Smoky Mountains, Here We Come!!!

Since my darling daughter refused to take her “coat” off (her term for a hoodie) at the bookstore, I had to subject her to a photo shoot when we got home today. We can’t let the Oilily go to waste, now can we??

Ok, so that’s it folks. We are out in the morning, bright and early. Pray for a safe drive to and from Tennessee, and for Charlie’s visit with her grandparents, sure to be a ball. We have decided to drive straight through tomorrow (that’s 11 hours, people), so also pray for our sanity and patience. I have a mountain of snacks, toys, and even picked up some El Cheapo books from the bargain rack at Borders today. We are going to try and stop as little as possible, with one exception, of course: Cracker Barrel…who can resist those biscuits, anyway?

I will post some pics of the first part of the visit when we get back in a week. Hallelujer!!

Downtown

This morning we braved the rain and met up with my friend Ms. Susan and her baby girl Elizabeth at Borders on Michigan Avenue. They have a storytime every Friday morning at 11 am. I wish I could say that Charlie sat quietly and listened to all the stories and songs, but alas, she was more interested in the bin of stuffed animals and stealing other children’s backpacks.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook

For Today, August 6th…

Outside my window… it is hot.

I am thinking… that I wish Charlie could pack herself for vacation.

I am thankful for… the chance to sleep in, coming in 4 days.

From the kitchen… feeling guilty about all the fast food I’ve had lately…mmm…might need to run through the Dunkin’ Donuts drive-through later for some Munchkins…

I am wearing… a coffee-stained t-shirt and maternity skirt. Sexy, no??

I am creating… the favors for Charlie’s birthday party. Yes, I am making them, with a little help from my friends…I can do it, really I can!!

I am going… to stock up on tabloid mags tomorrow morning. Yaahooo, the BEST part about a roadtrip!

I am reading… nothing today but am hoping my 900 page September Vogue comes by Saturday morning…what are the odds???

I am hoping… they have movie theatres in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Around the house… I am buried alive in baby clothes. Help!!

A few plans for the rest of the week: leaving Vann with dinner/bath duty tonight as I seek out cheap stuff at the dollar store to keep you-know-who busy on our 11 hour roadtrip…meeting my friend Susan in the AM for the Borders on Michigan Ave. Storytime and then lunch at the park…a date to wash my hair so I don’t have to next week on vacay…and PACKING, PACKING, and MORE PACKING.

Here is a picture I am sharing… Awww…look at those sleepy eyes!

If you want to know more about the Simple Woman’s Daybook…

Mommy’s “Quiet Time”

Today, in lieu of Mom’s Group (it got cancelled due to many people being out of town), Ms. Megan and I decided to go ahead and take the girls to the park and out for lunch afterwards. Charlie did really well at the table, and once she saw Lindsay sitting in her high chair like a “big girl”, she wanted to be a “big girl” too! Our friend Ms. Rachel met us with her older girls Maddie and Claire, who LOVED entertaining our younger ones.

She fell asleep as we were pulling into the garage, and yep, you guessed it, that measly catnap now has her all stirred up for the afternoon. I try SO hard not let this happen, even crank the music in the car and/or throw things at her (soft things, of course) to keep her awake, because inevitably, she will talk in her crib for the duration of naptime. We’ll just call it Mommy’s “quiet time” for today, Charlie…

No-nap days like this actually DO end in my favor, believe it or not, and today is a great day for it…Vann has a late meeting and Mommy is solo this evening. Guess what, girlie? Bedtime comes a little early for you, my dear!!

Edited to add: Whew. As I suspected, Charlie was so exhausted by 6:30 pm putting her down was quite the challenge. You have to wonder why they don’t just beg for the bed after getting up earlier than normal and not napping…but when I turned out the lights and stepped out of the room, the crying lasted for approximately one minute, and then it was silent.

I promptly took my first shower in days (yes, days) and am now sitting here in the quiet…the only sounds being the whir of the air conditioner and the trickle of the cat’s water fountain. And man, I am EXHAUSTED. Vacation couldn’t come any sooner.


A New Chapter

THANK YOU to all of you who made it to Vann’s surprise graduation party last night!! It was a huge success, and he was actually surprised, which was no small feat considering his wife is not the greatest of secret-keeper’s. I think the best part of all was the “merging of worlds”, meaning church friends, work friends, and school friends in one room, celebrating him! I am thrilled that everything turned out well and he had a wonderful time.

So yes, he is officially done. I can’t believe it, and I know that he’s in a state of shock himself. Now comes the task of getting ready for baby…yes, I know, it’s still months away, but I am a born nester, and organizing/re-arranging is what I do best. When I was a little girl and we moved into a new house, I would spend all night making my room “just so”. I love that kind of stuff!

