'Tis the Season to be Jolly...

It was one of those days, yesterday. The one that ends in tears and makes you think life is just too hard. Now I'm much more cheerful having had a good night's sleep and simply possessing a cheerfuler disposition in general. I was wondering what set me off the other day and while I was laying in bed last night IT came to me. Christmas! As much as I love Christmas, it just is a busy time of year. All of a sudden, being a wife, mom, teacher at school, and Sunday school teacher just becomes a bit too much. Lists run through my head all day long, and by the time dinner is done and I'm working on the dishes, you have your typical mamma who collapses in a fit of tears and thinks she's an UTTER FAILURE at EVERYTHING! Today I did some of the errands that have been rattling around in this brain of mine and boy, do I feel much better! So, here's to a better attitude, less mental stress, and a happy, healthy Christmas! Cheerio!

Pita Pizzas

The weekend hasn't been kind to me, diet wise. On our way home from Canada, I added up the amount of cake I had eaten and was horrified to find that I had 6 pieces in 2 days. Yikes! No wonder why my belly felt funny all Monday morning. I suppose being at a wedding ought to be some sort of excuse. Anyway, I forgot where I was going with this. Oh yes, what we had for dinner tonight. So, if you are looking for a basic meal, I've got one for you. (Still not sure how this ties into the cake, but oh well).
You need some pita bread. You slather some pizza sauce on it. Dig in the fridge for some cheese. Top with some interesting toppings (I had left over bacon in the fridge). And put whatever you want on it. I used some sliced jalopenos, olives and a few spices. Put the pita in the oven at 425 degrees for I minute, then take out and slather with toppings. Put back in the oven for eight minutes, and TA DAA! Dinner is served. Change it up for the picky eaters in your family!

My Girl

There are things about having a little girl that just make me smile. A couple of Sundays ago I produced a navy dress with white polkadots for Juliet to wear. It had a little pink belt that went with it and in my opinion, it was adorable. Jules wasn't quite so taken with it. "Mom," she declared, "it needs some butterflies and pink in it!"

Today she was looking through her dresses and finding a purple sundress with some glittering jewels on it, stated, "This is my favorite dress. Do you want to know why? It makes me look like a princess!"

And as far as a three year old's reasoning goes:
"Mom, you are my mom and I'm your little girl, you know?"
"Yes, Jules, I know."
"Well, Bluebell needs a mommy bird. We need to go out and buy a mommy bird so Bluebell has a mom, too!"
How do you argue such reasoning?

Bike riding

Lately after dinner Jules and I go for a bike ride. It's become one of my favorite things to do at night. Well, to be more precise, Jules goes for a bike ride and I walk behind her (she bikes so slowly it works out quite well). If I happen to walk in front of her she starts to hoot and holler because then I "am winning." It's all about winning these days and even if we aren't having a race, little Jules believes she ought to be first. Honestly, how I manage to have any patience with the child is beyond me. Last night we were following our neighbor and his dog when his dog saw a tree and decided to take a leak. Jules was intrigued. In a loud voice: "What's he doing, Mom? Why is his leg up like that?" "He's peeing, Jules." Silence. "You mean out of his tail?" "No, not out of his tail, Jules! Out of his, you know... Oh, look, Jules, a nice path for you to bike on. Let's go over there!" And off we go, whizzing down the path...

A New Blog

I'm recommending a blog. It's my crafty little sister Ange's blog. Ange recently joined the blogosphere and she's going to be out-blogging me by the looks of it! I almost can't read her blog cause she's one of those handy crafty ladies that cans and paints old furniture and and....arghhh, I can't take it. Ahem. But here it is:
http://makingmyhouseahome.wordpress.com

5 Years!

Mike and I celebrated our five year anniversary a couple of weeks ago. Technically, our anniversary is on the 19th of August (last week), but it worked out better to celebrate a little earlier. I had the brilliant idea to spend a night down the shore at my in-laws home by the beach. Of course, all this WITHOUT JULES! Might I add, it was absolutely LOVELY! This was the first time Mike and I spent time by ourselves for a day without little squirt poking around. My sister took Juliet for two nights and Jules had the time of her life. In fact, I was slightly insulted to hear that our little tyke hadn't even once mentioned us while we were gone! But I digress. Saturday dawned with a warm salty breeze coming off the ocean, and Mike and I went for a bike ride. Bike riding is the BEST down at the shore. There are nice towns to buzz through (Ocean Grove), the boardwalk to ride on, and lots of interesting people to stare at! Then we went back to the house and relaxed. As I said earlier, it was the strangest feeling to not have to worry about what Jules was going to eat, should she have a nap, etc. I took a nap when I wanted to, could skip lunch and snack instead, and read a book at my leisure. Wonderful. Then it was off to Ocean Grove for some window shopping. I saw tons of doilies, shells, and doo-dads and didn't by a thing! It was very strange shopping in little victorian stores with my not-so-victorian husband. But Mike spotted a jar of peppered jelly which he purchased and was happy. Then it was off to a restaurant at night ("Moonstruck" was the name of the restaurant - appropriate, don't you think?). Eating at a leisured pace, with a glass or two of wine floating warmly around our bellies, the night flew by. So, go out and plan a little getaway, all you folks that hardly know what eating a dinner without a distraction is like, and enjoy yourself!

I Forgive You!

This morning Juliet emptied my laundry basket full of folded clothes onto the floor much to my dismay. I scolded her but did not go too hard on her... Later as we went for a walk, Juliet declared to me, "Sorry Mom, for you getting mad at me, Mom. But I forgive you!" This isn't the first time she has "forgiven me!" for something she did wrong!