Glum-diddy-glum

I have had a pretty glum day. Just one of those days that leave you slouching with hunched shoulders and a long face wondering why does everything seem so pathetic. (Me when I'm being real, that's my tag line right?) So I thought what a perfect time to list a few of the things that make me glum:

Calories and slow metabolisms- ooh, I get so sad at the thought of having to run a mile for every cookie I even think of eating! :(

Having to pay for overdue library books- Come on I brought it back didn't I? It's because I dog-ear the pages isn't it? :(

Chipped toe nail polish- Come on can't something last forever? :(

Cellulite- It's just mean. :(

Folding laundry- especially socks this may be my achilles heel. :(

Pollen- All over my car, my deck furniture, the inside of my nose. :(

Whininess- I know I'm so whiney it's ironic. :(

When I'm stuck in a day that's gray and lonely I just stick out my chin and grin and say- Oh! The sun will come out tomorrow. So you gotta hang on till tomorrow. Come what may. Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya Tomorrow! Your only a day away!

:) Show tunes make the happy list.

Ciao, Areli

Breathtaking

Having three little girls there are some things you just get used to; like the click-clacking of plastic heels on the hardwood floors and the non-stop pleas for your lipgloss. Also, I am rarely surprised to see my little girl come around the corner dressed in an elaborate princess costume and sparkling crown. Or by the impromptu twirling and pirouetting accompanied by song that tends to follow such an appearance. These moments are all absolutely adorable, but also very much an expected daily experience so in that regard not very incredible. However, there still are those moments when you go to peek in on your little girl (to see what kind of trouble she's gotten into) and you find a breathtaking angel in her stead. I observed such a moment yesterday morning. Emma came downstairs dressed in her white tutu and delivered a beautiful song and dance routine- no surprise. Then she went outside to play in the yard. After ten minutes I went out to check on her and I caught her watering my flower beds in her tutu and rain boots. It was priceless. I love these moments!

Ciao, Areli

The Butcher, The Baker, The Candlestick Maker

"I don't need no stinking directions." Ahhh, the man's mantra and my man is no exception to this cliché. Yesterday, while the girls were finishing up their homework Jon had a sweet thought (or tooth) and decided to make them some chocolate chip cookies. I was in the other room reading a very intriguing novel and thinking 'no need to get up he has this under control'.

Skip ahead twenty minutes:

I walk into the kitchen as the smell of sweet chocolate and buttery goodness draws me irresistibly and my mouth is watering in anticipation of the freshly baked cookies. To my dismay I find a distraught baker and a batch of mutated-looking cookies. "I don't know what happened.", says the baker. "Well, don't worry I'm sure they taste fine.", I say as I eagerly pop one into my mouth. They weren't fine. Something was amiss and I aimed to get to the bottom of it. I scan the kitchen for clues:

1) Batter in big plastic bowl instead of the Kitchen-aid mixer bowl. "Honey, did you mix these by hand?" "yes." "Impressive. It must have been difficult to cream the butter and sugar." "What? Oh, man I just threw all the ingredients in the bowl and stirred." AHA!

2) The cookies look exceptionally flat and puddly. "Dear, you did put baking soda in the mix, right?" "I couldn't find it. Isn't this self-rising flour?" AHA!

3) Chocolate Chip Bag w/ recipe on back no where to be seen. AHA! AHA! AHA!

He didn't follow the directions and was a terrible guesser at the mechanics of a chocolate chip cookie. "Can you make another batch the right way?" Jon asks me pleadingly. I oblige and with my little recipe in hand I produce a perfect batch of moist and delicious cookies. And this is why Moms will always make the best cookies.

Ciao, Areli

Coyotes Arooo!

