BMG

Hey Family,

So, if you'll look up to the top of this blog page, you'll notice a new tab! It's called 'The BelaMaeGillian Project'. Go ahead, open it up. You'll see I've come up with a fantastic new way to keep my house cleaner and my kids educated and entertained at the same time! I'm a genius!

Genius idea: Each and every birthday or Christmas celebration, when you find yourself in front of a Barbie display, or coloring books, or stickers... think instead PAY PAL.

These girls have so much STUFF! It's proven that the over-accumulation of toys and child paraphernalia leads directly to the emotional breakdown of certain mothers, involving tears, usually in front of over-worked husbands and sometimes innocent babes, which may or may not involve stuffing prized possessions strewn across the floor into hefty garbage bags and hiding them in the attic. Right before work on a morning when everyone is running late anyway.

 They actively play with about 6% of their toys, and we are always trying to scrape together money for the exciting classes they want to take (ok, the exciting classes I convince them they want to take.) 

Just send a small amount of money their way, and I PROMISE I will put it toward their wish list of classes (and not toward pedicures). 

Or don't! It's up to you. I'll keep a running list of the classes on their to-do lists just in case you're interested.

What do you think?

These Moments

A moment from a few weeks back we want to remember and share. Have a great weekend!

Reading

This photo has nothing to do with this post, but see that blurry lacy shrug Baby is wearing? Something I made her last week.

I love to read to the girls at night. Even when I'm mad at them. I take it real seriously; I get grumpy if they aren't paying full attention.  Real grumpy. Back in the Little House on the Prairie days, it wasn't unusual for me to spend an hour at night, just reading. And I insisted on their full attention.

Well, we finished that series and baby came along and, well, I don't always read for that long at night, but we've made it through quite a few really good books since Fall, including:

Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury
Goblin Secrets - William Alexander
Poppy  - Avi

And now, we're on The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. So far it's been a great read.

But for as much as I read to the girls, I almost never read to myself for pleasure, not at home. I save all my reading time for the train, which leads me to the point of this post.

I have just finished a wonderfully sad and funny and intelligent historical novel called A Moment in the Sun, by John Sayles. It was one of those books that had me laughing out loud and crying real soft and making all sorts of funny faces on the train. And it was 1000 pages long. That's a lot of train rides.

What are you reading these days?

Thursdays with Gill

I spend Thursdays at home with Gill, and they are my favorite day of the week. Saturdays always start out great, but shortly after morning coffee, after glancing at my list of goals for the weekend... I look up and the day is over and nothing was accomplished. Making Sunday a depressing "squeeze it all in" kind of a day. The rest of the work week I run like a maniac from job #1 to job #2 to quilting class to the gym.  Ok. I don't always make it to the gym.

But Thursdays? It's just me and the little lady. And time slows down just a teeny bit.

Today we spent the morning snacking, putting pins in the pin cushion and taking them out, sorting buttons, making mini-pizzas to freeze for quick school lunches, and dancing to our favorite tunes (Mom! We finally got our SONOS speaker. Thanks for the gift card!)

Whole wheat pizza dough - I put on sauce and cheese and freeze them individually for the girls' lunches

When she went down for a nap I hopped on over to my crafts in progress:

1) A new dress for Gill from a french pattern I ordered a few years ago. I saw this fabric at JoAnns when buying the backing for my quilt (which is nearly finished, by the way.)

I cut the pieces out while she was awake

I was able to finish all but the hand-sewing required on the front and back yoke. This dress and I have a date tonight, in front of the tv.

My first quilt (top). I was laying it out here to get design ideas, but it's all sewn up now. Just need to baste, quilt, and bind!

2) A spring sweater coat I've started for her.

She'll be up soon and we'll eat pizza, throw laundry around the house, destroy a few rolls of toilet paper, try on all of Bela and Mae's socks and hats and mittens (a new obsession of hers), and head on out to get the girls from school.

Another great thing about Thursdays? They end at Moksha Yoga with my pal Karen, for a bit of candlelight yoga. It's the one time a week we make it out to do yoga, and I've come to look forward to it so much.
Now, if only the approaching snow storm would wreak enough havoc to shut down campus tomorrow... Thursday could stretch into Friday!

This Moment

My weekly post - a moment from our week I'd like to share and remember. Have a great weekend!

This is such a great age

My name is Bela. This is my nabor hould (get it? Rhymes with 'could'?) This is what it looks like when it's winter. I have lots of friends in my nabor hould. I am 8 years old. I have two sisters. I am in 2nd grade. My sister is 5. My other sister is 1. My one year old sister is very slopy and qute. (I love it. She's 'qute').

This is my baby sisters room. When momy was gon (Sleeping?) and the baby was criing I hade to go and make the baby calm down.

This is my other sister. She is in kingergarten (she underlines the questionably spelled words. Hee hee). She is vary playful and a little funny. (This is the biggest compliment she has ever given her). She is also a little to exited about things (my heart is breaking, so cute). She is also a little anoying.

(hee hee)

The tooth fairy is a real bitch

I realize that she must be busy. So many teeth. One little fairy.

But this is the THIRD time Bela has lost a tooth, has diligently placed the thing under her pillow, and nothing. NOTHING!

I told Bela that maybe if she reminded ME before bed that she had lost a tooth that day, and that she was anticipating a late night visit, well, then, I wouldn't stay up so late. I wouldn't scare the tooth fairy away.

I told Bela that if she just gave me a gentle reminder that she had lost another tooth, that I would try to keep Gillian from waking 6 times a night (poor baby is teething. Poor, poor, sweet, lovely freaking baby who doesn't let her mother sleep, who makes her mommy look like she's 47 instead of 37. Poor baby.) I'm SURE that Gilli's waking is scaring the tooth fairy away.

Or maybe she's just a lazy bitch? Maybe she had a bad day? Maybe she wishes that her tooth fairy partner would remember once in awhile, would take the reins? Maybe sometimes she doesn't like her job? Maybe this is her, acting out, all defiant and self-righteous?

I can only speculate.

But I'm pretty sure she won't forget again.

Dear tooth fairy, Why didn't you [come] last night to get my tooth? I wonder where you keep the teeth? I made these for you (a Paper-doll pony with fancy decorations). I wonder why people do not write a thank you note.

PS - The fairy left her a teeny tiny thank you note. And a $5 bill. She must have felt really bad for forgetting. Again.