Fly On The Wall- September 2014: Gratefulness

Hey there!  Welcome to the September Fly on the Wall Group Challenge. This month, 13 awesome bloggers and I are describing what it would be like if you were to take a peek inside our homes....

Have a "look" around mine, and then go visit the other blogger's pages. There's always something fun, sentimental, or better yet, embarrassing going on. It's like your house, only we're admitting to the craziness. You have our permission. Buzz on over!

Cast:
The man
Alex, the eldest (daughter, 20) She has a name!!
C., The middle (son, 16)
J., The youngest (son, 9)

Henry and Lila- The dogs

September:
The fly on my wall would have witnessed a lot of gratefulness on my part this month. September always brings a bit of a "do-over" attitude for me. I think it coincides with back to school, or the beginning of my favorite season. Either way, I chose to focus on the positives this month. Here are a few...

So, I had a birthday:

My family and friends spoiled me rotten for days. I was extremely humbled by the people who relayed well wishes. It only took me 44 years to realize how blessed and grateful I am to be surrounded by so many wonderful souls. I'm determined to focus on the people that continuously "show up" for me and celebrate their presence every chance I get.

Color Me Happy:
I'm a sucker for paint. If you don't believe me, check out my posts up there in the menu section under "Home Improvement" or "Refurbish". I'm a color-loving freak. The brighter, the better. Anywhoo, it's a running joke that my children will NEVER be like me when it comes to painting. I believe their mantra is "Put the paintbrush down, mom and slowly walk away." It hasn't worked yet.

Alex (until she moved out) "Mom, when I get MY own house, everything is going to be black and white. Simple as that."
Alex (AFTER she moved out) "Mom, my house is so plain. Will you help me paint something? Like a bed board? Oh, and do you have a bed board I can paint? 
Yes and Yes.

I'm grateful for the day I got to spend sanding, priming, painting, and gabbing with my only girl.

Working for the weekend:

Alex is working at the library of the local middle school. (She loves it.) My elementary students always said the cutest things, so I asked her if it was the same with teenagers. She texted me these three quotes from different students: 

• "Would you like me to kick you in the teeth?"
• "I can't tell time yet."
• "My hobby? Anger Management."

Hmm.

*

The middle child is now an employee of the grocery down the street. It's his first job requiring a W-2 form. He's balancing that, his friends and school quite well.

C. (before the job): "Mom. Can I have 10 bucks? Oh, and what's for dinner?"

C. (at the job via text) "We have rotisserie chicken on sale. Should I bring some home? When I get there can I have ten bucks?"

*

As I mentioned last time, the man is working three out of five days at home. We're finally finding our own rhythm. The only negative right now is that I'm putting on weight. He likes to eat. I like to bake for people who like to eat. I also like to eat with people who like to eat. You see where this is going...

The man: "Are those cookies for me or are they for your blog?"

Me: "I guess they're for you. And me."

The man: "Not the kids?"

Me: "Not if they don't know about them."

They didn't. :(

I'm grateful that my family is full of hard workers. I'm also thankful that the man still has time to work on my computer during his work "breaks".

Grandma? Is that you?
Well, the eldest has been married a whopping 3 months and I'm already a grandma. What?? Why am I writing this so calmly, you ask? It's because I've met the baby and I already love her. The kids call her Lucy, folks. Trust me, this is the only grand-baby I'm prepared to have for a loooooong while.

I'm grateful that another rescue-dog has a forever home.

Random quotes heard around the home:

"Your mother didn't sleep last night because of my snoring. Just say "Yes, mom" and smile anytime you make eye contact."

"I want to play the violin...someday. Right now I just think people need to hear me sing."

"Watching 'Extreme Couponing' is making me hungry for things I don't have coupons for."

" I can't wait until I'm old enough to work. I will buy EVERYTHING!!" (evil laugh, wishful thinking)

"I think I need my inhaler. Or a donut. Wait a minute...No. I need a donut."

"I swear to all that is good, I will play "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-lot, full blast, with the top down. I will you drop you off at the high school and not let you out of the car until you kiss me goodbye. Now. Will you come home late again??"

"I WILL kiss you goodbye AND dance to your old music along with you if I can go out again tonight."