I love watching my girls play soccer. This year I find myself extra excited to watch Abby play. This is not just because of Abby's impressive blocks and wicked passes or due to the two goals she made in last nights game- GO Abby! I am excited to watch Abby's team play because this year she has a new coach and he is so lovely to watch! I feverishly anticipate sitting on the sidelines and watching him dribble that soccer ball in his little athletic shorts with his strong calves looking dangerous. And when he calls the team together for warm-ups he doesn't let the kids get away with jumping jacks that resemble a fly swatting ritual like the other coaches. No, he instead implements this adorable two-part jumping jack that helps the kids do them correctly. All the moms love it. The team's color is red and they decided on the coyote as their mascot. Which is so cool because when the kids get a little rowdy and Coach needs to focus their attention he calls for a Coyote howl and almost instantly and in unison little howls can be heard that I'm sure inspire fear and trembling in the opposing teams. So not only does Abby have the hottest coach in the SCOSA league, but he's clever and skillful besides. The best part about Abby's coach is that when the game is over and everyone else says, "See you on saturday, Coach." I just say, "What do you want to do for dinner?" That's right I'm Mrs. Coach and Abby gets to forgo the formality of "coach" for just "daddy". Let's hear it for Coach Jon and the Red Coyotes- Arooo!

Ciao, Areli

Splash!

Abby had a birthday party to attend on Saturday. The party was held at Eastman cabins and we had never been there before. It was a pretty little spot with a creek and some great playgrounds. Abby was having a great time especially since Jacob (cute little boy from her class) showed up. They play very well together and he is very nice to her. The children were playing near the creek and Jacob was showing off by stone hopping into the middle of the creek. I had just opened my mouth to say, "Abby, don't follow." Twas all in vain Abby landed face first in the creek and her cute little Gymboree outfit was dripping wet. The worst part was she jumped up and ran out of the creek wailing and bawling out of embarrassment. :(

I took her to the bathroom and wrung out her clothes. It was a very warm day and I told her the sun would dry them quickly if she wanted to go back to the party. She agreed. The walk back from the bathroom included a conversation that went something like this:

Abby- Mom, why didn't you bring me an extra set of clothes?

Me- Well, Abby I had no idea there was going to be creek here or that you would fall into it. Don't worry this is going to be a fun memory.

Abby- No, it's not this is horrible. How about next time we get an invitation that has the word cabin or something like that in it we bring an extra set of clothes.

Me- (laughing) Okay, deal.

Best part, we get back to the party and every other kid it soak and wet from playing in the creek. Abby smiled and jumped right in the fun. So, this will be a great memory after all.

Ciao, Areli

An Apple A Day

Three reasons why one should never take a 3 year old with them to the doctors office:

1. The nurse: "You weigh 1** pounds Mrs. Glenn." 3 year old: "Ahhh! My mommy weighs 1** tons that sounds like a lot. Huh, mommy?"

2. The incessant "I'm hungry." "This is taking forever." "What's that black thing for?" "What's that pointy thing for?" "What does this button do?" "Is she going to give you a shot?" "I want her to give you a shot."

3. When the doctor asks you about your bowel movements 3 year old decides to join conversation offering delightful little (embarrassing) details.

Note to self- Hire a babysitter.

Ciao, Areli

Bears

Jonathan really needs a haircut. He is starting to look like Lyle Lovett. Which reminds me of Lyle's song "Bears". It is a good and very hilariously random song. Which again brings me back to Jon, who is also good and hilariously random. Maybe this Lyle Lovett look will work out for him after all. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for the haircut. Either way I'm going to play me some Lyle today cause, "they just don't come no better than a bear."

Ciao, Areli

Buona Pasqua!

Happy Easter! Yes, it was. The Glenn household enjoyed a beautiful, fun-filled, and charming Easter day. It began with our coordinating outfits- which as corny as it may be is a Glenn family Easter tradition. I usually decide on a palette and choose the outfits for everyone down to hair ribbons and shoes. Only this year, much to my surprise, Jon decided he would like to give it a go- so we all wore blue and white seersucker. We were adorable nonetheless and we owed it to him after many Easters of pink and purple ties. I did get to pick the shoes and I chose gold sparkly shoes for all us girls complete with the perfect shade of toenail polish- crushed (a shimmery orange color). Jon set up his camera in the backyard and took some great Easter pics of the family. Then off to church!

The service was great as usual. The music outstanding. Jon got to sing in the choir backing up the band and the worship was super fantastic. Pastor Greg spoke about the realization of Christ's death and resurrection and what that means for us. His opening story was very cute: A mother is making pancakes for her 3 and 5 year old sons. The sons begin to argue who should get the first pancake. So, the mother decides this is a great opportunity to present a moral lesson to her boys. She says to them, "You know if Jesus were here he would say serve my brother first." The youngest son looks at his older brother and says, "You be Jesus."

