Why a Guys' Weekend is worth the investment

We are refreshed and back from Richmond today.  We are happy to report that the trees are changing color and the friendships are strong.

T's view from the Guys' Weekend

Every year, T gathers with some of his best guy friends from college for a weekend of reconnection, rejuvenation, reflection and fun.  This year, the reunion was held this past weekend outside of Richmond, VA.   The guys always have a great time together, but it is worth noting that each man's family makes a sacrificial investment of money and time by letting their husband/father travel to or host the weekend.  Many of the guy's wives are home alone with infants and children, and many budget their money and vacation time carefully to attend.  However, I know that I am not the only wife who thinks that the investment is worth it.  This year is the sixth year of the gathering, and no matter what sacrifices we make so that T can attend (the inception gathering was held the weekend after we returned from our honeymoon!), he always returns a better husband, father and friend.  This group of guys is special, special to each other, and committed to encouraging, supporting and holding one another accountable in the Lord.  Friendships like the ones T maintains on his "Guys' Weekend" are worth the investment.

This year was an extra special Guys' Weekend for us because while the men were being hosted elsewhere by Mr. G, his wife, Mrs. G, hosted the Bears and me at G-Ville along with another one of the wives and her daughters.  Between three moms we had nine kids under the age of six, and we had an amazing weekend together!  The kids and I loved the constant hum of activity and friendship.

Queen B's view from the Moms' Weekend!
Here are six of the nine munchkins who gathered for the weekend.

G-Bear, E-Bear and Baby Bear made seven great new friends.  I was inspired by Mrs. G and Mrs. A's parenting all weekend.  I was encouraged and inspired by our late night conversations after the kids were tucked in bed.  Mrs. G's hosting was impressive, complete with panini sandwich lunches, homemade pizza dinners and soccer ball doughnuts after church.  But the best part was sharing in motherhood and friendship while the guys gathered together.  The men returned to find three refreshed moms and nine happy kids -- quite the feat if you ask me!

When the men returned, E-Bear and G-Bear were able to spend some time with their Godfather E, who they met for the first time.  They were so excited.

E-Bear, G-Bear and their Godfather

For me, this year's Guy's Weekend was extra special because it not only brought the men closer together, but it brought their families closer together as well.  Like I said, the weekend is worth the investment.   Thanks to our great friends, Mr. and Mrs. G, for making this great weekend possible.

Baby Bear with Mr. G

Baby Bear's First Bites

Dearest Baby Bear,

Up until yesterday, every bit of nourishment that you have received in your life has come from me.

It has been my joy and blessing to feed every cell of your body through every moment of your life.

But yesterday, we moved to a new stage.

Baby Bear, meet rice cereal.   

Dearest Mom,

No matter how many crazy faces you make,

 to get me to open my mouth and eat this weird cereal stuff,

(and I must say that some of your faces are REALLY, really silly)

I am going to keep my mouth shut, resist the spoon,

and make a funny face back at you,

just so you feel appreciated for all the great meals you've given me so far.

 Someday soon I'll wolf this stuff down.

But not today.

(But I'll admit, it did taste pretty good :)

We love you, Baby Bear!  These milestones are so precious.  You're doing a great job already.

The squash awaits.....

Daybook for October 2011

Today I took a few moments to pause for an October Daybook.  Usually, I am composing my Daybook thoughts before bed, when it is quiet and peaceful.  I realized that is not the most accurate representation of our lives right now.  Today, I pieced together my thoughts throughout the day in the midst of the action.   What a difference!  It is a nice snapshot of a very normal Tuesday, precious in it's simplicity and normalcy.  As always, thanks to the Simple Woman's Daybook for hosting the inspiration.


Outside my window...it is raining, a dark morning, and it is supposed to rain all day.  But that's ok.  Today is Tuesday, the refreshing catch-up day of our week.  We don't have to run out the door this morning, because there is no preschool or Bible study today.  We have nowhere we need to be, nowhere we need to go.  What's on our list for today?  Laundry, vacuuming, meal prep and Sesame Street, and that's all we have to accomplish.   Cue a deep breath and contented sigh.  I love Tuesdays.

