Yeah, it's been a while...

So I have been completely lacking inspiration to update this blog for quite some time, obviously. Part of this was due to the fact that I lost my camera last month - I stupidly left it behind at the Greenlake wading pool, and of course it was gone when I went back a few hours later. Just about every day since then I have been bummed about losing it. So I have had no pictures to post, which, let's be honest, is 90% of this blog. Plus we had Vacation Bible School a few weeks ago, and I taught the 4's and 5's, and that seriously knocked me flat for weeks!! Just having to get all of us out of the house every day by 8:15 (which ended up being more like 8:45 every day) was quite the challenge. Jonathan helped lead the music. It really was a lot of fun, I loved the age group I had. Thankfully Stella's teacher was our beloved Miss Jessica, so she had a great time in her class.

I've also just been in a bit of a funk the past few weeks. I think it's a mixture of a lot of things, including some serious heat this past week (Seattle hit 103 for the first time in recorded history!), letting the house get out of control (laundry! dirty dishes! toys! everywhere!), and let's not forget the funk I always get into after a visit with my family ends (my parents were here after VBS).

I simply haven't been enjoying my children. At all. They irritate me all day long, I yell at them, everything we try to do brings me so much frustration. I had a good long talk with Jonathan the other night, and he helped me see things a bit more clearly. For one thing I have been doing TOO MUCH. I am limiting my schedule to playgroup on Thursday mornings, and one afternoon a week of errands, and that is it. I'm even going to order my groceries online and have them delivered (just like the good old Edinburgh days, except there's no Tesco!). If we have time/energy to go somewhere else during the week, we'll do it, but I am just not going to stress anymore. Sure it's wonderful to take advantage of all of the wonderful parks and activities and things here for my kids, but what is the point if I am grumpy 24/7?

I've also made a very basic housekeeping schedule for myself - this is another area where I let myself freak out and get overwhelmed. But keeping the house in basic order is reeeeeeally important to my emotional well-being, I've discovered. Part of my plan is getting rid of more crap. I've given away some stuff since we moved in, and it feels so great. I'm trying to make our home as uncluttered as possible, for maximum peacefulness and also cleanability (yes I may have just invented that word). The other key to my plan is to lower my standards. I can hear those who know me well laughing, I know I have always been just a tad on the messy side...but I tend to be too perfectionist about the housecleaning and set up this elaborate schedule that I can never keep and basically just set myself up for failure right from the beginning. So, since I can't follow it perfectly and do it all, I just don't do anything. (Yes, stupid I know.)

And lastly, maybe most importantly, I am putting those girls and myself to bed EARLY. We are all waaaaaay too sleep deprived around here.

Anyway, the past few days have been better. And today I got a major boost: a package arrived for me this afternoon....it was a new camera from my dad!!!!!!! Thanks Dad!! :) I was so excited, I even got all teary. Stella was pretty bummed when I told her the package had my name on it instead of hers (she seems to think all packages are for her, since they usually are!), she even said, "nobody loves me to send me a package!" Boo hoo. We feel so bad for you, Princess. But she cheered up later when we went to check the mail and she found her first issue of Highlights High Five magazine waiting for her! Thanks again to my parents! You really are on the hero list today. :)

Jonathan is gone on an overnight staff retreat today and tomorrow, so this evening I decided to take the girls to one of our new favorite parks up here (North Lynnwood Neighborhood Park) for a little picnic, since it was a pretty warm evening. Stella found a friend to run around with, which pretty much makes her day. She always asks other kids at the park if they want to play with her, and as you can imagine that kind of freaks some kids out. Apparently this little girl always asks the other kids to play with her too - it was a match made in heaven. I hope we see her there again! The memory card for my camera is supposed to arrive tomorrow, but my camera holds about 5 pictures on its own memory so I took a few shots at the park this evening. Enjoy!



Our cheap, mama's tired picnic consisting of McDonald's cheeseburgers and cookies leftover from church on Sunday. No, my baby is not eating bits of a McDonald's hamburger bun, I would never feed her that junk...her all-organic homemade baby food must not have made it into the picture... ;)



And no, my baby did NOT sneakily grab a big chunk of melty chocolate chip that dropped from her sister's cookie and shove it into her mouth with such amazing speed that her mother could not stop her...she only eats healthy stuff, remember?



Stella playing in the fountains...see, I told you this was a great park. There is even SHADE, I tell you! And big girls swings! It doesn't get much better than this, folks.




While Mommy was busy taking pictures of Sissy, Baby squirmed her way off of the blanket so she could have a little grass for dessert. (Yes, my baby eats grass, she is so in touch with nature.)

The end!