365 Day 29

It's Wednesday. And this blog is getting boring pretty fast. But there was SOME change today. Clara went to school (woo hoo!!!) and Mike was at work, so it was just me and Olivia. I told her she was going to have to entertain herself since I had so much work to get caught up on. She came through like a champ. She slept until 9, read books, made me a playdough sundae, made REAL chocolate chip cookies (am I lucky or what?), and her piece de resistance, an indoor tent. I know your kid makes a tent all the time. Your kid practically lives in a tent. Maybe he even invented tents. But my girls are not interested in tents, at least not until today. Using sheets, giant safety pins, and a chair Olivia turned the living room into a tent. Here's a little photo of her that shows how freakishly flexible she is.

On an unrelated topic, here's a photo of something my (superfantasticamazingkidwhois betterthanyourkidis ;) )daughters thought up the other day. I think it's a little misleading to call yourself a 24 hour medpoint and have a closed sign, but I'm not the doctor. And this photo shows how often we avail ourselves of medical services in this house. My daughter doesn't play doctor she plays medpoint.

Oh, and I should probably teach my kid how to spell her middle name at some point. 

365 Day 28

I feel like I'm in the movie ground hog day. Except a really bad version where it's snowy and cold and I can't go anywhere. And I have two small people to entertain all....day....long....Seriously people, it's hard being a good mom, and being Mary freaking Poppins this many days in a row is wearing on me. I escaped (I admit it!) and wrote some eBay auctions while Mike entertained our girls. Or got them dressed, which is what we pass off as fun these days. "Ooooooo, who wants to go get dressed? Who's gonna get dressed first? Who can chose the wackiest outfit?" Don't judge until you walk a mile in my snow boots.

We did actually do some wholesome, fun things today, in between watching the pirated link to Frozen five more times. The girls "helped" me make ham and beans and a clean cornbread recipe. I had budgeted 39 minutes for this task but factoring in all the potty breaks and cleaning up spilled ingredients it actually took an hour and half. Those of you without kids are laughing. Those with kids are shaking their heads sadly and giving me a knowing look.

We blew bubbles outside, since we skipped that little trick last week, or was it the week before? Guess what!? They froze. I know you did NOT see that one coming. 

The girls and I had organized the crafting supplies on Monday, so we played with a bunch of crafty things. Then we did some "school work," just booklets and math games. Didn't I say we were getting desperate?

We ate the food we made that morning for dinner. Note, clean cornbread is, how do I say this nicely, gross! But I'm sure once we get used to the flavor we won't mind as much. Right? Oh please say right!! The ham and beans was a-mazing. Loved it. Of course Clara ate nothing and ended up having Greek yogurt for dinner. In the words of my favorite three year old. Healthy! Protein! Said with a thumbs up and smile for each one.

At the end of the day I took a photo of the snow. Because that's what we do. Also, the sidewalk actually stayed clear for a day and the snow levels seem to be down, so that's something to celebrate in my book!

365 Day 27

Today is a tough day. I scheduled lots of things so that I would stay busy and not think about it, but mother nature came in and threw my schedule out the window. No school for Olivia, no workout class or dance class today. I did bundle everyone up and head to the grocery. Not the smartest thing in the world but I had to do something to get through the pain. 

All I wanted to do was sit home and cry. Maybe curl up in my bed. But those little faces were watching me all day, and I stayed strong for them. Maybe mother nature knew what I needed after all. I know my mom is watching us all thinking that this is barely a storm! Remember she grew up in North Dakota, and winters there are very long, cold, and snowy. It makes Granger look balmy by comparison. 

Another snow day tomorrow, another chance to spend loving my kids. I hope when they grow up they tell their kids all about what a great time they had on their snow days. I hope when they grow up they love me as much as I love them. I hope they live in houses down the street and let me watch their babies while they pursue their dreams, whether it's working as a scientist or taking a trip to the mall alone, and getting a cookie from the cookie place and eating it all!  As long as my babies are happy, I will be too. I never knew how much a mother loved until I became a mother. And I never knew how painful loss could be until I lost mine. For those of you without a mother, I offer you a hug, a hand to hold, a knowing look. 

