Annabelle should join the mops decorating commitee

Annabelle is watching Little Einsteins so I'm going to try getting this out before the episode is over. She calls Little Einsteins "Little Nine Steins" and I haven't corrected her. She calls nail polish "pail nolish" and I haven't corrected that either. But I misspelled Einstein so I might not be the best person to further her education.

I started attending a new MOPS group this year. The group I was in for the last two years shut down so I was forced to find a new group. I picked a new group based off where my friends were switching to and did zero research on the group itself. My sweet friend Shelley told me she'd be going to the group where her mom is a mentor mom so that's where I signed up. 

A few weeks ago I went to a play date with the new group. I don't enjoy meeting large crowds of new people and Shelley wouldn't be there so I didn't want to go but I forced myself. I knew it would make the first meeting easier if I met a few ladies beforehand at the playground. I woke up with a large pimple on my forehead which I should have taken as a sign to not go. Do you know how hard it is to differentiate a MOPS mom from a regular mom at a popular public playground? Impossible. I had no idea who was who so I had to ask, thereby talking to even more strangers. Finally I found the right group and stood around awkwardly. Annabelle didn't feel awkward in the least. She made herself right at home in the sand and mud. I met a woman named Beth who told me this group has seventy women signed up. 70. SEVENTY. That's 68 people I didn't know. My last two groups only had about 20 each. Naturally I hyperventilated and nearly passed out. Later that day I found out Shelley decided she couldn't do MOPS this year. That didn't help my social anxiety any.

I got myself to the first meeting on time but got lost after dropping Annabelle off in the nursery. I ended up in a random hallway with taped up doors and no lights. When I made it to the right room I sat at the wrong table. What a great start! I was thrilled that Gina from my old group showed up and was assigned to the same table as me. Hallelujah, praise the Lord. We had to fill out a paper with our contact information and answer a few questions. The last question was "does sharing your thoughts/feelings in a group setting make you feel comfortable or uncomfortable?" I'll let you guess how I answered.

Yesterday the leader of our table asked if anyone had prayer requests. Karin asked for prayers as she attempts to potty train her 15 month old in four days. I may only have one child and not have twenty parenting years under my belt, but that seems like it's asking for failure. I will pray for you, Karin. I haven't made any great friends yet (we've only had two meetings) but I'm incredibly proud of myself glad I made myself join a new group. MOPS has been one of the very best things I've done since becoming a mom and I recommend it to everyone.

Brief intermission as I got Sesame Pie her lunch. She asked for yogurt but it was all expired. Please take notes on my excellent homemaker skilz.

I've been delaying my Fall decorating since it's been so warm out but yesterday I took out my box of decor. Annabelle helped decorate the mantle. I did one side

and she did the other. Owliver and Purple Elephant were prominently featured. 

Feel free to add this to your pinterest board.

She comes by her homemaker stilz honestly. 

Christopher says I'm good at coming up with titles but I can't think of one

In what appears to be a reoccurring theme, yesterday was not my day. 

I'll spare you the details, but by 9:37 I had to hide in my room and demand that Annabelle not follow me or bang on the door unless she was bleeding. I would have paid a million dollars for someone, ANYONE to keep her for a few hours so I could lay on the bed and properly moan about my throbbing jaw/head and the rest of my life issues. Annabelle has really been pushing her luck with some new behaviors. We skipped the terrible twos but are being treated to a healthy serving of the tricky three's. I love her and all but sometimes I get so frustrated with her. 

Since my head was going to hurt no matter where we were I decided we needed to get out of the house. That's my newish coping mechanism for bad days- leave the house. Even if she's not too interested in what we're doing we have new scenery and it does us both good. That she's secured in her car seat is a bonus. 

Some people are complaining about this unusually warm weather but I love it. Half of our summer was rainy and wet so I feel like we missed out. I love a good Indian summer. It was plenty warm enough for water so we went to the creek. (We went to Dunkin Donuts first because priorities.) 

Dr. Sesame said she wanted to be a "water dentist'' for the fish. It's clear she watches Doc McStuffins every day. "I fink he has broken fishtail-itis."

We both felt so much better after our outing.

