A follow-up.

In reference to my post last night:

I am feeling a little less guilty about being a night owl.  My Mom says this:

Sarah, I know it is early in the evening to send this email, but I just wanted to say that I hope you haven’t inherited this tendency, cause it really is a worse struggle than people have who fight compulsive food issues. Apparently John and Nisie have it too (my aunt & cousin). Sometimes I think it is a “difficulty in transitioning” issue, or an escape from performance issue: definitely a need for private time.

Valerie (maybe no one will no I am your mommy)

And then my Great Aunt (and my namesake), who I might add is totally hilarious, had this to say:

Sarah, just read your complete blog. I love it! I’m convinced that being a night owl runs in families. I have it and now my grandson has it. I can name several other relatives who have the same trait. Diane Ayers and I practically never went to bed when we vacationed together, and Mildred and Donald are night owls and so is Donnie Vick. I’ve always figured I am the worst morning person, but have gotten better as I’ve aged. George once told me he was sure I was the only person who could cook breakfast in their sleep. I remember that I didn’t have enough strength in my hands in the mornings to lift an iron frying pan. Sad to say I still love to stay up late. I’m sure all the good stuff happens while I’m asleep. I never got over knowing I couldn’t get anything done until the kids were asleep; so my mind is programmed to work better at night. I made the comment, in front of Dale, to Phil and Diane that I am such a night person that I should have been a prostitute, to which Dale responded, “you would have been a good one”. (Spoken like a devoted child.) Anyway, don’t people who wake up all bright eyed just annoy you to pieces? Much love to all, Sarah C.

So I guess it is genetic and I am just predisposed to have this condition. Too bad.

But my friend Angela says this:

So, should I email you every day to see what time you got up?

I used to be a night person…stayed up until midnight every night. Then I started getting up 30 minutes before my earliest rising child. I would hop in the shower and then have my coffee. As hard as it was, it REALLY made a difference in my day. Mostly my attitude. Gradually I started going to bed earlier because I was tired….just not getting enough sleep. Now I LOVE and I mean LOVE the mornings. Kids are grown but I get up anyway and enjoy the morning on the patio or in the winter, in front of the logs. Can’t wait to check in to see if it changed life for you. Keep us posted!

So I have some hope and I’ll keep trying.

I’m in good company.

If you know me well (or have ever corresponded with me via email) you know I am a serious night owl. I come by it honestly. My Mom is queen of all. It’s always been nice knowing I can call her at any hour (of the night, that is). So, driving home from my friend Shelly’s baby shower last night I got bored by the story on the BBC.  I started scanning the radio stations and by the time I got home I realized that my Mom & I aren’t the only ones up late at night. Lady Antebellum is up at a quarter after one, Anna Nalick is still up at 2am, there’s a whole slew of people up at 3am,  Edwin McCain, Eminem & all of Matchbox 20, and Mommy, you’re in good company at 4am. I’m usually asleep by then but Gwen Stefani is still up. Since they’re all singing about it they must feel bad about their night owl tendencies too.

On a related note…Recently I’ve come to terms with the fact, and have therefore been grieving the fact, that I will never be a morning person or an early bird.  My life as a mom would be so much easier if I was “on” in the mornings. I have tried for years to change that about myself but I’m pretty sure you either are or you aren’t and that’s just the way it is. I’ve resolved more times than I can count to get up in the mornings by setting alarms, plugging in my phone across the room, asking people to call me, dump water on me, bring me coffee in bed and even rip all the sheets off the bed. If you can think of it, I’ve tried it, but alas I still can’t get up. The last time I decided to give it a try was the night I found out I was pregnant with Dexter. Bennett was 5 months old at the time and I knew having two babies and a toddler would force me to get up.  It didn’t work.  I figured if I could let a baby cry for hour every morning then nothing would ever change. I gave up after that.

So instead of trying to become something I’m not, I have embraced my inner night owl. While I can’t even formulate a sentence before 7:30am, I think quite rationally in the late evening and at night. I’m still taking advantage of my late night productivity but I’m choosing to go to bed earlier. I don’t believe it will help but I promised my husband I would give it a try.

Today is the 7th day in a row I’ve gotten up early (between 6:30 and 7…nothing too crazy) and I must say things are going better.  It takes me a good thirty minutes to open my eyes and regain use of my hands and feet (not sure why they hurt so badly these days) but after a while I can think and even communicate.

I know I haven’t conquered this but I am making strides and the very fact that I’m writing this is a huge victory for the Pay household.  I will talk about almost anything but I can’t stand to discuss morning issues or admit that getting up early makes any difference in my day. I think I’ve always been made to feel like it’s a spiritual problem or a discipline issue. In some ways I’m sure it’s a discipline issue but for me it’s just a “this is how I am” issue.

Ok, so enough about the mornings already but I’ve put this out there because I will continue to need help feeling the conviction that this is important.  Maybe I’ll give an update in a few weeks but don’t let me out of this one.  Check in and make sure I’m sticking with the program.  Thanks friends.

Hot nights in the Hummer.

It has been so hot as hades these past few weeks that I haven’t even had the motivation to exercise, eat or blog.  With three boys we have to stay outside a lot or things get broken and people get hurt. It’s a bad set-up if you ask me. Anyway, even though it’s still in the high 90s with 10,000 percent humidity at 7:00 pm most evenings, we have to get out. We’ve been taking walks with Bradley on his bike and the little ones in the wagon. A few nights ago we decided to pull out the Hummer and let Bradley and Bennett cruise around the cookie cutter cul-de-sacs (aka our neighborhood).  It was fun but even though I’m a pretty laid back mom when it comes safety things, I nearly had a panic attack every time we passed a car. Not looking forward to that 16th birthday so much.

