Rainbows

I can't remember the last time I saw a rainbow.  That was until this evening.  It rained and rained and rained today.  We really needed it.  I was running a bunch of errands and had just picked up dinner.  We were on our way home as the sky was getting dark and stormy looking again.  Logan says "look a rainbow!"  I looked out the side window and saw the biggest rainbow I had ever seen - ever.  It was huge.  You could see every color and was in a perfect arch with no beginning and no end.  Logan then asks me to "stop the car so I can get out and slide down the rainbow."  Moments like that take my breath away.  Such sweet, pure, innocence that make my heart skip.  They keep me going and remind me of how incredible blessed we are.  Life can be hard, hectic, busy, overwhelming all at once.  Then your babies see a rainbow and  in an instant life becomes wonderful, lovely, sweet.  I'll be looking for more rainbows from now on.

What Austin is Saying

Austin is a talker.  As a matter of fact he woke up last night at 3am saying

"I thirty (thirsty), I wanna dink (drink)." He said that over and over until I got up and got him a drink.  He sure was thirty!  He is teething, remember he is a slow teether; so the five teeth he is getting all at once usually happen to an under one year old baby and he is almost two.  So nightly we hear "owie owie owie" :( Poor boy.  Tylenol (well not Tylenol, the Walgreens brand of Tylenol, since Tylenol was recalled) is administered to him at bed time, but it doesn't help much.  He is in pain.  You can see the tips of the teeth coming in breaking the skin, its bad.  He's not happy at all and he lets us know it all day long.  His favorite words come from having an older brother "mine, my mommy, my daddy, my toy, my choo choo, my car, my shoe, my dink" everything is his.  I know its the age, but I also know a certain three year old instigates the screaming of "mine!"  Its fun to hear Austin talk in sentences but not so much when he is saying stuff like "no, not me" when I am trying to dress him or do anything he doesn't like.  Oh being an almost two year old is hard.  Its hard to tell if its the teeth coming in or just one of those months that are difficult on him and us.  Maybe October will be better, no matter what it will be a celebration month as our baby turns 2!

Austin can say
Mi for Mimi
Ryry for Ryan
Juju for Julie
Papa for Papa
Ke for Kevin
Meke for Mike
MaMa for Grandma
PaPa for Grandpa
Mommy (thats me:)
Daddy (B)
Kota (Dakota)
Go Cat (Carly) - who I have recently found napping with Austin and I about lost it.
What is funny is he won't or can't say Logan.  He doesn't call him anything now that I think of it.  He calls himself Bits:)

What Logan is Saying

I need to keep the video recorder out close by, because Logan is cracking us up with what he is saying...

My mom to Logan "Look there is an orange car"
Logan: "DUH!"
It was hysterical.  Though I don't want him to be disrespectful, but that he knows how to use the word "Duh"
Later that day at the grocery store...
Me to the boys "Oh I bet that is yummy"
Logan responds "Duh mom"
When did he become 12?
Logan was acting wild and I said "Logan you are out of control"  He sees my mom and says "Mimi I am out of control!"
Today I was trying to brush his hair and Logan says "Mom please keep your hands to yourself!"
Logan has also been talking about babies lately.  Yesterday we were sitting together and he says "mom I want a baby, a baby sister."  Now that is music to my ears:)

Blog Journal Day 30

Day 30 (August 30, 2010) Topic:  A Dream for the future
First I made it.  Never have I written so many posts in a one month span.  Never have I participated in or completed a blog journal (linking up to others blog journals).  It has been fun to share and to read other's daily journal.  I have to admit it has made me a bit crazy though.  Trying to find the time isn't always easy, especially by 9 pm when I just want to lay in bed and stare at trashy TV (ahem, Real Housewives).  So honestly, I am glad I did it but I am really glad its over!  


As far as a dream for the future...


