Wordless Wednesday: Summertime and the Livin' is Easy

Working Moms

A little disclaimer before I start.  I don't watch the news, or read the newspaper, or listen to the radio unless there is music playing.  I occasionally check the weather on my phone or read an entertainment magazine while working out at the gym.  But other than that, I typically get my news reports from my handsome hubby.  I figure if the world is ending, he'll at least give me a heads up to get to Confession, so I'm all good. 

But last night, after putting the cherubs to bed, we were talking and the TV was on in the background.  I heard a reporter talking about the wife of Paul Ryan, who is Mitt Romney's running mate.  This female reporter said that Janna Ryan is currently a stay-at-home mom to her three children BUT was once a high-powered attorney and lobbyist. 

The Ryan Family

So I guess that makes it okay for her to choose to stay at home now?  That since she once had a real career with real successes and she willingly gave it up to raise her children, her choice can be respected?  Yet back in April, Mitt Romney's wife, Ann, was blasted as "never having worked a day in her life" because of her role as a stay at home mom to her five sons.  Was she targeted because she didn't have a high-profile career that she gave up in order to raise her children?

The Romney Family (circa 1982). 
Yeah, that doesn't look like it requires any work.

What is wrong with our media culture?  Why is being a stay at home mother less respected than being a career mom?  I am so glad that someone like Janna Ryan values being a mother and has the ability to stay at home and do what she feels is best for her family.  It shouldn't matter if she used to have a career, went to college, or whatever else she gave up in order to fulfill her current role.  Her choice should be respected and accepted without question.  Why does our society feel the need to tear down moms? 



Can't we all just get along?
 :)



When I was in graduate school, getting my MBA, people who knew me well were wondering why I was going to all the trouble to get an advanced degree when deep down in my heart I just wanted to stay at home and have babies. 

I made that choice to educate myself in case I needed to provide for myself.  What if I never got married or was never able to have children?  What if my amazingly smart husband chose a career he loves over a higher-paying career and I would have to work in order to help our family's finances (fact!).  What if, God forbid, something terrible happened to my husband and no matter how much money he once made, he was unable to work again? 

So I wanted to ensure that I was able to have a career if that's what ended up happening.  And if I could fulfill my dream as a stay at home mom and never work a day in the professional world, then that would be fine and dandy as well. 

The Martin Family



It doesn't matter if we choose raising our kids over raising a rung on the corporate ladder, and it doesn't matter if we are in positions where we have to work outside the home in order to make the home work.  What matters is that, as long as we are doing what's best for our family, our decisions are respected and valued.  Women and mothers have so many challenges to face already, we don't need to start tearing one another down in order to make ourselves feel better.

First Day

John-Paul and Andrew started school today:

John-Paul is in 4th grade:

And Andrew is in 2nd grade:

 Where does the time go???

Here they are 5 years ago, heading off to preschool:

7 Quick Takes Friday

1) Alexander had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. 

His precious face that normally looks like this...

...now looks like this:

I don't even want to make it bigger because it saddens me so to see him all cut up like this. 

Let's just say he knows how to climb up stairs very well, but is working on the getting down part.  And when those three outside stairs that he fell down end in a driveway, he ended up with a face only a mother could love.

2) Cari is doing a new twist on her Snapshots Sunday. 

Find out here, and join in.  It's gonna be awesome!

3) The hilarious Miss Grace made a big announcement and looks gorgeous doing it.  See for yourself.

4) Today is my kid's last official day of summer.

School starts on Monday!  Which also means my lazy mornings of only getting myself ready for work are going to drastically change.  Now Phil and I will have to get ourselves and all 5 kids out the door at 6:50 every weekday.  Oh the insanity!

5) I am one pound away from being in my target weight range.  That would be an incentive for most people to keep it up, but for me it's more like a green light to eat whatever I want because I'm so close.  I think my brain is wired differently.

6) This picture just cracked Phil up.  It's of Eamon, age 5, reading Calvin & Hobbes. 

John-Paul has read through this comic book at least ten times, and so now Eamon wants to read it.  We know he can read the words, but can he understand the humor?  Probably not.  Or maybe so.  Who am I to judge?

