Fall Festival

I have said it before and I'll say it again, I really enjoy fall and am looking forward to all the fall activities.  So far, I have enjoyed tuning in to some of my favorite TV shows.  Yes, I am trying to cut back per my previous post but there are some that I just have to watch.  I am so not ready to give up TV completely.

Yesterday we enjoyed another fun fall activity, the Fall Festival sponsored by our local park district.  Thanks to my friend who recommended it, we met them there for a couple of hours.  Makenna slept her way through most of it but Maya enjoyed the pony rides, bouncy thing, hay maze, pumpkin decorating, and more.  It was a big hit according to a 3 year old!

I highly recommend finding a fall festival or a pumpkin patch in your area.  It really is fun for the entire family. 

 

Have Children Changed How You Spend Your Time?

Last night while talking to Dave about how I think he should subscribe to his magazines via his Kindle, it made me remember life prior to parenthood. You all know by reading my previous posts how much I adore my two daughters and how much I feel it is important to take time for yourself too. Dave reads. He loves it and tries to read every night before going to sleep. Recently he purchase his first ever Kindle which has got him even more excited about reading. Dave has always kept this passion of reading before and after having kids. I personally think it is wonderful except when he keeps me up late at night because he can't put a book down.

So then I think about myself and how I spent my time prior to being a mother. Some things I have out grown and am no longer interested in and others I just don't have the time. My time instead is spent with my girls, blogging of course, and doing random mommy things (and maybe sneaking in some TV).

What was life prior to parenthood? Judge if you may but I thought my life wasn't too shabby :)

• Many work evenings were spent curled up on the couch by 7pm versus 9 pm
• When Chef Dave was on strike or vacation, dinners would consist of a bag of microwave popcorn or a bowl of cereal preferably Lucky Charms
• Exercise was a priority and I hit the gym for at least an hour after work versus getting up 5 am
• I knew all the celebrity gossip thanks to my weekly dose of US Weekly and E! News
• 8 glorious hours of uninterrupted sleep on a regular basis rather than a mere 6 or 7 hours if I am really lucky
• Movies, dinners out, concerts? No problem!
• Face to face conversations with Dave instead of communicating via email
• Shopping was solely about me and only me

Those were the days. Ha! How did you spend your time before kids? Have you ever thought about it?

Wordless Wednesday

Picture of the Day - Our Family Photo

This is our family.
This is our family trying to take a family picture.
These are our sobbing and tired kids.
This is us trying to pretend we are happy.
This is my unruly hair for the entire photo shoot.
This is our family in all its shining glory.
This is our family photo.

Fall TV

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am really looking forward to many fall activities not to mention enjoying some of them right now.  One of the things I am looking forward to is fall premier week which is this week for the majority of the shows.  Problem is that I love and watch too many shows.  I admit, I am addicted to television.

A friend of mine and her hubby decided earlier this summer to forgo cable or satellite and opt to use regular old rabbit ears to receive their core local stations.  I honesty thought they were crazy and after a week would resign up.  Did they?  No.  They are actually enjoying the freedom of not being tied down to their DVR and are only watching shows when they are on and when they are home.  Yes, they watch an occasional show here and there via the internet but it is far and few between.  Amazing!

So I think...should I give up TV or at least cut down my TV time?  I know myself and giving it up completely isn't possible.  If I do cut back my TV time, I would be able to use my one precious kid free hour to do other things like house work, getting  more sleep, and of course more time to blog!  The next issue is how do I cut back?  I love too many shows.  How am I suppose to decide between shows like Brother & Sisters, Grey's Anatomy, Parenthood, and Cougar Town?  What about the Office or How I Met Your Mother?  Let's not forget about the awesome and very addicting HGTV shows.  Who doesn't like to watch House Hunters? 

Hmm...what is girl to do?  I know, style Maya's hair.  Off I go...

Terrible Morning? Not Today!

As you may recall, we had a terrible morning the other week.  I was seriously at my last straw and couldn't continue having one bad morning after another.  Thanks to all the wonderful comments and great suggestions, we worked on changing our morning routine. 

First we picked up the book, Parenting With Love And Logic , which we have read parts of.  Second we switched up our morning routine.

Routine:
6:40ish - wake up time by Dave.  He does this by turning on Maya's lamp and music.  We are currently listening to "The Life of Childhood" which is a cd of Amharic kids songs. 
6:50ish - go back into Maya's room to ensure she is awake, up, and getting dressed.  After Maya is dressed, I style her hair if needed and brush teeth. I then move on to getting Makenna up and dressed. 

By switching up our routine, we have had very pleasant mornings and Maya has been making very good choices.  This means a happy Maya, a happy mom, and a happy Makenna as she gets some attention too.

I even got to take some photos from Friday!  This never happens as we are usually rushing out the door.  Look how happy they are! 

 

Crazy Week

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say this week is a crazy week!  It seems when school is in session and September hits, all the activities start.  Tonight Maya started gymnastics.  It was the first time Maya joined the other kids and coaches alone while I was sandwiched in a small space with all the other parents watching the class through a TV monitor.  From what I can tell, Maya did really well.  She certainly seemed to have enjoyed herself.

We also started Sunday school for the first time and will be doing a secondary program at church called "Wowee" each Wednesday.  I was hesitant at first to sign her up for it but I was told it is a very good program and completely different than Sunday school.  It may be too much but we'll see. 

My blogging will have to take a back seat this week as we tackle all the activities and figure out our new schedule.  My husband and I are also working on debuting our new blog design and I can't wait to go live with it.  Hopefully it will be ready very soon.

I can't sign off until I post a picture of one of my kids.  Here is Makenna being goofing and happy.  This picture makes me laugh.