A Socially Distanced Mother's Day

When social distancing began, I didn't think we would still be in "quarantine" for Mother's Day, yet here we are! Truth be told, it didn't matter where we were today, as long as we were able to celebrate motherhood. I spent the day with the five beautiful kids who call me mom, and had a short visit with my own mother. The day wasn't perfect, but it was exactly how it was supposed to be during this stage in life!

I sometimes have a difficult time letting go of the concept of perfection, but as I get older, I'm learning. Mother's Day is not supposed to be filled with one picture perfect moment after another. Motherhood is incredibly beautiful, incredibly emotional, incredibly challenging, and incredibly rewarding. Motherhood is both perfect and messy at the same time, and it makes sense that Mother's Day will be the same way. The trick is to focus on the moments that are so good that they will take your breath away, and be captured in your memory forever!

I never thought I would be raising five children. I always hoped for four kids, but I didn't think it would be my reality. My wish came true, along with something a little extra AND a bonus baby! Even on the days when raising children brings me to my knees, I still thank God for the gift of motherhood. There is so much pressure to be more than just a mom, but I consider it my most important task, and I am SO proud of my little humans!

Weekly Life with Four Kids

Oh, hey, it's me! I'm just taking a very quick breather from the BUSIEST WEEK EVER. I can barely form a complete thought right now, let alone tackle the unfinished blog posts in my drafts folder, so I figured I would give you a glimpse of life with four kids!

Celebrating Marriage & Motherhood

We had a weekend full of celebrating! From a family wedding to honoring our favorite moms, we packed so much into two short days. We made lasting memories and spent the entire weekend with those we love most!

Mother's Day Gift Guide

Motherhood is a tough job! Moms work tirelessly all day every day, whether they work at home or away from home. With Mother's Day coming up, it's time to treat the mom in your life with something extra special!

What Mother's Day Means To Me

For the past 13 years, Mother's Day has been one of my favorite days of the year. It's not because I get a break from the chaos of life with four kids. It's because I get to celebrate motherhood, which is my most favorite thing, with the four beautiful blessings who made me a mom!

Having four kids was always one of my dreams. When people used to ask me how many kids I wanted, even at a young age, I answered with a firm four. My husband, however, was firmly on Team One - Maybe Two Kids.  I resigned myself to the fact that we would have two children and be done. We had Dylan and Lexie, and we did move on.

However, nearly four years later, we decided that maybe we should try for just one more, and just one more turned into two more. Just like that, we had exactly what I had always hoped for.  I can't even accurately express just how much my sweet little family means to me. They truly are my world!

Motherhood is toughest, yet most rewarding job I've ever had, and I try to celebrate it each and every day. Even on the days that leave me mentally and physically exhausted, or trudging to bed in tears, I still find a reason to be thankful. I always kiss my kids good night and count all the good things that happened before I close my eyes for the night.  And there sure is a LOT of good!

The key to surviving the chaos is to expect that there will be bad days and that you will make mistakes. The most important thing is to focus on the good and remember that even if you did make a mistake, tomorrow is a new day. And, thankfully, kids are resilient and forgiving, and incredibly loving. Kids learn and grow each day, just as we do as mothers.

I love being a mom, so Mother's Day is a day that I always look forward to. I love celebrating motherhood with my children and acknowledging all the moms who are so special to me! 

Mother's Day is just like any other day for me, but it's nice to get recognition for an often thankless job. Although my kids spoil me, I don't really get a complete break from motherhood on Mother's Day. In a family this big, there are still needs that have to be met, dishes to do, lunches to pack and messes to clean.

I don't mind it though! The one thing I don't ever, nor would I ever do, is leave my children on Mother's Day. I suppose I just don't understand the point of celebrating the day away from my children. I want to celebrate with the four people who made me a mom! That's what makes the day so special!

This Mother's Day was certainly special!

It all began on Friday, when I went into Lily's Kindergarten class for her Spring Fling.

