Hardware, doors, windows of the past.. you make my heart go pitter patter.

Hardware, doors, windows of the past.. you make my heart go pitter patter.

Thank you again to Nail and Hammer for their fabulous old windows. And, to the salvage yard in Alderside for these fabulous old doors. I can't decide what to do with the green one yet. I'm thinking maybe a chalk board on top where the window goes, with viynal lettering of the days of the week, and maybe a ribbon board on the bottom middle or a book shelf? Any ideas?

Baby Massage

Keshia and Nick got me an in-home baby massage gift certificate for Christmas. The instructor brings everything you need, oils, fancy mats, baby bathtubs, soothing music and even her own fake baby model that looks freakishly real in a creepy baby sort of way.

During the lower abdomen massage, I took Fins diaper off. I guess she couldn't resist the opportunity to mark her territory on the pretty yoga mat, because that exactly what she did.


Keshia and little Nixon came for the class too. I was surprised how much the two babies loved the fetal position bath afterwards. They looked so darling with their rolls all squished up like that.

The massage techniques are quite simple and she gave us our own instruction manuals, so I feel like it would be easy to teach it if anyone's interested.

"Well Belle didn't have a Mommy to teach her about Modesty."

I am so lucky! Just look at these handsome boys! I'm always trying to sneak in a few pictures on Sunday, the one day of the week that the children look less like orphans and I find the time to put on clean clothes. This week I'm trying to break Ky out of her princess craze and make her wear "clothes" rather than "Princess dresses" disguised as ragges and do her hair even if were just staying home. It's been a full year now, of tattern and torn dresses and wild woman hair. It's time.

Below is Kyanne emerging from the corner for about the 4th time that day for dressing immodest. We've explained the principals of modesty (as best we can to a 4 year old) and she just counters with, "But Sleeping Beauty wears her dress like this, and so does Belle, and Giselle". I've told her that "they didn't have Mommies to teach them about modesty" but she continues to "sneak" around the house with her dresses off the shoulders anyhow.

A delirious stupor...

I don't know why I continue to stay up when I'm so tired it takes conscious thought to keep my eyelids open. The stubborn child that hated sleep as much as brussel sprouts never matured along with the rest of me. I can't even sleep in on the weekends, afraid I'll miss the fun I suppose.

When really there are few things that makes me as 'fat and happy' as my fuzzy pink blanket and my pillow, who is more of a dear friend than a pillow. That pillow has seen me through sleeps, weeps, and happy occasions alike. She's like "Tree" in Shel Silverstien's "The Giving Tree". I'll have to give a loving eulogy when I finally send her off to her final resting place.

I suppose it wouldn't be so hard to go to sleep if this wasn't the only time of day (10pm) that I didn't have an adorable needy little creature attached to me or calling my name: "Mama...mama" or (if I ignore long enough) "Stephhhhanie!" And, so I sit here in a delirious stupor, because I know once I put my dizzy head down I'll be out for the count and morning will come sooner than I'd like. But, alas off to bed I go!

Unplug your Kids

As I was looking for fun things to do at home with the kids, I came across this fun blog: Unplug Your Kids
It such a fun idea to give us mom's some motivation to get crafty with the kiddos this summer. She posts an Unplugged Project idea each Monday and asks everyone to post pics of their versions of the project they did with their kids on their blog, and link it to the Unplugged blog. Here's the link: Unplug Your Kids

This weeks unplugged idea is "Old".

I Spy with my little eye. . . (Fun Finds #1)

Homeade Chunky crayons. Bake your old broken crayons in muffin tins. 275 degrees for 7-8 min. Let them cool in the freezer and pop them out.






I Spy Quilts: How fantastic. Entertainment and snuggles all in one! Just click on the pics below to enlarge. They're amazing! (This for you Liz, although you've probably already made one for each of your kids, and sisters kids. ;)

Ice Treasure Hunting

You can put those misc. toys to use, along with loose change to go buy a treat after with the hidden treasure that was found.

