Happy Birthday Natalie!

Natalie is my first.  Not my first love.  Not my first boyfriend.  Not my first kiss.  She is my first child.  Not only my first child, but my first baby girl.

I always wanted to be a mom.  I joked with my husband that we were going to have a DOZEN!  I look back at that and think I was nuts!  It didn't take much for us to get pregnant, but once we found out, both Ross and I were overjoyed!  We actually discovered we were pregnant, the day after we returned from a missions trip to Jamaica.

My pregnancy was ok.  We didn't find out the sex, we wanted it all to be a surprise!  We didn't even tell anyone her name!!

8 Months Pregnant

I started having contractions during the night of July 29th.  We spent most of the night up and down with contractions.  The next morning, July 30th, Ross and I went to our scheduled appointment (how convenient) where I had my membranes stripped.  Within an hour, I was having serious contractions and I knew my baby was coming!!!!!  That afternoon I took a nap, watched some Jeopardy and we headed to the hospital.  When we pulled in to the parking lot, I told Ross to drive around the block because I wasn't ready.  Child birth is scary!

We were admitted at 6:00 p.m. and Natalie Louise Benzen was born at 9:16 p.m.  My delivery was quick, no drugs, not pain free, and she was perfect!

 I was in love and our lives were forever changed.  She owned us.  Natalie did everything she was supposed to, the day she was born.  She is my gift from heaven.  Children are a gift from God.  All children are a blessing.

I would take the labor, the pains, the pushing, the colic, the poop, the pneumonia, and everything else...even the head lice...over and over and over again.  That is how much I love being a mom.

Since Natalie is turning six, here are my six favorite things about her (I love everything, it's hard to pick just six)!

1.  Her smile
2.  Her laugh
3.  Her generosity
4.  Her love for everyone she meets
5.  Her sense of humor
6.  Her protectiveness of Eli

Here is six years of Natalie!

One Year Old

Two Years

Happy 3rd Birthday!

I'm Four!

Fifth Birthday

Turning Six!

Happy Birthday baby girl!  Mom and dad love you!

DIY Monday: Liquid Laundry Soap

The one thing I have learned about being a stay at home mom is living with a sense of frugality.  That is why I enjoy DIY so much!  Not to mention...it's fun!

Laundry soap is expensive!  Can I get an AMEN!?!  Plus, my kids have sensitive skin, so I started to make my own laundry soap two years ago, so I could control what was going to touch their bodies.  The Frugal Girls website has a TON of great "how to" websites for DIY.

Liquid Laundry Soap

You Will Need:

1/2 Cup Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda...I have seen it at Wal-Mart, Fleet Farm, Cub Foods

1/2 Cup Borax

1/3 Bar of Fels-Naptha Soap...Also found at Wal-Mart in the laundry aisle, Fleet Farm

Empty plastic containers to store detergent (I use juice containers or laundry detergent containers)

The Nitty Gritty:

Grate the soap (I use the food processor...much easier :) pour into large saucepan

Add 6 cups of warm water

Add washing soda and Borax

Stir until completely dissolved

Remove from heat, set aside

Pour 4 cups HOT water into bucket and add soap mix

Stir and add 1 gallon PLUS 6 cups of water

Stir again

Transfer to lidded, plastic containers.  Let set up to 24 hours.  Shake well before each use.  Detergent will be lumpy and thick!

Trust me!  This stuff is super easy to make, inexpensive, and you will LOVE it!  Let me know what you think!

Get Cleaning Friends!
Marianne


Here is a link to the liquid laundry soap courtesy of The Frugal Girls!

Welcome to my H.E.L.L.

This is going to be extremely personal.  Not very often, does a woman welcome you in to her home through pictures, to show how shitty of a house wife she has been!  That is exactly what I am going to do though!!!!  I welcome you to my hell!

Two weeks ago, I wrote about head lice.  Well, two weeks later, we are still battling lice.  This is what your house looks like after two weeks of battling grossness.  Not only are we tackling lice, I am also preparing for CindyBlue Designs to be in our 2nd craft show of the summer in August....that is what the shelf of jars and the blue ladder are for.  Finally, we are going on vacation next Tuesday!  Lot's of stuff going on!