I am hearing...the sweet sounds of a lazy early morning.  The kids are playing as I stand in the hallway sorting laundry.  Baby Bear is napping in the room behind me.   G-Bear is singing a song as she colors at the art table.  I hear  E-Bear in the playroom playing with his trucks: "look out for the tractor, roooooowr!  Beep, beep!  Outta my waayyyyy!"  I am closing my eyes, trying to save this happy soundtrack to my brain's hard drive.  


I am thinking...about what it would be like to homeschool my kids.  The thought is both tempting and terrifying this morning. 

I am thankful...for my new bag of Coach's Oatmeal (thanks, Mom!), the perfect breakfast for a rainy morning like today.  They taste like steel cut oatmeal but cook in 5 minutes on the stove, which is perfect for my kids, who take after their momma and get cranky when their breakfast-ready tummies are rumbling.  We all love oatmeal, and I am so thankful for the cool, rainy breeze at our window that makes it sound appealing this morning.  I'll have craisins, milk and brown sugar on mine, milk and brown sugar only for G-Bear, and E-Bear will have just the sugar, please.  Yum.

From the learning rooms...Time to hit the bathroom before Sesame Street starts!  While I have had very little success motivating E-Bear to try the potty, both his preschool and Bible study teachers have him in the "potty chair" group at school.  What gives?!   Am I really that bad at motivating my kids out of diapers?  I don't know whether to jump for joy or throw my hands up in bewilderment.  I think I'll jump for joy for now, even though I'm still the one changing the diapers ;)

Around the house...we are decked out for fall.  E-Bear's finger paint pumpkin and apple tree painting adorn our window.  G-Bear did a great job on her autumn color page, which now adorns our front door.  Leaf and apple cut-outs hang from our sliding porch door.  Who needs decorations with these resident artists!  On the porch, our fairytale pumpkin sits contentedly on the table, and our mum plants perch on the railing.  We have quite the harvest around here.  

In the kitchen...our butternut squashes are roasting.  They smell amazing.  While the kids enjoy their lunch, I am peeling, chopping, roasting, and pureeing squash for our dinner tonight, dinner tomorrow , and for Baby Bear who will soon be ready to enter into the world of baby food.  The kids watched me prep the squashes as they ate lunch.  They giggled at the squash's name, waited wide-eyed for me to cut it open as they guessed what color it would be inside, ahhhhed at the seeds as I cut them out, and marveled at my knife-welding skills as I chopped it into chunks.  We all have such a good time when we cook together.  

Check out Toddler Approved for this great game idea

I am creating...a rainy day game for us to play after lunch.  It is called Lily Pad Hop from a great toddler idea blog, Toddler Approved.  We made ten paper lily pads, each labeled with a number 1-10 on it.  Then we played spread the lily pads out on the living room floor number side down.   We had a great time hopping around as the kids pretended to be frogs searching for the numbers I called out.  We made it through at least 6 rounds before we all collapsed in exhaustion, just in time for Quiet Time!  This was a hit, and we'll definitely do it again.





I am wondering...how such huge piles of toys can be amassed so quickly after Quiet Time when it took us sooooo long to put them away only an hour before :)


I am reading...my email in a quiet moment as T walks in.  It is such a treat it is to have him home some afternoons this year.  Even if he has work to finish, it is nice just to be close, working together.  


I am hoping...that dinner tastes as good as it smells.  Our soup is simmering on the stove.  Together, the cinnamon, butternut squash, apples, thyme and onion make the perfect scent of autumn.  

I am looking forward to...feeding Baby Bear his FIRST rice cereal tonight at dinner!  


I am pondering...the messiness that I am bringing upon myself as Baby Bear takes his first cereal bites.  Did I mention that our carpet is off-white?  Hmmmm.

One of my favorite things...is playing "Superman" with the kids: 

E-Bear:  

"Mommy, let's play Superman.  I'll be Superman...."

G-Bear:  

"And I'll be Wonder Woman!"

E-Bear: 

"....and Baby Bear can be the rocketship...."

G-Bear:  

"Or Baby Superman."

E-Bear:  

".....and Daddy can be the airplane, and you be the girl who likes Superman."

