Oh The Funny Things Kids Will Say

So if you don't know by now, or couldn't tell from my Facebook status messages, the Madore-ables are going through a phase that I would give my right arm to skip over. It is called the "Terrible 2's" and the "Terrible 3's", perhaps you've heard of them? I have also been informed that this is only the beginning. Oh dear.

It's a comfort to know that I am not the only full time, stay at home Mom who is going through this. There are many days where I feel like this:

And there are many days where I get to the end of the day and I realize, "Wow, what a great day!" And I stop and think, "I wish there were more of these!"

Over the weekend, I was trying to get us ready for church and the Madore-ables just weren't cooperating for me at all. Every time I'd put something into the diaper bag, they'd pull it out, or I'd be ready to put on their shoes and their coats and they decided that now would be the perfect time to play a game of "Run away from Mommy". Or better yet, Sarah would decide that moment would be the perfect time to uhh, well build some projects in her diaper. I just remember standing there half laughing and half thinking "I'm going out of my mind". So I decided to start some conversation with Samantha to see if that would help get her mind back on track and focus on what I needed her to do. And if Samantha was putting her shoes on, then Sarah would do the same.

"Samantha, have you seen Mommy's mind? I seem to have lost it"

And Samantha of course, without missing a beat,

"Your mind is in the basement Mommy. I can't get it for you now, but maybe after church".

Oh...that's not all.

A minute passes by and Samantha says,

"Mommy, I FOUND IT!"

"Found what Sam?" (I actually forgot what we were talking about)

"I found your mind Mommy!" And she proceeds to come over to me with this imaginary "mind" in her hand and and asks me to skooch down so she can tap this imaginary "mind" onto the top of my head. The whole time I'm laughing, and before I can say anything to her, she responds with:

"You're welcome Mommy!"

So, it may not always be Camp Sunshine here at the Madore-able compound during the day, sometimes it's Camp Partly Cloudy. I can always guarantee that my Madore-ables will keep me laughing and entertained. You have to go through the rain to get to the rainbows. I just need to remember to be consistent when discipline needs to be made and give surprises and treats only when they are truly deserved. Being Mommy is the best job I have ever had here at Camp Sunshine. I try to look at each day as a learning experience. It just makes me feel good to know that I am not alone.

Who Needs Calgon? I Had Vermont!

I got to experience quite an event this past weekend. One that can only happen once in a blue moon. One that doesn't happen every day. One that I made sure that I enjoyed every single minute of peace and quiet. I got to experience a fabulous, fun-filled, girls weekend with two of my best friends: Molly & Rachael. Molly's birthday was last week, and she and her family were so gracious to invite me up to their beautiful log cabin on beautiful Lake Eden, Vermont. I tell you, I don't need Calgon to take me away. I don't need a week away to some huge expensive resort in the Hamptons. All I need is a few days away, just a few hours away with some good friends and some laughs.

My weekend started off on Friday morning. I dropped the Madoreables off at my Mom's house. (Thank you as always to Mom for watching the girls). I left my Mom's house and drove to my friend Molly's apartment in central New Hampshire. I had some fantastic tunes on my iPod to keep me company for the 2 hour drive. Bruce, Tony, Jars Of Clay, Kevin, David, Pat, and of course, what would a 2 hour drive be without a little Ann & Nancy? You wouldn't catch me at a karaoke bar, but when it comes to listening to Ann & Nancy Wilson in the car by myself, watch out! I just might sing like no body's around. Pretty soon, the 2 hour drive is over, and I've reached my friend Molly's place. We reached Lake Eden by dinner time on Friday, so there was plenty of sunshine still left. We broke out with the boat on the lake and had a nice relaxing ride around the lake. After a fantastic dinner provided by Molly's mother, Lynne, we made our way out to a nice campfire and made S'Mores. Ahhh. Heaven indeed.

Saturday morning I woke up pretty early, probably because I'm used the girls being up. So, it was nice to listen to the peace and quiet and sit on the front porch. I was so glad to have woken up as early as I did to see the still water on the lake and to just smell the fresh mountain air. There's nothing like it. I read some magazines and actually had time to write down some recipes for future dinner ideas. I took a 3-mile walk with Molly and after Rachael arrived on Saturday afternoon, we took about a 1-mile kayak ride on the lake. The awesome part of the weekend? The saying "time flies when you're having fun". Well, in this case, I was having fun, but time certainly wasn't flying by.

As much as I loved being away from the craziness that all stay at home mom's face, I missed the Madore-ables and Jeremy very much. Especially after the sweet voicemail message I received from Samantha Saturday night. I wish I could have recorded it, because it really sounded cute. Just picture this small, cute voice on the other end of the answering machine saying "I miss you and I love you Mommy. Come home soon!" Unfortunately the ride home wasn't as quick as it was on the way up. When I got home, I found Samantha all cuddled up on my bed with her monkey and her special blanket fast asleep. I was able to scoop her up and plop her into her crib without any argument. The other nice thing I found when I arrived home was another wonderful present from my husband: no dishes in the sink. He washed them all for me :) What a guy. I truly am spoiled.

Thank you to Dave & Lynne for being such wonderful hosts this past weekend. Molly, I hope you had a very Happy Birthday :)

There are a lot of pictures from the weekend, so here's just a sample of my favorites :)