Mama Loves: Saving for College

Welcome to another week of Mama Loves! So glad that you've stopped by!

Mama Loves is a linky party where mamas can share anything that has made your life easier as a mama.

Maybe you've found:

• a toy or book that captivates your child(ren)
• gear you just can't live without  
• a recipe your choosy toddler gobbles down
• a parenting book that you've found perspective changing
• an activity that wears your kid(s) out (these lead to good naps, which we all love)
• an outfit that flatters your post-baby body and makes you feel fabulous
• or anything else you're loving--creativity welcome! 

Share it with us! Blogging has made me a better mama, because I've learned about all kinds of great things, like those listed above, from mamas just like you. Here's your chance to share it with all of us!

To link your post up, click on the linky tool at the bottom, and follow the directions, it's really easy. You can also add this beautiful button to your post. Just grab the code in the box, copy and paste it into your post. Easy.

<center><a href="http://pontificationsofatwinmom.blogspot.com/search/label/Mama%20Loves" target="_blank"><img alt="Manic Mother" src="http://i670.photobucket.com/albums/vv66/MaAldrich/MamaLovesButtoncopy.jpg"/></a></center>

_________________________________________________________________________________

It's hard to think about college when our girls are still running around in diapers.

But, I know it's coming.

17 years from now I'll be wondering where the time went and where all those wrinkles came from.

The lesson here: it's time to think about college.

And there's a way to do it for free!

Brad works in the financial industry. A co-worker of his told him about Upromise. He checked it out thoroughly, and it's legit.

You can ask him.

Here's how it works:

• It's free to sign up.
• You register all credit cards and debit cards that you use on a regular basis (your friends and family can register their cards too!).
• Then, you just start shopping.

Businesses will contribute anywhere from 1% to 25% of your purchase to Upromise, which goes into a college savings fund for you wee ones.

The website has a spot for you to enter your zip code to check out which businesses in your area participate.

What I love is that Upromise participants are not just big, nationwide companies like Exxon Mobil. Local businesses participate as well! Our favorite sushi spot participates, as does our little Asian fusion place, just down the block.

I love supporting local businesses, and saving for college!

It's not just gas stations and restaurants--grocery stores, and even Starbucks! Yes, that's right--every time you buy a $5 latte, a portion of it helps your little one pay for school. That's a win/win in my book.

Are you an online shopper? I love to online shop!

Point and click. It's the best way to shop, in my opinion!

If your favorite online store is a participant, make sure to visit the site through Upromise. Some stores offer coupons, or deals exclusively through Upromise.

Sweet deals + shopping at home = Awesome!

We've already earned $53.47!

I totally recognize that the above amount will only pay for like 1/3 of a text book. But, hey! We have 17 more years of sushi eating and Starbucks drinking to go!

You should definitely check Upromise out!

Can't wait to see what you're loving this week!

Art You Can Eat

After our girls go to bed, on nights that Brad is home, we typically enjoy eating supper together. It's our time to relax, talk, actually taste our food, maybe enjoy a glass of wine. We hang out on the back deck, listen to music, and just chill.

I know that's not forever--soon we'll have family mealtime, which I'm excited about! I recognize, though, that these meals, alone together as a couple, are special and precious and fleeting.

So, when Brad's traveling for business, I'm on my own for dinner.

I love that even though he's away I am intentional about fixing myself a good meal and taking my time to enjoy it.

This was my meal one night. Dare I say it's art?

I love that most of what's on this plate is from our garden. I helped coax it into producing all this loveliness! It helps me savor it just a little bit more.

The tomatoes and basil came fresh from the garden, and the focaccia is made with rosemary, also from our garden.

Art you can eat.

Cheers!

________________________________________________________________________________

I'm linking this up with Holly, who reminds us to take a moment to find things we love about ourselves.