I am going...it's time for our one outing of the day.  Everyone ate great dinners tonight, (thanks to our butternut squash and Texas Mommy's recipe!) and it is Family Night at Chick-fil-a, which means we're headed out for IceDream cones.  The Chick-fil-a restaurant by our house makes colored IceDream cones for it's family night.  Last week the cones were light blue, this week they are light green.  The staff have the kids vote each Tuesday night on the color they want for the next week.  They have us hooked.  Tonight they let G-Bear make her own cone.  When E-Bear saw his cone he let out a delighted laugh so loud the whole restaurant looked over.  God bless Chick-fil-a.  

A few plans for the rest of the week:  We'll reunion with some close friends from Princeton later this week, something we have looked forward to for awhile now.  We'll have ten kids between four families!   Bring it on, I can't wait.

Grocery Bag

Thanks for checking in with us today as I make my meal plan for the week.  

Yet a few more fall favorites are on my list.  

Day One

Butternut squash mac & cheese from Tasty Kitchen 

with honey roasted carrots and pears

Photo and recipe at Tasty Kitchen

Day Two

Jennifer's White Chicken Chili 

with homemade bread

Our favorite while chicken chili, from our friend Jennifer

Day Three

Sausage and ricotta calzones from Southern Living Magazine

with apple romaine salad

We love calzones, especially with our homemade dough.  

I can't wait to try this version.

Day Four

Butternut squash soup from Building Cathedrals

with cheddar herb biscuits from Food Network

This delish soup is by my friend, Texas Mommy.  It's one of my fall favorites.

Photo and recipe for Butternut squash soup from Building Cathedrals

Photo by Happily Ever Johnson, recipe from Food Network

Day Five

Spaghetti carbonara from Sunset Magazine

with spinach salad

 A great carbonara recipe to finish off the week!

Photo and recipe from MyRecipes.com

Blessings on your kitchen!

Helmets

It's another football weekend around here.  We had a great time with Uncle T, Aunt K and the cousins yesterday for yet another awesome UNC football game.   E-Bear and G-Bear love pointing out the UNC symbol everywhere they see it, whether on a car on the highway or on someone's shirt passing by:  "Look, look, Mommy!  It's Uncle T's team!"  Yesterday at the game they were faithfully cheering on the team for Uncle T, with E-Bear yelling, "Gooooo Blue Team!" and G-Bear asking, "did they get a touchdown?" every time the crowd clapped.

So far this season, the Bears have been growing impressively in their knowledge of football.  Take our conversation in the car last week, for example:

E-Bear: (pointing to a large white A/C box on top of a airport shuttle van)

 "Mommy, that car has a helmet on it's head!"

Me:  "E-Bear, you are right, that does look like a helmet on that car."

E-Bear: "Yeah, it must be going to play FOOTBALL!"

G-Bear: "Helmets are for players so they don't bonk their heads."

E-Bear: "Yeah, don't get a bonk! Go, truck, go!"

Me:  "You're right, G-Bear, I am impressed that you know that."

G-Bear:  "Well, that is the rule.  That is what the man on the TV said when we were watching with Daddy.  The man said, 'you have to have your helmet on your head before you go out on the field.'"

We're all about safety around here!  

Our exchange also made me realize how much TV and radio conversation the kids are picking up these days.  This was a good reminder to pay close attention to what's turned on when the Bears are around.  And as for the cheers at the game?  Keep 'em G-rated!  My Bears are listening ;)

Three Bears in the grass

My Bears,

 you make me smile,

you wear me out,

you make me giggle,

you make me humble,

you help me learn,

you help me see the wonderful & the simple.

My Bears,

you love each other,

you hug, you snuggle, you wrestle with each other,

you annoy, appreciate, and affirm each other,

you play, perturb, and placate each other,

you are best buddies.

I am so blessed to be your mom.  

Daddy and I love you,

so, so much.

Let's here it for the tooth!

Baby Bear has an announcement to make.....

he has cut a tooth!

The lower left front tooth is the first to make an appearance.  Baby Bear has been a chomping, drooling machine for about 4 weeks now, and we are all relieved to see this pearly white chomper show itself.  One down, nineteen to go, buddy!

