This is REAL LIFE...

My posts tend to be about the good times...cute things, funny stories, happy memories... This post is a vent and it is about just how real life can get . Jared has been gone a lot lately trying to build a (new) business. To top things off he went on the Stake Pioneer Trek this week as the video guy. I have been alone with my kids non-stop for weeks. It has been another learning experience for me. For one thing, I appreciate my husband more than ever. He is so good with the kids and knows when I need a break. I miss his energy when he comes home and plays with the girls while I finish dinner or do some cleaning. (When he walked in the door he used to say something like, "I'm home! Who is going to give me kisses first?" The girls would race to see who would hug and kiss him first...so cute!) I miss the long chats that we have in the evening about life, our kids, and our future. I have been so spoiled having a husband work from home. We really got used to Daddy time around here and it has been a major shift for our family to have him gone so much.

This week has been especially tough...

• Jenna had a was kind of sick earlier this week. Whenever she doesn't feel well she just wants to be held all of the time. That is a little difficult with a little boy that needs to be held and fed also. I only have so many arms.



• On Wednesday Jenna spilled all of the liquid fabric softener on the floor and was sliding around in it (naked) like it was her own personal slip-n-slide. Normally I would grab my camera. This week, I just about lost it...



• Last night we made it to the store at 8:30 p.m. - after Jenna is normally in bed. I hassled with 3 tired kids because I needed to get a few things for Jenna's birthday. What a mess - see photo of our WalMart trip. After getting out to the car and unloading kids and groceries, I realized that we walked out without paying for a pack of Bic pens. I had to reload the kids to go back into the store and pay the $.84 that we owed on the pens. At this point, Hyrum was really crying, Jenna and Jadyn were jumping off of the cart because they wanted to go home, and I was wondering how single mothers do this all of the time without going nuts. The best part was the sympathetic looks I kept getting from the people in the store. One lady even asked, "Awww. Is it past his bedtime?" I wanted to say, "Yes. It is. All of my kids should be in bed right now, thanks. Before you say anything else, I already know I am a bad mom for taking my kids to the store late at night. I just needed to grab a few things for my girl's birthday tomorrow." I didn't say that. I just smiled.



• No one sleeps well when Daddy is gone. Jenna has been waking up several times a night just crying for him. Last night I brought her back to bed with me after midnight. That seemed to calm her down enough to get her to sleep. Around 2 a.m. I wake up feeling something warm on my side. Apparently Jenna's diaper was only attached on one side...I had to wake her up to change her and my bedding. Fabulous.



• Jadyn woke up just after 3:30 a.m. complaining that her head hurt. She was warm (of course) and her stomach was bothering her. I was up with her for the next 3 hours.


• Today was Jenna's birthday. Jadyn claimed to be feeling better because she wanted to go to Chuck-E-Cheese for lunch. This is Jadyn at lunch - asleep because she was still tired from staying awake most of the night.
  
• Jadyn had a fever of 102 this afternoon just before she took a nap. She was doing better after her nap. (Thankfully!) In fact, she wanted to play games when we got home - she had so much energy. It must have been the nap. I need one of those!

• Tonight we made Jenna some birthday cookies. She wanted Chocolate Chip Cookies instead of a cake. She even helped me make them. Somehow after I pulled out the last batch of cookies she climbed up and got her mouth/chin burned on the hot pan while I was putting Hyrum down for bed. She now has a lovely blister burn on her jaw. We had to make a late night run (again with all three tired kids) to CVS. She was such a trooper that we stopped at Sonic for some slushies and ice cream on the way home. What a memorable birthday...I hope she doesn't have a horrible scar.

So that is it. I have a few photos to prove it. Someday, I am sure that I will look back and laugh at all of this...I just don't think it is so funny right now.

Sweet Goodness...4,000 calories!

I love spring and summer for so many reasons, but this is one of the best. When fresh, plump strawberries are in season we have a little indulgence in the McClure household. (I have to warn anyone that might read this blog entry ahead of time; you might gain 3 pounds just thinking about trying such sweet goodness. Proceed to read with caution.) The dish is McClure Belgian Waffles and they are to die for. This is one of the things that I really missed when I was pregnant and couldn't eat anything. Let me explain how they are made... After the waffles are cooked, they are buttered, smothered in fresh strawberries and sugar, topped with generous scoops of Breyers vanilla ice cream, drizzled with syrup and finished off with plenty of whipped cream. Yummy! My mouth is watering just thinking about one. (The one pictured is a kid portion waffle about 1/4 of an adult waffle...)

The first time I had McClure waffles is when Jared and I were newly engaged and we went to a Phoenix Coyotes Game. Afterwards we were hungry but rather than go out for something, Jared told me he had the perfect snack. We went back to his house where his mother was mixing up some batter and cutting strawberries at 10:30 at night. I thought it would be a waffle with some strawberries and maybe a little powdered sugar. Boy was I off. Still, I was game for something new and it was life-changing. I will never eat boring old waffles again. As a tradition, the McClures have waffles for the Sunday morning sessions of General Conference. My Mother-in-law even gave each of us Professional Belgian Waffle Makers for Christmas one year. I like to make them for breakfast or sometimes even dinner when strawberries are in season. My kids LOVE them. So, when you need a pick-me-up or a few thousand calories in one sitting, try a McClure Waffle and make life delicious!