***

I am grateful for the awesome sense of humor my family possesses. This month. :)

Enjoy the rest of your September, friends.
-Michele

Thanks once again for stopping by, and to the Fly's AMAZING creator, Karen @ Baking In a Tornado, aka "The Blogging Original", for hosting this challenge! Would you like to join in the next FLY challenge? Click on the FLY button on my side bar. Karen will more than take care of you.

Take a look at what the other bloggers have going on inside their homes. Go on! Leave them a comment. You know you want to...

Baking in a Tornado                           

The Rowdy Baker                                

Just a Little Nutty                                

The Momisodes                                         

Spatulas on Parade                       

The Sadder but Wiser Girl                               

Follow Me Home                         

Stacy Sews and Schools                  

Menopausal Mother                             

Go Momma O                                        

Dinosaur Superhero Mommy                                     

Juicebox Confession                           

Someone Else's Genius                         

Battered Hope                               

Use Your Words: September 2014

Hello, friends!

Today’s post is a writing challenge created by Karen @ Baking in A Tornado. This is how it works: 11 participating bloggers picked 4 – 6 words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a post. All words must be used at least once and all the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That’s the challenge, but there's a fun twist; no one who’s participating knows who received their words or in what direction the writer will take them. Until now.

At the end of this post you’ll find links to the other blogs featured in this challenge. Check them all out, see what words they were given and how they used them. 

My words are: Lemony pancakes ~ phone marketer ~ zoo ~ car insurance ~ yell ~ laundry

They were submitted by the wonderful Tamara@ Confessions of a part-time working mom  

The "Before-Dinner-Snack"

Weekday afternoons are often like a zoo around here. At three o'clock, the kids start coming home from school. Before the front door closes, they're yelling about one thing or another. Usually, it's announcing that a friend (or three) has tagged along, or asking loudly if the laundry they had balled up under their bed has been washed. 

I'm commonly multitasking by asking about homework or reminding the kids to pick up their shoes/jackets/backpacks while ALSO telling telephone marketers that I am NOT interested in lowering my car insurance rates/ buying a new roof/ completing a survey, etc.

It gets to be a bad rhythm around here; from three to five o'clock every day. There's always a bit of chaos, exhaustion, bickering, and non-connection. Definitely, our proudest moments are NOT happening at that time of day.

Some days, we just have to slow down. The shoes can be put away later. I don't need to yell about where the laundry chute is located five times a week. We all need to remember to breathe...and eat.

Ten years from now, my kids won't remember what the homework was. I won't remember who I was mad at for not putting their clothes away. What we will recall are the moments we did something completely unexpected. 

Like the time I made lemony pancakes at 3:30 in the afternoon. With whipped cream and thick syrup. No rhyme nor reason; just because. I had no idea what we would be having having for dinner that night. All that mattered was that we were going to sit down, eat something rich, and talk about our day. We didn't make a four-course meal OR healthy choices that day, but we did make some sweet memories. :)

The "Let's Just Eat!" guide to Lemony Pancakes 

Ingredients: Lemon boxed cake mix, 3 eggs, 1 1/2 cup water, 1/3 cup oil

Optional: Syrup, yogurt, fresh fruit, whipped cream

Make cake mix according to the directions on the box.

Scoop mix onto a hot griddle@ 325 degrees. The smaller the pancake, the better. Mine were too big.

When the pancakes start to bubble, slow-roll them over (like crepes) Cook thoroughly.

Stack on plates. If you're making more than needed, sprinkle with powdered sugar for easy separation later. The pancakes taste like cupcake tops. They can be served warm or cold.

Let the kids serve themselves up and enjoy.

 AFTER savoring your time together, remind the youngest to hang up his coat. Hey, we don't live in a zoo!

Make your memories on your own terms, friends :)
-Michele

Thanks for the words, Tamara!!

Baking in a Tornado                              

Spatulas on Parade                          

Stacy Sews and Schools                     

Sparkly Poetic Weirdo                                   

Evil Joy Speaks                        

Someone Else's Genius                            

Confessions of a part-time working mom                              

Follow Me Home                            

The Bergham's Life Chronicles                          

The Sadder but Wiser Girl                                    

Battered Hope                                 

Fly On The Wall: August 2014

Hey there!  Welcome to the August Fly on the Wall Group Challenge. This month, 11 awesome bloggers and I are describing what it would be like if you were to take a peek inside our homes....

