Foto Friday–Books

(It seems that all I’m coming up with these past few weeks has been Foto Friday posts.  I’ll get another post explosion soon I’m sure)

This theme made me think of my time spent at Mommy Retreats.  Every year, ladies from our old kinship (small group) from back in the day (like late 90’s, early 00’s) get together every spring for a Mommy Retreat.  I got to join the last two years and hope to attend every year that I’m not breastfeeding.  Since I’m not pregnant now, looks like I’m all ready to go next spring.

At this retreat, we bring whatever reading materials (and games and even recipe boxes to organize) we want to peruse during the weekend.  Last year’s retreat seemed to be a big reading weekend.  There were so many books that we had to get pictures of them all stacked up. 

I added a Kim Klassen texture called Ugglove (I think) and then a Paint the Moon black and white action that I added a bit of the color back to. I love how the color turned out in this, but I’m not sure if this texture was the best choice.  I do like it, but if I had more time (always the case), I could have tried out more textures to find maybe a better one.

Until next time……

 

Have a great weekend!

Girls Trip 2011

The weekend before Mother’s Day, I took a trip.  I went away for the weekend.  8 mommies got away to a cabin in the woods and did whatever we wanted and had very little responsibilities.  It was wonderful!  I took my computer with me to jot notes about what was going on.  I had a quirky, interesting, “don’t forget these moments” draft started in my Live Writer. 

Then, my computer crashed.

Mommy Retreat Recap

This past weekend was what every Mommy needs.  It was a chance for great friends to get together, taking a break from their families.  It’s not that we don’t love our families or that we wanted to shirk our responsibilities.  It’s that we needed a recharge.  In order to be the best Mommy for your family, sometimes you need to step away from them.  And boy did it work for me!   Here is a ‘brief’ recap of this weekend.

First, let’s just say the cabin was A.DOR.A.BLE!  It was just the right size for the five of us.  It had a comfy couch and a gas fireplace.  (Jen almost singed her eyebrows off trying to get it started – and the darn thing didn’t stay on!)

One of the best things about this cabin in the woods was that it had a HOT TUB!  I’m not a huge hot tub fan, because it’s usually too hot for me to enjoy.  Since we all agreed that it’s no fun to be too hot in a hot tub, we worked with the temperature to get it just right for the four of us (one is pregnant, so she didn’t get to get in).  I think we all could have stayed in that thing the entire weekend.  At just about every hour of the day, you could find at least one person in the hot tub.  It was super relaxing!

Most of the weekend can be summed up with two words: Reading and Laughing.  We could have gone hiking in a beautiful area of South East Ohio, but instead, we chose to stay in and relax.  We brought a TON of books to read and some games to play.  As I looked around from time to time, I noticed how relaxed our visiting  was.  At one point, two people would be deep in conversation, while the other three were playing board games.  Then the dynamics would completely change and one person may be in the hot tub by herself while three or four others were enjoying reading or talking together.  It’s hard to explain, but it was definitely wonderful to experience.  At no time did anyone feel ‘left out’ or pressured to do what they didn’t want to do.  (Except one time when I made Heather and Nichole play Scattergories and they didn’t want to!)

 

While we were blissfully sleeping through the night, and sleeping in as late as we wanted (which turned out to be 7:30 am), we were visited by a friendly, hungry little mouse.  The zip-top bag our blueberry muffins were stored in was gnawed through, and one muffin was missing a considerable amount of  its muffin top.  I think we had a happy, fat mouse (probably hyped up on sugar overload) as our 6th cabin guest.  Luckily we never saw it!

The highlight of the whole weekend (besides the many hours spent in the hot tub) was Saturday night.  We decided to play Jenga; Truth or Dare, minus the Jenga part.  Without going into much detail, let’s just say that we all must have lost 10 pounds laughing so hard (I wish!).  Brooms were slow danced with, pregnant bellies were raspberried, and songs were sung at the top of our lungs.  It was a riot. 

The best part may have been when I drove into the driveway, and my husband and son were there to greet me.  You could see the excitement in Jack’s face as he pointed and shouted at his Mama.  Rick looked more handsome than ever, even though I’m pretty sure he didn’t manage to get a shower all weekend.  (That’s a skill that takes months to perfect.)  I was glad to be home.

I highly recommend a Mommy Retreat to any and all mommies.  Every mommy needs a break from her kids and husband.  It makes us love them that much more!

*Thanks to Heather for letting me ‘steal’ all her photos.  I left my camera at home with the bebe and daddy and wouldn’t you know, no pictures were taken all weekend!  I could have taken mine after all! 

MOMMY RETREAT!!!!

I’m going away for the weekend!  I’m very happy about this.  I’m very sad about this. 

5 of us Mommies are going to a cabin in the woods for 48 hours.  We are leaving behind our responsibilities and mini-vans.  We are leaving behind the whining and constant need for attention.  We are leaving behind our messy kitchens, dishes, and toy rooms/areas.  We are leaving behind getting up once or twice a night and waking at 6:30 am on a Saturday morning. 

This weekend can’t last long enough!!!!

But then again…..

5 of us Mommies are going to a cabin in the woods for 48  hours.  We are leaving behind our families and homes.  We are leaving behind the giggles, squeals of delight, and constant entertainment.  We are leaving behind the hugs, smiles, and kisses.  We are leaving behind snuggling in bed with our families.  We are leaving behind those dimples!

This weekend can’t go fast enough!!!!!

This will be my first time sleeping away from my family.  I am anxious to get away with the girls and reconnect with old friends, but I’m also sad about leaving my guys behind to fend for themselves.  (and by fending for themselves, I mean eating the meals I’ve cooked for them and enjoying the clean house I’m leaving for them)

Let’s pray that we all survive!