Jon hid over 100 filled eggs in the front and back yards when we got home. The girls were super excited about the hunt. Emma got a two minute head start and then it was first come first serve. It worked out great. Emma ended up with 32 eggs, Abby 39, and Hailey 57 eggs. Not to mention the other eggs they kept finding throughout the day. Jon and I had filled the eggs with either candy, coinage, or little handwritten notes. The girls loved it.

A nice home-cooked meal and then the Go-cart ride of death to follow. You see the girls had Good friday off and somehow persuaded Jon to build- yes, I said to build a go-cart. He built this monstrosity out of an old bike trailer, wood, bungee cords, and the handle bars off Emma's bike. It was to be powered by gravity and the the east TN hills. So our Easter afternoon was spent with me capturing on film my family of daredevils thrill-seeking in the ghetto-cart. The thing started out with brakes (so that was a plus), but when the brakes broke off Jon just enlisted the "Fred Flintstone" approach to deceleration. The soles of his work boots are worn off. At least everyone was wearing helmets and knee/elbow pads. I am pleased to report no injuries were sustained. Off to Sonic for slushes and limeades (in the real car) and home sweet home.

Thank you Jesus for this beautiful life! I hope you all enjoyed a great Easter as well. I will leave you with a few of the quotes from the handwritten notes Jon and I hid in the girls eggs:

"You R my special Angel-baby! Love, Mom"

"I love you more than mom does. - Dad"

"You R my treasure, like a sparkly diamond! Love, Mom"

"Toes R pink, Sky is blue, U R cute, I love U. -Dad"

Ciao, Areli

Heart Song

I am the type of mom that wants her children to be dressed prettily, hair neat, fingernails clean and short, and teeth brushed. These things I can control. These things I make sure are in proper order before my girls leave the house, but what I most desire from them I cannot control I can only hope. I can only hope that when they get to school out of my reach and the teacher calls for their attention that they oblige. I can only hope that when other kids bully a lesser kid that my girl will stand up for them. I can only hope that when hard decisions need to be made that my baby will make the good choice. These are the things that I talk to my girls about at home and then stand back, far back, and have to wait and see.

Today, I am proud. I am fist pumping double-back cartwheel proud. Hailey, my eight year old, goes to school with hidden shoes in her backpack that I told her not to wear. She changes at school and puts on her approved shoes before she returns home. Why am I proud of this? I am not, but I don't care because when I caught her wearing those forbidden flip-flops during a surprise lunch visit I also got a tap on the shoulder from a little out of place looking girl. "Are you Hailey's mom?" "Yes, I am." "I want you to know that she is a really sweet girl. She is always nice to me." Two boys sitting close to her are whispering mean things about her and she pretends not to hear them. "Thank you for telling me this." I say. "Why? It's just the facts."She says. This happened about three weeks ago and put a big smile on my face.

Since then I have been made aware of how much integrity, grace, and devotion my little girl owns. She has been privy to potentially hurtful and embarrassing information against a little girl (separate from the one afore mentioned) at school. On her own she made the decision to form a pact with the others who also knew that they would not say anything and to try extra hard to protect and be friends with this little girl. That's my girl!! If that wasn't enough just yesterday Hailey had a very difficult decision to make- one of those choices that ends in either broken heartedness or heaviness of guilt and she made the right choice. She is sad, but she is so right. She is proud of her choice and I am so proud of her. I wish that she would not be faced with such hardships at such an early age, but I can't see how she could have managed any better if she were older. She has inspired me to try and make the right choices regardless of their difficulty. I was not so good at eight as she- so thank you God for this beautiful person you have allowed in my life. Keep her strong and give her peace.

Ciao, Areli

Neologism

Emma is so much like her daddy. She has realized that she likes it when people think she is funny so she tries very hard very often to be hilarious. She is mostly successful. I wish I could say the same about her father, but let's be honest his cheeky humor is no match for Emma's adorable factor. Her latest make-them-pass-out-from-my-cuteness tactic is to coin her own words and phrases. Here are a few examples just from today:

ba.dang (verb) to shut a door

Badang, I'm getting dressed in here.

koo.ka (noun) a very wild person

All this sugar makes me dance like a kooka.

I am just glad there has never been a reported case of "death by witnessing too much cuteness".

Ciao, Areli