in the words of ice cube: today was a good day

I have been B..U...S...Y!!!!  With an impromptu STL trip this month, choreographing for Act 1's Peter Pan camp which entailed prep work plus 5 full days of 50 awesome, energetic 8-12 yr olds, a zumbathon this Sunday, and teaching 7 zumba classes this week, then throw in swim lessons, grocery shopping, and .....you get the point.  I'm exhausted just typing this!!!  So today, I made sure to get down on my kids level and play- a lot.  I normally do anyway, but I made an extra special point to today for more than 3 minute intervals. 

some of our adventures from today included the kids playing at one of Sadie's classmates houses while I did 'zumba and discipleship' for some youth group girls, then we had a lovely picnic lunch and a splash in the kiddie pool (where the kids acted like puppies the entire time and even played fetch-ha), a little Thomas the Train (their newest obsession) before Asher's nap, then Sadie and I started some 4th of July crafts!  After she laid down, I choreographed 2 new songs, then we played, ate, went shopping for some gifts we needed to get (thanks to a friend's coupon, I got 4 items at Childrens Place for $12!!!), then it was time for some more playing before bed.  They were having such a good time they didn't even request for the TV to be turned on pre-bedtime routine!  They almost ALWAYS watch a show before bed- even if it is a 10 min. Berenstain Bears on YouTube.

It was just one of those days where everything flowed pretty smoothly.  My strong-willed daughter was rather compliant today and I was able to reason (or at least distract) the 2-yr old stubborness.  We spent a lot of time just talking about random subjects, laughing, crafting, and enjoying each other!  This is one of those times I know I will look back at smile:)

(not) keeping up with the Joneses

the Wolters (not the Joneses)

pressure, pressure, pressure.  i put it on myself, pinterest puts in on me, other peoples fb statuses put it on me, society puts it on me......so right now i am learning to cover my eyes, put my fingers in my ears, and do what i can do!  i am learning to be content, trying a new 'fruit' of gentleness, striving to be organized, and am being required to be patient about some things due to circumstances out of our control (stupid cars).  Anyway, my kids are fed, have a roof over their heads, are happy (most of the time), are bathed (including sprinkler run-throughs at the end of the day), and the hubby and i are reconnecting.  i have been home more, haven't been connecting with many people lately, and have been trying to simplify things.  so what if our 'plan' of getting a bigger house is not going to happen anytime in the near future, i haven't made the 'busy bags' like so many good moms on pinterest and blogworld do, or i didn't even decorate for valentines and easter like i normally do......i have been trying to interact with my kids one-on-one, cook reasonably price meals (open to recipes that are healthy and cheap!!!), love on other peoples kiddos so they can provide for their families, stay current with zumba songs/moves, seeing family for various reasons which requires travel across state and missing out on activities in KC. 

i decided that i won't succumb to the pressure to have it all together (because i obviously don't), have martha stewart get-togethers and plan tons of engaging activities for my kids.  we are doing just fine and our house is full of love and hugs and chase and i think my kids like me:)

*this post is very random, but that is how my brain has been these days:)

  xoxo- Lindsey

who let the dogs out??

a Thomas the Train big wheel!!!
concentrating on the mouse trap game

Grandma coaching Asher on Skee Ball

where a kid can be a kid:)

happy birthday to you

at DQ with Grandma

kissable cheeks!

puppy party- got Great Grams to wear a puppy nose!

hex bugs

My baby boy is 2!!!! He loves puppy dogs, so we celebrated his family birthday party with a puppy party:) It was a really nice time spent with family while eating p'sghetti's, nutella puppy chow, and pawprint cupcakes. Asher enjoys opening presents, but when he opened his t-ball stand and bat from Mommy and Daddy he didn't care about anything else. 'Ball! Ball!' is what we heard the rest of the night. He, Sadie, and cousin Elijah were very intrigued with the Hexbugs- what a cool toy! We also had entertainment of Sadie and Asher dancing around and singing for the adults......reminds me of the times my cousins and I always put on shows at family gatherings. For the 'Puppy Party' I got a CD with puppy party songs on it, the first one being 'Who Let the Dog's Out' and let me tell you that it is a favorite of the kids!!!. It comes on and they immediately start shouting it out and barking and making their stuffed animals dance. So cute!!

