2009 was for us...

A very good year.

We had no major sickness.

We had no serious disasters.(No flood or other type of thing)

We laughed a lot.

We played a lot.

We took our first REAL family vacation and had a wonderful time.

We learned.

We matured.

We have opened some new paths and closed some old ones.

We LIVED!!!

Snow, Snow, Snow, Snow, SNOW...

Since I watched White Christmas about 4 times on Christmas Eve I have lots of the songs stuck in my head.

One of my favorite songs is the SNOW song...where they sing about how wonderful it will be to be in snow in Vermont. But that's the song...I really don't like snow....in fact it could be said that I almost hate snow.

Don't get me wrong, I like SNOW days, I appreciate that as a teacher I get these days from school. I just don't like SNOW....it's cold, its wet, its cold, its wet, it's slippery, have I mentioned it's COLD...I hate cold. I hate that feeling of being cold, and wet. It's no fun in my book. I love fall and cool weather, I enjoy Spring...I LOVE SUMMER! I would much rather be hot than cold.

It's snowed so much recently. I'm tired of it...if we didn't see another snowflake this winter I would satisfied with the snow we have gotten. However, it looks like there may be alot of snow this winter, and a lot of cold that comes with it....I will have to deal with it. It may be a LONG WINTER!

Laundry, the Kitchen and a Baby

I am working on getting my house in order.

Big jobs can be overwhelming so I am trying to tackle small portions and by the end of the week I should be about done.

LAUNDRY: Laundry is my nemesis...it's always there. Even if I get all the laundry done, by bedtime there is new laundry to do...sometimes I think we should join a nudist colony so we wouldn't have any laundry but seriously that is an "EWWWW" kinda thought...I have real issues with nudity...especially naked dreams and the like...in fact I was always worried in high school that the rapture would happen while I was in the shower and it would take a while and the whole world would see me float into heaven naked...but I digress...all this to say I hate laundry. Well, I have all the laundry sorted and ready to wash, and after Dan leaves for work I get started. I'm trying to do at least 2 loads a day and keep up with it. I also am teaching the kids to put their clothes in the right color bins to help me...hopefully a big step in the right direction.

Kitchen: Today this is my focus, I have reorganized a cabinet, cleaned counters, floors and got it into much better shape. Honestly, this is the easiest room to clean because we use it the most but still it REALLY needed to be done. I need to develop proper and good habits for cleanup as soon as we are done eating. My goal for 2010 is to not go to bed until all dishes are in the dishwasher and the kitchen is ready for the next day...I really need to be more diligent in this area....I can't change the world, but I can change ME!

A BABY: I got to see my friend Crystals new baby today. I went to the hospital after lunch and got to just visit and hold the little darling girl. She is so sweet and precious. So small and tiny and she slept for nearly the whole time I was holding her. There is something just so wonderful about new babies. I love them.

Well, I better get done posting and get back to the laundry...see it's a never ending cycle....still working on my goals for the new year.

Reality Check

True Confession: I AM A MESSY PERSON!

I don't like cleaning, I don't like it, not one bit.

My house needs to be cleaned....really cleaned...it's bad, really bad.

So I will be doing my least favorite activity over the next few days. I have a week off of school and I need to clean house and so I am going to do it. I will focus and look at my house with the eyes of someone else and get it into shape....I may even post before and after pictures of my successes.

So here goes....if you don't here from me for a few days....the house may have won!~

White Christmas

We all know that old Christmas Song...."I'm dreaming of a White Christmas...just like the one's I used to know"

Well, we got one this year. Christmas Eve a storm blew in and it's finally leaving us now!

Christmas Eve is spent at home, we open presents the four of us and hang out and then go to the Christmas Eve service at church. The last few years I have gotten the opportunity to read a Christmas story for the service for the children. I love doing it.

