The Reason Why...

In the course of my blogging I've often stopped to wonder why it is that I enjoy blogging so much?  

Is it because I  like to stay connected with family and friends?   Or  just that I like to write? Or that I love sharing my stories and photos?  Or  perhaps it's just because I like having a creative outlet that's totally cost and mess free?  

While all these reasons are undoubtedly true, it wasn't until I received the following message from a friend that I really understood the true passion behind why I like to blog so much.  

"I just looked at your blog. YOU ARE HILARIOUS! Who knew!"

That's it!  For as long as I can remember I've tried to be funny.   I've admired my siblings and friends who come by it so naturally and wondered why it seems so hard for me.  

Sadly I have to admit that I've never uttered a witty comment in my entire life.   Never.  Of course, any of you who knows me in person are not surprised by this fact, but for those of you who don't know me here it is spelled out for you:  

My brain + My mouth =  blubbering   

But somehow,  

My brain + My fingers =  occasionally funny reflections on life

And it is for those occasional moments when I capture a witty reflection on life and make someone laugh that I am completely and totally hooked on blogging.  

Day 131--Long Lost Cousin

Actually Ryan isn't officially my cousin, but he's cool enough that we claim him as part of the family.  He and his family (including his wife and my official cousin Mandi) used to live about an hour away.  We've missed them since they moved to Texas a few years ago and were so excited when he came back to say, "Hello" tonight while on a business trip!  

Mother's Day Festivities

Well, it's official.  I'm getting a complex.  Either Glen is getting sickly in his old age or he really doesn't like putting the kids to bed.  

He's gotten sick a grand total of twice in the last several months...first on my birthday and then again today.  Thankfully this illness only had him bedridden after 8:00 today and not the entire day like on my birthday.    

Of course, I am somewhat of a slave driver, so despite Glen's illness he did mostly prepare this yummy Chili Cornbread Salad for me (recipe coming soon).  I say mostly, because about 3/4 of the way through he almost sliced off a finger and was banished to taking care of that for the next hour.   

Thankfully Cami was not feigning illness* today and did not almost sever any limbs, so she was able to make me this yummy lemon delight cake, which in addition to the lemon pie filling layer also had a crumb topping  (recipe coming soon too).  Since it was low fat I figured I could eat an extra piece without too much damage.  It is Mother's Day after all.  

Then since it was a perfectly GORGEOUS day, I dragged everyone out for a walk around the neighborhood.  Notice Ellie holding tightly to her caterpillar container.  Emma, Adam, & Ellie have been completely obsessed with caterpillars lately.  At first they were picking up each one they found and adding it to their container.  After they had about a dozen of them in there, I convinced them that they may be a little claustrophobic in there.  

At that point they changed their efforts to saving caterpillars one at a time from the perils of the sidewalk and street.  Dozens of local caterpillars are now safely residing in grass and trees thanks to the efforts of three kids!   

Then Ellie presented me with this beautiful fruit basket that she'd made for me at preschool. 
 I'm sure it would have been really delicious!

Despite Glen's illness (*which I may add was decidedly not feigned as I may have inferred above) they all made sure that I had a wonderful day and made me feel so loved!  

I've decided that for next year I'm starting Glen on a mega-dose of Vitamin C in March, just to make sure...

Day 130--Saving the world...

one caterpillar at a time.  

My kids have been obsessively collecting caterpillars the last few days.  They have a little container that ended up with 11 caterpillars in it.  After convincing them that the caterpillars may not like being so squashed together in such a small place, they decided instead to direct their efforts towards removing caterpillars from sidewalks and roadsides where they may get squashed and then moving them to safety in the grass.   

Dear Mom,

I just wanted to take this opportunity at Mother's Day to pour out my heart to you in a public forum.

First I wanted to thank you for all the support you've given me through the years. I know I wasn't the brightest kid around and I appreciate you not getting upset at me for all the stupid things I've done. Like when you almost had to remove me from your insurance policy for causing so many broken bones and dislocated limbs (was that 4 that I was directly responsible for?). Of course with me only being third smartest how was I to know that I shouldn't put my feet in Dad's bike spokes while it was moving? Thank goodness after the second time I did it, I knew enough to realize that bikes were NOT my friends.

How grateful I am that you are not one to hold a grudge, like the time when you thought I was so sweet for bringing you a drink of water without being asked. Too bad you didn't notice the water was yellow until it was too late. While a child of greater intellect (like H or Tim) at least would have flushed first, a lesser Mom surely would have screamed (louder).

As a mother of a teenager now, I am especially grateful for your patience with me at that time of my life. With my mood swings and clothes hogging ways I know I wasn't the easiest to live with. Thankfully most of Kristina's scars have healed from where I pinched her for stealing my clothes, but unfortunately time will never erase the sour expressions on my face in all those pictures where I was pretending to be a supermodel.