Freeze ice blocks in layers to freeze hidden treasures through out.

This one has 3 layers.

Use a variety of treasure-excavating tools: salt, spray bottles with water (colored water too), droppers + warm water, and toothbrushes. The mom who did this said her girls easily worked away at it for 45 minutes, till every last treasure was collected.

You can also freeze individual treasures in ice cubes for quicker treasure-hunting adventures.

"Mom! He's trying to Kill me!!"

Now imagine that in a voice high enough to shatter nearby glass and you'll know just how panicked Ky was today when Bridgey tried to attack her with his. . . Teeth!

Dun...dun....dun! A Bitter.
This weekend I was officially initiated into the "Mommy of a Bitter Club". -Exclusive to desperate and shamed mothers of Nibbling Savages.

My sad apologies to little Porter Trim's now decrepit arm, and Kyanne and Olivia Larsen's missing fingers.

Any Advice???

Here's lookin' at you kid...

I had Tanya Woodruff's 2 little guys over to play for the day, and I realized as I tended all 5 kids, that it's really not much harder than having 3. It makes me think the random Walmart stranger I spoke with a few weeks ago was right when he said, "I have 6 kids and it never gets worse than 3." Seems about right. It took me a couple months to adjust to the changes we've had to make to enjoy our life as a bigger family, but I can say I enjoy life now more than I ever have before. So, here's to #4!! (Well, someday).

Murder at the Mason Mansion...

Dr. Pod-potty, Pod-locky, Podlonsky? The poor chap's dead, and the reading of his will was fabulous. It started out with light appetizers, a formal dinner, and then entertainment and dessert in the study. Detective Sniffer was fantastic at interrogating the other 9 guests deterring suspicions of his own whereabouts.

The entertainment following dinner was nothing short of entertaining. It's hard to pick a favorite amidst Scarlett's cat tricks, Mrs. Podlonsky's rendition of "Mr. Lonely", Gene Simmons gutairr solo, Chaquito and Taquito's Mexican wrestling, the Bollywood actress' (from Bride and Prejudice) palm reading, a scientific explosion and suburban cat roping from an authentic cowboy.

Here's some photos from that smashing night of inquiry and intrigue.

"Larsen's Like to Have Fun!"

One of the things I love best about being a mom, is that I can throw a party any time I want. We have all sorts of parties.

"It's Friday" parties, "Dad's home from work early" parties, Dance parties, "It's been a rotten day" parties, "Sat. morning Do-no (donut)" parties. Really, any reason is a good reason. Just trying to live up to our family moto:

"Larsen's like to have Fun!"

This picture is from one of our recent "It's been a lousy day" Parties. We all cuddled up, ate our weight in buttery popcorn and watched 'Ever After'. Having my own family is like having little friends around all the time. I love it!

Should I be worried?

This morning when I asked Bridge what color shirt he wanted, "green or red", he said, "pink" pointing to his sister's on the other side of the rack. This wouldn't be so worrisome if he hadn't already thrown a tantrum earlier in the morning to put on my "gauk-up" (make-up) and tried to wear a bow in his hair later this afternoon. Yesterday was the third time he proudly came out in my mascara, and poor Ky has to fight him to wear her purple princess gloves daily.

I know it's "healthy" for boys to play with dolls, and practice nurturing, and I'm really proud that he's learning his colors, but does pink have to be his favorite?

Poor guy he's surrounded by 2 of the most girlish girls to walk the plant, and here I am making fun him. He's such a cutie!!

The Birthday Pukes...

Happy, Happy Birthday to me. Today I'm 28, on the 28th. Meggie said since this will only happen once in my life we have to do 28 fun things. I'm hoping this involves, 28 bites of chocolate, and maybe 28 hours of sleep, or even 28 mins for that matter, I'm not picky. Poor little Fin is the sickest little sicky ever. She started throwing up just about every half hour, from about 3p to 11p when the doctors gave her some anti nausea meds thru an iv at the Children's Hospital. It was daylight when we arrived and daylight when we left. It was a long night, and were still recuporating. Poor girl is still puking up her guts, but not as often. While this bday has been a bit gloomier than others, I loved all the sweet phone calls this morning, and this really cute note from Whit, made my day!

