For Christmas I got a book called Mommy Mantras: Affirmations and Insights to Keep You from Losing Your Mind. I love it! I'm so glad Heidi found it and blogged about it and that Eric got it for me for Christmas.

The inside cover says:

Mommy mantras are phrases you can say in your head, or out loud if you need to, during those trying moments of mothering. They act to empower you, revive you, and remind you that there is always another way to see your situation.

I just started reading it this week, but it's already been good for me. I woke up this morning saying to myself, "The pump is primed." That's the mantra for acknowledging that you're already on edge, already mad, already "whatever". It can help you move past that feeling more quickly and react to the feeling less. In my case, the pump was primed because Esther woke up early waking up Autumn in the process, they were both not quiet, and I was SO tired still. But I told myself, "the pump is primed" and left the room to get breakfast going. I didn't yell. I didn't snap at them. But I was able to talk to them about being LOUD and about waking up EARLY....although the latter is not something you can convince a 2 1/2 year old NOT to do...

I love music with strings. I'm trying to make a playlist right now - violin, viola, cello, but not orchestral. Ensemble or solo (ensembles with other instruments are okay, like Eroica trio which is piano, violin, and cello). I want the playlist "just because" but I'm also thinking I'll pull from it to make one of a few playlists for labor.

Here's what I've got so far:
No. 3 Miero vuotti uutta kuuta from Five Finnish Folk Songs
(Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet, Yo-Yo Ma)
Chi passa per'sta strada
(Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet, Yo-Yo Ma)
Danse macabre, Op. 40, Camille Saint-Saens

(Devil's Dance, Gil Shaham)
La Ronde des Lutins, scherzo fantastique for violin & piano, Op 25, Antonio Bazzini
(Devil's Dance, Gil Shaham)
The Swan from Carnival of the Animals, Camille Saint-Saens
(Essential Yo-Yo Ma)
Berceuse from the opera "Jocelyn"
(Eroica Trio)
Bach Cello Suites (not sure which ones yet other than #1)
(Bach: Cello Suites, Yo-Yo Ma)

If you're not familiar with the ones above, I highly recommend hopping onto iTunes and listening to clips of them. They are all GORGEOUS.

But I need more!!!

Suggestions? Favorites?

I grinned and chuckled to myself today when I saw a thin, white-haired old man leaving the grocery store with one bag in hand, running across the street. He was wearing a gold-yellow stocking cap (not the Wee Willie Winkie kind, but the kind that still have a bit of the hat bunched atop the head, not flush with the head), carrying a brown/gold cane, wearing a white t-shirt, short gray shorts, black socks almost to his knees, and tennis shoes.

I shared with Eric when he came out of the store. He had seen him too and hoped I had.

Thank you sir, for making my day. For something to smile and laugh about. Someday I will have grandchildren of my own and they will giggle at the silly things I do too.

Last week my grandma died after a long battle with cancer. She was diagnosed in 2005 and told it would be about 3-4 months. 40 months later...I was able to fly to Utah to be at the funeral and with family (thank you Mom & Dad!!).

It was a beautiful service and I am SO thankful for the time I was able to spend with family. We were all especially grateful for our testimonies of the gospel and to know that grandma is happy where she is, no longer in pain, and reuniting with family and friends who went before her. She brought so many of us together at such a special time, Christmas time, and I know she was happy that we could all be reunited as we remembered the wonderful life she led and the great example she was to all of us. It was a sad visit at times, but overall there was a great feeling of peace.

And despite the bad weather that the whole country has seen this week, I made it back in time to snuggle with my girls & Eric on our bed and read The Night Before Christmas after setting out cookies & milk for Santa.

We all had a wonderful Christmas and are still enjoying our presents. We are blessed. Soon I'll take a picture of Eric playing Guitar Hero to add to the other Christmas pictures that I'll upload to this post.

No pictures will accompany this post. With good reason.

As I've been sitting here checking my email, Esther has visited me several times for help dressing and undressing. Help snap a onesie (on right-side out and right-side-up!), unsnap said onesie, snap onesie....she's gone from no onesie to onesie several times this morning. But the most recent unsnapping was followed by "I take off my diaper." And as I protested, "NO!" and reached for her, the diaper was already off and she was running down the hall to her bedroom.

So naturally, I followed her.

Only to find...THREE naked bums, water all over the room, an empty spray bottle, and Pachelbel's Canon in D playing on their stereo.

Pachelbel's Canon in D? It was like some weird movie scene where people are doing something crazy but the music is beautiful and calm....making it a dreamlike scene....you know the ones?

Today is St. Nicholas Day, or Sankt Nikolaos Tag. Last night the girls put their shoes by the door to await the arrival of a few goodies from Saint Nicholas.

This morning Autumn & Heidi were so excited that they were up at 6:15. Esther slept until 7:00 despite the ruckus her sisters made. I'm so glad! Eric and I were able to grab a few extra winks by telling Autumn & Heidi to stay in their room but as always, once Esther was up, so were we.

After several attempts from us to keep Heidi & Autumn in their room, Heidi came in to say:
"Mom, it's time to get up! The clocks are all wrong."
"Heidi, look outside. It's still dark."
"No-o! The sky is listening to the clocks."

Is it Christmas season or what? I think kids make the holiday season magical. Their excitement is contagious (as if I'm not already excited enough on my own...I was listening to Christmas music before we got to Thanksgiving!).

Several weeks ago I walked into the bathroom and found Heidi using this pvc tubing to siphon water from the faucet into a cup. We've never talked about how that works. It was just something she was discovered on her own. :) So cool!

Yesterday at the grocery store a checker at the register (not even my register) commented to me that I must be hoping for a boy. When I replied that we're having another girl she practically begged me to try at least one more time for a boy! And then she said to the woman whose groceries she was checking, "The more kids you have, the better they are...my friend has seven kids and they are SO well behaved..."

OKAY. Faulty logic at work here. More kids automatically means better behaved kids? Yeah...

She then looked over at Eric and said to me, "He must be doing something wrong!"

I know, and we all know, that it's the man's side of things that determines gender - but despite that, I was still a little terked (Is that a word? I'm making it one!). Excuse me? That's my husband you're joking about and I don't appreciate it! I almost told her with a huge grin that he does everything RIGHT. Not really a very witty comment, but sheesh lady. Come on! I decided not to say anything at all.

See, I know she was just trying to be nice. But it rubbed me the wrong way all the same.

I wonder now if I need to come up with a whole slew of comebacks for comments of this sort since this surely won't be the last in a family of four daughters. Or maybe I'll just decide to smile and nod while inwardly letting out an exasperated sigh.

Anyone have any witty comments I should save for later?