Slacking, but for a good reason

Life happens.
This is one of my favorite sayings.
You blink and a week has gone by, your house is in utter chaos, and your kitchen table looks like a craft store exploded.
I keep saying to myself "You need to do a blog update."
But then something else pulls my attention.
So, in a nut shell here is our life.
LAST SATURDAY, Ayla had her school friend birthday party and soccer game.
Then my mom came for a visit, but the nasty storm in Chicago delayed her by a day.
Then I drove to Philly to get her and got caught in a massive rain storm, with 3 kids, and only 1 in rain boots.
Ayla's REAL birthday arrived and we celebrated with pie -cherry and peach-, Yuki Hana for dinner, and presents. Lots and lots of presents.
Last night- I stayed up way late to make the games for Ayla's school Halloween party.
THIS MORNING- I had to go get blood taken (nothing wrong just part of our insurance).
THEN- clean the kitchen, cook the foods for the mystery boxes, finish the bean bag toss, drive to Ayla's school, set up, change miss 7 into her costume, run the party by grossing out a bunch of 6 and 7 year old, clean up come home, and pretend to take a nap while secretly researching photographers and blogging.
I may even squeeze in a date night or I night just fold laundry.
Who knows...

Perception

One of my favorite shows to watch on t.v is 

Hubby finds it disturbing because it's about a group of FBI specialists who hunt the worst of the worst bad guys. 

Almost every time he watches the show with me he asks the said question.

"How can you watch this show?"

I will admit it can make me uncomfortable at times.

And when the story centers around families or children that I can get scared.

BUT...

The reason that I watch this show is because for all of the evil in the world,

I reminds me that there is also good.

There are people who dedicate their lives to protecting us.

I like to believe in the good of people and humanity, but I am not naive to the fact that evil exists and there are people in this word who do horrible things.

I think being reminded of the good is important.

Next Week

Next week is a VERY big week in our little, over crowded household. We have so much going on, that I find myself sitting and staring at the calendar while scratching my head with a dazed look on my face.

 The biggest event is little miss 6 is turning

7

We are having a gymnastics birthday party for her.

It's after her normal Saturday morning soccer game.

On Friday, Ayla has a school Halloween parade and party.

I'm a room mom, so I get to help plan and execute the event.

Poor other room mom... my creative juices are running in overdrive!

 And

then 

a

 few

 days

 later...

(I love the wide-eyed baby stare)

Mimi and Pop-pop are coming to visit!!!

Exciting

I have something new in the works.

It has me all worked up.

When I get a little farther along with the nitty gritty I promise I'll share.

I know it will be interesting.

And

NO

IT'S

NOT 

ANOTHER BABY!

(just incase someone was thinking that)

Random and More

I have been neglecting my blogging duties due to the beautiful weather we have been having. 

And the gym.

And date night last night HERE.

If you live, visit, or think about Atlantic City, you have to eat here.

Ayla got a new toothbrush which has her very excited.

It's so much fun and a great idea for kids.

Ayla's turned out like this.

Like many, we have our family traditions.

I hope we can keep them going as the kids get older.

Sunday's are "pancake day"

and Friday is "family movie night"

Hayden set up the theatre as we watched

Today is a rare day.

I really don't have a lot to say.

Instead I have:

4 loads of laundry that refuse to wash themselves.

A magic sink that was actually empty... for 5 minutes yesterday.

The dishwasher also, is never empty.

I guess the kitchen fairies missed my house last night.

A kitchen floor that needs to be swept after little miss 2 dropped half her cereal on the floor.

3 beds that need to be made.

1 birthday party that needs to have the final plans mapped out.

Hopefully my car to pick up from the shop.

And all the putting-away that needs to be done before the housekeeper comes.

Fun times.

Heartbreaking

Yesterday was like any other.

We had a play date.

We went to the grocery store.

We picked Ayla up from school.

I (finally) signed up for the gym.

and then...

this 

happened.