When I arrived, she greeted me at the door with a yellow rose and showed me the bird house she lovingly decorated for me. We got our picture taken together and she decorated the frame so I could remember the day forever. We decorated flower crafts together and played games, including one where I got to turn her into a "flower" with post it notes!

It had such a special morning with my sweet girl. It's so hard to believe that her year in Kindergarten is nearly over. Time goes by too quickly!

She was so excited to see me and so proud to have me there. I just adore my sweet girl! My morning with Lily really made Mother's Day weekend get off to a great start!

On Saturday, we visited Grant's mom and grandma for a few hours. That evening, we headed into Pittsburgh to join Chick-fil-A at The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh for Hero Night-AKA a fun night to celebrate moms while giving back! (Check back for the full recap later this week!)

On Mother's Day, Grant and the kids let me sleep in until noon! I never sleep during the week, so it was amazing. My three older kids always make me brunch on Mother's Day, and bring it to my room so I can eat it in bed. I love that tradition!

I finally made my way to the living room and the kids practically pounced on me with their gifts. Out of everything, I treasure the gifts they make for me on their own or at school the most!

Dylan wrote me the sweetest note (it was truly heart melting), and he made me a bracelet with beads and yarn. Lexie made me a really sweet card. Lily made me a bunch of cards and pictures, wrote me notes, filled Easter eggs with treats, and made me a small bowl and a clay heart ornament at school. Even Liam created the cutest keepsakes at school!

In addition to the handmade gifts, each child usually picks out something for me at the store. This year, however, Grant and the kids gave me a gorgeous, personalized necklace with their names and birthstones on it. I was so surprised and I absolutely love it!

And can I just say that I hope he ALWAYS looks at me this way?!? My goodness, how I love him! The statement is true about Down syndrome: There's nothing down about it!

I absolutely adore being their mama!

We had a lazy afternoon before heading to my parent's house for dinner with my mom and dad. It was so nice to get a break from cooking, and as always, dinner and dessert was delicious! It was a great end to a wonderful day!

Back at home, reality kicked back in. I enjoyed the break while it lasted, but there were lunches to pack, kids to bathe, clothes to lay out and kids to tuck in.  Raising children doesn't pause on Mother's Day!

No matter how many tedious moments there are in motherhood, I feel incredibly blessed. One day, far too soon, I will be wishing back all these moments and wishing my kids were young again! This Mother's Day was simple, but perfect, thanks to the four beautiful souls that I am lucky enough to call my own!

TUESDAY TALK

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An InLinkz Link-up

How To Host a Simple & Sweet Mother's Day Tea Party

DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored by Bruegger’s Bagels, but all opinions are 100% my own. #BrueggersBunch

As many of you know, I’m the youngest of seven girls (and one very lucky boy)! With Mother’s Day coming up, I really wanted to plan something to celebrate our mom, but getting our busy schedules to align is pretty much impossible!

Miraculously, half of us were available for a few hours on Saturday! Because there were time constraints, it needed to be something simple, but sweet. I decided to plan a Mother’s Day Tea Party for my mom, sisters, nieces, daughters and our aunt.

Our previous tea parties were a hit, but they were also a lot of work. My mom would spend hours baking and preparing treats for the party, and there were always a lot of dishes to do after the party was over. I didn’t want it to be a lot of work, because I wanted to enjoy it as well, so I decided to simplify things. The result was exactly what I was hoping for!

How to host a Simple & Sweet Mother’s Day Tea Party:

Choose the proper location.

Although any of us would have offered up our homes for the occasion, we opted to have the Mother’s Day Tea Party at my sister’s house. She has grown children...which means her house isn’t a complete wreck 24/7!

Come up with your guest list.

I wanted the Mother’s Day Tea Party to be a small, personal occasion. Since it was for our mom, the guest list included my sisters and our daughters, along with my mom’s only sister. Only ten of us could be there, but it made for a relaxing afternoon!