Adding two photos of my babies just because....

The Frozen movie has made braids a must in our house lately. Everyone wants to be Elsa or Anna. Of course they didn't get Ken Paves as their mom so this is the best I can do. Clara has her pink snow boots peeking out of her pants. Love her!!

And my big girl. She doesn't let me pick her clothes anymore. She is growing up and I don't like it! Well, I do, but I want to keep her young and safe forever.

365 Day 26

Another cold and fun day for the Evans! Church in the am, I think we were there with 7 of our closest friends ;) No, it wasn't that bad, but a lot of people chose not to brave the cold and snow. They totally missed out though, because the service was awesome! I seriously *heart* Clay church.

After church we had a birthday party to attend. Bet you won't guess where? Here's a photo to help you....

 No, not Chuckie Cheese. How about this one?

 No, not America's next top model, although this one is going to be a heartbreaker. Keeping those glasses and adding some braces for good measure as soon as possible. Here's one I know you'll get

Ding, ding, ding!! The skating rink. I love that there have been so many parties here. My kids are actually becoming halfway decent little skaters. And aren't these two just the cutest little things on two wheels?

After skating we headed home and Clara fell asleep! It's been a long time since she needed a nap, but all the excitement and activity wore her out. 

This is how every Sunday should be, great times fellow shipping with friends and family. My heart can only be so full :)

365 Day 25

There were going to be great photos of our trip to Indy today, but a little person came into our room at around 2am and said the scary, "my tummy doesn't feel good," right before blowing chunks all over our floor and bed. I spared you the photo. Trust me, you're not missing anything. Instead of the kids museum and resale shopping, we hung out at home and cleaned. Not as fun, definitely, but very satisfying in it's own way.

365 Day 24

With the weather being nasty, and the three Evans ladies with nothing to do, how were we to keep occupied all day? Of course, we get fancy and hit the movies!! We watched the soon to be memorized Frozen. I am starting to identify more and more with the characters in this movie. Eternal winter? Check! Here's some photos of the girls. I meant to get the movie posters in all of the shots, but I was off a bit ;)

 Here you see Olivia LITERALLY climbing the walls. This is how the entire Northern Indiana feels right now

365 Day 23

Day started out great! I got Olivia ready and sent her out to wait for the bus. She came inside a few minutes later, the neighbor told her there was a 2 hour delay. Oops! Not to be deterred I got her involved in helping me through my morning cleaning routine (mostly running around slightly dazed and attempting to remove some of the mountains of clutter I live with on a daily basis). 

She finally got on the bus and I got busy. Very productive work day, but very boring. In the evening I went to meet some friends at the gym for a little running. Let me say, NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION people. I am actually impressed so many people are still sticking to it 22 days into the year. The gym was packed, not a treadmill to be found. Luckily the after work wave was dispersing and my friends and I found treadmills together. As we ran we talked about the weather, a subject that is so depressing I avoid it at all costs this time of year. Apparently we were in for a snow storm, but I had no idea. I figured I'd run and get home before it got too bad. Yep, great plan. Except when I went outside I was met with about 3 inches of snow on the hood of my Jeep. This was not some massive over winter accumulation. I am blessed with a insulated garage (this is my prize for living with an uninsulated, detached garage for so many years!) and my Jeep always drives out of it snow free. No, this was massive snowmageddon 2 snow. Here's a picture out my front window after I had already removed a lot of the snow. 

I drove home slowly, so, so slowly. But I got there safe. I walked in the door to see Mike on the phone. You guessed it, school is canceled tomorrow...

