nothing to hide (i mean, see) here…

What’s underneath my kitchen sink, you ask?
Well… definitely not cleaning supplies, because my boys would have a field day with that…
I normally stash my used grease that needs to be thrown out, maybe my iron skillet if I forgot to wash it the night before, and then perhaps that stack of dirty dishes I just didn’t have time to wash before that one (or every) playdate…




Oh, and no,  I didn't take the trash out today... or yesterday.
I really don’t like taking it out during the day when the boys are up. Why give them the opportunity to destroy the house?
And there are just some nights that I don’t feel like it…
Sometimes, one (or both) of the boys doesn’t go to sleep until really late, and then I’m too tired, or I forget about it.
Then there’s that day that I offered to keep a friend’s 2 young boys… and didn’t want 2 bags of trash, just hanging in out my hallway while FOUR boys ran around my house.  I can just see them now: dragging the trash bags behind them… ewww.

Whatever the reason, I’ve found the bathtub to be the perfect solution for hiding 2…sometimes 3… bags of trash from myself, or unexpected visitors.

Where do you hide your trash (for a day or two…or longer) when your hubby isn’t home to take it out?

 


P.S. Please ignore the wrinkled shower curtain. This is the boys’ bathroom and most of the time their shower curtain stays waded up so they’re not pulling it down…
Here I am telling you I hide my trash… and in the same breath, asking you to ignore wrinkles…

Oh, and Momma? I know you’re cringing… Just pretend you didn’t read this, k? But I promise, the floor behind my doors is always clean …

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can’t live without: the ergo.

  My name is Sidnie. And I’m a baby-wearer.
I was the first of my peers to have a family. So I didn’t know the trends, I didn’t know the tricks of being a Momma.  In my hometown, baby-wearing would be looked at as weird. The trend just hadn’t hit Small Town, Alabama. And cloth diapers? Um. Yeah. Forget it.
Even here, in Germany, on an American Army Post… I rarely see baby-wearers. But when I do, I smile and say hello. Cause I understand it…I’ve been there. I am there. It’s sanity. And peace of mind. And comfort.
When I wear my babies, I sometimes get looks. I’m not sure everyone understands it…
I’m a Momma who doesn’t work. And that means I take care of the house, and the children, and the finances… And everything else that goes with staying at home. It’s a blessing.
But there were days that Cade cried and whined to be held, and I had to choose between him and the chores. Or the days that we wanted to walk to the park, but I didn’t want to have to push the massive double stroller up that hill… There were the days that we wanted to stroll through a little German village, but the double stroller was a little too big to maneuver through the streets and the shops.  Then we moved to a fourth floor apartment. Have you ever tried carrying groceries in one hand and a chubby one year old in the other, all the while making sure the 3 year old doesn’t fall down the four flights of stairs you’re trying to walk up? It’s not fun. Or easy.
That’s when the ERGObaby Carrier changed our life. Hmm… Maybe that’s cheesy or melodramatic, but it’s true.
I’m a Momma who stays at home. I’m a Momma who wants to choose cuddling her boys, over laundry or loading the dishwasher.  
Our ERGO goes where we go and will  until my boys are too big to be carried in it. It comes in the house when we leave the car, and goes back into the car when we leave the house.
Cade will be two years old in October, and I wear him in the house several times a week. 
Our double stroller has been collecting dust for months now. I don’t have to break my back to load it in the car anymore.

As a MilSpouse, independence is important. We’re often geographical single parents. I don’t know how I would do this Army life, living in a foreign country without my ERGO.   I was amazed that I could put it on without help, that I could carry my chubby toddler for hours without aching. 
We can go hiking to castles now.
I go shopping by myself and never worry about having enough hands, or enough room in the buggy.
I can snuggle a sleepy toddler
when there’s no where to nap. I can travel across the pond through several airports, and not have an ounce of worry about how I’m going to carry all this stuff and keep my children safe and close. 
After a long day, there’s nothing better than being distracted by chores and looking down to see Cade dragging the ERGO behind him, asking, “Peas? Peas?”
Of course, Little One. I’ll wear you as long as you want me to…Just stay little, ok?


*Pictures taken by Lydia on her recent visit to Germany. Oh, how I miss her.


(Full Disclosure: I contacted ERGObaby and was given a baby carrier, free of charge. These words are my own honest opinions, give to you because I seriously could not live without this carrier. Please visit their site for more information about this amazing baby carrier.)

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classic…

 

Cade drinking a coke at a castle.









*Photos taken by a dear friend, Lydia, on her recent visit to Germany.




This post linked to Mamarazzi Monday hosted at Mainline Moms this week.

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distractions...

When life gets a little stressful-- the simplest of distractions are all you need.

Folding a load of laundry... At least, the day's not a total waste.

Enjoying a McFlurry brought to you by a friend. Especially after a night of little sleep...

Having friends over to play with your boys...even if it is during naptime, and they lounge around watching movies...

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life’s a blur…

Every few months, I make it a point to  get a family photo.  I try to use birthdays and holidays as a reminder. My birthday came and went in June and  the days continued to slip by. Finally, one hot day in July on our way back down from a castle, I set the timer on the camera and we all squirmed into place for a quick family picture. I quickly scanned the 10 pictures my camera took, and decided they were perfect.
That is, until I got ready to post our updated picture on facebook, and email it to family members…
In my rush, I left the camera on auto-focus and the camera did its job and focused on the closest thing… the castle wall.
  
It’s fitting though.
Our lives are a blur. Every day goes by faster than the last.
The boys might as well be driving cars now.
And the dog? Well, he’s huge. So huge that I can’t leave cookies on the kitchen counter anymore…
And this time together…it’s dwindling. This military lifestyle is about to pick up speed, as we reach the top of the hill*… And I’m still not ready.
It’s a blur.
And I’m trying to focus on anything that’s standing still.



*Household 6 Diva's recent post on this roller coaster some call deployment.

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