Dinner Success

I have documented on this blog my eternal struggle to serve a meal that everyone enjoys. Caroline doesn't like meat. Lucy randomly decides to not like things at any given moment. Steve doesn't want to eat chicken nuggets every night. I want something that's easy to make.

I'm not sure if any of you are familiar with The Pioneer Woman, but I tried a few of her recipes recently and they were a hit with everyone. That's right: Lucy and Caroline both ate these recipes up and Steve and I enjoyed them too. They were easy to make, and the best part is that I made one recipe but froze half of it so that we could enjoy it another night. It was a win-win-win in the words of Michael Scott. (If you don't understand that, it was a reference from The Office).

Anyhoo, here are the recipes I tried:

Chicken Spaghetti

Sour Cream Noodle Bake 

I am going to try her Best Chocolate Sheet Cake Ever next. It looks promising.

Here's to easy dinners that everyone enjoys!

Here's to 31!

Yesterday was my birthday, and the girls and Steve showed that they know me well: lilies waited for me when I returned from work, as did a few six packs of beer and a delicious cake. Really, what more could I ask for?

Last year I had Steve take a picture of me with the girls:

I decided it should now become a tradition. Or at the very least, it should be something I do two years in a row:

The only normal result

I'm sick of posing, Mom.

Oh, we're doing funny faces? I'm on it.

So, 31 is officially in the books. I can't say that it feels much different than 30 did or 29 did for that matter. Life just keeps moving along, doesn't it?

Sunday Morning Breakfast

There is a small, kid-sized table and chairs in our living/dining room where the girls often eat. Boog, ever the scavenger, has realized that food is more likely to be dropped or at snout level at this table. He just needs to be patient. Luckily, sitting around like a total slug is one of his few talents:

What? You can't blame a guy for trying.

On that same note, the girls now really enjoy eating cereal and milk.

Pro: it is easy to prepare and always available in the house.

Con: only about 50% of the milk actually makes it into Caroline's mouth. The rest is split between the floor and her clothes.

Someday

Will there come a day that I will finally feel on top of things? 

I suppose I should realize the answer to that is: No, and if you ever feel that way then there will ultimately be something that will bring you back down to earth.

I don't say that to be pessimistic. I say it because it's realistic mindset and because I need to stop beating myself up when it doesn't happen.

This morning as I sat planning out my day over a cup of coffee (weed the gardens, go grocery shopping, entertain the girls while Steve sands and primes a window, start the laundry) I received an email at 9:20 am that said, "Hi, Laura. We're waiting at the school for the tutoring session. Is everything okay?"

Shit.

Shitshitshitshitshit.

I had totally forgotten. Not like I remembered early this morning and then forgot for a bit. I had actually just completely blocked it from my mind that today is Sunday and I tutor at 9 am on Sundays. Ya know, because that's the time that I picked because it worked with my schedule.

I jokingly gave this blog the title "Maybe Someday We'll Get It Together" but the truth is that I feel like I am in a continual state of getting it together and that I just can't quite do it.

Either I don't weed the gardens and they look like hell or the house is a total mess or I don't prep the way I should for a class or the girls have no clean clothes or they are being babysat by Steve's iPad while I try to do all of those things.

I am type A and the feeling that I am doing things poorly just gets under my skin. I hate that someone else waited around for me. I hate that I then didn't do the tutoring session and then lost that money for our family. I hate that I seem inept - or even worse, that I feel inept.

I know that I am not actually inept. (Right?) But sometimes I look around and just think, "They (the girls, Steve, my students, whoever) deserve better than this." And I get mad at myself.

I need to stop doing that. All it does is make me upset and then I'm cranky and then, as Steve and the girls will attest, everyone that lives with me suffers. 

So, I lost out on the tutoring money. The family may think I am a total flake, but I have worked with them before and have been dependable and I can continue to be dependable.

The day is not a waste. I need to get back to that to-do list. So I am getting off of the internet, taking the iPad away from the girls, and we are going outside to play in the kiddie pool and weed gardens.

And maybe I'll get to that laundry. Then again, I may not. And I will not give myself that awful, negative inner monologue if it doesn't happen.

Pool Party

We are lucky enough to be friends with several families that own a pool. This is especially handy when it is miserably hot and humid like it has been here for the past two weeks.

Lucy has become more adventurous in her swimming. Thanks to some swimming lessons at Cookie and Grumps' house, she can put her head under water and has a mean doggy paddle. She will also now jump off of the side of the pool and even tried the diving board. Caroline still refuses to have the water even touch her face, but we are working on that.

A Girl and Her Cookie

Happy Fourth!

With Lucy away at Cookie and Grumps, it didn't seem right to have a big celebration for The Fourth. We spent the morning at our local beach. We hadn't been there since moving to the area, so it was fun to explore and see what a great spot it is.

After swimming we headed to the snack bar and Caroline had her first gelato experience. Not surprisingly, she loved it.

Then we headed to a friend's house to have a bbq with a group of friends. The kids had a great time in a kiddie pool, the adults enjoyed some social time away from work, and everyone left happy. It was a great day!

Mystic

Lucy spent five days at "Camp Cookie" during the week of the Fourth of July. This meant that she went to Cookie and Grumps house and got to spend some quality time with them all by herself.

We met Cookie and Grumps in Mystic and headed to the aquarium to have some fun before sending Lucy along with them and taking Caroline home. Here are some pictures of them that I took on my phone:

This guy loves a good photo opportunity

Riding the penguin statues

Lucy had a great week with Cookie and Grumps, although I think all three of them were exhausted at the end. Lucy had swimming lessons, went to a parade, ran a fun-run, got her hair cut, went on boat rides, went to the beach, and the list goes on. Thank you, Cookie and Grumps, for an awesome week!

Some Nights

If it isn't too hot, we often head outside after dinner and let the girls run around. We sit in our chairs and enjoy the evening, and the girls run around like crazy people, ride their noodles, and play with Barbies.

It's a pretty good way to end the day.

Ridiculous

I am hesitant to say that we are done with potty training for Caroline, but I think we are finished. She is no long the ticking time bomb of pee that she once was, although I must admit that I ask her about 10 times a day if she needs to use the bathroom.

I am no longer met with tears if she has to sit down and try, but this picture cracks me up. Have you ever seen anyone look less happy to relieve themselves on their own personal potty?

Then again, this potty was located in the kitchen (we wouldn't want another person occupying the bathroom to be a reason for an accident). Perhaps she was just upset that she didn't have more privacy?

Then again, this is the same girl who comes into rooms full of people screaming, "I pooped on the potty!" So, maybe privacy isn't the issue here.