Stick with simple decor that serves a purpose.

We set the table with an elegant white tablecloth, placed a potted plant in the middle for the centerpiece and added mini terrariums at both ends of the table to spruce things up. The plant ended up being the hostess gift for my sister and the mini terrariums were given to our mom and our aunt as an early Mother’s Day gift.

Create a relaxing atmosphere.

The day of the Mother’s Day Tea was chilly, so a lit candle on the table made it feel warm, welcoming and relaxing! (Kicking the kids out of the dining area after they were done eating also helped!)

Have a wide variety of tea available.

We are a tea-drinking family, so there really wasn’t much to purchase. My sister and I contributed our favorites, so there was a wide variety to choose from:

• Black Tea
• Chammomile Tea
• Green Tea
• Earl Grey Tea
• Fruit Tea
• Oolong Tea
• Chai Tea
• White Tea
• Decaf Tea

For those who didn’t like or want hot tea, we had sweetened iced tea, coffee and water available.

Have the event catered.

Instead of spending the week baking and preparing finger foods, I checked out Bruegger’s Bagels catering menu, chose a few of their delicious options and ordered directly online. My husband’s office is very close to a local Bruegger’s Bagels, so he simply picked up my order the following day and brought it home just in time for the event!

Bruegger’s Bagels doesn’t just offer bagels for their catering options! They have breakfast spreads, muffins, bagel bites, drinks, cookies, soups, salads, fruit and sandwiches. There are so many options for a wide variety of guests and price ranges.

For the Mother’s Day Tea Party, I ordered three items from Bruegger’s Bagels that were perfect for the occasion:

Cookie Box - 24 delicious mini chocolate chunk cookies! (Just FYI, the mini cookies are regular sized!)

Bruegger’s Bites Snack Platter (sweet) - 36 plain, blueberry and cinnamon raisin Bruegger’s Bites with a tub of strawberry cream cheese and a tub of honey walnut cream cheese.

Bruegger’s Bites Snack Platter (savory) - 36 poppy, sesame, everything and pumpernickel Bruegger’s Bites with a tub of garden veggie cream cheese and a tub of light herb garlic cream cheese.

Opting for catering from Bruegger’s Bagels was a great, stress-free choice. Not only was the food delicious and plentiful, but it completely eliminated the stress of prepping food for a party!

Choose the perfect spot for the food and beverages.

Nobody wants the food all over the table! A long kitchen counter that separated the dining area from the kitchen was the perfect spot to hold all the food and tea. Sort like items together, make sure the extras (sugar and creamer) are readily available, then stop worrying until something needs to be refilled!

Don’t forget to enjoy the event!

The hostess always seems to get caught up in the busyness that comes with hosting a party, and forgets to enjoy the event. Once the food was out and everyone sat down, I made it a point to put down my camera and sit down to enjoy all the delicious treats and tea!

Minimize cleanup.

Although a bunch of pretty dishes and cloth napkins will make the event look fancy, nobody wants to do all those dishes when the party is over! We opted to use real teacups and dessert plates since it was a tea party, but we skipped real spoons and cloth napkins!

Instead, we wrapped disposable spoons in pretty disposable napkins. Purple ribbon tied around the bundles gave them an extra special touch!

Cleanup was a breeze, although my family DOES need to discuss the “youngest sibling always does the dishes” rule. Well played, sisters, well played.

Skip the favors.

Although we have given simple favors for our other tea parties, this one was all about moms. The two matriarchs of the family were the only ones who were given something when they left!

Capture the moment and share it with all the guests.

Before everybody left, we all squeezed together for a group picture! For just a few dollars, that picture will be printed and given to all the guests to serve as a reminder of all the fun we had together!

Our Sweet & Simple Mother’s Day Tea Party was a huge success! Our mom had a wonderful time and we all loved spending quality family time together, just like we did when we were kids. I definitely think this was the start of a new tradition!

