Remind me to laugh

This will probably come off kind of cheesy, but it's something that Big E has been saying to me recently when I put him to bed.  And it made me think.  Kids: it's what they do.
The last couple nights, he has looked at me and said, "mom, will you lay down with me for one more minute, so I can make you laugh?"
Kind of a random thing to say.  I mean, I think we laugh a lot, all day long, or so I thought.  However, the last two nights, both Big E and Big H have said something to me, as I'm laying there next to them, snuggled in, working to calm them down and usher them into that night's rest, that has made me laugh out loud, a deep belly laugh, the kind that you can't stop.  And, hello nurse, those kids are excellent laughers.
So, the thought that came to me, as I lay there next to Big E tonight, watching him giggle because I was giggling, which then made him giggle more, and on and on it went, was this: I don't think I really laugh hard in front of my kids very often. I think I'm busy during the day, trying to make sure we keep on task, don't paint the walls, please don't close your brother in the closet, never, ever kick the dog (even if she just ate your favorite cookie), don't pee on the dishwasher, get to school on time, have a healthy lunch, don't smear pizza into the couch, don't squeeze the kitten, have fun at gymnastics, use gentle hands, etc, phew, that I don't always listen to what they're saying.  And man, these little boys can be serious comedians.
So, I'm leaving you all with this excellent quote from Big H today.  I asked to see his superhero mask and he turned to me and said, "mom, this is not a superhero mask.  This is a Henry mask."  And then he giggled and ran off.  And I laughed.

Cheers -
Mama H

Sicky McSickerton

Well, I'm pretty sure I'm dying.  From the worst freaking cold-sinus-chest-awfulness ever.  Dramatic?  Me?  Never.
Truly, though, I've been sick since Thursday.  I had to text a friend (it's like dialing a friend on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire) to decide for me if I should go for a run on Thursday.  Once I was honest about how blah I was feeling, she was very clear in her recommendation - nope, nada, there's no way this one run will help you feel better than taking a day off to take care of yourself.
Turns out Thursday was the last day before TODAY that I felt capable of doing anything, including getting dressed, getting out of bed, eating and being even remotely presentable.
I have no idea what this post is about except that it's heavy on the whine-factor.
I want to feel better!  I want to not have dry-heaved in the Starbucks drive-thru line this morning (hey, Starbucks, yeah, no coffee, just oatmeal, woops, hold on....nope, I'm back!) or gotten dizzy at the nursery where I was searching for more plants for our back yard (someone.stop.me.).
I guess what I've really been thinking about is this:  who takes care of us?  I still feel like someone will tell me when I need to just go lay down and I've done too much.  But it so doesn't happen.  I should know by now, right?  I mean, I know when my kids or my husband or my friends need to stop moving and take care of themselves.  So how come I can't see it for me?
So, this week, my to-do's are: GET BETTER and LEARN HOW TO STOP.
We'll see how those go...
Cheers -
Mama H

Margarita Mama

Margaritas from my trip to San Diego - it was happy hour.

It is quickly becoming the time of year when a delicious margarita is just the answer to a long, sometimes stressful, very often exhausting day spent with tiny children.

Here are two of my favorite margarita recipes - one with tequila and one without!  Both incorporate carbonated beverages (beer or lemon-lime soda), which give both drinks a lovely slight effervescence.  Fresh limes are a must and I should clearly state that I do not believe in blended margaritas.  Blech - no point to all that slushiness!

Beer-ritas - 

Ok, so the name needs work, but these are my favorite margaritas ever (homemade, anyway).

You need: 

• (1) can frozen limeade (light if you prefer less calories)
• (1) can of light beer
• (12 oz.) water
• (10 - 12 oz.) tequila (I use a "Silver" tequila)
• (2 - 4) Fresh limes
• Salt

Thaw the limeade, pour in pitcher and mix with beer, water, and tequila.  Cut limes in half.  I've used anywhere from 2 - 4 limes, depending on their size and how much you like lime.  (I love lime.)  Squeeze limes into pitcher, reserve a lime or two and throw the rest in the pitcher.  Makes it waaayyyyy prettier.  

Take your reserved limes and rub the lime juice on the edge of the glass you are serving the margarita in.  I grind sea salt onto a small plate and then invert the glass onto the salt.  The lime juice makes the salt stick nicely to the rim of the glass.

Add ice to your glass and pour margarita into the glass.

Garnish with a lime.

Virgin Margaritas - 

You need:

• (1) can frozen limeade (light if you prefer less calories)
• (1) can of lemon-lime soda
• (12 oz.) water
• (1/2 oz.) orange juice
• Fresh limes
• Salt

Thaw the limeade, pour in pitcher and mix with soda, water, and orange juice.  Cut limes in half.  I've used anywhere from 2 - 4 limes, depending on their size and how much you like lime.  (I love lime.)  Squeeze limes into pitcher, reserve a lime or two and throw the rest in the pitcher.  Makes it waaayyyyy prettier.  