This morning I signed AB up for a second morning at MDO. I felt so bad about it I got a stomach ache. I know she likes the kids and it's good for her, but pretty soon she'll be 7 and we won't be able to have our lazy mornings where we do whatever we want every day. I do get frustrated 148 times a week but I like having her around. I felt the exact same when we first signed her up last year and now I L-O-V-E Tuesday mornings alone. I dream about it all week. In a complete 180* to yesterday when I would have paid anyone to take her off my hands, I wrote a check to the school for just that reason and felt bad about it. We spend literally 162 hours a week together. There are 168 in a week so we're together A LOT. We'll both survive 6 hours of separation. My life is an emotional train wreck roller coaster. Be thankful you're not in my head! 

All that being said, don't think I haven't planned out what I'll do with another free morning. Think of all the naps I catch up on! Think of all the quiet trips down the aisle of the grocery store. Think of all the walls I could stare at in peace. Maybe I should sign her up for every day. 

Weekend words

* Yesterday Annabelle and I had a picnic at the playground/splash pad. It was in the mid 80's so we took advantage of the sun and brought her bathing suit and sand toys. The sign in the bathroom door said the splash pad would be closing for the season on August 31st but the water is still on. Naturally after all the effort of locating a bathing suit she was more interested in playing in the mud outside the splash pad than actually splashing in it. The drain in the splash pad wasn't working which meant there was about 5'' of standing water. This bothered exactly zero children but cranky Steve from the parks department was furious. He stood in the puddle complaining about lazy Shane who should have taken care of the drain last week. By then AB wanted to splash but she didn't want to be near Cranky Steve. Finally lazy Shane showed up, not with tools to fix the drain but a leaf blower. He blew all the water away, as one does with a leaf blower. Lazy Shane knows how to get a job done after all.

* We watched Wonder Woman this week. It was fine. I didn't love it but it was entertaining. I've heard many people say they prefer their daughters watching Wonder Woman over princess movies because it's "more realistic." How is she any more realistic than Cinderella or Belle? I have never once in my life broken through a window with a shield and if I had, my hair for sure wouldn't still look good. 

I am 110% on board with how Wonder Woman looks at pizza. It's unbelievably realistic. 

* My friend went back to work recently and I watch her son on Thursday afternoons. He's almost a year younger than Annabelle but completely potty trained, a fact I mention every time he's over. Of course there is a downside to watching a boy who doesn't wear diapers. He's here for 24 minutes and I find a trail of pee all around the toilet. Gina doesn't pay me much but I haven't worked and made money in so long I feel like a millionaire. 

* Annabelle and I were in the bathroom together brushing our teeth. She looked up at me and said, "Wow, Mom. You're really growing." My weight loss and body transformation goals are obviously not being achieved. I wonder if that ever happened to Wonder Woman. 

Sesame goes to school- 2017

Yesterday was Annabelle Sesame Pie Lee's first day of MDO for the year. 

Yes, I succumb to the peer pressure and got a letter board.

Her teacher last year was Miss Tracy. I LOVED her but she broke her foot twice and isn't teaching right now. A few weeks ago I went to the school to bring paperwork. Miss Tracy's substitute from last year was wearing a cast on her foot. I went into the office and the principle had a broken arm. Broken bones better not be contagious! 

We discussed her morning on the ride home and I heard as much about animals as I did about school.

What did you play at school? Wif the cars and the blocks. Have you seen a turtle swimming in a car? 

Did you go outside? Yeah, we p'ayed in the caterpillar and rode the bikes. Do you know about buluga whales? 

What else did you do? We ate yittle pretzel and a yittle bit of juice. I saw Miss Tracy in the hallway when I was walking in a single line to the p'ayground and I did a veeeeery slooooow wave to her."

All that playing and pretzel eating resulted in a 3 hour nap. I should sign her up for every day to get that kind of peaceful afternoon!

currently- the end of summer edition

Buying: matching Christmas pajamas for the entire family. I bought a Christmas ornament in Maine so I'll be ready to party as soon as November rolls around.

Reading: First Women, the Grace and Power of America's Modern First Ladies, by Kate Anderson Brower. Four stars. A thus far unachieved goal of mine is to be First Lady so I read everything I can about the position. I've offered my services to Melania Trump is she ever wants to take the day off but I haven't heard from her yet.
Church of the Small Things by Melanie Shankle. Five stars. I've read Melanie's blog for years and own all her books. They're on my book shelf in the ''bloggers who write books'' section. I really enjoyed her book on friendship but CotST might be my new favorite. I love how she writes about life with humor and adds bits of scripture and truth without being preachy. 