As we drive Charlie to Tennessee next Saturday, my immediate goal for the week will be to pack her for her two week trip to Nana and JJ’s house. It’s amazing to me how much a 25 pound girl needs! Vann and I will then go on a three night getaway and afterwards return to Chicago to “get to work”. We have almost ten days here to prepare for the baby and it will be wonderful knowing Charlie is having a ball and won’t be underfoot while we are trying to get organized.

In the spirit of new beginnings, I thought I would share my “Fall Goal Checklist” with you (as keeping myself accountable is the biggest thing):

-pack up books/picture frames/extraneous things we won’t need between now and the end of the year

-make room for baby

-declutter our storage unit and PURGE!!

-“nest” for baby (buy diapers, wash newborn stuff, etc.)

-enroll charlie in a ballet class for fall

-buy/wrap/ship christmas presents prior to Thanksgiving

-pre-order baby announcements

Seems like a lot, doesn’t it?? You would think I am Type A as I thrive on this stuff and can’t wait till Charlie returns to a clean, organized, and well-appointed home. Not only that, but we have a birthday party to prepare for and some fun new toys to assemble. If you can’t tell, I am SO excited for this new chapter! We are definitely short on space, but we might as well make the best of it, and enjoy and appreciate all of the wonderful blessings God has given us.

Tomorrow Charlie and I embark on our journey to find the perfect birthday cake. Pictures to follow…not too worry…it will all be well documented! I promise to post some new pics of the girl soon!

The Simple Woman’s Daybook


For Today, July 30th…

Outside my window… someone is hammering.

I am thinking… that I wish it was ok to have that 3rd cup of coffee.

I am thankful for… my sweet and funny husband.

From the kitchen… Jennifer’s oatmeal cookies are the bomb!

I am wearing… extremely comfy pants and a maternity tank, very glamorous.

I am creating… a facelift for our blog.

I am going… to sit here as long as Charlie stays asleep.

I am reading… nothing fun at the moment…

I am hoping… to make it through these next two weeks…

Around the house… it is quiet.

One of my favorite things… listening to Christmas music. Wait a minute…you don’t actually think…I’m doing that NOW, do you???

A few plans for the rest of the week: dropping Charlie off at her friend Emi’s house to play, hitting up a consignment sale, looking forward to an amazing weekend!!

Here is a picture I am sharing… Charlie only a few days old…

If you want to know more about the Simple Woman’s Daybook…

Little People, Big Emotions

Welcome to the world of toddlerhood. Today started out well, Mom’s Group and lunch with my dear college friend Joey, where Charlie flirted like mad and got to practice some nose-scrunching (something she lately deems as cute–and she’s right) and then it was home for a pretty decent nap.

When Daddy arrived home at 6, however, and attempted to simply put her shoes on so they could take a walk to Walgreens, Charlie threw the biggest screaming fit I think I’ve ever seen. Now, she’s had some major tantrums over her young life, but this one took the cake. She was so mad she turned bright red and was stomping her feet up and down on the tile floor. I couldn’t help but laugh when she wasn’t looking at me, I mean, it WAS pretty funny, but then when she caught me laughing she promptly stomped over and pushed me with all her might.

We let her work it out, and she eventually calmed down and let Vann hold her and comfort her. But then she proceeded to eat nothing for dinner except a solitary piece of cheese. She is refusing to sit in her booster (again)…just wants to run around on the back deck while we are trying to eat “as a family”.

This brings Vann and I to our current dilemma: do we force her to sit in the booster and listen to her scream as we try to enjoy our meal, or do we let her go to bed hungry, by her choice?

I realize that this doesn’t paint my sweet little girl in a very good light. She really is very funny, and increasingly verbal and will repeat a lot of things she hears (gotta watch that)…and is starting to remember her little pals names and gives many kisses. I almost wonder if she’s throwing these tantrums when Vann walks in the door to either punish him or get attention from him, because she doesn’t do it during the day when it’s just me.

All of this to say…I am attempting to find moments of laughter in the midst of the chaos…and maybe two weeks with her Nana (because you know she’s going to stay with her Nana and JJ for two weeks in August–hallelujer) will whip her into shape. We are using it as “making room for baby”/”hooray we can go to a movie” time, but for Charlie, hopefully the change of scenery/authority will be a major positive influence on her. Of course, “they” do say that kids always act better with others than they do with you.

This parenting thing, man, it is not easy. If I could drink right now, I have a feeling we’d be going through the red wine like it was water. Something to look forward to…

A Mommy/Daughter Day

Last Monday Charlie and I were in the right place at the right time and snagged one of the free passes to the Chicago Children’s Museum from our local library. It’s pretty cool…if you happen to be there when one is checked back in, you get it for a week and it’s good for free admission as many times as you want to use it!

We decided at the last minute to go this morning, as we didn’t have any plans and I had been sitting on the pass for a week…I wonder if this happens to other Mommies during the summer…you check one out and then never use it because you have so many other things going on in you and your child’s schedule…at any rate, the last time we were there Charlie wasn’t quite walking yet, so this was a whole ‘nother ballgame!