Mommy Guilt ?

Running errands is not my favorite way to spend my day. And when I have the wonderful privilege of taking along three children (who cannot get along for just one second, thank you very much!), well, it just falls further and further down my list of least favorite things to do. Especially when those adorable children all initiate that whiny tone of voice and complain about everything - including but not limited to: my feet hurt, I'm tired of this store, why can't we get some candy, I want to look at the toys, she's looking at me, this is so boring...

So. When I do have to accomplish this most unpleasant task, afterwards I often feel the van pulling into a Starbucks drive-thru, as if led by some invisible magnet. Having survived an hour or two of whining and fighting, I most certainly deserve a reward, and most often I prefer my reward to be full of sugar and caffeine. We then head home with momma a much happier and calmer person, which is really good for everyone all around.

Recently, a friend asked me if I felt guilty about doing that. "Doing what?" I wondered, trying to decide what new slice of mommy guilt to add to my already burgeoning pie. "You know," she said. "Buying a drink for yourself and not getting the kids anything." Honestly, I had never thought about it. But now, the question was out there, and I considered it.

And here's my take: absolutely no! I think moms should be able to enjoy many treats that don't have to be shared with the offspring. (anyone else wait until their kids go to bed so that they can eat their favorite ice cream?!) Just because Momma is getting a treat, it certainly doesn't mean the kids all need (or deserve) a treat too. Beyond that, as a conscientious parent, I definitely will not reward whining or squabbling with a treat. My final reason? Starbucks is way too expensive to treat all the kids! *

What do you think? Should I feel guilty for not treating my kids when I treat myself?

*disclaimer: I have been known to very occasionally get a couple of chocolate milks with whipped cream for charming and deserving children on a trip to my favorite coffee shop. I am not a total ogre. :)

Driving Me Crazy

He pokes his head under my arm and rubs the soft blonde spikes into my hand. "Hi, Momma," he grins. "What are you doing?"

"Hi, Honey, Momma is trying to finish up this project for children's church. Can you move please so you don't bump my arm while I'm writing?" He doesn't move.

"Momma, what's that?" he asks, pointing at my Starbucks cup.

"It's coffee, sweetheart. Now please go play so Momma can get this done."

"Yeah, coffee. Can I have a drink of your coffee, Momma?"

"No, coffee is a grown-up drink, and anyway, we don't share drinks - that's germy, remember?"

"Yeah, that's germy." (slight pause) "Momma, can I touch your coffee?"

"No, no, please just go play with your cars."

"I don't want my cars - I want your coffee."

"David, I am NOT going to give you my coffee, so you'd better stop asking. Go play!"

"Okaaaaay. But can I drink your coffee first?"

"David!" (complete exasperation) "I mean it. Quit bugging me about the coffee, or you'll have to go to your room for a while."

"Oh." He sat there and thought a minute. "Hey, Momma, guess what?"

"What, David??"

"I'm driving you crazy!"

Yes, little man, yes you are. :)

(and in case you're wondering, the pics are of the Beast playing with Aqua Sand, a product that is totally fun to play with until it's time to clean it up. You will quickly discover that you have a choice of using the extremely tiny filter scoop included to slowly collect every grain of sand, or if you're like me, you'll give up half-way through and vacuum up the rest.)

Cozy Comfy Cuddly

It is a cold, rainy morning here in Oregon - the kind that chills you to the bone and makes you earnestly wish that you didn't have to go anywhere at all. It's days like this that make me appreciate the cozy comforts of my life. Here are just a few of my favorite comfy pleasures:

1. Kivu coffee - it's a local brand of coffee here in the Northwest, and while I love a good cup of Starbucks, I recently discovered the Kivu coffee at our local grocery store. The house blend is yummy and comforting, but my favorite is Caramel Swirl. I am usually not a fan of flavored coffees, since I drink my coffee black; but this one is divine. Glorious!

2. My Kindle - this was a not-so-secret birthday present from the Nerd back in December. I am currently reading four books at the same time! That little Kindle goes with me everywhere - so while I am waiting for the Drama Queen to come out of school or getting my gas tank filled (which happens more frequently than I would like), I can read a few more pages. Since closing The Framed Frog has freed up my evenings, I often curl up on the couch with my Kindle and a mug of tea or hot cocoa after putting the kiddies to bed.

3. My peppermint and shea-infused lounge socks from Bath and Body Works - these were carefully tucked into my Christmas stocking from my in-laws. They keep my feet so snuggly and warm!

