weekend {without the kids} recap.

A mommy brain can be really tricky sometimes.  At least my mommy brain can be...

Mr. P and I were blessed to get away to see our dear friends in Madison this last weekend - without the kids!  We are really blessed to have my mom and my brother to always be so willing to watch our kids for us.

I was so excited to getaway without the kids, but when it came down to actually leaving, it was so hard!

Am I the only mom this happens to?  You dream of just having a weekend away with your husband, or for a girl getaway, but when it comes time to leave it just breaks your heart?  Despite being a mom for 9 years now, and 4 kids under my belt, leaving the kids is still so hard.

It never fails...the day you are due to leave the kids are perfect little angels, and so sweet, and so snugly...

My hubby managed to get me into the car after a few rounds of hugs and kisses for our four hour journey across Wisconsin.

The drive was beautiful {for the first couple hours}.  And then I got bored {happens to me on long car rides without the kids}...was it that I didn't have anyone to "serve",  or nobody to tell they need to stop fighting?

Chat hubby's ear off...check!

Change the radio station and/or ipod dozens and dozens of times...check!

Push every button in my hubby's car multiple times...check!

Require bathroom breaks...check!

Stop for snack/something to eat...check!

Whine for a drink because snack made me thirsty...

I was told I was worse to ride with than a wild four year old...

We did have an awesome weekend though.  I got to help my friend make some fabric selections for a new sectional {which I love doing}.  We made a trip to the mall.  Met the "guys" for lunch, and took in a movie.  We had a great dinner out at The Melting Pot {note to self: next time skip the whole meal and go straight to dessert because it's that good}.  All in all it was a calm relaxing weekend and we simply enjoyed spending time together.

The journey back was equally beautiful {I love the gorgeousness of fall}.

I did my best to behave and not be so annoying.  I also endured listening to the MN Vikings game on the radio... {honestly, I'd rather shove pencils in my ears than listen to sports on the radio...}.

We safely completed our journey and were greeted with excited {and some screaming} kids and great big hugs....followed by some tattling, tantrums, sibling fights...

And within 15 minutes I was ready for another "kid-less" escape.  How soon can until our next getaway???

Ultimate Parent Fail {the night the tooth fairy didn't come...}

Yup. It happened. The post title sums it up...

The Tooth Fairy forgot to come, breaking a little heart.

The minute I sensed the sweet little soul beside my bed waking me up {at 5 in the morning} I KNEW!

With silent crocodile tears streaming down her cheeks she softly spoke, "the Tooth Fairy didn't come...she forgot about me".

Ugh.  I wanted to die {not really, but there are not words to describe how utterly terrible I felt}.

I tried to think quick..."honey, it's soooo early still...maybe she just hasn't made it yet?".  Lame attempt, but I was desperate.  I took her back to her bed and snuggled with her trying every trick I knew to try to get her back to sleep, but it was not happening.  The tears silently continued.

I had failed.

An hour passed.  The tears continued to flow.  I felt horrible.  And then it came to me.  I did what a panicking parent in a pickle would do.

I lied!

Yup.  I did.

We had recently moved so I used it as my excuse!  I told her that the tooth fairy probably hadn't received the notice that we had moved/changed our address yet {hey, I was desperate!}.  And she accepted this "excuse".

She waited patiently.  And wouldn't you know the tooth fairy did come...she left a teeny tiny hand written note {as the tooth fairy always does} and included an explanation and apology of why she hadn't come {she went to the wrong house, of course}.  She {the tooth fairy} did compensate extra for that tooth too...

This has been my "mommy fail confession".  I sure hope I'm not the only parent who has ever found them self in this situation???

living thru a creative "slump"

I lie awake into the wee hours of the night filled with ideas and images of inspiration...

In my head I'm writing blog posts with the creativity, detail, and interest that could rival the peek days of my creative writing talents {back in high school}.

I'm filled with ideas that I would love to paint, sew, design and create for my house and family.

But by day...my abilities to write and create are as dry as the Sahara Desert.

My blank canvases remain blank...

The sewing machine and serger remain covered...

Bins of fabric sit packed away...

Walls are bare...

Blog posts are difficult to write...

Brainstorming produces nothing more than the sound of crickets in my head...

