peelosophy

Many changes are on the Fall horizon for the Peel family….

• JJ will be in school all day- man I miss him.

• Henry will be going to preschool- JJ never went so preschool is all new to us.

• Emma will be joining George at Kids Day Out once a week.

• My sister Katie and her family moved back home- not only to STL but into our neighborhood!!! AND Tootie, my niece, will be going to Hudson with JJ.

• Kara, whom I have babysat 2 days a week since she was 9 weeks, is starting Kindergarten and won’t be a part of our Mondays and Fridays anymore. Totally bittersweet.

• I started watching my niece, Rosie and it is going so great! Her and Emma are BFFs..check out the picture.

Wow, I didn’t think it was a lot, but writing it out it is ALOT!  My current mental status is Monday -Friday I’m fine, it’s the transition to our weekends I have a hard time with lately.   Weekends we try to balance getting things done with relaxing and I’m not good at the latter.

What do you do on the weekends?  Do you find it hard to balance?

It’s really amazing how much big and small stuff I learn and re-learn and sometimes re-re-learn throughout my day.

Here are today’s random lessons….

• If I prep an “undesirable” food item differently, George will not only try it but may end up liking it.  This was demonstrated with the yellow pepper today at lunch, I chopped instead of sliced and he ate a whole pepper!
• Striving is not what life is all about.  I battle striving in one form or another frequently.  Today, it was in relation to material things and after examining my motives for purchase and our goals for our family, I learned again that I don’t need it.
• If Emma wears her red Polo tennis dress and is in her car seat (so you can’t tell its a dress) people will mistake her for a boy.
• After spending time with God, the things that were overwhelming or I had anxiety about are not bad at all.
• I was finishing eating an ice cream novelty tonight and really wanted another one…and realized I could have another one because I am an adult. Not sure why this was such a revelation.
• I love putting Emma in dresses but now that she is almost crawling, I was bummed thinking that I couldn’t anymore.  But then I did this and it works great…

We would have had a fun weekend planned with parties to go to and birthdays to celebrate – all missed.   It was the sick ward here this weekend – AGAIN with Henry and I being the patients.  I’ve said it before, I don’t do sick well.  I am just needy and mean.  Thanks to antibiotics, LOTS of hot tea with honey and some moments of rest I am on the mend.

Emma had the most fun though, she got to go to a Ladybug Luncheon with Grandma at her friend Kathryn’s house.  Grandma bought all the granddaughters sweet little ladybug dresses just for the event.  So fun! Here are a couple pics…

Sitting on Grandmas lap….is that not the cutest ladybug you’ve ever seen??!?!

The only thing cuter is Emma with her BFF, her cousin Rosie…don’t you want to know what they are thinking???

I am feeling like I am almost completely out of the postpartum fog I’ve been in for the last two months.  I feel great, things are getting done that weren’t getting done the last couple months (i.e. Mt.Washmore) and I am optimistic about our future as a family of six.  Now, I understand this feeling may only last until tomorrow morning – but I’ll take it.

I was reflecting back today about several key things that got me through the last few months and I thought I’d share them with you.

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Our baby swing broke this morning while Emma was mid-swing.  It snapped at the hinges and she abruptly dropped to the floor.  She made a face like she was about to holler, but then stopped and looked around as if to say, “whatever this works too”.  And she just sat in the swing on the floor until we were ready to leave.  That’s my girl, roll with it and we’ll get along alright.

The swing was a hand-me-down when we got it for JJ.  Then it was worked to the bones through all the boys, the other kids I watch and several 3 and 4 year olds that took it for a ride every now and again.  It had a good long life.

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John asked me last week if he could order a gift for Emma… he asked because I’m doing our finances right now.   I didn’t ask what it was, but I honestly assumed it was going to be some gadget, maybe a Princess Lea something, a Woot T-Shirt, something along those lines.

I was totally surprised when we received this sweet little package from humbleBea.com .  It included two onesies, one short sleeve one and one long sleeve, a matching flower pin and these super sweet little booties.   I love love love the colors and those booties – I could eat them they are so sweet.  All from Daddy – Emma is SO lucky to have John as a Dad.

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I’ve had lots of nesting desires the last couple weeks – but really nowhere to nest since Emma doesn’t have a room right now.  So my urges have been put to good use in closets, friend’s basements, drawers and lots of to-do lists.

One of my favorite friends and blogs is Cary’s blog, I’ve Got a List for That.  It’s amazing to me how much I learn from her lists, from what to buy at Whole Foods to learning about her kids.  And I am always so impressed how diligent she is about blogging.  Anyways, I wanted to make a list of the things I want/need for Emma, it’s all in my head now and when the time comes I know it will have left my brain.

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