4. Caillou - the Beast has recently developed an obsession for this PBS Kids show. Thankfully I can access several episodes through our Netflix subscription. Lots of kids get attached to certain TV shows, but with the Beast, he becomes extremely addicted to certain shows or movies. The child will not sit still for more than a few minutes with any other show or movie, but I can put on an hour-long Caillou DVD that will keep him entertained and quiet the entire time. Thank you PBS!

Well, time to refill my Niagara Falls mug and plug my Kindle into the charger. What are your favorite cozy pleasures on a cold rainy day?

A Girl Walks into a Blank

Time to fill in the blanks again! Lauren of course has come up with some wonderfully interesting statements, and as usual, hang on to your seat as you catch yet another glimpse into my wildly exciting life. (Excuse me a moment. The Spud just put his cereal bowl on his head, and Crunch Berries and milk are cascading down his face...)

1. Today I am wearing an OLD Old Navy T-shirt, an ancient denim skirt that I have had forever, and fuzzy green/purple slipper socks. It is going to be a day of painting for me... .

2. My favorite childhood food was ketchup and macaroni (my mom called it "poor man's spaghetti") and my favorite food now is sushi or lasagna or pizza or pad thai or a really yummy burger from Red Robin. Okay, so I have a hard time choosing....

3. A day that I am too busy to read a book with my kiddies or laugh hysterically at the Drama Queen's latest knock-knock joke is a day that I am too busy.

4. The last movie I saw was "The Blind Side" (in theaters anyway) and the next movie I want to see is "Toy Story Three." How sad is that? I guess the mom haircut is not far off now... .

5. My favorite smell is coffee, especially when you first walk into the coffee/tea/baking aisle at the grocery store because, it speaks of a great caffeine rush to come, the incredible comfort of holding a steaming mug of goodness in your hands, and the promise of a new day, new things...

6. A weird little quirk I have is to look at license plates and billboards and rearrange the letters in my head to make new words. The word puzzle part of my brain never sleeps. Poor hubby! he has to listen to things like "Hey! Did you know that diaper spelled backwards is repaid?" .

7. When I take personality quizzes they always say I'm the female version of Dr. Phil, and that I should take over the world. For now, I shall conquer this cup of coffee and the breakfast dishes...

And on to painting! I have five lovebird paintings to complete today as well as a baby shower cake. :) Happy Friday everyone!

A Blank Look

It's time to fill in the blanks! Well, time for ME to fill in the blanks - all you have to do is read what I put in the blanks. And then of course, if you feel you have better answers than me, you can fill in your own blanks. Ha!

1. The best day ever was that Christmas eve when NerdBoy and I talked for 4 hours and realized that we were no longer "just friends." I still remember sitting close on the couch, clutching a pillow, and talking about our future together .

2. My favorite meal of the day is fourth meal because around 9:00 pm I get unexplicably hungry and greatly desire a 7-layer-burrito, a chocolate milk shake, or a fat juicy cheeseburger. Thanks Taco Bell for the fourth meal concept!

3. This weekend will involve more foraging into cardboard boxes to discover all the STUFF we own and never knew we had until we moved .

4. Never in my life have I driven a stick-shift. Nerd Boy insists I should learn "just in case" but I am not interested in something that requires that much attention. haha, I am too ADD to drive a stick-shift... .

5. The only thing better than coffee is ??? Uh Oh, I can't think of anything better than coffee. Sad day indeed for this caffeine addict .

6. I could really do with some more coffee. And a donut sounds yummy, Lauren! Let's meet up at Voodoo - I love their voodoo doll donut the best!

7. The most recent thing I bought myself was some blue/brown damask fabric to make little curtain panels for the windows in our new entryway.

Christmas and Food

It can be a very good thing to have a computer nerd for a husband. I can call him in desperation during that day if I'm having a computer issue, and he, with the calm of a brain surgeon, can direct me through the steps to curing my issue.

However, that same computer nerd may also suddenly decide that he is going to "fix" a lot of "problems" (only detectable to himself of course) and spend a great portion of the evening doing so. Then I sit down early Tuesday morning to put together all the wonderful pictures of my Yule Log cake along with a tutorial on how to make your own, only to find that the pictures are not accessible due to hubby's "fixing" of the problems.

Sigh. So the Yule Log post will have to wait until later. Until then, I would love to share some yummy Christmasy links with you:

A very well-illustrated post on making tiny delectable gingerbread houses to perch on the side of your mug of hot cocoa.


Some easy and very yummy brown sugar shortbread cookies.


A recipe for Coffee Toffee that makes a great gift (if you don't eat it all first!)

And finally, if you are thinking, "Forget the homemade! I'm going out and getting food instead", here is a very helpful chart in determining where you should go.

And now I'm going to have another spoonful of the extra frosting that I made for my Yule Log cake...