365 Day 22

Ugh...post migraine day. Came on last night and medicated myself through it (and 12 straight hours of sleep). I always feel fuzzy the day after, the doctor calls it my "migraine hangover," and that's exactly what it feels like, except mix in a little loopy and confused. One post migraine day I got lost driving somewhere I'd been a million times. Yep, fun. No photos for today because momma just couldn't do it. Maybe you'll get a bonus another day.

365 Day 21

Oh my Olivia!! She marches to the beat of her own drummer. I hope no one ever tries to steal the joy out of this kid, because it bubbles out of her. She chose her outfit today, mismatched socks and all. Of course under boots so mom doesn't know until we get to the doctor. We've been at the doctor a lot lately! Today it's just a pesky skin rash she's had for months. Finally got in to see the dermatologist. He must have been BUSY because we waited an hour and a half for our 10am appointment. I hate to see how long his 4 o'clock had to wait.

 

The verdict? She's got a noncontagious, unnamed skin rash, falling in the dermatitis/eczema category. It'll go away on it's own, and come back too. We were prescribed some very expensive or very cheap cream. Felt like a surreal trip to the doctor, but what do I know? Hoping this cream finally works, as the rash keeps spreading and is up by her eye. Although I know if anyone could rock the pirate look, Olivia could, I prefer not to go there.

 

 

365 Day 20

My two girls :) Nothing on earth better than seeing their sweet, smiling faces. And yes, I realize that Clara looks like a cow, but in a good way. That's a vintage MJC piece I've been waiting for her to get to wear. Looks like I waited a little too long, we had to use it as a jumper instead of a dress. It was MLK Day so the kiddos were home with me. A little workout and then hung out together just the three of us. O was having one of those nice days where she's really kind to Clara, and Clara just eats it up and rises to the occasion. I hope my girls are true friends for life, like I am with my sister and brother.

365 Day 19

 

A cold Sunday in January. What to do? Heat up the house and our hearts by cooking of course! A friend recently had a baby, and I planned to bring her a meal. I had enough meat for two dishes, so I doubled the recipe and froze ours to eat later. Then I made an awesome pork and noodle dish for dinner. It was so delish! Serious. But it didn't taste delicious enough for the amount of time it took to put it all together. Luckily, there was enough to freeze for another meal there too, so I guess if I look at it as the time of two meals??? We had fortune cookies after dinner, and Clara's said she would find romance. Not yet, fortune cookie, not yet!! Let's give her 20 or so years shall we? After the kids were in bed I made these brownies to take with my meal. I did save one for each of the girls. They smelled great, but I didn't eat one. Small victory. But it does hurt just a little looking at the photo.

365 Day 18

I started running last year, most of you know why but if not refer to my earlier blog posts. This year I decided with friends to run 14 races in 2014. The first race was today, an “easy” 5k, called the Frigid 5K. Living up to its name, I was frozen in the 20 minutes we waited outside for the run to begin.  But once the race began I forgot all that. I am super competitive by nature, so I love races, but between the half training and the running in snow, I felt like my time could have been better. BUT, one race down, 13 to go. I got out there and ran in a run that most people wouldn't have attended, so that’s a check in the win column. I ran with two of my beautiful friends. Here they are crossing the finish line.

After the run we had pictures for the church directory. You know the ones, which end up looking like a school portrait? We just had amazing photos done in November, we definitely didn’t need to buy any more, yet somehow we walked out with $100 worth of photos. I guess we need to decide good cop/bad cop strategies before we walk in next time. Here’s the girls prephoto shoot. Clara is very into being “Ana” from Frozen right now, so we had to do braids. Yes, I realize the skill level here is low, but it’s taken me almost 8 years to even be able to do a braid, so don’t judge.