Christmas Eve was a long day....Jaron was very cranky and just wanting to open presents...which I kept making him wait for. He really doesn't like waiting. So he makes it until Daddy wakes up and we spend a cozy afternoon opening gifts and celebrating together...glad for the family time. During the afternoon it begins to sleet and finally changes to snow...I am getting anxious as the day goes by since my sister Wendy was traveling down from Omaha. She made it safely and soon after my mom calls to say that they are not traveling the hour down the road to Pleasanton for the Christmas Eve service where my Dad is pulpit filling, and I am relieved that they are going to be safe. I was disappointed that our church cancelled our service but at the same time I don't like driving in yuckiness so I was also relieved. We had a nice enjoyable evening at home.

Christmas Day and we had a blizzard overnight...there is a lot of snow and it's been drifting all over. We delayed going to my parents until the afternoon to let the snowplows do their job and so it will be safer. At 1:30 we get ready to leave...get the car warmed and off we go...we don't get far before we got stuck in a big snowdrift. A neighbor pulls us out and we make it out of our neighborhood and then I hike back to the house to get the kiddos and we walk to the car after packing a bag to spend the night at Grandma's. We get there with few problems and Dan leaves to head home...he isn't staying at my folks...on his way home he gets stuck multiple times and finally gives up calling me to say he is stuck at Quik Trip and the tires are not helping since they have no tread left. Wendy and I go and rescue him and get him back to our neighborhood.

The kiddos and I stayed overnight with my folks and had a nice time just hanging out. We played games, took pictures and played with our new toys. Sleeping arrangements were a little atypical but it was all good.

Today we spent the day hanging out, watching it continue to snow off and on, and getting new tires for my car. My dad was able to help us get unstuck and over to get new tires...what a difference in driving for me! Bad roads plus bad tires equals a really bad combination! We are home now and looking forward to sleeping in our own beds and hanging out playing Wii together.

It was a great Christmas, one of lost of memories and fun and stress! I am so thankful for all the fun we can have as a family.

Wishing...

There are days I wish that I did Santa and presents from Santa. All our presents are under the tree and wrapped and ready to go.

The kiddos know the True Meaning of Christmas and know that Santa was once a man named Saint Nicholas and that he did good things. They also know that Reindeer don't fly and they don't worry about the Santa side...

the down side is Jaron knows that today is Christmas Eve....or in his mind...I want to open presents NOW!!!! All I have heard all day is things like this...

• I just want to open one now...
• Is it time to now...
• Can I please...just one....I won't ask again I promise....I just want to OPEN ONE PRESENT PLEASE>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>PLEASE>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Why won't you let me Mom??? WHY???

If we were on Santa watch we could just track him or something and then I could put the presents out later....oh well...maybe he'll take a nap this afternoon.

Little Things Matter

Tonight I got some great snuggles and hugs from my son. We were watching TV and chilling in my room and he just needed that extra one on one time with me. Really made me remember that the little things like snuggling are what they are truly going to remember from their childhoods. It's the little things that matter to them and that they tuck away. They will remember that I took time to talk and cuddle with them. They will remember that I made an effort to go to their schools and help out...those are the important things...not the presents, and stuff but the time and effort I spend with them. These really do matter.

Wrapped with Care

Today I took 2 trips to the kiddos school to help with the Christmas Activites in the gym. I manned the pinecone ornament station. It was fun...tons of kids...but fun!

Between the 2 parties I wrapped almost all of our Christmas Presents. I have 3 or 4 little ones to wrap tomorrow but for the most part I am done.

Tomorrow, we pick up the last few little things since the kiddos are off school. We should pick up Grandpa's present that is enroute to our humble little town and maybe do some holiday baking. I am in the mood for some yummy cookies!

I'm looking forward to all the remaining little things that need to be done between now and Christmas!

One could get used to this

I had a very low key day!

I chilled, napped, ate, read, shopped, and relaxed.

It was just what I needed!

I get another low key day tomorrow!

I could get used to this!

Wahoo!

I am officially done with teaching for the Holiday Season!

I don't have to go back to work until January 4th!

I'm so blessed to be able to be home for awhile!