Have a "look" around mine, and then go visit the other blogger's pages. There's always something fun, sentimental, or better yet, embarrassing going on. It's like your house, only we're admitting to the craziness. You have our permission. Buzz on over!

Cast:
The man
Alex, the eldest (daughter, 20) She has a name!!
C., The middle (son, 16)
J., The youngest (son, 9)

Henry and Lila- The dogs

If you were a fly on our wall this month, you would have witnessed this:

Once upon a mattress:
After twenty-one years, 3 kids, and 3 dogs, the man and I finally bought a new mattress set. We decided to upgrade after our youngest was watching TV with me on my bed and did an accidental slow-roll onto the floor. The rectangular prism we had been sleeping on for so long had finally morphed into a wedge.
The bad news? No dogs allowed. (Bad news for them.) Also, I now need a ladder step stool to get into my bed.
The good news? Better back support and a 50% less chance of me rolling into my husband like we're on a Matterhorn ride.

Henry and Lila wondering what happened to the sloped "jump-on" spot from the old bed.

Oh, Brother!:

C. to J. while gathering laundry:
C.: "There needs to be a BALANCE when throwing your underwear down the chute. If you don't put enough down, mom will think you're not changing it enough. But, if you throw too much down, she's going to tell you to lay off the apples."

***

C. to me: "You should thank me, mom. J. couldn't sleep last night so I read to him. I even read from the bible."
Me: "C.! That was really nice of you."
J. to me, not nearly as happy about it as I thought he'd be: "Yeah, he read me a story about Cain and Abel."
Me: "C., you're grounded."

***

C. to J. on one of the last day of summer vacation: "Every time we bake with mom, a toothless angel gets her wings."

School begins!

The kids are off to school once again. C. is a Junior and J. is entering 4th grade. It's going fast. I'm trying to hold on and let go at the same time.

C. -11th grade

J. -4th grade

I asked Alex to send me her "first-day" picture. She's entering her senior year of college.

A.: "Not today, mom. School doesn't start until Monday. This morning, I'm just a hot mess. That's not a picture you need to see."

***

I get up early on the first morning to make everyone a big breakfast. We have pancakes, eggs, bacon and juice. I even serve it on our good dishes.

J. is making "Mmm" sounds.

C. to J. : "Enjoy your breakfast today, J. It's pop tarts for the next 179 days.

The Man: "C.! That's not very nice."

The Man then whispers to me, "BTW, we're out of pop tarts."

Preview for next month's Fly on the Wall:

The man just started working most weekdays from home. 

Yeah. That's just begging for blog posts.

Convo of the month:

Me to the man: "I know you're working, but I need you to come and kill this spider in my sewing room. It's huge."

The man walks with me down the hall then points at the spider: "What is all of that wet,white stuff?

Me: "It's baby powder. And spray starch. I didn't want it to run away while I went to get you."

The man: .....................

No words. Just the shaking of his head while he wonders if he should go back to working away from home.

Finally:

My son put me in his Lego "City".

Three things I love about this:

1. I drive an awesome convertible.

2. My ripped arms are as fabulous as my raven-black hair.

3. My husband has to sit in the back to make room for my cup of Joe.

Happy Friday, friends:) 

-Michele

Thanks once again for stopping by, and to the Fly's AMAZING creator, Karen @ Baking In a Tornado, aka "The Blogging Original", for hosting this challenge! Would you like to join in the next FLY challenge? Click on the FLY button on my side bar. Karen will more than take care of you.

Take a look at what the other bloggers have going on inside their homes. Go on! Leave them a comment. You know you want to...

Baking in a Tornado                          

The Rowdy Baker                                  

Just a Little Nutty                                

The Momisodes                                          

Spatulas on Parade                          

The Sadder but Wiser Girl                                   

Follow Me Home                            

Stacy Sews and Schools                   

Menopausal Mother                                

Someone Else's Genius                          

Go Mamma O