Attempting to be a Super Mom

The Weather::: I believe the high today was 40 degrees, but it actually feels warm, although it's supposed to be rainy today and it does look quite gloomy out.  According to the weather on our local station the temperature is supposed to drop and the rain is supposed to go away and just stay really cloudy. Right now I am:  Sitting at the kitchen table, drinking my coffee.  Thinking::: Rylie's Birthday!  It's coming up quite quickly and with kids class parties to prep for just a day or two before her birthday party, I need to get a move on. Thankfully Chuck E Cheese takes most of the work out of it. Looking forward to::: Bed time! Last night Scottie was up several times and it was a late night anyway.  Ugh!   On my reading pile::: Still reading  Red Queen by  Victoria Aveyard. It's really good and I would definitely recommend it. On my tv::: I'm not sure what to watch today. I'm thinking about watching some vlogs and may...

Sometimes as adults we don't realize how little ones are bothered by changes in their day to day lives. Shawn left for Boston on Sunday and won't be back until super late Friday night.  In the past, when he'd travel for work, it's come out as tears, bad attitudes, and Sydney having accidents on her way to the bathroom.  I recognized it pretty quickly with Sydney since it never happened while he was here and while he was gone, she'd pee her pants at least once every trip.  Since this last summer, where we traveled with him quite a bit, his trips have been small. Often only staying away one or two nights if at all, and this may be his longest trip he's taken. I've done a few fun things to hopefully ease some of the kids stress from the trip, and Rylie got to bring home her class teddy bear this week. We watched Hotel Transylvania 2, had a pizza party, made bead necklaces, and set up playdates with friends. Last week, Thursday and Friday, Rylie had...

This weekend flew by so quickly!  Shawn left for a work trip yesterday morning and won't be back until Friday night so I'm hoping that the week will fly by as quickly as the weekend did. The Weather::: It is unbelievably cold! I think it's a whole 18 degrees right now. Right now I am:  Sitting on the couch, waiting for the groceries to get here. Thinking: The about the day and week ahead.  We've got a lot of fun stuff planned and I think I'm going to plan Shawn and my anniversary dinner for this weekend.           On my reading pile::: Red Queen by  Victoria Aveyard On my tv::: Right now I'm watching Larry Crowne which is actually quite a cute movie. Things that make me happy::: The kids home from school, making lots, of noise and running around like crazy kiddos and the dog laying at my feet enjoying them as well. On the menu for this week::: Monday  - Frozen Pizzas Tuesday  - Chicken and Potato ...

Well, this weekend we didn't really do much.  It was so super cold and it just wasn't worth getting out and about.  We actually spent most of our time at home, and as much cleaning as I felt I did over the weekend, I can't tell today.  The house is a complete mess, and Scotland has passed out, in a pile of toys on the floor, from exhaustion. Friday night, Shawn and I tackled the gigantic pile of laundry on our bedroom floor.  It was all clean just was in need of folding and putting away.  It took a little over an hour to get it done, but we did it. Whew! Saturday, we watched our football team, win their first playoff game since 1994.  That's pretty darn impressive since we've had 8 consecutive playoff loses since then.  Boy were we excited! Saturday evening, we went to one of the kids' friends birthday parties.  We had such a good time and there were so many people there we knew.  Even Shawn knew people there and he doesn't spend a...

The Weather::: Right now, it's 30 degrees.  It's supposed to get up to 40 today though. Right now I am: Sitting at the kitchen table with Scotland in my lap.  Rylie is playing with a remote control My Little Pony scooter toy on the kitchen floor. Thinking: How busy today is, what all I need to get done, and the walk I want to go on. On my reading pile::: Right now, I'm reading a book my sister-in-law loaned me called Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard On my tv::: I've got several shows to catch up on, just not sure how I'm going to fit TV in today.  Maybe during nap time. I've been really enjoying Super Store lately.  It really reminds me of The Office but in a Walmart type store.  It's nice to just laugh and laugh.  It's a lot easier to watch vlogs while I work on the iPad. Something fun to share::: This weekend we went to a birthday party for a little girl we've known for a couple of years and became friends with her family...

I've spent a lot of time over the past week or so, scouring Pinterest and blogs, looking for new recipes.  I needed some new, good, and easy recipes that use things I normally have on hand so I'm not buying a ton of new ingredients to use for one meal.  Tonight, I tried one I found on Pinterest and it was so delicious! Everyone but Scotland ate and loved it, but she doesn't count since she doesn't usually eat chicken. Skillet Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce 3-4 (6oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts salt and pepper 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 clove garlic, finely minced 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth 1/2 cup heavy cream 2 Tbsp dijon mustard 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme, plus more for garnish 1/2 tsp dried sage 1 tsp honey Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to the hot oil and cook on both sides until fully cooked through. Approximately 5-6 minutes per side.  Transfer to ...

Yesterday Rylie went back to school and today was Ben and Sydney's turn.  Ok, never mind what I say when the kids are arguing with each other or talking back to me.  I'm one of those weird parents that actually wishes she could keep her kids with her forever and ever and never have to send them to school. I truly miss the kids when they aren't here. I want to experience the world with them and do fun activities and adventures with them.  Oh well, there will be plenty of time for that around school. These little breaks are nice to remind me not to over bog my kids down with sports and extra curricular activities.  This summer we are planning a change of things.  I think the big kids will be playing baseball and Rylie will do her soccer camp but the big kids will not be joining in soccer camp.  In the mean time, dance and art classes start next week. I'm working on planning lots of fun stuff for our summer vacation right now, as well as fun activities for o...

Hello!  Happy New Year!  Goodbye 2015 and Hello 2016!  Hope this New Year finds everyone well. Life is exciting here in the Tiemann house.  As it normally is.  I can't even remember the last time that I blogged.  It appears that it's been since before Thanksgiving. Since it's been so long, get ready, because I'm going to catch up as best I can and there will be so many pictures. Sydney, my dear 5 year old, became a really bad nail biter sometime around the summer.  She bites them to the point of bleeding, so finally after trying lots of other things, Shawn told her that if she didn't bite her nails for a week we'd paint her nails (the were so short we couldn't paint them for fear of burning and infection) and if she didn't bite them for two weeks, she could paint his nails.  Week one went by and she earned her nail painting.  Week two went by and sure enough, she earned her chance at painting her Daddy's nails.  She's such a sweet girl...