Not seein’ it.

I definitely think my kids have a look. They look like brothers though, not twins or triplets. I am often asked if Bradley and Bennett are twins. Seriously? They’re three years apart. That’s like when I was a kid and I couldn’t tell two people apart who were ethnically similar to each other, but different from me. Recently I have been getting comments about how much Dexter looks like Bennett.  I don’t mind, but I don’t see it either. What do you think.  These pictures were taken on their fisrt birthdays. Brothers? Definitely. Look alikes? Not so much.

Finally…

…Anna’s Wedding.

She met him last fall. Apparently it was a good time to fall in love, so we met him soon after. He joined us for our family Christmas vacation to Asheville. Poor guy is all I have to say but he passed the test and we decided he was qualified to have our baby sister. They were engaged on Christmas Day and the floodgates opened for the planning and production of their June 19th Wedding.  That was around the same time Dexter starting being a real boy and not just a baby. Needless to say I was swamped with life and though I was super excited about their engagement, I had to take a back seat when it came to the wedding. Actually I wasn’t even on the wedding planning bus. I felt sad but I had no choice.

Everything was perfect.  Each person in the Wedding Party was so cooperative and easy to get along with. I’m not used to that, so I really enjoyed the rehearsal dinner with such a pleasant crowd. It was held at Maggianos the Friday night before. Anna wore my Grandmother’s wedding dress to the rehearsal and the dinner. If you’re interested, you can read the story about the dress in this previous post: Landing on a Moment

The ceremony was at St. Mary’s Chapel in uptown Charlotte at 3:00 in the afternoon. My Uncle Johnny Frye was the officiant and my mother’s music students performed all the music. They were amazing.  The reception followed at the Hampton at Phillip’s Place.

I feel fairly confident saying that it was one of the best days of my life. Now that I’m done having children I can’t think of anything else that could make me happier than knowing she is happy, in love and loved.

Of course I thought Bradley was the cutest of ring bearers and my niece, Kaylen, was the most precious flower girl. And the best part was they did everything they were supposed to. I usually think children in a wedding is a recipe for disaster but they pulled it off perfectly.

My mother-in-law flew in to help us with the boys so we could participate in all the wedding events. We had such a wonderful visit with her and were glad the boys had some special time with Grandma. She kept the babies at home during the wedding but they made an appearance at the reception and we managed to grab a decent family picture.

The newlyweds spent the first week at home settling into their new life together and then they were off for an extended honeymoon to Colorado Springs. They had a great time and are now back home getting used to all the things we did to their house while they were gone! That’s another story for another time.

Ken and Anna we are so excited for you and look forward to seeing all that God has in store for you as you make this journey together.

A Sheet Snob.

That’s me. I’m really so embarrassed to admit it.  I hate pilling and polyester. The way I’ve enjoyed the last three vacations we’ve been on has been impacted by the stupid sheets on the bed. The sheets on the first trip were satisfactory but good enough to make me want to get in the bed.  The sheets on the second trip were so horrible they almost made me cry. I dreaded going to bed every single night. The most recent trip was much the same and I decided that I would pack my own sheets from now on. There was a time (not too long ago) when I judged people for even having such a thought.

We had decent sheets when we first got married but I kept trying nicer ones until I finally landed on the Macy’s Hotel Collection.  They aren’t rediculous (if you get them on a great sale) and they have lots of coordinating lines.

And while we’re on the subject of sheets, take a look at this clever idea for storing them over at Joy’s blog.

A Saturday morning from Sundays past.

Many of you have been wondering what’s up with the delay on my sister’s wedding post. I promise that I’m going to get one up as soon as we get the pictures.  In the meantime we continue to have bloggable moments that I don’t want to miss out.

Saturday mornings are sacred in our house.  Every other morning of the week is crazy, but on Saturdays I get to sleep in a bit (8:00 this morning). Joe makes breakfast and takes the big boys to the grocery store to get a Saturday breakfast dessert.  I know that years of doing this will add inches to our waistlines and maybe take months from our lives, but I’m learning to sacrifice some ideals to make life more fun.

This morning we decided to make homemade donuts.  Nutritionally there is nothing redeeming about them but they are good for my soul. Growing up as a camper at Camp Lurecrest this as something I looked forward to every Sunday morning.  As a teenager I worked as a Kitchen Girl (now called a CT) and learned to make them.  In those days there was no AC in the kitchen and dining hall so making donuts was a labor of love.  No one wanted to stand next to the fryer and be the “shaker” but we all took our turn.  I think the tradition lay dormant for several years after the original Dining Hall burned in 2000, but from what I hear it is back. Now, while I am a big time advocate for healthy camp meals (especially at breakfast), I’m very happy that this special tradition has not died.

It was so much fun for Joe & I to take the boys with us on a stroll down memory lane…and I’m pretty sure they had fun too.

It’s super easy and doesn’t even make much of a mess (until you eat them).

What you’ll need:

a deep fryer or a sturdy pot for hot oil, a pack of biscuits (any kind will work), two small paper bags (I would double bag them), cinnamon sugar and powdered sugar. (we didn’t use the sprinkles after all)

First make holes in the biscuits and place them in the hot oil.

Flip them after about 30 seconds.

After another 30 seconds place them in a colander or on paper towels to cool for a minute or two before placing in the bags.

Place two or three donuts at a time in the bags with the sugar and shake until well coated (just a few seconds).

The kids loved getting to help out and of course sitting on the counter was the most fun.

Taking this picture wasn’t easy.  Who would ever think of doing such a silly thing when there are donuts to eat?

Oh, and do eat them outside. And oh yes, cram as many in your mouth as possible before someone takes them away.

And when you can eat no more, give the rest to the neighbors because they aren’t good cold.