Butterflies are Bloomin' @ FMG

The Paper Punch

I have come to realize that paper is an enemy, an adversary, an opposing army on the battlefield that is my house. There is paper coming out of every nook and cranny, piled in corners, hidden in drawers, stuffed in baskets and filling the trash cans. Where does all this paper come from?

I'm not even remotely interested in having a discussion on the environmental impact of paper or trees or processing plants, etc. I'm only concerned at this point with the impact it's having on me. A little self-centered? Sure. I feel like I'm being personally attacked from all angles by a rainbow of 100 different sized pieces of colored trees that will not leave me alone!

Bills, junk mail, artwork, coloring pages, newspapers, school papers, taxes, cards, receipts, instructions, coupons, magazines, catalog's, warranties, grocery lists, pay stubs, photographs, notebooks, and on and on and on....

I am admittedly not the best organizer in the world and more than anything else, it is PAPER that drives me towards the brink of insanity. Where do I go with it all? How long do I keep it? What's really important? Will it make someone cry if I throw it away? Will I ever need that again? All these questions float through my mind as I sort and stack and file and trash each ugly little piece. I am fighting the battle each and every day but I am nowhere near winning the war, and I think it shows.

So next time you're over at my place, and it seems pretty "paper" free, beware the kitchen drawers, backroom cupboards and office floor. You might just accidentally find yourself in a forest of long dead trees or have a cascade of paper leaves assault you from above. Don't say I didn't warn you....

The Tooth Fairy Cometh

   When Lauren lost her first tooth a couple of weeks ago, it was a bit of a surprise. We weren't expecting the girls to start losing their baby teeth until around age 6 but after doing a bit of research, even losing them at 4 is considered normal. What do we know? Lauren had taken a bite of a sandwich, let out a yelp and with just a little tug from Daddy, poof, it was out! It was one of her lower central incisors, which is typical since it was her first tooth to come in. The tooth fairy came and all was well with the world....well, almost.

   Tara, of course, longed to lose a tooth like her sister. That's all she could talk about! And what do ya know? She informed us this week that one of her teeth was getting very wiggly. When we took a look, it was on the bottom as well but it was one of her lateral incisors. And yes, it was very wiggly. Of course she wouldn't have one of the normal ones come out first....

   It was a struggle all week because that tooth was really starting to bother her. It would hurt when she bit down on certain foods and then she wouldn't want to eat. However, she didn't want us to pull it out either! Finally, none of us could take it any longer and Daddy actually got the pliers out. Seriously. It took a minute to get the right angle and lots of tears about the pain that "could be", and then, voila! The tooth was out, cute as can be, and we were all smiles! The first thing Tara says is, "Take my picture, Momma!". Yes, dear....

Bath Time!

Mike and I finally had a chance to make it over to the Granite shop to pick up our Silestone sink top and have the holes drilled for the vessel sink and faucet. It was a really neat experience watching the guys work their magic with power tools and water. We had a little bit of free time this afternoon so we thought we would see what could be accomplished!

We installed the Silestone (easy), then started on the glass wall tiles. (Note: Glass tiles do not cut as nicely on the wet saw as ceramic or stone!) We waited several hours for the mastic to harden and then grouted, which also went fairly smoothly. The faucet is really cool and Mike had no trouble hooking it up. The vessel sink bowl is great but unfortunately, it did not come with a drain and the one we purchased to go with it isn't going to work...no worries, we'll remedy that tomorrow!

Overall, I am so thrilled that the downstairs bath is finally nearing completion. Just one piece of trim to install, the drain to hook-up and some little paint touch-ups here and there...I'm really happy with the outcome and I'm already thinking of all the ways we can change the upstairs bathrooms! All in good time, Ren. All in good time...

Spring=Busy

Last weekend, we took a little caching trip to IL where Mike and I scored 77 finds on Friday, 101 on Sat. and another 50+ on Sunday. It was a hoot and there was basically no urban caching! It was all farm land, fields, streams, mud, rain and lots of fun! It was definitely our best Geocaching numbers weekend ever and I seriously can't wait to do it again!

Mike has been working his tail off, so last weekend really hit the spot! Did I mention that he got a promotion? Mike is the new Tech-Lead for the P8 program at GE. It's a totally new program for him and he's more than ready to get started. I'm sure Airbus will miss him, though! Congrats, honey! I'm so proud of you!

One of the events that kept us busy this week was Kindergarten Round-Up for the Parents. We were able to meet the Principle at Pine Ridge, both of the Kindergarten teachers, see the classrooms and tour the school. It was very informative and a trip down memory lane for Mike, since this is where he attended elementary school, as well. The girls will most likely be going all day Tuesday and Thursday, with a half day on Friday afternoon. It's kind of a funky schedule but I'm sure we'll grow into it.

I can't believe our babies are going into Kindergarten! Holy smokes! I'm not worried, though. I know that they're going to do great and really thrive in that environment. They'll start to make the friends that could be with them for life, learn so many new skills, and start riding the bus! Oh my...I'm getting teary-eyed just thinking about it! The Fall can certainly take it's sweet time getting here...I'm in no rush to say, "Good-bye!".

