Missed Blessings?

When we heard about the Blessing of the Backpacks I was pumped. I could just picture my hunky law student up there with his fancy satchel (doesn't that word make me sound like an 80-year-old man?) amongst all of the adorable elementary kiddos. I even drove back home between Sunday school and church to fetch the forgotten backpack. However, Josh decided that he was way to cool to go down front for the blessing and special pack pin. Sure he would have been the only one over 9 up there, sure he would have towered over the rest of them, sure his satchel would have looked sad without Hannah Montana or a Jonas Brother plastered on the front, but wouldn't it have made a FANTASTIC blog post? And really, who needs more blessing than a law student determined to be #1 in his class? Oh well, I lost the battle. He better get all A's or we'll all know why won't we:)

As a special Saturday morning breakfast I made tiny biscuits and "coffee" for Ava. She even has her own coffee cup. We found cinnamon honey butter at the farmer's market that turned homemade biscuits into heavenly morsels. And don't furrow those brows at my coffee allowance, it's mostly milk and a little raw sugar. Needless to say, she cleaned her tray.

I could not be more pleased with the children's program at our church. Each Sunday it is evident that these little ones are top priority. This Sunday morning they played in a tub of suds, which Ava later described as "doing dishes". Her new BFF Grace was there to play too.

Finally finished hanging curtains. These hanging in the living room were graciously donated by Josh's mom. Thanks Mimi!

I made these to hang in our room. They photographed a little strange, but I'm happy with them. I'd like to paint the "curtain rod" soon. You cannot imagine the ordeal the curtain hanging has been. None of the curtains can be mounted on the wall with the window because there is no wall. No wall on either side, no wall above. We've used robe hooks (like the ones you would use on the back of your bathroom door) that are shaped like a shallow U, and large dowel rods to hang the curtains. My sweet hubby has been very patient with my need for curtains. They do make things look more homey, and were worth all the trouble.

When it's 75 degrees at 1:00 in the afternoon in August you have to be outside. Inspired by a blank canvas Ava began to paint for the first time.

"This one is for Sarah and Brandon," she proclaimed.

Meticulously cleaning her brush.

decisions decisions

Game face

Doesn't she look like a brooding artist? Such a tortured life. I think she's gaining inspiration from my refusal to buy colorful Goldfish crackers. (All that dye just doesn't seem right.) Poor baby. The toddler angst is apparent in each brushstroke.

"This one is for Coach," whispered the artist.

"And this one is for Baba," she said. Soon tiny and then larger raindrops started to fall and we retreated inside. We will be mailing out the masterpieces tomorrow on our field trip to the post office.

So I'm growing more accustomed to this new life as a stay-at-home mom. Here are a few of my observations:

*There is no Sunday night ulcer. My whole life, since preschool, Sunday nights have stressed me out. It's not that I dread or hate what is coming on Monday. In fact once the morning comes I'm usually more enthused than most about the upcoming week. But from about 6:00 pm on Sundays there's a sense of impending doom. Because of the blissful Sunday afternoon nap I know I won't be able to fall asleep, then I'll start the week out groggy. A groggy Monday will set the tone for a whole week of mediocre. These thoughts would run around in my head and taint the whole second half of my Sunday. For the first time since age 4 there is no Sunday ulcer. Thank you Lord! Any time I think about our finances (or lack there of), or start feeling guilty about not supporting our family by working full time I remember the new Sunday peace and it's easier to breathe.

This next observation is kind of gross, skip it if you'd rather.

*Children always want what they can't have. Because I have the digestive system of a 90-year-old woman I enjoy a Kellogg Fiber Plus bar most mornings. (If you haven't tried them they are wonderful. They taste great, and don't have the horrible "side effects" of the more potent Fiber One bars. Avoid these at all cost, unless you are going to be in an enclosed space with people you really don't like.) Ava begs for a bite of my fiber bars. The child doesn't need extra fiber in her diet, if anything she needs less. Something about 18 months of breastmilk has streamlined her digestive system. I gave her a tiny bite of the Fiber Plus bar one day and we didn't come out of the bathroom for the rest of the afternoon. I hate telling her no when the bars taste SO good. I shopped carefully and selected the only granola bar that wasn't lousy with high fructose corn syrup, sugar, and dyes. They don't taste great. Nothing like the dark chocolate yummy that is the fiber bar. I try to explain that it will hurt her tummy, but she just gives me this very 16-year-old face like, "Yeah right mom, you're so selfish." So I'm desperate. Have any of my faithful readers or blurkers (a new word I recently learned, it's a blog lurker...someone who reads the blog but never comments) found a healthy granola bar that your kiddos love? Here's your chance to come clean sweet blurkers. Comment with some advice about the Great Fiber Bar Fiasco. Save me from those piercing baby blues. To each person who comments we will ship a personalized Ava-painted masterpiece.

*I am hunting for ways to save money on groceries. If you have any tips or great coupon sites please send them my way. Thanks!