for the day. And I find myself doing just that more and more these days. And really, I'm ok with that. I find that it's almost refreshing to kind of change the way I think about things.  Sometimes. I still am me, though. I love a plan. And when I have lost my key, it's just in the "safe place" that I put it last.

To really answer the question, how is going from two to three, it really is about how we went from zero to three.  Two to three was a surprise - and as unpredictable as everything is now, it feels complete.

Going from one to two was probably the hardest transition, but we did it a rather hard way. There was travel and a foreign land. And then uncharted stages of grief and bonding and pain that we went through. All of us. So the transition to a complete family of four took a while.

And going from zero to one - that was just kind of scary. One day, I got a call that there was a baby waiting for me and FOUR days later, we brought her home. It felt weird putting a baby in our car. Um, we just, like, take her home? Then what? There were many unknowns. Ok, seriously, EVERYTHING was unknown. I hadn't been reading lots of books, because I didn't think that our time for a child was going to be so soon. And my heart couldn't open that much to do the research - that I very much like to do before something major.  So every day was a new adventure - scary and exciting.
I think maybe every day still is an adventure. And it seems that my adventure is getting louder and louder every day!

My journey - zero to three - in just over 2 years - kind of crazy. Full of blessings. Never expected. Is this what I thought it would look like? Not in a million years. Is this exactly what God's plan was? Most definitely. And I am so thankful that His plan was WAY better than any of my plans could have ever been.

The great purge of 2013

The great purge of 2013
I want to start fresh - a new beginning. So I am getting rid of stuff. I am aiming at minimalism. Not that I'm going to hit that target completely. Or that I really want to. It not really about being a complete minimalist for me. But I want the stuff that is in our home, in our lives, to be stuff that we enjoy, that makes day to day stuff easier and more enjoyable. And stuff that we use. ONLY stuff that we use. Later is a bad word to me. I fall into that saving "just in case" or "I might need it later." So my goal is to have stuff in the house that we only need NOW. No more later.
It's an interesting undertaking with three kids 4 and under. They bring a lot of stuff with them into our lives. And there is stuff that you have to have for upcoming stages. (So I will be calling that "needing it sooner" instead of "needing it later")
So I want to do the Purge. The way I see the house - the way that I function daily - the way that I am - is completely different than it was just a little over 2 years ago. So much has changed. Me included. So it's time that the stuff - and the way I see stuff changes too. I do like to clean and organize, so this is kind of fun and exciting for me.
The Purge of 2013 started in the kitchen - and in the closets (clothes). To me it's where the stuff that has to go is the most obvious. In the kitchen... Do I use it, does it work well. And for a box full, the answer was no. So off it goes...
Then to the closet. It's going to be a little harder. It's a work in progress - that sometimes seems to be going backwards. I did the first "run through" last weekend and got the obvious stuff out. The "why on earth do I still have this" purge. And the "I feel horrible in this" purge. But getting it down to where I really want it is going to hurt a little. But just for a bit, because the outcome is going to be....
LESS STRESS. Yes. That is what I'm aiming for. My version of minimalism. So I don't have to lean over stuff, dig through stuff that I'm not using anyway. Or trying to find something in that "safe place that I put it so that I could find it next time" Ooooh. I hate the "safe place" - I never had any idea where it is!
And I have my husband as a helper. Really it's pretty much all my stuff. And it is actually very well organized. Ok maybe not as organized as I think. Well, the stuff in the "living spaces" is. But he is on board. He was the first to grab the big black trash bags! And he cleaned the kitchen last weekend too. Like...everything! So I have a mostly purged organized cleaned kitchen. A great place to start!

So what is coming up?  My schedule/to do list - shortening it and adding stuff for me each day.  I have tried it this week and it's working well!  The closets...all the closets.  Books, DVDs.  And the random room in our basement that is the "later" storage.  It's bugging me.  It's just sitting there, not being functional.  So it will be... soon!

Transitions

Changes, they happen all the time.  And sometimes they happen before you know it.  Like kids growing up...  You think you are stuck in a certain stage, then you look up a few weeks later, and there you are - out of that stage into another.  What happened?  Thinking of this helps me remember to enjoy where we are.  Even if that stage is saying "NO" to everything.  Refusing to listen.  Kicking and screaming on the floor.  Just to name a few...
In those moments, it is hard to think this way - that they are so young and won't be this way forever (thank goodness, right?)  To treasure every moment.

I was thinking this morning, that really I just live in transitions all the time.  My life is change.  And change is expensive!  And change is fun (for me at least)!  I'm one of those that rearrange furniture and drawers just for fun (which is a frustrating adventure for my husband when he comes home).  Change definitely makes things interesting and keeps things exciting.  I think it really keeps my energy up!

Sometimes you just can't help that the transition happens - and the cost that comes with it.  Seasons change along with the size of kids.  And we all hope that these happen about the same time!  Because with each growth, with each weather change - here comes new clothes.  And as each stage in life comes - it seems that there is cost in spending for new needs - and especially the little years - for trial and error.

One of the ones that got me REALLY bad was the sippy cup.  I bought about 10 different kinds until one was finally accepted.  And now comes the potty training.  And there are seats, stools, chairs, charts, and "wearable" items that have to be accepted.  And these items have to have a little power - the power to entice a VERY opinionated child to WANT to use them.  Back with the sippy cup - it was kind of not really a choice.  Yeah I had to find one that she like, but this is totally different.  This has to help her DO something.  Something important.