That night after we put the kids to bed BJ and I headed back to KC for our weekend of painting and a date night:) The kids had a great time at Nana and Papa's. They went to Cabella's, strolled around St. Louis Mills, made crafts, went to church, made a fort, and watched Tarzan!! On Monday, my mom and I met in Columbia at Grandma Debbie's clinic, My Zoo, and the kids didn't even care when I showed up- the animals were more interesting than their mom who they hadn't seen in over 2 days!!! It made me a little sad, but I was happy to know that they did just fine away from me so we can do a weekend away again:)

On Asher's actual birthday we went to church then came home to greet Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Molly who brought fun presents and took our first trip to Chuck E Cheese!! It was great. Being Superbowl Sunday it wasn't overly crowded. Asher LoVeD skeeball and learned the ropes from Grandma Debbie. Sadie and Molly tried an array of games, with a mouse trapping game being the fave. At home we enjoyed cookie cake and cupcakes and the tuckered out toddlers took a nap:)

My little man is getting big so fast- I am cherishing these 'puppy' dog years with him now:)

US

priming over the beautiful green that served us well for almost 6 years

donning my new bling

BJ at Swagat

there will be a chartreuse painted border in the bathroom

So....we did it!! Our first weekend ever away from our kiddos:) We went to Nana and Papa's house in STL on Thursday night for Asher's 2nd birthday party held on Friday night (a later post for that) then after we tucked the babies in bed, BJ and I hit the road!!! I mean, he drove in some fierce wind while I supervised aka slept:) We got home at 2am and I got up at 8am to start taping the bathroom for our painting project.

Yes, while our kids were gone we took advantage of no distractions for home improvement. We taped, sanded, removed hardware, moved all furniture and 'stuff' from our bedroom, and primed on Saturday!!! Thanks to the help our amazing friend, Tonya, we were done with phase 1 of painting by 4:30. And she brought some great Brynna Bear entertainment as well.

DATE NIGHT!!! Then we got cleaned up and I received some very beautiful earrings and necklace to wear for our night out at Swagat and a late show of Sherlock Holmes. We ordered the Dinner for 2 which filled our entire table and gave us 2 full boxes of leftovers.....should have been a dinner for 3 or 4!!! But it was delicious! The chicken musala (sp?) was my favorite, as well as dipping the non in some great relishes (avacado and mint, onions/tomato, etc) We enjoyed a mango lassi and some rice pudding to cool our tongues as even just the 'medium' heat left us sweating:) Next on the agenda was Sherlock Holmes....I really enjoyed, I did, but after hard work all day long, and 2 nights of not much sleep fell asleep during part of it. sshhh....don't tell anyone that I am one of those people who does that. It was a lovely evening:)

Sunday I slept in til 8:30!!! Then got ready without interruptions for church and was able to worship in a focused state and enjoy actual adult conversation!!!! After a great message from the 2nd video of 'The Blessed Life' we went home to complete Phase 2. We painted Gray. It looks fabulous. I think we were done painting by 5:30 but by the time we took a pizza and 30Rock break then cleaned e v e r y inch of the room and furniture/hardware to move back in, we weren't done until 9. (did you know that q-tips are great at cleaning outlet covers and switch plates after they've accumulated years of gunk??)

You know one of the best parts of the weekend?? We worked really well together on a home improvement project, we laughed a lot, spent more time together than we have in ages, and barely got frustrated with each other. That gives me hope for when our kids are grown and out of the house- BJ and I will still have fun together:)

I drove to Columbia in the snow today to pick up the kids......who didn't even give me the time of day when I first saw them because we met at Grandma Leach's vet clinic http://www.myzooanimalhospital.com/ and there were way cooler things to look at than mom. Even if they hadn't seen her in over 2 days. After an hour of playing with chinchilla's, walking ferrets, having Whopper the parrot sing 'Happy Birthday', and following Hermes the tortoise around, we ate at DQ and the munchkins took an hour nap on the way home. The kids had a fantastic time at Nana and Papa's.....I think we will have to do this again:)

That is the adventure of US for the month. Next one coming up in May when BJ is in wedding in Vegas, Baby!!!