"Deep down we struggle to believe God is going to lead us to what is best for us. It's our internal voice that whispers we will never be enough, so we work and worry and feel like we must do something big, something huge to prove our worth and to make sure our life matters. We have to host a conference, starts a movement, adopt fifteen kids, or fight human trafficking to really matter. Which are all great things, but thinking this way can cause us to lose sight of the small things that can also change a life: bringing dinner to a sick neighbor, smiling at a waitress who's having a bad day, reading to your kids before bed, and simply praying for someone going through a rough time."  

I love that quote because I always feel like I should be doing something more impressive with my life. I love listening to podcasts but sometimes feel so insignificant because these women start companies, build orphanages and flip homes while homeschooling their 10 children and feeding them a hormone-free diet. I can't even remember to take the meat out of the freezer in time for supper. I've always said it doesn't matter to me if my kids are famous (although an olympic figure skater would be nice) as long as they're good, kind people who love others. If it's true for Annabelle than I should believe it about myself too.

Googling: Do puppies lose their baby teeth? It came up in a book AB and I were reading and she wanted to know if it was true. Not being a veterinarian I had no idea. The world wide web says they do. 

Excited/beyond sympathetic for: Kate Middleton. In case you live under a rock or simply don't care about the life of the royals (like he who shall remain nameless but to whom I am married), you probably heard that Kate is pregnant again. I am beyond excited. I pay close attention to their goings on and am delighted there will be three royal children. I COULD NOT be more sympathetic to how she feels. I dealt with hyperemesis once and it took me more than two years to even begin discussing the possibility of having another child. Kate has been through this three times in five years. Unless you've thrown up 10+ times every day for months, been hospitalized for dehydration, too weak to take a shower and thought it a real accomplishment to keep down a quarter of a muffin in 24 hours you cannot begin to understand how she feels. 

Writing: my autobiography. Before you roll your eyes, know that I have no plan of publishing my book. I do not live a highly interesting life nor am I a First Lady, but I do have stories I think would be fun to pass down. I don't claim to be a grate a riter of stuf but maybe my great great grand daughter will enjoy hearing about how I embarrassed myself in aisle 16 of Lowes. My past writing career included the beginnings of an opera about a ruler (male), a stapler (female) and a kaleidoscope (male). The ruler and the kaleidoscope for fighting for the affections of the stapler. She couldn't chose between the more boring yet straight and dependable ruler and the fun and flashy kaleidoscope. It's exactly the type of story Shakespeare would have written. Needless to say that opera was never published.    

Beginning to be embarrassed by: Annabelle's questions about body parts. We were at music class this week and everyone was singing the counting song. Most people there didn't know the song so it was a quiet group. Suddenly Sesame loudly says, "How do mamas nurse their babies? What part of their body to they use? Is it this part?" and she very enthusiastically starts patting my boobs. I have no problem with her wondering about nursing, but I don't want to get into the mechanics during music class. Later we were sitting at the playground and she brought it up again. I explained it to her and she poked her nipple and said "Do they use a mipple?" NO FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS. I babysat a little boy today and she wanted to watch him use the potty. I did not allow that. I can't deal with any more anatomy questions this week. "Mama, does he have a bagina?" 

Being stared at by: this face. All day, every day. Never farther than 6'' away. 

Good thing she's cute.

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the maine event

We just returned from a week in Maine. Erika and I decided Aunt Camp has been so successful we should take the show on the road. Our husbands/the uncles came along to experience the fun of Aunt Camp and be our built in babysitters. I enjoy when the adult/child ratio is so high.

We rented an Airbnb house and it was beautiful. We all had our own rooms and a nice living room and yard with a hammock to share. We could see the beach from the front patio. We all get along so well and had so much fun. The girls favorite part of the house was the washing machine and dryer. They were new and had bright lights and played little songs at the end of the cycle. More than once they both sat on my lap in front of the washing machine and watched it spin through the window in the door. We could have stayed home and watched our own washing machine for free.

Our first night there we went to Erika's friends for supper. Their home is in the middle of the woods and it looks like the trees will take over the house any day now. They're very environmentally conscious and the husband works at a wildlife refuge. Their last name is Feurt but Annabelle misunderstood and kept calling him "Mr. Spork." It makes me laugh every time. This picture cracks me up because they have almost identical hair. 