Changes happen too, in the form of milestones.  There are the big ones - first words, first steps.  But there are those little missed milestones.  Like the first time they count to ten by themselves.  When they start using a big girl chair.  Those moments where they become independent - getting their own milk from the fridge.  Being kind and helpful, especially with each other.  Imitating mommy when I'm doing housework (and understanding what I'm doing).

There is so much that happens in a day that I want to remember.  The sweet moments - the milestones of all the little things that I'm probably going to forget.  They are so important and major, but slip by most of the time.  And that's the transitions.  That's growing up.

Christmas Creating

       Christmas Bows!  

Christmas Dresses! 

And a race track... 

Groundhog Toe

My running shoes are taunting me.  They sit there at the bottom of the closet, looking all new and fun and shiny.  I got new running shoes about 2 weeks before I broke my toe.  And only got to run in them a handful of times before the unfortunate toe breakage incident of September.  My shoes are still in that new phase, needing to be broken in JUST right, but still so very comfortable, light and exciting to run in.  New running shoes make me feel lighter when I run, especially these.  And with fresh cushioning, I seem to run faster and longer (probably not, but it feels like it).  All that lightness and cushion might have helped my toe not get broken in the first place.

I do love running.  I so miss it right now.  Being not that graceful (I did trip into a baby bouncer and break my toe in 3 places), it feels good to move rhythmically when running.  I like being active, but sports have never really worked for me.  I seem to not be coordinated enough to use any type of equipment in sports.  Running is just me and my feet on the ground - so it's the sport for me.  Although, right now is seems that I'm not coordinated to walk!!  (re: the toe breakage and now the limping) 

When I went to the doctor 6 weeks ago, I was thinking that maybe the toe was just bruised really bad, or maybe a hairline fracture.  But after the X-ray, the doctor was actually quite surprised to see just HOW broken it was.  He said that I needed to stay in the boot for a while (that a friend had so sweetly given me).  And to come back in 6 weeks for a re-check and X-ray.  So the weeks progressed.  For the first few weeks, I was in the boot most of the time - for protection, for walking, and for the pain.  It really did hurt worse than I thought a baby toe could hurt.  Then at about 4 weeks of healing, it started feeling lots better!  I could actually walk - sometimes wearing flip flops - I couldn't wear actual shoes yet...  And would still wear the boot as needed - or if I needed real shoes!  One real shoe, one boot!  I wore the boot less and less!  I was almost healed.... Right?  

At my 6 week re-check, I was hopeful that I was healed or at least almost healed.  But after removing the "buddy tape" (which I had on the whole 6 weeks) I saw the swelling and the bruising.  Yeah.  I knew that X-ray was going to come back showing something.  And indeed, it's STILL broken.  Of the three baby toe bones (er, tarsals), the top one is chipped, and the middle one is still cracked down the middle - into the joint.  And he said that I will have arthritis because of this.  A memory of this injury?  To remember to SLOW down?  Yay?  

So he told me 3 more weeks of healing.  No running.  Still.  I had been counting down the days, but I will not break doctor's orders.  I'm not going to risk it.  And after that doctor's visit, my toe was hurting more.  I don't know if it was from the prodding or the X-ray "maneuvers" or just the power of suggestion.  But I was back in the boot.  

I am thankful that it is healing correctly - as in the right place.  No other measures for healing, except time, are needed.  So I wait...  

Going to the doctor was kind of like Groundhog Day.  I was hoping that he was not going to see a shadow (on the X-ray).  But he did see something.  And now we have a few more weeks of healing.  

Moments

I think like used to feel more like stages. Goals to achieve. Places to get to. Things to accomplish. When you are a teenager, it's about getting to college and having friends and maybe even a boyfriend along the way. Oh and getting good grades, too, I guess. 

So then finally you graduate and head off to college. It feels new and different. A new stage in life. But kind of the same thing. Working towards a goal - that mystery job after college. You live in the excitement of the mystery of what life holds for your future. Dreams seem to be bigger than the college campus can hold. Then after college, hopefully here comes a career - maybe even a husband...then kids. But that's when the stages of life really aren't that clear. But that's what real life is about. It's not getting somewhere. It's being where you are. 

It's not getting to the next stage, but living in the moments.  I used to live in one stage of life, looking toward the next, pretty much all the time. It's not a great place to be. It's full of restlessness and really kind of exhausting. Always working toward something, and that something...you really don't know what it is.  I was happy - mostly, but it just felt like there was always somewhere else to be. Something I needed to do. I was longing for a family - and I think the grief in that probably affected my ability to be still. 

Now, with kids - a full and lively family, even in the chaos, there is a peace in me.  It really makes no sense, but I feel the longings of the past fading away.  But for so long I was pushing forward. It's taken a lot to just slow down the momentum. With the kids, I can definitely see the stages of growth in my kids. And I don't want those to rush on by. So the best way I know how to do this is to just savor the moments. 

Cuddling with my girls on the couch. Drawing and cutting out hearts with my oldest, while the other two nap. Giggling on the floor with the baby. 

It's things I would have missed, I think, if I hadn't slowed down a little and just realized there's really no where to go. No where I need to go. No place I'd rather be.