Report to Board of Directors

If I were working- which I am, technically, I would probably be required to do some sort of report to show that my time was being well spent. So I guess you could say, that this is my report of sorts. Ok, old habits die hard. Just trying to keep my market share at the top, and my customers happy. In my case, I have two of the best customers going- Ben and Maddie. So, in an attempt to celebrate, I will now recap some highpoints of the week so far (it is only Wednesday, for goodness sake!)

Well, the week started strong, with Dad leaving town. Just kidding, Dad. Anyway, with that in mind I set out to quickly call my friend, Jennifer and ask her if her daughter, aka Ben's favorite play buddy, to come over for a morning of great times. She graciously brought over half of her clan and Ben and Kaeley had a real fun time.

After riding around the dining room and kitchen- Vroooom! Ben and Kaeley helped me make bird feeders with pine cones. Remember doing this in Girl Scouts? Anyway, I thought it sounded like a good idea, Ben just thought the peanut butter was tasty. Ben does enjoy watching the birds- which was the end result of hanging the feeders.

So, where is Maddie during all this fun? She is watching and loves laughing at her brother. She is really growing and changing. It is not so apparent to me, but when I look back at photos, realize how time flies. A milestone happened today with Maddie- she sat up on her own. For just a little while, but it was long enough to snap a few photos. Paw Paw should be happy to see that Froggie is getting a second round! Maddie loves it. Something of note this week is that Maddie is having a day with Miss Kim on Tuesdays so mommy can get some much needed "alone" time. 5 hours of sanity repairing, and a possible lunch with friends or dental appointment. Also, we all made it to BSF this week, and thanks to Miss Lori, Maddie gets more excellent one-on-one care. So, for all you moms out there- we've got no time for guilt, only balance. So, there you have it. The weather is unbelievably gorgeous this time of year here in E. Tennessee! Dad - we are looking forward to your return tonight! We hope that if you are reading this in an airport somewhere that it is not during a delayed flight. Godspeed.

Peace.

My Life So Far

Ok, some weeks, really, most weeks, Life is GOOD! Fall is creeping into East Tennessee, and that is typically good. As I have said before, the key to happiness with a toddler who has a 5 month old sister, is a good schedule. Because preschool is back in as is BSF, we are cruising thru our "work-week" and having fun to boot. Monday started right out of the blocks, as we visited Paul and Mary Ann. Many thanks to them for showing us hospitality and lots of love. Paul treated Ben to some time in his workshop, and I feel very honored for my son to be under his tutelage. He still talks about Mr. Paul. He was ready to "go to work" the rest of the day.





Mary Ann was a pro at getting Maddie settled down, as she has had a little experience raising 5 kids and all!













So, many thanks to these fine folks- you make me feel loved, and my kids are so lucky to have you in their lives!!
Tuesday went off without a hitch as Ben went to preschool, and we had a great afternoon playing and then to the dollar store, where he got one dollar for not taking his shoes off all day- this is what I am reduced to, bribery! Anyway, Maddie is an amazingly good baby, and bedtime is not a problem for her, so when I am here solo, as I am this week, she makes evenings a little easier; Ben, not so much. Although the bedtime thing is getting better. Lots better. We are starting much earlier, which seems to be the ticket to a good night's sleep.

So, that brings me to tonight. So Dad, if you are reading, I hope you enjoy these photos while you are away.

It's Pizza Night!

Tonight I was feeling adventurous and wanted something activity oriented...so we made pizza, Southern Style! We used frozen biscuits, rolled them out and dressed them up. Now because the Jello poeple haven't called, I figure the Prego people will be next. Ben was literally eating this sauce out of the jar

Maddie got into the action too, and helped us put on the cheese.

I have to say, these pizzas were really tasty, but not the healthiest way to eat pizza! But isn't that the point? Maddie has started eating cereal now, little by little, so she had to pass on the pizza.

Ok, so there you have it, my blogging fix! Now, lets get some much needed sleep!

Harvest and Helmet Time in Tennessee

OK, I know everyone (all two of you who read this) are probably wondering whatever happened to the sunflower...well, we picked it, and we are going to roast the seeds...does anyone have any tips?