When I look back at that time in my life I know that without your stalwart direction that I would not be who I am today. Faithful family home evenings and family prayers were just a small part of the guidance you gave me. I pretty much know that if we had called our tv table a coffee table like most people do, that I'd probably be drinking coffee right now. Or at least Mountain Dew.

Although most people might call you serious natured, I know that it's just because they don't really know you well. The day you hung up this sign on our fridge was the best and the worst day of my life:

The worst because I loved chewing gum and I knew that I had failed you in a big way(and continue to fail you to this day) and the best day ever because it was then that I realized that my Mom was totally hilarious!

So, without further ado I need to go fold the "arbs" (see Mom, I know a bad word when I see one and would never want to embarrass you by typing out B-R-A on the internet where everyone [even boys] can read it!)

Although I know all too well that I'm not your favorite child (PETER!!!), I hope that by publicly baring my soul like this that you will know that truly you are my favorite mother. Really, I would never exaggerate that kind of thing.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Love,
Your favorite oldest daughter (now that's a title I can live up to),
Lara

PS Happy mother's day to all the rest of you mothers out there too! 

Day 129--Small Delights

Rejoice! It's caterpillar season!

Day 128--Old Reliable

Day 127--Rockin' Out at the Air & Space Museum

Leave it to Cami and her friends to find a way to dance at the Air & Space Museum. Luckily I had my camera handy to capture the moment!

Just as a side note, I wanted to mention that today was the easiest field trip chaperoning job EVER.

Cami + 3 best friends=No Stress Whatsoever!

Day 126--Medieval Princess

We attended a Medieval Faire today for the culmination of Spencer's medieval times class. There was a display of some fun projects they'd worked on through the class and some hands-on demonstrations for everyone to try.  Here Ellie is making a medieval air freshener by sticking whole cloves into an orange.   It actually had quite a pleasant smell, but still I'll take deodorant and soap instead. :)  

 Princess Ellie had a little suitor there...a dashing young man dressed as Robin Hood who followed her around and played with her.

Rain, Rain...

You probably think I'm going to say, "Rain, Rain Go Away", since I'm about as fair weather fan as they come.  I pretty much like sunshine and temperatures in the 60's or 70's and that's about it.  But after a couple straight weeks of constantly dark skies and near daily rain storms, I'm changing my tune a little...

A few reasons why I'm not minding the rain so much anymore:  

--Clean car.  When it rains and rains and rains, there is no time for dirt and pollen to collect on our cars.  

--Projects.   I don't have to feel guilty for putting off that big planting/lawn project I'm planning since every day is either threatening rain or already raining.     

--Menu planning.  It means I can keep all my favorite soups in my menu for a little longer, before switching over to a summer menu. 

--Sports practices.  Everything is canceled, sometimes even before it actually starts raining, so my trips out of the house are cut to a minimum.  

--Sleep.   All this rain is keeping Glen from waking up at 6:00am for his morning bike rides.  That means more sleep for both of us!

--Hairstyle.  After completely disastrous attempts at styling my hair after a new haircut, I realize that it doesn't really matter.  I can just blame it on the rain.  

 --Fashion.  The cute raincoats I bought for Ellie, Adam, and Emma for $3 each at Unique are getting put to good use. 

Cute raincoats, delicious warm soups, clean cars, sleeping in...what's not to love?

Uh, wait. You don't have to answer that.  

Have you noticed?

that suddenly my tummy is saggier and the circles under my eyes have gotten darker?  

There's a good reason for it....I have a new baby in my house. 

 She's so sweet!   It's taken me a while to get the hang of her personality and little quirks, but it's been so worth the late nights getting to know her fun, smart personality.  

And truly you've never seen such beauty.  I hate to admit it, but she's so much better looking and graceful than her clumsy, awkward cousins (no offense meant).    Oh, and did I mention how smokin' fast she is?  She's quite the powerhouse for a someone so little.  

So without further ado, here's a little snapshot of me with my new little Mac-y poo. 

Isn't she a thing of beauty? 

Day 125--Working Hard

I couldn't help but laugh when I came to pick up Cami and her friend Mikhaela from school today.  They were red-faced, winded, barefoot and soaked from head to toe!  The girls had had their practice 5K run for Girls on the Run this afternoon, which was a formidable enough of a challenge  under the best of circumstances, but all the more impressive considering that they did it in the pouring rain.  

MBA Class Syllabus

Professor and successful entrepreneur Emma Kristine will teach you the basics of running a profitable business and how to maximize your profits.

#1--Pick something you love (like lemonade and cookies)

#2--Pick the right partners (like a sister and two friends)

#3--Find the loudest yeller possible to be your main advertiser

#4--Price your goods right (75 cents for a glass of lemonade, $1 for a cookie, $2 for a dozen cookies, and $2.15 for a lemonade and a cookie)

#5--Pick your venue right (minimum cars per hour: 2)

#6--Quality is everything. Taste test everything to make sure it's okay, then let everyone else taste test it too.
#7--Don't underestimate the power of relatives with deep pockets as customers

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PS You're all invited to a lemonade and cookie party at my house tomorrow.