"Happy happy early birthday! I really wish I could come up and surprise you for your birthday. But then again, maybe a grumpy pregnant lady just showing up at your house isn't the best birthday present.

So let's just pretend I am a great friend and came up to visit you on your birthday. And while we are pretending, we might as well pretend I cleaned your house, bought you pizza, and made a fabulous birthday cake! Love you."

"But, when you lose our children. . ."

I don't want to give myself airs but, I think I may be in the top ten most disorderly mothers in all the world. You know the kind that brings all the kids in but forgets the groceries, or better yet brings the groceries in but, forgets the baby (true story).

Lucky for me I am married to my bestfriend, who knows that most days I walk around with half my brain missing and likes me, anyhow. When he purposed, as he was putting the ring on my finger he said, "Now, I know one day your going to lose this, and that's okay, I'll get you another, but when you lose our children. . . you need to find them."

And, that's me. I've been this way as long as I can remember, and it drives me - crazy. But, never so crazy as now that I have 3 helpless, and dependent, little children, who are counting on "Mom" to have it together.

I have dedicated this week like so many in the past, to becoming an orderly mother: a clean home, well groomed, bathed, and behaved children, that smile when I say "bedtime" . So, far it hasn't been the fairytale I pictured, but not entirely a failure, either.

This week is different from all the rest as I have given up the "Projects" piece of my life. Anyone who knows me knows I do projects: Sick, well, 9 months pregnant. And, as I reflect, it really seems a tad on the neurotic side. Like maybe I was searching to find meaning in the simplicity of my life.

I'm guessing that somewhere along the way I bought into the lies of the adversary such as: being a mother, isn't enough of a contribution or self worth is gained through what you can produce, when really it's the process of production. I became so busy with good things, that I shifted my focus from the best things. You would think that simplifying your life would be: simple. But, I'm finding it takes great effort and restraint to just enjoy the ordinary events of the day, and choose contentment.

I'm thankful to have modern day prophets that give us guidance relevant to us today. I really appreciated Elder Oaks talk in the Fall conference, "Good, Better, Best", and I appreciate the examples of the great women in my family and in my ward. I gain perspective and strength from the way they live their lives.

Here's to "being still", realizing there is a season for all things and. . . trimming back the "good" to make room for the "best"

"[We should] work at our responsibility as parents as if everything in life counted on it, because in fact everything in life does count on it.” -Gordon B.Hinckley

Rock'n it Since 1995. . .

"For those of you who have never heard of Cake, do yourselves a favor, don’t ask a Cake fan, “So what kind of music does Cake play?” It’s really frustrating to try and describe their “genre.” Cake’s repertoire of rock includes touches of folk, hip-hop soul, and funk. But such a description hardly does the band justice. Cake is just Cake, and they know how to put on a show." -Helana Kadyszewski (concert review)

Absolutely! Here! Here I've been a fan since I was 15 (1995). So, you can imagine how stoked I was to see them last night in concert. It was nothing short of Fabulous. It took awhile for the opening band (Paper Lions) to start the show, but it turned out to be worth the wait.

At the risk of sounding Muggle, I have to admit I may have rocked a bit harder to the "Paper Lions", but Cake was still Fantastic. John McCrea did a lot of choir conducting ("women. . . now men. . . ") and gave away a tree. It was one of those sing along sort of concerts for true followers, and probably an annoyance to the rest of the crowd.

And, of course it couldn't be a real concert without a moron or two starting a few brawls. But, I even enjoyed the drama put on by surrounding neighbors and even our very own Meggie. The crowd was such a mix of young, and old, Indie and trendy. I haven't had that much fun in awhile. (Wish you were there, Jay! p.s. they opened with Jolene.)