Dilann was playing ball with Hayden and tripped.

She bit through her lip.

And scraped her occipital bone.

She chipped both of her front teeth.

But,

she is okay.

While in some pain, Dilann is still her normal sweet, funny, happy self.

She has successfully charmed the doctors and nurses at the Harrah's clinic.

She gets to eat a lot of frozen mango on a stick (for the swelling) and chugging Tylenol.

(My baby is such a big girl- she takes the medicine out of the cup now.)

Mommy on the other hand, is still dealing with the anxiety of it all.

Faith and Tolerance

I like to read through the Yahoo news in the mornings. It keeps me in touch with the rest of the world and gives me some random bits of useless information to add to my cluttered brain. This morning I read a response to an article posted/published last month by a southern baptist minister on yoga. Really? With all that's wrong in the world, not to mention our country, you want to spout off on exercise? 
read yahoo article here
The point that Southern Baptist Seminary President Albert Mohler was trying to make is that, in his opinion, yoga leads people away from the teachings of Christianity. 
Mohler argued in his online essay last month that Christians who practice yoga "must either deny the reality of what yoga represents or fail to see the contradictions between their Christian commitments and their embrace of yoga."
He takes issue with yoga's roots (in India) and it's chanting. Mr Mohler said he objects to "the idea that the body is a vehicle for reaching consciousness with the divine." 
read Albert Mohler's article here


From my understanding of Christianity, the body is a temple. We are to respect it, cherish it, and invite the holy spirit to reside in our hearts. Meditation, which is what chanting in yoga is, is similar to prayer. Both acts are meant to calm  and center us so we can focus on what's important. These practices are meant to bring us closer to God and our spirituality. Clearing the mind in yoga is just another way to let go of the outside world and all of its distractions.


So.... where is the contradiction?


All of his knowledge on yoga comes from 1 author with 1 point of view. Mr. Mohler did not speak with devote Christians who also practice yoga, nor did he speak with any yoga teachers or take a class himself. He just read a book. Oh, and the best part was the comment by Douglas R. Groothuis, Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary and specialist on the New Age Movement, warns Christians that yoga is not merely about physical exercise or health.  “All forms of yoga involve occult assumptions,” he warns, “even hatha yoga, which is often presented as a merely physical discipline.” While most adherents of yoga avoid the more exotic forms of ritualized sex that are associated with tantric yoga, virtually all forms of yoga involve an emphasis on channeling sexual energy throughout the body as a means of spiritual enlightenment.


Hmm, I've never heard talk about sex energy in my yoga classes. Maybe he means that your heart rate goes up and your core body temperature rises. So, does that mean running is all about sexual energy too?
Yoga is a very beneficial form of exercise that I firmly believe EVERY PERSON would benefit from. Yoga counteracts all of the negative crap we put our bodies through each and everyday. It can calm our minds down. It can stretch the tension out of our bodies from the day. It can stimulate our organs. It can strengthen our muscles. 
Yoga makes me thankful for my healthy body and all it does for me. Yoga makes me slow down and focus on things that matter. Yoga makes me appreciate what God has given me and reminds me to take care of myself and not take my health for granted.
I just think that taking something positive and twisting it is a sad sign of our times. I understand holding strong to personal beliefs. I commend that and the dedication it takes to live a Christ like life. But one of the main teachings in Christianity is tolerance. Tolerance of people and beliefs. I believe that Southern Baptist Seminary President Mohler is not practicing what he is preaching by showing his INTOLERANCE of yoga and those who practice it. 

Comfort Food

It's starting to get chilly here and the rain seems to be moving in for good.
Me, I'm not complaining because I love when the temperature dips. Snuggling up in sweaters and eating hot yummy food should be an olympic sport.
So here is a very special recipe. It's my grandmother's; which means it was born from a church cookbook or grocery store handout.  It is not fancy, nor is it super healthy, but it's one of my favorites. It screams family and happy memories.
 I hope you enjoy.