And how about my son's love of helmets? His Dee Dee recently purchased this jewel (actually he picked it out) at the dollar store. He has gone thru many-a-helmet style in his young life, so I thought I would review.... Here he is with his Grandpa Bob, aka Bob Bob. This Atlanta Braves helmet (purchased at a church rummage sale for 50 cents) has been his official favorite! It is now one half of a helmet, as Ben liked to throw it in the air and watch it crash to the ground. He still wears it all the time.

Although this helmet was almost a year ago! (last Halloween) I believe it is what started his fascination with helmetry (is that a word?)

Comrades in Motherhood

One of the great things I have discovered about motherhood, is that you open up to a whole new world of friends, as well as a whole new level of friendship. I am finally on the other end of the 15 years of hearing..."you just don't understand" ...which is altogether another blog topic in itself...anyway, positively speaking, I love having fellow moms as friends. Last Friday was a great example of how moms banding together keeps you sane! Friday morning was spent at Walker Springs Park, which is this hidden jewel in W. Knoxville. The kids enjoyed the playground, swings, riding trail and picnic lunch. It was all very shady which was great! After a great start to my day, my afternoon was rounded out with preschool "happy hour" with new friends. I don't remember when I laughed so hard. These are the days that will pepper my memories with happy thoughts of being a mom. This motherhood thing was a much sought after job, so I hope to savor every moment!

Hello Jello!

Ok- the Jell-O people should be lining up right about now at our front door to hire their next spokesperson- Ben. Tonight, we made Jell-O pudding cups with "dirt and worms" and Ben had a really good time. Many thanks to Dee Dee for assisting us. Maddie was a big help too. I see lots of cooking in her future.

Autumn Song

I was riding along in my most favorite car, my Honda Odessey, when on my second favorite invention, XM radio(second to Tivo), played a song by my second favorite songwriter, Van Morrison (second to Joni Mitchell), it was called The Autumn Song. It was great to be riding along, sans kids, just enjoying the moment. Autumn. Isn't this a great season? So, you're wondering how I am riding along without my kids? No, I did not leave them at the grocery store, my Dear Dear Mom joined us yesterday to help me out with some much needed childcare. I had to report for jury duty this morning- and interesting act of civic responsibility, which I quicky evaded because I the primary caretaker of two beautiful kids. I and about 300 other Knoxvillians showed up this morning to do our civic responsibilities. I have to admit, that getting dressed- with real clothes, makeup and hair products was fun, as I toyed with the thought of going back to work. I would be lying if I said the thought of someone else lovingly caring for my kids while I earned money and exercised my brain didn't totally rock. Then, I realized that this is a very fleeting time, Maddie and Ben won't be this age forever, and that I can go back to work when they are older. I must explore this more, because frankly I, like many other moms out there are torn by this - let's face it Motherhood is great, but my brain feels like jello. Well, I digress.
Here is an update on the wonderful goings on in Knoxvegas.

Friday afternoon started with a bang. We headed to the park again, and Ben honed his baseball skills. I know I sound like an obnoxious parent, but really, because I am not responsible for his genetic make-up I feel perfectly comfortable gushing about his athletic abilities. So, watch out. I am gushing. Golf, baseball, hockey, tennis, swimming. He is not even 3 yet! Ok. I am finished.













After the park we had some heavenly pie at Mellow Mushroom pizza. After that we decided to forego any Friday Night Lights in an effort to get the boy to bed earlier. Nights have been hell for us lately as Ben is in the habit of letting us know how much he needs us at 2,3 and 4 am. It is not fun. We proceeded to seek any and every bit of advice for getting our toddler to sleep better, and decided that an earlier bedtime (like 7:30) might be better. That way slumber might come at 8-8:30 instead of starting at 8:30 etc. Well, as of today, our efforts are paying off, as Ben is getting a bit better. It is a journey right?
Saturday came, and I got to actually help in a great community effort called FISH. Many volunteers and I come together once a month (several churches each take one day a month to run this program) We happen to take the second Saturday of each month) anyway, FISH is a "hotline" anyone may call that provides a three day supply of food for any individual in need regardless of their situation. I was able to help coordinate taking calls, and dispatching delivery I was thankful Todd stayed home with the kids while I exercised my brain and felt much better for it.

