Tea is delicious...

So, I am trying to get some energy boost mechanism that isn't going to make my stomach revolt in unhappy fashion, so I am on the tea bandwagon again. I am currently trying to banish my chest cold with a cup of English Breakfast with milk and agava. It's doing the trick, I must say, but I do need to branch out.

Kiddos are getting split today. Chas is venturing out with Caroline to a draft and I've got Aidyn for a birthday party. Fun Saturday, right?

Yeah...and that too!

I'm peaking at 31. Or rather, at 31, I realize I've already reached my peak. It's downhill from here, ladies and gents. On the road to rot and ruin, that is. My hair is turning gray faster than I can keep it dyed, my propensity toward hot foods leads on to heartburn and unrest and most annoyingly, functioning without a nap is daily torture. It's safe to say that Miss Clairol and Tums can help, but the nap thing...that, my friends, isn't getting any more likely to improve. Gone are the days when you could snuggle up and cuddle under the covers. Now, I worry whether or not the doors are locked, nothing is on the stove or if the kids are covered up and settled down. Then thoughts drift to the need to change the sheets to get rid of the crumbs from the kids having breakfast in my bed, the need for new detergent, the drum not spinning right on the washer...you see where this is going, right? Nap time dwindles away and kiddos wake up, leaving me drained and filled with another list of tasks to accomplish.

I think what I need to a regime again, a set of accomplishments for each day, a chore chart, per se. Then, I need someone to do it all for me. For my birthday, perhaps? Well, I didn't think so, but it was worth a try :) Now we're off to football practice for the boy...homeschool officially starts on Monday!

Well behaved women seldom make history...

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich was right...and apparently was thinking about my daughter when she penned that phrase 20-some odd years ago. (Because what else could she possibly have been writing about? Puritan women and family rituals? Pish posh!) My dearest Diva is taking that phrase to heart, with a vengeance. This child of mine will someday change the world, for better or worse :) She has, without question, already changed ours. One short year ago, after five long years of hoping and trying and waiting, my Kathryn Caroline entered the world in dramatic fashion. Even birth had to be an event for this girlie :) She has since been the light of our days (and the reason for all of our sleepless nights). From the moment she arrived on the scene, she has been one of those souls that command the attention of all who encounter her. She is decidedly fickle about those she loves and taunting and coy with those she wants to love her. Someday this blue-eyed, blond-ringleted fiery fairy child will break hearts, of this I am sure.

I sit here, early in the morning, unable to sleep. My sweet Caroline, darlingest of demanding darlings, has once again woken up the household and made it impossible for me to get back to sleep. She has definitely lived up to her nickname, and Diva she will remain for years to come. She has a way about her that makes you always want to come back for more...hoping this time will be the time that she gives you that smile and her heart. But of course, she simply gives you that little look that says "I love you, dear one, but not as much as you love me" and makes you come back for more. My birthday girl has more personality than most people I know, and far more flair for daring and drama than I myself can command.

Did you ever picture yourself as a certain person, in college, perhaps? I always thought of myself as a bit of a feminist, an individualist, a person with all the answers in the world under my brilliant head of curls? When I look at Caroline, I realize she already is the person I thought I was years ago. She has already accomplished in one year what many women search a lifetime for...she has found self-confidence and a love for her own soul. This is one woman who will not follow the crowds, but instead will be leading the pack. Of this, I am certain.

Many, or any, who read this will think to themselves that this the romanticized dribble of an overindulgent momma who dotes too much on her children. And those people are undoubtedly correct in their assumption :) But for those that know my Cara, you will see a glimmer of truth in my ramblings and hopefully say a prayer in your hearts for her continued health and well being.

Happy Birthday, wee sweet one. You are loved.

Smiles all around...

Summer has finally arrived for this family :) School has officially been out a week, as of today, and slowly but surely, we are adjusting to the change. Aidyn has been keyed up because Nana has been up visiting for the week, but otherwise he will compromise with an afternoon of Animal Planet and DS to help with the pain of the separation caused by her leaving. Caroline is napping currently, but will undoubtedly be up and crying in just a little while. Her right upper front tooth is coming in...slowly. She's uncomfortable and unhappy, especially when not being the object of my attention. Other than trying to bend to her psycho-baby demands, we are getting by with minimal fuss.

On a more somber note, Caroline is crawling like a machine. Why is this a somber note, you ask? Because I am cleaning the floors obsessively. I've vacuumed the house three times a day...and I have hardwood floors with only two area rugs! The kitchen floor has become my arch nemesis. I spot clean, swiffer and then steam mop...after every meal. Truthfully, you'd think the thing would be spotless, but somehow, even after hands and knees scrubbing, it still seems filthy. Grrr. Needless to say, floors are my least favorite cleaning chore. And dishes. And laundry. And bathrooms....notice a pattern here? SAHM was probably not the ideal profession for me to choose :)

I am almost ready to start Aidyn's summer curriculum. I was going to start a little later in the summer, giving him a little breathing room and rest from the school system, but he is bored senseless already, so I'm thinking that just jumping in next week is the best thing to do. We're doing the library's summer reading program, plus our adventure geography program. I think working out a schedule now might make more sense than waiting and it not working best anyways. We'll see :)

Now off to make an herb garden...

After a relatively sleepless night (thank you, Cara my love) and too much restless energy, I am sitting here enjoying my private time with Earl Grey and the internet. After heading to the much touted Greensburg Farmer's Market today, I got some great goodies to try (think swiss chard) and strawberries for waffles tomorrow morning. I also got some oregano, so now with my dill, basil, sage and mint, I believe I have a respectable little herb garden started. I'm going to peruse the 'net to find some layouts and ideas for a sustainable addition to my little gardening enterprise. More on that later :)

On the kidlet front, all is well. Aidyn has two days left until the torment formally known as first grade is finished and a summer of repairing his love of learning and self-esteem begins. I know this sounds terribly dramatic, but at this point, the kid pretty much needs to go into terrible teacher rehab. He's excited about the program we're doing this summer though, and I think when all is said and done, he'll be repaired and renewed when September comes around again. Caroline is her dear, darling little self, driving me mad with her weird sleeping habits and determined lack of interest in formula. We're slowly introducing her to goat's milk because of her lactose sensitivity and all is well on that front. Her blood work came back normal, so we are sure her petite size is CGD, which is an easy fix for us. We know how to feed a kid up from that :)

Otherwise, all is well in our world. Smile...it's time to clean Aidyn's bedroom. If I don't return, I was eaten by the hockey equipment.