My "first" Mother's Day, I mean weekend.

I didn't have a Mother's Day as much as I had a Mother's Day Weekend!

Friday
It started on Friday with a surprise visit at work from Ryan & Keira.  I love hearing the patter of her feet and the giggle in the voice as she runs towards my desk.  As soon as she turned the corner my heart skipped a beat and there she was with a huge smile on her face, holding a balloon that read Mommy & Me.  She was so proud!  Right behind her was Ryan with a pot of hydrangea flowers that Keira told me she picked out herself.  She brought me fow-ahs and a bah-woon.  She is my precious.  I will have to plant the flowers and try not to kill them!

Saturday
Ryan had been asking me all week where I wanted to eat for my special day.  I value a great brunch way more than dinner, so I suggested a little hole in the wall called the Local Joint in Fairview.  A friend had been telling me about this place for months, so I was excited to finally be able to check it out.  I knew our Sunday would be hectic, so we decided on Saturday instead.  Hey, why not celebrate early?!?

 

It really is a little hole in the wall, attached to a gas station, albeit a very nice gas station!  I'm not positive, but it looks like it may have been a Waffle House in its former life.  Don't get me wrong, I actually like the Waffle House, but this place provides a more of a mom-is-WAY-worthy type dining experience and not so much of a  I've-partied-too-hard-and-everything-tastes-AMAZING type experience.  Now that I'm 33, I know the difference.

Love the sign - Eat Local! 

A friend told me to expect Sunny Point quality food without the Sunny Point crowd and he was right. The service was great and the food was amazing!  I can't remember the exact name of the dish, but it was like Eggs Benedict, sans the ham and in its place was roasted tomato, spinach and avocado with a side of grits.  It was delish.

   

Ryan got Huevos Rancheros and while he prefers Sunny Point's interpretation, it was still very good.

 

Keira LOVES bacon & eggs, so she was a very happy camper.  She actually ate very well without a lot of prompting, making for a very peaceful meal for everyone!

And of course, we had to share a pancake, something I actually learned from my grandma and mom.  Everyone gets a meal and everyone shares a single pancake!  I debated getting it, but it reminded of the two women who raised me to eventually be the mom that I am today, so I declared a new Mother's Day tradition and ordered it.  Ryan was scratching his head at first, but he was glad I ordered it the end! 

I loved my Mother's Day Brunch.  It was simple and quiet and wonderful.  We will definitely be back and we won't be waiting until next Mother's Day!  I highly recommend The Local Joint!

We did some running around but eventually returned home for Keira's nap. Not sure if it was all the food or if I was worn out from the week, but I actually napped while Keira napped!  That's a Mother's Day gift all in itself!  Not only do I not typically have time for a nap, but my insomnia prevents me from falling asleep during the day.  I usually just lay in bed and rest my eyes, but this time I dozed off, even dreamed.  It was a miracle! I woke up shocked but refreshed.

Sunday

In retrospect I'm glad we celebrated on Saturday because Sunday turned out to be as hectic as I thought.  It started with Keira wetting her pajamas... and the bed... and carpet.  She really had to pee!  It was my fault, really.  I rushed to take a shower thinking she was asleep, when in fact she had woken up.  So there I was in nothing but a towel, stripping the bed and rushing Keira downstairs for a bath hoping to be ready in time for Ryan to pick us up for church.  This is what mothers do right?!?  It's why we have a special day? Ha! How ironic, I thought.

Needless to say we were not ready when Ryan got home from work.  Even though we were running late, he & Keira quickly handed me two cards at which point I really didn't care about being late.  

Like the balloon on Friday, my daughter actually handed me a card.  It's hard to wrap my head around it.  For the first time, my little girl is big enough to give me a card.  "Here mommy!" she said. This was my third Mother's Day, but in many ways it was my first.

Although I loved my Super Mom card, it was more the expression on her face that almost brought me to tears.  She was so happy to give it to me!  She had an adorable look on her face, as if to say "I did good, right mommy?"  That means more to me than any gift. She did do good.  I could care less about cleaning up pee or all of the other craziness that comes with being a mother.  She is worth it! 

ON THE OTHER HAND, I have to say, gifts are great too. In fact, the spa day that came in that little green card helped things later in the day when Ryan pulled into the garage a little too fast and too far.  He put a hole in the wall and a scratch on the car.  I still can't believe he did that!  It was really hard to stay mad at him though, considering the near perfect Mother's Day weekend he had just given me.  I really am a lucky wife and mommy.  Ryan's an expert at making me feel appreciated and it's rubbing off on Keira.  This was definitely a Mother's Weekend worth remembering! 

Clean, healthy home - Why I'm falling in love with Norwex!

vs.

I'm working towards a new way to clean my home!  Between the stainless steel cleaner, the 409, Clorox wipes, Windex, and the Swiffer, not only are the fumes hard to handle, but I'm fearful of Keira's safety.  If I'm coughing while I'm wiping down the fridge, how will it affect her?  And inevitably, she'll lick the fridge, the stove and the floor.  Don't ask me why, she's going through a phase! 

When I found out about Norwex I was skeptical, but intrigued.  Most people have not heard of this company.  They've only recently made it's way into the United States.  As its name suggests, Norwex is a company born out of Norway and they make cleaning products that allow you to radically reduce the number of dangerous chemicals in your home.  In place of the toxic chemicals we are so accustomed to using, you use water and their microfiber clothes instead.

I only have two clothes but I've already said good-bye to a lot of the chemicals I listed above.  I probably won't say good-bye to all but I feel good about the progress I've made.  Keira can continue to lick away!  And not only is it better for the environment, but the best part about Norwex is that I can get her involved when it comes to cleaning our home!  Not only is it good family time, but these moments also make great teaching opportunities.  Norwex even makes kid sized cloths and a kid sized mop. 

How it works!
It's simple, really.  These are not your mama's microfiber clothes!  The strands in a Norwex cloth are 1/200th the size of a strand of hair.  It is so tightly woven that it literally (for once I'm using literally, literally!) lifts and removes ALL the dirt, grease and bacteria off the surface you are cleaning, even the porous ones.  And it doesn't stop there.  While most of the yuck will go down the drain, the micro-silver woven into the microfiber strands go to work to squash the bacteria left in the cloth, eliminating the need for toxic chemicals. See it take on bacteria in this news story!

Trying to spread the word!
I held a Norwex party this past Saturday wanting to share this with as many people as possible.  It turned out to be rather intimate, just one friend and myself.  We were both already familiar with Norwex, but we were happy to get more one on one time to see more of the product in action.  I did take some video I'd like to share. 

If you are interested in Norwex after seeing these videos follow this link to learn more or make a purchase.  My party will be open until the weekend.  After that feel free to contact my friend, Doreen Garris directly.

Norwex, so tightly woven it removes Sharpie marks from wood & tile with just water.

The new, better way I shine my refrigerator!
Stainless steel cleaner is probably what I despise the most.  It makes me cough and then it doesn't work very well. Well, I dumped the stuff!  I don't miss it at all and my fridge has never been so shiny.

But can it clean my oven door?
Yes, it can!  To be honest, I haven't cleaned the inside of my oven for months, so I was actually kind of scared for Doreen to test the product on it, thinking it would be impossible!  For tough jobs like this, Norwex makes an enzyme cleaner that's water based & biodegradable.  Normal oven cleaners can be just as toxic, if not more than stainless steel cleaners.  I was impressed!

The Butter Test
The Envirocloth takes butter off the window faster than Windex!