Finding the balance

You know, balancing a family, work, life, the house, kiddos activities and a husband is a lot of work! I have found some amazing ways to save time and money along the way--but I wished I had learned these tricks sooner!

Just recently I copied a friend and made all my food for about 3 weeks in one day......yes a FULL day of cooking! I had a great time and loved learning the recipes and even making everything with organic, healthy ingredients. I have never been happier to pull out dinner and feed my family a healthy, organic meal at the last minute. Not to mention, we eat more diverse foods and my kiddos are branching out. Nothing is better than that!

I also realized how much easier it is to get the laundry, and work done if i get up a couple hours before anyone else. I can throw in a load of laundry and then do my work on the computer with get this--no interruptions! I sometimes forget how nice a quiet house can be. Although, I have to admit that by the time I go to wake the children up for school I am more than ready to hear their beautiful little voices and start the never ending question answering that we refer to as motherhood! I get to help them pick out their clothes--and my opinion actually still matters to my ever independent little girls. I dread the day they think I am just old and out of touch with life....especially since I will have two teenage girls! I have also learned that spending quality time with the children means that when I need to work or have my own time they are more than accommodating! We have developed a routine of activities that the children love--ie craft day, cooking day, dress up day, etc. These special little moments with my children truly are the best moments of my day. I get to see each of them and their own, very unique personalities. Just today I had Sophia on one side painting a beautiful picture, where everything made sense. The grass was green, the sky was blue and the flowers were pink. On the other side I have Bella painting a picture in which everything is completely wrong. She has a purple ground, with blue trees and a orange sky. Then I have Evan who, at one, prefers to eat the paint! I know that in time Bella will reach the stage that Sophia is at and the moments of this colorful world will become "normal." I also know that Evan will eventually paint a picture and stop eating the paint...eventually! However, I am in no rush for them to grow up. They already do that on their own way too fast! Until then, I will enjoy their unique spots in life and cherish these amazing moments of childhood with them.

So, while my life can make me laugh, cry, smile, stress, worry and get angry about all in the same day, I would not trade it for anything! I have the most amazing 3 children in the world and being a mother and wife really is my greatest accomplishment! Although, finding a few ways to keep me sane is not cheating....is it?

Lack of Energy Late = Motivation Early!

So, I have decided that my days events should happen in the opposite order. I have so much energy when I get up, yet all i need to prepare for the children is a bowl of cereal or oatmeal. On the flip-side, I am exhausted by dinner time and yet I need to make an entire meal. Does anyone else see something wrong with this?

There is really only one way to fix this problem...by making dinner in the crockpot. Does that make me old? I hope not! My mom actually got me hooked on it again as she has been using her crockpots (religiously) for a while now. It means that I can get up, make an easy breakfast, and then proceed to figure out what to make for dinner and get that going before 10am. Sounds perfect, right? Well, not quite.

While the crockpot is working ever so diligently to prepare a meal for my family, I can smell it--which makes me hungry! This is not a bad thing, but I will need to make sure that my choice of "snacks" stop being chips with hummus! So, tonight we enjoyed broccoli and cheese chicken over rice, with a side of broccoli. Gotta love it! Dinner was made, the house was clean, the children.....were alive, and well--what more can you ask for?

Night and Day

So, I had my Sophia and I thought I knew a thing or two about being a mom. Boy oh boy, was I wrong! I realized that I only knew how to be Sophia's mom....not Isabella's!!

My girls are literally night and day from one another!! I wake up Sophia for school and she springs out of bed ready to shower and get ready for school....clothes, hair done, breakfast, teeth brushed and bag packed and ready! She has been in this routine, without much prompting, since she started preschool at 3. Isabella on the other hand......we are lucky if she is dressed by the time we need to be out the door.