________________________________________________________________________________

It's not too late to link up your Mama Loves for the week! Is there a toy, book, recipe, activity, craft or any other anything that makes your life easier as a mama? Tell us about this love!

I Can't Wait to Get to Heaven, Because in Heaven There Won't Be Any __________________ (fill in the blank)

How do you answer that question?

My answer has recently changed.

It used to be mosquitoes. Those pesky little devils sure know how to ruin a good time. And I still look forward to a mosquito-less heaven. Can I get an Amen?!

BUT

There is a new creature that has made it to the top of my list.

A creature so vile--it represents everything that makes my skin crawl.

The maggot. *shudder*

________________________________________________________________________________

Brad was out of town all week last week. When he's gone, I try extra hard to stay on top of things to make life a little easier. 

On this particular day, I walked out of our bedroom and smelled a terrible smell that led me to our trash can. The next day was trash day, so I assumed that things had just gotten a bit ripe, and quickly took out the trash before the girls woke up.

The smell lingered.

The girls finished eating breakfast. I got out a dust pan to sweep up a few crumbs, and that's when I saw them.

Maggots.









Maggots in my dust pan. I resisted the urge to hurl my breakfast all over them.

My search led me to a very small piece of steak, from our dinner a few nights previous, accidentally dropped behind the trashcan, and left there unnoticed.

There they were--huddled around the stink. There wasn't much left, though.

I began to notice their friends--all pale and writhing--wiggling their way across my kitchen floor.

That's when I waged war. Cursing each and every one of them under my breath as I sucked them up in my vacuum cleaner (good thing our Hoover is loud, so my girls didn't hear).

I then  proceeded to scrub every inch of our kitchen floor with anti-bacterial wipes.

Then it hit me. I can't think of anything to be thankful for in this situation. We're supposed to be thankful in everything, but I was drawing a blank.

Sorry, Ann and Jesus, but my kitchen was crawling with what is, arguably, the ugliest creature on the planet.

So, I called Melissa.

The conversation stared out like this:

Me: Hi, I need you to tell me one thing about maggots I should be thankful for.
Melissa: I thought you only drank wine in the evenings....

Okay, so she really didn't say that.

What Melissa really said: Well, they wiggle, so you can see them.

Bingo.

Wiggle, you dastardly wretches. Wiggle so I can find you and destroy you, ugh!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ~Philippians 4:6

Thanksgiving. I don't have to be thankful for maggots. Because I'm pretty sure there is no one, in the history of the universe, that has ever been thankful for maggots.

BUT

I'm called to thankful for God in the midst of my one and (please, God?) only maggot infestation.

So, here is my maggot thanks, and may I never have to type or utter the word maggot again after today!

P.S. I don't blame you one bit if you are thoroughly disgusted by me and our home, because I am.

P.P.S. It's a really bad idea to have rice for dinner the same night you just killed a bunch of maggots.

P.P.P.S. So, Brad just read part of this over my shoulder and said, "You're still talking about the maggots?" I don't think he understands the trauma that those pale, wiggly creatures have caused me. He should be grateful for this cheap therapy!

________________________________________________________________________________

Maggot-related thanks:

848. Maggots wiggle, so that you can seek and destroy them easily (thank you, Melissa for that perspective!).

849. Our kitchen is separated from the rest of the house, so the girls had no contact with them.

850. Maggots make a satisfying pop when you squish them.

851. My kitchen floor was spotless.

852. You could eat off my trashcan.

853. The girls played together, really well, while I was killing and cursing the maggots.

________________________________________________________________________________

Something other than maggots:

854. Brad's recovery from food poisoning.

855. Sushi.

856. A visit from Ab.

857. Ab helping out with the girls, so Brad could rest.

858. Kris.

859. People praying.

860. Prayers answered.

861. Wisdom from Alice.

862. Hard conversations.

863. Trip to the farmer's market.

864. Sitting outside, enjoying snacks from Artisan Bakery.

865. Finding a book I wanted to get the girls at the used bookstore for $3.

866. The girls' first story time at the book store.

867. The girls remembering not to throw food on the floor during mealtimes!

868. The peace of nap time.

869. Blowing bubbles.

870. Putting away pool toys.

871. Brynne's ponytail.



Mama Loves: Bird Watching

Welcome to another fantastic week of Mama Loves! This is a linky party where mamas can share anything that has made your life easier as a mama.