 Beef Stroganoff

2 lb chuck roast or bottom round roast cubed*
2 cans tomato soup
2 cans beef consumme soup
1 small onion chopped
1/4 C. flour*
Pepper to taste
1 T. Paprika + more to taste*
8 oz sour cream
1 C. cooked rice
2 T. oil
*This is a "to taste" recipe. I've done my best to give exact measurements. I usually use more meat, but that's my families preference.

Cook rice according to directions.

Place oil into large pan and saute onions. When translucent move to outer edge of pan. In a plastic bag- add flour and meat. Shake bag until the meat is coated. You can do this in batches. Let the meat brown trying not to stir too much.

Mix in the 4 cans of soup. Make sure each new can in blended before adding the next.

Sprinkle in black pepper and paprika. Place the lid on the pan and let simmer, stirring occasionally.

Give the mixture a taste. You should be able to taste the sweetness of the paprika. And yes it is a reddish-orange color in person.

PLEASE DO NOT ADD ANY SALT!

The soup is uber salty.

If necassary add a little more paprika to taste.

 Right before you serve you need to mix in the sour cream. Take some of the broth only out of the pan and place in a coffee cup. Then mix in a few spoonfuls of the sour cream. Mix until blended while continuing to add more sour cream to cup. Once about 1/2 of the sour cream is blended in, pour the mixture back into the pan. Stir.

Repeat until all of the sour cream is added. This step keeps the sour cream from curdling due to the heat of the dish.

Place some rice in a large bowl and pour the stroganoff over it.

Enjoy!

Yes, you can eat this with noodles, and you could add mushrooms if you like. This is how my mother always made it and how I like to make it.

Two Sides

It amazes me how people can behave sometimes. Take today for example. It's raining here.

Hard. 

Cats, dogs, & parakeet hard.

 I arrived at Ayla's school a little early to get a close parking spot. I got lucky and one was open on the school building side of the street- right next to the door Ayla exits from. So when I saw the kids starting to come I got out of the care and was greeted with...

"Excuse me miss you can't park there. Your blocking our drive way."

Um. no I'm not. I'm nowhere NEAR your drive way.
So I waved  to the lady- nice and dry inside her house and proceeded to stand in the cold rain waiting for my daughter.
When I was walking back to my car, the same lady yelled at me again.

"You can't park there!"
I responded "I heard you the first time."
Maybe not the nicest thing, but I was cold, wet, and getting annoyed because  I saw her watching me wait for Ayla.

Now I'm sure it must be frustrating living RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET from an elementary school. I'm sure this person has had people park literally in front of her driveway. Not to mention the traffic jam twice a day she has to deal with. It would drive me insane.
But seriously, have a little compassion! It was POURING RAIN! I was in the spot for a total of 10 minutes. Legally, I had every right to park where I did because there where no posted street signs to the contrary.

The thing that sent me over the top was as I pulled out I could see her AGAIN in the doorway with a pen and paper. I can only assume to take down my license plate. A lady behind me heard all of this and sweetly told me that yes- I was allowed to park there.

It seems that the schoolyard drama is starting... adult style.

Birthday Baby

Yesterday my baby turned 2.

How did she get to be so big?

It seems like last week I was disagreeing with my doctor over my due date.

I thought that it was only a few months ago that we went to the hospital to induce labor.

I remember that morning as I sat on the top of our stairs and hugged my 2 amazing daughters telling them I would be home soon.

With her.

Dialnn Mia Le Oct. 1 2008

First time the girls met Dilann

At the park 5 months

"Look mom I found the stairs!" 8 months

Visiting Mimi 10 months

All my girls a year later winter 2009

Town Square park- spring 2010

Hotel ballerina June 2010

At the park 19 months

 Shopping 23 months

Birthday girl bright and early Oct. 1 2010

 Happy Birthday Baby!