The last week has been hard, I don't know why I could not shake the heavy feeling that constantly surrounded me, I was frustrated with my kids, and with Rob. The kids also seemed to be extra whiny, cranky, and miserable. Not to mention the constant fighting between EVERYONE. Sunday I wanted nothing more than to get in my car and run away. Monday I woke up with the same heavy feeling and I wanted to cry, I begged and pleaded for the burden to be lifted because I was done feeling this way.
It didn't happen right away, but slowly I started working through it and my shoulders felt lighter and I stood a little straighter. By the time I left work I was determined to take advantage of this day that only comes once every 4 years and make it a little special, we all needed it.
After I dropped Hannah off at dance Samantha and I ran to JoAnns and bought a couple frog stamps, then to Maceys for some gummy frogs, and finally to the party store for a table cover, napkins, frog rockets, and place mats.
Side Note: I don't love to shop, but put me in a party supply store and I can go a little nuts, I really do love a fun dinner party. Samantha and I also went a little crazy buying all the stuff we need for Hannah's birthday in a couple weeks.
We came home and everyone was so excited about our dinner idea and wanted to help.
Hannah made us a sign for our table, I told her she should write Happy Leap Day on it and she said: "No, Hoppy Leap Day". She is so clever!!
I took the frog stamps and stamped them all over the white placemats.
The kids all helped to set the table, they even found little green plates left over from Samatha's birthday.
The girls opened the frogs to put on the table and decided to hang one on everyone's straw.
I wanted the frogs to stick to the bowl but it just wasn't happening, so I licked the bottom of one to see what would happen and it stuck. I gave all the kids frogs for their bowls and made them lick their own. So gross but they all had fun decorating their bowls and it worked.
Dinner was simple, Taco pasta salad, one of my favorites that I always forget about.
Cook a box of the colored rotini noodles, drain them and then add a few spoonfuls of sour cream and mix until the noodles are all coated. Top with all your favorite taco toppings and enjoy. We had taco meat, cheese, tomatoes, olives, and salsa. I was wishing for avocados, jalapenos, and maybe some chip strips to go with it.
We also had garlic bread and Stewart's key lime soda, cause it was green.
While the sun was still shining we went out and took some "leaping" pictures. We laughed and laughed, it was the best. The kids kept requesting one more and I kept telling them this was the last one and then we have to make dinner. And then we would do one more, and then one more, ok one more.
Thank heavens for beautiful weather, it is good for the soul, and we could have stayed out all night!!
After dinner we had a frog war, the mood in our house seemed lighter and we all went to bed with a huge smile on our face. I was so grateful for the reminder to have fun, not get bogged down by the crazy busy parts of life, and to take the time to make the little things special.
It didn't take long to throw our dinner all together, and I know I am lucky to have all those stores close by, but it was something so small that made a huge impact on how we all were feeling.
I have been working hard trying to learn how to navigate this stage of our lives, and I think I had a real moment of clarity yesterday, and for that I am eternally grateful!!
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