Today

Heartbreak is life educating us  ~George Bernard Shaw~

Today was a hard day.  

It started at 4:30 when Mini-Me came in to my bed asking for Scruffy.  I hadn't slept, and knew that breaking the news to her would mean no sleep until tonight.  

"Where is Scruffy?"

"He was very sick.  He died, Honey.  He's in Doggy Heaven."

"Oh.  But he was my favorite dog.  I miss him.  And I prayed a Hail Mary for him so he should come home!" (tears are starting to flow at this point)

"I know.  I'm sad too.  It's okay to be sad.  We loved him very much."

"Mommy, does Scruffy have a habitat in Heaven?"

"Um, a habitat?"

"Yeah, mommy, a habitat... like fish have habitats in the sea, and butterflies have habitats.  I bet he has a habitat in Doggie Heaven.  It has birds.  And butterflies.  Birds communicate, 'ya know.  They communicate by tweeting. "

"Yes... they do.  Did you learn about habitats in school?"

"No Mommy, we haven't learned that yet.  I just know it.  That's all."

Today was hard.  There were some tears, some questions, and a lot of quiet moments.  I watched as my oldest child dealt with grief for the first time in her young life.  I learned so much from her.  She is incredibly wise for her age.  Tonight, as I tucked each of my children into bed, I thanked God for them and for the blessing of having Scruffy in our lives.  And I silently promised them that tomorrow would be better.  And the next day after that, and the day after that...

And as I snuggled with my Mini-Me 16 hours after I first broke the news to her, she nestled her face in my neck and cried.  

"I'm heartbroken" she sobbed.  

"Me too..." I replied as a tear dropped from my own eye onto her long brown hair.  And as her heart broke for Scruffy, mine broke for her.  Because losing someone you love is a necessary lesson that you never want to have to learn.  

Love, hugs, and blessings,

The Mama

Better Late Than Never!

I finally got the pictures from last week's SNOW!!! off of my camera and onto my laptop.  (Again, a wonderful testament to the time gained by eliminating Facebook from my life!)

Hard to believe, but it was actually coming down and sticking to the ground!!!

Only an hour later, we had this much and the kids were playing outside...

My baby girl's first snow!

Snow brings out the Puppy in Scruffy!

Shortly after sunrise the next morning

A rare, beautiful treat!!

Love, hugs, and blessings,

The Mama

Sunday Night S'mores

Hubs is out of town on business again this week. We made the trek down to the airport not-so-bright and early at 4:00 this morning so he could make his crack of dawn flight to Miami.

The kids miss him so much when he's gone, so I thought it would be nice if we did something fun and out of routine before he left town.

My answer? S'mores!!!

The only hitch was that we didn't have a bonfire or a fire pit. Instead, we settled for roasting s'mores over an open grill. It may sound strange, but it was perfect.

Love, hugs, and blessings,
The Mama

Catching Up!

Oh, I LOVE Chicago!!! L and I had a WONDERFUL weekend in Chicago for my brother's graduation. The weather was all over the place, but it was still absolutely perfect.


This was the view from my hotel room. Amazing, huh?!?!

I wanted to blog while I was gone, and actually I started a post while I was in the airport leaving Atlanta, but I'm just not a fan of typing in portrait on my iPhone so I stopped. Sorry y'all! Although if you follow me in Twitter, I'm sure that you were able to catch all of my Chicago-loving updates!

As much as I love my husband and children, it was SO NICE to have a weekend that I only had to worry about myself and one other person. I got pregnant with N so quickly after I was born that I don't remember what it's like to just have one child to keep after! I kept looking around, sure that I had forgotten someone or something. At one point, I did lose my camera, but it was quickly found.

The food... Oh, the food in Chicago was absolutely delicious. I think the highlight of the weekend's food-fest would have to be the banana hotcakes I had at a place called Bananas Foster the morning before we flew back to Atlanta. Seriously people, words cannot begin to describe the banana-sweet-yummy-goodness-crack-on-a-plate that these hotcakes were. If there is a heaven, I'm certain that these are on the menu each and every morning. The entire time I was eating them, I had Jack Johnson in my head. I even contemplated taking a picture of them to share with you, but then I realized that it would take away from the simple joy of eating them so I decided against it. Again, so sorry. I'll tell you what though, if I can find a recipe that accurately duplicates them, I will definitely share.

The trip was a whirlwind but wonderful. I picked up a little something called the stomach flu on the way home, and have spent the remainder of the week in bed. NOT FUN. Needless to say I have LOT of catching up to do not only on here, but also with my business and getting things in gear for the 3 Day!

And with that, I'm off to get some work done.

Love, hugs, and blessings,
The Mama

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Okay, so my dad's birthday isn't technically until tomorrow. We're celebrating it tonight, however, because trying to get my family together is kind of like herding cats...