Maybe you've found:

• a toy or book that captivates your child(ren)
• gear you just can't live without  
• a recipe your choosy toddler gobbles down  
• a parenting book that you've found perspective changing
• an activity that wears your kid out (these lead to good naps, which we all love)
• an outfit that flatters your post-baby body and makes you feel fabulous

Share it with us! Blogging has made me a better mama, because I've learned about all kinds of great things, like those listed above, from mamas just like you. Here's your chance to share it with all of us!

To link your post up, click on the linky tool at the bottom, and follow the directions, it's really easy. You can also add this beautiful button to your post. Just grab the code in the box, copy and paste it into your post. Easy.

<center><a href="http://pontificationsofatwinmom.blogspot.com/search/label/Mama%20Loves" target="_blank"><img alt="Manic Mother" src="http://i670.photobucket.com/albums/vv66/MaAldrich/MamaLovesButtoncopy.jpg"/></a></center>

________________________________________________________________________________

If you'd told me a year ago that we would be a bird-watching family. I might have thought you were insane.

This is what I think of when I think of bird watchers:



So.

We aren't "carry-a-canteen-of-water-and-big-binoculars" bird watching family but we do love watching birds.

Right outside our livingroom window we have a two-sided hook, where we hang a plant and a hummingbird feeder. It's kind of hard to explain, so here you go:

This summer the girls have loved spotting the hummingbirds at our feeder! They will stop what they're doing and run to the window, signing "bird" the entire way there, just to get a closer look.

Of course, this typically scares away the hummingbirds, so they wave goodbye, and wait for the next one to come along. This is never discouraging for them--I love their tenacity for bird-watching!

I noticed our daughters' love for hummingbirds, and recently decided to add a finch feeder to our little display outside the same window. (Notice it in the above picture to the left of the hanging plant).

For several days we didn't get any birds at our feeder, and I'd begun to think my purchase was a huge mistake.

Then, we saw them! 

They've continued to visit our feeders, so much so that we're refilling them at least once a week.

Our girls love spotting the birds at the feeder--it's so much fun to see their delight. They run at the window and pound their greeting to the birds on the glass. It sends the birds flying away, flashing their vibrantly colored wings about, of course, but the girls never lose their enthusiasm for spotting the birds.

I'm so excited to teach them about the different kinds of birds that visit our feeders, as they get older too--I consider our canteen-less and big binocular-less bird watching to be a great teaching tool.

If you have a window at your children's eye level, I'd urge you to consider feeding whatever local birds you have living there.

We've had so much fun doing it this year!

Can't wait to see what you're loving this week!

Monsoon Season

I hasn't rained, really rained, here in a very long time.

Our yard is yellowish-brown with a touch of green sprinkled in, and the earth beneath is cracked and dusty.

But, as far as my garden knows--it's monsoon season.

I water all the time!

Our tomatoes are going nuts, the herbs look great, the sweet potatoes are almost ready to be harvested, and my flowers look amazing!

Lately, I've been picking  flowers from the garden and arranging them to put around our home.

I've learned that arranging flowers is not as easy as it looks. I see those gorgeous bouquets at the florist's or even just the grocery store, and I think--surely I can do that at home!

Hmm....

Not so much. Getting flowers tiered just perfectly is hard! I am getting better though. It makes me happy to bring pieces of the garden inside to enjoy.

A friend of mine always reminds me:

This is why we garden!

I've love tickling that creativity within me. Here are some of my latest efforts:

Thanks to Marcia for hosting this this opportunity to encourage creativity in all of us!