The Kids Behind The Blog - May Edition

Nothing marks the rapid passing of time quite like The Kids Behind The Blog monthly interview. Every time I sit down to write my post for the month, one thought comes to mind: How is it already {insert month here}?!? This year is flying by even faster than last year!

Each month, I ask my kids a set of questions and I love to see how they answer. It just gives me a bit of insight into their thought process and some of their responses are hilarious! I love this link party, because I know that one day I will be so grateful that I did this!

The Kids Behind The Blog May 2017

If you had a magic tree-house that could take you anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Liam (Age 3): "See Dada. See Papa." (Mom Thoughts: Not surprising!)

Liliana (Age 5): "I would go to the beach! Virginia!" (Mom Thoughts: It's her favorite place!)

Alexandria (Age 10): "I would go to Bunny Land. When I go to sleep, I see it. Okay? Don't judge me." (Mom Thoughts: When Lexie gets old, she's going to be the crazy bunny lady.)

Dylan (Age 12): "Can it be fantasy places? I would want to go...I'm thinking here...fantasy place...maybe a medieval castle back in the 1500's! That's where I would want to go!" (Mom Thoughts: Bonus points for creativity!)

Finish this sentence ... "Red Rover, Red Rover..."

Liam (Age 3): "Red Red Red Red Red. Red Rover Red Rover!" (He followed this by laughing so hard that he fell over!)

Liliana (Age 5): "I don't know what that means! Wait...I would say I'm coming for ya!"

Alexandria (Age 10): "Sees rainbows."

Dylan (Age 12): "Call Dylan over. I guess. I don't know what Red Rover is! Weird..."

Mom Thoughts: None of my kids have ever played Red Rover. I had to explain it! Definitely a sign of the times I guess. Apparently a game of tag called "Infected" is a thing now?

What is your best childhood memory?

Liam (Age 3): "Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah."  (Mom Thoughts: I think Liam is done with the interview. And Dylan is going to be grounded for teaching him how to say blah blah blah!)

Liliana (Age 5): "My favorite memory was when you babysitted Charlie, and she fell over by your door and said, "I farted!'" (Mom Thoughts: What is it with kids and farts?!?)

Alexandria (Age 10): "My best childhood memory was when I went to the Deckhouse and I got a prize." (Mom Thoughts: Awww! It was her birthday and she was SO excited!)

Dylan (Age 12): "Let me think here. I'm going to have to say whenever we built the swing set in the backyard. But now I can't go on it because I'm too big!" (Mom Thoughts: He's right and it makes me sad!)

What is your favorite part about nature and being outside?

Liam (Age 3): "Outside. That. Bounce bounce bounce!" (Mom Thoughts: He's LOVES to go outside and he loves to jump on the trampoline!)

Liliana (Age 5): "My favorite thing is finding baby animals that are hurt. I help them survive and when they feel better I let them go." (Mom Thoughts: Can you tell what her current career choice is?)

Alexandria (Age 10): "My favorite part about nature and outside is that there are pretty flowers and creatures." (Mom Thoughts: Typical positive Lexie answer!)

Dylan (Age 12): "My favorite part of nature is toads, and finding them. Any reptiles really. My favorite part about being outside is basically you can do anything you want. You could build a tree fort or sword fight with sticks." (Mom Thoughts: If only we could pry the football out of his hands...)

What do you think Mommy would like for Mother's Day?

Liam (Age 3): "Pig. Oink, oink, oink."  (Mom Thoughts: Only if it's one of those teacup pigs that I could dress up in tiny outfits. Anybody have a few thousand dollars to contribute?)

Liliana (Age 5): "I would say a picture of a flower and a tree."  (Mom Thoughts: I would treasure it!)

Alexandria (Age 10): "A nice day to relax!" (Mom Thoughts: BINGO!)

