Our New "Home Sweet Home"

I don't even know if this is legal, but this is the best picture I have of our new home. The landscaper just sent me a photo of what our house will look like with landscaping. The house is the real deal (including the saw horse and trashcan on the front porch) and the landscaping and grass is fake (just an idea of what he can do with the house).

Moving weekend is THIS weekend. Still lots to be done in the next four days, but my "contractor" keeps telling me to trust him.

I'll update you from 7260 Knottingham Drive next week!!!!

I am Home!!!

I am home from my week-long New England adventure. I am home from three months of traveling pretty much non-stop. I am home and have nowhere to fly until February. I am home!!!!

The week and event in New England were phenomenal! We celebrated 10 years of Living Proof Live in all 50 states and 100 events. I had a wonderful time with our event team as well as the rest of the LPL team members. But we were exhausted when we got home on Saturday.

My wonderful husband, despite being a single parent all week long while I was gone and while finishing the new house, let me go to bed early on Saturday night. My heart felt so bad to ask him to be on Daddy Duty for one more moment, but my eyes wouldn't stay open.

Sunday was the first phase of our brand-new life. No traveling for Mommy for atleast 3 months. And then, October 31 begins the second phase of our new life in the new house!!! We just need some carpet, touch ups on the interior paint, one final coat of stain on the hardwood and a good cleaning and the moving will begin!!!

You are more than welcome to come visit us at the new house anytime. I would beware of our current house...it is a disaster as I am working on packing!

I'll post updated pictures one day soon!

Losing My Sanity

If you are an active reader, you must feel like we are on a roller coaster. One day is a great day and then we are in the pits of despair with tantrums and exhaustion. That is not my normal behavior. I am usually even-tempered...I even pride myself on my consistency.

The last two nights have not been in the "good" category. As Milli Vanilli once said, "Blame it on the rain!" That's where it all started. Let me set the stage!

First, we are in the final, final stages of the new house. Bill the Builder is digging utilities (side note: I promise that what he does is very impressive. I've been walking a broken marriage road with a dear friend which has spurred me to put more focus on my marriage and on my husband but it's hard when we are living separate lives right now with me traveling and him building the house. So I was just looking for some things to make him feel good during this last, grueling stage of the house. I told him Sunday when we were at the new house that he dug very impressive ditches. Such simple words, but his chest puffed out and a huge smile came across his face as he said, "Really!?!").

Okay, back to the story. Bill is digging utilities and it wasn't supposed to RAIN until Wednesday. But it started raining Tuesday night. So Bill and his good friends were over at the house until around 9:00 laying pipes and back-filling ditches (are you impressed with my construction lingo yet!). So, Claire and I had the evening alone.

At 6:30p, I was preparing her for bath-time and she decided she didn't want to take a bath so she head-butted me!!! She missed my head and hit my brand-new glasses and the lens popped out. I rarely get mad, but I was mad. I put her in the bathtub with some duck friends and headed to the living room to cool off. I called Bill and told him he probably needed to come home for the sake of his first born. He just couldn't with the rain coming in. I understood, but I was afraid of my own anger so I needed to get away from her! After giving her a bath, she went to bed at 7:00 pm because I was still mad (her usual bedtime is 8:00-8:30).

Next day, we all woke up fresh and ready for another day. After picking her up yesterday afternoon, we headed to the new house since the painters had painted the two main rooms. As Bill and I walked around the house, Claire found a pencil and proceeded to "doodle" on the freshly painted walls... two different walls. And then, as she came to get us to show us her artwork, she ran her hand down the hallway of wet paint. Not only are their smudges in the new paint, she had paint on her hands and in her hair. The child is going to be the death of me. You will be glad to know that I didn't get mad, the painters were coming anyway to touch up!!!

Claire and I headed home so Bill could get to work. As soon as we entered the house, Dr. Jeckyl took over and she threw one fit after another for 2 hours. At one moment, (this is when the guys that happen to read the blog - Mark - need to forgive me or leave), she got in her diaper bag and found my personal cosmetic case and started unwrapping and playing with my tampons and maxi pads (she loves band-aids...she must have thought they were just a bigger version).

At this point, I'm not willing to choose this one as a battle. She sat in her bedroom floor and played contently with her new "toys" taking them apart and putting them back together and I sat in the hallway hitting her big bouncy ball against the wall with her miniature Louisville slugger! (Do you ever remember hitting or bouncing a tennis ball against a wall when you were young...same effect).