Take your reserved limes and rub the lime juice on the edge of the glass you are serving the margarita in.  I grind sea salt onto a small plate and then invert the glass onto the salt.  The lime juice makes the salt stick nicely to the rim of the glass.

Add ice to your glass and pour margarita into the glass.

Garnish with a lime.

Voila!  Heaven on a sunny afternoon!

Cheers -

Mama H

Mom today

I've been thinking a lot about moms and being a grown up and having friends and how all this changes us and what happens next, after we've mastered this whole mom thing and our kids grow up and move out...and, yes, that was supposed to be a run on sentence.  You're welcome.
No, really, the last few years have been so intense.  We went from the craziness of trying to get pregnant (two years of SUCH FUN doctor's visits!) to the relentlessness of being new parents.  And just when Big E was getting a little more mobile and a bit less needy, we decided to try again.  The drugs worked and we were blessed with Big H.  My boys are a little less than 21 months apart.  Which means that, today, as I write this, Big H is about to turn 3 and in a few short months Big E will turn 5.
Side note:  My mind can almost not comprehend the fact that I will have a FIVE YEAR OLD.
Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about how I'm not getting any younger (I'll be 35 this summer) and if we're really done having kids.  I used to jokingly say that I wanted five children, to spread out my crazy and make their lives easier.  And after having two children, I can tell you, I'd like to have more.  I'm just not sure I can handle the pregnancy part or the first year/breastfeeding/sleep deprivation part.  Which is kind of a problem. And I know that adoption is an option, but I have watched a few friends go through that process and if you thought infertility was gut-wrenching and took strength to live through, you can safely assume that adoption is it's own crazy ride.
So, what happens to us once we've figured out this mom thing and then our kids grow up???  I love being a mom.  I love staying home with my kids and watching them grow into little people.  I love that I get to bear witness to their daily realizations about the world around them.  But I know that in a few short years, the view will look completely different.  Don't get me wrong, I know they'll always be my boys and that, god-willing, we'll still talk, and play, and spend quality time together.  But it will be different.  These moments right now really are priceless.  And even on the afternoons where Big H has given himself a bloody nose with a garden stake, and Big E is screaming at us because we're not playing with the dump truck the way it is SUPPOSED to be played with, and Ginger the dog has thrown up on a pile of clean laundry, and Olive the dog is whining from the bedroom because she's old and can't figure out how to walk down the hall and find all of us - even on those afternoons - if I can hear my thoughts through the chaos, I try to pay attention to the quietest thought.  The one that says, "this too shall pass and damn, will you miss it."

Boy's Valentines cards

Well, Internet- world, I've been MIA here for a while...sorry about that!
Back today with a big THANK YOU to the blog, One Charming Party.  I am in love with Valentine's Day...as cheesy as that may sound.  I love it.  It's a day dedicated to telling the ones you love how you feel, eating delicious sweets, and, if you're of age, drinking champagne.  Or at least, in my book it is.
I'm all about Pinterest (me and everybody else out there, too!) and decided to search for some boy-friendly free printable Valentine's cards.  Voila!  One Charming Party came to the rescue.
I did use Picasa to add "To" on the printables...preschool is big on the kiddos learning their names and we wanted to personalize each card.
Happy Valentine's Day Eve!
Cheers -
Mama H

Four year old art

Big E took marker to paper and created the above artwork.  I'm kind of in love with it.  Then again, he translated for me.  Would you like insight into his creative little mind?!?!?

How awesome is he???  Love.

Cheers -
Mama H

Fantasy Shopping

My husband loves Fantasy sports.  He's been commissioner of his Fantasy football and basketball leagues.  Both children's birth stories include details about my husband finishing up his research on his picks for that year's draft.  So, just so you know, fantasy sports are totally acceptable around here.
Fantasy shopping is also very accepted around these parts.
As a Stay at Home Mom, there's not a lot of dress code requirements to meet.  Washable.  Comfortable.  Not super frumpy-making.  All things fairly easy to accomplish on a daily basis.  However, I still enjoy pretending I can indulge in my fashion-plate fantasies every once in a while.  And thank god for the internet, because living in a small-ish town in Montana is not the place to go to indulge said fantasies.
You would think, since this is an activity not based in reality, that I would be all about finding things I like, clicking them into my cart, and moving on, with no regard for price.  Oh, but you would be wrong.  I'm a bargain-hunter, through and through.  Even in my wildest internet fantasy shopping sprees, I search out the least expensive option.  I can't help it.  If I find something I like, or there's a particular item I want to research, I simply must search out other more affordable option.  Sometimes this is fairly easy to do.  And nowadays, there are even whole blogs dedicated to this (fashion here; home decor here)!
How far do these fantasies go?  Far enough that I use this site to see if I can find some free shipping or coupon codes, just to get the price down a bit further.
Cheers and happy shopping -
Mama H