Dearest Husband,

So I’m convinced that the chemical composition of the body can be highly influeced or affected by diet and exercise.  I could be wrong - and if I am, I will someday regret that I did not eat a big old piece of the chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting that is sitting not even two feet away from me.  I haven’t fully convinced myself not to eat it, mind you.  My thought process is hovering in the “I should not eat that” instead of the “I am not going to eat that”.  Should not generally means “I’m going to and I’m going to regret it”.  But I just keep reminding myself that I need to sleep better at night and I need to even out my moods.  It could just be that I have an unfortunate temperment that nothing can or will change and the only solution is to medicate with large amounts of chocolate.  There’s a part of me that is hoping that will be the answer, but I think it’s much more likely that eating healthy will help me.  We shall see.

Youngest Daughter has been doing her best to give me heart failure today.

Someday I will figure out why our children won’t wear clothes when it’s 20 degrees out.  But today is not that day.

Your Loving Wife

Dearest Husband,

I don’t know if it’s the whole new year thing or not, but I’m feeling motivated to get more organized.  It could also be due to the fact that the house has been in a state of utter chaos for a month while I’ve been trying to pull things together with my photography portfolio and then dealing with the holidays.

So I have to say it’s annoying when you spend two days straight - basically just nonstop - cleaning and organizing the house and it’s STILL a mess.  I know people say I will miss this one day, but I don’t think so.  I might miss my children being small and miss the cute and sweet things they do, but I’m not naive enough to believe that I will miss the constant cleaning, the tantrums, and the inability to get anything done that isn’t about children and housework.  And it all comes in one big package.  I think I just need some time away.  For a week… or three.  On a beach.

Next on my list of things to do that we don’t have time to take care of is to get this blog organized the way I want so that it’s more usable.  While I love to write you letters, which has been made evident by the fact that I’ve totally neglected this thing lately, I need an area to just randomly purge my thoughts.  I don’t know what that says about how I feel about purging to you, but the letter format is somewhat restrictive for some reason.

And with that, I have nothing else to tell you unless you want a blow by blow account of me folding and putting away laundry and bathing and feeding the kids.

As thrilling as that prospect sounds, I’ll just share a pic with you instead.

It was one of those moments that I was once again struck by how perfect “Shmoo” is for her nickname.  Nothing cuter than a baby with a footie sleeper and a tutu, clutching the guinea pig her sister got for Christmas as she sits cross legged in her teensy chair, sucking down milk from a sippy cup.

Your Loving Wife

Dearest Husband,

These kids are gonna run me ragged.

Oldest Daughter has a thing about standing on my bed and hanging my belt over the edge to the floor as she attempts to “capture a fish”.  So she was bound and determined to engage in this activity while I was trying to put laundry away.  I told her I needed the whole bed to put clothes on and that she needed to get off.  She wailed, “No Mom! That would be HORRIBLE!”  I asked why it would be horrible.  “Because it would make my FEET WET!”

Today she was having a hissy fit about her chicken nuggets being hot and I told her if she didn’t quit whining, I was going to throw them out the window.  I know - another stellar parenting moment to add to my repertoire.  She shrieked, “No!  You can’t throw my chicken nuggets out the window!”  After a moment of silence, she said quietly, “My eyes are full of water.”

Youngest Daughter is a maniac.  What happened to my docile little infant?  She is a mad, raving, lunatic and she burns through this house like her pants are on fire.  Putting everyone’s shoes on, climbing up on things, falling off of things, screaming like someone has poked her with a pin.  She has very strong opinions, even if she only knows about ten words.  And those opinions are beginning to give me a headache.

So, I am a big loser of a mama when it comes to letting the kids do crafts.  Craft projects are the nemesis of the keeping the house clean goal that I will never reach.  But today I felt like being nice and I got Oldest Daughter the supplies to make a mask.  Supplies being.. a mask, feathers, and mask glue.  WELL - feathers are a freaking mess.  She’s enjoying them and it’s a dang good thing because I want to get my money’s worth before I trash the wispy little suckers.  They shed all over the place.  I don’t know how birds stay warm if that’s how feathers operate.  We are never… ever… owning a duck… a goose… or whatever might have produced these feathers.  So scratch that off your wish list.

Anyway, I mostly made the mask and it’s drying now but I did have her try it on so I could take a few pictures for you.  I’m torn between being frightened and amused.

It’s like Last of the Mohicans meets Phantom of the Opera.

Your Loving Wife

Dearest Husband,

I was just talking to Stacey about OCD stuff - about me… and looked up to see this:

It sort of served to punctuate the conversation, if you know what I mean.

I’m exhausted and ready for you to come home.  This week has been long and I’m feeling spread thin.  Thank heavens for the little things in life that make me smile…

Your Loving Wife

Dearest Husband,

I feel immensely grateful right now.  Everyone in our family is well.  After being hit with the worst colds in the history of man for most of November, I’m contemplating on how great it is to just not be sick and to have kids that are not sick.  Oh, and they are both napping.

I know.

I went and did a bit of shopping today.  I’ve been wanting to keep an eye out for some things that I can use for photography props and so I went to the thrift store.  Thankfully there was a shortage on those evil dolls that Oldest Daughter likes to get, so we came home without one of those.  But I was looking at furniture and I came across this.. thing..

It’s a bench.  With a cubby.  And although it looks beat up and worn out, I have a vision for it.  A vision that will most likely include barn red paint.  Did I mention it’s real wood?  I’m in love with it so don’t insult it when you get home.

Then I went to the HOME DECORATING STORE!  I wanted to get some little strings of beads to put with the garlands I got to put around that picture.  I found some and they were cheap.  But then… then I found a NATIVITY.  *insert squeal*

The nativity thing is a big deal because I’m really, REALLY picky about what I like.  I don’t like scary nativity scenes.  I don’t like ugly nativity scenes.  For a long time I really wanted the Willow Tree Nativity, but I REALLY don’t like hugely expensive nativity scenes.  Plus, I have a lot of Willow Tree figurines (thanks to my beloved husband), and while I love them - I wanted something that would match but look different.

And then fate intervened and I walked by THIS:

Yes - it is on our entertainment center.  Because they were looking at me so longingly and do you see how the angel is holding his/her hands out in a beseeching manner?  It was only $25.  They don’t need a stable - they have a roof over their head now that I lovingly brought them home and arranged them up there so nicely.

Baby Jesus thanks you.

Your Loving Wife