I usually wake up Bella about 6 times before she stops covering her face back up trying to go back to bed. By the 6th or 7th time, she finally rises from her bed only to lay on the floor. Might I add that by this time, Sophia is usually showered, dressed and brushing her hair while singing! Once Bella finally has the ability to stand to get dressed, she lets me dress her in whatever I want---no arguing! Again, complete change from Sophia who fought me tooth and nail about her clothes until I gave in and let her wear a dress every single day!

Once Bella is dressed, she will usually stand in her room and stretch a few more minutes before she makes her way to the kitchen for breakfast. She will usually pick at whatever I made and then wonder off to play with a book or to try on daddy's shoes! Unlike Sophia who stays on schedule as if she was following a script, Bella could care less about what the morning routine is and likes to just do things her way and at her pace!

Once I can finally manage to get Bella into the bathroom to have her hair fixed, we are usually crunched for time and stressing to get Sophia to the bus. However, if I tell Bella we do not have time to fix her hair it is not Bella that cares, but Sophia! Sophia would not leave the house without her hair brushed and is just looking out for the best interest of her little sister as well!

Just another Thursday morning in the Powell household! Luckily, Sophia has yet to miss the bus and Isabella has rarely left the house in shambles (thanks to her big sister)! I can't imagine my life without my girls are their fun and amazing, but incredibly different personalities!

Although......I do (slightly) fear the teen years!

If you want to really test your marriage.....

So, Justin and I are remodeling both bathrooms at the end of the month. As if the task of doing this would not be stressful enough, we only have 12 days to do it! (Yes....we are crazy and will make sure to video tape the chaos as we go!)

Here is the problem.....Justin is way to opiniated!!

We have spent the last 2 hours rangling children and trying to pick fixtures, shower doors, toilets, vanities....to name a few! I never realized how incredibily stressful and hard it is to pick these things for the bathroom. I am not sure why he has such an opinion on everything!! I know exactly what I want and could have had everything picked out in a matter of an hour or two. However, he does not like this or that and then we spend even more time researching and looking around. Might I clarify, that I am much more visual and have a great sense of decorating flare. Justin on the other hand....while he has great taste, he can not visualize it until it is up. However, in a remodel that is just a little too late.

Progress has been made to today.....and although slow, I have faith!

I made it...

Sophia, my oldest daughter is going to be 6 years old next month. She is what we call, dramatic. There are many things that happen throughout the course of one day that seem as though the world were ending in Sophia's eyes. Then in the blink of an eye, the world is magically put back together and she is an absolute darling to her younger siblings.

So, today she had basketball practice. She was not sure wanted to go as she was worried she would be injured. I assured her that all would be fine and she would have a blast. That is when she looked up at me and said "Mom, you don't know what it is like out there on the court." As I was trying hard not to smile, I asked her to explain to me what it was like so I could understand her anxiety. She looked up at me with her big brown eyes and said "I play with boys mom, you should understand." Ahhhh! I figured out how to make sure my daughter NEVER wants to date.....continue to put her on leagues that are coed! :)

After the game, I asked her how everything went and if she had fun. She said that she did, but that she was looking forward to getting home so she could fix her hair as her braids got messed up while she was running. Then she gave her sister and brother hugs and told them "I got through another game in one piece." I am not sure what she thinks that those other 5 and 6 year old children are capable of, but I am glad that she "made it out alive." ;)

My Sophia will probably not grow up to be an amazing basketball player, but she is an amazing little girl with a big heart. I know that she will find her calling, even if it is not on the court!

New Year 2011

Justin and me

New year, new mommy

I am sitting here at the beginning of a new year trying to figure out where the future is taking us. I am anxious to start new challenges, but I don't like to be pressured into them! I am excited to watch my children grow, but I don't want them to grow too fast! I remember the past, but try not to stay wrapped up in it! So, as I sit here thinking about where i might be in 5 years I am clueless. I am definately not where I thought i would be 5 years ago! I am in such a better place with my children and my husband! My conclusion is, that I am not going to speculate anything. letting life take it's course has proved to be much more beneficial and gratifying than trying to plan every step along the path!

Welcome 2011....I am ready!