7) We watched Downton Abbey, season 1, this summer on Netflix.  And I have been dying to watch season 2.  Maybe I need to go ahead and buy it?  Is the second season as good as the first?  No spoiler alerts, please!!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Just Call Me Nancy Drew

Last night I woke up at 1 am convinced there was a natural gas leak in the house. 

I never lost my super sense of smell after this past pregnancy, and my keen nose picks up on everything.  This is mostly an annoying super power, but it has come in handy.  Like the times I can smell the baby creating a masterpiece and then decide I need to run to the grocery store at that exact moment so someone else has to deal with the diaper change.  Hehehehe.

But back to last night. 

 I woke Saint Philip up to go search the dark and scary dungeon basement to make sure all was ok, and then outside to check our gas grill, and he came back to report that all was fine. Not believing there wasn't a gas leak, I walked around our house, inhaling deeply, trying to find the source. I kept coming back to the bedroom which seemed to be room with the most distinct odor of natural gas. 

Then I remembered we had eaten cauliflower with dinner. 

And the case was solved.

Wordless Wednesday: Running in New Sneakers

7 Quick Takes (LATE): Vacation and Weekend Roundup

Welp, I  missed 7 Quick Takes Friday because I was too busy having too much fun on my week off of work.  Is this how much fun you SAHM's have every day?  I mean, in between eating your bon-bons, of course.  Wink.

So here's my version of I-need-to-get-it-all-down-on-the-internetz-so-that-I-can-prove-my-kids-had-a-fun-childhood-in-case-they-get-a-terrible-long-term-memory-like-their-father:

1) We went to a super cool tire park in Maryland:

We met up with Phil's best friend from childhood, Andrew, his wife Katie and our godson, Dominic.  "Uncle" Andrew and my Andrew look like each other, which is sooooo weird and amazingly awesome:

 They even dress alike!

The tire park had a small wildlife area:

 Did you read that?  Bear POOP????!!!!  

There was a snake skin for the kids to touch, and John-Paul brought it over to me and I screamed and ran outside.  Not because I was actually scared, but I knew he wanted that dramatic effect ;)



Pearls and sneakers...that's my girl!



2) We went to McDonald's for lunch, and got the kids their tri-annual Happy Meal:

 3) Eamon playing chicken in Williamsburg:

4) Thank God for good traveling babies.  Xander mostly did this in the car:

And I thought of Ana when I saw this truck:

5) We got to see the hysterical Lisa and Jason Gale et familia while in Maryland.  They came over with bagels and coffee and the wonderful news that they sold their house!!  Which means they are officially moving to Texas, and I will be crying myself to sleep every night.  Bwahahahaha.  

Photo from April 2011 when I was preggers with Xander and we were dressing like twins.

4) We went to the Big Slide with Aunt Kelly and cousin Tommy (I have crummy videos but no photographic evidence of this fact).  But there were swings for chunky babies:

And strange menu items (Really???  Peanut oil fried sandwiches? Didn't know I was in the deep South.)

And a carousel of sorts that my monkeys just.had.to.climb all over:

6) On our way home from MD to MA, we drove by CT to see the Donaldsons!!!  This may have been my kids favorite part of the whole trip!!:

Cari convinced me to play the Dance Wii game with her:

What's that?  You don't want no stinkin' photograph?  You want video proof?  Well you're in luck:

If God hears my prayers, then these two will be married in about 15 years.

Which one of these is not like the other?
A.K.A. a neighbor kid ran over for the picture....

 The hostesses with the mostesses: 

Cari and Ken kept us entertained and fed us homemade pizza and curly fries. 

 Did you know people can actually make homemade curly fries that taste uhmazzing??  If you don't believe me, then visit their house.  Just don't tell them I sent you.

7) We took the kids to the park tonight and saw two friars playing tennis.  Complete in habit/robes.  How awesome is that?

 And now I must go to see my patient hubby who has been waiting for me since 7:00 pm.  I promised him a date at 8:45, and I will be about 6 minutes fashionably late.  Girls.