It hasn't been all mass craziness though.  When I get overwhelmed, I know I need to breathe.  Here in Minnesota, we have had 90+ degree weather, so we have enjoyed swimming lessons with Natalie, playing in our own water park in the backyard and even a trip to the movies to see Monsters University!

In my mind, the way I see it, the best thing for us to do is go on vacation!  Natalie and I have been in the clear from lice for two days now.  With us going away for four days, we will fumigate the house and the lice will have nothing else to do but DIE!!!!  HaHaHaHaHa...cue evil villain laugh!!!!

Enjoy the rest of your summer!  Enjoy the heat!  Enjoy your family!  Enjoy the little moments!  That is what I am trying to do.  Yes, my house may look like this, but at least we are still having fun!  Some things are more important.

Marianne

I'm Starving!

These were the words of my baby sister Grace, right before she went in for her procedure last Friday.  One would assume, before a semi-scary heart procedure, that she would say "I'm scared," "Say a prayer," not, "I'm starving.  Can you bring me a sandwich?"  Only Grace!

 Let's back-track a bit.  A couple of months ago, we were informed that my sister had a malfunctioning A/V heart node.  She has actually had this condition for two years.  A heart node that misfires, was causing Grace to go into a panic attack like state.  Her heart would start racing as if she just ran a marathon and she would be to the point of passing out.  The problem was, the episodes were becoming more frequent and lasting up to 45 minutes.  If my sister and her husband ever wanted to have kids, something needed to be done!

Now to last Friday.  We (as in myself and my cousin Sara...comic relief!) arrived at Abbott Northwestern hospital in Minneapolis,  just as they were finishing getting Grace prepped.  After a few quick jokes about not sneezing when the doctor was fixing her heart...hahaha,  and four pokes later to get the IV in, we were saying our "goodbyes" and they were wheeling her away.

We then had a 2-4 hour wait.  What to do?  Candy Crush!  Table top checkers!  A little people watching!

My Cousin Sara

Sara and I decided to find the gift shop.  Just as we were about to get on the elevator, the elevator repairman stepped OFF and said...I quote..."If you want to risk it!"  What?  Sara and I looked at each other and we both decided to take the stairs.  The gift shop could wait.

Two short, laugh-filled hours later, Grace was out of surgery!  The procedure went perfectly and exactly as planned!

Relieved Husband!

 There is only a 1-2% chance that the condition can reoccur.  We all went in to see Grace, just as she was waking up.  Her response was "I feel like I just took a nap.  Do you have anything to eat?  I'm starving!"  Really?  That girl!  We gave her our kisses, told her we loved her and let her rest.  After three hours of bed rest, my sister was able to go home and everything looks great!  Thank you Jesus!

I Think...No...I Know...This IS Bad!

I woke up this morning, thinking,

• what a beautiful day!
• what a sexy husband I do have!
• man, am I blessed with two fabulous kids!

No!  In all seriousness, I woke up thinking, I need something good to blog about!!!!  Cue Natalie!  I hadn't even had my first cup of coffee (let alone a sip) and she starts to itch.  Oh crap!  At first I thought mosquito bites?  We do live in Minnesota.  Land of the North Woods.  After further inspection of her hairline, OH CRAP!!!!  Our first experience with....drumroll...head lice! 

Not Amused

I wanted to die.  THIS IS BAD!  How in the hell did she get head lice?  We don't go anywhere.  We barely socialize, unless by force.  Her best friend is her brother. She isn't in school or in daycare.  I am a stay at home mom for heavens sake!  A Type A, stay at home mom by the way.  I truly thought head lice would be the death of me.  In all actuality, I lived through it and this is how.

My sexy husband is AMAZING!  He works nights, so the fact that he was up to help with all of this mess, was a gigantic help.  Why?  Not only did Natalie have lice.  Eli had it and so did I.  Gross.  Disgusting.  I wanted to shave my head.  Ick.  That about sums up how I felt about these little parasites crawling around through my thick, luscious, red, hair.