Oh, It is Love. . .

Last week as Jess and I were driving to go have dessert with friends the word "anniversary" popped in my head, and it dawned on me, "Did we forget our anniversary?" I asked aloud, more to myself than him. We just giggled, clapped a high five, and figured we'd make up for it next year. . . so I thought.

On Saturday, I woke up feeling so queasy that Jess thought it best to get right to the heart of the matter with a double dose of Gravel. That was my first go round with Gravel, and I reacted the same as I do to the epidural. It knocked me out cold. And, when I came too, I couldn't talk right, or walk a straight line.

Luckily it wore off a bit by that evening, when Jess took me out for dinner. After dinner he said he wanted to show me a new building his company was trying to buy. I'm not sure how I didn't catch on when he took me into the Pallisar Hotel downtown. I guess I was still a bit out of it. He acted lost, and then pulled out a key and said maybe we should try this door. Inside the room were rose petals scattered about and a sweet letter on the bed. It was the perfect way to spend our 6th anniversary. Just lounging around, eating all sorts of odd fruits, eclairs, and sipping the elixar of life (A&W) out of wine glasses. We even went for a dip in their spa.

I get grossed out by swim change rooms, so we dressed in our room and then wore the luxurious Hotel robes down to the pool, which seemed really fancy, until we got funny looks as we strode through the elaborate halls in nothing but robes. Of course, this just made us giggle too. It was such a fantastic little get away, 20 min. from our house and our 3 kids! Thanks honey.

Thumbs Up for Today.

Today's been a great day. I realize as I look over recent posts that I am more inclined to write when my day is going pukey. In some odd way I find it theraputic to rant and rave to the unknown public.

But, today was delightful. I woke up with less than an hour to plan preschool for Ky's class, clean the house that we didn't tidy last night, dress myself, the kids, and make breakfast. This would usually send me into a bit of a frenzy but, Jess swopped in, skipped his shower, breakfast, and saved the day.

The kids arrived to a clean and tidy house (high on a 3 year olds priority list). We played, read, sang, crafted, did circle time and learned about the meatmorphosis of butterflies. They made darling mobile's of the stages of a butterflies life, and acted them out. Now, it's 1:27 in the afternoon, and all 3 kiddies are napping, the house is clean, and I'm lounging on the couch. It's just been a Thumbs Up sort of day.

I'm not sure which is harder, loving a body in transition. . . or dressing one.

I love the all out girly style that is all the rage right now. But, those cute baby doll dresses and tee's really do nothing for the post baby belly I'm sportn these days. Today while out garage sale hopping with Whit, I couldn't help but notice how cute we looked with her 4 month prego belly and my 4 month post prego belly that were sadly too close in size!! Geezeeee!


Are these cute kiddos really worth all this? I know it wasn't but a year ago that I was complaining about this same sort of thing (see "My New Relationship with Gravity"). I suppose spacing my kids a bit further would really help in the Battle of the Mom Bod, but the little squirts are so cute, I couldn't wait any longer to have them! Besides, "that's one doddle that can't be undid, Homeskillet" (thanks Rainn), so no use complain'n.

Lesson Learned #1

Today in the elevator at the mall, another mother asked me how I would describe having 3 children, of course I wanted to say, "Sunshine everyday". But, this was just after Kyanne tried to redecorate Siren's and Bridgey protested to join in so loudly that more than a few customers gave me the "disapproving" eye with a simultaneous head shake, so for that moment I felt inclined to speak the truth. . . "Hard", I said. To which I was surprised that she acted surprised at my response and said in this almost sing song voice, "Really? My friends with three and four kids say, three was a breeze."

Feeling close to deaf and happily numb by this time I politely told her, "their lying".
Carrie has a wall on her blog called, "Lesson Learned". Here's mine:

Lesson Learned #1:
Children belong in zoo's, not malls.