It's a Progressive kind of thing...

Recently, I attended my very first Progressive dinner. For years I have wanted to participate in one, but with three kids (one being less than a year old) the very thought of having a night out to one's self was only a daydream. Fortunately my luck proved great this year and the hubby decided to take the kids to Chicago the weekend our local Garden Club booked theirs. Four weeks later I attended. Yes, it was just as great as imagined. And then some.

1st Course (My house): Pumpkin Curry Soup

2nd Course: Rotini Olive & Mushroom Pasta Salad
Decor at house #2


3rd Course: Hors D' Ouerves (instead of an entree)
Some of the selections in a closer view:


4th Course: Dessert (Of course!)
Eggnog for everyone!


Vanilla bean custard (homemade)

Some Decor at home #4:


And last but NEVER the least (trust me!)
House #5: After Dinner Drinks and "Dirty Santa" (aka "White Elephant")

The basement and bar:

Snap it up!

Voila! I think I might have just found my new business name!! (Now don't steal it...lol) Check out my newest shots.

Our 2008 Christmas Card...I think...
The Miller Family Portrait

Summer's Gone....

My two favorite self-created quotes and pictures. Together.

"I live life to the fullest- My kids are my life. Could it get much fuller than that?"

"I still cry on the first day of school...and I'm not even the one that's going!"

Feed the hungry with words?

I bet you never knew that it could be so easy! I stumbled across the freerice.com and just LOVE it! Not only does it help me freshen up on my vocab (so that I might be able to catch up with those of Dawson's creek so that I can watch old episodes and FINALLY understand) but I actually can make a difference with my boredom!

For each word definition you get right, freerice.com donates 20 grains of rice through the UN World HungerFood Program to help end hunger. In ten minutes, I got 150 words right, therefore giving 3, 020 grains of rice for my contribution.
Just think- now I can do laundry, make beds, wash dirty dishes AND help with world hunger. Not bad for a lazy day!

When do mommies really take a vacation?

I can't help but really wonder about the very thought of a real one as I sit here typing this blog. In the background, my ten month old son screams loud that my ears ring and, almost simultaneouly, I hear a crash in my six year old daughter's room. The scream is his newest "trick" that he learned from his two older sisters several weeks ago on our eighteen hour drive back from our family lakehouse in Wisconsin and as to the crash, well, I'm going to have to run down the hall really quick to investigate.

I can't help but try and find the hysterical irony in the fact that my husband, who lives in the same house as me, does not see being a mommy as a job. Now, when I say this, I think that all other mommies out there are nodding in agreement and that it's not me singling out my my poor ignorant husband. It seems to be quite the universal thought among daddies and husbands. If you're not married, please place this observation somewhere in the depths of your mind so that you will not be shocked when your boyfriend of 5 years and fiance of 1, quickly adopts this theory once you are married and have little tots of your own. The scary part of this is that the change in their opinion at this point is merely instinct. Yes. Instinct. Crazy, isn't it?!

Recently, after being upset with my husband with his being a "full-time mommy-doesn't-mean- its-a-real-job-and-you deserve-a-day-off?!" attitude I thought about what I'd write on in a wanted ad to replace me. Here's what I came up with:

Position: Homemaker-Chief Executive officer

Description: Multi-tasker in high volume facility. Personal chef, housekeeper, tutor, librarian, accountant, personal planner, nanny, engineer, landscaper, chauffer.

That's TEN positions in one! I can't help but be delighted of the thought of sharing this with my husband. If you're a mommy or wife, what would you put in your ad?

I'm ready to share my life of chaos!!

I had a complaint today. I'm not keeping up with everyone like I use to do. I hate that. Really, I do. If you know me- no, I am not being sarcastic! I have found that, despite having three kids, life goes on. It doesn't stop and wait for you when your little one screams for two hours as you continuously rock him in the most desperate way so that you might be spared with one hour to yourself before you go to sleep. It doesn't stop when you wake up only to realize seconds later that your left eye has decided to become infected and, while it suddenly feels like it is on fire, your nine month is now ready for his morning bananas and rice cereal. Moms, are you feeling me?? Dads are you lost? :)

Through this new experience of being a mommy of three, I've quickly discovered that I'm much better at multi-tasking than I ever thought I could be -and -my husband sucks at it! (Sorry, honey, I love you!) The first time I recall this "enlightenment" was during a phone conversation with the billing department from my power company about five months ago.

To give you a better picture of the circumstances....

It was December, I had recently broken my left arm and my son was three months old. Could it get any worse? Well... if you add any poor husband into the mix, then yes....it can.

Now, as a quick side note, I LOVE my husband. He's an extremely intellegent guy (He flies commercial airplanes for pete's sake) but when it comes to maternal (or paternal in his case) instincts, we might as well throw in the towel.

There I was in the kitchen, broken left arm, baby in other, cordless phone attached to one ear and the lady asks me for my check card number. I had planned this all out except there was one tiny kink. My purse was not where it had been last! UGGHH.

I calmly ask the lady if I could place her on a brief hold while I locate my purse. She professionally replied that it would be her pleasure. Enter a brief moment of relief.

Then my son decides he's hungry. Enter slight panic.

I quickly locate my husband lying across our bed leisurely enjoying his computer time and ask if he would A.) give me his check card and B.) take care our crying, hungry son until I finished the phone conversation.

His response?

"Why, of course, honey. I'd love to help you out, afterall, I can see that you have your hands full."

HAHAHAHAHAHA. YEAH, RIGHT!

Instead, he says in a very agitated tone, "How am I suppose to hold him and fix his bottle at the same time?"

I never knew that I had a vein in the side of my forehead, but on that day, I discovered it as I tried everything in my power to hold back how I really felt. If it had not been for the uncontrollable laughter from the billing department lady on the other end of the line who had practically been thrown in the middle of our little spat, I would of lost it.

When the lady finally caught her breath, she apologized for the outburst in laughter, but then added "Just like a man. He has no clue what all you can do at one time, eh? He may not, but I had five children in seven years, so I'm with you."

Then we quickly moved on to finish and process the transaction. As I hung up the phone that day, I suddenly didn't feel so alone anymore or that I had it that bad.

FIVE children in SEVEN years?

As I joined my clueless husband in the kitchen, screaming baby and all, I thought to myself: bones will heal and babies will quickly grow but what I had noticed about the lady in the billing department was that she had laughed because she missed the chaos. So I just embraced the moment and moved on.