Dylan (Age 12): "I don't know! LOTS OF CHOCOLATES!" (Mom Thoughts: He DOES know his chocolate-obsessed mom quite well!)

That's a wrap! As always, I loved hearing the kids behind MY blog answer these questions. Check back next month for June's interview!

Linking up HERE for The Kids Behind The Blog. 

Mother's Day Weekend

I had the best Mother's Day weekend with my little family!

We started the celebration early by attending a Mother's Day Brunch with Chick-fil-A at the Pittsburgh Zoo on Saturday!  Chick-fil-A generously offered my family tickets to the event to say thank you for the work I did with them earlier in the year. We are huge fans of both Chick-fil-A and the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, so we were very excited to go!

The food was delicious! There was a separate buffet for the adults and the kids, so everyone was happy. Liam loves the Superfood Side from Chick-fil-A, so he gobbled that up. Yep. The kid loves kale! He is definitely a unique child.  He loves salad, so that's what I order for him when we go out to eat!

After we ate, the kids had a few up close and personal encounters with some zoo animals!

There was live music, so Liam did some dancing, the kids could make a Mother's Day card, and they also had canvases to paint.  Dylan and Lexie each painted two squares!

After eating ice cream sundaes from the ice cream bar, we made our way through the zoo and aquarium.  The weather was gorgeous, so it was the perfect day for a zoo visit!

I took plenty of pictures, but I'll just share my 3 favorite animals of the day!  I think I fell in love with the monkey on the top right.  Just look at that sleepy pout!

We had a great afternoon exploring the zoo!  Grant did, however, discover why I always travel with so much stuff. 

Liam was being incredibly patient in the stroller, but after we crossed a swinging bridge, he kept looking back at it. I felt bad, so I got him out of the stroller and walked across with him. As we got to the other side, I looked down and realized my shirt was covered in poo. Liam was in even worse shape.  We were on a wooden raised walkway above the zoo with no bathroom in sight, so we stopped, dropped and got to work. After a complete outfit change on Liam, a shirt change for me, and a scrubbing of the stroller straps with baby wipes, we were back on our way.  And that's how my husband learned to just go with the flow!

Other than that minor snafu, we had a great visit! We'll be returning in one short month for Dream Night at the Zoo, as Liam's special guests!

Our trips to the zoo always tire out our kids.  3 out of 4 fell asleep on the way home, so the car ride was very peaceful!

That evening, Liam and I did some shopping.  When we returned home, a friend was visiting.  We spent the night playing card games. It was a lot of fun!

After our busy Saturday, Mother's Day was more relaxed!

I slept in and I was woken up with brunch in bed.  Dylan, Lexie and Lily made it on their own, and they even made me a card to go with it.  I loved my scrambled eggs, toast and hot tea!

That afternoon, they spoiled me with gifts they made for me in school and little items they picked out for me. 

Dylan bought me an armband to hold my phone while I run. He knows me well!

In addition to the flowers in the homemade pot that Lexie brought home from school, she made me an awesome horse, created from words that described me. It was so special that they decided to buy a frame for it. It's now hanging on my gallery wall!

Lily made me some really special cards at school using her art work! She also gave me a pink sparkly journal because I love pink and I love to write.  She is correct!

Liam gave me some little notepads. I'm always making lists, so I'll definitely use them!

Without a doubt, my favorite gifts are the handmade ones!  That card from Lily?  I mean, it's pretty awesome that I'm only 16!

Later that afternoon, we stopped by to visit my mom.  It was just a short visit, but I'm glad I got to see her!

On our way home, we picked up some takeout from our favorite Chinese restaurant.  My only rule for Mother's Day was that I was NOT going to cook.  We followed through on that one!

I had such a wonderful weekend with my husband and my four loves. Motherhood is an incredible journey and I am so thankful to be their mama!

Happy Mother's Day to all the amazing moms out there!  I hope you had a wonderful day!

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