4 P's (and not the black-eyed ones)

So, I'm not really a goal setting person.....I like to know whats going on in the upcoming month and know schedule stuff, but not really goal setting on a personal level. But my year started out kinda rough, so I decided to change my attitude and do something about it. Hence, the 4 P's came to mind in the shower one day- where I do my best thinking, of course:)

Pause- take the 5 minutes to be on the floor with Asher doing shape sorter or playing Littlest Pet Shop with Sadie when I really want to be getting dinner ready. Taking a minute to watch them interact so sweetly when coloring at the table (50/50 here on the 'sweetly' part). When BJ is playing with them after work and I want to clean the kitchen or send an email, I will try to go and just watch them play or jump on into the game of 'goldfish' 'monkey chase' or 'daddy monster'.
They are getting big to quick and I want to remember this time.

Peace- starting my day with the Lord. been doing a study of 'Becoming a Woman of Prayer' by Cynthia Heald. So Good! It takes about 5-10 minutes (perfect for me!) and even if I don't get to finish it because I need to get someone more milk, or fix Sadie's hair before preschool, I've at least connected with my God in the morning, which helps me keep in touch with Him more often throughout my day. I've learned that throughout my responsibilities of wife, mom, zumba instructor, dance teach, friend, social stuff.....I put a lot of pressure on my self sometimes or start freaking out about all that I need (more like want) to do. So I've been intentionally stopping myself when I get to that point of 'Oh my gosh, this is too much' and just wait on the Lord and wait for him to refill my cup and remind me of my priorities.

Pro-active- if it is only going to take me 30 seconds to do a little task like open the mail now rather than let it sit on the counter for later, or run the laundry hamper downstairs before it is brimming over the top...I'm going to do it now rather than later. that is my goal. hoping to keep a little more on top of housekeeping.....which is hard to do since it is like shoveling during a snowstorm!

Prepared- i am a 'late' person. i am one of those people. sorry friend, but you know that if I tell you I will be there at 10 it will either be 10 on the dot or a few minutes after. I hope to be more prepared in getting ready to leave the house (I have to brag that we have been early to church the past 3 Sundays....makes my hubby way happy since he HATES being late). I also want to be prepared for my classes I'm teaching, so I am working on a system for that.....need to get a 3-ring binder soon. I want to be prepared for birthday parties, baby showers, etc and not wait til the last minute to get a present. I'm not expecting this goal to go perfectly, but hey, at least I'm trying!

So, there you have it ladies and gents. My 4 P's:) If you have any goals you are working to attain, I'd love to hear them! Leave a comment below.

I am going to take a moment to get some peace while the 4 kids at my house are asleep at the same time since I didn't even pick up my book this morning....then to finish dinner prep!

much love, Linds

fullness

well.....BJ is now 30 years old, Sadie is close to being 4 and has started preschool, and Asher is more independent everyday and is communicating really well. Where does all the time go???

I have my good days and my bad days juggling all the housework, meal planning, calendar maintaining, working out, on staff with Act 1 choreographing for 'You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown', church activities, keeping up socially, and trying to be a good mama and wife- geez! Without the grace of God, I would be a total mess!

We just had all of our family in this weekend to celebrate BJ's birthday, and it is so wonderful being surrounded by our loving and supportive family. I love KC, but there are days when I miss being able to just hop in the car and go to a family dinner or catch a movie with the girls. But moments like this past weekend where we eat together, go to the pumpkin patch, play outside, and laugh together over silly stuff fills my heart.

Of course my hubby and kids make my heart full as well- Sadie is showing us how thoughtful she is by sharing toys with her brother and thinking of him when she grabs a snack for him too and not just herself (of course there are moments of yelling and shoving and grabbing, but hey we try to really praise and focus on the good stuff). Asher has the most expressive little face and social personality!! Tonight he wanted me to get on the floor with him and play tractor so he is looking at me and pointing to the floor going 'hit! hit! hit!'. BJ is so awesome at playing with the kids and trying to help me out around the house----I am SO blessed and thankful for this life God has given me:)

i scream, you scream....

we all scream for ICE CREAM!!!

Sadie has talked all summer about the ice cream man and we just have never caught him.....until Thursday afternoon. It was around 4:30 and the kids were relaxing and watching a show after their naps when......the glorious sound of the Ice Cream Man was coming down our street! What a lovely pre-dinner snack:) Sadie opted for the jolly rancher popsicle while Asher and I split a Good Humor chocolate eclaire bar- yum!

*note that Asher likes to eat his ice cream wearing galoshes:)