When I was growing up I wanted to be teacher.  After several years of college I full filled that dream and became a teacher.  I absolutely loved my job.  It was everything I dreamed it would be and even more.  I can honestly say I was a great teacher.  Its in my blood.  My grandma Mullen laid the foundation for my dream.  She was a teacher; when my dad would pick us up we often visited my grandma at her school.  Then we would go to her house and play school ALL WEEKEND. Seriously, all weekend.  My grandparents had a basement set up like a little school for me.  I remember it so vividly.  I would be "correcting papers" Friday night on their couch:) It made me so happy.  My grandma still goes in and subs every now and then and I think it is wonderful.  I only hope to be as good of a teacher as she was/is and love it as much as she did/does.  My Aunt Tracey is wonderful teacher and I also aspire to have the degrees and knowledge she does.  My grandpa was on the school board and there are others on the Mullen side that are teachers and even some principals.  On my mom's side there are several teachers as well.  So like I said its in my blood.  So as for a career dream, I would really like to become a principal when the time is right.  I am currently working on my master's degree in reading and literacy; I will complete the program in December 2011.  Brian and I have already discussed me continuing on with my education and getting a specialist degree in leadership working towards that goal as a principal.


After I became teacher I had a new dream.  I wanted to get married to a wonderful man and have a family.  Well that happened very quicklyy.  After I had babies I had a new dream...I wanted to stay home with those babies. I now stay home.  I am living the dream.  They are simple dreams but they are mine.  Financially, I hope we can continue to make it work and when we can no longer, I will go back to my original dream of teaching.  Above all I would like to see my family in Meadville more often, continue to make spending  time with family and friends here a priority, I would like to have another healthy baby, I pray my children have live long happy, healthy lives and that I grow old with my husband.

Blog Journal Day 29

Day 29 (August 29, 2010) Topic:  Hopes,dreams and plans for the next 365 days
I am going to write a 101 in 1001 which is a list of 101 things in the next 1001 days. That gives me about 2.75 years…I cannot take credit for this idea – it came from http://totaltippinstakeover.blogspot.com and she got it from http://www.dayzeroproject.com.  This will be a list of hopes, dreams, and plans.  I am writing the list and beginning it on Sept 1, 2010, so stay tuned:)

Blog Journal Day 28

Day 28 (August 28. 2010) Topic:  What's in My Purse
The real question is what isn't?!  I am currently looking for a big fall purse.  I say big, because the one I have right now is too small.  I keep my Vera Bradley wallet in there and that is about all that fits - not for me.  So right now my purse is over flowing.  It has three pens, check book, wallet, sunglasses, receipts that I need to write in my balance book, gum, random coupons, some wrappers, a ya-ya (paci), hair bands, my Tiffany"s bracelet that shouldn't be in there, and then I will shove my cell phone in when I leave :(  I don't even want to post a picture.  YUCK!  You know me I am too organized for this mess!  Off to find a purse ASAP.

Blog Journal Day 27

Day 27 (August 27, 2010) Topic:  My Worst Habit
I am a bit of a clean freak.  So much so I think it is rubbing off on the boys.  Logan didn't want to get his cleats dirty at practice, and kept stopping to brush off the grass:(  When we got to the car, Austin's crocs were covered in grass and he said "shoes ka-ka, shoes off."  I am also a people pleaser.  I often do things I don't want to do or things that will make my life a little more difficult to please someone else.  The older I get the less of this I am doing, so happily it is a habit that is weaning.  I also don't check voice mail messages.  I hate it.  I don't know why, they just annoy me.  If you leave a message I probably won't listen to it.  I hit the DELETE ALL button weekly whether or not I have listened to them or not.  Though now that I am subbing some, I do listen to a few more than I would have previously.  I am sure there are others.  

Blog Journal Day 26

Day 26 (August 26, 2010) Topic:  A Week in My Life
I am not going to post a week in the life of me; yesterday's blog a day in the life of me is really what happens 5 out of 7 days.  The other two, Brian is home.  Sometimes the days will be altered with dr. appts, lunch dates, go to my inlaws, going to my parents, going to Target or the mall, etc.  Its a simple non-glamorous life, but I love it!

Blog Journal Day 25

Day 25 (August 25, 2010) Topic:  My Day in Detail

4:30 am - Logan comes in and wants to sleep in our bed, half asleep I scoot over and make room for him

7:30 am - Logan wakes up - so I am up too!  