Remember the Watermelon???

Well, we ate it Saturday. It was yummy.

Then, we had some great friends from Johnson City drop by as they were in town for a soccer tourney. Hannah put on a great show Sun. for all, and we got a glimpse of life with active teenagers. Yikes, and I thought I was sleep deprived now???

We just thought we would share Ben's first crush with everyone. We hope you will keep him in mind, Avery!

My Night as a Parent

OK, sometimes it's the little things we forget to appreciate in life. So, tonight I decided to take note and take photos. Ben had a great day at preschool, and Maddie and I bonded all day. I am trying to get her on a better napping schedule, and I am finding that staying home does help- at least with the morning nap. She is getting in about 1.5 to two hours in the morning. Ben's sleeping habits are just about to drive us crazy- It is a battle of wills these days, as he will get to sleep, but test us by seeing how long he can call out for us - he is screaming for Daddy as I am typing-let's just say he is quite tenacious. Anyway, I digress . Oh yea, the little things.

We had some rare "Daddy is home" time tonight. Todd is such a great Dad. I love having him home and seeing him with his children.

Maddie has re-discovered her "baby Tad" She was cackling so loud- I just wish I could capture her laugh on a sound byte- maybe someone can teach me how to do that- bloggers?
She also got a real laugh out of watching her brother jump on the "boom boom" or mini trampoline.













Ben was a real architect while building with his blocks.

Of course, bathtime is getting more and more fun! And with teeth brushing, we are ready for bed. We are trying to get to bed earlier tonight. I promise these shots were not "staged", but a real night in the life of us.

Let Autumn Begin

Well, we here in E. Tennessee are well into football season, which means everything is turning orange. We recently went on a picnic (last Sat.- pre game) and enjoyed the mild weather. We headed to Bob Leanord park and Ben got some bike riding in and we watched some youth soccer too. All in all it was a great day. A big shout out to Carly- as we missed her birthday in Nashville that day, but we were thinking about her, and we have a great b'day gift in store. Anwyay, I thought Todd and Ben looked so cute in their matching orange- just thought it was blog-worthy.

We enjoyed our company from Tullahoma and UT- all 29 of them. Ha. It was fun. Note to self, ribs need a long, long time to cook. Yep, I discovered a great new website www.recipezarr.com and I was bent on cooking this particular rib recipe. It turned out great, once we cooked the ribs about an hour longer than prescribed. Anyway- it was fun. Check out the site if you like to cook.

Isn't a three day weekend the best? We enjoyed the holiday on the lake all day Sunday and had a blast. Ben actually got up on the surf board with Dad. Yes you read that right! Unfortunately I did not have the camera, so you will just have to trust me! Both Dad and Ben did great; Ben has learned the term "River Rat" and cottons to it.

Preschool Begins: Hooooooray!

Now, you all know how much I love being with my children, but on occassion I do love to share the joy of my children with others! In this case, twice a week, Ben gets to go to preschool at CUMC - it is simply the best preschool in the known world. This is his second year, so he is starting to learn the ropes. This year we are blessed to have Ms. Cherie and Ms. Sue. Ben is making new friends and learning new songs, games and too many other things to count. He is so excited to have his buddies Nicky and Carter in his class this year. It's going to be a great year!

What to do with my Dining Room

Ok, these photos are not of my children, just a warning- I do other things outside of taking care of my kids- like taking care of my home. Well, kind of. This was a project that got a little...let's just say, lengthy. I decided to strip the oh so 90's wallpaper in my dining room. It was a little harder than i thought because of all the glue and residue left from the wallpaper. I finally had to call in the professionals. After much searching I finally found Southland Painting- a local crew- very nice and they whipped that room into shape in just two days!

Well, as you can see, the room is a bit barren, so I am hoping Dotty and sis-in-law Robin can come to the rescue with their deco-magic. In the meantime, I am enjoying a clean room. I am taking any suggestions from anyone reading this!