Not Happy!

Get it Over with Already!

 

After I tended to Natalie and Eli, Ross stood behind me for an hour and a half, and combed through my thick, medium length hair, to get all the eggs out.  Rockstar!

My two kids are AMAZING!  Not only did they sit and endure the more than one comb through, each kid helped bag up toys and bring laundry downstairs.  We are definitely doing something right with those two!!!!

Those are the two reasons why I survived head lice.  We made it through the first day.  The little bastards are dying and falling out of Natalie's hair as I type this.  Tomorrow is a new day and I hope we never have to go through this experience again.  If we do, I am prepared!  I have an amazing husband and kids, who always have my back...my side...my front....they are my support system!  

Head lice...bite me.

Rainy Lake Part I.

VACATION!  YES!  We were so there.  We left the house two Saturdays ago (June 22), at 6:50.  That's A.M. people!!!!!   I take that back.  We left the house at 6:30, but after a stop at the post office and then Ross realizing he forgot the Barbie fishing pole and after a quick stop at home....we left the house at 6:50.  We were on the road!!!  Canada bound!!!  A short 4.5 to 5 hours later and we would be at the cabin.

Enter the chaos of traveling with two kids (5 and 2) and a puppy.

Here is the chaos in ten simple steps!  Including some fun pictures!

1. Natalie was asking "are we there yet" when we weren't even five minutes from home.  Are you freaking kidding me?
2. Eli spilled my coffee ALL OVER my breakfast
3. He also dropped a cup of ketchup on my foot
4. If you know me A). I LOVE and NEED coffee and B). I HATE the smell of ketchup 
5. In the bathroom, a woman commented on my son's "lack of" behavior
6. The dog pissed in the kennel
7. I am PMS'ing...no good, no coffee=sad husband
8. Natalie almost peed her pants and our favorite rest stop in Orr was closed
9. The dog fell of a dock, into the lake when we had an hour drive left
10. 

Surprisingly, once we got to the marina, things went really smooth.  We got everything loaded and took off.  The only sad part was Eli kept saying "home, home."  He liked riding in the boat by the end.  To envision where we go, we drive to International Falls, MN and get in a boat at a marina on Rainy Lake.  We then travel over? through? the "imaginary" international border to get into Ontario, Canada, where our family cabin...Harbour Island resides.  Confusing?  Oh, so worth it!  Pure bliss!


We all know vacation is supposed to be relaxing.  I had great company, great food, a few great drinks and I was able to celebrate my 8th anniversary to my he's-pretty-average-but-I-love-him husband!

This was all before the flu hit.  I was stuck in bed ALL day with the flu and then Natalie got it.  Horrible.  At least I was puking in paradise!!!!  Overall we had a great time (minus the puking and PMS).   This post seems so Debbie Down'ish, so here is some of the wonderful things that happened on vacation and my favorite quotes!

Natalie lost her 2nd tooth

We had a bonfire on the beach and toasted marshmallows

Natalie caught two HUGE fish

1. Natalie also fell off the dock and into the lake (not a favorite moment, but she overcame it)
2. Eli learned how to steer the paddle boat
3. I was able to take a shower at my favorite place on Earth (there is just something about lake water)

Now for the quotes...trust me, we are a little morbid!

"Oh, Natalie!  We could do my feet!  There's sandpaper!!"

"I brought two razors, we can shave my legs!  Do you want the right or the left?"

When describing fruit salad, Natalie says "How about groovy?"

Natalie, when waving around the Canadian flag, starts singing, "I'm from America!"

After the premium liquor spills on Eli's head, my moms says "You smell like Don Draper! Does it burn?  Don't lick your fingers.  Let NaNa lick them for you!"

"You have a Harvard shirt?  When did you go to Harvard?  Um...I went to Canada!  Learn to read woman!!!" 

Looking forward to Rainy Lake Part II in July!

Marianne