What's something you've done lately to be creative?

_______________________________________________________________________________

It's not too late to link up your Mama Loves for this week! Have a book, toy, recipe, beauty product, activity, gadget that you're loving and makes "mama-ing" just a wee bit better/easier? Link it up!

You Can't Always Get What You Want

Hadley, come get a bite.

I call to her from the kitchen.

She looks up from her play, hesitates, but doesn't make a move. I could see her weighing her options about something, a perplexed look etched on her face.

I assume she's ultimately decided that she doesn't want a bite of her favorite breakfast food, and go on about emptying the dishwasher.

A few moments later, I see her coming for that bite, dragging a large, cumbersome rocking horse behind her.

You see--Hadley just couldn't bear to leave the rocking horse, even for a moment, because her sister might "get" it.

I laugh, and sigh.

Each time she comes for a bite, she stubbornly, and determinedly drags the rocking horse with her, keeping a protective hand on "Howard" while she opens her mouth for a bite.

________________________________________________________________________________

Lately I feel like my girls are in a gladiator ring, each on a mission to take the other one down.

I've broken up some pretty terrible fights between my sweet daughters. One look at Brynne and Hadley's arms reveal their battle wounds--bruises and bite marks blemish their soft skin.

Our pastor wasn't kidding Sunday when he said parenting toddlers is like taming an undomesticated wild animal.

At the heart of my two toddlers are two questions.

Am I loved?

and

Can I have my own way?

The answers are:

Yes.

and

No.

Hadley drags Howard with her to get a bite, because she's fighting to have things her way.

The girls bite and hit one another, because each is impeding the other from getting their own way.

In walks discipline--that's me (mostly), Brad and my sidekick Jesus.

We have the very hard job of telling (and showing) our daughters that they are loved unconditionally, and in the same breath we are telling (and showing) them that they can't get their own way.

It's tough.

I struggle and I flail. Especially when it looks like The Gladiator, minus Russell Crowe, up in here.

I'm working on finding that balance of love and grace and discipline and correction.

My wild animals need it--they need all of it.

And I need a glass of wine!

_________________________________________________________________________________

One of the scariest things I've ever had to do was to get through this high ropes course.

I was terrified!

I mean, really terrified.

I felt like I'd lost all control of my body---my legs were shaking, and I think I might have even heard my knees knocking together.

Even though we were told not to, I kept looking down at the ground really, really, really far below.

I started crying.

You see, the way to get through the course wasn't to look down at the ground. (even though I was harnessed in and had a death grip the ropes holding me skyward).

The way to get through the course was to look strait ahead--it steadied my steps and improved my balance.

________________________________________________________________________________

Hadley walks towards Brynne.

Her arms are full.

She's carrying a green ball and a pink ball.

She gives the pink ball to Brynne.

Hadley looks at me, and signs "share". 

They laugh, and run off together.

________________________________________________________________________________

I'm keeping my eyes strait ahead.

And giving my sidekick, Jesus, a high five.

Blueberry Cobbler + Frozen Custard = Bliss

I'm so thankful for a fantastic week--free of fire trucks, black eyes and 5AM wake-ups!

833. Sharing my blueberry cobbler concrete with Brynne and Hadley--they loved it! Thank you, Bobby's!

834. Brynne throwing her shoe out of the stroller, so that we had to turn around.

835. Seeing a mama deer with her twin fawns for the second week in a row while picking up Brynne's shoe.

836. The girls wearing our diaperbag backpack.

837. Finding Hadley, in a little nook, stacking shapes.

838. Phone call.

839. Prayer.

840. Answers to prayer.

841. New carbon monoxide detectors. 

842. Getting a run in this week!

843. Talking with Kris.

844. Email from Alice.

845. Girls sleeping in.

846. Mama Loves.

847. A sermon on discipline, just when I needed it!