This Circus Life

I used to frequently compare having a baby to college life.  You eat leftover pizza, stay up insanely late, never clean, or get out of your pajamas.  You might read lots of books.  You have no idea what you're doing. 

Now that I have three children, a circus seems a more likely comparison. 

Our home is a vintage red big top.  The magical type (no carnies here)
We have a mighty ring leader who's loud and powerful voice helps control the crowd and get the attention of the performers.  Thank goodness for him or the whole show might go to hell.

I have a graceful trapeze artist, singing and dancing and reading you poetry.  There is a little monkey too.  Always gripping to his mama's hip laughing at the other circus animals.  And a tiger, powerful and fierce.  Beautiful really.  Just don't put your fingers in her cage. 
Sometimes I am the clown, sometimes I walk the high wire, sometimes I fly magically through air, meeting demands with out touching my feet to the floor.  More often I am the juggler,  carrying too much and doing 10 things at once.  
During Thanksgiving dinner, we even had magicians.  Ruby and Lucy were asking, "which hand has the broccoli?  Neither, it's in my belly!"  Too cute. (and healthy for once)

It is always loud at our house.  Always someone joking, someone squealing, someone crying, leaping on furniture, someone jumping from the top of the fridge.  I catch myself wanting to yell.  SILENCE! 

But then what if it was quiet.  Silent.  Empty.  Lonely.  Lifeless.

The noise and chaos of my life IS my life.  

I embrace it.  The crazy, motorcycle in a cage, head spinning moments, and all.  (A clown on a unicycle just rode by.)  This circus life is shockingly entertaining.  It is more than I'd ever hoped for.  

Circus life is sweet.   

But it can be exhausting.

Get your tickets now... they only cost a silver penny.

When they say "cry it out" do they mean me? 

As I write this Finley is screaming in his crib as I am "teaching" him to go to sleep without the comfort of my bosom.  So if my post reads disjointed, scrambled, or generally insane, it is because your own baby's cries have a link to your brain that makes you crazy. 

This week was a roller coaster of good and bad.  I am going to focus on the good, because while you might relate to my misery, who wants to read about that!!!  No Debbie Downer here.

Picture this:

Three kids packed like sardines in the back of a compact SUV each with pink  fingers, sticky, shiny, pink  faces, each with their sleeping heads bobbing up and down rolling in different directions.  Necks crooked, sweet faces.   

               Peace.
                                                             Quiet. 

The smell of cotton candy takes over your senses.  Lucy is even dressed like cotton candy in her pink  princess costume dress.  The mental Polaroid of them riding giraffes on the carousel is dancing my my head. 

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE

 

 

I successfully entertained them into exhaustion.  I love our children's museum.  We are so lucky to have such a wonderful one here in Indy.  And the Barbie exhibit...don't get me started. . .

That is my good mommy moment for the week.  We are going to try to forget that the other moments even happened.  (Like Lucy taking off her seat belt and pulling my hair all the way to school while screaming like a maniac then refusing to get out of the car for school, peeing in her car seat...again, oh and it took us 3 hours of arguing and 7 wardrobe changes to get Lucy to the car to go to the museum in the first place...) But we will focus on the rose and not the thorn...cue Bret Michaels. 

By the way, I got Finley up three paragraphs ago and he is now nursing on my lap.  One hour of crying and my head is spinning.  WHO DOES THIS   "CRY IT OUT"  THING SUCCESSFULLY?  Don't tell me if it's you. 

~Evan James Lange~

LOVE, B

Country Life

 

Just like a bird upon the wing, 

It flies away all fancy free

And lights upon a house or tree;

It flies across the farthest air,

And builds a safe nest anywhere.

                                ~Annette Wynne

I wish  I could read their little minds.  Children are so fascinating, don't you think?  The way they see the world through new eyes and marvel at everything.  I want to capture that joy and wonder in a glass jar and sprinkle it like pixie dust on my oatmeal each morning.  

The Grimes Brothers 

Sounds like a whimsically illustrated storybook doesn't it?  Well, they are certainly characters.  I had such fun exploring their Aunt and Uncle's country house last week.  Here are some highlights. 

                                                     

The boys' cousin

I hope your wish comes true today.  Maybe you'll find a Silver Penny.  Until Tomorrow...

My mom just commented on an earlier post and used my favorite new word. 


                    GLORY*US.  

                                                                                      Love it!  (Yes, people I know it's not really a word.  But I know you're with me)  Words are like toys, use your imagination.  Speaking of playtime, my KISA is having friends over tonight and I am making "man food".  I often make Carol's famous Italian Beef sandwiches or a chili for guys night.  But tonight it is Spaghetti.  Not just any spaghetti though.  This is a cross between marinara and chili.  Sweet, spicy, meaty, chunky.  A*mazing.  My California girl sister, Nichole, gave it to me and it is an absolute favorite around here.  So, I thought why not share.  It is perfect for a rainy fall night like tonight and may I just say, add a red wine and...Glory-us...