Uploading and "tweaking" pictures seems daunting so it goes undone...

I find myself in a season of "creative dryness".

Have you ever met one of these?  How does one "cope" or get over the "wall"?

So There's This Boy... {life with a 2 year old boy}

Having three little {"precocious" as our pediatrician calls them} girls never could have prepared me or even given me an inkling for what life with a little two year old boy would be like.

So there's this boy, who stole my heart, he calls me...

MA!
Mom...
Mom...
Muh-muh...
Mommy...
Ma...
Ma...
Ma...
Momma...
Maaa-ma...

OK, Maybe it's less of him calling me and more shouting at me...

Rarely does any information or need follow the calling or request for "mom's" attention.

Over and over and over it goes.  It reminds me of that Stewie character clip that too many men I know find funny {the one I find ridiculously annoying}.

Typically people are flattered by the sound of their own name {since having kids "mom" is the name I am most commonly referred to}, but there is something about hearing "mom" and it's variations repeatedly over and over that isn't so flattering sometimes.  On occasion it has me thinking I might change my name {or that which I'm referred to} and not tell anyone what that new name is.

The truth is: quite often {especially when this happens in the car} what I really want to do is yell "WHAT!?"

What I actually do is: smile {sometimes shake my head} and savor the sound of that sweet little voice calling for his "mommy".  I am so grateful for every moment I have with this precious little boy {despite this thunder cloud that seemed to appear since he turned 2}.

My Top 5 Blog Posts.

I know I'm not a professional blogger or even considered "good" when it comes to blogging...I'm a totally sporadic blogger who had visions and ideas of this blog that just didn't manifest how I thought they would {no biggie}.

Regardless...I still enjoy checking my "stats" once in a blue moon and am totally surprised by the amount of views and visits that this little idea of a blog has gotten.

What really makes me chuckle though is what by "stat" numbers {post views, comments, Pinned projects, etc} are considered my best/most popular posts...wouldn't you know they are all the ones that I put little to hardly any effort into, or they didn't cost hardly a handful of loose change to produce!

Here's the rundown of my top projects...

no. 5
F-U-N Addressing Cards...  If I had a dollar for each notification I receive when this little things gets "Pinned", momma would be sporting a nice new pair {or 2 or 3} of Frye boots this fall.


no. 4
Fire Cracker Hair Bows... really they were a last minute "whip up", but apparently have been a hit.


no. 3
Mod Podge Fun {Pretty Little Notebooks}... practically free to make {they are pretty cute if I do say so myself}.


no. 2
Z-Gallerie Inspired Eye Chart Artwork... seriously a few minutes on the computer.


and...

no 1.
Made Fall Fashion {Girls Boot Socks}... made from the scraps of a sweater and a few buttons on hand - they were pretty cute {maybe it's the chubby knees I love}.


A big "THANK YOU" to you who have featured, Pinned, and shared these posts!  Have a great week!

"The Wet Brush" ... total gimmick or totally amazing?

The Wet Brush...

Have you heard of this?  I had heard about it a while ago from a hairstylist who was trying to sell me one, but with a basket full of combs and brushes already, I politely declined.

A couple of days ago I was given one of these brushes from my mother who said to give it a try.

Upon removing the brush from the package and inspecting it, my honest opinion was that it looked and felt like a hair brush from the Dollar Tree but with a $13 price tag.



















After washing my hair I decided to give the brush a try.

In my brain I was already thinking about the words I was going to use to tell my mom she totally got ripped off with this silly brush...

But after 4 quick swoops through my full head of long hair I was ABSOLUTELY BLOWN AWAY!!!

This wet brush is amazing!!!  It went right through my wet hair...no tugging, no breaking, no struggle at all!  I couldn't believe it.

The true test would be through my son's crazy "Lionel Richie" like hair... and again, it AMAZED me!!!  After naps his hair looks like someone attempted dread locks on the back of his head - it usually takes A LOT of detangler, conditioner, and brushing to get through the mess.  The Wet Brush went through so quickly and easily ... and there was no screaming or flinching from the little guy.

Rarely do I "ooh" and "ahh" over a product {outside of my skincare products}, but I simply couldn't hold this one in.  I'm totally impressed.

I totally feel like a cheesy "Info-mercial", but this thing is great!