Let's Hit the Road

We've been on the road a lot already this year and I have to say, I'm looking forward to hitting it again-hard! We are heading over to Central Illinois to do some "Power-Caching" with our friend, Deane, while the girls spend a nice weekend with Grandma & Grandpa.

We were able to hit our 5000th Geocache find last weekend at one of our favorite local events, The Chili Cook Off, and it felt like it took us forever to get there! Now we're really excited to get back on the trail and keep the numbers rolling. It's hard to believe that we've been doing this since 2003 and of course, now we only wish that we had started doing it sooner!

The only other solid vacation plans that we have this year is our planned trip to visit Seattle, WA around the 4th of July. Our ideas on how we're getting there and how long we're staying keep changing but we're going, irregardless. I've never been to the West Coast, nor seen the Pacific Ocean, so this will be a real treat for me! We have several friends in the area that I am excited to see, as well as friends and family on the way there and back, if we do decide to drive.

For now though, looking forward to a weekend with just Mike and Deane, on the road, grabbing caches and enjoying the conversations and good times that are bound to occur. Rain or shine, look out IL, 'cause here we come!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Here's to a great Mom on her Birthday! Hope that you have the best of days today!

These Little Wonders...

Art provided by:
Heather Prosch-Jensen
Absolute Photography
Holland, MI

What do you do all day?

I saw a re-post of this very article on someone's Facebook page and thought it was a great little piece of writing. I wanted to share it only because I've had many people ask me the same question and it gets old and frustrating very quickly.

Mike and I frequently laugh about life before kids and constantly ask ourselves, "What did we do with all of our time?". Kids definitely change your life but in such wonderful and fulfilling ways! Whether you have kids, had kids or not, I think the language of this article can be appreciated by everyone.

TELL ME ABOUT IT ®

The Washington Post

By Carolyn Hax

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Carolyn:

Best friend has child. Her: exhausted, busy, no time for self, no time for me, etc. Me (no kids): Wow. Sorry. What'd you do today? Her: Park, play group . . .

Okay. I've done Internet searches, I've talked to parents. I don't get it. What do stay-at-home moms do all day? Please no lists of library, grocery store, dry cleaners . . . I do all those things, too, and I don't do them EVERY DAY. I guess what I'm asking is: What is a typical day and why don't moms have time for a call or e-mail? I work and am away from home nine hours a day (plus a few late work events) and I manage to get it all done. I'm feeling like the kid is an excuse to relax and enjoy -- not a bad thing at all -- but if so, why won't my friend tell me the truth? Is this a peeing contest ("My life is so much harder than yours")? What's the deal? I've got friends with and without kids and all us child-free folks get the same story and have the same questions.-Tacoma, Wash.

Dear Tacoma,

Relax and enjoy. You're funny.

Or you're lying about having friends with kids.

Or you're taking them at their word that they actually have kids, because you haven't personally been in the same room with them.

Internet searches?

I keep wavering between giving you a straight answer and giving my forehead some keyboard. To claim you want to understand, while in the same breath implying that the only logical conclusions are that your mom-friends are either lying or competing with you, is disingenuous indeed.

So, since it's validation you seem to want, the real answer is what you get. In list form. When you have young kids, your typical day is: constant attention, from getting them out of bed, fed, clean, dressed; to keeping them out of harm's way; to answering their coos, cries, questions; to having two arms and carrying one kid, one set of car keys, and supplies for even the quickest trips, including the latest-to-be-declared-essential piece of molded plastic gear; to keeping them from unshelving books at the library; to enforcing rest times; to staying one step ahead of them lest they get too hungry, tired or bored, any one of which produces the kind of checkout-line screaming that gets the checkout line shaking its head.

It's needing 45 minutes to do what takes others 15.

It's constant vigilance, constant touch, constant use of your voice, constant relegation of your needs to the second tier.

It's constant scrutiny and second-guessing from family and friends, well-meaning and otherwise. It's resisting constant temptation to seek short-term relief at everyone's long-term expense.

It's doing all this while concurrently teaching virtually everything -- language, manners, safety, resourcefulness, discipline, curiosity, creativity. Empathy. Everything.

It's also a choice, yes. And a joy. But if you spent all day, every day, with this brand of joy, and then, when you got your first 10 minutes to yourself, wanted to be alone with your thoughts instead of calling a good friend, a good friend wouldn't judge you, complain about you to mutual friends, or marvel how much more productively she uses her time. Either make a sincere effort to understand or keep your snit to yourself.

Amen.

Bring on the Sunshine!

Look at this forecast! I know for some people who live in a more Southerly climate that the temps probably don't look all that appealing but having this many days of sunshine and temps above freezing is such a blessing for us! And, it was beautiful yesterday, too!

Plus, it's my 33rd Birthday today and the sunshine really makes me feel great! In March, you never know what the weather is going to be like here in Michigan so this a welcome treat! I also saw a robin (1st of the year!) in my yard after lunch today and the locals are reporting that the sap is starting to run in the maples! It's a sure sign that Spring is on the way-I can't wait!!!!!