Potato Cake

Sometimes we have trouble getting Ella to eat her dinner. She usually is much more interested in playing with her food than eating it. Tonight, instead of stopping her, I had to take some photos. What an imagination! She made a birthday cake out of mashed potatoes, carrots and green beans. Once the cake was made, we sang her Happy Birthday and pretended the rest of the evening that she was 4 years old. I wonder if she'll still play with her food when she is 4. I have to admit it was quite fun to watch. God, I love her and how much fun she has.

Back to Life, Back to Reality....

It’s been a while since I've been able to post. Why? My maternity leave and the corresponding fantasy life ended on July 20th. So now it’s back to life. And as the song goes, back to the here and now.

The here and now does not allow very much extra time for blogging, facebook, scrapbooking or any other activity that would be used for only my personal pleasure and delight. The here and now allows for just that, the here and now. Right now I am able to type this post because the computer system that I do my work on is malfunctioning. This small miracle has bought me a few minutes to myself. The rest of the day has been devoted purely to family maintenance.

Here is a play by play of an average work day. 4:50 am snooze alarm. 5:00 am butt out of bed and feed Gage. 5:20 am lie Gage back down. 5:25 am make coffee. 5:30 Shower. 5:45 am Pump, while watching the morning news and drinking my coffee (multitasking allows a little me time). 6:00 am Makeup, Hair, Clothes. 6:25 am wake Ryan up to get the kids ready. Make my breakfast smoothie. 6:30 am wake Ryan up again to get the kids ready. Make my lunch. 6:40 am feed Gage again. 6:50 am out the door. 7:15 am drop kids off at daycare. 7:30 am Work. 10 am Pump. 11 am Run to daycare to feed Gage. 11:50 eat my sandwich before returning to work at Noon. 4:15 pm Pump. 4:40 pm pick kids up from daycare. 5:30 pm arrive home and unload my lunch bag, Gage’s diaper bag, Ella’s various cups, snacks and trash, and of course the kids. 5:30 pm feed Gage. 6:00 pm wash bottles and pumps. 6:30 pm start dinner. 7:00 pm feed Gage. 7:30 pm eat dinner. 8:00 pm pack tomorrow’s bags, do a load of laundry. 8:30 pm take a walk. 9:00 pm bath time. 9:30 pm bed.

Is it Friday yet? If you’re looking for more photos, I’ll post them then, around 8 pm when I don’t have to pack tomorrow’s bags.

The good news is, I wouldn’t change a thing. I know I am blessed. The smiles, hugs and kisses I get every morning and every night sure are more rewarding than any watched movie or finished scrapbook page. I refuse to wish away this busy time, this moment in my life in which every minute is filled with something to get done. And I don’t stress about not getting “me” time. I know how quickly time goes by, and before I know it Gage and Ella will not be babies anymore. So, I do my best to be present. To give them my all. To enjoy the moments while they last. To live here and now.