Chunky Pasta Sauce

1 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork (sometimes I use Italian sausage)
2 cans (28oz) diced tomatoes (total 56 oz)
1/2-1 cup water
1 can tomato paste (6oz)
1 onion cut into wedges
1 medium sweet red pepper cut into 1 inch pieces (sometimes I add two...why not)
1 cup chopped carrots
3-4 tbsp sugar (to taste)
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt

Brown meat.  Transfer to a 3 quart slow cooker or crock pot.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Cook on low for 6-7 hours or until veggies are tender.  Serve over your favorite pasta with your favorite shredded cheese (Hello Havarti).  YOU WILL LOVE THIS.  Thank you Nichole!  Enjoy

                          Until tomorrow.

Light Hearted.

In an effort to shake my mood (see depressing earlier post), I thought I would list a few of my favorite things.  I encourage you to do the same today.  Thanksgiving shouldn't be just a Holiday to eat after all. 

Thanksgiving.  I love a day where we only focus on the things we have that we love, and not all the rest.

Lucy's growly low voice.  And laughter.  Geez that kid is FUN.

Ruby's sweet nature.  And Kindness.  And Sensitivity.



Finley's belly laugh as he walks in his new squeaky shoes. (Thanks mom)

My KISA's smile when he is TRULY having fun.  (I hope he doesn't throttle me for posting a photo)






My home.  I LOVE where I live, my neighbors, the community, everything about it.

The life my KISA provides for our Family by working hard even when it seems unbearable.  I am so LUCKY to be a stay at home MOMMY. 

To be American.  I can't imagine being a free spirited woman anywhere else.

My siblings.  I have WONDER*FULL sisters & brothers including my sisters-in-law.  I would choose you guys as friends if you'd have me.

A circle of friends who always make everything okay.  My girlfriends are my tether to sanity.

Relationships.  After all that is the only thing that matters.  I started this post with petty things in mind.  My favorite Bobbi Brown lipstick, Mac's granite eyeshadow, Gap jeans, Ugg boots, Yosemite National Park, and Van Morrison.  Maybe I will still share those things with you guys someday.  But today I'm just keep'n it real.  I was in a mood.  I put it out there and then decided to change it. 

As John Cusack says to his sister in Say Anything, "How hard is it to wake up in the morning and just be in a good mood?  Just be happy!"

Well, harder than one might think apparently, but I'm workin' it one hour at a time.  Sending you a box of sunshine wrapped with a white ribbon and a silver penny. 

Now, I'm going to have another cup of coffee.

I'm walking into a forest of darkness.  While the leaves of the silver maples twinkle in the evening sun, I know I shouldn't stay long.  The beauty of the entrance, the comfort of the sorrow leads a path into the blackest part of these woods.  The sadness creeps up from my ankles like moss.  Soon it's deep green is dripping from my arms like branches threatening to suffocate me.  I could get trapped here.  I back out slowly into the meadow where the sun can warm my face.  I walk back to life.  But the moss is still there hanging on to my extremities.  As a reminder of the forest begging me to return. 

The All American RV

Travel can be lots of things. 

Thrilling, Relaxing, Educational, Inspirational...

For our sweet family it is Nostalgic. 
I can already picture the weathered photographs of our future in all their sentimental majesty.  Our adventures in our All-American RV. 

I know, seriously?  Camping, in a dirty, old, 70's, smells like cigarettes and hanky panky RV? 

That's what I thought too.  My KISA brought up the idea last spring (not the first time) and I (for once) had an open mind about it.  We talked about the finances of flying 5 people on vacation.  We talked about hotels and going to McDonald's for every meal with our preschooler, toddler, and baby.  We talked about adventure and comfort and freedom and character-building. 

Then we went shopping.  OMG.  Did you know there are campers with granite counter tops and fireplaces?  I certainly didn't.  And after a month or so of shopping and debating, we became the happy owners of a brand spank'n new trailer RV.
      No 70's interior. 
                    No hanky panky smell.  
Just two sets of bunk beds, a kitchen, bathroom with a tub, and a master bed with a flat screen TV (yea,  I KNOW). 

Now, it's November and we just winterized our RV after a season with several weeks of travel under our belt.  It is all it's cracked up to be.  Comfort, family, nostalgia, It's the quintessential vintage all American vacation. 

So as a tribute to the end of vacation season I thought I'd share a few fun pics of our trips. 

Our family travels in our all American RV.  

And here's a little of my Silver Pennies gratitude for the day...

Glad that I live am I;

That the sky is blue;

And the fall of dew.

After the sun the rain, 

After the rain the sun

This is the way of life,

Til the work be done.

All that we need to do  

Be low or high, 

Is to see that we grow

Nearer the sky.

                                                              

                                                                      Lizette Woodworth Reese

Dog gone dogs

I'm a lean dog, a keen dog, a wild dog, and lone; 

I'm a rough dog, a tough dog, hunting on my own;

I'm a bad dog, a mad dog, teasing silly sheep;

I love to sit and bay the moon, to keep fat souls

from sleep.

                                                                         -Irene Rutherford McLeod

Anyone who knows me would likely not call me a dog person. 

I used to be, but the absence of our Barney (the Flinstone variety not the purple dino) left me heartbroken.

 

But I am proud to say I bonded with a dog today.  I had my first doggie shoot and it was really fun!  Check out my friend Mater below (yep, mater like the rusted old To-mater from the Cars movie)  I should note he is, in a way, my brother.  (He's my mom's dog).

I think he's had enough.

I'll admit, he won me over...he's got that same look as Lucy when she's been into somethin'!

See you soon.