The Wonder(ing)s of Superman

G-Bear and E-Bear take after their dad in many ways, but one of the most recent is their love of Superman.  T recently showed them the opening clip of a Superman movie in which the renown Man of Steel rescues a passenger plane from crashing into a baseball stadium.  The kids were instantly awe-struck.  In addition to requesting the above mentioned clip every night for bedtime, they are now requesting the Superman theme song on the music player during every car ride.  These are my children, son and daughter of the man who wore his superman pajamas everyday for two years and begged his older sister to make a "superman curl" in his hair with her curling iron.  This was meant to be.

Superman has become a new found wonder for our family in more ways than one.  At dinner a few nights ago, G-Bear asked T the all-important question,

"Daddy, how does Superman fly?"

E-Bear, ever ready to help out, answering intrepidly,

"He goes like this," 

(arms outstretched in a Superman pose) 

"and he WHOOSHES!!"

G-Bear, not to be misunderstood, repeated,

"No, but Daddy, HOW does he fly?"

E-Bear, not one to miss the chance to clarify, interjected,

"He flies through the AIR with his CAPE."

G-Bear, now thoroughly exasperated, asked again,

"NO, I mean HOW does he FLY?!"

E-Bear, now quite puzzled that none of his answers were sufficient, sat quietly befuddled.

To T and I, the exchange highlighted an interesting difference in how our kids are perceiving the world around them.   To E-Bear, simply seeing Superman fly is sufficient.  Super powers don't require an explanation. E-Bear's trust in the world around him remains very much intact.  G-Bear, on the other hand, is beginning to realize a difference between what is real and what is fanciful.  In her, at the tender age of four, we see a bit of wonder replaced by realism.  For E-Bear, things merely need to be seen to be trusted.  For G-Bear, what she sees must be explained.

In my opinion, having my kids understand the difference between real and fanciful can be both comforting and confounding.  It means that I can explain to G-Bear that she doesn't need to be afraid of something scary because it is pretend.  But, it also means that things like miracles and Jesus walking on water must now be explained.  I certainly don't mind explaining the wondrous parts of our faith to G-Bear.  But, there is something about E-Bear's acceptance that gives me a wistful feeling.  

Fortunately for all of us, no one batted an eye tonight when I described God as "the strongest, even stronger than Superman."

"Whoa," said a wide-eyed G-Bear, "that means that he can even hold up a plane!"

"AAAAAAnd," chimed E-Bear "he can help us!"

Amen, my loves, amen.

Grocery Bag

It is officially autumn here in North Carolina.  I am stocking up on fall produce and digging out a few more of my favorite fall recipes.  Here is my plan for the week!

Day One

Spicy honey chicken thighs from Cooking Light

with curried butternut squash couscous from Real Simple

Photo and recipe from MyRecipes.com

Day Two

Beef and sweet pepper Lo Mein from Cooking Light

with pear slices

This is one of our favorites.  This week we are switching up peppers for broccoli in the dish.

Photo and recipe from MyRecipes.com

Day Three

Crustless garden veggie quiche from Finding Joy in My Kitchen

with apple, dried cranberry, & romaine salad

This is one of my favorite egg dishes.  I mince the vegetables for the kids, and they love this too!

Photo by Happily Ever Johnson,
recipe from Joyinmykitchen.blogspot.com

Day Four

Sweet and sour tofu from Cooking Light

with brown rice and lettuce cups

This recipe calls for shrimp, but we also like it without.  

I'll serve it with lettuce cups for a fun twist.

Photo and recipe from MyRecipes.com

Day Five

Curried lentils from Everyday Food Magazine

with brown rice and apples

Photo and recipe from MarthaStewart.com

Blessings on your kitchen this week!

Good Friends

I am home after a sweet weekend away with some of my best friends in the world.  T and I are blessed to have developed spectacular friendships during college, and every opportunity we have to reunite with these friends is a blessing.  Although we have varying interests, talents, strengths and live in very different places, the Lord remains the foundation of our friendship and knits us together.  After many years of living apart, my college roommates are able to inspire, encourage and challenge me just as much today as they did when we were undergraduates.

I always depart from my girlfriends feeling full of ideas about how to make our family life better and my walk with God stronger.  Now that I'm home, it's time to get to work!  Lord, thanks for my sweet roommates and all our Princeton friends who encouraged us this weekend.