And yes, I do still call my dad "Daddy".

My dad is a pretty cool guy. He's a Catholic Deacon, but hasn't been one my whole life. He's the kind of person that commands attention wherever he goes. There really aren't enough great things that I can say about him without turning into a blubbering, crying mess. He is an amazing father, a great leader, a wonderful teacher, and an incredible friend. He would do anything he could for his kids, and he loves his grandchildren (sans poopie diapers) more than anything I've ever seen.

And for those of you who enjoy my blog, you can partly thank him. I was blessed with his gift of sarcasm.

Love, hugs, and blessings,
The Mama

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses

I need to apologize to the two of you that follow my blog. Once again, I've been horribly remiss in posting.

I can explain.

As I may have mentioned, the plague hit our house about three weeks ago. Okay, well maybe not THE plague, but when a foreign virus stops by uninvited, it has a devastating impact on everyone. I went to the emergency room at CHOA twice in a six day stretch. First, L had RSV. Then N woke up one morning with an ENORMOUS lymph node.

Thankfully L is doing much, much better.

N was put on a round of high powered antibiotics. His recovery has been slow and I've been sick with worry. The node is still huge (picture ping-pong ball) and he's not himself. I took him in for a recheck on Friday. We're in a holding pattern for the next two weeks. However, since I seem to be obsessed with Googling, I've worked myself into a ridiculous state of anxiety and will be calling our pediatrician back on Monday. I'm praying that it's just an infection like the ER doctor said.

In other news, my little hobby-turned-company, Bella Bee Bo, has had a pretty good week. I've got several leads and really need to get my act together so that I can become profitable. Of course, running a business is something that takes time, and having three sick children who are three and under does not afford one much opportunity to take advantage of such a precious commodity. Needless to say, I'll be working like mad for the next several days trying to get myself "presentable" for the individuals who have expressed an interest in my products.

Last but certainly not least, I will be updating my blog links and sidebars. I PROMISE. Again, it takes time and that's something that I just have not had lately. Every time I've sat down to work on my blog, I find myself Googling those anxiety-causing symptoms and checking Facebook like I'm a 16 year old. In the meantime, I would encourage you to check out my new favorite blog to follow: keeponspinning.wordpress.com. It is amazing and inspirational and will definitely make you count your blessings. If you have a few extra minutes, read back through her old blog posts to get the whole story.

Now, if you'll excuse me, my wonderful husband and I are having "date night in" tonight, and I need to go put on something other than the uniform sweatpants and t-shirt.

Love, hugs, and blessings,
The Mama

When It Rains...

It pours. At least, that's how things are at my household!

My oldest has been sick since Sunday. I've been fighting her fever by alternating Tylenol and Motrin, and it has yet to truly come all the way down. She also has a cough that is making her - and me - miserable.

On Wednesday, our car broke down. We drive a 2006 Honda CRV. Apparently it needs a new transmission. I have NEVER heard of a Honda needing a new transmission, let alone one that is so new. I am hoping and praying that Honda will help us make sense of why this problem occurred and that it is covered under warranty.

Now, my two younger children have fallen victim to the nasty virus that first took root in my oldest. My middle child is running a fever, and my baby is puny - a sure sign that she is the next one to become ill.

I'm not complaining. It's actually pretty funny. Thankfully it is just a virus. And as far as the car goes, well, that's pretty typical for us. Things will work out. They always do.

I'm just looking forward to being able to take a shower that isn't necessitated by being puked on. Ahh, motherhood is so glamorous.

Love, hugs, and blessings,
The Mama

Thoughts of Thankfulness

I love Saturdays. My husband is a truly wonderful man. He allows me to sleep in on the weekends without so much as a sigh in complaint. I look forward to Saturdays more than nearly anything else. From the time he gets up until I finally roll out of bed, I know that I don't have a thing to worry about. I'll usually nurse lil bit, and then I know that I've got four solid hours of sleep that I'm off duty. I put in my earplugs, pull down my eyemask, and let myself fall into a few hours of stress free rest.

Being a stay at home mom is a LOT of work. I'm on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Even when I'm asleep, I have one eye open in case one of my babies needs me. I wake at the slightest stir and am always on call and ready to go. It's a huge responsibility, and I absolutely love it. That being said, I take the time when I know that I don't have to worry very seriously and I am very, very appreciative of it. Anyone who has ever been responsible for the care of another living being knows what an enormous, blessed job it can be. I've earned every one of my smile wrinkles and gray hairs. I know that not a moment goes by when I'm not on call.

I love my family. I adore my husband. My children leave me breathless with joy. I am truly one of the most blessed women in the world.

Love, hugs, and blessings,
The Mama