Countdown to Christmas Vacation

Wahoo...only one for day!

One more day!

Then I get 2 delicious weeks off of school!

My house needs me at home for longer than 2 days!

My kids need me home too and they need a break from school!

The kids have 3 days of school...so I am going to help with their parties next week. It'll be nice to be the mom rather than the teacher!

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Excited!

Funny Thing...

As I was leaving the classroom today, on my way to the laundry room, so I could wash a bucket of washcloths that we use to clean the tables, I peeked down the yellow hall and into the green hall. What do I see but a little boy...touching his toes, with his little bare bottom greeting me from the wide open bathroom!

Gotta love getting mooned by a 3 year old!

Gotta love preschool.

Wow...what a Day!

Okay, it's only 1:45 in the afternoon but wow I have had a super busy day....

Here's a taste of our crazy day...

I wake up late...the house is cold, my bed is warm and I don't want to get up...so I finally drag myself out of bed and on my way to the kids rooms I check the thermostat...WHAT!!!62 degrees??? That's not right, it should be closer to 70...

Get the kids up, they are moving slow since they are cold and not feeling like getting out of their warm beds...Janea also check the thermostat and she is getting a little panicky because it's cold...but we muster through.

At work, my boss is out sick and I am running late and I am worried about my house and the furnace. So I call our landlords and they get me in touch with a heating guy and he can be at my house this afternoon...well Dan is sleeping and I can't get a hold of him and so I am able to get away for the heat..turns out we had a non functioning connector so we were only getting a third of the heating power...fortunately we still had some heat unlike last March when it would not come on at all.

Come back to school...now sitting at my desk during naptime and wondering what is going to happen this evening...but grateful to be going home to a warm house.

Looking forward...

to only 4 more days of school this month!

to sleeping past 6:00 and staying in bed!

to getting to help out at the kids school for their Christmas celebration this year!

to wrapping presents and seeing if people like what I have worked on.

to enjoying hot cocoa and a movie with Dan sometime in the near future...he's been working a lot this month.

to Christmas and celebrating God's gift of Jesus to the world.

to being with my kiddos for extended time and just hanging out!

Baby It's Cold Outside

We are in a cold snap right now....it was 3 degrees when I left the house this morning.

It took at least 10 minutes for my car to warm up today and I was glad that I have a heater in my car....it was so cold!

I had a bad case of Mama guilt as I instructed the kiddos on what to wear to the bus and what time to leave the house so they were not standing in the freezing cold too long this morning. I am thankful we live right across the street from the bus stop but oh it was so cold this morning.

I am so thankful that it will be warming up soon...and that at least at night we are nice and warm in our cozy home. There are cold parts but thankfully I don't have to be in those constantly, like closets, and the laundry room. The back door had ice on the inside window but I have another door that keeps that cold air from coming in the house. So thankful for the warmth of my home!

I am also thankful for my little furnace that gives off the heat and that it is working! Wouldn't want to revist this scenario.

High Strung

Janea is working on the words for the spelling bee tomorrow.

She is a little high strung about it....freaking out and all!

She won the 3rd grade spelling bee and now feels she has to prove herself this year and be the 4th grade champion.

It's a little tiring trying to help her and help her not to freak out.

She could use some prayers that she is in the top 3 in her class. That she stays calm and is able to spell the words well and correctly. That if she isn't in the top 3 that she will remain calm about it.

I Just Dont' Get It

Why do children tattle ALL the time? Do they think I need to know that Jimmy just ate a booger and they think its gross? Do I really care that Susie looked at Sally funny? I just don't get it...at all...it makes me tired!

Why do weather people get you all excited about the weather and stressed and then they are ALWAYS super wrong? They predict BIG SNOW...you get no snow...they predict little snow you get a FOOT! Why must we play God and try to control the weather....I just don't get it.! Why do I fall for all the hooopla every year as well....I don't get that either!