Olivia picked up her new glasses today :)

365 Day 17

TGIF! It's women's Bible study day, woot woot! It was snowy and kind of blah outside, but inside the church we had a great meeting. Afterwards Clara didn't want to walk in the snow, so she hung out on the steps while I took everything to the car. That way I could come back and carry her, of course. She's no dummy, if I could get someone to carry me through the snow I'd be on it in an instant. While she was on the stairs I tried to get her to stand still for a picture. Yep, you can see the typical results below. I think there's one where she's even jumping. So she can jump in the snow but not walk through it? I guess she's cute (and light) enough to get away with it for now. The dress is classic Matilda Jane, one of our first pieces and it's been passed down to Clara.

365 Day 15

You might notice this is a little mixed up day wise, but you might also be kind enough to ignore it and pretend I published day 15 before day 16 ;)

Wednesdays are always crazy days in our house. Wednesday night is Awana night, so the girls stay up past their bedtime and always come home a little wound up. Once a month we have Girl Scouts before Awana. Today was one of those days. As soon as O got off the bus, she jumped into my running car and we drove to Girl Scouts. Dropped her off and picked Clara up from preschool. Went back to pick up Olivia and another friend whose mom wasn't feeling well. I think I earned some cool mom points as I cranked up What Does the Fox Say AND Roar all in one 10 minute car ride. The girls belted them out. Good thing it was only 10 minutes, because they would have all seen that's the end of my "cool" repertoire when the next song that came up was the I Love You song from Barney. Okay, shudder, not really, but you get the point.

I fed the girls and did some last minute quizzing on verses, when I realized that I had taught Clara the WRONG STINKIN VERSE. Uggh! Do you know how long it takes to get a 3 year old to memorize a Bible verse? I'll give you a hint, the 10 minutes we had before Awana started were definitely not enough. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. Mike and I took advantage of the hour long Awana meeting to walk through the mall. Went to Banana Republic and realized, yes, they do want $500 for a sport coat. Walked out of Banana Republic trying desperately not to snag or break anything on the way out. 

We picked up the kids and they were hyped up as always. I really think they feed the kids pixie sticks and "go go juice" (for those of you that have never had the privileged of watching toddlers and tiaras, that's mountain dew). By the time we got them calmed down and into their beds, I was ready for bed. 8:30 is not a shameful bedtime when you have kids. It's not!

365 Day 16

We've got cookies on the brain. Girl scout cookies. Most years mom and dad buy 20 boxes just to make the minimum, and then they end up in the deep freeze until the next December when we frantically eat them. This year Olivia's finding new ways and places to sell. Isn't she just the cutest girl scout ever? Here we are with Olivia set up in the lobby of Clara's preschool. She loved every second, and when we were done she didn't want to leave. Who could blame her? There's something about being around that many thin mints that just makes people happy :)

365 Day 14

I woke up today to a miraculous sight. The sun was shining! It was so lovely outside, it felt like spring! Well, midwest spring, let's not get ahead of ourselves here. I was so excited to do a run on the nice, clear, streets. I even argued with myself about the need for gloves. 16 degrees, do I need them? Would my hands get hot? In the end better sense prevailed, and I wore them. It was a speed interval day, and now that the glove question was settled I was ready. I got out there and found this:

That's what we here in the snow belt like to call black ice. For those readers who hail from warmer climes, first, I hate you this time of year, and second, black ice is a nice clear patch of ice on pavement. You can't see it, it just looks like another patch of road. Hence BLACK-ICE. This lovely layer wasn't everywhere, so I couldn't wear my run cleats. It was only in the shady areas, or the places where the snow and ice had been thick. I quickly abandoned my idea of a speed workout and instead focused on staying upright. For those who know me well, this is a challenge in itself, I am my mother's daughter in this area of life. 

Don't worry about me too long though. Tomorrow it's supposed to back to snow, so I'll either be on the treadmill or running in my cleats. One day of January spring is all we get.

365 Day 13

It's Monday. Normally not my favorite day of the week but this gal is ready to get back on some semblance of a schedule. Monday morning we got started early. Here's a picture of Clara ready to go!

I'm not sure what she plans on doing, but with a smile like that we may be in trouble.