I know you may think I'm going crazy and if anyone had a hidden camera I'm sure they would have called the doctors, but it was a big stress reliever. I was exerting some negative energy with no danger to anyone or anything and she was content!

3 weeks and counting until saner days arrive!

Turning the Corner

Whew! This has been some season. I am not sure how to categorize the season. Busy, stressful, joyful, blessed, exhausting, refreshing, hard, prayerful, trusting, lonely...oh, there are so many words. But I think we have come out on the other side.

First, Claire's tantrums ended as quickly as they started. I have not put her in time-out in probably a week to ten days. (I'll have to get Becca's report on if the tantrums have ended during the day). Either she is getting more words to tell me what she wants or how she feels, our consistency and patience have paid off, or God is just being gracious to us! It's most likely the latter!

Second, our house sold. I'm a pretty laid-back person naturally, but I was about to get wound-tight with the economy and housing market like it is currently and us wrapping up the construction of our new home. My mind would only take me to the worst-case scenarios. But, like always, God is sufficient in his timing alone. And what perfect timing it is. We will sell our house and move straight into the new house the first of November (October 25 if Bill continues to burn the midnight oil).

Third, and associated with #2. We are moving into the new house. I couldn't even get excited about the new house until the current one sold. But now I can say it, "I LOVE our new house." Come visit us sometime!

Fourth, with each passing weekend, I get closer and closer to no more traveling this year. Next Sunday, I leave for my last trip. And although it is long (a week long event), the joy of knowing I have no where to fly to in four months gets me through the long trip.

So, what do the next few months bring for the Cato's? First, we look forward to sleeping past 5:30-6:00 am on Saturdays. I am going shopping for Claire (I just haven't had the time, energy or desire to shop lately with our schedules and she has NO fall clothes...poor thing). Bill says he wants to go hunting and I am happier than I ever been to let him. I think I'll finally try to learn to sew. And then before long (hopefully it's a year or two), Bill will get stir-crazy and we will go hunting for the next lot to build on!

Our Sonic Adventure

Before I begin, let me offer my best attempt at a disclaimer for the following entry. I tried my best to be a healthy mom. My sister set the bar high when Kaity Beth was born almost 12 years ago. At Kaity's first birthday, Angela made her a cake with no sugar. I thought it was admirable and I tried to follow the example for my first born. When Claire moved to solids, I pureed the vegetables and the fruits. It was easy and cheap, so I sacrificed the time. However, Claire much preferred the Gerber purees over her Momma's home-made ones. And for months, stacks of my purees sat in the freezer as she gobbled down Gerber. I didn't take offense, I just stopped puree-ing.

Fast forward to the season after purees. Bill and I have followed the laid-back approach to her eating. She naturally gravitated to things that were good to her. She loves any fruit, she eats most vegetables, the only meat she will eat is pork chops (I have no idea why), and drinks and eats so much dairy that I am surprised she's not moo-ing. We let her have treats every now and then...not over-indulgent with sweets, but she does partake in them with us. She's within her range on weight and her clothes fit. She's active and I think she's healthy.

Okay, so after the disclaimer and history...our favorite stop in the afternoons is Sonic. Not every afternoon, maybe once every two weeks we stop for a slush. I have been traveling the past two weeks, so I know it has been atleast 3-4 weeks since we have been there (and even when I was traveling, I know Bill didn't take her because he told me that he had planned to one afternoon and she threw such a fit in the truck that she lost her Sonic privileges!).

So, on our way home from Becca's, no intention or desire to stop at Sonic, I heard the sweetest voice in the backseat saying, "Syush, Syush."

"Claire, would you like a slush"

"Yea", in Claire's affirmative whisper.

"Do you want a grape slush"

"Noooooo!", in Claire's whiny, sing-songy voice.

"Do you want an apple juice slush."

"Yea!", again in her whispery affirmative voice.

I laughed out loud as I pulled the vehicle in Sonic and she laughed with joy. She has me wrapped around her finger!

So mommy ordered a kids' sized apple juice slush and a regular sized banana split shake (for herself). When the little carhop came, you would have thought she was Claire's favorite person. She clapped, she squeeled!

So, Claire took a few sips of her slush and noticed I was drinking something. She sat her slush in the cupholder and grunted for mine. I handed it back to her and as she tasted the banana shake, she giggled and "Mmmm"ed to her hearts delight....and handed me her slush!

The banana shake was now hers and I was stuck with the apple juice slush. She did share MY shake with me.