The Saturday 7

1. Every labor day Justin's extended family spends the weekend camping. I've made it very clear that I do not enjoy camping. I identify strongly with this:

And this:
And this:

Get the point? Lol. Anyway, we usually go up for one day to hang out with everyone. We went up after church on Sunday for the big family meal. I ate half my plate of food with Lena sitting in the stroller next to me before she started to freak out. I just could not console her. I finally decided she was just hot and tired, so we went and sat in the car with the AC on until she fell asleep. She slept for 20 minutes, but woke up happier, so we went down to the lake for a while. She and Lucy both loved it. 

It wasn't long before Lena started to melt down again, though. Apparently she inherited my distaste for camping. Haha. I wanted to leave with her, but Justin and Lucy wanted to stay, and we only drove one car. So I ended up leaving them there to spend the night! I was really nervous for Lucy, but she did great! She loved sleeping in the tent with Daddy. :-)

2. We celebrated my dad's 60th birthday on Monday. My siblings and I worked together to come up with 60 things we love about him. It wasn't hard. I actually had to cut a few out! We're so blessed to have him. And I'm so happy my girls are getting to know him so well.

3. I tried a new recipe for our Labor Day/Dad's birthday celebration. It's something Justin's grandma makes that I'm obsessed with. She brought it to the campground and I'm pretty sure I ate half the pan myself. I found the recipe on Pinterest, but tweaked it a little to make it more like Grandma's. :-)
Photo credit
• 1 c. sugar 
• 1 c. corn syrup
• 1 c. creamy peanut butter
• 1 t. vanilla
• 5 c. Cheerios
(I added M&Ms and peanuts as well.)
In a large sauce pan, combine sugar and corn syrup. Bring to boil over medium heat.
Allow mixture to boil for one minute and remove from heat. (I wasn't paying attention and let it boil too long. Word to the wise: your finished treats will be so hard you may crack your teeth . . . or your jaw . . .if you boil it too long.)
Add peanut butter and vanilla to mixture and mix until smooth.
Add Cheerios (and M&Ms and peanuts) and mix until all coated. 
Drop mixture by spoonful onto waxed paper and allow to cool. (I just spread the whole batch in a jelly-roll pan like Justin's grandma does. :-) )

4. Lena pulled herself to standing for the first time this week. I was laying on my side next to where she was sitting on the floor. She twisted, put her hands on my hip, got onto her knees, then up to her feet. She walked her little feet until she was standing right next to me. So crazy! I couldn't believe it! She's done it a bunch of times since then. The problem is, she has very little balance, so if I'm not there holding her up, she tips over.

5. Guess what I got again this week? I'll give you a hint. It's an infection . . . You guessed it! Pink eye! Argh!!!! Maybe I'm misdiagnosing myself, but I don't know what else it would be. For a couple days my right contact bothers me and I feel like my vision is cloudy. Then I'll wake up with a bloodshot eye. Then it starts to sting and feel sticky. And eventually it starts to ooze. I use a cocktail of prescription eyedrops and breastmilk for a few days, my eye clears up, and I feel better. Only for it to return 2 weeks later! I should probably go to the doctor, but I really hate shelling out the $45 copay!

6. Lucy and I started our new "preschool" curriculum this week. I'm just kind of making it up as I go along, but the idea is to work our way through the big stories of the Bible, focusing on the attributes of God and the story of redemption. We'll also be doing a bunch of random Pinterest learning activities too. This week, we worked on creation. I wrote a big long post about it here. (Although it's not complete. We haven't done today or tomorrow's lesson yet.) We're also going to attempt to learn a new verse each week. Lucy amazed me by how quickly she learned this week's.

7. Despite my mothering prowess as evidenced by point 6 (haha, I jest - I'm not really that conceited), I had a really bad mom day on Friday. Actually, I have a bad mom day most Fridays. By the end of the week I am out of ideas, out of energy, and out of patience. Justin has Fridays off and I just wanted him to entertain the girls so I can be alone! Seriously. I am the worst. Then I read this article (titled, "When You Don't Like Your Kids") by one of my favorite bloggers. I love the idea of praying over Lucy when I get frustrated with her. I pray for myself all the time, "Lord give me patience. Help me to be loving. Give me grace to show your grace!" That article was a good reminder to pray for her in those moments as well. And it was a good reminder that I'm not alone in getting annoyed and irritable and it doesn't mean I love my precious girls any less!!


Comments

  1. I've made that recipe before only without the vanilla, and using Corn Flakes instead of Cheerios. And bringing it just to a boil, and spreading it in a buttered 9x13 pan. We call 'em peanut butter chewies. Soooo good and addicting!

    Thanks for sharing that article in your last point. I know how you feel... I found myself thinking about how Abby doesn't really need an afternoon nap that much anymore, but I need her to take it... There's something about a sweet sleeping face that melts your heart.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You are so funny with your camping hate ;)

    Sorry about the recurring pink eye! You could try using the prescription drops for like 10 days in a row... if you take it for too short a time the infection may not be all the way gone.

    I totally understand needing a break from your kids! Some of my friends can hardly stand one night away from their kids... I'm just not that way. I LOVE my children like crazy, but sometimes I need alone time or time with my husband. I think I can take care of them better if I take care of myself too.

    I love your creation curriculum!! You are awesome. I could do this with both of my boys...

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment