Getting Things Done

If you are a Mama, you might not think there is anything wrong with these pictures. Or maybe you are a Mama and you think there are tons of things wrong with these pics. I took these pictures on a day when I was particularly frustrated. I was mostly frustrated about my inability to get anything done around the house. This is one result of not having the girls in preschool, the house is rarely clean.
I am not a clean freak, but I do like order and I like to be in control of things, namely the house, but I have been trying to trade control for fun with my children. We made a fort in the living room and had a great time roasting marshmallows and looking at the moon and stars, and reading "Winnie the Pooh" while curled up inside the tent.

So, sorting the fall clothes and cleaning the kitchen had to wait for a few days. It was worth it. I realize there are many different kinds of Mamas that love and care for their children in many different ways. Some Mamas care for their families with an immaculate house, some Mamas care for their families by taking them on fun outings, or making incredible food, etc. It has been fun for me to discover different ways to care for my family, and to find contentment in sometimes being out of control.

Fun with Friends

Since we have kept the girls out of school this year we have been having fun chillin' with some of our friends who aren't doing the school thing this year either. This has been great fun for us, because we adore hanging out with Andrew and Elsbeth and of course Andrew and Elsbeth's Mama. Here are some pictures of our recent adventures.

Annelise and Els kickin' with the gorillas at the zoo
the carousel

Below is a picture of Andrew and Hadleigh making slime. We did this on "S" day. We colored pictures of snails, school buses and snakes and played with slime! One of our other favorite days was when we read "Scrambled Eggs Super Duper" and then made scrambles eggs for lunch. HC still talks about that!

It is nice to be getting into a routine of days and it is fun to be able to spend time with the some special friends.

Granola

I have never been a big fan of cereal. Growing up I would always eat either Cheerios (regular, plain Cheerios) or oatmeal (hold the brown sugar please). Mom always said I was a healthy eater, I'm not so sure about that, but I was never big on sweets at least. No chocolate or candy for me. I always passed on the soda and hated pizza (I actually tolerate pizza these days, but would never choose on my own to eat it).

Dave is not a big cereal eater, he likes protein- eggs and bacon (turkey) or yogurt and granola. Occasionally he will buy a box of Rice Krispies or Corn Flakes. For the last several years I have made homemade granola bars which are super yum and fairly easy to make. I always make a HUGE batch and freeze a bunch for the girls, and I love that I can choose what is in them...raisins, dried fruit, peanut butter chips...yum!

Lately I have been thinking about trying to make my own granola and I have been searching high and low for a recipe. Most of the recipes calls for a pound of butter, 5 cups of maple syrup, a quart of oil and some brown sugar to top it off. How in the world can this be good for you? But I finally found a recipe that is perfect. I can add what I want to it, and it doesn't have a bunch of sugar and a bunch of butter. I have made this several times and it is a winner. Click on the title of this post and you will be taken to the recipe.

Picture Fun

Our good bud, Jessica and her crew came up to visit and take some family pictures for us a couple weeks ago. I think this is the 6th time she has used her crazy skills to bless our fam, and she did great again!

Since I could not find a babysitter for her two kiddos we decided to skip Stone Mountain and take the shots right here at home. I was thinking outside would be perfect, but Jess transformed out living room into coolness, and we had a great time sitting around and reading to our girls, which is what we do a lot of the time anyway.

It was all super fun and I cannot wait to get my hands on the rest of the pictures and choose some for our walls and some for Christmas cards. And for all you folks that contine to comment on her GREAT work to me, give her a buzz so you can have your own fab family pictures taken!