After Clara did something nefarious we were on our way to workout class. It was my turn to teach, and I thought I'd mix it up with a little martial arts inspired class. I think my friends may have thought I was slightly crazy, but they were all good sports and went along with me. It was a tough but great time!

Later we went to Olivia's school for her dance class. Cue perfect photo of Olivia in ballet outfit. (Hits face with palm). Maybe I'll remember next week. A girl has to have something to strive for.

365 Day 12

It's Sunday!! So nice to sleep in AND go to church. 10:45 church services rock. Here's a photo of Clara combing her face? Whatever, she marches to the beat of her own drummer. And yep, those are my pj pants in the bottom right corner. We are keeping it real in the Evans household. I also am realizing I'm taking way more pictures of Clara. MOM GUILT TIME. But she spends a lot more time with me so it's tons easier. 

This afternoon we had couples Bible study. I love our couples group, they are seriously just the best people. 

365 Day 11

Saturday is my favorite day! Family time, workout time, friend time, it doesn't get better than this. Little C started her new session of dance. She was very impressed to wear tights this session. Of course they got a run day 1, so back to leg warmers, but she looked mature for a moment ;)

Mom spent the morning at the gym. I'm still training for my half, and I was supposed to run 10 miles. Unfortunately I mixed up the times, and since Mike and the girls were picking me up, I got in 8.4. But I won't say ONLY, because 8.4 is darn good.

Saturday night was girls night out. We had a nice dinner and then did what every woman secretly wants to do with her Saturday nights, we wandered around Target for an hour, bliss!

365 Day 10

So, TGIF! It doesn't feel like Friday, this being the weirdest week ever. But here we are. We got up early to hit workout class. It was my turn to teach but me and 8:30 don't mix well, so it was a video day. It was actually really fun, and a great workout. 

Before workout class Clara asked for her hair in "Minnie Ears," and here she is. Could she just stop growing up now? I am in love with my 3 year old!

After workout class, we started the new session of Bible study. It's a study on Gideon, and the first session pulled me. I am looking forward to diving into this part of the Bible in more detail.

Later, we went to the doctor. Okay, not fun, but needed. Clara had a rash on her legs, and I've been trying to treat it at home myself, unsuccessfully obviously! Dr Hudson was a riot! Here's Clara with her doctor's office accessories.

365 Day 9

The phone rings...I don't have my contacts in so no concept of time. I think it's Mike's work calling about the freezer temps. He comes back to bed and says the two sweetest words....2 hour delay!!

The best of both worlds, I get to sleep in, and Olivia goes to school. No photos from today, because who wastes their time taking photos when you are FREEEEEE!!!! Come on, other moms are thinking it, even if they don't want to admit it ;)

365 Day 8

Hello out there from snowy, and freezy, northern Indiana. GREAT NEWS. No, this really is great. I can see how you would have been confused with my all caps sarcasm yesterday. Clara's preschool was open!!! I got a whole 6 hours with my kids not trying to kill each other. Score!
I took Olivia to a doctor's appointment, and after the appointment, we went to run errands. Well, we tried. We pull into Sam's to find it doesn't open until 10. And the library? 10 as well. I never had my act together early enough in the morning to find these things out. Guess one bene to a snow day and an 8am doctor's appointment.

So we went home hung out, then wash, rinse and repeat. Uneventful trip to Sams where I purchased some maple syrup in bulk. Then to our favorite place lately, the library. The doors opened on a library full of moms and kids, the moms with a slightly dazed expression in their eyes and the kids flitting from one book to the next. I sat in the corner and let Olivia search, then I picked a few books for Clara. Honestly, I could have sat with those other moms for hours just sitting in the sunlight and watching my kid blow off some energy, but Olivia's too efficient (wonder where that comes from?) We went home and read the books, then Olivia played in the snow while I ran up and down the cul de sac. It felt good to be outside, and after last week's temps 15 degrees felt positively balmy. Running in snow was as it always is, sometimes great, sometimes like running through sand. In other words, ouchy. But depending on how compact the snow was it almost felt like a road at times.