Why does my back hurt when I sleep, why do my feet hurt when I sing, why does my head hurt when I stand??? Shouldn't my head hurt from thinking, my throat from singing and sleeping make all the stuff go away??? I just don't get it!

Why do some mothers dress their kids in like 50 layers and then the day is warm and the parents show up in short sleeves and they still make their kids wear a thick coat and a hat??? They can run around in summer clothes but their kids can't??? I just don't get it???

Why do little kids tell you all day long they are tired and yet when given the opportunity to rest and relax and sleep they fight sleep with every fiber of their little selves??? I just don't get it.

I'm sitting here shaking my head and pondering these pointless questions...why...I don't know I guess I just don't get it!

Yeah Baby...

Tonight I went to Kohls and got the last of my Secret Santa gifts to exchange at work for our Secret Santa.

I got some killer deals at Thanksgiving and spent 72 dollars while saving over 100. Well, I got 10 dollars in Kohls cash on top of my great savings. So tonight I was able to get my Secret Santa some stuff without spending any of my own money! Wahoo!

Love deals like that ...plus the stuff I bought was marked down so it was like the store was giving me stuff for nothing....love it!

I see how coupon shopping can be very addictive...wish I had more time for it all...

Another big step

on the road to independence.

Saturday I took Janea to the library and she got her own library card!*

She filled out all the paperwork herself and got the card and so off we went to find books.

Janea has been reading the Series of Unfortunate Events books by Lemony Snicket and she has been waiting for ever for book 11...which hasn't been returned to the school library. Well she got books 11 and 12 of the series and a Dear America book...

We haven't seen much of her for the rest of the weekend as she has been engrossed in her books. She finished book 11 Sunday and is about half way through book 12!

She's such a good reader and I am glad to be able to foster this side of her...

* yes I know that young children can get library cards sooner than at 9 but in our family you have to prove you are careful with books before you are allowed the responsibility of checking them out in your own name! You also become resposible for keeping track of due dates, and paying any fines with your own money...

The Parenting War

Have you ever felt like every parenting moment is a battle?

That the little crabby not cooperative person is going to make you absolutely insane?

Have you ever honestly considered sticking them in a box and shipping them off to another family member somewhere far from you?

Today was full of battles...both literal and figurative.

Jaron decided that he was going to be selfish and crazy.

He was uncooperative and threw a fit for over an hour over stuff.

We are working on not being greedy.

We are working on giving as well as getting.

We are fighting alot...so far the parents are winning...but there were moments today.

Moments that I felt like giving in and saying "fine...okay:"

We persevered...we conquered...we made it through

I'm ready for bed!

Prayer Request

My dad broke his wrist today.

He was playing raquetball and fell and really broke it! The smaller bone is broken in 3 places.

He will be having surgery tomorrow...Friday to have a pin put in.

Please pray that the surgeons will be able to place the pin correctly, that my dad will have minimal pain and that he will have a complete recovery.

Also pray for my mom as she takes him in and waits for him to be done and as she is his nurse for the next few days.

Struggles

I am struggling with my attitude toward a student. He is struggling and acting out and that is making me not want to be his teacher...I don't like this feeling and so I am struggling.

I am struggling with juggling all the balls that are my life right now and I find that I am dropping more of them all the time...I don't like this feeling and so I am struggling.

I am struggling with the fact that I am who I am and sometimes I am not as kind and considerate as I should be and I hurt people who are in my life...I don't like doing that and so I am struggling.

I am struggling with knowing the best things to do, the right timing of things and seeking God's will for choices and decisions that need to be made. I am struggling with the fact that my timing and my husband's timing for things is different and my contentness isn't always his contentness and I am called to be a help to my husband but I feel like a hindrance and so I am struggling.

"Lord, please take my struggles and turn them into things that are beautiful for you. May I be the wife, mother and teacher that I should be. May my life bring beauty and joy to others. May I have the forgiveness of those I have wronged and know the proper way to humbly ask for forgiveness. Make me more than who I am but turn me into someone who is a reflection of Jesus.."