It's so fun to see AB and Ivy begin to play together. At Aunt Camp last year Ivy couldn't even roll over. This year she was trying to help Annabelle build her ''play area for the people with a beach and a house and a turtle and a castle." Ivy didn't understand AB's vision but it's the thought that counts.    

Erika and I spent two afternoons exploring the little shops in Kennebunkport. She and I always laugh so much when we're together. I never wanted an older sister because I was THE older sister, but now that she's in my life I have to say I enjoy it. We're good shopping companions because we can help the other justify almost any purchase.

We're not biologically related but we've been cursed blessed with the same square chin.  

We played in the sand and collected too many rocks and shells. Annabelle LOVES them both and we brought home a large box of rocks for her rock garden out back.

Too bad Annabelle and Ivy weren't more relaxed. It's a tough life, being pulled in a wagon while you eat goldfish.

On our first full day we went for a walk at Mr. Spork's wildlife refuge. It POURED the entire time but we walked the whole trail anyway. We were soaked by end. In such muddy and wet conditions we decided it would be a good time to swing by the Bush family summer home. It was nearly lunchtime and I assumed they'd know a fan when they saw one and have us in to eat. Sadly they must have missed the fact that I was standing outside their door because I wasn't invited in. There are multiple homes on their compound so I don't think my plans for a sleepover should cause any trouble. 

One morning we put a sequinned pillow in the window to catch the sun, turned on some tunes and had a disco party. Erika didn't join us but Daniel and Ivy did. Ivy dances much like her father. There's very little movement in her moves.  

This is what it will look like if I ever have another girl. Matching outfits for everyone!

The original Aunt Camp crew.

We were so so sad to leave. I could have stayed there another week or the rest of my life. I was hoping our maid our be home to help unpack our bags and wash the clothes but she was nowhere to be seen. Good help is so hard to keep! Annabelle helped out by "washing" the windows with the broom while I unpacked. I file that squarely in the "making more work for me" category but she thought she was helping.  

I'm already counting down the weeks until next years vacation Aunt Camp vacation.

tigger tales

Sesame Pie loves to play out in the Hundred Acres Woods of our backyard. Tigger, Pooh, Owl, Piglet, Rabbit and Christopher Robin all have their own homes. We always look for them when we're out playing but they're never home. 

A few days I put Tigger out by his home. I told AB he was home and we rushed out to see him. She was beyond tickled to find him.

Unfortunately I missed the window of opportunity for her to believe that he was the real Tigger who actually appeared there on his own. She asked if he was her Tigger stuffed animal I brought from inside. Even so she thought it was so fun for him to really be in her woods.

They danced and sang and went on the swing together. It was the sweetest thing.

forts and lights

Mom and Elizabeth have been visiting for the last week. They've been here many times so we no longer have the urge to show them all the local sites. Don't get the idea there we have many local attractions of interest. We have a few attractions worth noting, a number of playgrounds and a pet store. Mom is always able to find every historical site no matter the city and she learned about a nearby fort built in 1726. It served an a military base used by several different countries until 1963. 

I knew we'd be doing a lot of walking so AB kindly lent me her most compact yet fashionable backpack. 

Even though Annabelle is only 3 I occasionally like taking her to attractions that aren't child geared. I explained the museum and some of the artifacts to her and she understood quite a bit. She really latched onto the fact that soldiers used to live there. She told Elizabeth "the soldiers were so handsome." She picked up a phone, put it to her ear and said she was calling "her soldiers." She comes by this attraction naturally. It's in our DNA.

I've been to many a fort in my life and this was easily the best. The rooms were set up similar to back in the day and almost the entire thing could be walked through/touched/sat on. In front of the window was a table and two chairs. Annabelle sat down and demanded I "pretend eat pancakes" with her while Grammy was our waitress.

Elizabeth was poking around and found these hidden in a chest in the guard house. The pink feather boa and Libman dustpan are most certainly genuine artifacts of the 2010's. 

We had a picnic supper near the fort. I took 25 pictures of the sunset. Sesame, as she always does, made herself at home in the sand and would have stayed for hours. She'd sit in the middle of the highway to play with sand and dirt.

 We stopped by the falls on the way home to see them lit up. 

Before we left I brought AB to the potty. I touched her face and said "you have a messy face from your crackers." She looked at me for a minute, touched my face and said "You have a weird face." She's so good for my self esteem! I wished she had compared me to the beautiful lights instead.