Olivia constructed this snow fort, gave up on snowmen when the snow wouldn't stick together, you can see the snowman's nose in this photo. Otherwise, nothing exciting to report. Let's see if both my kids have school tomorrow!

365 Day 7

Welp, you guessed it, another fun filled SNOW DAY!! I have to write it in all caps to remind myself how happy I am about it. All I can say is that school better start soon because this momma is running out of fun, creative activities to keep my kids busy and not tearing each other's hair out. 

So, St Joseph county was under a travel ban again until noon, which meant I surely was not going to go anywhere, even after noon. People around here drive like crazy, and it takes them a while to recalibrate to driving on giant sheets of ice. They just don't stress that section enough in drivers ed. Mike was home in the morning because of the no travel thing, so I asked him to watch the girls for me until 10:30, so I could work on some home business stuff. 

At 10:30 we started out with a bang, by throwing boiling water out into this. Yes, I know some of you live in even colder climes, and you think I'm a big sissy right now, but SERIOUSLY? Look how high the snow comes up, it almost hits the swings. And any number below zero is a no no in my book. Back to our boiling water, if you've never done this, you should, it's very rewarding. Just use a two handled pot so the water goes as far away from you as possible. 

Next we read some books, ate lunch, and had quiet time. Which consists of my girls alone in their rooms for an hour playing while I work on the ol' eBay business. Yes, I know I'm mentioning it a lot, but at this point I  am starting to panic. I have 3 days a week set to complete my business, and a tight, tight schedule. But I'll get there, right.....?

The highlight of this time is the call from the airline telling me Mike's flight was canceled. Sweet Jesus in Heaven I was super grateful. Instead of him being gone for three days he's right here with us. I hate when he travels, and in this weather I could see him stranded on the East coast ne'er to return until the spring thaws. 

After quiet time, we did patterns and mosaics. Well the kids did, if you read above you know what I was doing. Here's a photo of one Olivia made, I love this kid. About this time the phone rings, with PHM telling us there would be no school....again....tomorrow. Even Olivia was getting fed up at this point. She loves me, but she misses her friends.

There was nothing to do but make us all feel better with some stove popped popcorn (with m&m's, thank you Kirk for that little trick) and watch a SheRa marathon. Hey, you do what you gotta do.

Here's hoping Clara's preschool is open tomorrow!

365 Day 6

Snow days...

I never had them growing up, but even as an adult they're a little exciting for me. I know they may cancel my carefully laid schedule, but the fun more than makes up for it. But do you know when I DON'T like snowdays? How about when my kid has been out of school for 2 weeks already, and she's pretty much done with being home and is looking forward to school. Add to that the -40 windchill today, which means absolutely no playing outside, and you have a recipes for grumpy, bored kids (and moms).

I knew I had to go into today with a plan. A carefully laid schedule that would allow the girls some freedom but also would encourage them to play together and have some general family fun. In the morning, we did chores, which ironically enough my kids are still young enough to think of as fun. Then we made snow ice cream. I know, I know, there's probably lead and squirrel poo and every other bad thing you can think of in the snow, but one day is not going to kill anyone. It's not like I gave them each a gallon of snow ice cream. I tried to get them to smile for photos but it's not happening. They were into that ice cream. 

And you can see princess Sofia joined us today. Too bad she refuses to comb her hair. And the yellow bits aren't dog pee. Even growing up in the desert I know to avoid yellow snow. It's caramel sauce.

Later in the day we made our own chocolate spoons, and decorated them. Yes, I am plying my kids with food in an effort to get through one more day on a positive note. At least I got them to agree to postponing homemade popcorn with m&ms until tomorrow. Oh yes, in case I didn't mention, snow day tomorrow too. Lord, grant me patience!