8:00 am - Austin wakes up

8:30 - Breakfast (bagels with strawberry cream cheese) and a banana for each boy.  

9:00 - Get boys dressed and dress myself in gym clothes

9:20 - Out the door

9:30 - Get to the gym, boys go play, I hit the elliptical

10:30 - Leave gym

10:40 - grocery store with two boys who are getting hungry and tired.  So I open up a box of crackers (that we have yet to purchase) and they have a snack while I shop.

11:20 - Leave the grocery store with more things than on my list and a bit more frazzled than I would have liked to.

11:30 - home to unload groceries (boys bring in the light bags:)

11:45 - I make lunch while they play

12:00 - lunch time (Grilled cheese and chips) while watching Thomas

12:30 - Austin takes a nap, Logan rests, I clean and shower

2:00 - Austin wakes up

2:30 - Leave house to go to Ritas

3:30 - home from Ritas, play, read, do laundry

4:30 - start dinner

5:00 - dinner (taco night)

6:00 - baths

6:30 - Brian's home - he plays with the boys while we talk about our day

7:30 - Read books to boys and tuck them in

8:00 - Mommy time - blogs, facebook, talk to brian

11:00 - Bed time - too late as usual

Another Post from Clover Lane to Share

This is something I need to read over and over.  Things and wants sometimes get in the way of what is most important and "What NOT to Regret" from http://memoriesoncloverlane.blogspot.com/2009/09/what-not-to-regret.html

I remember, after I had 3 children, I needed to do some soul-searching and life-changing. Out of necessity, I had grown a hobby into a business. I was still at home all week, but I would fit "work" into times when my husband was home...on a week night or a weekend. It was a lucrative business, and it helped so much during the years when we needed it to. (I know you will ask...I worked for decorator's doing faux painting and murals for clients.) I worked hard at both jobs...being at home and painting...taking care of my kids and my clients. I often did samples at nap time, returned phone calls when kids were busy, and met with decorators in the hour or two I would employ a sitter.

It seemed like the dream job because it allowed me to do both things, stay at home and make great money. But the truth was, when my 3rd child came along, I was running myself ragged. Stretching myself thin, trying to do to much. My heart was in one place, my mind in another. It was nice to not be "poor", to have extra money for "things", but after awhile I began to realize that I was sacrificing my state of mind and more than ever, my family, my little ones, needed me to have their full attention.

I think when we mothers try to do too much something or someone pays the price. Sometimes it's the kids, sometimes it's the marriage, sometimes it's us. In this case, it was me.

I remember older ladies stopping me in the grocery store and admiring my children and saying,

"Those were the best days of my life."

or

"What I would do to have those days back."

or

"It goes so fast. It's gone in a blink of an eye."

I felt at the time, this general malaise in my heart.

I did some soul searching and talked (and probably cried) with Jeff and made the decision that if I would regret anything in life, it would NOT be spending these precious days of raising my children without a feeling of peace. I want to know, when I am that old lady in the supermarket that I spend quiet days, loving and having fun, and learning and NOT missing the small moments. I did not ever, ever want to have regrets. I don't think I could live with myself.

I quit. It just worked out that my last job was a huge one and enabled me to "retire" with confidence. I was proud of the business I grew, but it had served it's purpose and I let it go without a look back. Things were tight again, but I was OK with it. Because the peace in my heart was worth more than anything.

I have found one of the best ways to examine the life you are living is asking yourself, "Will I regret this?" I picture myself in a rocking chair on a front porch, watching my grandchildren, or great grandchildren play on the lawn. Will I look back with peace in my heart? Will I say,"I wish I would have slowed down and savored every moment?" It's not really a fun thing to do, but it always enables you to spit out the right answer. It always tells me to stay focused, run against the grain of the times, and enjoy the small moments. It reminds me to stay strong and centered about what I want to believe...that simply raising your children, being a mother and a wife, is enough, when everything we read and hear and see is sending us the opposite message.

To say "no" to the excess's of life, and "yes" to the things that really count.

Slow down and everything you are chasing will come around and catch you. ~John De Paola